by AS Hamilton
'Right now? Nothing. From what Sarre has told me, I will be smuggled out of the city tonight and you will be occupied by your mission with young Brynn. I believe Riqu will be able to help me achieve what I need. Once safely in rebel hands, I will contact him.'
Sariah rose, gathering two glasses and bringing them over to the bench. 'You will tell me as soon as you know?'
'Yes, Sariah. I will not tarry. You will need to trust that I will do this task as quickly as I can.'
Sariah leaned her hip against the bench, careful not to jolt Kaydyr as she did. 'I understand. It is going to take time. Longer than I really want, but I will need to be patient.'
The journey-walker gave her a smile. 'You perceive correctly. I will do my best.'
Sariah returned his smile. 'I remember, as a child I had quite the dose of hero-worship when you linked with me and was able to provide sight when I had gone so long without.'
'Journey-walkers have that effect on children. Yet it is still quite the compliment, thank you. I remember thinking, at the time, that you possessed great courage. You lost your family and your sight. The whole time I stayed with Riqu you were active, helping with the cleaning, taking care of the horses, feeding the domestic animals and cooking. Yours was, and is, a spirit worthy of admiration.'
Sariah turned away, moving back to the table to take a seat. She was not sure how to respond to such high praise and embarrassed by it too.
Leyhera deftly changed the subject. 'It has been a long time since I have been able to talk with anyone, so I consider myself fortunate to find myself in the acquaintance of someone so central to the freedom movement. I am anxious to catch up on events and perhaps you might have knowledge of some of my friends and family.'
'Who did you want to know about?'
'Actually, the first thing I was interested in pursuing was the outcome of a confrontation I heard rumour of about twenty or so turns ago.'
Sariah indicated for the journey-walker to continue.
'There was a rebel unit, North-West Three, they were involved in an ambush between Nuk-leban and Andorek, I'd heard. Three mages, House of Debanikay, did any of them survive?'
Sariah searched her memory, but could not recall anything and she started to shake her head, but then she stopped. 'Riqu has a list of all rebels who are 'missing'. Many of them, he is fairly certain, are dead. But he tries to confirm it so he can get news to the family, and if possible, a location for where they died. With human families, it is especially important to them to know such things for them to feel they have closure. For elvan the news seems sufficient enough, we find. They will still conduct mourning rituals, but they can do so in the absence of knowing where the body is and still find closure.'
Leyhera smiled sadly. 'It is in line with our beliefs. The body is just a vessel for the spirit. Having significantly shorter life spans, humans tend to be more attached to physical elements.'
'It is, as you say. But Riqu keeps track of rebels and refugees where he can, noting deaths or relocations so that if someone is looking for kin he has some chance of directing them to where they have moved or passing on the unfortunate news that they are no longer in this realm. And, as I said, he also keeps track of people who are missing. You are, or were, on it.'
Leyhera raised his brows. 'I am pleased to hear I was missed.'
'My father, does his best. I can only think of two Debanikay mages, but I cannot recall any details about them. Riqu generally has a mage working on the list, but I am not talented, so I do not consult it very often.'
Leyhera made an 'ahhing' motion and then frowned. 'But you think there are at least two.'
'If they went missing during a confrontation, then yes. You see, there might be other Debanikays either taking refuge out of the country or in other divisions. We only really encounter those closer to the Sal-Cirus base, so there could well be Debanikays I do not know about.'
The journey-walker nodded absently, deep in thought. 'I wish I knew who those two Debanikays were.'
'I could ask my father, if it is an urgent matter.'
'It would not be safe,' Leyhera objected.
Sariah smiled as she gestured to Kaydyr, still sitting on her shoulder. 'Because of my link to Kaydyr, no mage recognises me as an elvan when I send, they think I am a hawk.'
Leyhera's sombre expression brightened. 'Then, yes, I would greatly appreciate knowing. And please, ensure Kaydyr knows of my gratitude.'
'He understands,' Sariah assured him. 'You were close to some Debanikays?'
