Valley of Shields

by Duncan Lay

  ‘Then make it now. Choose not to let him win. Choose to be happy, however you want. You can’t do it overnight. But you don’t have to. Beat him, one day at a time.’

  Asami had no idea if that was going to help or not but she was conscious time was running out. Soon guards would come looking for them and just what Rhiannon would do if called a gaijin again …

  ‘Are you ready?’

  Rhiannon wiped her face on the corner of the cloak. ‘I am more than this,’ she said. ‘I will put him behind me, one day at a time. Let us go.’

  Hiding her relief, Asami helped her to her feet.

  ‘Good idea. Come, I think I have some sweet sticky rice and plums at home. We can both have a bowl of that — everything feels better after that!’

  She kept up her flow of nonsense all the way through the streets. Once again Rhiannon’s height drew strange looks, while Asami’s clothes attracted mutters, so when a pair of young elves tried to approach them she summoned down a pair of magpies to swoop and slash at their heads until they ran away. It was the first time she had used her magic in such a manner — the first time she had needed to — and she had to admit it felt surprisingly satisfying.

  Perhaps because of the magpies, perhaps because of the look in Asami’s eyes, nobody else came near them.

  ‘Go and sit in the garden, I’ll bring some plums out to you,’ Asami suggested when they arrived at the villa.

  Rhiannon walked out into the open air and threw back the cowl of the cloak. Part of her had taken in Asami’s suggestion to get over this one day at a time. But while it was easy to say such things, it was much harder to make them happen. She had enjoyed this dream for the last moon — that she would be hailed by the Elven Council and be able to lay to rest her father’s ghost. She had it all planned. When they asked her where she had learned to dance and sing like that, she could tell them her father — and then her debt to him would be over. Hector would have gladly given his life to be acknowledged before the Elven Council of Dokuzen. In her own mind, that would have made everything right again.

  It had not gone like that. In fact, it could not have gone much worse.

  But, she reluctantly admitted, even if they had stood and applauded, could she have forgiven herself? It made for a fine dream but that was the problem with dreams: you have to wake up from them eventually.

  She bit her lip, holding back more tears. Asami’s suggestion was the only way forwards. Expecting one dance to make everything all right was foolish. There was magic but there were no magic solutions.

  Suddenly she felt the need to talk to Huw, something she had not done since that fateful day. He was her only link to that part of her life now, the only one who had known what it was like for her. She hoped he would still listen.

  Absently she reached up and brought down the birds she had sent south. This little magical exercise would do her good. Perhaps afterwards she could send a message to Huw. She eased into the magic and saw what the birds had found.

  Next moment she was running back inside, her father, Huw, even sticky rice and plums forgotten.

  The timing of this assault had to be perfect. Edmund’s column had to be close enough to Dokuzen that he could wheel west and strike swiftly when he received word from Wulf that the elves were chasing him, break through the barrier and reach the city before the elven army returned.

  With the baggage train, his men were marching less than ten miles a day. But that was all to the good. They were still fit and strong, eating well every night and in high spirits. He wanted them to be in the heart of Dokuzen within three days, when the word came, leaving behind the baggage train, carrying just enough food to let them reach the elven city and then live off what they captured.

  It left no margin for error. At the double-march his men could make twenty-four miles a day and keep going at that pace for a full quarter-moon and still be able to fight at the end of it. He could push them to a forced march, where they could cover thirty miles a day — but more than three days of that pace and they could not fight. If they could not take Dokuzen before the elven warriors returned, they would all be dead. This was a gamble the likes of which Edmund, and Forland, had never made before. If he dwelled too long on it, the sheer size might overwhelm him. So he refused to worry about it.

  The Forlish had sent ships up the coast for years, looked at the forbidding cliffs around the north-east tip of the continent and the seething, white-capped maelstrom of tide and wind that was the entrance to the elven lands and moved on. Any captain foolish enough to try it soon ended up at the bottom of the ocean, his ship smashed to pieces on those vicious rocks and pitiless cliffs. But while they had not sailed inside, it did give them an idea of the size of the elven lands.

