The Living Sword 3: The Burden of Legacy

by Pemry Janes

  He knew it was far from Leraine’s home. If he went there, he would have to go alone. Even here, where all were supposed to be at peace with one another, there had been hostility between the tribes. It was clear to him Silver Fang would not be welcome even if she wanted to accompany him. But did she?

  Silver Fang had come home and her people were in trouble. In the short time that he knew her, she had not once hesitated to do what she saw as her duty no matter how dangerous it was. So he knew what her answer would be, but was he still expected to ask?

  Now that was a harder question. Silver Fang had done her best, but her people were still strange to him and could be sensitive about the strangest things. He had no desire to offend her, but what would be worse here? Forcing her to give him the answer they both knew she had to give, or treat her as a stranger he hardly knew?

  Wait, why am I thinking so hard on this? Aren’t shamans supposed to council people on questions? Or was that priests?

  “I see some color has returned to your cheeks. No stiffness in the limbs,” Sharp Prong said. “You’ve recovered well enough, even without more aid from your magic.”

  “It’s not magic.” The words were a reflex by now. “Sharp Prong, could I ask you a question?”

  “Tell me, does that sound as dumb in the soulless tongue as it does in Thelauk? If the answer is no, you have already transgressed. Bah, yes, you can ask. I make no promises on any answer though.”

  “Right.” Eurik still hesitated, then plunged ahead. “I came here to find out more about my parents. It hasn’t worked. Not well. So I intend to go to the Puma tribe to find someone who knew my father.”

  Sharp Prong hummed. “I know some shamans there. I can give you a letter that will open some doors and secure you a roof over your head for a night. But you may not get many answers. Your speech is clearly Snake, and there’s a well-nursed grudge between the two tribes.”

  That hadn’t been his question, but that last part drew his attention. “How so?” If his father and mother had some inherited feud between them, how had they ended up together? How had he come to be?

  Misthell piped up. “You got a day?”

  The shaman sighed. “Your sword isn’t wrong. It is a long tale. But since I do not have a day, I’ll simply say that it’s from when they both lived side by side, before the Rift War and the Great Truce. And being apart hasn’t done anything to wear away that hostility. If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask a slitherer or a stalker.”

  “Or me,” Misthell said.

  “Slitherer? Stalker?” This was the first time Eurik had heard anybody refer to members of the Snake or Puma tribe as such.

  She gave him a hint of a smile. “Words not to be used to their faces. Or where outsiders can hear. And I’m sure they’ve got their own word for my people, too. Please do not tell anyone I used those words. I’m supposed to be above such things.” She let out a long sigh.

  “Of course. However, I didn’t intend to ask for aid. It was about asking to accompany, not you. I am not saying this right. I . . . I do not know if I should ask Silver Fang to come along. I know she has just returned home after a year’s absence and it’s obvious she has duties. But would she take it as an insult if I simply assumed her answer? Am I supposed to pretend I don’t know it already?”

  “Ah.” Sharp Prong stroked her chin. “Not asking wouldn’t be an insult,” she said slowly. “Though I always council against assuming . . .” She looked away for a moment before returning her attention to him and cleared her throat. “Yes. Ah, you weren’t planning on just leaving without telling her your plans?”

  “No. I was going to say goodbye.”

  “Good, because simply disappearing would have been wrong. Can never know what outsiders think is acceptable behavior. Some of it is just insane. Right. I recommend you let her know a few days before you intend to leave what your plans are. I make no pretense to know Silver Fang, so I have no idea what she’ll do. And I’ve just been reminded that we all know less than we think.”

  Eurik nodded slowly. “Wise words.”

  “Yes. I’ve been known to find some from time to time.” Sharp Prong looked outside. “I think it might be best to get some dinner now. Perhaps she’s been delayed and will come after she’s had her own evening meal.”

  “Perhaps.” But that didn’t sound like Leraine.

