Valley of Shields

by Duncan Lay

  ‘So where does that leave us? Who do we go to? We have to do something!’ Asami cried.

  There was a long silence.

  ‘There is another way,’ Sendatsu said.

  ‘Well, don’t say something like that and nothing more — put us out of our misery!’ Asami hit him on the arm.

  ‘We go to Daichi.’ Sendatsu looked around them.

  Gaibun snorted. ‘And say what? We have been plotting against you but now we’ve come to our senses?’

  ‘We tell him both my father and Sumiko are seeking to overthrow him. At the moment both Sumiko and Jaken think we are helping them. We use that to bring them out in the open and Daichi can stop them.’

  ‘And why would he do anything for us?’ Gaibun asked.

  ‘More importantly, what would he give us?’ Rhiannon added.

  ‘He will do what we want because we will both save his position and protect Dokuzen from the Forlish. In return he will give us what we truly want: an elven army to help defeat the Forlish; priests of Aroaril to spread the word among the human people; Gaibun’s father to take control of clan Tadayoshi; and Asami to take over the Magic-weavers. For me, my children, nothing else.’

  ‘They can clean up our house as well. Apart from a new door, I need to have most of the walls repainted and the floors scrubbed,’ Asami muttered.

  ‘I think we can add that,’ Sendatsu said.

  ‘And my magic?’ Rhiannon asked.

  ‘Asami will be the head of the Magic-weavers. She can make sure not only you but other humans get trained, in secret if need be.’

  There was another pause as everyone examined that idea.

  ‘And the fact you are a fugitive, with Council Guards under orders to kill you on sight?’ Gaibun pointed out.

  ‘We use magic to get in to see him without them knowing.’

  ‘So we’re going to betray both Sumiko and your father to Daichi? I don’t like either of them but I don’t like that idea,’ Gaibun said.

  ‘You don’t have to do it,’ Sendatsu said. ‘But I will do whatever I have to, so I can get my children back.’

  Asami shrugged. ‘Well, if we cannot trust Sumiko and if we cannot accept Jaken’s conditions, there is only one choice.’

  ‘We are not going to ask about magic, for it is too much for Daichi to absorb at once, nor shall we talk about priests of Aroaril going out in the human lands. Those things can come later,’ Sendatsu told them.

  ‘But we can’t forget about them. You elves have kept magic away from us for too long,’ Rhiannon said.

  ‘If I am in charge of the Magic-weavers, I shall make sure you are trained, and that we find others like you,’ Asami said.

  ‘But what of Aroaril?’ Huw asked.

  ‘It is too risky. We need to show we are worthy of trust first.’

  ‘Fine,’ Rhiannon snapped. ‘Then ask him this — I want to perform for the elves.’

  Sendatsu and Huw stared at her.

  Asami was the first to speak. ‘Is that a good idea?’

  ‘It is something I have dreamed of, and will be the perfect cover for me being trained in magic,’ Rhiannon said carefully, ignoring Huw’s suspicious glance.

  ‘It stands a better chance than asking for magic, at least,’ Asami said.

  ‘But should we make it a condition of his help?’ Sendatsu asked.

  ‘We’d better hurry. Sendatsu, your father will know something is wrong if you are not there at dawn for your children,’ Gaibun interrupted.

  ‘I think we should try it,’ Huw said swiftly, offering Rhiannon a smile that she ignored.

  ‘Fine. But if we don’t move now, we won’t gain anything but our own deaths,’ Gaibun snapped. ‘Sumiko could be sending more killers any moment.’

  ‘Be good to get out of here anyway, away from the smell,’ Huw said, forcing a smile. ‘And that’s something I never thought I’d be saying in Dokuzen.’

  12

  Next to go was our worship of Aroaril. For as long as we could remember, we had prayed to this God and received magical help in return, healing for the old and the sick and injured. The Elfarans hated that we had even this magic.

  Huw’s song

  Despite fears of bands of warriors sent by Sumiko or Jaken lurking around every corner, they made their way to Daichi’s expansive villa easily. There were few elves on the streets of Dokuzen at this time of night and those who were around were easy to avoid. The darkness hid much of Dokuzen’s beauty but there was enough of it to have Huw and Rhiannon gawping at tall stone columns, statues and more. Sendatsu looked again at things he had taken for granted, seeing them anew through their awed eyes.

