After reading the warning inside, Einar understood exactly why Shae felt the message was urgent. Had her vision been genuine, or did she actually have some previously unknown ties to Marise? After all, her village was near the border between the two countries. Erik believed Shae was loyal to Chiyo but admitted that her behavior had become increasingly peculiar since then. Einar felt that the whole affair was suspicious. At this point, the most logical course of action was for Erik to continue to monitor her behavior and send word if something changed. Even though Einar knew that having the ill-fated message in hand was important, it still hardly seemed worth the trip.
He flipped off his sandals in the entryway, deep in thought and wanting nothing more than a refreshing shower. The prospects for the latter were dashed when he found both Ildiko and Nerissa waiting for him in the front room. He recognized that look on his wife's face. It was the expression she always had when she was about to say something he wouldn't like. Nerissa's set jaw and the white-knuckled fists in her lap also looked troubling.
"This isn't quite the scene I had hoped to come home to," Einar said. He dropped onto the sofa with a wordless groan.
Ildiko pressed her lips together until they formed a thin, pale line. That expression confirmed that Einar was not going to enjoy the quiet night he wanted. "A couple of things happened today we need to talk about," lldiko said.
“Alright. Which one do you want to start with?”
Nerissa spoke up. She knew from dealing with her parents that it was always best to state your request succinctly and assertively. "I want to become one of the Ohanzee."
"Oh? Well, of course, you are welcome to. That was part of the point of taking you to the Archives today," Einar responded with relief.
"No. I want to learn the ways of combat so that I can fight alongside the rest of the Ohanzee to regain Chiyo." Nerissa's voice was firm, but she couldn't stop her fingers from twiddling nervously.
Tradition or not, there was no way that he would allow Nerissa’s life to be in danger. He could remember, all too vividly, the way he had felt upon finding her bloody and unresponsive in the rubble that night.
"Absolutely not!” Einar said. “I will not let you come to harm again. Aside from the risk associated with confronting Casimer directly, even our training is harsh and the physical demands are—"
"So you want me to be helpless like my parents were?" Nerissa objurgated, her eyes flashing coldly.
Ildiko gasped. "Nerissa, that was uncalled for!"
Einar's voice grew oddly calm. "Helpless? I saw my friends die protecting them. I watched as they were murdered with no way to reach them. I know exactly what it is to be helpless and I wouldn’t wish that feeling on anyone! Regardless, only the male Ohanzee train for combat. That is a tradition that has stood since the time of Gared."
"Are you suggesting that you hold a tradition to be of more value than a command of the Blood of Chiyo?" Nerissa's tone made it sound more like an accusation than a question.
Einar sighed and rubbed his temple, his broad hand obscuring his eyes. "That is not what I am saying at all. You are putting me in a very difficult situation."
"I've already devised a plan that should avoid creating a conflict with your tradition. Much as it pains me to admit it, I should have no problems pretending to be a male if I keep my hair short and bind my chest with a vest worn beneath my clothing. Everyone in the village already thinks that you brought a young nobleman back with you, so we will simply play into that misconception. The disguise presents many advantages. It allows me to train, which will speed my physical recovery. It maintains the element of surprise against Casimer since the fact that I’m actually alive will remain secret. And it increases my safety since my alter ego would be viewed as just another member of the Ohanzee—a lower profile target.”
"And what do you suggest we call you now? You can hardly go by Nerissa if you're going to pretend to be a nobleman," Einar asked.
"Caeneus. You should call me Caeneus," Nerissa said. Judging by the look on Ildiko's face, the name had been her idea.
"From the story of the sea nymph who became a warrior, how appropriate," Einar said, meeting Ildiko's eyes briefly. He was nearly resigned to the idea when he realized there was a hitch in Nerissa's plan. "There's one problem that you haven't addressed. No matter how well you can alter your appearance, you can't change your voice. There is no mistaking your voice as anything but feminine."
