The Brightest Shadow, page 79
Soon Laeri returned to their table bearing a wooden board. Several lumps lay on it, brown instead of Coran white. More importantly, they were clearly the source of the wonderful smell. As much as Tani had become biased against bread, she found herself once more open-minded.
"This is bread." Laeri set down the board on the table triumphantly. It looked at though there were several kinds, but Laeri pushed one toward her. A moment later she winced and shook her finger - clearly they had just come out of the oven. "Try this one first."
Since Laeri was watching her like a cheerful hawk, Tani smiled and reached out. The bread was indeed hot, enough that she flowed defensive sein down her arm to avoid a burn. It resisted having a chunk pinched off, puzzling her at first, but Tani applied more force and realized that this bread had a tougher outer layer. She let the piece cool a bit and then popped it into her mouth.
To her pleasant surprise, the inside was light and fluffy, tasting only partially of grain. The outer layer proved to have a rougher texture and stronger flavor. Tani eagerly took another piece, breathing in the smell of it now that she understood the flavors attached.
"It's wonderful."
"Oh, good." Laeri settled back into her chair with a huge smile on her face. "I didn't want that awful Coran stuff to ruin the good name of bread. This is almost like what you would find in Estronn. You don't have any wheat here, so they have to use something different, but I think it still tastes good." As she spoke, Laeri gingerly picked up another piece of the bread with the fingertips of both hands. Once she managed it, she began nibbling on the end.
"Maybe it's because I just tried it, but I could eat a lot of this." Tani would have preferred it alongside some fruits and vegetables as opposed to the many lumps of it on the board between them, of course. But as she looked more carefully, she noticed that some of them had a different texture and others might have objects in the outer layer. "These are different?"
"Yes, I knew you would want to try more than one kind." Laeri beamed at her, then used her bread to poke at another one. "Try that one!"
The objects in the bread proved to be small bits of fruit, providing it with a sweeter flavor. Tani sighed and began to eat that lump eagerly.
"You like it?"
"Yes, it's lovely. What else do you have?"
"There's also that one." Laeri pulled a face. "I don't like it at all, but maybe you will."
Tani guessed that Laeri meant it would be spicy and wondered what qualified as spicy in Estronese cooking... but to her surprise, the bread was actually rather hot. Flakes and occasional pieces of pepper had been cooked into it. By the time she had a good taste, Tani's mouth was tingling pleasantly.
"There are more kinds, too, they just didn't bake them this morning. In cities you can find some that are so light they seem to melt in your mouth. And there are others that are very sweet, for special occasions. They're covered in... ah, I don't know the word. Like a sweet sauce, but very thick instead of runny."
"Believe me, you have rescued the good name of bread." Tani cast the other woman a smile in hopes of lessening her anxiety. She was grateful, having been introduced to a new food she might have otherwise ignored. "I wonder why they use the same word in Coran, though. I think these are two different foods."
"Because they're both made from grains, maybe? Languages are strange sometimes. In Coran they seem to call everything pointy a 'spear' while in Estronese we have many different words for different types. And our ways of talking about sein sound so much uglier when you try to translate them."
The two of them chatted about languages while finishing the rest of their food. By the end of it Tani needed some water, but fortunately the woman brought them a pitcher of it, all smiles. It seemed that she'd noticed Tani's appreciation of her cooking. As much bread as Laeri had bought, they would soon consume all of it - given all her training, Tani's hunger was bottomless, and healers needed to restore sein as much as warriors.
As they neared the last of the lumps - "loaves" according to Laeri - Tani noticed the other woman growing more serious. She actually set down a piece of bread as if her hunger had faded. For a time she looked away, not entirely comfortable, so Tani waited in silence until she spoke.
"You want to leave me here, don't you?" Laeri stared at her, those large blue eyes filled with pain. Tani opened her mouth to respond, but the other woman kept speaking. "Because there are Estronese people here. I understand. I know you just want to be kind."
"I didn't want to leave you here, Laeri. I wanted to give you the choice if you weren't comfortable among the Nelee." Tani spoke gently, but it didn't work, only making Laeri shake her head.
"That doesn't matter. We're going back, aren't we? The Hero needs our help."
All Tani could do was stare at her. Laeri stared back with such earnestness that she couldn't say anything. After a time, Laeri slumped back into her chair.
"I suppose you're much happier in your home village. I can't blame you for that. But I just admire you so much, I'd hoped that you'd keep fighting with us."
"Admire me?"
"Oh, I do!" Laeri reached out and clasped one of Tani's hands in both of hers. "I wish I could be as strong as you. Not in fighting - well, maybe in fighting if I could - but as a person. Anything my superiors said, I always obeyed. I could never have gone alone on a Farwalk like you did. Not because of the danger, I just can't imagine doing something like that..."
"But you left to go find the Hero."
"That's different." Laeri pulled her hands back and squirmed in her seat. Tani didn't want an argument, she just wanted to go back to their friendly atmosphere from before. But that moment was past, and Laeri had spoken very earnestly, so she should do the same.
