by Duncan Lay
‘Make no mistake. I have seen too many elves die today. I want to see no more bloodshed. But I will kill you all, as well as your families, down to the last baby, to protect Dokuzen. There will be no more plotting. The gaijin have been driven away but they were not defeated. They have proved our barrier is no more and they will be back unless we stop them. Join me and see Dokuzen rise to greatness undreamed of since our forefathers died and the barrier went up. Or join your ancestors. Choose now and choose quickly.’
Moshin also took a pace forwards.
‘You come to us with blood on your hands and threaten our families, backed by a hundred bows and a thousand swords, expecting us to fall on our knees before you?’
‘Yes,’ Jaken said.
‘What you ask is the height of dishonour! Any promise extracted now will count for nothing —’
Jaken drew his sword and leaped in a blur of motion, his blade whistling around to take Moshin’s head. Moshin’s body stayed upright for a few moments, spouting blood from his ragged neck, then it collapsed on itself. His head, its mouth still open, rolled back to the feet of the other shocked lords.
Jaken pointed his bloody sword at them.
‘Can you make a promise now — or is it beyond your honour?’ he demanded.
For a long moment nobody moved and Sendatsu found himself holding his breath.
Then one lord fell to his knees, followed a heartbeat later by a second, until they were all down on one knee, just outside the puddle of blood that marked the end of Lord Moshin.
‘Swear to me,’ Jaken commanded.
Haltingly, they promised to serve him as Elder Elf and then he raised them to their feet, one by one.
‘I did not want to kill Moshin. I will spare his family,’ he announced. ‘There should be no more elven blood spilled. Send your people home, let them see their families again. Tomorrow we shall meet back here and you shall discover the glittering future awaiting the elven people!’
The Magic-weavers let the gateway close and the other lords looked back at it nervously.
‘The Magic-weavers exhausted themselves defeating the gaijin,’ Jaken explained. ‘The rest of the warriors can make their way home on foot. They will be back within a quarter-moon.’
‘And meanwhile we are without our warriors,’ one of the lords muttered.
‘Do you think you will need them, Lord Ichiro?’ Jaken said instantly.
‘Of course not, Elder Elf,’ the chastened lord said hastily. ‘I just meant for the defence of Dokuzen —’
‘Dokuzen will be safe,’ Jaken said. ‘That is my first promise.’
The clan leaders left, uncertainly, with many a glance over their shoulders.
‘Will they stay loyal?’ Retsu asked.
Jaken smiled thinly. ‘A good question. Will you?’
‘My word is my life, as well you know!’
Jaken nodded. ‘My apologies, Lord Retsu. You are quite correct. Now, I need you and a few hundred warriors to shadow the retreating gaijin. We do not have the numbers yet to pursue and destroy them — the cost would be too high. But we need to make sure they keep moving, and run back south as fast as their legs can carry them. Kill any stragglers you find and make sure they leave with a deathly fear of elves and woods.’
‘And this also gets me out of Dokuzen.’
‘I do not trust anyone else to make this happen. Others would press too hard, or not hard enough. I have a dozen warriors keeping an eye on them but they fought all day and will be falling asleep in the saddle.’
Retsu bowed his head briefly and hurried away, calling to warriors he knew.
Sendatsu approached, wanting to go back to his children, as well as wash away the blood that he felt was still covering him, yet knowing he needed to speak to his father.
Jaken turned to a pair of elves near him.
‘I want two warriors to watch each of the lords. If they attempt to visit each other, I want to know immediately,’ he ordered.
‘Your will, lord.’ They bowed and hurried away.
‘What was that about?’ Sendatsu asked.
Jaken smiled. ‘Good. Finally, you are taking an interest! I have their promise but that is mere words. It is their deeds that will determine their loyalty. They have no warriors, no numbers to challenge me today but, if they talk to each other, then that means they plan to seize power, if not tomorrow then the next moon, when their warriors get here. That will not happen.’
‘What will you do to them if you find them talking?’
Jaken smiled. ‘Exactly the same thing you did to Hanto.’
