Danica took a closer look at the blade. Set at its base was dark, smoky crystal. Caught between opaque and translucence, the crystal seemed to catch and hold light, or else it had its own dim luminescence. “I’ll take it,” she said.
“You can’t be serious,” said Lar as Bryn and Blackwell exchanged looks.
“Serious as the black pox,” Danica said as she peered into the depths of the crystal. “She is a fine weapon, and unlike my last sword I sense it won’t melt if I channel magic through it. Sin-Eater is coming with me.”
“Sin-Eater?” asked Lar, at once uneasy as that glassy-eyed look crept over Danica’s features yet again.
“Yes,” said Danica, blinking and sobering. “That’s the whip’s name. In times-gone-by knights and warriors named their weapons and treated them with reverence, bequeathed them to their protégés or kin—a superstition they believed helped them in battle.”
“That is true,” Blackwell said slowly, “but how did you come up with that moniker?”
Danica tossed a tuft of loose hair over a shoulder. “It just came to me.” She focused the unsettling heat of her green-eyed gaze on Lar. “Your sword is known as Kyan, I think.”
“Shiny,” said Lar.
Bryn made an exaggerated coughing sound in her throat. “Come on, you two, we’ve squandered enough time looking at treasures. Let’s take Sin-Eater and Kyan and skedaddle out of here so that we’re not late for dinner.”
Danica sheathed Sin-Eater and said, “Come on then, Lar. I’m always waiting on you.”
Chapter 16
First Law
“Someone’s coming,” said Elias.
Teah stood and peered at the door. “You heard something?”
Elias rubbed briskly at the goosebumps racing up his forearms. “No, but I can feel it.”
Teah cast him a sidelong glance. “The desmene should impede your second sight.”
“They don’t seem to.”
Teah’s brow darkened. “We don’t have time to discuss it now. You better go the way you came before anyone comes in.”
Elias looked to the window and then considered the door. Surprise was the one thing he had in his bag of tricks at the moment, but as the desmene prevented the success of his escape, it inhibited him little if his captors warded his windows to prevent further excursions. If they found him in Teah’s chamber, however, after thinking he was helpless, it may serve to place them on the defensive, which may well work to his advantage.
“Elias, go!”
“No, I think not. Let them come.” The words were no sooner out of his mouth then a wracking pain shot through his hands. The sensation spread fast as fire up his arms and then through his torso and the remainder of his body. Blue crackles of lightning danced along his desmene. Elias threw himself onto Teah’s bed. He didn’t want to be crabbing on the floor when his enemies barged in, which they no doubt would be doing presently.
His muscles convulsed involuntarily, and he feared his teeth would break if his jaws clamped any tighter. He tried to force himself to sit up, but his muscles wouldn’t obey his command. Reflexively, he reached for his power and a searing pain arced between his temples and stole his sight as a glut of stars danced before his eyes. The runes branded into his arm burned in protest, and he focused the entirety of his attention upon them, drawing strength from any sensation other than the withering agony of the desmene’s magic. He pictured the symbols and drew their familiar curves and lines with his mind’s-eye. He sheltered himself there, and when Teah’s door crashed open he was able to watch as a red-faced Mordum stormed into the chamber.
“Stop it at once, Mordum!” cried Teah, who Elias only now realized held his head in her lap. “You’re killing him!”
“You know as well as I that the desmene’s magic is not fatal,” Mordum replied, but presently Elias’s torture ended. Malak and another, older Enkilder peered at Elias, both wearing horrified expressions. Perhaps sensing their alarm, Mordum cast his companions a glance. “I had to use the desmene, I couldn’t take the chance that he may have been prepared to commit crimes against our people.”
“Indeed,” said Elias, straightening into a seated position, though it pained him greatly. Mordum’s features registered surprise, which gave Elias no small measure of satisfaction. “Lucky for me, I wasn’t walking the ledge or taking a swim in the river, else I may well have died. Although, perhaps that would have suited you just fine, Speaker. Quite the convenient way to dispatch me without getting your hands dirty, or breaking your people’s laws.”
