The Brightest Shadow, page 7
Slaten shrugged. "Fewer injuries before this."
"No clue what happened to that bandit woman, but at least the roads are safer now. But those damn Rhen can't stop fucking with us every time we go north..." Gabbak kept talking in general terms, no doubt revealing some secrets that he shouldn't have. Not that it would do him much good, but Slaten quietly listened as he finished tying the bandages.
When his work was done, Gabbak flexed his arm and gave a grimace that turned into a savage sort of grin. "Hurts, but it'll do. Thanks."
Nodding, Slaten simply moved on to the next warrior. He wished that he could do more, especially in times like these, but his skills were limited. Now that he had fully woken up, he resolved to give another try at Iralin's basic technique, once he had finished his work.
Eventually he had done all he could. Slaten replaced the remaining supplies and headed out, stopping at the door. The room looked little better than when he had started. Gabbak gave him a rough wave and he saw a few other warriors he had helped, but he felt no real sense of satisfaction. He was just tired.
Slaten emerged onto the streets of Bundlin, wincing as the sun stabbed into his eyes. He no longer received an escort back over the bridge, but he headed straight there so as not to risk antagonizing anyone. They might be friendly enough now, but they had likely just finished killing a lot of humans. If it came down to it, they were soldiers, and they would do what soldiers did.
Though he was numb for most of the walk, the movement helped him shake off a little of it. By the time he reached his usual clinic, he felt mostly better.
The interior was downright peaceful compared to what he'd come from, a few of their usual patients and several men and women just relaxing to get out of the sun. His gaze quickly found Tani, who sat on a low bench with Teren on her lap. From a distance he couldn't hear them, but the little girl was all smiles and giggles. It had been a long time since he'd seen her like that, since he wasn't terribly good at encouraging children.
When she saw him Tani smiled, and he was able to return that at least. "How are you feeling, Tani?"
"Much better. Physically I feel great, but Vanna said I should take three or four more days before I do any sein training more difficult than meditation."
"She's probably right." Slaten bent down to look at Teren again. "Did you get hurt again?"
Teren shook her head and giggled. "I just come you see." Her Coran had improved greatly while in Bundlin, but when she was in a mood like this she was a little incoherent in any language. "Tani nice is."
"Teren here was just telling me all about your village." Tani bounced the girl on her knee a few times before setting her down and getting to her feet. "Oleph-Amm sounds like a place I'd like to visit sometime."
"It's a bit far..." Slaten realized too late that she was just being polite, so ended with a shrug. "Did you need something?"
"Boring talk." Teren squirmed in place a little, then patted their knees and wandered off. As soon as she was a short distance away, Tani frowned and turned to him.
"Is it really safe for her to be wandering around like that? Where are her parents?"
"Dead." When Tani's eyebrows rose, Slaten realized he'd need to say more. It wasn't exactly a secret, but... "Our village was in conflict with mansthein armies. I was with her family and some other villagers who just wanted to escape it, but things didn't go well. I'm taking care of her until I can somehow find a way to get back across the Chorhan Expanse and take her to relatives."
"You're taking care of her?" Tani folded her arms and regarded him with a look he couldn't read. "I didn't really think you the type, Slaten. Not that you're bad with her, but you seem... ah..."
He gave her a thin smile. "I'm not offended. It's true. She actually lives with an older Coran couple who lost a granddaughter. They treat her well. But I'm responsible for finding a way to get her home safely."
"That's a difficult task. I suppose there might eventually be a caravan or some assignment going all the way across the Expanse?"
"Hopefully. But I actually wanted to ask about your assignment. How are things going?"
Tani sighed and looked down, staring at one hand as she flexed it. "I've been asking Rhen who live in Bundlin about the situation, but it has been slow and fruitless. As far as I can tell, there are no Yevee living in town. I do know more about where they live, but it seems I will need to go meet with them myself when I'm ready."
