Sevenfold Sword: Shadow

by Jonathan Moeller

And he had. Again.

  Would he see her die again?

  No. Not again. No matter what, Tamlin vowed she would not be killed again.

  His full attention was on her as they completed the final miles of their journey to Kalimnos. He barely noticed the grim white shape of the Tower of Nightmares upon its hill, paid no attention to the terraced farms and pastures. The town of Kalimnos looked little different than numerous other small towns that Tamlin had visited in his duties for King Hektor – the same stone wall, the same brick houses with roofs of clay tiles, the same style of church and castra around the central agora. Though the walls of Kalimnos were a little higher than usual, and its people seemed tougher and warier, no doubt from the constant muridach raids.

  They gathered in the great hall, faded tapestries hanging from the walls between the narrow windows. Sir Rion sat in a curule chair upon the dais, the old wood creaking a little beneath his bulk. Tamlin and Ridmark and Calliande and the others stood before the dais. Tamara and that mad Takai halfling (his name seemed to be Magatai) stood by the steps, as did a paunchy, tough-looking middle-aged man with a bushy gray beard named Melex, who was Tamara’s adoptive father. Telemachus waited near them, as did the village’s priest, a leathery old man named Father Nathan.

  Kalussa hovered next to Tamlin, watching him with concern. Perhaps she feared he would break down at the sight of Tamara or do something reckless. He appreciated her concern, though he didn’t think it was necessary. Tamlin didn’t think he would do anything suicidal and reckless.

  But it was all he could do not to stare at Tamara. For her part, she alternated between looking at him, at Sir Rion, and then at her father.

  “My lord,” said Calliande. She was acting as the Keeper now, calm and cool and collected. “No doubt you are wondering how we came to possess three of the Seven Swords.”

  “It did cross my mind, yes,” said Rion. He shifted, the chair creaking. “I imagine it is quite a tale. We haven’t had a messenger from Aenesium in six months, and he reported that King Hektor, King Justin, the Necromancer, and the Confessor were still locked in a stalemate.”

  “That has changed,” said Calliande. “If you will permit me?”

  Rion nodded, and Calliande launched into the tale. Tamlin knew what had happened, but he had to admit that the Keeper did a good job of telling it. She spoke of how Rhodruthain had taken her and Ridmark and their children from Andomhaim (with a brief sketch of Andomhaim’s recent history), of Castra Chaeldon, Rypheus, the Battle of the Plains, the New God and the Maledicti, and the defeat of Taerdyn in the Blue Castra.

  By the time she finished, Sir Rion and the men of Kalimnos looked thunderstruck.

  “God and the saints,” said Rion. He shook his head. “I would call you a liar and a trickster, but…there is no denying the proof. Those are the Swords of Air, Death, and Earth. Any man who has seen them could not deny it. I suppose they could be clever forgeries…”

  “But a clever forgery, my lord,” said Krastikon, “could not slice through a boulder as if it were soft butter.”

  “Indeed not,” said Rion. “So many strange things…our ancient homeland of Andomhaim still stands? For twenty-five years, the War of the Seven Swords has raged, and then both Justin Cyros and the Necromancer are overthrown in the space of a month? Whatever the reason of the traitor Rhodruthain for bringing you here, you have won mighty blows for Owyllain.”

  “The knights of the Order of the Soulblade and the Keeper of Andomhaim are sworn to oppose dark magic in all its forms,” said Ridmark. “Travelling to Owyllain, even against our will, does not negate that oath.”

  “I am glad of it,” said Rion. “Lord Ridmark, I will be blunt.” Ridmark nodded. “Kalimnos is far from the War of the Seven Swords. There is no shortage of danger here, aye, but we are a long way from the bearers of the Seven Swords.” He snorted. “At least, we were, until three of you strolled through the Pass of Ruins. You must have a reason for coming here.”

  “We do,” said Ridmark. “And it will sound strange to you, my lord.” He looked at Tamara, and she blinked. “We came here to speak with Tamara.”

  “Me?” said Tamara, surprised. “But…why? I know nothing of these things, my lord. I have magic, aye, but surely there are Arcanius Knights far more powerful than me.”

  “Not that many,” said Calliande in a soft voice. “Tamlin?”

