The Sword Of Angels eog-3

by John Marco

  ‘Who then? If not me, who?’

  ‘For countless ages my ancestors have kept the secret of the sword. You’re the first to ever come to find it. I admit, you tempt me with your knowledge, but no, I cannot give it to you.’

  ‘Then I have come here for nothing,’ said Lukien bitterly. ‘It doesn’t matter to you that I have spoken to spirits or that I know every bit of your precious puzzle save one. That sword should be mine! Please, Eminence, I do not ask this for myself. I will bring it back to you once my task is done. If-’

  ‘No and no,’ said the girl. ‘If you cannot tell me where the sword is hidden, then you may not claim it.’ She rose from her throne, stepping off the dais to stand before Lukien. ‘Do not beg me. What you ask is not possible.’

  Lukien’s bravado collapsed. He stared at the girl. Unsure what to do, he placed the Eye of God back beneath his shirt.

  ‘So this means nothing to you,’ he said. ‘Not the Eye of God or its magic, nor anything I have said to you.’

  ‘Speak to the spirits again,’ said Karoshin.

  ‘Again? I don’t pull them out of my pocket, holy man.’

  Karoshin poked him hard in the chest. ‘Command them to speak to you! The one inside your amulet — make him tell you where the sword is hidden.’

  ‘I can’t! He has his own mind, and he’s made it up against me. He never speaks to me, no matter how much I beg him.’

  ‘Until you learn the location of the sword, I cannot let you claim it,’ said Lahkali. She offered him a sympathetic smile. ‘I regret it is this way.’

  ‘So do I,’ said Lukien. ‘So do I.’

  Jahan searched Lukien’s face. ‘What should we do now? Go back home?’

  ‘That may be the only sane thing to do,’ Lukien supposed. ‘But I can’t go home without the sword. I have to find out where it’s hidden, Jahan. Somehow.’

  ‘Yes, but how?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Lukien. ‘We’ll find a way. Eminence, is there anything more you can tell me? Anything that will help me figure out this riddle?’

  ‘You know much of it already,’ said the girl. ‘And you may take us much time as you wish to figure out the rest. Stay here among us if you like. There is more than enough room for you, as you can see.’

  ‘Thank you, Eminence. We would like that, both of us. We’ve come so far. .’

  ‘And you are so weary, I can tell.’ To Lukien’s astonishment, Lahkali reached up and touched his face, the wounded side with the patched eye. ‘Stay here and rest. And when you are ready, tell me about your world and these friends of yours. I want to know what makes them special enough to take you so far from home.’

  Lukien took her hand, feeling its small, caring fingers. ‘I will do that. Thank you.’

  ‘But it is not a bargain,’ Karoshin warned. ‘Tell her whatever you wish, but exact no price. You will not be able to cajole the sword’s secret from her.’

  ‘I understand,’ said Lukien, unsure if the holy man believed him.

  ‘Karoshin will give you rooms. I have servants to feed you and look after your needs. Whatever you want, you have only to ask.’

  Lukien bowed and thanked the young ruler, urging Jahan to do the same, then followed Karoshin away. Out of Lahkali’s earshot, Karoshin began explaining things to them, where they would be sleeping and when they could expect meals to be served. Lukien pretended to listen, but his thoughts were a hundred miles away.

  Lahkali had been kind, and he appreciated her charity. But she was also young and distracted, and he was sure he could win her trust in time. Time was all he needed. In time, she would tell him where to find the Sword of Angels.

  16

  King Lorn the Wicked looked at the bridge, silently considering his plan. In the dark light of the stars, he could barely see its outline fording the pretty river, but he had come this way countless times and he knew the way perfectly. On the outskirts of Jador there were few homes and no marketplaces or businesses. Here, on the south side of the city, fruit trees sprouted from the sand, spreading their fronds over ancient streets and fountains. In daylight, this part of Jador teemed with children, playing along the man-made waterways while their parents drank shrana beneath shady canopies. In the time of great Kahan Kadar, the area had thrived, built by his generosity for the enjoyment of the populace. Kadar had spared no expense in this part of Jador, and Lorn loved coming here with Eirian and Poppy. In the long weeks since Gilwyn had left him in charge of the city, he had stolen every moment he could to take them to this place, to stroll the avenues and pick lemons from the trees while Poppy bumbled blindly in the sand, laughing as she made her unseen castles.

