Jala's Mask (24 page)

“Tell me about your people,” Jala said to the prisoner. Some of the fever in his eyes had dimmed. They focused steadily on her as she talked, jumping only to look at Boka the Trader as he translated. “What kinds of promises do your people hold sacred? In the Constant City a guest is safe once invited. Is this a custom of your people as well?” The man spoke, halting several times as he searched for the right words. Boka translated. “We honor the guestrite as made law in the Anka. That's their name for the book. Let's see . . . for three days a guest must be treated with the dignity afforded by his station and within the means of the house.”

“And treaties? How do you honor those?”

The man spoke. Boka glanced at Jala, then shrugged. “He says they don't make promises to thieves and murderers.”

“We stole. You killed. Perhaps thieves and murderers can deal together.”

The man listened to Boka, then spoke two words. “Not murder. Justice,” Boka said.

“There will be a treaty, or the book will be destroyed. I'll personally throw it into the fire.”

Boka and the prisoner went back and forth a few times. “He says that their promises are held sacred when they are bound in marriage. He was trying to explain the concept to me. Apparently he thought we wouldn't know anything about marriage.”

“Right,” Jala said. “So I just need to find someone willing to marry one of these.” She waved a hand at the prisoner.

The prisoner spoke again. “No man would marry the . . . no father would sacrifice a daughter to be . . .” Boka hesitated. “My queen, he insults you. Perhaps you'd like someone to beat him? He'll sulk for a while, but he's much more cooperative after, I promise.”

“I wonder whose sons and daughters they're willing to sacrifice to send ships across the Great Ocean,” Jala said. “No, don't translate that. I have what I came for. If we can reach the Hashon, I'll have three days to convince them to make peace. Tell him that we sail tomorrow.”

Boka laughed nervously. “My queen, you can't be serious. The storm season!”

“I know about the damned storms,” Jala snapped. “We don't have any choice. If we wait until they're past, we'll sail right into a Hashon armada.”

“I understand, my queen,” Boka said. “But when you say ‘we,' of course you don't mean me?”

“I'm sorry, my friend,” Jala said. “But there's no time, and I need you to translate. We'll be going to the Lone Isle first. Maybe we'll get some good news there.”

The thought of visiting the Lone Isle didn't seem to cheer Boka any.
At least I'm not marrying
you
off to one of them
, Jala thought.
Be grateful for that.

Azi met her as she was climbing back up the stairs. “I was looking for you.”

Jala brushed past him and kept walking. “I'm going back to the Lone Isle,” she said over her shoulder so she didn't have to look at him when he realized she was leaving again. “Don't try to stop me, either. You know I have to go.”

“Wait, Jala, slow down,” Azi said. He caught up to her and took her hand. “What do you mean you're going back there? When?”

“Tomorrow. If it turns out that the ships have reached the mainland, I'll sail for the mainland from there. I have to go. I don't know who else I can trust, and if I'm going to risk sending others there, then the least I can do is risk my own life alongside them.” She met his eyes so he'd know she was determined to go.

“I wish you wouldn't,” Azi said. “But I knew since you first went to the Lone Isle on your own that this is how things would be. That I'd never quite know what you would do, and that I have to trust you. But I need you here.”

“You want me here,” Jala corrected. “And I want to be here, too. But I can't.”

He reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes, then he nodded. She hadn't even realized she was crying until then. She'd lost her father, and now she was going to lose Azi, too.

Jala sailed early the next day, aboard Captain Natari's
Burst Hull
. The ship was filled with food and loot to trade at the Constant City. Traveling with her was a sullen Boka the Trader as well as the Hashon prisoner. And Marjani. That was one person she hadn't lost. Yet.

“I don't know how you convinced me to let you come,” Jala said to her friend as they watched the Lone Isle grow larger. “I don't know if . . . I don't know when we'll be back.”

“You were pretty tired when you agreed,” Marjani said. “But I could tell you wanted me to come.”

“I'm pretty sure I said you should take the first ship back home and make sure my mother is all right. And that I was not going to drag you across the ocean just so I'm not lonely.”

“Oh, well, you
said
. I didn't listen to what you
said
. I knew you'd be miserable without me, and I'd be miserable thinking of you out here alone. It's too late now, so stop moaning about it.” Marjani's tone was light, but she was watching Jala's face carefully. She'd been acting like this ever since Jala had told her about what had happened with her father.

Marjani was right. Jala had wanted her to come. She'd also said no, rather firmly. Jala sighed. “You'll have to stay with the ships once we arrive.”

“You know I won't,” Marjani said. “I want to see the mainland too. If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't have been any safer if I'd stayed behind, would I? I saw what those people did. If they have ships, then I want to do whatever I can to help. Even if all I can do is keep you company.”

“Fine,” Jala said. Then, much quieter, she added, “Thank you. It'll be nice to have a friend with me. I just don't want to drag you into something awful. I don't want you to get hurt because of me.”

“I know. I'm scared too,” Marjani said. She squeezed Jala's hand. “But at least I won't have to sit around and wait with nothing to do but hope I don't wake up to another invasion.”

Kade was waiting for them on the beach by the time they disembarked. His face seemed even more lined than it had the last time Jala had seen him.

Before Jala could speak, he called to them in his scratchy voice. “If you seek answers again, look elsewhere. I can't help you this time.”

“I only want the same help you gave me before,” Jala said. “A small bit of information, and this time in exchange for more than gratitude. I've brought cloth and fine foods for you.”

