by Duncan Lay
‘Jaken might as well hand over the seal of the Elder Elf to Sumiko now and save her the trouble of demanding it. And then she can use our deaths as an excuse to destroy the humans. We have to get out.’
‘Do not worry about me,’ Retsu said from across the other side of the carriage. ‘I am quite comfortable.’
Asami glanced across at him and he nodded once, decisively. She could tell he was prepared to sacrifice himself to give them a chance. She tensed, gathering the magic in, but Noriko gripped her head fiercely, forcing Asami to look into her eyes.
‘Do not do this. I don’t want to live without him,’ she whispered.
Asami was so surprised, she let the magic fall away.
‘What?’
‘I have loved him for as long as I can remember but we were forced by politics to marry other people. Now, with Jaken’s disgrace, we finally have a chance. I cannot see that go.’
‘I never knew,’ Asami whispered.
Noriko smiled. ‘Few do. But I don’t have to tell you about hopeless love, do I?’
‘That doesn’t change anything. We are all going to be killed.’
‘You forget one thing: with Jaken gone, Retsu should become Elder Elf. He is our only hope. We cannot throw that away. Without him, there is no alternative to Sumiko.’
‘Again, if we are all going to die, it makes no difference,’ Asami said, beginning to gather her magic once more. It felt distant, sluggish, and kept trying to escape from her but, with an effort of will, she drew it to her.
‘You are forgetting one more thing.’
‘What else happened while I was asleep?’
‘Nothing more. But I talk of Sendatsu and Gaibun and your human friend Rhiannon.’
‘She is no longer my friend,’ Asami said automatically but her concentration was broken and the magic slipped away again.
‘They will come for us. We just have to give them a chance.’
Asami sighed. ‘How will they find us?’
‘They will find you. You might have rejected him but Sendatsu will still come for you.’
‘How can they get us out of a human castle?’
Noriko chuckled. ‘If I know my son, he will find a way. And if he doesn’t, my granddaughter will find it! I only hope you have a child like that one day.’
Asami closed her eyes and Noriko seized her hand. ‘What is it? Are you in pain?’ she asked anxiously.
‘I am carrying Gaibun’s child. That is why I told Sendatsu I could not leave for the human lands with him, because I knew Gaibun would never let me go,’ Asami confessed.
Noriko embraced her.
‘You don’t think me a fool?’
Noriko kissed her head. ‘I have known you since you were a small girl. I know what is in your heart. And you forget, I know what it is like to marry for politics, not love, and then be forced to deal with the consequences. I am the last person to judge you. And Sendatsu will not judge you, either.’
‘But it was all a mistake. After I made the decision to leave with Sendatsu, I discovered I was pregnant and I had to send him away.’
‘I told him there was more to it than first met the eye. And I know my son. He can be pig-headed and foolish, even blind to what is in front of him sometimes, but his heart is in the right place. Talk to him and he will understand.’
‘But what if I never see him again?’
‘He will come for you. Until then, worry about staying alive. We all need to make it back to Dokuzen.’
‘But —’
‘Trust me. If it comes to it, we can always use your magic to break out of their castle. And, by then, they will not be expecting it. Now they are ready — as well as the guards in each carriage, there is cavalry to either side.’
Asami relaxed. ‘I am struggling to get my magic,’ she whispered.
‘Then rest. It will come back to you. You need your full strength if we are to escape.’
Asami nodded and closed her eyes, as Noriko stroked her hair gently.
‘She is going back to sleep. There is nothing to worry about,’ she told the guards on either side of Retsu.
At long last they relaxed, removing the blades from Retsu’s sides, and he breathed out, stretching his wounded leg. He looked at Noriko.
‘Why?’
‘You are the hope of the elves now, as well as my hope. I will protect that for as long as possible,’ she replied defiantly.
Retsu grunted. ‘I hope your faith in our sons is justified. They have not exactly done much to inspire hope in me lately.’
‘They have only just begun to learn what they can do,’ Noriko said determinedly.
