Striking Chains

by Kris Schnee

  * * *

  Far away in the city of Saint Wylan, bells rang in celebration. The triple-sun flag flew and people of different classes, nations and even species paraded together. Messengers were hurrying out to places that message-tree seeds couldn't reach. A way of life had been overturned, and as the celebrants told each other, the evil of the State could exist no more.

  In the city's dungeon, the loyal and honest Servant Irene swayed slowly, dangling from a rope.

  * * *

  On Temple Island, the animals of the Servants' menagerie had been eaten. Sir Marion found the Keeper of Familiars as a living skeleton with a haunted look in his eyes, and tried to console him as only a fellow keeper of beasts could do. He stood in the quiet garden of cages, saying through his guard and translator, "You did all you could for them, I'm sure. They lived as good a life as was possible."

  "I kept them in cages. When the blockade came, I was tempted to let them all out, to roam and escape or fight for survival. A few of them were more than animals to me. Worth more than many of the people."

  Marion looked the gaunt man over and wondered how many of his own meals he'd fed to the zoo. "You'll rebuild, with our help." He made the decision he'd been putting off, one that neither his Duke nor the new Prince might approve of. "I'll teach you what I know of awakening these creatures' full potential, in the King's name. But I hope that in the new State, you won't feel that the people are more deserving of the cages."

  The Keeper looked far away to the streets where a desperate population had rioted in the last days, blameless in their anger. "It cheers me a little that the people were defiant in the end. I'd imagined that you'd get here and find nothing but bones."

  "We didn't want that."

  The Keeper nodded. "Maybe it's worth seeing what your foreign magic can do for peace instead of war."

  * * *

  Jakob stepped out to a desolate city square on the island of Shirker's Noose.

  His main concessions to his new rank were a bronze circlet and a cape held with a bronze chain. He walked five paces in front of his guards. There were still a few Citizens and Servants on the island who wanted him dead, but it was important to be seen acting brave. Besides, he had reason to think any assassin would be beaten down by a mob. He looked to the battered, tattered people he'd spent his childhood with and made himself smile for them. "Free people of Shirker's Noose! I've always hated the name. It's a reminder of the brutality of the Holy State. Those days are over, and as you saw, I will personally fight anyone who says otherwise!"

  He got a cheer for that. For a few days, his attempt to incite a rebellion here had been... close. He'd refused to stop believing that the people wanted one and were only held back by fear. What had really lit the fire had been the noise. People banging pots and pans by their windows as a silly gesture of solidarity, to show each other that they weren't alone in their anger. Then had come the songs, the little acts of defiance, and the drums of battle. The process had started before he even arrived. Jakob was heartened by that, and it had kept him going when he had to fight with word and blade through the streets.

  Today there was no work for anyone but the island's guards, who'd been suddenly reduced in number. It'd been made plain to the surviving ones that their behavior would change from now on. Meanwhile, the first expanded shipment of food had come from the north, along with Rose the farming expert and some supplies for her to set up. The worst of the work quotas and punishments had been declared void, with promises of more changes to come. So, the island was in good spirits today.

  He said, "We have a new Prince who will treat us fairly for once, and who --"

  "Can we trust him?" somebody called out from the crowd.

  Jakob grinned, pleased that the people weren't just listening passively. "I think so; we've fought and worked together. But if we can't, well, you've proven you know what to do."

  That got a laugh. Jakob was pretty sure Prince Dominic would be a good ruler, and he hoped there'd be no trouble. But... it was good to know his people could handle a fight.

  A woman shouted, "What about this outlander religion of his?"

  "What, more questions? I might have to make this kind of public audience a regular thing." His guards looked nervous, but he smiled. "I'm part of their church now, and I've seen it empower the Prince and other people. I'm going to let the westerners show up and explain it to you, but don't let them push you into anything."

