by Paul Heisel
“I don’t believe you were formally introduced to Gar-ad-Ku-Watahon,” Hiru said. “He is a Favored One of the Ku family, the most revered of my loyal subjects. Soon he will be the Warlord of Pyndira, and your fate will be sealed.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“I’m going to cut your head off myself,” Watahon said.
“Just like you cut off Kojo’s?”
Hiru laughed as his arm went to restrain Watahon.
The guards moved between them. “I think it’s time for you to leave,” a guard said. “Just as you are a Most Favored, this man is one as well. Respect goes both ways. Leave now or we’ll remove you.”
“Next time I see you, it will be as I’m executing you. It won’t be a warrior’s death, it will be a criminal’s death. One you deserve dog!”
Feln stood there impassive, non-responsive to their statements. Owori admired him for that, his patience in the face of these thugs was incredible. She knew the calm exterior masked the turbulent interior. He was probably figuring out how he could defend himself, but also how to take both down in the most efficient way possible. The guards directed them away and closed the door, then took up their positions. Owori slipped away unnoticed until she was out of everyone’s path. She could see Hiru and Watahon’s faces. Both looked angry, but hidden were smug smiles of their apparent victory. She followed them for a short time, then broke off and went directly to the entrance to the palace. She needed to speak with Feln’s family about finding candidates to become the Warlord of Pyndira, but first she needed to talk with the guards about guests roaming the palace with weapons. After that, she was going to do her own investigation into this Crypt of Warlords and figure out what all of this meant. Maybe if she understood it better, then she could help shape the future in Feln’s favor.
#
They filled wagon after wagon of rubble from the fire, not much was salvageable or useful. There were unrecognizable, twisted things amongst the charred coals and though many pieces of china had survived, they would not be usable as complete sets. Emato decided to load all of it into wagons and dispose of it. Stone statues survived the fire, but not without damage. Some were missing limbs and others were pockmarked, and all of them were discolored. Suun supervised all of this, helping Emato when he had questions or needed direction. She thought he was doing a remarkable job, though she expected nothing less from him. He was Xialao.
Members of the Emperor’s army arrived just after they took Feln away. They were helpful and listened to orders, just as soldiers should. Emato managed to feed everyone military style, the surviving cooks went to the markets for ingredients and made soups in large metal pots, while others went in search of readymade food. The cost was substantial, but the need was great now that the manor had been destroyed. It made Suun wonder why they were the target, why those unmarked Furies tried to destroy the leader of their family. Actions such as this were often motivated by revenge and were personal in nature. What she couldn’t figure was, what did Feln do to piss off these Furies so much that they wanted him dead?
The sun was setting and she had the belt of the Most Favored tucked underneath her robe. The night was becoming cooler, reminding her that winter was near. What made her feel colder, though, was what Feln asked her to do with the belt. Despite her loyalty, she wasn’t sure if she could go through with it. Not only was it a huge risk, there could be other unknown consequences. As requested, she spoke with Pearl about it and the Fury listened and made only one comment; that she would be with Owori if anything went wrong. It was a relief that Pearl didn’t lecture her or cause problems because of the request. A creaking noise caused her to look up and she saw a servant pulling a cart from the front gate. It was a medium size cart, deep enough carry people if need be, and the yoke was wide enough to accommodate a mule or horse. The leather harness was over the man’s shoulders and intertwined with his arms, pulling taut as he moved ahead. He stopped in front of her and bowed, his breathing heavy.
“This was left outside the gate. We didn’t see who left it.” He took a breath. “He’s one of ours.”
Suun stepped forward and pulled back the ratty blanket. A dead body was there, eyes open and staring. She felt the clammy skin – it was cold – so he had been dead for hours. The face registered, it was one of the soldiers they sent to follow the Fury. A dagger was stuck in the ribs, a bloody piece of parchment skewered as well. On it was written two words, ‘well met.’ Suun didn’t know what that meant, but she remembered Feln saying the phrase more than once or twice.
“Bring Pearl here.”
The servant scurried away.
Pearl arrived. She was just as filthy as everyone else helping with the cleanup. “They found them,” Pearl said. “Where’s the other soldier?”
“Probably dead as well,” Suun said. “We can hope he's a prisoner, but these zealots don’t strike me as the type who are good at taking prisoners. Does this note mean anything to you?”
Pearl took the blood-soaked parchment. “This is an Accord of the Hand greeting,” she said. “Why it is pinned to this soldier?”
“I do not know.”
“Me either.”
“It has to be a taunt meant for Feln, but they don’t know he’s been taken to the palace. Does this mean these Furies are from the Accord of the Hand?”
“Impossible,” she said. “The Furies within the Accord of the Hand were in Bora, with me, and a few scattered – like Owori – who didn’t know what they were. All of them, save those who are loyal to Kara, are in Safun by now.”
“Could this Kara be the source then?”
“I know all of the Furies,” Pearl answered. “I would have recognized the two who attacked us if they were from Bora. Kara doesn’t know that I’m bound to the Xialao family, so she would have sent any one of her Furies – she would have no reason to think we would recognize them. One other possibility is the note could have been sent to misdirect our suspicions.”
