The Broken Kingdom

by Sarah Chapman

‘Not if I ask them not to.’

  ‘Really, Aerlid? That winged one is not a fool.’

  Aerlid rubbed his eyes. ‘Even so. Even if she knew, Adila would make you a body, if only to let Riley have hers back.’

  ‘Are you going to tell her then? And I’m not sure a body of pure sunlight is what I’m looking for.’

  ‘Please, Seta, please, let me start with this? I’ll find you something, I promise. One of Andalla’s men, do you want one of their bodies?’

  ‘Hmm… yes, that might do.’

  ‘Fine. I’ll get one for you. But first, this. Please.’

  ‘And somewhere better to live. This is hardly suitable.’

  ‘I know. I know. But the world is an empty place now, I fear I would have to build you a home, I may not be able to find one.’

  ‘Then that is exactly what you will do.’

  Chapter 14

  Vann had been thinking long and hard about how they might approach this. But tiredness had taken its toll, he wasn’t sure he was thinking quite right.

  Even so, when they were near the cliffs some of the fish people slipped silently through the waves to investigate the place Strong Swimmer had been injured.

  ‘They are still there.’ Zap Zap told him, once they had returned. ‘And a new one too. A shining lady.’

  Riley, so often silent and still, jerked up at that. ‘Adila!’ she grated. ‘Take me there!’

  With more energy than she had ever shown Riley flopped into the water.

  Surprised, Zap Zap quickly took hold of her. She was staying afloat on her own. But she did not wait. She swam off, showing signs of Strong Swimmer’s ability, to find Adila.

  ‘We need to follow her!’ Vann said to Zap Zap.

  Zap Zap said a few words to the fish people and soon they were all off. When they arrived Riley was on the beach, and Adila was talking with her.

  Adila visibly slumped. She sighed and closed her eyes for a second.

  Vann jumped onto the beach, splashing in the water. Riley was sitting up in the shallow surf. Her eyes blazed, but her body was held still and straight. She waited. Zap Zap joined her in the surf. The other fish people waited further back in the safety of deeper water.

  ‘Adila.’ Vann said. Her eyes snapped open. ‘What’s going on? Where’s her body?’

  ‘Aerlid has done a terrible thing.’ she sighed. ‘But I can do nothing yet, I must finish this first.’ She waved her staff behind her. Vann saw some sticks and seaweed arranged in a human like form.

  ‘What is that?’

  ‘I am making a new body, Aerlid led me to believe Riley was badly injured and needed it. Once it is finished, Seta, or whoever it is, will leave Riley’s body and she can return. Though I fear…’ her eyes flicked to Riley and then to the fish people behind. ‘I fear what has happened to the owner of this body.’

  ‘Gone.’ Riley grated. ‘When I… was forced… here. He is gone.’

  And Vann heard grief in her voice.

  Adila closed her eyes again. Then she opened them. ‘I should get back to work. Please, be patient. I will make sure you are returned to your body.’

  ‘Wait.’ Vann called. ‘She keeps… we have to keep talking to her, otherwise she just… it’s hard to make her respond. I don’t think she can stay here much longer. She hasn’t slept in days.’

  ‘That’s not surprising.’ Adila replied, turning back to them, ‘to go into another body is traumatic enough. But a body so different from hers, and against her will? She is losing her hold on it.’ She looked at Riley. ‘You may sleep. I will bring you back if I feel you drifting away.’

  And she turned away again.

  Vann and Zap Zap shared a look.

  Riley said nothing, but Vann could see she wasn’t exactly happy. But what else could they do?

  He set up the charger for the SIGPEW, somewhere where it wouldn’t get wet or fall over. Then he settled down to wait with Riley.

  She did not sleep.

  Sometime later Karesh flew over to the beach. He did this often. He had not spoken to Adila, but he watched.

  Vann looked up as Karesh approached. Karesh looked over and landed near them.

  He said something in Plains speech, but what little Vann had known he had lost with disuse.

  Adila stretched from what she was doing, she looked over.

  And then Vann could understand.

  ‘Fishman has returned?’ Karesh asked.

  Vann wasn’t quite sure what to say to him. But Zap Zap responded.

  ‘I Zap Zap! Strong Swimmer of Harsh Wave returned! He injured here. Now he strange, broken. Says he is Riley. You know her?’

