No one said a word as they followed the lead guard into a labyrinth of corridors. Their dour-faced escort included a total of five warriors holding an assortment of knives, axes, and swords. The front guard yelled out an order for all oncoming traffic to move aside at every intersection.
The halls within the cavern walls were smaller in comparison to the tunnels they had traveled to reach the city. With the constant twists and turns, Skye soon was lost, knowing he would be hard pressed to find an exit. On his right, he saw strategically placed windows, which allowed light into the hallways. Their journey took them up several flights of stairs before they turned a sharp corner and began a steep descent. The sloped path curved to the left, leading away from the vast cavern and into solid rock.
The path became more functional the deeper they went into the belly of Malkese. A single strand of blue running above his head allowed him to see his way. All at once the floor straightened out, and Skye could make out wide openings on either side of the path. The openings yawned into the inky blackness beyond. None of the openings were affixed with a door or gate.
Skye followed Chion as he entered the third cell on the left. For a brief moment, Skye feared he would hit the invisible wall, but he should not have worried. This time Skye crossed the boundary without assistance. How did the Kurites expect to keep them imprisoned? Had they expected him to hit the invisible barrier? What had they hoped to accomplish with the test? His questions remained unanswered, though, when an alarmed shout rose up behind him. He turned around with the female still draped over his shoulder. Two of the guards glared at Skye in accusation.
A third man demanded, “Where is the paka?”
Baffled, Skye twisted around to look over the cell, checking the shadowed recesses for Eiren. With a raised eyebrow, he glanced at Chion who shrugged his indifference.
Eiren had disappeared. Though he was just as surprised as them, Skye didn’t deign to respond to the Kurite’s question.
While two of the guards blamed each other for not keeping track of the small paka, Skye turned around and laid the woman down on the floor, catching her head just before it hit the hard floor. In the dimly lit cell, he couldn’t distinguish color, but he could see the darkened bandage. The woman’s head still bled. He heard the guards warn them not to leave the cell before they took up position along the opposite wall across from the opening.
He crouched above the woman, who lay spread-eagled on the ground, in increasing helplessness. Knowing he couldn’t do anything more for the woman, he stood and began to pace. When his arm brushed one side of the cell, Skye reached up to wipe the moisture from his arm onto his pant-leg. His brows pinched together in worry; the moisture could prove perilous to the woman’s health.
Eiren managed to escape their escort without him noticing. Why hadn’t she told him? At the question, he stopped in mid-step and cursed himself for his stupidity. How quickly he forgot.
Why did you not share your plan?
My Lord, I could not afford for any attention to be drawn to me. Any movement from you would have brought the guard closer. My escape was contingent on perfect timing and absolute silence. Did you reach the cell before anyone noticed my disappearance?
Including myself. He pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead. How did you vanish with no one noticing?
He heard the bitterness in her voice. I have had years to perfect my stealth. My inability to speak to others led to Kurites conversing as if I was not in the room. Secrets that were normally closely guarded were spoken in front of me as if I was too ignorant to understand their words. At an early age, I quickly discovered my ability to enter and leave a room without anyone observing me. I learned many secrets this way.
He thought it interesting he hadn’t noticed her missing before their armed escort. Her abilities went beyond her physical inability to speak. Eiren had developed stealth into an art form.
What do you hope to accomplish while we are ensconced in this cell? Eiren never acted without rationalizing every move.
Her answer portrayed the nimble, intelligent mind behind the diminutive body. To reach his position, the Captain must have once used a high degree of reason before following through his plans. The behavior of the warriors was characterized by agitation and anger before the incident in the courtyard. Something has everyone on edge. We must learn what has occurred while we journeyed through the tunnels. News will quickly spread of our group. Details of what we each look like will be passed along. Before that happens, the splint must be removed. I’m following the directions of a washerwoman to a healer. Once I am able to walk without pain, I will eavesdrop on conversations, listening to the rumors spreading through Malkese. Perhaps this will explain our reception, especially Chion’s. I’ll share what I can, but will retell everything I hear once I return to you.
You plan to join us in the cell?
She didn’t speak for a long moment. He could feel her sift through his statement, trying to understand the impetus for the question. Why would I not?
His brain stuttered at the question. Surely Eiren understood the circumstances they found themselves in. You were able to escape. You have gained your freedom. You do not need to return to face the trial with us. You can flee the city.
