Book of One 04: A Child of Fire (14 page)

"It figures," Jax said. "It's strange though. I had a sword a lot like that one not too long ago. It was the one I lost to your friend, Aaron."

"How could you have a sword like this? The keepers said only the oathbound defenders may have them."

"Perhaps they were speaking of the ones in the keep," Jax said. "Surely there are others like them. May I take a look at that sword?"

Brian was reluctant to hand it over at first, and he worried that he might be breaking some rule of the keepers, but he figured they would let him know if he was doing something wrong. He slid the sword from its scabbard and reversed the blade, handing it pommel first to the thief. Jax held the blade up and looked at it then he tested the balance of the weapon.

"This is slightly different from my sword but I would lay a wager that it was made by the same hand," he said then handed it back to Brian. "I would recommend covering that jewel if you don't want thieves sneaking around after you or jealous lordlings challenging you to duels in the hope of taking it from you."

"Covering it?"

"It's an old tradition," Jax told him. "You wrap the hilt with leather, which makes for a better grip anyway, but instead of stopping at the pommel, you cover that jewel at the end as well. That way, as far as anyone knows, it is just a normal sword. I have found many swords wrapped in such a manner and removed the straps just to find a normal steel pommel, and only once did I find one that had a jewel like that at its end. I always kept mine wrapped, mostly so it would not attract attention."

"The voices said these were weapons of power," Brian said. "Did you ever notice anything different about the sword you had?"

"Other than it being extremely sharp and pretty to look at, as far as I know, it was just a sword, though the quality was exceptional. That steel is different from most, with just the perfect amount of flex while being so hard it could not be chipped or broken. I even cut a pair of iron shackles with mine once and there was nary a scratch on it. Never needed a whetstone either."

"Well that's useful, I suppose," Brian said.

"Very. Especially if you're on the run from the king's men and hiding in bogs and other such wet, unsavory places," Jax said with a smile. "For now, I don't think you will get much use out of it though. It looks like the Xallans have arrived at the edge of the river and they have already begun building siege engines. You would think they'd have at least approached for a parlay first."

"If they are allied with King Cerric, they probably already know we chased Manfred out of here," Brian said. "It would be foolish to think we would give up White Falls without a fight."

The dust from the tunnels was dry in his throat so he put down his old armor and weapons and stepped over to a barrel of rainwater that sat next to the wall of the keep then lifted the wooden ladle that hung on its edge and took a drink and Jax followed him, musing about the situation they were in.

"Say what you will about the Xallans, but they have never been known to be foolish. It looks like we might be in for a long siege, but at least White Falls is almost impossible to take and, at least we have enough defenders to make sure that it doesn't happen."

"We do have some defenders here," Brian said, taking a drink of water from the wooden ladle and thinking of the others among those at the keep, who, like him, had heard the voices. The voices had said they were of the blood of the defenders, which might mean that they too could enter the weapons room. They would have to agree to the oath, which was something Brian still did not understand, except that the keepers seemed to decide if someone was worthy or not. Whatever the case, it might be worth talking to the others. He leaned his hand against the keep wall next to the barrel and dipped the ladle into the water to take another drink, and he realized how thirsty he was and how rejuvenating the water was.

"Now that's interesting," Jax said, staring at him.

"What is interesting?" Brian asked, lowering the ladle and stepping away from the barrel.

"Go back to where you were standing just now," Jax said, pointing at the barrel.

"Why?"

"Humor me, Brian," Jax said. "I am curious about something."

"All right." Brian stepped back next to the barrel and Jax squinted at him, scratching his chin for a moment.

"Now put your hand on that wall," Jax told him.

Brian shrugged and placed his hand on the stone wall next to the barrel and he noticed that he felt refreshed once again, like he had a few moments ago when he had taken a drink of water, only the feeling was even more intense. He removed his hand from the wall and the feeling subsided somewhat, then he touched the wall and it increased again.

"That's strange," Brian said. "I feel something when I touch the wall."

"Those stones on your new armor also glow, even when you're near it," Jax told him. "What is it you feel?"

"I don't know," Brian said. "It's like drinking when you are thirsty, or waking from a rest when you were tired before. I guess I didn't notice it because I was drinking and I actually was thirsty."

