by Duncan Lay
‘Sumiko has played us all for fools. She let the Forlish into Dokuzen and they have captured Asami, as well as half the Council, my father and your mother.’
Sendatsu felt his world tilt. ‘How?’
Gaibun pointed to the two elves on the ground. ‘This is not a story to tell in front of them, nor for too many ears.’
Sendatsu did not hesitate, grabbing Gaibun by the sleeve and dragging him into Huw’s house. ‘Say that all again, from the start,’ he demanded.
Huw and Rhiannon hurried in behind Gaibun, Rhiannon shutting the door while Kelyn and Dafyd sat, putting down the knives they had grabbed to defend themselves from the elven attack.
‘I stepped back into my garden to find it full of elves. When Sumiko attacked Asami last night, it was not just to kill her and my father — they used my house as the doorway into Dokuzen. While every guard in Dokuzen was watching the lake and the park, the Forlish were breaking into our home. The elves there told me the Forlish hit the Council Chamber and captured or killed everyone inside before burning it and escaping back to Forland.’
‘But you can’t know they took Asami,’ Sendatsu protested.
‘But I do. Oroku told me himself,’ Gaibun spat. ‘He was pretending to be helping the chase but it is obvious he was the one who helped the Forlish escape. I tried to get to him but Sumiko has set it up so that I am wanted for murder.’
‘Murder?’ Dafyd gasped.
‘A long story and one we do not have time for now.’ Gaibun waved him away. ‘I had to flee or I would be dead now. Without Rhiannon I would not have escaped.’
‘We have to get her back. We have to get them all back,’ Sendatsu said.
‘It is too late. If Ward has them, he’s not going to leave them somewhere we can rescue them. He knows about magic now, and what it can do,’ Rhiannon said sadly.
‘No, it is more than that. This is Sumiko’s big move, this is how she plans to overthrow my father,’ Sendatsu said loudly, cutting through the murmur of agreement from the others.
‘Go on,’ Huw said.
Sendatsu paced around the room. He felt he could not be still, not with Asami in Forlish hands. ‘She wants two things: to get rid of Asami and Rhiannon, the only ones who can challenge her magic; and she wants to take control of the elves. If the Forlish took prisoners, it is because Sumiko told them they can ransom them back. This way, Sumiko is going to destroy two enemies in one stroke. Jaken, the saviour of Dokuzen, allowed gaijin to raid the city, destroy the chamber of the elves and capture the Council and his wife. In one stroke the people will have turned against him. His authority will be destroyed. Sumiko is going to step forwards and promise to use magic to keep Dokuzen safe forever more. The people will embrace her and she will take control. At that point, the lives of Asami and the other prisoners can be measured in hourglasses. The people will follow Sumiko anywhere to avenge what the Forlish did and she is going to destroy the Forlish, then us, then anyone else she wants. And nobody is going to be able to stop her.’
‘You don’t know that,’ Huw protested weakly. Sendatsu stared around the room, where everyone wore the same look of horror.
‘He’s right. She’s going to do that, or something very close to it,’ Rhiannon said heavily. ‘We have underestimated her badly. She has planned this beautifully. If that attack on us had succeeded, there would be nobody to stop her.’
Gaibun buried his head in his hands. ‘There is nobody left to stop her. My father is a prisoner; Asami’s father lies dead outside these walls. There are no other elves to challenge her.’
Sendatsu looked around the room, felt the despair radiating from the rest of them but refused to give in to it.
‘We have all said how clever Sumiko is. Now we have to stop her,’ he said.
‘How? Can we turn back time? We thought we had her where we wanted, only she was moving us into position for a bigger fall.’ Gaibun sighed.
‘She might have my father under her control but not Lord Retsu and the rest of the Council.’
‘Except they are prisoners of Ward,’ Gaibun said.
‘We get them all back. Then we have witnesses of Sumiko’s treachery as well as candidates for Elder Elf. The only way to beat her is do the one thing she has not foreseen.’
‘Get them back? How?’ Kelyn gasped.
‘Magic, of course. Where is Ward going to take them?’