"I don't understand how you can be so loyal to the Hero," Tani said. "You do remember what happened to the others, don't you? You were there, you should know, even if you try to forget. Melal is just the next one in line. Why risk your life for him?"
Laeri lowered her head miserably. "There has to be... I don't know, we need something. You've seen how awful life is in so many places. And with the Deathspawn it's getting worse all the time, and their armies are so huge. There has to be an answer. The Legend says that everything can work out. I know it hasn't always been pleasant and I find some parts of it very confusing, but it's real. It's not like any other story in the world, it's really telling the truth!"
"I agree that it's real, but I don't agree that things are getting worse all the time. Life has improved among the Nelee. I don't think Estronn is this chaotic either. Why does there have to be violence between human and mansthein at all?"
"How can there not be?" Laeri stared at her in astonishment. "I know Kolanin seemed very nice and I don't want him to die, and Ulviab was such a dear, but the Legend says that all the Deathspawn will die in the end. This is... I don't know, it's like this is the whole world's story, the most important one! I don't want to let it pass me by, I want to be a part of it."
Instead of dismissing the words, Tani tried to take them seriously and understand the other woman to some degree. There was no doubting Laeri's sincerity, that much was certain. Yet Tani's response was to feel as though a vast gulf stretched between them.
Eventually Tani sighed and reached out to touch the other woman's hand. "I can't promise that we'll fight together, Laeri. But if you like, I can teach you more about running on our way back. That might help you develop sein flow for combat, or at least you won't be left behind."
"You would?" Laeri's other hand came down to trap Tani's. "Oh, thank you! Can we start right away?"
"I suppose we could, since we're here anyway..."
They began discussing sein training, which was more comfortable ground for them. Tani tried not to think about their conversation about the Legend and focused on the smell of the bread.
Chapter 57
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"Black is nowhere to be found, though I am led to believe he is following your direct orders. I do not understand what the rocks have to do with all this or why ignorant authorities are permitted involvement."
-
They had told Kolanin that the bridges were no longer safe and he hadn't been sure what that meant. Now as he stared from the top of one of the great arches, he understood that they meant many things.
Though the attack of the Zeitai had left two bridges intact, more damage had been done by many later battles. Were he still governing the city, he would have to order heavy repairs to the central bridge and probably abandon the southern one. It must have taken considerable strength to damage the ancient structure so much, yet he knew nothing of what battle had caused it.
Just as he knew little of so much that had passed in Bundlin since his departure. While in Ith Ire he had tried to send messengers for more news, at least until the loss of messengers became too costly. Not to mention how depressing it had been. Whatever had happened, the city was no longer divided between mansthein and human, but between two sides with purposes he did not understand.
The armed crowds near the bridges were another source of danger, as were the traps he had walked around to reach the center of the bridge. Perhaps a greater danger lay in the seinshocked men and women who hunched on the bridge with hollow eyes.
All the reports had underestimated just how many seinshocked people remained in Bundlin. The Zeitai had struck brutally with utterly overwhelming sein, so it was no surprise that many remained trapped on that day. Many mansthein had fallen into shock as well, despite the fact that the Zeitai had been on their side. Most of them were either recovered or dead now, as the decision had been taken from his hands.
By contrast, the seinshocked humans simply wandered the streets. Those who had become completely still had no doubt died, leaving only those with enough will to eat and defend themselves. Considering how many had been warriors in life, they were a significant threat.
Kolanin's ruminations were interrupted by the whistle of an arrow. He raised his hand and caught the shaft out of the air before it could strike his head.
When he turned to look, he saw an armed group on the far side of the bridge. An older Coran man struck a younger one on the head - judging by his empty bow and shaking fingers, it seemed the younger man had accidentally released his arrow. The others were aiming at him as well, though they lowered their bows when he began walking toward them without hesitation.
"I only want to speak with you," Kolanin said. He gave them all a broad smile and was glad to see that a few of them looked less fearful. "If we can speak, then I will move on in peace."
"The boy didn't mean nothing by it." The older man pushed the boy's head down into a bow. "We were just being cautious. Not a lot of Deathspawn in Bundlin anymore - begging your pardon."
"Not so many humans either, from the look of it." When Kolanin reached their group, there was only one man still aiming an arrow at him. Kolanin met the man's eyes, saw intense hatred there, and simply returned the gaze. Eventually the man lowered his bow and stormed away.
"Not much reason for anyone to stay. Can't have real markets anymore. Trade is moving through Arenel or even the new ford down south."
"There haven't been any attempts to restore order?"
The man spat contemptuously onto the ground. "No better than gangs. Say one thing for your kind, you kept order. Let honest folk sell their wares without getting extorted for protection from all sides."
Though Kolanin wanted to ask the man why he remained, he decided against it. The man's story was his own, and Kolanin's purpose here was not to gain understanding of the survivors. Though truthfully, he was unclear on his purpose. He simply needed at least one more day in the city he had governed for so long.
"I've gotta ask... is your kind going to come back? We've seen some armies, but nobody got close."
"It's not likely." Giving him that answer cost very little, so Kolanin saw no reason to lie. The answer lay between them for a time until the man grunted in acknowledgment.
