The Archer's Heart

by Astrid Amara

  Yudar looked up. “Yes. Of course. Follow me.”

  The men emerged into the blazing afternoon sunlight of the southern coast. They crossed through a large white courtyard, past a blooming cherry tree, past guards who were stationed there to protect the women inside. Yudar spoke with the guards and they warily let the men pass.

  Once again Keshan’s fury engulfed the vision. He jumped from his bed and grabbed his sword. If the cherry tree was blooming in his vision, then he had no time. What was going to happen would happen any day, if not right this moment. Keshan strapped on his armor.

  He whispered a sharta and stepped into the Yashva world, Firdaus’ cousins be damned.

  Characters

  Abiyar Lokesh: Third and youngest son of Indarel Lokesh, Lord of Afadi.

  Ajani Alamar: Wife of Keshan Adaru

  Anant Sarkumar: Commander in the Dragewan army

  Azari: Pseudonym of Suraya Paria while hiding in Afadi

  Baldur Tanaraf: Lord of the State of Penemar

  Bandruban: Prophet of the Shentari faith

  Baram Param: Second son of King Shandarvan by his first wife Kari;brother of Yudar and Jandu; husband of Suraya Paria

  Bir Soridashen: Lord of the State of Jagu Mali

  Bodan: Pseudonym of Baram Paran while hiding in Afadi

  Chezek: Keshan Adaru’s charioteer and servant

  Darvad Uru:Son of King Shandarvan by his second wife Farashi; half-brother of Yudar, Baram, and Jandu

  Druv Majeo: Lord of the State of Pagdesh

  Esalas: Pseudonym of Yudar Paran while hiding in Afadi

  Eshau: Abiyar Lokesh’s weapons master

  Farashi Uru: Second wife of King Shandarvan; mother of Darvad Uru

  Firdaus Trinat: Lord of the State of Chandamar; brother of Hanu; father of Ishad

  Hanu Trinat: Chandamar Ambassador in the State of Afadi;Firdaus’s brother

  Harami: Prophet of the Shentari faith

  Indarel Lokesh: Lord of the State of Afadi; husband of Shali Amain; father of Ramad, Parik, Vaisha, and Abiyar

  Inaud Adaru: Uncle of Iyestar and Keshan Adaru

  Ishad Trinat: Lord of the State of Chandamar; son of Firdaus

  Iyestar Adaru: Lord of the State of Tiwari; brother of Keshan Adaru

  Janali: Pseudonym of Jandu Paran while hiding in Afadi

  Jandu Paran: Third son of King Shandarvan by his first wide Kari; youngest brother of Yudar and Baram; husband of Suraya Paria

  Kadal Kardef: Lord of the State of Marshav

  Kari Paran: First wife of King Shandarvan; mother of Yudar, Baram, and Jandu

  Keshan Adaru: Younger brother of Iyestar Adaru, Lord of Tiwari; husband of Ajani Alamar; cousin of the Parans

  Koraz: Yashva demon of the forest

  Laiu: Tarek Amia’s servant

  Lazro Arundan: Son of Tamarus Arundan; friend of Keshan Adaru

  Linaz: Mother of Lord Iyestar and Keshan Adaru

  Mazar Hamdi: Regent of Marhavad; weapons master to the princes of Marhavad

  Mendraz: King of the Yashvas

  Nadaru Paria: Lord of the State of Karuna; father of Rishak and Suraya

  Ohendru: Chaya soldier in the Uru army

  Olan Osasu: Lord of the State of Bandari

  Onshu: High priest of Marhavad

  Parik Lokesh: Second son of Indarel Lokesh, Lord of Afadi

  Ramad Lokesh: Eldest son of Indarel Lokesh, Lord of Afadi

  Rani: Servant in the Afadi palace; Janali’s roommate

  Rishak Paria: Son of Nadaru Paria, Lord of Karuna; brother of Suraya; brother-in-law of the Parans

  Sadeshar: Prophet of the Shentari faith

  Sahdin Ori: Lord of the State of Jezza

  Satish: Tarek Amia’s charioteer

  Shali Amain: Wife of Indarel Lokesh, Lord of Afadi; mother of Ramad, Parik, Vaisha and Abiyar

