Griffin's Shadow

by Leslie Ann Moore

  Ashinji stopped in his tracks, astonishment striking him mute as well.

  “What’s wrong?” Gran asked quizzically.

  Ashinji had never expected to see this man again, especially not here, in this place.

  He found his voice at last.

  “Ai, Goddess…Magnes Preseren…it’s you!”

  Chapter 33

  Blood Feud

  "Gods! Ashinji! I…I can’t believe it!”

  Magnes stepped forward and grabbed Ashinji by the shoulders, then pulled him into a warm embrace.

  “You two know each other?” Gran exclaimed.

  “Ashinji and I are family,” Magnes answered.

  “Magnes is my wife Jelena’s cousin,” Ashinji explained.

  “Did I hear you right? Ashinji…you and Jelena are married?”

  “Yes, you heard right, Magnes my friend. We are kinsmen in more ways than one now.”

  Magnes whooped and swept Ashinji into another bear hug. “When I left Kerala, I figured you two were heading in that direction.” He paused, holding Ashinji at arm’s length, then added, “Did my cousin ever find her father?”

  “She did, my friend, and neither of us ever could have imagined who he turned out to be. Jelena is the daughter of Keizo Onjara.”

  “The…the elf king?” Magnes’ eyes grew wide with astonishment. “My little cousin… a princess! Gods!”

  Ashinji nodded, smiling.

  The two young men embraced again, then turned to face Gran, their arms draped over each other’s shoulder.

  “So…Tilo is not your real name, then…Magnes?” Gran, who had been silently watching their reunion, now frowned in confusion.

  Magnes nodded. “Yes, that’s right, Gran. I left my old name behind for reasons…well, let’s just say I need to remain Tilo for now.” His face grew serious. “What in the world are you doing here, Ashinji?”

  “I could ask the same of you. My story is a long, painful one, and I’m guessing yours is, too.”

  Magnes nodded. “How long have you been in the de Guera yard? Surely you’re not a…” He let the word die on his lips.

  “Yes, I’m afraid it’s true. I am a slave. I was captured in a skirmish on the Kerala-Amsara border last fall, and I’ve been here ever since.”

  The man on the cot moaned softly and Gran cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should speak outside,” she suggested.

  Magnes checked the injured man one more time, then the three of them left the infirmary and made their way to the women’s barracks, deserted at this time of day. Gran fetched three stools for them to sit on.

  “Your sister Thessalina commanded the Soldaran force,” Ashinji continued after they’d settled themselves in the shade of the barracks porch. “I learned from her that you had gone missing.”

  “Gods, Ashinji… I can’t believe my sister had a hand in sending you here!” Magnes shook his head in dismay.

  “There’s much more to the story, my friend. To be fair to your sister, she could have ordered me killed, but she didn’t. Instead, she had my wounds treated and made sure her troops didn’t abuse me…physically, at least.” The memory of Magnes’ dark-eyed sister, and her strange reaction to him flashed across his mind’s eye. “I think she believed she was doing the only thing she could to help me survive.”

  Magnes snorted. “By selling you into slavery?”

  “I’ve been a gladiator for half a year now, and I am still alive.”

  “That’s because you’re a damn good fighter, and you have your Talent, even though you refuse to use most of what you have,” Gran interjected. “I wish you’d show more interest in your magical abilities!”

  “You said there was more to the story, Ashinji. How much more?” Magnes inquired.

  Ashinji pondered a moment, then decided he had no good reason not to tell Magnes the entire truth.

  When he had finished, Magnes reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder.

  “I am so very sorry, my friend. To be betrayed like that by your own brother… My sister and I have never been especially close, but I would trust her with my life.”

  “You are the first person I’ve told about my brother’s part in this, Magnes,” Ashinji said. “In truth, it’s just been too painful to talk about… even to you, Gran.”

  Gran sighed and patted Ashinji’s hand. “I’ve known all along, my son. I saw the memory when I first scanned you,” she admitted. “I kept the knowledge to myself, knowing how much it hurt you to think of it. I knew when you were ready, you’d tell me.”