‘I also hope you are right,’ Asami murmured, feeling herself drifting off.
‘Go to sleep. Let me worry about that.’
‘I can’t help but think of what Sumiko is doing in Dokuzen now.’
‘That will give you bad dreams. And there is nothing we can do to stop what will happen there.’
For the first time in many moons, Sumiko found herself pacing around nervously. She needed news from Dokuzen and from Vales. The Velsh news was important but paled into insignificance compared to what was happening in Dokuzen. It would be reassuring to know Rhiannon was dead but far more important to hear her gamble had paid off and Jaken was at her mercy. She had been forced to go to his bed again last night and she had sworn to herself it would be the last time. If all else failed, she would destroy him with magic. But it would be so much more satisfying to see him fall from his lofty perch and have the people turn on him and carry her to the top instead.
She imagined talking to her father about all she had done, showing him how she had avenged him and returned the Magic-weavers to their rightful position at the head of elven society. She had worshipped him but, after he had been humiliated by Jaken and his friends, following years of being despised by Daichi and the rest of the Council, he had given up and died, a broken shell, long before his time. Today, she would take revenge.
‘Have you seen some trouble ahead, my lady?’ Jaken asked.
Sumiko forced a smile for him. ‘The Forlish army has not moved from its camp on the border. I fear the Forlish king is not going to live up to his part of the deal and destroy the Velsh for us.’
Jaken chuckled. ‘I suspected your plan was too complicated! We shall have to do things the proper way — crush the Forlish and then turn on the Velsh. At least he has thoughtfully brought his army north. We can destroy them here rather than spend moons running after them all over the countryside.’
‘Indeed, my lord.’
She hid her feelings until he looked away and then glanced back over her shoulder. Surely the riders from the city should be arriving soon!
‘My lord! Riders approaching from Dokuzen — they come as though a horde of demons was at their heels!’ someone called.
Sumiko turned her sigh of relief into a gasp of surprise as everyone turned to see three riders galloping their horses along the column, heedless of those around them, forcing elves to leap for safety. They hauled their horses to a stop beside a furious-looking Jaken.
‘What is the meaning of this display?’ he demanded.
The three flung themselves to their knees before him.
‘A thousand apologies, lord,’ the lead rider said. ‘But we bring terrible news. Gaijin have attacked Dokuzen by magic, warriors appearing in the heart of the city to burn the Council Chamber, seize the Council and your wife as their prisoners and killing and wounding many as they made their escape by magic.’
Sumiko composed her face into shocked surprise as she drank in Jaken’s expression, watching the shock and horror turn to fury.
‘How is this possible?’ he roared.
‘The humans must have learned to use magic, just as we feared,’ Sumiko said, making sure her voice dripped with sorrow.
‘I want a score of clan Tadayoshi guards with me — all others wait here,’ Jaken ordered. ‘We must go back to Dokuzen to see for ourselves.’
&nbs
p; ‘I shall send out birds in all directions, see if I can discover where the humans have gone or where they came from,’ Sumiko told him.
She watched with carefully concealed glee as the news burst across the elves like a wave. She sent birds out in every direction — except, of course, the direction that might have discovered something. She thrilled to the way the elves stared at Jaken angrily as he rode past and marked the ones that muttered and pointed. None were saying anything yet but they would, she judged.
They pushed the horses hard, racing back along the rough road. Once it had been little more than a game trail but, thanks to the first Forlish attack, it had been made wider and the earth packed harder, allowing them to move much faster. Having thousands of humans march in and then run out again had made all the difference.
The smoke could be seen before they reached the tombs of the forefathers and only grew worse the closer they came to the city.
When Jaken had left the city, the people had been throwing flowers at him, cheering and applauding and hailing him as the saviour of Dokuzen, the gaijin-slayer and protector. Now, as he rode through the streets, there was silence. People glared at him, or turned away. A handful even jeered as he went past.
Jaken looked neither left nor right, instead pressing onwards to where the chamber had once stood, but Sumiko could see the tension in his jaw and in the way he rode.
