Valley of Shields

by Duncan Lay

  ‘I am here to inspect the agreement, ensure that my people are protected,’ he replied.

  ‘And you brought nobody else? Nobody waiting outside, or prowling through my compound?’

  Asami shook her head. ‘Just we three walked in,’ she said carefully. ‘Were you expecting perhaps warriors of Jaken?’ They just had to keep her distracted for a little longer.

  ‘I know you would not go to Jaken,’ Sumiko said. ‘There is no future for the humans in his plans! But did you not receive my word on the agreement earlier?’

  ‘We sent you a message but have received nothing in reply since then,’ Asami said easily. She suspected this was Sumiko’s delicate reference to the warriors she had sent to steal the book but there was no point in saying any more.

  Sumiko strode across to the wide window that overlooked her garden. ‘And have you spoken to anyone else?’ she asked.

  Asami groaned inside. Too late, she remembered at least one of Sumiko’s party had escaped. She would have had word already of their failure.

  ‘No,’ Asami lied quickly, but perhaps not quite quickly enough.

  ‘I shall call Oroku and Jimai,’ Sumiko said, ‘then we can all talk more easily.’

  ‘We came to see that translation book you have,’ Huw interrupted. ‘I would dearly love to sing you a song I wrote for my people, and learn how we might translate that back into our old language —’

  Sumiko spun back once more.

  ‘The old book you have — forget about it,’ she said urgently. ‘It will bring you nothing but pain. The truth it holds is too powerful to be heard. Leave it with me and we shall ensure the right parts of it become known. Trust me, the problems it will bring down on you are not worth it.’

  ‘Let us be the judge of what people should know,’ Huw said defiantly.

  ‘Why don’t you give us the truth? What did you read in that book that so concerned you?’ Rhiannon added.

  ‘Are you trying to show me humans are stupid?’ Sumiko sneered. ‘Listen to what I’m saying. That book is nothing but trouble, the world is not ready for what it holds.’

  ‘We are not ready to walk away, or lie down and die before your warriors,’ Huw snapped back.

  ‘So you are here to steal it from me!’ Sumiko thundered. ‘Where are Sendatsu and Gaibun? Are they preparing to surprise me even now? Well, you shall find you have walked into a trap of your own making, for I shall not be easy to stop!’

  Then bells began to toll, followed instantly by shouts and screams.

  Sumiko listened for a moment, then her eyes blazed. ‘That is not two elves out there! What have you done to us, Asami?’

  The lamps went out a heartbeat later — then Asami brought them all to life again, throwing the large reception room into blazing light.

  Sumiko was darting for the far doorway. Asami reached into the magic and slammed the door shut, then warped the wood, so it would never be opened normally again.

  ‘Fool — you know what I can do. Now I shall have to kill you before I flee,’ Sumiko said, then chairs lifted into the air and flew at Asami.

  Rhiannon instinctively stepped in, helping Asami send the chairs flying to either side of the room, where they smashed themselves into splinters on the walls.

  ‘You’re both fools.’

  Rhiannon brought a bowl of flowers on a table behind the Magic-weaver into life, sent them at her, but Sumiko waved at them and they burst into flame, dissolving into ash. Before she could do anything else, Asami lifted the rug under her feet, trying to make it bind and encircle her sensei. Sumiko shredded the cotton mat, sending a thousand fragments flying into the air.

  ‘Pitiful,’ she said coldly. ‘And I thought you were my best student!’

  Huw instinctively stepped forwards to protect Rhiannon, then a chair flew past his head and sense reasserted itself. Asami had told him the translation book was hidden behind false brickwork next to the chimney in Sumiko’s study. He bolted for the last working door.

  ‘Stop!’

  A chair flew at him but Asami caught it, flipping it upwards so it broke on the wall, rather than on his head. He ducked as chunks of chair bounced around him but made it safely out. His last view was of Rhiannon hurling more flowers at Sumiko — and the Magic-weaver sending them back at her, where Asami burned them up.

