by Jason Tesar
Reaching down into the bag, his hand settled on a rolled-up piece of parchment. He pulled it out and questions immediately came to his mind, as he couldn’t remember putting anything like this on his desk. Turning it over in his hands, he saw that it was tied with a thread to keep its rolled shape. With his curiosity piqued, he quickly slid the thread off the tube of parchment and unrolled it, wondering how he could have missed this sitting on his desk.
Saba,
Something terrible has happened to an acquaintance of mine. I am looking into the matter, but have been unsuccessful in finding any useful information to this point. The only clue that I have thus far is this arrowhead. I leave it in your possession to find out what you can about the people who made it. I have been unable to find any meaning in it and would therefore be grateful for any information that would aid me in my searching.
Gratefully,
Adair
Saba put the parchment down and grabbed the bag, turning it upside down and shaking it to empty the contents. A few more papers fell out, but no arrowhead. He quickly rifled through the other bags that were present, shaking them to determine their contents until he found one that made a knocking noise when he set it on the floor. He untied the bag and dumped the contents onto the floor. Amid a shower of dried leaves and feathers, something heavy fell out of the bag and landed with a thump on the floor. He pushed aside the growing pile of debris until he found the broken shaft of an arrow with the head still attached. Moving it closer to the candle, he turned it over in his hands, inspecting every feature. The construction was similar to what the Orud military used, a metal head sharpened to a double-edged point, set into the shaft and held in place with a metal pin that extended through the whole arrangement. The pin and shaft were both wrapped tightly with silk thread that wound around the base of the head. The silk was frayed in a few places and was starting to unravel. Saba sat down on the floor and picked at the thread until it was completely unwrapped. As he started to pull the head from the shaft, he noticed a circular engraving in the wood that was covered by the thread. At first glance, it looked like a wreath. But upon closer inspection, Saba could see what looked like winged creatures gathered around in a circle with their wing tips touching.
Saba put the arrowhead down and sat back. For the first time in his life, he felt a twinge of memory, a link to his forgotten past. It was a faint feeling and didn’t provoke anything specific, but he had the sense that he had seen this symbol before.
* * * *
Three weeks had passed since Kael arrived at the monastery. So far, he was enjoying himself, though he missed his family. He wondered if his father had ever returned. His thoughts often drifted to his mother, who was probably very sad to be missing her husband and her son. Sometimes, at night, when everyone else was asleep, Kael would lie awake and picture his mother and father standing in front of him. He would tell them that he was okay and that he was being taken care of. He would try to explain all of the things he was learning and how Ukiru said that they would be the most well-educated children in all of the Empire, maybe even the whole world. He knew they couldn’t hear him, but maybe his thoughts would somehow find their way back to Bastul and they would be comforted. He always hoped.
Except for missing his family, Kael couldn’t have imagined a better place to live. The morning exercises were becoming a way of meditation, just as Ukiru said. In the silence of the sunrise, Kael found that it was easy to lose himself in the peacefulness of feeling his body move in harmony with his surroundings. Some of the other boys still joked with each other the whole time, but he just tried to ignore them. The midmorning studies were fun, but they weren’t as fun as learning from Saba. Still, Ukiru was a very good teacher. But Kael’s favorite part of the day was the physical activity in the afternoon.
The sun was bright through the open doors and the air was warmer than usual. Just as every other weekday, Kael stood with the other boys in the arena, facing Ukiru.
“For several weeks now, you have learned how to move your body and breathe steadily to create a strong center of balance. Some of you have grown bored with these exercises, but I assure you that they are necessary. Now that you have a basic understanding of balance, we will progress to defense.”
Kael’s attention was piqued at the man’s words. It was obvious that the other children were excited as well.
“Everyone spread out. Each of you will be paired with an attacker.” Ukiru walked among the boys, directing their steps until each child had plenty of room around him. A group of monks, who had been standing off to the side, now joined in, each facing one of the children. “The man in front of you is your partner. In a few minutes, he will try to attack you, and if you have paid attention to what you were supposed to be learning to this point, you will avoid his attack.”
Kael’s heart quickened slightly at the thought of confrontation. He wasn’t sure what to expect.
“Your defensive position for this exercise will be the one you learned during our morning meditation, called Tiger. Assume this position now.” At Ukiru’s command all of the boys leaned back and brought their hands up in front of their bodies. “Rainer, what does a tiger do?”
The boy looked around, unsure of the correct answer.
“It crouches,” whispered Coen.
“Thank you, Coen,” Ukiru said with a stern face. “A tiger crouches to be ready at any moment to spring into action.”
“Oh,” Rainer said aloud as he realized he was standing straight-legged. He quickly bent his knees and looked at the others to make sure he was in the proper position.
“Very good,” said Ukiru. “Now, your attacker will rush at you and try to grab you. From this position,” Ukiru demonstrated, “you will lift your back foot and lunge one giant step backward.” One of the monks, at Ukiru’s signal, rushed forward, trying to grab his clothing. Ukiru jumped backward just as he instructed and evaded the attacker’s hands. His quick and graceful movements made it look easy. “Now it’s your turn.”