  He forced moisture into his dry throat and stepped forward. “My lady…I must tell you a strange tale.”

  She tried to smile at him. “I have heard so many today, sir knight, one more shall hardly make a difference.”

  “I was a slave at Urd Maelwyn before I escaped, a gladiator,” said Tamlin. “My mother was Cathala, one of the apprentices of Master Talitha of the Order…”

  Rion scowled. “Her? I thought she died years ago.”

  Tamlin wondered again what kind of woman his mother had been for so many people to remember her with disfavor.

  “When I was in Urd Maelwyn, I married a woman named Tysia,” said Tamlin. “The Maledictus Khurazalin murdered her. But before she died, she told me to find her again, for the New God was coming. I…I didn’t know what to make of those words. I thought them the final scattered thoughts of a dying woman and nothing more. But a month ago, in Trojas, I met a woman named Tirdua. She was identical to Tysia in every way, save that her left eye was silver instead of blue. She died when we fought the Necromancer, and as she died, she spoke the exact same words as Tysia.”

  “Find me again,” whispered Tamara. “The New God is coming.”

  “Yes,” said Tamlin.

  Tamara gazed at him. “Fire.”

  “I’m sorry?” said Tamlin.

  “That was how Tirdua died, wasn’t it?” said Tamara. “Fire. She died in flames.”

  From the corner of his eye, Tamlin saw Ridmark and Calliande share a look. Rion frowned, and Melex looked troubled.

  “Yes,” said Tamlin. “The Maledictus Khurazalin was there, and he fought alongside the Necromancer. He threw a spell of fire, and it killed Tirdua and her father Theseus.”

  “This Theseus,” said Tamara. “Was he Tirdua’s father by blood? Or her adoptive father?”

  “Adoptive,” said Tamlin. “He said he found Tirdua as an infant in one of the alleys of Trojas. Someone had abandoned her there.”

  “And Tysia?” said Tamara. She swallowed. “Your wife. Did she know her mother and father?”

  “No,” said Tamlin. “My mother said she found her, and she brought Tysia along with her to the Monastery of St. James. We grew up together and met each other again years later as slaves in Urd Maelwyn. Tysia never knew her mother and father, and if my mother knew, she never spoke of it before Justin Cyros killed…before Justin Cyros imprisoned her.”

  “What happened to Cathala?” said Rion. “She disappeared soon after the War of the Seven Swords began, and I assumed she died years ago.”

  “That was my thought too, my lord,” said Tamlin, looking at the older knight. “Justin Cyros attacked the monastery, slew the monks, sold the survivors into slavery, and turned my mother to stone with the Sword of Earth.” He tapped the pommel of the weapon at his belt. “I assumed it killed her. But the Necromancer said that not even Justin knew the truth. The condition can be reversed. The touch of the Sword can turn her to flesh once more.”

  “I see,” said Rion. “That is the purpose of your quest, then? To find Tamara, who seems to have some link to your dead wife and this Tirdua woman…and to free your mother?”

  “It is,” said Tamlin, “but we have a deeper purpose.”

  He looked at Calliande.

  “I fear, my lord,” she said to Rion, “that the Seven Swords are a deadly trap for Owyllain.”

  “What do you mean?” said Rion. “Surely those accursed Swords have brought nothing but war and ruin to our realm. If they are a trap, then the trap has already been sprung.”

  “The Seven Swords may be the instrument by which the New God arises,” said Calliande
.

  No one said anything. Tamlin tried to pay attention and not to stare at Tamara.

  “How so?” said Rion. “I was under the impression that King Hektor wanted to take the Seven to Cathair Animus to destroy them.”

  “He does,” said Calliande. “But consider, my lord. The remaining Maledicti all claim to serve the New God. Yet they have assisted different sides in the war. The Maledictus of Earth aided King Justin. The Maledictus of Death assisted the Necromancer. Khurazalin tried to kill King Hektor and throw Aenesium into chaos.”

  “They are like hunters facing panthers,” announced Magatai.

  “Eh?” said Rion, looking at the Takai halfling.

