Blades of the Old Empire (37 page)

Evan looked at the approaching group, feeling the deadly strain of the past few hours slowly release its grip, giving way to fatigue. Kyth was in the lead, closely followed by Raishan and Egey Bashi. Watching him, Evan reflected that he would never again think of his son as a boy who needed guidance to understand the ways of the royals. Kyth was a man, his equal, the rightful heir to the throne.

His eyes itched. But kings didn’t cry or rush forward to embrace anyone, even their only sons returning from a deadly battle. He smiled instead.

“Well done, son.”

Kyth nodded. Their eyes locked, blue on blue, and a long private look passed between them.

Evan looked further to Raishan and Egey Bashi, his gaze inadvertently pausing on the Keeper’s face. Staring closer, Evan realized he wasn’t sure if it was the same man he knew.

“Magister Egey Bashi?” he asked. “What the hell happened to your face?”

The Keeper gave him a dark look. “It’s a long story, Your Majesty.”

Mother Keeper brushed past Evan, stopping in front of the Magister. She reached out and touched his face, running her fingers along the barely visible line where the scar had been. For a moment she looked fragile and vulnerable like a little girl.

“I, for one, look forward to hearing this remarkable story, Magister,” she said. “And I’m so glad to see you.”

“Likewise.” Egey Bashi gave her a slight bow, his eyes burning with an intensity that made Evan feel he was prying just by witnessing it. He looked away to Mai, who stood at the back holding little Princess Aljbeda in his arms.

“Aghat Mai,” he said. “I was beginning to feel concerned about you.”

The Majat bowed. He looked like he was about to say something, but at that moment Princess Aljbeda lifted her head.

She was pale, but seemed unharmed. Her eyes shone with bright curiosity as she surveyed Mai’s face, first from up close, then drawing further away to see him better.

“I know who you are,” she said. “You’re Aghat Mai. The King’s bodyguard. My ladies talk about you a lot.” Her gaze became thoughtful, as if she was trying to recall the words. “They say things about your body. They like it, I think. They call you… dashing and dangerous, I believe. But I think they only mean to say that you are attractive and handsome. They say that too, sometimes. They also say you look good enough to eat.” She gave him an appraising glance. “I don’t think they really mean this last bit,” she added.

There was an awkward silence.

“I think they do,” Egey Bashi said under his breath.

Evan suppressed a smile, watching Lady Lavinia step forward and take the child from Mai’s arms. As she did, she gave him a meaningful glance. “You’re very good with children, Aghat.”

Mai bowed. “You’re very kind, my lady.”

She smiled and measured him with another long look before receding to the back of the group.

Evan’s gaze moved to Kara, who had kept very quiet during the entire exchange. Even after her ordeal, wounded and disheveled, she still looked stunning. The lilac silk brought out the deep shine in her violet eyes and accented her dark smooth skin, so that it gave off a faint suffused glow. The lines of her shoulders and breasts, carefully emphasized by the low cut of the dress, were so perfect that Evan found it difficult not to stare. It took a second look to notice the deep crimson streaks staining the precious cloth, and a rip in front that exposed the bare skin underneath. He hoped that some of this blood belonged to her enemies and that she wasn’t hurt as badly as the state of her dress suggested.

“Are you all right, Aghat?” he asked. “You gave us quite a fright.”

She smiled. “Sorry, Your Majesty. It was too late to devise a better plan for saving the Princess. Getting into her retinue was the only thing I could do.”

Evan nodded. “It was a very clever disguise. You had everyone’s attention completely distracted. You looked so–”

She stiffened. Mai and Raishan by her sides stood up straight, fixing their eyes firmly ahead.

Evan took the hint.

“–so much in control,” he finished smoothly.

The tension in her neck relaxed. “My disguise was Lady Lavinia’s idea. She’s really good at such things.” She turned to the Olivian, who stood calmly by her side, holding the Princess in her arms.

Lady Lavinia’s smile held the approval of a teacher looking at a very talented student.

“You’re kind, my lady,” she said, “but I really didn’t do much. With your looks, I didn’t need to.”