‘I’ll ask him next time we’re having drinks in Cridianton!’ Huw snorted.
‘Exactly.’ Sendatsu pointed at him. ‘We go to Cridianton.’
‘What?’ Huw and Rhiannon cried together.
‘That is where we will find answers, if not the prisoners,’ Sendatsu said. ‘We got a message today from Ward’s wife, Queen Mildrith, who wants us to trust her and to stop her husband’s plans. We go there and speak to her. Meanwhile, Rhiannon sends a flock of birds south to see what she can find. Between those two things, we shall know where the captives are held. Huw and Rhiannon both know Ward’s castle, having escaped from there before, so we use that knowledge, as well as the magic, to free the prisoners, confront Sumiko and my father, and put an end to this.’
He looked around the room and received shocked stares in reply.
‘You do know we cannot trust that message from Queen Mildrith. That could be part of the trap, so Sumiko can get rid of me as well as Asami,’ Rhiannon warned.
‘And you realise our faces are known around Cridianton and our lives are forfeit if we are caught?’ Huw asked.
‘I know all that!’ Sendatsu shouted. ‘But what else can we do? Sumiko has won. It is all over. All that remains is for her to finish us off at her leisure. Unless we do the one thing she never expected.’
‘He is right. We have to do this,’ Gaibun agreed.
‘How much of this is wanting to stop Sumiko and how much is wanting to save Asami?’ Rhiannon asked.
‘They are one and the same,’ Sendatsu said.
Gaibun smiled briefly. ‘I am only concerned about Asami and our child. I would exchange my life in an instant for them.’
Sendatsu patted him on the shoulder.
‘Well, we know why you two want this to happen. But for the rest of us, we are risking everything for what seems like a crazy plan. In fact there is no plan, beyond travelling south and hoping a strange message is not a trap,’ Huw said.
‘Huw, Rhiannon,’ Sendatsu appealed. ‘You know what is at stake here. Sumiko will not stop until you are dead. The attack a few moments ago proved that.’
‘But Ward will have the prisoners well guarded. After all, he must know the elves could try something similar,’ Huw said.
‘There is a big difference. Any elf would be spotted in an instant and the prisoners killed before they could get close. But you can pass for Forlish — you did for moons. And you know Cridianton and the castle itself.’
‘You are still talking about walking into the bear’s cave and then kicking it in the balls!’ Huw said angrily. ‘You are only doing this because you want to prove to Asami that you love her more than Gaibun.’
Sendatsu dared not look at Gaibun and instead glared at Huw. ‘You once told me you would do anything for Rhiannon. Now you accuse me of being foolish for love?’
‘There has to be a better way than this. I don’t want to see anything happen to Asami but how is throwing our lives away doing her any good? And, even if we get them out, your idea is to travel to Dokuzen, overthrow Jaken and install Gaibun’s father as Elder Elf. How many Elder Elfs do you want to create? What is this — the third one you have put into the job? When will we find one we like?’
‘This is not a joke!’ Sendatsu roared.
‘I know!’ Huw shouted. ‘You want to throw away our lives in a hopeless pursuit.’
A knock on the door made them all turn, just as the shouting was about to begin again.
‘What is it?’ Huw called.
The door was pushed open and Wendi walked in, holding Mai and Cheijun by the hands.
�
��Is this a bad time? Except they both wanted to see you and get a story before they went to bed,’ she said.
‘Of course. Thank you for looking after them. If you could just wait outside for a few moments, we are almost finished here.’ Sendatsu smiled at his children, who waved back.
Wendi stepped back outside, an uncertain smile on her face. Cheijun began to protest, but his words were cut off by the slam of the door.
‘See? You need to think about your children. What will they do with you running after Asami?’ Huw said.
‘I think of nothing else!’ Sendatsu snarled. He clenched his fists, then took a deep breath. ‘Nothing is hopeless, least of all this idea,’ he said, more calmly this time. ‘This is our chance to defeat Sumiko and protect your people. With Retsu in charge —’
‘That was what you said last time with your father!’ Huw cried. ‘And look how that turned out.’
