Shiri handed the stone onto Cringle, who took it gingerly and then sat still as he examined it with his magic. After a while he shivered involuntarily and handed it on to Arwhon, saying.
“I don’t understand it. There’s nothing I can relate to in there. That stone is a complete enigma to me.”
Arwhon said nothing, examining the outside of the stone first noting irregularities in its surface and trying to see where the blue glow came from. It seemed to emanate from all over the surface of the stone, although the stone itself was just a nondescript grey-black colour, somewhat reminiscent of a lump of charcoal. Heeding Shiri’s warning, he throttled back the Power in his magic and then used Firemagic to examine the Shaman stone. He found himself gazing down a well and felt the trickle of Power that was sucked from him flow down and away. Power. Durhain had given him some abilities the others didn’t have. Arwhon looked up and locked eyes with Zin.
“Do you mind if I explore your stone more deeply?”
“As long as you don’t destroy it.” Zin replied.
Arwhon went back to the well in the stone. The Power was going somewhere. This stone couldn’t contain it all. He focused and relaxed, drawing Power from deep in the earth below where Fire raged. He filled himself up with it until he could contain no more then released it in a thin, white hot stream. The Power disappeared down the well of the Shaman stone but wasn’t able to dissipate as rapidly as it was being fed down there. Arwhon was starting to feel weak so opened a channel to up take yet more Power from the reservoir deep below. He started to feel concern coming up from the well in the stone. Concern! An entity was down there, somewhere, feeding off the Power being dragged down into the well of the stone but right now there was just too much Power for it to deal with. Arwhon cut the Power off before the stone or the entity at the other end of the well was damaged. The Wise Ones of the M’Herindar had never seen this coming.
Arwhon handed the stone back to Zin.
“Are all the stones like this one?”
“Similar, each has slight variation in size and the strength of its abilities it bestows on its shaman. Why.”
“Because these stones are linked to some form of entity which feeds on Power. I know how to overcome the Shaman stones now but I will be vulnerable while I do it.”
Zin’s face showed his amazement.
“No one in our history has been able to overcome the stones. The bearers of them have been indomitable.”
Arwhon smiled to himself as he rose, the others following suite.
“Now they aren’t. Time for us to have a talk with Nyaka.”
14. Yletta’s Revenge
Furoshiko sat on his throne. He’d had it made especially when he became ruler of Northern Cheshwon. Not for him some hard, unpadded monstrosity, the huge carved chair he sat in was well cushioned and comfortable. He idly ran his fingers and eyes over the carved drakons eternally chasing each other around and over his great seat, even into the material he sat on which was silk, colourfully woven throughout with those same drakons. He was listening to a report from one of his spies. Furoshiko had learnt over the years to always send someone to observe that his orders were carried out and also to see how it was accomplished. Many times unsuspecting guards and soldiers had been admonished for dallying along the way or gambling when they were on a mission. The spy had now reached the interesting part of his report.
“I was following at a distance when the guard were ambushed in the mountains…”
“Nyaka.” Furoshiko spat.
“Yes Sire, Nyaka and her band of rebels. They killed the guards and took the three strangers with them, as well as all the horses the guard rode.”
“Did you follow them?”
“I tried to sire but I couldn’t. Their trail was well protected. If I’d attempted to I would have died and been unable to bring back my report.”
Furoshiko was impressed. This spy was clever. One to keep an eye on.
“Was Zin with them?”
The spy made himself very small and hung his head. Everyone knew how Furoshiko felt about Zin.
“Yes Sire.”
No roar. Silence. The spy looked up to see a muscle twitching in Furoshiko’s very red face as he sat stock still. Eventually, ignoring the man before him, Furoshiko looked down at the black-haired, skin clad figure sitting on the dais beside the throne. The skins weren’t animal skins and some still bore the tattoos of their previous owners.
“Well Geng, what are we to do? We have a Princess who should be Queen, with a shaman who should be dead, bringing a man who should be King of all Cheshwon to see his mother in my court.”
The shaman, for that’s who she was, Furoshiko’s shaman, raised her head. Her odd coloured eyes, one brown, the other sky blue, gazed out of her pretty face, regarding Furoshiko intently.
“Kill them all. Then there will be no problem.”
A strangled cry came from the other side of the huge throne where a smaller chair stood. In it was a still-beautiful blond woman with round eyes. Obviously not from Cheshwon, although she spoke the language perfectly.
“Ah, Yletta my darling Queen. A reaction at last. I thought I would never penetrate that mask you wear so prettily. So. You don’t want your son to die. Only one thing will save him and that’s your promise to give yourself to me.”
Yletta studied Furoshiko’s face. She hated him, had for the all the years since he’d killed her husband Tarsega. The fact he’d made her Queen of Northern Cheshwon meant nothing, he’d only done it to make his position more acceptable to some of the other Warlords. To give Furoshiko his due, he hadn’t forced himself on her. It was a cat and mouse game he played. What he wanted was for her to give in to him. He had concubines to amuse him and had plenty of sons which he’d gotten on them over the years. It wasn’t that he wanted from her. It was the recognition he was every bit the equal of Tarsega. For all the time she’d been a captive, Yletta had withheld that very thing from him. It was her revenge. But now?
