by JC Kang
“More emotion,” encouraged the Aksumi.
Kaiya complied, allowing her renewed sense of serenity to float on the notes.
Clasping a jewel which hung from her neck, Brehane closed her eyes. “I can feel it. The resonance of the universe.” She started a slow chant in a guttural language. It rippled through Kaiya’s music.
The Aksumi intonated one last syllable. Several crashing sounds came from downstairs, followed by silence.
Kaiya lowered her flute, while Brehane came out of her trance and looked around.
“What was that?” Kaiya asked.
“As you were playing, I could sense the energy of the world coalescing, similar to the vibrations surrounding the ancient pyramids—though not as strong. I tried to help put you into a state of relaxed sleep with my magic, since I was so certain your scattered thoughts would prevent you from resting well tonight. Yet you are still awake. How is that?”
Kaiya’s emotional armor reformed. The Mystic had tried to put her to sleep without her consent. She glanced at her pack on the bed, where she’d stowed the Teleri imperial crest. Certainly, it couldn’t protect her from magic from so far away. And no matter how compassionate Brehane had acted, it was not worth the risk of revealing it. “I do not know,” she said. “Let us go downstairs and see what all the noise was.”
Down in the main room of the inn, everyone from the revelers to the barkeep to the imperial guards slept: some on the floor, others at the bar, some at their tables.
Heavens. Kaiya turned to Brehane. “Did you do this?”
Brehane’s eyes rounded. “My skill is not so powerful as to cause an entire building of people to fall sleep. I believe that your music amplified my spell. However, you remain completely unaffected. Where did you learn how to manipulate magic?”
“We do not manipulate it, as much as evoke emotion through our art.”
Brehane waved her hand at the sleeping room. “This is more than just stirring emotions.”
Kaiya shrugged. “It is a long story, which starts with an elf lord who serves as my father’s advisor. He taught me to feel that all things vibrate. He also gave me a book explaining how music affects those vibrations.”
Wonderment danced in Brehane’s expression. “Do you have this text with you?”
Technically, it had not been a book, but rather a magic mirror which displayed text. Kaiya shook her head. “I left it in Cathay, with the elf lord.”
“It is said that during the War of Ancient Gods, the elves taught us magic based on our peoples’ natural affinity. But perhaps my people’s sorcery and your artistic mysticism are not so different.” Brehane clasped her necklace. “I would like to meet your elf, so that I might listen to his invocation of ritualistic Deep Magic. I have heard that it sounds almost musical. Maybe it, too, is similar to your own music.”
If she ever made it home. Kaiya forced a smile. “I will give you the text and do my best to introduce you. I warn you, however, that he is a private person with strange whims, coming and going as he pleases.”
“Then I will do my best to make sure you make it home. In the meantime, we should wake these people. Though maybe it would be better if we did not tell them what happened.” Brehane winked at her. She spoke again in the harsh words of magic, and everyone started lifting their heads and rubbing their faces.
Tian, who’d been asleep with his head resting on their table, looked around through half-lidded eyes. “What happened? Is everyone all right?”
After his involvement in this horrible day, it was impossible to resist a petty jab. “Everyone is fine, thanks to your watchful vigilance.” She regretted it as soon as the words passed her lips.
His expression blanked.
Brehane furrowed her brows at Kaiya before turning to him. “Mister Tian, considering your men’s past assistance, we would be happy to escort Miss Kaiya to the Nothori Mountain pass. It will be a long, hard journey, so we had all better get some rest. Miss Kaiya will stay with me in my room; Fleet, you sleep with the Cathayi boys.”
Fatigue crept back over her, and Kaiya did not bother to hide her relief. Not only did she have more protection, she would also not have to share a room with men.
Her relief was short-lived.
Tian looked around. “Where is the altivorc?”
CHAPTER 26:
Rude Awakenings
The pounding of a fist on a breastplate jostled Geros awake. His eyes fluttered open, and he dragged himself out of his slouch on the throne. His limbs felt listless and heavy, the effects of the princess’ brazen assault still weighing on his energy.