  Ashinji rubbed his smarting eyes. “The hardest part for me is knowing what the news of my death must have done to Jelena.”

  A stray wisp of cloud drifted over the sun’s face, plunging the yard into cool shadow, perfectly mirroring Ashinji’s darkened mood.

  “I can only imagine what kind of story my brother concocted,” he continued. “No doubt a tale full of his own brave attempts to rescue me.” Ashinji’s throat tightened in the old, familiar rage. “Though, how he can hide the truth from my mother…”

  Magnes leaned forward, his brown eyes soft with sympathy. “Aren’t we a fine pair?” he said. “The God of Misfortune must have seen us together and decided we were both worthy of his gentle ministrations.”

  “I’ve told you my sad tale, now it’s your turn,” Ashinji prompted.

  The story of how Magnes’ father cruelly separated him from the girl he loved caused Ashinji’s heart to ache for his friend. Both he and Gran listened intently as Magnes spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

  “When my father told me how he’d arranged for Livie to marry another man, I just…I just lost all reason,” he said. “I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but when I came back to myself, I saw my father lying on the floor…dead. He had fallen and had hit his head on the edge of the fireplace mantle.” Magnes swallowed hard and fell silent.

  No one spoke for several heartbeats. Finally, Ashinji asked, “Are you certain your father is dead, Magnes? Maybe he had just fallen senseless from his head injury.”

  “I’m quite certain. No one, not even a man as strong as my father, could have survived such a wound.”

  “It was an accident. No one would have doubted you.”

  “I was afraid, Ashinji. I lost all sense, and when that happens, a man is liable to do anything. I chose to run. Not a day goes by that I don’t regret my impulsive decision, but it’s too late now. Accident or no, I’m still responsible for my father’s death.”

  Gran patted Magnes on the knee. “You’re a good, kind man, Tilo. I’ve watched you, seen how well you handle the sick and injured. I say you’ve done enough penance. You should think about going home.”

  “I can’t, Gran. There’s nothing left for me there. Besides,” he paused for a moment, then said, “I quite like my life here. I’ve managed to find some peace… a little contentment. It suits me more than the life I was born to assume.”

  “I agree with Gran, Magnes. When I told your sister we knew each other, she reacted to your name not with hostility, but rather with sadness and confusion. I didn’t understand at the time, but now I do. She only wants to know what became of you.”

  “No. I appreciate what you’re saying, but no. Thessalina will be able to petition the empress to grant her the title of Duchess in another year. She will make a far better leader than I ever would. She has already proven that. I want her to have control of Amsara.”

  “You could always step aside. Why not release your sister from her grief?” Gran said.

  Magnes shook his head, mouth set in a hard line. Ashinji sensed that he felt in no mood to be pushed any further.

  Instead, Ashinji changed the subject. “Well, you may not want to go home, but I do.” He pointed to Gran and then to himself. “In fact, we both must return to Alasiri, and soon.”

  “Of course. You have a wife and child waiting for you,” Magnes replied. “But how will you do it? You’re slaves in enemy hands. You’re elves in a country of humans
, which makes it impossible for you to fade into the general population should you manage to get out of this yard. And if you’re caught, it might well mean your deaths.”

  “We know that,” Gran said. “That’s why we need all the help we can get. An accomplice on the inside, and one on the outside.”

  “We understand the risk you’d be taking, and neither of us would blame you for refusing, but you are the only human in all of Darguinia we can trust.” Ashinji studied his friend’s face and saw no hesitation.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes,” Magnes said. “You saved my dear cousin’s life. You gave her love and happiness, two things she desperately needed, and for that I will be forever grateful.”

  “Thank you, my friend,” Ashinji said. The two young men clasped hands.

  The brassy voice of a gong signaling the turn of the hour shattered the late afternoon stillness. Combatants who had participated in the day’s final matches would return from the arena soon, be they alive and unhurt, wounded, or dead. The wounded would require Magnes’ services, and if he had many injuries to tend, he would stay into the night, taking his evening meal in the barracks.

