The Brightest Shadow, page 47
- mansthein field manual on central Breilin
-
It had been a long time since Kolanin had trained, beyond meditation and basic exercises. When Hakkiv had requested a sparring session with him, he had agreed only because he was numb from Aryabaus's arrival. Now that it was over, he still wasn't sure how to feel.
Sparring had certainly been easier than trying to work in his office, even if both were equally useless. Combat was simple. But though he could have taken refuge in that simplicity, he couldn't enjoy it, his mind weighed down by too many thoughts. He wasn't sure if he really believed there was a solution he could find if he thought hard enough.
"You are an exceptional warrior, Catainan Kolanin." Hakkiv had taken his uniform off to spar, but now that he had cleaned himself, he was buttoning it as precisely as usual. Normally his address might have been an insult, but it was clear what he meant.
"Thank you, Catainan Hakkiv."
"To retreat from civilization to hone one's skills is an old tradition, of course. But I do not believe that is what you are doing." Hakkiv loomed over him, fastening the last button on his sleeve. "You have turned aside from one role and taken a job that others could do. Perhaps not as well, but there are many administrators."
Kolanin sighed and stood up slowly. Once, he would have flipped to his feet, but he had lost his will for swift movement during the battle. "We all have different potentials. To focus on some, we must turn away from others. The question is not what we are best suited for, but what the world needs."
"And the world does not need people who pursue what they are best suited for?"
"Not necessarily." After a long pause, Kolanin found that he had nothing more to say. "Thank you for the sparring session. Now that my head is clear, I should return to work."
Hakkiv gave a respectful bow and did not pursue the matter further. Kolanin slowly returned to his office, ordering what needed to be done in his mind. With so many new troops, there were equally many problems. Building new housing while keeping them fed was difficult enough, on top of their constant clashes with the humans. The tension had grown so much that he was surprised another Hero had yet to appear.
On his way in, Iralin flicked her gaze at him and said nothing. She had put in a request to transfer and he had considered allowing it. Though his orders clearly intended that all mansthein stay in Ith Ire, he could see loopholes that could be exploited. He hesitated mainly because it would leave him in a difficult position - the human girl was nowhere near ready to take on on the lead healer's role.
Once in his office, he stared at his work for a time before getting back up and moving to brew a cup of neth. He would work after that, once he'd had a cup. Or two.
Before he finished, he heard the door open without a knock. Eraes stepped inside, her eyes hard. Kolanin sighed and focused on the cup of water between his hands.
"Let me go home."
He'd known the conversation would be difficult, but that was a poor beginning. Kolanin set down his cup heavily and turned back to her. Eraes stood ramrod straight, not averting her gaze even slightly.
"We both know there's no real reason for me to be here," she continued. "None of my skills are needed and I'm wasted here. This is an exile with no purpose. If you sent me back to Teralanth, not a single person - human or mansthein - would care."
"You know I can't do that."
"Why not?" Eraes spoke sharply, all her anger contained. "Do you honestly believe that I'm going to leave and turn into another Hero? They're always warriors."
That was untrue, not that it would mean anything to say it. The young woman who appeared first had not been trained in sein, and in his research he had found that at least one previous Hero had been a simple farmboy. Those facts did nothing to alter her situation. "I'm sorry, Eraes. The Zeitai were very clear in their orders."
"And so you'll just obey them? Do you respect them that much?"
"Did you see them in Bundlin?"
She didn't answer that, which was answer enough. They sat with that bitterness for a moment, then Kolanin took a sheet of paper and began writing. Eraes opened her mouth to speak when the door opened again and Herakin stuck his head in.
"Kolanin? There's something you'll want to see."
Eraes glared at him. "We're in the middle of something here."
"Don't really care. Look, it's not urgent, but you'll want to see it. I finally had to get off my ass and stop wasting my time here." Though Eraes didn't know it, Herakin had similar complaints to hers. If he said that situation had changed... well, it did deserve his attention.
Acknowledging Herakin with a nod, Kolanin kept writing. Once the other mansthein ducked back out of the room, Eraes returned her attention to Kolanin and straightened her back again. "Kolanin, please. If this continues, I'll face death or worse."
"There's very little I can do for you. But I can do this." Kolanin finished writing and examined the sheet of paper before looking up at her. "Do I have your word that you will not attempt to escape?"
"What would be the point? The new forces would just chase me down. But... yes, you have my word."
"Then you have this." Kolanin melted some sealing wax with sein and pressed his seal into it. "I don't want you to have to use this, but this situation cannot remain stable forever. If everything falls apart, or if you and your friends end up escaping... this document will help you."
Eraes had her eyes fixed on it, reading upside-down before he finished sealing it. "Not a general permission to travel? Why the river system?"
"If events go poorly here, general documents may be suspicious. This appears to be a specific assignment and could likely get you safely to a port city. From there, I cannot help you, but I suspect you're resourceful enough to find a way onto a ship back to Teralanth."
"I see." Eraes took the paper carefully, turning it over in her hands. "I wasn't sure if I would come away from this meeting with anything. This... is something, at least. Thank you."