It only got worse when they reached the chamber. Thanks to bucket chains, as well as magic, much of it had been saved, but part of the roof had collapsed and smoke still oozed from broken windows. At the front of the chamber, soot-stained elves were laying out bodies, some of them horribly burned, others killed by swords or crossbows. Jaken dismounted, followed by a dozen guards and Sumiko.
A Council Guard officer, his face blackened by smoke and sweat, his hands bloodstained, rushed up and saluted.
‘What happened here?’ Jaken asked, his voice ice cold.
‘Lord Retsu and Lady Asami warned us there might be an attack by gaijin. They thought they would come through the park, so I had all my warriors there. We only realised they were behind us when we saw the smoke go up and heard the screams. We pursued them but they made it to Lady Asami’s home, where they escaped through the oak tree in her garden. Once they were gone I concentrated on trying to fight the fire, then sent riders to warn you.’
Jaken nodded. ‘Your responsibility was to protect the city while I was gone. You failed, captain.’
The officer paled. ‘I am sorry, my lord. With your permission?’
Jaken again nodded and had already turned away when the captain drew his sword, placed the hilt on the ground, positioning it so the point would go through his ribs, then flung himself down onto the blade. It pierced his heart and burst out of his back, leaving him to fall into a pool of his own blood.
‘You should do that yourself, Jaken!’ someone yelled from the crowd.
‘Who said that?’ Jaken whipped around but nobody stirred. Instead, they all glowered at him.
‘I demand you show me the insolent cur who dared to insult the Elder Elf!’ Jaken bellowed.
But they did not.
Sumiko was delighted to see it — although it had exactly the opposite effect on Jaken. His fury seemed to have no bounds and he paced up and down in front of the crowd, who stared sullenly back at him.
She glanced around, looking for Oroku, and spotted him stepping out of the devastated chamber, a scroll in hand. She recognised the scroll instantly, which was not hard, given she had written it.
‘My lord — there is more news,’ she said, forcing Jaken to turn away from the angry crowd.
He stalked over to where Oroku was bowing low, holding out the scroll in both hands.
‘My lord, this was left by the gaijin.’
Jaken snatched it out of Oroku’s hands and unrolled it.
Sumiko stepped behind him, looking as if she was reading it, although she knew the contents by heart.
‘The gaijin want our most precious secrets — long life and magic — or they will kill the Elven Council they captured, as well as the Elder Elf’s wife herself!’ she said loudly, making sure all could hear outrage in her voice.
Jaken glared at her but it was too late. The grumbles from the crowd turned louder.
‘You have betrayed us!’ someone said from the back.
‘Jaken the gaijin-lover!’ another called out, safe in the middle.
‘What did you do to stop the gaijin?’ Jaken snarled at Oroku. Sumiko could see he was itching to take his anger out on someone and she prepared to step in.
‘I fought as hard as I could. I killed several of the gaijin at Asami’s house and nearly stopped them escaping. Sadly they killed my friend Jimai in the Council Chamber.’
‘No! Not Jimai!’ Sumiko exclaimed loudly, locking eyes with Oroku and receiving a tiny nod in reply.
‘Why could you not stop the human magic?’
‘They were too strong for us.’ Oroku sighed. ‘But next time we shall be more prepared. With Lady Sumiko to help us, we shall be victorious!’
His last statement was far louder than the others and Sumiko turned to acknowledge the murmurs of agreement from the crowd.
Jaken glared at them angrily and the noise died down.
A middle-aged elven mother pushed through the crowd, disturbed the silence, and rushed over to one of the bodies lying before the chamber. She threw herself on the young elf, no more than sixteen summers, who had been pierced by a crossbow bolt.
‘My son was full of life and laughter when you rode out of here with an army of warriors,’ she cried. ‘Now he is dead because you didn’t protect us! His blood is on your hands, Lord Jaken!’
The crowd roared their agreement.
