Blades Falling Softly, page 9
part #1 of The Brightest Shadow Series
As he walked, he realized that the Laenan camp had moved near the edge of the Taynol Valley, sitting within the same cluster of hills as the lodge. It remained within sight for those with sein training, a very short run at full speed. With their presence so undeniable, it must have been approved, but he'd heard nothing about it.
Kanavakis straightened up when he arrived, pushed aside papers that looked troublingly like plans for war. "Nin Canumon. You've been with the humans more than most. Do you have any idea what they're scheming with all this?"
"I beg your pardon, Kaen?"
"I suppose these are our wages for keeping you in the dark." Kanavakis turned on him with a sour glance. "In all this time you've spent befriending the human warrior, I hope you've come to know them. Has something seemed different lately? Any sign that the human clans have changed their strategy?"
"None at all, Kaen." The answer came automatically and honestly, since Anyinn had seemed no different. As soon as he said it, he began to reconsider, wondering if their apparent friendship could possibly be a part of some subtle scheme...
"Well, you might get a chance now. They've demanded to meet with you, saying that the previous terms of the rites are unacceptable. No matter what they say, we need you to stall. Did they know about our plans? The timing is too suspicious..."
"Laenan Kanavakis, I need more information than that." Canumon put a hand on top of the commander's papers, grasping his attention in more ways than one. "First, what do you know about the differences in their strategy? Second, what is the army doing that makes the timing suspicious?"
"I don't know nearly enough about whatever the humans are scheming. Bring back whatever information you can. But as for our side..." Kanavakis looked away toward the mansthein position far to the east. "Our Zeitai - the Laenan Zeitai, I mean - had no interest in this minor conflict until a recent report apparently caught his attention. He's supposed to arrive any day now, and once he does, the balance of power will shift in our favor."
Though he had more questions, Canumon swallowed them as he thought over the import of that. He'd never come close to meeting one of the Zeitai: in his life they were reverential statues or idols. Foundations for oaths or great powers to silently beg for grace. For one of them to actually arrive...
"Your role in this is almost over." Kanavakis clapped him on the shoulder and smiled aggressively. "Just sniff out anything they're planning and hold on a little longer. Depending on what the Zeitai orders, we might not need a pretext any longer."
That was an ominous end to the conversation, but Canumon was too taken aback to argue any further. He went along with the soldiers quietly, considering how much to say. Though he did try to consider if Anyinn might be manipulating him, in the end he refused to believe it. If what their families had shared was false, he didn't want to believe in anything.
Soon enough they escorted him to an empty hill within sight of both the human lodge and the mansthein camp. This was obviously not going to be a family meeting or a relaxed spar, not with human forces already in evidence and Canumon carrying an army with him.
Yet Anyinn awaited atop the hill, and he didn't see anything false in that human smile.
When he climbed to stand opposite her, she greeted him, then lowered her voice. "Did your side bring anyone to eavesdrop?"
"I think they're ordinary soldiers." He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder at his escort, trusting his sein senses to have taken their measure. "Have things changed on your side?"
"Yes, but there's no reason to fear. We have a new plan." Anyinn's face abruptly became serious beyond belief, an expression wholly different from the quiet focus he remembered in combat. "If we're interrupted, I'm telling you that clan elders have met and decided that the initial challenge rite was never properly accepted. New terms must be negotiated."
"And this plan is nothing to fear?"
"Yes, because my husband had a moment of brilliance. He claims that he was inspired by your conversation, so perhaps you already suspect. The core problem that stops all of us is that both sides must win the challenge. A human loss would lead to backlash, and a mansthein loss could lead to war. A tie could be worse than either. I believe the two of us know one another well enough that we could fake any result and make it believable, but there are no results that lead to what we want."
Canumon folded his arms, trying to make it look like posturing. "We could make any result plausible, but I don't know about believable. People often don't believe what's directly in front of them, if it isn't what they want to believe."
Anyinn accepted his point with undiminished optimism. "That won't matter, if we position ourselves properly. The secret is not to negotiate any compromise, but to find a way for both sides to believe they've won. That isn't as impossible as it sounds, because we don't want exactly the same things."
"I'm listening. How does rejecting our challenge help with that?"
"Because it's a vicious and underhanded move on our part." A shadow of a smile almost made it onto her face before she continued. "The new terms will appear to be beneficial to you, but they will in fact be a trap. Even if you win, you'll receive marginal land considered unimportant by the Coalition. Any clan that took such a deal would be humiliated, but I don't think it really matters to your leaders."
"Huh. Interesting." Canumon couldn't maintain the pose and slipped his hands into his sleeves to consider. "I can see how that would allow your clan to accept a loss, but I'm not so sure we'll be happy about it."
"That's why I wanted to speak with you first. You don't need farmland or political power, right? If I understood you right, what the army wants is legitimacy and a place in Nolese culture. So 'defeating' you in the game will give our clan a victory while implicitly accepting you as a legitimate participant worth defeating. But if you need better terms, they won't be fully set until both sides have argued over it."
"I'll admit it's an elegant maneuver, but that isn't what I meant."
