Sharani series Box Set

by Kevin L. Nielsen

  “Not very talkative today?” Gavin asked, keeping his voice light and conversational. “That’s alright. I’ll do the talking then.” Gavin smiled and then scratched at his chin, as if lost in thought. “Why would someone kill their own brethren? I guess there could be lots of reasons. I once knew two brothers who both loved the same woman. The older brother wasn’t very attractive and the woman fancied the younger one. So the older brother killed him. Seems logical if you look at it from the older brother’s perspective. Not right, but logical.”

  Kaiden didn’t stir. His matted grey hair hung over his face like a curtain, hiding his prematurely aged features. He’d recovered much faster than Lhaurel, who was still unconscious, but Kaiden’s mind appeared to be just as broken. “But it wasn’t over a woman. Hmm—neither you nor Sarial seem like the type to act out in a rage. Must have been something else then.”

  In truth, Gavin was appalled at the very thought of siblings killing one another. He’d grown up with only his family to protect and support him. Family was life, protection, and happiness. A man without a family was a man broken. A man alone.

  “Did Tieran attack you, and you were only defending yourself by calling the karundin to eat him? A joke gone wrong? I hear Tieran was one to make light of serious things.”

  No one knew if the story Kaiden had told the Roterralar—that the karundin had killed the rest of his party, of which Tieran’s twin Sarial had been a part—was actually true or if Kaiden had done the deed himself.

  “What were you and Sarial up to, Kaiden?” Gavin asked.

  Gavin let the words hang in the air, fading like the light in a dying man’s eyes. Khari and the majority of the Roterralar believed the only motivation behind Kaiden’s actions had been revenge and a selfish desire to save only those he cared about, his own clan and their ally. While that was a powerful motivator, there was more to it. The intricate alliances with Taren and the plots to unite the clans under a single ruler spoke of something far larger at hand.

  His grandmother had taught Gavin to question, to attempt to understand, because knowledge and understanding were the key to power. He hadn’t always been the best student of her teachings, but those had stuck with him and were heightened by his natural curiosity. What Kaiden did left too many unanswered questions.

  Kaiden shifted, drawing Gavin’s full attention in an instant. The man didn’t look up but he spoke for the first time that Gavin could remember. The man’s voice was raspy and thin, barely more than a whisper, but there was a steel to it that rocked Gavin to the core.

  “A father stands before the mouth of a small cave, family huddled behind him as the genesauri come. In his hands he holds a sword, his last defense against that which shall destroy them. The genesauri charge, a pack of sailfins intent on killing them all. Death comes for them. Pain beyond reckoning will descend upon the family of this man.”

  Kaiden paused for a moment, rocking back and forth in a small circular motion.

  “A father stands before the mouth of a small cave, family dead behind him, slain by his blade. Death and pain come for him then. But the pain is sweet.”

  Gavin stood up, knocking the chair to the sand in his haste. He stepped forward in one long stride, knelt, and grabbed Kaiden’s shoulders, trying to force the man to look up. Kaiden’s eyes were closed.

  “What are you so afraid of?”

  Kaiden didn’t respond, no matter how many times Gavin repeated the question. After a time, Gavin let go of the man’s shoulders and retrieved the fallen chair. Shaking his head, Gavin returned the chair to its spot, picked up the lantern, and knocked on the door to signal the guard to let him out. Kaiden’s last words rang in his mind. But the pain is sweet.

  * * *

  Cobb was waiting for Gavin when he awoke the next morning, the older man leaning against his ubiquitous cane. Cobb’s expression was unreadable, but the man’s free hand held Gavin’s greatsword.

  “Sir,” Cobb said, proffering the sword. Gavin took it with a nod, sitting up and starting to get dressed, his thoughts returning briefly to Kaiden’s words from the previous day.

