by Duncan Lay
‘A warning? From humans? The Council is more likely to listen to the birds in the trees.’
Again Sendatsu had to step in front of a furious Rhiannon.
‘Trust me on this. They will surprise you with what they can do. Huw here is the leader of the Velsh people, our neighbours to the west. Rhiannon is a dancer and singer from Forland, which is to our south — and she is the reason I was able to come back.’
‘What do you mean?’ Asami asked.
‘Sendatsu!’ Huw said warningly.
Sendatsu ignored Huw. If he could not trust Asami and Gaibun, then he could trust nobody.
‘She can do magic.’
‘A human with magic? Impossible!’ Gaibun scoffed.
‘I can show you if you wish.’ Rhiannon looked towards the nearest plant and made it double then triple in size in the blink of an eye.
‘How — how is that possible? Sendatsu, is this some trick?’ Gaibun demanded.
‘No trick,’ Sendatsu assured him.
‘She did it,’ Asami said, gazing at Rhiannon, who stared back defiantly, unable to keep the pride off her face. Let them offer her the stables now!
‘Gaibun, we need to show them proper respect,’ Asami said.
‘But they are humans!’
‘Gaibun, I have not asked for much in this marriage. But I ask you to obey my wishes now!’
Gaibun glared at her and Sendatsu held his breath. Such a loss of face in front of mere humans might be too much for even his old friend to accept. But Gaibun got himself under control and then nodded slowly. ‘These are extraordinary days, obviously. I shall allow this, but I want them bathed and dressed properly before they come into the main house. I will be back in a turn of the hourglass, hopefully with news of your children, Sendatsu. And then I need to hear your answers.’
‘Of course. We shall explain everything. But hurry back,’ Sendatsu said.
Gaibun stared hard at him, then Asami, then hurried off without another word.
‘I am sorry about that,’ Sendatsu said.
‘That is all right,’ Rhiannon and Asami said, almost together.
Sendatsu, Huw and Rhiannon stared at Asami.
‘What did you think I was apologising for?’ Sendatsu asked cautiously.
‘For making me force Gaibun to let humans into his house,’ Asami replied. ‘What were you apologising for?’
‘The way you both talked about Huw and Rhiannon.’
‘Sendatsu, you have been too long in the human world if you cannot see the disgrace having them, even one with magic, here will cause.’
‘Humans are not animals! You know nothing about them!’ Sendatsu spat. ‘Rhiannon does not just have a little magic, she has almost as much as yourself or Sumiko!’
‘You are serious?’ Asami asked doubtfully.
‘On my children’s lives,’ Sendatsu assured her.
Even in the dim light thrown by the garden’s lanterns, he could see the struggle on her face.
‘I think I need to contact Sumiko. This is too big for us to talk about now. Why don’t you take the humans — Huw and Rhiannon — to the bathhouse and clean up? I shall find some clothes and food for you all. Then Gaibun should be back and we can all talk properly.’
‘A fine idea.’ Sendatsu nodded, but could not restrain himself from stepping close to her. ‘You were never out of my thoughts,’ he told her softly. ‘I discovered that you were right. Where we are, what others think — none of that matters. We should be together …’
‘This is not the time nor the place for such talk,’ Asami said, glancing towards Huw and Rhiannon.
‘But —’
‘Bathe. I shall be back with food and clothes.’
She vanished into the house, leaving the three of them alone in the garden.
‘Well, so far this is going well,’ Huw remarked sourly. ‘Why did you have to reveal Rhiannon’s magic? That Gaibun obviously hates us and you sent him to see your father! Am I the only one who is alarmed by that?’
‘Gaibun would never betray us,’ Sendatsu stated. ‘He is incapable of it.’
‘You can’t gamble Rhiannon’s life on that! I’m sure some of the elves who slaughtered the humans we found back at the burned church also thought they were honourable!’
‘They are my friends,’ Sendatsu said defiantly. ‘We cannot do this alone. Without them, we will fail anyway.’
