by Duncan Lay
‘I need something to eat. Those fisherfolk might have been polite but their idea of a good meal was to put vegetables in the rice. Get those messages out and then, Asami, I need you to take me to talk to Sumiko.’
‘This is the chance you have been waiting for. At the end of this, the Magic-weavers will once again be honoured in elven society. If you help me save our people, they will listen to me when I tell them to respect you. You shall be restored to your former position and your home rebuilt at Council expense, while the people will be encouraged to become Magic-weavers and learn magic.’
‘And all I need to do is help save Dokuzen from an army of gaijin?’
‘You know what you need to do,’ Jaken said levelly. ‘We have spoken of it before.’
Sumiko smiled thinly. ‘Then we have a deal.’
Jaken stepped outside and waved to Asami.
‘Release her,’ he ordered.
Hesitantly, Asami did so then stepped back, half expecting Sumiko to turn on her, but her former sensei merely nodded her thanks before heading off to a table of food, where the other Magic-weavers, led by Oroku and Jimai, were stuffing their faces after so long on short rations.
‘As soon as they have eaten, they shall return to Dokuzen and begin bringing the Velsh through,’ Jaken told Asami.
‘And we can trust her?’
‘Without question,’ he declared. ‘Now I need you to send me back to the city.’
She obeyed but did not follow him through the gateway. Instead she walked over to Sumiko.
‘Sensei, we need to talk,’ she said levelly.
Sumiko looked up from her bowl of fish and rice. ‘I thought you would. Come then, over here.’ She filled her bowl to the brim again and ate as they walked, chopsticks flashing.
‘I do not expect our relationship to go back to what it was before,’ Asami said stiffly.
‘Wise of you,’ Sumiko commented.
‘But I need to know a few things. We will have to work together if we are to save Dokuzen. The last time we saw each other, we were trying to kill each other with magic. I need to know my enemies are the Forlish, not those I thought were on my side. I only acted because you sent warriors into my home, trying to kill me and my guests and steal the book we had. I am willing to put all that aside in the battle to save Dokuzen, if you are also.’
Sumiko stopped eating. ‘Well, at least we know where we stand.’ She finished her mouthful and lowered the chopsticks. ‘Agreed. We can count ourselves even on that score, since you arrived at my home with warriors and stole a book of mine. The gaijin are the real enemy and I shall happily work with you to defeat them.’
‘And Rhiannon?’ Asami said, determined to push Sumiko until she was satisfied with the answers.
‘What about your human friend?’
‘You know as well as I that she can do magic. But if that information was to reach Jaken, become widely known, then there would be no chance for an alliance. He would see the Velsh as much of a threat as the Forlish.’
‘And you think I will reveal this and destroy Dokuzen?’ Sumiko said. ‘What do you take me for? I know just as well as you what is at stake here.’
Asami relaxed. ‘I was not sure what to think,’ she confessed.
‘There is nothing for you to worry about.’ Sumiko waved her chopsticks airily. ‘I have spoken with Jaken and all will be well.’
‘You have allied yourself with Jaken? You trust him?’ Asami could not keep the incredulity out of her voice. ‘But you hate him!’
Sumiko bent over her bowl once more. ‘My feelings are irrelevant. I will do what I must to restore the Magic-weavers to power. There is no price too high to pay. After the victory, nobody remembers how it was achieved, or what was sacrificed — they only remember who won. Yes, we have done a deal. He will make the Magic-weavers the saviours of Dokuzen out of this. After all, he can hardly say that humans saved us from other humans. We shall be the heroes and the Magic-weavers shall be honoured above all the clans. For that I shall keep my silence about your human, work with you and even deal with Jaken. Now, is there anything else?’
‘No,’ Asami said. ‘Thank you.’
She watched her former sensei walk away, still eating furiously, and sighed. Sumiko had said all the right things and she should feel relieved. Why, then, was there still a thread of disquiet?