“I am afraid I ruined this beautiful gown, Lady Lavinia.”

The Olivian lady smiled. “You did it credit, my lady. It was as if this gown was made for you. You should always wear dresses.”

“Regretfully, it’s not my style, my lady.”

Lavinia shook her head, the golden ringlets of her hair scattering seductively over her bare shoulder. “Of course it is, my lady. You have a beautiful body. You shouldn’t be shy to show it.”

Kara went very still. Her eyes darted to the two Majat, who stared ahead, their faces so straight that they seemed wooden.

“Not if I can help it,” she said through clenched teeth.

Daemur Illitand approached, his eyes darting between Evan and Kyth with an expression of uncertainty.

Evan smiled. “You’re under arrest, Lord Daemur. For high treason. As well as you, Tanad,” he turned to Eli Faruh, who trailed behind the Duke, trying hard to blend into the background.

Daemur lifted his chin. “You’re still in my castle, Your Majesty. I regret what happened between us, and I no longer intend to keep you here against your will, but on this soil I command a greater force than you. None of your guards are even here. You can’t hope to apprehend me all by yourself, can you?”

Evan looked past him, meeting Mai’s gaze. The Diamond stepped forward and lowered on one knee in front of the King.

“Your Majesty,” he said. “With your permission, I’m here to resume my duty on the Pentade.” He held out his Diamond token. Evan reached forward and took it.

“Welcome back, Aghat Mai,” he said.

A look passed between them. Then Mai’s hand shot up, drawing his weapon from the sheath at his back. As he rose to his feet, the tip of his staff touched Daemur’s throat.

“I probably
could
apprehend you all by myself, Lord Daemur,” Evan said. “I’ve always been a better swordsman than you. But since Aghat Mai is here, it won’t be necessary.”

Daemur’s eyes darted between Evan and Mai with the look of a trapped animal. Before he could speak, the door at the back of the room flung open, letting in a procession led by a slight, elegant figure in a green dress with a golden trim.

Lady Celana crossed the hall toward them. Her heart-shaped face, red hair, and porcelain skin were no less striking than Lady Lavinia’s features, but instead of drawing gazes she reflected them like a polished mirror as she walked, her steps so smooth that she seemed to be gliding over the floor. Her deep green eyes shone with a chilling intelligence far beyond her age, which Evan believed to be sixteen.

Two dozen Illitand guards followed in her wake, along with Ellah, Odara Sul and the Rubies of the Pentade. They caught Mai’s gaze and stood to attention, their faces reflecting carefully disguised relief.

Lady Celana knelt on the floor in front of the King.

Evan hesitated. He couldn’t help feeling uneasy about this sudden display of loyalty from someone who had been a party to keeping him prisoner for the past few weeks.

“Rise, my lady,” he said.

She remained kneeling. “I beg for mercy, Your Majesty.”

“If you beg for your father, my lady, it’s not up to you to decide his fate. His crime’s too grave.”

She raised her face to him. “My lord father was influenced by an evil man. You know this man’s power, Your Majesty. You know he can control minds and bend people to his will. My father fell victim to him, just like you.”

Evan looked at Daemur who stood very still, with the tip of Mai’s staff at his throat. He knew the Duke too well to fully believe Lady Celana. Yet, there was sense in it. He and Daemur had grown up together. When Evan came to this castle in disguise, he hadn’t anticipated being held captive. It would have been utterly stupid for the Duke of Illitand to think he could get away with it. Only Kaddim Tolos could have thought…

He stopped himself. Whatever the Duke’s reasons, he would never trust this family again.

“Rise, my lady,” he said again. “It’s not up to you to decide your father’s fate.”

Her eyes searched out Kyth, prompting.

He stepped forward. “Lady Celana helped us, father. She led us into the castle and sent her guards to aid us, so that we could reach you in time. On behalf of her family, she pledged loyalty to our house. And, since Ellah was with us, we know she was speaking the truth.”

Daemur looked up. “She did
what
?”

Lady Celana glanced at her father calmly and turned back to Evan.