  Magatai seemed to puff up. He ought to have been a ridiculous figure, with his elaborate horned hairstyle and the spiraling tattoos on his arms, but his eyes were hard and clear, and he hadn’t missed a single shot during the battle. “Magatai is the greatest of hunters, as are all Takai, and when hunting the panthers of the Illicaeryn Jungle, we employ cunning. We wound one of the panthers. The smell of blood drives the other panthers to madness, and they attack and fight each other. Once they have slain or exhausted each other, we move in for the kill. Perhaps this is what the accursed Maledicti are doing to the men of Owyllain. For the warriors of the Takai, in our great wisdom, have long known that the Maledicti fight with whispers and poisoned words.”

  “Then you think that the Maledicti are trying to…ah, manipulate the war so that all Seven Swords come to Cathair Animus at last?” said Rion. “And this will summon the New God?”

  “That is my fear,” said Calliande. “The dark elves were ever cunning, and they may have taught this cunning to the Maledicti. For that matter, we must know what manner of power the New God is or will be. Else we may blunder into a trap. That is why we are going to the ruins of the Monastery of St. James. Cathala may possess secrets that we must know. And Tysia was the first to warn Tamlin of the New God. If there is a connection between her and Tamara and the New God, she might help us as well.”

  Rion frowned. “I don’t see how Tamara could know anything about the New God. She has been a good and valiant defender of Kalimnos ever since her magic manifested.”

  Tamara blinked and then smiled. She looked touched at the compliment.

  “That…may not be the whole story, my lord,” said Melex, stepping forward.

  Rion blinked. “Melex?”

  Melex looked at his adoptive daughter. “I told you that I found you.”

  “You…you did,” said Tamara, her mismatched eyes wide.

  “That was true,” said Melex. “I did not tell you how I found you.” He sighed. “I came back to Kalimnos after High King Kothlaric was slain and the War of the Seven Swords began. I had taken wounds in the right leg during the fighting, and I could not serve as a hoplite any longer. My wife and I took over the Javelin Inn, and I hoped to live here quietly far from any fighting.” He took a deep breath. “And then the traitor Rhodruthain came to the inn.”

  “Rhodruthain?” said Calliande, her surprise plain.

  “He was waiting for me in the yard behind the inn, where the salting cellar is now,” said Melex. “I was scared out of my wits, but I was angry. All men know how he and Master Talitha betrayed good King Kothlaric to his death. I told him to go to hell as a traitor deserves, and I figured he would blast me dead on the spot.”

  “What did he do?” said Calliande.

  “He said that his crimes carried their own punishment,” said Melex, “and he asked if I wanted the innocent to suffer because of me. There was a bundle on the ground behind him, and I saw a baby girl wrapped in a blanket. Rhodruthain told me that the child had a mighty destiny and that it was my task to raise her. Then he used his magic to vanish, and left the girl behind.”

  “Me,” said Tamara, her voice faint.

  “Aye,” said Melex. “I didn’t know what to do. I thought about taking the child to the old praefectus, or maybe even to the Arcanii in Aenesium. But Antonia – ah, my wife, God rest her soul – said that if the Arcanii saw her purple eye, or if they realized she had a connection to Rhodruthain, they might kill the girl. I didn’t want that on my conscience. So, we told everyone that we had found her in the countryside, and raised her as our own daughter.”

  “You never told me that, father,” said Tamara, touching his arm.

  Melex seemed to deflate a little. “It seemed best to keep it a secret. Rhodruthain is a hated man. People already fear you because of your magic, daughter. How much more frightened would they be if they knew Rhodruthain had found you as a child? Maybe I should have told you long ago…but I knew it would trouble you, and you are already troubled with your dreams.”

  Tamlin said nothing. Had Rhodruthain given Tirdua to Theseus back in Trojas? Theseus hadn’t mentioned that, claiming that he had found Tirdua in an alley, but he might have kept Rhodruthain’s involvement secret for the same reasons that Melex had done so. For that matter, had Rhodruthain given Tysia to Cathala?

  Calliande said that Tamara, Tirdua, Tysia, and the others were seven shards of the original woman.

  Had Rhodruthain been the one to split them asunder?

  “I understand,” said Tamara, touching Melex’s arm again. She glanced at Tamlin, drew a deep breath, and then looked at Ridmark. “What would you have of me, Lord Ridmark?”