"I've already considered that, and there is a rather simple solution. It will require you to do a little shopping for me first," Nerissa said with a triumphant smile.
The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Ildiko rose to answer the knock and returned with Haku’s wife, Ebba, beside her. “About the second thing we need to discuss…”
*******************
Hania, Haku, and Einar sat on floor pillows in a circle atop the woven rug that concealed the entrance to the Treasury. The small room was stiflingly hot, and the windows would not be opened in order to maintain the privacy of their conversation. A pitcher of ice water sat on the rug between them, a small amenity to make the heat more bearable.
“There are two matters we need to address tonight,” Einar said. He dabbed at the sweat on his temple with a cloth. “The first issue is that Nerissa has come to a decision regarding her future here in Darnal.”
“What does she plan to do?” Haku asked. Einar’s expression made him suspect they may not like what that decision was.
Einar recounted his earlier conversation with Nerissa. As he listened, Haku shifted his jaw, making a conscious effort not to clench his teeth. On the other side of the circle, Hania sat expressionlessly, staring into his cup as he swirled the ice chunks in slow circles. Einar finished his explanation and looked to the other two men. “I’d like to hear your thoughts.”
“I see no inherent harm in Nerissa learning to fight and use the sword. It should help further her physical recovery and improve her ability to defend herself,” Hania said, without looking up from his cup. “I think having a goal to focus on may lift her spirits as well.”
Haku folded his arms across his chest. “While I agree with that in principle, I dislike the idea of breaking with tradition. If her ruse were to be discovered—and sooner or later it will be—how will the rest of the Ohanzee feel about our knowingly condoning such a deception?”
“It was Nerissa’s decision.” Hania shrugged. “Our duty to support her plans is greater than any tradition.”
Haku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Duty binds each person differently. While I would do almost anything to uphold my oaths to the throne, not everyone in Darnal would go to the same lengths.”
Hania’s usually jovial face took on a severe cast, and the contrast was unnerving. “Each person is entitled to their own interpretation of our duty. However, anyone who would work against the will of the Blood of Chiyo is a traitor. It is that simple. My duty is to support Nerissa in every way I can. I will deal with the ramifications if necessary.”
Haku sighed again but nodded in agreement. “I hope it does not come to that.”
“I hope so as well,” Einar said. “I concur that training is a good idea in principle. The problem I have is that the plan will eventually put Nerissa in harm’s way. No matter how hard she works, it will be no substitute for the years of experience and conditioning we all have. Even if she could become as strong as the best of the Ohanzee in such a short time, direct involvement in combat would make her vulnerable. I would prefer for us to be the ones engaged in fighting to ensure that she remains safe. That actually leads me to the second point of tonight’s discussion.”
Haku leaned back against the wall, arms folded across his chest. He glanced out the window opposite him just in time to see Ebba pass by in the distance while making her rounds. “I suppose the second point is related to my son’s discovery this afternoon.”
Hania raised an eyebrow. This was the first that he had heard of Raysel making
any discoveries. Einar nodded, gesturing for Haku to continue.
“Raysel went to Ildiko this afternoon to request a refill of burn cream for Aravind. When no one answered, he worried that something may have happened to her while Einar was away, so he let himself in. To make a long story short, he saw Nerissa in the back helping Ildiko hang laundry. She tried to convince him that the person he saw was not Nerissa, but he knew better.”
“I would expect no less of Raysel. I can’t imagine that there is a single person in Darnal who doesn’t know that being the Heiress’ guardian has been his goal since he was a child,” Hania said.
“The fact that Raysel knows who she is conflicts with Nerissa’s desire to assume a male identity. The more people who know a secret, the more difficult it is to keep,” Haku said. He was inwardly pleased with his son but also frustrated that it presented another dilemma to be dealt with.
“I don’t have any concerns about his ability to keep her true identity a secret,” Hania said.