  Gavin hadn’t been appointed to any real position of leadership, exactly, though most of the clans themselves treated him with respect, even if their current leaders didn’t. Without much encouragement—or any at all, for that matter—Cobb had appointed himself some sort of combination of servant and guard to Gavin, advising him on military matters and adding an overall sense of decorum to Gavin’s life.

  He’d also added a certain level of solemnity to the situation as well. The clans had just been through an epoch where a tyrant had attempted to have them all killed, saving only his chosen few. Gavin knew part of the reason Cobb stayed so close to him was to ensure that another tyrant didn’t do the same thing. The clans respected Cobb and so did Gavin. Trust, however, was a level of surety that only came over time.

  “What news, Cobb?” Gavin asked, belting on the greatsword. Aside from acting as steward and guard, the man was amazingly bureaucratic and efficient when it came to the little day-to-day tasks. Gavin hadn’t realized just how important the man would become when he’d saved him and Lhaurel from Taren in the tunnels hidden within the Oasis walls.

  “Genlin’s patrol returned with some grain and part of the flock from the Frierd Warren,” the man said in his rough growl. “That will give us a few more weeks.” He gestured with his cane toward the door.

  Gavin followed the man out and started down the hall, walking slightly slower than he normally would to accommodate Cobb’s slight limp. He focused on the man, turning his thoughts away from Kaiden’s graphic metaphor from the day before.

  “The clans are growing restless, sir,” Cobb said as they walked. “Old alliances and past slights aren’t easily forgotten now the genesauri are gone.”

  Gavin nodded. Though Khari had been less direct with her arguments the day before, she’d meant the same thing. The clans had centuries of divisive bitterness to fall back on. A few weeks weren’t going to overcome that. Gavin honestly wasn’t sure it could be overcome. Especially not where Evrouin and his new clan were concerned. They had formed up from the remnants of those who had followed Kaiden and turned on their own. No one trusted them and no one had forgiven them—not even Gavin, but he’d managed to convince the other clans to give them a second chance. They couldn’t afford continued in-fighting. Not anymore.

  “Have you given much thought to my request, sir?” Cobb’s cane thumped away in the sand as they turned down a passage that would lead them back into the heart of the Warren.

  “Yes, Cobb. I’ve given it a lot of thought.”

  “And?”

  “And I need to give it some more.”

  Cobb grumbled something under his breath. Gavin almost smiled.

  “Yes?”

  “Nothing, sir. Nothing. The clan leaders have requested your presence for the morning assembly. They want to leave and you’re the most outspoken against it. Should I tell them you’ll be there?”

  Gavin sighed, but nodded. Gavin thought he’d hated the life of an outcast, always being shunned from anything permanent or habitable. Now that he had a home, there was something he discovered he hated even more: politics.

  * * *

  A few hours later, Gavin sat with his back straight, expression calm and confident, though his stomach threatened to empty itself. The various representatives of the seven clans, plus Khari representing both the Roterralar and the mystics, filed into the room, taking seats around the massive wooden table.

  Cobb cleared his throat and suggested he take his seat. Gavin reluctantly complied, taking a seat at the head of the table opposite the door.

  As always, Gavin took time to study the massive wooden table for a moment. That much wood hadn’t been seen in one place in living memory. The Oasis had trees and wood, but the table did not have the same color or grain as the Oasis trees. The table was a dark, deep brown that shone as if with oil or polish, though Cobb had assured him that it h
adn’t seen cloth or oil in years. It was a natural luster. Cobb cleared his throat again and Gavin looked up, pushing aside his contemplations of the table. He doubted anyone would have noticed his momentary distraction. Years performing as a storyteller had schooled his expressions for the most part, and given him an ability to feign one emotion, or interest, while actually feeling or thinking something else entirely. At least, that’s what the training had been meant to do. Gavin didn’t always succeed at it.

  “So,” Evrouin said, “what pointless debate are we going to have today?”

  Gavin frowned at the man.