  Privately, he hoped the people would accept the Sun King's creed, because there was nothing else to believe in here. There were few followers of the northern shamanic ways on this island, and the people's obedience to the Holy State's religion was sullen, grudging and now obsolete. Something would need to fill the void, instead of only bitterness and hostility toward the rest of Baccata. The strange western beliefs would make all of the former State's people equal in the sense of finding the ideas equally bewildering -- and that was a good thing.

  Jakob resumed his speech. He held up a dark, round seed. "This is a message-tree seed, a gift from our friendly neighbors the Velesians. We'll be planting it to create a magical grove of trees that will help us carry news. It'll be part of a new age of magic and trade and exploration. That's just the first magic benefit we're getting, and there'll be more. I want us to out-compete everyone else in hard work and new ideas, once the work's no longer enforced at the point of a spear."

  He said, "I believe that you are among the best people to rebuild the State as a new and better country, because you have such personal experience with its sharp end. Because this island is going to lead the way as we struggle to teach a positive lesson to the rest of Baccata, I say we should go back to its old name, from before the rebellion that the State cracked down so hard on. What do you think?"

  The former Bound and some of the Citizens shouted their support. Jakob smiled more sincerely now, and told them, "In that case, I am proud to be Duke of the reborn Outset Island!"

  * * *

  In the distant west, young nobleman Perrin Cadiz embraced his father and brother.

  After so long as an eastern slave and then a conquering mercenary, he was back home in the family manor full of plants and holy icons and masks of their ancestors. The style of everything from the furniture to the silverware was different; everything from his childhood felt new and exciting. There were opportunities for learning and profit everywhere.

  "My head is full of ideas," he said during a much-needed feast. "We have a chance to make the Cadiz family the richest of all!"

  His father tousled Perrin's hair. "You don't ever want to go back to those barbarian lands, do you? It's nice to have someone who speaks Baccatan, but you're not the only one."

  "I need to make a trip back to visit some pirate 'friends'. I made them a promise." He grinned viciously. "Since I'm going east, I might as well make some money along the way. I know where the Baccatans are desperate for food and tools, and where they'd want books, and there's a safe route to the northeastern tribes now, and they know how to build ships that sail underwater!"

  His father smiled. "We're all going to be busy, I suppose. I should be the one giving you homecoming gifts."

  "Lending me a ship would be a good start!" said Perrin. "But there's more to do than establishing new trade routes. The things I saw... Father, the people were unified. The Prince was able to peel them away a bit at a time, but that was the work of their idiotic system of slavery. If we could unite our own League around the King's religion and spread it under the Prince's banner, think of what power would be in our hands! We could do incredible things."

  To Perrin that was the really exciting prospect, not the money. Take over the cloudtail lands in the north, get all the Baccatans praying to the King, smash the foreigners across the western sea... A vast and powerful empire was all within reach if he could find a way to pull together all the people of the region. He would spend the rest of his life trying, because if his people didn't, someone else would manage to do it against them on t
erms he feared.

  * * *

  Cecil, Duke of Saint Wylan, sat in a garden in his palace. He grumbled at the griffin knight. "More documents?"

  Sir Fleche split and his human half handed over the bundle from his other half's saddlebags. "We're not thrilled about playing courier either, but it does get us shot at less often. Nice scenery in the east too. This message was too important to trust to a message-seed."

  Duke Cecil unrolled a scroll. "More trade negotiations?"

  "No, we're told. The Prince is trying to establish peace with his northern neighbors, and you may be able to help."

  "It's us doing the heavy lifting around here, to put more land in the foreigner's hands!" The Duke sighed and took a drink. "Sir Marion's out there swimming with dolphins or something, and my soldiers are fooling around keeping the remaining Baccatan loyalists from counter-attacking. Busywork at this point."

  "Would you rather have your men still in open battle? You've gotten more land out of this mess, and a safe border instead of a war zone."

  "Yes, yes, but the constant demands wear on me. First from the Council meddling with me, then from the Prince wanting supplies, information, troops. I'm spread thin."