  Tonight, the sun had long since slipped below the horizon and the people of Jador slept. They were a good people, stronger than Lorn had imagined, and with his help they had worked hard to rebuild their city, rolling up their sleeves just like the foreigners beyond the white wall. Lorn admired the Jadori and the way they spoke about their dead Kahan. But he could not imagine how Kadar’s blood could possibly flow through White-Eye’s veins.

  As they did most nights, Lorn and White-Eye rode together through the outskirts of Jador, checking on the security of the city. To White-Eye, the nightly task seemed a colossal waste of time. There were still enough men to patrol Jador’s borders, she had argued, and because she could not see she made a very poor lookout. But Lorn had ignored the obvious logic in her argument, wanting instead for her to take action, and to forget that she was blind. To Lorn, it did not matter that the young Kahana could not see. She was Jador’s rightful ruler. Nearly a month had passed since he had taken White-Eye from Grimhold. At first, it had seemed a fair challenge. He had promised Gilwyn he would look after Jador, and he had realized that Minikin was right about the city’s needs. Jador needed its Kahana.

  Now, though, Lorn regretted his promise to Gilwyn. At Minikin’s bidding, he had taken White-Eye from Grimhold’s safety, sure that time would ease her the pain of her blindness. But in the weeks gone by, White-Eye hadn’t warmed to him at all and still had servants doing everything for her. She simply refused to help herself.

  Lorn rode slowly toward the bridge, careful to balance White-Eye in front of him. She did not seem to realize it, but she was comfortable on horseback now, and barely looked to him for support as they rode, not speaking as the midnight moon arced across the sky. Lorn had once again taken to wearing northern clothing, having found willing donors of the garb among the Seekers beyond the city’s wall. With White-Eye back in Jador, Lorn no longer wished to look like his dark-skinned hosts, but rather to encourage the Jadori to look to White-Eye for leadership. His long, leather riding coat scraped his black boots as he rode, his arms wrapped around the blind girl’s waist. She was a tiny thing, completely engulfed by his broad chest, and the horse they rode hardly noticed her added weight. Tonight, White-Eye had been her usual self, quiet and polite and completely distracted by her blindness. But when Lorn slowed the gait of their horse, she noticed.

  ‘Where are we now?’ she asked with little interest.

  ‘Where do you think? Can you tell?’

  ‘Where you always take me,’ sighed White-Eye. ‘Near the bridge.’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Lorn brightly. ‘That’s very good.’

  ‘It’s not. You are predictable, that’s all.’

  Lorn ignored her sullen response. With a light wrist he brought the horse to a gentle walk. ‘The night is lovely.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can you tell that?’

  White-Eye shook her head. ‘No.’ Then, ‘Yes. In a way.’

  ‘Tell me what you sense.’

  ‘Why does it matter?’

  ‘I’m in the mood to talk tonight. Tell me.’

  ‘How is the city?’ White-Eye asked instead. ‘It’s quiet, I know, but how does it look?’

  ‘No trouble,’ said Lorn. ‘If there was I would tell you.’

  ‘No trouble, because there is never any trouble. This is a waste of
time.’

  Lorn smiled, perturbed by her petulance but not wanting to show it. Even though she was blind, she had learned to detect his many moods.

  ‘A ruler needs to see her city, even if she cannot see.’

  White-Eye’s black hair brushed against his chin. ‘Others look after the city. My father never rode through the city like this, especially not at night.’

  When she argued, she was like a little girl to Lorn, making the same silly points again and again, forcing him always to explain himself. Lorn felt his stomach knot with aggravation.

  ‘When your father lived, Jador was strong,’ he told her. ‘That’s not so anymore. But it will be again. In time.’

  ‘I believe you,’ said White-Eye. ‘You have worked hard for Jador.’

  ‘A compliment? Well, my lady, thank you!’

  White-Eye endured his sarcasm with a shrug. She turned her blind eyes toward the sky, blinking, looking frightfully small in the arms of the old king. They had spent many hours together in the last month, but White-Eye had never confided anything in him. Instead, she resented him, and Minikin too, who she blamed for leaving her. Tonight, White-Eye seemed uniquely vulnerable, as if all their long rides were finally wearing her down.

