Servants and Followers

by Courtney Bowen

  She became part of the water, trembling in the currents, splashing with the swells, and then evaporating up into the sky before dripping back downwards as rain. She was water.

  “I’m Monika, and I bind this Sword to me.” She grasped the Blue Sword’s hilt. “I need help now more than ever, oh gods and goddesses listening to me.” She bowed her head in prayer.

  Basha stared at her in awe and wonderment, admiring her beauty and grace in that moment.

  “Can someone please explain to me…” Oaka started to say.

  “Swords of Arria, Oaka.” Fato frowned, considering everything that had happend on this trip. It was a strange turn of events, but perhaps he should’ve expected something like this to occur.

  “Knights of Arria Swords?” Oaka asked after a short pause. “The Swords of Arria that the ancient Knights of Arria wielded in the legends? And we’ve got one?”

  “Two, Oaka. Don’t forget mine from Coe Anji.” Basha said. “I knew that wasn’t its right name.”

  “Swords plural.” Oaka laughed. “You two have got the most powerful weapons in all of creation.” He gasped, leaning forward as he started to hyperventilate. “We’ve got…”

  “Breathe in and out, Oaka!” Fato cried, trying to calm him down. “We’re going to get through this! We will!”

  “Only one’s in our hands.” Monika withdrew the blue scabbard and Blue Sword from the rock in the cave floor, finished with her prayer.

  She’d get used to her new weapon, and the new identity that might come with it if the lore was to be believed. The crest and trough of a wave could be seen in the shapes on the scabbard and Sword. The hilt was made of leather dyed lapis lazuli and opal.

  She could almost hear the ocean chopping away at the shore, etching the landscape and herself into a different shape as she practiced the swing of the Sword. She’d get used to the idea that she possessed such a powerful weapon that seemed to be constantly moving, never still, with what lurked beneath its surface.

  She’d that feeling of never being still, of always hiding who she truly was, even from those she trusted most, like water. She wanted to stop fighting for once, and be still.

  Yet how the water swelled and retreated with the constant turning of the Earth, the force that seemed to make everything go up or come back down again with the swing of the Sword. She was amazed by, and relished such a power. It belonged to her.

  “We’ve got to get the other one back from Lord Fobata and Captain Goga.” Monika sheathed the Blue Sword before she was tempted to use it for real.

  “I’ll get it!” Gnat rushed off towards the cave mouth.

  “Are you sure?” Basha turned around.

  “Please, if it’s that important, we can’t let it get into their hands.” She started to climb out. “I’ll fetch it back, don’t worry.”

  “Hurray for Gnat!” Fato cried, flapping his wings.

  “Be careful!” Basha called out, then sat down to wait once she was gone. “You knew, Monika, what my Sword was, and that this Blue Sword was here.” He accused.

  “I didn’t, or at least I guessed what your Sword was, but not for certain. I only realized the Blue Sword was here just before I went into the cave.” Monika said.

  Oaka was gasping, and then he and Fato were arguing about how Oaka blamed Monika for everything.

  “Which Sword do I have?” Basha asked.

  “The Black Sword of Death.” Monika said louder as Fato and Oaka’s fight escalated. “Also known as Tau’s Sword.”

  “You knew they were both Swords of Arria!” Oaka accused Fato.

  “What?” Both Basha and Monika turned around.

  “I might’ve recognized them. I do have animal instincts.” Fato said. “I felt powerful magic coming off of them, especially the Black Sword when Basha was fighting with it back at the warehouse. The Blue Sword isn’t as bad. I can stand it, but I still feel that water.”

  “That’s why you were shrieking so much back at the warehouse.” Basha remembered Fato’s reaction during the fight.

  “Your sense of perception couldn’t tell you these things were specifically Swords of Arria. You knew when I didn’t.” Oaka said.

  “You can’t sense anything!” Fato cried.

  “I can feel the water, same as you, pushing against me like the tide. I can feel the death coming off of Basha’s Black Sword, especially back at the warehouse. It felt cold, wrong, disturbing, something I can never forget.”

  The others fell silent. Basha stared at his older brother, almost wishing he could comfort Oaka.