“I gave it some thought on my way here. I have an idea of how we may be able to neatly resolve both issues,” Einar said. He waited a moment for the other two to nod for him to go on. “Nerissa will not be able to jump into practicing with the others. Why don’t we assign Raysel to be her trainer as a cover for his actual reassignment as her personal guardian? No one would find it odd that he would be the trainer of the person we select as the next Heir.”
Hania thrummed his knotted fingers against the damp outside of his cup, deep in thought. “I like this idea,” he finally said. “Training together would create a bond of trust between the two of them. It would be deeper than what would usually exist between the Blood and their guardian. They would also be familiar with each other’s fighting style, which would make it even easier for Raysel to protect her when they do get involved in a combat situation.”
“You make an excellent point,” Haku said. “I’m still not convinced Nerissa will go through with training once she finds out the intensity required. Still, she would learn the extent of Raysel’s abilities and be able to anticipate how he needed her to react. That would make both of them safer in a conflict.”
“Then I propose the following: Raysel will be reassigned as her personal guardian and trainer, and Nerissa will take on the identity of a male who has been named next in line to be Heir. Are we in agreement?” Hania said.
Haku and Einar replied in unison. “Agreed.”
*******************
The little gray tea kettle whistled on the stove, but the shrilling sounded muffled to Tao. She was stretched on tip toes as far as she could reach, with nearly her whole torso in the cupboard as she rustled through the cans of tea leaves. She felt restless today, and her mood was currently manifesting itself in the inability to decide what kind of tea she wished to drink. Her hand kept drifting back to the container filled with the rose tea that had been Nerissa's favorite. Tao resigned from her futile search and set the canister back in its place on the shelf. Perhaps she didn't really want tea at all.
She removed the kettle from the stove and gazed out the nearby window wistfully. This late in the evening, few were on the street, and the only sound from outside was the clip-clop of the hooves of an approaching horse and its rider. The clopping stopped as they reached the front of her shop. A moment later, she heard a rapping on the downstairs door, which she ignored at first. The store had closed hours ago. They would just have to return another time.
Another moment passed, and the rapping persisted to a point that Tao could no longer ignore it. She trundled down the stairs and wove her way through the rows of glass cases to the door. The man awaiting her on the other side had a commanding presence. His long reddish-blond hair was laced with silver and pulled away from his face, bound at the base of his neck by a cloth strip. It was a look that had become quite popular in recent years, but this man didn't seem like the type to follow the trends. He did, however, seem familiar.
"I'm sorry, but the shop is closed,” Tao said through the door. “Is there something that you need that can't wait until tomorrow?" She did not bother to disguise the small amount of annoyance that crept into her voice.
"I apologize. I realize that it is late in the day, but this is the earliest I could arrive. I'm afraid that I find myself in a rather difficult situation that cannot wait," the man explained.
Tao opened the door and gestured for him to come in. He had been sufficiently apologetic, and his visit really hadn't inconvenienced her that much. Her current mood was hardly his fault. "What do you need that is so urgent?"
"This may seem somewhat trivial, but you know how women are when they get an idea in their head," he began, then hesitated upon seeing the peevish expression on Tao's face. That probably wasn't the right thing to say, he realized. "I understand that you sell a necklace that can lower the tone of someone's voice. I would like to purchase one, if possible."
"You need a voice-changing necklace?" Tao questioned, not really believing that she had heard him correctly. She had told no one about that invention aside from Nerissa. The Heiress would not have told anyone else before Tao officially announced it. If this man knew about the necklace, then she must have been the one to send him.
"That's correct," he confirmed.
"It so happens that I have one here. It's the only one I have right now, but this seems to be a special circumstance, so I will give it to you free of charge. Consider it my gift to your lady," Tao said with a wink.
"That isn't necessary. I'm prepared to pay whatever price you require," he replied, reaching instinctively for the pouch around his waist.
"No charge," Tao insisted. "But tell me, you seem familiar. Did you perhaps work at the Manor?"
“At the Royal Manor? You must have me confused with someone else," the man replied smoothly and without hesitation.