Leyhera shook his head. 'Not as seeca, but I was carefully tracking one in particular. His fate is of considerable concern for me. He may, if he is alive, end a prophecy, and I very much want to discover if that is still a possibility. It will determine my future actions.'
Chapter 8
Day 6 – Evening
Sal-Cirus
Lenai looked up at the sound of a door clicking quietly. She had heard no one approach, yet, someone had entered. She scanned the doorway. Ornate carvings of trees bordered the immense honey-coloured panels. Each crystal leaf had been individually set, the varying shades creating a sense of depth. There was no one under the leafy canopy created around and above the doors.
Her gaze flowed over the room. Silk curtains of cream and gold, slate floors of white threaded with silver, and plush, deep-piled cream and gold rugs. The forest theme continued throughout the room and its furnishings. The row of beds, either side of the room also had curtains hanging from rods shaped like branches, some blue, others green, more yellow and pink, all pale in colour. Each bed had a carved wooden chest before it and drawers to either side. At one end of the room was a large bathing area with a sunken bath, at the other was a huge walk-in robe. The open spiral staircase to the private rooms above was empty, its maple steps gleaming with polish, the carved vines and their jewelled leaves winding all along the rails and banisters.
As was usual at this time of night, most of the women were in the robe, selecting outfits for the evening. It was a task approached not with excitement, but trepidation, for if they were not dressed satisfactorily they would be punished. They talked quietly, the elder women comforting and counselling the younger ones. There was soft laughter as some tried to forget the circumstances they found themselves in and made attempts at humour.
No one seemed to have entered. Could she have mistaken the sound? Could it have been something else that made the clicking noise?
Nae-lua noticed her alertness. 'What is it?'
'I thought I—' Lenai trailed off as a tall, elvan male with dark hair started to gracefully descend the spiral stairs from the private rooms above. All talk stopped and the women gathered at the juncture between the robe and the chamber.
He was the most unique elvan they had encountered, and for some, the first male elvan they had ever seen. His skin was soft golden-brown rather than pale eggshell-white. His eyes were a brilliant gold. His hair was shoulder-length, but his braids hung down to his waist. He moved casually, as if he was supposed to be here. Here! Where no elvan male had tread before. Here, where guards took their rest in the rooms below. As he moved, he took in his surroundings with interest. Upon reaching the lower floor, his eyes swept over the women. Several were crying silently, tears trickling down their cheeks, some were smiling, others looked apprehensive. Whispers rippled around the group, this elvan must be a rebel, although his mystery was not lessened by the explanation.
Lenai stepped forth. 'You are here to free us?' she asked bluntly, for that was the only reason a rebel would be here.
The elvan grinned. 'Oh, of that you can be certain.' He quickly put a finger to his lips as an excited murmur rose from the women. 'Be attentive,' he instructed. 'There is a warrior in the barracks below. She is locating uniforms, and, in a few moments, you will go down with her. You will change into a uniform and either cut or style your hair to disguise its length.'
Lenai held up her wrist, showing him her slave bracelet. 'What of these?'
Keldon had taken an
elvan invention and turned it against them. The elvan had created a bracelet that sent a signal to a master unit to keep track of children when they were in a large group, such as on schooling excursions and picnics and other situations when the carers were not necessarily bonded with all the children. Keldon had a new version of the bracelet designed and used them to keep track of the slaves, it would also give a substantial shock if the wearer moved out of range of the transmitter, completely disabling them for several minutes.
The mysterious elvan smiled as the bracelet Lenai wore unlocked and fell to the floor. 'Do it up, quickly,' he said. With that, all the bracelets released causing the women to gasp and then hurry to pick them up and reconnect them.
'After you have changed, we will line up, as you have seen soldiers do. Then we will march, like soldiers, to the stables, with the warrior I mentioned in the lead. Heed her every word and follow her directions precisely. Once saddled up, we will ride to the main city gates. This warrior has orders for you to attend Thane Nathan Kennelm. He needs refreshments, or so the guards at the gate will be told.' Sarre smiled briefly as he said this, before he replaced the expression with an intense look. 'This will not be easy, and if we are caught, the penalty will be high.' He paused so they could infer the full levity of his words.
