A Hollow Mountain (The Brightest Shadow Book 2), page 43
After his wife vanished to the second floor, likely not to be seen again for the rest of the day, Mantyos turned back to him and picked up his current sword cheerfully. He didn't fear the hot metal either and Slaten found himself wishing he could master that technique. The art that slowed their aging might be useful as well, but currently he was more concerned about surviving the year, not for decades.
"I've been experimenting with that image you drew me!" As Mantyos waved the sword about, Slaten realized that it looked something like an Oken blade. "At times I can almost understand the appeal, but it's such a strange, heavy weapon."
"The ideal is that an Oken blade is a sword for all warriors," Slaten explained. "It can cut, thrust, and chop with equal efficacy."
"Equal limited efficacy." Mantyos shook his head, no longer concerned about causing offense. "There is something to be said for generalist weapons, and I suppose that sein makes up for the awkwardness of the design. But warriors have so many other arts that can fill other roles, better to choose a weapon with focus."
"And that is your version?"
"If you would test it out for me, yes. I took some inspiration from falchions, but Olondris can tell you that my little trials do not always work out so well! At least try this for me and see how it feels."
"Don't move!" Laeri snapped and kept him seated. "You may think you're all big and strong, but deep injuries can be serious, even for trained warriors."
He accepted that Laeri was correct and waited for her to finish healing his stomach. That took some time, and he considered asking Mantyos about unique forms of steel again. It occurred to him that he should ask about the voidlink that still lay hidden with his things and the strange silver metal that they had found beneath Ith Ire. Yet he said nothing, part of him reluctant to bring it up for reasons he couldn't explain even to himself.
Once the healing was complete, Slaten cleaned himself off and switched his simple tunic for his shirt and a makeshift mantle. By the time he was dressed, Mantyos had completed the blade and attached a crude pommel. None of that was exactly proper, but the smith seemed so eager to test that Slaten accepted it.
As he walked out to the street, he tested how the blade felt in his hand. He expected the heft of an Oken blade, but in recent years he had used so many different swords that it was not difficult to adjust. Once out in the street, he prepared to swing it properly.
And instead froze.
~ ~ ~
Being able to run again had briefly elated Tani, but the faster she moved, the more aware she became that she didn't know where she was going. Though the Espalese errants had many negative things to say about Portant, even they admitted that the nation was mostly safe when not at war. The problem was that wandering into safety with no way to find the others would be just as bad.
As much as she had appreciated the errants allowing her to travel with them, she hadn't appreciated it enough. She had a little money from various trading points, but not enough to last her long. If worst came to worst, she could try to hunt, but given how little she knew about the land, even if she was successful, she might end up killing someone's livestock.
The growing cold intertwined with the isolation rising within her. She had never clung to the Nelee, carrying her tribe within her, but she found that she needed them more than she had realized. During her Farwalk, she had been buoyed by many different friendships, and even in the north she had enjoyed the company of the errants. Alone, she longed to ward off the cold with relationship.
When she finally stumbled into a town, she had barely been thinking. Her feet hurt, her head spun, and she just wanted to sleep. There had been no dreams to lead her back and she was tired of waiting for them. As she took each step, her only goal was to find somewhere to rest.
Then she saw Slaten, standing in the middle of the street, holding a strange sword as if no time at all had passed.
She launched herself into a reckless sprint. Her momentum should have knocked him over, yet somehow he caught her when she leapt at him. Normally she would have avoided embracing men, but she didn't care, she just hugged him as if she could squeeze companionship from him. Though Slaten still looked stunned, the way he embraced her back meant so much.
When he finally set her down, they just stared at each other for a warm pause. Tani was trying to avoid crying, so Slaten spoke first. "You found us."
"I... I guess I did. I'm not sure how, but it must have been Melal." She cursed herself for bringing him up during what should have been a joyous reunion, but it was too late. "Is he doing something?"
"We haven't seen him in some time, because he went to help scout our next target." Slaten didn't seem troubled, smiling more broadly than she usually saw. "It's been half a year... no, more. What have you done since we parted?"
As Slaten led her back inside, Tani told him everything, from Veron to the Steelbones to the Espalese errants. She didn't waste any time with her foolish hopes for Mohuno, only mentioning him as the raider he'd revealed himself to be. In return, Slaten told her all that had happened to the rest of the group, and though his brief style left her with many questions, it was a relief just to hear the familiar voice.
The couple he mentioned owned the house did not appear to be home, but Slaten served her a drink he called fhoka. Bitter as it was, she enjoyed it, consuming an entire cup and asking for another. Unfortunately, the elation between them faded as he returned to speaking of the Sage of Mount Tmil, this time going into greater detail about the entire encounter.
When he finished, Tani drank in silence for a time before she spoke. "I suppose the best thing that can be said is that we were not wrong. The Legend cannot simply be ignored or worked around."
"But we understand too little. I hope that when we return, the Sage will tell us more. I think your presence would be valuable."
"What troubles me is how he simply... sent Melal away on an errand."
"Not a simple errand. This seal is apparently critical to the Legend, and might cause great suffering if the mansthein acquired it."