  If Dokuzen was not in the centre, then surely it was close to it.

  Edmund looked again at the maps and called a halt for the night. It would not do to get too far ahead. The timing had to be perfect. Deliver the men in good shape, well fed, to the right point and then turn them loose. It would work. It had to work. King Ward depended on him.

  More than a hundred young dragons, as well as Mai and Cheijun, sat in a wide circle as Gaibun and Sendatsu fought. The pair of them had bokken and were demonstrating a range of techniques — as well as showing off a little.

  Cheers, gasps and claps flew from the crowd as they battled around the circle. Gaibun was stronger but Sendatsu was faster, as well as slightly more inventive. Time and again he managed to get an extra angle on a tiger-claw stroke, or a double dragon-tail strike in, when there should be only room for a single. The difference between them was slight but, at that level, it was also extreme.

  Red marks on Gaibun’s chest and ribs showed where the wooden practice sword had penetrated his defences, while Sendatsu was untouched.

  Gaibun pressed his attack, leaping high and swinging low, using the cartwheel and zigzag cuts to great effect, but Sendatsu was able to block and cover up, then he stepped inside and struck once, holding back his blow so it just touched Gaibun’s neck.

  The dragons cheered as a rueful Gaibun held up Sendatsu’s hand — and then playfully whacked him in the stomach with his bokken.

  ‘So there’s two lessons for you today,’ he told the laughing Velsh. ‘Never fight Sendatsu. And never relax your defences, even when you are dead!’

  Sendatsu slapped Gaibun over the head in response and the two of them roared with laughter — laughter that died away as Huw raced across to them. At a snapped order from Cadel, the dragons leaped to their feet and saluted, but Huw ignored them.

  ‘Is it the Forlish?’ Sendatsu asked.

  ‘Message from Asami. She wants to come through to speak to us tonight. It is too important to entrust to a message,’ Huw said, puffing. Sitting down at a table and talking had done little for his fitness over the past moon, although the worry and late nights had actually seen him lose weight.

  ‘But the last message said the Forlish were still half a moon away,’ Gaibun hissed.

  ‘I don’t know any more. She said we are to meet her at the oak tree nearest to the village. She is bringing Rhiannon with her.’

  ‘Oh wait.’ Sendatsu had to bend over to pick up Cheijun as his children raced over to him. ‘She can’t bring Rhiannon through there! Not after what happened —’

  ‘Believe me, I don’t think it any better an idea than you,’ Huw said grimly. ‘But we have no way of talking to them. Her message was not a question but an instruction.’

  ‘So we need to meet them tonight. Who should we bring? What would make her come through already?’ Gaibun asked.

  ‘Nothing good,’ Sendatsu predicted.

  ‘If we are not able to get even a little magical help from Dokuzen …’

  ‘No sense in worrying now. And no point in alarming people. We’ll keep them training for the rest of the day, and bring Cadel and Bowen and a score of the best dragons, just in case,’ Sendatsu said.

  Gaibun wiped his brow. ‘Back to work, all of you! The sl
owest one back to the drills gets to face me!’ he roared.

  The dragons scattered.

  Sendatsu nudged him. ‘You have a way with them all right.’

  ‘They respond to my superior intelligence and skills,’ Gaibun said with a smile. ‘You try to show them you have a similar-sized brain, so you fit in better.’

  ‘It will be good to see Rhiannon again,’ Huw said wistfully as Sendatsu was prevented from retaliating by a ferocious hug from Cheijun.

  ‘And Asami,’ Sendatsu added, picking up Mai as well.

  ‘You mean my wife,’ Gaibun said.

  The smiles were gone and there was tension that had not been there for more than a moon now.

  There were few smiles but plenty of nerves as they waited by the tree, a ring of dragons holding torches and lighting the clearing.

  ‘Do you think Daichi has reconsidered, and is willing to send elven warriors to help us?’ Huw asked.

  ‘No,’ Sendatsu said shortly.

