Wall of Spears

by Duncan Lay

  But he needed the elven prisoners first and he alternated between cursing Wilfrid for his slowness and hoping for his return. When Wilfrid and the castellan were sighted, he rode to the front of the march to see them. But his relief at Wilfrid’s reappearance was swiftly washed away by concern when he could not spot a single carriage.

  ‘Where are the prisoners?’ Ward growled.

  ‘Perhaps a little further back. This could be his advance guard,’ Edmund suggested.

  ‘No, something does not feel right,’ Ward said, then cursed angrily.

  ‘What is it, sire?’

  ‘My wife is with them as well.’

  The group rode up swiftly, and even the tired soldiers looked up from the misery of their march to see what was happening.

  Ward and Edmund moved out from the line, so the soldiers could not hear what was being said, and waited impatiently.

  Wilfrid hung back a little, his face ashen, staying beside Mildrith, but she forced him to come forwards and kneel before Ward while the castellan, who looked even paler than Wilfrid, rushed to join them, dropping to his knees.

  ‘What are you doing here? Where are the prisoners?’ Ward asked harshly.

  Wilfrid and the castellan seemed incapable of speech but Mildrith looked him in the face, her eyes shining.

  ‘They are gone, my lord,’ she replied hoarsely. ‘They were rescued by a group of elves and Velsh, using magic. And our son Uffa was killed in the confusion. Shot in the head by one of our own crossbowmen by mistake.’

  Ward was incapable of speech. Prisoners gone? Uffa dead? While he had been counting on the prisoners to save his army and country, he found himself dwelling on the second fact. It was strange indeed. He had counselled Edmund to kill his wife and sons after his death to secure the throne, and it had been good advice. He had meant it then. But now there was a voice screaming at the back of his mind. He had achieved so much yet had failed as a father. Neither of his sons were the men he wanted them to be. Now Uffa would never get the chance to learn to be a man. The pain of that prevented him from thinking how he was going to stop the elves.

  ‘How could the prisoners escape?’ Edmund asked into the painful silence.

  ‘They had help,’ the castellan answered. ‘Those two performers of the king’s, who disappeared a few moons ago from the castle — Hugh of Browns Brook and Rhiannon of Hamtun — they were helping them get in and out of the castle. One of my guards recognised them. They used the servant passageways to move around and the nightsoil gate to get in and out. They used magic to get past my men — crossbow bolts bounced away from them, swords and spears could not hurt them.’

  Ward came back from thoughts of Uffa with the castellan’s words.

  ‘But how did they know where the prisoners were being kept?’ he asked roughly. ‘Knowing how to get into my castle is one thing — finding groups of prisoners among hundreds of rooms is another.’

  A terrible silence fell again, then Mildrith looked up at him, tears running down her face but her mouth set in a strong line.

  ‘They had more help. Uffa and I showed them where the prisoners were being kept.’

  ‘You did what?’ Ward asked. He kept his fury in check. He had to know everything before he acted.

  ‘They came to me and explained what was happening,’ Mildrith said in a rush, the words spilling out of her. ‘There is a fight among the elves. They have tricked you and intend to betray you. Your attack on Dokuzen allowed the traitor to gain power and she plots to rule us all. The Elven Council was their only hope to stop her. They intend to take them back to Dokuzen and use them to save us all. There was no time to tell you, nor to explain to the castellan, only time to act.’

  Ward noticed the castellan was glaring furiously at Mildrith but that was unimportant. He would never have believed it if he had not heard the other half of the tale from the traitor Sumiko herself. His mind darted through her words, searching for lies, as well as any hidden truths.

  ‘Why did they come to you? Why did they not come to me, or the castellan, with this news?’ he rasped.

  ‘Because I had already written to them, telling them of your plans and saying I was willing to help them stop you seizing the elven secrets.’

  Ward’s voice was the calm before the storm. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because it was the only way to save our sons. I know you. You were looking to give the throne to Edmund. And we would have been too great a threat to his rule if we were still alive. I know you would have advised him to kill us. But if you were thwarted here, then we might have a chance. This was my idea, not theirs. I made Uffa help me and he has already paid the ultimate price. If there is any punishment for this, then let it fall on my head, not on Wilfrid’s, your guards’ or your castellan’s.’

