His smile faded, and his expression turned serious. “Elin, you’re an intelligent girl. If you but chose, you could see the structure of this world in its entirety, couldn’t you? Then do so. So that you can judge what can and cannot be, and accept your fate accordingly.”
With that, he turned and left.
7 WINDY NIGHT
Elin slipped her arm under Ialu and helped him to a sitting position. He bowed his head. “…I’m sorry to cause you so much trouble.” She shook her head and brushed the straw from his hair and clothes, then helped him over to her blanket.
Little by little, he told her what had happened the previous night. It did not surprise her to learn that Damiya was likely behind the attack on the Yojeh Halumiya; the knowledge merely increased the cold revulsion she already felt for him. But she wished that she had never heard of the plot conceived by those in power. When she thought of how it had twisted the lives of herself and so many others, she felt sick with anger.
Ialu’s clothes were so stained with blood they seemed to be coated in glue. She helped him undress and wrapped him in her blanket, then placed his clothes in a tub and filled it with water.
“I’ll go get some breakfast,” she said. Ialu nodded, and she added suddenly, “Please don’t try to leave here out of concern for me.”
“…I won’t. Damiya is probably having the stable watched. He seems to have hired his own private army.”
Elin nodded and left.
For the rest of the day, armed men patrolled the area around the stable. None of them, however, attempted to enter, perhaps under Damiya’s orders. The Beast Handlers of Lazalu were somewhat wary of Elin, and they did not interfere when she chose to take her meals to the stable and even sleep there with the Beasts. Thus, Ialu was able to spend the entire day resting in the stable.
He lay alone in the muggy building from early afternoon when Leelan and the others went out to nap in the sun. Smoke from a mosquito smudge drifted lazily in the air. His sleep was disturbed by feverish dreams, but by the evening, he was feeling much better and shared Elin’s supper of gravy and fahko, an unleavened bread made with mixed grains.
As soon as she had finished eating, Elin rose and began feeding the Beasts. Watching her, it struck Ialu that she looked much thinner and more careworn than he remembered. It was not so long since they had met in Kazalumu, yet she seemed like a different person. He had heard that Leelan had bitten her left hand, which she cradled as she fed the Beasts, and the expression on her face was that of someone who had left her soul behind.
“You still feed them by going inside the cage then, do you?” he murmured.
She turned, as if startled by the sound of his voice. “I have my Silent Whistle.”
“Even so, the other Handlers never feed them like that. And the Beasts seem completely relaxed with you.”
A wry smile touched her eyes, but she said nothing.
“Deep inside, they must trust you… I still can’t believe they actually hid me.”
At that, her smile deepened. “When I was a student, there was one teacher I just couldn’t stand. Whenever I saw him coming, I used to get Leelan to hide me like that.”
Ialu smiled. “Even so, I’m amazed that they accepted me. They didn’t even growl, despite the fact that they don’t know me.”
“They didn’t growl at you because…” Elin paused and glanced at the Beasts. “They could see that I trusted you. Royal Beasts are able to sense human emotions to a frightening degree.”
Eku and Leelan began grooming their fur. Elin and Ialu watched them silently for some time in the dim candlelight. Finally Ialu spoke in a soft voice. “Is that why the Royal Beast didn’t respond to Ohooli’s harp? Did it sense his fear?”
Elin turned to him with a look of surprise. “You knew about that?”
“The Se Zan who guarded Damiya told me.”
“I see…” She returned her gaze to the Beasts. “That may have been part of it… But I think the main reason was that Ohooli was the one who raised him.”
Ialu looked at her questioningly. Elin picked up the empty tub and stepped out of the stall. “If Ohooli raised that Beast, he must have used the Silent Whistle on him many times. The Beasts hate what it does to them… Would you lower your guard if someone who had beaten you repeatedly suddenly switched to a coaxing tone? I’m sure that that’s how the Beasts would feel. They would have a hard time opening their hearts to someone who had used the whistle to control them.”