"None of them have trade connections to nearby Yevee?"
"They do, but it turns out that isn't the problem. According to Dhunor, most Yevee tribes have continued trading with Bundlin, just through Coran traders. It's the warrior factions that are hostile to any sort of truce."
Slaten folded his arms and considered that, but didn't feel he had the knowledge to offer any insight. "So, you have a plan for trying to meet with them?"
"It shouldn't be too difficult to arrange a meeting, but I need them to take me seriously. For that, I need to prepare more." Tani's hand shifted down to the small knives on her belt and Slaten's eyes locked on it, but she was just toying with the handles. Nervously, he realized. "I may need assistance from others. I don't suppose there are any halls of mastery in Bundlin?"
"Corans don't really have places like that, and what they do have wouldn't accept you. There is an area outside the western gate that is used by some for training, however. It may be a place to start."
He gave her more specific directions and Tani thanked him before she left. Slaten watched her go, wondering if she had wanted to ask him for direct assistance. Helping her with the meeting was one thing and Kolanin would likely approve of that, but if she meant help with her preparations... he had little to offer there.
But he did intend to go to the training grounds himself. After checking that there were no emergencies at the clinic, Slaten took a small roll of bandages and headed out toward the training grounds. His sense of time was distorted by the fact that he'd woken in the middle of the day, so he was surprised to find so many in the markets, but he had adjusted by the time he left the town gates.
Though they called them training grounds, they weren't very impressive. Just a small area outside Bundlin, most notable for being positioned between three large mounds of boulders such that there was usually a little shade. A circle had been cleared of grass for Coran wrestling on one side, while the other side had a large area beaten mostly flat. Nothing much, but getting outside of Bundlin helped focus the mind.
The area was currently empty, which was ideal for his purposes. Slaten knelt down and placed his hands on his knees, trying to clear his mind. His gaze slowly slid over the grasslands toward the horizon. When facing away from Bundlin they seemed to go on forever, the grasses unbroken except for the occasional outcropping of rock.
Once he felt calmer, Slaten pulled back his sleeve and used a knife to make a small cut on his forearm. He focused on the pain, the drop of blood welling up in the cut. Though he wouldn't be able to heal it even if all went well, Iralin said that real injury often helped trainees find the sein they needed.
Slaten took a slow breath, searched deep within himself, raised his hand over the injury...
Nothing happened.
As usual, there was absolutely no response. He might as well have been a child waving his hands and pretending to cast a magic spell. The sein he knew well stirred within him, but it was completely useless for the purposes of healing. Though in theory he knew that there must be currents of healing sein within himself, they were as good as a myth for all that he could use them.
The last time he had failed to draw sein he had been a child learning the basic sword forms. And that had come to him fairly quickly, the taste of sein in his mouth now so familiar that he barely even thought about it unless it was particularly strong. But when trying this, he felt like a fool.
Resolving not to become distracted, Slaten tried again, this time starting with the sein he already knew. Tasting his own power had come first, and he had learned to feel it as his training continued. Iralin said that most healers would hear it first, and he had no idea how he would experience that. That was why it helped to be here in the quiet, where there was only the background noise of the wind. Could that be it? But no, if it had been sein the sensation would have been more visceral, the sound in his spirit more than in his ears. It could be difficult to tell, but he would have figured it out by now.
Meditation still came easily to him, his sein circulating within his body smoothly as he sought to master it better. But the blood from the cut had dried and the sun had shifted before he admitted to himself that he had still completely failed.
Slaten struck the earth in frustration and immediately felt shame for the outburst. But it wasn't supposed to be like this. These techniques should have been taught by many elders, passed down to him as part of a respected lineage instead of fumbled at so far from home.
But it had been a long time since he'd had guidance from the elders, and even longer since his village had really been home. The surge of anger had already vanished, replaced with the flat conclusion he had long ago accepted. Slaten carefully brushed the dirt off his fist and rose to his feet.
