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A Warrior's Knowledge

Page 49

by Davis Ashura


  But though they did not have to carry even the smallest part of Mother’s insanity, they could still sense Her emotions. And right now, Mother was excited, joyful. “My beloved children,” She began, “I have need of your assistance.”

  Choke startled. Never before had She addressed them in such a way, nor had She ever sounded so gentle and caring. Always before, Mother had spoken to the Baels as their distant and cruel Mistress, ordering them about with no regard as to whether they could carry out Her commands. He cast a quick glance upward before returning to a still posture of attentive obedience, head bent low.

  “Rise, and hearken unto My words,” Mother continued.

  With shuffling feet and the groan and creak of leather harnesses, the Baels rose to their feet. Some of the younger brothers shared looks of confusion and concern. It was an uncertainty Li-Choke shared. A young Bael glanced at him, a look of fear on his face. A slight head shake was all Choke could offer, warning the young brother to stillness.

  “Miles north there stands a cesspool, a fever-swamp of corruption and evil,” Mother said. “We will go to this diseased place and with wind, storm, fire, and blades, we will lance this pus-ridden boil and forever wash away its stench from the sweet soil of our world. Thus, will Li-Choke lead forth a full Shatter of the Fan Lor Kum into the heart of the Privation Mountains. Come forth child, and receive My blessings and My command.”

  Li-Choke’s earlier bravery was abruptly vanished. It was one thing to be present during one of Mother’s visits, but it was another to have Her specifically call him forth, to have Her speak directly to him. When the senior commanders of the Fan Lor Kum were gathered together in preparation for one of the Queen’s visitations, it had always been the case that She spoke only with the SarpanKum.

  But the world was changed. Mother was changed — but She remained a dread, fearsome Goddess.

  Li-Choke had to swallow down a bitter bolus of bile. His knees trembled, and he locked them in place, stiffening his spine and his resolve. He had to be strong so Mother’s wrath wouldn’t fall upon his brothers. He made his way forward; moving with what he hoped was a deliberate, confident pace until he stood beside Li-Shard. “What is Your will, my Queen?” he asked in a strong voice.

  Thunder rumbled as Mother seemed to laugh. “Though you were once commanded by the traitor, Li-Dirge, your actions in Hammer and afterward have redeemed you in My eyes,” She said. Her words held a tinge of mockery. “I trust you have fully grasped My lesson from those many months ago on the Hunters Flats?”

  The Queen referred to the murder of his brothers, and Her threat to do the same to the rest of the Baels. Her reminder gave him an opportunity to focus on something other than fear. He gripped tight his anger. In fact, had it been only his life in the balance, he might have spit in the Queen’s face and told Her to shove Her commands to the unholy hells. After all, what could She really do to him? Kill him? So what. He was but one soul and he could only die once. But there were all the other Baels to think about. She would murder them if Choke defied Her. He had to do as the Queen commanded, but he would still do his best to thwart Her will. “What am I to do?” Choke asked, grinding out the words past his fury.

  “Take a Shatter of My children and follow Me north,” Mother commanded. “I will mark your way. You will know when we have arrived. An area south of the Gaunt River is our destination.”

  Li-Choke nodded, though he was confused. What did Mother intend in some empty part of the world, deep in the Privations? “And when we arrive, what are we to do?”

  “Kill any Humans I flush from their venomous lair.”

  Horror worked its way down Li-Choke’s spine. Jessira’s home. By the barest of margins, he kept his legs from shaking. “What lair?” he asked.

  Mother laughed once more, and lightning streaked the sky. “You will see. Be ready within a fortnight.” Her words spoken, the Queen took to the sky and raced off, leaving the Baels to stand about, muttering in confusion.

  As soon as She was lost from sight, Li-Shard turned to Choke. “Do you know what She intends?” the SarpanKum demanded.

  “I fear She has discovered Jessira Grey’s home,” Li-Choke replied. “Jessira was always careful to never speak of her city’s location, but it seemed most likely to lie hidden somewhere in the Privations.”