  ‘Maybe the Forlish army has sent its cavalry north already? Maybe they have begun sacking villages —’

  ‘Will you just wait? Wild guesses aren’t helping us,’ Sendatsu hissed. ‘And you don’t want word of that getting out back at the village, if it is happening.’

  ‘It’s easy for you to stay calm. It is not your people who might be dying even now,’ Huw spat.

  ‘They are more my people than you think,’ Sendatsu told him. Gaibun was saying nothing, had said very little since the news Asami and Rhiannon were coming through had arrived. It had Sendatsu thinking again of living out here, exchanging Dokuzen and its bad memories for the chance to help the Velsh.

  Still, thinking of bad memories, there were plenty of those in this clearing — and he had the scars to prove it. He had ordered a handful of dragons to bury the remains of the Forlish that Rhiannon had killed, as well as the pair of elves. As for her father’s grave, there was no marker, nor any way to truly tell what had happened here — and he had positioned the dragons so she could not see the spot, even if she wanted to. They also had horses ready for the ride back to Patcham, as well as food, to help them recover from the long magical journey.

  ‘Here they come.’ Gaibun pointed at the tree, which now sprouted a staff from the heart of its trunk.

  Asami pulled herself clear of the tree, then held the end of the staff as Rhiannon came through, supporting Rhiannon as she leaned heavily on the oaken staff.

  ‘Food and drink! Quick!’ Asami ordered.

  Sendatsu was already moving. He had thought Asami would be the one to bring them through — that it was Rhiannon proved how far her magic had advanced. They supported her while she gulped down honeyed water, then meat and cheese.

  He held Rhiannon’s arm but he only had eyes for Asami. It seemed like it was so long since he had last seen her — and she looked more beautiful than ever. His promises to Gaibun, the fact she was married — none of that mattered now. He felt, more than ever, they should be together. He tried to catch her eye but she was only looking at Rhiannon.

  ‘Are you ready to travel now? Feeling light-headed? Remember what we talked about and how we trained.’

  ‘I am fine now,’ Rhiannon assured Asami, getting her legs under her.

  Even by the torchlight, they could see colour back in her cheeks, and her eyes, which had appeared sunken, had returned to normal.

  ‘Here are the horses.’ Huw signalled for them to be brought closer. ‘What is the news from Dokuzen that brings you out here like this?’

  ‘The Forlish have not attacked anyone yet. Any more must wait until we can talk in private,’ Asami said firmly.

  Huw sighed with relief and impatience. ‘Then let us get back to Patcham swiftly,’ he said.

  Huw managed to get his horse next to Rhiannon on the ride back.

  ‘To bring you both through the trees like that — your powers must have grown immensely,’ he said carefully.

  ‘My powers are the same — but my ability to use them has grown,’ she admitted, still chewing on cheese and very glad to be riding a horse. The trip had been both a thrill and a shock. She had begged Asami for the chance to bring them out through the tree near Patcham. Part of it was to prove her powers to herself and any who were waiting on the other side — and part was so she had something else on her mind when she came through. That was the tree she had used to kill her father. She had hoped the magic would distract her — and it nearly did more than that.

  As she stepped through, her veins had been alive with magic’s thrill; she had been glorying in the power of holding nature at her mercy. The trees were in her hands and mind and she could use them to cross a hundred miles in a heartbeat. But when she stepped out at the other end, the effects of the trip hit her with enough force to drive her to her knees. The energy required to travel all that distance was taken from her in an instant and it was all she could do not to pass out.

  To feel that weak was frightening but they had worked on it often enough she was able to deal with it. The only blessing was she was in no fit state to look around her when she arrived and, by the time awareness returned, they were riding away.

  ‘What happened in Dokuzen? Did you dance for the Elven Council?’

  Rhiannon looked quickly at Huw but could only see genuine concern and curiosity there. She relented a little. Only Huw might understand what had happened and how she felt.

  ‘I danced for them,’ she said. ‘But they did not want to watch or listen. It was the worst I have ever felt on stage. Always people have been captivated by my singing and dancing. Even Sendatsu watched with wide eyes when I danced. But they talked, or worse, laughed, at what I did.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘It is all true. Asami said my dancing was too close to theirs — it looked like I was copying them and had not mastered the steps Asami was supposed to be teaching me.’