“Preposterous,” said Mordum with a narrowing of his eyes. His companions, however, exchanged troubled glances, which caused Elias to smile inwardly. “Only the mind of a barbarian could concoct such a dastard plan.”
“I’ll have to take your word for that,” Elias returned. He focused his attention on the elder Enkilder, who bore only the faintest marks of age, such as shallow crow’s feet and a spare crease along his brows. Elias stood, willing his legs not to shake with an eminent force of concentration, and sketched a quick bow. “You are Malak’s father I presume, Arbiter. I must thank you for your hospitality. Your accommodations are lavish and your banquet sumptuous. Accept my thanks for fair treatment.”
“You are welcome, stranger,” said the Arbiter slowly, taken aback by the lack of sarcasm in Elias’s tone, perhaps. “I am named Cormn. I will endeavor to see that you receive equitable treatment while you are under my domain.”
“You have my appreciation, Arbiter Cormn. Under the circumstances, I can hope for nothing more.” Elias turned his gaze to Mordum, who had gone still as spider. “Speaker, you have come to interrogate me, I imagine.”
“Nothing so sordid, Wayfarer,” Mordum replied. “That is not our way, and I am not an Arbiter.”
“So I understand,” said Elias, “and yet here you are.”
“As resident expert in the High Arcanum, it was my obligation to see that your desmene functioned properly.”
“To that end you have succeeded admirably, Speaker,” returned Elias, who was unable to keep the acid from his tone.
“Indeed,” said Teah, who stood to position herself at Elias’s side, having hitherto watched the exchange silently from her bed. “One wonders if you made any adjustments to their function.”
“As you well know, we’ve not had occasion to test their function, certainly not on any Enkilder. Thus, I haven’t any reason to modify them.”
“No good reason, at least,” Teah said.
“And yet the Speaker has made a good point,” said Elias.
Mordum sighed, uneager to take Elias’s bait. After a moment’s glare he said, “What’s that?”
“I am not an Enkilder.” Elias spread his hands. “I am not of your people. Is it just that I am held subject to your laws, considering I have had no formal exposure, or explanation of said laws?”
“Your crimes are against nature itself,” Mordum said. “Leosis himself admitted that you have come from a different world, though he wouldn’t say from where. You’ve created a rift in the ether, and there is no higher crime. The laws of any conscionable people would hold you accountable, surely even your own.”
“The consequences of his arrival is a matter for some debate,” Teah said. “Long has the ether in the ruins been unstable.”
“Are we to believe you are qualified to make that determination?” Mordum asked. “You, who violated our third law by taking in an outsider.”
“I am no less qualified than you, lest you forget your predecessor was my teacher as well as my spouse. Leosis forgot more of the High Arcanum then you’ll ever know,” Teah fired in an uncharacteristic display of passion.
Cormn held up a hand. “Peace. The Wayfarer makes a not insignificant point.” Cormn focused eyes on Elias that were the green of sun-bleached oak leaves. “Wayfarer, while your appeal has not fallen on deaf ears, there is a chance that you may present a grave danger to our people, and that matter must be decided before you can be freed, for it is
a risk we cannot allow. The fact remains that you are in our lands and are beholden to our laws.”
“I will remind you, Arbiter, that I was outside your domain when I was captured and taken prisoner.”
Cormn cast a glance at his son, who withered under his gaze. “It is not in my power to relieve you. You will have to go before the Council of Arbitration. Yet, if you are to be held subject to our litigation, you will be afforded all the rights and privileges of any Enkilder. You will have the opportunity to prepare a defense and select a barrister to represent you during the proceedings.”
“What of Teah?” asked Elias.
“She will be litigated separately,” said Cormn grimly as his eyes fell on Teah.
Elias looked to Teah, who held Cormn’s gaze. “What are her crimes?”