  Shandarvan: Former King of Marhavad; father of Darvad Uru, and Yudar, Baram, and Jandu Paran

  Suraya Paria: Daughter of Nadaru Paria, Lord of Karuna; sister of Rishak; wife of Yudar, Baram, and Jandu Paran

  Taivo: Prophet of the Shentari faith

  Tamarus Arundan: Chaya spiritual leader and friend of Keshan Adaru

  Tarek Amia: Lord of the State of Dragewan

  Tarhandi: Prophet of the Shentari faith

  Umia: Yashva demon consort of Mendraz, King of the Yashvas; aunt of Iyestar and Keshan Adaru

  Vaisha Lokesh: Daughter of Indarel, Lord of Afadi

  Warash: Chaya soldier in the Uru army

  Yudar Paran: First son of King Shandarvan by his first wife Kari; brother of Jandu and Baram; husband of Suraya Paria; Royal Judge

  Zandi: Yashva demon and Jandu’s bow

  Glossary of Terms

  Adri Mountain: Mountain in Pagdesh: location of holy retreat

  Ajadusharta: Magical weapon; repels other weapons

  Alazsharta: Magical weapon; knocks enemy unconscious

  Ashari Forest: Forest outside Prasta; home to Yashva demon Koraz

  Barunazsharta: Magical weapon; brilliant light

  Chaya: Unskilled labor and servant caste of Marhavad; lowest caste

  Dejaru: Long piece of cloth worn by men, either secured under a belt and sash and made into loose trousers, or tucked loosely and left long like a sarong

  Draya: Priestly caste of Marhavad; second-highest caste

  Fazsharta: Magical weapon; arrow with endless range

  Hafedsharta: Magical weapon; freezes opponent

  Harafa: Long piece of cloth worn either as a scarf or wrapped across the upper torso

  Hedravan tree: Magical Yashva tree that grows in the Ashari Forest

  Jegora: Untouchable caste of Marhavad; casteless

  Korazsharta: Magical weapon; spear of unfailing accuracy

  Manarisharta: Magical weapon; burst of electricity

  Pezarisharta: Magical weapon; sets fire to the sky

  Prasta: Capitol city of Marhavad

  Rajiwasharta: Magical weapon; creates a sucking vortex

  Rebo: Three stringed musical instrument

  Sharta: Magical weapon; form of a Yashva demon in the human world

  Shentari: Primary religion of Marhavad

  Suya: Merchant and skilled labor caste of Marhavad; third-highest caste

  Tarhisharta: Magical weapon; explosive wall of force

  Terashu Field: Traditional battleground of Marvad kings

  Triya: Warrior and king caste of Marhavad; highest caste

  Tunufisharta: Magical weapon; burns any individual to ash

  Yashva: Immortal demon from the Yashva Kingdom

  Zahari: a blouse and long piece of fabric wrapped around the body to form a woman’s dress

  Zandisharta: Magical weapon; any instrument or tool of metal

  Acknowledgments

  First I would like to thank Nicole and Dawn Kimberling for their constant encouragement, plot-storming, editing, and endless patience as I rewrote this story a dozen times. I would also like to thank Maxx for letting me ignore him for weeks on end. Lastly, I want to thank my parents, who always believed I could write an epic novel. It’s just too bad I’ll never let them read this one.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Characters

  Glossary of Terms

  Acknowledgments

  the

  Archer’s Heart

  the

  Archer’s Heart

  by

  Astrid Amara

  Part II

  Blind Eye Books

  blindeyebooks.com

  The Archer’s Heart

  by Astrid Amara


  Published by:

  Blind Eye Books

  1141 Grant Street

  Bellingham, Washington 98225

  blindeyebooks.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced

  in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except

  for the purpose of reviews.

  Edited by Nicole Kimberling

  Cover art, illustrations. and maps by Dawn Kimberling

  Proofreading by Tenea D. Johnson

  This book is a work of fiction and as such all characters and situations

  are fictional. Any resemblances to actual people, places or events are

  coincidental.

  First edition September 2008

  Copright © 2008 Astrid Amara

  Printed in the United States of America

  ISBN 978-0-9789861-3-1

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2008922267

  This book is dedicated to Angus.

  Marhavad

  Chapter 36

  JANDU LOUNGED ON THE PILLOWS OF HIS ROOM, DRAWING A picture of Keshan.