"Wow, you are just shit at that."
The voice made him flinch and reach to his side, though even as he realized the motion was futile, he recognized the voice. Slaten sighed and turned toward the source.
Melal lay beneath one of the few trees with his hands behind his head. His blond hair was only a little darker than the grasses and his Coran tunic was light leather, so he had blended in. Though Slaten hoped that he had been asleep until recently, judging from Melal's smirk, he had been watching for longer than that.
"You are correct. I am not skilled as a healer."
Yawning, Melal stretched and slowly got to his feet. "That's what I don't get about you, Slaten. Why do you keep trying to learn things you're shitty at? I mean, I tried to learn healing skills too at one point, but I figured out that it wasn't going to happen. You've gotta follow your talents."
Though Slaten disliked Melal, he had to admit that there was truth to what he said. Perhaps more than he wanted to admit, though Slaten preferred to set that thought aside and changed the subject. "What are you here to train?"
"I am here to pretend to train." Melal shook a finger at him as he approached. "The real secret to succeeding here is to pick a high enough goal that you can't be expected to accomplish it right away. If I'm supposed to do something about those Southern Coran warlords, I need to be a lot tougher, right? No one can expect that to happen overnight."
"I see." That attitude ran against Slaten's instincts, but he had to consider that Melal might be right. If you didn't believe that peace could last, there was no point working toward it. And he had seen for himself that it wasn't likely, more than once... "Since you're here, you might as well practice hitting me."
"Oh, please. That's for your sake, not mine. I'm not inclined t-" Abruptly Melal swung, straight for his jaw. Slaten took a quick half-step backward and avoided the blow, but Melal followed by ramming his shoulder into his chest. As Slaten staggered back, coughing, Melal laughed. "Come on, you actually asked for it! Coran boys do this when they get bored."
"But I still need more time." Keeping an eye on Melal, Slaten focused and gathered his sein in the unusual way. In his training he had learned to feel it alongside his body, but the Coran arts drew it within the body in an unfamiliar way.
That made it especially hard to use naturally, but Slaten had been practicing. He focused on his memories of cuts and bruises, of the taste of blood in his mouth and the sound of ringing in his ears. All of that came together more quickly now and he felt the sein move within his body. It felt as though there were knives flowing through his veins, yet there was no pain, only a sharp clarity that he reshaped into the form of his body as quickly as he could.
He needed to, because at that moment Melal punched him in the face.
Slaten staggered backward, rubbing his jaw. He'd managed the defensive art just in time, so it only stung a little. But the blow had shaken his concentration, forcing him to start the process of gathering the technique in his mind all over again.
"That all you have? I didn't even hurt my hand!" Melal swung at him again, forcing Slaten to retreat as he tried to refocus on the Coran technique.
Though it was not exactly the same as the art that the Catai used to harden their bodies, Slaten thought that the Coran skill was similar enough. It might not be much defense against a Catai directly attacking him, but it might be enough to keep the blows he took from breaking his body. He told himself that this was a useful skill for a battlefield healer, that he was justified in pursuing this instead of focusing on the healing skills that came so slowly.
Melal struck his stomach and this time Slaten retained his focus. Which meant that he could stand firm for Melal to slam an elbow into his chest, then begin to pummel him.
In this, he could focus. He could forget about the fragile peace and the rooms filled with the dead and dying. Slaten let the blows fall.
~ ~ ~
Slaten worked another eleven days before Tani felt as though she was ready, but eventually she approached him to see about getting permission from Kolanin. Though she could have done it herself, Slaten didn't mind going with her. If they could really make peace with the local Yevee tribes, it would make a significant difference in the stability of the region.
"-don't mind fish, but I was disappointed," Tani was saying. "And I don't think that's just my taste. I've tasted fish in the styles of many tribes, plus Oken, and I liked most of them. There was even a Coran fisherman I met before I arrived who cooked fish better than anything I've found in Bundlin."
