by Duncan Lay
‘We have already spoken to Daichi about it. He says he would rather die than accept gaijin help. He would also rather die than leave Dokuzen and head north to safety. And no doubt he would be happy for others to die, for he has sent Gaibun and every warrior he can scrape up to the west, to try to hold back the Forlish.’
‘No!’ Sendatsu gasped.
‘There are so many things he is willing to die for. Is there anything that he is willing to live for?’ Huw asked.
‘If you try to bring the dragons through, it is likely Daichi will order everyone left in Dokuzen to attack them. I shall do what I can but I fear it is hopeless.’
‘Nothing is ever hopeless. You taught me that,’ Rhiannon said stoutly.
‘I cannot see a way forwards. You need to stay clear, do what you can to prepare for when the Forlish come for you.’
‘It cannot be that bad!’
Asami shrugged. She could not see another option.
‘I shall stay to the end, try to use my magic to get as many away as possible. I shall come to live with you, see if we can turn back the tide of the Forlish a little longer together.’ She smiled hesitantly at Sendatsu. ‘Sendatsu wanted me to come and live among you. Now I shall.’
‘And you would be very welcome, all of you would,’ Huw promised dully.
Sendatsu looked up at Asami, his heart stirring. It sounded as though it was everything he’d ever wanted and all his for doing nothing. Gaibun would be gone and he would be safe with his children and Asami, away from the judgement and anger of Dokuzen. They could help protect the human lands, fulfil his oath and live out his dream with Asami.
‘Papa knows how to save Dokuzen,’ Mai piped up.
Sendatsu looked away from Asami and back to his daughter. She was right. He could not live with those deaths on his conscience. Even his dream was not worth sacrificing his friend, his family and Dokuzen for. Mai nodded at him, her expression one of pure trust.
‘What? Don’t tell us your mad idea about Jaken …’ Huw groaned.
‘It is the only way,’ Sendatsu replied harshly. ‘Asami, Huw and I need to travel north, to the fishing villages, where my father is being held. We must free him, strike a deal and then return here to overthrow Daichi.’
They stared at him.
‘And your father — he will go along with this?’ Huw asked doubtfully.
‘He has no choice. He is slaving on a fishing boat. I will give him the chance to rule Dokuzen, as long as he promises to protect the Velsh. Whatever else he is, Jaken is a loyal son of Dokuzen. He will do anything for it.’
‘I thought we risked everything to get rid of your father so we could be safe. Now you are saying we would be safer with him?’ Rhiannon snorted.
Sendatsu shook his head. ‘Of course not but I am saying he is our last choice. Nobody else would be able to command Dokuzen. We could overthrow Daichi ourselves but nobody in Dokuzen would listen to us. But my father, all know him as the leader of clan Tadayoshi. They will obey him. Besides, things are different to when we were here last. He has no power now.’
‘But we shall also need to free Sumiko and the other Magic-weavers. If we are to bring the Velsh dragons into Dokuzen, then bring back your warriors; we will need more who can open gateways,’ Rhiannon said. ‘What happens then about the magic, when Asami is no longer head of the Magic-weavers? Will humans be allowed to use magic?’
‘If Sumiko is restored to her old position, it means Asami is not required to stay in Dokuzen. She can travel around with us and discover those humans with magic and train them. Jaken will be concerned by the Forlish to the south, so the Velsh will be safe to develop the magic,’ Sendatsu explained, relieved that Gaibun was not there to question this part of the plan.
‘And what happens afterwards? Daichi will be furious and he will have all the warriors he needs to do his bidding,’ Asami reminded them. ‘We could save Dokuzen and find ourselves being put to death afterwards.’
‘First of all, Daichi will be at our mercy. They will do what he tells them and he will tell them what we want, or else.’
‘What —’
‘Or I will kill him,’ Sendatsu said quietly.
That silenced the others.
‘This is the only way I can see of saving Dokuzen. If you have a better idea, then say it now.’
Their silence was eloquence itself.
‘Then follow me,’ he said.
‘I still think there has to be a better way,’ Asami muttered.
