Blade of the North

by Jones, Heath

  We stay a while longer in Seam. Much longer than feels safe. But we can’t just run off – that would certainly attract the Peace Bringers’ attention. So we wander through the streets, buying more food, and trying not to talk too much.

  Finally, we head out of the town. Looking back, nobody seems to have taken much interest in us. It is as though the appearance of travellers is nothing unusual for them. But how can that be for a town that has been overrun by an army, and still has Peace Bringers inside it? They seem to be going on with their lives as if everything is… normal. Perhaps… perhaps this is their normal life now.

  As we continue across the plains and over the low, rocky hills, Dain gradually comes out of his despair. He begins to smile again, and we talk like we used to. At night we lie next to each other and whisper until sleep takes us.

  Even Miya begins to talk once more. She seems to have accepted her sister’s death and is slowly moving on. Unfortunately, the same lightening of mood hasn’t affected Alek. He is still brooding, not saying much to anyone. I wonder if the old Alek, the charming, roguish Alek, will ever return.

  And then, after reaching the top of a small hill, we finally have our first glimpse of the Daishen Forest. It is huge. Like a green sea rolling on into the distance, it reaches from horizon to horizon. It has been over two weeks since we escaped Tolos, but we are finally nearing our goal.

  “I didn’t know it was so big,” Rose says.

  “I guess that answers how the assassins have been able to stay hidden from Tigranik for so long,” Jarryd says.

  “If they exist,” Theolin replies.

  “Let’s go find out,” I say, irritated at her constant doubts.

  The edge of the forest comes on us quicker than we thought. One minute we are walking through the open plain, the next we are surrounded by trees. And the farther into the forest we go, the more numerous the trees become. Very quickly the air grows humid, suffocating. The light struggles to penetrate through the thick leafy canopy, leaving us in constant twilight.

  “How is anyone supposed to live in this forest?” Theolin asks.

  “Why would anyone want to?” Alek replies.

  We struggle on through the thick, dark forest. Branches and vines grab at us. The rough, uneven ground, hidden beneath the dense grass, trips us.

  “This is crazy,” Miya says after we have trudged on for a few hours. “Nobody could live in here.”

  “What better place to live without fear of being discovered?” Aveline asks with a smile. Theolin just shakes her head.

  “It’s going to be hard enough to find our way out,” Miya says. “How do we find the assassins in… this?”

  “We keep looking,” I answer. “However long it takes. It’s what we came here for. We can’t just give up after a few hours.”

  So we keep on, forcing our way through the tangled vines, climbing over fallen logs, pushing twigs and branches out of our way.

  As night falls, we stop beside a stream. Above us, the canopy is so thick I can’t see the night sky, and barely any light reaches down to us. It is painfully dark, and we huddle close together so as not to lose anyone. When we speak, our voices are hushed, as though afraid to draw attention to ourselves in this ominous place.

  “I’ve never been in a forest so dark,” Rose says. She is within arm’s reach of me, but I can only just make out her silhouette.

  “It is eerie,” Miya replies.

  “Are you sure about this place, Aveline?” Jarryd asks.

  “Yes,” she answers. “This is exactly the type of place I would choose to hide if I never wanted to be found.”

  “How can the assassins never want to be found?” Theolin asks. “How can anyone hire them if they can’t be found?”

  “You don’t find them,” she replies. “They find you.”

  “Whatever that is supposed to mean,” Theolin says.

  Aveline’s answer is a shrug of her shoulders. I only see it because she is next to me.

  “I like it here,” Alek says.

  “Why?” I ask him. How could anyone like it here?

  “Aveline is right,” he replies. “This is the perfect place to become lost in.”

  “I said it was a perfect place to hide in, not to become lost,” Aveline corrects him. “If you get lost in here you might never be found again.”

  “That sounds good to me,” Alek replies, his voice a mixture of sadness tinged with… is it hope?