  “The city has no Oasis?” Li-Brind asked.

  Choke nodded. “Most likely,” he replied. “From what I could ascertain, it is a relatively young city.”

  “Mother will kill them all,” Brind said, sounding appalled despite his hard-bitten cynicism.

  “No,” Li-Shard said. “She will kill most of them, and we can do nothing to prevent it. But we will do our best to save as many as possible.”

  “How?” Brind demanded.

  “If Jessira had simply trusted me with the location, we could have sent brothers north to warn them,” Choke said, furious with the situation.

  “Calm yourselves,” the SarpanKum said. “The hour is dark, but all is not lost. Take Chak-Soon and his claw. Here is what you must do.”

  Late into the day, they discussed their plans.

  *****

  Mother Lienna waited exactly one fortnight before leading Her children north. She marked out their path, moving slowly so the Fan Lor Kum could more easily follow Her.

  While journeying through the mountains, She occasionally came across UnCasted Humans. It had been an unpleasant surprise witnessing so many of them, scurrying about like lice. Once, She would not have seen them. Their means of hiding from Her, their Blends were good, but they no longer sufficed to veil them from Her sight. For millennia Lienna had forgotten the Talents She had once possessed as a Human. She had forgotten Her singular gift: the ability to feel Jivatma, like the soft caress of a feather against Her cheek. Her Talent had been one of the reasons Lienna had once been considered the finest Healer in the world. But now Her gift would serve a different calling. If She searched patiently and carefully, She could find any Human anywhere, whether they were Blended or not. And She would kill them all.

  So She made Her way through the Privation Mountains, finding caves now and then with UnCasted Humans hiding inside. Their lives were snuffed out and their lairs crushed, buried beneath heaps of rubble. Lienna smiled to Herself with each death. There would be no chance for the vermin to raise an alarm and allow their fellow parasites to flee their hidden city prior to Her arrival.

  She travelled on, and eventually came upon a strange rock formation. She chuckled at the sight of it, remembering what it was like to be Human. So phallic. And it so thoughtfully pointed Her children in the direction She intended: toward a large mountain lake shaped like a tear drop. South of the water were fields of grain.

  A Dream Shattered

  When we die, will the world notice? It is a hard question to ponder. I fear we are habitual liars, creatures of self-deceit. I fear we are each of us a fractured leaf fluttering alone in a cold and empty wind.

  -A Wandering Notion by Shone Brick, AF 1784

  Rukh toyed with the unfamiliar wine-red bracelet — a kalava — circling his left wrist. It was a simple band of ironwood, plain and unadorned, but it had a glow, a shiny sheen to it that brightly reflected the early morning sunlight. Rukh had only received the kalava a week ago. Jessira had given it to him on their wedding night, and he hadn’t yet grown used to the feel of it, but already he enjoyed its heft and what it represented. According to the customs of Stronghold, the kalava signified the bonds by which a husband was tied to his wife. For her part, Jessira had received a thaali — a black-beaded necklace worn close to her heart and meant to symbolize the love she would feel only for her husband. And both pieces of jewelry had been fashioned from the same plank of ironwood.

  Rukh twirled the bracelet, watching as it spun on his wrist and glinted in the early morning sunlight as he walked a wide dirt packed trail that circled to the east of Stronghold. Following behind were Cedar, Jessira, and Court Deep — the Silversuns — and a few membe
rs of Sign’s unit, the Shadowcats. Rukh planned on taking them to a field of boulders, a level area where he had done much of his training. It was a wide-open space, perfect for the Ashokan techniques Rukh planned on teaching the Stronghold warriors and far better than the constricting rings of East Lock.

  The instruction also gave him an excuse to get out of the city. Too many of Stronghold’s warriors viewed him with an unsettling attitude of deference and hero-worship.