‘What?’ Sendatsu started. ‘I never —’
His father chuckled. ‘You truly need to control your facial expressions. I thought it strange Hanto died after managing to make it back here but there were no obvious signs of violence. Still, I have a suspicious mind, so thought to ask a few questions of those who might want to see him dead, such as yourself.’
Sendatsu exerted all his will to keep his face still. He could not reveal why Hanto was dead.
‘Hanto had outlived his usefulness and I doubt I would have kept him alive much longer. His failure in the human world could not be forgiven. Still, there is always a place for someone with his ruthlessness and he would have been useful. Of course his having tried to kill you, in direct opposition to my orders, was difficult but I have to say I am impressed you acted so quickly and decisively. Almost what I would have done.’
‘It gave me no pleasure,’ Sendatsu said, holding the relief out of his voice.
‘Nor should it. But it makes me happy to know you are now ready and willing to take these steps.’ Jaken clapped him on the shoulder. ‘It makes me proud to see you behaving like a true son.’
Sendatsu forced himself to nod and smile.
‘Now, you are to thank for this. The people are acclaiming me for saving Dokuzen, while tomorrow I shall thank your human friends and of course the Magic-weavers for saving us, have the people cheer them. But none of this would have happened without you. You came back here, brought your human friends and defied Daichi and the Council to free me and save Dokuzen. Everyone will get their reward — what about you? What is it you want?’
Sendatsu shook his head.
‘Talk to me — I am the Elder Elf now and I can make anything you want happen.’
Sendatsu opened his mouth and closed it. ‘There is nothing,’ he said finally.
Jaken smiled briefly. ‘Well, let me tell you what I think. You have your children, and I have my heirs. But you want Asami. I made you marry Kayiko from clan Chenjaku instead and you have always resented that. I understand. Now your thoughts turn in Asami’s direction once more yet she is married and all you can hope for is to become lovers, never to be seen in the open together.’
Sendatsu nodded.
‘But I am Elder Elf. I can change whatever I want in elven society, because the people are used to obeying orders. I can end the practice of forced marriages for political gain — and talk to the archbishop about those who were forced into marriage being granted the right to marry again, if they wish. After all, the vows we speak are to seal our love before Aroaril. And if there is no love, well, there is no vow.’
Sendatsu’s heart was filled with a mixture of wild hope and disbelief and he did not trust himself to speak. Was this really his father?
Jaken chuckled. ‘I can see that is what you want — you never could hide anything from your face! I shall make it happen. I owe you a great deal for my eventual triumph. I am the hero of Dokuzen and can do no wrong. The tale of how I escaped from a fishing boat and led a handful of warriors and a few humans to defeat a gaijin horde is already growing in the telling. The people will do anything for me. This did not arrive as I planned but that does not lessen the taste of it.’ He placed an arm around Sendatsu’s shoulders. ‘You know, this might have been Hanto’s true purpose. He has managed to bring us together.’
Now Sendatsu could not speak, because the words would destroy everythi
ng his father was offering. He was revolted beyond measure that murdering Hanto had been the key to his father’s affection. As far as he was concerned, it was the lowest point of his life and something never to be mentioned again. He wanted to scream that into Jaken’s face — except a small part of him was rejoicing so much at the thought of a fresh chance with Asami that he could not.
‘Go now — relax. See your children. We shall talk again tomorrow. There is much to be done before the rest of Moshin’s army returns — and of course there are the humans to deal with.’
Sendatsu kept his smile in place until he was safely away from Jaken and then he hurried back to Mai and Cheijun. He had agreed to talk with Huw, having given the bard the key to his home, but he had to see his children first.
Huw lay back in Sendatsu’s bath. He and Rhiannon had checked on the Velsh dragons and made sure they had food and shelter. Many of those who had been healed were still weak, while those with light wounds were being cared for by their comrades. The uninjured were just exhausted by the fighting and what they had been forced to do. They were camped out near the tombs but Huw had made sure they had plenty of food, while Father Hiroka was sitting with them, helping them. Huw wanted to talk to Sendatsu, decide on a strategy for how they should secure the alliance but he had not found him at home, so had decided to try and wash away the battle.
