Griffin's Shadow

by Leslie Ann Moore

  “Oh, yes,” Sen replied. “‘Course, my son Sadaiyo has been preening like a damn peacock! He has every right, though, ‘cause my grandson is perfect!”

  “Enough, you men. Jelena needs her rest!” Amara chided. “You can come back later.”

  Keizo laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Come along, old friend. I believe we’ve been dismissed. We’ll go back to my apartments and drink a toast.”

  With much congratulatory back-slapping, Sen and the king departed.

  “Hmmph…You’d think they were the ones who’d birthed this baby!” Amara sniffed, but her eyes brimmed with affection.

  “Well, that’s it for now. I’ll be on my way as well.” The doctor bustled around, collecting her things. “Lady Amara, please make sure the princess takes a draught from this bottle later tonight. It’s a combination tonic and cleanser. It will help her to eliminate any residue left over from the birth.” The doctor handed Amara a small glass vial. “Mix ten drops in a half-glass of sweet wine and a little water.” She turned to Eikko. “Change your mistress’ padding just before you go to bed, then again four hours later. I’ll be round first thing tomorrow morning to check on mother and child.”

  “I’ll see to it,” Sonoe volunteered.

  Amara nodded and handed her the vial. “You’ll stay the night with her, Sonoe?”

  “Yes, of course,” Sonoe replied. “You go on to bed, if you wish.”

  “It has been a long day,” Amara said. “I still have to see to my other daughters, though, before I can rest.” She bent over to kiss Jelena’s cheek. “Sleep well, dear. Come, Doctor. I will see you out.”

  After Amara and the doctor had left, Jelena relaxed back into the pillows and allowed Sonoe to place the now satiated and sleeping baby in the intricately carved wooden cradle by the bedside. The cradle had been a gift from Prince Raidan, and had come as a complete surprise. Jelena never expected anything from her aloof uncle, and his gesture had raised her hopes that someday, she might have a warmer relationship with him.

  “Jelena,” Sateyuka called out softly. Jelena opened her eyes with a start, realizing she must have dozed off again.

  “Oh, Sateyuka! I’m sorry! I know it’s late. You’re welcome to stay the night, of course.”

  “Thank you, my dear.”

  “Everyone must be famished,” Jelena murmured. The sudden hunger pangs roiling her stomach surprised her.

  “I’ll send down to the kitchen for some food,” Eikko said and bustled from the room.

  “I’ll sleep in here with you and the baby tonight, Jelena,” Sonoe said. “The weaver can sleep in the sitting room.”

  Jelena knew she should be annoyed at Sonoe’s high-handedness, but she was just too tired. “I want both my best friends with me tonight, Sonoe. Sateyuka can stay in my bedchamber.”

  “Jelena, I don’t wish to cause any inconvenience…” Sateyuka protested, but Jelena cut her off.

  “It’s already settled. Eikko can make you up a pallet by the window.” Sonoe’s eyes narrowed and her lips tightened, betraying her irritation, but Jelena chose to ignore it.

  Sonoe will just have to deal with it!

  “I think I’ll rest now. Wake me when the food arrives.”

  “Of course,” Sonoe murmured, bending over to kiss her lightly on the cheek.

  As Jelena drifted off to sleep, the image of Ashinji once again appeared before her mind’s eye. For an instant, he seemed so real, Jelena tried to touch him, but then he vanished, lost to her once again. She dreamt no more of him that night.

  Chapter 31

  Duplicity, Concealed

  Sonoe waited until everyone else in the room had fallen asleep before she acted. Silently, she slipped from Jelena’s bed and moved to neutralize the two hikui. She gazed with contempt at the hikui weaver lying unconscious at her feet. The servant girl, Eikko lay sprawled by the door, also unconscious. Neither hikui knew what had hit them, nor would they remember anything when they awoke.

  With a wave of her hand and a quick, whispered incantation, she warded the bedchamber door.

  Now, I can work uninterrupted, she thought. Her hand crept up to touch the place where the stone-the power focus linking her consciousness to his-lay hidden beneath her robe. It felt warm, beyond what ordinary body heat would make it, a sure sign that one of his creatures lurked nearby.

  I don’t have much time until one of his infernal birds shows up…I must get in and out before then.

