Once We Were Kings (Young Adult Fantasy) (The Sojourner Saga)

by Alexander, Ian

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  The climb to the Assembly Hall had taken less time than Bai Juang had expected. Thankfully, this mysterious lady who refused to give her name had intercepted him from the clutches of the Torians. Clearly, she had a connection to the Elders, as no one but they and a select few Sojourner scribes—such as Bai Juang—knew this location.

  "It was most fortuitous that you happened upon the Torians," Bai Juang said, leaning on the walking stick the Lady had brought.

  "It was destiny. For we knew of your perils beforehand. I was sent to retrieve you." Then from beneath her cloak, she produced a sword and held it before his eyes. She handed him both the weapon and its sheath. Right away, by the markings carved into the blade he recognized it. His mouth dropped in wonder.

  "Why, it's—"

  "Yes."

  He couldn't find the right word. But it felt like "destiny." Bai Juang swung it around, whipping it through the air and felt a surge of power running through his body. Just like his sword back home.

  The one Ahndien had taken.

  His heart ached, felt as heavy as a large stone, cast into a murky pond.

  "But why did you not come to our rescue when we were attacked?"

  "I came as soon as we learned of it. Were the Imperial Troops of no help?"

  "Nowhere in sight! My wife, my son..." His voice faltered.

  The Lady put her hand on his shoulder compassionately. "Truly , I am sorry."

  The moon had risen impossibly higher, larger. Above them, great winged creatures too massive to be ordinary birds flew blackly over to the Assembly Hall. A chilling gust blew over Bai Juang and made him shiver. "But what of Ahndien? My daughter must still be alive!"

  "Yes, yes. We know of her." The Lady smiled, but the hood of her robe obscured her eyes, making it difficult to read her expression fully. "You will be pleased to know that she is safe in the care of the Elders."

  At this Bai Juang grabbed her by the arms excitedly. "She is? Oh, Valhandra be praised!" He wanted to fall to one knee, kiss her hand and pledge his allegiance to her, but instead, he simply said, "Thank you. Oh, thank you!"

  "Ah, but do you not long to see her?"

  "Let us not tarry a moment longer."

  "Follow me."

  The night grew colder as they scaled the rocky hillside, thistles tearing at their sleeves. The crisp scent of pine hanging in the air gave him strength to go on, though his entire body ached from being bound for what must have been days.

  "I haven't yet thanked you, my lady."

  She continued to climb ahead of him. "What for?"

  "For saving my life. For tending to my needs, the shoes, the refreshment. I'd have starved or thirsted to death, if they'd delayed another day."

  "They were about to relieve you of your head, my friend. And that would never do."

  Catching his breath, he paused and grasped a tree branch to steady himself. "In any case..." he drew a very long breath, stared into the shadow cast by her hood, under which only the fair tip of her nose and the edges of her crimson lips could be seen. "...Thank you."

  She smiled, her porcelain teeth glinting in the moonlight. "And now, your presence is much needed in the council, even now as we approach the Assembly Hall."

  "Needed?" For all these years, he had done nothing more than transcribe the occasional prophecies of Oreus, eldest of the Elders. Never before had he been needed during a council meeting. "To what do I owe this honor?"

  She continued up the hill until they reached a level table land. There before them stood the stone walls of the Sojourner's Assembly Hall, upon which Bai Juang had never before laid eyes. The stone walls stretched up at least two stories but had no windows. Nor did it have a door.

  They came upon a smooth part of the wall which looked as though a door might stand, if it were not solid rock. A lattice of symbols which resembled those found in the ancient tomes were etched along the frame.

  The lady rested her hand upon the symbols and gazed at them for a while.

  "How are we to enter?" Bai Juang said.

  "This shall be the first test of your entry into the Council of Elders."

  Bai Juang's eyes grew wide with astonishment. "Me? An elder Sojourner? But..but..how can that be, as I am less than seventy-five years of age?"

  "Your time has come, Bai Juang."

