A Hollow Mountain (The Brightest Shadow Book 2), page 53
"I wish I could have heard him tell those tales. I don't even know where Taln is."
"Big city in the west of the Eternal Empire. It means nothing at all to anyone on Breilin."
"The Eternal Empire is in the center of Fareshel, correct? Have you ever traveled there?"
"You ask too many questions." Piefar rolled his shoulders again before answering. "Truth is, I'm not sure exactly what that Empire really is. Up north where the islands stop is supposed to be their territory, but they never acted like it. I've met a hundred men and women from the Empire, but not one who seemed loyal to it. That's more trouble than I want to chew, I reckon."
Just hearing such fragments sent Tani's imagination racing. Perhaps this "Eternal Empire" was forged from dozens of tribes that had little loyalty to one another. She longed to visit that land one day, or at least to leave Breilin. The idea that all the land she had ever seen was like a raft floating in a lake, water in all directions...
"You're from south of the Sotunn Mountains, right?" Piefar glanced over at her and Tani nodded too eagerly at his question.
"Yes, I am. I represent the Nelee tribe and I hope to bring back many new understandings to my people."
"If you ask me, you should start bringing those back sooner rather than later. The Maenhu is going to get bloody soon. No place for a young bruteling who actually has something in her head."
"Thank you for the warning, but we currently sail toward a greater conflict."
"Not that." Piefar looked over his shoulder as if he could see the northern nations behind them. "I don't know what made those fools along the Wahleenese border break the truce, but I don't think this one will end quickly. Wahleen can't allow it, not with the Deathspawn occupying the whole north. They're moving into Portant, too, and if those two go to it, Espal won't sit idly by."
Without the Hero, would the Maenhu have remained at peace? Tani didn't think that Melal could be blamed for the breaking of the truce, and the hatred between them had existed for generations. Yet still... she found herself wondering if it would be best to try to convince Melal to return south instead of getting involved in the northern war.
Yet where should he go? The Chorhan Expanse was balanced on a knife of peace and the Rhen tribes could still easily be drawn into a war. Though Tani desperately hoped to avoid such a choice, she would save the Nelee before she attempted to save strangers. Did that mean that it would be better to let Melal return north to condemn others to join his war?
Tani's expanded sein senses meant that she was as aware of all the others walking along with them as she was of her own hair, yet she was still mildly surprised when Natala came to walk beside them. She could distinguish Slaten and Laeri by their sein, but Natala could have been anyone else.
"There's a beast on the rocks ahead," Natala said. "Do we need to avoid it?"
"Eh?" Piefar shielded his eyes from the sun and looked where she directed. "Ah, no, that's just a dragon. We're too noisy, so it will leave us alone. They mostly like to lie down and soak up the sun anyway."
Eager to see one of the northern creatures, Tani followed Natala's hand. Indeed, a beast sat atop a rock, sunning its dark brown scales. It struck her as a fat snake at first, with four clawed legs splayed out around it. As she watched, it looked toward them, but merely flicked a long forked tongue from its mouth several times and then laid its head back down.
"That is a dragon?" she asked. "I had... expected it to be bigger."
"Heard stories, huh?" Piefar shook his head. "Just errant nonsense. That there is a desert dragon, and they're one of the bigger ones. Some of the others are no longer than your arm."
"But I thought they were dangerous. They defeat the manticore in the game of beasts."
"Mostly they sit, but they're fast when they move. And their bite... I don't know what it is, but I've seen even some errants fall to the infection. I suppose I should warn the crew and make sure no one gets the idea of trying to cook it. We have enough to worry about."
Piefar moved away from them, giving terse orders to one of the sailors. That left Tani walking alongside Natala, the Bloodskin woman struggling under a heavy pack. Though Tani's first instinct was to help her, she found herself instead thinking of what she had just heard. "So you told Piefar that you hate those foolish brutes, did you?"
Natala grinned. "He seemed pleased to hear it."
