“Sume, I apologize for upsetting you,” Jarche said. “I did not realize…”
“It’s not your fault,” Sume murmured. “They hid this from me.”
“It may not have been a prudent thing to mention, considering.”
“Considering I was sleeping with both of them and maybe I was too naïve to expect more honesty because of it?” Sume gave a soft groan. “It explains so much. How could I have been so foolish?”
“Well,” Jarche said, grimacing. “For one thing, they don’t look alike. I’m led to believe Kefier takes after his mother’s side of the family. Also, they have not been in good terms for many years now. Sume, do you need to sit down somewhere? You are walking in circles.”
“No,” she said. “I’m all right. I do feel the need to kill someone, but that can wait.”
“You feel betrayed,” Jarche observed.
“I don’t think you understand the half of it.”
“I think I do. We do not live our lives unchanged by time. For a time, at separate times, you loved them both. And now?”
“Now I just want to kill them,” she said.
“A fair enough answer,” Jarche replied. “Try to wait until we get to Eheldeth. Murder in broad daylight, I’m told, is a terrible crime in Dageis.”
Chapter Three
Walking back into Eheldeth gave Enosh the impression that the passage of time meant nothing to it. In the past three years, nothing had changed—he even recognized the same, harassed-looking giver taking his students for a walk along the gardens, looking just as aged as when he saw him last.
Their reception was warmer than Enosh had reason to believe they deserved. Out on the main steps, which were kept frost-free despite the intensity of the snowfall, Firekeeper Ceres was waiting for them with open arms. She drew Enosh into an embrace that went on for a moment too long. He had to push her away, remembering Sume behind him.
“I’m pleased to see you haven’t forgotten me, Keeper Ceres,” Enosh said with a bow. “You—well, you’re related to Sapphire, so you’d know her. This here is my old mentor, Jarche, though I would appreciate discretion regarding her presence here. Her importance to our mission cannot be understated.” Sume was surprised at how easily she could now detect the smooth, rehearsed tone he used to mask his true feelings.
“A ka-eng,” Ceres murmured. “I may need to speak to you in private, oh ancient one.”
Jarche frowned.
“She doesn’t like it when you say that,” Enosh said. He took Sume’s hand, surprising her as he lifted it to his lips. “And of course, you know Sume alon gar Kaggawa, mother of my child.”
“A pleasure, as always, Sume,” Ceres said, with no hint of jealousy in her eyes. “Come, all of you. As I have indicated the last time we all spoke, you are not prisoners here. Do not feel the need to leave the way you did three years ago. You deeply wounded the prefect’s feelings.”
“Couldn’t stop crying for days,” Daro said, grinning wolfishly at Enosh. “Next time though, I might demand a duel for my pride.”
They entered the hall. Mage-thralls arrived to take their coats. Ceres’ face grew sombre. “I do have some news for you, Prefect. I am not sure how I could break them to you gently. Please remember that we need to keep a clear head in times like these.”
Daro turned to her. “What are you saying? Did something happen to Mahe?”
“Tribune Amiren,” Ceres continued, “and her cohort responded to an attack on Fort Oras several days ago. We did not receive the report until just yesterday. It appears that they were overwhelmed.”
All the blood seemed to drain from Daro’s face. “I don’t understand,” he said. “I thought they were just there to bolster up the defences, for show.”
“The situation with Hafod turned out to be direr than we anticipated. General Takas told me that they were reinforced by a mercenary army from Kago, who attacked decisively, with little regard for their own safety. It seems like Tribune Amiren had the situation under control for a time, but the arrival of an agan-wrought creature from their side gave them the upper hand. Our forces at the fort were wiped clean. There is still no report from Tribune Amiren. She is either dead or taken prisoner. We don’t know enough to determine yet.”
“Rosha,” Sume broke in. She glanced at Enosh. “Our daughter was being trained by Yn Garr to control the thing. She was headed that way.”
