Nerissa opened the box and took out the earth-fire crystal within. The stone had six smooth sides that tapered to a point at one end and was nearly as wide as her palm and twice that tall. She twisted the grey-green stone in the sun and watched the light reflect off the multitude of prismatic inclusions.
"You have an amazing collection, Ildiko," Nerissa declared. She gestured toward the array of smaller crystals in front of her. "You said that only the Ohanzee may enter Darnal and that you have never left the village. How then did you acquire these?"
Ildiko nodded graciously in response. "There is another member of the Ohanzee, Raysel, who has an affinity for crystals even greater than mine. He often brings them back to me for use in healing."
"So that is why you had them around my bed!" Nerissa exclaimed. In her excitement, she sloshed a bit of tea out of her cup. "I've heard many stories that mention crystals being used for healing, but there's nothing documented to prove their effectiveness. I've never been able to tell whether the tales were true or not."
"I know from experience that the crystals do help some people. You are a living example of that," Ildiko said, eliciting a questioning look from Nerissa. "By all logic, you should not be as healthy as you are. When Einar first brought you here, I wasn't sure if you would live to see the next sunrise. Yet, immediately after awakening from a four-week slumber, you were able to walk across the room when you should have been too weak to sit up without help. Now, just a few days later, you sit with us casually drinking tea—and spilling it—with fewer lingering injuries than many of the men who fought that night. I am glad this is so, but the speed of your recovery is nothing short of extraordinary."
"And you think that the crystals are the reason?" Nerissa asked. She sheepishly dabbed at the wet ring that had formed on the blanket beneath her cup.
Ildiko nodded in affirmation. "I put them around you only two days before you awoke. Your wounds healed faster in those last two days than in all the preceding weeks. Some may dismiss it as a coincidence, but I will never be convinced otherwise. I wish I had used them right away."
Nerissa reached out and gently squeezed Ildiko's boney hand. "It's alright, Ildiko, there's no way you could have known. I owe you a great deal. Your talents and care are the reason why I am here today."
"You are too free with your compliments. I've done no more than what anyone else in my place would have done," Ildiko replied. Despite her denials, color rose to her pale cheeks as she tried to suppress a proud smile. "Crystals are peculiar. Oils and herbs work the same way for everyone, albeit sometimes to varying degrees, but crystals are not like that at all. Since they are unpredictable, I use them as a last resort. For most, they have no effect at all. For some, they seem to help a little. But for a very small number, they are extremely effective. In any case, I do the best I can to heal those who come to me, and I will do so by whatever means possible."
"I wonder why that is," Nerissa mused. She would have to share Ildiko's story with Tao next time she visited. Her momentary excitement was dampened by the realization that she would not be visiting Tao anytime soon.
"If you ever want someone to talk to about crystals, I could introduce you to Raysel," Ildiko suggested.
"I'll keep that in mind," Nerissa said. She tried to sound enthusiastic despite the dismay that was threatening to fill her heart. "Regardless, Raysel certainly has a good eye for crystals. I'm finding myself feeling envious of your collection!"
Hania hummed softly to himself at the mention of Raysel's name and watched the sediments swirl at the bottom of his cup.
"A good eye? Yes, you could definitely say he has that," Ildiko said thoughtfully. "Be sure to ask him sometime about the earth-fire crystal he wears around his neck."
"What is special about it?" Nerissa inquired, her curiosity piqued by Ildiko's enigmatic tone.
"My description would do it no justice. You'll just have to see it with your own eyes," Ildiko said. "That is, if you can pull them away from his face long enough to look at it. He is quite handsome."
"All this talk of crystals has reminded me of something I heard a long time ago," Hania said, suddenly changing the subject. "I prefer to deal with things that are more tangible, so I tucked it away in my memory but never gave it much thought. It seems like something you might be interested in hearing, Nerissa."
“Please go on,” Nerissa said, instinctively leaning forward in anticipation.