“She permitted a foreigner to enter our domain without seeking the approval of the Elder Council, violating our third law. She crossed our borders without seeking permission, again violating the third law. And lastly, she employed the use of lethal Arcanum without the express consent of the Elder Council, violating our first and most sacred law.”
“I want to see my daughter,” Teah said.
“We are scouring Illedium for her as we speak,” Mordum said nonchalantly.
Elias felt Teah stiffen at his side, but Cormn said quickly, “We are only seeking her to see that she is safe. When we sent council members to your cottage she ran off and escaped into the wood.”
“We can only imagine how frightened the poor thing is,” Mordum said. His tone was neutral, if not contrite, but Elias felt the implicit sardonic edge to his words as sure as rain in April.
“She is a clever child, my Nyla, and resourceful. She will be fine, I trust.” Teah’s eyes burned with fury as she locked eyes with Mordum. “After all, what has she to fear in Illedium?”
“The only thing that Illedium has had to fear, since its appropriation by the Enkilder, is safely contained in this room,” Mordum replied.
“And where, one wonders, were you and what were you doing when we rediscovered Illedium?” Teah asked. “We know little of your history, Speaker; who you were and what you did before coming to us, and what your motivations are now that you are among us.”
“My only goal,” Mordum said in a soft voice, “is to protect Illedium and its inhabitants. I’ve lived the torment of a slave, unlike many of the younger Enkilder such as yourself who never tasted of the bitter dregs of bondage. The world outside our forest haven is cruel and monstrous. There are no ends I wouldn’t go to prevent our return to that cursed existence. I would rather see every Enkilder, down to swaddling babes, drink full from the cup of Abeotium than set foot on the blasted lands of the outer realms.”
“Can we quote you on that during our Arbitration hearing?” Elias asked.
“I spoke out of turn, off the record,” Mordum said, turning to face Cormn.
“I don’t think you did,” said Elias, who had busied himself with trying to read Mordum’s aura during his monologue. He saw nothing but a radiant distortion, not unlike heatwaves. Mordum turned back to him, a faint narrowing of his eyes darkening his features and betraying his thoughts. “Speaker, I don’t believe you say or do a single thing without considering it very carefully. Your words are designed to elicit a response, certain your sentiments will be spread. Your currency is fear. That is why you were elected to your position, because you have capitalized on your people’s fear of the outside world.”
“Do not twist my words,” said Mordum.
“I am a barbarian, or have you forgotten? Such acts of cunning are beyond me. No, twisting words is your forte, not mine. I have met men like you before, Mordum. They don’t use the sword themselves, but still their hands are wet with the blood of the innocent.”
Elias felt the air around Mordum charge as he puffed his chest preparing to deliver more of his rhetoric. “I will not suffer—”
“Peace,” said Cormn. “That is more than enough. You will both be awarded the time to speak your piece, but this is not the venue.”
“Yes, of course, Arbiter,” said Mordum. “I will take my leave.” Without further word, or so much as a glance in Elias’s direction, he strode from the room. Malak watched him go, tense as if he expected the ceiling to fall at any moment, but Cormn kept his eyes and attention fixed on Elias and Teah.
“When will Arbitration begin?” Elias asked.
“Tomorrow, I think,” said Cormn. “It would be best not to prolong the hearings, for to do so would invite speculation from the populace and perhaps dissention. That, and your next escape attempt might prove successful. Can we agree that you not attempt escape again, for both our sakes?”
Elias studied Cormn, trying to assess his mood, and whether or not he had made a jibe, threat, or joke, but he remained as unreadable as Teah. “I will not attempt escape again tonight,” Elias said. “Now that I know Teah is safe, I have little reason to risk it.”
Cormn tilted his head to one side in an eerily feline gesture. “Did you actually think we would bring one of our own to harm?”
Elias smiled despite himself. “I have told many Enkilder today that imprisonment is harmful. Semantics aside, I honestly don’t know. All I know of your people are Nyla, Teah, and Leosis, and it’s become abundantly clear that they are not typical Enkilder. I don’t know what to expect from your people, but your custom of pacifism offers me little comfort.”
