by Tom Lloyd
A fire crackling in the wide hearth off to his left took the edge off the cool air. Even in the depths of winter, the library was a sanctuary, away from the crowded, noisy Great Hall. The Chief Steward, using a burning log from the constant fire in the Great Hall, lit the fire in the library first, as tradition dictated. The tradition predated Bahl: it was a symbolic act that Lesarl had determinedly retained.
Bahl crossed over to the fireplace and added more logs. The noise startled Tila and she jumped to her feet, sending the book clattering to the floor. She winced, knowing full well how expensive each volume was.
‘My Lord-‘ she started, but he cut her off with a look, then dragged a heavy oak chair closer to the fire and indicated that she should do the same. He leaned in close to banish the dismal chill in his bones.
‘We should talk,’ he announced softly. Tila sat primly upright with her hands clamped together in her lap, waiting for him to continue, but Bahl took a minute to look her up and down first. The girl wore rather more jewellery than Lesarl usually permitted, but as most was religious, Bahl didn’t comment. Unlike most Farlan, her eyes were light in colour, a soft hazel with flashes of yellow; eyes more suited to laughter than sorrow.
‘You’re close to my Krann.’ No question, merely a statement of fact.
‘Yes, my Lord. He… Lord Isak doesn’t require much of me, only that I teach him all I can, of the wars of the Houses, the Age of Gods, any small story I might have told my niece before bed.’ She wasn’t sure what Lord Bahl wanted her to say. ‘He learns quickly?’
‘Oh yes! He is hungry to hear everything, I suppose because he never had a mother to-‘ She halted abruptly. Bahl’s early life had been far harsher than Isak’s; the entire palace knew that. ‘He also questions the stories; he wants to know why things happen.’ ‘Give me an example.’
Tila thought a moment, her lips slightly pursed. ‘Well, the punishments of the cursed. I’d never thought about why they were punished differently, but that interested Isak more than the punishments themselves. A couple of times last week he even corrected the priests - well, the ones who still go near him after what he did to Afger Wetlen.’ She hesitated again, scared that she was saying too much, or sounding like a gossip - that could cost her Isak’s friendship as well as her position.
Bahl drew his cloak tighter around himself and gazed away at the shelves behind Tila’s head. ‘Yes, that was unexpected,’ he murmured, almost to himself, before turning his attention back to the maid. ‘No matter, it brings me to what I wish to say. Isak is special, and not just as my Krann. The Age of Fulfilment is a bad time to be special.’
Tila nodded, her head turning fractionally towards the bay window she’d been watching Isak from.
‘A Lord is blessed beyond any other mortal, but the Gods are not nursemaids. They expect and demand unwavering loyalty. A Lord should love only his patron, because to love another is to have a point of weakness.’ Bahl was speaking as much to the past, and giving the warning Ineh had never had. ‘No matter what he whispers in the night, he cannot always protect you-‘
‘My Lord!’ she protested, a scarlet flush in her cheeks. ‘He’s not-we’ve not…’ She couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence before the Chosen of the Gods. Bahl was surprised, but she was telling the truth. No one could lie to him, not even hardened criminals or politicians.
‘So you’re not that close yet - but is it just a matter of time! Tell me, girl, and truthfully.’
‘I-‘ Tila lowered her eyes to escape her Master’s scrutiny. ‘You have feelings for him? Foolish, very foolish.’
That sparked defiance in Tila. ‘Lord Isak and I have much in common; we enjoy each other’s company,’ she said, a trace of bitterness in her voice. ‘What does it matter whether I do or not? Why else was I sent to here in the first place?’
Bahl raised an eyebrow. ‘Your parents will want you to secure a post in Isak’s retinue and gain influence enough to be a useful bride. Lord Isak is a white-eye, not some major promoted from the ranks that you can housetrain into polite society. You could not have a family with him, could not grow old with him. Those gifts he now carries would make you the most valuable hostage in the entire Land.’
Tila nodded. ‘I know that, my Lord. I have not even thought of discussing the future with Lord Isak. At the moment I just care that he comes back alive.’