  ‘Master?’ Karesh exclaimed.

  ‘Your Master?’

  ‘Riley is Master. She has been acting strangely.’

  ‘Yes. Strong Swimmer act strange too. Says he is Riley. Shiny lady agrees.’

  Riley now looked up.

  ‘K-karesh…’ she grated. ‘A-arlid… he… stole my… body. Have you… seen it?’

  Karesh nearly jumped. ‘Is it you, Master?’

  ‘Ye-es…’

  Karesh stilled. He looked towards the cave, his eyes narrowed. ‘I have seen it, Master. It has been acting unlike you. Aerlid tells me everything will be fine.’

  ‘He.. did this!’

  ‘What would you have me do, Master?’

  Riley fell silent.

  Adila came over then. She looked tired. ‘Please, there is nothing any of you can do. Just wait. The body will be finished, and Riley will soon have hers back. Karesh, I ask you to keep this from Aerlid. I don’t want him coming out here. He might… panic.’

  ‘Is this your wish, Master?’ Karesh asked Riley.

  ‘Very.. well…’

  ‘I will keep Aerlid away then.’ And he jumped into the air and flew back to the cave.

  When night came Riley became agitated. Adila had to come and calm her down again. She suggested she sleep.

  Finally, Riley acquiesced. She lay down in the surf, her mouth and nose free of the water.

  And eventually, she slept. Vann saw Adila approach Riley and wave her staff periodically, about four times an hour.

  And then he too slept.

  The next day dawned. Adila worked.

  Zap Zap brought them some fish. Vann turned to offer some to Adila but Riley shook her head at him.

  While they ate the Sunsinger seemed to be ignoring them, though it was hard to say, considering she was working.

  After they finished eating, she came and sat near them. Her light was not so strong as usual. From the pouches tied to her clothes she pulled a small bowl and a leaf and a berry. She put them in the bowl and sung.

  Vann watched, slowly the bowl filled with more berries and leaves.

  Tiredly, she began eating.

  Vann caught her eye.

  ‘Yes?’ she asked.

  ‘That’s very impressive.’ he replied.

  ‘Not to my kind.’

  They lapsed into silence. Zap Zap was trying to get Riley to swim. There was an awful lot of splashing going on.

  A little later, when Adila was nearly done eating, Zap Zap and Riley returned to the shore.

  ‘How much… longer?’ Riley asked.

  ‘I’m going as fast as I can.’ Adila replied. ‘I am sorry.’

  Riley said nothing.

  ‘Adila, what’s going on?’ Vann asked.

  She finished her food and replaced the bowl in one of her pouches. It was a small bowl, Vann couldn’t see how a bowl that size full of anything could fill anyone up. But Adila looked much refreshed.

  Vann glanced towards Riley. She did not seem much interested, but she was near, and could hear.

  ‘If you don’t mind knowing.’ Vann added, to her.

  ‘Doesn’t… matter.’ Riley replied. ‘He… stole… my body…’

  ‘A long time ago, before the humans betrayed us and were then decimated by the last ehlkrid incursion, Andalla and his kind took part in the world.’ Adila
began. ‘They were all very thoughtless of anyone and anything other than themselves. One of them though was much worse, she was named Onsa. Mostly, the others of her kind did not care what she did. But then one of her… experiments… interfered with Andalla’s plans. And so he wished her gone. But Onsa was perhaps the strongest, the most knowledgeable, of all of them. So killing her… it was never going to be easy. Around the same time, Aerlid and Seta fell in love.’ She smiled bittersweetly, and for a moment Vann wondered what Adila had thought about that at the time.

  Adila continued speaking, ‘Seta was one of them, but she was the youngest. Andalla came to Aerlid and told him his plan. He and the others would kill Onsa’s body, but it was likely she would escape and her soul would live on. They would capture it, they said. And that is what they did. Andalla asked Aerlid to put Onsa’s soul in Seta’s body, and then kill her. If Onsa felt the death of a body twice, Andalla said, she would not survive.’

  There was the sound of splashing. Adila broke off her story and looked over at Riley who was making the noise.