"According to the Sage." Tani wrapped both hands around her cup as she leaned forward. "What else could he send Melal to do? Would there be anything, anything at all, that he would balk at doing if he was told the Legend required it?"
They both knew the answer, so for a time they said nothing. Eventually Slaten spoke carefully. "I do not believe that the Sage can or would lie in order to manipulate the Hero. I believe the man is... a part of the Legend, in the same way that the Hero is. And whatever else may be said of the Legend, it is always earnest and direct."
"A reasonable point." Tani took a drink and didn't taste it. "There's another problem: the Maenhu is at peace. Everything we tried to work for in the Expanse... they're already at peace, Slaten. Humans and mansthein even seem to coexist in Wahleen."
"For now. The Zeitai may intend to break that truce."
"And if that's true, we should try to stop him. But what I mean is that I worry about what Melal will do here. If... if we could set him solely against the Zeitai, he might actually bring more stability."
"But we don't control him, do we?" Slaten stared at her for a time, then slowly shook his head. "I agree that it would be best to avoid upsetting the balance. If nothing else, it would make the mansthein retaliate, possibly with the violence they've used elsewhere. But if there is violence... would it be worth it, to learn what the Legend fundamentally is?"
The question hurt Tani physically. She wanted to argue that they had no guarantee that they would receive any satisfying answers: most likely, the Sage would merely dispense more grandiose pablum. Yet she found herself as gripped by the problem as she had been when she first journeyed across the Chorhan Expanse. What she faced was not an impenetrable wall, but a lock that must have a key.
His first question troubled her as well. If she gathered her mental exercises and went after Melal, could she convince him to avoid causing more violence? Likely not, but she might be able to save someone. For a moment she considered it, but that only made her weary again. No, she wanted to stay with Slaten, meet the others, and never talk of the Legend again. After so long, she needed this.
"Tani!" The gloom was broken when Laeri suddenly exclaimed from the door.
Tani barely rose to her feet before the other woman caught her in a fierce embrace. Though she took an unintentional blow to the head from Laeri's staff, Tani didn't care, merely squeezing back. Laeri had been thin before and now felt much thinner, but at the moment her face beamed with happiness. Once they pulled apart, Laeri caught Tani's hands in her own.
"I'm so glad that nothing happened to you, Tani! I worried so, so much..."
"I'm glad you're safe too, Laeri." Even as she clasped back, Tani realized that someone else had entered behind Laeri. Though the woman wore a local dress, her hair and skin, and something in her eyes, marked her as from the raiding clans. Given what Slaten had said, it must be Natala.
"I... still can't do anything about your finger." Laeri began to tear up as she ran her fingers gently over the stump on Tani's hand. "I've learned many things, but it's so difficult..."
"Don't worry, Laeri. I'll be fine." Tani smiled and wiped away the other woman's tears, and to her surprise, felt almost no pain. For so long, any reminder of the injury had struck both her hand and her mind, yet here, in this place, it felt only warm.
"You feel so strong!" Laeri's sein brushed against her in a way Tani had never felt before, yet it immediately carried the familiar hesitance of the other woman. "You understand your sein better now, don't you? You should talk to Slaten! He learned something from the Bloodskins and it changed his body so much..."
"That's right, we've barely spoken about training." Smiling more broadly, Tani turned back to Slaten. "I didn't notice, but you do feel different. How does this raider art work?"
Slaten started to give a typically thorough answer, but Laeri hovered over Tani's shoulder and whispered, "Hit him!"
Filled with the strange warmth of finding her friends again, Tani punched Slaten in the stomach lightly. To her surprise, he felt as solid as if he wore armor. She struck him harder and still had little effect, which made him frown. "It is not so impressive a technique, but you can hit harder than that."
"Really?" Tani laughed at the absurdity of it, but decided that she would. Letting all her new sein flow down her arm, she struck him with everything she had.
Aside from jerking back with a grunt, Slaten barely reacted. Though Tani was downright impressed with his progress, she found herself caring not at all. "Not bad, but I have something to show you too. I'll close my eyes, you try to tap me with your sword."
Normally Slaten might have objected to the strange request, but even he was caught up in the strange joy of their reunion. Once she saw him draw his sword, Tani closed her eyes and stood with her hands at her sides. She didn't trust her new sense enough for true use in combat - that would require a polished art - but she knew Slaten's presence deeply and it would do well enough.
Soon she felt his movement like blades of grass against her arm. He slid his sword toward her side with exquisite slowness, either not wanting to hurt her or trying to trick her. Either way, she let it draw close before she caught it with two fingers.
When she opened her eyes, she saw his widen. "You felt my blade, even without any sein?"
"It's more than that. It's hard to explain." She was about to explain anyway, since she knew Slaten would be every bit as interested as she had been, but at that moment he grimaced. When he put a hand to his stomach and sat down, Laeri let out a gasp and rushed down to him.
"Oh, I'm such a fool! Of course your stomach isn't healed... here, sit down, I'll take care of it..."
Though Slaten did appear to be suffering from an old wound, he obviously didn't blame her for it. Given how good he was at bearing injuries, he might not have needed Laeri's attentions, but she needed to give them. Tani stepped back to let her work, still enjoying their company.
