by Guy Antibes
“You still don’t intend—”
“I do intend on filling our contract. We don’t know if Sumi had contacted our employers. I’d rather doubt it, since she came here to kill us. Still, we will have to assume our enemies know our secrets as we try to keep them.” Shiro shook his head. “I don’t even know if what I said makes any sense. Sumi’s hatred certainly didn’t.”
~~~
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
~
SHIRO HAD BEGUN TO WEAR A CONVENTIONAL Ropponi sword when they started north and kept the Sunstone sword shielded and hidden away. While they travelled north to Happly, Shiro continually worried about the security of the Sunstone when his unit would be immersed in the Happly army. While in Happly, he’d have to leave every thing out in the open. If the Dakkoran wizard even suspected that Shiro possessed the Sunstone sword, Peleor could order his tent searched multiple times just out of curiosity. He’d have to find a hiding spot for the Sunstone sword.
While still in the Red Kingdom, he left camp before dawn and walked to the west for a few miles. He found a pretty enough setting for a hiding place. A brook with a waterfall cascading down through a rock channel sat at one end of a small meadow littered with wildflowers. Behind the waterfall, a dry sandy ledge made an ideal hiding place. Shiro had already oiled the sword and sheath and wrapped them in oiled leather. He placed the sword behind the little falls and covered the sword with rocks that he had to levitate under the waterfall to cover the blade. No one would find it even if the brook ran dry.
By the time he finished, the sun had begun to rise in the sky. Shiro committed the place to memory and teleported back to camp.
“Where did you go?” Chika asked. “We had people looking for you.”
“Just a stroll in the woods.” He wouldn’t tell anyone that he had disposed of the sword. He could retrieve it in minutes from anywhere on Besseth, if he had to.
He took similar strolls every other day for the next three weeks. No one would have any idea where the sword had been hidden, not even Chika or Tishiaki.
He continued with his language lessons. Rimmel, the man he had impersonated, agreed to tutor them all while they traveled. In the month they took to travel to Happly, Chika, Tishiaki and Shiro could make themselves understood in Bessethian. Tishiaki could mimic the accent, something Chika and Shiro couldn’t do. However, Shiro learned to read the language better than the other two. He located sections in Ashiyo’s books written in Besseti, Zarroni and the dead language of the continent of Ayrtani. As he travelled, he constantly read or conversed, continually expanding his mind every day after a morning of training with his people. Every person could now fight, after Tishiaki’s relentless training. Most could speed up their movements with power, and a little more than half could levitate fast enough to give them an advantage in a fight.
Everyone’s power continued to mostly diminish. The lines of Affinity in Besseth ran deep into the earth and one’s proximity to the nexus affected their powers. Shiro couldn’t tell the difference other than taking a little longer to recharge. So it was with the more powerful among them. The reduced Affinity affected his band differently. Some could transport, but not levitate quickly, while others could levitate quickly, but not transport. All of those with power could still enhance their fighting strength and speed, since Shiro taught them to only use sips of their power.
The three of them agreed that the Red Roses were more formidable with their new techniques and new training than they would have been on Roppon. His force had, by necessity, learned to balance sorcery and martial arts as no other unit ever had.
They finally arrived in Happly Keep. The city that bore the name of its castle couldn’t be drearier. Whoever built the castle used dark stone and it lent a depressing presence to the city. The only positive thing was the thick forest that covered most of the duchy. The people had to carve out fields and villages. Shiro loved the natural feeling to the place as he left Happly town.
Beech assigned them to a recently cleared undersized camp to the east of the town. They all toiled in making their area larger to accommodate them all. The side benefit was they could use the trees they felled to make more permanent dwellings. Tishiaki sent out hunters to augment the meager rations the duke supplied. Part of the terms included food, but the duke seemed to have a distorted view of what it took to sustain human life.
Within a month, Shiro had already counted five searches of his tent. He heard complaints from all over the camp that someone had been through their things while they were all away training or working in the forests.