"That's how it is, then. Probably just as well. Listen, you seem nice enough for a Deathspawn, but perhaps you'd better not stay after dark. Lots of folks talking about the Legend these days, wanting to have their part in it. Small group of your kind moving through got torn apart. If you don't want trouble, I'd prefer you leave without any."
"Thank you for your warning." Kolanin handed the arrow back to the boy and saw the others flinch.
"Begging your pardon... maybe you can take care of yourself. Just a suggestion."
"I'm not offended." He did feel old and tired the more he saw, however. Part of him wanted to flee and never return to Bundlin. "But I need to ask you some more questions about that. Have you met anyone claiming to be the Hero from the stories?"
"Well, there was Egeval, but everyone knows he got dropped on the head as a kid. Unless there're a lot of stories about the Hero pissing himself and spouting babble, I doubt it's him."
"And yet people are speaking about the Legend more often?"
The old man nodded slowly. "I reckon folks need to find hope somewhere, when times are like this. Uh, if I can ask a question back, what do you Deathspawn talk about when times get rough? Legend doesn't sound very comforting from your side, if you know what I mean."
"We tell many stories." Kolanin started to smile and adopt his usual habits. Forge a connection between the two of them, show the mansthein to be more than simply monsters. His smile decayed on the way to his lips. There was no more left in him for this. Even though his health should have been perfect, his body felt like it wanted to sit down and stop moving.
"What about the sei-" The younger man had started to speak before a woman shushed him. The comment drew Kolanin's gaze, though, and he saw a bit of guilt in their expressions.
Simply staring at them without speaking was enough to prompt an answer. The old man took off his cap and held it in his hands like it was a defense.
"Guess it could be because the seinshocked warriors mutter about the Legend sometimes, when they talk at all."
"Really?" Kolanin focused on the man fully, the new information letting him escape his other thoughts. He'd gathered plenty of information on seinshocked warriors in the area from the infirmary in efforts to help cure them, and he'd never heard anything of that. Did they take it from the environment, or could the Zeitai's killing of the Hero have left residue?
"It's downright creepy, when one of them wanders past rambling about it. But we don't know why, the boy was just talking."
"Is there anything else unusual about them?"
"Well, I guess sometimes they wander off into the grasslands. I figured they went out to die, but maybe not. I had an uncle who was seinshocked, back fighting the Rhen savages. He was just a quiet old soul, jumped at sudden movements and wouldn't meet your eyes, but otherwise normal. The warriors I see today... it seems a lot worse."
"You're not imagining it." Kolanin considered pushing further, but he could tell they were uncomfortable speaking to him and he was growing tired. "Thank you for answering my questions. I would like to sit on the bridge for a time, then I will leave you in peace."
The group of humans nodded and bowed, retreating enough to give him space. Kolanin walked back to the highest point of the bridge, wearily stepping around the traps instead of simply leaping there. Along the way, he passed a seinshocked man who lay slumped against the side of the bridge. He was mumbling, but none of it sounded like words.
Eventually Kolanin reached the top. He lifted himself slowly onto the heavy stone rail and let his legs dangle over the side. From there, he could see so much of Bundlin. Once he had seen it and envisioned what it could become, now he saw only the fires and ruined buildings and humans scurrying as shadows of what they once were.
Kolanin remained there for a long time.
Chapter 58
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"Lord Yellow continues to believe that containment is possible and has requested my services in this regard. I will provide them as soon as is feasible."
-
While the sun still struggled to break the horizon, Slaten practiced. Not his usual movements, but several different sweeping cuts. He should have been able to focus his sein just as well, yet he struggled to attain the same flow in the new forms. His power was too rigid. It needed to change, one swing at a time.
He heard soft noises and at first ignored them as a non-threat until he realized that Teren was awake. Slaten stopped swinging and turned back to look at her. She lay curled up in her blanket next to the stones where their fire had been, now rubbing her eyes and looking at him. Cleaning and then sheathing his sword, Slaten walked over to her and bent down.
"Good morning, Teren."
"Why are you training so much?" She blinked sleepy eyes up at him. He wasn't sure whether it was a simple or complex question.
"I need to be prepared."
"It looks different."
There was no good answer to that, because he didn't want to state it to himself. He was training to fight Celivia again. Though he told himself he was just preparing for a more flexible opponent, fixing the weaknesses their fight had revealed, in truth he was preparing for a second battle. One that would likely never occur, which left him with mixed feelings.
Fortunately, Teren didn't seem inclined to push the issue. She got up with several loud yawns and urged him to sit with her. After a quick meal of most of their remaining supplies, they set out for the day.
Though Teren had learned a few sein tricks for endurance on their way west, by midday she had exhausted herself. He let her ride on his back, though that was more difficult than it had once been. As much as their time away had changed him, she had changed even more. Slaten started running, using the extra weight to test his own endurance.
Though the landscape had been changing slowly as they crossed the edge of the Chorhan Expanse, larger shrubs and darker grasses joining the usual gold, as he ran that day the change became more obvious. Seeing green grass looked almost strange now, though the sight of it spreading over the hills ahead of them was nostalgic. Had they reached Oken territory, or not quite yet?