  Evrouin was the Warlord of the Heltorin clan, one of the two that had fully supported Kaiden in his attempted coup, even going so far as to feign their own demise. Gavin had convinced the other clan leaders to pardon both the Heltorin and their allies the Londik but sometimes, like each time Evrouin countered his every suggestion, he questioned that decision.

  “We have several items to discuss, Evrouin,” Gavin replied. “Please refrain from commentary until we’ve discussed the agenda or it is your turn to speak. The other leaders agreed to have you here despite your history. Don’t make them regret that decision.”

  Evrouin snorted, but retained his silence. Gavin nodded for Cobb to start the meeting.

  “There has been a lot of talk about allowing the clans to return home,” Cobb said. “Gavin would like to address his response to all of you at once, so there are no more questions when this is through.” Cobb glanced sharply toward Evrouin.

  “Really?” Alia said from Gavin’s right. Gavin still found it odd that the Sidena, of all the clans, would be the ones to embrace the changes the most readily. A female clan leader? Then again, they’d been hit the hardest by what had happened.

  Alia continued, “Why would anyone want to leave? We’ve got enough water and food for all of us and the accommodations are more than adequate.”

  Ejjoran was the first to reply. “Of course you’d like the way things are. You Sidena have always liked living off what others have gathered for you. How about you go back with the other women and tend the children?”

  “You’re one to talk,” Alia said with a snort.

  The following responses were drowned out in a chorus of shouts and arguments, springing up like a sailfin pack through the sand.

  “Enough!” Gavin said, using his stage voice to cut through the din. “Until we know for certain the genesauri are truly gone, we can’t risk sending any of the clans back to their warrens. Since the Oasis is lost to us now, this is the only place we can assure some measure of safety.”

  The various clan leaders glowered at one another, barely hearing Gavin’s response. Across from him, Khari met his eye. She’d assured him the genesauri were gone. Though he had no way of knowing whether or not she spoke the truth, he believed her. But that wouldn’t stop him from using it as a reason to keep the clans together. It was only in unity they would survive. Kaiden’s words echoed in his mind.

  “What about food?” Khari said into the silence that followed. “There’s not enough for all of us. The Roterralar don’t have enough stores to support the entire Rahuli people for an extended period of time.”

  Of course you’d be the one to bring that up again. Several of the other leaders shot her half-concealed glares. The look Evrouin shot her shone with the same disdain he’d leveled at Alia only moments before when insulting her.

  “We have sufficient for our needs,” Gavin replied with a level voice. “The patrols bring in more and more each day.”

  Khari raised an eyebrow, but gave no response.

  “We can increase patrols now,” Cobb said. “The strange weather patterns and winds are causing some minor issues, but the Roterralar seem to be adjusting to it.”

  Gavin nodded his thanks.

  “More excuses from the mighty Roterralar,” Evrouin said in a whisper that nonetheless carried. “I fail to see what that old man is doing here anyway. But at least he’s upfront about his involvement. The rest of you are acting like women and hiding behind the actions of other men, and women too, for that matter. Maybe you should all put on shufari. Or give over leadership of your clan to someone who’ll lead it the right way.”

  “What was that?” Khari demanded, half rising. Gavin raised a hand to try and placate her, but before he could answer other voices spoke up.

  “How many are dead because you hid here?” Asselin asked with a sneer. He represented the Londik, though he had showed up to fewer and fewer of the meetings of late. Evrouin was slowly taking leadership of several of the clans, the Londik among them. “It was one of yours behind all this.” Asselin gestured vaguely at the walls, though everyone understood his meaning. “You’re no ally of mine, nor any of us.”

  Gavin stood up before anyone else could respond, though Khari looked murderous.

  “Fighting between us leads nowhere,” he said. “We’re not getting anything accomplished today, it seems. Each time we leave these meetings without anything getting resolved is just another day of chaos, bitterness, and anger we can’t afford. We need unity, not in-fighting. We will meet again in two days at the noon hour if no one objects.”

