The Lightless Tree

by J. A. Comley

  Valana resisted the urge to draw her blades. Hapira had sounded so impassive, as if the death of an entire tribe were a common occurrence. Or she had already known the answer?

  “I see,” Hapira said, watching the emotions play over Valana's face, reminding her forcefully of Mukori.

  “Why have you come then, Protector Valana?”

  Valana drew herself up, focusing on the task at hand. This woman was not her enemy. However much the Breaking and all the resulting chaos may have changed her, Hapira was the Voice of Peace. She was a ready made ally. “Because you are fighting for peace.”

  Hapira shook her head, a defeated movement. “I've never liked that phrase. Fighting and peace are opposites. Peace cannot come from bloodshed. Yet bloodshed seems to be all there is, bloodshed, hate and fear.”

  Valana tilted her head. The Hapira she had met hadn't been this philosophical or despairing. “Look, I think we should work together. For peace, that is.”

  “That is why I had sent for you. I hoped to get to you first. But when my messengers didn't return, I feared I hadn't.”

  “First?”

  “The rumour of what has befallen the Kazori has reached us here. I knew others would also see the benefit of a pure-blood Nightstalker in their ranks.”

  “Do you mean the Unseen Hand?”

  Hapira met her gaze then nodded to her Makhi. Valana felt herself wrapped in magic.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, keeping her voice level. She could feel the stutters in the spell as the Makhi had to add more strength to fight her blood. She forced herself to remain calm, to resist the urge to take down her assailant.

  “Taking a precaution I have found necessary. They are as their name suggests. Unseen. And growing in number every time I look. They're like a plague.”

  Valana tried not to let her irritation show. “But they want what you want, don't they? Peace, the unity of Trianon?”

  Hapira's gaze was hard. Valana let her mind take stock of which moves were available to her and which were not should the warrior behind Hapira attack before the Makhi's strength failed. Nothing but her head seemed free of the Makhi's spell. He must be concentrating hard, to hold it in place against the natural defence of her own powers. She watched the lines of focus on his face deepen and hid a smile.

  “No, they don't.” Hapira took half a step forward and Valana saw in her eyes the same golden flecks that Mukori's bore, but unlike Mukori's, her eyes were shuttered and hostile. “They want to take over all of Trianon, to put an Aurelian on or behind every position of power. I only want the Conclave to stand up for their people again, to stop the foolish feuding amongst the Tribes. They are the ones who must then begin talks with the other worlds, if they see fit.”

  “You make the unification of Trianon sound like a bad thing. We can't keep standing separate, or there will be no one left to stand at all.”

  Hapira gave her a sad smile, so reminiscent of her nephew's Valana nearly laughed. “It is as I feared, then. Mukori has got to you first. Are you bound to him already?”

  Valana lifted her chin, feeling the stutters grow more pronounced as her blood recoiled against the magic. “Yes. Peace is peace, Hapira. I came to find out why you two can't work towards it together.”

  An almost despairing and regretful look flashed across Hapira’s face, then the hard mask was back.

  “You fool. He knows you are here?” Something sparked in her eyes, and she nodded to the warrior, who darted off deeper into the house.

  “Not exactly, although he probably does by now. He gave me this address so that I could come and see you if I wanted. I couldn't understand why you weren't willing to work with him. I still don't. He's your blood-nephew. He's after the same—”

  “It is not peace he is after.” Hapira's voice was harsh with finality, then it fell to a whisper. “I am sorry, Valana. I tried to get to you first, but if you are bound to him, then I can no longer help you. It seems that the rumours were wrong and there were no Kazori survivors.” Hapira drew a dagger from her belt and held it ready, angling the point to slit Valana's throat.

  Valana felt her blood surge, then the atmosphere shifted and magic made her blood sing, racing not from the Makhi in front of her but from the dim day outside. Then the Makhi holding her dropped like a stone, clutching his head, a flash of white briefly visible as his dark cloak flared. The warrior came running back, the little boy now held in his arms. Hapira never took her eyes from Valana.

  “Who is here with you?” she demanded, even as she adjusted position, sheathed her dagger, and pulled out a small, stone carving instead.

  Valana looked up, trying to keep her feelings neutral. “No one. I only came here to talk, but it seems that you are not who I remember if you will not even listen.”

  “I have nothing to say to the hounds of Mukori.”

  Valana shielded her eyes as a blinding light filled the small space momentarily.

  She looked around the empty house and sighed, stepping outside, pulling her hood back over her head. It seemed the fear and distrust that infected the people like a plague had claimed Hapira too.

  Why had she attacked me, even before my ties to Mukori were known?

  Valana scanned the area for her saviour and caught sight of the same tall figure disappearing over the roofs in the distance. She could give chase, but that would probably result in her getting caught by a patrol.

  Mukori had been right. Hapira wouldn't budge once his name had been raised. Still, they were both working for the same goal, whatever they said. Peace, equality and unity. There had to be a way to convince his aunt.

  I'll find it. Even if it takes years, I will be back, Hapira.

  ***

  Mukori gave her a smile as she stepped into the eating hall at breakfast. She'd arrived back at dawn and collapsed into a deep and exhausted sleep.