“Our house is loyal to the King,” she said. “Prince Kythar was kind enough to accept my pledge. I am, forever, loyal to him. And to you, Your Majesty.”

Evan looked at her in surprise, catching a reflection of his thoughts in Daemur’s gaze. The Duke of Illitand had called Kyth an abomination and offered his daughter to Evan as a bride. Yet now, when Kyth singlehandedly drove away the deadly force that had attacked this castle and nearly destroyed the entire monarchy in Tallan Dar, the tables turned. Evan could see the thought process going on behind the smooth white skin of the Duke’s forehead.

Daemur Illitant paused, then slowly lowered to his knees in front of Evan. “I join my daughter in begging your forgiveness, Your Majesty. I have been led astray by a powerful enemy. I wasn’t acting of my own will.”

“While I was here,” Evan said, “things have been said between us that would be hard to redeem, Duke.”

“I regret everything that I said, Sire,” Daemur said quietly. “I wasn’t in control of my mind. If you can’t find it in your heart to forgive me, I’ll gladly pay for my mistakes.”

Evan gave him an appraising look. He didn’t believe any of it, but now wasn’t the time to find out the truth. They had more urgent business to attend to.

“Rise, Lord and Lady of Illitand,” he said. “You will come with me to the Crown City. There, your fate will be decided.”

Father and daughter slowly rose to their feet. It didn’t escape Evan how Lady Celana chose a place very close to Kyth, giving him a private glance that Kyth returned with polite indifference.

Despite everything that had happened, Evan couldn’t help thinking how good the two of them looked together, two royal children of the rival houses. They were a match, both in age and in looks, a handsome heir to the ancient Dorn line, and a beautiful, smart lady, fit to rule the lands by his side. The children of their union would bear the bloodlines of the two royal families, ending centuries of rivalry between the Dorns and the Illitands. These children would be undisputed rulers of the kingdom of Tallan Dar.

Evan knew that Kyth was in love with Kara, but there was nothing good that could come of this unnatural affection of a crown prince for an elite warrior of the Diamond rank. One day, she could perhaps become the leader of his Pentade. But she could never be a queen to rule by his side.

Evan met Daemur’s eyes.

“We must travel back as soon as we can,” he said. “We have a High Council to hold.”

Kyth made his way across the camp to Alder, sitting alone at the edge of the glade. It was dark, but his foster brother’s gaze, directed into the bushes, was alert, as if watching intense activity. Three large spiders perched on his left shoulder. Kyth’s skin crept as he settled on the log next to his foster brother.

They sat for a moment in silence. Then Alder spoke.

“I heard what you did back at the castle. Amazing.”

Kyth smiled. “I keep hearing some amazing things about you. Can you really talk to trees?”

Alder’s gaze became distant.

“They’re my kin,” he said quietly.

Kyth hesitated. It was the first time that Alder hadn’t included him when talking about anything that concerned him closely. He looked searchingly into his foster brother’s eyes.

“Garnald says you’re a Mirewalker now,” he said.

Alder nodded. “Yes. But that name doesn’t really mean much. It’s not about the Mire at all.”

“What
is
it about, then?”

Alder met his gaze, but didn’t speak.

“It’s about Ayalla, isn’t it?” Kyth asked quietly.

Alder’s eyes became dreamy. “Yes. But not in the way you think. At least, not
only
that way.” He paused, color slowly rising to his cheeks. Kyth waited.

“She’s not just a beautiful woman,” Alder went on after a moment. “She’s the mother of the forest.”

Kyth hesitated. He knew what she was. And yet, the way Alder said it made him wonder if he really did.

“You mean,” he said carefully, “the trees are her
real
children.”

Alder looked at him in exasperation.

“Not just the trees. The
forest
. Life. All of it.”

Kyth still didn’t understand. He felt as if he was falling into an abyss, too big for him to comprehend. Perhaps he wasn’t really meant to know a truth so important that catching a glimpse of it had made Alder so mature and so different in such a short time. Perhaps Kyth simply wasn’t ready for it.