“If I get to see him and he leaves here alive, I will willingly give myself to you Furoshiko.”
It was his turn to study her. He believed her. There was a hiss from Geng on his other side.
“Kill them all and take the woman, Furoshiko. It will be disaster if you do not.”
Furoshiko turned back to Geng.
“This from one who could not control her own apprentice. You make sure of Zin when the time comes.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Yletta never mentioned Nyaka or the other two travellers. We have ample room to manoeuvre.”
An evil grin appeared on Geng’s attractive, unmarked face as she contemplated all she could do to strangers, especially the woman in the green armour. The spy had told her of the stranger’s beauty and her exotic nature. She would take Zin down also and torture him at length for his treachery in defecting to the other side. Yes, there were definitely good days ahead.
Later, in her rooms, Yletta sat quietly, stunned by the revelation her son had come looking for her. The spy had copies of the documents the guard detail was carrying to Furoshiko. Among them was a letter from her brother-in-law, Kenjida, who ruled Southern Cheshwon. She had long ago learned of his traitorous nature and his agreements with Furoshiko. Furoshiko himself had told her of all the intrigues between them, unable to contain himself from boasting about his exploits, trying to win her over with his cleverness. She just thought him a barbarian, no more fit to rule than any other warlord of the north. If it wasn’t for that damn Geng, Furoshiko would be nothing but Geng was strong in her arts and the stone she carried, powerful. It killed with ease when she used it and it could kill many people at one time.
The letter had told of three people from the east who came by ship with their own horses. A gryffon travelled with them. One of the group was Cheshwonese and he carried the Phoenix fan, the symbol of rule she had left with her son in Crossroads all those years ago. It must be him come looking for her. The other two were apparently Mages and too strong for those in Kenjida�
��s court. The letter had warned Furoshiko not to underestimate the three and to kill them at the first available opportunity. Yes, she had given her word to Furoshiko but he would cheat her as soon and as much as he could.
She would have to be on her toes.
Yletta grimaced as the pain in her head returned and she signalled a waiting servant to fetch her potion. She knew what it was, her twin brother, who she was forever linked to, was feeling the guilt of her abduction yet again. Why couldn’t he just let it go like any normal person would and get on with his life? These painful headache attacks had been occurring for most of her adulthood. They started in a weak fashion while she was in the hold of the Reaver ship which had captured her and continued of and on when she was taken ashore in Draakonia before being sent on to Cheshwon in the belly of a bigger ship for eventual sale. These intermittent pains were there in the background after her selection as a possible concubine and even after she eventually caught Tarsega’s eye and was chosen to undergo a thorough education in all things Cheshwon. They didn’t stop after her marriage to Tarsega when she became Queen of Cheshwon, nor afterwards.
She’d thought of sending a message to her brother but by the time that idea formed, she was a virtual prisoner at Furoshiko’s court. Besides, she didn’t know where to send a message or who to. The powerful drugs the Draakon Reavers had given her after her capture had wiped a lot of her early memories. The Reavers used those drugs for just that purpose, making their captives more docile and accepting, all to get a better price for them. All she remembered was a city by the sea with a Palace on a hill overlooking it and a large house in the country where she played with a boy her own age. Her twin.
She drank down her painkilling potion and sighed as she felt it ease her.
Furoshiko and Geng sat at their ease, drinking chilled wine in Furoshiko’s private quarters, plotting. They needed to come up with a simple plan to be rid of the three mages and Zin. There could be trouble there. Nyaka was a thorn in Furoshiko’s side and had been for nigh on eighteen years. He should have made sure he’d killed her when he’d ambushed Tarsega all those years ago but who would have thought a Princess from the South would be riding a horse and not side saddle either. His forces had utterly destroyed the palanquin, shooting it full of crossbow bolts before tearing it to pieces, its mother-of-pearl inlaid wood and beautiful carvings shattered in a moment of ferocity but it was empty. He had tried and tried since but he couldn’t catch Nyaka, she was just too slippery and well informed. She had sympathisers passing her information but in all the bowing and scraping and formalities of court, he still couldn’t find the culprits.
“We need to get them away from her rebels. Maybe if we offer a truce for negotiations, we could meet with Yletta’s son and find a way to kill the Mages, Zin and Nyaka.”
Geng shook her head.
“It won’t be that easy. She wouldn’t fall for a trick like that; she knows what you’re like.”
“What if we get Yletta to write the invitation, she thinks we have made a deal not to harm anyone. The idea of a Truce might appeal coming from her. Nyaka might trust that source.”
“Ambush them and kill them all Furoshiko, including the son. We don’t need them. That is what I say.’
Furoshiko considered Geng’s words. There was definitely sense in them but there was Yletta. Visions of her dressed in night attire with her exotic blue, round eyes and long blond hair unbound, coming willingly to his bed, flashed through his brain. The son was the key to something he’d wanted ever since he took Yletta prisoner.
“No. Yletta will write to Nyaka and invite her and the Mages and Yletta’s own son to court. Zin will come, he goes everywhere with Nyaka. We will promise a truce and give guarantees from harm to them. Lies of course but they don’t know that. Yletta is so desperate to see her son she would write almost anything we told her to.”