  Despite his bubbling fury, Ward was impressed, both by the way she spoke and the words she said. Their conversations over the last few years had usually either been shouting or screeching; honesty like this had been rare. But, while she did have a point, her actions had put the entire country, maybe even all human lands, in the hands of the elves.

  ‘The traitor has indeed turned on us and marches not a day behind, looking to destroy us with magic and their bows,’ Ward said grimly. ‘They want you and me as slaves, our people to work for them. I wanted to use those prisoners to overthrow the traitor and secure a deal with Dokuzen.’

  ‘That is what the Velsh wanted as well. If they succeed, then we have lost nothing,’ Mildrith suggested, both her voice and her face showing she hoped she had escaped punishment for her betrayal.

  ‘Don’t be a fool!’ Ward roared and they all recoiled from him. ‘Do you think the Velsh hold any love for me, or Forland? We have burned their villages, killed their men and raped their women. If they make a deal with the elves, it will not be to the benefit of Forland! We had our own destiny in our hands and you threw it away! Do you want to tell me why I shouldn’t have you killed here and now?’

  Mildrith refused to look away from him, even in his anger. He reluctantly approved of that.

  ‘Because the Velsh leaders trust me now, and owe me a debt because of Uffa,’ she said. ‘Kill me and your last chance dies. You need me, because now you need the Velsh. That girl Rhiannon has magic — I saw it myself. You want to fight the elves? The Velsh are the key. And I am the key to the Velsh.’

  Ward hated the fact she was right. But how was he going to contact the Velsh and make a deal when the elves were breathing down his neck?

  ‘You will live. For now. But you live with the knowledge that Uffa’s death is your fault,’ he said brutally.

  ‘I know that. And there is nothing you can do to me that is worse punishment,’ she told him.

  Again, he felt a sneaky admiration for her amid his anger.

  ‘The prisoners must have escaped two days ago now. But the elven army is still hard on our heels. If your friends planned to use the prisoners to overthrow the traitor, why has nothing happened? What are the Velsh doing with them?’ Edmund asked.

  ‘Good questions. Mildrith, you need to prove you are indeed the key to the Velsh. Send them a message. We have to know what is happening with those prisoners.’

  ‘This is the truth. This is what really happened.’ Sendatsu showed the clan leaders into the wrecked Velsh church, pointing out the unmistakeable Aroaril stone. ‘You can see this is not elvish work. You can also see where it was burned by the usurper from clan Kaneoki, when he massacred all remaining humans who had magic.’

  He watched their reactions carefully. These elves, with the exception of Retsu, had either been allies of his father or handpicked by his father to rule their clans. As such, they all had similar ideas to Jaken. They had been disgusted with the village of Patcham and the huts they were given to stay in, although Sendatsu had tried to ensure that they were at least given food they would recognise. But there was no question of taking them straight to confront Sumiko with Asami sick and Rhiannon exhausted. Instead, he had tried to use the time as best
he could, showing them not just Rhiannon but Bevan, Cedrik and the other Velsh they had found with magic. Every day a handful of Velsh who had dreamed of dragons as children arrived and each time, one or two of them were showing some sort of magical ability.

  Once the clan leaders were shaken from their complacency by seeing not just one human but dozens performing magic, he had let them read the book written by the old Sendatsu, the first Elder Elf of Dokuzen.

  This was the final piece in the puzzle. He had brought them here thanks to Bevan and Cedrik and now they were seeing the evidence of Aroaril worship and a massacre of humans.

  ‘I feel as if my eyes have been opened,’ Retsu admitted. ‘I did not want to believe this. I knew, deep in my heart, that I was an elf and superior to humans. But seeing so many of them using magic at a level I cannot reach, an ancient church to Aroaril and then the explanation for all the lies we think are true — I have to believe it. We are Elfarans and guilty of stealing magic from the other humans in these lands.’

