Worry pricked at his heart. The woman he had met hours ago was nothing like the one he’d married. Something was wrong, and he had the nagging sense that she was in trouble. He got up again.
“I need to find her,” he said as he returned to the kitchen. “Where does her master live, Ona?”
“The house is abandoned. He’s been gone for days,” Ona replied. She hesitated for a moment. “But I’ll show you.”
The house stood out like a sore thumb: a sprawling mansion in the midst of that convoluted city, with vine-covered walls that went higher than some of the residential buildings. The gates were barred.
He stepped back, trying to see if he could make it to the top. Ona must’ve guessed what he was thinking, because she immediately grabbed his arm to pull him to the side of the street. “Are you mad?” she asked.
“It’s a clear climb from here,” Jorr said. He flexed his arm. “You should see me back home. I can scale a coconut tree in—”
“That’s not what I meant. Did Neri not warn you at all about the Empire of Dageis?”
“She told me about what passes for food here—”
Ona clicked her tongue. “This isn’t Jin-Sayeng. We’re in a land of magic here. Of mages.”
Those words meant nothing to him. It must’ve shown on his face, because Ona reached up to smack his cheek a couple of times. “It’s outlawed in Jin-Sayeng, but here, there are spells everywhere. That there may look like an ordinary wall to you, but don’t be fooled. Ark-Salan is a rich man and he would’ve paid mages to lace the entire house with spells.”
“You said it’s abandoned.”
She gave an exasperated sigh. “That doesn’t mean—oh, just let me show you instead.” She untied the ribbon from her hair and picked up a rock from the gutter. With a determined look, she used the ribbon as a sling and managed to make the rock sail across the air.
Jorr watched in fascination as it reached the top of the fence. As soon as it touched the air above it, there was a bright blue glow, and the rock shattered into a thousand pieces.
“See?” Ona said, to Jorr’s shocked expression. “That could have been you.”
“This…is allowed here?”
“This is the lifeblood of the empire. Without magic, Dageis doesn’t run.” She gave another amused grin. “You really didn’t read the pamphlets.”
“I didn’t think twice when the papers came,” he said. “I just wanted to be with Neri.”
She cocked her head to the side. “That’s oddly sweet. You don’t see that very often around here, not anymore.” She paused, tucking her hands into her pockets. “Why did you let her leave in the first place? She said you were newlyweds. Not even together for a year.”
Jorr blinked. “She…she wanted to go. Wanted to see the world. Wanted a better life for us.”
“You could have stopped her.”
“She wanted to go.” He wondered if she couldn’t see why this was the important thing.
They were interrupted by the sound of boots and chatter down the end of the street. Jorr caught sight of torches, followed by the acrid smell of smoke. Figures appeared, all dressed in that same, black armour from the fighters-for-hire.
“Was that you two?” one of them asked. He spat on the side of the road. “Testing the security? Go find some other place to empty. We don’t tolerate thieves and would-be robbers.”
“Ark-Salan hired us to keep watch here.” The man squinted, and Jorr recognized Atrus from earlier. He came to the same conclusion just as quickly as he did. “Well, I’ll be. It’s the fresh-faced Jin.”
“I’m looking for Neri,” Jorr said.
Atrus laughed. “Did she get tired of you that fast? You must be out of practice.” He thumbed his nose. “No, I haven’t seen her. She’ll show up, though. You, on the other hand, shouldn’t be here. Ark-Salan wanted to keep this area clear.”
He felt Ona squeeze his wrist and glanced at her for a moment. “They were looking for more men,” she said under a low voice while speaking in their native tongue. “They’ll have access to the mansion.”
“Can you give me work?” Jorr blurted out loud.
Atrus narrowed his eyes. “I thought Neri said you were an architect.”
“You really think the officials would hire him?” Ona asked. “Fresh from Jin-Sayeng…they think we’re all just farmers there.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Atrus said. “But he needs to know how to fight. Can you fight, big man?”
