Five Kingdoms (8 page)

While the Supreme Astralmancer spoke, the steps of the Temple of Divine Tranquility ran with blood. Thick streams of red channeled around the edges of the elder’s robes, falling between the path the lions protected and toward Xu Liang.

“Who are the wolves, Xu Liang?” Che Wen Tai asked him. “And who are the vultures?”

Xu Liang was not able to answer before the Flame of the Phoenix rained down upon the temple door, engulfing the steps and the lions, and the mystic standing with them.

Returning to consciousness brought him back to his bed aboard the
Pride of Celestia.
His fingers gripped the bedding, looking thin and pale. Cold perspiration made the sheet feel thick in his palm. As he relaxed his hold, his gaze followed the swaths of light slanting into the cabin through the small window. At the edge of the moon’s light rested
Pearl Moon
, a soft arc of blue radiating above where it lay in its scabbard on a low bench.

Once again, the words of Ahjenta drifted to the front of his consciousness.
“In the war against the shadows, most are taken by darkness, one way or another. Those who shine above it act as beacons to those still fighting, a guide and a source of hope in these chaotic times.”

Landfall

S
crimm’s Harbor was
a town of moderate spread and little density. The abodes of a small population peppered the dramatically sloped landscape. They were comprised of short stone houses with thatch roofs, elongated workshops or stables built to the side of snow-blanketed courtyards, and an abundance of domesticated herd animals flocked within low walls. They were accommodated by food left out in bundles or within troughs, though some still attempted to graze over patches of what may have been a sudden and brief spring cropping up through the winter’s leavings. Many of the docile creatures that had been brought to the waterside marketplace were sheep and goats. Some wooly yaks were also present. All of the beasts contributed their share of bleating to the collection of sounds in the air, which also included the creaks of mooring ships, the hollers of deckhands competing with the pitches of sellers of various wares, and local bells communicating whatever it may have been relevant to communicate on a partly clouded morning along the coast of Aer.

Xu Liang once again thanked Yvain for her assistance and her skill at delivering him and his company across the sea. He again conveyed appreciation on behalf of the Empress for the recovery and return of the Cai Shi-meng scrolls. And, once more, he said goodbye to one who had been an ally to Sheng Fan without stipulation beyond the reasonable compensation owed for the use of her time and her vessel. Where time was concerned, he believed she had granted them more than what had been paid for. Xu Liang offered her a larger sum from the remains of the coins he had brought for expenses, but Yvain refused, stating that she would be satisfied to have Fu Ran once again returned. That was not entirely within Xu Liang’s power to deliver, but he promised that he would do his best to see that Fu Ran’s path back to the
Pride of Celestia
was secured.

Innocent of the exchange between his captain and his former master, Fu Ran took up the role as their guide, through a land that Xu Liang was not a stranger to, but that he would not consider himself familiar with. As in the west, he would have had to take time to consult his maps. Fortunately, they had been stored in packs that had not been lost to the harrowing events of the Southern Flatlands. It was regrettable to have left Sheng Fan with imperial horses and equipment and to have lost the majority of it. As well, the hazards of the western continents had claimed the lives of Fanese men—three guards and one officer, if Xu Liang included himself. In some ways, he did.

All of the losses the group suffered had been for the sake of the Empire, save for one. The death of Bastien Crowe had been for the gypsy’s commitment to what Alere had described as a sect of men dedicated to the study of magical artifacts. The elf admitted that he did not know enough about the group to detail its purpose beyond that essential idea. He had only been relaying what he’d learned from Fu Ran’s former shipmate; that the group existed, claimed interest in magical items capable of having what they believed to be significant impact on the world, and that it was through their interest that Vorhaven had come to be in possession of the Night Blade. Regardless of their or of Bastien Crowe’s interests, the Night Blade was in the hands of westerners no longer. Xu Liang believed that events had proved that it was not intended to be and that the best hope of mastering the weapon lay with the young guard who had retrieved it, who had immediately used it to defend the bearers of its sibling Blades.

It was Guang Ci, along with Taya and Alere who accompanied Xu Liang on a search for supplies to be purchased for at least the start of their journey inland. Xu Liang hoped that they would find adequate offerings to carry them through Aer and some distance into Sheng Fan. Their funds were dramatically depleted. Much had been spent at the start of the quest, months ago. Some had been lost to circumstances such as the scattering that the ice giant had inspired. The loss of the supplies marked an expenditure wasted, since now they had to recoup some of what was lost. Fortunately, the Phoenix Elves had provided beyond what Xu Liang would have been able to pay for outside of Sheng Fan. The cost of so many horses, along with the mending that had been done to weapons and clothing, plus the carry-able food and shelter they had left Vilciel with exceeded the value of a small coffer’s worth of Fanese coins. The coffer itself had been lost in the Flatlands besides. Xu Liang’s purse had less currency and only a few tokens of value otherwise.

Two small dragon carvings, of a soft and precious blue stone had been brought as barter tokens on the chance that Fanese coins would be unwelcome—though not many balked at either gold or silver, regardless of its origins. One of the dragons had gone to Yvain, an unspoken exchange for the Cai Shi-meng scrolls. The other Xu Liang had intended to give to the Fairwinds. That was before they had decided to journey this far. He would send them home with some other artifact as payment for their services and devotion when the time presented itself.

For now, Xu Liang felt that he had enough to pay for what they would find at the harbor. He would have preferred a Fanese-style tent, as the Phoenix Elves had ceased to be travelers of any great distance for some time, and had no such provisions to offer. The shelter they left Vilciel with was sufficient against mild weather. It had been a struggle in the extreme wind and cold of Upper Yvaria with no room for sufficient warmth beyond what body heat offered within each of the smaller tents. Among Xu Liang’s supplies from home had been not only a larger tent with room for several individuals, but there had also been a small burner and lanterns, a sack of grain, and bows for hunting. They had inherited Alere’s bow and his hunting skills, but there were nearly a dozen bodies to feed, for several days more.