  She prodded the weaver in the ribs with her toe. The woman lay unmoving. Sonoe nodded in satisfaction.

  She climbed back into the bed, carefully maneuvering Jelena so the girl’s shoulders rested in her lap. She then laid her hands on either side of Jelena’s forehead and closed her eyes. With great care, she extended her consciousness down through the layers of Jelena’s mind.

  Fresh memories of Hatora’s birth lingered at the surface. Sonoe flashed by, ignoring them. Deeper in, a memory of Ashinji Sakehera-fresh, and recorded in the part of Jelena’s mind that registered visual images-caught her attention.

  How very strange, Sonoe thought. Jelena’s husband is dead. She can’t have seen him-not recently, anyway. Interesting puzzle, but I’ve no time to solve it just now. She plunged deeper, pushing toward the pulsing blue light lodged at the core of Jelena’s being.

  She stopped short of the cunningly wrought barrier that had so painfully stymied her during her last deep probe of Jelena’s mind. This was what she had come to examine.

  Delicately, she extended sensory tendrils along the surface of the barrier. It rippled a little, yet appeared unbreakable.

  Damn you, Taya!

  Sonoe’s rival had effectively sealed off the Key from all access.

  I must find a way to break through the barrier; otherwise, I can’t directly examine the energy signature of the Key itself.

  Sonoe’s plan to capture the Key for her own use depended on her gaining knowledge of its unique energy pattern.

  The Nameless One obviously knows-he crafted it himself, after all. I must learn the pattern as well, and soon. His impatience continues to grow. I won’t be able to stall him much longer.

  Sonoe hovered above the cool blue star in frustrated rage .

  There must be a weakness in the barrier somewhere!

  She dared not flail against it for fear of killing Jelena prematurely and releasing the Key.

  Think, Sonoe, think! If there is no weakness already, then you must make one yourself. Drill a hole, so to speak…Yes, of course! That’s how, but I’ll need another practitioner.

  Swiftly, she withdrew, a little too fast, for Jelena jerked and stopped breathing for a few moments. Sonoe stabilized her with a touch and returned her consciousness to normal sleep.

  She slipped out of the bed again, rearranged Jelena’s pillows, and stood a few moments gazing down at the sleeping girl. She then looked at the baby, asleep in her cradle, and for a few heartbeats, tears stung her eyes.

  If Keizo could marry me and make me his queen, would it all be enough?

  Sonoe took a deep breath and banished the emotion that threatened to weaken her resolve.

  No.

  The wooden shutters covering the room’s only window rattled softly in their frames, followed by a sharp rap. The stone at Sonoe’s breast radiated a sudden flash of heat. She moved to the window and threw open the shutters.

  A huge, disheveled raven hopped through on a blast of cold, moist air. It croaked and cocked its head to the side, fixing a black eye on the sorceress.

  No, not quite all black. A tiny red spark flickered deep within its center.

  The bitch has whelped.

  Obviously.

  And the pup could turn out to be more trouble than its dam.

  She’s just a baby! How can she possibly be any threat to you?

  The raven flapped its wings, then hopped onto the edge of the cradle and bent down over the sleeping child, its razor-sharp beak poised just above the tiny throat.

  Sonoe
held her breath.

  Perhaps I should kill it now.

  “Don’t!” Sonoe whispered.

  The bird fastened its gaze back on her and Sonoe moaned in pain. Even across the vast distance that separated them, even through the filter of another creature’s mind, the strength of the Nameless One was daunting. What must he have been like at his peak? She had no wish to find out.

  You dare to instruct me?

  No! No, of course not, it’s just…this child can’t harm you in any way.

  Not now. But if she is allowed to come into her full Talent, she will make a formidable adversary. She is an Onjara, after all, and therefore my sworn enemy. She will come after me because she will have no choice. It is her destiny.

  How can you know that?

  The Nameless One’s stormwrack voice fell silent in Sonoe’s head. She sensed him pondering her words.

  I won’t kill the child…not yet, anyway. We can use it to insure the compliance of the girl. She will readily sacrifice her life in exchange for its life when the time comes. You will bring both of them to me.

  A thread of sound from the hall outside the chamber impinged on Sonoe’s consciousness. She jumped up and ran to the bedchamber door, pressing her ear to the smooth wood.