Hurt filled their bond. In a small voice, she asked, Flee…You no longer wish for our bond? Am I not to your liking?
Disquiet encased him whenever his thoughts turned to their bond, the magic. Contrary to Eiren’s belief, he did not think their bond was blessed by the Goddess. Skye believed both the God and Goddess had turned their backs from him. How else could his loss of home and family be explained?
But over the past weeks, he had begun to believe in Eiren’s goodness. As a warrior, he’d been trained to hide all emotions from others. For those emotions can give the enemy fodder for torture and exploiting his weakness. Her question evoked strong emotions of instant denial. He didn’t want to lose her. He didn’t want her to die at the hands of the Kurites either. Even as his psyche balked at the intrusion, assuaging her doubt and hurt held a higher priority than hiding his true feelings.
I would rather you live than die beside me. Neither of us knows what the outcome of this trial will be. You were able to evade capture once. A second time is questionable.
Although he couldn’t bring himself to say the words, the solace she received was made obvious through their bond. She discerned what he had truly meant. She said one short comment before breaking their link, And I cannot leave you to die alone, My Lord.
<< >>
The next day Eiren strolled into the cell with the same ease as she had vanished. The guards spent a solid day and night scouring the city for the small paka. With the stealth she had learned in her time living in the city of Luthis, she evaded capture with little difficulty. She had later admitted that without her splint and wounds, Eiren was able to blend in with other Kurites.
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Seeing her without any wounds had Skye jumping up to greet her before he remembered Chion lying beside Lara. Not noticing his sudden reticence, Eiren did a half-hop forward and wound her supple body through his legs, forcing Skye to lock his legs.
My Lord!
He ran his hands from her head to just past the ribcage over her healed skin. So he wouldn’t have to bend over to scratch her, he sat down cross-legged, only to find the small paka trying to climb into his lap. He chuckled at her antics. As small as she was, Eiren was still too big to fit in his lap. She finally managed to arrange the front half of her body in his lap, her head brushing the bottom of his chin. The fine hairs on her ears tickled his beard. In retaliation, he ground his chin into her skull between her ears. Her forelegs dug into his legs and thigh, but he ignored the pain when she started purring.
Her contentment was something he’d never seen. Skye glanced over at Chion to find the white paka staring at the picture they made with amusement. Though Skye related the news Eiren had procured over the last day, the other paka rarely responded, focusing instead on the unconscious woman’s every breath.
Once Eiren was comfortable and Skye was running his fingers through her silky coat, Eiren turned her attention to the woman. Has she shown any improvement?
He nodded his head and said in a low voice, “Yes, she woke up for a moment before she sank back into sleep. Chion has called for a healer, but no one has come.” Their cell was constantly under supervision as everyone could pass through the magical barrier.
I could not bring the healer here. Eiren rubbed the top of her head against his neck and chest for comfort. While I was returning, I overheard one of the guards. The High Council will meet tomorrow to decide our fate. We have much to discuss. From what I have learned, the ramifications alone are enough to leave me frightened.
His fingers stopped moving through her coat and then started again. He jerked his head toward Chion, gaining the paka’s immediate attention. He related what Eiren just told him in a near whisper, not wanting the guards on the other side of the hallway to overhear their conversation.
Chion left his position beside the woman and joined them along the other wall. Chion gave her a formal bow. Please, relay the information you have learned. Perhaps together we can piece together a way to survive tomorrow’s ordeal.
Eiren frequently paused in her retelling of the rumors she had gathered while Skye passed on the information to Chion. When we first entered the city, I observed an increase in the number of Malkese patrols, more than I would expect to see in a city this size. Everyone is nervous, easily startled when loud noises occur in everyday activities. The warriors practicing in the fields all turned to watch us pass and their anger, even with the centuries’ long war, was unusual. It caught my attention.
The question I asked myself was why our small group would cause such intense interest. This, along with the numerous patrols, had me concluding that an incident, or a number of events, have recently taken place. I realized while we were escorted to this cell that this unknown event caused our reception to be less welcome than you originally believed. Your reception was what caught my attention, Chion. For all you have accomplished while completing your duty, your captain’s reaction was atypical for one in his position. Eiren last comments were spoken directly to Chion, though the words came from Skye’s mouth.
When the white paka made a half-bow to her, showing he followed her reasoning, she continued her recounting. It made me curious. I used the skills I learned to sneak away from our armed escort on our way to this cell. Once I knew where to find you, I took the first opportunity to escape. The seriousness of what I have overheard cannot be overstated.
