Valley of Shields

by Duncan Lay

  ‘And the secrets of magic and the worship of Aroaril? Are those things you want as well?’ Jaken asked sharply.

  ‘Obviously my people want the benefits of magic — but will be happy with what you are prepared to offer us. Likewise the worship of Aroaril. Your priests healed my warriors, proving that Aroaril is willing to embrace us. It will be up to you and the archbishop to decide how that would work.’

  Jaken nodded slowly. ‘Go on,’ he said.

  ‘It is true that Rhiannon stood with Asami against Sumiko, and helped defeat the head of the Magic-weavers. Clearly Sumiko desires revenge. That is an understandable emotion but let us not forget what my people did for Dokuzen. You and I both know we would not be standing here now without the sacrifice of my people. We should be above such petty emotions. The elven people need friends among the humans and we will be the best friends you could ask for.’

  Jaken inclined his head. ‘You speak wise words. I like the way you think, Huw of Patcham. I agree that there is no need to sacrifice our people’s friendship.’

  Behind Jaken, Sumiko stood and strode forwards until she was almost behind him, glaring at them.

  ‘They are lying to you, Lord Jaken. They plan to teach magic to as many humans as possible, because they believe they are as good as us. They think we are one and the same — that there is no difference between elf and human!’

  Jaken whipped around. ‘This is not Council business — this is between two leaders!’ he snapped.

  ‘How can this not be Council business? This is about the survival of Dokuzen! These humans seek to deceive you. They stole a book from me, allowing the secret languages of the forefathers to be translated and they claim to have proof of what happened three centuries ago, when the magical barrier went up and sealed us away from the human world.’

  ‘That may be Council business but it is for no other ears,’ Jaken stated. ‘We shall continue this elsewhere —’

  ‘It is simple. The girl Rhiannon should be put to death and then we are safe, with no danger of magic threatening us. They must give up Rhiannon, as well as abandon all thoughts of magical help from us. If they do that, then we can indeed form a special alliance with them — as long as they acknowledge us as their masters,’ Sumiko continued loudly.

  Rhiannon surged forwards but Huw stopped her, holding her back with some difficulty and flashing her a look that was half warning and half pleading.

  Jaken took half a pace towards Sumiko, his face furious but his voice still low.

  ‘What game are you playing? What is it that you seek to achieve?’ he hissed.

  ‘I want Dokuzen to be safe. But it will always be at risk while that girl walks around free. She must be kept here, where she can do us no harm, at the very least. If the Forlish were able to capture her and use her power …’

  Sendatsu saw his father clench his fists, a familiar move he had seen too many times to remember. It always presaged violence, or at the very least a furious outburst. Sendatsu smiled to himself. Sumiko would be put in her place now.

  Then he heard the rumbles of agreement from the chamber. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see many elves on their feet, nodding agreement with Sumiko.

  Jaken glanced around as well. His face betrayed little but Sendatsu saw the muscles tighten in his jaw and around his eyes.

  ‘Lord Jaken, I think Lady Sumiko is right,’ Chenjaku’s clan leader called, a sentiment echoed a moment later by the other clan leaders.

  Jaken turned slowly back to Huw.

  ‘You want me? Come and get me,’ Rhiannon invited. ‘But before you do, I’ll make sure that your worst —’

  ‘You will not have Rhiannon,’ Huw interrupted her, gripping her hand firmly.

  ‘Be reasonable, Huw. You must see my position. I promise no harm will come to her. She will be treated with honour, allowed to live among us —’

  ‘No.’

  Jaken sighed. ‘And you believe there is no difference between elf and human?’

  Huw straightened his back. ‘There is no difference. Your own ancestors wrote that. The magical barrier was the result of a power struggle in Dokuzen, between those who believed you were elves and those who knew you were humans. I am sure you can guess who won. You are not elves, you are a tribe of humans called Elfarans and soon you shall have no more magic than any other race of men. You look a little different from us but we are the same inside.’

  ‘And you read all this in a book?’

