Six Celestial Swords
Page 44
Alere doesn’t make it easy for anyone to give a mule’s hind end about him. He speaks little and when he does open that frost-rimed mouth of his, it’s usually just to state some fact that the victim of his conversation was happier not knowing. Gods forbid, we can’t all be as perfect as the white elf.
Perfect...
Xu Liang certainly tries to be. If this dysfunctional, ragtag assembly of adventurers could truly be considered a family, the mystic is the model son become head of his own house. Patient, studious...meticulously groomed. Even now he sits upon the filthy ground as if it is a plush cushion, every fold of his robes perfect, regardless of wear and weathering…every hair in place in spite of its great lengths…his expression imperturbable while he travels deeper into his thoughts, never quite losing himself. The man stays ever alert to the others around him, always prepared to answer a question or to end a dispute. Thinker, mediator, sorcerer, and even warrior...he knows no boundary, except for his health. He’s skilled, but he’s not strong. His mind and soul are determined, but his body has never been as willing. It rebels now, quietly. Most of the others don’t notice. They’re under his spell, charmed by his leadership. The lad’s cheated death. The others view his survival as some magical will to survive, believing that he will live simply because he will not allow himself to die. The elders among us know that the young mage has cheated death, but he has not fooled it altogether.
The ‘elders’ among us.
As I mentioned before, there’s only one other than myself. An old guard, one of five bodyguards remaining to the Fanese mystic; Xu Liang, who I’ll add here is also a nobleman of his land, entitled to wear perfectly excessive layers of silk, to study to his heart’s content, and to collect human shields. He has six of them now, counting Fu Ran—the ox who abandoned his homeland and who can’t seem to shake its traditions, or his sentiment toward the man he once served. But that’s a story for later, and it brings me now to the boy.
Of course, he’s told me plenty of times that he’s not a boy and, agewise, I suppose he’s right, but when I look at Tristus Edainien, all I can see—and have ever seen—is a lonely young lad in his father’s armor. His smiles are wounded, his eyes shining more often than not with tears. I didn’t sympathize with him at first—not much—but, as with the elves, the lad has grown on me. And he’s grown attached to my niece. Separating the two of them is like peeling the bark off a Calliprian Tower Tree; in the end it’s just not worth the effort. I suppose it’s good for both of them. Neither ever had any siblings, and that’s what they’ve become to one another; like one of the closest brother and sister pairs a body ever met. I hope I never see the day their paths are forced apart. Gods know higher forces have tried—and tried breaking up the lot of us, I might add. It’s not an innocent exploratory outing I’ve gotten myself into this time around. Chaos is rising, and it may just be up to this motley assortment of friends and allies—blessed with the power of six otherworldly weapons—to put it to rest.
As usual, the future of human, dwarf, and elf kind rests on the shoulders of the young. It’s a good thing they’ve got me around to keep them in line. There’s nothing worse than a pup drunk off his own power!
Pre-order Five Kingdoms today!
T. A. Miles fell down a rabbit hole ages ago, and nothing more need be said about it.
T. A. Miles has been writing novels for over twenty years. She finally presented the results of her mental wanderings to readers in 2011 with the gothic-mystery Raventide, and has published five novels, four short stories, and one novella since.
Will curiosity pull you down the rabbit hole? Visit T. A. Miles at her blog, The Immarcescible Word, to experience her exclusive collection of snippets, extracts, and more!
THEIMMARCESCIBLEWORD.COM
CELESTIAL EMPIRE
Six Celestial Swords
Five Kingdoms (Coming 2016)
THE BLOOD WARS TRIILOGY
Blood Lilies
Blood Song
Blood Reign
Blood Wars Trilogy Omnibus
THE DREAMER SERIAL
A Bit(e) of Discretion, Please
A Little Night Magic
All the Tea in Chinatown
Four and Twenty Tengu
Man’s Best Fiend
STAND ALONE STORIES
Raventide
Masque of Shadow
See More at RaventideBooks.com