Book of One 04: A Child of Fire

by Baker, Jordan

  "A most fortunate arrangement," Elaine said. "You would like to formalize this partnership with marriage?"

  "Bah," Carlis said. "That's just gold, a ship and a shipyard. Those things are simply a means, like land or cloth and other goods."

  "Everything is an arrangement, Carlis."

  "I suppose it is," he said, frowning down at the cobbles as he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as they neared the inn where they had taken rooms after the ship had gone missing from the harbor. "I just don't like having to think about someone I care about in those kinds of terms."

  "Then don't," Elaine said then she pulled open the door to the inn and ushered him through the tavern. A few moments later they passed through another door and into a long, stone hallway that led to their rooms. They stopped in front of the heavy, wooden door of Elaine's room and she held out her hand.

  "Yes, right," Carlis remembered that he was carrying both of the keys to their rooms in the pocket of his coat. He fished them out, unlocked Elaine's door for her and pushed it open then bowed with a flourish of his hand. "Your chamber awaits, milady."

  Elaine grabbed him by the collar and pulled him inside the room and she pushed the door closed as he stumbled inside. Before Carlis knew what was happening, Elaine had already unbuttoned the front of his shirt and was pulling the leather through the buckle of his belt.

  "What are you doing?" Carlis whispered.

  "If I am to enter into an arrangement, I wish to inspect the goods," she said. The buckle let go and she slid her hand past his waistband and found what she had long wondered about. Carlis gasped when she took him in a grip that was much more firm than he would have expected. "Things seems to be of quality," she said, drawing in close to him and licking his lips.

  "Elaine," Carlis whispered, dizzy and helpless in her grasp. With her free hand, she tugged at the collar of her blouse.

  "Aren't you curious?"

  "Incredibly," he said.

  "Then what are you waiting for?"

  "I don't know," he said. "I wanted for things to be proper, for all the things I wanted to accomplish to come to fruition."

  "I have lost my land, and we have both lost most of our fortunes. The only thing we truly still have is one another," Elaine told him. "I have waited long enough."

  *****

  Ehlena and Stavros entered the noisy banquet hall and took the seats that had been left empty by Elaine and Carlis. They made sure that Toren instructed the serving boy to fill their cups with normal ale even though they both knew that even something as strong as the pirate's sweet water would have little effect on them. After a brief greeting, Ehlena immediately took to berating her father over his treatment of Carlis.

  "Come, Ehlena," Toren protested. "I was merely having a bit of fun with the man. I hoped he might grow a sense of humor along with that scruff of a beard of his."

  "Toren," Ehlena said, calling him by name since she did not often use more familial terms with him. "Not everyone finds it amusing to have their ale switched for strong brew. And Carlis has been trying very hard to learn every Aghlar custom and pleasantry, mostly so he would not offend you."

  "Perhaps that is why I feel compelled to gibe him so," Toren said. "Carlis tries too hard and it makes it all too tempting to trip him up."

  "As you will," Ehlena said. "Carlis may not be a warrior or have a head for strong brew, but he's a good man, worthy of your respect."

  "I will respect him more once his beard is grown," Toren joked, but he could tell that Ehlena was not aboard with him. "All right, my dear princess, I will pay a visit to him on the morrow and bring him some willow and nettle tea. After the quantity of strong brew he imbibed, he will surely need such a cure, though I must admit, I was impressed that he did manage to walk out of here on his own two feet."

  Ehlena smiled, pleased that Toren was willing to play a little more nicely with Carlis. She knew it would take some time for both the former Maramyrian magistrate and her aunt Elaine to become accustomed to Aghlar life, and it would be easier if Toren did not aggravate them, especially since they were both still upset about what had happened at Maramyr, even though neither of them wanted to speak about it.

  "Tell me, mage," Toren said, turning to Stavros. "How is it that you have eluded these black robed mage priests who have been roaming the lands these many long years gathering up all your brothers and sisters?"