“So, what happens now?” he asked quietly.

Alder smiled. “Life. Ayalla says we all have a chance, because of your gift.”

“A chance?”

“Our enemies serve the Cursed Destroyer. They’re against life, against everything Ayalla stands for. It will get worse before it gets better, but Ayalla says there’s hope.”

Kyth continued to hold his gaze. He still didn’t understand, but again, he had a feeling that perhaps he wasn’t meant to.

“What’ll happen to you?” he asked. “After the council’s over, will you go back with Ayalla?”

Alder hesitated. “She says you need me”

“I do,” Kyth said. “I always feel better with you by my side. But it’s not about me. You must follow your heart. I’ll never ask you to stay with me if it isn’t what you want to do.”

Their eyes met. Just like in the old times, a private exchange that only the two of them could understand. “All is well,” their eyes said. They smiled, sitting next to each other, looking into the dark forest.

Egey Bashi looked around the camp. Everyone was settling down to sleep. In the distance, four large tents rose out of the grass, housing King Evan, the Olivians, and the Duke of Illitand with his daughter and servants. Setting the tents up every night was a waste of time. But matters of etiquette demanded that the royal ladies, including little Princess Aljbeda, remained hidden from the men’s eyes during such intimate times as sleep, and the King couldn’t possibly be extended less courtesy than his highborn guests. Needless to say, the Duke of Illitand, despite being the King’s prisoner, couldn’t settle for anything less than his royal counterpart. Things tended to get out of proportion where royals were concerned.

It would have been better if they had stayed at the inns, plentiful along the main road. But there were no inns large enough to accommodate their entire party that, with the Cha’ori, the Illitand guards and the Olivian ladies came close to six dozen people. Besides, Mai had insisted that it would be safer to camp, so that the King’s deadly escort of seven gem-ranked Majat could maintain a safe perimeter around the entire group by spacing themselves evenly on the outside of the tent circle. Evan was eager to go along with it. After recent events, he seemed to trust his bodyguard unconditionally.

He glanced around the camp again and finally spotted the man he was looking for. Mai was sitting alone at the edge of the shadows, his black-clad shape blending with the darkness of the forest behind. His position gave him the best view of the King’s tent. The Diamond was relaxed, graceful like a cat curled up after a successful hunt. His staff lay next to him on the ground, its polished wood reflecting the light of the distant campfire.

Egey Bashi made his way over, and lowered to the ground next to the Majat. Mai turned and gave him a calm look.

“So,” the Keeper said. “How did you do it, Aghat?”

“Do what?”

“Break out of their power. You’re the second Diamond who was able to resist them. I want to know how.”

Mai smiled. “Why don’t you ask Kara? She was the first, right?”

“I’m asking
you
,” Egey Bashi said, “because I saw you do it, Aghat. They had disabled you before. They almost killed you this time, but you still didn’t hesitate.”

“How do you know I didn’t?”

Egey Bashi didn’t respond. In the ensuing pause, he started to wonder if Mai was going to speak again.

“You said it yourself, once,” Mai said at length. “The key to resisting their power is focus. I focused, that’s all.”

Egey Bashi continued to look at him. “It’s hardly that simple, Aghat. You
knew
what you were up against. You stepped into that room
knowing
what they were going to do to you. The only thing you didn’t know was whether or not you could overcome it, did you?”

Mai’s gaze wavered. “No.”

“And yet, you still went out there. Why?”

Mai smiled, but his eyes were in shadow. “I thought I told you. I had no choice. There was no one else in that room who could get to her on time.” His words died out into stillness as he sat, looking into the distance.

The Keeper peered searchingly into his face, but he couldn’t read anything behind the calmness.

“From what I heard about the Majat,” he said, “I know that to get your high ranking you must have a very focused mind.”

“Among other things.”

Egey Bashi nodded. “A Diamond Majat can offer more resistance to the Kaddim Brothers than anyone else. I’ve seen it myself when they tried to disable Aghat Raishan. And yet, his incredible training still wasn’t enough. It takes additional focus to overcome their power.”