‘Still —’
Rhiannon interrupted this time. ‘I knew the risks when I came here. But I need to learn more about magic and this is the only place. Sendatsu, show us where we can bathe.’
‘But I had a splash in the stream not a quarter-moon ago! It’s night and chilly!’ Huw protested.
‘You have never bathed like this,’ Sendatsu said. ‘This is the one thing the elves do better than humans!’
He led them across the garden and into a separate building, smiling a little at the expressions on Huw’s and Rhiannon’s faces. This was not a faded ruin like they had seen in Vales, this was the real thing — and it was stunning.
The floor was flat and tiled, instead of rammed earth or piles of rushes. The walls were smooth and painted with amazing images, rather than daubed with a mixture of earth and pig dung to form a rough plaster over wooden frames. Stone columns held up the roof, which stretched far above them. A large pool dominated the centre of the bathhouse, with two smaller ones beyond, as well as rooms reaching off to either side.
‘And this is but the lesser half of the villa — more lies beyond, in the house proper, where we shall go after we have bathed,’ Sendatsu said proudly.
‘Is there one for me?’ Rhiannon asked.
‘There is only the one bathhouse but all can use it.’ Sendatsu gestured.
‘So both men and women wash in here?’ Huw gasped. ‘What do they wear?’
‘Not much,’ Sendatsu admitted, remembering a few of the parties he and his wife, Kayiko, had been invited to. Neither they nor Gaibun and Asami turned up to those but he had heard many stories about them.
‘Skies above!’ Huw snorted. ‘And you’re sure baths at this time of year are healthy?’
‘Come with me.’ Sendatsu pushed him gently towards a room to the right.
‘I’ll let you two start without me,’ Rhiannon said.
‘Of course,’ Sendatsu said awkwardly. ‘There is a second steam room over there …’
‘Good.’ She paused for a moment. ‘And, Sendatsu — thank you for your earlier words. It may not have impressed your elven friends but I appreciate what you did.’
Sendatsu nodded. ‘They do not know you,’ he said carefully. ‘Do not judge them yet. They will learn, as I did.’
‘I hope so,’ she muttered, stepping into the other steam room.
She was looking forward to this immensely. She had bathed regularly at Cridianton and it had been too long since she had soaked in warm water. Splashing about in a stream and rubbing wild mint or lavender on yourself was hardly the same.
There was a brazier full of cold coals but she used her powers to heat them up in an instant. She tossed a cup of cold water over the glowing coals and felt the steam billow up and out. Sweat started all over her and she hunted out the oil and blunt tool Sendatsu had recommended.
Sitting on a stone seat, she gently rubbed the perfumed oil into her skin, then scraped off the oil and sweat and dirt that the steam was bringing out. She threw more water on the glowing coals, until the air was almost too warm to breathe and the heat was reflected off the thick stone walls. The warmth soothed away the pains of the ride — but it could not reach the ache she carried around inside. The silence of the bathhouse was also beginning to eat at her, force her thoughts to turn inwards. Although she tried to stop them, memories of her father were never far away. Magic was the only weapon she had to fight against the darkness that seemed to rise within her out of nowhere. One moment she was cursing herself, thinking she did not deserve to live, she should be punished for her actions — the next, she was fil
led with bitter anger at Hector and what he had done to her, what he planned to do with her and she rejoiced that she had made him pay for his crimes and then buried him in an unmarked grave. She could find no ground in the middle — it was always one extreme or the other.
Rhiannon began using the strigil against herself, as if it were a weapon or tool of punishment, scraping it over her skin over and over again, harder and harder — but she could draw no blood.
She dropped the strigil and sobbed, her tears falling to the ground along with droplets of sweat. She had gone through so much that she barely recognised the young girl who had walked into King Ward’s court so overcome with nerves that she had frozen, to be rescued by Huw’s playing.
There would be no rescue here. Nobody was going to come riding in and save her. It was up to her to find her strength. She already had the power of magic, she merely needed to link that to her heart and spirit.