  The villa, as befitting the Elder Elf and leader of a clan that had held sway over Dokuzen for three hundred years, was enormous, set in grounds that included a small lake and a variety of garden areas. Council Guards, and not many of them, patrolled aimlessly or stood around talking, lulled into a sense of security by centuries without trouble.

  ‘No wonder Sumiko is so confident of success. These guards couldn’t stop a baby from walking in there,’ Gaibun said.

  And so it had proved, with Asami using magic to guide them past the bored patrols and into the villa proper.

  Sendatsu looked at the darkened buildings doubtfully. ‘I suppose Daichi will be sleeping.’

  ‘Or in his office.’ Asami pointed to a smaller, lit building.

  ‘What are we waiting for?’ Rhiannon hissed.

  ‘The last steps are often the hardest,’ Asami replied. ‘And, for Aroaril’s sake, please don’t say anything in Daichi’s office unless he asks you. He is the leader of Dokuzen, sworn to protect this place from gaijin. He will not allow you to speak out of turn — and probably not at all. If you say the wrong thing, you could doom us all.’

  ‘I am not a fool. I know when to keep my mouth shut,’ Rhiannon whispered.

  ‘What do we call you, if Daichi wants to speak to you? Do you have clan or family names, like we do?’ Asami asked.

  Huw paused. ‘In Vales I would say I am Huw ap Earwen; it means Huw, son of Earwen.’

  ‘In Forland we add sen for son or dottir for daughter to the father’s name. He was Hector,’ Rhiannon said grudgingly.

  Asami nodded. ‘Perfect. It will make him take you more seriously.’

  ‘If we have all finished.’ Sendatsu indicated a pair of guards not fifty paces away with a jerk of his head.

  ‘Come on then.’ Asami led them onwards.

  They slipped into Daichi’s office without the guards noticing, where they found the Elder Elf going through a series of scrolls. Dressed in a simple golden robe, with his hair slicked back, he did not look like the leader of the elves but his eyes were bright and alert, seemingly holding the wisdom of all his people.

  ‘Who are you?’ he snapped, reaching for a small bell on his desk.

  Asami used magic to move it away from his reach.

  ‘Lord Daichi, apologies for seeing you like this but we bring a desperate warning.’ Gaibun bowed low and talked fast. ‘If you do not hear us, you will no longer be Elder Elf and Dokuzen itself may be destroyed.’

  ‘And you think that excuses breaking into my home?’

  ‘Listen to us and judge for yourself. If we are wrong, then we humbly accept whatever punishment you think we deserve,’ Asami said, then sent the bell skidding back across the desk into his hand.

  Daichi looked at the bell and they held their breath — then he put it aside.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked after a short pause.

  Sendatsu stepped forwards. ‘This is Huw ap Earwen and Rhiannon Hectorsdottir. They are the leaders of the Velsh people and they can tell you why the humans have been attacking the barrier and what it means for Dokuzen.’

  ‘Sendatsu. You dare to come here after your earlier crimes — and bring humans?’ Daichi asked.

  ‘We would not do this unless it was a matter of life and death for Dokuzen,’ Asami insisted.

  ‘I burn with shame that we ha
ve done this to you — but there is no other way,’ Gaibun said.

  ‘What is your part in this, Sendatsu? Does your father know you are here?’

  ‘By coming here I am ensuring he will never become Elder Elf,’ Sendatsu said boldly.

  Daichi leaned forwards and they saw his eyes flick across to the bell on his desk — then back to them. ‘Go on,’ he said.

  ‘I am the leader of Vales, a free country to your west,’ Huw declared, putting all his expression into his words, letting them roll across the room. ‘We are fighting against a warlike race from the south called the Forlish. They are the ones who are trying to break through the barrier. They have conquered all other human lands except ours and soon they will come for you. They will not stop until they have broken through your barrier.’

  ‘A sad tale for the human world, although surely it proves why we sealed ourselves away from such troubles. And I fail to see how it affects us. The barrier cannot be broken.’

