The Brightest Shadow, page 83
"Consider this your challenge as a warrior. The best of three clean strikes will be declared the victor. Sein may be used in movement and defense, but not to attack the other warrior. We will judge the rightness of your request by the force of your skill. Begin as soon as you are ready."
As she moved into position opposite Janemi, Tani decided that this was both better and worse than she had hoped. They were granting her the chance to actually prove herself a full warrior, not simply permitting her to go. But setting her against another warrior in a challenge to three strikes was more difficult than the average challenge, and they hadn't actually promised that being victorious would make them accept her proposal.
She and Janemi nodded to one another, then raised their sickle knives and began circling. Tani was prepared to circle for position for a long time, but to her surprise Janemi lunged at her almost immediately.
Her instinct to begin with a thrown knife cost her precious time and soon it was all she could do to deflect the thrusts and hooking sweeps of Janemi's sickle. She fell back a step and didn't even have time to fall back again before the wooden edge of Janemi's blade cut against her side. Even though it was a dull wooden weapon without sein, she felt stinging pain.
Janemi smiled and moved back for the second strike. Only a few heartbeats into the challenge and Tani was already one strike away from failure. This time when they circled, Janemi didn't try to strike so quickly. Tani forced aside distracting thoughts and focused on her opponent's movements.
"You are making a mistake," Janemi said. Traditionally she wasn't supposed to speak during the challenge, but it seemed no one would stop her. "I am doing this for your own good. You may have retained your identity during your Farwalk, but how long can you live apart from the Nelee before you lose yourself?"
"It is not your place to decide that." Tani raised her sickle knife and invited Janemi to strike.
She did, with that same speed as before, but this time Tani deflected her blade and struck back. Janemi was overconfident for several strikes before Tani nearly caught her wrist, forcing her back. After that she attacked more warily.
Now that she had adjusted to her opponent's speed, Tani thought she had a chance. Janemi was faster than Slaten and remarkably strong, but couldn't match him when it came to sheer relentless intensity. She also struck more predictably, according to the traditional Nelee movements. Those might be powerful skills, but they lacked the flexibility of habits forged in life or death combat.
When Janemi went for the traditional sweeping blow, Tani moved in underneath it and hooked her opponent's sickle with her own. Janemi pulled back against her, but Tani overwhelmed her with a surge of sein that her opponent couldn't match.
Then all she had to do was reverse her sickle and use the hilt to tap her opponent on the side of the head. Janemi froze in surprise and backed away, looking to the masters for judgment.
Though it had seemed a clean blow to Tani, she was surprised to find the masters conferring with each other in low voices. After a brief argument, Master Karikor shook his head.
"Not a clean strike. After the contest of strength, it would have carried only insufficient sein."
Tani stared at him in shock, choking down rage. Did they really think so little of her? No, she realized a moment later that they were judging her only as a Nelee warrior. What they said would have been true, for the typical warrior of her age. Thanks to Veron, she had spent far more time training her sein to act explosively, but there was no point trying to argue that now. Still one failure from defeat.
Janemi rushed at her again, having realized Tani's strength and planning to fight around it. Tani fought back, aiming to end it quickly. After only a brief exchange, she stopped her sickle knife just before her opponent's stomach.
And Janemi's blade hovered at the side of her neck.
The two of them remained there for a tense moment before they fell back, again looking to the masters. Usually such contests were decided without controversy, often being mere confirmations of basic skill. Many of those watching muttered in dissatisfaction and Tani wondered if she was already losing them. At least there was still argument among the masters, who would actually be making the decision.
After a time, Master Karikor made his pronouncement. "The strike is concluded for neither side. Keeping in mind the previous ruling, if Tani can land a clean strike, this one will be counted toward victory. But another such ambiguous blow will be decided in Janemi's favor and the request will be denied."
An odd ruling, but Tani accepted it. Now success or failure lay entirely on the next strike.
They circled one another, blades at the ready, watching the other. Tani dared to take her eyes away for a moment and saw Master Yanumi leaning back against the wall behind the other masters. Not offering anything except a calm gaze, then her eyes flickered down toward the row of masters.
Tani understood her meaning immediately. It didn't matter if she won, all that mattered was if the judges believed that she could back up her words. As Tani stared into Janemi's eyes, she realized that winning would not be enough. She could not simply throw herself into combat and hope that her skill would prevail.
Janemi lashed out and they exchanged a quick series of blows before both retreated. As they went back to circling, Tani struggled to keep down her anger.
All of this was unfair. The terms of the challenge favored Nelee skills and barely acknowledged the outside abilities Tani had learned, so of course she was at a disadvantage. On top of that, the fact that they used no sein in their attacks meant that Janemi's lower overall reserves didn't matter. This contest was meant to show her skills in real combat, yet by following the rules she could not do that.
When Janemi lunged at her again, sickle knife flashing, Tani realized what she needed to do.
She began gathering sein in her arm, which grew heavier and heavier with the power. As she let it flow, she thought not of home, but of Slaten and Celivia and even Laeri. Everyone saw what she was doing and some began to tense. Janemi narrowed her eyes and shifted to more defensive movements.