  Ennui pulled at him like barbs, but this act of patiently recreating his lover gave him a pleasurable contentment that soothed his boredom. Soft afternoon light filtered in from the windows above. He used a flat wooden board to protect the carpet from his ink. Every angle of Keshan’s face, every curl of his hair, could be conjured from memory, and Jandu lulled himself into pleasant memories as he drew.

  Someone knocked on his door.

  “Who is it?” Jandu called out. He sat up.

  When Yudar entered, Jandu smiled. He hadn’t seen much of his brother in the past few weeks. Jandu rose and hugged his brother. Tonight Yudar looked terrible, his skin white as clay and beaded with sweat.

  “Oh God, Jandu,” Yudar whispered. He shut the door gently, his hand trembling.

  “What’s wrong?” Jandu asked.

  Yudar swallowed. Tears welled in his eyes.

  Jandu frowned at his brother. “What’s happened?”

  Then Jandu heard the sound of men laughing in the corridor outside his door. He didn’t understand why there were men in the women’s quarters.

  “I’ve done something very wrong,” Yudar choked.

  “What?” Jandu’s heart beat faster. He had only ever seen Yudar this upset one time before. The thought of that night made him sick and nervous.

  “I…” There was another knock on the door, and the voices outside rose. Yudar looked at his brother once more, tears now pouring down his face. “I’m so sorry.”

  Yudar fled the room, leaving the door ajar.

  Jandu started after him, but was stopped at the door when three men entered the room. One of them he had never met before. But he immediately recognized Firdaus Trinat, and his brother Hanu. The other man locked the door behind him.

  Jandu brushed his braid over his shoulder. “How dare you enter my room without permission!”

  “I heard of your beauty from my brother Hanu,” Firdaus said, leering lewdly. “Now that I see you, I think he did you no justice. You’re the sweetest thing this side of the Patari.”

  Jandu glared. Firdaus looked older and fatter than when Jandu had last seen him at the dice game, but his sinister smile looked just as foul as it had then.

  “What are you doing here?” Jandu demanded, crossing his arms over his chest protectively.

  “Your brother gave us to you for the night.”

  Jandu felt as if he had been punched. “No. He wouldn’t.”

  Hanu smiled thinly. “He lost you in a friendly dice game. He’s not very good at gambling, you know. I have no idea how he convinced Indarel to be his teacher.”

  Jandu’s ears rang, and he felt in his gut the raw agony of the truth. Yudar had staked him, just as he had before. Only now he wasn’t a prince, he was just a small, unarmed servant girl.

  “I have a say in the matter,” Jandu said sharply, backing away. “I do not comply with my brother’s wishes.”

  “You must pay your brother’s debt,” Hanu said smoothly.

  “Where’s your Triya honor?” Jandu yelled. “Do you think I’m—”

  Firdaus slapped Jandu across the face so hard that Jandu crumpled to the floor. He was shocked by his own weakness. He had been hit by maces harder than that and remained standing.

  “I owe no honor to a Suya like you, girl,” Firdaus growled.

  Jandu fingered the spot where Firdaus hit him. He stood up, glaring.

  “You bastard,” he hissed, hating the way his voice shook, his soft feminine tone. “You’ll die for that.”

  Hanu laughed and lunged towards him.

  Jandu turned to run away, but was caught by Firdaus’ friend, who held him as Firdaus and Hanu approached.

  Jandu kicked at the men. Firdaus grabbed his legs and held him. Jandu was humiliated by his lack of strength. Muscles that had long been allies failed him. The men dragged him over to the bed and forced him down.

  Firdaus quickly climbed on top of him.

  “You want her first, Hanu?” Firdaus asked calmly.

  Hanu yanked Jandu’s arm down onto the bed, pulling hard. “No, you go first, brother.”

  “What are you doing!” Jandu gasped.

  Firdaus ripped open his zahari blouse.

  Jandu only then really understood what was about to happen. It had seemed so inconceivable, unthinkable. But the second Firdaus’ large hands painfully groped at his breasts, and the look of lust in his eyes became apparent, Jandu realized that the impossible was about to happen. He struggled harder against the hands holding him down.

  “How could you?” he whispered, thinking of Yudar. It would have been kinder for his brother to kill him.