  ‘Forgive me, Elder Elf. But that is exactly the trap that has been set for you,’ Sendatsu said.

  ‘Trap? Who set a trap?’

  So Sendatsu began, telling mainly truth but mixing in a little exaggeration as well. Or was it all true? As he told it, it seemed to be more accurate.

  ‘The night I was sent away from Dokuzen, the fight was over a scroll I found. A scroll from the first Elder Elf of Dokuzen, also called Sendatsu —’

  Daichi snorted. ‘What nonsense is this? The first Elder Elf was an ancestor of mine called Naibun.’

  ‘Or so we have been told. But this scroll had the seals of all twelve of our forefathers and had information that both my father and Sumiko desperately wanted. It claims the magical barrier is linked to the amount of magic within us. As our magic dies out, so the barrier will decay, until we are at one with the human world again. Sumiko plans to show that to the people, use it to overthrow the Council. For if the magic is dying out within us, then the only ones who can save us are the Magic-weavers.’

  Daichi’s face was inscrutable. ‘And your father?’

  ‘He read of how the barrier was not to keep the humans out of Dokuzen but to keep us away from the humans. The forefathers were afraid we would enslave the humans. My father wants to do just that. He plans to take an elven army out and bring back an empire for Dokuzen. The people will then acclaim him as their leader and it will be child’s play to overthrow you. They are using the human attacks on the barrier against you.’

  Now Daichi was leaning forwards in his chair and his eyes were burning bright.

  ‘And why do you tell me this? I am sure they would both have offered you something.’

  ‘Yes. But my father wants to enslave the humans. Huw and Rhiannon are my friends, they saved my life when I went into their lands. I would not see that happen. As for Sumiko — she has already tried to kill us all once tonight.’

  Daichi smiled thinly. ‘Typical Magic-weaver. Did not do the job properly. If you are going to kill someone, you have to make sure of it. Your father would not have blundered like that.’

  Sendatsu, Asami and Gaibun exchanged glances.

  ‘The warning is timely but there seems to be a lack of proof. I can certainly question Sumiko but to confront a clan leader such as Lord Jaken with but a few vague suggestions …’

  ‘We have proof. We can end this tonight,’ Sendatsu declared.

  Daichi stared at him. ‘You have grown bold, young Sendatsu. The only person to interrupt me so regularly is your father.’

  ‘My apologies, Lord Daichi. But we can give you all the proof you need that they are both plotting against you.’

  ‘And your price?’

  Sendatsu glanced at the others. ‘My friends, the Velsh, need help from the Forlish. And when the barrier comes down, as it surely must in the next few years, we will need friends to help protect our borders. They don’t need much — say the Border Patrol and another two hundred elven volunteers — and they will be protected and, at the same time, end the attacks on the magical barrier and secure the borders. Asami will take over the Magic-weavers, turn them again into a society dedicated to teaching magic rather than seizing power, and Gaibun’s father will step in as clan Tadayoshi’s leader. Finally, my human friends want to show not all of them are gaijin to be feared and despised. Rhiannon is a singer and dancer whose skills are applauded from one end of the human lands to the other. She begs that she be allowed to stay in Dokuzen, to train here and then perform for you, the Council and the nobility.’

  ‘Have a human perform for the Council?’ Daichi asked with distaste.

  ‘It would be under my name, so any disgrace would be mine. But it is important for the Council to see not all humans are the barbarians we once thought.’

  ‘I am not sure that a song and dance can wipe away three centuries of history,’ Daichi mused. ‘Who would she study with?’

  ‘I would teach her,’ Asami said.

  ‘And your work with the Magic-weavers?’

  ‘I would have time.’

  Daichi appeared to weigh this up for a while, then shrugged. ‘I think it is foolish, and will end in humiliation for this young human. But if you wish it and no blame is attached to me, I am prepared to allow it.’

  ‘I am pleased to hear that.’ Sendatsu bowed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rhiannon failing to hide her delight.

  ‘And you?’ Daichi focused on Sendatsu.

  ‘I just want my children back and the chance to live in peace,’ Sendatsu said.

