The Brightest Shadow, page 78
"I only wanted to show you what I have learned." Grinning like a fool, Tani clambered to her feet and extended her hand in greeting. When her master accepted that with a palm over hers, Tani gave a deeper bow than would have strictly been necessary. "I must apologize for some things, however. Though I tried to remain true to myself, I have studied other arts to survive. I am sorry if you need to retrain some of my bad habits."
"Always so sincere." Master Yanumi rolled her eyes at her, just like before. "You care more about such purity than most Nelee zealots, girl. I am glad it feels like some other warriors beat some variety into you."
Though Tani had expected a response along those lines, she was still a little surprised to hear it so plainly. "I have changed my sein in some ways that may not be compatible with your teachings. I would like to retrain to be a pure Nelee warrior again."
Master snorted. "If an archer uses a knife to sharpen her arrows, does she become a knife fighter?"
"Oh... is it really that way? The flow of my sein has changed, I had thought that would require significant retraining."
"This is still beyond you, girl, but in time you will learn that you do not need to use every pattern within you. Eventually you will not be able to, in fact. Having experienced different traditions for yourself will be essential even if you insist on following only our arts. You cannot truly know the arts of the Nelee if they are all you have studied, just as you cannot know a house having only seen it from the inside."
It hadn't been among Tani's main concerns, but receiving her master's blessing regarding her training still made relief wash through her. She knew her master was considerably more unorthodox than most, so perhaps not the best judge of the purity of her sein. But she was glad that she had a path forward.
New questions bubbled up in Tani's mind and she wanted to ask all of them. To her surprise, her master turned away from her and said something to Laeri in another language. It must have been Estronese, because Laeri answered in the same melodic tones. Her master flicked a coin at her and said one other thing, then turned back and returned to Nelhae.
"Come, girl. This is not a place to talk."
Though Tani wanted to follow her, she looked back to Laeri. "Will Laeri be alright sitting alone?"
"She can manage. Or someone will force her to calm down if she cannot, I suppose. But I gave her a suggestion that I suspect she will find more palatable."
"I did not know you had traveled in Estronn, master."
"You came back to hear me tell my story, is it?" Her master frowned over her shoulder at her. "I had wanted to hear of your Farwalk and welcome you back to the tribe, but if you prefer your curiosity..."
Before Tani could answer, her master rushed away so quickly Tani caught only a glimpse of her robes snapping behind her. Realizing what was happening, Tani ran after her, barely leaving the house in time to see her master sprinting away between two of the other homes. Grinning, Tani set off in hot pursuit.
She barely kept up, always just on her master's tail... just as things had been before. Considering how much faster she was now, she realized just how much her master had been slowing down for her in the past and wondered how much faster she could go. But more than her speed, Tani was impressed with her master's ability to gauge her opponent and lead her on a difficult chase.
After nearly losing the trail several times, Tani finally caught up some distance away from the tribe. Master Yanumi stood on a large rounded stone in the center of a clearing that allowed light to fall gently over beds of wildflowers. When Tani entered, her master hopped off the stone and sat on the edge instead.
"Come here, girl." As sharp as her master's tongue could be, when they were alone Tani always heard it soften. "Tell me of all that you have seen."
Tani threw herself down beside her master and finally poured out everything she had stored up in her heart. She told of absolutely everything, from her confusion over the mansthein to her horror at the Hero to her anger about Celivia's betrayal. As always, her master listened in silence. With other Nelee, Tani might have been worried about judgment, but she knew her master would not judge, even if matters of the Legend fell outside her experience.
She even told of the assault in the camp and the emotions that followed, her voice breaking as she did so. That was the only time her master responded, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. Being able to speak of it made Tani feel a little better, but she still took the conversation back to the largest concern: the Hero's demand and whether or not she should return.
To her surprise, her master responded with a shrug. "As I see it, whichever decision you make, you have time."
"But... what should I do?"
"I cannot answer that question for you. But one thing you can do, no matter what you choose, is properly return from your Farwalk. Would you like to return to the Nelee?"
"Of course I would!"
"Then welcome home, Tani of the Nelee." Her master gave her a rare sincere smile and in that moment Tani knew that her Farwalk had truly come to an end.
The formal ceremony took place that night, nothing much to speak of and certainly nothing compared to the acknowledgment from her master. A few masters attended and made the oil mark on her face. Though the proof of her journey had been lost when Bundlin collapsed, her master vouched for her passage. So in the end, they poured water over her head until the oil had been washed away, and she rose as a member of the Nelee.
That night, Tani slept better than she had in years.
~ ~ ~
With her Farwalk completed, Tani had earned plenty of time to prepare to be a warrior of the Nelee. Normally she would have needed to join scouting patrols after a month, but her master had suggested that she would provide support for Tani to remain in training. That suited her well, because she felt she had far too much to do.
At that moment, she held five knives, trying to concentrate as much sein as she could within them. Strangely, now that she was back home, she thought less of home, instead letting memories of her friends and journeys far away flow through her. Yet she still smelled mint whenever she closed her eyes, so the form was the same.
