Bastion

by Kyle West

  When you find the dragonling, I will find you, Jorla said. Call me such as you have never Called before.

  “We’ll do that, Jorla,” I said.

  Jorla spread her wings, giving herself a running start before taking to the air. She circled several times on the ascent before her black scales were lost to the night.

  “Perhaps we can get close to the Bastion without being seen,” Isaru mused. “I can’t even see her now.”

  “Are we going to try for the aqueduct, like we talked about?”

  “We’ll have to see,” Isaru said. “The dragonling comes first. That was Jorla’s condition. By the time we finish that, well, who knows what comes next?”

  “Draw up your hood.”

  Isaru drew the hood of his cloak up without comment, and I did the same. Unlike Isaru, I was a wanted criminal here, so there was more danger in someone recognizing my face. Not everyone would know silver hair was a mark of the Elekai, but there was no point in taking unnecessary risks. Often, people who naturally had very light hair fell under suspicion of the Hunters, even if they didn’t have a drop of Elekai blood. In the past especially, things hadn’t turned out well for such unlucky people.

  We walked quietly across the desert in the direction of the Northern Subura. The land was dark, only lit by the multitude of stars and waning moon. It was just enough to see by.

  It wasn’t long before the first squat, adobe buildings appeared, and with it, my unease began to grow. I tried to remember my training...to seek Silence. I found it without a problem and quieted my mind for whatever was to come.

  Isaru and I entered an alley between two apartments, coming out on the main dirt street running along the river. The street was empty, thankfully. Decent people in the Subura tried to be inside by the time it got dark.

  “This way,” I said.

  We made our way down the row of apartments. Everything was as I had remembered it, but there was a ghostly quality to walking the street at night. It was far quieter than usual, and I couldn’t help but feel that something had changed drastically. It was best to find Naomi’s house and get inside.

  And then, I saw it. What used to be my home, an apartment on the bottom level facing the street, had its windows shattered and open to the elements. The door had been knocked off its hinges. The interior was dark, abandoned, and graffiti, unreadable in the night, marred its outside. A line of words had been painted above the door frame: Such is the fate of heretics.

  Isaru and I paused a moment to watch, and I didn’t need to tell him that this was my home. His eyes seemed grieved, but more than that, angry.

  “Don’t judge them all to be this way,” I said. “This is the doing of the Hunters.”

  It wasn’t my former home that I was grieving over, but the fate of my parents. Things could be replaced. People couldn’t.

  “You defend them, even now? After this?”

  “Isaru...please don’t...”

  He merely looked inside. After a moment, he shook his head.

  “There’s nothing.”

  It was then that a door was opened. I spun, frozen in my tracks, even as a woman stood there, her eyes angry. Naomi. She said nothing, but it was clear she didn’t recognize me and that she thought I was up to no good.

  “Back away,” she said. “There’s nothing left of that house because you thieves have taken everything away.”

  Naomi...” I said, coming closer. “It’s me.”

  Her eyes widened, and she seemed afraid, more than anything else. “Who are you, that you know my name? My husband will be home soon, and...”

  She hadn’t recognized my voice. “It’s Shanti.”

  Her hand went to her heart, and it looked as if she had been kicked in the gut. I lowered my hood, so that she could clearly see my face. She gasped, and started forward.

  “My dear...” When she took me in her arms, we both started crying.

  “We better get inside,” Isaru said, glancing around.

  Naomi looked at Isaru, seeming to notice him for the first time. “Isaru. Of course. Please, come in. Sit. There is food and drink and...” Naomi sighed, her eyes troubled. “Shanti…your parents...”

  “I know,” I said. “Isaru’s right. Let’s get inside.”

  We entered Naomi’s home, and everything was as I remembered. The long table was clean, and her children were in bed. An oil lamp burned low on the table.

  “I’ll fix some tea,” she said.

  “We can’t stay long,” I said. “Water is good enough.”

