by Dante King
Faryn shook her head. “Master Xilarion wrote a letter that informed him of the attack. He also reminded Emperor Talekon of the old bond between them. We had high hopes that the Emperor would send troops to discipline the Wysaro Clan, but, instead, he’s ordered us to stay quiet about what happened.”
I missed a step and almost tripped. “What?”
“He’s worried about social unrest and the security of the border. The province has returned to normal on the surface. Everyone is pretending that we didn’t go to war with ourselves.” Faryn smiled sadly. “It’s the nature of a political struggle, Ethan. Gone like dry leaves in a gust of wind.”
We passed a series of ponds that had been dug in the terraced ground. White and orange fish flitted through calm waters and poked their heads out to catch insects.
“How did you get here so much quicker than us?” Vesma asked shortly. “You had to travel just as far.”
Faryn smiled at her. “I am at one with the woods. I found a way.”
“Tolin doesn’t look like he’s at one with the woods.” Kegohr laughed.
“As I said, we found a way.”
“And you followed us just to catch us up on gossip?” Vesma asked.
“No, but there are parallels between the problems back home and your current task,” Faryn said as we crossed a narrow log bridge in a single file.
The elf halted and rummaged in her bag until she found a scroll. “Tolin says I’m terrible with details, so he had me write down a small report. Very impertinent of him, but I fear that he might be right.” Faryn unrolled the parchment and cleared her throat before she began to read.
“Just like back home, there are tensions here between a clan and a guild, two organizations with overlapping authority. The Qihin Clan has dominated the Diamond Coast for centuries. It was brought into the empire six generations ago but retained its own monarch, currently King Beqai. The Qihin are a proud and powerful people who remember that their ancestors once ruled themselves. They’re intensely loyal to their rulers, but they also serve the Emperor well, and Beqai was once one of his generals.
“The Resplendent Tears Guild was founded two decades after the Emperor ascended to his throne. It’s a water guild that decided the coast was the best place for raising and training Augmenters. The current leader is Guildmaster Horix.” Faryn tucked away the scroll as we moved down a set of stairs cut into the hills.
“What do we know about Horix?” I asked.
“He was a general for the Emperor at the same time as Beqai and Xilarion. The three of them were once friends. That’s why Guildmaster Xilarion believes the message you carry may help resolve the tensions between them.”
“Politics,” Kegohr groaned.
“I don’t care much for politics, either,” Faryn said. “That’s far more in Master Kyu’s area.”
“Doesn’t the Emperor have diplomats and politicians for all this?” I asked. “People who smooth over difficult relationships for a living, rather than hit them in the face with a sword?”
“It takes time for the imperial bureaucracy to act on anything,” Faryn said. “And the Emperor’s response to the Wysaros shows just how cautious he currently is. It’s best that both Guildmaster Horix and King Beqai hear the news sooner rather than later. Perhaps the news of what happened in our province will help them resolve their problems without bloodshed.
“War is coming with forces from beyond our borders. To stand strong, the Emperor will need the backing of all the clans and guilds. And for that to happen, he needs them to be at peace with each other.” Faryn plucked a dandelion from the grass at her feet. “Master Xilarion sees what many around the Emperor do not—that the many small fractures in the empire leave it fragile, ready to shatter at the first blow.” The dandelion seeds scattered to the winds as Faryn puffed them away to prove her point.
By now, we had reached an actual road of rounded rocks packed together with dirt. The path twisted past a last mile of fields into a wide expanse of marshes. Beyond that, the sea sparkled an aquamarine blue. Over to our right, the land rose to a headland. Craggy cliffs jutted aggressively out over a lagoon. A patchwork of islands could be seen a few miles from the shore, where boats peppered the waters between them and the mainland.
“What’s are those islands?” I asked Vesma.
She drew out her map and studied it for a second. “The Wild Isles,” she answered.
“It is no secret that the Wilds are disliked in this province,” Faryn said. “Qihin Clan is a noble family, but they are also Wilds themselves. They have protected those like them for centuries. If there is conflict between the clan and the guild, those isles could be at risk.”
