Valley of Shields

by Duncan Lay

  ‘Regrettably they must die.’ Moshin shrugged. ‘We know you are loyal but we cannot say the same for them.’

  ‘You can’t do this!’ Asami protested.

  Sendatsu felt sick inside. They had not thought this through last night or indeed this morning. While they had played and talked and laughed, thinking they had Daichi’s agreement to protect them, Daichi had been planning and plotting. Now their friends and family would pay the price. Even if his mother’s life was spared, she had none of the skills needed to survive exile from her comfortable home.

  Daichi finally spoke. ‘I understand your distress, but you must see it from my point of view. I do not know how far or how deep the conspiracy against me has gone. And, according to our agreement, you wish to take an elven army out into the human world to save one gaijin tribe from another. And I cannot break an agreement I have used the official seal of the Elder Elf on.’

  Sendatsu looked up sharply. There was a tone to Daichi’s voice that he recognised from his father. It was the sort of voice his father used when he planned to offer Sendatsu a choice that was no choice at all.

  ‘But with the leaders under lock and key, the ordinary people are no danger to you. Order has been kept with just a handful of Council Guards before this,’ Asami said.

  ‘It is a risk I cannot take.’

  ‘You cannot do this!’ Gaibun cried.

  ‘Worm! You dare to speak to the Elder Elf like that?’ Konetsu roared. ‘I have half a mind to call for the guards to add you to the crowd outside!’

  Sendatsu let that wash over him while his mind raced. He stood abruptly, so fast that the two lords reached for their swords — only to stop when they saw him standing, hands open.

  ‘Lord Daichi, may we speak plainly?’ he asked.

  Daichi nodded, motioning for the two lords to relax. ‘You have earned that right.’

  ‘I propose that we create a new agreement. My father and the other rebellious clan leaders, as well as Sumiko and the leading Magic-weavers, should be imprisoned. They plotted but they actually did nothing against you. We acted before they could. Their families shall be allowed to live, and stay in their homes, although withdraw from public life. Leadership of the rebellious clans can be given to the opponents of the former leaders, respected elves such as Gaibun’s father, who have no love for what happened to their clan and would never think of rebellion. The rest of the prisoners, the old and the young, be allowed to return home, where they will have learned a valuable lesson. As for the Magic-weavers, they swear an oath to you and be put to work on the barrier. This can be done because no elf need leave Dokuzen. Your guarantee to help the Velsh against the Forlish is removed.’

  He ignored the gasps from Asami and muttering from Gaibun, even as he felt his heart sink at the thought of what this would mean for the Velsh. But there was no other choice. This way he might get something out of Daichi.

  ‘If you have every Border Patrol and Council Guard warrior on the streets, you can release some of the lesser Magic-weavers to help Asami hold the border for you. And nobody need die — beyond those who already have, of course.’

  ‘They must be punished! All Dokuzen must know of their shame!’ Konetsu insisted.

  ‘All Dokuzen already knows,’ Sendatsu said. ‘Have the leaders pay a fine of half their estates. Send them to work in the mines, if you wish — to grub in the dirt like esemono.’

  ‘I would like to see the proud Jaken wielding a pick and pushing a barrow of mud,’ Moshin admitted.

  Daichi glanced across at Konetsu, who also nodded.

  ‘It will be a fitting punishment,’ Daichi said. ‘The likes of Sumiko will be unable to plot or use magic if they are half starved and forced to work from dawn to dusk. The disgrace will be far more terrible than a quick death. I shall see it done.’

  Sendatsu forced a smile. ‘The agreement, lord?’

  Konetsu snorted at his impertinence but Daichi merely smiled.

  ‘I am glad you are not planning to take the leadership of clan Tadayoshi. I have no wish to be tied in knots during Council debate!’ Daichi said as he pulled a piece of parchment towards himself and wrote quickly, his quill scratching on the heavy paper. ‘By the way,’ he said absently, while writing, ‘what will your gaijin say about this new deal?’

  ‘What does it matter? They are only human,’ Sendatsu forced himself to say.

  ‘Indeed. So the ridiculous part about one of them training with Asami and performing for the Council? That is also gone?’