  They shared a look, one Vann didn’t understand. Adila seemed surprised. Then she said, ‘Aerlid never thought he would be killing Seta. And Onsa, well, by the time Andalla told Aerlid the plan they had already killed her. What was left shouldn’t have been there, so finishing her off, the idea would not have been so hard for Aerlid.’

  Adila looked at Riley a moment longer. When she saw that she was satisfied she continued. ‘The new body, it had to be one of their kind. The death of a human or valkar would not have been enough to kill Onsa. Andalla told Aerlid he would be able to heal Seta after, and that Andalla would lend him his strength to do so. With Aerlid’s skill and his love, and Andalla’s power, Aerlid believed it would work. Further, Andalla told him they chose Seta because she was the strongest, she would be better able to withstand Onsa’s invasion. They asked him to put Onsa within her because Seta trusted him, and he would be careful. Seta had agreed, they said, but it must be a surprise. Onsa’s soul needed to bond entirely with Seta’s body, otherwise the death of her body would not harm her. If Seta knew it was happening, even if she agreed, she would hold back and defend herself and it would not work.’

  Adila fell silent. ‘I don’t know why Aerlid believed him.’ she sighed. ‘Pride I suppose, in himself and Seta, and everyone wished Onsa gone forever. But he did it. Only Seta had not agreed and Andalla did not offer Aerlid his power. I thought… I thought that was the end of it.’ She closed her eyes a moment. ‘I know he tried and failed to heal her. But it seems… he must have tried to rescue Seta’s soul from her dying body. And,’ she looked at Riley, ‘it seems he’s been trying to bring her back ever since. And I fear… you are not the first he has tried this with.’

  The only sound was the lapping of the waves.

  ‘Adila,’ Vann broke the silence. ‘Why didn’t he just make her a body like you’re doing? Why did he need Riley’s body?’

  She sighed. ‘Perhaps I make it look easy, but it is in fact very difficult. But it’s a fair question. At one time, Aerlid should have been able to do something similar.’ Adila reached out and picked up a shell lying on the beach. ‘If I were to try and put your soul in this, do you think it would work?’

  Vann gazed at the shell sceptically.

  ‘Unless you had a tremendous amount of power and were very focussed on possessing this shell, you would not even connect with it. The body I am making is like this shell. It’s made from wood and seaweed and sunlight. It is not the same as a real body, not at all. It can’t be moved in the same way, it can’t get energy the same way. Everything, in every way, is different. There are no muscles, no heart, no brain. Creating something like this for a person is a last resort. Onsa or Seta… whoever, she has the knowledge and the will to be able to use it now. But when she first died… Aerlid may have tried, but I think she would have experienced something close to madness. She would not have had the focus to be able to use something like this. Only a real body would have worked, the closer to her own the better.’

  Adila fell silent. She gazed at the shell in her hands.

  Nothing more was said.

  Karesh kept Aerlid away. And then finally, days later, Adila finished the new body. It had a strong smell of the ocean and seaweed, and was only vaguely human shaped. But Adila said it was finished.

  And so she sent Karesh to tell Aerlid and Seta that it was done.

  Chapter 15

  Vann looked up as two people came down the beach towards them. Aerlid and… Riley. But not Riley, just her body. And she was wearing a beautiful dress. It was delicate and flowing, yet modest as well. It shone, as if it was made from moonlight. He glanced at Riley, at Strong Swimmer. Vann felt dizzy.

  Aerlid’s eyes widened as he saw all who were arrayed on the beach. Riley, or Seta, did not even raise an eyebrow.

  ‘Aerlid.’ Adila stood and faced them. ‘The body is done. I will return Riley to her own body. And then… then you must be judged.’

  Aerlid said nothing. He was pale and silent.

  Seta spoke, ‘Sunsinger, that hardly looks like a body.’

  ‘It will take whatever form you like once you enter it, Seta, or Onsa.’

  ‘No!’ Aerlid finally cried, ‘it’s Seta. Maybe Onsa is there too, but I know Seta is as well. I saved her, Adila, I didn’t kill her. I didn’t kill Seta.’ he nearly pleaded.

  Adila shook her head but she turned to Seta, ‘please, leave this body now.’

  Seta walked over to the thing lying on the ground that was to be her new body. ‘Hmm…it does not look very powerful.’

  ‘It is valkar made. You will not be able to kill with it. But it will last.’