  Whatever the Black Sword was, it wasn’t him. He’d only used it because he needed it. He almost wished he hadn’t picked it up. Almost, because he might still need it.

  “I’ve seen at least one other Sword of Arria,” Fato admitted. “Back in Coe Kiki. About ten years ago, they were doing some digging near the old fortress, and found the Brown Sword, the Sword of Earth, buried there. There was an uproar over who owned or could claim the Brown Sword. They did some research, and eventually passed it on to a young nobleman who was later knighted Sir Pacaben.”

  The group gaped at Fato. “We didn’t know they’d found a Sword!” Basha gasped. “We thought they were lost!”

  “Well, it was sort of hushed-up. They kept Sir Pacaben’s identity and this weapon a secret as much as possible. However, it’s sort of been leaking out when Sir Pacaben has been showing off. Idiot. It was only a matter of time before you all found out.”

  The others glanced at each other, uncertain what this could mean to their possession of the Black and Blue Swords if somebody else could claim them.

  “Say, Monika,” Oaka decided to change the subject, “The Black Sword of Death, how could it be called Tau’s Sword? Wouldn’t it be Loqwa’s, and why would it be associated with the gods if it’s a Knight’s Sword?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Fato asked.

  “The Swords are associated with the gods because…the first thing you three should know about magic is that there are ten elements, bone, stone, earth, air, water, plant, fire, spirit, shadow and death.” She recited quickly.

  The two young men and the falcon repeated the elements, trying to remember in case such knowledge proved important. Monika reminded them of a few, and then added, “Ten of the gods are each associated with one element under their domain. Dalan is bone, as he’s the god of animals and of body, one might say.”

  “Woo-hoo! Dalan has an element!” Fato thrust a wing up into the air.

  “Whoop-de-do and hullabaloo,” Oaka said sarcastically.

  “Popo is the god of stone, for the mountains. Qei is the god of harvest and farmers, so he’s the god of earth.”

  “I don’t understand, Tau is Death?” Basha jumped ahead. “Why wouldn’t it be spirit or something else?”

  “Loqwa is spirit because he leads the dead into the underworld and protects them. It’s even said he leads the dead out to be reborn.”

  “Reborn? The dead stay dead, end of discussion.” Oaka scoffed.

  “It’s a common belief in Kiwata and Angoria, sometimes in Pinal and Pakka as well.” Fato said before Monika could speak.

  “Right,” Monika said, surprised Fato was so knowledgeable.

  “Why would people be reborn?” Oaka asked.

  “It gives people, and animals, a second chance in case they weren’t perfect in life.” Fato glared at Oaka. “I’d like to believe I’d a previous life before I was stuck here traveling with you in this one.”

  “Death itself is the realm of mortality and nature.” Monika ignored the pair. “Loqwa doesn’t take away life, he only acts after it’s gone. Men and nature cause death. Tau’s associated with death because he’s the king of the gods, the most powerful one who created humans and gave us mortality. He also bestows power onto kings and leaders that decide who lives and who dies. As for nature, Tau’s the god of thunder and lightning, and causes other disasters. What could be more powerful than that?”

 
; Basha shuddered, disturbed to think of the powerful creator god as also the ‘death’ god who brought about misery and torture. Although there was a legend that might confirm such a connection.

  And he’d wielded the Black Sword of Death, Tau’s Sword? He’d used it to maim, possibly kill those smugglers? Did it have a touch of Tau’s power?

  Was this why the Knights of Arria were so powerful, feared by their enemies, able to claim and take over a kingdom? It was rumored that, combined, the Swords of Arria could split a mountain. Did they have the powers of the gods?

  “Why’re you still traveling with us?” Oaka asked Fato.

  “You were probably a monkey or a rat in a previous life!” Fato said.

  “Forget it,” Oaka turned to Monika. “Do you know magic?”

  “A little bit.” She turned away.

  “I’ve…” Oaka hesitated, then was silent.

  It was difficult to see him in the dark cave as sunlight faded above, but then there was a flash of light. They could feel warmth from the flames burning from his fingertips. Monika gasped and leaned towards Oaka as Fato, startled, flapped away from him.