‘You still have time to come up with one,’ Sendatsu told her as they walked down to the fishing village. He had only been here a few times, mostly when he was a boy, accompanying Jaken on one of his regular inspection tours, back when he thought his father was the greatest elf alive and worshipped the ground he walked on. A collection of small, neat, brick-and-wood homes in tidy lines, as well as the long wooden boats dragged up on the mud, nets hanging to dry, it had changed little, although he had changed greatly. The smell was the same as well, the reek of rotting fish and the seabirds that flocked to the village in the hope of finding tasty titbits. Soon the boats would head out for the day’s fishing but it was still early enough that none had set sail yet.
‘Who is going to do the talking?’ Huw asked nervously, as a pair of armed guards loomed out of the dawn light.
‘Leave it to me,’ Sendatsu said confidently. Now he had set himself on this path, he was determined to stick to it.
‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’ one guard rasped.
‘I am Tadayoshi Moratsune Sendatsu, here to speak to my father, Tadayoshi Moratsune Jaken, to see if he is still willing to take over Dokuzen and save us from a horde of invading gaijin,’ Sendatsu said conversationally. He was confident these would be the only guards, after Daichi had stripped Dokuzen twice over for warriors to fight the Forlish.
The two guards looked at each other, as well as Asami and Huw, then back to Sendatsu, before smiling uncertainly.
‘Most amusing. Now, what is your real reason?’
‘As I told you,’ Sendatsu replied, unsmiling.
The two guards hesitated again, looking at each other for reassurance, then drew their swords.
‘Be off with you! Nobody is to see Jaken!’ one roared, using volume to replace their lack of numbers. Behind them, curious fisherfolk were coming out of their homes to see what the fuss was about.
‘That is Lord Jaken to you,’ Sendatsu told them, then signalled to Asami.
Plants exploded into life behind the two guards, wrapping and pinning them, holding them tight and helpless.
‘We’ll be back,’ Sendatsu told them, as their swords clattered to the ground. ‘We will have a use for you.’
He led the way into the village, where the fisherfolk did not exactly bar his way but did not move aside for him either.
‘Where is Lord Jaken?’ he shouted.
For a long moment nobody moved, then a corridor opened among the people, leading to a small hut on the edge of the water.
Sendatsu, a worried Asami and a nervous Huw following, unlocked the door and pushed it open to see his father sitting cross-legged on the floor, eating a bowl of octopus and rice.
‘Sendatsu. What brings you here?’ he asked calmly, putting down his bowl.
The certainty that had propelled Sendatsu this far seemed to be draining out of his boots and down through the wooden floor. The last time he had seen his father, Jaken had tried to kill him. He took a deep breath.
‘We need you to save Dokuzen,’ he said, a little surprised at how calm his voice sounded.
Jaken raised an eyebrow. ‘Why?’
‘The Forlish have outwitted Daichi. They broke through the barrier in the south with a small force and Daichi sent every warrior in Dokuzen after them, to prove his strength. But the real attack was to come from the west, and they broke through the barrier there last night. Thousands of Forlish soldiers are marching on Dokuzen and there is nobody to stop them, for Lord Moshin has pursued the For
lish out of the forest and is too far away to return in time to save us.’
‘I need to see this,’ Jaken said instantly.
Asami stepped forwards and offered him a crow, which had been sitting quietly on her arm.
‘You need to lay your hand —’ she began.
‘I have done this before,’ Jaken said mildly, so Asami reached into the magic and showed him, just as she had Daichi.
When he released, he did not stagger or lose his sense of where he was, the way Daichi had done.
‘And you showed this to Daichi?’
‘Yes, but he saw only what he wanted,’ Asami said bitterly.
‘That sounds like Daichi. He never had the wit to grasp subtlety,’ Jaken said grimly. ‘But what is the rest of your plan? I do not have the power to create warriors out of fresh air.’
‘We need you to make a treaty with Huw, the High Councillor of the Velsh.’ Sendatsu gestured and Huw stepped forwards. ‘He has more than fifteen hundred warriors, trained by myself and Gaibun. They will help whoever is left in Dokuzen hold off the Forlish long enough to get back Moshin and the other warriors.’
