by Paul Heisel
“Feln-en-Xialao-Narneth, you stand before me accused of a terrible crime. Whoever becomes the Warlord of Pyndira will judge you and administer your punishment. This is a sad circumstance as the selection of a new Warlord is a time for celebration. As you can see by the activity around you, these events have begun. Our tradition will continue despite what is happening. I have brought you here so you may participate in the festivities if you wish. Not in recorded history have all the Most Favoreds and nobles of Pyndira gathered to be present at the naming of the new Warlord. It is an unfortunate circumstance, the death of my father, that brings us together. Today and the days that follow will be looked back on as special and unprecedented.”
There was a pause.
“Feln,” Yuki said, “you may participate in this celebration as is your right or you may take your leave and remain in the palace until your fate is decided. It’s your choice. Regardless of what you choose, you will behave in a manner befitting a Most Favored, honor the Emperor, honor the Warlord of Pyndira, and honor the people of Safun. The other Most Favoreds have given me the same pledge, that no one will harbor any ill will, nor will anyone act against you or any other person present. I have set forth harsh consequences for those that don’t behave or who interfere with the proceedings. I will ask you now, do you want to stay here or remain inside the palace?”
“I’ll stay here,” Feln answered. “You will get no trouble from me or my family.”
“Very well. In the evenings, when the festivities have finished, the guards will escort you back to the palace. You will remain under guard except when you are here. Do you understand?”
“I understand the conditions.”
“Very well. Join your family. We’ll begin the ceremony as soon as the sun sets.”
Feln bowed as he was dismissed. The canvas walls of the tent rolled up and the noise came in. There were hundreds here, Favored Ones, nobles, and dignitaries. There were groups of people talking and drinking, young and old alike, all celebrating. He looked around for Owori but she wasn’t there. The guards dispersed, taking up static positions in the Emperor’s tent that was offset from the entrance to the Crypt. A large viewing area had been set up in front of two massive pillars, and the focus of every available seat appeared to be the circle. The Emperor and his entourage walked to another area where there was an elevated platform for him and his personal guests to view everything. It was tall enough to oversee the tents, the walkways, and the circle. Dragonguards in their red robes were there, waiting. People scattered as Feln walked, no one wanted to be seen with him, which was fine – he didn’t have anything to say – not now. He found Hiru and received a telling glare, and on Hiru’s arm was the alluring Iristi, who was enjoying the party and was oblivious to his presence. More stares and glares came his way.
The reception at the Xialao tent was no warmer. Suun came out to him and reached him before he got inside the tent. “Why didn’t you tell me my father was alive?”
“I was respecting his wishes,” Feln answered.
“Didn’t you consider what my wishes would be?”
“I didn’t. In his mind the Xialao family comes first. I told him that he needed to rethink that, if it’s any consolation.”
“It isn’t. My mother and I mourned him for a long time,” she said. “I was just a little girl. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me…What I can’t believe he didn’t come home to us. Why would he remain dead?”
“What has he told you?”
“A bit, we haven’t had a lot of time. He has the chance to become the Warlord of Pyndira. My father could be the next Warlord of Pyndira. You should have told me he was alive!”
“You of all people should appreciate what your father has done for this family. He went too far, and if you want to know the details you can ask him. I think your father thought after what he did, he was dead anyway. So he chose to remain dead. Maybe it wasn’t the right choice. At least now you can talk to him. I understand if you’re upset with me. But I expect you to continue doing your job. Though the Emperor has all but guaranteed my safety, I don’t trust anyone outside of our family to behave properly. We will behave, but I’m sure the other families will do what they want.”
“I’m not that upset with you,” Suun admitted. “You know I’ll do my duty.”
“What other news do we have besides your father being alive?”
“Come, we’ll talk inside.”
He followed Suun into their tent, which was forty feet by forty feet square. The Emperor had provided stout tables and comfortable chairs for them, and Emato was busy rearranging the setup to better suit their needs. Pearl was relaxing in a chair and stood up as he approached, as if she was startled by his presence. Caleth and Nar were there and both came forward to greet him. Feln didn’t know where to start.
“Owori was able to get word to me,” he said, “and thank you for taking on this challenge. I know there are risks involved and what you must give up attaining this position can’t be taken lightly. I don’t understand how this contest will unfold. Hopefully after tonight I will. Now, do we have any good news at all? Please tell me something good has happened or is happening.”
“Construction on the manor house will not have to wait until spring,” Emato said. “It’ll be rebuilt over the winter. Our architect and laborers say it is possible, but it will be a drain on your treasury I’m sure of that.”
“Was anything salvageable from the fire?”
“Very little. Anything that didn’t survive we got rid of. Everything will need to be replicated or replaced.”