“We guessed it was Naijwa’s beast as well,” Ceres said. “Yn Garr’s Boarshind is the only mercenary army of any significant size operating in those parts.”
“Mahe…I’m sorry, Tribune Amiren —she would not die so easily,” Daro said. He still sounded very calm, but his entire body, down to his fingers, was shaking.
“I realize the news may have hit you hard, Prefect,” Ceres said. “We can give you a few weeks’ leave to…”
“No. Don’t say grieve.” He straightened himself up and saluted. “Firekeeper Ceres, I am formally requesting to be sent to Lon Basden to obtain information about the attack on Fort Oras.”
“It is chaos out there, Prefect. Let us be honest. With your old injuries, you would be a walking target in a battlefield. Yet you are valuable, and Eheldeth would rather not lose you to this war.”
“If it is indeed war, we cannot afford to put my personal safety over the good of the empire. I will leave the rest of my soldiers behind and go alone. Please, Keeper…”
Ceres hesitated before placing her hand on Daro’s shoulder. “I will make the arrangements. Take your soldiers with you, however. It isn’t safe out there.”
“You have my thanks, Keeper.”
“Keep faith in the gods. We do not truly know that she is lost to us, yet.”
“No, Keeper. I would know if she was dead.”
“You are dismissed, Prefect As’ondaro. Go and get some rest.”
He bowed stiffly, a blank expression on his face, and left them.
“We ought to go with him, too,” Enosh said.
“Not all of us,” Sapphire replied. “There are things I need to discuss with Ceres. And the prisoner, of course, is not free to go back and support Yn Garr in his little war against the empire. To allow her otherwise would be treason.”
“Oh, dear. I did tell them they weren’t prisoners, didn’t I?” Ceres asked.
“You always did made poor decisions,” Sapphire said in a low voice.
Ceres caught Enosh’s eye and tittered. “I try my cousin’s patience. We may make a giver out of you, yet, my dearest Sapphire. My apologies,” she said, bowing at Jarche. “You have the honour of staying as a distinguished guest, one too valuable to allow to romp about in backwater Dageis without having experienced the finest Eheldeth has to offer.”
“The words that come out of you…” Sapphire murmured.
“Now you know what I feel about you,” Enosh said.
Enosh had seen enough illustrations of Drusgaya sketched out by talented artists to get an impression of the size and magnificence of the city. The heart of the Dageian Empire, the entire city took up the majority of a small peninsula and a couple of islands on the western half of the continent. Even Sapphire, who normally didn’t get excited about anything, seemed a little awed when talking about it.
Despite knowing all of this, seeing Drusgaya unfold below him from an airship still took his breath away.
Six bridges connected the city to the mainland, with each wide enough to accommodate four carriages travelling at the same speed at the same time. There were more towers than he could count, with the four tallest ones formed around the massive Teleres Palace, the seat of the government and official residence of the Dageian Emperor.
The stark whiteness of the snow made it easy to see the ant-like motions of the populace from the sky. Enosh could make out the trams that provided transportation around the city. Powered by the agan, they could be found nowhere else, though he had heard talks of having rails constructed in Bardes and Fierles within the next five years. The proposal for Fierles, it seemed,
was to power the trams using horses instead, to reduce the drain on the agan connections in Dageis. Such a thing could never be suggested in Drusgaya—the pampered citizens could not bear the sight of horseshit on the roads.
There were multiple airship towers scattered throughout the city. Enosh saw theirs heading for a tower by the docks. He sauntered up to Sume, who had been sitting quietly in the corner by herself since their journey began. “This is why Dageis rules the continent,” he said. “How can you be impressed by all the other cities in Vir after seeing this?”
“You’ve never seen Shirrokaru. It had its own grandeur,” Sume said.
Enosh smiled. “But not like this. Not even close. I believe Shirrokaru is not even a tenth of the size of Drusgaya. A hamlet, in comparison.”