  She could just make out the voices of Amara’s young daughters engaged in soft conversation. They had come, no doubt, to see the baby, though why the girls had not gone to bed hours ago, Sonoe did not know. She hissed in irritation and whirled to face the raven, still perched on the rim of Hatora’s cradle.

  Amara’s daughters are right outside! You must leave before they make up their minds to come in here. They are certain to see the bird!

  The torturous sound of metal scraping against metal bounced around in her head, causing her to wince. Oh, how she hated his laugh!

  That would be a difficult one for you to explain, wouldn’t it?

  Please go!

  Why haven’t you found the transportation portal yet?

  Sendai Castle is a very big place, as well you know!

  The door opened a crack.

  You must go now!

  Find the portal soon, or I’ll kill you and choose another to put in your place.

  Sonoe did not doubt the threat for an instant.

  The raven spread its wings and flapped clumsily across the room and out through the open window. Sonoe followed and leaned out over the sill to make sure the bird had gone before she closed the shutters. She then crossed back over to the door and pulled it open.

  Lani stood, fist raised as if to knock, mouth agape in surprise. Her twin sisters crowded at her back, peering around her like pups behind their mother.

  “What is it?” Sonoe queried in a clipped tone.

  “We…uh…We’ve come to see the baby,” Lani answered, hesitant in the face of Sonoe’s impatience. The two little girls nodded in unison.

  “Well, Jelena and the baby are asleep, as should the three of you be! Does your mother know you’re out roaming the halls so late at night?” Sonoe scowled and waved her hand in dismissal. “I thought not. Now, go away and come back in the morning!”

  Lani drew herself up in a display of indignation. “You have no right to speak to me like that!” she said coldly.

  Sonoe laughed. Eyes sparkling with equal parts amusement and irritation, she flicked her fingers and all three girls stiffened, then relaxed, blank-eyed.

  “Now go back to bed, all of you. When you wake in the morning , you’ll have no memory of what just happened.” Like automatons, the girls turned around and shuffled off. Sonoe watched them go, then shut the bedroom door behind her.

  A quick touch to the temples of the weaver and the maid restored each of them to natural sleep. As Sonoe lay back down beside Jelena, she checked the girl’s mind to assure herself that all was well. Despite the lingering disgust and unease she always felt after one of The Nameless One’s visits, she still managed to fall asleep.

  At sunrise, Sateyuka groaned and stirred. The sound woke Sonoe, who climbed out from beneath the covers and carefully tucked them back around the still-sleeping Jelena. Throwing a robe over her thin nightgown, Sonoe padded over to where the maid Eikko snored loudly on her pallet by the door.

  Leaning over the slack-jawed hikui, the mage reached down and shook the girl’s shoulder. “Wake up, you silly cow!” she whispered. Eikko snorted and sat up, blinking. “It’s morning. Send down to the kitchen for tea,” she ordered.

  “Umm, the princess usually has her tea at the eighth hour,” Eikko mumbled. She scrubbed at her round face with plump fingers.

  “I don’t care, stupid girl! Get me some tea now! ” Sonoe demanded. She could feel the girl’s sullen anger, but the hikui dared not talk back or disobey. Instead, she climbed gracelessly to her feet and slipped out of the room.

  “Where am I?” Sateyuka sat up and looked around her in confusion.

  Magical mind control sometimes caused short-term memory loss.

  “You’re in Sendai Castle, of course,” Sonoe replied with a touch of condescension in her voice. “In the bedchamber of the princess. You came for the birth, remember?”

  The hikui weaver frowned, then a look of relief softened her features. She nodded. “Yes, of course. I remember now. How is Jelena? Did she sleep well last night?”

  “She did. Childbirth takes a lot out of a woman, or so I’m told,” Sonoe replied. Sateyuka nodded in agreement. She stood and went over to where Jelena’s newborn lay in her cradle. From the soft noises emanating from the cradle, Sonoe could tell the baby was awake. Sateyuka bent over the cradle and a look of such tenderness suffused her features that, for a moment, it looked as though she would burst into tears.

  “She is so beautiful!” the weaver exclaimed.