"There was a man in Rhea whom I had the fortune of getting to know quite well over the years. Since most crystals come from the caves and hills within Rhea, I would say he was more knowledgeable about them than most people. He told me many marvelous things about those caves and the stones collected from them. Some things were more curious than others, but this was the most remarkable: he claimed that crystals could remember things." Hania’s eyes widened, mixed with wonder and skepticism, as he said the last part.
"Remember things? In what way?" Nerissa asked. She didn’t try to temper her curiosity.
"That was exactly the question that I asked." Hania chuckled, amused by Nerissa's unrestrained interest. "He only said that sometimes the crystals absorbed energy from events that happened nearby. This caused strange things to occur from time to time. For instance, people claimed to see ghosts or hear strange sounds. He also said that there were old stories about a "lost art" that allowed for information to be stored in crystals intentionally and then recalled later in exact detail. It seemed to me that he knew more about those stories than he let on, even though he claimed to know nothing else. When I pressed him, he said he had already told me too much."
"Hania has a knack for getting people to say things that they normally wouldn't," Ildiko said with a sly grin.
"I'll have to keep that in mind," Nerissa commented, tapping one finger against her lips with feigned apprehension.
Hania glowered at them both. "My talents have served their purpose in the past."
He sounded mad, but the creases at the corners of Hania's eyes said otherwise. Nerissa laughed. "Wouldn't it be fascinating to find crystals that contained information about the past? It seems too fantastic to be true. "
"Fascinating? Perhaps, but history is not always what we think it to be," Hania replied in a cautionary tone.
"What do you mean?" Nerissa failed to see how history could be different from one place to another.
"History has a tendency to gloss over details and blur the truth. Not everything that is recorded about the past is what actually happened. For example, your family is said to be direct descendants of Gared, but that isn't strictly true." Hania said it so matter-of-factly that it seemed like nothing more than a bit of trivia, but to Nerissa the knowledge was quite a shock.
"What do you mean?" Nerissa was beginning to feel like she was repeating herself.
"The rule of Chiyo has been passed down through the ages unbroken, with each generation selecting its successor. That does not mean that the bloodline was unbroken, however. On more than a few occasions, the children of the rulers were found to be unfit for the position, or the rulers had no children at all, so an Heir was chosen from outside the family. That selection was well known at the time, but as I said, history has a way of obscuring those kinds of details."
"If we aren't related to Gared by blood, then can we really be called his descendants?" Nerissa asked.
"You may not be related by blood, but you are Gared's descendant in the most important sense. It is a simple question of what you perceive to be more important: lineage or character. You were chosen to be the Heiress because you possess, by choice, the same traits and ideals that Gared himself believed in. Your mother was chosen for the same reason, and her father, and his father before him. You carry on the qualities that separated Gared from the rest of the men of his time. That makes you more closely related than any blood heritage ever could," Hania explained. "Even if the bloodline were unbroken, it would be so diluted by now that you could hardly call it a blood relation at all."
&nb
sp; "Hania, how do you know all of this?" Nerissa asked. Her head was beginning to spin.
"It is written in the records that the Ohanzee keep. They aren’t entirely the same as the histories that you studied at the University, are they?" he asked with a small chuckle. Ildiko nodded absently in agreement while pouring herself another cup of tea.
"Similar, but not the same," Nerissa breathed. "Why hadn't I been told about them before? Are they a secret?"
"In a way they are. The official histories have always been kept by the Ohanzee. Since our very existence is a closely guarded secret, the records we keep are too."
Nerissa nodded thoughtfully. Hania's logic did make sense. "That brings up something I’ve been thinking about lately. Who exactly are the Ohanzee? Why didn’t I know anything about you until I arrived here? Einar tried to explain everything to me after I woke up, but I was too overwhelmed to take it all in."
"That’s certainly understandable,” Ildiko said, patting Nerissa’s arm.