Tani opened her eyes and released her knives in rapid succession, alternating between hands to increase the pace. They all hurtled toward a single pole that held multiple targets facing in different directions. Her blades curved in the air to strike each target dead on... or at least that was the goal.
Two thunked into the wood with satisfying perfection. Two embedded themselves, but the curve was flawed. The last she tried to curve entirely back toward herself so that it could strike the target on the opposite side of the pole, and that one completely failed. So far, the only way she could make a knife curve that much was by putting almost no force into it, which would defeat the purpose.
Still, as Tani went to collect her knives, she was content. Aiming for the same targets every time was one thing, but she had been trying a different configuration each time. This had been an entirely new combination, yet she'd landed decent hits with four knives. That was a sign she might be able to use this skill in actual combat.
"Not bad, not bad." Janemi leaned beside one of the nearby trees, spinning a knife in one hand. It was an unusual triangular blade with no hilt, just a section in the center that could be gripped. Though it didn't seem easy to hold or throw, Tani assumed it was crafted for a specific use.
"Hello, Janemi. Have you been watching long?"
"You cannot tell? I thought you would have noticed me, since you have been working on your stealth. Or were you spending more time enhancing your senses?"
Tani shook her head. "Master Yanumi has been teaching me the forms and the nature of both our stealth and sensory arts, but only so that I can practice them myself later. I do not want to put in all the time it would take to master them until I have improved my combat abilities first."
"I understand. Though I have trained in all our traditional disciplines, I have also had to leave some things behind. For example, I admire your ability to separate your sein into so many blades effectively. I have focused on a single knife." Janemi's eyes flashed eagerly. "But I think you will find it effective."
"Clearly you want to show off. Do not let me stop you." Tani stepped away from the target to watch, replacing her knives without looking.
Janemi stepped up to the throwing mark and raised her knife to her face, holding the central bar in one hand and cupping her other around it. She closed her eyes and clenched her hand around the knife, which immediately became immensely heavy to Tani's senses. That was definitely more sein than Tani had ever placed into a knife, yet it flowed in strange patterns she hadn't seen before...
Then Janemi let go and her knife leapt from her hands. Tani tracked it toward the target... until it stopped in midair, hovering like a bird. It darted to a different position and she realized that it was aimed toward a second target. Then a third, still propelled by the sein. Finally the knife shifted to the back target and flashed forward, burying itself in the center.
"Most impressive." Tani knew that her eyes were wide and so didn't even try to hide it. Janemi smiled in satisfaction and raised her hand, sending another surge of sein down her arm. The knife trembled and leapt out of the wood before flying back to her hand.
"That is not something you will see in foreign lands. Though I still have much to learn, to use this skill in combat."
Tani had been thinking the same thing, though it wouldn't have been polite to mention it. While the ability to move the knife in midair was an undeniable advantage, far too much of Janemi's strength was required to achieve the effect. In the end the blade would not bite as deeply, and definitely not penetrate the skin of a Catai. No doubt Veron would have called it more flashy than sensible... though Tani couldn't deny how impressive it was.
"Have you been practicing your melee skills?" Janemi returned her throwing knife to its sheath on her left... and pulled a sickle knife from her right. Tani's eyes narrowed.
"You have been training with the sickle knife as well? Why did you not tell me?"
"Seeing you practice so determinedly, I felt that I needed to brush up on my skills. But now, I would seek to challenge you and see how I have improved."
"Then feel free to test yourself." Tani flashed a confident smile and drew her sickle knife as well.
They sparred, as intensely as they could with both of them holding back, their knives flashing between them. Remarkably, Tani failed to capture Janemi's blade with her hook even once. The other woman was certainly skilled, though the sein she used did not feel particularly intense. Unfortunately, while they were just sparring, Tani couldn't tell if she could increase that as well. If Janemi had developed this much skill while also being able to equal the intensity of Tani's strikes, she would find herself humbled.
After a relatively short sparring session, they ended without a true winner. Too much chance of injuring each other using real weapons, especially with Laeri and the other healers currently working away from the village.
In the end Janemi pulled her blade back and instead extended her hand, palm up. Mocking Tani as her elder, or sincere? Tani accepted it and placed her palm over the other woman's. They both gave each other the slightest of bows, simple respect after a match. Then Janemi sincerely respected her skill, which Tani appreciated.
"If you are going to stay with us, I look forward to sparring with you again." Janemi turned and vanished into the forest with one more confident grin.
Tani sighed and turned back... nearly running into her master. The older woman stood directly behind her, staring at the target as if it was normal for her to appear soundlessly.
"M-Master! I did not know you were here!"
"I did not want you to." Master Yanumi stroked her chin as she looked back to Tani, eyes falling on her sickle knife. "You could use a weapon made from better steel. Your strikes with it are heavy, but against a stronger opponent the metal will fail you."
"Stronger steel? This is still the blade you gave me, which I thought was the best the Nelee could forge."
"It is. But others are better at it."
"Oh. Perhaps it is sentimental, but... I would like to use Nelee steel, if possible. Or steel from another Rhen tribe if absolutely necessary."