  There was no forgiveness for this. Ever.

  The other two men grabbed his legs and held him open as Firdaus squirmed and licked Jandu’s skin. He took his time untying the knot in Jandu’s skirt until Jandu lay naked before him.

  Hanu took off his harafa scarf and brutally stuffed the cloth in Jandu’s mouth. It tasted like sweat. Jandu gagged for air as his body was crushed by Firdaus’ weight. Jandu told himself that this was not his body. This was just a disguise that he wore. He had to stay focused and look for his chance to escape.

  “Lovely,” Firdaus whispered, grinning.

  Firdaus untied his dejaru while the other men watched lasciviously. Jandu could see their erections growing in their trousers.

  Jandu managed to break one leg free and kicked as hard as he could, sending Firdaus off of him. Hanu brought his fist down hard on Jandu’s nose, breaking it instantly. The pain was staggering. Blood exploded across Jandu’s face and the bed. Jandu’s vision blurred. He couldn’t breathe. The cloth in his throat and the blood in his nose choked him, and he thrashed like a wild animal, desperate for air. He breathed fast and shallow, sucking through the thin cotton of the harafa in his mouth.

  Firdaus climbed back on top of Jandu, his hands digging into Jandu’s flesh to restrain him. Jandu twisted to throw him off, but Firdaus put his hands around Jandu’s throat and choked him, painfully grinding his body against Jandu.

  The other men held his legs open, wrenched his arms above his head. Jandu jerked violently, his eyes white and rolling, panic flushing through his system as he tried to find a way out of this assault.

  Jandu tried to think of anything other than what was happening to his body. What was Yudar doing right now? When this was over, Jandu would kill him. He would relish killing him.

  It was the only vindication he could look forward to, killing his brother for allowing Firdaus to fuck him.

  Chapter 37

  A JOURNEY THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN KESHAN TWO WEEKS passed by in one day. The Yashva kingdom blurred past Keshan as he ran. Each step allowed him to traverse entire towns, fields, and mountains, warping in his consciousness as he strove towards Afadi.

  His fury burned away his exhaustion. He plunged through the Yashva world recklessly, ignoring th
e startled faces of other Yashva. He didn’t care if Firdaus’ cousins saw him now. All that mattered was reaching Jandu in time.

  At the palace, Keshan slowed his pace, focusing on the hazy outlines of the human world. He passed the cherry tree he saw in the vision, and looked to the building that was guarded. The women’s quarters. Jandu was in there.

  Keshan broke into a sprint, bursting through the barrier between Yashva and human worlds. The smells and sounds of humanity engulfed him in abrasive noise and humidity. Keshan listened for some sound to direct him to Jandu’s room.

  He heard the low laughter of a man’s voice.

  Keshan charged the door. He brought his palms together and closed his eyes, summoning a sharta. The wooden door shattered inwards. Keshan unsheathed his sword. He stared at the scene before him, and realized he was almost too late.

  Firdaus lay between Jandu’s legs, groping him obscenely. Firdaus’ brother Hanu and another man crouched on either side, holding Jandu’s legs open.

  Hanu turned as Keshan appeared in the room. Hanu’s face was red with anger. His trousers were around his knees, a vulgar display of the crime he was about to commit.

  “He is mine,” Keshan hissed, his voice dark and terrible.

  “He?” Hanu asked. He didn’t get a chance to say anything further. Keshan slashed his sword across Hanu’s throat. Hanu collapsed, a bubbly croak seeping from his mouth as he died.

  Keshan wasted no time. He slammed a knife into the other man’s chest and twisted, spitting a Yashva curse as he did so. The man’s body flew backward and hit the far wall with a sickly spatter. A strange pressure convulsed the air and almost at the same moment he heard the words of another sharta being spoken. Firdaus glared at him, his dejaru pooled on the floor, lips moving to form a curse. Keshan started the counter-curse, but he was too late.

  Firdaus’ words sank into Keshan’s skin like icy syrup soaking through to his bones. The Yashva world grew distant, as if the door between them was closing, and then Keshan felt it, a solid thump, and then his entire awareness of the Yashva disappeared. Firdaus had bound him to the human world in preparation to unleash a curse upon him. Keshan lunged forward, swinging his sword.