A small band of Pyranni warriors have wreaked havoc on multiple smaller villages. Similar to what we observed in Olun, none of these villages have the capability or the trained warriors to defend their homes. Olun’s recovery will not be as difficult as most of the raided villages. Word of these attacks has come in by way of the few villagers who have survived. These women and children have been given shelter for now. The Pyrannis are cutting a swath of damage deep into the Kureto kingdom, leaving villages burned to the ground and crops left unattended. No one knows where they will attack next as the attacks are sporadic at best.
Chion looked at Skye when he choked on the last several words, barely able to relay the information. Though he understood the necessities of war, Eiren’s despair at the plight of the Kurite villagers had him looking at war from a different point of view.
“I know these warriors. I had just joined their troop two days prior to my capture.” Looking away from Chion’s knowing eyes, he admitted, “I have three battlemates in this troop. The commander, the cousin of King Ragnar, is brilliant in battle strategy.”
Chion demanded, Do you know their next target?
Already shaking his head, he reiterated his lack of knowledge. “No, no one was given the battle plans. We knew a plan was being constructed and that we would soon leave Gharra, but none of us knew.” His mind in an upheaval, Skye brushed his hand down Eiren’s spine, causing a ripple of reaction from the small paka. An internal battle of loyalty raged within him, until he gritted out, “Talon Greywind has combed the entire Gharra army for the best fighters. Every single warrior is highly skilled in their chosen weapons. Some are recognized as Masters.”
All three spent a moment deliberating the news and what it meant. Chion’s grunt echoed around the small chamber. This information explains the deep hatred toward the young Pyranni, yes. It does not account for the captain’s reaction to my reference regarding the Tal’Ai bond.
Eiren jumped in. The news I bring does not only concern the Pyranni force within Kureto’s borders. Although devastating, the war with Pyran has been occurring for many years, decades. What has everyone anxious and concerned is the news from the east. Rumors of invaders from the east have reached Malkese. These eastern scouts have been closely scoping the port cities and villages for weaknesses in their defenses. They call themselves ambassadors. False ambassadors, to be sure. What is more, these false ambassadors have made mention of a new magic that will take these shores.
Eastern invaders, an unknown enemy. A third player was joining a war that had neither side claiming victory for centuries. He lifted his hand to rub Eiren’s ear while he worked his way through the scenarios of a third player. The changes this would cause in the current war between Pyran and Kureto were unfathomable and limitless.
Skye asked, “Do these invaders have a name?”
Yes, My Lord. I overheard two guardsmen outside a tavern last night. He mentioned Malirra as being a warring nation. A few shopkeepers spoke of one large ship docking off the coast. I don’t know where. A textile shop carried rumors that the ship carrying the supplies had bypassed the Malirran ship. They were compelled to make a wide berth as the number of sea creatures surrounding the ship was considerable. Though no one believed it, the rumor is that one sailor observed blood floating near the ship before it dispersed into the waters.
Chion interrupted, This is the second time I have heard the tale of sea creatures. If not for blood, what would draw these creatures to surround the ship? Not expecting an answer, he continued after taking a short breath. Did you hear any further news of the magic? What type of magic did the Malirrans describe?
Through Skye, Eiren answered his question with obvious regret. They did not. Soon after the Malirrans entered the villages and cities, they were placed in holding cells. The brief conversations these Malirrans had with the townspeople caused an uproar of concern. Ten cities and villages have been breached, though more news arrives daily. The outlying townspeople have demanded the protection only the Tal’Ai can provide. Word of a new magic has spread, and the people are spooked.
Chion shifted his position and then settled once more. Captain Sateri fears I have unwittingly become a part of this invasion by allying myself with Lara. He nodded and both his ears twitched at the realization. He turned his head to glance at the woman lying on the other side of the cold, damp room. With the addition of your bond with a Pyranni, little one, I believe he has mistakenly drawn the assumption that the King of Pyran has aligned with the Malirrans. Though I agree this is a possibility, he has shut his mind to other potential arguments.
“If the Malirrans bring magic to our shores, then the Purist King would never align with these invaders. He has spent too many years decimating your numbers for the purpose of bringing the true religion to your children. A treaty would never be brought before King Ragnar for this reason alone. Any diplomat courageous enough to do so would find himself without his head.”
I agree, Eiren whispered. But it provides a quandary to the Malirrans’ purpose.