Amusement had been lurking beneath the surface of Anyinn's expression like a fish just under the surface, but now it darted away. "What do you mean?"
"We might be able to make the merchants and the army happy, but they've brought someone stronger. Have I ever told you about the Zeitai? I... cannot understate how important they are in our society. Apparently this matter has grown so serious that one of them will be arriving. I don't know what he wants, but his presence could throw out every other plan."
"The truth is, we've been searching for masters to tip the balance as well." Anyinn considered the matter, then gave a small shrug. "But they haven't arrived yet, so we can still lay the groundwork they'll find. You don't think the plan is fundamentally flawed, do you?"
"We can still try." Canumon took a deep breath and gave her a nod that meant more than any smile. "Stick to the spirit of your husband's plan, but avoid setting terms. I'll learn what the Zeitai wants here, if I can. Then perhaps we can find terms that let both sides think they've defeated the other."
"I'll do what I can. I suspect that this Zeitai doesn't care about farmland, does he?"
"No. No, that seems unlikely." He wished that he could say more, but the new variable had thrown everything into uncertainty.
For a time they just stood and looked at each other. Two nights past, Canumon had been comfortable in a human bed alongside his wife and their peoples coming together had seemed possible. Now, on the hill with armed warriors behind them, the fact that they couldn't bridge that gap with simple understanding was as plain as the sun burning overhead.
If it was only the two of them, it would have already been over. But they were just actors in the play, and they needed to play their roles. Accepting it, Canumon gave a respectful bow from one warrior to another. Anyinn returned it and departed with a hand on her sword, never looking back.
For his part, he rejoined the mansthein soldiers and returned to the camp. Though he carefully thought through what he would say, he found that Kanavakis and most of his command tent were gone. Everything was in disarray, but he pushed through the rumors and found what he'd feared was the truth.
Zeitai Terza had arrived.
With no one to order him otherwise, Canumon left the main camp in the direction the others said the commander had departed. Soon enough, he spotted a grand pavilion in Laenan emerald. The flags that flapped at the corners were the pure Laenan crest, not crossed with the symbol of any legion or faction. Even though he'd never seen them himself, Canumon knew that only the Zeitai flew such flags.
Before Canumon could approach, Kanavakis and several of his aides intercepted him. Some of them still appeared stunned after the meeting and Canumon couldn't be sure if it was awe, fear, or simply the shock of being in the presence of a master. In any case, it was obvious from their expression that for them, nothing would be the same.
"You met with the humans, yes?" Kanavakis spotted him and brushed the matter aside. "Did you stall them?"
"Yes. They need... more time to argue about new terms."
"Time is exactly what the Zeitai wants. He's brought more people than I expected: his own elites, Voidwalkers, and I don't know who else. He wants us to avoid excess human attention while he searches for something."
"For what?"
"Hell if I know." Kanavakis lowered his voice and stepped much closer. "The Zeitai isn't alone, Canumon. He's barely spent any time in his pavilion, except to meet with local Laenans. Most of the time, he's been consulting with someone in the tent beyond."
Canumon jerked his head to the side, troubled that he had completely misread an aspect of the landscape. Now he immediately saw what he had overlooked: beyond the other camps, a pitch black tent sat atop one of the higher peaks like a predator. It was small, almost humble compared to the Zeitai's tent, yet just the sight of it filled him with a deep sense of foreboding.
"Who..." Canumon paused to clear his throat. "Who is that?"
"I don't know." Kanavakis laughed, showing all his teeth, and pulled him back toward the army. "I really don't know."
Anyinn
Even though the lodge was owned by the Straedi clan, their claim to it had been shaken. The mansthein army remained at a distance and showed no signs of advancing, and their numbers were only equal to the mustering clan branches. Yet it didn't matter: the arrival of the mansthein champion and whatever he brought with him cast an oppressive shadow over the entire valley.
Anyinn always wore her sword, but now she found herself frequently resting her hand on its hilt. Even the least trained of mansthein soldiers, who were no real threat to her, seemed filled with dark inspiration by the arrival of their leader. She had yet to even see the rumored Zeitai, but his presence dominated all the rest. Though the rite was technically their reason for gathering, she increasingly wondered if anyone would survive long enough to fight it.
Stopping on one of the walkways between two parts of the complex, Anyinn stared out through the mists. They camped beyond the eyesight of the untrained, but she could see the mansthein moving between their tents. The change in them was more than just morale, or so her heart insisted: the spirit of the valley itself was under assault.
She turned away, intending to return to her room, only to spot something shifting in the growing human camp on the opposite side of the lodge. For a moment she thought that it was an advancing army, then she realized that a new group had arrived.
Leaping off the side of the walkway, Anyinn swept her way to the group, running her eyes over them. There was a contingent of warriors from allied clans, which didn't surprise her, but there were others with little or no sein training. Aside from the group of noncombatants, she was shocked to see mere students, including some from her own school. Boulanu walked along with them, his challenge against her apparently not having disqualified him.