“What about this?”

The question came from Taya, who reached up to pat a sack resting on top of a pile of others that were identical to it in texture and in the mount of contents packed within. One lay open beside the pile, displaying the large, sharp-appearing grains that were presumably within all of them. Xu Liang scooped a small amount into his fingers to examine them.

“They look like oats,” Taya determined, peering into Xu Liang’s hand, which he held down at dwarf eye level for her benefit.

“Yes,” he agreed. “We’ve nearly run out of the grains supplied to us by the Phoenix Elves.”

“I hope these taste sweeter than elvish grains,” Taya said, making a face of minor complaint. “The food tasted much better cooked at Vilciel than it does over a campfire.”

“I suspect that is because we’re ignorant of the preferred methods and recipes,” Xu Liang replied.

“And spices,” the young dwarf added.

Xu Liang smiled at her. “You will find many spices to sample in Sheng Fan,” he assured her. “Perhaps you will enjoy my herb garden.”

Taya’s face lit. “Fanese medicine! I can barely wait.”

Alere arrived beside them just at that moment. “I’ve found a pack beast available for sale,” the elf announced. He said next, “I’ve not enough in my purse to pay for it.”

Xu Liang had not expected Alere to offer any payment, but of course, the elf would not have gone into the wilds without some means of compensation for any goods or services travel tended to insist upon. He suspected now that others may also have had some funds available. In his intent to pay for his own expedition, he’d overlooked that it was no longer his alone.

“How much is it for a simple pony?” Taya wanted to know.

“It isn’t a pony, small one,” Alere said to her.

Before she could do more than protest in expression at the title Alere had bestowed upon her, Xu Liang asked, “What is it?”

“It’s a yak,” the elf replied. “The owner assures that the animal is bred for both the weather and for travel over mountain terrain. It would hold all of our supplies and alleviate some of the burden on our mounts, for those of us carrying an excess of items.”

Alere’s mare was not among them, since it was preferable to keep their scout free of such restriction. Xu Liang appreciated the elf’s interest in what benefited the company as a whole, and he would trust Alere’s answer to his ensuing question.

“Does it seem a viable purchase?”

Alere nodded. “It does.”

Xu Liang dropped the grain in his hand and reached into his robes, bringing forward the small embroidered pouch tied to his belt. Discreetly, he turned toward Alere and took the dragon statuette from the purse, setting it into the elf’s pale hand. “See if the owner will bargain. If not, perhaps we can collect from the others to satisfy the price.”

Alere frowned at the item in his hand. In its way, that frown seemed to indicate that the elf was somewhat taken with the piece. So much so, that he appeared to want to return it to Xu Liang, as if something personal were being surrendered.

Xu Liang assured him that it was not. “I brought it for such an occasion as this, Alere.”

Once more, the elf nodded. His slim white fingers folded over the statuette, and he disappeared into the market crowd.

Xu Liang turned to Taya next. “We’ll purchase some of this grain. Afterward, we’ll seek some herbs and vegetables.”

Taya agreed with that plan, and the grain was purchased. The sack was taken by Guang Ci, who carried it over his shoulder while Xu Liang proceeded through the marketplace with Taya.

“I long for home,” Guang Ci said when Taya stopped to barter with coins Xu Liang had passed to her for an assortment of vegetables that would travel reasonably.

“As do I,” Xu Liang assured the younger man. “We are nearly there, Guang Ci.”

The words were accepted in silence.

Xu Liang allowed only a space of that silence before asking, “Do you regret having partaken of this journey?”

“I have no regrets over my duty to my lord and our empress,” Guang Ci answered respectably, and as would normally have been expected.

Xu Liang looked at the youth over his shoulder, studying the severity of his expression on features that were both bold and handsome. He maintained the trim facial hair of many men in his station. His shoulder-length hair was held up, so that it may be worn beneath a helmet with ease. His helmet had been one of the important items lost during the travel behind them. Xu Liang had not noticed when. Perhaps it had occurred when Guang Ci accompanied Tristus and Shirisae on their search for Alere. That act, by his station in Sheng Fan and beneath Xu Liang, whose safety and interests he was responsible for, was wrong. By all accounts outside of the protocol of a Fanese guard, it was right. Guang Ci had acted on Xu Liang’s behalf for the purpose of bringing the Swords together. He had done so while Xu Liang himself verged on letting them go.

“You are a man of tremendous spirit, Guang Ci,” Xu Liang told him.

Guang Ci accepted the compliment humbly, albeit somewhat confusedly.

Xu Liang did not explain the comment to his young guard. He suspected that Guang Ci understood in his heart.

From one of
the highest points in Aer outside of the mountains, Fu Ran envisioned the route they would take toward Sheng Fan. There would be an abundance of craggy grasslands, which was also a breeding ground for some of the boldest bandits known to Dryth. They gathered in number and terrorized the valleys. It was said that some of the largest groups hid in dens built into the rocks and ruins of the lands of the Old Aeran Kings. For some, the size of Xu Liang’s company alone might dissuade them, especially with the viewable evidence of warriors present in the bodyguards. If a band was large enough or aggressive enough, however, that would only bring more challenge to the table. The Valley Lords, as they called themselves, were drawn to higher stakes, believing that it meant higher plunder. A Fanese nobleman with an entourage of guards and in the company of what they might take for elven emissaries would be quite attractive. For that reason alone, Fu Ran would have insisted on accompanying Xu Liang.