Sendatsu was amazed at how fast Jaken took control. The handful of Council Guards still left in the city were without officers and the leaders of every other rival clan were down with Moshin, chasing a handful of gaijin around the countryside to no good purpose. Faced with Jaken brandishing the ring of the Elder Elf, as well as scores of Tadayoshi elves and Magic-weavers, all freed from the mines, they said nothing. Of course the threat of an army of gaijin advancing towards the city also helped. It was Dokuzen’s collective nightmare, sprung to evil life, and everyone was willing to put aside political concerns to stop the humans.
Once the city was his, Jaken brought the leaders, making a point of Sumiko being among them, out to the remnants of the tombs of the forefathers. It was a ragged ruin, blackened and spoiled, its overgrown gardens charred and stinking. But it was the very outskirts of Dokuzen, had a wide stream running through the centre and, even better, sat at the bottom of a gentle slope that protected the rest of the elven city from view.
‘Asami, I want you to bring the Velsh through to here. I cannot bring them into the city when the people are like this. It will cause a panic,’ Jaken said.
‘And what then?’
‘Sendatsu, you have led these Velsh before. They will follow you again?’
Sendatsu hesitated and glanced at Huw.
‘Of course they will,’ Huw said immediately.
‘Good. Then you take command of them; Gaibun will command every warrior I can scrape up from the city and surrounds.’
‘Will we try to fight them in the woods?’ Sendatsu asked.
‘No,’ Jaken said. ‘We have many different elements to our forces, and it will be too easy to lose touch. If I had five thousand elven warriors, we would hit them from all sides in the trees and use our greater skills to drive them back. But they have all the discipline and we do not. I fear our young and old archers will get lost and be helpless and I do not know if the Velsh will handle the trees. We just need a few hundred of the Forlish to get past us and they will be loose in Dokuzen — and we have lost. I do not take this decision lightly — I know the woods are our friends and our Magic-weavers can bring them to life. But too many things can go wrong. Instead we shall use the ruins. The Forlish are used to taking defences — they will see it as an irresistible target. I want them to come here, rather than seek to go around. Sumiko, we need your Magic-weavers to do what they can to stop them outflanking us.’
‘You don’t want us to try to create a barrier that stops them completely?’
‘I would love that but can you encircle the whole city? Otherwise they will split their forces and march around it — and we could only stop one half.’
Sendatsu dearly wanted to ask how they were even going to stop one half, let alone the whole army, if it came in through there.
‘We need to summon every elf who can bend a bow here at dawn,’ Jaken announced, ‘bringing every arrow they have. See to it.’
While Council Guards rushed back to the city and the Magic-weavers walked down to the ruins, Jaken put his hand on Sendatsu’s shoulder and steered him a few paces away.
‘Are you going to stick with it this time, Sendatsu?’ he asked.
Sendatsu bristled. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, in the past you have begun something but have not been able to see it through to the end. You’ve always gone back to your children, gone back to letting others do the hard work for you. Even what you did earlier, betraying me to Daichi — what hurt me most was not the betrayal but the way you refused to take the final step. If you are going to risk everything, then for Aroaril’s sake make sure the prize is worth it!’
<
br /> ‘It was for my children — so of course I thought it was worth it,’ Sendatsu said harshly.
Jaken sighed. ‘We are playing for higher stakes now. If the Forlish get in here, then our whole culture will be destroyed. There is nothing I would not do, nobody I would not sacrifice to save Dokuzen. That is why I will make an alliance with gaijin, turn to Sumiko and her Magic-weavers. I need the same commitment from you. Half of you will not be enough. I need all of you.’
‘I shall do whatever I have to,’ Sendatsu said. ‘I have learned you have to do things you hate to give your children a better future.’
‘I want a better future for me, not just my grandchildren.’ Jaken snorted. ‘Do you want to leave them with your mother again? She has missed them, these past moons.’
‘Of course.’ Sendatsu nodded.
They stared at each other in awkward silence for a few moments. Sendatsu turned to go.
‘You did the right thing,’ Jaken said suddenly. ‘It was dangerous, it was risky, but you saw this was the only way forwards.’