  "It is one of my particular talents," he replied. "If I do not wish to be seen, then I simply disappear." Stavros began to fade from view, slowly turning invisible. Toren leaned forward on the table, staring past Ehlena as the mage disappeared. There were very few mages at Aghlar, so it was a rare occasion for even Toren to see magic at work and he was clearly impressed. His laughed when Stavros' cup lifted off the table and the mage took a strong swallow of ale, leaving a foamy moustache floating in the air where the head of the drink had clung to the whiskers on his face.

  "Ha!" Toren exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table. "That's a clever thing."

  "A mere parlor trick," Stavros said, fading back into view and wiping the foam from his lip. "It takes more than that to hide oneself from the priesthood."

  "I know little of the ways of magic," Toren said. "We at Aghlar hold to the Lady and trust in her blessings for our fortune on the seas and in battle."

  "The Lady is a powerful force in this world," Stavros said, glancing at Ehlena.

  "Is it true, Ehlena," Toren said. "You received the blessing from the Lady, at the temple. You have become a priestess? I heard you disappeared like this mage, and it was witnessed by many people."

  Ehlena stared at her father for a moment then she turned and looked at Stavros, who answered for her.

  "Toren," Stavros said, leaning in closer. "Ehlena was not merely blessed by the Lady, she is the Lady."

  "What's this?" Toren was in the middle of drinking from his cup and he nearly spit his ale.

  "It's true," Ehlena said. "The Lady has returned and she is in me."

  "You sound like your mother," Toren said. "She said all sorts of things like that when she became a priestess. As much as I revere and thank the Lady for my fortunes, I sometimes wonder if spending too much time in the temple is like being hit on the head one too many times."

  "He doesn't believe you," Stavros said with a smile and he sipped from his mug.

  "Toren," Ehlena said, her voice becoming more full and the color of her eyes shifting from their usual watery blue to the pale blue-grey of the Aghlar sky. "You have long been faithful to me, and for that I am grateful, but are you blind to the fact that your goddess sits before you?"

  Toren's brow furrowed, not sure exactly what Ehlena was saying, but he felt his skin prickle as the hair on his body began to stand on end and though the windows of the banquet hall were not open, a cold breeze began to whistle through the room.

  "Your mage is playing tricks," Toren said. "Ehlena, is it not wise to mock the Lady. You would do well not to risk her ire, for she can bring the storm as easily as fair winds."

  "It is not I who commands the air," Stavros said as the wind in the room began to whip around the hall. The other guests had noticed and were now becoming alarmed at the gusts of wind that buffeted them and they stood as a whirlwind appeared in the center of the hall in front of the high table.

  "Are you doing this, Ehlena?"

  "A mere parlor trick," she said as the whirlwind increased in size and began pulling objects from the tables in the hall. Plates of food, cups, knives, all manner of things were pulled into the vortex as it grew larger and more powerful.

  "Enough!" Toren shouted and in an instant everything stopped.

  The wind disappeared and everything that had been pulled into it, hung in the air, suspended as though frozen. Ehlena turned to Toren and smiled, then every object flew back to where they had been, even the beer and wine that had spilled and mingled in the vortex separated and returned to their appropriate cups, as they landed neatly in place. Everything was re
turned as though nothing had happened at all, except the entire hall was silent and all eyes were fixated on Ehlena, who appeared to glow.

  "Please continue," she said. Even though her voice was calm and relaxed, with the power of the goddess, it filled the room entirely, reverberating like gentle thunder. She realized that the people were either intimidated or awestruck, neither of which were her intention. She had only hoped to impress upon Toren who she had become. Ehlena stood, raised her cup and she let go of the power of the goddess then, in her normal voice, she made a toast. "To fair winds and gentle seas." It was one of the most common Aglar blessings and said by many before they

  "I'll drink to that," Toren said, lifting his mug. The many guests began to lift their cups as well, though a few were noticeably hesitant.

  "To King Toren!" Ehlena said!

  "I'll definitely drink to me!" Toren laughed and the people laughed as well and they drank then settled back into their places.

