by Ian Gregoire
“I was sent to investigate—” Zarina cut herself off abruptly; she looked like a woman who had almost said too much. “I arrived in Sevdanor yesterday afternoon,” she continued. “I didn’t get a chance to really begin my errand because I was called upon to help deliver a premature baby. I guess it was fortunate I was in the right place at the right time.”
“Where did you arrive from?” Kayden interjected. “As I understand it the seminary outside Sevdanor has been closed for some time.”
“Yes, I heard about that situation.” Zarina’s expression was guarded. It was possible she was simply worried about saying the wrong thing, but Kayden couldn’t shake the impression that the woman was afraid of her. “I’m originally from the seminary outside the city of Nagornorak.”
For reasons Kayden couldn’t explain, the more Zarina revealed, the more suspicious she became. Why would a lone Sister from a seminary in one province be sent to the capital of a much smaller, neighbouring province that was effectively under occupation by a renegade soldier?
“The Sisterhood doesn’t typically involve itself in political affairs,” she said in an obviously leading fashion. “What did you say you were sent to Sevdanor to investigate?”
“I didn’t,” retorted Zarina. “And with all due respect, we don’t have time to waste discussing my errand—it has no bearing on why I sought you out.” There was something in her voice that hinted at a degree of antipathy towards Kayden. “Perhaps I could explain what brought me here?”
“By all means.”
Zarina took a deep breath that immediately altered her demeanour. The signs of hostility that seemed to be threatening to erupt moments earlier faded away, and the wariness on her face disappeared. For the first time, everything about her was redolent of a Jaymidari, despite the absence of the cream and beige robes. It now seemed so obvious that Zarina really was a Sister that Kayden couldn’t fathom where her suspicions to the contrary had come from.
“Yesterday evening I began searching for a place to stay overnight,” said Zarina, commencing her tale. “It wasn’t long before I became aware of the rumours circulating through the streets. There was talk of several hundred people from towns and villages north of Sevdanor who had taken up arms, and were marching south to capture the town and restore government authority across the province.”
Careful not to give away any sign of displeasure, Kayden was far from happy to learn that word of her intended march had already reached the town.
“I didn’t give much credence to the gossip,” continued Zarina, “because I saw no evidence of preparations being made to repel an attack. This morning, however, has been a different story. It appears that reinforcements arrived during the night from towns in the south, to help bolster Sevdanor’s defences. There are now countless armed men roaming the streets, and most of the new arrivals have taken up position on the northern outskirts of town in anticipation of an attack.”
Kayden mulled over the news. It was certainly a complication, but not a disaster.
“Although these developments are unrelated to my task in Sevdanor, I felt an obligation to prevent an unnecessary bloodbath,” Zarina continued. “I set off a short while ago hoping to intercept you before you reached Sevdanor, and warn you against trying to seize the town. While there appears to be more of you than I expected, from what I gathered earlier in the morning you’ll be facing up to four thousand men.”
“Nonsense!” blurted Sartis. “That’s almost all the soldiers in the entire province.” He glanced quickly at Kayden. The embarrassed look upon his face suggested guilt at having spoken out of turn. “Apologies, Commander,” he said formally. “But I can tell you from personal knowledge that the Royal Guard has five thousand men in Yeverezan province, only five hundred of whom are stationed in Sevdanor at any given time. Most of the rest are stationed at garrison towns along the Agassian River, protecting our southeastern border with Sirathania. They would never be withdrawn from the area and deployed to the provincial capital; that would leave the border unguarded.”
“I’m sorry for the confusion,” Zarina interjected. “Obviously I wasn’t making myself clear. The men preparing to engage you are not soldiers from the Royal Guard. I assume they are a mixture of mercenaries and opportunistic bandits throwing in their lot with Kazdaranian. From what I was able to glean from the few people I spoke to, it seems that the bulk of the soldiers in Sevdanor have been languishing in prison cells for several months, due to their refusal to obey orders.”