  ‘Faralok used to tell me about the stars.’

  ‘Your Akari?’

  ‘He knew everything about the stars, all the names of the constellations and all their stories.’ White-Eye craned her neck as if to see better. ‘How do the stars look tonight?’

  Lorn followed her gaze. In the desert, the night sky teemed with stars.

  ‘Beautiful, my lady.’

  He trotted them toward the stream and the little stone bridge. In the daylight, children fished over the edge of the bridge, rarely catching anything but always trying. For Lorn and his new love, Eirian, the bridge had become a magical place, but for White-Eye it was a challenge, and as they neared the stream the blind girl bristled.

  ‘I hear the water,’ she remarked.

  ‘That’s right.’

  For some reason she feared the bridge. In their first week together, Lorn had brought her to it, asking her to cross it without his help. He had thought it the easiest of tasks, designed to boost her shattered confidence. White-Eye had refused. She had refused ever since.

  ‘Let’s sit,’ she suggested. ‘Near the water.’

  Surprised by her request, Lorn guided his horse to the edge of the stream where a week earlier he had sat with Eirian. Then, they had brought a blanket to spread across the sand. Lorn dismounted, then helped White-Eye down from the horse, loosely tying the beast to a nearby tree. In the darkness it was difficult to see, but his eyes had adjusted, mostly, and the moonlight on the water made things easier. Hoping White-Eye had decided to try the bridge again, he decided not to rush her, guiding her down to the warm sand where she sat, cross-legged.

  He dropped down next to her, his old joints groaning at the effort. The nearby bridge looked serene, empty and dark, but White-Eye had turned her face from it. Because of her great sensitivity to light, she wore a long scarf around her head that she could quickly wrap around her milky eyes, but in the darkness of midnight she had no need of it. Still, she never left the palace without the scarf, a reminder to Lorn of the painful ordeal she had endured just weeks before, when she had lost her Akari.

  They sat together in silence, leaving Lorn puzzled but pleased. Whenever they went scouting, White-Eye was in a hurry to return to the palace, but tonight she was thoughtful and governed her tongue. Lorn glanced at her, not staring even though she could not see him. Before them, the desert city rose up, its towers and homes dark and peaceful. On the west side of Jador, Lorn could see the shadows of the palace stark against the distant mountains. He yawned, feeling the day’s activities at last catching up to him. White-Eye heard his yawn and grinned.

  ‘We can go back now, if you wish.’

  ‘No,’ said Lorn. ‘I want to stay. We need to talk, you and I.’

  White-Eye nodded. ‘I could tell there are things on your mind,’ she said. ‘And I have things to say as well.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘Yes.’ The girl collected herself, pursing her lips as she thought. She was a beautiful young woman, and it was easy to see why Gilwyn adored her. With her long fingers clasped in her lap, she said, ‘I have noticed what you have done for Jador. You think I do not care, but I do. Everyone is grateful to you, King Lorn. They speak about it to me, how you have helped them rebuild. You have helped them feel strong.’

  ‘Kahana, that is what I am trying to do for you. But you must let me.’

  ‘I understand your intentions. I didn’t always, but I do now. When Minikin let you take me from Grimhold. .’

  ‘You were furious,’ said Lorn.

  ‘I was terrified. I still am. You do not know what this is like for me. It is more than just blindness. When I had Faralok, I was never alone. He was more than just my sight. He was my wise teacher. You should know that you could never replace him.’

  ‘Faralok is gone,’ said Lorn. ‘He took your sight with him, and neither of them are ever coming back.’

  ‘I know that,’ said White-Eye sharply.

  ‘Do you? Sometimes I wonder. You have spent the month feeling sorry for yourself. I’ve given you that time to grieve because Minikin wished it. But no more. Now I must do what she charged me to do. I must make a ruler out of you, my lady.’

  White-Eye smirked. ‘You made a bold promise to her. Maybe I am not my father’s daughter.’