  ‘If I had been there, I would have made them watch,’ Huw insisted.

  Rhiannon was about to dismiss that but glanced at him and thought he might, at that.

  ‘You are still the best dancer I have ever seen, the best I have ever worked with,’ Huw told her.

  ‘You are too kind,’ Rhiannon said with a rueful smile. ‘But I have found that I am a far better Magic-weaver than I am a performer.’

  ‘That makes you great indeed!’

  Rhiannon said nothing for a long time, trying to decide what to say next and ignoring the worried look on his face.

  ‘Huw, I am sorry,’ she said.

  Huw turned in his saddle, unable to keep a smile from his face.

  ‘I thought I had made things clear but I see you still hold hopes for us. I have not forgiven you for lying to me and keeping the truth hidden for so long. All I can offer is my help to save the Velsh and restore magic to our people, restore that power to humans and break the hold of the elves. That is all for now.’

  ‘That is all I ask for,’ Huw said carefully. She could see there were things he was not saying but she did not want to ask too many questions. Not yet, at least.

  Sendatsu and Gaibun rode with Asami, one on each side.

  ‘Have there been questions asked about our absence?’ Gaibun inquired.

  ‘There is far more going on in Dokuzen than the whereabouts of you two. If Jaken was in charge, then I would be certain you would have been noticed, and others sent to bring you home. But Daichi has bigger problems. If he has noticed you are gone, nothing was said to me.’

  ‘How is the training of the Magic-weavers going?’ Sendatsu asked.

  Asami pulled a face. ‘Few have much talent. It’s not like training Rhiannon. She’s got as much ability as the rest of them put together.’

  ‘So you might enjoy teaching magic to the humans then?’ Sendatsu asked lightly but she glared at him.

  ‘Sorry,’ he apologised. ‘I won’t mention it again. Like your cooking.’

  Now there was a small smile playing about her lips.

  ‘You’ll find it reassuring here. Their idea
of a fine meal is not burning a roasted sheep,’ he continued.

  ‘Are you ever going to stop making jokes about my cooking? When was the last time I cooked for you?’

  ‘Too long — and not long enough!’

  ‘Has Daichi still kept his bargain and let my father and the others live?’ Gaibun interrupted.

  ‘Dokuzen is under Daichi’s complete control. Sendatsu’s father and the other plotters were sent to work in mines, or fishing boats, in chains. Even your father is almost under house arrest and clan Tadayoshi has not been represented on the Council this moon. Those who are known to be high up in our clan keep to themselves and out of sight. That has helped disguise your absence.’

  ‘So why are you here? And where are the rest of the Magic-weavers?’

  ‘That is a question for later,’ was all Asami would say.

  ‘How long are you here for?’ Sendatsu asked. ‘I want to show you that human church where we found the massacre.’

  ‘I don’t think there will be time for that,’ Asami warned. ‘Our news is serious indeed.’

  They pushed their horses hard for the two-mile trip to Patcham until they were back in the huge meeting hall, along with the three dragon leaders and Kelyn. Dafyd, summoned from Crumlin earlier in the day, hurried in as they were about to begin.

  ‘I am sorry for the mystery but part of the Forlish army, the cavalry, has broken away and is heading east and north,’ Asami said loudly.

  There was a short pause while everyone tried to work out what that meant.

  ‘North and east? But I thought they were already on the most easterly road in Forland? Did you mean west?’ Huw spoke for them all.

  ‘East. They are going away from you and into the deserted hills in the north-eastern tip of Forland,’ Asami confirmed.

  All eyes turned to the crude map that Huw had pinned up onto a log.

  ‘But there’s nothing out there. What is going on?’ Sendatsu asked.

  Asami nodded. ‘There is only one possibility — but it is so crazy we could not put it into a message.’

  ‘We don’t think this army is going to attack Vales at all. We think they are going to try to hit Dokuzen,’ Rhiannon said.