“How is everyone managing? How is everyone’s spirits?”
“Well. We’re a tough lot. We’ll recover.”
“Thank you Emato. I need to speak with Suun and Pearl for a moment,” he said. “Can you excuse us? We’ll continue later if need be.”
They were left alone and Feln directed the two women toward the empty chairs. “Anything further on the Furies who attacked us or our soldier who was left with that note?”
“Nothing,” Suun said.
“What about the note? Do you think Kara is involved?”
Pearl crossed her arms. “No, even for Kara this is too elaborate.”
“Then who would know I was from the Accord of the Hand?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s not the answer I want.”
“Is knowing that going to help us?” Pearl asked.
“Probably not,” Feln admitted. The last few weeks he spent much of his time going over what he knew. Suun and Pearl didn’t know the whole story, and though he wanted to tell them, he would respect Owori’s wishes. He had reached the conclusion that Hiru and the horse demons were unrelated, no matter what anyone told him. Maybe Hiru was taking advantage of their appearance and using it for his own purposes. Maybe it was a demonstration of sorts to get him to agree to have an unbound Fury within his family supplied by the rebels. The Fury would have been free to act against Chang, but could also further the goals of the rebellious Furies. Then after Chang’s death, they conspired to kill the Emperor for whatever reason.
It made him wonder, though, if the Emperor was the real target. Removing the Emperor did nothing for the Furies, but putting someone in the position of Warlord had advantages. Who was to say the Warlord wouldn’t use his power commanding the armies to help the Furies or to affect change? This fight for the Warlord of Pyndira had additional facets to it besides his fate, he just didn’t understand it enough to reach a logical conclusion.
Then there was the business of the Furies trying to kill him. He was the target by the horse demon and the two Furies who infiltrated their manor house here in Daiwer-dar. He could only conclude that it was personal, that he made his unknown enemy angry enough to evoke a direct attempt on his life. The list of his enemies was growing with every new person he met. His thoughts kept returning to what happened with Hiru – he, or Suun – his family – killed Hiru’s Fury. That must have been an important part of the
ir plan. He recalled there were many Furies with Hiru and he could still see the throngs of them lining up to attack Sli. Perhaps the Furies were making a run at the control of Emesia, and with an alliance with Furawa, they could have enormous influence. It made him wonder if the Furies had entrenched themselves elsewhere. Where else had they gained influence? Shisaru? The reports, though, from his team there indicated nothing out of the ordinary thus far.
“I’m still trying to figure this out,” Feln said. “What we need to do is understand out who has the most to gain by removing the Warlord of Pyndira.”
“The Warlord?”
“I know of an attempt on his life,” Feln said, being as vague as possible. “The Warlord has power over the armies and recently was granted additional powers by the Emperor – as we know the Warlord is the sole judge when it comes to grievances against the Most Favored of Safun.”
“We should see who the candidates are,” Suun said.
“That doesn’t matter,” Pearl spoke. “What we need is to determine the goal of these Furies, who were bold enough to attack you at your manor house. Who becomes the Warlord doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to Feln.” Suun leaned closer to Pearl. “Don’t you realize the Warlord will decide his fate!”
The air was tense. Feln could see that Pearl and Suun weren’t getting along, that was obvious. It made sense because both were exceptional women, strong-willed and full of conviction. It wouldn’t surprise him if they disliked each other because they were so similar, and he was certain both had different goals. Pearl had sacrificed her freedom so two hundred Furies could live in Safun unbound to a family, while Suun had sworn to protect the Most Favored at any cost.
“Both of you listen to me,” Feln said. “I admire your passion, but let’s get one thing straight – if we are to succeed, both of you have to help me, and you’ll have to help each other. I know you may not like each other, for whatever reasons it matters not to me right now, but this is not the time for either of you to be stubborn. There are two things we need to concentrate on – we need to make sure Nar or Caleth becomes the Warlord of Pyndira, and we need to figure out what these Furies want. I don’t care if you bother people with questions and I don’t care if the other families get upset because we’re investigating. Do you understand?”
They both replied yes, and Feln could sense them pulling back from their unwavering viewpoints. Now he had to make them learn a lesson.
“What I want is this. Pearl, you make sure Caleth and Nar have everything they need to succeed in the upcoming trials. You’ll also be assigned to protect them. Though we’re under the protection of the Emperor, I don’t trust the other families to conduct this fairly. Find a way for you to get more of Xialao people here to serve as guards. If we need to get invitations, permission, whatever, let me know and I’ll find a way to make it happen.