  ‘No, Lord Daichi. With respect, that will still happen,’ Asami said swiftly.

  Daichi paused in his writing, dipped his quill in the ink and shrugged. ‘Well, I suppose it can do no harm and might even prove amusing,’ he said.

  He dusted down the paper with sand, then dropped a thick blot of warm wax on the bottom and pressed his signet ring in.

  ‘The mark of the Elder Elf.’ He pushed the parchment across the table.

  Sendatsu read swiftly, before handing it over his shoulder to Asami and Gaibun.

  ‘And the elves outside?’ he asked.

  ‘Shall be home by nightfall,’ Daichi promised. ‘I want to thank the three of you again. The service you have done for me and the Council, and for the people of Dokuzen, is outstanding. Without your intervention, who knows what would have happened?’

  ‘We did what we needed to do, Lord Daichi.’ Sendatsu bowed his head.

  ‘Thank you again. You may return to your old lives with pride, although I shall require Asami’s help again in rebuilding the Magic-weavers.’

  ‘I shall be honoured to do so.’ Asami bowed.

  Sendatsu and Gaibun joined her in a deep bow, then backed out of the room, where guards were waiting to escort them out of the villa.

  They said nothing to each other until they were safely on the street — and could see the mass of elves still sitting in Daichi’s gardens.

  Gaibun cleared his throat. ‘Sendatsu. I thank you for saving the lives of my parents. I know the humans mean a great deal to you, no matter what you said in there to Daichi. It took great courage.’

  ‘It took nothing,’ Sendatsu said bitterly. ‘We had no choice.’

  ‘What are Rhiannon and Huw going to do? How will you tell them? They pinned their hopes on an elven army rescuing them from their enemies,’ Asami said.

  ‘Daichi was prepared to kill our families. Are you saying gaijin families are more important than ours?’ Gaibun asked.

  ‘We have to tell them the truth,’ Sendatsu said.

  17

  The north of this land was empty, with few people living here, and the ones the Elfarans met were both friendly and peaceful. These Velsh were happy to let the Elfarans live with them, as well as let them build a beautiful new city to the east.

  Sendatsu’s song

  Rhiannon had not wanted to look after Mai and Cheijun but her heart had gone out to them as they sobbed when Sendatsu left — they didn’t want to be left alone with a pair of gaijin. She had used a little magic to catch their attention and win them over, until they were more than happy to follow her around, let her find them food and even let her read them a story as they prepared to have a nap, exhausted by the previous night and the excitement of the morning.

  ‘You’re not like the gaijin we were told about,’ Mai informed her as Cheijun yawned.

  Rhiannon smiled. ‘I am not a gaijin. I am just like you,’ she said gently. ‘I have magic, remember?’

  Mai nodded. ‘When will my father be back?’

  ‘Soon,’ Rhiannon said. ‘Would you like to lie down?’

  ‘I don’t want to go to sleep. I don’t need to sleep in the daytime. And I want to be awake when Papa comes home,’ the little girl whispered.

  ‘You love your father very much,’ Rhiannon said, thinking she might be able to slip out soon.

  Mai yawned. ‘I don’t remember my mother. Papa has always been there. He’s always looked after us.’

  ‘He is your whole worl
d,’ Rhiannon said, feeling the weight of those words.

  ‘Did you love your papa? What was he like?’

  Rhiannon had to swallow hard. ‘I thought he was my whole world too.’

  ‘What happened?’

  Rhiannon was lost for words.

  ‘You can tell me. I can keep secrets. I won’t tell anyone,’ Mai promised, rolling across the bed until she was beside Rhiannon.

  ‘He lied to me, only pretended he loved me,’ Rhiannon said.

  ‘He was bad then. I hope he got punished,’ Mai said fiercely.

  ‘He was.’

  ‘Good. Now you need to find someone else to love you.’

  Rhiannon tried to wipe away a tear without Mai seeing. ‘And why is that?’ she asked, putting as much brightness into her voice as she could.

  ‘To make up for what your papa did. You deserve that.’

  ‘But what if it was my fault he was punished, what if that means I deserved what he did?’

