Blades Falling Softly, page 8
part #1 of The Brightest Shadow Series
"None of our children were so happy, at that age." Noreinu shook his head slowly with a fond smile. "If he's anything like ours, soon enough, he'll be refusing everything. Normally I consider myself a master of determining the age of children, but... how old is he?"
"Almost a year." Seeing the glances from both humans, Canumon realized that the answer surprised them. "I think that our children grow faster than yours. When they're eight years old or so, they'll spring up if you feed them enough. But then the last years go slower than I've seen with humans. Some say that you aren't really an adult until you reach twenty years of age."
"I've heard thirty." Noreinu laughed and Canumon laughed with him. Anyinn smiled, but instead leaned forward with a curious expression as she spoke.
"And when does that aging end? For mansthein without sein training, of course."
So Canumon explained what he knew, though he was no scholar. As near as he could tell, wealth mattered more than anything else, because elderly mansthein who couldn't afford a rebirth would struggle to eat. He thought that Feinan mansthein tended to die sooner but kept that to himself, since it might be nothing but gossip.
After the conversation had gone on for some time, Gowanisa returned with Laghy. Though Canumon had expected the time alone to do her good, his wife frowned and made an odd gesture at Anyinn. Whatever was communicated between them, the two women departed through the main door and he was left with the baby.
The boy was well-fed and rambunctious, so Canumon ended up putting him on the floor. He hadn't expected it, but the human girl went to play with him, a strange fascination on her face. Laghy gurgled and grabbed for her, and only then did Canumon notice that she had tied her hair back so he couldn't grab it. Smart girl. She also carried a toy warrior carved from wood, which Laghy struggled to grip and then banged against the floor. Soon the two of them were playing on the other side of the room, in the uneven manner of children at very different ages.
"It's strange to see her like this." Noreinu sat down in the chair beside him, carrying two cups of wine. Canumon accepted one, but only held it.
"She doesn't like children?"
"She's never shown any interest in such things, but she's also never been the oldest before. It was always her brothers playing soldier with her or carrying her around the house. This might be her only chance to do the same."
"Perhaps they can play together more often." Yet as he spoke, Canumon knew that it couldn't be. He took a slow drink of his wine, barely tasting it, and spoke in a lower voice. "But probably not. I assume Anyinn told you the details, but the tensions are getting worse."
"Worse among warriors. Your merchants have had time to talk to ours." Noreinu spoke lightly, but the grim look in his eyes suggested that he fully understood. "That's always the tension here in Nol. The merchants need the clans to do business, but the in-fighting is a cost they'd rather avoid."
"I've lived here most of my life."
Noreinu shook his head. "Right, sorry. Well, it doesn't make too much difference. I think a lot of the people I've spoken to would be happy to end the rite and just trade at a distance. But could it really end that way?"
"Probably not." Canumon took another drink and tried to appreciate the wine this time. "There's more going on beyond us, but that doesn't mean the fight with your wife is irrelevant. It's the story w-"
"You don't need to tell me how stories work. Stories make sense and life doesn't, so we prefer the stories. If we can't find them, we'll make them. But nobody has a story for this yet."
"Some believe they do, with this legend."
"Right, the Legend." Noreinu's cup of wine hung in his hand, nearly ignored as the man stared into the fire. "I confess I don't like how people talk about it, these days. It reminds me of something that's already irritated me as a playwright... you've seen some of the classical Nolese plays, yes?"
Canumon nodded. "A version or two."
"Then you should know that there are different versions from different authors, even before you get to the modern reinventions. What frustrates me is when people ask me what the real version is, as if there's a single truth. The only truth is that they're all just stories and we don't know what really happened. I'm used to holding all those differences in my head, but others... there are some who want only one story, and it's a bloody one."
"I'm not sure it's as bad as that. You were able to accept us quickly enough, even though I tried to kill your wife."