“Suun, I want you to find out what these Furies are up to. Start by questioning the nobles from other families and see where that leads you. Ask about unmarked Furies, and you don’t have to be discreet. I want whoever is involved with this to know that the Xialao family is asking questions about Furies that have broken the law, and make sure they know that we will punish anyone harboring unmarked Furies. I want that information out in the open.”
“Wait a moment,” Suun said before Pearl could jump in and protest. “That’s my father, and you expect me to not want to help him? I would rather protect him and Caleth.”
“No,” Feln told her. “You need to trust Pearl. She will do what she can to safeguard his life.”
“And I suppose I’m not capable of investigating my kind?” Pearl asked.
“Not at all, both of you are capable of doing any task I give you. My only objection is this; you are a Fury and that makes you vulnerable to the information you uncover. Suun will care not of freedom for Furies or their history or the struggles they went through. She’ll do the job relentlessly until the other families are sick of her questions and one of them either acts against us or makes a mistake. Either way we will have answers. And I want answers!”
“What about Pearl’s Furies, from Malurrion? Are we not breaking the law as well?” Suun asked quietly.
“They are all marked,” Feln said. He stared at Pearl, hoping she would get the message – lie for now.
“True,” Pearl interjected.
“It’s a slight technicality, maybe we’re being hypocritical. The difference is we aren’t sending these Furies to murder Most Favoreds, to attack the Emperor or to slay the Warlord of Pyndira. We’re looking for who is harboring these unmarked Furies and what is their goal. Suun, I need you to do this. I need to know what they are going to do next, so we can stop them.”
Both sat back opposite him, arms crossed, looking this way and that. Both were unhappy.
“I’ll start asking questions, but I’m going to do this my way,” Suun said. She smoothed the fabric on her stiff uniform. “You don’t mind if I begin tomorrow or the next day, do you? Preparation, if I can pull off what I’m thinking, will reward us with answers.”
Feln was about to demand she begin right away, but he could see a sparkle in her eye. She had an idea how to better accomplish this. “I don’t mind. Just get it done. I don’t care how.”
Pearl stood up. “I’m going back to our compound. I’ll see what I can find as far as help. I’ll do my best. See if you can get invitations for twenty more.”
Feln sat back as Pearl departed, her robe swishing across the ground. She disappeared into the crowd. Suun was on the edge of her seat, about to stand up, but instead she leaned forward into Feln.
“You’re right, I don’t like Pearl.”
“She doesn’t like you.”
“We’ve had discussions along those lines,” Suun said.
“I trust your dislike for each other won’t interfere with anything that we do. You need to put your personal differences aside.”
“I’ll do that, but I don’t trust her.”
“She’s loyal to the family, you must have confidence in the magic of the belt and how it’s bound her to me and our family. She did it willingly. Furies have been bound through magic since the creation of the belts. You must trust the magic will hold true.”
“I don’t trust her because of the way she looks at you,” Suun said. “I can see her thinking about you, waiting for Owori to be beyond your reach. When that day comes, she’ll pounce. She may not be as perfect as your Iristi, but she’s more than enough woman for you.”
“My affections are only for Owori, now and forever.”
“Good, then I won’t have to worry when you and Pearl are alone.”
“You didn’t give Owori my belt,” Feln said, changing the subject. He didn’t want to hear any more about her opinion of Pearl, nor did he want to hear that Pearl had interest in him.
“Even if you order me, I won’t give our Most Favored belt to a Fury, no matter who it is. I understood what you wanted me to do, but I won’t comply.”
“What if the worst happens and I end up dead, what then? What will you do with the belt?”
“The belt will choose the next Most Favored. You shouldn’t worry about that. It’s done that for a thousand years and that will continue no matter what. You’ll be dead anyway, so you shouldn’t care.”
“I order you to give it to her.”
“I won’t do it. No. Never.”
This was going nowhere. “I respect your conviction,” Feln said. “But if the worst happens to me, I want you to give the belt to Owori. All I want is for the magic to break her link to the Emperor, so she can be free to choose what she wants. That is all I ask. After the magic has been broken, take the belt back. She’ll give it back.”
“I won’t do it.”
“Maybe I should give the belt to another member of the family to keep safe.”
“Don’t put your personal desires above the family,” Suun said. “I’m keeping the belt.”
“You’d never do that? You’d n
ever put yourself ahead of the family?”
“Never. Not even for my father who has come back from the dead. If you’ll excuse me, I have your assignment to complete.”
Feln knew it was futile to argue with her. She wasn’t going to give up the belt. He doubted she would give it back to him until a new Warlord was chosen. That didn’t matter though, he could feel the magic of the belt lingering in his body, though not as strong as when he had it on. He knew she had it on her person, it was close, probably looped around her waist next to her Favored One belt. It tugged at him, letting him know it was there. “I understand. But I don’t like it.”