by Paul Heisel
He had sent a message to Suun, asking her to contact Owori to let her know he was still alive. Then Suun was supposed to come here to help him or send help. She would be able to help him, wouldn’t she? Emato was trying, but he didn’t know much of what was going beyond these walls. He admitted that he needed an advisor, a person who would tell him what he should do or at least what he should consider doing. It had to be a person he could trust, though. Shades, who could he trust? The gardener? He seemed to know much about the family, and Nar had served his mother in some capacity.
Thoughts of Iristi cropped up. He had sent her a message as well, hoping it would get to her. He had promised to come get her, but as he reflected on what he had written, it was foolish. With Chang dead and Hiru in control, it would be madness to return to Emesia for any reason. The assassination was pinned on him and soon it would catch up to him somehow, he was sure of that. He would defend himself to the last, and he thought perhaps the truth and being a Most Favored would be enough of a defense. He was innocent. Hiru and his Furies should be punished. Will be punished, he thought, because it was his task to do so, wasn't it?
The third message went to Rayu in Hou, the only other person he was acquainted with. He told Rayu of Iristi’s capture and his promise to bring her back safely. It seemed inevitable; he needed to find a way to free Iristi. Perhaps there was something Hiru wanted that he could trade for Iristi. Gold? He had to have money in Safun. Would paying a ransom work in this case? Kojo mentioned ransom it when Iristi was captured.
A knock came at the door. Feln stood as Emato came in. He had a scroll unrolled, the parchment crackling as he walked with it outstretched. He showed it to Feln.
“What’s this?”
“An order for Furies. You’ll need additional protection while you are here. Even though you can’t go and select them personally, the Kolun family will choose well for us. Furies could be here in a matter of weeks I believe instead of a month.”
“Furies?”
“Yes. All the families have Furies. There are Furies back in Safun, but many are beyond their prime. This is a request for two Furies to come as your personal escorts. I think it would be best and quicker than bringing the soldiers from Safun.”
Feln didn’t think it was such a great idea. He had seen Hiru’s Furies kill and destroy. They assassinated Chang. Kojo’s Fury had tried to kill him.
“That isn’t a good idea,” he said, “my experience with Furies has been, well, not positive.”
“They are loyal to their families and serve in a variety of capacities.”
“I’ve seen them kill and murder. They do the dirty work.”
“If they must,” Emato said flatly. “Their primary function, in most cases, is protection.” He raised the scroll and put it flat on the desk. “Agree and it’ll be done.”
“No,” Feln said. “No Furies.”
“As you wish.” Emato rolled the parchment up and stepped out of the room. For some reason, he left the door open.
Feln collapsed on a chair. The door remained open. He stood, deciding he should close the door.
“Refusing Furies?”
It was the gardener. He was lingering by the door and stepped through, then shut it. He was dirty and his work clothes clung to him from the sweat. His wide brimmed hat was snugly under his arm and his tool belt clanked as he marched forward.
“My experience with Furies has not been good thus far,” he explained. It suddenly made him think of the Fury with the snake tattoo, the green one that was identical to Kara's. A chill went through his spine. What did that mean?
“If you're wondering, before we get started, that I'm meeting with you to discuss new flowers and shrubs.”
“Of course. Why else would a gardener meet with a Most Favored?”
“Good. So, explain a bit more about why you are you refusing Furies? In my experience, they have been quite useful if employed to do the correct jobs. You have nothing to fear from Furies, or me for that matter. I'm a loyal subject.”
“Employing Furies would not bring me comfort,” Feln said.
“Tell me.”
Feln took a breath and he spoke of his various encounters with the Furies, but he left out the detail about the Fury having the same tattoo as Kara. That he would keep to himself.
“I can see why you’re jaded,” he said. “The Furies, when brought into a family, are supposed serve loyally. What you have seen, although violent and against you, are Furies doing their job. Granted, I haven’t heard of Furies going after their own family, a Most Favored. That’s disturbing. The Fury must have been from another family.”