He'd meant it as a lighthearted joke, but Noreinu was staring into the fire grimly now. At first it seemed like he hadn't heard at all, before he eventually shook his head. "We did, but we're only two families. Everyone else... I don't know if this is a story that can reach them."
There wasn't much that could be said to that. The two men sipped their wine, and they would soon begin talking again, but for a time they said nothing and watched the fire.
Anyinn
"You wanted to talk?" Anyinn followed the mansthein woman outside and was surprised how cold it had become. The lights of their home and the main lantern lit the small courtyard well enough, but they generated no warmth.
"Yes, we need to settle a few things." Gowanisa turned to her with another one of those mansthein smiles and Anyinn decided just to ask. She might have been more comfortable with Canumon, yet the question seemed more appropriate for another woman.
"I'm not sure I understand how mansthein smile. When a human smiles that way, without showing any teeth, it can mean that they're insincere."
"You want to see my teeth?"
Gowanisa's face split wider and rows of knives glittered sharply. In the light of the lanterns, her eyes glowed brighter red, her pupils thin horizontal lines, and her mouth became a vicious maw. Clearly, the mansthein woman made no effort to smile pleasantly, but the demonstration was still effective.
Despite herself, Anyinn found the word "Deathspawn" coming to mind. She had noted the differences between Gowanisa and her husband before, but now they took on a more sinister cast. Most notably, Canumon had vertical pupils, while his wife's eyes were dark horizontal bars. His ears might be unusual, but they were more human than the bone ridges on Gowanisa's head. Though he had horns, the full head of hair left them less menacing than his wife's hairless visage.
The smile closed, though it became more pleased with itself than friendly. Gowanisa turned away and stared into the darkness as she answered. "Showing your teeth is aggressive, not friendly. Of course, there are many different mansthein cultures, and individuals differ. I've met some who intentionally smile with their teeth every time, or move between the two to make others uncomfortable."
"I suppose there are always some like that." Anyinn shook her head and gave a smile of her own. "Still, I'm glad to exchange friendly smiles with you instead."
"The word you want is 'polite'." Gowanisa didn't look toward her as her voice became colder. "I've never liked your type. So self-composed, so self-confident."
All at once, Anyinn realized how deeply she had misjudged the other woman. "Gowanisa, I'm sorry if I've offended you. I hope you don't believe your husband and I-"
"You see? You always think you understand."
"It's easy to throw accusations. Tell me what you want."
"I need to know who you are." Gowanisa finally turned on her, no smile at all, her eyes burning sunsets dropping into a dark horizon. "Canumon believes in your spirit, but all I've seen is that you're good at appeasement. Fight me."
"Fight y-" Anyinn cut off as a claw swiped at her, dangerously fast. "Here and now?"
"Do it." Gowanisa shifted her stance and Anyinn realized that her skirt was actually loose pants suitable for swift movements. Her voice was a hiss that wouldn't disturb anyone inside, yet she advanced with her sein boiling up inside her.
"Are you sure you want to spar now? Given your current state..." Anyinn looked down toward the mansthein woman's stomach.
It was the wrong thing to do. Gowanisa hissed "You understand nothing!" and then attacked her with full force.
Relaxed as Anyinn had been, she still carried her sword. She managed to resist her first instinct and instead detached the entire sheath, using it to deflect the first swipe and then strike the other woman's arm. In its sheath her sword was slightly heavier, but that disadvantage was nothing compared to holding back to avoid direct cuts.
Though Gowanisa attacked viciously, driving her back across the courtyard, Anyinn resisted being drawn into her momentum. The mansthein woman was strong, and not unskilled, but not as dangerous as her husband. Her sein granted her more brute strength but less agility, which was exactly the wrong combination against a swordswoman like Anyinn.
She could have ended the fight then and instead prolonged it, letting the momentum drive them back and forth across the courtyard, preventing their duel from disturbing the peace within. Though Gowanisa grunted and occasionally hissed, she was otherwise utterly silent, attacking with a ferocious determination.