Kael loosened his stance and made sure that his knees were not locked. He waited for Ukiru’s signal and the attacker lunged as soon as it was given. Kael was expecting more of a delay, but was still able to easily avoid his attacker. Arden was not so lucky. His attacker grabbed him before he could move, and he ended up tripping over his own feet. Sounds of muffled laughter could be heard as he got back to his feet.
“Once more,” Ukiru said. “Back into position. Everyone ready? Go.”
Once again the monk grabbed at Kael, but this time he was better prepared and was able to get much more distance between himself and the attacker.
“Very good,” Ukiru commented when he saw that everyone completed the exercise successfully. “Now, if you will notice, jumping backward only gives you a little more time before your attacker reaches you. Even though you have evaded him, he can simply keep advancing toward you, and I have never met anyone who could run backward fast enough to outrun someone who is moving forward. So, this time, we will jump to the right using the same technique.” Ukiru motioned for his attacker to advance and easily jumped to the side, returning to his crouching defensive position. “Now you do it. Ready? Go.”
This time Kael’s attacker got close to catching him, and when he was finished, a quick look around the room showed that he was not the only one. Horace was straightening his clothing after being grabbed by his partner.
“Do it again, but notice that you are moving to the side and not backward. You will not have as much time to get out of the way. Instead of reacting, try to anticipate your attacker’s move. Bend your knees and be ready. Wait for the slightest sign of movement, then spring out of the way. Get in position.”
Kael watched the attacker’s feet, waiting for Ukiru’s signal. Suddenly, the monk sprang forward and Kael jumped out of the way, barely missing the grasping hands. “Very good. Some of you were ready. Do it again. This time don’t wait for my signal, watch your attacker.”
The second time Jo
rn failed to evade his attacker, but the third time, everyone was successful. As the afternoon progressed they learned to evade their advancing attacker by jumping in combinations of different directions.
At the end of their time each child was breathing heavily, and Ukiru had them line up once more. “You all did well today. Some of you may have noticed that when evading to the side, your attacker left himself exposed and vulnerable on that side. What you learned today is the basis for a counterattack, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Go and get washed up for the evening meal. You are dismissed.”
As each of the boys walked unhurriedly toward the main building, the monks stepped back and lined up near the door. Kael’s heart was beating rapidly when he walked out into the open air. The sun was beginning to set and the air had grown cold, but it felt good to his overheated skin. The evening meal tasted better than anything Kael had ever eaten, and when it came time to retire to his bedroom, he was unable to keep himself awake to think about how much he missed his family. He didn’t have much time to think of anything at all before his eyes closed and he fell into the deepest sleep he could remember.
* * * *
Maeryn lay awake in the early morning hours, watching the moon shadows dance along the wall. The nauseous feeling in her stomach woke her, and it was just the moment she had been waiting for. She spent many nights lying next to this evil man, trying to decide how to tell him that she was pregnant. To convince him that the child was his. There was no way to tell how he would react. Eventually, she realized that the best way to break the news was to let him find out by himself, to make it appear as if the two of them were discovering it together. Shortly after arriving at this decision, the sickness went away and Maeryn began to lose hope that things would go her way. That was one week ago. But tonight, the nausea returned, and the feeling was strangely welcome.
She climbed out of the bed, being careful not to wake Lemus. She had planned the whole event, and if he woke now, it would ruin everything. She tiptoed her way to the bathing room and found the toilet. Breathing heavily, Maeryn flexed her stomach to make it irritated. It took a while and she began to wonder if anything would happen at all, but finally her stomach obeyed and she began to gag. After a few seconds passed, she could hear Lemus stirring in the bed.
He’s probably annoyed at the disturbance of his sleep.
She decided to make it louder so that there was no chance of him falling back to sleep. Her stomach heaved again and she did her best to make it as loud as possible. After several minutes, Lemus was standing in the doorway.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in a muffled voice.
“I’m sick,” Maeryn mumbled between gags, trying to look as pathetic as possible. It wasn’t difficult under the circumstances.
“Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it?” he shot back, his irritation never too far below the surface of his personality. “Why are you sick? Is it something you ate?”
“I don’t think so.” She hesitated, wanting him to draw it out of her.
“Well, what’s the problem then?”
“I think I’m with child.”
Lemus stared at her with a blank look on his face. “How long has this been going on?”
Maeryn lifted her head from its drooped position and looked him in the eye. “A few days,” she lied. “I thought it would go away, but it hasn’t.”
“That’s ridiculous. There is no—”
“It usually happens in the morning,” she interrupted, trying to distract him from his train of thought. “But sometimes … at night.”
Lemus was speechless for a moment, and Maeryn secretly rejoiced at the way everything was turning out. “I have work to do in the morning,” he finally stated, but with less conviction than she was used to hearing in his voice. “I’m going back to bed.”
As Maeryn listened to his retreating footsteps, she knew that it had worked. Not one word was mentioned of Adair. In fact, it seemed that Lemus had all but forgotten about him. If he acted as she expected he would, it would be days before Lemus would revisit the subject.