  “To come with us,” said Ridmark. “For two reasons. One, the Maledicti are probably hunting for you. If we’re right, they have already killed six other aspects of yourself, and likely they are looking for you even now. Two, I think we need your help. Somehow you are connected to the New God, and I suspect we will need your help to stop it.”

  “But I have responsibilities here,” said Tamara. “I cannot simply abandon them.”

  “If Lord Ridmark and the Keeper are right,” said Rion, “then by aiding them, you will also defend Kalimnos, and perhaps the entire world.”

  “I always knew something like this would happen one day,” said Melex. “Someday the past would catch up with you. Maybe you should go with them, daughter. I know you have questions. Maybe they can help you find the answers.”

  Tamara hesitated and then nodded. “I…will sleep on it, and let you know my decision in the morning.”

  But she had already decided to go. Tamlin could see it on her face. He could not blame her. The lure of learning who she really was had to be irresistible. Tirdua had been much the same, haunted by the nightmares of her other deaths without understanding their reasons.

  Tamara would come with them.

  Tamlin was glad. He was gladder than he could say.

  “If you will, my lord,” said Ridmark, “I would ask some questions.”

  “Of course,” said Rion.

  “I thought that the realm of Owyllain and the Takai tribesmen were enemies,” said Ridmark. Magatai grinned at him. “Yet you seem to get along quite well with the local chieftain…”

  “Tumak,” said Magatai. “The lord of a tribe of the Takai is called a Tumak.”

  “The local Tumak,” said Ridmark without missing a beat.

  Rion grunted. “Well, the Takai marched with us when High King Kothlaric went to Urd Maelwyn, and no king of Owyllain has waged war upon them since. And we have common enemies. The muridachs and the dvargir take both humans and halflings as slaves. Though at least the dvargir do not dine upon humans and halflings as the muridachs do.” He shrugged. “So, we have an arrangement with Tumak Valatai and his Windcallers. We do not farm or graze south of a certain point on the steppes, and his men do not hunt or graze their cattle north of that point. We also warn each other when muridach or dvargir warbands are spotted. It has worked well for both of us.”

  “There seem to be many muridach warbands in this area,” said Ridmark. “We fought two of them on our way here.”

  “Oh, aye,” said Rion. “Muridachs have always been a problem in these lands, but in the last two years, they have been marching south in greater numbers. Some kind of prophet has them all
riled up, and they are marching to war against the gray elves. The last few months, we’ve had to drive the muridachs off several times a month.” He glanced at Kyralion. “It is well for us, sir, that they seem focused upon your kindred. If they banded together in great numbers, they could overrun Kalimnos in a day. But they never stop for long, only to raid and steal crops and cattle, and then march south.”

  “It is ill news for my kindred,” said Kyralion. “The muridachs only attack weakened foes, and I fear that my people are dying. If the muridachs are massing in great numbers to assail them…I fear they have not long left.”

  “I can tell you nothing specific, only what the muridachs have told us themselves and what the Takai have learned,” said Rion. “No man of Kalimnos has gone south to the Illicaeryn Jungles since before the War of the Seven Swords started, and you are the first gray elf I have seen since the fall of Urd Maelwyn.”

  “We have fought the muridachs since before humans came to this land,” said Kyralion. “If they feel bold enough to assault my people in such numbers, then our end is indeed near.”

  “Kyralion,” said Calliande. “If you need to return to the Illicaeryn Jungle, we will not stop you. We will miss you, and your aid has been invaluable.” Third gave him a sharp look. She seemed almost alarmed. “But if you must go, we will not stand in the way of your duty.”

  Kyralion shook his head. “No. The Augurs bade me to find the woman of the blue flames. Once I did, she would either bring salvation or destruction to the Liberated. I therefore must stay with her.”

  Tamlin wondered if Kyralion’s obvious affection for Third was clouding his judgment.

  Though as he looked at Tamara, Tamlin could not blame the gray elf for that.

  “As you wish, then,” said Calliande.

  “What are your plans now?” said Rion.

  “Tomorrow, we will set out for the ruins of the Monastery of St. James in the Tower Mountains,” said Ridmark. “We were planning to return to Owyllain through the Pass of Ruins, but if the Takai are keeping the muridachs at bay, and if the muridachs are focused on the gray elves anyway, we will likely keep to the foothills until we can cross the River Morwynial.”