  ‘We are still different from them. You cannot say we are the same. They do not know how to live like we do, cannot build in stone or take care of themselves as we do,’ one clan leader pointed out.

  ‘Because we took that knowledge from them! They can do anything we can and, often, do it better,’ Sendatsu said immediately. ‘As for building in stone — what about the castle at Cridianton?’

  ‘We would not build it like that,’ the clan leader argued.

  ‘Of course not. But it does not make our way better.’

  ‘We have to understand how to live with the lands around us,’ Retsu said. ‘We cannot be like Jaken and imagine the world will change to fit our view of it — we must change to become part of it. I understand that now.’

  ‘You will help return magic and Aroaril to the other countries?’ Ichiro asked.

  ‘Yes, I will. And I want your help in doing so. We have seen the truth with our own eyes but the people have not. Many will not understand; most will not want to destroy the barrier of lies we have built around ourselves. As clan leaders, we have to work hard to make them realise what is in front of their own faces. If just one of us is whispering that we are still elves, we are better than everyone else in these lands, that job will be impossible.’

  ‘There are people who will not want to hear the truth and want to replace us with others who say what they desire to hear,’ Ichiro warned.

  ‘I did not say this would be easy. But we have to try.’

  Sendatsu nodded to Huw, who had been chatting to Cedrik but conspicuously ignoring Bevan.

  ‘The Velsh will do whatever we can to make things easier for you. And you will be in a strong position to force a deal on the Forlish. They do not have magic as yet,’ Huw said.

  ‘Don’t worry. I am well aware of the danger presented by the Forlish,’ Retsu said grimly. ‘And we shall be using our powers to make these lands better. I will make sure the Velsh sacrifice to save Dokuzen from the Forlish is not forgotten. Thanks to Sumiko you did not receive your rewards. That will happen now.’

  ‘I have a feeling you will be a great leader of the elves,’ Huw said with a smile.

  They shook hands and then Huw moved off to talk to the other leaders.

  Retsu reached out to grasp Sendatsu’s shoulder.

  ‘You have served Dokuzen well,’ he said. ‘I must admit, at times I thought you were a fool, and even a dangerous fool. Twice now when you left Dokuzen, I offered up a little prayer of thanks that you were out of our lives. But I was wrong. Without you, none of this would be possible.’

  ‘It took me a while to understand what I needed to do,’ Sendatsu said awkwardly.

  ‘Better late than never!’ Retsu cleared his throat and straightened his back. ‘Talking of that, I want you to know that I shall set aside my wife when we return to Dokuzen. I read the true reason why the clan leaders arranged marriages, how it was to make sure that there was no inter-breeding in the early years. Now, of course, it is done purely for political and monetary advantage. With the help of the new archbishop, I shall set aside all such political marriages and let the people choose. I hope your mother will choose me.’

  Sendatsu looked at him, his heart beating faster. ‘And what if Asami does not choose Gaibun?’

  Retsu grimaced. ‘I know things are strange between my son, Asami and you. But I cannot make myself happy and then force unhappiness on others. I will let everyone decide whether they want to stay married or choose another.’

  ‘You will please and outrage Dokuzen equally,’ Sendatsu observed.

  ‘Perhaps, but it is the right thing to do. We have many such decisions to make and I will not shirk from them.’

  ‘I will do anything I can to help.’

  ‘Good. I expected no less of the new Sendatsu. And the first act must be to get rid of Sumiko.’

  ‘Then we had better get back and see if Asami and Rhiannon are ready,’ Sendatsu said.

  ‘Asami?’ Rhiannon called, knocking on the door and pushing it open at the same time. She looked inside the hut to see Asami sitting in Huw’s old chair, legs curled up underneath her and a cup of steaming tea in her hands.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘May I join you?’ Rhiannon tried to keep her voice casual but it still quavered a little. She could see Asami had heard it too.

  ‘What do you want?’ Asami asked and Rhiannon was relieved to hear the same anxiety in her friend’s voice.

  ‘To say I am sorry about your father.’

  Asami nodded. ‘He could be infuriating but he did not deserve to die like that. Was there anything else?’