  “Who’s on the first watch?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

  Alek laughs quietly. It isn’t his old, carefree laugh though. It is still sad, empty of any humour. “In this darkness? What do you think you’ll be able to see?”

  “He’s right,” Dain replies. “As much as I want it, having a watch won’t do any good tonight.”

  Uneasily we all agree then settle down to a fitful night’s sleep.

  We fumble our way blindly through the forest for three days. I have no way of telling which direction we are heading, or if we are travelling in a circle. Everything looks the same. Or almost the same. The forest is growing thicker, the feeble light dimmer. I guess that counts for progress. But gradually, even I am beginning to doubt our decision to enter the forest in search of the assassins. The only one who doesn’t seem affected by the dampening gloom is Alek. It’s as though he’s enjoying the prospect of being lost in this forest.

  Lying down to sleep on the third night in this place, it is all I can do to not cry myself to sleep. My father can hold out for less than six months now, and I can do nothing about it while I am stuck here in the depths of a forest.

  I’m startled awake by Rose, shaking my shoulder. It is still night when I open my eyes, but strangely, it is lighter than earlier. Suddenly seeing the fearful look on Rose’s face, I sit up.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “They should have taken your advice on the first night,” a voice says behind me, “and set a watch.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Turning around I am momentarily blinded when I find the source of the light. It is from a partially shuttered lantern, and there are more of them around us. I can’t see who is holding them as they are cloaked in darkness behind the light.

  “Blindfold them,” a voice orders from somewhere in the night. “We’ll see what Storm wants to do with them. If any of you try anything foolish, you will all die.” It is said in a voice that tells us the speaker doesn’t care either way if we live or die.

  All light vanishes as a blindfold is suddenly placed over my eyes. I didn’t even hear the person approach. A moment ago I was trying to focus my eyes, now I am completely blind. Rough hands lift me off the ground and shove me forward. I stumble and fall to my knees, only to be hauled back to my feet and pushed forward again.

  I lose count of how many times I fall. At least I’m not the only one who stumbles – I hear the grunts and thumps of others falling as well. Eventually, I feel a hand on my shoulder, guiding me. We continue this way for what feels like hours. Even with the hand guiding me, I still stumble, but not as much.

  Finally, we stop and are ordered to sit. My blindfold is removed but initially it doesn’t make any difference. Then slowly my eyes adjust to the darkness and I can make out our surroundings. We are sitting in a flat area. It couldn’t be called a glade as it is still filled with trees, but all the undergrowth has been cleared and the ground is reasonably smooth. But compared to the forest around us, I think of it as a glade. What captures my attention, though, are the trees - they are the biggest I have ever seen. It would take five or six of us, with our hands joined and arms spread wide, to encircle one of these giants. The lowest branches, more than twenty feet above our heads, are thicker than the trunks of normal trees and spread out above us like a massive spiderweb. The thick canopy of leaves from these branches blocks out, not only the rest of the trees above them but the sky as well.

  “What have you brought in today, Jondar?” a voice says from above us.

  The speaker
, a woman, is seated in front of us on a raised platform a good ten feet above our heads. Looking closer, though, the platform is actually part of a trunk from what must have once been a massive tree. It is lying on its side as though the tree fell here, leaving only this solitary piece. Seated next to the woman is a large, dark-skinned hulk of a man. He looks like he might have torn the tree down by himself.

  “Trespassers,” Jondar answers from behind us. “Eight of them. We’ve kept an eye on them since they first entered the forest and have fumbled their way along ever since.”

  They’ve been following us the whole time? I hadn’t seen or heard anything. Looking at the faces around me, it is clear they are as surprised as I am.

  “And you thought to bring them here, why?” the woman asks, a hint of mockery in her voice. Though if it is for Jondar or us, I’m not certain.

  “We overheard them,” Jondar replies. “They are looking for us.”

  An amused smile crosses the woman’s face. “Well, I wonder why that is.” The woman stands up then jumps lightly down to the ground. I’m amazed that she can drop down so easily from such a height.