Did they truly believe that she would strike to kill? Then again, what else could they conclude? Over Janemi's shoulder, Tani saw some of the masters frowning, ready to disqualify her for attacking her opponent with sein.
Except that she didn't plan to.
Finally she saw her opening as Janemi thrust out at her chest. Tani dodged aside and grabbed the other woman's arm with her free hand. Janemi tried to pull back and Tani held her fast. She saw the fear in the other woman's eyes as Tani raised her sickle and cut downward.
Into her opponent's weapon.
Fueled by all the sein Tani could muster and striking against a completely unsupported blade, Tani cut straight through the wood. Everyone stared as the end of the sickle spun through the air, seemingly slowly, and clattered to the floor.
Tani straightened and held her knife toward Janemi's throat, but it wasn't necessary. They had set up the contest in a way that denied her strength, so she'd forced a way to prove that strength to them. Both of them had fought with identical wooden weapons, yet Tani had cut through her opponent's cleanly. No one could deny the quality of her sein after that.
There was conversation among the masters, but quietly and without argument. When Tani looked up, she saw her master nodding to her with a smile on her face. Tani looked to Janemi and found her friend surprised, but shaking her head appreciatively. It looked like she might say something, but then Master Karikor spoke.
"Given the unusual nature of this challenge, we do not grant you the rank of full warrior. However... you have proven yourself worthy of carrying the name of the Nelee into the world. Your request is granted."
"Thank you, honorable masters." Tani managed to keep her face serene as she bowed before them.
Once her forehead touched the floor, however, she grinned.
Chapter 61
-
"It seems clear that most humans know nothing about the seals, but unfortunately I have discovered some versions of their legend in which they are mentioned. Keeping this information from them will be essential."
-
Melal strode over the field with the wind at his back and the sun lighting his path. Out here, there was nothing that could stop him. There was no doubt in his mind that he would reach his destination and that the others would join him in time. Yet a few other doubts lingered, which was why he arrived so early.
The ruins of Ith Ire no longer called to him, now devoid of purpose or challenge. Yet they would serve as an excellent place to launch his attack against Aryabaus. He had spent many days training in preparation, not focusing too hard on the unnecessary details and simply allowing the power to come to him. When it came time to fight, he would be prepared.
The reason he now strode toward Ith Ire was that he knew that his vision remained incomplete. He had misunderstood some part of the Legend, otherwise that foul Deathspawn Catai could never have defeated him. Aryabaus would be an even greater challenge, so he needed to respond with perfect clarity of purpose.
When he drew close to the remains of the destroyed buildings, Melal spotted movement. Bandits! He drew his sword and prepared to end their evil ways.
Instead of attacking, the figures only stared at him, gave low moans, and looked back down. Not bandits, but seinshocked warriors. Some of them he remembered as if from a past life, others were completely unfamiliar. They lingered in the ruins, some sitting without expression and others wandering.
When several approached him, Melal raised a hand toward them. They stared at him and a measure of peace returned to their faces. Instead of continuing to approach, they returned to their places. Waiting. He could not restore the poor creatures' souls, so he did what little he could for them. The sun beat down hotter overhead and Melal reveled in it.
At the center of Ith Ire, Melal found an empty space. No, not entirely empty. An old man with wild hair lay against a broken wall, so still that he might have been dead if not for the intensity with which his eyes stared into space.
Melal gestured for him to go. The man didn't move.
Frowning, Melal approached him, starting to draw his sword again. If the man intended something foul, Melal would end him. Yet as he drew closer, he felt as though he might recognize him, to at least some degree. Melal bent down next to him.
"You should not be here, old man. I must needs contemplate my destiny."
"Destiny." The man gave a strange snort and shook his head. "Yes. Yes, indeed. Destiny."
"And just what is that supposed to mean? Do you know something of my destiny?"
"Too much. I was not meant to see, yet in these last days all are called. So much..."
Smiling brightly, Melal put a hand on the man's shoulder. "You can see the Legend, can you not? I have felt that I may be searching for one such as you. The Hero's task is not to see the path, only to walk it."
"Walk or not... another or not... drinking or not..." The old man gave a choked laugh that transformed into a sob. He started babbling some woman's name, so Melal took him by the front of his filthy shirt and shook him until he shut up.
"Silence! If you have something to tell me, cease your babbling and speak plainly! If the Legend has brought you to me, then I will give thanks for your wisdom. If you stand in my path, then I will strike you down!"
The man stared at him like a fool for a long time, then a shudder ran through his entire body. His eyes closed and he spoke in a lower voice. "You seek those who see clearly, whereas I see only the shadows of the path. Heh... truth and shadows, history and true history..." Melal threatened to shake him again and the old man gave another shudder. "Your path will take you north, to those who can guide you to the end. But something stands in your way. Only you can know what prevents you from walking the path."
"What nonsense is this? Nothing can stand in the Hero's path!"
"Nothing can, except the path itself. Or perhaps the Hero." The old man gave an unpleasant chuckle.