All around him, officers stood at attention. A soldier stepped through the doors, and Geros acknowledged him with a half-hearted nod. “The city center is ours, First Consul!”
He had almost slept through his moment of glory. “What time is it?”
A general on his flank spoke. “The Iridescent Moon wanes to its first gibbous, Your Eminence.”
Well past midnight. Geros frowned. “We are a phase behind schedule.”
Another general thumped his chest. “Your Eminence, because of our redeployment of men to the Cathayi embassy, we did not have enough troops to completely secure the eastern gate. Even now, the Iksuvi soldiers are mounting a counter-attack along our flanks.”
Cathay. The princess. Had Feiying captured her? Or at least located her? “What is the latest report from the Cathayi embassy? Did Feiying succeed?”
The first general shook his head. “No, Your Eminence. Feiying is unaccounted for.”
“Unaccounted for? What about the Nightblades?”
“Also unaccounted for.”
“Tivar take them!” Geros pushed himself up out of the throne, towering to his full height despite his tiredness. “Never mind that for now. Prepare my horse. We will set out for the eastern gate to greet our armies. In the meantime, move the cavalry from the northern gate to the eastern gate, and order them to prevent the Iksuvi from setting an edge on our flanks.”
Fists pounded against chests as the Bovyan soldiers hastened to fulfill his command. Geros strode out of the throne room, his honor guard keeping pace behind him. It took all his will power to maintain the façade of strength. When he reached the courtyard, a column of cavalry awaited him. He mounted up on a horse, drew his sword, and held it aloft. “To the eastern gate to join our brothers! Iksuvius will be ours!”
His soldiers roared as they pounded their chests in unison, and followed his horse as he rode out. The streets were devoid of citizens, though the sounds of skirmishes carried from many different directions. On the eastern edge of the city center, a messenger caught up with them.
The soldier ran to the front of the column and saluted with a fist to his chest. “Your Eminence, the altivorcs attacked the Cathayi embassy from the inside.”
Geros gripped the reins as he clenched his jaws. “What? After I told them not to? From the inside? How? What did Marius do?”
“We are not sure how they got past our cordon. Marius sent me to receive your orders.”
Geros pounded his fist into his open hand. “Tivar curse them! Guards, come with me. The rest of you, keep up.” He wheeled his horse around and spurred it on, cantering in the direction of the Cathayi embassy. His dozen mounted guards followed him, with no semblance of their typically precise formation.
No sooner did he split off from the column than Geros regretted his impulsiveness. Their handful of mounted Bovyans would not be able to counter any more than a platoon of thirty. He could not afford to show any weakness now. He pressed his men onwards, and under Solaris’ watchful eye, they rode unopposed.
Not far from the Cathayi embassy, a series of explosions rang out. Red and orange lights flashed above the squat buildings, and the ground shook. Geros yanked on his reins, though he hardly needed to as his horse shied at the loud sounds.
Their horses calmed and the Bovyans approached the embassy. Several of the buildings had erupted in flames, glowing in the night sky. Around t
he compound, Teleri soldiers stood in exacting lines, even as they looked on with wide eyes.
“The First Consul has arrived!”
Heads turned to face him and fists pounded on chests. The men parted in perfect synchronicity to create a path for Geros to ride through.
Young General Marius greeted him. “Your Eminence, the altivorcs appeared inside the embassy compound and attacked the Cathayi. We held our position, unsure of what to do in this unforeseen circumstance.”
Geros dismounted with some effort and looked through the gates. The raging flames consumed the graceful Cathayi architecture, mirroring the anger that burned in his heart. “General, storm the embassy and take any survivors into custody. If you find any altivorcs, engage and kill them.”
Marius bowed his head. “As the First Consul commands!” He turned back to the soldiers. “First, second, and third companies, prepare to breach the gates!”
