Soul of Power

by G David Walker

  After a long moment, she took her hand away. “Come,” she said. “We may as well eat something. There is little else we can do while we wait for Lenai to return.”

  “Jason? Is something wrong?”

  Trust Crin to sense even the slightest change in his thoughts. No, I’m just worried about Lenai, but I’m sure she’ll be okay. At least he hoped so.

  “Are you sure that is all it is?”

  Yeah, I’m sure. He rubbed his arm where Meryl’s hand had been, and turned back toward the fire.

  *****

  Lenai watched Jason and Meryl from the shadows, undetectable even had she not been invisible. She saw Meryl put her hand on Jason’s arm before the two of them walked back to the fire, and nodded to herself. She had asked Meryl to befriend Jason so that, if anything happened to her, accidentally or otherwise, Jason would have someone to whom he could turn for support and comfort. Even if nothing happened to her, if Nyala could break the Bond between them, Jason might find that his feelings toward her had changed. She knew hers would never change, but it was more important to her that Jason was happy and well. If that meant with someone else, then so be it.

  He had never given any sign that he was dissatisfied, nor had what she felt through the Bond indicated it, but he was a human. They could sometimes be erratic. And in truth, how long could such a relationship between a human and a Shanthi, a human Far Planer at that, possibly last? She knew Meryl to be honorable, and currently uninvolved with anyone, otherwise she would have never asked this of her. After protesting, although not very strongly Lenai noticed, Meryl had agreed to do as Lenai asked. Lenai thought there might be some interest on Meryl’s part to allow her to agree so easily to such an unusual request, especially with it coming from Jason’s ch’nai. She watched as the two of them took their places at the fire, sharing a meal. She nodded again and turned away.

  As she made her way to the city, she thought about how her feelings toward Jason had changed since Loremaster Reyga first introduced them. Although it was mainly the fact that Loremaster Reyga was ch’tasa to her that she had agreed to meet Jason at all, she had to confess there was also a small amount of curiosity as to why the Circle was sending an escort for this particular Far Planer, when they had done so for no other. She had seen nothing noteworthy in him at their first meeting.

  Then he had saved her life during the Trellin attack. Looking back now, she knew she should have been grateful, but being in his debt had annoyed her more than anything else. And without even knowing he had done it, he taught her something about herself of which she was not proud. She had found herself thinking the debt was meaningless, since he would soon be dead from the bloodfang poison. That memory still stung a little. It was not an honorable reaction, not one worthy of a Shanthi.

  What happened after, during Sho tu Ishta, still filled her with wonder. When she was at her lowest point, a point from which she was sure she would never return, Jason had somehow restored to her the very essence of what it meant to be Shanthi. A human Far Planer, with no concept of Shanthi honor and ideals, had pulled her back from the chasm of her own self-reproach. Then, as if that were not enough, he had refused to return to his own world out of concern for her. Not to mention offering himself to the Shadow Lord in order to gain her freedom. How could her feelings for him be anything other than what they were? What they always would be?

  Nevertheless, the Bond had to be broken. She would speak with Nyala as soon as this mission was over, and hope the Altered could discover some way to undo their joining. One thing was certain: whether Nyala could break the Bond or not, it would be broken. She laid her hand on the hilt of her dagger. It would be broken one way or another.

  She looked up, and was startled to see the buildings of Ishadon looming over her. She had been so lost in her thoughts, she had not realized how far she had come. A quick glance around showed nothing nearby. Hopefully, her lapse in judgment had not drawn any unwanted attention. She turned back to the city, and even her pragmatic Shanthi nature could not keep her from being slightly awed at the sheer immensity of it.

  The lane stretched as far as she could see, finally disappearing over a hill in the distance, buildings lining it all the way. Ishadon was larger than any village or city she had ever seen, larger than she thought any city could possibly be. The buildings and spires soared overhead, seeming to brush against the bottoms of the ragged clouds floating by. The waning sunlight still kissed the tops of the highest buildings. The red and gold of the sunset reflected off the smooth surfaces, making them look like blazing torches thrust into the earth by gods.

  If people had truly lived here once, their numbers were larger than both armies at the Scorched Plains put together, larger by a hundredfold and more. Most of the buildings she saw dwarfed Lore’s Haven. Had they been side by side, the impressive keep would look like nothing so much as a child’s plaything beside these massive structures. What had it taken to build such things? The world of the ancients must have been wondrous indeed.

  The city was not untouched, however. Most of the buildings had vines and creepers covering their bases, although the structures themselves extended beyond what the greenery could reach. The tops of a few had collapsed, leaving scattered rubble and twisted metal on the ground around them. Weathered remains of strange looking carriages sat motionless on the roadway. Some of them were partially inside the buildings, as if they had crashed through the walls. It was clear that whatever had happened here had come suddenly, without warning.

  She gave a sharp shake of her head. Now was not the time to become distracted. For all of their impressive feats, the ancients were still gone, vanished into the obscurity of a past long dead. She could ponder their fate another time. For now, she had a mission to finish.