  The din of the room returned, though it was not quite as boisterous as before, and most of the people were now discussing Toren, Ehlena and the mysterious mage who sat next to her. Most of them tried not to stare, but the Aghlars were not a particularly subtle people. Toren stared at his daughter, now very aware that there was a lot more to her than he had thought. While he was a little unnerved by what she had just done, and still somewhat skeptical of her claim, there was no doubt that Ehlena had changed, seeming to have become older and wiser as though overnight.

  "I do not know if this is true that you are somehow the Lady," Toren said. "I do know that you are Ehlena, my daughter by birth, and that you appear to have gained powers like that of a mage, which is no small thing. I presume this has something to do with your theft of the Al-Andor?"

  "I did not steal the ship," Ehlena said. "I merely borrowed it for a short while."

  "You did not seek permission of her captain," Toren said. "The crew could be held for mutiny if Carlis wished it."

  "He wouldn't dare," Ehlena said, crossly, though she realized that her words now sounded more like a threat, considering the power she now possessed. "The crew is not to blame. Besides, I did not come here to talk to you about the Al-Andor. There are other, more important things to discuss."

  "And what would you like to discuss?" Toren asked and, by his tone, Ehlena could tell that his mood had darkened. Good, she thought, for the things she had to tell him were too important to dismiss with a shrug and a jest.

  "War is coming," she said. "It is a war that threatens to engulf all the lands and the many peoples of this world."

  "You speak of Kandara," Toren said. "I have heard Cerric and Calexis have marched on the mountain kingdom."

  "Kandara has fallen," Ehlena told him.

  "How can you know this? A rider arrived just today with word that the attack had only just begun."

  "News travel fast by horse, and faster on the wind," Ehlena told him. "I can hear many things. King Eric and his brother, Duke Boric are both dead. The eldest son, Elric is prisoner and his younger brother, prince Borrican is lost. Cerric continues to strengthen his army and with the troops from the Xallan Queen, whom he has married, he commands a sizeable force. But that is not all, Cerric, like me has received the spirit of a god and he is immensely powerful."

  "I have heard rumors that Cerric had some strange magic," Toren said, pondering what she had told him. "Which of the five gods has gifted him with such power?"

  "That is something of a mystery," Stavros said. "Cerric claims to be the god, Kroma, patron of warriors, but his every act is a contradiction of the mountain god."

  "I cannot be sure, but I believe he may be both Kroma and Kenra," Ehlena told them both, admitting something she had been pondering as she sorted through the memories of the goddess, who was now completely a part of her.

  "Cerric is two gods?" Toren's brow furrowed in confusion and he took a strong swallow from his cup. "It is strange enough to think of someone being joined with a god, but to join with two?"

  "Ehlena," Stavros said. "You did not mention this before."

  "I did not want to alarm the others," she said. "And I did not know, but as we traveled back from the pirate island, a few whispers on the wind have made me almost certain."

  "Whispers on the wind? Is that like scrying from a great distance?"

  Ehlena smiled, the knowledge of the goddess helping her understand the mage's concept of seeing and hearing things with magic. Her ability to hear things was simpler, but, in a way, far more powerful. She had been learning to use the powers of the Lady, though since she and the goddess had become the same, which meant she already knew such things, the knowledge was more like remembering something and using the powers was akin to stretching one's body after having slept for a time. She was learning very quickly and expanding her abilities. Since the goddess had an affinity for air, if Ehlena wished, she could hear anything spoken aloud by anyone anywhere, though discerning who exactly to listen to was a greater challenge. At the same time, certain things that carried on the wind would attract her attention, particularly when someone spoke of her or uttered her name, and while most people in this age only knew her as the Lady, one voice had spoken to her from afar, addressing her as Ayra, and in a voice she recognized. Ehlena was curious when she would meet the other god. As much as she was a different person from the goddess he knew, it was as though she knew him well, for they had long been companions and even lovers, in a different age. She realized that she had not answered Stavros' question and she turned to him.