‘You doubt his skills? However much he grins and acts the jester, a white-eye is born to fight and to survive; Isak’s no exception there.’
‘I understand, my Lord,’ she said. ‘I just can’t help thinking that an army in winter must want more than just slaves, and those gifts fit the puzzle. Isak is inexperienced enough without a whole army intent on killing him specifically.’ She released her hands for a moment to tease a thin citrine ring into a more comfortable position, then her fingers tightened around each other again.
‘I am pleased that you understand,’ Bahl said. ‘Isak will need staff who can anticipate as well as organise. Too many of my nobles still say this attack is nothing more than evidence of elven insanity. Those who do recall the name Shalstik dismiss it.’
Tila frowned for a moment, then understanding dawned. ‘Shalstik; I remember that. My mother couldn’t stop boasting when a Harlequin stayed as her sister’s house-guest for a week over the summer. This one apparently told the Prophecy of Shalstik every night for a week. My bother said the prophecy concerned the rebirth of the last king; but surely they cannot think Lord Isak is really Aryn Bwr reborn?’
Dahl snorted. ‘No, I seriously doubt even they do, but those weapons are enough by themselves to start a holy war with the elves. If they have decided their time has come, I don’t know what it will take to stop them. I hope I never find out. Until then, think on what we said. There is no room in Isak’s life for romantic fancies.’ He stood and looked into the crackling fire. A gust of wind ran down the chimney, sending a puff of smoke out into the room. Before the curls of grey could reach Tila they stopped, hanging listlessly for a moment before fading to nothing.
Tila shifted in her seat, tucking her legs underneath her and tugging her cloak over them like a blanket. Then a thought struck her and she twisted herself around to look at the books lining the walls. ‘Isak knows so little of our myths and ancient history. Perhaps I could be of some use to him while he is away. If he has prophecies to contend with, the knowledge in this room could prove vital.’ She looked up at Lord Bahl, a note of pleading in her voice.
Bahl gave a curt nod. ‘I think you are a very sensible young woman; one he will benefit from listening to.’ He had said enough; now he left the room without another word.
Two weeks later, Bahl was preparing to start his journey east. News from Lomin was confusing, but better than he had expected. The linked mages had again allowed Bahl to speak to the scion, this time to follow the enemy’s movements. Vitil had fallen and had been razed to the ground, with the loss of more than three hundred men, but more than half of the population had been saved by a heroic effort on the part of the garrison. Their sacrifice had drawn in the enemy attack and allowed nearby Kohm to safely evacuate along with Vitil’s civilians. Kohm’s garrison saw all the refugees to the greater safety of Peak’s Gate.
With two full legions of troops there, and the townsfolk bolstering their number, the elves would not attempt to take the fortress-town of Peak’s Gate. It would take months of siege to break that ancient stronghold, so the elves would be content to maintain a stand-off at the gates.
When the effort had again become too much for the twinned mage, Bahl had sat in silence until everyone else had shuffled from the room-He felt a nagging guilt about sending the army off under Isak’s command. General Lahk was more than competent; he would not allow the Krann to make any fatal mistake, and yet…
And yet Bahl knew he should be out there, leading his army himself, not walking down to the Great Hall to grab a last meal before he left Tirah. If he took the high mountain paths shunned by most Farlan, he would
be able to travel undisturbed to his friend’s deathbed. He had failed to find any trace of the vampire they suspected was in the city; this distraction at least he would see through.
It was evening, and muffled sounds of revelry came from behind the aged oak doors, garbled and distant, but nonetheless welcome after the empty apartments and corridors of the upper levels. He looked at the flags adorning the Great Hall: they were of similar age to his dying friend in the forest, and they looked as worn as the Abbot had been when Bahl had last seen him. Soon Bahl would have to choose replacements for both as he endured yet another lifetime.
On a rare impulse he sat at the foot of the great stairway and pressed his temple against the cold stone of the wall. As he did so, he imagined a tremble of age pass to him from the stone, but he knew it was nothing. He ran a hand over the worn steps and looked up at the flags, wondering when his own time would come. White-eyes could live past five hundred summers; however much Bahl felt like an old man, he had several lifetimes ahead of him. It was hard to welcome them.