  “Yes, she is, and despite her impure blood, she’ll be able to pass for okui. Very fortunate.”

  Sonoe felt and saw the flash of anger, quickly veiled, that the weaver let slip by her mask of politeness. She smiled inwardly.

  No doubt this hikui believes she and the rest of her kind should have equal status with okui under Alasiri law. Amusing, really. But if Jelena succeeds in influencing the king, he might seriously consider altering the law.

  That is not so amusing.

  “Sateyuka, I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Jelena had awakened, and now sat up in bed, her eyes riveted on the cradle that held her daughter. Love for the baby flowed from her, sweet and pure, like spring water. Sonoe felt a brief pang of longing, but ruthlessly suppressed it.

  Sateyuka smiled. “Your daughter is hungry,” she said, scooping up the infant and placing her into Jelena’s outstretched arms. Jelena kissed the silky cap of dark hair atop the baby’s head and snuggled back against the pillows. Pulling the neck of her shift open, she held Hatora’s head to her breast.

  “Hatora must know who I am already,” Jelena said, her faced flushed with happiness. “Is that possible? She does have Talent, doesn’t she? Sonoe, you and my aunt Taya and Mother Amara have all said so, and I did talk to her every day while she was inside me.”

  “Hatora’s Talent is very strong. Of course she knows you,” Sonoe replied.

  A knock sounded at the door and it swung inward, admitting Eikko. She carried a tray laden with a teapot, cups, a small carafe of wine and a single glass.

  “Umm, tea,” Jelena sighed. “Is there food yet, Eikko?”

  “It will be here soon, Highness.” Eikko brushed by Sonoe and placed the tea tray down on a small side table. She wiped her hands on her skirt and, flicking a glance at Sonoe, turned to address Jelena. “Lady Amara sends a message to remind Lady Sonoe to give you your medicine. She’ll be here shortly.”

  “She did not have to remind me!” Sonoe muttered, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. She picked up the vial of medicine from the bedside table, removed the stopper and carefully counted out ten drops into the wine glass.

  She then poured in a splash of wine and filled the rest with water. She handed the g
lass to Jelena, who took a sip and made a face.

  “It’s bitter!” she exclaimed in disgust.

  “Yes, well, if it tasted good, it wouldn’t work!” Sonoe said, laughing. “At least, that’s what my mother always said to me.”

  “I never knew my mother,” Jelena sighed. The ghost of an old sadness crept across her humanish features and lingered in her hazel eyes. “I loved Claudia, the woman who raised me, like a mother, but I always felt that a part of me was missing because I never got a chance to know the woman who bore me.” She looked down at the suckling baby. “I never want my daughter to feel that pain, that emptiness, but I fear she will because she’ll never know her father.”

  “But you’re wrong, Jelena,” Sateyuka said. “Hatora will know her father. You’ll make sure of it, as will her grandfather Sakehera.”

  “The weaver is right, Jelena,” Sonoe agreed. “You know Lord Sen is already head over heels in love with this baby!”

  Jelena smiled. “Yes, he is, isn’t he? It’s because he misses his son so much. Ashi and he shared a very special bond. It caused a lot of trouble between Ashi and his brother. I just hope…” Jelena’s words trailed off into silence.

  “You hope what?” Sonoe prompted.

  Jelena hesitated a moment, then continued. “I just hope Sadaiyo doesn’t view my child as a threat to his son. If my father-in-law shows any favoritism toward Hatora because she’s Ashinji’s daughter, Sadaiyo might make things very difficult for her.”

  “How can he, Jelena? Hatora is of royal birth,” Sateyuka interjected. “She is totally protected-she’s the king’s granddaughter. You have no reason to fear your husband’s brother, or anyone else for that matter.” Sonoe noticed Sateyuka looking at her with a guarded expression. Bitter waves of resentment lapped at Sonoe’s mental shields, all directed at her.

  Sonoe cared not a whit. “Again, the weaver…Sateyuka, is it?…is correct,” she said. “You should listen to your friend, Jelena. She is obviously a very wise woman.”

  That should sweeten the cranky old cow’s mood a bit.

  The weaver pulled up a chair and placed it beside the bed, positioned so she sat facing both mother and child. She threw a glance over her shoulder at Sonoe, sharp as a dagger.