She took Ialu’s clothes off the railing where she had draped them and pressed them against her cheek to test whether or not they were dry, then she sat down beside him and helped him dress. Her smile was gone. Holding his robe to make it easier for him to slip his arm into his sleeve, she said quietly, “When we use the Silent Whistle to raise Royal Beasts, we build a cold wall between them and us—cold but necessary.” She uttered these last words as if speaking to herself.
Watching her face, so close to his own, Ialu suddenly said, “…Are you planning to die?” He plowed on before she could answer. “Do you plan to die and take with you the knowledge of how to control the Royal Beasts, so that you can seal it away forever?”
Elin shook her head. “Until a short while ago, yes…” she whispered. “I planned to do that. But now, no, I don’t.”
The wind must have picked up. Ialu could hear the rustling of the leaves in the trees beside the stable.
“For a long time,” Elin said in a low voice, “I believed I could always avert a catastrophe if I died—that I must never cross that line beyond which a disaster could no longer be prevented. I didn’t want to use the Silent Whistle or tokujisui to raise Leelan or the others, and so I did as I pleased, regardless of what anyone said. In return, when the time came, I planned to take responsibility for this choice. But after hearing you describe Damiya’s scheme… I just don’t care anymore.
“If that’s the way people think and the path they choose, then let them. If it’s simply human nature to maintain the status quo by killing each other, then even if I sacrifice my life and bury the Art with me, someday the same thing is bound to happen all over again. If humans are just going to destroy themselves anyway, why not let them…”
This savage thought must have lurked deep inside her for a long time, because when she voiced it, she knew it came from the core of her being. Yet even voicing it did not ease the fury she felt in her heart. A warm breeze blew through the open window, making the lantern flicker.
“But I don’t want to make the Royal Beasts fight the Toda,” she said. “Not ever.” The thought that her dream, everything she had aimed for, should be twisted and exploited in such a despicable way made her burn inside. She gazed at Ialu. “There’s something I wanted to ask you, if we ever met again.”
Ialu blinked. “Me?”
“Yes. I want to know your thoughts. If I performed this so-called miracle, do you think it could actually right the imbalance in this country?”
Ialu hesitated for a moment. Gazing up through the window at the indigo sky, he said in a low voice, “…To be honest, until now I have avoided thinking about what would be best for this country. Having taken an oath as a Se Zan, my paramount duty was to protect the Yojeh. If I thought about the consequences of protecting her, it would cause me to doubt my actions. In that sense, Damiya hit the mark. I have deliberately avoided looking at the narrowness of the world in which I live.”
Thoughts unexpectedly thrust themselves into his mind and fell from his mouth. “He spoke of my family with scorn, but my father was a skilled carpenter. If he had not been crushed beneath a building in an earthquake, my mother would never have sold me. If my father had lived, I would have become a carpenter like him. My hand would have held a chisel, not a weapon meant for killing.”
His mouth crooked in a smile, and he looked at Elin. “I enjoy working with wood. When I’m off duty, I like to make furniture. I find it much more relaxing to throw myself into a project like that than to spend time with pros
titutes, who hide their brutal sorrow behind a mask.”
His face glowed indistinctly in the wavering light. In her mind, Elin could see his hands caressing the results of his handiwork. She was suddenly reminded of the Toda. Captured as hatchlings, they had their ear flaps removed and were kept only to fight. Now she could understand why her mother had watched them with such sorrow in her eyes.
“…Still, I have seen the workings of government close at hand,” he continued, “which is something I would never have done if I were a carpenter. And I’m human. No matter how hard I may try to control my mind, I can’t help thinking about the meaning of what I see and hear.
“When Shunan, the Aluhan’s eldest son, visited the Yojeh the other day, his words moved me. I thought that what he said made sense. And when the Yojeh said that she had no warriors to protect her, I confess my heart went cold. I could not help wondering what my existence meant to her.”
