Awakenings

by C. D. Espeseth

  Echinni felt another rush of nerves. She had sung at royal parties, balls, banquets, and receptions before; she had sung at the Oratorio, performed in front of the Singer elite, kings and queens, but all those performances had held a sense of rigid propriety and detachment. But out there, the atmosphere was charged with excitement, playfulness, boisterous exuberance and a subtle tension of expected brilliance. It made Echinni tingle right down to her toes.

  This was how music and art should be appreciated. Celebrated in all its forms and expressions, not contained in religious scripture bound by manners and propriety.

  Echinni couldn’t wait to begin.

  As if echoing her thoughts, the act on stage finished, and Echinni only then realised it was already the group of violinists bowing before the crowd. Crews of stagehands were rushing to help the violinists pack and leave the stage.

  “We’re up!” Echinni squeaked.

  “This is going to be amazing,” Kai said as he grinned from ear to ear.

  Echinni reached and straightened the lapel of Kai’s dark black waistcoat and felt her stomach flutter as her fingers brushed against his exposed chest. He is so warm. She smiled and withdrew her hand quickly, she had wanted to keep feeling the firm lines of his muscled chest but caught herself before it had become even more inappropriate. What am I doing!? She chastised herself, remembering her father’s words. She had to be careful with her attention towards him.

  “The colour suits you,” Echinni said to Kai in a quick attempt to cover her embarrassment.

  He smiled at her, and Echinni felt her world melt for a brief heartbeat.

  “And you are the most beautiful woman here,” Kai said softly. Their eyes locked and for an instant, Echinni was just a young woman, staring at a man who made butterflies dance in her stomach.

  She smoothed the light gossamer lace covering her stomach once again. The near see-through white lace hinted at her dark skin beneath. It was a dress she would never be allowed to wear as the high princess, but it made her feel good, young, attractive and full of life and sensuality. “Enough of that, you philistine,” she said, but couldn’t hide her smile. She forced down the flutter in her stomach and composed herself, “It isn’t appropriate.”

  “Philistine huh ...” Kai thought for a moment. “I think I like that. Sounds important.”

  “Will you two shut up?” Jachem scowled beside them. “It’s time to go! Ready?”

  “Sorry,” Echinni whispered and raised her eyebrows to Kai, smiling at how Jachem hadn’t even flinched at rebuking the daughter of the High King. It was nice to be treated as an equal.

  “We’ll be fine, Jachem.” Echinni was trying to reassure herself as much as their stout guitarist. “We’ve been practising so much, and you always play perfectly.”

  “I know.” Jachem shook his head in annoyance. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”

  “You say the nicest things, Jachem,” Kai said as he quietly chuckled to himself. “Don’t ever change.”

  The violinists made their way through the curtains. “Have fun,” the last of the group said quietly as she hurried past. “You look great.” The violinist gave them a parting smile and a thumbs up for luck.

  And then it was time.

  Xu Li had returned sometime during the last performance, and she ushered them onto the stage. Echinni saw the small piece of linen stuck to the spot where Xu Li’s bone eyebrow ring had once been and thought it odd how she noticed such a small thing at a time like this.

  “The Ascendants!” a voice rang out from on stage. The master of ceremonies had made a grand sweeping gesture in their direction as they walked out to greet the crowd.

  This was it. She was going to do it, the Princess of the Nine Nations, performing on the elite stage of contemporary music, where artists and musicians from all corners of the Salucia came to ply their trade. Echinni felt as if she should have been part of this her whole life, yet only now had she realised it, only now was she truly able to be who she wanted to be.

  The blue lanterns around the stage dimmed.

  An anticipatory silence swept through the room.

  And then, in that silence, cries of outrage could be heard building outside. It was like the sound of angry bees which even the walls of Keef’s Tavern, the vaunted Blue Oratorio, could not keep at bay.

  For a moment, the silence persisted, and everyone in the tavern listened to what they had come here to forget: a city in disarray and chaos on the streets.