“Surely you had seen us occasionally, watching over you from the shadows. Why didn't you ask then?" Hania questioned. He finished his tea and set the cup back on the tray alongside the teapot.
"I did ask when I was young. The first time I saw someone in the shadows it scared me. My parents said that you were guards and that they would tell me more when I got older, but I had to keep it a secret until then. I knew better than to bring it up again after that. There were many things that they had promised to teach me," Nerissa replied. A trace of anger laced through the loss that filled her voice as she finished.
Hania patted her shoulder sympathetically. "That is your answer. You would have been brought here after your mother stepped down and passed the ring of the Blood to you. In this case, that time came much sooner than anyone expected."
Hania folded his hands and gathered his thoughts. "As you were told, we, the Ohanzee, are the secret guardians of the throne of Chiyo. Our history can be traced back to the Gullintanni, a group of spies who reported directly to Gared and whose existence was also a closely guarded secret. Originally, our purpose was to ensure that the governors of the various regions of Renatus did not abuse their power. When it was necessary, the Gullintanni members informed Gared and a "bad" ruler was promptly removed from their station. Our job later expanded to include serving as Gared’s personal guard. As you know, Renatus was divided into Chiyo and Marise for Gared's great-grandchildren. At that time, the Gullintanni was also divided into two groups: the Ohanzee and the Senka. Although few people know of our existence, our two groups are completely aware of each other. Over time, Chiyo and Marise grew apart and so did the Senka and the Ohanzee.
“Now, rather than being two parts of one whole, we serve opposing sides. Our duties have remained nearly unchanged through the years. To this day, we train vigilantly so that we will be prepared to defend Chiyo. Aside from a few isolated incidents over the years, our lives were peaceful until twenty years ago. Just before Casimer's first attack, we discovered small bands of the Senka scouring the forest at the foot of these mountains. We eventually came to learn that they were trying to locate our stronghold at the same time that Casimer was plotting the original attack on your family. You see, it would have been much easier for Casimer to usurp your parents if we were no longer in the picture. Fortunately, our location is still a well-kept secret."
“I think that’s enough for today,” Ildiko said. “Nerissa is recovering quickly, but she still needs plenty of rest.”
Hania rose. “There is something I still need to ask her,” he said. “I know that you have requested to keep your true identity hidden. However, it will complicate our information-gathering efforts if my successor, Jin, is not in on the secret. Would you find it problematic if he knew your identity as well?”
“Since he is your successor, I see no reason to leave him out. I would not want anything to hamper our ability to keep up with the activities of Casimer and the Senka,” Nerissa replied.
“Excellent. I will come at least once a week to give you updates on events in Chiyo as we learn more." He smiled serenely at Nerissa and followed Ildiko to the gate.
Chapter 13
The Records of the Ohanzee
The solstice was still weeks away, but summer was clearly running ahead of schedule. It was midmorning, yet the air was already oppressively hot and laden with humidity. It was the sort of day where, by noontime, even the most industrious person would have dedicated their efforts wholly to seeking a cool place to languish until sundown. Nerissa, for one, was uncharacteristically looking forward to helping Ildiko with the wash this afternoon. Not because she particularly liked doing the laundry, but because splashing in the cool, sudsy wash water would be a welcome, if only partial, reprieve from the heat. For the time being, she simply did her best to ignore the locks of hair clinging to the nape of her damp neck while Ildiko and Einar chatted over breakfast.
Their voices were but a distant drone to Nerissa, who stared out the window, eyes unfocused, longing for home where the river fans were no doubt keeping a constant breeze moving through the city. Were it not for Hania’s weekly updates, she would have worried whether or not the fans were even still standing. Casimer seemed to be quite fond of destroying things—and quite good at it too. Hania's updates, at least, kept her from fearing for the immediate well-being of Niamh and its inhabitants. It distressed her to know that Casimer had imposed strict curfews and had groups of guardsmen patrolling the streets at all times. Gatherings of more than three adults had been forbidden. Such an edict was unheard of before now. The people of Niamh had always been free to go about their lives and follow their own pursuits. Their freedom was unlimited as long as they did not violate the Common Laws, which forbid theft, assault, murder, and the like. They were encouraged to speak out against perceived injustices and even to petition the Blood and Bond directly on matters. Such freedom was the cornerstone of Chiyo’s governance. Casimer’s heavy-handed laws were in direct opposition to the ideals ingrained in their society. Does he treat the citizens of Marise the same way? Nerissa wondered.