The prospect of facing a fighting force of four thousand men didn’t faze Kayden, but she didn’t want that information reaching the ears of the thousand or so townsfolk and villagers she would be leading to Sevdanor. Despite the ease with which they had subdued smaller gangs of Kazdaranian loyalists, in and around the handful of towns and villages they’d passed through during the march south, she was certain that the morale of her ragtag militia would be impacted if they learned how outnumbered they’d be at the end of their journey.
“I thank you for the information provided, Sister Zarina,” said Kayden, “but it doesn’t affect our plans to liberate Sevdanor. I hope you also understand that, for security reasons, I’m going to insist that you remain here with us—at least until we have resumed our march.”
“I understand,” said Zarina. “But if you are determined to go through with this, I would like to join you. The odds are stacked against you so you’re going to need all the help you can get. If nothing else, having one more Sister at your disposal will mean an extra pair of hands to treat the wounded.”
With a subtle nod of the head, Kayden replied, “I accept your offer.” Seven Jaymidari marching with her was better than six. She just hoped she wasn’t leading them to their deaths. The plan to capture Sevdanor was predicated on the assumption that Kazdaranian had insufficient numbers of Sanatsai among his loyalists to mount an effective defence of Sevdanor. If that assumption proved to be incorrect then the confidence she had in her mastery of Zarantar might count for nothing. It was one thing to potentially be faced with two or three dozen Sanatsai bandits, but if Kazdaranian had anything approaching a hundred to call upon then the upcoming battle would almost certainly end in disaster.
Kayden diverted her gaze to Sartis. “Make sure everyone is ready to march within the next half-hour,” she ordered. “We have a provincial capital to liberate.”
Fay quickened her ascent to the top floor. The Zarantar she was sensing from the mirror in her office informed her that someone had just initiated a long-distance communication in order to speak with her. On the assumption it was Administrator Lukatoni at the Belisaris campus, she hurried through the corridor until she reached the office. Entering the room, she proceeded immediately to the wall-mounted mirror, its wooden frame covered in glowing red glyphs, and its glass pane a seemingly liquefied screen containing swirling lavender mists. With a wave of the hand, Fay invoked Yuksaydan to accept the incoming transmission. The glyphs quickly disappeared, and the swirling mists gave way to a crystal clear image. As expected, Fay saw her counterpart from Belisaris standing in his office.
“Hello again, Fay,” said Milo Lukatoni. “I was beginning to suspect that you were still indisposed; this is the second time I’ve tried getting back in touch with you.”
“I’m sorry, Milo. I was following a lead with regard to my missing apprentice.”
“Well that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I have now confirmed that nobody from your campus has arrived here in the last week or so.”
“I figured as much,” Fay conceded. It was too much to hope that Kayden had made her way to Astana after her unauthorised detour to the Kingdom of Darmitana. “I managed to trace her movements to the town of Ladurona, in the south of Darmitana, but I haven’t yet worked out where she went after that.”
“I see,” said Milo.
“Hopefully, I’ll be able to find clues here on campus as to here present whereabouts.” If not, thought Fay, she would turn her focus to the Order�
�s pending mission in Anzarmenia. Eliminating the threat to Kayden’s life would more or less take care of her concerns about the well-being of the apprentice—and for that reason she would insist upon participating in the mission, irrespective of any objections Ari had about her involvement.
“I’m sorry to have wasted your time Milo.”
“No apology necessary,” Milo assured her. “I will, of course, contact you if your apprentice does make an appearance here in the meantime. For now, farewell.”
After saying her goodbye, Fay ended the conversation with a nonchalant wave of the hand, and moments later her reflection was again restored. Turning on her heels, she strolled to the spiral stairwell and ascended the stairs to her living quarters. She promptly discarded her weaponry, returning the sword and daggers to their hanging place above the mantelpiece. Wasting little time, she headed back towards the spiral stairwell, ready to begin the search for clues that would help her track down Kayden. As she approached the open archway the faint sound of laughter stopped her in her tracks. Somewhere outside the administration building a young woman was laughing, and it sounded suspiciously like Kayden. Though she couldn’t feel the apprentice’s familiar presence nearby, Fay immediately changed course, marching swiftly towards the patio doors. With a casual wave of the hand, her invocation of Yuksaydan caused the doors to slide open before she reached them, and she stepped outside onto the rooftop garden. A repeated bout of laughter was clearer this time, and still it sounded like it was coming from Kayden—though it couldn’t be her.