‘Quiet!’ Jaken shouted back. ‘I will make this right! You will be protected!’
‘That is what you said last time — what are your promises worth now?’ the mother called.
Sumiko chuckled inside to see the expression on Jaken’s face. She could tell he so much wanted to rush over there and take out his frustration on the woman but how could you punish a grieving mother? If it had been a warrior, or perhaps an elderly father, Sumiko guessed a head would now be rolling down the street. But even Jaken could not do such a thing to a mother.
While he struggled to find the words to appease the mother and her loud supporters, Sumiko called down a bird. It had merely been flying past but nobody else was to know that.
‘News from Vales, Lord Jaken!’ she called, stroking the bird’s head. ‘The mission to offer a peace treaty to the Velsh has been betrayed! The Velsh have killed Lord Nagata and his entire escort!’
This news brought a roar of hatred from the crowd and they began to heave forwards.
Jaken signalled to his guards but there were not enough of them and they backed up nervously. A stone flew from the rear of the crowd and bounced off Jaken’s armour, followed a moment later by an apple, which splattered on his shoulder.
‘Do something!’ he roared at Sumiko.
She smiled. If he ordered his guards to use their swords, then this street would run red with blood from both sides. Almost all of the crowd was armed and they outnumbered the guards twenty to one.
‘People of Dokuzen! Do not fear! The gaijin may have found magic but ours is stronger! Your Magic-weavers will save you! If you want to sleep safe at night, if you want to know that gaijin soldiers are not going to come pouring out of every tree in the city, then you need to trust my Magic-weavers!’
‘What are you doing?’ Jaken snarled.
‘What you asked.’ She smiled at him. ‘Look, they are thinking about it.’
He turned to see the crowd was no longer pushing towards his flimsy line of guards and was instead talking among themselves.
‘Follow me,’ he said, pulling Sumiko over towards the remains of the chamber.
Jaken’s head was whirling as he stepped inside the polished doors of the chamber. The smell of burned wood and, worse, burned f
lesh was thick here and it took an effort of will to push it out of his mind.
The news that Dokuzen had been attacked was devastating but it was as nothing compared to the reception he had received from the people outside. As a clan leader, he had been used to deference from everyone he spoke to. Since becoming Elder Elf, he had become accustomed to people cheering him and bowing and waving wherever he went. To see them turn like this was shocking. His first impulse was to summon the army back to Dokuzen and impose some order but then he remembered how they had reacted when the news had hit. Would they obey his orders to crack down on their own clans? He had felt so certain of his next move. Dokuzen was built on the clan system and warriors were loyal to the clan first, the Elder Elf second. In the blink of an eye, Dokuzen could dissolve into chaos and civil war. Magic might be the only solution to give him enough time to stop the gaijin.
‘What were you doing out there?’ he asked Sumiko, forcing the fury out of his voice.
‘Helping you,’ she replied.
He searched her face but, as always, could only see honesty radiating out. ‘And how was that helping me? It seemed more like you were helping yourself.’
‘Aren’t they one and the same?’ Sumiko countered. ‘The people are scared and upset. Treat them with force and they will respond with anger. Give them hope and they will follow you again. They need to know our magic is stronger than the gaijin.’
Jaken weighed her words for a moment, then nodded. ‘So how did the gaijin get in here — and how do we stop them next time?’
‘They must have had help. There is no way they could do this by themselves. Asami must have done this. After all, she has vanished along with them and they used her home as their base. And don’t forget Gaibun is a wanted criminal, a rapist and murderer.’
‘I forget nothing. But Lord Retsu was taken in the raid. Surely if this was designed to see me replaced with him, he would have miraculously escaped?’
‘Perhaps he still will,’ Sumiko suggested. ‘He might miraculously escape from the gaijin and return in triumph, with the key to defeating the gaijin and protecting Dokuzen.’
Jaken looked hard at her. Something did not sound right here. Retsu had built his reputation on honour, not betrayal, while both Asami and Gaibun had fought the Forlish.