  She moved to sit beside Okano, and he raised an eyebrow. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

  Valana shook her head. “Not really.”

  Okano huffed. “I know you find it hard to trust, but I have been here fifty years without ever being given cause to doubt the man I, we, are following.”

  Valana sighed. “It wasn't doubt so much as—”

  “The desire to uncover all his secrets in a single night?”

  Valana chuckled, conceding the point. “I hate secrets.”

  “I know. But look at it from his point of view. He has hundreds of people to keep calm, safe, and organised as the worlds reel from the Breaking. All the information he has in that big brain of his could seriously harm many. He has to have secrets. He has to play things close to the chest or he risks everything falling apart.”

  Valana looked up at Mukori. His head was bent towards Tanoril.

  “I will try to remember that.”

  “Good. And remember this, also. I have uncovered a few of his secrets in my fifty years, and none of them were bad nor kept for less than honourable or understandable reasons. Give him time. I'm certain he means to share more of himself with you than he has with anyone else.”

  Valana threw her bread roll at him. “If you value the use of your jaw, you'll steer clear of that topic.”

  Okano laughed and tossed the roll back. “Sure. Whatever you say, Champion.”

  She chuckled with him and they settled down to eat.

  Valana caught up to Mukori as he was leaving.

  “I am glad you are back and safe.”

  She met his eyes and her own narrowed, catching a deeper current to his simple words. “Did you have me followed?”

  Mukori drew her away from the others. “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I feared what might happen when it became clear that you were irrevocably with me.” She watched his hand pat the ancestral blade at his side.

  She shook her head. “Thanks, I guess. I ended up needing back up, I think.” She had struggled all the way back through the vast emptiness of the Expanse to make herself believe
that Hapira had actually attempted to kill her. It made no sense. Neither had Hapira's fear of Valana, even before Mukori had been mentioned.

  Mukori gave her a small smile, his quick eyes reading her face. “Did you discover anything that helped ease your doubts?”

  “Yes and no.” She looked him square in the face. “Did that courier we intercepted come from your aunt?”

  Mukori sighed and glanced around discreetly. “Yes.”

  “Was he after me?”

  “Yes.”

  Valana let her shoulders slump.

  “I found that out yesternight, when he came to tell me the message because he felt uncomfortable being so close to his quarry and not delivering it. Hapira wants you in her ranks, not mine. He was supposed to find you and convince you to follow him back to Hipotarali.”

  Valana looked up. “So you didn't know that when you stopped him?”

  He held her gaze a long moment, weighing her with his eyes. “I knew who had sent him, and his reaction to you allowed me to guess that Hapira had at the very least been seeking information about you.”

  “Why didn't you say anything?”

  Mukori shook his head. “I am not sure. Partly because I didn't want to frighten the man any more than we already had just to confirm a suspicion. People feel uncomfortable when I seem to know everything about them from the moment we meet. I also suppose it had to do with the fact that you were with us, and I didn't want to risk losing you.”

  Valana took a step back, looking him over. “I see.”

  “I'm not sure you do.” Mukori folded his arms. “If you would rather join Hapira's initiative, I will release you of your vow to me. The vow on Blood Binder will not stop you from working for peace with her instead. If not, then I expect my new Protector to give me at least a little unearned trust.”

  Valana bit her lip. This man had risked much to travel to meet her. When he had found only blood and death, he had acted swiftly and saved who was left, giving them a home and a path in life. Including me.

  “Okano said something similar.”

  “Then I hope you will listen to him, even if you won't take my word for it.”

  He kissed her cheek as he had the last time she had seen him then lifted his head to whisper in her ear. “I want to share all I am with you. But you must allow me to do it at my own pace. If you cannot, then we should keep our distance from one another and be as you once said, just a Lord and his Protector.”

  Valana watched him walk away and sighed, trying, unsuccessfully, to quell the longing to follow him, little tendrils of fire spreading from the kiss.

  ***

  Mukori smiled as his contact arrived at the appointed inn.

  Okano stood beside the door, ears tilted in different directions as he sorted through all the city's sounds, keeping Mukori safe.

  The big man settled down in front of Mukori and nodded, his ice blue eyes piercing.

  I wonder if all humans are as big as this man?

  As they exchanged pleasantries, Mukori felt the usual surge of disappointment he felt whenever he and Markis met. The man had been brought to Trianon many years ago by a Soreiaphin and he and Mukori had met at Aurelia's University. He and his wife were immortal and had chosen to settle on Galatia, where, physically, they blended in perfectly. It was the immortality that stirred Mukori's curiosity. It was something he had never encountered, and although the man had been quite open about the elixir they drank, once they had established a friendship, Mukori and Lerimo had made no gains into how it worked, and why it didn't seem to work on any of Trianon's races.

  “I have brought two bulbs, along with the usual bags of dried leaf, as you requested. Try not to kill them. Travelling to Earth is increasingly hard these days.”

  Mukori nodded solemnly and accepted the seeds. The plant was from Markis' home planet and was highly venomous. In kills where Mukori wanted it known that it was the Unseen Hand's doing, they would always die by this unique poison.