In the Great Hall, the cooking fire spat and roared as a deer roasted slowly above its flames, the scent of it thick in the air. As Bahl entered, the noise waned briefly, but he ignored the faces turned in his direction and made for the fire. A maid pulled a bowl-shaped flatbread from the cauldron behind her and heaped dripping hunks of venison and vegetables into it for him.
‘You’re leaving now?’ Bahl turned to see Lesarl behind him and nodded as he slipped a chunk of meat into his mouth. ‘So is Tiniq,’ Lesarl continued. ‘He’s just had a message from the Chief of Rangers; he’s setting out immediately, on foot again, as always. He claims he doesn’t like riding.’
‘At this hour? I take it the message was delayed in getting to him.’ ‘I might have kept the ranger waiting in my office a little longer than necessary.’ Lesarl smiled. He knew Tiniq had piqued his Lord’s interest.
Thank you. Where is he?’
‘Pack hidden under the table, trying to be unobtrusive, behind you, door-side.’
Bahl nodded his thanks and gestured for Lesarl to return to his own meal, then turned to spot Tiniq, who was sitting with shoulders hunched, staring down at an empty cup. The ranger rarely came to the palace; he was here even less these days as the advancing years failed to mark his face. Tiniq Lahk defied all conventions: he was General Lahk’s younger twin, a normal man, not a white-eye, and one who should have died in the womb as twins of white-eyes always did.
Just as a white-eye’s size would kill the mother in childbirth, so the life of any twin would be squeezed out in the weeks beforehand. But somehow Tiniq had clung grimly to life, and though a sickly child, he had grown into a strong youth. He had had a lonely childhood, fostered to a forester, and grew up suspicious of strangers. He appeared to have taken on many white-eye attributes, and no doubt he was touched by magic, a little, but just how much, he kept to himself. This was a mystery Bahl was still waiting to resolve.
Bahl’s cogitation was interrupted as Tiniq noticed him. ‘My Lord?’ he said as he rose from his seat and gave Bahl a short bow.
‘I’m leaving for the Ked road now. I take it you won’t be going too far off track if you accompany me part of the way.’
The tone of Bahl’s voice left no room for argument, but still Tiniq tried. ‘Actually, my Lord, I am bound for Siul.’
‘A few hours will not make much difference, I think. Fetch your pack.’
Tiniq suppressed a sigh and reached under the bench to pull out a shapeless canvas pack and an oilskin weapons-pouch, then followed Bahl outside.
He kept his eyes low until Bahl stopped unexpectedly and spoke again. ‘There are tales of the Saljin Man in the deep forest. Have you seen it?’
The ranger frowned. ‘Just peasants being foolish. We’ve got enough in our forests without borrowing the curses of other tribes.’
‘I wonder. It’s a strange thing to invent when we all know the Vukotic are as rooted to their lands as to their curses. I’ve heard this before, when a vampire was in the city almost a century back. Now we suspect another is here, do we call that coincidence?’
The ranger looked startled at the prospect, attempting to cover his discomfort by adjusting the baldric on his shoulder. ‘I understand. I’ll pay attention.’
‘Good. Now we should leave. You must have run with your brother, I expect you to keep up.’ Without waiting for a reply, Bahl strode off through the moonlight to the stone fist of the barbican. The bridge was usually kept raised in times of war, but the guards had seen him standing outside the Great Hall and it was down by the time Bahl passed through the tunnel.
The wide main streets and narrow alleys of the city were almost empty. Away to the left, Bahl could hear the stamp of hobnailed boots - Ghosts on patrol. Even the gutter runners would be holed up somewhere warm; the sparkle of frost on the gargoyles and overhangs showed how dangerous the roofs were this time of year. Despite that, the ancient city of covered streets, archways and statues was at its most entrancing when glittering in the moonlight.