  “Give a bird a word of warning next time!” Fato cried.

  “Whoops, sorry,” Oaka said sarcastically, then turned to Monika. “So I’ve got Menthar’s power, right?”

  “Right, the power of fire.” Monika sighed.

  “Not exactly your favorite god. How’d I get it in the first place and how do I get rid of it?”

  “You can control it, right?” Basha asked.

  He remembered the fire Oaka had started at the militia tryouts, igniting his and Hastin’s wooden swords. Basha hadn’t been afraid of Oaka then, even if others were.

  He’d wanted to protect his brother from the townspeople’s wrath. He’d suspected that Oaka had a bit of magic in him, but he hadn’t questioned it.

  In fact, he’d always known Oaka had some magic in him from the way he acted, laughed, and sang. Oaka had that charming, magical attitude some people conveyed, but Basha had never believed he’d any of that power inside of him.

  “I think so. It started…” Oaka sighed. The flames flickered, growing stronger and weaker with Oaka’s speech and thoughts. “It started around the time I got really serious with Sisila, about a year or so ago. It happens every time I lose control, like when I’m really angry, or aroused.”

  He cleared his throat. “It usually lays dormant at other times. I can control it, restrain the power completely if I calm myself down. Lose the temper, cool my passion, that sort of thing. At other times, I can...concentrate, perhaps, and expel some of the power on my own, to a specific target if I want. Call upon my temper or passion to help me out, like I did with Hastin at the militia tryouts.”

  He stared at the flames. “I had some trouble this past week using it against the Black Wolves and those smugglers, but I think I’ve figured it out. I didn’t use it against Goga because I was afraid, didn’t want them to know what I could do.”

  “Whoa, Oaka, I’m glad to have you on our side.” Fato laughed nervously.

  “Thanks, bird.”

  “Generally magic runs through families, though it might skip a generation or two, lie dormant, or the elements vary.” Monika said.

  “Blame your mother!” Fato laughed.

  “But as to getting rid of it, you really can’t as it’s a part of you. You’ve got to learn to control it. You might occasionally lose some of your strength, shrink or repress it for years at a time, but eventually it’ll pop up again.”

  Oaka closed his eyes, and Basha could imagine he was thinking who was to blame? His mother Habala or his father Geda? If it was a family trait, who’d the fire in them? The flames faded completely away from Oaka’s hands then, and the cave felt colder and darker.

  “We never knew…wait, do you think my family might’ve had powers?” Basha asked Monika.

  “Maybe, I don’t know. Do you have any magic, maybe in the death element?”

  “Maybe, I don’t know.” Yet he couldn’t help remembering what Iibala had said just before he proposed to Jawen, ‘you’ve death hidden within you, nothingness.’

  Could it be true he’d that magical power hidden within? He didn’t fear night sometimes, but he feared something more sinister lurking within him. He didn’t want that nothingness, and how did Iibala know that he’d such power when he didn’t at the time?

  “Where’s Gnat? What’s taking her so long?” Fato cried.

  * * * *

  Gnat snuck back in through the hole, excited about helping her new friends. Ever since Janus latched onto her when he first arrived, she’d been waiting to prove his trust.

  He’d seen her lurking in the corners, quiet and diminutive to avoid being noticed by Captain Goga and some of the other servants. Immediately he’d asked if she was willing to join his rebellion against Lord Fobata.

  Gnat had been shocked at first, afraid of what’d happen if she was caught. But Janus convinced her as well as dozens of others that it was the right thing to do. Lord Fobata was a traitor, a Follower of Doomba who’d turned against King Sonnagh and Arria.

  He promised them that if they helped, escaped Coe Aela, and went to Coe Kiki, they’d find better treatment elsewhere, especially if they told the king the terrible things Lord Fobata had done. All they needed to do was spread the word to other servants they trusted, and be prepared to march out of Coe Aela when the time was right.

  Gnat didn’t know for certain if Janus was telling the truth, but she’d wanted to believe it, and trusted Janus. Now she knew it was true.