‘You don’t hold it against me, the way I went to Daichi before?’ Sendatsu blurted.
‘I would have been happier had you placed your trust in me but I underestimated you then, so it was partly my fault. I never thought you would take a stand. But you did and we both learned something. And now I am Elder Elf, so it has all been worth it. Particularly if the Velsh fight as you say and we can indeed turn the Forlish back!’
Sendatsu was a little bewildered by this new, friendlier Jaken. It was as if a man-eating bear had rolled over and wanted its tummy scratched.
He wanted to say something more, wanted to explore this new relationship he and his father were seemingly developing, but Jaken was already off and moving, trying to sort out a hundred problems that nobody else seemed willing or able to tackle. When nobody else wanted to make a decision, he was snapping out orders left, right and centre.
Sendatsu watched him for a few moments. If he did not know better, he could have sworn this was all as Jaken had planned it. He had dreamed of being Elder Elf for so long, worked so hard to achieve it, that his face seemed aglow with the excitement of the challenge. If Jaken could pull this off, he would be not just Elder Elf but the saviour of Dokuzen. Perhaps achieving his oft-stated dream was enough to change him. Sendatsu’s thoughts ran ahead, to what life would be like here with Jaken as Elder Elf, and whether he could stay or not. That immediately led to thoughts of Asami and he turned to where she waited with Huw.
She hurried over to his side. ‘Come, we have to get Rhiannon and then get the Velsh ready to come through.’
‘Although we have to do that without anyone realising Rhiannon can do magic,’ Huw said.
‘Are you still happy to do this?’ Sendatsu asked.
‘I am. Not so sure about some of the other headmen.’ Huw shrugged. ‘But your plan is certainly working. Your father will give us what we want — all we have to do is defeat the Forlish. Then we can worry about whether Jaken will let us use magic.’
‘If we win, things will change. My people will see how valuable you are,’ Sendatsu said.
‘As long as we defeat them.’
‘We don’t have to defeat them. Just hold them back for a day or so,’ Asami reminded him.
‘That will be hard enough,’ Huw said.
‘You head back to Vales; I need to see my children safely to my mother and then I will meet you down by the mustering area, near the tombs of the forefathers,’ Sendatsu said.
‘Are you still happy with your choices?’ Asami asked him softly.
‘It was the only way to save Dokuzen. Daichi was never going to make the right decisions. And, you have to admit, it has been working well so far.’
‘But this means you are now the son of the Elder Elf. With that comes many responsibilities, not least in marriage.’
Sendatsu’s face darkened. ‘I shall not marry for politics again. I only want you.’
‘But I am married to Gaibun. And the scandal if the son of the Elder Elf was to run off with the wife of another …’
‘I don’t care about any of that. I just know I shall only be happy with you.’
‘Please don’t tell me this is all some elaborate plan to free me from my responsibilities in Dokuzen so we can run away together and spend our lives bringing back the magic to the human lands. Or, more likely, that we can find some quiet part of Vales to hide from Gaibun.’
‘No! This is the only way to save Dokuzen!’ he cried. ‘Why don’t you believe me when I tell you about the human massacres, the dead child and the oath I made to help the humans?’
‘You have to admit, it sounds like you have just come up with a plausible reason for me to leave Gaibun and be with you.’
‘I don’t admit that at all. If Gaibun said something like this, you would believe him,’ he accused.
‘Perhaps I would. But even from his mouth it would sound like he had another motive in mind.’
Sendatsu opened his mouth to release angry words, then remembered how badly that had gone last time. So instead he smiled at her. ‘Let us get through these next few days,’ he said. ‘Sumiko will want the Magic-weavers back again, while Jaken will want to march on Forland. We can talk again then, when we know what will happen. I just know I love you.’
‘But it’s not that easy,’ she protested.
‘It should be,’ he insisted.
‘Things never go that smoothly,’ Huw said gloomily.