The soldiers formed up in the center with drawn spears, just as dozens of altivorcs appeared on the other side of the walls. Their apparent leader flung open the gates and sauntered through. “First Consul Geros, I bring you a present.”
With a wave of his hand, two altivorcs marched forward, dragging a limp body in bloodied, light-blue robes. Hair hung over her face. She yelped as they flung her down at Geros’ feet.
His anger at the altivorcs’ betrayal faded as a new rage at the princess boiled over. He grabbed her by the hair and jerked her head back.
Though beautiful, the girl was not Princess Kaiya.
“Fools!” Geros spat at the leader. “I have no use for this girl. Where is Princess Kaiya?”
The altivorc grinned and shrugged. “They all look the same to me. There were no other females inside, save for the half-elf girl who is burning in the flames as we speak.”
Without breaking eye contact with the altivorc leader, Geros snarled orders to his men. “Enter the embassy, search for any survivors and bring them out. Collect their rifles and firepowder.”
The altivorc laughed. “What do you think caused the explosion? All the firepowder was ignited, and the rifles destroyed. Maybe you can salvage some after the fire burns itself out.”
“You. Get out of my sight before I change my mind and have you join the half-elf in the inferno.” He looked down at the girl, whose teary eyes were wide with fear.
The sounds of stomping boots marched in perfect rhythm with the throbbing in Jie’s head, jolting her awake. The straw mattress prickling her back beckoned her to sleep, but willpower pried her eyes open. The orange haze beneath her eyelids gave way to blurry sunlight, filtered through a small, partially shuttered round window. She went to rub her aching head, only to find her wrists bound tight above her head. Her ankles were likewise tied down with silk rope.
The stifling air hung in her lungs. She lifted her head to get a feel for her surroundings, realizing then that the only thing she wore was a bandage around the cut on her shoulder. Some dust in the center of her chest sparkled in the brittle sun. Jie regarded her nakedness with a detached apathy and returned to taking in her surroundings.
The cot barely fit into the tiny room, whose pitched ceiling and exposed rafters suggested an attic space of some sort. There was a familiarity to it, but why? Her black clothes lay neatly folded by a trapdoor in the floor. Next to them, a crude ceramic cup on the floor taunted the dryness in her throat.
“You’re awake.” The male voice behind her was aged and hoarse, and spoke in the Hua tongue.
Jie craned her neck to get a better view, to no avail. “What happened? Where am I? What day is it? Who are you? Why am I naked and bound?”
The man cackled. It was a melancholy laugh, filled with contagious sadness. “I will answer the last two questions first, with a question of my own. If you captured a Moquan master, how would you secure them?”
Sedated, naked, and bound, with no tool that they could use to escape.
The man’s face came into view. It was the one who had helped the altivorcs assault the embassy. Up close, he was gaunt, with sharp cheekbones and sunken eye sockets. White streaked his thinning black hair. Rage should have welled up within her, but oddly, she didn’t care.
He held her head up and brought the cup to her lips. She drank greedily, not caring if the cool water was poisoned.
“You are in one of the Black Lotus safehouses,” he said. “They won’t have use for it anymore. I brought you here after the explosion. It is the next morning.”
A safehouse. The next morning. “What about my comrades?”
“As far as I know, dead to the last man, slain by the altivorcs.”
Though her logical mind knew she should be angry, she felt nothing. “Why’d you help them?”
“I swore to avenge my broken heart. When I heard about you, heard that you were so close, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. And when I saw you, you looked just like him. I hated you in that instant.”
What was he talking about? Who did she look like?
“But after I knocked you unconscious, with your eyes closed in peaceful sleep, you reminded me so much of her. I couldn’t bring myself to kill you.”
Emotion broke through her apathy. Jie’s heart raced, the urgency in her voice sounding odd in her ears. “What are you talking about? Who do I look like? Who do I remind you of?”