Mai leaned against a tree. “Is there a point?”

Egey Bashi looked into his eyes, trying to force his way past the tranquil expression, smooth like a mirror surface of the water.

“It’s because of the way you feel about her, isn’t it?” he said quietly.

Mai kept his silence.

“Your focus,” the Keeper insisted. “It has to come from a very deep feeling that goes far beyond your training. You knew you had to overcome their power to save her, just like she, before, knew that she must resist them to save Kyth. Only this urge, on top of your training, could have made each of you immune to their powers. A Diamond in love.”

Mai’s gaze glinted like a steel blade flicked out of its sheath. The change was so sudden that even though the Majat didn’t move a muscle, Egey Bashi backed off, words freezing on his lips.

“Did it ever occur to you, Magister,” Mai said, “that some things in this world are simply none of your business?”

Egey Bashi smiled. “Occasionally, Aghat. But not this time.”

Ellah sat alone by the fire looking at Mai’s distant shape. He was sitting on the ground at the edge of the camp, talking to Egey Bashi. The conversation lasted a while. Then the Keeper got up and walked off, leaving the Majat all by himself.

She hadn’t spoken to Mai since they caught up with Kyth and Kara in the Or’halla Grasslands. Back then, he had been so attentive to her that she believed against hope that he really cared for her. But since that time they had never been alone again. With all the things that had happened, there was little chance for it, but she also sensed a change, as if he was no longer seeking her company. It was as if a page in his life had turned, leaving her behind. It hurt to think like this, but how else could she explain the way he was of late, friendly but distant, never approaching her without reason or spending enough time with her to have a conversation.

She heard a rustle and raised her gaze to see Odara Sul. The Keeper came up and lowered herself on the ground.

They sat for a while, staring into the fire. Odara’s dark eyes studied her intently.

“So,” she said at length. “He doesn’t play with you anymore, does he?”

Ellah turned to her as suddenly as if she had been slapped. The look in Odara’s eyes was so unsettling that the harsh words she was about to utter froze on her lips. She wanted to get up and run away, but Odara’s knowing expression told her this was exactly what the Keeper expected her to do. She forced herself to keep her ground, giving Odara a challenging look in return. After a moment, the Keeper’s gaze softened.

“You don’t have to act tough with me,” she said. “I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“Why did you say it then?”

“I’m trying to teach you not to fool yourself. This is the first thing a Keeper needs to learn.”

“I am not a Keeper,” Ellah retorted.

Odara shrugged. “True. Even the Initiates of the Outer Circle are smarter than you.”

Ellah measured her up and down with her eyes. “What do you want from me?”

Odara smiled. “Mother Keeper wants to know if you have decided to continue your training. I believe it’s a waste of time to train you, but she seems to think you have potential.”

Ellah hesitated. Something in this woman’s pale, beautiful face, in these dark, almond-shaped eyes that looked at her with such an unsettling expression, continued to hold her, despite the insulting things the Keeper had said.

“Why do you think it’s a waste of time?” she asked.

Odara moved her face closer to Ellah’s. “Because you can’t control your gift unless you first learn to control yourself.”

Ellah raised her eyebrows in a silent question.

“Mother Keeper and I both told you what we think about Aghat Mai,” Odara went on. “We told you that he can’t possibly be interested in you. But you didn’t believe us. You thought you knew better. And now, you sit here torturing yourself with doubts, when all you have to do is simply go and find out.”

“Find out? How?”

Odara smiled. “Easy. You can
ask
him. A Keeper would do just that.”

Ellah stared. What Odara Sul was suggesting was impossible. A girl didn’t just go and
ask
such things of a man.

“I’m not a Keeper,” she said again, trying to hide the indecision in her voice.

“Not yet.”

Odara’s eyes taunted her. They also beckoned. Ellah had never noticed before how deep they were, their bottomless glow opening up such an abyss of knowledge that she felt her head spin just by taking a glimpse.

She hesitated. “I don’t think he’ll tell me.”

Odara’s full lips folded into a mocking expression. “I think you’re afraid.”

