Elantris e-1

by Brandon Sanderson

  The tapestries were in flames, and men struggled desperately in the close confines. Several guards lay dead at the far doorway. Some wore the brown and yellow of the Elantris Guard. The others were in silver and blue-the colors of Count Eondel's legion.

  Hrathen dodged a few attacks, ducking blades or smashing them out of men's hands. He had to find the king. Telrii was too important to

  Time froze as Hrathen saw the king through the melee, burning strips of cloth dripping from the brocades above. Telrii's eyes were wild with fear as he

  dashed toward the open door at the back of the room. Eondel's sword found TeIrii's neck before the king had taken more than a few steps.

  Telrii's headless corpse fell at Count Eondel's feet. The count regarded it with grim eyes, then collapsed himself, holding a wound in his side.

  1-Irathen stood quietly in the melee, chaos forgotten for the moment, regarding the two corpses. So much for avoiding a bloody change in power, he thought with resignation.

  CHAPTER 55

  It seemed unnatural to look at Elantris from the outside. Raoden belonged in the city. It was as if he stood outside of his own body. looking at it from another person's perspective. He should no more be separated from Elantris than his spirit should be separated from his body.

  He stood with Sarene atop Kiln's fortresslike house in the noonday sun. The merchant, showing both foresight and healthy paranoia following the massacre ten years before, had built his mansion more like a castle than a house. It was a compact square. with straight stone walls and narrow windows, and it even stood atop a hill. The roof had a pattern of stones running along its lip, much like the battlements atop a city wall. It was against one such stone that Raoden leaned now, Sarene pressed close to his side, her arms around his waist as they regarded the city.

  Soon after Roial's death the night before. Kiln had barred his doors and informed them that he had enough supplies stockpiled to last years. Though Raoden doubted the doors would survive long against a determined attack, he welcomed the feelings of safety Kiin inspired. There was no telling how Telrii would react to Raoden's appearance. Chances were, however, that he would give up all pretense and seek Fjordell aid. The Elantris Guard might have been hesitant to attack Rao-den, but Fjordell troops would have no such inhibitions.

  "I should have figured it out," Sarene mumbled at Raoden's side.

  "Hum?" Raoden asked, raising his eyebrows. She was wearing one of Daora's dresses-which was, of course, too short for her, though Raoden rather liked the amount of leg it showed. She wore her short blond wig, which was cut in a style that made her look younger than she was, a schoolgirl instead of a mature woman. Well, Raoden revised, a six-foot-tall schoolgirl.

  Sarene raised her head, looking into his eyes. "I can't believe I didn't put it together. I was even suspicious about your-meaning Raoden's-disappearance. I assumed the king had killed you off, or at least exiled you."

  "He certainly would have liked to," Raoden said. "He tried to send me away on numerous occasions. but I usually wiggled out of it somehow."

  "It was so obvious!" Sarene said. resting her head on his shoulder with a petulant thud. "The cover-up, the embarrassment… it makes perfect sense."

  "It's easy to see the answers once the puzzle is solved, Sarene," Raoden said. "I'm not surprised that no one connected my disappearance with Elantris-that isn't the sort of thing an Arelene would assume. People don't talk about Elantris, and they certainly don't want to associate it with those they love. They would prefer to believe that I'd died than know that I'd been taken by the Shaod."

  "But I'm not an Arelene," Sarene said. "I don't have the same biases."

  "You lived with them," Raoden said. "You couldn't help being affected by their disposition. Besides. you haven't lived around Elantris-you didn't know how the Shaod worked."

  Sarene huffed to herself. "And you let me go along in ignorance. My own husband."

  "I gave you a clue," he protested.

  "Yes, about five minutes before you revealed yourself."

  Raoden chuckled, pulling her close. No matter what else happened, he was glad he had made the decision to leave Elantris. This short time with Sarene was worth it.

  After a few moments, he realized something. "I'm not. you know." "Not what?"

  "Your husband. At least, the relationship is disputable. The betrothal contract said our marriage would be binding if either of us died before the wedding. I didn't die-I went to Elantris. Though they're essentially the same thing, the contract's words were very specific."