“We’ll have to do something about the intrusions,” Tishiaki said, as stormed into Shiro’s tent after they found the camp turned over, yet again.
“They seek something that we don’t have. I hid my sword on our travels north. I imagine that is what they are looking for. They can search all they want.” Shiro said.
Tishiaki produced a rueful smile. “Shrewdly done, my commander. Even under torture, I wouldn’t know where you hid your sword.”
“Isn’t it strange the way that works? If I’m under torture, I can decide if I want to give the Emperor of Dakkor one of the three Warstones or not. My choice,” Shiro said.
“There are other ways to extract information,” Tishiaki said.
“My choice,” Shiro said. He knew that Peleor could threaten those closest to him. Shiro would face whatever decision he’d have to make then and refused to worry about it now.
“Peleor hasn’t shown his face in Happly, yet,” Tishiaki said.
“He’s likely stirring up trouble in other places. He is definitely after the stones, but the Bloodstone is missing in the Red Kingdom and a princess of the king of Valetan is rumored to have the Moonstone in the pommel of her sword. Some say she is a sorceress, transforming into the shape of a warrior and I understand she’s more warlike than Chika is. I’m sure Peleor is more interested in Valetan than Happly.” Shiro couldn’t quite picture a woman more aggressive than Chika, but that was the rumor. “I’m not certain Peleor knows I possess the Sunstone, since they haven’t found it yet.”
“I imagine that Peleor’s attention will turn back to us, but maybe once he has the other Warstones in his possession. It looks like the search for the stones is already causing more than enough conflict,” Tishiaki said.
Shiro laughed. “Ropponis don’t need a stone to cause petty wars, but maybe, the lack of the Sunstone had an effect on keeping our ancestors from invading Besseth or Dakkor. Perhaps they were used to conquer the continents.” Shiro shrugged. “Who knows what is truth and legend after so long? I do know that there is power in the Sunstone and that makes certain that the other stones are powerful as well.”
“You’ve been busy learning,” Tishiaki said.
“So have you. We just have different jobs. I need to understand our political standing and you and Chika need to keep the Red Rose’s in top fighting shape. Beech claims that we will be invaded within the next six months. With the arrival of summer, I thought they would be preparing an offensive action, but it looks like the duke plans to prepare for battle in the fall, so it looks like we’ll be on the defensive until later in the conflict. He doesn’t tell me any details with their war against the Valetans.”
“Are we on the wrong side of this war?” Tishiaki said.
“We are. I wonder if all of the strings on Besseth are pulled by Daryaku, the Dakkoran Emperor. I don’t think we will be fighting on this side for long, but the time of our departure from Happly hasn’t yet arrived. We must be prepared for anything, at any time.” Tishiaki bowed and left. Shiro turned to his library. Rimmel had added more books to his collection. Shiro turned to another history of Besseth and began to slog his way through more tedious reading. It reminded him of the war histories he had to read on the Diakko Island.
~
No threat materialized and as Shiro circulated through the city that surrounded Happly Keep, he learned even more about Daryaku’s intentions. No one gave him the
entire story but he remembered all that the people and fellow soldiers told him and could piece together a good idea of what went on in Besseth. He decided to confirm his knowledge with Captain Beech, who had dinner with him once a week at Captain’s rooms on the ground floor of Happly Keep proper.
“Are we fighting over baubles?” Shiro asked after he took a sip of water from a goblet. He could now carry on normal conversations in Bessethian.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Beech said.
“There is a Bloodstone that Duke Histron of the Red Kingdom seems frantic to find and a princess of Valetan carries the Moonstone in the pommel of her sword that gives her great powers.”
Beech snorted. “She doesn’t have any great powers but Emperor Daryaku will reward us handsomely if we can retrieve the Moonstone. He helps us to that end as we speak. Don’t ask me any more about it.”
“You’ve heard the story of the Moonstone, then?”
Beech nodded. “Tales. Some half-wit becomes a hero of Valetan because he has touched the stone? How can that be?”