  Sendatsu and Gaibun walked forwards with Daichi, who was surrounded by a squad of guards, as well as the other six leaders of clans loyal to Daichi. Mai walked beside Sendatsu but Cheijun had to be carried, and Sendatsu fervently hoped he would not have to draw his sword and try to fight while holding his son. Despite all Cheijun’s complaints about Grandmother Noriko’s cooking, he seemed to have put on weight since Sendatsu had held him last.

  The guard on the gate was unconscious, while the gates were wide open. Inside, all was chaos. A score of nasty little fights were going on across the compound. The Magic-weavers had relied on Sumiko’s defences to guard them but, without Sumiko to set the plants onto the attackers, Daichi’s warriors had broken into villas and stunned and tied many of the Magic-weavers before they could fight back. The few who were left were using magic as best they could — every plant nearby was joining the battle and attacking warriors.

  Daichi’s warriors fought back with their own limited magic, or used their bows to shoot down any Magic-weaver they could see. They did not need to kill — an arrow through the leg was enough to break anyone’s concentration, allowing other guards to rush in and club down the Magic-weavers.

  By the time Daichi and the others walked in, with Sendatsu carefully at the back, almost all resistance had been put down, and groups of stunned yet defiant Magic-weavers were being dragged out and forced to lie on their stomachs. Some still screamed from the wounds they had taken, while a few were limp bundles, their blood and magic draining back into the ground.

  ‘What of Sumiko?’ Daichi asked the question all wanted to hear.

  Almost in answer, a chair crashed through a window of the main villa and flew impossibly far, before smashing on a nearby roof.

  ‘Quick! The main villa!’ Daichi signalled and a score of warriors raced for its door.

  ‘Gaibun — watch them!’ Sendatsu handed Cheijun to his friend. Huw and Rhiannon were in there. Asami was in there. He had to get in and help them.

  Gaibun refused to take Cheijun. ‘What? You hold your children and I’ll go in.’

  ‘No! Papa! Don’t leave us again!’ Mai screamed.

  ‘Papa!’ Cheijun wailed, clinging on to Sendatsu.

  Sendatsu hesitated, torn, then gasped in horror as half of the villa’s roof collapsed.

  ‘You cannot beat me. What do you hope to achieve by this?’ Sumiko paced around the room.

  ‘To stop your arrogant boasting?’ Asami offered, using her words to disguise her efforts to send a large chaise cartwheeling across the room at her sensei.

  Sumiko swept that away.

  ‘We just have to hold you here,’ Rhiannon said, getting her breath back. ‘The Elder Elf and his warriors are here with us.’

  Sumiko lost control. ‘You brought Daichi into my home?’ she screamed. ‘You will pay for that!’

  The remaining pieces of furniture flew at Asami, one after another. Asami reached deep into the magic, feeling the ache in her muscles and bones. Every breath was a fight, while sweat was soaking her clothes; her stomach was growling for food, while her throat was parched, her mouth so dry that her tongue felt swollen. But, with Rhiannon’s help, she deflected or blocked every one of Sumiko’s missiles, Rhiannon sending the last chair smashing out through the window.

  The room was now empty except for the three of them — and the wreckage of fine furniture — and both Asami and Rhiannon were reeling with tiredness, having already used magic that night. Sumiko was obviously affected but was fresher and better rested.

  ‘You should have stood with me. Together, the three of us could rule the world,’ she told them.

  ‘What will you do now? You have not
hing left to use against us,’ Asami puffed.

  ‘Have I taught you nothing? Magic is all about the imagination.’ Sumiko looked upwards and pulled the roof down on top of them.

  Huw raced through unfamiliar corridors, fearing he would run into an angry Magic-weaver at any moment. Where was the study in this place? He could hear the magical fight going on in the reception room, which gave him a reference point and allowed him to skirt around it and race into a likely looking room.

  He paused for a moment, awestruck. Shelves were filled with books — something he had never seen before. He had been through King Ward’s library at Cridianton on one memorable day — two shelves of books. It would have disappeared in here. He gazed around in wonder — and dawning horror. Which one would be the translation book he was after?

  He remembered it only vaguely — a black book. But there were several such here and he pulled them down and riffled through the pages anxiously, finding only words he recognised, rather than the different symbols he needed.