  ***

  Snippets of awareness pricked her mind, threads that helped Leraine to pull herself out of the murk of oblivion. A sour taste in her mouth, rough rope scratching her wrists, the scent of a soup laden with slices of sausage, wood scraping against wood.

  I’ve been captured. Again. Who . . . Oh no.

  Memory finally returned. Recalling Irelith’s training, she did her best to fake unconsciousness and relied on her other senses to feel out her surroundings.

  There were ropes around not only her wrists, but her legs, chest, and head as well. The last two tied her to a round beam while her hands were tied behind this wooden pillar. Her sword had been removed, so had the escape kit she kept with her. Irelith had always told her that the one time you needed a file would be the one time you decided not to bother with it.

  But she’d been taught by Irelith too.

  Chancing a deeper breath, she discerned other smells underneath the soup. A mélange of foodstuffs, dust, and earth. Through her eyelids there was light, but it was soft and very steady.

  Mage light. I’m in a cellar then, probably underneath the Great Hall itself. Haven’t been moved far.

  The one guarding her wasn’t too far away, and in front of her. She’d have a good view of Leraine then, but not the rope tied around her wrists. If only she’d had something to use. Spreading her fingers, Leraine felt around. Maybe something had shattered down here. A pottery shard would cut through her restraints with enough time.

  “So how long are you going to keep this up?”

  Leraine did her best not to flinch, or to freeze up. Kept her breathing steady.

  “It’s not going to work,” her sister said. “We’ve both been trained by the Viper, Leraine.”

  She gave up on pretense and shot her sister an angry look. “You were only her student for a year, Anseri.”

  Anseri held up her curved spoon. “Two years.” She sat on a stool, a mage light resting on a box within her reach which cast their shadows on the wall to Leraine’s left. No sign of Leraine’s blade. “And I’d say I learned more than enough.” Her smirk was as infuriating as ever.

  “So you were the one underneath the raven mask.”

  Her sister had been setting her bowl away, but she froze at Leraine’s words and then slammed it down. “Crow’s luck! I thought you’d figured it out. You mean you weren’t looking to confront me?”

  Leraine tried to shrug, but there wasn’t much give in the ropes. “Either you or our sister. I thought it made sense for it to be Golden Tongue. But I wasn’t sure.”

  Anseri trailed her fingers through her hair, pushing the locks away from her forehead. “Got a little hasty then. Ah, it doesn’t matter. In a way, it made this easier.”

  “Yes, about that. What is this? Why am I not dead?”

  Her sister’s eyes widened and her mouth worked. “You thought I’d kill you?”

  “You tried last night.”

  But Anseri shook her head and smiled. She had the sheer gall to smile! “If I wanted to kill you I wouldn’t have risked that warning before cutting the bridge. You’re family, Leraine. And family should stand together.”

  “You’re also supposed to stand with your sept, your tribe, your people. Instead, you betrayed everybody and broke our most sacred laws.”

  Anseri flinched and looked like she’d bitten into something sour, but she shook her head. “I did break the law, yes. But betrayal? No. What I’m doing will save us, all of us.”

  “And what are you doing? You and that . . . thing.” Leraine held her breath. She doubted her sister would fall for
it, but she was out of options. Keeping Anseri talking, finding out anything, was the most she could do.

  Her sister stood up and started pacing. “I know what you’re trying to do.” Leraine froze. “You and mother.” Wait, what? “I even agree, up to a point. Ferisha has hitched her horse to a wagonload of idiots. Breaking the Great Truce won’t free our people to reclaim what we’ve lost. Instead, we’ll spend more time fighting each other than the horse people and the soulless. We’ll lose.”

  Her sister stared at the wall across from Leraine for a long moment. “The People do need unity. But words alone won’t do it. We need a threat, a common enemy. Something to fight for, or against. And I’ll provide that.”