“The half-wit is a great wizard, it is told. It is said that he currently works with the Gensleran duke.”
“I don’t know where you get this information, Shiro. We know a wizard from Valetan works for Gensler. He portrays himself as a scout, but we know better. Don’t worry about the enemy’s wizards. Your turn to fight will come soon enough. Everything will happen before the last leaf of autumn has fallen. Peleor has decreed it and I believe him.”
“Emperor Daryaku’s wizard.” Shiro said it as a statement. “His provocateur in Besseth?”
Beech raised his eyebrows. “I can’t speak for your accent, but you have picked up some impressive words.”
An orderly brought dinner and Shiro allowed his question to steep while they both ate.
“And the Bloodstone? The Red Kingdom identifies with the gem and now it’s lost. Duke Histron has invaded southern Gensler, but was recently repelled. It is suspected that the Valetan wizard had something to do with that.”
Beech waved it away as he continued to chew. “Lucky man, I guess. It wasn’t exactly an invasion. Are you worried about Lotto Mistad?”
“That’s his name, eh? No. He can’t overcome my sorcerers. We could be halfway to Valetan by now,” Shiro said. “But you keep us in our camp.”
“Perhaps, but you will wait here until you are told to do otherwise. You haven’t heard of the Sunstone, have you?”
Shiro wondered when the Ropponi Warstone would be mentioned.
“Of course. The Ropponi emperors hid it centuries ago so that it wouldn’t distract sorcerers from their established place in our society.”
“Your society? You’re an exile, Shiro. All of you Red Roses have no country and no allegiance.”
‘Except to Happly until our contract ends.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Beech said. “Hey, you just changed the subject.”
Shiro tried to look shocked. He didn’t know if he succeeded. “Oh, the Sunstone. We don’t have a tradition of secret powers that the Sunstone brings. It was something an ancient Emperor didn’t want and nothing more.”
“Ha! You’re right about the Ropponi Emperor not wanting it. All of the Warstones are communication devices. Your emperor didn’t want anyone talking to him. As for the Sunstone, Peleor claims that it will detect wizards better than his Dakkoran magic and allows a person to see into another’s mind to see if they are loyal or not.”
Shiro couldn’t keep his eyebrows from rising. “My education didn’t tell me of this. Why would the stone be hidden?” He now had confirmation on the stone’s powers to join minds. Truth might be it’s greatest power — a dishonorable man’s bane.
Beech shrugged. “I don’t know, but Emperor Daryaku holds the Darkstone and wants the other three. Then he will take over all of Goriath, including Ayrtan. We’ll all get our rewards.”
“What is the Darkstone? Is it like the Purestone?” Shiro wanted to know what Beech knew. This could be new information.
Beech curled his lip in a sneer. “You think you are so smart. I’ll bet your books told you that the Purestone no longer exists. That’s not true because it turned into the Darkstone when the old Ayrtani emperor died and that continent lost it’s magic. The stone now hangs around Emperor Daryaku’s neck.”
All the more reason not to give the Sunstone up. The pieces now fit together in Shiro’s mind, but he didn’t know what possession of all four stones would signify. From what he could tell, they all gave their possessors a few extra capabilities, but enough to topple kingdoms? Was instant communication that important? He might never know the full truth, but he knew he’d fight to keep the stones out of Peleor’s clutches.
“Your knowledge exceeds mine. I am sorry that I brought it up.”
Beech grunted and swallowed all of the wine in his goblet. “You should be. Keep to yourself, Shiro. I’ll let you know when your people will be used. Just keep them in fighting shape.”
“We have even improved since we arrived,” Shiro said. He had finished first and had no desire to see Beech lick his plate. “With your leave, I’ll return to my troops since there are no orders.”
Beech waved him away. “Next week.”
The dinner had brought much of the information Shiro needed. He’d have to retrieve the Sunstone, after all, in order to test the ‘truth-telling’ powers of the stone. There might be more to the power that prompted the early Emperors of Roppon to hide it so thoroughly.