  The woman strolls in front of us, regarding each of us in turn. “And why do you seek us out?” she asks.

  We are all silent, staring at this strange woman who seems to command the men around us. Older than me, she still appears young. She is slightly built yet there is a power in her movements that suggests a veiled strength. And she is graceful. But for all of that, she is forgettable to look at. Her long hair is dark, her face too angular to be considered pretty. And she is about the same height as me – average.

  “What, no one wants to speak?” she asks, that amused smile back on her face.

  The silence lingers on until Aveline, standing next to me, finally breaks it. “We want to hire an assassin,” she says.

  Others have silently joined those who brought us here and we are surrounded now by a small crowd. All of them, it seems, laugh at Avenline’s admission.

  “And why do you think you will find assassins here?” the woman asks.

  To my amazement, Aveline stands tall and stares the woman straight in the eye as she answers. “We know you are the assassins of Daishen Forest,” she says in a clear, strong voice. “We have come to hire your aid.”

  The woman shrugs her shoulders. “If you know who we are, then you must also know that we have agents in the cities. They are the ones who contact us. They are the ones we allow to enter the forest... and to leave it safely,” she adds, her voice growing colder as she speaks.

  Aveline opens her mouth to reply but I can’t contain myself any longer. “We want to hire you to kill Emperor Tigranik,” I blurt out. “We want the war to end.”

  Silence surrounds us, smothers us. The woman turns her eyes on me. She is no longer amused. “You want us to assassinate the emperor? What price do you think would be fair for such a mission? And how do you think to pay it?”

  My tongue won’t move. I have no idea how much it would cost. Worse, I have no way of paying. Suddenly I feel like a complete fool for suggesting we come here. Why did I ever think the assassins would agree to help? Are they supposed to care about ending the war, like I do? If that’s what I’d hoped, it’s obvious I’m wrong. They’re just blades for hire, and all they care about is money. I am out of my depth, and I can tell this woman is contemptuous of me.

  “I have jewels,” Aveline says, saving me from looking a bigger fool than I already am. She reaches under her clothes and pulls out a small leather pouch. She throws it at the woman’s feet. “That should be enough for anyone,” she says defiantly.

  I must have the same look of surprise on my face that the others do. Aveline has been secretly carrying jewels? Where did she get them from? Why didn’t she tell us about them?

  The woman picks up the pouch and opens it. Her face betrays no emotion as she peers inside. Slowly she tips up the pouch and empties it into her hand. Pearls, gems, and firestones. They are worth a small fortune! I stare at them, stunned. How did Aveline come across so much wealth?

  The woman tilts her head as she regards Aveline. “You look familiar,” she says.

  Aveline is visibly taken aback. “I don’t think we’ve ever met,” she replies.

  The woman smiles. “That doesn’t mean I haven’t seen you before. What is your name?”

  “Aveline Dew,” she answers proudly.

  The woman mouths Aveline’s name for a moment. “Ah yes. I was in Coream once to visit your father. Paton Dew, I believe his name was? The mayor of Coream.”

  Aveline’s father was the mayor of Coream? Is that where she got the jewels?

  Aveline stares back at the woman, but her defiance is fading. “He was my father,” she says quietly. “They are all dead, now.” Her face drops suddenly, and she stares dejectedly at the ground. I’ve never seen Aveline look so… meek.

  “Death comes to all,” the woman replies. “Just like your father’s competitor that he hired me to kill.”

  Aveline’s head jerks up, but then she slowly nods her head. “He once told me what he had done. He was not proud of it. Nor was I proud of him – and I never forgave him for it.”

  “Proud or not the deed was done,” the woman replies.

  “You know about me, but who are you? What is your name?” Aveline asks, regaining her poise once more.

  The woman stares at Aveline for a long time, as though weighing up whether to answer or not. Finally, she puts the jewels back in the pouch and throws it back to Aveline. “I commend you for wanting to end the war,” she says. “However, there is no price I would accept to attempt such a foolish and doomed undertaking.”

