Way Walkers: Tangled Paths (The Tazu Saga)

by Leigh, J.

  “Only if the person elected isn’t an idiot.” Hatori turned a page of his paper. “Which means it’s pretty much the same.”

  “At least we can get rid of a leader who isn’t leading responsibly,” Jephue returned. “Unlike say, the Clan Lands, where a sixteen-year-old is becoming a despot.”

  “Feron Rheadani’s issue is that he isn’t enough of a despot,” Hatori said without a hint of hesitation or annoyance. “Clan need an iron fist to keep them in line, balanced by a sense of humanitarian authority to both protect and manage the humans so they don’t get themselves eaten or go killing off the Clan race.”

  Hatori harrumphed. “Well, as I said, our system has a viable way to get rid of unsuitable leaders written right into the structure itself.”

  “Oh, the Clan Lands have a contingency in place as well,” Ass’shiri said with a mischievous air as he came up behind Jathen. “It’s called assassination.”

  Alodie wasn’t far behind Ass’shiri, her blue eyes wide as she reentered the room and put the teapot on their table. “But isn’t that how the boy got on the throne in the first place?” She turned and retrieved another cup and saucer set from the china cabinet. “Wasn’t he fifth in line? One must admit, there were a lot of ‘accidents’ in one year.”

  “Wouldn’t know, I wasn’t there.” Ass’shiri shrugged and sat next to Jathen. He took a cookie from the tray on the table, and Alodie set the cup in front of him.

  Hatori huffed, thumbing through the Continental Corridor as if searching for something. “If that boy was behind such a plot, he’d be a much better ruler of the Clan than he’s been so far.”

  Ass’shiri concurred around a mouthful of pastry.

  “Well,” Alodie said, “I read recently he was searching for a wife. Perhaps he’ll find his twin-flame, and that will strengthen him.”

  Over Hatori’s loud scoffing noise, Jathen asked, “Twin-flame?”

  “You know.” She poured Ass’shiri some tea. “Like Avatars and their Aspects are twin-flames, always together.”

  “You mean lovers?”

  “Not just that. It’s twin-flame.” She blinked at him. “You’ve never heard of a twin-flame?”

  “He’s from the Tazu Nation, Alodie,” Jephue said. “They don’t promote that particular phenomenon too much. Their emphasis is on breeding, remember.”

  She nodded. “Oh, that’s a shame.”

  “But what is it?” Jathen asked.

  “Well…” She fluffed her hair. “You know what a soul circle is, yes?”

  Jathen scrambled to translate a concept he only half recalled Thee going on about. “That’s like, all the souls you continuously get reincarnated with, isn’t it?”

  “Not all the souls in the world, no, but the group you tend to connect with over your life’s contracts: friends, family, even enemies. They are called soul mates. Their roles are always changing, but the souls are the same. Your mother in this life might be your daughter in your next life, or even your son or sibling, perhaps even a lover.”

  “Ugh!”

  “Oh, shush.” She waved a flour-dusted hand. “It’s the way it works. Most are not loves, though; most are friends. People you meet and”—she snapped her fingers—“instantly, you know them. The feelings are strong, whatever they are.”

  Ass’shiri flicked cookie crumbs at Hatori, who ignored him. Smirking, Jathen nodded. “So what’s a twin-flame?”

  She produced a pair of small candles from her apron pocket. “That is different.” She lit one of the tapers from the centerpiece’s candle flame. “When Spirit makes Ishim—our souls—It creates us in pairs.” She lit the other candle from the first. “Twin-flames are the same soul, same fire, same spark, different candle. A twin-flame is the other half of a soul, and we are drawn to reconnect, to love.” She brought the two candles together until the flames mingled.

  “No wonder the Tazu don’t talk about that.” The memory of Neek’s prediction stirred in the back of Jathen’s mind. You... blaze, Jathen Monortith, like a brilliant flame. “The idea that there’s only one person in the whole world for you to really be happy with is positively depressing.”