  “Gods, I can’t believe you’re here in front of me…”

  “Naomi...” I said. “You probably know this by now, but…I’m Elekai. I’m still the same person, and there is nothing evil about me. It’s just who I am. I wanted to get that out of the way first.”

  Naomi’s eyes went back and forth between me and Isaru, but it was clear that the facts — that I was Elekai, and that I was the same person she always knew — appeared to conflict.

  “In some ways, I’ve changed,” I said. “But I’m still the same person you’ve always known.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I can see that you’ve changed. It’s your eyes, your manner...even outside, I saw that you walked as if you owned the earth beneath you. No woman of the Subura walks that way. I thought of you as a girl before. But you have become a woman…that much I can see. Forgive me. Please, sit down. I’ll get that water.”

  In addition to what Naomi had said about bringing water, she also brought with her a plate of blueberries with cream, a treat I’m sure she had meant for her children, as well as a plain, cinnamon cake. We thanked her and ate, even as I explained everything that was necessary. I told her a bit about Haven and how the Elders had determined to send me to train with the Seekers, citing my potential for learning the arts of the Elekai. I told her of how I had learned of my parents’ fate, which was why Isaru and I had returned to save them.

  Naomi listened quietly, never saying a word, but it was clear that she was very much troubled. From time to time, she would get a look in her eyes, as if not believing I was here.

  “You want my advice, Shanti...run. Don’t come back here. You have a new home and a new life...why ruin that when there is nothing here but pain and death? My family and I were only spared because of my husband’s military connections. They would never touch a soldier’s widow. Even so, I have lived every day in fear that the Hunters will come for me. Just as they came for Shara.”

  I felt a sick twist in stomach, and a panic rise in my throat. “Shara? What do they want with her?”

  “Information. What else? They do not allow her to come home. Indeed, I don’t think she even wants to come home anymore. She has written several letters to me, and…” Naomi was close to tears. “It would seem she’s…changed.” She continued looking at me, her eyes still fearful. “If ever you were to be seen here — even within five miles — it might be the final nail that brings me before a Magistrate.”

  “How did it get this bad?”

  “You got away,” Naomi said. “No one gets away from the Hunters. They are still in a furor to find you. And if you do not leave, they surely will. There is a bounty on your head for five hundred talents.”

  My eyes widened. “Five hundred?”

  It was hard to imagine how I could be worth so much to them.

  “In times like this, when war has emptied Colonia’s treasury, that is saying something. They want you, Shanti. They are desperate for you to come to them. Only the gods know why, but they do.” She paused. “Stay away. The Peacemakers patrol here far more often than they used to. They say it is for the safety of the neighborhood, but part of me believes something else. They are waiting for you to come back, Shanti. It’s a miracle you haven’t been found yet. And worse, there are rumors that there is going to be a purge — the first in decades. How did you ever pass all the wayposts?”

  I swallowed. “Er...we kind of flew here.”

  Naomi looked as if she might faint. “
You flew? On a dragon? I suppose if you got out that way, it makes sense that you would get in that way.” She paused. “Is it near?”

  “It’s not far,” Isaru said. “But it won’t cause you any trouble. And neither shall we. We won’t take any more of your time, nor will we place you or your family at greater risk. But if you can tell us anything concerning Shanti’s parents, it would be of great use. Last I saw you, you said they were in the Red Bastion.”

  Naomi nodded. “I only assume they are there still, assuming they aren’t…” She looked at me. “I’m sorry, Shanti. I won’t go that far, and I won’t presume anything. The Peacemakers came two months ago, and no one has seen or heard from your parents since. It’s said the Hunters believe they conspired with the Elekai to save you.” Naomi shuddered. “I followed them through the city until I was turned away at the Inner Gate. I can only assume they were taken into the Bastion…and I haven’t seen them since.” She looked at us both. “You’re not truly going to try and save them, are you? Just the two of you?”