Jaken looked hard at them all. ‘And I suppose Daichi has already rejected this idea. Have you asked him to free Sumiko and the other Magic-weavers to use their power to hold back the humans?’
‘Yes, and he refused. But even Sumiko and every Magic-weaver cannot stop so many Forlish. We need swords and bows. Yet if we tried to bring the Velsh in now, Daichi would order everyone to fight them, not fight with them. You are the only one with the authority to command the people and get them to accept the Velsh.’
‘Last time we spoke, you betrayed me to Daichi — for nothing. Why do you come here now?’ Jaken asked sharply.
Sendatsu met his gaze levelly. ‘You told me to risk all for something worth it. Dokuzen is worth it. You are the only one who can save the people.’
Jaken stroked his chin. ‘I appreciate the dire need in Dokuzen but what is in this for me? I overthrow Daichi and then, when the warriors return, I shall die for my troubles.’
‘Daichi is the wrong elf to lead Dokuzen. We shall make him leave for his estates in the north, where he can live in comfort, away from power and responsibility.’
‘And he will agree to this?’
‘Yes, or I shall kill him. When we return the warriors, we shall bring home our clan first. Then, as each new clan comes through, they will be surrounded by Tadayoshi warriors, as well as the Velsh dragons, and will have no choice but to swear loyalty to you.’
‘And I become the ruler of Dokuzen. I thought that was unacceptable to your human friends,’ Jaken mused.
‘Not if you have signed a treaty to protect the Velsh.’
Jaken chuckled. ‘Why should I do anything? I can sit here, quite safely, then take over when the warriors return to Dokuzen. There is no way the people will allow Daichi to continue after this.’
‘They will return to a burned Dokuzen. And there will be no elven rulers here any more. The next ruler of Dokuzen will be King Ward of Forland. They will capture every child and mother and parent left. You and everyone else will do Ward’s bidding in exchange for their lives.’
Jaken nodded. ‘True enough. So how do we take over from Daichi? I assume he still has guards …’
‘No more than a handful. The rest have either been sent south or west to fight the Forlish. We shall bring in a squad of Velsh and just walk in there —’
‘No,’ Jaken interrupted. ‘No humans. If we are to do this, then you and I can take care of any guards.’
Sendatsu hesitated, remembering the last time his father had held a sword — and how close Jaken had come to killing him.
‘Come now, you are not afraid of seeing me with a sword again, are you?’ Jaken said with a half-smile.
‘Of course not,’ Sendatsu lied smoothly.
‘Although you should be. I thought I had trained you better than that. You did not even look like getting close to striking me,’ Jaken continued.
‘I was not trying to,’ Sendatsu said defiantly.
Jaken merely laughed.
Sendatsu forced himself to remain calm. ‘So, will you help us?’ he asked.
Jaken stopped laughing. ‘Good. You are learning,’ he said approvingly. ‘This is what I shall do. We shall take over Dokuzen and I will lead the defence. But I will not have humans within the bounds of the city. Ideally we shall hold them in the forest but, if that cannot work, then we shall make a stand at the tombs of the forefathers. After they have been defeated — if they have been defeated and your human friends, the Velsh, have held up their end of the bargain — I shall sign a treaty protecting them. As for the Forlish, I will give no such promises. They have invaded us twice, killed our people and threatened our very city. I intend to repay the favour. That is what I shall agree to. Are you willing to go along?’
‘What about Sumiko?’ Asami asked. ‘We shall need her and the other Magic-weavers, but she hates you and, now, me as well.’
‘Leave Sumiko to me,’ Jaken promised. ‘I shall make her see sense.’
‘How?’
‘I shall give her what she wants. Trust me, she will agree to help.’
Asami looked doubtful.
‘Either you trust me or you don’t,’ Jaken said sharply. ‘Do we have a deal?’
Sendatsu glanced at Huw, who nodded.
‘We have a deal,’ he said.
Jaken jumped to his feet and held out his chained hands towards Asami.
‘Good. Now, get these off me and give me a sword. We are wasting time here.’
Asami gestured towards the metal links, which bent and popped open under the pressure of her magic.