“Then, we should get this letter to Horix right away,” I said.
“You should,” Faryn said, her eyes glistening as they stared at the islands. “But I’m afraid this is where we part ways.”
I looked at her in surprise. “You’re not going to join us all the way up to the guild house?”
Faryn shook her head. “Guilds are safe havens, for the most part. I’ve barely left the Radiant Dragon Guild in nearly two decades, and before then, I was never far from a guild’s influence. Or its safety.” The elf smiled softly. “Then, you came to us and turned everything on its head, Ethan. You adapted and showed courage unlike any person I’d ever seen. I decided I needed to follow your example and adapt more to this world I live in. So, no, I see no need to join you there. Not yet, at least.
“The best help I can offer isn’t to be with you every step of the way. You’re disciples of the Radiant Dragon Guild; you should be able to represent the guild by yourselves.” Faryn laughed. “You’re probably better with certain details, too. While you talk to the Resplendent Tears, I’ll be scouting out Vigorous Zones and finding healing herbs. After all, you’ll need to continue your training here. It’d be a waste for all of us to arrive at the Guild House as one.”
I couldn’t fault her logic.
“Find us when you can,” I said. “We’ll be at the guild. Or in the clan city.”
“Take care,” she said. “I will see you all soon.”
Faryn stepped off the road and into the fields. The green ears of rice swallowed up her form in seconds.
We headed out along the road, once again a merry band of three. Our journey led uphill toward the headland, and our pace slowed as we climbed the steep rise. By the time we neared the top, salt from my sweat had reached my lips.
Other travelers passed us on the road. They still seemed wary of Kegohr, but not as fearful as those who lived in the orchard communities. Some nodded hello or exchanged words of greeting. Kegohr helped a little old lady get her bags to a tearoom halfway up the hill, but she fled as soon as he handed them to her.
We stopped at the brow of the hill and stared out in wonder at the view. Unlike the Wild Isles, I saw a single island standing proudly a mile or two out to sea. Most of the landmass was taken up with a single great crag of rock, its edges worn smooth by years of storm winds and sea spray. In the shelter of the rock stood an elaborate structure of towers and fortified walls. The sun combed over the building, and it shone in a way that only ice could. The guild house’s peaks gleamed in the sunlight, and waves crashed at their base.
We were just a mile or two away from the Guild of Resplendent Tears.
Chapter Five
Waves crashed against the rocky shoreline as we made our way off the cliff and down a large wooden hut at its base. The building sat on stilts caked with seaweed, barnacles, and salt. A banner flying from its roof bore the teardrop symbol of the Resplendent Tears Guild. Half a dozen boats painted in blue and white laid on the shingle beside the hut.
A soldier came out of the hut to meet us as we approached the boats. She wore a tabard with the guild’s emblem and carried a bow across her back.
“Can I help you, disciples?” She smiled up at us before she noticed Kegohr and frowned. “Is he a Wild?” she asked me.
“He’s my friend,” I sai
d to avoid the question. I thrust the letter from Xilarion into her hand. “We are outer disciples of the Radiant Dragon Guild. We have a letter from our Guildmaster to Guildmaster Horix, to be delivered to Resplendent Tears personally.”
The soldier took the scroll and was only satisfied after she studied the official seal. I didn’t know if she had any way of verifying it was real, but it was the closest I had to a badge of authority.
“Hop aboard.” She gestured to the nearest boat. “I’ll take you to the island.”
The boat shifted as we climbed into it. Kegohr’s weight almost threatened to capsize the craft, but it evened itself out when the guard followed us into it. There were no sails or oars, and no one was coming to push us out into the water.
The soldier laid her hand on a well-worn carving of a seahorse at the back of the boat. . Sapphire-colored lines of magic shot like electricity down the edges of the boat. There was a crunch as the craft slid down the shingle and into the sea.
“Well, ain’t that something,” Kegohr breathed.