  The path widened out onto a field littered with boulders and sharp, protruding stones. The area was several hundred feet higher up in elevation than Stronghold itself and had a broad view of the valley encompassing Lake Tear and the Croft. It felt private and secluded, yet still a part of the wide world beyond. Farn had been the one to show it to Rukh. The air was cool, but spring had found its grip. The slopes of Mount Frame were covered with green shoots straining to reach the sunshine while fields of pale, yellow wildflowers joyously waved upon their slender stems. There was a feeling in the air, a bubbly sensation demanding a festive celebration.

  Spring fever.

  Rukh wanted to dance.

  “You’re not already getting tired of wearing my kalava, are you?” Jessira teased, surprising him from behind.

  Rukh laughed and by way of answer, he took her in his arms and twirled her about. He didn’t care if the Silversuns and Shadowcats — who had straggled up to their position — groaned in disgust upon seeing his display of affection.

  “They should go back to the wedding cabin,” one of the scouts muttered in mock-revulsion.

  Rukh smiled, not embarrassed in the slightest. Spring fever was too wonderful to keep trapped inside.

  Jessira punched him in the shoulder. “We should get to work,” she said, a warm smile lighting her face.

  For the rest of the morning, the Silversuns and the Shadowcats faced off against one another. They sparred while Rukh walked amongst them, correcting forms and postures when necessary. Because of the times he’d trained against Jessira, he already knew what problems to look for. The manner by which Stronghold’s warriors were taught was quite different than the instruction Rukh had received in the House of Fire and Mirrors. Here, form and appearance often took precedence over practicality. The Silversuns and Shadowcats flowed through pretty patterns, but their choreographed techniques often left them off balance and poorly prepared to defend against a warrior who might choose to take a different angle than their forms allowed.

  “It’s not how we were taught,” a Shadowcat muttered.

  Rukh recognized the warrior. He had been present when Rukh had first entered Stronghold. Tire Cloud was his name. Brother to Wheel Cloud, twice Champion of the Trials of Hume, and the man Rukh had defeated to take the title. “You think I was victorious because I’m faster than the warriors here?” Rukh guessed.

  Tire thrust out his chin. “Of course that’s why,” the young warrior replied. “Even with a Constrainer, your speed was your advantage. If you fought with skill alone and didn’t tap your Jivatma, how good would you be then?” he challenged.

  “Ready your shoke,” Rukh said. “We’ll find out.”

  His words drew a buzz of anticipation from the gathered warriors, who began wagering amongst themselves. All of them seemed to be betting on how many strokes it would take for Rukh to defeat Tire. No one was wagering on the opposite occurring: Tire beating Rukh.

  Tire had initially worn a look of anticipation as he stepped forward, but as he heard the laughter and wagering from those around him, his face fell into a sour grimace. “What an idiot,” Sign Deep said, loud enough for everyone to hear and further humiliating the young Strongholder.

  Rukh felt a spike of sympathy for the Shadowcat. No one deserved to be shamed in front of their peers like that. Still, he couldn’t take it easy on Tire. The Strongholder would know and would resent the condescension even more than he would the laughter thrown his way by the gathered warriors.

  Court stepped forward. “On my word,” he said. He gave Tire a quick, assessing glance before turning away with a shake of his head.

  Rukh studied his opponent, looking for balance and angle of the shoke.

  “Begin,” Cedar said.

  A blocked slash and a hard kick to the gut, and Tire was down. Rukh hadn’t even moved from his stance.

  Tire lay on the ground and gasped for breath. The kick had knocked the wind out of him.

  “I didn’t use Jivatma,” Rukh said. “All I needed was knowledge.” He looked the watching warriors in the eyes. “Knowledge and will are the keys to victory in any situation.”

  “Again,” Tire said once he had his breath back.

  “Later,” Rukh promised. He reached down and helped Tire back to his feet. “We need to finish up here first.”

  He was about to lead the Silversuns and the Shadowcats through another series of lessons, but from the corner of his eye, he caught movement. To the southeast, trivial as a dust mote but coming their way, a bruise-colored cloud raced the wind.

  Rukh’s heart clenched.

  Jessira followed his gaze, and the color drained from her face. “Devesh save us,” she whispered.