He curled up his fists and took a step towards Atrus as an answer. Something in the movement was enough to give Atrus pause. He gave a thin smile.
“Never a bad idea to have a warm body between me and the next guy,” he managed. “Still, we hire in groups of five, and there’s just one of you. Unless Ona wants to join and you can scrounge up three others?”
“Fuck you, Atrus,” Ona sniffed.
“There’s four other Jins who applied this afternoon,” one of the men broke in. “They’ve been hanging out in the hall, just waiting.”
“Those guys.” Atrus frowned. “Well, I guess we don’t have a choice. Come on, then.” He pushed Jorr forward. Jorr glanced at Ona once before shuffling off after them.
They traded shifts with another patrol before heading to the fighters’ headquarters. By now, Jorr’s injuries were blessedly numb, which probably had more to do with unease than anything else. As they strode through the lantern-lit hall, he caught sight of Hosei and his friends sitting on a table, playing a game of cards.
“They finally set you free,” Hosei said, greeting him with a grin.
Jorr struck him with a closed fist. The conversations dwindled down as everyone in the hall turned to them.
“You bastard,” Jorr growled. “You set me up.”
“What a rotten thing to say,” Hosei said, wiping a streak of blood from his nose. “It’s not my fault they just make the rules up as they go along. Hey, you’re all right now, aren’t you? They do that. Just knock you around and then set you free. Be glad your head’s still attached to your shoulders.”
“You son of a bitch.”
“If you’re done with your lovers’ spat, we’ve got work to do,” Atrus said, dropping a pile of swords on the table. “I’ll take you all out on the next patrol. Let’s see if you Jinseins are worth what you say you are.”
Jorr picked a sword and slid it between his belt. He could see Hosei watching him closely. “Is there something on my face?” he asked, bristling.
Hosei shook his head. “Neri’s Jorr,” he said. “She should’ve warned us about you.”
“She should’ve warned me about you,” Jorr repeated evenly. Hell, she should have warned him about everything. Was she afraid he wouldn’t come if she did?
They strode out into the dark. Jorr’s heart was still pounding. Above, he glanced at his first Dageian night sky, and saw blue light spilled across the stars. He remembered one of Neri’s letters telling him about this—that the blue glow was magic leaking through. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about that. They outlawed these things back home for a reason.
The patrol around the streets lasted a good hour, where they encountered nothing but a stray cat. Jorr was beginning to lose hope that Atrus would lead them into the mansion at all. But eventually, they stopped at the gates.
“Fucking shit,” Atrus said, patting his belt. “I think I left the keys. You boys wait here.”
“Hey, it’s cold out here,” Hosei grumbled. “You’re just gonna go back in there for some hot stew and wine, aren’t you?”
“Shut the fuck up and stay here.” Atrus shoved him aside as he darted down the street.
As soon as he disappeared, Hosei rushed to the gates, key in hand. Jorr stared at him for a heartbeat. “You swiped it.”
“Hey, maybe you’re not so hopeless after all.” He pushed the gates open before urging the rest of them to go in. Jorr was the last one through—Hosei all but dragged him in before he slammed the gate shut and locked i
t once more.
“What the hell is going on?” Jorr asked.
“This was our idea all along. You caught on quick, though.”
“I didn’t know what the hell you’ve been planning. I don’t want to know. I just want to see my wife.”
Hosei scratched his head. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. But whether she wants to see you or not…”
“What the hell do you mean by that?”
“You’ve got to watch your mouth a bit more, my friend. This is bigger than you.”
He grabbed Hosei by the shirt. “The hell it is! You people have done nothing but talk cryptically around me all day, and then I get arrested for a crime I didn’t even know I committed! Where’s my wife, Hosei?”
The other men grabbed Jorr by the arms. “It’s not what you think, Jorr,” one said.
“They thought you were Hosei. That’s it. That’s why they let you go. They knew they made a mistake.”