  “No, no, no.” Alodie shook her head. “Misconception. Most of us are not born with them alive while we are incarnated.” Separating the candles, she blew out one of the flames. “It’s too hard, being divided, not really knowing where they are. Only Avatars seem to return with them in body all the time, so the Aspects may teach. Most people have their twin-flame stay in spirit, following along as a Guide. It’s easier this way, as they are always at one’s side.”

  “I’m surprised they don’t get jealous,” Ass’shiri said, twirling his fingers though the trail of candle smoke.

  She smirked. “Beleskie’s Aspect wrote, ‘Jealousy is a creation of ego and the cardinal world. In Spirit, with Spirit, there is no such thing.’”

  “Ha, first afternoon tea in the Republic and we’re already mired in political idealism and stories of wistful romance,” Hatori said in Tazu. “Welcome to the land of Beleskie, Jathen.”

  “I speak Tazu,” Alodie added smugly in the language.

  They all chuckled with her at the Clansman’s sheepish look.

  She added, “And anyone with a desire to love is welcome here, even you, Charm Master.”

  “Last time I was here and got all caught up in this pillow-talk-infused emotional syrup, I ended up with Jephue.” Hatori winked at his partner. “And I’ve absolutely no intention of courting such again. I made out way too well the first time.”

  “Aw, Hatori, I love you, too,” Jeph gushed, pinching the charm master’s cheek as if he were a child.

  A Tazu who isn’t quite a Tazu, Jathen recalled Neek saying. He watched the pretty Alodie take her leave. I wonder…

  “Speaking of it being our first day,” Ass’shiri said, “what’s the plan now that we are here, oh great charm master?”

  “I’m going to make ready my workshop out back.” Hatori folded his paper and stood. “While Jephue does me the service of making about a dozen or so social inquiries to get us back on the elite’s radar.”

  “We’re going to need to go for a proper fitting,” Jeph said before blowing lightly over his steaming tea. “We all lost a lot of clothing to that damn river. Besides, the new summer fashions are out, and we must be ready to mingle properly.”

  “I leave the setting of such appointments to you, my dear,” Hatori said. “Might as well set our two boys here up as well.” He rolled his eyes. “Spirit knows Miss Alodie made quite the face when I sent Jathen’s ragged attire to laundry.”

  Jathen blushed. “Thanks, but aside from dressing properly, what else is planned?”

  Hatori shrugged. “Your time is your own here, Jath.” He waggled the end of his sword cane at Ass’shiri. “Though keep in mind you are the help, and your job is to keep this one safe in… whatever.”

  “Yes, sir!” Ass’shiri gave Hatori a jaunty salute then turned to Jathen. “You didn’t put a lot of thought into what you were going to do once you got here, did you?”

  “I, well…” Jathen sputtered.

  Ass’shiri hissed, pretending to be disgusted. “No wonder Chann hired me on.” Tossing his napkin on the table, he rose with an air of having just declared war on monotony. “Come on. First business of the day is sightseeing. Call it kasior training, but I want to get a feel for this town.” Taking Jathen by the elbow, Ass’shiri pulled him out of his seat with a hungry grin. “Tonight, I think we need to head over to some of the Beleskie temples this country is known for.” He winked, his lavender eyes fiery. “Take in some of the culture.”

  “Beleskie temples? You mean mei priestesses?” Jathen swallowed hard as he was half dragged out the door. He grabbed his coat on the way. “But we just got here.”

  “Yeah, well, i
f you haven’t noticed, I’ve been sharing a musky tent and hard ground with you for the last half a year, Jath.” He strode across the patterned brick sidewalk. “It’s high time I laid up with something soft, and a nice, experienced mei is exactly what I have in mind.” He shot Jathen a sly look. “I’d think with all the breeding Tazu are always going on about, you’d be up for a quick romp with a mei after so long on the road.”

  “Tazu aren’t… I mean, they don’t… they aren’t as interested in that if it’s not mating season. And when it is that time, it’s about getting an egg out of it, and well… a moot isn’t exactly a top pick.”

  “Well, yeah, but there are humans in your country, right? Mei priestesses and the like?”