“I would think the opposite would be true.”
Elias looked Cormn dead in the eye and rattled his desmene. “I fear a life in shackles more than the sword.”
†
Morning came slowly. Elias sat by the window looking out on the Enkilder city, when the knock came at his door. Its grandeur more than its size caused Elias to think of it as a city. Still, the portion that he could see from his perch could easily contain a thousand souls, if not more.
“Come,” Elias said, hoping his voice didn’t sound as weary as he felt.
Malak entered, the shadowed silhouette of two more Enkilder behind him in the hallway. “Are you ready?”
“That’s a loaded question, Malak, but yes I am clothed, cleaned, fed, and ready for travel, if that’s what you mean.”
“Shall we, then?”
“You call your city Illedium?” asked Elias who continued to look out on the architectural feat the Enkilder called home.
“Technically, the entire forest is Illedium. It was sacred to the fey long before the sons of men came to this continent. You are, however, correct in your assumption this is the heart of our land.”
“It’s remarkable.” Elias turned to Malak, who watched him intently. “You are not as good at hiding your emotions as the other Enkilder I’ve met.”
“I am a good deal younger, perhaps, than the other Enkilder you’ve encountered—certainly Teah and Leosis. I’ve not had as much practice, I suppose, in self-control.”
“Do your people find emotions and expression such a liability?”
Malak hesitated. “Unbridled emotion and a lack of mindfulness were the prime contributing factors to the carnage and destruction that destroyed the outside world. History has shown us time and again that a phrase spoken out of turn, an indiscretion, even a misinterpreted look, can spark a war. It has been the hallmark of our civilization to master our baser instincts and compulsions and live in harmony with each other.”
“Noble aspirations, but how far can such ideals reach if you don’t have any interaction with the outside world?”
“You don’t know what it’s like outside the safety of our haven.”
Elias stood and looked Malak in the eye. “Do you?”
To Malak’s credit, he kept his expression neutral, but his physiology betrayed him, for crimson spots bloomed high on his cheeks. “Shall we depart?”
“Yes, Malak. I am simply eager to learn more of your people, so that I may properly defend myself.” Elias clapped a hand on Malak’s shoulder. “Forgive me.”
Malak startled un
der Elias’s touch and the two Enkilder who had hitherto awaited them in the hall burst into the room brandishing foot-long wooden rods. Elias eyed the wands and withdrew from Malak. “More nonviolent weaponry?” When Malak’s only response was to retreat toward his companions, Elias said, bewildered, “You have nothing to fear from me. I intend you no harm.”
Malak studied him with eyes shadowed by a knitted brow. “I think I believe you.”
Elias smiled weakly. “That’s a start. Come then, lead the way.”
They didn’t have long to go to reach the courthouse, or whatever the Enkilder called the majestic domed building which lay but a block down the street from Malak’s home. Elias supposed such close proximity to be one of the perks of being an Arbiter. Still, he had ample time to get his bearings and look around during the brief walk down the bricked walkway of the main thoroughfare. Based on what he had seen of Illedium from his bird’s-eye view to the one side, and what he could see on the other from street-view, he guessed that Malak and Cormn’s townhouse was in the approximate center of the city. Judging by its relatively diminutive size, this meant that if he were to plot another escape, he would have little more than a mile to cover to reach the city limits. The greater challenge would be in crossing the river, for he didn’t know where the bridges were, and he couldn’t risk swimming until he was free of the desmene.
Elias turned his attention to the present as he climbed the granite stairs that led to the limestone doors of the courthouse. Elias characterized the structure as having been built in the classic style, at least what would have been a classical style to him. Although, he had to remind himself that while he found himself far in the future, this style may very well have been introduced by the fey, for he had learned that the Enkilder believed the fey predated the humans. This sparked Elias’s curiosity, but if it was true the larger question remained, what caused the fey to disappear from Agia only to return millennia later?
Wayfarer (The Empyrean Chronicle) Page 14