  I was quiet, knowing that it would be nearly impossible to explain the entire situation, or the fact that we were also after the Prophecy of Annara — something, no doubt, Naomi saw as a holy text.

  “We are, Naomi,” I said. “But we are trained and capable.”

  Her eyes went to my bow and Anna’s sword. “You have changed. I only pray that Annara watches over you tonight.”

  I couldn’t help but notice the irony that Anna was here right now. Whether she could keep me from getting killed was still up in the air.

  “All the same...I urge you not to go,” Naomi said. “Though I will pray for your protection, Annara does not protect against foolishness. Your parents would not want this. They love you more than life itself, Shanti.” She shook her head. “They would want you to be safe.”

  For some reason, Naomi saying that reminded me of the thing I needed to know most from my parents: whether or not I was truly their child. I wondered if Naomi and my mother had ever discussed it.

  “Naomi…did my mother ever tell you that I wasn’t truly hers? That I was…adopted?”

  Naomi’s eyes widened. “She said no such thing. I suppose, if you’re Elekai, you might have reason to believe so. You and she are so alike that the question never crossed my mind. I never would have thought…” She shook her head. “But no…your mother has never told me anything to indicate that you might not be hers. You could see it in the way she looks at you, Shanti. You are her daughter, whether or not you are of her blood.”

  “That’s why I have to save her,” I said. “Both she and my father.”

  “Your parents are likely in the dungeons at the very bottom of the Bastion,” Naomi said. “I don’t know how you plan to get down there...I don’t know if you even have a plan. But watch yourself, Shanti. You could very well not even make it past the gates from the way they are searching for you.” She sighed. “Just when I see your face again, you have to go. All the same…it’s good to know you are alive.”

  “What of Shara? Has she truly been so distant?”

  “She is still training with the legions. As I said, she no longer writes, and she hasn’t visited once. Whether she’s in the city, or hundreds of miles away, I don’t know. It’s…not like her. I worry day and night, and I have gone to inquire, but I am always turned away. There’s nothing more I can do.” She looked at me, hopefully. “For some reason, I just feel she might be in the city. If you happen to see her, might you bring me word?”

  “Of course,” I said.

  “I’m not asking that you must do it,” Naomi said, grabbing my hands and cradling them in hers. “I ask only that you keep yourself safe.”

  “We will, to the best of our abilities,” I said.

  “You must go now, Shanti. Think on what I’ve told you. It’s not too late to turn back. But if you must go to the Bastion…then I suppose you must.”

  I nodded. “My path is set before me. I have no regrets, and I do not fear death. I have trained and prepared, such as I could. I hope not to bare steel, but I will do anything for my parents.”

  “They are lucky to have you, Shanti. Please...by all the gods...be careful. I can’t say that enough.”

  “There is another thing, if you wouldn’t mind. We were forced to leave in a hurry, and I hoped you had something for us to wear. These are the cloaks given to us by the Seekers, and the Hunters might recognize them.”

  Naomi’s eyes lit, as if remembering something. “Of course. I actually saved much of your parents’ clothing before the looters could have their way.” She sighed. “They are in a pile, a reminder of what used to be. I don’t believe the Hunters would stop you based on what your parents wore. You and your mother are of a size, and your father’s clothing will suit Isaru well enough. Wait here...I don’t want to wake the children.”

  We remained seated as Naomi went into the apartment’s back. Not long after, she reappeared carrying a bundle of clothes.

  “These cloaks should do nicely; dark, not so new as to attract attention…”

  I rubbed my fingers along the soft cotton of my mother’s cloak. Seeing it pained me greatly; it was as if they were dead, and I were sorting through the pieces they had left behind.

  “They will serve us well,” I said. “Thank you, Naomi.”

  I dressed in a dark gray cloak over the robes I already wore, and Isaru put one on that was verdant green, faded with time. It was strange to see him in my father’s cloak, but in a way, it suited him.