While she waited, she felt the Bloodskin woman come to stand beside her. As Tani turned to her and saw a mixture of hope and vulnerability, she realized that her judgment was unfair. If the Bloodskins were brutal raiders, the untrained women of their clan were only victims. Slaten had told her little enough, but if Natala had come with them, she must be a worthy companion.
"I admire you," Natala said softly. "Slaten told me that you traveled the Sotunn Mountains alone, which is something I never dared. I don't think that I could have, even if I had the power... but you have such strength. No women of our clan have ever fought."
"You must be Natala." Tani turned and gave her a smile. Given her current mood, she nearly embraced the other woman, but reason held her back. "I'm glad that you were able to escape your village and come here."
"Only thanks to Slaten. I am... not like you."
"But you could be." Though the idea of being an example to anyone made Tani's heart swell, she hastened to contain herself. "You don't need to be a warrior to be strong. What I saw of the raiding clans... they represent only a small, violent part of life. Now that you are free of them, you could become so much more."
"Will you show me?" Natala met her gaze briefly, hope warring with years of suffering. Tani longed to kindle that hope, to-
Slaten stood beside both of them with a face like stone.
Her instincts urged her to draw her knives and face whatever threat he saw, yet she felt nothing. Tani instead went still, noting that his attention was focused on Natala. The other woman looked back with a much cooler gaze than before, and for a moment Tani feared some threat lay between them, yet Natala seemed perfectly calm.
"Natala, don't. She will not forgive you."
"I didn't mean anything like that." After a pause, Natala sighed and looked toward Tani before casting her eyes downward guiltily. "All my life, I have been surrounded by warriors who threatened me. I... my instincts are always to ingratiate them to me, so they don't hurt me."
"That's terribly sad, but I think I understand." Tani wanted to give the other woman a reassuring touch, but it felt even more inappropriate after that revelation. "Please, believe me when I say that I want nothing but the best for you."
"It's easy to believe it. Slaten told me a great deal about you." Natala smiled back at her and the tension dissolved, though Slaten still shuffled darkly beside them. Tani wondered exactly what he had meant, especially his implication about her capacity to forgive. If he was speaking about Celivia, perhaps they needed to finally have a long conversation.
But for now, Tani was simply glad to be among friends. She drew both of them to the table and began pouring drinks.
~ ~ ~
At first Tani had been nervous about meeting their hosts, but Mantyos's good cheer quickly won her over. What followed was another round of introductions, including repeated stories that she somehow didn't mind. His wife proved more overtly hostile, eyeing Tani like an unfamiliar bug in one's home, but Slaten had warned her about Olondris.
When the woman walked to her husband and kissed him passionately, Tani found herself strangely moved. Their touch would have been at home in a Nelee village, sexual without being in any way provocative. After encountering so many prudish cultures, their kiss instantly endeared the couple to her.
They parted and Mantyos turned her. "Ah, Tani, I should introduce you. This is Olondris, my-"
"Judging from how you greeted her, I assume she's your sister?" Tani asked. Slaten had warned her about that as well.
After only a moment of astonishment, Mantyos threw back his head and laughed. Far louder than the mild joke deserved, yet Tani found herself grinning as well. The man had an infectious laugh, and if his wife scowled, she did not seem truly upset. They had been together so long that they loved each other's faults as well as their strengths.
For most of a day, Tani yearned to be near Slaten and Laeri as often as possible, as if she didn't truly believe she was back. Eventually, however, she came to accept that she could stay. Once they finished remembering other details from their travels, they allowed themselves to spend normal amounts of time apart.
As soon as she did so, she found herself facing Olondris. The other woman jerked her head for her to follow, gray hair twitching with the movement. Tani smiled, despite the lack of a response, and went after her to the training ground that Slaten had already showed her.
They sparred, but briefly.
Though Tani managed to leap away, her first thrown knife simply bounced off the woman's breastplate harmlessly. She had imparted as much sein as she could into it, but it simply snuffed out on contact. Perhaps she could have targeted the other woman's face, but in a real fight she would have worn an errant's helmet, so it would have been useless. Thus she could do nothing but delay the moment when she was completely disarmed at the end of the pike.
"Hm." Olondris pulled her weapon back and examined Tani thoughtfully. "Could be worse."
"Thank you, Master Olondris." With the rush over, Tani realized that they had been joined by Slaten. He waited quietly, but she hoped that his presence meant they could soon devote themselves to focused training.
"Don't call me that. Both of you are young, which means that you will do foolish things. Mantyos and I simply do not want you to die, so we will offer a little aid."
"And we're very grateful for that."
Slaten walked to stand beside them. "Where does Tani fall, in the theory we discussed before?"
"Perfectly balanced." Olondris spun her pike up to lean on her shoulder, regarding Tani with that same gray scrutiny. "Her path appears to include body, sein, and soul in equal measures. I would have thought that spreading yourself between all three would lead to weakness, yet they appear to... reinforce one another. It is an interesting path."
Though Tani was glad to hear her master's teachings praised by another master from half a continent away, she couldn't believe that the old woman would be so positive. "And my path's weaknesses?"