He told her briefly what Shunan had said and done. As she listened to him describe Shunan’s character, a light kindled in her eyes. “I see,” she murmured when he was done. “So the Aluhan’s eldest son is someone who cares.”
Ialu nodded. “If he had wanted, he could have forced her to yield. The fact that he chose a different method suggests he has compassion. He also has resolve. If he marries Seimiya, he will certainly try to show her the reality of this land, something she has never confronted before.”
He took a deep breath. “I have killed many men. I slew my first assassin the year I turned eighteen. All winter, whether waking or sleeping, his death throes flashed before my eyes. Even now, the men I have killed come to me in my dreams. The smell of their blood still clings to my nostrils. I expect that I’ll be haunted by such apparitions for the rest of my life, but I have no intention of trying to escape that fate. That’s what it means to kill. Those soldiers who have defended this country for generations through bloody wars must have experienced the same thing.”
He wiped his face with one large hand and said, “…I can’t believe that it is right for the ruler not to know this truth.”
The wind must have died down a little, for the sound of the branches scraping against the wall grew fainter. “It would be presumptuous of me to assume that I understood her mind, but I feel Lady Seimiya would not want to remain ignorant. While the facts about Damiya and about her own bloodline seem very cruel, I think that she should be told… I do not think it should be allowed to go on like this.”
Quiet filled the stable when he finished speaking. Elin sat for some moments thinking, her face down. Finally, she raised her head and looked at him. “Is there any way of speaking to Her Highness without Damiya intruding?”
Ialu’s eyes widened. She gazed back at him, unblinking. “I want to tell her… all of it. I don’t know if that will change anything, but I must try.”
Ialu stroked his chin and thought. After what seemed a very long time, he returned his gaze to Elin. “There is a way… For you, it might work.”
8 ORIGINS
The natural rock cavern was always filled with steam from a hot spring deep inside. Unglazed clay pipes carried hot water from the spring to a large bathing pool built of smooth stones.
The bathing hour was the one time of day when Seimiya could truly relax. Garbed in a single light robe, she sank into the hot pool, and gazed at the glistening rock surface, which reflected the hazy glow of the light through the mist. Soaking in the hot water like this always brought back the peace she had once felt in her mother’s arms.
During winter, powdery flakes of snow would stray through the hole in the ceiling where it widened, but thanks to the hot steam, she never felt cold. Her favorite times were those evenings when she could see the full moon through the hole, which she liked to call the “skylight”, and when it was covered on rainy days, she felt like something was missing.
The steam gathering above the pool rose like a shimmering white pillar through the opening. She was gazing at it, mesmerized, when suddenly it broke and scattered, as if blown by a strong wind. Seeking the cause, she lifted her eyes and saw a huge dark shape swoop down from the skylight. With each beat of its great wings, the mist rolled back and waves rippled across the milky water of the pool, far back into the cave.
A Royal Beast landed and folded its wings. As a small figure slipped from its back, the cave echoed with the frightened screams of the serving maids.
A woman’s voice rang through the mist. “Your Highness, Yojeh Seimiya! Forgive me this impertinence. I mean you no harm. I had no choice but to come like this in order to speak with you.”
Seimiya heard the voices of the Se Zan at the entrance to the cave asking what was wrong. They must have heard her servants’ cries. With her eyes still on the Royal Beast, she said sternly, “Cease your noise. Tell the Se Zan to remain outside.”
Then she sat up straight and called out to the figure who knelt on the other side of the mist. “Are you the beast doctor they call Elin?”
“Yes, I am Elin. I beg you to pardon my rudeness.”
“You may approach.”
The shadowy figure touched her forehead to the floor and then stood up. Turning to the Beast, she said something in a quiet voice, and then walked around the bathing pool toward Seimiya. The light of a lantern set in the rock wall fell upon her face, and Seimiya stared at her with open curiosity.
“So your eyes really are green.” The words must have fallen from her mouth involuntarily, for she spoke like a little girl, without formality.