  Again, Daichi considered their words. ‘The price seems quite low,’ he commented. ‘Although, when you think about it, perhaps it will be high. I mean, you will be a traitor to your clan, to your father. Your name will ring down through history as the one who destroyed clan Tadayoshi. Living in peace may not be that easy.’

  ‘I am willing to do that for my children,’ Sendatsu said.

  Daichi watched him for a moment more.

  ‘You are interesting,’ he commented. ‘I thought of you as nothing that would affect Dokuzen — and look at what is happening now.’

  ‘So you will agree?’

  In answer, Daichi pulled a fresh sheet of parchment towards himself and wrote quickly.

  ‘Everything you asked for — provided you give me the proof that I need to stop these plotters in their tracks,’ he said, pushing the parchment across the desk to Sendatsu.

  Sendatsu read it swiftly and then nodded at the others.

  ‘We have an agreement,’ he said. ‘This is everything we asked for.’

  ‘Now, the proof you promised?’

  ‘Remember when the tombs of the forefathers were destroyed by fire?’ Asami asked. ‘The tombs were destroyed but the books were stolen and hidden in Jaken’s villa. There also lies the scroll that began all this.’

  ‘With them you will also find Jaken’s promise to give us power and rewards when we help him become Elder Elf, as well as many additional promises from other clan leaders,’ Gaibun added.

  ‘That is all excellent — if those things are really there. If I raid the villa of a clan leader and cannot find anything, Jaken will have achieved his aim: I shall be overthrown as Elder Elf by every other clan leader,’ Daichi said coldly. ‘I thought you promised me proof? I cannot do anything on this flimsiest of evidence.’

  Asami stepped forwards. ‘Then raid Sumiko’s villa first. If you upset the head of the Magic-weavers, it will lose you no face with the other members of the Council and you will find much of the same evidence within her villa, including translations she has made of books from the tombs and messages to the ordinary people, encouraging them to rise up against the Council.’

  Daichi nodded slowly. ‘As you say, I can raid Sumiko without fear. The Magic-weavers have no supporters among the Council.’

  ‘You can’t raid Sumiko first,’ Gaibun blurted.

  ‘What? Why?’

  ‘Jaken has an informant within the Magic-weavers. Someone high up. I do not know who it is but he used them
to send Hanto and two other Council Guards out into the human world. They are also feeding him information. I saw him speaking to the informer earlier this evening but could not see who it was.’

  ‘You waited until now to tell us this?’ Sendatsu said.

  ‘Well, there have been a few other things going on,’ Gaibun said sourly. ‘But the point is, as soon as you raid Sumiko’s villa, Jaken will find out. He will either destroy or move anything that proves his plotting — or he might launch his own plans now, seek to seize control in the confusion. Don’t forget he has at least five of the other clans with him.’

  ‘Well, this is wonderful!’ Sendatsu muttered.

  ‘So we cannot raid Sumiko first and you can offer me only vague hope of proof of your father’s treachery. You are asking me to risk a great deal here. What if this is all part of your father’s plans? What if you or even Gaibun here is only pretending to help but really pushing me in the direction Jaken wants?’ Daichi said calmly, although his eyes betrayed his anger.

  ‘I have always been honourable! And yet it seems everyone wants to judge me by their standards! I won’t have it!’ Gaibun raged.

  ‘Calm down!’ Daichi ordered. ‘Or I shall have others calm you down. I have battled Jaken for the last twenty-five years and, if there is one thing I have learned, it is not to underestimate him. He has a mind that jumps ahead, always one step ahead of others. See it from my point of view. You come to me with an extraordinary story and ask me to risk everything on this crazy tale.’

  Sendatsu glanced out at the sky and could feel time slipping away from him, like sands from a broken hourglass. If he did not make something happen, it would be dawn and what would happen to his children then? What would Jaken do to them if they were at the centre of a fight?

  ‘There is another way,’ he heard himself say.

  ‘Let us hear it,’ Daichi said.

  ‘I go into my father’s villa and talk to him. I take him out to the gardens and get him to confess his plans. Meanwhile, Asami uses her magic so his words are heard by you and other clan leaders nearby. When you have heard enough, you strike.’