  The three of them stood up, Gran massaging the small of her back as if it pained her.

  “We’ll discuss this further when I come back in a few days. In the meantime, I’ll try to come up with some ideas on how we might do this,” Magnes promised. “You mentioned needing an inside accomplice. Do you have someone in mind?”

  A gust of wind, full of the scent of rain, blew across the yard and ruffled Magnes’ dark curls. Overhead, gray clouds piled up, further dimming the light of the dying sun.

  A large black shape moved toward them from the end of the yard where Mistress de Guera’s home stood.

  “We do,” Ashinji replied. “And here he comes.”

  ~~~

  “Good evening, Aruk-cho,” Magnes called out.

  The akuta swung to a stop, tail swishing. He folded his heavily muscled arms across his chest and inclined his head in greeting. “I am glad you are still here, Brother Tilo,” he said. “The mistress is having one of her sick headaches and needs more of your special remedy. She has run out.”

  “I’ll bring it to her straightaway,” Magnes replied. He turned to Ashinji and Gran. “I’ll see you both later.” He hurried after Aruk-cho, who had already started back toward the house.

  “You never did have Tilo tend to your arm,” Gran commented.

  “Huh, so I didn’t,” Ashinji acknowledged. “Truthfully, I was so astonished to see him that I forgot all about it.” He looked down at the long cut on his forearm, which began to throb with pain, despite having been totally quiescent for the past hour.

  Ashinji sucked in his breath. “Ai, Goddess, that hurts.”

  “I have some salve in my kit. Wait here.” Gran disappeared inside the women’s barracks.

  A few of the female slaves drifted past, on their way to the bath house. One of them, a tall redhead, flashed a brief, come hither smile as she sashayed by. Ashinji acknowledged her with a small wave. Her name was Leeta, and ever since she had arrived some three months back, she had been conducting a relentless campaign to seduce him.

  It had been a very long winter in many ways. Ashinji had never been the sexual adventurer that Sadaiyo had been, but he always had access to willing partners when he wanted one. He and Jelena had been blessed with compatibility in the marriage bed, as well as out of it. This was, by far, the longest time in his life that he had gone without-made especially difficult when a female, even a human one, made it abundantly clear she desired him.

  Leeta abruptly changed course and strolled to where Ashinji stood waiting for Gran to return. He steeled himself for the inevitable pass.

  “Ashi,” Leeta purred as she stepped in close and draped her arms around his neck. She smelled of sweat, leather, and the unique scent of human female.

  “Leeta,” he groaned, attempting to avoid her questing mouth and only partly succeeding. He wrapped his fingers around her forearms and tried to pry them loose.

  Goddess, she’s strong…and attractive…and I’m not made of stone!

  He sighed and gave up.

  Leeta’s smile flashed full of mischief and lust. “Come help me get all my parts clean,” she murmured. “I know how much you like clean.” She pressed her pelvis hard against his.

  If Leeta shared the common prejudices against his people with the majority of Soldarans, she never let on.

  “As inviting as that sounds, you know I can’t,” Ashinji replied. Against his will, his body began to respond to hers.

  Leeta rolled her blue eyes skyward. “Ashi, that little wife of yours is never going to know!”

  “I’ll know.”

  Leeta glared at him for a few heartbeats, then dropped her arms and stepped back. A few fat raindrops speckled the sand at their feet and splashed the tops of their heads.

  “Better get to the bath house before it starts,” Ashinji advised, pointing at the lowering sky.

  Leeta sniffed and tossed her head. “You may not be human, but you’re still a man, and no other woman in this yard has the guts to approach you, ‘cept me. You know it’s only a matter of time.” She turned on her heel and strode off just as Gran returned.

  “That one is determined to have you,” she commented dryly.

  “Well, she won’t succeed,” Ashinji grumbled as he tried to hide the evidence of Leeta’s effect on him, but by Gran’s wry expression, he could tell she was well aware of his…discomfort.

