by Jordan Baker
"I am not here to see you, Zachary."
"No? Why are you here then?"
"I am here to see that young man, right there."
Zachary turned and stared at Aaron, whose unconscious form was draped between Carly and Malek. He had not even noticed the lad when he had come outside, which was strange since, despite the endless quantity of sweetwater he had consumed, it barely had any effect on him and his wits were never dulled by it, so he should have taken notice of not just one but three people, who he had walked right past. And yet, somehow he had missed them. He took a closer look at the young man and was surprised to feel like he was looking away, even though he was trying to focus on him. Even though he could feel no magic from him, he recognized the effects of such a spell. Zachary gathered the smallest portion of his power and sent it toward the lad, searching him and discovered that the energy bent around him and flowed right past, though he did not feel the effect of it. Had he not been paying specific attention to such an effect, he would surely have missed it.
"Visible yet invisible," Zachary said. "That's one of your tricks, Stavros, if I'm not mistaken."
"Aye, it is, and it's a spell I've let too long," Stavros said. "It's good that I've found you here. I may need your help."
"And why would I help you, Stavros?"
"Perhaps you wouldn't want to help me. I know that, but you might be willing to help the young man. After all, he is your son."
CHAPTER TWO
After days of searching, Nathas had finally been forced to recall his soldiers to Rivergate. Even though his soldiers were looking for the fugitive, Aaron, who they believed was responsible for the murder of the princess, he had hoped they would find some sign of Ariana, that she might have survived the mage's dagger. On the night she had been attacked, by the time Nathas had made his way up the steep cliffs to the city, Dakar had already left Rivergate, returning to Maramyr to continue the preparations for some ceremony the mage priests had planned that was to take place alongside Cerric's wedding to Calexis, the Xallan Queen.
It frustrated the Captain-General, that there was nothing he could say or do to stop the madness unfolding before him. Cerric was determined to attack Kandara, publicly blaming the mountain kingdom for a murder in which he himself had likely had a hand, and it was now clear, to Nathas at least, that the mage priests had played an active role in the plot as well. Still, his hands were tied, and he was duty bound to command an army that would now pursue a fraudulent war. It did not matter what he knew, for his hands were also empty of any proof, and without some kind of evidence to incriminate the mage priests and Cerric, he would likely end up with his head on a pike, or worse, if he spoke up about it.
The soldiers, along with the people of Maramyr, believed Cerric's story that Ariana had been murdered by Aaron, her guard captain, in a plot with Prince Borrican, the second son of King Eric of Kandara. They were thirsty for Kandaran blood and, in the people's love for the princess and anger over her death, there were few who even bothered to question what they had been told. Nathas felt as though he was losing his mind, knowing the things he did, while all he could do was play his part in the hope that something might change, that an opportunity might arise for him to use his position to alter or at least gentle the course of this river that was rushing headlong toward an unnecessary war, in which many would die.
To make matters worse, the troops that had been massing in the mountain passes, were now joined by divisions of soldiers from the Xallan army. Cerric had ordered that they be seconded to fight under the Maramyrian commanders, while divisions of Nathas' own troops had been sent to join the main Xallan forces in the east, which were commanded by Xallan generals. It was an impractical arrangement, for the mixing of the soldiers made things logistically difficult as the Xallans tended not to take orders except from their own, but the decision had been made by Cerric and Calexis, as a sign of their bond. It was political and there was little that Nathas could do about it. The Xallans were eager to fight the Kandarans, blaming them for the burning of their villages in the foothills of the eastern range over the past year, which only whipped up the emotions of the Maramyrian troops who falsely believed that Kandarans had murdered Princess Ariana. It looked as though the war would be very bloody.
While it was not a total reprieve, Nathas was relieved when Lord Kaleb finally joined him, bringing with him some of his Bordermen, a motley collection of characters who had recently fought with him against Baron Manfred. The Lord of White Falls was a welcome breath of fresh air amid the dark soot of the gathering war, and Nathas was glad for a moment to meet with him privately before the fighting would begin.
"When do we attack?" Kaleb asked as he sipped at a cup of hot, spiced wine.
"We have advance troops clearing out the passes of Kandaran patrols and ten thousand soldiers are already moving through the secondary roads. They should be positioned on the Kandaran side within a day. I have received reports that our forward scouting parties have already engaged a contingent of Kandaran soldiers, though there have only been minor skirmishes thus far. The main force will move out tomorrow so it will only be a matter of days before we take to the field."
"And what of the Kandarans? What are their numbers?"
"Conflicting reports. There have been several Kandaran patrols, but nothing sizeable enough to call an army. One of the black robes, who was acting as an ambassador at the court of Kandara, reported that there have been political issues with the king, but that several nobles have already begun mustering soldiers. There will be a fight, but from the sounds of things, we far outnumber them. I would estimate at least three of ours to every one of theirs."
"That does not always guarantee victory," Kaleb said, alluding to his own recent victory over Manfred.