“To what end? I think it’s a taunt. ‘Find us if you can. Catch us if you can. And by the way, I know where you’re from.’ That is what this note says.”
“That would mean a member of the Accord of the Hand is assisting these Furies. I don’t know who that would be, except Kara. Should we try to find them?”
“We’d be wasting time trying to discern their location. This city is too big. The body is cold. He’s been dead for hours, and if you use a horse pulled cart you can get quite distant from this compound. I’d rather we spend time trying to figure out what these Furies are up to. What’s their plan? What’s their goal?”
“Or better yet, who is their next target?” said Pearl.
“Both. Shades, we need Feln here.”
From the front gate, Owori appeared on horseback, riding on the path toward them at good speed. She dismounted in a smooth motion and walked quickly and with purpose to them. Her red robe was plastered against her body from the slight breeze and her movements.
“Well met,” Owori said.
Suun and Pearl glanced at each other.
“Well met,” Pearl replied. She held up the bloody note. “We found this on one of the soldiers who followed the Fury we let go.”
“You let him go?”
“Yes, to see where he would go. Our men weren’t stealthy enough.”
Owori took the note and mouthed the words, ‘well met.’
“That was intended for Feln,” Pearl said. “It has to have a deeper meaning.”
“Kara,” Owori said.
“My thought initially, but I know all of the Furies from Bora. Those two who attacked us we didn’t know.”
“They were from Pyndira,” Owori said. “You’re assuming Kara’s pool of talent is restricted to Bora. Here there could be thousands of Furies unaccounted for.”
“Then it could be Kara,” Suun said turning to Pearl, eyes flashing.
“But we’re missing the why? Why attack Feln?” Pearl asked. “It makes no sense.”
“They were
n’t on the greatest of terms,” Owori answered. “Kara tried several times to convince Feln to join her, but he resisted her. To put it plainly, she’s angry with him.”
“So she’s doing this because she’s angry?”
“Partly, but it must fit into their overall goal, whatever that may be.”
“This is personal,” Suun said. “Whoever is doing this has a grudge against Feln. Question is, who? And why?”
“Don’t know. I’m sure we could string all of the facts together and come up with a guess, maybe between the three of us and Feln if we had time, which is why I have come.”
“What’s happened?” Suun asked. “Is Feln all right?”
“He’s safe and guarded by my Dragonguards. What I’ve come to tell you is the Crypt of Warlords has opened. The selection of the Warlord of Pyndira will begin tomorrow or the next day at the latest, and will continue until all candidates are found. Other families anticipated this when the Emperor’s death reached their ears, so they have sent their best candidates to Daiwer-dar already. More are coming. One of the arrivals went to Feln and told him that he was going to chop his head off when he became Warlord. I think you know what we need to do.”
“We need to find a potential Warlord,” Suun said. “I can name several of our Favored Ones who would make a great Warlord. But they are in Safun, weeks travel away. Even if we could get a dragon to fly there and back, it would take four days if not more. I’ll send a message to have our finest brought here. They may get here in time or they may not.”
“You’ll have to nominate family members here in case they don’t arrive in time,” Owori said. “Feln said for you to do whatever you need to do to find us a Warlord. I don’t know all of the intricacies of the ritual, so I need guidance here.”
“There is an initial test for the candidates inside the Crypt,” Suun said. “The worthy are allowed to continue, others are rejected. I hear it’s quite painful for everyone, chosen or not. Those that continue will fight for the position in a great tournament. Deaths have happened before.”
“If we don’t find candidates, then Feln is as good as dead.”
“We’ll take care of it,” Suun said. “Trust me.”
“I may not be able to come back,” Owori said. “A man from the palace that I didn’t recognize tried to follow me here. If you need to speak with me, send a messenger. All messages will be read, so you’ll need to speak to me in code.”
“I can do that,” Suun said. “I’ll put a number at the top of the message. The fifth digit will guide you to the message’s contents. It’s a simple cipher. I can’t write a coded message because that would be too suspicious.”
“Understood. I must return to the palace,” Owori said. As she turned Pearl reached out and grabbed the red robe.
“What is it?”
“Suun has a gift for you.”
“No I don’t,” Suun said. “I know Feln asked me to do that, but I won’t do it.”
“You promised him,” Pearl said.
“I didn’t say that I would comply.”
“What’s going on?” Owori asked.
“Nothing for now,” Suun said. “Pearl needs to have her ears cleaned out.”
“I have to go,” Owori said, searching for the gardener. “If you have something to say or something to give me, do it now. I don’t have much time.”
“Go. I don’t have anything for you.”
Owori departed, taking her horse toward the entrance to the compound where she saw the gardener working.
“Giving her the belt could be a way to break her binding to the Emperor,” Pearl said. “It could free her to help our family.”
“It could also unleash a monster,” Suun said. “We don’t know what will happen if we let her have the Most Favored belt. There is a reason Furies aren’t allowed to experiment with the magic belts. I’m not willing to find out what will happen. I won’t do it.”
“We need Owori on our side,” said Pearl. “A day will come…”
“She is on our side.”