"Have you ever been healed by a mage or a healers?" Jax asked.

"No."

"Well what you are describing sounds like the same thing. Brian, I would like you to try something."

"What's that?"

Almost magically, a dagger slid from one of Jax's sleeves and appeared in his hand.

"Cut yourself with this," he said, holding the blade out, hilt first. "Nothing serious, just a little nick will do."

"You want me to cut myself?"

"Just a tiny little cut," Jax told him. "Like a pinprick."

Brian took the knife and, with a shrug, he ran its edge over the top of his thumb. The razor sharp steel easily sliced through his skin and left a little trail of blood in its wake. Brian was surprised at how deeply the knife had cut him even though he had used very little pressure. He handed it back to Jax and pressed his fingers against the cut, which was now bleeding.

"You keep your knives really sharp, Jax," Brian said. "Why did you want me to cut myself?"

"Just touch that wall again."

Brian glanced at the wall then he reached over and placed his hand against it. Almost immediately, the feeling returned and he realized that he could feel it coming from the armor he wore.

"Now look at the cut on your hand," Jax said.

Brian looked at his thumb and saw that the blood had dried and the cut had all but disappeared and the faint line where it had healed was fading away before his eyes.

"It's gone," Brian said.

"Now that is surely neat trick," Jax said. "I think there is something to that armor and those weapons. Tell me more about the place where you found them. "

Ehlena and Stavros left Aghlar disappointed in their search for the godswords. Other than the Aghlar Kingsword, a ceremonial heirloom that had been handed down over many generations, Ehlena could not find any more of the ancient and powerful weapons. She knew they would be difficult to locate, for most of them had been well hidden long ago and those who had been entrusted with the task of secreting and safeguarding the blades had died without revealing their knowledge. Still, the fact that Aaron carried not one but two of the legendary swords meant that some had been found and there would surely be others.

They traveled by ship from the Aghlar capital, aboard a smaller vessel that was already planning to sail for the Ansari river port of Ba'shan. Even though Ehlena was able to ensure favorable winds, the seas were rougher than they had been on their journey from the pirate isle and both she and Stavros wondered if Carly might be in a dark mood for some reason. Despite the crashing waves, they made good time and before long they saw the rocky green coast of Aghlar, which was dotted with countless fishing villages and port towns grow sparse and turn from grass to sand as they made their way past the southwestern coast of the desert nation of Ansara and up a wide river to Ba'shan, where they were surprised to find Zachary waiting for them at the docks.

"I thought you were planning to spend some more time at Meer Island," Stavros said as he and Ehlena disembarked from the Aghlar ship.

"It was tempting," Zachary replied as he took Ehlena's hand as she walked across the short gangplank to the dock.

"I think Carly might be a little displeased that you did not stay with her," she said. "The seas were a little rough."

"Rough?" Zachary chuckled. "I left Meer in a skiff, thinking she would at least give me a gentle ride across the sea, but instead the waves were as big as mountains. I am half convinced she wanted to send me to the bottom."

"I doubt that," Ehlena said as they stepped from the dock to the packed dirt street that fronted the river. "I think you would know if she was truly trying to do you harm."

"Well, it's a good thing I've got a few tricks of my own, because that little boat I took barely lasted half the journey. I've a mind to send a few tidal waves her way."

He glanced back at the river, as though he was actually considering it.

"You are an interesting man, Zachary," Ehlena said. "It is very curious that you have such mastery over so many aspects of magic."

"Zachary might be the most powerful mage to have ever lived," Stavros said.

"Is it my birth celebration?" Zachary asked with a laugh. "I don't know what I did to earn such praise from the ever sober Stavros, but I will certainly take whatever compliments I can get."

"I merely state the truth. You have always been exceptional and there isn't a mage who does not know it. It's one of the reasons so many of us have had to try very hard not to dislike you."

"Jealousy?"

"Arrogance."

"Ah," Zachary said, letting out a sigh and walking ahead. "Now that's more like it. I was starting to worry that you might have imbibed too much of the pirates' sweet water and we were going to start hugging one another and talking about old times, but things are back to normal. I am much more accustomed to being hated."