‘About time.’ Jaken rubbed his wrists, which showed the marks of the chains. ‘And I am glad you are listening to me at last. If you are going to take risks, take big risks and do it for yourself.’
‘I want this to be a better world for my children. That is why I am doing this,’ Sendatsu said stiffly.
Jaken slapped him on the shoulder. ‘Worry about yourself first,’ he advised.
28
But when they sealed themselves away from the rest of the world, they left behind the legacy of lies. The truth was deeply buried and, over time, we came to believe the tales they had left us about how good they were.
Huw’s song
‘Drop your swords and walk away. I need every warrior Dokuzen has to defeat the gaijin but I swear by my ancestors that I shall kill you both if you do not step aside now,’ Jaken ordered, levelling his borrowed sword at the two guards on the gate to Daichi’s villa.
The pair glanced nervously behind Jaken, to where Sendatsu drew his sword and stepped in front of Huw and Asami.
‘Lord Jaken. We are sworn to defend the Elder Elf with our lives,’ the taller said defiantly, stepping back and drawing his own sword.
‘A pity. I love loyalty,’ Jaken said conversationally, then leaped to the attack. He struck low then high, flicking the guard’s sword aside and taking his head with a vicious return cut.
The second guard was drenched in blood and took a moment to recover, by which time Jaken was on him, sword poised an inch from his throat.
‘Are you just as loyal?’ Jaken inquired.
The guard could not move his head but blinked and tried to leap back. He never had the chance, Jaken killing him with a straight thrust.
‘We could have used them,’ Jaken said sadly, stepping over the twitching body of the second guard. ‘Follow me.’
They stalked through the deserted corridors until they arrived at Daichi’s office, which was familiar now to Asami, although less so to the others.
‘I do hope he is in.’ Jaken pushed open the door and strode inside.
Daichi stared up from his papers in shock, grabbing for the bell on his desk and shaking it furiously.
‘What are you doing here?’ he blustered. ‘Guards! Guards!’
‘Already dead.’ Jaken shrugged. ‘Now, I am here to
discuss the future of Dokuzen and how we might save it from the gaijin horde pouring through our western border even as I speak.’
‘You are a traitor and a liar! I will see you blinded and humiliated for this!’ Daichi raged. ‘And as for the rest of you, death is too good for you!’
‘Enough.’ Jaken drew his borrowed sword with an explosive snap of the wrist and held it a few inches from the tip of Daichi’s nose, where it dripped blood onto his papers. ‘You have no power here. You have broken the trust the elven people placed in you and I am here to restore order. You can go along with this and retire to your country villa, relax and enjoy life away from politics — or you can die right here.’
Daichi’s eyes bulged with fury. ‘If you think I will hand over stewardship of Dokuzen to you, then you are as mad as a gaijin!’ he roared. ‘You are a traitorous dog and —’
His voice was cut off as Jaken took a half-step forwards and rammed his blade into his mouth, up into his brain and out the back of his skull.
The Elder Elf was lifted almost to his feet and hung there for a moment, eyes bulging, feet scuffling on the floor as he hung on the length of steel, gouting blood onto the metal and the desk below, then Jaken ripped the blade out and Daichi slipped off the end and fell to the floor.
‘Skies above!’ Huw swore.
Jaken snapped the borrowed blade back into its sheath and spun on his heel. ‘We didn’t have the time to argue with the fool.’ He swept the top blood-spattered parchments onto the floor then grabbed a handful of clean ones, before leaning down and pulling off the signet ring from Daichi’s dead hand, rescuing it from the spreading blood. ‘This is all we needed. Make yourselves useful. Sendatsu, write orders freeing all prisoners from the mines and fishing villages of the north, then mark them with the seal of the Elder Elf. Asami, you write orders for Lord Moshin, telling him to give his best horses to clan Tadayoshi and our allies, then send them back to the forest first. Then you can write orders for Gaibun, telling him to wait for the Velsh to arrive before fighting the Forlish. He can loose arrows from behind trees but he is to preserve all the warriors he has left.’
‘What about you, Father?’ Sendatsu asked.