  The room was dominated by a huge chimney, which had wood stacked either side of a large fireplace. He looked at it for a moment and remembered Asami saying the book was beside the chimney. He ran his hands over the brickwork, trying to detect something out of place — but nothing seemed different or loose. He ducked under the lintel and into the huge fireplace itself, big enough for him to lie down in, and pressed his fingers against the dirty bricks there — again without luck.

  He stopped, wondering if he should try something else, when the ceiling collapsed.

  This far into the villa, the whole ceiling did not come down but chunks of timber collapsed inwards, smashing books and shelves into paper and matchsticks. Huw cowered at the back of the brick fireplace, covering his face and eyes as things bounced and clattered down around him. But the chimney shielded him from the worst and, when all seemed quiet, he was able to peer out into a cloud of dust and rubble. Most of the study was still standing but, beyond, where the reception room had stood, was merely a pile of timber and brick and glass. Huw stared at it, horrified. Rhiannon had been under there. She had her magic, but would that have been enough to save her?

  He sagged back against the brickwork, fear gripping his heart and tears pricking at his eyes. He knew he should rush out there and try to help, but the destruction seemed so vast, he was terrified of what he would find.

  As the wood settled and crashed, he heard Sumiko’s voice.

  ‘Thought they could match me, did they?’

  She seemed tired, her voice hoarse, as though she had run a great distance — but Huw was firstly consumed with anger at what the Magic-weaver had done, then worry at what would happen if she found him. The size of the chimney, the dust in the air and a few helpful pieces of wood made an effective cover for now.

  A few inches away, on the other side of the chimney breastwork, he could hear scratching and movement — and he understood she must be taking out the book he wanted but had been unable to find. That was the last straw. He found a hefty chunk of timber and stealthily picked it up. While she was busy with the brickwork, he jumped out and swung the timber like a club.

  One turn of the hourglass earlier, this would have been fatal — for Huw. But Sumiko had been left exhausted by her battle with Asami and Rhiannon.

  She instinctively threw up an arm to protect herself but the length of wood was too heavy and swung with too much venom to be stopped like that. It crashed into her arm and head and she collapsed to the floor. Huw dropped the timber and stared at his handiwork. His father had taught him never to hit women — but this was different, he decided.

  He grabbed the black book from the rubble beside Sumiko and stuffed it under his tunic. That done, he walked towards the last place he had seen Rhiannon, hands shaking a little, dreading to think what he would find.

  ‘Are you all right? Are you hurt?’

  Asami opened her eyes reluctantly, to see Sendatsu and Gaibun staring at her worriedly.

  Asami thought about the question, and quickly assessed the rest of her. Apart from a general ache, a raging thirst and a bellowing hunger, everything seemed normal and working.

  ‘I think so,’ she said with difficulty. ‘Rhiannon?’

  She tried to remember what had happened. Sumiko had brought down the ceiling easily enough, forcing the wood to expand until it could not be held any more — but the Magic-weaver had delayed the final fall long enough to allow her own escape. That was scant comfort, as it was set to fall on Asami and Rhiannon and, in their tired state, they were unable to hold it back. She had wasted time thinking of how to get out when Rhiannon blew out a floor-to-ceiling window and grabbed Asami, dragging them both to safety.

  ‘Rhiannon!’ Asami sat up as she remembered. ‘She saved me!’

  ‘No,’ Sendatsu said loudly and clearly.

  Asami was horrified. ‘You don’t mean that she —’

  ‘No!’ Sendatsu leaned closer. ‘You saved her, because she has no magic, remember?’

  ‘Yes, yes — but is she safe?’

  ‘Quite safe. We’re getting food and drink into her. And Huw made it out as well. He’s quite the hero — knocked out Sumiko with a lump of timber as she tried to escape. Even better, he managed to find the book. She was going for it after bringing down the ceiling.’

  Asami accepted water and food from Gaibun, gulping down the liquid and stuffing her mouth with fish and cheese.

  She glanced over to her left, where Huw was hovering around Rhiannon, who was likewise pushing food and drink into her mouth.