She looked at him. She wasn’t smiling. He scratched the back of his head. “I was going to say—did you know they hired fifty artists just to carve out that statue in the Teleres Palace gardens? You can see it from here if you squint hard enough.”
“Why have you never told me that Kefier is your brother?”
Enosh gave her his best smile, which seemed to have an opposite effect than intended. She turned away. He sighed. “Jarche told you.”
“It’s a question I’d very much like an answer to, Enosh. I have no desire to engage in exchanging theories on who betrayed you this time.”
“It wasn’t important.”
Sume bit her lip. The way she did that was bothering him lately; it was clear to him that there were a lot of things she wanted to say. If she had found the courage to speak up to him he was sure he could offer a number of different explanations she would find sufficient.
“Sume, if you want to discuss this, I—”
“I’d like to be alone for now, if that’s all right with you,” she said.
Enosh walked towards Daro, whose mood offered even a less chance for a cordial conversation. “We’re hitting the tower soon,” Daro said. “I would advise both of you to stay close.”
“With Dageian society the way it is, I think we’ll blend in just fine,” Enosh said.
“That’s not it at all,” Daro said, flexing his fingers. He was staring intently at the tower. It was getting closer.
Enosh felt his skin crawl.
The airship shook as it crested up to the wooden platform sticking out from the tower. The crew began anchoring. The snowfall, which had been a light flurry up until that time, got stronger. Blinking back against the force of the wind and the biting cold around him, Enosh felt Daro grab him by the collar and haul him over the platform. “Run,” Daro hissed. Enosh tottered down the steps, taking Sume by the wrist. Daro followed right behind them.
The snowstorm dissipated just as they turned around the corner. Enosh didn’t stop to ask for questions and allowed Daro to lead them towards the docks. They clambered down a flight of limestone steps, leading to the sea, and found themselves behind a massive wall.
Daro glanced around before unbuttoning his outer uniform. Despite the cold, he pulled it off and exchanged it for a nondescript, brown jacket from his pack.
“I thought you weren’t allowed to work with the agan,” Enosh said.
“It’s amazing how lax they get after three years of good behaviour. If anybody asks,” he added, pointing at Enosh, “you tried to escape.”
“Your reports must be peppered with that phrase.”
“I’m a soldier. I never learn.” He swung his pack over his shoulder. “Hurry, before my men catch onto what I did.”
They made their way across the pier, past giant ships that Enosh had never seen in the Kag. The Dageian Empire’s trading activities extended beyond the continent and Enosh could see ships flying flags from lands as far as Forrehs, Quieflain, the City-States of Akkhan Anu-Rotha, Sorna, Tohltown, and the Empire of Ziri-nar-Orxiaro. He even caught sight of a small vessel from Herey, a sleepy-looking sailor perched over the edge of the bow.
“Your mind’s already making plans, isn’t it? All the opportunities, the possibilities…” Daro murmured.
Enosh nodded. “Making trade connections in Dageis is difficult, especially if you’re coming from the Kag. Stone and iron does not seem to impress Dageians at all.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Daro snorted. “The Dageians think little of the Kag’s rustic appeal. Such items, if necessary, can be obtained elsewhere, and at better prices.”
“They don’t have Caelian stone.”
“A point. Perhaps if the look becomes fashionable, there’ll be a need for it. Now, I’m told that there is interest in Jin-Sayeng dragon scales, but of course Jin-Sayeng have always turned their noses up on dealing with anyone outside of the Kag.”
“Even that’s not working out so well,” Sume said. “And it’s not like we have dragons in that quantity, anymore.”
“A pity. If only the rest of the world got along half as well as we do. We’re here.” Daro pointed. They had reached a section of the docks containing a handful of small ships. He looked around first before making his way towards a fishing vessel. An old woman was shovelling snow from the deck.
“I thought you’d be here, Grandma,” he said.
The woman looked up. “You little whelp,” she replied, her Kagosh deeply accented with Shi-uin tones. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t show up unless it’s my funeral.”