  “Tazu mei are impossibly rare. In fact, I can’t even name one. And as far as humans, well… because I was hatched, my mindset is as a dragon, so then, humans…” He struggled to voice the issue, mostly because he felt no small amount ashamed by the hypocrisy of it. “I’m just not all that attracted to them.”

  Halting, Ass’shiri gaped at him. “Are you serious?”

  Jathen waited for the berating to begin, but instead, Ass’shiri doubled over in laughter. “Oh, I don’t believe it. You poor, poor boy. No wonder you’re so squeamish! You literally want tail, and you can’t ever get it!”

  “Ass!” Jathen groaned, relieved and disgusted at the same time. “That isn’t funny.”

  “Oh, relax!” Ass’shiri gestured cheerfully at the populace around them. “This is the Lu’shun Republic! Everyone looks Tazu to you. It might not be an actual dragon, but it’s better than nothing! And they don’t have that mating-season snobbery going on! This is the perfect place for you to get some more experience under your belt.”

  “Well, about that… like I was trying to say, it’s sort of… no experience.”

  Ass’shiri stared at him. “You’re a virgin?”

  Jathen felt the heat rushing into his face. “Spirit, Ass, keep your voice down!”

  Ass’shiri’s eyes were a ring of disbelieving white around the lavender. “No, no, no.” He shook his head, grasping Jathen’s upper arm. “We are going to fix this. Right now.”

  “What?”

  “Boy, you are twenty, and you’ve not gotten any yet? Do you realize how not right that is?”

  “Do you realize how young twenty is for a Tazu? Hell, it’s even younger for Clan. It’s practically infantile.”

  “Not for this. By Beleskie, Jath, I had my first woman at fifteen. If you want to call yourself infantile, that’s fine, but all things have a reasonable development rate. After all, a five-year-old who’s crawling and not walking yet is still ridiculous.”

  “Not if the poor kid has a birth defect.”

  Ass smacked him across the side of his head. “You do not have a birth defect! There is nothing wrong with you! At least not where it counts, unless there’s something you’re not telling me.” Ass’shiri’s tight-lipped glare did not leave any room for argument.

  “Okay, okay! But let’s get some ice first. That hurt.”

  Chapter 26

  Jathen swallowed hard.

  He had managed to nurse his head wound for about an hour, and then sightseeing and returning for food for another three to postpone the inevitable, but as the sun dipped low behind square brick houses, Ass’shiri was having no more delays.

  “Going to the temple is not a guarantee anything will happen, as mei aren’t prostitutes. They believe they raise their vibrations by experiencing all they can between the sheets with as many people as they can, but that doesn’t always make them easy to bed. You have to be nice to them, as they choose who they want to be with, or who they don’t want. It’s a sacred calling to them, and don’t forget it.”

  “I might have never been in a mei temple, Ass, but I know how their Way path works.”

  “All right, don’t be snippy.” Ass’shiri fidgeted with the collar of his black long coat. “Now, this is the Republic, so the place will be full of non-mei who might be inclined to dance between the sheets, too. But if I were you, I’d avoid taking any of them up on it.”

  “Worried about angry husbands and the like?”

  “Meh. This is the land of Beleskie and free love, so I doubt it.” He laughed. “I was thinking more of Hatori having a hissy fit if we took some local girls back to the boarding house. You saw how paranoid he is over that storage shed.”

  A boisterous trio of Lu’shun crossed the lane. Elbows interlocked, the two men and a woman laughed and fondled each other in a manner that indicated they were all more than just friends out for a drink.

  Jathen shook his head. “I’m still trying to figure out how marriage works at all around here.”

  “Yeah, it’s very different. Just about anyone can marry anyone as long as they aren’t like, a tree or a pet or something. I think the only rules have to do with age and consent. Oh, and I think there’s some ‘household umbrella’ law.”

  “Huh?”

  “Yeah, Jephue was trying to explain it to me, but I lost him about halfway. It has something to do with either men or women can get married as much as they want to whomever they want, but they have to all live together and be able to support everyone in the household. And the kids keep both parents’ names. But then there’s this whole subtext of relationships that are like marriage but without the same legal benefits. They’re called civil consorts.”