“What you’re telling me is Furies can't assassinate a Most Favored from their family.”
“Yes, the magic prohibits Furies from turning on their families. I don't know how it works, I only know that it does. Take your notion that the tiger Fury was from another family. The one that murdered Chang. It would be easy enough to go through the records to see what family he was bound to, then the guilty family could be found. The way you describe it, though, is that the Fury was part of the Ku family. Is that what you're claiming?”
“These were Hiru’s Furies, I'm sure of it. There were dozens of them, all working together. They were strong enough to stand up to Sli the dragon. The one who murdered Chang was among them. He wasn't hiding or fleeing.”
“It doesn't make sense for a Favored One to have a dozen Furies - why would Hiru need such numbers? A Most Favored, certainly, a dozen Furies could be arranged as a guard detail. If this was a murder plot, surely Chang would have seen it coming. He shouldn't have been blind to it all.”
“He didn’t see it. He’d been ill, which I believe was Hiru’s doing as well. When the sickness didn’t get rid of him, the Furies stepped in and did it. I was there and a convenient pawn to blame it on.” He stopped, not sure if Nar understood what a pawn was. There was a battlefield strategy game played by the nobility called 'chess' in which two players faced off using tactics and moves to kill the opponent's king. The pieces have different rules of engagement and worth - the pawn being the lowest and well, expendable.
“You play chess?”
“Occasionally. I wasn't sure if you were familiar with the game. I used to play a lot when I was a child - my father taught me. The nobles played it in the castle. The commoners just played dice or a simplified game called checkers.”
“Think of Pyndira as a big chessboard, each family strategically placing and moving their pieces. They calculate every move. Chang’s assassination was a bold move by Hiru, if what you say is true. A bold move. He has become the Most Favored because he wants power. The real question is, why?”
Feln sighed. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do or make of all of this. He didn't know why Hiru wanted power.
“If Hiru has taken Chang’s place, then a shift in power is about to come. Hiru may have murdered his own family to become Most Favored to accomplish a more attractive goal.” Nar walked over to shelves where books and papers were stacked. From the pile of papers, he pulled a map of Pyndira and spread it out on the desk. “Emesia bickers with Ashimo mostly, when Furawa isn’t harassing them. Hikimi and Ashimo fight over borders constantly. The political tension has always been great. Now you say Furawa invaded Emesia?”
Feln pointed to the spot on the map. “Kojo came in here. Six thousand men or so marched, cutting off the north from the south. Only a week or two after that Hiru assassinates Chang, taking the Most Favored belt and Emesia for his own.” Feln sat in a chair and stared at the ceiling, noting the carved wooden patterns. The detailed roses were exceptional. The carpenter must have spent weeks shaping the wood in this room.
“The Emesian army now marches south to take on the threat,” Nar said. “So tensions between Emesia and Furawa are high?”
“A force goes south,” Feln said. “All of it was staged to look like they were going to remove Kojo from the area, when in fact Hiru made a deal with Kojo. It may have something do with the
south, Hou, but I'm not sure. I don't know enough about the provinces to understand. Let's assume they are joining together in an alliance.”
The man went to the map again. “Since the alliance isn't public, or known to the other provinces, this could be a secret alliance between Emesia and Furawa.”
“Or Hiru and Kojo. Hiru just killed Chang to become the Most Favored. Perhaps the Most Favored of Furawa is in danger?” He paused. “Why would they want an alliance?”
“We can speculate all we want. Two families working together could threaten the rule of the Emperor should the Empire become unstable. There could be a war if another province joins Emesia and Furawa in a common goal. Publicly announced alliances are for trade, business, or a show of unity. Traditionally, these alliances don't last. Now a secret alliance, that is usually for political gain or in this case, a way to potentially overthrow the Emperor.”
“Has this happened in the past?”
“The ruling family has changed a few times, but not for hundreds of years.”
“I believe the Emperor asked me to ally with him because of this threat,” Feln said. “He must suspect Emesia and Furawa are up to no good. He has nowhere else to turn and no one else to help him.”