  The utter surprise and joy he felt almost eclipsed the ongoing pain of his recent loss. Only for a moment. Then he grew sober again. "Perhaps in joining the council, I will manifest my own spirit potential." He had given up on this years ago, because historically, if one had not done so by the age of seventeen, it was highly unlikely they ever would, no matter how diligently one sought the truth.

  But who was he to question the judgment of the Elders?

  "What must I do?"

  She pointed to the symbols. "This portal can only be open by the hands of a true Sojourner. One who can decipher the symbols and one through whom Sojourner blood flows. It shall open by your spirit potential."

  "I don't understand."

  "You are a learned man, you've studied the scrolls. I have every confidence you will pass this test." A tinge of impatience infused her words, like a drop of ink dispersing into a clear glass of water. "Are you ready?"

  "I am." And what a joy it would be to be reunited with Ahndien, who was waiting in the Assembly Hall.

  The Lady pulled her hood down even further, such that her entire face vanished into the darkness of her hood. "As I speak the word, you must touch the corresponding symbol."

  "Understood."

  "Now, begin. Qalif. Sedha. Krohnus-Tarixa."

  With each word she spoke in the ancient tongue, Bai Juang found and touched the correct symbol and they lit up briefly, as hot coals, then cooled before his fingertips could be singed. Faster and faster she spoke. But it was mere child's play for Bai Juang.

  At last, a heavy bang echoed in the cavernous space behind the door which had just vanished as though it had never been there.

  "Well done!" The lady patted his back, the way a mother would her child. "Through and through, you are a Sojourner!"

  Amazed at what he had just done, He stared at his hands, which glowed for a short moment then returned to normal. A tingling sensation, like tiny needles pricking his skin ran from his fingers through to his spine and down to his toes. It made him shudder and gasp.

  "Come along now, Bai Juang. Mustn't keep the Elders waiting."

  "Yes."

  Slowly, he followed her into the dark hallway and the stone door reappeared sealing him in. He never saw the lady pouring the grounded shikar stone powder into the flask of Dragon'sblood Wine.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  He was about to die. At his own hand no less, albeit through that of his alter ego. Sheer madness, that what this was. It was only fitting, Render thought, considering that all who had already died were not nearly so deserving of this fate as he.

  The doppelganger pressed down on Render's throat with such force it would surely be crushed.

  Flailing, kicking, Render fought back. With his own hands, he also tried to strangle the doppelganger, but to no appreciable effect.

  Darkness fell over him. Engulfed him like a viscous void.

  He shut his eyes, perhaps for the last time ever.

  A frigid tear trickled down to his ear.

  The pressure on his neck finally relented. Which could only mean that it was over. No life flashing before his eyes, no golden light in the sky. He always feared he would die this way, alone, in the dark, his fate unknown. Just... a warm, mildly abrasive brush across the face?

  // DON'T GIVE INTO IT //

  "What?"

  Surprised that he could open his eyes, Render glanced sideways. The doppelganger was gone. No hands strangling him, no evil eyes glaring. Just a soft cat's paw against his cheek.

  // ARISE //

  He did so. With a mixture of surprise and inevitability, he sat up and blinked. It was that black cat again. Swiping he
r tail from side to side, she gazed up into his eyes as though she were about to speak.

  // NEVER COME TO THIS POOL AGAIN //

  The voice was as intimate as a whisper in the ear, but Render glanced around the wood. "Who's there?"

  // WE ARE ALONE, RENDER //

  It was then that the cat placed her paw on his arm and he realized what could not be. It was the cat. "First a ghostly double, now a talking—? I've gone mad. Yes, that's it. I've gone mad, indeed!"

  She stretched forth her forelimbs and began to do something that made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.

  With dried leaves crackling underfoot, her legs, her entire body began to elongate. Render blinked and rubbed his eyes. A warm breeze blew over him and ceased any trembling that he may otherwise have experienced

  "You've not gone mad," she said.