  She’d done her part delivering messages, and even volunteered to hold a sword if they needed to fight their way out. Instead he’d given her drumsticks and a drum, teaching her to play the simple rhythm of a march.

  He said she was too young to fight, but a drummer would help them stand tall as they left. She didn’t believe that and argued other boys her age learned to fight. But he wanted to keep her safe, so she’d accepted the drum and promised herself she’d fight another day.

  She went through the west bailey, the cracked, dry fountains in mourning for the water that would never flow through them again. As she entered the front bailey and neared the stables, she stopped at the sight of Goga emerging from the building.

  She slipped into the kennels, quieted the dogs that threatened to bark, and slid down to hide herself amidst the warm, furry bodies. Tongues lolled as they lay on the ground or peered out through the fence, occasionally going to drink some water at the trough and munch on some scraps.

  She gasped as she saw the black scabbard of the Black Sword in Goga’s hands, unique as it was shaped like a giant fang and she’d spotted it before in Basha’s horse stall. How’d Goga notice and recognize the Black Sword, as he might’ve known what it was to steal it.

  Basha was going to lose the Black Sword, and it’d be her fault for not retrieving it sooner. Unless she stole it back, but how could she take it from Goga?

  She heard the kennel gate open, and dogs started barking as Gnat looked up, afraid Goga had spotted her and was going to punish her. Instead, it was a woman Gnat had barely seen before, perhaps a couple times in the last few days, but always from afar and never knowing her name.

  “Hello, Gnat.” She crouched down to Gnat’s eye-level. “My name’s Nisa, and I want to help you.”

  “Help me? Why?”

  “Because we want the same thing for the same people, and to keep the Black Sword out of Goga’s hand.”

  “How’d you know he had that?”

  “I recognized it. My father described it to me once.” Nisa looked away. “He knows a lot. Anyway, we want the same thing for Basha and his friends, and we should work together to get it. Your Janus reminded me of that. You can get the Sword, and I’ll distract Goga.”

  “How?” Gnat eyed Nisa.

  “Just leave that to me. Get the Sword when the time is right. You wait a few moments after I leave, then follow after me. Don’t be rash. Keep
to the shadows, watch out for me and Goga. We may be in a room together. Just be careful, and slip in if you can. I’ll try to knock him out if it comes to that. Most likely he’ll be disarmed, and the Black Sword will be left a short distance away. That’ll help. We need to be quick, and quiet. Hide your face if you can, grab the Sword, and go. Don’t bother staying behind.”

  “What about you?” Gnat stared at her.

  “I hope to get away, but Gnat, you’re most important. The Black Sword is important. I believe that may be more important than my life. Be certain it gets to Basha!”

  Nisa left the kennel and crossed over to the castle. Gnat waited for as long as she could, then followed after, creeping as best she could down the main hallway. In a shadowy alcove, Nisa waved her over, and when Gnat arrived, Nisa thrust the Black Sword in its scabbard into her hands.

  Gnat grabbed onto the Black Sword and held it tightly without any problems. But Nisa winced, recoiling slightly from the enchanted weapon as she clasped her blistered hands together.

  “What happened?” Gnat asked.

  “Nothing a little salve won’t cure. I don’t think he saw me clearly.” Nisa indicated Goga’s unconscious body lying on the alcove floor. “But at least he saw only me. Now get out of here.”

  “If we could be certain he’d never say anything…” Gnat stared down at Goga’s helpless body, as powerless as she’d been all the times he’d hurt her.

  “No, Gnat,” Nisa hissed, staring. “You’re too young to think like that. Don’t go down that way.”

  “Why not?” Gnat’s pupils had overtaken her eyes, no color or white in them.

  “There’s no way back if you do.” Nisa grasped her and tried to make her focus. “I’ve gone down that road. You lose a part of yourself forever. You don’t want to lose whatever innocence you’ve got left. Time’s running out. We’ve got to save Basha and his friends, they’re waiting for you and the Sword. Go to Basha. You may lose the Sword if you stay. Goga will wake up, or someone else will take it if you slay him. Then will it be worth it? For Basha to lose his life and weapon?”