  The knight peered at the nobleman from two sets of eyes. Duke Cecil's courage was beyond question, but the knight doubted whether he'd be as competent in the new peace as in war. "Well, then, it's good to remember that all of your own people pride themselves on being armed." He wondered if the Duke would take his full meaning.

  Fleche bowed, took his leave, and went out to the courtyard. To a large extent, knights like him went wherever they pleased. The eastern lands were a sort of vast puzzle, a mysterious place they'd never before visited in peacetime, and there were surely wrongs to right and other useful things to do. Sir Carolus had already begun exploring with the Prince's blessing, and it seemed like a good idea to do the same. He merged, looked around the courtyard, and poised his wings to fly.

  "Sir Fleche, wait! I mean... I'd like you to wait." The Duke's son trotted up with a pack over one shoulder. "Are you going east?"

  "Yes."

  "I had some basic reading primers printed out, along with copies of Miss Rose's magic pamphlet. Would you mind carrying them? They're light."

  Fleche poked his beak into the pack, looking at dozens of paper sheaves. "Why?"

  "I've heard the people there can't read or use magic. But that's fixable, and I want them on our side. Reading our language if possible."

  "Fair Enough," said Fleche, dumping the contents into his own saddlebags. Maybe he could even outdo whatever Carolus was trying to accomplish! They'd have to meet up later and swap stories. "Anything Else?"

  The young Earl nodded. "There is. Could I become a knight myself?"

  Fleche paused, then stepped back and separated so that his human half could stretch and speak more clearly. "We'll give you a test flight, if you like. You can go to the Aerie in the far west if you want to try meeting the others. But... you're a Duke's son. We doubt he'd want you to run off and join our little club." Carolus liked to call it the Flying Circus.

  "He doesn't own me."

  "No, but you have responsibilities. Someone will need to run the dukedom after your father, and would you rather that the job go to someone more power-hungry?"

  "I suppose my cousin's next in line," the boy said, looking away and glaring at the ground. "But I'd like to fly, to see the world. Even my father's only been able to travel into Baccata with an army. That's no way to explore."

  Fleche nodded, agreeing. "We won't tell you what to do. But your wealth and comfort come with an important job to train for, for the sake of your people. We suggest thinking about whether you want to give that life up. Besides, there'll be more chances to travel safely soon."

  The Earl said, "I'll think about it. For now, I'd like to try that flying lesson if you don't mind. And, um... Can I scratch your griffin's ears?"

  Both halves of Fleche laughed. "Yes." A few palace servants got to watch the mighty griffin lean closer to be petted and scratched.

  Fleche enjoyed the touch on his fur and feathers, then set off to carry the boy into the sky on a gentle trip around the city. He hoped the young candidate ended up not becoming a knight, though, because the world needed ordinary human rulers. There were many ways to serve the King.

  The Earl whooped in fright and excitement as they soared, encouraging Fleche to take him farther and see some of the villages around the city. When the boy had calmed down a little he said, "I feel sorry for the Prince. He's stuck now, after all the things he's seen."

  Fleche said, "He'd Like Some Peace, We Think."

  * * *

  Rose visited a poverty-stricken island of miners just coming out of decades of oppression. It was harrowing to see the hungry humans staring at her. She did what she could, teaching the farming techniques she knew and helping to reorganize and expand farms that could handle the land's poor soil. The constructive work did her spirit good after all the fighting. When she'd had her fill of living among foreigners, Rose went home to the north.

  The city of Ironleaf was mostly human-run, part of Great Oak's nation, and magic gleamed everywhere from the mines full of water-pumping vines to the amber lanterns that hung from the trees along every road. Just being here let her feel the connection of her heart to the Lord, who would save her if she died. She'd missed this place, but especially her family.

  Soon, Rose wept in the arms of her husband Willow. The man had waited for his return and busied himself with his work as a doctor. Now, he opened his arms and his heart to her again, pretending that Rose hadn't abandoned him and their young son in the name of adventure.