Ellah held another pause, then slowly got to her feet.

Mai smiled, watching her approach. She felt naked under his gaze, a feeling made worse by the way Odara Sul’s eyes bore into her from behind, with such intensity that she could feel it from all the way across the camp. She did her best to look relaxed.

“May I sit down?” she asked.

He nodded. She lowered herself in front of him, so that their faces were level.

“So,” she said after a pause, her voice just a touch higher than normal. “You’re really twenty-four, aren’t you?”

He looked at her with surprise, but behind it was acknowledgment that indicated to her that he knew exactly what she was getting at. It bothered her that he didn’t look in the least bit uncomfortable about it. He seemed at ease as he sat in front of her, the air of calmness around him thick like an invisible armor.

“Yes,” he said.

She looked at him searchingly. She really didn’t want to continue, but there was no going back now. She
had
to find out, once and for all.

She took a deep breath. “That time we talked, when you tested my power. You told me one truth, about your age. You also said one lie, about how many people you killed.”

“Yes.” He smiled.

“What about the third thing? The one about caring?”

His bold, direct look was unnerving. She quivered under it, feeling exposed as if he was able to see through her.

“Do you really want to know?” he asked.

She hesitated. She could turn and run away now. If she did, she’d never have to hear him say it. She’d never have to know that he didn’t really care about her, that what he had said that time was a lie. But if she ran away now, she’d never learn the truth. She would never be a Keeper. Not that she ever wanted to be, but to think that she couldn’t even face the truth about something so important to her…

“Yes,” she said.

The smile faded on his lips. “It was the
real
test. It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t the truth either.”

She stared. That wasn’t what she expected him to say. In fact, she wasn’t exactly sure what he was saying to her.

“What do you mean?”

He shifted in his seat. His calmness was unbearable. She wanted to see him unnerved, or at least a little bit bothered, but he was easy and relaxed, as if this conversation wasn’t anything beyond the usual.

“I care,” he said. “Just not the way you want me to.”

She looked at him, the meaning of his words struggling to settle in her head and not quite succeeding.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“You’re a great person, Ellah,” he said. “You are smart, and talented, and very brave. If I could have this kind of a bond, I would have liked to be your friend. But it could never be more.”

She looked into his eyes searchingly. There was no laughter in their depth. He really meant it.

She felt dumbfounded. This simply
couldn’t
be. She
loved
him, more than she could ever love anyone in the whole world. And he– he’d said that he
cared
for her. He said it wasn’t a lie. It
had
to be the truth.

It was even worse because in the depth of her heart she knew he was going to say just that. Inside, she’d always known that Odara Sul and Mother Keeper were right. A man like him could never fall in love with a girl like her. Behind his dazzling looks, he was a ruthless killer, who put his deadly skill before everything else. He had been using her while it suited his purpose. And now, when it was over, he didn’t want her anymore. He couldn’t even allow her to be his friend.

She sat for a moment, looking at him, feeling all the bitterness inside her rise into her eyes with the itch of unshed tears. She wanted to hate him, but couldn’t. The look of his blue-gray eyes as he held her gaze, made her feel so warm inside, even if its deep intensity and the special inner glow weren’t really meant for her. Perhaps some day, when all of this was over, they could still become friends. Despite everything he said, perhaps he could even change his mind about becoming more.

She stopped herself. Thinking like that meant fooling herself, and she would never do that again. She had fooled herself enough chasing this fantasy, despite everything Mother Keeper had told her. If she ever wanted to pursue the dizzying knowledge she saw in the depths of Odara Sul’s gaze, she had to learn to control herself and face the truth. She was going to do it, even if it shattered her heart.

“Tell me something,” she said.

There was genuine surprise in Mai’s face this time.

“Tell you what?”

She thought about it. “How old were you when you got your Diamond ranking?”

He held her gaze, recognition dawning on his face as he realized what she was doing.

“Nineteen.”

She looked at him, her mind filling with a deep blue color.

“It’s the truth,” she said.

Then she got up and walked away.