  Sarene looked up with concern.

  He laughed quietly. "I'm not trying to get out of it. Sarene." he said. "I'm just saying we should make it formal, just so everyone's mind is put at ease."

  Sarene thought for a moment, then she nodded sharply. 'Definitely. I've been engaged twice during the last two months, and I never got a wedding. A girl deserves a good wedding."

  `A queen's wedding," Raoden agreed.

  Sarene sighed as she looked back at Kae. The city seemed cold and lifeless, almost unpopulated. The political uncertainty was destroying the economy of Arelon as surely as Iadon's rule had destroyed its spirit. Where there should have been busy commerce. only a few hearty pedestrians slipped furtively through the streets. The only exception was the great city square, which held the tents of the Arelene Market. While some of the merchants had decided to cut their losses-moving on to Teod to sell what they could-a surprising number had stayed. What could have persuaded so many to remain to try and push wares upon a people that just weren't buying?

  The only other place that showed any sign of activity was the palace. Elantris City Guard members had been poring over the area like worried insects all morning. Sarene had sent her Seon to investigate. but he had vet to return.

  "He was such a good man, — Sarene said softly.

  "Roial?" Raoden asked. "Yes, he was. The duke was the role model I needed when my father proved unworthy."

  Sarene chuckled softly. "When Kiin first introduced Roial to me, he said he wasn't sure if the duke helped us because he loved Arelon, or because he was just bored."

  "Many people took Roial's craftiness as a sign of deceitfulness," Raoden said. "They were wrong; Roial was clever, and he enjoyed intrigue, but he was a patriot. He taught me to believe in Arelon, even after its many stumbles."

  "He was like a wily old grandfather," Sarene said. "And he almost became my husband."

  "I still can't believe that." Raoden said. "I loved Roial. but to imagine him married? To you?"

  Sarene laughed. "I don't think we believed it either. Of course, that doesn't mean we wouldn't have gone through with it."

  Raoden sighed, rubbing her shoulder. "If only I had known what capable hands I was leaving Arelon in. It would have saved me a great deal of worry." "And New Elantris?" Sarene asked. "Is Karata watching it?"

  "New Elantris watches itself without much trouble," Raoden said. "But, I did send Galladon back this morning with instructions to begin teaching the people AonDor. If we fail here, I don't want to leave Elantris unable to protect itself."

  "There probably isn't much time left."

  "Time enough to make sure they learn an Aon or two," Raoden said. "They deserve to know the secret to their power."

  Sarene smiled. "I always knew you would find the answer. Domi doesn't let your kind of dedication go wasted."

  Raoden smiled. The night before. she had made him draw several dozen Aons to prove that they actually worked. Of course. they hadn't been enough to save Roial.

  A rock of guilt burned in Raoden's chest. If he had known the proper modifiers, he might have been able to save Roial. A gut wound took a long time to kill a man; Raoden could have healed each organ separately. then sealed the skin. Instead, he had been able only to draw a general Aon that affected Roial's entire body. The Aon's power, already weak, had been diluted so much by the broad target that it did no good.

  Raoden had stayed up late memorizing modifiers. AonDor he
aling was a complex, difficult art, but he was determined to make certain no one else died because of his inability. It would take months of memorizing, but he would learn the modifier for every organ, muscle. and bone.

  Sarene turned back to her contemplation of the city. She retained a strong grip on Raoden's waist-Sarene did not like heights, especially if she didn't have

  something to hold on to. Looking over at the top of her head, Raoden suddenly remembered something from the night's studies.

  Reaching our, he pulled off her wig. It resisted as the glue held, then fell away, revealing the stubble underneath. Sarene turned with questioning, annoyed eyes, but Raoden was already drawing.

  It wasn't a complex Aon: it required him only to stipulate a target, how the target was to be affected, and a length of time. When he finished, her hair began to grow. It went lethargically, sliding out of her head like a breath slowly exhaled. In a few minutes. however, it was finished-her long golden hair once again reaching to the middle of her back.