"You may find this difficult to believe, but I don't hate you, Zachary," Stavros said. "I never have, even though you irritate me to no end."

Zachary turned his head and glanced back at his fellow mage.

"Stavros, your talent for patience far exceeds any power I might have," he said then he pressed forward into the busy throng of people in the streets of Ba'shan.

They made their way through the crowds, shaking their heads at vendors who were busily hawking their wares, and they found their way to the far side of the city where the buildings became older and taller. Ehlena pointed out a building that appeared to be a kind of inn and they worked their way through the crowds toward it. After inquiring with the proprietor, they learned that Aaron had been staying at the inn under the name of Antal, as he was known in the circles. He had left Ba'shan a few days earlier, with a strange lizard girl, one of the champion fighters of the Ansari, named Kasha along with the proprietor's child, who the proprietor proudly claimed had become Kasha's servant. He also told them about Aaron's fight at the Warrior's Palace and how it was the subject of much speculation among the people of the city. It was believed by many that he had attracted the attention of Ansari, which was apparently no small honor.

"We'll have little chance of finding them if they have gone to the desert," Stavros said as they exited the inn and continued through the city toward the great arena that towered over the horizon.

"I can feel which direction they are travelling," Ehlena said. "They are only a few days ahead of us."

"It is unfortunate that none of us know where they are going or we could just use our power to get there," Zachary said. "I have never enjoyed the taste of grit and sand, nor the heat of the desert."

"With your affinity for fire, one would think you would enjoy the heat," Stavros commented.

"Just the opposite," Zachary replied. "Why put a fire in an already hot oven. Give me the shade of the forest, the cool water of the sea or the snow capped peaks of a mountaintop. The heat of the desert holds no appeal for me. Do we know where we might find these Ansari?"

"Ansari," Ehlena said, feeling the strangeness of the word, with an understanding of what it meant from the knowledge she had gained from the goddess. "Ansari is more than just a people, it is more of an idea."

"You know of the Ansari?" Stavros asked.

"Through the memories of the goddess," Ehlena said. "Ansari is like the desert, many grains of sand, ever changing, never the same. It is a word that is used for the people who are like the desert itself, and the one who personifies this is also is called Ansari."

"So it is their name for themselves and also their king?" Zachary asked. "I knew there was a mysterious people who lived in the desert, and they are said to have power like us mages, though they are different. Most of the texts I read on the subject were unclear."

"I found the same," Stavros said. "Ansari is mentioned in many old histories but sometimes the word is used in different ways and never clearly."

"Long ago, in an earlier age, there were different ways of thinking about things," Ehlena told them. "It is difficult to explain, but we will see for ourselves."

"Well, we had better buy some desert garb if we are going to go mucking about in the sand," Zachary said, gesturing to a nearby shop. "Hopefully we can catch up with Aaron and his companions before the boy gets into more trouble."

"I will do what I can to delay them," Ehlena said. "But we should leave at once. The desert winds have always been troublesome, so I can only slow them down."

*****

The strong gusting winds whipped sand into Aaron's face as he trudged across the dry desert, following Kasha, who led the way, and trailed by Lexi and Tash. Their journey from Ba'shan had been uneventful for the past few days, and the windstorm seemed to have appeared from nowhere, which Kasha said was not unheard of in the desert, though she was surprised at how gentle it was. When it had first begun, Aaron thought he scented something on the wind that reminded him of the faint smell of flowers, but it quickly passed, and since Kasha felt that the storm was not particularly severe, they decided to press onward.

Lexi had been very quiet since they had left Ba'shan, having only said a few words and agreeing to travel to the desert. Though her reactions were difficult to read, it was obvious that she did not want to stay in the city. Aaron and Kasha both had questions for the lizard girl, but they both agreed not to pressure her. In the meantime, Tash seemed to have taken a liking to her and Aaron noticed that Lexi kept a protective eye on the girl and even let her ride on her shoulders on the long trek through the desert until the storm began.