Nyaka sat studying the letter on the table in front of her. It had been written by Yletta. An invitation to Furoshiko’s court in Naejang under a truce. She called for the foreigners to be brought to her and when they arrived Nyaka discussed the letter with them. Arwhon was the first to comment.
“It’s a trick of course. I’ve been dealing with evil for the last three years and if there is one thing I know for sure, it’s that you can’t trust evil.”
Shiri raised her strange amethyst eyes to meet Nyaka’s dark ones and studied the Cheshwon Princess.
“You know this already, don’t you? What you’re really asking us is whether we would risk our lives going with you to Furoshiko’s court. You want to rescue Yletta and exact revenge for Tarsega, your brother.”
Nyaka sat silently, Shiri, who never said much, had been right on the mark. Cringle stirred and spoke up.
“I’m not a leader but Arwhon and Shiri came to Cheshwon to help me find my mother. Of course I want to go but it’s a trap, all I know of Furoshiko and the politics of Cheshwon says that is so. The question really is, can Arwhon and Zin overcome Geng? The rest is merely academic.”
Nyaka stared at her nephew for a moment, ‘merely academic’?
“But what about all of Furoshiko’s armed forces in Naejang?”
Cringle shrugged and indicating Arwhon and Shiri, replied.
“They are not a problem for us. You have no idea of the Power we can wield when unfettered.”
Nyaka turned to Zin, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He nodded silently. Then she asked Arwhon.
“Can you defeat Geng?”
Arwhon smiled his shy smile and replied.
“I believe so. If Zin can counter Geng’s magic for just a short period of time, I think I can render Geng’s stone powerless.”
“You intend to bet your life on that Arwhon?” Nyaka responded.
Arwhon looked to Shiri and Cringle before replying.
“It’s up to my companions to say whether they will accompany me once again into a dangerous situation. I intend to go but they are not forced to accompany me.”
Shiri regarded him fondly as she replied.
“I’m Arwhon’s Shield, it’s always been my duty to protect him. Only now I do from love.”
Cringle joined in.
“And I’m Arwhon’s Servant, although he says nay and I’ll serve him the best I can.”
Nyaka looked relieved.
“Right. I’ll reply to this letter and ask for a few safeguards. It would be suspicious if I didn’t. It seems we’re soon off to Furoshiko’s court.”
The walled city of Naejang, from where Furoshiko reigned the north of Cheshwon, lay across the plain to the north of the mountainous region which sheltered Nyaka and her followers. They felt exposed as they rode up to the gates. Nyaka riding ahead with Zin walking beside her horse while Arwhon, Shiri and Cringle rode abreast behind them. Krissi was aloft, watching. Nyaka’s sons, Chenko and Zoran had demanded to come too but Nyaka explained that this was most likely a trap and there would be other times they could demonstrate their bravery. It took a lot of discussion and finally Nyaka had to order them to stay and detailed some of her followers to make sure they did.
They rode through the gates, the normal daily traffic of pedestrians, riders and wagons giving way to the mounted strangers, one on a large imposing warhorse which gazed about with intelligence, watchfully. Arwhon and Shiri, both in armour, weaponed and with strange eyes having no whites staring out from their helms, were an awesome sight. Word spread ahead of them, whispering like wind through the leaves of a forest. Traffic stopped and people gathered to stare at this strange sight as they passed by. Hardly anyone noticed Cringle, the Cheshwon man, somewhat nondescript, garbed in a dark cloak and riding a small pony. That was the way Cringle liked it.
Halfway down the main avenue to Furoshiko’s court, a contingent of mounted soldiers met them to escort them onward and as they approached the palace, the massive gates swung open to admit them, closing rapidly after they’d ridden through. There would be no easy way out. Arwhon felt himself being examined, light fingers
in his mind. No matter, he’d expected that and some things in there were easier to find than others. The inner gates opened and their escort halted as they alone rode forward into the heart of Furoshiko’s realm. Standing on the steps to greet them was Furoshiko himself, a large man with a dark beard clad in a long, blue silk jacket worn over dark trousers tucked into knee length boots. Beside him, dressed in skins was the beautiful, raven haired female Shaman Arwhon took for Geng, while on the other side of Furoshiko stood a tall blond woman.
They rained in at the base of the steps and dismounted. As they did, Furoshiko turned to go inside. They followed. Here the introductions were made. Arwhon saw the hate in Geng’s eyes when she regarded Zin. No love lost there but he didn’t have time to notice much else as he saw Cringle approach the blond woman. She took both his hands in hers and just stood looking at him, drinking in the son she’d had to leave behind all those years ago.
“Son.”
“Mother”
No other words were needed. Arwhon felt emotion grip him and clamped down on it. Now was not a time to open himself to feelings.
“Sit, relax, have some wine, we have a lot to talk about.” Furoshiko said. “I hear you are Royalty,” he directed at Cringle who was taking off his Darkwood cloak.
Cringle sat and observed Furoshiko as the wine was poured before replying carefully as he picked up his goblet.
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