Jorr blinked. “They? The guards?” Realization dawned on him. Haven’t you been living with her down in that rathole the past few years?
He turned in time to see Neri at the top of the steps, a baby in her arms.
His ears began to ring.
Neri stared back at him for several heartbeats before she turned to open the door.
Jorr found his voice at last. “Neri!” he called, dashing up the steps. “Neri!”
“Don’t touch the handle!” Hosei cried after him.
His hand barely grazed the knob. He managed to pull back as sparks flashed in front of him, like embers from a crackling fire. He swore and turned to Hosei. “Fucking explain!”
“I don’t think we have time,” Hosei said. “The others will be here any minute.”
“You—”
Hosei’s eyes widened as he turned to the gate. “Shit! They’ve caught up to us!”
“What the hell is this?” Atrus called from the other side. Jorr could barely make out his figure against the fog. “You Jins are smarter than I thought.”
“We know Ark-Salan didn’t really pay you,” Hosei said with a grim smile. “We know you’re working with the guards. Waiting for signs of Ark-Salan while you kept his own house locked down, and too damn afraid of his spells to go any further. Were you trying to starve an old man to death? Don’t you have anything better to do, you two-bit thug?”
Atrus laughed. “Mighty words from a Jin! And what the hell are you doing, then? Assisting a man who feeds off your kind like a parasite? You’re pathetic.” He kicked the gate. “Open up! If Ark-Salan is hiding there, he’s got nowhere to go. You’re surrounded!”
“Ark-Salan has no reason to hide,” a man said from behind them.
Jorr saw an old man at the top of the steps, right where Neri had been moments before. He was shaking, as if standing alone was difficult enough for him.
“You should have stayed inside, Master,” Hosei said.
The old man sniffed before slowly sinking down to sit on a step. “I’m too old. I am here if they want to arrest me.” Outside, Atrus and his men were striking at the gates, trying to break it down with sheer force. From where he was standing, Jorr could hear the hinges creaking, and realized they weren’t going to hold for very long.
Hosei drew his sword. “They’ll have to go through us first.”
“Someone has to guide them through the tunnels,” the old man murmured. “Did you get the keys from them?”
Hosei held out the keyring.
Ark-Salan smiled. “Excellent. That should open the gate down there, too.” He turned and gestured at the men outside. “I count five, and there’ll be more if you wait too long. Maybe three of you can hold them off long enough. Two of you go inside to assist the others. We don’t know what’s waiting at the other side.”
He lifted his hand towards the door and made a sign. A blue glow surrounded his fingertips, turning into sparks. They flitted towards the door before dispersing on the knobs. “It’s safe now,” he said with a sigh.
“Jorr, maybe you should…” Hosei began.
Jorr couldn’t even look at him. “You go,” he said at last. “I’ll fight.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m bigger than all of you. I stand a better chance.”
Hosei cleared his throat. “I’m not going to ask you again, but if you insist—”
“Just go!” Jorr snapped.
There was a moment of silence. Hosei finally held out his hands and gave a bow, before whistling to one of his men. Together, they disappeared through the doors.
“I haven’t seen you before,” Ark-Salan said, pointing at him. “Can you fight?”
“Well enough,” Jorr said, just as the gates crashed to the ground. He came swinging at the first guard, and by sheer weight and strength managed to knock the other’s sword off with one blow. He had never really killed before, but he had been in enough brawls to know how to defend himself against more than one attacker. He twisted the man’s arm, lifting him up and using him as a shield. Just in time, Atrus’ blade came swinging down, catching his own friend on the shoulder and tearing it down to the flesh.
The man screamed. Atrus pushed his body away without blinking and approached Jorr like a wild animal stalking its prey. “What are you even doing, big man?” he crooned. “Did you just let your wife’s lover slip off like that? Ah, you don’t even looked surprised. Must’ve realized it just now, didn’t you?”
Jorr lunged at him. Atrus met the blow easily, deflecting it.