The winds eventually subsided as the sky grew dark with nightfall and they continued across the trackless dunes until the red orange glow of firelight appeared before them. It did not take long before they neared a large gathering of tents and fires around patches of trees and grass that surrounded a large pool of water amid the rocky outcroppings that seemed to have thrust themselves out of the desert sands. It was obvious that the people at the oasis were expecting them as a small group walked out to greet them. Aaron noticed they were all well armed, but was surprised to see that none of them wore the desert robes or even armor. Instead the men and women of the camp were clad only in the simplest loincloths, which left very little to the imagination.

"Kasha," said a tall, heavily muscled man with a dark tan complexion, who wore two curved swords that stuck out over either of his large, rounded shoulders. He nodded his head to her, respectfully. "It has been some time since you joined the dance."

"Kazar," she replied with a nod of her own. "It has been some time. I have traveled the circles in search of those who might enrich our domain."

"And I see that you have brought three," he said, glancing at Aaron, Lexi and Tash.

"I have brought two who might be of interest to Ansari," she told him.

"It is good that you have come, for there is much to share with Ansari."

"These with me are Aaron, Lexi and Tash," Kasha said. "They are under my domain."

"It is understood," Kazar said. "Come, the winds have been troublesome and you will wish for refreshment."

They followed Kazar into the camp and Aaron was impressed at how many people were gathered at the desert oasis. It was as busy as the streets of Ba'shan, except every single person was armed and looked to be far more dangerous than most of the competitors at the Warrior's Palace. Unlike the people in the city, neither the men nor the women covered their faces or wore the long desert robes, which Aaron found surprising. If anything, most of them seemed underdressed considering the harshness of the whipping sands that had slowed down their journey across the desert. Kazar led them to a large tent and told them that it had been prepared for them in advance of their arrival then he departed expecting that they would join him and the others soon.

As they unwrapped the layers of cloth and the robes they wore, shaking out the sand that had worked its way into every corner and fold, Aaron noticed Tash frowning quietly and wondered what might be bothering her.

"Is something wrong, Tash?" he asked.

"Kasha told that man she had two," Tash said, whispering so Kasha might not hear her. Aaron also wondered what the Ansari woman had meant when she said that to Kazar.

"Well, maybe she meant you and Lexi," Aaron said.

"No," Tash said. "You both fought at the Warrior's Palace. You are more interesting to Ansari. I am just a servant."

"Tash, I think you are reading too much into what Kasha said," Aaron told her with a tired smile as he shook the sand out of his robes. "You are still young. It will take years of training and growing before you can fight in the Warrior's Palace."

"I know," she said. "I just want to be a great warrior. I want to be like Kasha, one of the champions."

"Then keep your eyes and your ears open," Aaron told her. "Pay attention to what she does, to what she says, and what she doesn't do and what she does not say."

"That is smart advice," Kasha said as she hung her robes over a rope at the wall of the tent and walked over to join them, now wearing only her leather sword belt and a loincloth, dressed like the other people outside.

Aaron could hardly forget the smoothly curved lines of her body and the tight elegance of her warrior's physique but the reminder of her strength and beauty as she strode across the carpeted floor of the tent awakened the ardor that she had kindled it him a short time ago.

"It seems there is little modesty among the Ansari," he commented, though he was certainly not complaining. Kasha smiled.

"There is much about Ansari that is modest," she told him. "And there is much that is simply practical."

Aaron was not sure what she meant, but he knew he would probably find out.

"Must we all shed our robes?" Lexi asked.

"No, Lexi," Kasha told her. "You may dress how you like. If you are shy about yourself, then that is your choice."

"I am ugly," Lexi said. "It is better that I am not seen."

Kasha tilted her head and peered under the hood of Lexi's robes that hung low over her face and smiled at her.

"I do not find you unpleasant to look at," she said. "Some might call you beautiful."

"They would not," Lexi said. "I am an abomination. I heard the mages say it many times with their thoughts even though their words would say different things."

"Did you hear their thoughts?" Kasha asked, curious to learn of her having such an ability.

"I hear many thoughts," Lexi told her. "I do not hear yours though."

"Such a power does not work on Ansari."

"What about mine?" Aaron asked and Lexi stared at him.

"No," she said after a moment. "I cannot hear your thoughts."