  Huw nodded. ‘By a man called Tadayoshi Sendatsu. He detailed how it all happened, how the Elfarans betrayed and murdered many Velsh, Forlish, Breconians and others, stole from us our languages and our worship of Aroaril. But, even knowing all this, we were still prepared to help you, to save you from the Forlish. We still offer the hand of friendship but make no mistake, it is not the hand of a servant, but of an equal.’

  His voice, loud and strong, echoed through the chamber. Before he had finished, the assembled elves roared in anger, baying for human blood. Many surged forwards and now Gaibun’s guards were forced to turn the other way to hold them back.

  ‘Enough! Return to your seats or by Aroaril I will have heads!’ Jaken cried.

  He stared around the chamber, chest heaving, and the ferocity of his gaze was enough to cow everyone there. Shamefaced, they hurried back to their seats, leaving the chamber clear once more.

  Jaken turned back to Huw. ‘I wish you had not said that, for now my hands are tied,’ he said.

  ‘They do not have to be. Everything I said was true. This can be the new beginning you talked about. You are now part of these lands again — become an equal part. There is a valued place for the Elfarans. The past can be forgotten and a new future forged together,’ Huw said earnestly. ‘What you can do for the human lands will make up for the evil done in the past and ensure centuries of peace and prosperity here —’

  Jaken held up a hand. He could hear the sincerity in the young bard’s voice but he closed his ears to the words. They were unimportant.

  ‘We are elves and we have magic — you are humans and do not. There can be no deals between us if you persist in peddling such lies,’ he said firmly. ‘I offer you one last chance — surrender Rhiannon to us and acknowledge the elven people as your betters and you will be protected.’

  ‘That will never happen,’ Huw said immediately.

  ‘So be it.’ Jaken nodded. ‘As acknowledgement of the way you fought beside us to defeat the Forlish, you shall be allowed to leave Dokuzen in peace. But when you do, the debt between us shall be cleared. We shall give you no special treatment. You will be like all other humans to us.’

  ‘It is too dangerous to let them go —’ Sumiko began.

  ‘Father, this is dishonourable! The Velsh saved us and now we are betraying them!’ Sendatsu cried.

  ‘There will be no further discussion,’ Jaken said. ‘The next person to talk, no matter who they are, will lose their head to my blade.’

  He glared around the chamber, which was quiet as a tomb.

  ‘Gaibun. Take Huw and his party to where the rest of the Velsh have made camp, and then escort them out of Dokuzen and out of the forest. If they attempt to return, then they shall be treated like any other human in our forest.’

  Huw looked at Jaken for a long moment, but Jaken’s face betrayed nothing, so he spun on his heel.

  Sendatsu caught him by the arm and whispered into his ear, ‘Don’t give up hope. I shall speak to my father.’

  ‘I think it is too late. I have gambled on the elves and lost.’ Huw tried to smile bravely but it was a fragile thing.

  ‘We don’t need them,’ Rhiannon insisted.

  Huw sighed. ‘I am afraid that we do.’

  The chamber watched silently as the small group of humans was escorted out by Gaibun and a dozen warriors. Nothing was said but Sendatsu shivered a little at the hatred the elves directed at Rhiannon.

  Sendatsu glared at Sumiko, only to see her smile triumphantly back. He glanced towards h
is father but could see nothing on his face, although the way he clenched his hands betrayed the tight anger within him.

  Huw, Rhiannon and the others left the chamber, the door banging shut behind them, and Jaken spoke once more.

  ‘This audience is over!’

  Sendatsu hurried across to Asami’s side.

  ‘Come on, I need to get you away from here,’ he said.

  She sat slumped on the bench. ‘Why did it all go so wrong? I was sure Sumiko was satisfied with her victory over Jaken, becoming part of the Council … Why was she so determined to destroy an alliance between men and elves?’

  ‘Sumiko might be after you as well. She has been frustrated in her attempt to kill Rhiannon — surely you are next,’ Sendatsu insisted.

  ‘I feel sick.’

  ‘Clear this room!’ Jaken shouted and the elves stirred themselves. He stared at them, seeing elves locked in conversation as they discussed what had happened. He cursed softly.