"Do you simply tell everyone what they most want to hear? You must know that you cannot sustain that. Others will grow angry when they learn you wear different masks for different people."
"They'll grow angry right now if I tell them something they don't want to hear." Another sandy wind seemed to blow Natala's smile away and she regarded Tani seriously. "The dragon was a distraction. I wanted to speak to you regarding the Steelbones and their leader."
Tani bit her lip. "I would rather not speak of him. I thought that he might listen to me, but I was only deluding myself."
"But his idea of offering villages protection is still an intriguing one. I'd like to hear everything you know about how he forced his clan to follow that path."
Uncomfortable as the subject was, Tani made herself recount the details she could remember. It was unpleasant, but better than walking alone. Strange as she was, Natala did always listen to others. If only the raiding clans allowed women in positions of leadership, Natala might well be a respected chieftain, one who might listen to outsiders with strange ideas.
Before they could finish, Slaten joined them. Though his face remained stiff, his steps were a weak shuffle and he rubbed one shoulder repeatedly. Tani smiled at him and then glanced back to the ship, still trudging forward. "There are enough of you for some to take a break?"
"An errant is covering for me, but there is another reason." Slaten gestured toward the horizon, where Tani could just make out the glimmer of the river with the help of sein. "Some of the faster errants intend to scout ahead and I thought you would want to come with us."
"I would be happy to, if someone can carry this crate. Are we finding the path back to the river?"
"They know the path, but they want to be sure that there are not more blockades lying in wait ahead. We need to stay out of sight, but if that requires more than one day..."
Just as Tani opened her mouth to respond, she smelled Melal approaching behind them, like mint being tossed into an inferno. He swept up beside them, ignoring Natala to put his hands around Tani and Slaten's shoulders.
"Is this not an amazing feat, my friends? Carrying a ship across a desert! Before the Legend is complete, they shall sings songs of this." Melal raised his arms forward as if exalting the mountains ahead, his eyes as bright as the desolation around them. "But those songs will pale in comparison to the bloodshed that awaits us."
Tani remained skeptical about the words of the Sages. With Melal's promises, she could only hope.
Chapter 38
-
"In those days, there was a great war between Wahleen and Espal, fought in the hills of Portant. In those days, a young errant named Emdore fought for Espal against Wahleen. In those days, a young errant named Emlioon fought for Wahleen. And so on one of those fateful days, they were brought together on the same battlefield, and long did they do battle."
- excerpt from The Tale of Emdore and Emlioon
-
"Speech, Kaen, speech! Speech, Kaen, speech!"
Celivia looked up from her food, blinking in surprise at how quickly the chant had come together. When she had last been mentally present, the table had been filled with food, but now only bones and skewers remained. Her band reclined around it, with Ghalia on the opposite side and Reina crouched at her right.
"A speech?" Celivia raised an eyebrow as they all quieted down. "You don't want to hear me give a speech."
"We've finished a difficult campaign," Ghasfik said. "We need something to cap it off."
Fijn leaned closer from her left. "Everyone is going to get so drunk they won't remember anyway."
"If you insist." Celivia raised her mug, though it contained only water. "They sent us out to fail, but we won. They're going to send us out again, against even more human barbarians, but not yet. They don't bring just any band back to Wahleen, so enjoy your victory."
"Hear, hear!" Big Ragh smashed his mug against hers, losing a significant amount of whatever he was drinking, which hissed against the table. "That enjoyment starts right now!"
He tipped his head back and began draining his mug, despite Splinters elbowing him to try to make him cough. Celivia noted that his muscles looked denser, now that she considered it. His progress wasn't breathtaking, and his skin wouldn't turn aside a blade, but he had advanced. The others cheered for his accomplishment and conversations struck up around the table again.
"It was a good speech." Ghalia spoke loudly enough to be heard over the others. "Too long by half, though. Xetsu is the true master of short speeches."