  When he put his hands down, he beheld the willowy figure of woman. Silver moonlight haloed her ink-black hair which flowed like the mane of a lion and alighted upon her shoulders. She pulled tight the belt of her black cloak and stretched her arms as though she had just awakened from a deep slumber.

  Obscured by the shadows, her features appeared fair and fine, as far as Render could see. He almost failed to realize that his mouth hung open as she approached.

  Render bolted to his feet. He backed away abruptly but found his back pressed up against the rough bark of an Arcani Elm. Sensing his apprehension, the lady stopped just an arm's reach away. Her face now visible in the pale sheets of moonlight, Render thought she must be the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And yet, from a cat she had become a person. Part of him wanted to reach out and touch her creamy face. Another part screamed for him to run. Run for his life. He might very well be insane, and this apparition might do worse than the last.

  "Render." Her voice flowed like honey, dark and rich. Her countenance, simultaneously nubile and maternal.

  "What are you?"

  With elegant fingers, she reached out and touched his face as though it were an ancient relic. "Long have I awaited this moment."

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  But, you're a cat!" Render slipped away from her warm fingertips. Her long nails brushed harmlessly against his face. "I am going mad!"

  The elegant lady found a large rock and took a seat. Her cloak unfurled and rested over her long legs. She clasped her hands and rested them on her lap as Render began to pace about.

  "The doppelganger.... the panther....dead soldiers...how does this all fit?"

  "I shall explain all to thee, young Render. But it would expend a prohibitive measure of time. No doubt you have many questions. Alas, time is of the essence. We must make haste and journey forth to the mountains."

  "I'm not going anywhere with you."

  "Tarry here and you shall not live long enough to manifest."

  "Manife—?"

  She stood, drew a velvet hood over her head, and offered her hand. "Come now. To thee, all shall be expounded. But we must take leave of this place at once. Corigan's soldiers may yet return. And we may encounter the Tianese warriors as they return to their ships."

  "And just why should I go with you?"

  With emerald eyes, she fixed a hard gaze upon him. "Because you know well that which has been placed upon your heart. As do I."

  "And what pray tell would that be?"

  Her fair countenance reflected the moonlight. "That you have been predestined for matters of great import—the magnitude of which, I daresay, you have yet to conceive. Not even within your own dreams."

  Something rang true. Like a chord struck upon a well-tuned lute. "What do you know of my dreams?"

  "Visions, my dear Render. Unto thee, have they been bestowed. Visions of your destiny. Of this entire world's destiny. Within thy spirit hast thou beheld the blazing zeniths. Those which you have depicted upon canvas."

  "How do you know about that?" He said, and began to walk with her.

  "I have been nigh to thee," she said and increased her stride. "Had you taken notice, you would have beheld me in the form of the cat, watching you work."

  It was then that he remembered the first time he noticed her. Back in Talen Wood, when Bobbington had tried to kill her. So many memories. They all seemed different knowing that she had been there with him. Some of the memories caused his face to flush. He needn't resurrect them. "Where are we going?"

  "Do you trust me?" she said, her countenance radiant.

  "Trust you? I don't even know you."

  She hesitated, a brief sadness passed over her lovely face. Then she breathed deeply and said, "I am Greifer."

  Their eyes met. Remained inexplicably. As though each wished to say something to the other, but could not. Greifer pulled her hood over her ebony locks and reached her hand out towards his. "Do you trust me?"

  More than anything else, he felt too weary to argue or question her further. After all he'd witnessed, or perhaps hallucinated, he had just as much reason to trust her than not to. "I suppose."

  "Then retrieve thy weapon." She glanced down, and there was the dirk that he had dropped in his scuffle with the doppelganger.

  "We must journey westward. To those very mountains."

  "Why?" What's there?"

  Greifer turned her face forward and began to walk. "The Sojourner's Council."

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  Wait here." The lady placed her hand upon Bai Juang's chest and it almost felt as though he could not breathe until she removed it.