Despite those measures, or perhaps because of them, there were rumors of a movement growing behind the scenes to carry out an uprising. Hania had told her there were also rumbles that a second group was quietly attempting to subdue the unrest. It was unclear who was leading either group. The Ohanzee were not involved, and Hania insisted that there were no indications that the second group was under Casimer's influence. Nerissa certainly agreed with that assessment. Open displays of force seemed more his style. Nerissa couldn't help grumbling under her breath at that thought. Ildiko glanced at her over the rim of her coffee cup, eyebrows raised questioningly. Nerissa just shook her head in response. She reached out to dip her knife into a jar of strawberry jam before scraping it vigorously over a slice of sourdough bread. The heat was definitely not helping her mood this morning.
It didn't matter to Nerissa who was behind the unknown force. She sincerely hoped that they would successfully quell the uprising before anything happened. Violence would do far more harm than good to the city. The only influence she could exert was through agents that Hania was now actively trying to embed in both of the mysterious groups. All information so far indicated that the first group was little more than a poorly organized faction of citizens planning an attempt to physically overthrow Casimer's hold on the city. No number of farmers with pitchforks or merchant’s fists would be able to free Niamh. As much as Nerissa would like that to be possible, his hold on Niamh was too firmly entrenched to be removed without external help. And that certainly would not be coming.
The two major cities remaining in Chiyo had taken opposite sides. The city of Silvus and its surrounding areas, governed by Akkub, had willingly accepted Casimer's authority almost immediately after Niamh was taken. That was suspicious, to say the least. On the other side was Rhea and its outlying region, governed by Alden, which had rejected all attempts at so-called diplomacy from Casimer. They were now asserting their indepen
dence—with success. Rhea was where King Gared had been born and the historic capital of Renatus. It had always been virtually independent of her parent's authority and possessed a geographical advantage and sufficient resources to resist Casimer indefinitely. Though Alden would likely be an ally, he would certainly not divert resources from Rhea to assist Niamh and risk compromising that advantage. There would be no assistance coming to Niamh until Nerissa and the Ohanzee made their move. She frowned at the thought, disliking that she didn’t have any idea of what that move should be.
As a leader, Nerissa knew that she should be more concerned about the plight of her people—and she genuinely was. Yet, of all the offenses Casimer had committed, her mind always flew back to one in particular. It was unsettling enough to know that Casimer had prevented the traditional funeral procession and the cremation ceremony for her parents. It would have been her funeral as well, so far as most people were aware. Not a day passed that she did not think of her parents and feel empty inside knowing that she had lost her memories of the last moments spent with them. It was also not a comfortable feeling to know that her own name was considered among the dead. She already felt like a ghost anyway, hardly even recognizing herself in the mirror. However, knowing that Casimer had destroyed the stone memorial statue bearing her name, her parents’ names, and her ancestors’ names was nearly more than she could tolerate. The destruction of the monument made it seem like their lineage had never existed. As if their memories deserved no respect. A person’s body may disappear, but their ideals and deeds allowed their spirit to live on in this world as long as there were those who remembered them. How many names had been lost when the stone statue was crushed?
Nerissa chomped into the slice of sourdough bread she had been holding, roughly tearing away the tough crust with a quick flick of her wrist. A trickle of sweat rolled down the back of her neck as she moved, and she mentally growled. No, the weather was certainly doing nothing to improve her mood.
Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror Page 12