Before Celivia could answer, Brifik spoke up. "Xetsu? You can't mean Zeitai Xetsu?"
"Hell yes, I mean him! Do you think he'd let someone else run around using his name?"
"I didn't... really imagine him giving speeches."
Ghalia laughed and took a long swig from her mug, enjoying the attention. "He's silent most of the time, but he's better at talking than you'd think. One time, he was about to lead everyone against one of Baelen's remaining armies. There weren't many of us, and we're nothing beside the Zeitai, so we knew that we'd probably die. But Xetsu stood up, got everyone's attention... and all he said was, 'Come back injured.' Let me tell you, it got the blood flowing!"
Though Celivia didn't respond to the words, she did see the implication, and her band reacted with mug-banging approval. She thought back to the two times when she'd heard Xetsu speak and felt certain that those words had been more calculated than they appeared.
"Celi, let's go." Reina leaned into her side and spoke quietly. "Surely we have more important things to do than drink with them?"
"Soon." Celivia rubbed her back gently and felt the tension along the other woman's spine. She wouldn't snap, but there was no chance that she'd enjoy herself. Though Celivia had to pull her hand away, as she didn't want anyone drawing conclusions, she replaced it with her tail, stroking the flat of her blade against Reina's back.
At that moment Krafan leaned across Reina, beaming at Celivia. "Thank you for the meal, Celivia. This was delicious, but truthfully, I think you were the better cook."
Reina hissed at him and he flinched back. Though Celivia tried to give him an apologetic smile, she realized that Reina had been right. She had spent some time with the band and made her little speech. Now they were getting drunker and listening to Ghalia's stories, so there was no point in her staying. Best to begin her work before she wore out her welcome.
With a nod to Ghasfik, Celivia pushed back her chair and stepped away. By the time she reached the door, Reina at her heels, her second had extricated himself and come to join her. "Yes, Kaen?"
"Try to keep the band under control, but I have something else for you to do." Despite all the noise around them, Celivia lowered her voice. "I'm told that a soldier from the local garrison has been assigned to join us as our ninth member. I'm concerned that everyone might think of him as a replacement for Little Ragh, and that could be difficult for him. To be honest, I don't know what the best approach would be."
"I'll handle it, Kaen." Ghasfik brought a fist to his chest with a look that might have been approval. "Do you intend to handle all our other business?"
"I have an audience in the castle proper some time during the next ten days, so I'll trust you to handle the band's affairs. But yes, I'll be handling equipment and other requisitions." As if to remind herself, she slipped a hand into the pocket of her robes, where she felt the chit she'd been given.
Though Ghasfik merely nodded, Fijn came up behind him. "Do you want me to handle the equipment? I know that's Brifik's job, but he's too drunk to see straight, so I could cover it."
"That's kind of you, but the mansthein at Castle Wahles make it difficult to find equipment." Celivia frowned and reconsidered. "What I want is to talk to someone named Daekhan, but he makes himself difficult to find. Can you go to the quartermaster and make it clear that I'm looking for him?"
"Sure." Fijn nodded to her and then trotted away. Thinking back, she realized that she had seen him drinking regularly, but rarely refill his glass. Faking, perhaps.
With two members of the band given duties, Celivia thought her tasks might be at an end, but to her surprise Huthur approached as well. It seemed that she would need to flee the restaurant if she wanted to avoid being constantly encountered.
"I'd like to ask for leave," Huthur said. "I won't be with the band while we're here, but tell me the date and I will make sure I return on time."
"Unfortunately, we don't know exactly when we voidwalk out. But if you stay in touch with Ghasfik every few days, that should be sufficient. Otherwise, consider your leave granted."
"Thank you, Kaen." He saluted with a surprisingly relieved smile, then quickly slipped into the street. Celivia made a note to mention it to Ghasfik, but otherwise let it go. She might technically be on leave, but if she wanted to finish any significant training, she needed to hurry.