  Jathen shook his head, bewildered by the image of a half dozen men and women living under one roof and all married to one another. “That’s certainly different from the Tazu Nation.”

  “How? Don’t they have multiple partners, too?”

  “Well, yes, but not all at the same time.”

  “Yeah, I always wondered about that. Like how does a Lu’shun woman know who’s the father of kid A if she’s got three husbands? It’s bizarre.”

  “Yes, well, the Tazu Nation doesn’t have to worry about that. One mate per female a season, unless you want to create the mother of all scandals.”

  “Oh yeah, the linage is with the women.” Ass’shiri brightened at the sight of pink banners flapping in the night. “Here we are!”

  The entrance to the mei district was flanked by a wrought-iron archway bedecked with a multitude of braided flags in just about every Way color, but mostly shades of pink. Overall, the quarter was far more modest than Jathen had expected, only one long block with about six plain townhouses on each side of the street. A playful energy danced in the air, and laughter and music spilled out into the gathering dark like a warm fog. The place seemed to emit a rosy glow with the last remnants of the sunset tinting the windows.

  “Oh, come on,” Ass’shiri urged, dragging Jathen along. “Let’s pick a meison.”

  “Meison?”

  “A house. Different kinds of mei live in different houses.” Ass’shiri pointed at a crest above the first door. “That one with the long diamonds in pink and black is for those looking for the sharper edge of things. Let’s just say that’s where I’d point a Manna and move on.” He pointed at the second house with a crest of pink and yellow swirls. “Now that one might have promise. It’s for those who want a more entertaining experience—dancers and acrobats and the like. Those girls can bend.”

  Jathen shook his head. “No.” The last thing he needed was a bunch of hyper dancing girls bending over backward and jingling bells in his face.

  “All right, fine. I see the one anyway.” Ass’shiri pulled him over to the doorstep of the fourth building.

  “Wait. Which one is this?” Jathen had only gotten a quick glimpse of the silver and pink crest as he was tugged under the doorframe.

  “Intellectuals and truth seekers. These girls will want to talk first. Perfect for you.”

  “Says you,” Jathen muttered.

  Inside, the walls were p
aneled in cherry wood stained a warm walnut color. The floors were matching parquet, though only glimpses of it could be caught between the thick rugs. Low couches dotted the area, and a long oak bar ran across the back wall with a panel of mirrors behind it. Not silver mirrors, Jathen noted. Scented candles burned in sconces, permeating the air with a subtle sweetness.

  A beautiful Lu’shun moved toward them, batting bright blue eyes in a yellow and bronze face. A heart-shaped talisman rested in the silver silk folds of her not-so-modest dress. The open half of the heart was shaped like a dove’s wing—the symbol of the mei. She smiled when she reached them. “Welcome. First time in Véridique Meison?”

  “Yes.” Ass’shiri beamed while Jathen did his best to hide behind his friend. “And I already love it.”

  “Well, please, mingle and chat. We are very informal here, but as always, obey the First Law and be gracious. There is plenty of drink at the bar, and tray bearers circle the floor. Tithes are accepted at the Way shrine upon departure. Enjoy your stay, and may Beleskie smile on your endeavors.” Her speech had a ring of rehearsal to it, up until the very end, when she added with a wink to Ass’shiri, “And I’m Clemi, by the way.”

  “Good evening, Mei Clemi.” He took her hand and kissed it in a surprisingly debonair manner. “Let me get my friend settled in, and then perhaps I’ll make my way back over to you.”

  “I look forward to a stimulating conversation.”

  “Oh, I assure you, my wit’s as fast as my crossbow.”

  Clemi giggled, then walked away to greet another pair of newcomers who had come in behind Jathen and Ass’shiri.

  “How do you do that?” Jathen whispered, irritated and awed in the same measure. “If I said something like that to a girl, she’d laugh in my face.”

  “Oh stop. It’s not that hard. Here, I’ll show you.” Ass’shiri sauntered over to an unoccupied couch in the center of the room and plopped down with an air of surveying a new kingdom to conquer. Jathen gingerly sat at the other end.