  It had started, somewhere in the city a spark had been thrown into the kindling of the potential riots, and it was happening right outside. Panic began to ripple through the crowd as the anger of the voices outside became unmistakable.

  No, Echinni thought, don’t take this away from me.

  It was then the Will roared to life and began to tear through Echinni like a river bursting through a dam. The lights of the blue lanterns flared to life ripping away the happy glow on stage, and with that light came illumination on what they had seen as soon as they had entered the tavern.

  The rude doorman, the sheer number of Xinnish employees, and Xu Li’s bloody eyebrow piercing. Bone rings were given to a Xinnish child on their fifth birthday. They didn’t bleed when you were nearly thirty as Xu Li was, which meant Xu Li was not truly Xinnish.

  “It’s–” Echinni said.

  “A trap,” Yuna growled beside her. Yuna spun towards the wooden case of her octobass and her hidden weapons but grunted in pain before she even took a step.

  The blue lanterns grew brighter still until they were blinding. Echinni covered her eyes reflexively and then heard something hiss through the air.

  She heard Yuna gasp again. Shocked gasps and cries rang out from the audience. Echinni heard something heavy hit the stage floor.

  “Help,” Echinni stammered turning to dive towards her protector.

  But as Echinni turned, her world shattered.

  Four feathered darts stuck out from Yuna’s neck and the woman who was as invincible as a mountain crumpled to the stage floor with her eyes bulging as she lay helpless. Yuna’s hands tried to force their way to her neck, but she couldn’t push past whatever poison was tearing through her.

  “Well enough is enough I suppose, no use letting this farce go on any further,” a cruel voice cut through the panicked cries of the crowd.

  The lanterns dimmed so she could once again see past the stage lights.

  “Though, I would like to have heard you sing first. A pity. Your voice is meant to be one of the great wonders of our world.” A man dressed head to toe in black leather armour stepped out from the shadows in one of the private alcoves. Dark metal claws protruded from his leather gauntlets, and two short swords were strapped to his hips. “Even I can appreciate a good tune when I hear one.”

  Within an instant, dozens of similarly clad assassins crept out of the shadows around them, emerging from within the crowd and around the stage as they discarded their disguises.

  Echinni ignored them, as all she could do was watch helplessly as Yuna convulsed on the stage in front of her. “Yuna! Help her! Somebody help her!”

  Echinni’s scream triggered something in Yuna, and a bestial roar erupted from the immobile giantess. Yuna surged up onto her feet. Within a split second, she had reached the leather-clad man. Her giant hand wrapped around his throat and the man gargled a scream as she snapped the bones of his neck beneath her massive hand. Yuna flung the dead man into two of the onrushing assassins.

  “Stay back!” a voice commanded. “Hit her again!”

  Two more feathered darts blossomed from Yuna’s chest.

  “No!” Echinni cried. “No!”

  “Stay there!” Yuna yelled as spittle began to foam through her mouth. Yuna’s hand warned Echinni away.

  “Again!” the man in charge with the metal claws yelled.

  Another two darts sunk into Yuna’s outstretched arm, and whatever strength her guardian, her surrogate sister, her solid centre of unflinching love an
d protection had left fled, and Yuna fell to the stage once more. This time, she remained still.

  “No!” Echinni whimpered. “Yuna! No ... it can’t be. This can’t be right. No ...” Echinni looked around for help but found none. Her eyes found Xu Li, and Echinni saw the blowgun in her hands.

  Echinni heard Kai roar and saw him punch Wan, who, now dressed in leather armour, had come down and attempted to grab Kai.

  “Stay away from her!” Kai moved to stand in front of Echinni, but Wan had already recovered from the punch.

  “Not bad,” Wan said to Kai licking the blood from his lip.

  Quick as lightning Wan’s knee shot up and drove into Kai’s gut, doubling Kai over. Wan slammed an elbow down on the back of Kai’s head, dropping Kai to the stage. Jachem threw himself at Wan, enraged.

  Wan staggered back as he blocked Jachem’s frenzied attack. The thug kicked a foot straight up, catching Jachem square in the face. Jachem slumped stupidly but somehow managed to grab onto Wan as he fell, throwing his weight onto the big thug.