  Rhiannon took a deep breath. She had done so many brave things in the past few moons but this felt like the hardest. ‘I wanted to say how sorry I am for the things I said in Dokuzen and how much I have missed you. I know about your child and if there is anything I can do to help —’

  She stopped when she saw Asami’s face crumple and the tea begin to shake in her hands. She crossed to Asami’s side and took the cup from her.

  ‘Oh, Rhiannon, what am I going to do?’ she sobbed.

  Rhiannon hugged her friend and felt the ice between them crack and break. ‘I don’t know if I can help — I have made Huw hurt and furious with me as well.’

  Asami wiped her face and pulled away slightly. ‘You had better tell me everything. We have much to make up for.’

  ‘I am so happy to hear you say that. Why did we let men get in the way of our friendship?’

  Asami smiled through her tears. ‘Perhaps it proves that it is not only men who can be foolish.’

  ‘Speak for yourself, elf girl!’ Rhiannon grinned and they laughed together.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ Sendatsu asked Asami.

  She looked up from where she was lying on his bed. Or, at least, the bed he had been using. He had given up his hut for Asami and his mother. Mai and Cheijun were not entirely happy about this but at least it meant they could play happily with Noriko in the other room and give him the chance to speak to her.

  ‘Back already?’

  ‘No, I am still out at the church. This is a ghost you are talking to.’

  She groaned. ‘I am not entirely recovered if I could walk into that joke so easily. How did it go at the church?’

  ‘They believe. Well, most of them do anyway, and the most important thing is Retsu really believes. With him in control, things will change quickly.’

  ‘I thought you said that about your father?’

  ‘Well, things changed with him. Just not for the better,’ Sendatsu said. ‘Anyway, how are you?’

  ‘Still weak,’ she admitted. ‘I can’t keep anything down, even rice.’

  Sendatsu smiled. ‘Now you know how I feel whenever you try to cook for me!’

  Asami covered her eyes. ‘Some things never change. Including your bad jokes!’

  ‘You would be disappointed in me if I didn’t say things like that,’ he pointed out, then his smile faded. ‘I am sorry about yo
ur father,’ he said sombrely. ‘He did not deserve to die like that, killed on Sumiko’s orders.’

  ‘I fought against him most of my life. I mourn him but I don’t miss him,’ Asami admitted. ‘It is one more reason to destroy Sumiko.’

  ‘But are you ready for magic?’ he asked, seriously.

  She hesitated for a moment. ‘I think so,’ she said. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because we need to confront Sumiko. Rhiannon has been keeping track of what is going on down south. Sumiko is chasing Ward towards Cridianton — we have to get Retsu and the others there. She will not be able to keep control of the clans when their true leaders return.’

  ‘She will fight,’ Asami warned.

  ‘We know. That’s why we need you to be ready for magic. You and Rhiannon together can defeat her.’

  ‘We tried once and didn’t do so well,’ Asami said wryly.

  ‘But Rhiannon had not trained then,’ Sendatsu pointed out.

  Asami sighed. ‘I don’t know if I am ready to take her on. But I know we cannot wait any longer.’

  ‘Good.’ Sendatsu smiled, then paused. ‘Asami, I know why you sent me away before.’

  The smile fell off her face and she swung her legs around until she was sitting up. ‘Go on,’ she said guardedly.

  ‘Gaibun told me. Actually he tried to use it as a weapon against me when Sumiko sent him here to kill me.’

  She gasped. ‘What has been going on while I was in Cridianton?’

  ‘It’s not important now. Sumiko used magic on Gaibun to make him think he should kill me, then sent him here to do it. Luckily Rhiannon stopped him but not before he told me about your child.’

  Asami buried her head in her hands.

  ‘If you don’t want to speak about this now, I understand …’

  She looked up slowly. ‘Will you? I made the decision to leave Dokuzen and come with you to help the human lands. But then Father Hiroka told me I was carrying a child. It could have only been Gaibun’s — and Father Hiroka would not keep it a secret from Gaibun. It was all a mistake. Gaibun was going out to die …’