The man uncapped a bamboo tube, and the heavy scent of deer musk percolated through the small room. Everything came together now: the dust on her bosom, the subtly sweet taste of the water, and now the musk. A staged euphoria toxin, exactly the same as the one the Nightblades had tried to use on the princess, similar to the one she’d used on General Marius two nights before. Her captor could tell her the answer to the Unanswerable Riddle from Eldaeri folklore, and she’d never remember.
He brushed his finger across her neck. A pleasant buzzing replaced the aching in her head.
“Who do you remind me of? Why, your parents, of course. But as you’ve probably surmised, you won’t remember much of this conversation anyway. Trust me, I am doing you a favor; you’re better off not knowing.”
“My parents?” The dead mother she never knew, the elf father who abandoned her. “You knew my parents?”
His voice no longer seemed tired, seemed to carry a lighthearted tone. “Oh yes, very well. Now, tell me about your father.”
Who didn’t have father issues? This guy, probably. She giggled. “He left me at the gates of the Black Lotus Temple with a letter asking for them to take me in.”
The man inhaled sharply. What was his problem? It was her father, not his. So much tension in those shoulders. “So you never knew him?” he asked. “Nor he you?”
“No. Nope. Nada.” Hah! On a normal day, mention of her father would nudge her into a carefully concealed anger. Was she usually so uptight? It wasn’t like she was the first one to ever be abandoned. Her face must’ve now been wearing the most ridiculous smile.
“Well, that changes things. Not only can I not bring myself to kill you, it wouldn’t achieve anything anyway.”
Kill? That would sound like a threat if the guy didn’t look like a grandfather. Not like death was scary anyway. She’d always faced it with a sense of resignation to fate. She let out a sputtering giggle. “What did you hope to achieve, anyway?”
The renegade tapped his chin, almost like Tian. “It’s said that loss of a child is the greatest pain. I thought I could hurt your father by killing you. But he must not care, if he abandoned you.”
“Yes. I would kill him myself if I ever met him.” Would she? Maybe. It seemed like the right thing to say. “Gouge his elf eyes out and cut off his manhood!”
“Now there’s an idea… I do hope you will remember parts of what I am about to tell you.” He grinned.
Good, a grin. This guy really could stand to smile a little more.
“So, enlighten me,” he said. “How do you think your father delivered you to the gates of the Black Lotus Temple?”
The question jabbed into her e
uphoria. The temple was well-hidden, and nobody could find it unless they had been shown the way. Jie had asked herself this question time and time again, but trusted Master Yan’s word so implicitly that she’d always dismissed her nagging suspicions. Her goofy smile dissipated, replaced by knitted eyebrows.
“This letter, what did it say?” he continued.
“I never saw it. Master Yan lost it.”
The man burst out laughing, and Jie found herself giggling with him. He choked as he forced himself to stop. “When does even a Moquan apprentice ever lose anything? Let alone the great Master Yan? What did he say was written in the letter?”
Jie stopped laughing. Yet another buried suspicion, vocalized by someone else. “That my mother died in childbirth, that my father cared more about his adventures than me. That I would just be a burden, so he left me there.”
The man’s eyes were wide now. “Well, it seems I don’t have much to do here. Yes, your father was a selfish dastard who didn’t care for you or your mother. He only cared about making a half-elf by bedding a human. You have every right to hate him.”
Jie didn’t hate him, at least not right now. She just smiled. “So who’s my father?”
“Royalty, from what I understand. Master Yan knows better than I, in that regard. If you remember our little talk, do ask him about your birthright.”
Royalty? She wasn’t just an abandoned child, whose elf blood the Moquan thought would come in handy? And how could Master Yan, her adopted father, ever deceive her like that? Despite her euphoria, she protested. “I don’t believe you. You’re lying.”
“Hush, hush. It is true. And unlike your father, I loved your mother. We were in love, before that Turtle’s Egg came along. Now that I look at you, you really do resemble her. The beauty.” The man brushed his hand through her hair, which sprawled loosely over the bed.
Even through her euphoria, his touch felt wrong. Jie struggled with her bindings, but they were even more secure than she could tie herself.