“Not completely. A day will come when she will have to make a choice between Feln’s well-being and the Emperor. The magic will force her to the Emperor’s side.”
“You just want her to be free of the Emperor’s service to satisfy your guilty conscience,” said Suun. “Because of you she’s in the position she is – the Emperor’s Fury.”
“That I don’t deny,” Pearl said. “If things get worse, though, you may have to give her Feln’s belt and accept whatever happens, good or bad. If Owori was free to act on our behalf, she could help us in ways you haven’t imagined. You should give her the belt. I assure you if she gets out of hand, I will intervene.”
“Not even if we were desperate. I won’t do it.”
“Define desperate.”
“Even if our family was going to be destroyed, I wouldn’t do it. Handing a Most Favored belt to a Fury is beyond crazy! There are reasons we have laws. There are reasons people like you are marked.”
“I hope you change your mind. For all our sakes. Owori is smart and gifted, she’d figure out how to master the magic of the belt and break the magic that binds her.”
“I won’t do it. Now you’re starting to irritate me.”
“Just starting? Then I haven’t been pushing hard enough.”
Suun looked at Pearl. There was hidden anger behind her words, perhaps she was too tired or too cautious to show all of it. Nothing would change her mind, not now. Putting the Most Favored belt in the hands of a Fury would invite disaster. “I don’t believe it,” Suun said. “We just had an argument that didn’t develop into blows.”
“I’m too tired for that,” Pearl said.
They both laughed.
“You know I don’t like you much,” Suun said.
“I get that a lot,” Pearl replied. “The feeling is mutual. You’re so smug and confident. I hope you are as talented as you think you are.”
“I am,” she said. “I’ve trained my whole life to defend this family by whatever means possible. Now listen to me pretty girl. I think you’re arrogant and selfish. You spend too much time worrying about Furies and not enough time figuring out how you can help your family and Feln, whom you are sworn to protect. I hope you are as talented as you think you are.”
“I’m glad we understand each other.”
“Indeed. Now, back to the important matters. Who are we going get to volunteer to become Warlord?” Suun asked. “Furies aren’t allowed.”
“There has to be a few assembled here who can at least try,” Pearl said. “We should call a meeting and explain what we need to do. There can be multiple candidates, no?”
“As many as we want. The Crypt decides who can advance.”
“Good, let’s get the family together.”
“That is the most reasonable thing you have said today.”
“We can let the gardener volunteer too,” Pearl said. “He has a katana.”
“The gardener does have a katana, doesn’t he? I was curious about that.”
“I can’t figure that one out either,” Pearl said, “but I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”
#
There were announcements sent far and wide, conveyed by every means imaginable to the ends of Pyndira. The Crypt of Warlords opened and challengers for the position of Warlord were to come at once. This meant a new Warlord of Pyndira would be chosen soon, so any who wanted to compete rushed to Daiwer-dar for the first trials. Once the field was set, no additional candidates would be chosen. As in the past, and as it would be in the coming days, when the tournament was finished and the Crypt closed, the new Warlord would be known. The palace was filled with excitement as people in droves descended upon Daiwer-dar.
Owori stood on her balcony watching the orchestrated confusion below. It was early morning and the lines to view the Emperor wound through the courtyard, out the front gates, and into the avenues that led into the palace. Members of the army were constantly guarding
the proceedings. Separate from the wooden viewing platform, the cordoned areas, and the horde of soldiers, there was another area taking shape. It was set aside to greet potential candidates for the Warlord of Pyndira, a smaller but frequented line. Administrators were there with huge tomes, writing instruments, and ink so they could inscribe names of the candidates for the first trial. Each participant was given a red scrap of parchment. According to Yuki, one by one they would go to the Crypt of Warlords, where the ancient magic would determine if they would have the right to challenge for the position. After that, there would be a series of one-on-one tests of battle, the tournament, culminating in the final winner being selected as Warlord. When the new Warlord triumphed, the Crypt would close immediately and only open again when the next Warlord was needed, or in his case, his father’s death. It made her curious and she wanted to know more about it. She slipped inside her room and barred the doors to the balcony. It was warmer now that she was in her room, the familiar surroundings comforting. She drifted by a tray of food and grabbed an apple, dropped it into the pocket of her red robe, and headed for the door. The halls of the palace flew by, her thoughts focused on the Warlord and Feln’s fate. After visiting the Crypt of Warlords, she would go to the guest wing and see how Feln was faring.
Outside it was cool. She thought about blinking and sneaking around, but she didn’t need to do that. The Crypt of Warlords was behind the palace, set into the hills hundreds of yards away. The palace grounds were extensive and she reflected the palace could have been a small village by itself. The outlying areas contained few structures that she knew of, but she was sure there were secret passageways and tunnels across the expanse of the grounds. There were rolling hills of grass, a manicured walking forest, open areas for demonstrations or tournaments, crags and holes in the ground where the dragons lived, and the ancient Crypt of Warlords. There was a paved trail to the Crypt, painstakingly manicured and kept free of weeds by a host of laborers. Winter was not far off, and according to Qio, snow would be coming.