Daryaku would keep secret what would happen when he possessed all four stones. Shiro certainly didn’t know and doubted if he had enough information to understand what unification would mean. However, if the Dark Lord wanted to bring the Warstones together, that was enough to keep them all apart.
His investigations would have to become a bit more circumspect. Knowing what went on within the city took on a new urgency.
~~~
CHAPTER FORTY
~
“WE ARE GOING BACK TO THE RED KINGDOM?” Chika asked. “Just the two of us? I’m touched, by you.”
Shiro laughed and poked Chika with his forefinger. “Now you are touched.” He hadn’t spent much time around her since they reached Happly Keep and he missed that. “We won’t be long. I’m going to remove the stone from the sword and test out a rumored capability. Beech told me that the Sunstone demonstrated a person’s loyalty. ”
“You know I’m yours, in every way,” Chika said, with half of a smile.
“I’m serious. I don’t know what will happen when we both touch the stone. It’s never affected me other than to give me some visions and let me recharge my power.”
Chika paused. “I can’t tell you what it did for me. I wasn’t right until I touched it. My father didn’t know what it did and never let anyone handle the sword.”
“You are willing?”
“I am, Shiro.”
He took her hand and they teleported to the waterfall. The leaves on a few trees were beginning to turn and the waterfall had become a trickle in the late summer. The rocks still covered the sword.
“You chose well. I still have no idea where we are.”
“Deep into the Red Kingdom. Quite a distance from the road.” Shiro used his power to remove the rocks and dug out the sword. It had weathered the summer well. He unwrapped the sword and removed it from the sheath. “Here goes.” He sat down. “Sit and touch the other side.” Shiro held the sword out to her with his thumb on the stone.
Chika laughed nervously. “I’ve never joined with a man quite like this.” She took a deep breath and touched the stone with her forefinger.
Shiro’s mind descended into a swirling pool. Within the pool he heard or felt, actually, chatter like a flock of birds. Gradually the sound cleared and he called out to Chika in his mind.
“I’m here. I can see your thoughts… no. I can feel them?” She opened her eyes and looked into Shiro’s.
“I’m sorry Chika,” Shiro said. “
I didn’t think I’d be intruding this deeply.” He relived the beating she took from her father and the shutdown of her mind. She loved him deeply, but couldn’t bring herself to tell him. To do so would be akin to defeat. Shiro gasped as he realized that she looked into his own mind. She would know how he felt about her. An honest expression of their feelings had always been hidden by their banter.
“Shiro.” Tears welled up in her eyes. She removed her finger with effort and put her arms around him. “I love you. I can tell you, now.”
He laid the sword aside and couldn’t resist the touch of her skin, of her lips. For all of her bluster, she’d never been with a man and that wouldn’t happen today. “I love you, too. I don’t need to say it, do I?”
“You do.” Chika said. “I knew you cared, but I thought you looked at me like a sister.”
“That’s not the truth, is it?”
She buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed. “It isn’t. I’m so glad it isn’t.” She lifted up her face and they kissed again.
“Just guess why the Emperors hid the stone?”
“The loyalty must go both ways. Love shows as well as hate,” she said, clutching him fiercely.
Shiro nodded. ‘And betrayal and deceit. Think of Roppon and it’s intrigue. The double dealing of the bureaucracy in league with the power of the Empire and the Guild.” He looked at the yellow stone. “It has the power of absolute truth. Mind to mind. I won’t test it, but I think that language is no barrier. Roppon would never exist in its present political state with an honest Emperor in possession of the Sunstone.”
He looked at the stone and then into her eyes. “Too much information?”
She shook her head. “No, but the timing could be better. We can’t go mooning about each other in front of the rest of the Red Rose.” He could see the sorrow in her face. “Tishiaki would find out in an instant.”
Shiro smile. “That is easily remedied. We’ll tell him that we finally told each other. I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who knew we were denying our feelings.”