Bahl walked easily down these cobbled roads. The many towers and complex architecture made Tirah a remarkable city to behold. In the moonlight, even the most fanciful stories set here became believable. Black shadows lurked in the covered streets, under arches and around the lights of taverns. Bahl knew that not all of the eyes above were empty stone, but there was a natural order and the predators that hunted the streets at night were wary of him. They would watch him for as long as they could, like deer following a wolf pack to avoid the chance of ambush.
Up above the city, the two greater moons emerged fully from behind feathered clouds. Kasi - the lesser of the two, the hunter’s moon - was halfway to the horizon. At this time of year, that meant there was less than an hour left until midnight. Off to the south, Alterr overshadowed Kasi’s red tint with her own yellow eye. As followers of Nartis, both men saluted the lesser moon, kissing the backs of their bow fingers and touching them to their foreheads in a gesture whose meaning was lost, as so much else, in the mists of time.
‘Strange to think that there was a time when the Land could see such great events - stranger even that we might soon return to such a time.’
Tiniq looked puzzled at Bahl’s announcement, following his gaze up to Kasi. The lesser moon, which appeared in the years before the Great War, was named for that most devoted of mortals, Kasi Farlan. Legend had it that Larat, the God of Magic and Manipulation, had seduced Alterr, the Moon Goddess, and persuaded her to hide her light from the sky as a party of Parian hunters returned home. While the others found their way back, Kasi Farlan was lost in the deep forest, blinded by the darkness and hunted by Larat’s assassins. When the hunters returned without her husband, the Princess of the Farlan begged the Queen of the Gods for aid. When Alterr refused to show her light again, the queen took the diamond necklace from her own neck and rolled it around the princess’s ruby ring, making a single stone which she threw high into the sky to light Kasi’s way home and save him from attack.
The ruby at the moon’s heart was bound to Alterr’s own life’s blood. She was ordered to throw the gem up every night as penance, and if she failed to catch it, the stone would break on the ground, and so too would her own blood run out to the earth. To prevent that from happening, Larat took the stone from Alterr’s hands the next night and threw it so hard he sent it orbiting the Land, fulfilling the bond set by the Queen of the Gods.
Now his lover need only to watch its path, and wonder whether it would ever fall.
‘Would that be something to look forward to?’ The ranger sounded nervous rather than enthusiastic. ‘The Great War poisoned the Land with its magic. If life is less dramatic, is that so bad?’
‘Not at all, but it was the energies spent in anger that caused the waste to be poisoned, rather than the Ages before the Great War. That much destruction must be avoided at all costs, but sometimes I think grand deeds like the hunter’s moon might again have a place in life.’ He changed the su
bject. ‘You prefer to walk to Siul? It’s a long way. Even for a white-eye, it would be far.’
Tiniq cleared his throat noisily. ‘I dislike riding, and horses themselves, for that matter. It’s a dislike they share, it seems - I was thrown twice as a boy in the training paddock and I’ve never trusted them since. I know you’re wondering about my birth; that’s why you wanted me to accompany you, isn’t it?’
Bahl inclined his head. The two men were walking down the centre of a wide avenue through the temple district.
‘Well, I’m not my brother; that’s for certain, but we have some things in common. It might take me longer to get to Lomin, but the path is more direct on foot and I can outrun any normal.’
‘You don’t consider yourself a normal?’
‘Would you?’
Bahl considered that. Tiniq might look like an ordinary man, but it was unlikely he could hide his differences for long. ‘Perhaps not, but it would be a nice choice to have. How about children?’
‘Have I any? No. I’ve had my share of women though, so that might be one more thing in common with your kind.’
‘Magic?’
‘I…’ Now discomfort was evident in Tiniq’s voice. Bahl kept silent and let the man take his time. There was nowhere to run from the question. ‘I have some sensitivity; that is the only way I can explain it. Although my brother’s magic is weak, he can perform spells. In me it’s different: I can hunt and fight better than I should; my awareness is heightened, my eyes are stronger than normal men’s.’
‘And what is the price?’
‘My Lord?’ Bahl couldn’t tell whether that was genuine or not.