Celivia turned to finally leave and heard "Not so fast!" behind her. Ghalia pushed her way to her feet, dropped her empty mug over Big Ragh's head, and stomped after her. "You're not leaving me with these idiots! I want to see Castle Wahles."
Though she'd called them idiots, the men just laughed and shouted insults back. As much progress as Celivia had made, she wasn't sure she would ever have Ghalia's easy way with them. Her friend grabbed her axe from beside the door and followed her outside.
"How are you not drunk?" Reina asked.
"Oh, that's changed ever since my Catai rebirth. There's just too much of me to get drunk on weak piss like this." Ghalia laughed and roughly ran a hand over Reina's head. "You look like you'd fall unconscious after a single cup."
"Not exactly. A Bersk body becomes drunk very quickly, but it fades into a headache soon and I sober just as quickly."
"Hah! You're fast in every way, then."
As the two of them continued talking from either side of her, Celivia felt slight surprise that Ghalia hadn't been aware of that. Thinking back, Reina had only drunk wine in her presence, and apparently Reina hadn't mentioned it to others. Once, they'd shared every insignificant detail of their rebirths, but the years had sent them drifting to different continents.
Celivia enjoyed the friendly bickering between the two of them as they concluded her business regarding supplies for her band. By the time she had finished everything except the matter of the equipment chit, Fijn was waiting outside the quartermaster's building.
"Several people claimed that Daekhan didn't even exist." Fijn shrugged, but she caught a hint of a sly smile on his lips. "But then someone handed me a note inviting you to go to this specific tower and stand accomplishing nothing."
"Well then, I suppose we shall." Celivia briefly glanced at the note, its neat handwriting confirming what Fijn said, and then led the group toward their destination.
It was, unsurprisingly, an empty tower. Though it had been well-swept, there was no other sign that it had been used in recent memory. Reina peered around the corners, looking for another door, while Celivia watched the one they had entered. After the pause stretched too long, Ghalia sighed.
"You don't suppose...?"
"He did warn us." Celivia gestured for them to wait longer, however, and eventually Daekhan strolled through the door.
Though he wore different armor than their previous encounter and a new hat, he had the same steel skewer stuck between his teeth. This time he carried a spear over his shoulder, thin but apparently pure metal. Considering the weight, few warriors used them unless they were concerned with the shaft being broken. It was an elegantly crafted weapon, but Daekhan tossed it into a corner.
"Sorry, I was training." His eyes flickered over the group before returning to her. "I presume that you need more equipment?"
"Something like that." She handed him the chit, which he either ignored or read instantly. "Fijn here will talk to you about what equipment my band could use most. They're here in Castle Wahles, so I hope everything can be properly fitted this time."
"I won't do that personally, but I can arrange it. You're noted as deserving of superior equipment, so it's good that you came to me. What do you need?"
In response, Celivia drew her weapons. "My whip has seen many years of use, but I don't know if you have smiths who can forge another one."
"They could if you gave them the diagrams and enough time, but I doubt you have either."
"In that case, my duusha horn knives are in poor shape. I've taken care of them as best I can, but..."
Daekhan took them from her hands and examined the worn weapons with a careful eye, the skewer in his mouth twitching. As he finished, it slid back and forth sharply. "The problem isn't maintenance, it's that they aren't withstanding the force being put on them."
"I know I could prevent that with superior sein, but I've been thrown against a large number of opponents recently."
"You could, but you shouldn't have to." He flipped the knives into the air and caught each by one of the tines to hand them back to her hilt-first. "If you had solid bloodsteel, most likely your knives would be untouched. Unfortunately, all our best smiths are currently dedicated to forging bloodsteel weapons for Knakar."
After listening for so long, Ghalia couldn't contain herself. "Who the fuck is Knakar, to just take all the smiths?"
"I wish I could tell you, but other than that he's close to the Zeitai, I have no idea. He always sends his requests by messenger."