  Mai shook her head. ‘It was his job to look after you. Papa says that and I know he is right. When I asked him if I or Cheijun had anything to do with Mama dying, he said it is never the child’s fault. We are not to blame.’

  Rhiannon wanted to believe that, desperately, but could not.

  ‘And why do I need someone else to love me? Why can I not just be by myself?’ she asked, trying to keep her voice light.

  ‘Because we are better with love. Papa told me that. We are not supposed to be by ourselves. Love makes you grow, like a flower in the sun. We need love like we need magic.’

  Rhiannon patted the girl’s back, unable to say anything, getting herself under control and wondering if she should say any more to Mai. Finally she cleared her throat — and realised the little girl was asleep.

  She wiped away her tears and placed a blanket over Mai before walking out. She needed some fresh air. The garden was close and she breathed deeply until she could look at the plants without her eyes watering.

  Huw had translated more words from the book found in the Velsh church. It alternately horrified and delighted him. He was horrified at what had been done to his people — and to every other human in these lands — by the so-called elves. But he was delighted to learn that there had been humans with magic, humans worshipping Aroaril, humans with the knowledge to build and farm and heal. The future was not set in stone — magic did not have to be just for elves. Knowledge did not have to be just for Elfarans. Humans had enjoyed it before, they would do so again. He could see, in his mind’s eye, how the world could change and his people enjoy a life they only dreamed of now.

  He had to share this knowledge with someone — and Rhiannon was not only the natural choice, she was the only choice. When things seemed to be quiet, he went looking for her, holding his notes, finding her in the garden.

  ‘Rhiannon!’ he called.

  ‘I don’t want to talk,’ Rhiannon said instantly as he hurried across to her.

  ‘Then read this. Look! What those elves did was monstrous. And it could have been even worse. If it was not for this old Sendatsu, the elves had planned to rule over us, turn us all into slaves! With this book, we can see what went wrong in the past — and we can change it!’

  ‘Don’t put too much stock in that old book. It might tell us what happened but it doesn’t show us the way forwards. We have to find that ourselves,’ she warned.

  Huw held out the papers towards her, covered in his scruffy handwriting, and she relented a little.

  ‘Come then, show me,’ she invited.

  Huw sat down tentatively and prepared to take her through his notes but it seemed she had other ideas.

  ‘Wait, Huw, there’s something I need to say first,’ she said quietly. ‘I blamed you for everything on the day my father died. You were to blame for some of it, but not all.’

  Huw said nothing as he tried to keep the hope and excitement off his face.

  ‘Even if you had told me the truth about my father, I would not truly have believed it, until I heard it from his own mouth,’ she continued. ‘I can even see how you needed to lie to get me away from Cridianton.’

  Huw opened his mouth hesitantly, a smile on his face.

  ‘But — I can’t forgive you yet for keeping the lie for so long, and then using it against me, to try to get me away from Sendatsu. I promised myself I would never let another man lie to me. Yet I did. And, even if I did forgive you, things have changed.’

  Huw sank down, but she pressed on.

  ‘I am not just a dancer or singer. I have a duty not just to the Velsh but to all humans. I cannot be defined by who I marry. I cannot be the wife of Huw ap Earwen, of Vales. The Forlish, the Breconians and everyone else will not believe me, nor respect me. I need to be more than that.’

  Huw licked his dry lips. ‘But, when that is done …’

  ‘Huw, I cannot give you any hope. I must find a new path, my own path. Perhaps, one day, our paths may cross again. But I cannot promise that and it would not be fair to let you wait and dream. I will not lie to you.’ She smiled in apology. ‘I need to discover myself and my place in this world. You know who and what you are. Now is my time to find out.’

  Huw put the translations down, careless of the words that had seemed so important to him a little while ago.

  ‘I understand,’ he said harshly. ‘You have seen the beauty of Dokuzen and the wonder of the elves and it is far more than anything I could ever give you.’

  ‘It is not about you!’ she snapped. ‘Don’t you see? It is about me. You think you are in love with me but that was a different person. Until I find out who I really am, I can’t tell what I will do.’

  Huw nodded. It was time to get away from here, away from the hurt. He had tried to keep his pain hidden while there was still hope she could forgive him. But to have that snatched away cut deeply.