  No one argued. Gavin ground his teeth together, though he was careful not to allow the set of his jaw to show his irritation. These meetings always degenerated into arguments and posturing. Maybe Cobb was right.

  The various clan leaders exited the room, only a few pausing to nod toward Gavin. Gavin tried not to get irritated at the slight.

  Alia and Khari chatted softly as they left. Gavin had noticed the two of them spending more and more time together recently. The Roterralar ways were definitely having an effect on some, at least.

  “Maybe you’re right, Cobb,” Gavin said with a sigh, dropping back into his seat. “They’re not ready to be united. Not yet. They can’t seem to leave the past where it belongs.”

  Cobb grunted. “That much is obvious. And why should they? Evrouin and his lot betrayed them, boy. Why should we trust them now?”

  “We can’t just let them leave. We don’t even have the remotest understanding of what’s going on now. The Oasis is gone. This land is changing.”

  Cobb grunted again and took a seat near Gavin, carefully bending his bad leg under the table and dropping his cane onto the table.

  “Life is change, boy,” Cobb said. “And what these people need is change. They can’t live together until they learn to respect one another, or at least have a mutual respect for the same thing. Some of the clans are starting to follow a different way, women are starting to lead, they’re all still in shock from what happened. They need time apart to think and nurse their wounds. They need to find themselves again.”

  Gavin massaged his temples. Meetings of clan leaders always left him with a bit of a headache. There was a reason his grandmother always handled the negotiations between the outcasts and clan leaders. She was much better at this than he. At least, she had been. Gavin hoped he wasn’t disappointing her too badly, wherever she was now. He hoped, also, that she’d made it into the highest level of hell along with all the other good and honorable people.

  He motioned for Cobb to continue.

  “As long as you have the same end in sight, you can work with people who get to that end differently.” Cobb reached down and kneaded the muscle in his thigh, wincing slightly at the pain.

  “That’s what I’m trying to do.”

  “You can’t do it with all of them all at once.” Cobb said, a note of exasperation creeping into his voice. “I’ve told you that already. The longer you keep them all here, the greater the risk they’ll be at each other’s throats. There’s already fighting and injuries, mostly against the old Roterralar, but some of the clans who’ve been blood enemies for ages are fighting like two children over a crust of bread. How long before there’s a killing?”

  The headache swelled.

  “I’ll think about it some more,” Gavin said, getting to his feet. “But we can’t have the Roterralar
bullied any more than we can let the clans separate and go their own ways right now. Go to the dissenters, you know who they are, remind them that the Roterralar are also the mystics. It is never wise to anger those more powerful that you are. I—I need to think.”

  Cobb nodded, but didn’t rise. “Think quickly, sir. These here are like an old waterskin. Being here has swelled them all to the point where they simply don’t have the strength to resist the mounting pressure.”

  Gavin nodded and exited, once again massaging his aching temples.

  Chapter 3: Squaring to the Stone

  “This text will not stray into the religious beliefs of those calling themselves the Orinai, nor argue the theological ideologies and logical fallacies discussed by the hypocritical race, but it shall suffice to say that the Progression paths used in the Orinai religious circles . . . are contingent upon the nine Iterations outlined on the Schema.”

  —From Commentary on the Schema, Volume I

  Samsin, thirteenth incarnation of Samsinorna, reveled in the storm raging around him. He stood atop a stone platform near the edge of the Northern Dominion, calling down the rains to water the smokeweed fields of Nikanor’s plantation.

  One of the slaves clambered up behind him, slipping on the platform’s slick rock.

  “Great One,” the slave shouted, “this is destroying the fields. You must stop.”

  Without even looking, Samsin backhanded the slave across the face. At well over seven feet tall and nearly twice as broad as the much smaller slave, Samsin struck with enough force to twist and break the slave’s neck and send the broken body sailing out over the edge of the platform. Samsin heard the faint sound of the body hitting the ground as if from a far greater distance.