  She made her way through the city, following Nyala’s instructions. As the darkness deepened, strange sounds coming from the shadows told her the city’s current occupants were coming to life. She rounded a corner and came to a stop. The building was directly ahead, but it was clear that this would be no simple matter of walking in and finding the diamond.

  Several creatures, the likes of which she had never seen before, milled around the entrance. The beasts stood hip-high at the shoulder, with long claws on all four paws. They were covered by a coat of overlapping scales or feathers; it was difficult to tell which from this distance. They had short snouts, and what appeared to be insect-like mandibles extending in front of the jaws. As she watched, two more emerged from the building. Apparently, they had turned the structure into a lair. If the beasts were as formidable as they appeared, retrieving the gem would not be an easy task, and there was no way of knowing how many still remained inside. Perhaps the others could distract them while she used her abilities to slip inside and recover the diamond.

  She raised a hand to brush at an insect buzzing around her face, and was shocked to find that she could see her fingers. She was visible! Her gaze snapped back to the creatures, but they showed no sign they had noticed her. She moved quickly into some deeper shadows. Why was she visible? She tried changing her coloration and was relieved to see her skin changing hues. So it was only her invisibility that was not working. “I almost didn’t get out alive.” She nodded as Nyala’s words came back to her. What little dimsai the Shanthi possessed allowed them to become invisible. In Ishadon, obviously even that small amount was subject to the Blood Iron. She would have to be doubly cautious while within the city.

  She spun around as she heard a low, rattling growl behind her. One of the creatures had come around the corner of a building less than a dozen paces away, and was now moving toward her, its mandibles slowly opening and closing as it approached. She drew her dagger and looked around, but saw no additional creatures. One might not be too difficult to deal with, but she had to be cautious. Without knowing the beast’s capabilities, she could not afford to assume victory. The creature growled again, curling its lips back to reveal rows of sharp, black teeth.

  She braced herself
for its attack, but instead of charging, it lowered its head, almost as if bowing to her. As she watched it, puzzled, a handful of the feathers on its back flipped forward and came flying toward her. Her Shanthi reflexes took over, and she jumped to the side, avoiding all of the flying quills except one, which buried itself in her left arm. Almost immediately, the spot where it had pierced her flesh went numb. The creature turned toward her again. She dove forward, rolling underneath the next attack, and came up directly in front of the beast. She jerked back as the mandibles snapped together in the space where her head had been an instant before, and then rammed her blade up under the beast’s chin into its brain.

  The creature gave a screech as thick, dark blood poured from the wound. Searing pain shot up her arm as the blood flowed over her hand. She yanked her hand away with a gasp, leaving her dagger stuck in the beast’s head. Wherever the blood touched her, the skin felt as if it was on fire. She scraped her hand along the ground, trying to get the gore off. When she had scrubbed as much off as possible, she looked at her hand. Blisters were already forming where the blood had been.

  Before she could give her hand more than a cursory examination, more screeches filled the air. She turned toward the sound and saw that the beast’s final cry had alerted the others, which were now lumbering toward her. Several more had come out of the building to join the group, and more were emerging, drawn, no doubt, by the cries of the others. Fortunately, they did not appear to be very fast. She should be able to outrun them. She pulled the quill from her arm, and then ripped a piece of cloth from her tunic to grab her blood-covered dagger. Sliding the dagger back into its sheath, and keeping a firm grip on the feather, she turned and ran.

  *****

  “Elam, you cannot possibly believe your father had you exiled!”

  Elam stared at the Loremaster without answering. Reyga’s appearance had dredged up a host of memories he had been trying to keep at bay over the years. They were in the same building in which Jason Bennett had been held until his inexplicable escape. Instead of being tied as the Far Planer had been, Reyga sat on a small cot, still shackled, with guards at the door and window. Elam stared at him as the memories came flooding back.

  Elam had grown up revering his father, almost in awe of the man. He was the one Elam looked to for wisdom, and for protection on those nights he woke up as a young child afraid of the shadows in his room. He was never too busy when Elam had a question, or even if he just wanted to talk. When Elam came to him, upset that he had not shown any signs of power yet, a fact the other children used to mercilessly taunt him, his father told him not to worry, that it would come. And then, when he was named High One, it seemed that his father was the most important person in Teleria, or in any other world one could imagine. Elam had thought his heart might actually burst from pride in his father, and joy that he was this man’s son.

  Then the day came when his mother woke him before sunrise and told him it was time for him to go. That it had been decided he was not going to get his powers and he must leave. She would take him to the camp for his training. He had refused to go with her at first, demanding to speak with his father. This was a mistake! It had to be! His father would explain, make everything right again. Then the words came that shattered his world and everything he thought he knew.

  “Where is Father? Does he know about this? He would never allow this to happen!”

  “Elam,” his mother had said, “it was your father’s decision.”

  He felt as if all of the air had been sucked from his body. He stared, open-mouthed, at his mother as he tried to make sense of the unbelievable words that had come from her. After several moments of feeling his heart pound in his throat, he finally found enough breath to speak.

  “His decision? But why? Why would he do this? He is my father!”