  Anseri turned to face Leraine, hands crossed behind her. “Once that mirror demon has escaped Chappenuioc and brought the demon heart to its masters, they will use it to open a new rift.”

  Leraine stared at her sister. “Are you mad? A rift would render our lands lifeless!”

  “Tss. You think I’d help them if they wanted to do it anywhere near the People’s lands?” Anseri shook her head. “The fools think they can control this rift, use it for their own purposes. So they’ll open it in their own lands.” She sneered. “They’re wrong, of course.”

  “If you know that, then why help them?”

  “You don’t see it? Think about it. Once they lose control and a new Rift War begins, our people will join together to stop the demons. And with the horse people reduced to wandering bands of survivors, we can reclaim what they stole so long ago. After that, we can deal with the blooddrinkers, the necromancers, the soulless. We can finally finish off the elves and reclaim our islands from the orcs. The Valley will be ours again, as it was promised to us by the Great Spirits.”

  Leraine studied her sister, the gleam in her eyes as she beheld the future in her own mind. “You don’t want to be rangtauk of Urumoy. You want to become ogirangtan.” There hadn’t been a war leader in generations. Even during the Rift War the People couldn’t agree on one.

  Anseri thinks she can pull it off now? Is she mad?

  But Anseri merely shrugged. “And why not? I have more support than you think, and not just in Snake. My . . . useful idiots have a lot of connections I’ve been making full use of. Some of them actually believe in their promises, but they’ll come around when it all goes horribly wrong. I would have to take a new name,” Anseri said, rubbing her chin. “Resting Python is just not a good name for an ogirangtan.”

  Leraine decided to ignore that last bit. Either Anseri was more like Mother than even Mother had known, or she was deluding herself. That did lead to another question. “Why are you telling me all this?”

  “I thought it obvious.” Her sister crouched down. “I want you to join me. Your reputation will be invaluable. If you publicly agree that I’m the People’s best chance against the demons, it will sway many. And privately, neither Mother nor our sister will make a fight of it if you support my bid to become head of the family.”

  That did it. Leraine burst out in laughter.

  Anseri rocked back on her heels and frowned. “Did I say something funny?”

  Leraine realized she’d messed up, again. Her mother would have remained calm, appeared interested, lulled Anseri into a fall sense of security. And only then would she have struck.

  I’m stuck. Literally. She grinned and Anseri’s frown deepened. Oh well, might as well be fully honest.

  “Honestly, I don’t know where to begin. How about that you think Mother will give up power without a fight? That you’re a great leader? Or that I would dishonor myself by allying myself with a murderer?”

  Her sister’s expression flickered through a series of emotions as she shot up and a hand went to the hilt of her segmented sword. Anseri huffed and her hand fell to her side. “You still think that you’re one of those heroes in the stories.” Her sister shook her head and picked up the mage lantern. “But this is reality, Leraine. Ponder that in the dark for a day. Perhaps thirst and hunger will shatter that delusion.”

  Anseri walked around her and she could hear the creak of wood. Didn’t sound right for stairs, it had to be a ladder. The creaking stopped after a few steps, the light still shining from behind.

  “I don’t want to kill you,” Anseri said. “But I won’t let you stand in the way of what must be done either.”

  Her sister didn’t wait for a reply and finished climbing up the ladder, taking the light with her. A trap door fell into place with a heavy thud, a bar ground into place, then light footsteps died away.

  Leraine felt around, finally finding a gnarl on the beam that she could reach with her bound wrists. Wasn’t very sharp—just a rough patch—but it was better than nothing. Pushing off with her legs she twisted around the beam so that she could align the ropes around her wrists with the gnarl and started running them along it. Back and forth, back and forth.

  This is going to take forever.

  Leraine considered the possibility that she’d still be bound when Anseri returned. Could she lie? Pretend to be cowed?

  Who am I kidding? I’ve never been that good at lying. And what of Eurik? Does Anseri have plans for him as well? No, that is a dumb question. Of course she’s got plans.