'I will take over leadership of you once we leave the city. We will ride at the pace I set. Do not increase your pace unless I do,' he ordered sternly. 'Do not speak unless I say it is safe. Always look straight ahead — you are disciplined soldiers, you do nothing unless you are told.' He paused again, making sure they understood. 'It is critical that you heed my every word. Do as you are instructed, and this will be the last time you have no choice but obey.' The elvan took a long, deep breath, as if he was hesitant to ask something. When he continued, Lenai could tell she had guessed rightly. 'This is still your choice, if any of you wish it, you may stay. Are there any who wish to make this choice?'
Silence was his only answer.
Just then, a female elvan entered, sliding in through the door at the other end of the room. The women breathed in silent awe of her proud standing and obvious strength. Her beautiful sculpted features stood out in the bright light of the room, and she wore an officer's uniform, black and dark blue with gold detail. Her hair was drawn back into a tight braid and a hawk rested upon her shoulder.
That's when Lenai saw that she had a bloodied knife in one hand, the rest of women saw it at the same time and she could feel the tension in the room rise. Up until then, it had not seemed quite real, like a dream they had all had. But the knife. And the blood. That made it real. That told them that there was danger.
The warrior woman said nothing, she simply gave the male elvan a nod and then used the inside of her jacket to wipe the bloody blade, before she put it away.
The male elvan faltered for only a moment, before he gave a slight shake of his head and returned his attention to the group. 'Follow the warrior, and be absolutely silent,' he told them. 'Retain your courage. Once we are through this you will have the only gift worthy of such enduring people; your freedom.'
Lenai realised the women were looking to her for leadership. She had adopted the position unintentionally, her practical nature and lack of fear of the guards made her a source of strength for the group. They were afraid, that knife had been a reality that made them want to stay safe here. But Lenai realised that this was an opportunity that would never come again. These were rebels and for some reason they had come here, tonight, and were offering them a way out of the nightmare that had become their lives. She bowed to the male elvan. 'Thank you. We will do as you say.' Lenai raised her voice slightly. 'We are afraid, but brave enough to get through this.'
All the women in the room copied her gesture, bowing briefly before following as she headed for the warrior and the door.
Sarre approached two of the elvan females. Brynn had said to look for these two and give them a message. One had her arm about the shoulders of the other, who was shaking slightly. He could feel her fear. He caught their attention and addressed the frightened one. 'Do not fear, you will be fine,' he said, offering a kind smile of encouragement. 'Your sister is right, you need do nothing more than follow the others.'
She gave him a brave smile and straightened up, blushing furiously at the transparency of her fear.
Sarre met the eyes of her sister. 'Your mother is well, but will need you by her side soon. Your elder sister is in the safe custody of the rebels already, and your youngest sister is safe, though still an apprentice in Abbarane ranks, she is healthy. However, it will not be long until you are all reunited.'
She offered him a soft thank you, but the look in her eyes said much more. Then, they hurried on to the door, most of the women already having exited. Lenai was there, helping Sariah guide them out, whispering to them to remain quiet. Sarre caught Kaydyr's gaze and inclined his head towards Lenai. Sariah nodded in acknowledgement of his recommendation of someone to help manage the group.
Brynn kept his head bowed over the large pint of ale on the bench before him. He had managed to snare a seat with a view out one of the two wide windows, which were folded back to allow the fresh breeze to flow through the place. It also avoided the expense of repairing broken glass if a drunk was thrown through them as had happened a half hour before. A sturdy shelf ran the length of the window and the poles of the short bar stools were bolted to the floor. It was noisy, but relatively calm considering the amount of people crammed into the place.