“The Emperor has an extensive network of bureaucrats and spies stationed in the provinces. The Warlord commands a large force that would be used to defend the capital. What did he ask for precisely?”
“An alliance between Safun and Daiwer-dar. The Warlord mentioned Shisaru as well 'to bring the families in line.' I thought it was so the Emperor could do whatever he wanted without fearing punishment. I think they want to use a three-way alliance as a deterrent.”
“Logical assumption. Shisaru on its own is formidable, and it is well known they favor the Emperor. With us joining Shisaru, and with the Emperor's backing, the alliance would be a strong one. The entire northern part of Pyndira would be united under one banner.”
“We’re responsible for punishing the families, correct?” he asked. “Would we be expected to let our allies do as they wish?”
“Regardless of alliances, you would still uphold Pyndiran law. Punishment and enforcement of the laws would supersede any alliances.”
“The Emperor would expect an ally to look the other way and to give unwavering support, no matter what laws were broken.”
“Any family but ours. He knows that. He knows Xialao can't be bought, intimidated, or blackmailed either.”
“Tell me, why are we responsible for keeping the other families in line, for enforcing Pyndiran law?”
Nar seemed to have no immediate answer. He stared at the simple map of Pyndira.
“Why?” Feln repeated.
“We have always policed the other families.”
Feln could see he was struggling with the honest, simple answer. There was something about the Xialao family that made them the enforcers, and he wasn’t talking about it. “Is Nar your real name?” he asked.
The man thought for a moment. “I can’t give you my real name. Not yet.”
“Why?”
There was no hesitation this time. “Because I’m dead.”
Feln poked him in the shoulder. “You seem alive to me.”
He pulled his work clothes aside to show his muscled chest. Terrible scars from claws went from his right collarbone, down the middle of his chest, and disappeared. Feln noted his neck was tan, the rest of him not so much.
“Everyone I know, including my wife and child, believes I died. I have found my anonymity has given me advantages in serving Xialao all these years.” He gave a slight bow for some reason. “I will help you as I have said, but I can’t tell you my real name right now.”
It would be his luck, or destiny, to have this man as an ally and find out later he was a spy for the Emperor. He felt as if he couldn’t trust anyone, even the Warlord who had seemed so sincere and genuine. Instinct, though, told Feln that Nar could be trusted. There was something familiar about him, but he couldn’t place it. Perhaps he was deluding himself into rationalizing what he was doing, trusting this man to help him.
“I need proof,” Feln said, “assurance of your allegiance to the family and your allegiance to me. I have found trusting people…difficult. Few have been truthful, even fewer have been honest with their intentions. Other agendas exist.”
The man showed Feln his belt that was underneath his work clothes. It was adorned with silver thread sewn into patterns of swords. The man untied the belt and handed it to him. “I’m a Favored One of the Xialao family. Your mother gave this to me. I would no more betray you than you would betray yourself.”
There was a tingle of chi, an exchange between the belts, as if they were talking to each other. Instantly Feln knew this was the truth. He could trust this man like a brother. Feln handed the belt back.
“I have lingered here too long. I must go back to the gardens before Emato punishes me for taking too much of your time. If he asks about the flowers, tell him you're still considering.”
Feln watched as the man went to the door. “Can you tell me about my mother?”
Nar turned around. “Another day,” Nar said. With that he slipped beyond Feln's sight, going to where his work was waiting.
#
The Emperor’s palace, set against the rolling hills of the property, though large and imposing, was even more impressive from the inside. It was a substantial structure and had enough rooms, hidden corridors, tunnels, passageways, and secrets that not one person in existence knew all of them. The person who probably knew the most about the palace was Yuki. He had grown up here, and as the only child of the Emperor, he had the run of the place. Yuki was traveling down one of the secret corridors, bypassing his own guards, avoiding his Furies, and making sure his father didn’t know what he was doing. He was going to interrogate the dragon Sli. It was the most logical thing to do.