Before she could reach them, Feinouya emerged from the group, also moving at speed. She took an intercept course and they both came to a halt atop a small knoll as if it had been a planned meeting instead of a blockade. The Tayn clan head gave her a grim nod as soon as they stopped running.
"You've done well to take us this far, Anyinn, but time is running out. The mansthein may not respect our rules for much longer."
"Then why are you bringing defenseless students?" Anyinn kept her tone civil, but Feinouya saw the naked insubordination in the words and fixed her with a stare.
"Defenseless by our standards, perhaps, but not in a pitched battle." Feinouya tipped her peaked hat in the direction of the mansthein army. "They have three times our numbers, but most of them have received limited training. Even our students are worth several of them, so they can balance the soldiers and prevent their warriors from striking ours."
Anyinn took a deep breath, considering if she might be wrong. It was true that in times of war, when the diplomacy of challenges failed, everyone who had taken clan oaths was required to fight. She couldn't blame Feinouya for being concerned, since the path to a peaceful resolution seemed unclear, and yet...
"You're sure it will come to pitched battle, then." Not quite a question, not quite a statement, but all she could offer if the clan head's mind had been determined.
"Not necessarily. This Zeitai could press their advantage if he wanted, but so far he seems more interested in an unknown goal. I sent word to our northern scouts to hurry, but I don't know if they'll arrive in time. We need to be prepared in case he decides to move against us."
"Are you going to meet with him?" Anyinn asked. "I dislike how they understand our objectives, but we lack information about theirs. If their goal was eradicating us, they're taking a strange approach, so I worry that we're being distracted from their true goal."
Her arguments did seem to reach Feinouya, who stared out toward the mansthein camp again. Before she could speak, they were interrupted by someone clambering up the knoll toward them. The clan head shot the man a glance that would have sent most quailing... and yet he continued to approach.
When Anyinn looked at the stranger, truly looked, the little rise of earth became a cliff. Her first instinct was that they stood in the presence of a true master, yet she had seen many charlatans in her time, and her second look revealed the man to be a warrior of middling strength. And yet when she stared at him, she felt that she stood in the presence of greatness.
It was certainly nothing about his clothes, which were patched and torn, or his hat, which was just the circle of wicker used by farmers. She didn't recognize him from their clan or as a noteworthy warrior from any nearby. Yet he carried himself as if he was the ancient Emperor of Nol, as if the fact that they hadn't bowed to him yet was insulting beyond belief.
"It is good that you have gathered our army," he said, his voice resonant, "but that is only the beginning. The Deathspawn seek to crush the hope of humanity before it can blossom, so we must strike first. If we act together, we can destroy them before they raze our lands."
"You have no right to speak to me that way!" Feinouya lunged out with a palm blow intended to disable and the stranger somehow stepped aside.
Anyinn wiped her eyes with one hand, struggling to gather her shattered impressions into true discernment. In terms of sein and raw speed, the stranger was inferior to either of them, and if he dodged one palm, he surely couldn't dodge another. Yet he evaded so easily, as if it was a trifle, that she again found herself doubting him. It was as if he simply ignored all the combat instincts she'd developed over decades and declared his presence to be all that mattered.
"Who are you?" Feinouya demanded. The man gave a bow that had no relation at all to humility.
"I am the Hero, and I have come to save humanity from the Deathspawn. You have done well to defend us for this long, but now it is time for the Legend to begin."
"Are you mad?" Feinouya looked as though she wanted to begin another technique but had forgotten everything she had learned in a surge of anger. Anyinn quickly stepped up beside her, feeling that striking him would never be the answer. If this was truly a madman, that would be cruel, but she suspected that something worse was occurring, a spiritual revolution that could not be struck down by force.
"You don't see the truth now, but you will." When he shook his head in disappointment, Anyinn felt a tug of shame. She hardened her heart against manipulations, yet there was no outside sein attempting to twist her emotions. "I tell you, the Hero has come and you will either stand with me or against me."
"If you bring the truth," Anyinn said carefully, "then show it to us. You say that you are a hero out of an old story... give us proof."
"Then I will." The man drew himself up and Anyinn realized that she was holding her breath. "Watch as I slay the first of the Zeitai. They will send more, because the one they serve is the true enemy, but that victory will be your proof. When I return, you will give me control of the clan."
With that he turned away, racing over the hills as if he intended to attack the Deathspawn camp then and there. Anyinn blinked in surprise and Feinouya stared at him before rubbing her head. "That fool... is he really?"
It seemed so, as he swept past the outer guards without hesitation. The sheer audacity of it let him penetrate their lines, all the mansthein shocked by the arrogant human who simply ran into their camp. Untrained soldiers couldn't stop him, but a sein-trained warrior finally moved to intercept, grabbing his shoulder to force him to halt.
A blow to the throat sent the Deathspawn to the ground, clutching his windpipe. Though she watched from a great distance, Anyinn thought the injury might be potentially lethal and instantly felt a surge of conflicting emotions. There was no time for any of them, because the Hero had already reached the great emerald tent of the Zeitai.
Her sight had always been better than her hearing, so she could only guess that the Hero was shouting his challenge. Several others followed him, keeping their distance when he glared at any who came close.