  Echinni saw Jachem sink his teeth into Wan’s leg before another punch knocked Jachem out cold.

  “Stop it!” Echinni yelled. “Leave them! What do you want?”

  The lead assassin waved a hand at Wan, and the man finally stopped.

  “Stop it,” Echinni choked out through her tears, but her voice failed her. She told herself to try and run, to fight back somehow, to resist, but she couldn’t move. The sudden, shocking emptiness inside her had paralysed her.

  “The Xinnish do not take kindly to being hunted down in your cities, Princess,” the leader declared for everyone in Keef’s to hear. “Maybe your father will pay more attention when it is his daughter who is murdered in cold blood just as Princess Elise Syun was so many months ago!”

  The claw-gloved man was now on stage with them. He raised his hands in the air and turned to the crowded masses of panicked nobles and wealthy merchants, “Let it be known! The High King’s daughter will be executed tonight! Blood for blood!” He paused, letting his threat sink in. He smiled as he spoke, “Now run, you rich cowards! Run to your king. We’ll save him a front row seat so he may witness his daughter’s end in the square outside.”

  The doors were flung open, and the terrified occupants of Keef’s stampeded towards the exits. Any who resisted were cut down with ruthless efficiency.

  “Now, what of the giant?” the lead assassin asked.

  Echinni watched, stunned, as Xu Li, or whatever her real name was, put fingers to Yuna’s neck, “she’s paralyzed. The atropine in those new darts which our benefactor gave us has finally taken affect.”

  “Good. You’re lucky you had enough.” The claw-gloved man looked sternly at Xu Li.

  “Two should have done it! Three was the most I’ve ever needed, and that toppled a nine-foot Wendigo. Eight? That’s enough to drop Orcanus herself.” Xu Li shook her head. “It shouldn’t have been possible.”

  “This one might have given Lady Death a challenge. We’re all lucky you had enough.” The leader of the assassins shook his head angrily. “Haven’t you heard of Yuna Swiftriver? If she had gotten to her sword, we’d all be dead.”

  The claw-gloved man looked down at Yuna and saw the giantess’s eyes moving, watching him. The muscle’s on Yuna’s neck were taut with her continued effort to try and fight through the toxin in her body.

  “Ah, you’re still awake. Good. You can watch what we do to the others.” The lead assassin shook his head in wonder. “Looks like gathering all that belladonna bramble in the blasted isles paid off after all. Both our employers will want to know the results.”

  He waved at Yuna. “Bind her and bring her.” He motioned for five others to help with the body. “And her sword. She can have a Navutian funeral like her long-dead daddy would have wanted,” the assassin said, grinning, “though Navutians are usually dead before they get thrown on the pyre.”

  Echinni felt numb.

  This couldn’t be happening. She had been so stupid.

  “What about these two?” one of the assassins said.

  “More for the fire. They can be the warm-up act.” The clawed assassin smiled.

  Xu Li crouched to hoist Yuna up with the other assassins.

  Something inside Echinni snapped, “Don’t you touch her! Get your filthy hands off her!”

  Echinni was on Xu Li before anyone realised what was happening.

  Echinni felt her fingernails sink into flesh. She scraped as hard as she could, raking her hands as fast as she could make them go, “You don’t get to touch her!”

  Something smashed into her face, and Echinni saw stars for an instant before she felt the ground knock the wind from her lungs.

  “Orcanus take you! What the hells are you doing?!” the claw-gloved man yelled.

  “She nearly took my eye out!” Xu Li protested. Red lines of blood ran down the wendigo hunter’s face.

  “It’s your lesson for letting Swiftriver kill my man.” The lead assassin placed a metal claw on Xu Li’s cheek, just beneath her eye.

  Xu Li didn’t dare move.

  The assassin’s other hand pointed to Echinni, “That one is to remain in pristine condition. Daddy needs to see her, you follow?”

  Xu Li’s head nodded as much as the claw under her eye allowed.