  ‘Won’t they be suspicious seeing that?’ she wondered.

  ‘We told them that is how humans eat all the time,’ Gaibun explained.

  ‘So what now?’ Asami asked through a full mouth, looking around Sumiko’s compound.

  Sendatsu gestured to where the guards were cleaning up the last of the Magic-weavers. ‘You were out for a while. It’s all been cleared up. We can go home. Daichi wants to see us tomorrow, or rather later today, for he has too much to do now and little enough time. The Council Guard is rounding up Jaken’s supporters as well as dragging away these Magic-weavers. Sumiko is already in chains.’

  ‘Home?’

  ‘Well, to my home,’ Sendatsu amended. ‘There are still all those bodies in yours. You are free to stay at my home for as long as you need, until that is cleaned up.’

  ‘We shall not be staying long,’ Gaibun interrupted. ‘And let me remind you who is married to Asami.’

  If Asami had more energy, she would have said something to the two fools, but she was so tired she could barely think.

  To her relief, Sendatsu eased back, to where Mai and Cheijun lay on the grass, half asleep.

  ‘Come, we should all go home and sleep,’ he said. ‘And then we can enjoy our victory!’

  ‘Is this really a victory?’ Huw muttered.

  ‘It may not feel like it yet but it is,’ Sendatsu promised.

  ‘Are we really going home?’ Mai asked, yawning, as she sat up.

  ‘We are.’ Sendatsu smiled down at her.

  15

  The Elfarans, each clan now numbering in the hundreds, left Nippon in a fleet of old ships and had to search for a new land. After months at sea, protected by the magic they all possessed, they found their way to Vales.

  Sendatsu’s song

  Caelin had drawn guard duty for that night. They did not expect to need it, this deep into Forland, but habits were hard to break. He patrolled around the pickets he had set but found himself drawn back to where Ruttyn and Harald watched an empty field.

  ‘It must be strange to do magic,’ Ruttyn offered quietly.

  ‘Not too much danger of you doing anything magic,’ Harald replied.

  ‘It would be magical if you two could keep quiet for a little while,’ Caelin grunted.

  They watched the moonlight fall across a field of turnips.

  Ruttyn broke the silence. ‘How are we going to fight the elves? They have the magic, and bows, and e
verything.’

  ‘If they bleed, we can kill them,’ Caelin said.

  Harald snorted. ‘You haven’t met the wife’s mother if you think that!’

  ‘We go near Dunholm. We should bring her along — turn her loose on the elves,’ Ruttyn suggested.

  ‘I wouldn’t wish her on my worst enemy!’

  ‘And of course she had nothing to worry about in her daughter’s husband.’ Ruttyn laughed.

  ‘I am the very model of Forlish manhood!’

  ‘If they made it out of dung, rather than clay,’ Ruttyn added.

  ‘Just for that, I’m introducing you to the wife’s sister, so we can share the misery,’ Harald told him.

  Caelin let them argue gently while he looked north. There would be little enough time for jests in Dokuzen.

  Both Mai and Cheijun wanted to sleep with Sendatsu and, while he would have preferred to share his bed with Asami, he was more than happy to indulge them.

  They both wanted to hug him, to reassure themselves he really was there, and he lay in the middle of the bed, two small figures squeezed so close to him that he could not move, and expanses of empty bed on either side. He sang the bedtime song, but Cheijun was fast asleep before he was halfway through.

  ‘Why did you leave us? Why did you stay away so long?’ Mai asked as he finished.

  ‘I did not want to. I had to. One day you will understand.’

  ‘Was it about the fight you had with Grandfather?’

  Sendatsu kissed the top of her head. ‘Yes, it was. But it is more than that.’

  ‘Why was that more important than us? You always said we were the most important.’

  Sendatsu reflected that having a daughter with an amazing memory was not necessarily a blessing. But, as always, he tried to tell her the truth.

  ‘There are things going on in the world. Humans and elves are meeting and learning from each other. I became caught up in that and I could not come back until it was safe. I want to be with you but, more than that, I want you to grow up safe and happy.’

  ‘And that was what you were doing, protecting us?’