He closed his eyes and shuddered as images of death and blood flashed through his head, seeing men trying to stuff their intestines back inside themselves, hearing them crying and begging for mercy, for their mothers, for an end to the agony. He had watched so many die — had killed several himself. He had been sending his crossbow bolts into faces and necks, seeing the impact on human flesh. It all grew too much and he opened his eyes with a curse — to find Rhiannon standing there.
‘Are you all right?’ she asked gently.
Huw shifted in the bath, conscious he was naked.
‘Remembering today. I close my eyes and the battle plays itself out once more.’ He shrugged.
‘Me too. I was trying to rest but all I can see is men broken and bleeding.’ She sighed. ‘I burned up Forlishmen to keep them back.’
Huw nodded sympathetically. ‘You did what you had to, no more. Now you need the rest more than me. Do you want the bath?’
‘Yes. But not yet. First I want to talk, to say something to take my mind off what we did today.’
‘What do you want to talk about?’
Rhiannon sat down on the edge of the bath, dangling her feet in the water. ‘What about tomorrow? Are you going to get Jaken to insist that there are no elves, we are all humans and that we can do as much magic as they can?’
Huw gaped at her before closing his mouth with a snap. ‘I don’t think that is a good idea just yet,’ he said hastily.
‘But the priests of Aroaril proved it! They healed our men, just the same as the elves. Dokuzen will have to believe —’
‘And they will,’ Huw said soothingly. ‘But we have to take it one step at a time.’
Rhiannon’s face darkened and he floundered across the bath to grab her foot.
‘We are so close,’ he said. ‘Jaken will acknowledge the great debt the elven people owe us. Their priesthood will begin to tell the truth and they will soon see how we have magic, when they join with us to make the north safe from Forlish ambition. We have come so far, these things take time. The elves have spent the last three hundred years telling themselves they are the best, the only ones with magic, the only ones that can worship Aroaril. We can’t change that overnight. But I promise you we will change it and they will see us differently. This time next year everything will be different.’
Rhiannon smiled and ran her fingers through his hair.
‘I hear your words. It’s just that I remember when I tried to dance for them, and the way they treated me …’
‘At least three of those elves are dead now, and the others are mostly disgraced,’ Huw reminded her.
‘I hope so. We thought we were close last time, imagined Daichi was ready to make a deal with us, only to have him weasel out of it at the last moment.’
‘Jaken is different. From what Sendatsu said, I thought him to be a monster but he is on our side now.’ He looked up at her. ‘I will not let it happen again. Not after what we went through today. Those poor boys — I brought them out of their villages, forced them to come here and so many of them died or were wounded.’
‘They knew what they were doing. They wanted to fight the Forlish. And better to fight them here than in the heart of Vales.’
‘I know. But I will not let their sacrifice be in vain. I owe them so much, it is the least I can do.’
She nodded fondly. ‘All true. I am just tired of hiding my magic away. I want to show them all what I can do. I fought as hard as any of you in today’s battle — yet none really knew what I did.’
‘I know what you did,’ Huw said. ‘The rest of the dragons know as well. You truly are something special, in so many ways.’ He looked up at her wistfully for a long moment before looking away. ‘And I know you must be exhausted. Can I make you something to eat?’ he asked with forced cheerfulness.
‘Huw, I can see what you are thinking. And even if I trusted you that much, I am too tired to do anything more than sleep in bed. No, I am more concerned about what will happen tomorrow and that we will get everything Dokuzen owes us.’
Huw made himself smile. ‘There is nothing to worry about.’
‘I hope you are right.’ She shrugged. ‘Now hurry up and finish. I need to wash out the blood and stench of battle as well.’
‘Can you help me with this?’ Gaibun asked.
Asami helped undo the leather straps that held his armour in place, many of them stuck together with dried blood.
‘How much of this is yours?’ she grunted, forcing tired fingers to work.