Brynn closed his eyes to strengthen his concentration. This path was narrow, but not impossible. While Sarre and Sariah extracted the harem, Brynn used his talent to ensure the men playing dice in the lower barracks of the temple would have no cause to leave their game. Not when they were utterly convinced that despite their current losses, they would ultimately score big winnings. And those on guard duty were feeling lethargic and sleepy, heads nodding slightly as they slipped into a heavy doze. One soldier entered the room where Sariah had been checking uniforms and changing into one. Fortunately, Sariah had swiftly overcome him. She assured Brynn that the strike the soldier got in was shallow, barely drawing blood.
In half an hour, there would be a change of shift on the gates where Sariah and Sarre were heading. The highest-ranked officer would be a captain, so Brynn had alerted Sariah to take a major's jacket, ensuring her authority would not be questioned.
A search of the planes revealed that Brynn could easily be sending these women to their deaths. Pursuit was their biggest risk, so as a measure against it, he now took some precautions. The first was to put a false lead on the planes to distract both the human and elvan mages here. A false sending from the approximate location of where Nathan thought his elvan was should do it. The second, bad chicken in the barrack's kitchen. He had asked Belon to do that. The third, a very subtle influence upon the soldiers at the gate Sariah and Sarre were taking the women through.
Now to prepare for the most complicated task — making Sariah disappear.
Leyhera took a deep breath. All that was between him and freedom was but fifty metres…
And a huge gate…
And about a dozen guards…
With weapons.
The journey-walker made his mind still. Linuk had got him into Sal-Cirus without triggering any of Abbarane's wards, so whatever she had done to hide his spirit was working. He just had to remain calm. By Fate's hand, the women had more to worry about, their being entirely the wrong gender for soldiers. Leyhera wondered if all of Abbarane's ranks were as devoid of women.
Their fate was largely in the hands of the young mage, Brynn. And he was so very young! Leyhera still remembered seeing him that first time. Brynn had been barely a turn old and, due to an ambush, Leyhera had been given guardianship of him. Leyhera had been amazed by how strongly talented the infant was. A natural planes-walker, he thought, but Linuk had soundly dismissed his suggestion, and if anyone would know, Linuk would be the one. She had been certain, but now Leyhera w
ondered if she could be wrong. Of course, it was impossible, there had not been a natural-born planes-walker since Hahn, the founder of Andarea. Well, not impossible. Unlikely…
Leyhera let his eyes locate Sariah without moving his head, he was, after all, trying to look disciplined and… soldierly? He wondered if that was even a word. He'd taken his share of lives early on in the war, but that did not make him feel any more comfortable in the uniform he was wearing. Sariah was altogether his opposite, she wore the uniform like she had been born in it. Her bearing was authoritative, and she showed no trace of nervousness as she engaged the Captain of the Gate in conversation. A remarkable elvan. Riqu's child, too, so Sariah's competence was unsurprising. Adopted child, he reminded himself. How could he forget that, considering her aura and true origins? Then he wondered, what would happen if the wards caging Sariah's spirit ever broke?
He'd been so tempted to tell her, right then, about her parents, but Brynn had asked him not to interfere with Sariah's path, echoing Toormeena's warning four decades ago. The accuracy of the seer's description was extraordinary, right down to the small scars above her left eyebrow and lip. Leyhera knew his talent and skills as a journey-walker left even the most advanced mages in awe, but Leyhera had not understood that kind of awe until he met Toormeena. She was, like him, another child prodigy of her house, but then Toormeena had told him that the full version of The Prophecy said there would be one child prodigy in each house it mentioned with the last one being born to House of Brynn-a-kai. Although, right now, he claimed House of Neran as his house, Leyhera was not dissuaded that Brynn was the House of Brynn-a-kai prodigy. So the last one was born and the prophecies involving them all would advance — were already advancing.
There had been yet another temptation to resist, to speak of what he knew, to try and give the young mage every single advantage possible. But if there were ever words to heed without fail, it was the words of a seer, so he had schooled himself, dampened his excitement and he treated both the warrior and mage as he would any other elvan. He wondered if Sarre knew what they were, these children he was guiding?