  ‘If you believe that, then you are doomed to fail. And I am wasting my time.’ Lorn gazed at the city, his thinking cagey. ‘And if that is so, then Jador is doomed with you. I have seen the way your people look at you, Kahana. They adore you. They are even part of the problem! They won’t let you do anything for yourself, and so with them around you will never learn. But they need you. Will you let them down?’

  ‘That is a strange question coming from you,’ said White-Eye. ‘The Seekers tell stories about you.’

  ‘They call me King Lorn the Wicked. I know this already.’

  ‘They say you abandoned your country and let Jazana Carr take the throne. They say you ran away.’

  ‘My country was taken from me,’ Lorn insisted. ‘And you are trying to change the subject by aggravating me.’

  ‘No,’ said White-Eye. ‘I know you love your daughter Poppy. I may be blind, but I can see that, at least. You are a good father. You did the right thing by taking her away from the war in Norvor. But I am wondering why you agreed to this task of Minikin’s, King Lorn.’

  ‘I made a promise to your favoured, my lady. That is why I do this thing.’

  White-Eye turned to him. ‘Let’s speak plainly. I think you are doing this to find favour with Minikin, so that she will make a place for Poppy in Grimhold. It’s what you’ve always wanted, why you came here in the first place.’

  Lorn sneered, offended by the notion. ‘You are a suspicious child. Minikin has already made this clear to me.’

  ‘But do you believe her? Do you truly? I think you are a schemer, my lord, and you will have to prove yourself to me, just as you are making me prove my own worth.’

  ‘You are audacious!’ Lorn laughed. ‘Ah, but you are honest. I am a schemer, Kahana, because fate has made me one. Sometimes a ruler must scheme to survive. In time you will learn that for yourself. There is much for you to learn. Much of it I can teach you, if you’ll let me.’

  ‘So that I’ll someday be called White-Eye the Wicked?’ The girl shook her head. ‘No. But thank you for the offer.’

  ‘If you think all I have to offer you is trickery, than you are a fool, child. I was a great king! I was loved when times were good and feared when times were bad, and the only reason the Diamond Queen defeated me was because her coffers knew no end. Men follow Jazana Carr because she pays them to do so. She makes slaves of them. Men followed me because they chose to.’

  ‘Some men, my lord. Not all.’

  Lo
rn considered her argument. ‘No,’ he agreed. ‘Not all. But sides must be chosen, and ruling a country is not for the timid. You have been far too timid, Kahana. It it time for some courage.’

  White-Eye seemed to look toward the bridge. ‘Gilwyn trusted you. I do not know why, and I have thought about almost nothing else these weeks. What is it about you that made him give you my city?’

  ‘Jador is not mine, Kahana,’ said Lorn. ‘Do not make the mistake of thinking you must wrest it from me. Jador belongs to you. But it is yours in name only, because you are the daughter of Kadar. If you truly want to make the city yours, you must claim it.’

  White-Eye groaned. ‘You do not understand what I am saying. I do not want to be your pupil, King Lorn. You will make me as ruthless and unloved a ruler as you were in Norvor. And Minikin is away in Grimhold. She has not even come to see me! She has left me in your hands, to do what you want with me. It frightens me.’

  Lorn felt the sting of her words. He studied her sightless eyes, and knew that even her confession had taken courage.

  ‘You are right,’ he said. ‘I will have to prove myself to you. I did not think of that until now.’

  ‘It will take a great deal,’ said White-Eye. ‘More than promises.’

  ‘Tonight all I have are promises, Kahana. I admit all my past indiscretions. And I apologize for none of them. But my promise to Gilwyn Toms was true. I have lost everything else but for my daughter and my word. Both those things are priceless to me.’

  ‘And you will not make me in your image? Promise me that tonight, King Lorn. I need to believe it.’

  Lorn reached across the sand and seized her small hand. ‘Do you remember what I told you when we met in Grimhold?’

  White-Eye smiled, the first genuine smile she had ever given him. ‘You said that I had dragons to slay.’

  ‘And what else?’

  ‘That we would slay them together.’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Lorn, glad she had remembered. ‘Now it is time for you to trust me.’

  White-Eye turned her head. ‘The bridge?’

  Lorn stood, pulling her up. ‘It’s a small step. But for you, it could be a first victory.’