"It's all I can do." Kolanin used the edge of his desk to push himself to his feet. If he stayed here, he doubted he would accomplish anything, possibly not even finish making his neth. "Now, I must see what Herakin needs. Please excuse me."
He left Eraes there and went down the stairs, where he found Herakin lounging in his chair again. Few others were still present this late in the day. On the other side, he saw Ulviab crouched on the floor, rolling a ball toward Teren. The Oken girl giggled wildly as the kittens made clumsy attempts to attack the ball as it moved between them.
Ulviab looked up and smiled at him. Kolanin smiled back but didn't have the strength to deal with the gentle man today. No, Herakin's dark gaze suited his mood much better. The other man dropped his legs and got up lazily. Today it was an affectation - whatever he had come to his office to discuss, it actually troubled him. When he left the building without a word, Kolanin simply followed.
They were most of the way to the central mine entrance before Herakin spoke. "Who exactly gave us the information about where to dig?"
"All the information came from private communication with Senator Ildariel, delivered by Voidwalker. Where he obtained the information is unknown."
"Uh huh. And do you think he's really interested in the mining profits?"
"His motivations seemed sincere to me."
Herakin grunted and didn't say anything else, just led them into the mine. Kolanin confirmed visually what his other senses had told him: the mine was empty. He would have been concerned that violence had broken out except for the fact that he saw no signs of it. Everything had been put away, as if the workers had finished for the day.
"So, what are we going to see, Feinan Herakin?" Excessively formal, but a necessary reminder. He'd never heard Herakin use formal titles properly and didn't expect it, but Kolanin was too tired to deal with any more mysteries.
"Basically, we broke into a room on the lowest level. Not a box filled with rubble, an intact chamber. There's not very much in it, but what's on the walls... that's what you'll want to see." When Kolanin just kept staring at him, Herakin rolled his eyes and continued. "There's writing I can't read, but also a series of pictures. Crazy mythological shit like the Dark Lord, humans and mansthein fighting, that sort of thing."
"I don't believe the Dark Lord is mythological."
"Huh, really? I didn't take you for a true believer."
Kolanin didn't answer at first, but they needed to travel down several floors, so eventually he spoke. "I don't believe in him, I believe that he exists."
"Why?" Herakin jerked his head to the side, indicating they should go down a different tunnel. "Don't tell me you've actually seen him."
"No, but... when I was younger, I spent some time fighting in Onel Chaentan."
"What the hell were you doing out there?"
"Following orders. It doesn't matter. This was just after Terza had ascended as the newest Zeitai and he was eager to use his new authority. There was also some sort of conflict between Seinan commanders and the Laenan forces about the best way to proceed. Since I wasn't in command I'm unsure of the details, but I think you understand that it doesn't really matter."
Herakin grunted in affirmation and gestured for them to go down another rope ladder.
"Events came to a head around how to deal with a particular human sect. Their warriors were fairly strong and all gathered in a fortress-like temple. Not attacking, but refusing to surrender. The new Zeitai and the top Laenan general joined forces and set up an operation to drive them out. It was going to be their grand statement of their superiority.
"While this was happening, a black tent appeared outside camp. Everyone told rumors about it, of course, half joking that it must be the Dark Lord coming to supervise. No one thought much about it, until one day both Zeitai Terza and the general went out to the tent."
That got Herakin's attention, eyes narrowing. "You saw that yourself, didn't just hear about it?"
"I was an aide to an officer at the time, so I saw it directly. I also saw them come back. The general was shaking and mumbling incoherently. The Zeitai didn't say a word and left with all his troops. Their plan to attack the sect was abandoned without another word." Kolanin hadn't thought about those memories in years, but the chill over the camp still felt fresh. "Now, I cannot tell you for certain that the Dark Lord was in that tent. But I don't have any explanation for who could have overruled a general and a Zeitai."
"Shit. If it was anyone else I'd say it was just a story, but... huh, maybe those rumors come from somewhere after all. But if he's real, why would the Dark Lord stick his neck out for some random humans?"
Kolanin smiled flatly. "The story isn't over. I wasn't keen on following rules at the time, so as we were leaving the area, I went to scout the temple. It was completely empty. No sign of a battle, no humans alive or dead. Everything was in place as if they had just been there, food still on the tables. I asked about it, then and years later, and never received any kind of answer."
Herakin was silent for a long time as they went lower, then shook his head. "Yeah, you're definitely going to want to see what's down there."
"I meant to ask earlier: do we know who built this structure?"
"Not a clue. The Chorhan Expanse has been barbarians as far back as we have history, but I'm guessing this place is a lot older than that. The writing doesn't look like anything to me. Really, you're just going to have to see it for yourself."
They continued in silence after that, as Kolanin accepted that his words might be true for ruins of this age. When they reached the lowest level, the tunnel broke through the side of a wall of black marble, worn by the ages but still intact. On the other side lay an open chamber.