  Seta looked up at her for a moment. ‘It will do for now.’

  And then she slumped forward.

  Adila moved fast. She grabbed Riley’s body and carried it to a wildly splashing Riley. And then… then Riley- or Strong Swimmer- slumped forward.

  There was a flash. Vann didn’t see what happened. And then Riley, in her own body, jumped up. The silvery dress she was wearing was gone, Adila had replaced it with clothes in a style more suited to Riley, made from sunlight.

  Riley stumbled. Vann got to his feet, went to help her.

  And then she let out a wild scream and launched herself at Aerlid. Aerlid took a step back, a startled look on his face.

  Vann tried to grab her. He got an elbow in the face for it. He fell back.

  He heard shouting. Didn’t know what was happening. He put a hand to his face.

  And then Riley was in front of him. He saw Adila standing between her and Aerlid.

  ‘What’s wrong with your face?’ Riley demanded.

  ‘You hit me!’ he mumbled. ‘I think you broke my nose!’

  Her brows rose in surprise. ‘Well why did you get in my way?’

  ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time. Oww…’

  Zap Zap was splashing behind him, ‘Vann hurt!’ he was saying, ‘Why Riley hit Vann!’

  Riley helped him up. To Zap Zap, she said. ‘Strong Swimmer died when I was forced into his body. Aerlid and that monster killed him.’ she turned to Aerlid then. Her brows lowered dangerously.

  ‘You say he will be judged?’ she demanded of Adila.

  ‘Yes, I assure you. Rose is coming, she will do it.’

  ‘And he will be punished?’

  ‘It will be a terrible punishment. So please, don’t kill him.’

  ‘I’ll think about it.’ her voice was harsh with rage.

  Vann only then noticed another woman standing nearby. Her hair was black and glossy, her skin white. Her eyes were big and dark and framed by long lashes. There was a forlorn, lost look to her.

  Aerlid noticed her too. ‘Seta!’ he gasped.

  And then it changed. The woman’s hair was still black, but now it was coarse. Her skin pale, but it was not such a healthy look. Her eyes were dark, but not beautiful. And her mouth, there was a cruel lift to her mouth.

  Aerlid�
��s words choked off.

  ‘Onsa.’ Adila greeted her.

  She shrugged. ‘Who knows?’

  ‘No, Seta is there, Seta is somewhere, maybe still,’ suddenly he looked at Riley, ‘maybe she’s still there.’

  Riley clenched her fists. She had a rock in her hand, where it had come from, Vann didn’t know.

  The woman chuckled, bringing attention back to herself. ‘Perhaps you should ask Riley dear what happens when you force a soul into another’s body.’

  ‘I rescued Seta,’ Aerlid insisted. ‘I didn’t kill her. She’s still alive.’

  ‘Hmm… well, I think we’ll part ways here, Moonsinger. I know what punishment the valkar will give you, and so you can no longer be useful to me.’

  ‘You may go where you will.’ Adila said to her. ‘I will not stop you.’

  The woman nodded, then she turned to Riley, ‘no need to look so murderous, dear. I did save you. If it weren’t for me, you’d be pulp beneath a mountain.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  The woman shrugged, ‘no matter.’ she turned and began walking up the beach.

  Aerlid watched her go, made a move to follow. But Adila stopped him, ‘Aerlid,’ she said, ‘Onsa has used you. She is very weak now, she has suffered at least two deaths. She needed your help and used your feelings for Seta. You rescued Onsa, Aerlid.’

  ‘Maybe.’ he said, ‘but Seta too. I know I did.’

  Adila looked at him with pity. ‘Please, just go wait. Rose is coming.’ Adila turned back to Riley. ‘I assure you, he will be punished.’

  ‘Why can’t you judge him?’ Riley insisted.

  ‘Because I am not the Judgement Master, and his crime is grave. But more than that, Aerlid is, was, my friend. It is difficult to judge one you are close to fairly.’

  ‘And the fish people? He murdered one of their kind.’

  Adila closed her eyes a moment. Then she walked past her to Zap Zap.

  Zap Zap and the other fish people were gathered around Strong Swimmer’s still body. ‘I fear she is right.’ Adila sighed. ‘The man who lived here is gone. Aerlid will be judged for that as well. But is there anything I can do for you now?’