Elin knelt down before her and bowed low once again. “I had to speak with Your Highness. That is why I came.”
Having recovered from her initial surprise, Seimiya’s expression softened. “I hear that you have been blessed by the Afon with a rare gift. Damiya told me that the Afon sent you to rescue me from this crisis. I intended to summon you very soon to meet me. You would have been granted an audience easily. There was no need to go to such lengths as this.”
Elin raised her head. “I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but I was forbidden explicitly by Lord Damiya to seek an audience with you. That is why I had no other way of meeting you.”
Seimiya’s eyes widened slightly. “By my uncle? But why?”
Elin gazed at her. “I believe he did so because he feared that I would share with you the wishes of the late Yojeh Halumiya.”
Seimiya’s eyes froze. Hard as stone, they were fixed on Elin, but they did not see her. After a long silence, she said, “You wish to convey to me the words of my grandmother, is that it?”
“Yes, but that is not all. Forgive me, Your Highness, but are you aware of the promise that Her Majesty Halumiya made to me?”
“…No, I do not know. What is it that she promised you?”
Elin answered quietly. “She told me that I need not use the Royal Beast to protect her. Even though she knew she might be attacked again by Toda Riders.”
It was clear from Seimiya’s expression that this statement had caught her completely off guard. Elin guessed that she must have been expecting a very different answer. “…She refused the protection of the Royal Beast?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I believe because she judged my tale to be true.”
“What tale?”
“The tale engraved on the hearts of my mother’s people and passed down from one generation to the next. Her Highness Halumiya accepted it as the history of her ancestor that was lost in the fire.” Taking a deep breath, Elin continued. “It is a tale that took place far beyond the Afon Noah and that must cause one to despair of the human race. It is the story of your ancestor, too, Your Highness. Are you willing to listen?”
Seimiya stared at Elin with a frown before she finally spoke. “Tell me,” she said.
Elin nodded, and began the tale told to her in that winter forest by the man who had come from her mother’s people, a story from long, long ago.
Once, there were many ancient kingdoms that flourished far beyond the white peaks
of the Afon Noah. One of these was the land called Ofahlon. Although small, it was blessed with a good port and prospered as a strategic trading post between the surrounding kingdoms and the lands that lay beyond the sea. Its people never went hungry.
One day, however, rumors reached the king’s ears that the ruler of a neighboring kingdom was planning to invade, to gain control over this profitable trade. While Ofahlon was prosperous, it was small. It might not survive even three months in the face of such an invasion. As the king pondered what to do to save his land, Sakolu, a senior advisor responsible for the diverse ethnic groups in the kingdom, suggested that he ask the Toga mi Lyo for help.
The Toga mi Lyo, the Green-Eyed Ones, had originally come from across the sea. Driven from their own land after losing a struggle for power, they had found their way to Ofahlon with only three ships. As they excelled at handling and healing beasts, the kings of previous generations had showered their favors upon them, granting them land within the capital to build their own community. Sakolu informed the king that they had been taming wild Toda and training them for battle. While the king doubted that Toda could be of much help, he was desperate, and so he asked the Toga mi Lyo to protect the country’s borders.
The results far surpassed even the expectations of the Toga mi Lyo. Although they rode only a few score Toda to battle against thousands of horsemen, they decimated the enemy troops and slew their general. The king was overjoyed at this victory. He awarded the Toga mi Lyo a large tract of land and ample gold. He commanded them to increase the number of Toda and appointed Sakolu general of the Toda troops. This was the beginning of the tragedy to come.
Tens of thousands of Toda were trained, and with this overpowering force, the king soon conquered the surrounding lands. His power had reached its zenith, but the discontent of the conquered who now lived within this expanded kingdom grew. The king, who had never ruled such a large territory, had no idea how to govern it. He tried to suppress his subjects by force alone, which was like trying to seal a seething bog of rot and decay under a thick metal plate.
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