“Isn’t it?” the soldier agreed without looking at him.
We slid through the waves, driven by the same magic that had carried us down the beach. The waves parted before our prow and sent up a fine spray of salt water that cooled my skin. The speed of the craft blew loose strands of hair around my face.
We crossed the strait separating the guild island from the shore with remarkable swiftness. The rocky outcrop of the island towered over us while points of light reflected from the towers and danced like bright insects across our skin. Our sightseeing tour came to an end as we slid up to a quay at the base of the guild house. The soldier took her hand off the carving. The lines of blue energy faded from the timber of the boat, and we slowed to a stop. I exited the craft alongside Kegohr and Vesma.
“The main gates are at the far side of the docks,” she said. “Welcome to the Resplendent Tears, disciples.”
The boat turned at the guard’s direction without a further word and slid back through the waves toward the shore guardhouse.
Kegohr heaved a sigh from his massive chest. “I’m glad she’s gone.”
“They can’t all be that bad, Kegohr,” Vesma said. “Don’t worry.”
We strolled along the quay that had been built out of neatly carved blocks of the same stone that made up the crag above. The walls of the guild house towered hundreds of feet into the air above us. This close, I could see that the base was made of marble, but the upper tiers seemed to be made of ice. Despite the fact that such a building should have melted long ago. I recalled the pillar of undying flame in the Radiant Dragon Guild House and reminded myself that this world brimmed with magic. A tower of ice and marble on a sunny beach didn’t seem so strange after that.
An argument was taking place outside the massive gates of brass. On one side of the disagreement was a guy in his 20s with dark skin and some of the same fish-like features as the Wild bandits we’d met earlier, but the less-pronounced fish features, a blue tunic, and knee-length trousers of fine material marked him as a different breed than the princess’ attackers. A barbed spear hung from his back and caught the light of the sun as he moved.
The other figure was a woman with coffee-colored skin and long black hair tied back in seashell-decorated braids. It took me a second to recognize her as the clan princess we’d rescued earlier. The bikini-like top and long skirt of light fabric that split all the way up to her hips had thrown me off. I’d only ever seen her naked. A Wild mark on her back, framed by two butterfly daggers, made it that much easier to identify her.
I interrupted their mutual glare with a question. “Can I offer my help once again?”
Her eyes widened in surprise and recognition as she turned to face me.
“Much gratitude,” she said with a laugh, “But no. I regret that you didn’t wait a moment longer before springing to my rescue. I might’ve shown you mettle equal to your own. But I’m being impolite. I am Princess Kumi, daughter of King Beqai. This is my brother, Prince Labu.”
“A pleasure, your highness,” I said with a bow.
“You would do well,” Nydarth murmured in my mind, “to stop picturing the young fish naked.”
I fought off the desire and rapped my knuckles against the hilt of the Sundered Heart to silence the dragon spirit.
“No need for the ‘highness,’ part” the princess said. “Friends and rescuers call me Kumi.”
“And I’m Ethan,” I said. “This is Vesma and Kegohr.”
“Pleased to meet you two,” Kumi said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
She raised a fist and hammered on one of the guild’s gates. The sound boomed around us, enhanced by the echo chamber of the gateway.
Kumi whirled on her brother. “You said you’d get me an audience, Labu!”
Labu folded his arms across his chest. “I told you, you’re wasting everyone’s time.”
A smaller gate opened from the base of the larger one, and a young man appeared. Carefully parted hair swept across his forehead as he leaned against the frame of the smaller gate. Brushed blue robes tumbled over thigh-high boots and a sheathed katana. One look at the guy’s boyish looks and flawless dress, and I knew that whoever he was, we weren’t destined for friendship. He was too clean, too neat, and everything in his posture screamed arrogance.
“What do you want?” the fancily dressed guild member demanded.
“It’s good to see you too, Cadrin,” Kumi said. “Your guild has guests.”
I stepped forward and offered my hand. Cadrin didn’t take it. His flint-gray eyes examined us dismissively and lingered on Vesma in a way I took issue with.