Upon returning to the palace after his impromptu meeting with Feln, he spent the remainder of the afternoon looking over reports. It was a necessary part of being the Warlord of Pyndira. The Emperor had ninety-six thousand troops that he was the commander of, and in a time of need, he could raise another one hundred thousand from the provinces divided according to their known populations. As he recalled, centuries had passed since the conscripts had been called into service. The reports he had reviewed were acceptable; the troops were ready. Commanders had visited him the remainder of the day, briefing him on supplies, arms, and horses. The constant stream of people made the afternoon pass quickly. In the early evening, he shut his office doors and retired to his chambers, forgoing a formal dinner his father was hosting because he was tired. That gave him the privacy and the time he needed to figure out as much as he could about Feln, the Most Favored of Safun. That meant using the secrets he knew about the palace to meander to the caves where the dragons lived. He was sure this short journey would anger his Furies and his father, but for different reasons. Yuki had an odd feeling in his gut that Feln was not the horrible person Hiru depicted in the message detailing the death of Chang.
No one, not even his father, knew there was a small hidden passageway beneath his bed – an ancient escape route. It allowed him to climb down into one of the many internal passageways, dart over to a hidden tunnel, and delve into the most unknown parts of the palace. The torch in his hand sputtered and went out with the appearance of a sudden breeze. It took additional time to light it again, but he didn’t mind, he wasn’t in a rush. His Furies wouldn’t check on him for another two hours. They wouldn't panic when they discovered he was absent, but he was sure they would start searching for him.
Feln's story was intriguing and he thought truthful, so he needed to know more of Feln’s story. Since Feln seemed to be trusting and talkative, Yuki surmised Feln spoke at length with the dragon. Feln had no reason to lie to the dragon, and the dragon had no reason to spread lies. Deeper and deeper he went, traveling into the dark dungeons beneath the palace. Here everything was molding and wet, water dripped fro
m the rock ceilings and pooled on the rough-hewn floors. There were prisoners down here, all dying, all shut out from the world. Most deserved their fate, criminals of the worst sort left to wither and die. There was no swift beheading for them. They would remain here, locked in one of the foulest places in all Pyndira. At least the secret tunnels spared him traveling too close to the prisoners. It, though, didn’t spare him from the atrocious smells leaking through the cracks or the moans haunting the darkness. He moved through the underground passageways, past the dungeons, and he was on the edge of the palace proper. The steady climb came next, the stone stairs smooth after years of use before him. He often wondered, who used this passageway? Who had lived in his room that needed access to the dungeons, the passages out of the palace, and the dragon's caves? Yuki stopped climbing at a landing and went down another corridor before he got to the surface and an exterior wall of the palace. After another door that he carefully re-concealed after closing, he walked for many minutes toward the back of their property. At his feet were the remnants of an old path, the pavers covered with dirt and clumps of hardy grass. Because it was at the back of the property and not readily traveled, it wasn't maintained as well as the other parts of the palace. Never had he inquired about the groundskeeper sprucing it up, as he didn't want anyone to figure where the path ended or started. As he progressed toward the caves, the smell of the air changed. The smell here was fetid. Non-human. This was where his father’s faithful dragons lived and could come and go as ordered. A maze of enormous underground caves and chambers, interlinked, made up the habitat for the monstrous beasts. The entrance, a dark hole in the ground compacted smooth and hard, connected it to the outside world. This path he was on led to the only other entrance to the caves. Ahead of him were undulating mounds, and he slipped to one side and pulled away natural grasses with his strong hands, revealing an old weathered door set into the ground. It was far more overgrown than he remembered. He opened it, jabbed his torch forward, and went down the stairs. It had been a long time since Yuki had come to the dragon lair, perhaps he had been a teenager last time he had ventured to look at the magnificent beasts. Had it been that long? He didn't mask his footfalls or quiet his approach, as he was sure the dragons had already figured someone was coming from the old palace entrance – they had keen senses. It made him wonder if the dragonmasters would find him first? Would they question his presence? Would they question how he had arrived here? The only entrance they knew of was from the front where the cave mouth was.