He won’t like the idea of having a child at first. But when he accepts the fact that it will happen regardless of how he feels, he’ll change his opinion. In a few days, he’ll come bursting into the room, talking about the legacy he will leave to his children, as if the whole thing was his idea in the first place.
Maeryn had never been the type of person to manipulate others, but now it was a matter of survival. Her old life was gone, forever changed. This was her life now, and it was horrible for the most part. But like Zula said, she would have to change the way she looked at the world, to find little things to make her happy. And she had to admit, despite her new position in life, she felt more powerful than she ever had before, and that gave her a small measure of satisfaction.
CHAPTER 17
In the grandest library in all the Empire, the smell of old parchment hung thick in the air, contained by the lack of ventilation. But that is exactly what one would want out of a suitable library. The old documents needed to be kept away from the elements, protected from sunlight and humid air. Saba sat alone at a stone table amid rows of shelving that reached to the thirty-foot arched ceilings. The journey to Orud* had been exhausting, taking months, but Saba was no stranger to travel. It seemed that most of his life, what he could manage to remember, had been spent moving from one place to another. His arrival in Bastul began the longest stretch of stillness, but that had now passed. Though tiring, Saba had grown accustomed to the alluring tranquility of travel. So accustomed, in fact, that if he spent too much time indoors he began to grow restless.
Well, you’d better get used to being restless, old man! he told himself. You’re going to be here for a while.
He pulled another thick book off the top of the stack next to him. It contained the crests of the most important families in the Orudan Empire. Having thoroughly searched the historical documentation on previous cultures and their weapons’ construction, Saba had now changed his approach to researching the symbol. As he leafed through the pages, his mind began to wander. There was something about that symbol, carved into the shaft, which seemed familiar. But even during the months of travel, with plenty of silence, he had been unable to make any connection between it and his own past.
One painting made him pause in mid thought, but it was only a likeness of an eagle and he began to turn the pages again. He reached the end of the book and closed it, frustrated with the lack of progress. So far, this approach wasn’t looking promising either. He had been here for two days already and hadn’t even found a hint of a clue.
I need to try something different.
Saba rose to his feet and began to walk down the aisles of books, hoping that something would jump out at him. After a few minutes, he found himself lingering in a section whose documents chronicled the various religions of the cultures that the Empire had conquered.
It wouldn’t be a religious symbol, would it?
He picked up one of the books and quickly turned a few pages, immediately seeing an improvement. Most of the content was text, but the few drawings were much more similar in style than what he had been looking at before. He set the book back on the shelf.
Something older, more elaborate perhaps.
He walked farther down the aisle, and eventually the documents transitioned from books to scrolls. They were not labeled like the books, so he grabbed an armful and headed back to his table.
It was tedious work going through the scrolls, untying and unraveling them only to find that they were also a dead end. After several hours of searching, Saba decided to go back to his room at a nearby inn and get some rest. Perhaps tomorrow would bring better results. After placing all of the scrolls and books back in the places where he found them, Saba climbed the stairs leading up to the first level of the library. There was no light coming in from the windows and the custodian waved to him from behind his candle-lit desk.
“Will I see you tomorrow?�
� he called out.
“First thing in the morning,” Saba replied, waving as he headed for the entrance.
The vestibule of the library was a long and wide corridor with columns lining the sides. Between each fifth column was a statue of another of Orud’s gods, their bodies partially clothed and posed in some dramatic gesture. At the end of the hall, Saba stepped through a small doorway and walked into the night air of Orud. Apparently he had been down in the basement longer than he thought, as he looked to the darkened sky. The view from this vantage point always took his breath away. The library was perched atop a small knoll within the academy district, surrounded by various temples and schools. From the terrace, Saba could see a great deal of the city, and the flickering light from torches spread out for miles. The beauty of this city was unrivaled, and one needn’t look far to see it. The flat stone streets that curved throughout the city were lined with alternating iron torch posts and planted trees. The vegetation within the city was maintained by an enormous force of gardeners enlisted by the emperor himself.
Saba took a deep breath and descended the library steps to the street below. Crossing the road, he walked south for a few blocks before turning east along the street that would eventually lead him to the inn. It had taken a few days to find a place to stay, but luckily, he still had plenty of money from his days of tutoring Kael.
Kael!
As soon as the name came to mind, his heart sank. Kael was such a special boy. Inquisitive. Determined. It broke Saba’s heart to think of how the child’s life had come to an unjust end. He was yet another innocent casualty of this brutal life.
Suddenly, Saba’s senses were alert. Perhaps it was a noise or a smell. He couldn’t be sure, but it felt like someone was following him. The sensation wasn’t foreign to him, as he had noticed it during his journey here from Bastul as well. The last few days before his arrival were spent with the occasional glance over his shoulder, but the feeling went away when he entered the city limits. Now it was back again, and it was unsettling. He quickened his pace toward the inn and kept his eyes moving, checking each alley as he neared it.