  Sarene ran disbelieving fingers through the hair. Then she looked up at Rao-den with teary eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, pulling him close. "You have no idea what that means."

  After a moment. she pulled hack, staring at him with intent, silvery gray eyes. 'Show yourself to me."

  "My face?" Raoden asked.

  Sarene nodded.

  "You've seen it before," he said hesitantly.

  "I know, but I'm getting too used to this one. I want to see the real you."

  The determination in her eyes stopped him from arguing further. With a sigh, he reached up, tapping the collar of his undershirt with his index finger. To him, nothing changed, but he could feel Sarene stiffen as the illusion fell away. He felt suddenly ashamed, and hurriedly began to draw the Aon again. but she stopped him.

  "It isn't as horrid as you think, Raoden," she said, running her fingers across his face. "They say your bodies are like corpses, but that isn't true. Your skin may be diseolored and a little wrinkled, but there is still flesh underneath."

  Her finger found the cut on his cheek, and she gasped slightly. "I did this, didn't I?"

  Raoden nodded. "As I said-I had no idea how good of a fencer you are."

  Sarene ran her finger down the wound. "It confused me terribly when I couldn't find the wound. Why does the illusion show your expressions, but nor a cut?"

  "It's complicated," Raoden said. "You have to link each muscle in the face with its companion in the illusion. I could never have figured it out myself-the equations are all in one of my books."

  "But you altered the illusion so quickly last night, changing from Kaloo to Raoden."

  He smiled. "That's because I had two illusions on, one connected to my undershirt and the other to my coat. As soon as I dissolved the one on the top, the one underneath showed. I'm just glad it looks enough like me that the others

  recognized it. There weren't, of course, any equations describing how to create my own face-I had to figure that out on my own."

  "You did a good job."

  "I extrapolated from my Elantrian face, telling the illusion to use it as a base." He smiled. "You're a lucky woman, having a man who can change faces at any time. You'll never get bored."

  Sarene snorted. "I like this one just fine. This is the face that loved me when it thought I was an Elantrian. all rank and title abandoned."

  "You think you can get used to this?" Raoden asked.

  "Raoden, I was going to marry Roial last week. He was a dear old man, but he was so incredibly homely that rocks looked handsome when he stood next to them."

  Raoden laughed. Despite everything-Telrii. Hrathen, and poor Roial's demise-his heart was jubilant.

  "What are they doing?" Sarene said, looking back at the palace.

  Raoden turned to follow her view-an action that bumped Sarene forward slightly. She reacted by locking a deathlike grip on Raoden's shoulder, her fingers biting into his flesh. "Don't do that!"

  "Oops," he said, putting an arm around her shoulder. "I forgot about your fear of heights."

  "I am not afraid of heights." Sarene said, still holding on to his arm. "I just get dizzy."

  "Of course," Raoden said, squinting at the palace. He could barely make out a group of soldiers doing something in the grounds before the building. They were laying out blankets or sheets of some sort.

  "It's too far," Sarene said. "Where is Ashe?"

  Raoden reached up and sketched Aon Nae-a large circular character-in the air before them. When he was finished. the air inside Aon Nae's circle rippled like water, then cleared to show a magnified view of the city. Placing his palm in the center of the circle. Raoden maneuvered the Aon until it was pointing at the palace. The view unblurred itself, and they were able to see the soldiers with such detail that they could read their rank insignias.

  "That's useful," Sarene noted as Raoden raised the Aon slightly. The soldiers were indeed laying out sheets-sheets with what appeared to be bodies on them. Raoden grew cold as he moved the disk along the line of corpses. The last two corpses in the row were familiar.

  Sarene gasped in horror as Eondel's and Telrii's dead faces came into focus.

  CHAPTER 56

  He attacked late last night, my lady," Ashe explained.

  The remaining members of their group-Kiln, Lukel, and Shudenwere gathered atop the house. watching as Raoden focused his Aon spyglass on the funeral pyres being built in the palace courtyard.