Slaten could only shrug. "The tainted water might affect the taste. Or maybe it just made them less interested in cooking fish."
"You'd think it would make them more interested in covering up the aftertaste, but I guess not. Speaking of food, though... are there any other styles of bread? I've tried several shops, and it's always been the same. I don't want to call it disgusting, but..."
"It's better with a strong sauce to dip it in."
"Oh, really?" Tani seemed actually excited by that idea, which was more enthusiastic than he'd ever been about food. "Do you have a place you'd recommend?"
"Sorry, not really."
"Truly? You've lived here for some time, surely you've found some local delicacies."
"Sorry, I haven't really been looking." Slaten rubbed his eyes and took the opportunity to glance at her surreptitiously. "I imagine it's disappointing to you, but I'm not the best person to talk to about food."
"Oh, it's fine! I didn't know they had bread sauces, I'll have to look for those. Maybe you need to ask for them? Yomeri might know more, if I can get her to answer..."
Chatting with her made the trip to the river go quickly, but their conversation faded as they got close to the guards. They showed their papers and were allowed through without any trouble, but he could feel Tani's tension. She wasn't drawing enough sein for him to feel it objectively, but he could read it in her posture. Only once they got completely across the bridge did she relax somewhat.
Fortunately, Kolanin's office was so close that they didn't even need an escort. Slaten had intended to start a conversation on their way, since they would likely need to wait to meet him once inside. To his surprise, as they drew close he could feel the sein within vibrating through the soles of his feet.
Tani sensed it too and they moved forward, only to halt as soon as they opened the door.
The main waiting room was filled with three Catai. Their bodies alone dominated the room, but it was the bloodlust radiating off the two of them that filled all available space and flooded out over them. Tani grimaced and stepped back cautiously, while Slaten tried to determine the nature of the conflict as quickly as possible.
One of them was Loravasik - Slaten could always recognized him because he was distinct among the Catai: half a head taller but thinner, with horns and bone-like extensions on his shoulders and joints. The second was more difficult to place, as Slaten was embarrassed to admit that he couldn't always tell the difference between all the Catai who were bald masses of blue muscle. But he thought it was Ghakin or Rhuvab, and only Rhuvab used a maul.
Their entrance had drawn the attention of the Catai, but as he'd hoped, the bloodlust wasn't redirected at them. The third Catai in the room - Ghakin by process of elimination - got up from his seat and raised a hand to them.
"What good timing! Rhuvab and Loravasik are looking to pick on someone weaker than them. Would you like to volunteer?" His voice was filled with false jocularity, prompting Rhuvab to growl and Loravasik to stomp away to a corner of the room. Slaten realized that Tani had become very still, so he took the lead in the conversation.
"I'm afraid I still have work to do today. Three Catai in one place... what's the occasion?"
Loravasik shot him a glare. "That's confidential information, human."
"Come now," Ghakin said, "It's no great secret."
"We were commanded to be alert for spies among th-"
Rhuvab made a scoffing noise. "What are people like them going to do about it, anyway? You afraid of two human children in training?"
Though the two Catai glared at one another, it was obvious that the conflict would no longer come to blows. Slaten tried to fit the interaction into his limited knowledge of the Catai. There were few enough assigned to Bundlin, so they all knew each other. He had been under the impression that Ghakin and Rhuvab hated one another, but apparently Rhuvab hated Loravasik even more.
"We won't be in your way much longer," Slaten said, then nodded toward Tani. "She needs to talk to Kolanin about an assignment she was given."
Ghakin gave an odd grin. "Oh, really? Then don't let us get in your way!"
Tani smiled at the Catai as she walked through the room, but he thought it was forced. Slaten had been planning to stay and talk to the mansthein, but Tani shot a glance at him and so he followed her through the wooden door. Behind him, he could hear the Catai beginning to argue in Futhik.