  She worked the ropes faster, though her arms already protested.

  Chapter 28

  Deception

  The warm evening meal had restored his strength, but it had done nothing for his worry. The sky was still light, though the sun had dipped behind the Trollabergher. Yet of Silver Fang there was no sign.

  “I’m sure she’s fine. I mean, last time you came to her rescue, she’d already rescued herself,” Misthell said. “Remember?” Eurik held the sword by the scabbard as they crossed the Outer Circle. It earned him more than a few stares, though once they saw the person at his side they tended to direct their attention elsewhere.

  Sharp Prong’s gaze roamed over the thin crowd, tapping her bronze rod. “More importantly, why must you be the one to come to her aid? You are still recovering. I will not have you undo my work the same day. If you fall ill, or collapse, you’re on your own. There are limits to my gratitude.”

  Eurik glanced at her. “Not going to argue she’s fine? That she wouldn’t interfere in your affairs?”

  The shaman pressed her lips together before answering. “She’s late. Too late. Obviously something has delayed her. I will not say that she has gone against my express command, not without evidence. But something must have happened. I’d like to know what that is. That’s all.”

  Eurik nodded. He hoped that it wasn’t anything serious, but that hadn’t been the case so far on this journey. At last they passed the standing stones on the edge of the vast Inza structure, the giant stones casting them in shadow as he finally stepped foot onto something other than Inza stone.

  He inhaled the earth chiri, circulating it through his limbs and driving away the last vestiges of weakness.

  “You should take care not to become too reliant on your magic,” Sharp Prong said.

  “Not magic. And you shouldn’t think of it as something external. It’s not. The Ways are the world, and we are part of the world. It’s the separation that’s harmful. Ah, I don’t mean to insult your choice of living here.”

  “Hmm. It’s not an insult, just ignorant. There’s more than one world and they’re not so separate. But mired in this one, it is easy to lose sight of that. To forget we are more than flesh and bone.”

  “But the world is more than that.”

  “Yes, yes, I heard your explanation before the tidaechanek. And I can hardly complain too much when it is that . . . not-magic that saved my life. Still, you should take care. All life is merely passing through this world. None of us can stay.”

  “Unless you’re the Immortal.”

  “Him, yes. There’s a debate on how . . . alive he is. And whether he truly is immortal rather than long-lived.”

  Eurik already regretted bringing
that man up. His words still rankled and they only grew worse given the current situation. Had he known what was going to happen? Had his own presence made things worse?

  “I see Snake’s area,” he said, pointing. “There are quite a few guards.”

  “Yes. All the tribes posted more warriors at the entrances of their quarters. And they’re only letting people in who can prove they are who they say they are. If you think I can get you past them, you are mistaken. My authority ends at the posts.”

  “I’ll manage,” he said. He squared his shoulders and marched to the group of armed and armored women. They spotted him right away, a few stepping forward and spreading out.

  “Halt, outsider. You’re not getting in.”

  “I’m looking for Silver Fang. From Urumoy.”

  “We know who she is,” another said, the left corner of her mouth raised in a smile.

  “Good. I’m her friend. Rock, from San. We were supposed to meet, but she never came.”

  The one who had spoken looked at some of the others, who shook their heads or shrugged. “She did not pass through here while we were on duty, Rock of San. Though we’ve only been here since the evening meal. You can ask at the other entrance.”

  Eurik considered it, then shook his head. “She was supposed to meet me before dinner. If she left on time, the people there wouldn’t know anymore than you. I need to know if she’s in there, or whether I should look for her elsewhere. Can’t I look with an escort?”

  “No. We have no way to be sure you are who you say that you are.”

  He gestured at Sharp Prong, who stood a few steps back. She’d tucked her rod into her sash. “And I don’t suppose having her affirm that I am who I am will work?”

  The guard bowed lightly to Sharp Prong. “Apologies, shaman. But it will make no difference.”