Master Yanumi snorted. "This is not the place for ideals of self-sufficiency. A Nelee blade is not yours any more than a foreign blade, not unless you mined the ore and forged the blade yourself. You can speak of sentiment when you wear clothes that you wove yourself from thread you wound yourself."
Tani lowered her head, acknowledging that her master's words were correct. Besides, she already used throwing knives from Jaer and the mansthein man. She had attached more importance to her sickle knife because it had been a gift from her master, but hearing that same master scorn the weapon brought her to her senses. "What would you suggest, master?"
"There is a town called Fandlin not so far from here with a smith from the far north. To get him to create the best weapon he can would cost you, but what else will you do with all the money you brought back?" Master Yanumi turned away from her and gestured toward the town. "There is also a small Estronese community there. Perhaps the girl would be more comfortable with them."
"Is Laeri unhappy here? I had thought she was working with the other healers."
"From what I observe, she is learning much. But she is not the type who can be comfortable unless she is accepted by all around her, and that will never be the case here. She has too many habits from her own culture, and our tribe is not always flexible. So long as she stays here, some part of her will be disappointed."
Considering the matter, Tani slowly nodded. She was used to Laeri being somewhat unhappy in other contexts, so she hadn't reflected that the tribe wasn't a good place for her. But it seemed that her master was right: now that she thought about it, Laeri was uncomfortable with more than the food. Perhaps a community of her own people would be better for her.
"Let me write a letter to make sure Dhozatael uses his good steel." With that, Master turned away and disappeared toward the village.
"I will ask Laeri..." Tani started to speak, but it was already too late, she was talking to herself.
When she set her sickle knife back in its place, she did so respectfully. The blade had served her well this far, but she looked forward to taking a step forward.
~ ~ ~
In the end, the trip came together so quickly that Tani almost wondered if her master wanted to get rid of her. Laeri was eager to go along, though Tani didn't tell her the true purpose of the invitation, so they were soon away. The trip itself went smoothly, so Tani found herself in the smithy of Fandlin in little time. She entered the smoky stone building cautiously, looking for the smith.
Behind a large anvil, she spotted an unusual man. Though his skin was somewhat tan, he had blond hair of a color she'd never seen before, almost red. His arms were knotted with muscle, though the muscles of a smith instead of a warrior. She expected him to look up when she entered, but he did not.
"Excuse me. Are you Dhozatael?"
He grunted. Affirmatively? Tani approached and smiled at him.
"I am Tani of the Nelee. I would like you to make a weapon for me, please. My master has a letter..." She extended the paper toward him, which finally made him look up from his work. It seemed to take him some time to work out the letter, then he grunted.
"You can pay?"
"Of course!" Tani opened her pouch and prepared to haggle.
The old man proved to be a fierce negotiator by virtue of simple staring and grunting when he didn't like a price. It was different than any negotiation Tani had experienced before, and she wasn't sure if she got a good price, but in the end he accepted. She had worried that the sickle knife might be difficult for him, since all the weapons she saw in his store were straight Coran blades, but he just grunted.
"Let me see that." Dhozatael extended his hand toward her, so she reluctantly handed him the sickle knife. Her other hand rested on her knives. He tested the edge against a calloused finger, then grunted. "Good edge. Could be better with better materials."
"Then you'll do it, yes?" Tani smiled at him even though she got nothing in return. "When should I come back for it?"
"Will send for you." With that, he turned away as if she no longer existed. He set her sickle knife down on a table and went back to what he had been doing before.
Tani wasn't entirely sure how to take that, wondering if this was normal for his people or for foreign smiths, or just this man's particular manner. She had known the weapon would take some time to create, but had expected to receive some idea of how long. Now she wasn't sure what to do. Fandlin was a generally pleasant place, but it didn't strike her as particularly interesting.
Just as she stepped out of the smithy, Laeri rushed up to her and grabbed her arm. "Tani! You have to come, you have to!"
"What? Is something wrong?" Tani let herself be pulled along, but the other woman's urgency melted into a huge smile.
"No, not at all! They have a bread shop here, you have to come try it!"
"But you don't like bread. You'll barely even eat it."
"Not what Corans call bread!" Laeri stuck out her tongue at the thought, still pulling Tani down the street. "There's a real bread shop! I asked them about when they would finish baking this morning and it should be coming out of the oven now!"
Since Laeri seemed extremely eager and Tani didn't have any other plans, she let the other woman pull her down the street. They entered a small shop that looked the same as most of the other Coran buildings... except that when they entered, Tani smelled something delightful.
"Sit down!" Laeri eagerly showed her to a table in the corner, then ran up to the shop's worktable. There was another Estronese woman on the other side, with the same shade of blond hair as Laeri, though she wore it in a more practical bob around her head.
The two of them chattered back and forth in Estronese and Tani was surprised at how confident Laeri seemed. Her Coran was perfectly good, but perhaps she still wasn't confident in it? Regardless, after some conversation, the woman stepped into the back room. Tani could just see her opening some sort of large oven, then using a wooden stick to pull out several items to give to Laeri.