  “Why?” Aveline asks. “Why wouldn’t you want to end the war?”

  “If you think removing the emperor will end the war,” she replies, “you are naïve.”

  The woman is about to say more but Aveline cuts her off. “You still haven’t told us your name.”

  “Storm,” the woman replies. “Jondar,” she adds, turning to our captor, “take them away. And see to it that they can’t return.”

  I gasp as I realise Storm has just ordered our deaths. This can’t happen! I don’t care about my own safety, but if I don’t get them to help then Tolos will fall. And with Tolos, my father…

  Next to me, Aveline drops her pouch of jewels. Reflexively I reach down and catch it before it hits the ground. I look up, searching for a way out, and see Storm looking at me with a look of… is it interest?

  One of the guards grabs my shoulder and tries to turn me around, but I shrug it off. There must be a way I can save Father. There has to be. The guard reaches for me again, but I step away and blurt out, “I’ll do it!”

  Everyone turns and stares at me. “If you won’t even try, then I’ll do it. I’ll assassinate Tigranik.”

  The amused smile is back on Storm’s face. “You will?”

  “You’re supposed to be the best assassins alive,” I say. “Teach me. Teach me and I will do it myself and end this war.”

  “I’ll join you,” Dain says suddenly. He is watching me with a desperate expression. He too knows this is the only hope we have to save our lives.

  “And I,” Aveline echoes. She holds her head up high, her chin jutting out.

  The others quickly add their own assent. How could they not? The alternative is a quick death.

  Storm’s eyes rove over each of us. She looks as though she is holding back her laughter. Her eyes stop on me and regard me for a long, uncomfortable time. “Do you really think,” she says, “you have the strength it requires to take another’s…” While she is still speaking something comes flying out from her hand towards my head. Instinctively I drop to the ground and roll away, coming to up to a crouch. “Life,” she finishes, watching me.

  I hear the groaning from the guard who was behind me. Glancing over my shoulder I see a knife sticking out of his shoulder – where my head had been only a moment before.

  “Jai,” Storm says, “get
that looked at.”

  The guard – Jai – walks off, presumably to get the knife removed from his shoulder.

  Storm hasn’t taken her eyes off me the whole time. She has that look again of weighing something in her mind. I stand up and force myself to return her stare. Her gaze is unsettling – I feel like a mouse under the eyes of a hawk. I want to say something, anything, to try and sway her into letting us live. But I have the feeling that to say anything more now would be to seal all our fates.

  Finally, Storm takes her eyes off me and looks again at the others. “Jondar,” she says eventually, “make our new guests at home.”

  The faint light of dawn seeps through the treetops as Jondar leads us to the foot of a giant tree. “Up,” he says.

  I stare at him, confused. Up where? Does he expect us to climb this tree? There are no branches even remotely low enough to reach. How are we supposed to climb? And what are we supposed to do up in the tree? The others look as perplexed as me.

  When none of us move, Jondar shakes his head. “Follow me,” he grumbles. Amazingly he starts climbing up the trunk of the tree! Looking closer, I can see small cuts have been made into the bole of the tree. They are so cleverly disguised that they like they are simply part of the tree. I follow Jondar up, placing my hands and feet carefully in the almost invisible grooves.

  The tree is massive, and the grove we have come to is full of other similar trees. I am thirty feet above the ground before I come to the first branch! I have no idea where Jondar is leading us, but I follow him up. The branches quickly grow more numerous, making the climb easier, and we soon reach a thick layer of leaves. I climb through the foliage and find myself standing on a solid platform. Curious, I look around. And my jaw drops in amazement.

  Completely hidden from the ground below, an entire village has been built high up here in the trees. There are huts – there must be close to one hundred of them! - ranging in size from those small enough to only fit one person, to others large enough to hold at least twenty. Massive branches, all of them larger than normal tree trunks, support the huts which continue out into the distance. Wooden steps circle the trunks leading to dwellings even higher up, and bridges connect the trees. I can’t believe what I am seeing.