  There was a moment of silence. We had already lingered here too long, and all of us knew it.

  Isaru placed a hand on my arm. “We must go.” Then, he turned to Naomi. “Naomi...thank you so much for your help. As an Elekai, we are taught to fear all things Colonian. You have shown me that some of you are good. Shanti has told me the same, but you have made it clear to me that it’s true.”

  “I do this for Shanti,” Naomi said. “I believe in the tenets of the Annaran Faith. I am a good Annaran, faithful to the Tome and the Church. It’s true that these last two months have cast a lot of doubt on my beliefs, but I follow Annara alone. I believe she has sanctioned the rule of the Covenant, but so long as I listen to Annara’s voice, I believe I am doing the right thing.” She nodded, as if to confirm everything she was saying. “I don’t believe Annara would want your parents to come to harm, Shanti. I just…can’t believe it. It is clear the Covenant can sometimes be misguided. I would never say that in public, but they take things too far.”

  Isaru nodded, but said nothing more. I could see he wasn’t completely satisfied with that answer, but he wasn’t going to make a point of it.

  “We had better leave,” I said. “Thank you, Naomi. If Shara comes back, let her know that I miss her, and think of her often. Both of you have my love.”

  We stood, and Naomi’s eyes watered once again. When we reached the door, she embraced me tightly. I felt tears returning to my own eyes.

  When we parted, Isaru opened the door, checking outside before stepping onto the road. I followed him out. Naomi held up a hand in farewell before shutting the door.

  We walked through the brisk night, donning our hoods. I hid my bow under my cloak, though on second glance, anyone would be able to see the shape of it beneath the folds. The darkness was our greatest cloak, and if all went well, it would carry us all the way to the Red Bastion.

  But first, we had to find the dragonling.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  IT WAS ONLY WHEN WE arrived at Silver Bridge that I began to feel a leaden weight in my stomach. We passed lone walkers whose cloaks were drawn tight, all of whom were walking quickly on whatever business they were about. A few glances were cast our way, and I couldn’t say whether they saw our weapons or not. If they did, they didn’t seem to care. It wasn’t against the law for a citizen to bear arms, if those arms were properly registered, though our obvious youth might make us suspect. So much of life, and whether or not people questioned you, depended on how you
carried yourself. I sought Silence, focusing on making my steps purposeful. I tried to become exactly what Naomi had told me, walking over the stones of Silver Bridge as if I owned them.

  Even wrapped in Silence, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sick as we passed the threshold of the Sunrise Gate. In times of peace, the gates were open, even at night, so Isaru and I were free to pass though. Torches ensconced on the red stone cast a fiery light, and a pair of guards stood on either end of the gatehouse, giving us hard stares.

  We had walked past them a few steps when one of them hailed us.

  “Halt.”

  We both stopped, slowly turning to face the guards.

  “Lower your hoods,” he said. “Have you not heard the proclamation?”

  Isaru and I looked at each other.

  “By order of the Grand Pontifex, all faces and heads must remain uncovered in the city at night. We are searching for a wanted fugitive — a certain Shanti Roshar, who escaped the Pontifex’s justice several fortnights past. She is young, with brown hair and dark eyes.” The man frowned. “You practically match the description.”

  I did my best not to swallow, and I fought to keep myself calm.

  “Maybe so,” I said. “But I assure you, I am not she. If you look closely, you’ll see my eyes aren’t dark.”

  I said it on a whim, remembering all I’d heard about an Elekai’s eyes lightening once they had manifested. I hadn’t checked my eyes lately, and the process was supposed to take years, so I wasn’t holding out much hope. I resisted the urge to move my hand to the hidden hilt of my blade.

  The guard granted. “Humph. Let’s have a look, then.”

  I stepped into the light, and the guard who had spoken looked me over. It was hard to stay in control, given how roughly the Peacemakers had treated me when I was placed under arrest.