"What is that supposed to mean? Speak plainly, you old fool! Who are these people I seek in the north? The north of the Chorhan Expanse, or even to the Sotunn Mountains? Tell me!"
Light seemed to have faded from the old man, leaving only a broken old body. When he spoke, his voice was little more than a whisper. "My darling Kuany... was it even you, in the end? Had you walked the path, would anything have been left? Oh, Kuany..."
"Silence!" Melal grabbed the man and shook him harder, determined to stop his inane babble. It continued for some time until it finally ended in a sobbing whimper.
Scowling to himself, Melal moved into the center of the sunny field to think. Now that the man was silent, he had peace and quiet. He focused his full attention on this riddle that would decide his destiny. His path took him north, yet something stood in the way, something only he knew.
As he sat, his gaze wandered upward. The sun flowed across the sky until it hung directly overhead and he stared into it. Clouds gathered, reflecting the sun more and more brightly until they descended upon him...
Then he stood in the white city again. He was home. Melal took a deep breath and looked around him, admiring the buildings of pristine white stone. Had they been this beautiful the last time he saw them, or had he simply learned to appreciate their beauty?
This time he appeared near the very center. Soon he faced the white figure of himself. Himself as he wished he could be, free from fear or doubt. As the Hero should be.
"Where should I go?" he asked. The figure shook its head slowly.
"Here you will find only what you already know, in your heart of hearts, where you feel the Legend within you."
"Then there are no answers here?" Melal sighed and sat down on a white bench that had not been there a moment before. "Sometimes... sometimes I wonder..."
"Do not." The figure stood before him, capturing his eyes with the burning light. "The Hero does not doubt. You must cast all such things from your mind."
"But... I don't understand what I should do next. It's... when I try to fight, I don't know..."
"Look around you. Though you may not be able to see it, you have come much closer. You are no longer the boy of yesterday. You are now a mere half-step from becoming the man that you should be."
As the figure spoke he looked up and realized what it meant. "The buildings are taller than before! And the stones... I can't even see the edges!" No matter which direction he looked, he saw white stone extending away from the city. No trace at all of the terrible void he had tried to ignore when he first visited.
When Melal stood up, the ground felt remarkably firm beneath his feet, as if its strength and stability could seep upward into him. He looked at the figure in light and no longer needed to look slightly upward. Their heights were the same... he had simply straightened his back. Melal saw a crease of light appear on the figure's face, a smile that brought great joy to his heart.
"You understand." The figure extended a hand in one direction and the stones beneath them flowed powerfully to carry them forward. "Your soul has come much closer to perfection, far beyond the souls of most mortals. When you attain true perfection, nothing will be able to stand in your way."
"What must I do?"
"That is an answer you must find for yourself. You already know the first answer to your question: you must take hold of your doubt and destroy it." As the stone stopped moving, the figure raised a hand toward the building beside them.
As soon as he laid eyes on it, Melal understood. Unlike the other buildings in the city, this one was not perfectly white. The gray stone of it spoke of uncertainty and defeat. Just looking at the stones made him think of being defeated by that cursed Deathspawn. Bitterness welled up within him and he realized that he still had a long way to go in order to reach perfection.
"Yes. The Hero cannot fail, yet you have memories of your past self failing. To move forward, you must cast aside that past. If you cannot cast it aside, you must kill it. Consecrate the beginning of your journey with victory."
"I understand. I must defeat Aryabaus before I go north to uncover my destiny."
Yet Melal discovered that he spoke to the empty air. He no longer stood in the city, instead back in the sunny field of Ith Ire. The sun burned straight down as if no time at all had passed. Within him, everything had changed.
Melal took a deep breath and swept his gaze over the field and the ruins, admiring the beauty of them. They were marred slightly by the corpse of the old man, so he looked away from the body. This was the place where he would truly begin his path.
For that, he needed others. Melal sat down to wait.
Chapter 62
-
"It should go without saying that Lord Green has not been helpful."
-
When Slaten approached Ith Ire, he was surprised to see people already there. As far as he knew, it had been abandoned, and he had expected to return first except for perhaps Melal. But as he drew closer, he became less comfortable.
Most of the inhabitants roamed aimlessly between buildings, as if they traveled somewhere and yet never arrived. When they saw him they would smile and nod in an empty sort of way. Some of them reminded him of seinshock victims, and he saw a few huddled against buildings that he was certain suffered from seinshock.
Eventually he approached one of them, a young man missing an arm. Slaten managed a smile and received an empty grin in return. "Hello. Have you seen a Coran man named Melal?"
Only that same smile.
"He might have introduced himself as the Hero."
"Ah, the Hero is here. Or shall be soon. It is only a matter of time before we march forward into the Legend." With that, the young man wandered away, eyes focused on nothing. Slaten frowned and moved away from him as quickly as possible.
Questioning the others proved no more successful. After exploring Ith Ire thoroughly, Slaten found no one he was looking for - no one who seemed to be in their right mind. Even Melal was gone, but several spoke of the Hero's presence, so Slaten was certain that he was near. It was only a matter of time. Most likely, it was also just a matter of time until the others arrived as well.