"Of that I am aware," Nathas said. "We have little knowledge of Kandaran military strength, for we have never been at war with them. What we know is that they do not have many mages, and with the promise of support from the black robes, we have a clear advantage. Information gathered by Cerric's spies and the black robes, estimate Kandara's current fighting strength at perhaps ten thousand foot, and a thousand horse, but they are apparently scattered throughout the mountain kingdom, which means we may not face them directly in the field until we near the crown city.
"If I were outnumbered, I would fortify the city and attack using smaller numbers using speed to outmaneuver the larger force. There is a Kandaran Duke named Kaledra who may be able to muster additional fighters, but a large Xallan force coming over the eastern mountans, is set to deal with him on the way to meet up with us. The plan for the main army is to take the crown city first, then root out any remaining groups of enemy soldiers in the Kandaran countryside at our leisure."
"A siege then," Kaleb commented, taking another sip from his cup. "What do we know about the crown city and its fortifications?"
"Very little, but Cerric's mage priests assure me that they can take down its walls with their destructive magics."
Kaleb looked skeptical. "I wouldn't lay any wagers on that. It's an old city, built in the last age, and from what I have learned about the old places, they weather fairly well."
Nathas was not sure what Kaleb was talking about, but before he had left Maramyr, he had seen a demonstration by one of the mage priests, who had blasted a thick stone wall to pieces with a blast of fire so hot it melted the stone itself. He knew mages were powerful, and he could see why, in the days of the Council of Mages, they had made efforts to remain relatively neutral. The priesthood, however, had sided with Cerric, claiming he was their new god. Whatever the mages' religious beliefs, they were powerful and he could not imagine any walls thick enough to survive an attack of that kind. Still, it seemed that Kaleb had some knowledge of ancient structures, and it might prove useful.
"When we arrive, I would like for you to survey the Kandaran city and give recommendations on how to bring down the walls as quickly as possible. I would rather find a quick end to this war, with as li
ttle blood spilled as possible."
"I take it that you do not relish this particular task," Kaleb suggested, testing the waters. Nathas held his breath pensively then let it go.
"No. I do not. I have learned a few things of late that give me reason to believe that this war may be a fool's quest."
"And what things have you learned?"
"Let us just say that it is not entirely clear who is responsible for the murder of the princess, but it would be foolish to discuss such a thing here."
"Interesting," Kaleb said with an overemphatic look of mock curiosity. "Who else might have wanted her killed? Who stood to gain?"
"Who, indeed," Nathas said, pleased that Kaleb appeared to agree with him. He wanted to say more, but these were dangerous times and with Cerric's mages and so many Xallans about, there was no telling who might be listening in on their conversation. "Yet we must fight as we are commanded by our sovereign lord. Thus is our duty."
"Honorbound we are." Kaleb sighed. "I agree. It would be best that we achieve victory with minimal bloodshed, but I doubt it will be entirely avoidable."
"Sadly, that seems to be the truth of it."
"Truth," Kaleb sniffed as he played with the ring on his finger, caressing its green stone that was shaped like a leaf. "Now there's a word that seems to have lost its meaning."
*****
The child who had become a girl leapt from the high branch of the tree, falling through the air and landing nimbly on another branch that bent gently under her weight. She ran down its length and dove through the air toward another tree, flying toward its outstretched limb and, almost instinctively, her hands reached out and caught the branch. She used its leverage to spring over to another thicker branch and she walked along the textured surface in her bare feet, the soles of which had grown tough over the days since her training had begun.
At first, she had hated the simple shift of fabric she wore, but now she found it almost liberating. The simplicity of garb worn by the people of the forest, which allowed her to move freely and feel the touch of the air, was almost like wearing nothing at all, and it was a sensation of freedom to which she had begun to grow accustomed. It was certainly in improvement from how she had spent the first few days in the Elven forest, trapped in the heavy sap of the tree.
Ariana felt free, running through the trees, even though she knew she was still a prisoner. At least Keira no longer called her a child, having decided she was at least a girl, which was what the elven woman now called her. Ariana took a longer stride and jumped from the branch, flitting through the air to land in the threshold of the hollow that had become her home.
"The trees whisper to me that you now fly among their branches like a squirrel," Keira said, stepping into view from deeper inside the hollow tree.
Ariana was surprised that she had not sensed the elven woman, that the trees had said nothing of her presence. She was glad that Keira no longer wore the mask that had covered her face when Ariana had first met her. It was one thing for the elven woman to sneak up on her or appear seemingly out of nowhere, which she would often do, and another thing for her to do it while wearing the fearsome green and copper mask. It was a tradition Ariana had learned when she was young, that the elves wore masks when facing their enemies. The fact that Keira had ceased to wear hers was a sign that she no longer considered Ariana a threat, though she was not sure if the elven woman trusted her entirely.