After learning of Sendatsu’s betrayal — and then her father’s betrayal — she had told herself this was a turning point, she had changed and would never make the same mistakes again. But now she knew it was not that simple. It was not just a case of leaping across a gap and landing in a place of enlightenment. Rather, it was a series of steps, a path that you needed to take. Sometimes you went forwards, sometimes backwards. Right now she felt as though she had been walking over particularly rocky ground, with sheer cliffs on either side and no guarantee it would not drop away beneath her feet at any moment.
She could not go back, only press ahead. She had found a great gift, even if it had cost her almost everything, from her father to love.
Or had it? She knew Huw was there, just a few paces away and ready to enfold her in his kindness and care if she asked.
While that was tempting, it would also be a mistake. This was a fight she had to win by herself. Huw had lied and, while he meant well, his lies had forced her to kill her father. If she’d been given a chance to come to terms with Hector’s betrayal before she met him, things might have been different. Then there was the issue of how he had hidden it so well from her — how could she trust him again? That was before it even came to the problem of Huw thinking he knew what was best for her and using her as a weapon against Sendatsu.
She felt like her thoughts were going around and around in circles. She could not stand to be alone any more. She needed to talk to Huw and Sendatsu. She wiped her eyes on a clean washcloth and then used the strigil to hurriedly scrape off the rest of the oil. Wearing just a towel, she walked into the room with the hot bath and tried the water. It was warm, but felt cool after the heat of the steam room. Again she used her power to heat it up until it was steaming and then slipped in. It was surprisingly deep and she found a stone seat at one end and sat on it, feeling the warmth sink into her. The water came up to her shoulders and she leaned back, finding a shaped stone that served as a headrest.
‘Sendatsu! Huw! We need to talk!’ she called.
8
In little ways, so many and so gradual that we did not notice at first, these Elfarans began to show their true colours and were soon taking where once they had asked politely.
Huw’s song
‘And you looked forward to this?’ Huw gasped as Sendatsu showed him how to use oil and strigil to scrape himself clean.
‘More than you can know. I warn you, a mere splash in a stream will never suffice after this.’ Sendatsu groaned, luxuriating in the heat, feeling the accumulated dirt of the last few moons begin to ooze out of him. The scar across his ribs, courtesy of a Forlish swordsman, was healing well, although he was careful around this area with the strigil. The burns from Broyle were another matter and he avoided them. They still stung, from the heat and the sweat rolling across the reddened flesh, but he refused to let that stop him.
‘How can you enjoy this?’ Huw groaned. ‘Every wound feels like a hot coal on my skin in this heat.’
‘You’ll feel better afterwards,’ Sendatsu said, flicking more oil onto the tiled floor, black from dirt and sweat. ‘Scrape yourself off, give yourself something to do.’
Huw busied himself with the strigil for some time.
‘Can we trust your friends?’
Sendatsu sighed. ‘As you can me.’
‘That is not much comfort,’ Huw muttered, plying the strigil again.
Sendatsu shrugged. He was not in the mood for giving Huw comfort. His mind was miles away, at his father’s villa. Mai and Cheijun would be getting ready for bed now, if they were not already in bed. For many nights he had gone to sleep imagining the last time he had heard their voices. They had been walking down the corridor in Jaken’s villa, just out of sight. In real life, his father had shut the door on him before he had the chance to see them. But, in his mind’s eye, they came running around the corner and raced into his arms.
That vision was getting clearer and clearer, yet each time he imagined it, it brought tears to his eyes.
‘I wonder how long Gaibun will be,’ he mused.
‘Never mind Gaibun — what are we going to do?’ Huw insisted.
Then they heard Rhiannon call them.
‘She must be in the bath.’ Sendatsu stood, giving himself one last scrape with the strigil.
‘Shouldn’t we wait until she is finished then?’
‘Well, she wouldn’t call us if she didn’t have something to say. Grab a towel.’ Sendatsu threw one at the bard and stepped out.
The chill of being outside the steam hit him immediately, although the hot water looked beyond inviting.
‘Get in. We need to talk,’ Rhiannon said flatly.