“My name is Ethan Murphy lo Pashat,” I said. “These are my companions, Vesma and Kegohr. We are outer disciples of the Radiant Dragon Guild. We’re here to deliver a message to Guildmaster Horix.”
“No Wilds,” Cadrin drawled with a nod at Kegohr. “Kumi could have told you that.”
I’d met this guy for all of 30 seconds and the urge to bloody his nose was growing steadily stronger. I inhaled and filled my chest with air before I exhaled through my nose.
“We’re here at the request of Guildmaster Xilarion,” I said.
I flashed the letter with its intricate wax seal. Cadrin took it, examined it carefully, and handed it back. He nodded at Vesma and I.
“You’re clear to go through. The Wild stays with his kind.”
“I request an audience with Guildmaster Horix,” Kumi stated with the practiced tongue of a diplomat. “I’m sure Labu has already told you, but our crops are mysteriously disappearing whenever the members of the guild venture out to hunt. There is also the matter of the Isles. Someone is causing dissension among the people there.”
“Unsubstantiated rumors, Kumi,” Cadrin said. “And ones you ought not lay blame on the guild for. You are not in Qihin territory here. And, if I must repeat myself, we do not allow Wilds within these walls. Two Wilds are twice the trouble. And a third could very well cause the guild house to crumble around us.” He chuckled under his breath and gave her an oily smile. “The very sight of you will offend honest guildsmen.”
I gritted my teeth and resisted the urge to crack Cadrin’s little skull off the brass gates.“We’ll be sure to return to Xilarion and tell him that the Resplendent Tears Guild is being unreasonable and that you have no intention of communicating with the outside world. Your name was Cadrin, wasn’t it, for when I make my report?”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Cadrin said with a sneer. “Threatening to impugn my honor to get your way. Such is the way of those without good breeding, and those who befriend such.”
“I don’t threaten; I act. So, tell me; do I need to act?”
Cadrin narrowed his eyes, and his hand closed around the hilt of his sword.
I gave him a look that dared him to make a move. I just needed an excuse. My friends shifted uncomfortably behind me as Cadrin and I locked eyes. For a moment, I thought that things were about to turn viole
nt, but Cadrin stepped away from the entrance and waved Vesma and Kegohr through.
“If you must,” he spat as he glared at Kegohr. “But you go straight to the visitors’ quarters on the far side of the yard. No wandering elsewhere unsupervised.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Kegohr said. “We got it. You coming, Effin?”
“I’ll catch up. Go get comfortable, big guy. You deserve it.” I pulled Vesma aside. “You make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble. This place doesn’t seem all that friendly to his kind.”
“Do you really think I need to take care of him? He’s more than capable of taking care of himself.”
“I know. But I’d rather not start a fight when we’re meant to be delivering a message.”
Vesma nodded, and I handed the scroll to her. “What should I do with it?”
“See if you can get an audience with Guildmaster Horix. I want it delivered to him personally.”
“And what will you do?”
“I want to know more about the Qihin Clan. And we have two members right here. If you deliver the message, and I speak with these two, then we might be able to leave the Diamond Coast pretty soon.”
I didn’t exactly want to leave when I’d just gained a new element and could acquire more water techniques, but the conflict between the guild and the clan was something I’d rather stay out of. I’d learned not to get involved with warring factions wherever possible. If we stayed too long, I’d probably end up getting thrown into the mix.
Vesma raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Kumi. “And you giving me this letter and staying outside the gates has nothing to do with how beautiful the princess is?”
I shrugged. “It’ll just make the discussion more enjoyable.”
Vesma gave me a playful punch before she stashed the letter and made for the gates where Kegohr was waiting. Cadrin moved further than necessary to get away from Kegohr as he bent and made his way sideways through the gate. Vesma followed and gave Cadrin a wintry smile as she passed him.
“I see why you keep her around, at least,” Cadrin said as his gaze swept over Vesma’s rear. “I haven’t seen an ass that pert in weeks.”