Fay hurried to the south-facing parapet and stared down at the mostly deserted campus below. She frowned. The laughing young woman was Neryssa, out of uniform, and standing in front of the women’s dormitory while engaged in seemingly light-hearted conversation with Lazar, of all people. Somehow, it had slipped Fay’s mind that Neryssa had remained on campus for the holiday. She mentally berated herself for the time wasted on going to Ladurona, when the hazel-eyed apprentice below should have been her first port of call upon learning of Kayden’s absence. Of the few friends Kayden had at Antaris, Neryssa was the most likely to know of her whereabouts, and what she was up to. Now it was time to question her and get to the bottom of Kayden’s scheme.
The conversation on the ground below came to an end when Neryssa gave Lazar a quick hug before stepping away to enter the dormitory. Lazar remained rooted to the spot, staring at the entrance to the building. Eyebrows raised, Fay wondered if Lazar—who had left Antaris for the holiday—was back on campus to seduce Kayden’s closest friend behind her back. In the blink of an eye, she was no longer staring down at him from the roof garden atop the administration building. She materialised on the flagstone ground, standing right behind Lazar.
“Lazar!”
The startled apprentice spun around sharply. “Master Fay!” he said, looking flustered. “I didn’t see you—”
“Should you not be back at the family home enjoying the holiday?” said Fay, placing her hands behind her back. “I seem to recall your departure last week.”
“I did go back to visit the family, but I decided to return early,” replied Lazar. “I arrived a few minutes ago, as it happens.”
“And was there something about the women’s dormitory in particular that you had to come back for? Is that why you’re loitering outside?”
“Oh, I… Uh… Master Fay, it’s not what you’re thinking.” Lazar peered back over his shoulder, glancing briefly at the building before returning his gaze to Fay. “I was just waiting for Neryssa Mirandi. She mentioned being bored and lonely on campus this past week, so I thought I’d keep her company today. We’re about to go to the stables to ask Ruso if we can take a couple of horses out for a ride.”
It was a nice, thoughtful gesture, Fay realised. But given Lazar’s reputation, she wondered if maybe he was trying to soften Neryssa up. Whatever the case may be, it wasn’t really her place to interfere, as long as no campus rules were being violated. Besides, if she hadn’t been aware of Lazar’s former involvement with Kayden she wouldn’t have given a second thought to his possible courting of her closest friend.
“I was just on my way to speak to Neryssa about an urgent matter,” she said, “so you may find yourself waiting a little longer for her. I hope you don’t mind.”
“That’s not a problem, Master Fay. I’m not going anywhere.”
Fay stepped away from Lazar, and marched the short distance to the women’s dormitory. Upon entering, she made her way up to the top floor of the two-storey building and proceeded through the central corridor to the dorm room Neryssa shared with several other level nine apprentices during term time. After knocking three times, the prompt response of, “Come in,” from the other side of the door permitted her to enter the room.
Wearing nothing but her underwear, Neryssa stood in front of a tall mirror observing her reflection. She had changed out of the blue dress she’d been wearing a short while ago, and was preparing to put on her uniform. Surprised by Fay’s entry, she stopped abruptly and turned to face the unexpected visitor strolling towards her. “Master Fay!” she gasped, sounding harried. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you. Is something wrong?”
“I believe so,” replied Fay, coming to a halt a few paces from the half naked apprentice. “But maybe you should finish getting dressed before we discuss it.” She watched and waited while Neryssa hurriedly put on her uniform.
With one final glance at her reflection in the mirror, Neryssa finally turned around, standing to attention before Fay.
“Apprentice, let me cut to the chase,” began Fay. “If you know where Kayden is, and what she is up to, please tell me now.”