  Fuzzy little Mallow had been barely a year old when Rose ran away to foreign lands. Rose had named him in an act of anger and defiance. She'd had twins, and the plan was to name the girl Mallow instead. But the girl had been born blind, and because she was defective, the laws of Great Oak had decreed that she wouldn't live. So, she had just the one child now.

  She'd left home "to see the world", it was true, but she'd also wanted to get far away from the life she knew.

  Willow held Rose tightly. "What did you see out there?"

  "I helped destroy an empire."

  "There's always healing to do after surgery."

  She nodded. "Where is Mallow?"

  "With his aunt."

  "Will he even want to see me?" she said.

  He rubbed his cheek against hers. "Rebuilding takes time. We'll work on it, all right?" Rose nodded and sniffled. Willow said, "When you've rested, I'd like to visit Great Oak with you. The Lord sent word that He wants to see you."

  Rose and Willow traveled the Amber Road that glowed in the night, and came to the massive tree that was the heart and namesake of Great Oak. Willow left her with a hug, to enter the tree for her private audience.

  A wooden platform slid upward through the Oak's hollow trunk, and carried her far up into the Lord's own sanctum, a room filling most of the trunk on this floor. There was magic here more intense than anything in the southern lands except maybe Temple Island. She caught sight of the Lord for the first time in too long, and dropped to her knees.

  The ancient human who had earned godhood sat wreathed in the light of ten thousand shimmering spells that tied Him to the world, to the people's hearts, to all that was good. Veles the Forest Lord rose from His throne of living wood, wearing a simple wooden crown. "Beloved daughter of the forest, welcome home. Come, look up. You're no foreign slave." He waved one hand and the floor shaped a comfortable chair for her.

  Rose's voice caught as she watched the constantly shifting threads of the Lord's might. A mote like a star sailed along one of them for a moment. She gasped; had she just seen the remains of a soul going off to its next life? The words began to tumble from her muzzle and she told Him everything she'd seen and heard. Including the idea that Veles had harmed the people of Baccata by crippling their greatest magic node.

  The Lord listened with fe
w questions. Once she'd told Him of the Boundless One's accusation, He hung his head. "Did I really do the right thing, My daughter? The terrible things they might have used that power for, I don't want to contemplate. But My sabotage cost them dearly. I hardly even thought of that cost. I had hatred and fear in My heart when I left."

  "Of course it was right, Lord!" Rose said quickly.

  "There's a difference between us and them. And between Me and our own Council, I've begun to think. You will never be punished for speaking honestly to Me, even to tell Me I'm wrong."

  Rose thought more carefully, feeling even more sure now that she wanted to stay in Great Oak's domain and defend it and its rightful master. "I do think it was the best option, if You thought the Holy State was a threat. Now that the Prince has changed things there, maybe it's safe to unseal the node if You can."

  Veles nodded. "I owe them My aid. Lumber, food, military support, magical instruction. You did a great deal of good by being the first to reach out to them."

  "Thank you, Lord. Baccata's feud with the tribes between us and them seems to have died down, too, so travel out that way should be safer now."

  "Then I'll encourage the Council to allow free travel to their lands. I'm sure the Blackthorn clan will be eager to get their paws on foreign magic and have a shot at repairing the Seaflower for fun and profit, anyway. In time, if the Prince trusts Me with details on the capital's magic node, I should do what I can for that place as well."

  Rose bowed, tail low. "Do you think the node there could be used to establish an afterlife for their people?"

  "Maybe. It's been a long time since I studied that place."

  Rose said, "In a way, the Baccatans might be better off for the fact that they don't have one yet. They'd have found ways to abuse it. And... because of the system we have here, few of us have been willing to travel far from Your magical protection." By leaving home, she'd put herself at risk of true death. She shuddered. "We're hesitant to see the world. But before long, it will come crashing in on us."