  “Thank you, old friend.”

  Markis nodded. “Do you think this may all be over soon?”

  Mukori chuckled. “I have higher hopes than I did three months ago, but only time will tell, as you always say.”

  Markis gave a short, bellowing laugh. “Indeed. I can only hope so. Here, your contacts in the Makhi Order asked me to bring these along, too.”

  Mukori sighed but accepted the documents. “This would be a whole lot easier if High Lord Jari stopped ignoring my requests to meet.”

  Markis shrugged. “He'll get there in the end. He seems like an intelligent man.”

  Mukori laughed. “I hope so. How is your wife?” he asked, but only half-listened to the answer, wondering where Valana was now and if she would choose him in the end.

  10

  Blade of Peace

  Valana had joined in the sparring matches earlier and now sat having lunch with Okano and Karicha in the mess hall. The girl had been prattling incessantly about Nimori and how, as her new student, she was going to teach Karicha the Cyrali fighting moves, too.

  “You will be the most accomplished warrior when you are Unbound, little Nightstalker,” Okano said when Valana said nothing.

  He kicked her under the table, and she jerked upright.

  “Are you upset that I will be moving to Hipotarali with Mentor Nimori?”

  Valana scolded herself then looked at her niece. “Of course not. Sorry, Karicha. I will miss you, though. You must promise to send me regular updates with Nimori's retari.”

  The girl grinned and promised, then darted off to find Durio.

  The little boy had been adopted, with Valana's blessing, by Bakoro and his wife Senira.

  Valana sighed regretfully and decided to spend some quality time with Karicha later.

  She looked to Okano, realising that she hadn't yet filled him in on her first encounter with Nimori.

  “Has Nimori ever mentioned the first time she met us?”

  Okano raised a single eyebrow in confusion. Valana chuckled and launched into the story.

  ***

  Valana looked up as someone knocked on the door to her rooms.

  “Come in.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise as Mukori entered. She had thought, after his words earlier, that he would not visit her here until she made up her mind.

  Mukori looked her up and down, a deep longing in his eyes. He took two steps closer, his eyes on hers, and then he looked away and sighed.

  When he looked back, his eyes were clear and open, but empty of fire. “Protector Valana, sorry to bother you so late.”

  Valana sighed, too. “You aren't. I—”

  “I have your first assignment. Unfortunately, I can't offer you a gentle start. It is an assassination order.”

  Valana swallowed the words she had started to form, and let her eyes fall to the folder of documents he held.

  “As I said previously, you have here all the information regarding this person that we have gathered. If, after reading this, you disagree with my order to have them killed, please come and see me.”

  Valana managed to raise her eyes back to his face as he moved past her and set the folder on her desk.

  When he looked back at her, he seemed to be losing the battle to keep his feelings in check.

  He shook his head slightly and made for the door, his voice tight. “Good day, Valana. Rest well. If you accept, you must leave tomorrow by midnight.”

  “Mukori, wait, I—”

  He turned back to her as her words failed. In the next second, his hands held her face in a tight grip and their lips moved together.

  They were both breathing hard when they broke apart.

  “I'm sorry,” he said, stepping back earnestly. “I had meant to give you space, for you to decide. I will do better in future.”

  Valana watched the door click shut behind him and sighed, wishing she had got past the barrier of his secrets well enough to have stopped him.

  There's no denying that I have feelings for
him that go beyond the realm of mere lust.

  She turned away from the door and felt the lingering fire go out in one gust. The plain folder on her desk seemed to grow larger.

  An assassination.

  She steeled her resolve and moved to sit at her desk. Mukori had decided that this person needed to die. If they were as well matched as she secretly hoped, then she should come to the same conclusion.

  ***

  Valana sat in an outcrop of rocks not far from the way-house nearest to the Cyrali tribal lands' border. She shifted position, her mind going back to moonrise five nights ago.

  She had left her quarters early, heading on silent feet to the door that barred the end of this passageway.

  Steeling herself, she knocked. When no-one answered, she turned the handle and slipped inside.

  “Mukori?”

  She took in the empty bed then half jumped as someone rose from where they had been crouching beside the large desk.

  Valana cursed the Tree's stifling effect and turned to a tittering Zetira. Zetira's virulent green eyes, ringed in black, turned hard.

  “You pure-bloods have some nerve. What makes you think you can enter the Lord's rooms without an invitation?”

  Valana bit her tongue on an imprudent reply and took a shallow breath. “Do you know where he is?”

  “Why are you here?”

  Valana shook her head. Was this part of Zetira's madness? She decided on politeness. “Please, Nightstalker Zetira, I came here to speak to him about a mission he gave me yesterday. Do you know where he is?”

  Zetira's eyes raked her up and down, narrowing and growing dark. “Of course I do. I know everything about Mukori. I am his closest companion. I am the only one he trusts.”

  With that, the woman pushed passed Valana and left the room, sauntering down the passage.

  “So where is he then?”

  Zetira spun around. The challenge in Valana's voice had been unmistakable.