She still could not get a straight answer from her as to whether she was officially a prisoner, nor was she interested in who Ariana was, or that she had family among the elves. Keira ignored her attempts to explain such things and looked at her skeptically and did not respond to her claims. She had made it clear that Ariana was not to leave the forest, and that the trees would tell her if she tried. The one time Ariana had strayed a little too far from the hollow tree where she had made her home these past days, Keira had shown up almost immediately, and guided her back, and the tree itself had scolded her most of the night for her disobedience. Despite her belligerence, Keira had taken it upon herself to train Ariana in the ways of the forest, claiming it was her duty to instruct her, that it would be cruel to let her continue to live as a child.
"I suppose I should consider that a compliment," Ariana replied, sitting down on the edge of the small bed. Keira leaned against the opening of the hollow.
"You will now be known as Squirrel," she said.
"Squirrel?"
"That is what the trees have said. It is what you are. It was once called Squirrel. It is a good name, small but proud, like you."
"What does Keira mean?"
"It is the old word for the shadow under the leaf, a word from the great tree, close to its majesty, though not of the tree itself. It is a good name for me."
"And you chose this name?"
"Always with the questions," Keira said, with a frown. "No. I did no choose it. It was given to me by the elders."
"I have a name that was given to me by my elders," Ariana told her.
"Perhaps, but you do not possess that name here. Such things are not recognized unless the elders choose. Until then, you will be named as you are called by others. The trees have called you Squirrel and I think it is a fitting name for one so young."
Ariana sighed, realizing she was going to get nowhere with the elven woman.
"Then why did the elders name you Keira, the shadow of a leaf?"
"I did not presume to ask the elders. They will do as they will."
Ariana was frustrated at how so many of the things Keira said sounded like they might make sense to an elf but didn't make any sense at all. Most of what Ariana had learned about elven culture from her studies had mostly to do with protocols of court and the history of the elven noble houses. One thing she knew for certain was that he elves had long been known to be fierce warriors and quick to temper, but they were also contradictory. While the elves preferred to live in their forests, away from the rest of the world, they had been involved in many of the battles of the Great War, and while they were known as confrontational when meeting an enemy in battle, they also wore masks when they fought, like the one Keira had worn. They also respected strength and will, which was why Ariana was both confused and frustrated at the way Keira had been treating her.
At first, Keira had called her a child and spoke to her as such until she had figured out how to escape from the sap of the hollow tree. Ariana was stuck inside the tree for over a day, trying to pull free from it and it was not until she had exhausted herself trying to escape that she had finally relaxed and found that she could hear the tree talking to her. It was a strange feeling, but she quickly realized that the tree was more than just a piece of wood, that it hummed with life and, after a while, she found she could hear it and even speak to it, though it complained at having to use words to speak to her and called her a child, much the same way Keira did.
Ariana realized that the trees did not so much speak with words as suggest thoughts, which she likened to the difference between speaking normally and whispering. Eventually, the tree agreed to let her go so long as she promised she would do it no harm, and that she would not use her mage fire in the forest. The tree knew Ariana was being truthful through the strange connection it had made with her, one that she discovered she now shared with all the trees and, in delight, she had met many of them during her journeys among the branches. It had become a joy to visit so many of them, even if it was just to touch them briefly as she explored the nearby forest, and she tried not to get too upset that they still treated her like she was a child. They were trees, after all, and she understood that they did not mean anything by it.
Keira, on the other hand, frustrated Ariana to no end, and she had not made up her mind whether she should consider the elven woman a friend or not. Keira had been pleased that Ariana had convinced the tree to let her go and deemed it proof she was no longer a child. Now, she simply called her girl as though that was some kind of improvement, and had decided that Ariana sho
uld learn how to travel the forest properly if she was to ever amount to anything. Since she had no idea where she was and realized that she truly was at the mercy of the elven woman and possibly even the trees themselves, she decided to go along with what Keira wanted her to do, which was mostly a form of training.
At first, the idea of running and leaping among the branches of the great trees had seemed a little dangerous, but once she had felt the trees with her bare feet, she realized she could sense where they were all around her, even without touching them. It was easy to fly from branch to branch, once she could feel where they were, and she suppose it as much like the way squirrels ran among the branches, but now, Keira had decided to call her Squirrel, which seemed like lesser than being called girl, but Keira seemed to think it was an improvement, and had only given her a new name because she had shown that she was learning. Still, it irritated her that she would not simply call her by her real name.
"I don't understand," Ariana said, giving up on trying to figure it out.
"You do not understand why you are called Squirrel? Perhaps you are still a child."
"No," Ariana said, worried the woman would reduce her to child status again. "I understand why you have now named me Squirrel. Thank you for the name, or I suppose I should thank the trees. They do have a sense of humor. I just don't understand why it matters."
"It doesn't matter."
"What do you mean? It doesn't matter?"
"You are who you are, are you not?"
Ariana stared at the woman in disbelief. Keira smiled at her with a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. Ariana had a thousand things she wanted to ask and a few more she wanted to say, but she bit her tongue. It would only result in more ridiculous talk of names, but she had to say something.
"Of course, I am who I am."
"Good," Keira said. "It is important to know such things."