  “I know, I know. I tried to change his mind, but he would not listen. He is High One now. Appearances must be considered. He felt it would be inappropriate for him to have a nasaiken son.”

  He had no words after that. He accompanied her in stunned silence as she took him to the camp, and then watched her turn and leave without a backward glance. The pain and confusion of that day had slowly changed to anger over the cycles, and from there, to hatred, not only for his father, but for all saiken. And now they had another within their grasp. And not just any saiken, but a Loremaster, a member of the Circle itself. But why did it have to be Reyga?

  After his father, Loremaster Reyga had been the man he had admired most as a boy. Just like his father, Reyga was always willing to listen, always offered words of encouragement. He had even chastised a group of boys once when he had come across them tormenting Elam. His rebuke had been angry and thorough. The boys left with their heads down and faces red. Then Reyga had turned to Elam.

  “Do not listen to them, Elam. Power, or lack thereof, does not make a man. It is what is inside that will serve you best. Your courage and compassion, that is what is important.” Then he had chuckled. “In truth, you may be the lucky one. If dimsai were to suddenly disappear, saiken would not know what to do. You have learned to cope without it, and when you finally do have your power, you will have the advantage over the rest of us.”

  Then he had given Elam’s shoulder a farewell squeeze and went on his way. And now, here he was, shackled and prisoner to the nasaiken. Looking at the Loremaster now, a small part of him almost felt guilty. It argued with his anger that it was not Reyga’s fault that his father had ordered his exile, and chastised him for his outburst when they had taken Reyga prisoner.

  But if his own father could betray him, why should Reyga be any different? Besides, regardless of his own personal feelings, Elam had a duty to the nasaiken, and to Bartel, who had found him wandering in the wilderness after his time at the camp was over. He had been sent out on his own with a harsh warning never to return. Bartel came across him after he had been alone for three days, exhausted from lack of sleep and long empty of any tears. He had convinced Elam to come to the village where “no one has any power.” The prospect of finding someplace, anyplace, where he would fit in was too much to resist. Now Elam was part of the village, a member of the Council. Over the years, he had even brought a number of newly exiled children to the village himself, where they would be accepted, just as he had been. This was his place now, and no saiken, not even a Loremaster, not even Reyga, had any place in it. He gave Reyga a cold stare.

  “My own mother told me it was his decision as she took me to the camp. I have no reason to doubt her words.”

  “Elam, no. Your father was distraught when you vanished. We searched Lore’s Haven and the surrounding lands for a full cycle, looking for any trace of you. All we ever found was one of your tunics, torn and covered in blood. Your mother told your father she did not know where you were, that you had simply vanished.”

  “And did you hear those words come from her mouth, or is that what my father told you?”

  “I did not hear her words myself. But why would your father lie?”

  “Why indeed? Did you happen to look at the exile camp during your desperate search for me?”

  “Why would we? We had put an end to that terrible practice.” At Elam’s look, his shoulders sagged. “We thought we had put an end to it.”

  “You thought. But my father knew differently, and took advantage of your ignorance to send me away.”

  “I cannot believe that the man I have known for these many years would do such a thing. He was always proud of you. His love for you was unquestionable.”

  “What you believe or disbelieve changes nothing, Loremaster Reyga. I am here. And now, so are you.”

  “And what will you do with me?”

  “That remains to be seen. Out of respect for your kindness toward me as a child, I asked that you be shackled instead of tied as we did the Far Planer when we was here.”

  “Far Planer? Jason Bennett was here? When? What happened to him? Please tell me you did not kill him!”

  “No.
Somehow he was able to escape from us. We have not seen him since.”

  Reyga sighed. “That is well. That young man may be the key to Teleria’s survival. And regardless how you feel about saiken, Teleria’s survival is yours as well.”

  “So you say. But if I were you, Loremaster, I would worry less about the boy and more about yourself. I will leave you to your thoughts now. We will discuss your fate tomorrow.”

  With those parting words, he turned and left. Although he had put on a cold, careless front for Reyga, he knew sleep would not come easy tonight.

  Minor Adjustments

  Jason stared across the camp at Nekoor. The Yellowtooth had taken a few pieces of wood and created a second, smaller fire a short distance from the main fire, and now sat motionless facing away from the rest of the group. He knew he should leave Nekoor alone, but he was getting increasingly uncomfortable with thinking of the Yellowtooth as “it” instead of “him” or “her.” He got up and walked toward the smaller fire. When he got closer, he hesitated, unsure of how his question would be received. Maybe I should just let it go. He started to turn away, when Nekoor spoke without turning around.

  “How may I help you, Jason Bennett?”

  “Oh. Umm…” He wasn’t sure what to say. “How’d you know it was me?”

  “By your scent.”

  “My scent?” Alarmed, he sniffed his armpits. “Do I smell that bad?”

  Nekoor chuckled and turned to him. “Your odor is not unpleasant. However, as a Far Planer, it is unique. And as you are the only Far Planer that I know to be nearby, I assumed it was you.”

  “Oh.”

  “Did you need something from me?”

  “Oh, well, I just saw you over here by yourself and…um…I was wondering if you were okay.”

  “Yes, thank you, I am well.”