  "I want to see my daughter."

  "And so you shall. But you must wait." She pulled out a wine flask, removed her hood and unfurled her glistening black hair. "Remain here until I return for you. Then you shall see your precious daughter."

  That was all he needed to hear. His breath returned to him and he lowered his arched shoulders. "When I opened the portal...did that prove...?"

  "You have manifested, yes. And you have proven most helpful."

  "My Lady, of what do you speak?"

  Without another word, the lady walked into the dark corridor, leaving Bai Juang anxiously awaiting his reunion with Ahndien.

  My Lady?

  What did that Sojourner fool know of Lords and Ladies? Bai Juang believed that she had rescued him for the purposes of the Sojourner's Council, but had he known how she'd played him for the fool, he might not be so courteous as he had been heretofore.

  She'd killed the Sojourner named Lucretia and taken on her form, but she needed another Sojourner—like Bai Juang, to help her open the portal and infiltrate the council.

  She lowered her black hood, gripped the flask of ceremonial Dragon'sblood Wine in her hand, and walked the long corridor to the courtyard where the Elders had assembled. Her head grew light from the Shikar stones sapping her energy. She had to carry out her mission quickly, for if she kept them on her person much longer, they would drain the very life from her.

  A couple of more steps and she would soon be upon the council.

  Her heart fluttered, faint from weakness and afloat with anticipation for what she was about to do. She thought of Bai Juang, waiting for her like a foolish child, believing every lie she fed him. Perhaps she would keep him around, in case she had not regained her strength enough to operate the portals.

  From the mouth of the corridor, a voice, strong and commanding resonated in the courtyard. She hid behind a stone column and listened to him speak. Oreus, the old fool.

  He was addressing the entire assembly, prophets and elders, with joy in his countenance. And why not? The time for which they had all waited so many years drew nigh. Their deliverance from exile would soon be upon them. Their hope for generations.

  If not for tonight.

  Holding the ceremonial wine—Lucretia's part in the celebration—she entered the courtyard.

  From what Bai Juang could hear—words of hope, hearty cheers, the Sojourner's Council had reason to celebrate. One phrase rang through that courtyard in the center of the edifice. A phrase that confirmed all he and th
e faithful remnant—wherever they had been scattered—had hoped for.

  "The Great Deliverer!" They cried in unison.

  Goblets and chalices clanked. Such an auspicious occasion. But more importantly, Bai Juang could not wait to see Ahndien—the last remnant of his family—to hold her close and not let go.

  He leaned back against the rough stone wall, barely noticing its warmth to his fingertips. With his eyes shut, he sank down to the floor, exhausted from the long journey since his captivity. The voices of the Elders faded like an echo into the darkness of the corridor in which he sat, crouching. Resting.

  At first, he did not notice the sound of words cut short.

  Interrupted by a horrible strangling sound.

  Strained groans.

  Cries of agony.

  Bai Juang sprung to his feet. Drew his sword.

  "Ahndien!" His heart hammered within his chest as he dashed through the endless corridor. What he saw when he finally entered the courtyard nearly caused him to drop his sword. His knees felt like pillars of sand.

  Before his eyes, the great elders, Oreus, Timea and Hephesta, lay on the ground, their eyes wide and mouths agape. Their limbs twitched perversely but death had already enshrouded their faces.

  Kneeling above Oreus, her back facing Bai Juang, the lady in black drove a carved stone dagger into the chief Elder's chest, which rose and fell two more times then stopped.

  Just then, a shadow so large it covered the entire outdoor courtyard in the center of the edifice darkened the entire area. The lady looked up and smiled. A mighty whoosh-woosh threw clouds of dust into the air, which got into Bai Juang's eyes, nose and throat.

  The oncoming sound was so great it masked the sound of his coughing. When finally he opened his eyes, the shadow was gone. The moonlight struggled to penetrate the dust floating around him.

  A mail clad knight robed in black stood by the lady. Neither of them took note of Bai Juang's presence.