  “Good,” the lead assassin sneered. “That is if daddy even gets this far.” The lead assassin chuckled as he walked over to stand above Echinni staring down at her. The metal claws, each as sharp as razors flicked beside her head. Echinni felt her mask strap snap back, and her mask fell away from her face. He rested the side of one of his claws on her face. It was cold.

  “There you are,” the assassin whispered as he looked into her eyes, and then down at her gloved hand. “Silly thing about nobles,” he said, pulling the glove off, “they never think about these rings they wear.”

  The assassin pulled Echinni’s ring off roughly, the one with the royal emblem, and handed it to a subordinate. “Here take this and tie it to the letter ...” The man studied Echinni for a moment. A sharp claw whisked by Echinni’s head so fast she hadn’t seen his hand move. “... and this.” He held one of Echinni’s braids in his hand. “That should get the High King’s attention. Now, take her to the roof, and put the other three down in the basement,” the clawed assassin ordered.

  “My father will wade through those people out there like a scythe through the wheat,” Echinni said in confusion. “You don’t know what he can do. Those are your people out there! Innocent people from Xin Ya.”

  The lead assassin laughed, “Don’t you get it? That’s the point. It’s always been the point. This day has been planned for a very long time, all we needed was the right opportunity.”

  Echinni was hauled to her feet as pieces finally began to fit together. Everything her father had been telling her was true. They had been outmanoeuvred. The Xinnish were behind the riots the whole time, she realised. But it wasn’t just them, he had said ‘both’ of his employers. They had been betrayed.

  The world suddenly became horribly real as she numbly watched as Yuna’s paralyzed form was dragged away.

  It was then Echinni knew she was going to die. They were all going to die, and it was all because of her, and to her horror, she could still feel the Will buzzing within.

  Her blind arrogance in thinking she knew what the Will was, believing that it meant her no harm, that it was righteous and good. Her father had been right all along, and she had ignored his warnings. Now, because of her stupidity and arrogance, she had led them all to their doom.

  In the old stories, the gods laughed at the whims and desires of mankind, didn’t they? Why would Halom be any different? Echinni had been so blissfully naïve. The Will wasn’t the whispering song of a benevolent god guiding her to do good things. It just pushed her along a path and Echinni had ignored all the warnings because she hadn’t wanted to see them.

  They were all going to die because she had been a naïve little girl.


  33 - A Fire Within

  Kali appears to be stable. That last simulation was an anomaly.

  It had to be. It just had to be.

  The voices have started again. I hear them in the dark when the lights blink out behind me.

  Whispering, always, whispering.

  “You were wrong,” they say.

  “Madness,” I counter.

  “Yes,” they agree, for my madness was inevitable really. All this time alone. What other outcome could there have been?

  “You were wrong,” the voices say in my ear, and my mind dwells once more on that damned simulation which now triggers every time I turn on the model. I skew the starting condition’s past tolerances, and it is always the same. Endless cycling. Endless.

  Is Kali taunting me?

  -Journal of Robert Mannford Day 312 Year 68

  Adel

  The Academy, New Toeron, Bauffin

  Adel was burning. Energy surged through her with every step. She had her father’s black sword again, thanks to Echinni, but at that moment the burning pain felt good, and she let it course through her.

  She deserved it, deserved the pain.

  Fellow Callahan had said that Lady Buika had been wrong to try and use her, yet he had not stopped the lady from doing so. He had known what Lady Buika’s plans were, but he hadn’t told Adel, hadn’t helped her avoid this mess.

  Then there was what High King Mihane had said about the coup attempt being what Senior Prefect Stonebridge had warned him of. Did that mean Lady Buika had something to do with all of the murders in the city? Had Lady Buika been helping Thannis and the witch kill Xinnish citizens to undermine the High King’s authority and control?

  Adel thought so, and Callahan hadn’t stopped it. So what did that make him in all this? Did he not care?

  She didn’t know if she could trust anyone in power any more. Maybe Echinni. The high princess had felt genuine and seemed to care. She said she could feel Halom’s Will, so that had to mean she could be trusted, didn’t it?