Lifting his torch higher, Kolanin pushed his way into the room. It was a cube, the edges precisely straight aside from some rubble and damage. Decorative patterns covered the floor, while the ceiling had etchings of what appeared to be a clouded sky. But what drew his attention was the walls: what Herakin had called pictures were elaborately carved scenes, still mostly intact. Ornate square frames enclosed each scene, as if forming a sequence.
"Where does it start and which way does the story read?" Kolanin asked.
"Left to right, starting from the door. The story doesn't make a damn lick of sense reading the other way."
Kolanin nodded and turned to start from the other side instead. The first panel showed simple figures standing on what looked like a grassland, little different from the modern Expanse. Some farmed, some meditated, some sat in houses. Clearly a representation of normal life.
When he looked to the second panel, Kolanin realized that he had been wrong to think of the figures as mansthein. The second carving introduced more figures with horns - not the trait he would have used to represent mansthein, but he had a strong feeling that he understood. They attacked the humans, who mostly fled to the left aside from a few warriors.
His eyes wanted to move faster, but the third panel made him pause. Instead of the same view of stylized figures from above, it was an elaborate carving looking directly at a group of people. There were nine of them standing in a row, each slightly different and carrying a different weapon, though the stone had broken too much to see some of them. Representations of specific past individuals, most likely, but Kolanin didn't spend much time looking at them.
Behind the figures, drawn as if he was the size of a mountain, loomed the Dark Lord. It wasn't identical to the painting above the Senate chamber, but the shape of the face and the sharp horns were too similar to ignore.
Herakin walked up beside him and stared at it as well. "Reckon that's your friend?"
"More likely someone else with the same title."
"You sure about that? It'd help if we could read the writing, but I'm not sure this is history. If these people were fully into mystical bullshit, it might be prophecy."
Kolanin looked back at Herakin for a time, then shrugged. "It's possible." He continued onward, his steps coming heavier and yet driven to reach the end.
The next panel returned to the stylized view and a new figure appeared on the human side, drawn larger than all the others with a sort of halo of light over his head. A Hero. There was nothing else to indicate his status, but there was no doubt in Kolanin's mind.
Though the Hero first fought off the mansthein figures, in the panel after that he carried some sort of glowing circle. It could have been a sein technique, or a shield, or the sun for all he knew. The panel communicated little to him, but the next drew his eyes.
Kolanin began moving faster, walking around the chamber as the story continued. From there, the panels became easy to interpret. The Hero fought the warriors who had stood beneath the Dark Lord, defeating each of them. At times the glowing circle appeared again. Occasionally there were other humans drawn with him, but none had any identifying characteristics.
Eventually Kolanin paused at another carving looking directly at an army. It portrayed a vast group of humans, carved in more detail so that he could see all the variety of humans today. Near the front there was a group that stood out, larger than the others and given more detail. In front of them and largest of all stood the Hero, raising his sword over his head to command the army onward. His face was large and should have been close enough to see his expression, but the stone there had been completely broken away.
Frowning, Kolanin looked back over the previous panels. Areas had been damaged before, but none of them so extensively. It looked like the face might have been removed with a chisel. Though he considered that for a long time, there were no real answers, so he moved onward.
Only a few panels left. After a great battle, the Hero fought the Dark Lord and in the end stood victorious over his broken body. The final panel beside the door was another domestic scene, the human figures again returning to normal life. This one was carved in much greater detail, so it was easy to see the Hero standing in a landscape of large trees and overflowing fields. A happy ending to the story.
"Told you that you'd want to see it." Herakin spoke from his place, leaning back against the wall and covering up one of the great battles. "Don't have a clue what you want to do with it, but I figured you'd want to see."
"Yes. Thank you." Kolanin spoke absentmindedly, his eyes tracing over the story again. This was the Legend the humans spoke of, without a doubt. And if the ancient humans who had built this place had told the same stories... what did that mean?
"So, what do we do?"
Kolanin set aside larger questions and turned to Herakin. "Do you think there's any chance at all that we'll find meaningful amounts of voidlink materials?"
"Nope. What little we've found was just leftovers from whoever built this place. I don't know why we were sent here or who lied to who, but I gave up on that a while back. It's a job, anyway. Why do you think we're here?"
"It's impossible to know. We might have been sent here to uncover this. Perhaps the whole matter is simply busywork for us and this is irrelevant. But I was instructed to report if we found anything unusual."
Herakin grinned. "I don't know, does this count as unusual?"
As Kolanin turned back toward the entrance, he was surprised to see a human man crawling in. His long hair was unkempt and he was muttering wildly to himself - Kolanin recognized him as one of the men being treated for seinshock, though Iralin had made an offhand statement that his problem might be something else.
However he had gotten here, he needed to be sent back. His arms were covered in cuts, as if he had dragged himself all the way down. Kolanin bent to help him rise when the man suddenly stared at him, eyes impossibly wide.
"An old life or an old death! You have a choice to make, but if you choose peace..." The elderly man's eyes rolled back in his head and his words became muttering that Kolanin couldn't decipher. He would have collapsed if Kolanin didn't support him.