At last they ended up against the outer wall, Anyinn restricted in the narrow space, and her opponent lunged. Before Anyinn could strike, her sword arm was caught and pinned in place. The other claw rose swiftly and drove toward her face.
So Anyinn stepped forward, bringing her forehead sharply against Gowanisa's nose. The impact staggered her, fingers loosening as she dropped several steps back and instinctively grabbed her face.
Though Anyinn prepared for a counter-attack driven by anger, instead her opponent paused. Gowanisa rubbed her nose and stared down at the blood, then suddenly smiled. Her lips parted just enough to see a bit of her teeth, and despite the lesson, Anyinn had no idea how to interpret it.
"You're not so bad." Gowanisa wiped away the rest of the blood and bared her teeth in an expression that left no doubt. "But I want to see this sein blade of yours. Do it before I-"
Using her full speed, Anyinn drove the Tranquil Blade through her opponent's chest. She poured in more sein than usual, overwhelming Gowanisa with the memory of that peaceful day. While the other woman stood stunned, Anyinn carefully lifted her sword and put the dull end of the sheath against her throat.
When Gowanisa returned to the present, her eyes remained heavy with peace from her technique. Instead of a dark line, her pupils had widened into a large bar. She slowly realized that the sword was against her throat, smiled faintly, and then dropped to sit down in the dust of the courtyard.
After a pause, Anyinn sat down alongside her with her sword across her lap. Showing herself willing to sit in the dust might help Gowanisa accept her... though Anyinn realized that she was falling into that same trap of presuming she understood everyone around her. After confronting the other woman's sein directly, Anyinn felt a deep connection, yet she thought she understood less than before.
"That's a hell of a technique." Gowanisa slowly rubbed her sternum just where it had struck. "I guess, if anything, he was underselling you. You aren't so bad."
"Thank you." Though Anyinn was glad to hear it, that admission felt like not nearly enough. Perhaps instead she needed to probe her ignorance... "You said that I didn't understand anything. You meant that about mansthein pregnancy, or something else?"
"No, you have that part right. I don't really want to talk about it." Despite her words, Gowanisa kept talking. "It isn't the same for us, not unless you want your body to be torn apart. To have a child like Laghy... well, it requires herbs and other techniques that make it more difficult to conceive."
"Then I didn't understand, but I think I might have begun to."
"Do you? Do you really? The worst of it is that a child can quicken, but then, before it comes to term..."
Anyinn's mind flowed over the hope, the pain, and a small grave behind the house. She explained none of it and her hands remained still in her lap as she instead spoke quietly. "Between our second and third child..."
Something of her thoughts must have made it into her voice, because Gowanisa turned to her with a new expression. For a time she said nothing, then she simply nodded. All at once the mansthein woman rubbed her eyes with the back of one hand, only weariness remaining. "I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated."
"You don't need to apologize."
"The part that pisses me off is that I'm going to fall right into your trap. You're the first woman I've really talked to in a long time, since the villagers don't trust me and the women in the military move too quickly." Gowanisa shook her head at herself. "I want children, but I don't want to be just another Feinan female. I'm training, but I worry I'm stagnating my own progress."
Finally, Anyinn had returned to familiar ground. She resisted the urge to touch the other woman's arm, since she thought that would be a step too far, and instead tried to speak without any pretensions of wisdom. "I felt that all of my pregnancies made me stronger. You go through new experiences and different emotions... all of those can't help but deepen your sein. Yes, I lost progress on days when I was too sleep-deprived to train, but that experience tempered me in the end."
"Maybe for you. But as much as I love Laghy, he took a huge piece of myself. Sometimes, when it's difficult... I don't know if it was worth it. And I immediately feel guilty, but then I worry that I'm killing myself with bitterness, associating my own children with failure... dammit!" Gowanisa abruptly took a swipe at her, though a halfhearted one. "Did you manipulate my mind with that sein strike? Force me to spill all my secrets?"