  The other warriors noticed their fear, but when they followed Rukh and Jessira’s gaze, all they saw was a cloud. They turned to one another in confusion.

  “We have to get back to the city,” Rukh said. “Warn them. If you have a place to hide or a way to evacuate Stronghold, we have to do it. Now!”

  “It’s just a cloud,” Tire said, confused.

  Sign was amongst the first to realize what approached. “Devesh save us. It’s the Queen. The Sorrow Bringer.”

  *****

  Lienna surged forward, Her goal was in sight: a large valley, plowed and planted with straight rows of cabbage, wheat, carrots, and barley. Once, She would have taken delight in the growing of crops, but now She saw them for what they truly were: a blight upon the skin of Arisa. The plants and vegetables Humanity used to feed themselves had to be expunged. And this time, Lienna had brought something with Her, something She had never before conceived of using.

  And it was all because Her mind was finally clear.

  Mother and Father might still mutter now and again, but Their utterances were tolerable. They would always be there — a residual effect of the Withering Blade, which had trapped Their minds — Mother’s more than Father’s — within the recesses of Lienna’s consciousness. But at least Mistress Arisa was gone. Silenced forever.

  As for the valley of crops … Lienna smiled. She would smite this infestation and cleanse the land altogether with a sandstorm.

  Lienna aimed for the fields, unleashing a scouring tornado wind of shredding sand. All the trees and plants were ripped apart and the soil denuded. Lienna scrubbed the very stones and ground to mirror smoothness.

  *****

  Jessira dropped her shoke and anything else that might slow her down. Nothing mattered but alerting Stronghold. The Queen would arrive in minutes. Rukh was already far down the trail, a distant figure outstripping all of them.

  A howling wind, full of biting dust and debris, shrieked overhead. Jessira glanced up, her mouth dry with fear.

  The Sorrow Bringer.

  Jessira stumbled to a halt and watched in horror as Suwraith launched Herself at the Croft. The Queen smashed into the ground, raising a dust cloud that soared skyward. It took on the same mushroom shape as when Suwraith had crunched into the pond, the night Rukh had read The Book of First Movement. Seconds later, a dull roar washed over her, building in intensity until it was a howling wail. The Sorrow Bringer traversed the Croft, stripping the ground bare and wrecking the work of generations. In Her wake, She left behind a glassy sheen. The Queen had transformed fertile fields into a dead, crystalline desert.

  “Move!” Cedar shouted. “We still have to warn Stronghold.”

  “There’s no time,” a warrior said. “She’ll be on us in minutes.”

  “For all we know, She’s only discovered the Croft and nothing else,” C
edar replied. “We still have to warn Stronghold.”

  Jessira was no longer listening. She raced off. Need burned within her. Her family — her parents, her brother, Kart — all of them were trapped deep inside the bulk of Mount Fort. She had to try to reach them.

  She ran on, heedless of the risks as she piled on the speed. Time slipped away and she cursed how long it was taking to reach the trail’s head. Finally, the ground leveled out where the bases of Mounts Fort and Frame blended into the broad valley of Lake Tear and the Croft. Not much further to the East Gate.

  Before she could enter the narrow cleft leading to the Gate, Rukh stopped her, clutching her arms and spinning her around so she was facing him. She hadn’t even noticed him until just now. “I’ve already warned them,” he said. “They’re coming. But we have to get clear of the area before the Queen arrives.”

  Jessira tugged herself free of Rukh’s hold. “My family … ” She managed three steps before Rukh grabbed hold of her again and held her back.

  “You can’t,” he said. “You’ll only make it harder on anyone trying to get out.” His face held a look of heartbreak and resolve.

  Jessira tugged her arm free of his grip. “They’re my family,” she cried.

  “So are Cedar, Court, and Sign,” Rukh answered. “So am I,” he added. “If you go inside, you’ll be lost to us forever.”

  Jessira blinked as she took in his words, hating that he was right. She screamed, a raw animal cry of rage, frustration, and fear.

 

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