  Baron Shuden sat morosely on the stone roof, shaking his head in disbelief. Sarene held the young Jindo's hand in an attempt to provide comfort, painfully aware of how difficult the last few days must have been for him. His future father-in-law had turned out to be a traitor, Torena had reportedly disappeared, and now his best friend was dead.

  "He was a brave man." Kiin said, standing beside Raoden.

  "That was never in question," Raoden said. "His actions were foolish nonetheless."

  "He did it for honor, Raoden," Sarene said, looking up from the despondent Shuden. "Telrii murdered a great man last night-Eondel acted to avenge the duke."

  Raoden shook his head. "Revenge is always a foolish motivation, Sarene. Now we have lost not only Roial, but Eondel as well. The p.sople are left with their second dead king in the space of a few weeks."

  Sarene let the matter drop. Raoden spoke as a ruler, not as a friend. He couldn't afford to give Eondel leeway, even in death, because of the situation the count had created.

  The soldiers did not wait on ceremony to immolate the fallen men. They simply lit the pyre. then saluted en masse as the bodies burned away. Whatever else could be said about the Guard, they performed this one duty with solemnity and honor.

  "There," Raoden said. pointing his Aon at a detachment of about fifty soldiers who left the pyre and galloped toward Kiin's house. All wore the brown capes that marked them as officers in the Elantris City Guard.

  "This could be bad," Kiin said.

  "Or it could be good," Raoden said.

  Kiin shook his head. "We should collapse the entryway. Let them try to break down my door with a ton of stone behind it."

  "No," Raoden said. "Trapping us inside won't do any good. I want to meet with them."

  "There are other ways out of the building." Kiin said.

  "Still, wait for my command to collapse your entryway, Kiin," Raoden said. "That is an order."

  Kiin ground his teeth for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Raoden, but not because you order it-but because I trust you. My son may call you king, but I accept the rule of no man."

  Sarene regarded her uncle with a look of shocked surprise. She had never seen him speak in such a manner he was usually so jovial, like a happy circus bear. Now his face was flat and grim, covered with whiskers he had allowed to start growing the moment Iadon was found dead. Gone was the brusque but compliant chef, and in his place was a man who seemed more like a grizzled admiral from her father's navy.

  "Thank you, Kiin," Raoden said.

  Her u
ncle nodded. The horsemen approached quickly, fanning out to surround Kiin's hilltop fortress, Noticing Raoden on the roof, one of the soldiers urged his horse a few steps closer.

  "We have heard rumors that Lord Raoden, crown prince of Arelon. still lives," the man announced. "If there is truth to this, let him come forward. Our country has need of a king."

  Kiin untensed visibly, and Raoden let out a quiet sigh. The Guard officers stood in a row, still mounted, and even from the short distance, Raoden could see their faces. They were harried, confused, yet hopeful.

  "We have to move quickly, before that gyorn can respond," Raoden said to his friends. "Send messengers to the nobility-I plan to hold my coronation within the hour."

  Raoden strode into the palace throne room. Beside the throne dais stood Sarene and the young-looking patriarch of the Korathi religion. Raoden had only just met the man, but Sarene's description of him had been accurate. Long golden hair, a smile that claimed to know things it didn't, and a self-important air were his most striking features. However, Raoden needed him. The statement made by choosing the patriarch of Shu-Korath to crown him was an important precedent.

  Sarene smiled encouragingly as Raoden approached. It amazed him how much she had to give, considering what she had been through recently. He joined her on the dais, then turned to regard the nobility of Arelon.

  He recognized most of the faces. Many of them had supported him before his exile. Now most were simply confused. His appearance had been sudden, as had Telrii's death. Rumors were widespread that Raoden had been behind the assassination, but most of the people didn't seem to care. Their eyes were dull from the shock, and they were beginning to show the wearied signs of extended stress.

  It will change now. Raoden promised them silently. No more questioning. No more uncertainly. We will put forth a united front, with Teod and face Fjorden.

  "My lords and ladies," Raoden said. "People of Arelon. Our poor kingdom has suffered too much over the last ten years. Let us set it at right once again. With this crown, I promise-"