"I learned how to fight mostly to become friends with people," Anyinn said. For once, she seemed to hit the right tone and Gowanisa just laughed low in her throat. They were silent for a long time, sitting in the courtyard, and then the mansthein woman levered herself back to her feet.
"I'm going to go back inside before you do anything else to me. But I hope you and Canumon can find a solution to all this."
Like that, it was over and they returned to the customary warmth of the home. Inside, she discovered Heraenyas and Laghy playing with one another and both of them smiled, in human or mansthein fashion. Their husbands sat by the fire and spoke in low voices, a conversation that seemed less personal and more dire.
Once they were all together, they shared another drink and spoke of nothing as the night wore on. Laghy cheerfully rode on Heraenyas's back and chewed on her hair, shrieking gleefully at every bounce. Though their play struck Anyinn as overly risky, the mansthein parents only watched in amusement, so she kept her silence.
Gradually the two children wore down, and to Anyinn's surprise, her daughter crawled up into her lap with Laghy in tow. The boy mumbled nonsense at her and then they both fell asleep, wrapped around each other. Anyinn hadn't held two children in her lap since their boys had been young, so she let them sleep for some time before putting them to bed.
With the children asleep, they were able to discuss more serious matters. All questions of human and mansthein were set aside as they instead spoke of life in Nol. She realized just how long it had been since they'd had an adult conversation with another couple and relished it.
Eventually they insisted that Canumon and Gowanisa stay, since it was late and the children were already in bed, and all agreed to retire. Anyinn realized that the servants had gone to sleep without finishing the cleaning and began to work at it, more to give her hands something to do than for any other reason. Despite the warmth of their conversation, sleep would not come easily that night.
Before long, her husband came to join her, taking up one of the plates. He seemed lost in thought, almost like when he was consumed by new inspiration, yet he remained close by. After considering several banal statements about the night, Anyinn decided to ask what mattered.
"You have an idea in mind, don't you?"
"Maybe I do." He looked up from the plate, which he'd barely touched, and gave her a smile that needed no work to interpret. "After talking to your mortal enemy, I've been thinking about what really drives this conflict. Both of you might have been going about it the wrong way..."
Canumon
After the evening spent with the Tayn family, returning to their temporary quarters at the lodge was undeniably disappointing. They were surrounded by mansthein in a more familiar bed, but the rooms utterly lacked the worn edges that made the human house feel like a home. Canumon wished that he could earn such a home for himself, as unlikely as it seemed.
Even Laghy seemed dissatisfied, wielding a spoon against anything in range. "Nya!" he screeched. "Nya! Nya!"
"What the hell does he want?" Gowanisa growled, running a hand over her scalp. "I managed to nurse him once, but that wasn't it. He threw solid food I gave him, so I just don't know."
"Something special he got last night?" Canumon asked, but his wife just shook her head.
It could be difficult to figure out what their son wanted, as he was better at volume and emphasis than clarity. It was obvious enough that "Ca" meant him and "Oma" was mother, along with a few other words for things he wanted. But "Nya" was new, so if it wasn't a new food...
"The girl." Canumon snapped his claws together as he realized. "Do you think that's him trying to say 'Heraenyas'? He did seem to enjoy playing with her."
"Could be." Gowanisa bent down in front of him and got his full attention. "Are you asking for Heraenyas, Laghy? Do you want to play with Heraenyas?"
"Nya, nya!" He banged his spoon into her face a few times and Gowanisa sighed as she just let it bounce off her.
"I don't know if I have the patience for this, Canumon. It was already too much trouble avoiding attention, so we can't just wander over there again."
"Let me take him for a while, at least," Canumon said. "You can rest for the day."
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep his promise to his wife. After less than an hour wrangling Laghy, soldiers came to their chamber and demanded he go meet with the commander. There was no question of refusing the order, so he went with them and soon found himself outside the lodge grounds.