‘Mock all you like. But I will go there. I cannot let Asami die without trying to save her, even though I know I need you to get out again.’
‘That goes for me as well,’ Gaibun added. ‘So how will you hope to fight in Vales without the two of us to lead your dragons?’
Huw shook his head. ‘What if the message from Queen Mildrith was another of Sumiko’s games? She must know that you and Gaibun will do anything to get Asami back?’
‘I think this is real,’ Sendatsu argued.
‘And I thought kind, wise, magical elves who always did good were real — but I learned that was a huge mistake,’ Huw countered.
‘Very funny. I leave tomorrow at dawn, with or without you,’ Sendatsu said and strode across to the door, flinging it open with unnecessary force.
‘Are you done now, Papa?’ Mai asked.
‘Yes, I am.’ He gathered them up into his arms, taking comfort from the feel of the small bodies snuggling into him. ‘Thank you,’ he told Wendi again.
‘Any time. But is it really true that you are all thinking of going to Forland to get back your love?’
‘Yes, it is.’ Sendatsu had no energy to make something up.
‘Good. My husband Glyn would have done the same.’
Sendatsu smiled for a moment, then let his smile fade as he remembered how Glyn had been killed by the Forlish with Rhiannon’s father. ‘I am sorry he is not here.’
‘Not as much as I,’ Wendi replied. ‘Good night.’
Sendatsu walked back to his home, his children in his arms, cuddling in close.
‘Papa, is it true you are going to get Asami back from the Forlish?’
‘Maybe,’ Sendatsu said carefully.
‘You should. But I don’t think you should make Retsu into the Elder Elf.’
‘How long were you listening out there? How did you hear all that?’ Sendatsu nuzzled her cheek with his nose until she laughed.
‘Well, you were shouting loudly. And my ears work well,’ she told him, giggling.
‘So who should be Elder Elf then?’
‘You, of course!’
Sendatsu was so surprised that he nearly dropped them, turning it into a close hug instead. ‘Me? That’s a silly thought!’
‘No, it’s not,’ Mai disagreed. ‘Grandfather is the Elder Elf now and if he can’t do it any more then it should be you. You know lots about the Velsh and the Forlish and know how to take care of us, so you can take care of everyone else as well.’
‘I don’t want to be Elder Elf,’ Sendatsu said, with feeling.
‘But sometimes you have to do things you don’t like, when it is the right thing. You taught us that.’
‘Like cleaning up,’ Cheijun agreed. ‘Don’t like that. Or eating turnips.’
‘Well, I promise there will be no turnips.’ Sendatsu winked.
‘You would make a good Elder Elf. Because you listen,’ Mai said.
Sendatsu kissed the top of her head. ‘Sometimes I think you listen to me too much!’
She cocked her head on the side. ‘No, I think it’s about right.’
‘But we come too,’ Cheijun said.
‘No. It will be too dangerous for you,’ Sendatsu said.
‘But we can help you. You only get into trouble when we are not there. And everyone smiles at us, thinks we are harmless,’ Mai said.
‘Then I kill them all,’ Cheijun said, slashing his hand around like a sword.
Sendatsu was about to squash the idea when he thought about it. She was right. It would be a great disguise to use to look around.
‘I’ll think about it.’
‘Can you think about a story?’ Cheijun asked.
‘Already done. I’ll tell you over dinner and you can tell me about your day.’
‘I saw lots of poo,’ Cheijun said with a smile.
‘Really? Well, I heard lots of it.’ Sendatsu smiled and their laughter pealed out.
17
There are times when the way ahead is crystal clear. Cherish those moments, for it is then when you realise what is truly important in your life.
‘I think we should go with Sendatsu and Gaibun,’ Rhiannon said.
‘You could have said that before, it would have saved us plenty of argument,’ Gaibun grumbled.
‘I was thinking about it carefully,’ Rhiannon said. ‘You forget the memories I have about Ward’s castle and my father.’
‘No wonder you don’t want to go back,’ Dafyd said with feeling.
‘Do you really think we can get into Cridianton and back out again with a dozen prisoners we have freed? When everyone will be looking out for elves?’ Huw challenged.