The bewildered frown that immediately altered Neryssa’s features did not appear to be feigned. It was not a good sign. If Kayden’s closest companion on campus had no clue as to her whereabouts…
“I’m sorry, Master Fay, I’m not sure what you mean,” said Neryssa. “Is she not spending the holiday back in Astana?”
“No. Earlier this morning I learned that Kayden did not arrive as planned.” The realisation that the precocious apprentice had deceived her made it hard for Fay to keep the vexation from her voice. “After persuading me of her need to go, it has now become clear that Kayden never had any intention of going back to Astana.”
Again, Neryssa seemed confused by what had been said.
“What is it, apprentice?” asked Fay.
“Well… Kayden made it sound as though spending the holiday in Astana was your idea, yet you seem to be saying she came to you asking for permission to go.”
“It appears she has deceived us both.” A sigh of resignation escaped Fay’s lips. She couldn’t decide what had upset her more: Kayden’s deception, or the increasing likelihood that their relationship wasn’t strong enough for the young apprentice to feel able to share her burdens?
“I wouldn’t take it personally, Master Fay,” said Neryssa, intruding upon Fay’s thoughts. “As I’m sure you already know, Kayden isn’t above telling lies to get what she wants.”
“Maybe so, but Kayden has never outright lied to me before—not even when our relationship was at its most strained.” It was a surprisingly true observation, Fay realised. While Kayden certainly had a tendency to be evasive, and reluctant to be forthcoming without prompting, there was no question that when it came to her dealings with Fay, the apprentice had always been straightforward—brutally so, at times. “And yet, when she came to me requesting leave to go back to Astana for the holiday,” continued Fay, “she lied right to my face with a story about needing to visit her mother’s grave.” She pursed her lips, recalling the conversation in her living quarters. “I should have known something was wrong,” she muttered, more to herself than to Neryssa. “She was so preoccupied during the last week and a half of the term. I thought it was her way of avoiding me because she was angry at me. And now she is missing. I have no idea where she is. Why did she travel to the Kingdom of Darmitana? What is she planning to do, and wh
y couldn’t she tell me about it?”
“What if Kayden just wanted to do something special for her birthday? It’s her twenty-first on the last day of the month, and though she hasn’t celebrated since she was a child I know it used to be important to her. It’s why I was disappointed when she told me she wouldn’t be here during the holiday; I wanted to do something to surprise her.”
Again, there was a visible shift in Neryssa’s expression. But this time was different. She looked like someone putting the puzzle pieces of a mystery together. Clearly, something must have triggered a memory.
“What is it, Neryssa?” said Fay. “If you know something about Kayden’s whereabouts it is imperative that you tell me now.”
“It’s probably nothing, Master,” began Neryssa, “but…” She paused, seemingly unsure of herself. “Have you ever noticed how Kayden gets this look on her face when she’s thinking about doing something she knows she shouldn’t do?”
Unbidden, Fay’s lips formed a half-smile. She knew exactly which facial expression Neryssa was referring to. “I’m familiar with the look,” she admitted. “Now tell me what you are thinking.”
“Well, a week or two before the end of term Kayden almost started a fight in the communal hall after one of her classmates claimed that her apprenticeship was a sham. He basically said that her induction into the Order was already a foregone conclusion, not because she deserved it, but because…” Neryssa trailed off, suddenly blushing. “Well… because she’s your favourite apprentice.”
Fay was pretty certain the classmate in question had said something a lot less diplomatic than that.
“As you can imagine,” continued Neryssa, “Kayden took the slight personally, and she was really angry that many of the people present seemed to agree with the accusation. I had to take her outside to calm down, but she kept going on about how she couldn’t allow that perception to follow her to Temis Rulan. She said she needed to do something to make people respect her; accomplish something that not even you had done. That’s when that look appeared on her face. It was as though she remembered she already had the solution for how to overshadow you. I knew right away she was up to something so I confronted her about it, but she denied it and said there was nothing she could do to force people to give her the respect she deserves.