“Anger won’t do you good,” Atrus laughed. “She was away too long and well, women get lonely. And whose fault is that? You should’ve never let her come here.” It was his turn to strike. He caught Jorr on the arm, tearing into his sleeve. Jorr barely felt it.
“My only regret is I didn’t get there first,” Atrus continued. “I’ve been working that for months, but then charming Hosei had to come along and spoil the fun. Would you have preferred that, you stinking Jin? I would’ve plowed her well and—”
Jorr didn’t recognize the scream that tore its way out of his throat, but it must’ve been his. His mind blackened as he put all his strength into his next strike. When he came to, Atrus was a corpse on the ground, a grey, wrinkled thing with empty sockets. He backed away in horror.
There were footsteps behind him. “There’s no blood on your sword,” Ark-Salan said. “That was all me. You gave me the opening, though. I think he underestimated you. Man probably didn’t see you at all.” There were still sparks on his fingers.
He looked up at the old man, still in shock.
“Well, hurry along.” Ark-Salan pointed. The other fighters-for-hire were also dead. “You’re all alive. Go catch up with your friends and live another day.”
“What just happened?” Jorr gasped.
“Neri, your wife,” Ark-Salan said, placing his wrinkled fingers on Jorr’s shoulders. “Tell her thank you. For everything.”
He didn’t understand, but he found himself rushing up after the others towards the mansion.
Down the staircase they went, down three flights of stairs and into a basement with torches that lit by themselves as soon as they walked past. Jorr smelled damp moss and cobwebs, could hear a stream trickling somewhere nearby. They kept walking until they reached a wooden gate, which was already open.
Past the gate was a meadow, where daylight was already touching the edges of the horizon. Neri was standing at the edge, surrounded by a dozen children of various ages. The baby was still in her arms.
“Oh, Jorr,” she said, a look of relief crossing her face. She came running towards him, reaching up to hold him with the baby between them. He didn’t move. Couldn’t. It felt like there was ice inside his throat.
“You…” he finally managed.
“What?” Neri suddenly asked, glancing at the baby and then back at him, at the expression on his face. She frowned. “Did you think this was mine?”
He opened his mouth, but no words would come out.
“You th
ought it was mine,” she repeated. A slight tinge of irritation appeared on her forehead. “You ass! Hosei, have you met a stupider man?”
“I really don’t know,” Hosei said, scratching his chin. “But he’s set a record, if he’s saying what I think he’s saying.”
“But you…” Jorr turned to him. “I thought…you and—and the baby, and—”
Neri slapped him, almost gently. “Oh, you silly goose,” she said, laughter bubbling in her throat. “These children—we’re saving them from a life as mage-thralls. You know what a mage-thrall is, don’t you? They’re children attuned to magic, born to slaves and the lower classes. Any time a child like this is found out to be connected to magic, they’ll take them away and force them into servitude, beat them and hurt them. These children are from our own—Jinseins. I asked Ark-Salan if he could shelter them, and we’ve been doing it ever since, all of us, Hosei included, keeping them safe all these years. This one here is Ona’s own child. But then they found out and took away everything, and Master Tamus had to hide and wait for one of us to steal the keys back and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but we didn’t have the time and Ark-Salan had attuned me to the spells in the past so I could scale the wall while waiting for Hosei and…Jorr? Why are you crying?”
“I thought I’d lost you forever,” he croaked.
Neri kissed him, and his ridiculous tears. He kissed her back.
“I don’t even know if this all right with you,” she said, after they pulled away from each other. “Ark-Salan’s brother lives out west. We need to take the children to him. He’s promised to protect them. But we’re going to be on the run. I don’t know how long Master Tamus can keep them off our backs, or if they’ll even keep him alive. Jorr, I know this is too much to ask from you. You have every right to leave now if you want. But we need all the help we can get, Jorr. And I…I need you.”
The Dragonlord's Call Short Story Collection Page 8