“You know the military keeps us busy.”
The woman waved the broom at him. “You and your excuses! Where’s Mahe?”
“She was assigned to Lon Basden, Grandma.”
“Without you?”
“She outranks me now.”
“And when were you planning to tell me?”
“Probably your funeral, since you kept insisting. Grandma, I need to use the Sweet Balla.”
The woman stared at him. The deep wrinkles on her face softened. “You want to follow her without your Dageian chains.”
“You know me too well.”
“And why shouldn’t I? After all these years, Izo, you still refuse to give up this post. If King Hyougen still walked amongst us, his heart would be at ease.”
“It is not just that, Grandma.”
The old woman tottered down the ramp, holding on to the ropes to steady herself. Daro stepped forward to help her. “You seem to grow taller every time I see you,” she said as she found her footing. “Go with my blessing.” She held out her hand.
Izo took it, pressed it against his cheek. “Give my love to the children.”
“They are children no longer, Izo. None of you are. But if you find the time, let us sit down for a meal after you both return. I will make that cod and mussel bake you love so much.” The woman waved at them as she walked back to the pier.
“You’re a man of Gorent, Enosh,” Daro said, stomping up the ramp. “You must remember how to sail.”
Enosh grimaced as he followed him on deck. “Not exactly. I used to have a boat. Not quite the same thing.”
“He had a ship, too, but he paid people to sail it for him,” Sume said. “His wife has it now.” Enosh wasn’t sure how spiteful she was trying to be.
Daro grinned, oblivious. “Never too late to learn. You may need to pick up a new trade now that you’re penniless and all. I hear merchants need money to make money, and you’re a wanted man in at least two nations.”
“Just the one, actually,” Enosh coughed. “Stuck between the both of you with the sea around me…I should’ve volunteered to stay with Sapphire. Here, Daro, just tell me what ropes to pick up and then we can tumble portside or whatever it is you sailors like to say.”
“Tumble?” Daro asked.
Sume sighed. “We’re going to end up in the bottom of the ocean. Please tell him to sit down and not get in the way, Prefect.”
“Sit down and don’t get in the way,” Daro said.
They pulled out of the harbour. There was barely any ice in the water here, unlike in Bardes—the water got warmer as they got closer to Gorent. Enosh felt himself shiver, and not because
of the cold. He had not gone back in so long. For someone who had spent years convincing himself that he was going to bring back the peninsula to his people, he had spent absolutely no time on this coast or learning what he could to get himself closer to that goal.
He thought the opportunities would come once he had the coin, and he was able to secure some sort of trade with Dageis. Yn Garr’s desire to shake Dageis with war would’ve gotten his foot into the door, had he the freedom to move before it all began. A few attacks here and there to shatter their confidence would’ve sufficed. Dageian merchants were as human as any other, and fear was the easiest thing in the world to exploit if you knew what you were dealing with.
Enosh had never really believed that the beast would be enough to bring down an entire empire. He wasn’t even sure if he believed Sapphire’s explanation, that it was its death that would do the trick. What would Yn Garr gain from such a thing? Jarche had spoken of the beast somehow holding the key to revitalizing the agan fabric or something equally magnificently important, but he didn’t think she understood Yn Garr half as well as he did. No one did things just out of the goodness of his heart, especially not someone like Yn Garr. The man used to kill rivals and inconvenient partners before breakfast.
He approached Daro, who was busy adjusting the sails. “You would’ve had an easier time if we were with your soldiers,” he said. “Why did you break from them?”
“I thought we told you to sit in the corner,” Daro grumbled, a look of concentration on his face.
“You know I’m just going to keep talking if I do that.”
Daro snorted. “I didn’t want them around. Dageian protocol will hamper my movements. If Mahe is in trouble, I want to be able to make a decision as a man, not a soldier.” He glanced at the map in Sume’s hands. “I have the location of Kefier’s house marked out there. I thought it would be a good place to start.”
An Elegy of Heroes Page 120