  “Don’t be embarrassed, Son,” Gran reassured him. “You’ve been apart from the woman you love for many months now. The pressure inside you must be almost unbearable. It’s a wonder you haven’t exploded!” She chuckled. “It’s so much harder for men.”

  “It is hard…Goddess, you have no idea!” Ashinji sighed.

  “Let’s go inside out of the rain and I’ll fix your arm.”

  It took only a few moments for Gran to salve and wrap Ashinji’s wound.

  “I need to go and get a few of the practice swords out of the weapons shed so I can repair them after dinner,” Ashinji said. He flexed his arm muscle to test the tightness of the bandage and found it to be comfortable enough.

  “Tilo…I mean Magnes, should be just about done with the mistress,” Gran replied as she tidied and replaced her supplies. “I’ll go meet him at the house and we’ll catch up with you at the dining hall.”

  Ashinji stepped outside and lowered his head against the downpour. He sprinted across the yard and slid to a stop beneath the shelter of the overhang that jutted out from the weapons shed roof. He pushed the door open and entered.

  The shed held practice weapons only. The live steel always remained securely locked up when not in use, and only Mistress de Guera and Aruk-cho had direct access. Ashinji crossed to the far side of the small room where a number of blunted swords hung in racks against the wall. He removed one with a chipped blade and two with loose quillions and hoisted them all up on his shoulder.

  His Talent saved him from immediate death…

  …or perhaps it was his keen hearing, so much better than any human’s.

  The sound of an exhalation, light as a feather, touched his ear.

  A shiver of dread rippled down his spine. He knew he needed to dodge now!

  The first blow caught him just below the right armpit, slicing across his ribcage and laying open skin and muscle in a long, gory tear.

  Ashinji threw himself backward and to the side in a desperate attempt to avoid the killing stroke he knew would follow. His attacker’s face remained hidden in shadow, but the malignant energy that emanated from the man like a poisonous fog proclaimed his identity.

  No longer a matter of insults and petty harassment, Ashinji knew only one of them would walk away from this battle alive.

  Ashinji aimed a swift kick at Leal’s midsection. With a sharp grunt of surprise, the human doubled over, clutching his abdomen. Ashinji scrambled to his feet, teeth gritted ag
ainst the pain, and made a dash for the door, but Leal recovered too quickly and blocked his escape.

  In the open, where quickness and agility gave him the edge, Ashinji could beat Leal in hand to hand combat, despite the human’s superior size and strength. In the cramped space of the weapons shed, he lost all advantage.

  With a roar, Leal hurled himself forward, bearing Ashinji down to the ground in a fierce crash of falling weaponry. Ashinji struggled hard to twist free, but Leal held him fast, face down.

  “I’ve got you now, tink! ” the big man snarled, his breath hot and foul across the side of Ashinji’s face. “Did you think I’d let it go, you gettin’ me busted? Damn you! I lost a whole year’s standing ‘cuz of you! You an’ that punk kid!”

  Ashinji felt light-headed from pain and Leal’s crushing weight atop his back, restricting his breathing.

  “Let me up now, and I won’t kill you later, human,” he gasped. He knew his words would do no good, but anger and fear made him reckless.

  “Fuck…you!” Leal muttered and plunged his knife deep into Ashinji’s lower back.

  A shockwave of agony rolled through Ashinji’s body, convulsing him and cutting the lines mooring his consciousness to his flesh.

  His spirit floated free and drifted upward until it came to rest on the ceiling of the weapons shed. From his new vantage point, Ashinji watched with calm interest what happened next.

  Voices, raised in alarm, drifted through the open shed door. Leal heaved himself off Ashinji’s limp form and spun around, knife dripping blood, clearly searching for a place to hide. He flung the blade from him and it skittered into a corner, sliding beneath a pile of broken harness. He glanced down at Ashinji’s body, as if satisfying himself he’d made the kill, then bolted from the shed.

  Ashinji knew he hovered near death, as close as he had ever come. Even when he had lain sick with fever from the arrow wound in his shoulder back in Thessalina’s war camp-an entire lifetime ago, it seemed-his spirit had never left his body the way it had now.