  ‘My Lord Jaken. You need to arrest Asami. She taught a human magic, showed her forbidden texts belonging to the Magic-weavers. She is too dangerous to have walking around Dokuzen. She needs to be imprisoned, for the safety of Dokuzen,’ Sumiko said loudly.

  Jaken looked at Asami and Sendatsu, seeing Sendatsu glare at him.

  ‘Asami risked her life for Dokuzen to defeat the Forlish. She is no risk to us,’ Jaken said.

  ‘So you think it acceptable for one of our own to teach magic to humans, encourage them that they are our equals, give them the weapons to defeat us?’

  ‘Lady Sumiko. We need to talk in my chambers. Now.’ Jaken signalled and, after a few moments, Sumiko followed him to the end of the room, where another set of doors led to meeting rooms and offices.

  ‘That is our chance.’ Sendatsu helped Asami to her feet.

  They lost themselves in the crowd, joining the mass of elves waiting patiently for their chance to get outside into the crowded streets.

  ‘We should never trust humans,’ someone said loudly, to mutters of general approval.

  ‘They need to be taught a lesson. They have forgotten to fear us. If we do not show them our power, then we shall have every gaijin seeking to try their luck with us,’ the speaker went on.

  The mutters became a powerful rumble of agreement.

  ‘How could this have gone so wrong, so fast?’ Asami asked. ‘I thought our people would see what the Velsh did and gain a new appreciation and respect for humans. Poor Huw and Rhiannon.’

  ‘I shall see my father. He is listening to me now,’ Sendatsu said. ‘Sumiko is the problem. While she rules the Magic-weavers and sits on the Council, there is no chance. My father has to remove her. Perhaps he is already doing so — I know only too well how he hates to have his plans spoiled by someone opening their mouth at the wrong time.’

  ‘And you can stop this?’ Asami asked.

  ‘I don’t know. But I have to try.’

  37

  We learned the truth and went outside the barrier to find out that humans had suffered while we lived in luxury — but they have bravery, and they have magic as well.

  Sendatsu’s song

  ‘Do you want to tell me what happened there?’ Jaken said as soon as the door was shut behind Sumiko.

  ‘What do you mean? I was protecting Dokuzen and upholding my duties as a member of the Elven Council,’ Sumiko said mildly, taking a seat.

  ‘And you did not think to tell me about any of this earlier? Did you think of how it would look when I offered the hand of friendship to a human, only for you to tell everyone they have magic and think themselves at least our equals, if not our betters? That they believe some old book claiming there are no elves, that we are some sort of strange-looking gaijin?’

  Sumiko was unmoved. ‘I was helping you,’ she said.

  Jaken paused, his face reddening. ‘Helping? How in Aroaril’s name can that possibly be called helping? This morning I was the unchallenged hero of Dokuzen, now half the people think I don’t know what is going on under my own nose!’

  Sumiko leaned forwards suddenly. ‘I have exposed the human plans. And I have provided you with the perfect excuse to marshal the army and lead them out into the human lands.’

  Jaken stopped pacing. ‘Go on,’ he said.

  ‘If that confrontation had taken place out of the people’s sight, perhaps in this very room, Huw would have lied about magic and his belief we are all equal. The girl Rhiannon would have sat quietly and said nothing, even if asked. I brought them into the open. If I had told you the truth in private and you confronted them the same way, you would have been forced to quietly remove them from the city. Everyone would have been asking questions.’

  ‘And they are not now?’

  ‘Not at all. They are telling each other that the humans tried to trick us and cannot be trusted. That there are humans out there who are trying to learn magic and we have to act quickly. So when you announce the army will march west and south to bring the human lands under our control, there will be no disagreement, only cheers.’

  ‘But my authority — you made me look foolish.’

  ‘I did nothing of the kind!’ Sumiko snapped. ‘I showed that you had been betrayed. If the humans had vanished from the city, there would have been sympathy for what they did. All who fought with them yesterday — and there were thousands of elves, from families across the city — would have felt the humans had not been treated fairly. They would not have been happy marching out to conquer the humans. Now they will be.’

  Jaken sat down and poured tea for them both.

  ‘And along the way, you made it look like the Magic-weavers were the ones who discovered the human treachery and saved Dokuzen, enhancing your standing,’ he said, pushing a cup towards her.