"I see. My mistake then," Tao said. She smiled politely as she walked him back to the door. "Please come back again."
"Thank you for your generosity," he said as he climbed back onto his horse. "I am certain that my lady will be most appreciative."
"I am sure she will be too," Tao murmured to herself, watching him ride away. What was Nerissa up to? Tao supposed that she would find out soon enough.
"I think I might be in the mood for rose tea, after all," she said to the empty shop, now smiling more broadly than she had in weeks.
Chapter 19
An Oath in the Moonlight
The following evening, Nerissa sat at the foot of the falls not far from the Archives. Water tumbled over the cliff, so high above that it seemed to touch the crescent-shaped moon before falling from the heights and crashing onto an outlying ledge hundreds of feet below. Where the water and the rocky outcropping met, thousands of tiny drops were sent cascading away in a spray that shimmered with the ghost of a rainbow in the moonlight. It was there that the falls were divided into twin flows that spilled into the silvery pool in front of Nerissa. The air here had a citrusy fragrance that she couldn't quite identify. It seemed out of place but was nonetheless comforting because it reminded her of home. Nerissa shifted into a more comfortable position, careful to avoid getting the book she had brought with her wet. She had “borrowed” the tome from the Archives late in the afternoon to escape from the hot building in exchange for the comparatively cooler breezes and shade near the waterfall.
It was growing late now, and the deepening twilight no longer provided sufficient light to read by. Still, Nerissa was content to remain here a bit longer. The crescent was her favorite phase of the moon. It had always looked to her like a giant smile grinning down from the heavens. The sound of the falls was so soothing that she wanted nothing more than to stay here and soak in the atmosphere. She couldn’t linger much longer though. If she didn’t return to Hania’s soon, Einar would begin to worry even though she had left a note on the table in the Archives explaining where to find her. It was actually a bit surprising he hadn’t already come.
Nerissa was pleased that the t
hree Chiefs had agreed to her plan. Even the stipulation that she have a personal trainer hadn’t come as a great shock. A tutor of sorts only seemed logical if she were to learn as quickly as possible. Einar was supposed to introduce the two of them in the morning.
She idly fingered the crystals on the band that now encircled her neck and wondered if she would really be able to pull off this ruse. Nerissa’s thoughts were interrupted by a sprig of leaves dropping suddenly from the limbs above and falling on her head. She pulled the branch from her hair and glanced up in time to be startled by someone hopping down from the limbs above.
"Mind a little company?" the young man asked as he landed nearly soundlessly beside her, one hand casually resting on a low hanging limb. He was dressed in white from head to toe, except for the long scarlet belt whose ends swayed from the waist of his loose linen pants. The moon sat just over his shoulder, lighting his snow-white hair from behind like a halo. After a moment of consideration, Nerissa recognized him as Raysel, the person who had come to see Ildiko for burn cream the day before.
"I'm afraid I will be poor company, but you're welcome to join me if you like." She tried to sound indifferent though she wasn’t sure she felt ready to meet any of the villagers yet. Not to mention, she was more than a little bit unnerved that he had approached without her noticing. Either he had snuck up on her or he had been sitting in the tree since she arrived hours ago. The latter certainly didn’t seem possible.
Nerissa watched as he settled in beside her. Even in the dim light, she could clearly see why Ildiko had called Raysel handsome. None of his features were particularly remarkable alone, with the exception of his eyes, but all together they made a striking combination. Those eyes were enough to make Nerissa catch her breath at first glance. They were an intense shade of green, lined with rows of long, dark lashes that tapered to the sharp corners of his eyelids. She felt like his gaze could see right through her disguise. Nerissa shook off the sensation as paranoia. If she were going to pull off her plan, she would have to get it together. She inhaled sharply, realizing that the familiar citrusy scent had grown stronger since he had arrived. The scent must actually be coming from him! If it were, that meant he had been in the tree since she arrived.
Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror Page 16