‘I don’t know. But we need to try,’ Rhiannon said. ‘Sendatsu is right. This is the real battle here.’
Huw shook his head. ‘It will be the end of one or more of us.’
‘So be it,’ Gaibun said. ‘I would happily give my life for my wife and child.’
‘Huw, we need your knowledge. You are the one who got me out of the castle without anyone seeing. You know the servants’ passageways through the castle, which we can use to get around the guards.’
She turned the full force of her persuasiveness on him and felt him give way. She knew Cridianton was the source of as many bad memories for him as it was for her — although his were more to do with the lies he had told to get her out of there. ‘I am going. And if I am to come back, I shall need you.’
‘Really? Bevan can’t help you?’ Huw asked.
Rhiannon flinched a little but faced him squarely. ‘Bevan is my student, nothing more. It is something we have to do. We began this journey together in Cridianton. Going back will close the circle. Please, I need you with me.’
Huw stared at her for a long moment, then looked down and she knew she had him.
‘I’ll do it,’ Huw said at last.
‘I knew you would. It will be good to go back. We need to put those memories behind us.’
‘Just as long as we have something to remember with,’ Huw muttered.
‘That’s the spirit. Positive thinking, there’s the way.’ Dafyd smiled.
Asami woke, her heart pounding, only to feel a cool hand brush her face and soft words calm her.
‘What happened? Where are we?’ She looked around but it was dark, just a little light thrown by a spluttering torch outside a small window. She felt lost, disorientated. The couch she lay on was bumping around and making a strange noise.
‘You are safe and alive. We are inside a carriage of the Forlish king, being carried south to his castle,’ a familiar voice said gently.
‘What?’ Asami felt desperately weak still, her eyes gritty and her wounded arm throbbing. It felt like someone had been beating her with a club. Then she remembered what had happened in the Council Chamber and that made sense — someone had been beating her with a club. She tried to sit up, only to have the gentle hands turn firm and hold her down.
‘Ssh. We are being guarded by Forlish. Do not try anything foolish. Use magic on them and the other prisoners will all die.’
‘Lady Noriko?’ Asam
i asked, trying to place the voice.
‘It is I.’
‘What were you doing at the Council Chamber?’
She heard Noriko laugh. ‘Well, I never expected that question! I thought I was the guest of Lord Retsu but it seems I was just another pawn in Sumiko’s game. She created this. She and that creature of hers, Oroku.’
‘Are we really guarded?’ Asami tried to sit up, only for Noriko to hold her down.
‘Stay where you are for now. Retsu told me what you have been doing and you need to build up your strength.’
‘I need to get us out of here.’
‘Listen to your friend,’ a strange voice said harshly.
Asami peered through the gloom and her eyes responded this time, revealing a pair of burly humans sitting either side of Lord Retsu. Both had blades out, which were digging into Retsu’s sides.
‘Rest. Now is not the time,’ Noriko said gently.
‘How did Oroku get the Forlish past the guards around the park?’
‘He didn’t need to. He brought them through your house.’
Asami closed her eyes for a moment and cursed herself. ‘Of course. How arrogant of me to think they just wanted me dead. It was also to secure a base for the Forlish and to make it look like I was the one responsible.’
‘You cannot blame yourself.’
‘Who is there to blame for this mess? We thought we had Sumiko where we wanted and all the time she was laughing at us.’ Asami beckoned Noriko closer. ‘We have to get out of here,’ she said softly into the older elf’s ear.
‘If it was just us, then I would agree with you. But there are others to consider,’ Noriko murmured.
‘We are all dead anyway. Our guards may be Forlish but we were captured by Sumiko. She will not let us live.’
‘You don’t know that.’
‘The Forlish obviously seek to bargain for our lives, demanding magic in return. Do you honestly think Lord Jaken will hand over magic to the gaijin to save our lives?’
‘No.’
‘Well, then. Sumiko will use this to overthrow Jaken — the disgrace of having the chamber attacked, the Council and his wife captured …’
‘They also burned the chamber down when they left.’