  ‘Of course.’ Sumiko smiled brightly. ‘You said it yourself — it will take moons for people to overcome hundreds of years of despising us and accept us as part of the Council, give us the honour we are due. I have merely sped up the process a little.’

  Jaken sipped his tea. ‘This cannot happen again,’ he said. ‘I must know about everything. I can understand why you did this but there was a better way —’

  ‘A way that made you look like the hero of Dokuzen, rather than me?’ Sumiko interrupted.

  Jaken slammed his tea down, slopping it over the wooden desk.

  ‘I am the Elder Elf. I am the ruler of Dokuzen,’ he warned. ‘Do not forget that.’

  ‘Oh, there is no danger of that.’ Sumiko smiled and toasted him with her tea.

  ‘Do not presume too much, Sumiko. Just because of our — special — relationship, I shall not treat you any differently.’

  ‘But I think you will. For nobody can give you what I do,’ she said, leaning across the desk and sending out a tendril of magic into his body.

  He felt himself stir in response to the magic and had to fight furiously to regain control of his own body.

  ‘Nevertheless, you agree to bring everything to me first, then we can decide together how to bring it to the public?’

  Sumiko paused for a mouthful of tea. ‘Agreed.’ She smiled warmly. ‘We shall work together for the glory of Dokuzen. I shall be your most trusted adviser, you will see.’

  ‘As long as we are clear on who is the real ruler?’

  ‘There is no doubt in my mind,’ she assured him.

  ‘You need to gather your men and leave right away. We shall escort you out of the forest, so nothing happens if you run into my father and his warriors — and so that you do not also run into the Forlish,’ Gaibun said stiffly.

  ‘Gaibun, things don’t have to end this way. Perhaps I could talk to your father. After all, he is now on the Elven Council —’

  ‘The decision has been made. I warned you that your strange beliefs about equality would come back to hurt you.’

  Huw sighed. ‘We need food. We did not bring much with us and the journey back to Vales will take time.’

  Gaibun nodded slowly and pointed to one of
his warriors. ‘Return to Dokuzen. Bring me a dozen sacks of rice. Payment is on authority of the Elven Council.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Huw forced himself to say. ‘Now what about our wounded? They are not going to be able to march for days.’

  ‘That is not my problem.’

  ‘Gaibun — they fought with you. Some of them died so that you and your warriors could live. Surely we deserve something for that?’

  Gaibun sighed and gestured to another warrior. ‘Back to the city and get us two score of horses. The wounded can ride, or at least take turns riding. Now, if you have no other requests, my warriors and I shall wait here.’

  Huw, Rhiannon, Cadel and Bowen walked slowly back to where the rest of the Velsh dragons waited.

  ‘What are we going to tell them?’ Rhiannon asked.

  ‘Cadel, Bowen — tell them to be ready to march home,’ Huw ordered.

  ‘What are we going to tell the village elders when we return?’ Rhiannon persisted, watching Cadel and Bowen hurry across to their comrades.

  ‘I don’t know!’ Huw snarled at her.

  ‘Don’t take it out on me!’ Rhiannon said.

  ‘A portion of the blame is yours. Sumiko deliberately baited you, tried to get you to use magic. If you had kept silent and done nothing, then maybe we could have saved the situation.’

  ‘So it is all my fault?’ Rhiannon asked.

  ‘I never said that. But why couldn’t you have kept quiet for just a little longer? Jaken was trying to shut down the discussion and take it somewhere quiet. Now, after all we went through yesterday, all the dragons we lost, we have gained nothing. In fact, we have lost. Now the Elfarans see us as a threat to them.’

  ‘So you think I should have sat there, in the room where I was humiliated before, and taken her insults about my father?’

  ‘Yes!’ Huw exclaimed. ‘She only said that to get a reaction from you. She knew your history and she used it against you. You fell into her trap. You defeated her before but she won this round.’

  ‘This was not my fault,’ Rhiannon spat. ‘Even if I had sat there and ignored her, she would have kept going until she had broken apart the alliance with us. What if she had used magic on us? That would have been her next move, without a doubt.’