‘Once my father is Elder Elf, anything is possible,’ Sendatsu insisted. ‘What he has made, he can unmake. After all we have done for him, he must reward us.’
‘You have too much faith in him. After all he has done to you, I can’t believe you will place all your hope in him,’ Asami warned.
‘Things have changed, you will see.’
He led Huw back to his home, through the rush and bustle of Dokuzen as it tried to prepare for the Forlish attack. Some families were packing and leaving, some were saying farewells as grandparents waved off their families before shouldering arrow bags, picking up bows and heading towards the tombs of the forefathers. In other families, teenagers were the ones taking up the bows, or housewives and mothers. Servants, merchants and nobles — all were answering the call. Their numbers would be impressive but Sendatsu knew most only practised once a moon, as ordered by the Council, and would be left exhausted by loosing just one bag of arrows. There were many tears now, as those fighting bid farewell to their families. Seeing that only made Sendatsu stride out faster, fearing there would be far more tears to come.
He led the way through the door of his home and kneeled down as his children raced into his arms.
‘What happened? Did it all go to plan?’ Rhiannon demanded.
‘Surprisingly, yes. We have everything we want — as long as we can defeat the Forlish,’ Huw said. He had to stop himself from enfolding her in his arms.
Rhiannon smiled. ‘Well, should be easy then!’
Sendatsu hugged Mai and Cheijun and knew it would not.
Gaibun had received the orders from Asami with a mixture of shock and hope. Jaken was the new Elder Elf? The Velsh were coming to help save Dokuzen? While he had meant what he said to Asami — that he would be prepared to die for her and for Dokuzen — he would be much happier to keep on living. Especially if it meant living with Asami.
He had spread the word among his little command. Daichi had given him a score of guards, the last class of students judged too young, at sixteen, to go south, as well as the first group judged too old to go with Moshin, all of them over forty-five. All up they had made only a few hundred warriors and he had been dreading leading them into battle. The older ones knew they would not, could not, survive, while the young ones were blithely confident, believing Daichi when he said they could easily hold back eight thousand gaijin.
Now Jaken sent replacements out to the camp Gaibun had made, a day’s march from Dokuzen. It meant Gaibun could release his young and old warrio
rs back to the ruins and replace them with Jaken’s fresh elves, Tadayoshi warriors who had been imprisoned, as well as the guards who had been watching them. A few more warriors had also been found, those sick or away when Daichi summoned the clans. He had lost numbers but gained quality. While he had barely two hundred warriors, all of them were in their prime, rather than a mix of teenagers and greybeards.
Released from a sentence of certain death, Gaibun was excited to lead them forwards. This was ground he knew well, having patrolled through here so many times before. The Forlish would not know what hit them.
Edmund looked at the map, looked at the sun and demanded speed, always more speed. Normally he liked to conserve the men, let them march well within themselves so they were ready for anything.
Not now. The officers yelled at the sergeants, who shouted at the men. Nobody was allowed to fall out, except for a short rest period every other turn of the hourglass. They had to press forwards, always forwards. The elves had thoughtfully left a rough dirt road and they hurried along that, the long column spilling to either side and a swarm of scouts hurrying ahead. They were making good progress but it was not enough for Edmund. It was never enough.
He had not been this nervous since his first battle. And this was a different feeling. Then he had been afraid of letting his mates down, letting his king down and, of course, afraid of dying. Now he was terrified for all he was risking. Not only was his king’s life at stake but the whole of Forland itself. He had the pick of the Forlish army. If it went wrong, if they were lost, then not only would King Ward not receive the elven magic he needed to survive but everything he had won, all that had been achieved, would be put at risk. The elves might invade — the Balians and Landish would certainly rebel, as indeed might their earlier conquests, for the troops now watching those countries would have to be recalled to protect Cridianton.
The fear sat uneasily on Edmund’s shoulders. For so long he had been in control, never doubting what he was doing. Now he was second-guessing himself, not knowing where he was going or who he would be facing — and he took it out on the men, demanding ever more from them.