“What you ask is too dangerous. Last time I looked, their sorcerers felt my eyes on them. Since then they've haunted my dreams.” He gestured to the villagers around him. “If I help you again, my people won't be spared when they come to destroy you, island queen.”

“Do you really think they won't kill you anyway?” Jala said.

“I don't doubt they'll kill me. But as long as there's some hope that they'll spare others, I have no choice. Be gone.”

“I'm going to return the book to the Hashon. If they have it back, they won't have a reason to return. Help me make peace. Then when I return, we can talk about whether the Lone Isle needs to remain alone any longer. There's so much we can do for each other. Please. We need your help.”

“If I actually thought you had a chance, I'd think about it.” He turned away and walked slowly back toward the village.

“It's a better chance than your people will get from the Hashon,” Jala said. “I'll wait until tomorrow morning so you have a chance to change your mind.”

They returned to the ship, and one of the sailors pulled her and Marjani aboard.

“Well, that didn't go very well, did it?” Marjani said. “Do you really think he'll change his mind?”

Jala sighed. “No, not really. I just wanted to buy some time. I suppose I could threaten him, but I don't think that would work very well.”

Boka cleared his throat. “My queen, it seems foolish to risk our lives sailing through storms when we don't even know if the ships ever reached the mainland. Nobody can deny your courage for trying.”

“I say we sail on regardless,” Captain Natari said, glancing at Boka with disdain. “If the ships ever made it to shore, word will have spread. Someone in the Constant City will know.”

“I'd feel better if we were sure,” Jala said.
And if we had an army instead of one ship.
She'd even thought she might try to convince Kade to go with her. Having some of their own magic seemed like a good idea right now. But then, he wasn't the only sorcerer on the Lone Isle, was he? There was that other one, the one who'd scared her. Hadn't he sworn loyalty to her? Right before threatening her, of course, but maybe he'd be loyal enough if they offered him a way off the island. At least, she hoped so.

“Captain Natari,” Jala said. Both the captain and Boka stopped in the middle of the argument they'd been having. “There's another sorcerer somewhere on the island, a fugitive. If he's not captive, then he's hunted. I think he'll come willingly, if we can find him. I want you to send a party ashore to search for him once it's dark.”

“The island is large, my queen. How long should we spend on this search?”

“Just this night, no more. But he should be near the village. He needs to eat, after all, and I think he'll be interested in us. He called himself Askel. Just try your best to find him.”

Natari nodded. “We'll be ready by nightfall.”

Jala tried to rest, but sleeping on the ship was awkward. Her arms were stiff from cushioning her head, and she couldn't move because Marjani was using her legs as a pillow. She listened to the sailors decide who would search for the sorcerer and who would stay behind. After that, the only sounds were Marjani's quiet snores and the lap of water against the ship.

An hour later, the search party returned. Jala shook Marjani. “They're here.” Marjani didn't stir. She gently reclaimed her legs and went to meet the sailors. “Did you find him?”

Natari stepped aside and held up a lantern so she could see the figure shivering on the bench behind him. It was Askel, and he looked worse than she remembered. His limbs were nothing but bone, and his stomach was distended, but somehow he managed to look smug.

“Greetings, great queen.” His voice was so hoarse she could barely hear. “I'm glad that her majesty remembered Askel.” He coughed. “Her loyal servant.”

“They found him hanging in a cage above the mouth of the fire mountain,” Natari said.

Askel smiled crookedly. “A warning bell, in case the mountain became angry. If the mountain bubbles and burns me Kade can feel it and get his people to safety. Not me, of course. He doesn't think of me as people anymore. Not like you, my queen.”

“If you're as loyal as you claim,” Jala said, “then help me now. The invaders, the Hashon, have taken grayships and sailed them into the storm. I need you to tell me what happened to them. Do you have that kind of power? Or do you, too, fear their magic?”

“After living in that cage, fear is an old friend to me,” Askel whispered. “I'll help you . . . though I'm weak. Weak, but not stupid. I knew what you would want. Even from my cage I heard much.” He tried to laugh but instead coughed for a long time. Jala glanced up at the smoke rising from the fire mountain and took a deep breath of fresh air.

Askel held out his hand, gesturing wordlessly toward one of the sailors. The man handed Askel something wrapped in palm leaves and seemed relieved to have it out of his hands. Askel unwrapped the leaves. Inside was a rock the size of two fists held together. It glowed a dull red and gave off a dry, unpleasant heat.

“It's still liquid inside. The fire mountain's blood. Real power, with none of Kade's damned herbs. You have to know how to fish it out. Delicate work, requires concentration. That's when Kade found me.” Askel spat, then looked back at the rock, his eyes wide and his mouth open in a wide grin. “Find me something soft, oh queen, something for me to lie on while I grind the stone root.”

The sorcerer used a small, sharp rock to cut the stone root, then to beat it until it was soft enough to put into his mouth. He sucked and chewed on one piece while he worked on the next.

When he was ready, Askel sat down on a borrowed bedroll and unwrapped the fire rock once more. He struck it hard with the point of his stone, and the exterior broke like a bird's egg. Inside, Jala saw the molten fire, the blood of the fire mountain.

“This might kill me, oh queen,” Askel whispered to Jala.

“I'll risk it,” Jala said.

The sorcerer laughed, then put the mountain's blood to his lips and drank. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. He swallowed the last drop, and the shell fell from his twitching fingers. His eyes rolled back into his head and he fell onto the deck. Black smoke rose from his mouth and ears and nose. Thin tendrils curled out from behind his eyes. Jala held her breath, certain that he had killed himself. But Askel still breathed.