‘But …’ Huw hesitated at the side of the huge bath.
‘We need to speak before Asami returns. That is more important than your modesty,’ she declared. ‘And I will not sit back while you two make plans without me. I will have my say.’ Then she grimaced. ‘Besides, there is nothing you have that I have not seen before.’
Huw and Sendatsu exchanged guilty glances, then slipped into the other end of the bath.
‘What happens if the Magic-weavers do not want to help us, or have other plans?’ she asked.
‘Surely it is too early to think about that — we have not even spoken to Sumiko yet,’ Sendatsu said.
‘We need to think about it now,’ Rhiannon insisted. ‘Or we might run out of time. You said the ruler of Dokuzen was opposed to both your father and the Magic-weavers?’
‘Yes, the Elder Elf Daichi.’
‘And Daichi — has his clan always ruled Dokuzen?’
‘Always.’
‘So they were the ones to order the massacre of humans. Then I suppose the Magic-weavers also want power. Why are they not respected more — I mean, I thought you elves all looked up to magic?’
‘It is complicated. The Magic-weavers have always been a separate order, dedicated only to the study of magic. The story goes that they betrayed our forefathers and tried to take control, only to be defeated and humiliated. They are not to be trusted because they are seen as oath-breakers and betrayers.’
‘And your father? It sounds like he is actually the best of the three.’
Sendatsu laughed harshly. ‘He would not listen to you — and I will not deal with him.’
‘Even though he has your children?’
‘The price he will demand for their return will be too high. I know that.’
‘So that leaves us in hot water — literally. Not one of the three can be trusted, not one of them cares about us,’ Huw said.
‘Don’t give up hope yet. Asami and Gaibun will be able to help us,’ Sendatsu said with a confidence he did not feel.
‘What will we be able to do?’ Asami asked as she stepped into the bathhouse.
Huw started guiltily but Rhiannon stayed unmoved and Sendatsu only smiled.
‘Help us,’ he repeated.
‘Better get out and dress swiftly,’ she said, holding up a hakama and kimono in a dark blue. ‘Time is precious. I have contacted Sumiko and she will see us late
r tonight. Gaibun will be back at any moment with news of your children and we still need to eat.’
Sendatsu had no hesitation in climbing out of the bath, despite the fact he wanted to linger in the relaxing warmth. He reached for the nearest towel and noticed Asami watching him. The last moon spent training the dragons had left him fitter than ever and he reached out to take the clothes from her with a smile.
Asami glanced towards the two humans, who were still in the bath.
‘I see you managed to heat the water up. Your powers must have grown.’
‘It was not me. I barely managed warming the brazier in the steam room. No, this was Rhiannon’s work.’
Sendatsu saw Asami’s eyes widen as she stared at Rhiannon, but then she controlled herself and looked away.
‘I have clothes for you as well. Leave your old ones over there. The servants can throw them away tomorrow. Sendatsu can show you how to wear the hakama and kimono and I can help you, Rhiannon, with the robe.’
Sendatsu pulled on the hakama, feeling strange as he did so. He had not worn one since it had been destroyed by the pigs behind Bedwin’s home. He had become so used to trews that the hakama felt strange; the cotton brushed his legs rather than rubbing against them, like the woollen trousers.
‘We were discussing the three different groups all wanting to rule Dokuzen. From what Sendatsu said, it seems like his father, Jaken, might be worth approaching as well,’ Rhiannon said.
‘You are wrong,’ Asami said impatiently. ‘Jaken has his own plans — he wants to take the elves outside the barrier and use them to rule the humans. He thinks humans should be our slaves.’
‘How many other elves believe that?’ Huw asked sharply.
‘All who have talked to my father.’ Sendatsu wrapped the half-kimono around him, taking a few moments to remember something that had been second nature to him just a few moons ago.
‘How did you find that out?’ Rhiannon asked.
‘Gaibun has been meeting with your father, pretending to go along with his plans, in order to find out more,’ Asami explained.
‘A dangerous game,’ Rhiannon said wryly, looking hard at Sendatsu.