‘Some down by my right side, but not much. Almost all is gaijin,’ Gaibun said. ‘I never thought there would be so much blood. I don’t think I’ll ever get the smell out of my nostrils. I had to keep wiping my face clean. And if you opened your mouth to breathe, you were tasting their blood.’ He shuddered.
‘I killed a pair of them with my sword and can still smell their death, hear their screams,’ Asami said. ‘I expected the noise, the fear and the rest — just not the stench.’
She helped Gaibun pull his armour away, to reveal his bloodstained under-tunic.
‘Now, that is mine. But the priest healed me. Still, I feel like I need to soak in a bath for a week to get this blood off me.’
He pulled off his tunic to reveal a crust of blood on his side but no wound beneath it, while his shoulder and thigh were heavily bruised where his armour had stopped blows but not the impact. He held out his arms to her.
Asami hesitated and he stepped forwards.
‘After what we have just been through, I just want my wife to hold me,’ he said softly.
‘It is not that simple. Not after what you have done. I don’t feel I can trust you any more, the way you lied to me about Sendatsu, used me as a weapon against him.’
‘I am sorry. I let my feelings for you take over my mind —’
‘Words are easy,’ she told him. She felt like she had no energy for this now but neither could she walk away from it. ‘You have given me many fine words since that night Sendatsu fled Dokuzen, about how you wanted a fresh start and a chance to make amends. I believed you for a while but now I wonder if this was all a game to you.’
‘I never lied about my love for you,’ Gaibun said. ‘I thought you were falling in love with me at last — then Sendatsu starts trying to take you away. How should I react? Everything I wanted was coming true — and then Sendatsu is there, trying to steal it away from me.’
‘I cannot be stolen. I am not an object!’ Asami cried.
‘Of course. A poor choice of words. But you can see my point — I love you and cannot face the thought of losing you yet again, when it finally looked as thoug
h we could be happy.’
‘And yet you make decisions for me, try to force me into a corner. I want the right to choose.’
‘So you want Sendatsu?’
‘I didn’t say that! Don’t put words into my mouth! I am too tired and angry to think straight now. Give me time.’
‘I will give you whatever you want.’
Asami regarded him doubtfully. He said all the right things and yet he tried to be too clever by half with his actions. ‘There you go again,’ she said tiredly. ‘I don’t think I can go through this any more.’
‘What do you mean? You will go to Sendatsu?’
‘Perhaps. I need time,’ she said, but she had already made up her mind. With Sumiko back in charge of the Magic-weavers, Jaken ruling the clans and the Velsh saved from the Forlish, walking away from Dokuzen seemed like the right choice. Maybe it was time to see if Sendatsu was really serious in his desire for them both to travel the other lands, bringing magic back to the humans.
Mai and Cheijun raced to see Sendatsu.
‘Are you hurt?’ Mai cried, seeing the blood caked across his armour.
‘It is not mine. I am safe — we are all safe.’ Sendatsu took them into his arms.
‘Is it all over?’ his mother asked, hovering nearby.
‘Lord Moshin will not be a problem any more — and Father is watching the other lords, who have all sworn allegiance to him,’ Sendatsu said. ‘I do not know if he will be returning here this night, however. There is much for him to do.’
‘That is what I expected.’ Noriko nodded. ‘Are you hungry?’
‘He needs to wash first,’ Mai announced.
‘Can I hold your sword?’ Cheijun asked.
Sendatsu changed and bathed, scrubbing and sweating away the blood, feeling himself shed the stench of battle as Mai and Cheijun chattered and laughed. He tried not to watch Cheijun pretending to slaughter dozens of Forlish with his toy sword.
Did you kill hudrens, I mean hundreds, Papa?’ Cheijun asked eagerly. ‘I could have helped!’ He slashed his wooden sword around furiously.
Sendatsu forced himself to smile. ‘I killed many. Too many. I did not keep count. I did what I had to, no more. It is never an easy thing to kill another man, especially when you are close enough to see his face.’