  ‘Huw, I would still like us to be friends. I want to help the Velsh.’

  He dearly wanted to throw that back in her face — but the worst thing was, his people needed her desperately. He could not hurt them to gain a little satisfaction for himself. He forced a smile.

  ‘They would be glad of your help,’ he managed to say. ‘Here, read these. All humans need to know the truth of what happened to us.’

  Somehow he got away from there and threw himself down on one of Sendatsu’s couches and closed his eyes, hoping the darkness would swallow him.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ A little voice forced him to open his eyes. He saw Mai standing there, head askance, looking at him.

  ‘I’m just resting,’ Huw said carefully.

  ‘Your eyes are red. Have you been crying? Are you sad?’

  ‘No.’

  Mai looked at him critically. ‘You’re not a very good liar. You’re as bad at it as Papa. Do you want Rhiannon to come and give you a hug? She is good at hugging.’

  Huw forced a laugh that sounded like a sob, even to his ears. ‘I don’t think that will happen.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘It’s hard to explain.’

  ‘I can understand. I understand lots,’ she said loftily.

  ‘It is an adult thing,’ Huw said feebly.

  ‘Ah, like Papa and Asami,’ she said.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘When you love someone but they are not allowed to love you back. Or they would like to but,’ she hesitated, ‘duty? Yes, duty doesn’t let them.’

  ‘That happens.’

  ‘Adults are silly. If you love someone, you tell them. Why do you need to go around being unhappy? Rhiannon is sad too. She cries about her papa. She needs someone to love her.’

  Huw sat up swiftly. ‘Did she tell you that?’

  ‘No, but I can see it. I see many things adults can’t. Their eyes are open but they can’t see what is right in front of them.’

  Huw had to smile. ‘You are a very clever girl.’

  ‘I know. But you are very silly, like the others, if you don’t tell Rhiannon how you love her.’


  ‘How do you know I love Rhiannon?’

  ‘Well, you are the only two gaijin here,’ she said, then clapped her hands to her mouth. ‘Sorry, you are not gaijin. You are like us.’

  Huw sighed. ‘I told her how I feel. But I did a bad thing and she is upset with me.’

  ‘Well, you don’t give up! When I am tired and angry, Papa doesn’t walk away. He stays with me.’

  ‘Maybe I should,’ Huw admitted. ‘Have you given your father this advice?’

  ‘Yes, but he doesn’t listen to me. He should.’

  Huw smiled. ‘Well, thank you for telling me that. I am in your debt.’

  ‘Good. Then you can tell me and Cheijun why your eyes look like that.’

  Huw blinked. ‘Because I was born like this.’

  ‘Do they see differently? Can you see me? Can you see Cheijun hiding over there?’ She pointed to where Cheijun was under a couch, levelling a toy sword at him.

  Huw chuckled. ‘I can see just as well as you. In fact, I am just the same as you, although I look a little different. We are all the same inside.’

  ‘Good. I am glad you are the same inside. I wouldn’t want you to be filled with spiders inside.’ She smiled.

  He was spared from trying to work out an answer for that strange statement by the return of Sendatsu, Asami and Gaibun.

  ‘Papa!’ Cheijun appeared from under the couch and he and Mai threw themselves at Sendatsu.

  Laughing, Sendatsu staggered over to a couch and went down under their attack.

  Hearing the commotion, Rhiannon rushed into the reception room. ‘What happened? Was Daichi delighted with you? Were you showered with gold and jewels?’

  The grim looks the three of them offered were more than enough to wipe off her smile.

  Sendatsu sighed. ‘You had better sit down.’

  ‘Just tell us!’ Rhiannon demanded.

  ‘There will be no elven army coming to the rescue of Vales,’ Sendatsu said heavily.

  ‘I thought you went there to get our reward, not sell us out,’ Rhiannon hissed.

  ‘You know we would not do that,’ Sendatsu said roughly. ‘Please, just listen for a moment.’

  ‘We risked our lives for you last night — and this is what we get! The elves have betrayed us again, just as they did three hundred years ago,’ Huw said.