  "If you speak my name on the wind, I will hear it," she told him. "That is but one of the gifts of the Lady."

  "Ah," Stavros said. "You have long had an affinity for the elements, particularly the air. I see that your power has great reach."

  "I am still learning," she told him.

  "You mean to tell me that you can hear when someone speaks from a great distance?" Toren looked skeptical.

  "Yes," Ehlena said. "Though I cannot hear everything."

  "Can you hear what I just whispered under my breath?" Toren asked.

  "You just said that it was nonsense and that I could do with a trip to the healers." Ehlena told him. "You are sitting right here, so it is hard not to hear such things."

  Toren looked at Ehlena then at Stavros.

  "If Cerric means to attack Aghlar, then we must prepare," he said. "We are a bold people and will not easily be cowed, not by an army nor by a god."

  "Good," Ehlena said. "Cerric means to attack the elven lands first, so there is time, but I ask two things."

  "What would you ask? "

  "I wish to enter the royal treasure galley and the Hall of Kings," Ehlena said.

  "The hall of kings is sacred ground, a place of honor for the great men and women of the history of our kingdom. Only the rulers of Aghlar may tread in such a place. The treasure galley is also forbidden. Not one piece of gold or jewel may leave that ship without the agreement of the people," Toren told her. "You have chosen two very serious requests."

  "That was only one of them, in two parts. Since I am your daughter and you are the king, then I am a princess of Aghlar and I have the right to enter the Hall of Kings. I merely sought your permission to be polite. As for the treasure galley, I do not seek gold or jewels. I wish to look for weapons, much like the king's sword that hangs above the mantle in your chambers."

  "There are plenty of weapons at Aghlar, all of them made with excellent craftsmanship. What need do you have for some old weapons?"

  "Ancient weapons," Ehlena said. "Cerric has been searching for them as well. I had hoped he would not find them or discover how to use them, but he has accomplished both and I fear what he might do with such power."

  "What powers do these weapons possess?" Toren asked.

  "They are called godswords," Ehlena told him, though she held back some details about the weapons; she would tell him the rest later, when there were fewer who might hear. For the time being, it was best to keep things simple. "They are wea
pons made for killing gods."

  "Weapons to kill the gods?" Toren frowned. "Who would construct such things?"

  "The gods themselves," Ehlena said, with a matching frown.

  "If Cerric has already found these weapons, as you say, meaning he has more than one, searching for one of these swords amongst the treasure of our people will be like attempting to find a needle in a stack of hay."

  "I suspect that more than one may be hidden away," she said. "Once upon a time, there were many of these weapons."

  "Why would the five gods create so many?" Stavros asked, thinking along the same lines as Toren. If there were five gods, there would be five of these godswords.

  "The five gods did not create them," Ehlena replied. "It was the other gods, the ones who came before, and their numbers were many."

  "You speak of ancient myths," Toren said.

  "I speak of the second age, when the gods waged war between them and nearly destroyed the world." Ehlena struggled for a moment with the flood of memories that pushed their way into her thoughts, feeling a deep sadness as she glimpsed so many faces of those she once knew but did not know, moments long past in the life of the goddess, memories from a different life, but as real as if they were her own.

  "How many gods were there, Ehlena," Stavros asked, curious, for he had come across mentions of the second age in his studies and had always thought the references to the gods suggested that there had once been more than the five gods who were known.

  "There were many," she said. "Forgive me. It is difficult to think of them without profound sorrow, so let us not dwell on what cannot be undone. I still have not made my second request."

  "By all means," Toren said, though his sarcasm was only half-hearted.

  "I would like for you to meet with the pirates of Meer," Ehlena told him.

  "The pirates? Why would I speak to those thieving cowards? That leader of theirs, Lanos, pretends that they have reformed, claiming that they have become honest traders, but I have good cause to believe it is merely a pretense."

  "Lanos no longer rules the pirates of Meer Island," Stavros told him. "And I think you will find their new leader most intriguing."