How would Ashinji react?
She knew her son well enough to guess. He would be very angry at first, but not because he had always wanted to be a mage; his passion involved science, not magic. No, he would be furious at the deception itself. His anger would then turn to fear and despair for Jelena, and finally, acceptance.
Amara loved her son and wished that things could be different, but no less than the fate of the material world hung in the balance. The ancient evil in the north had begun to stir. She had seen the consequences of inaction in the waters of her scrying bowl. The thing whose name had been stripped away centuries ago must not be allowed to rise up and escape its rock-bound prison to reclaim its magic.
The task of the Kirians of old had been to put that magic beyond the reach of its creator. The task of Amara and her fellows involved securing that same magic and placing it once again beyond the reach of the one with no name. In order to do this, they would need to perform a Great Working. Currently, there weren’t enough of them to provide the necessary amount of energy.
Ashinji’s Talent could provide the energy needed…but only just. With no training, placing him in the link during a Great Working could destroy his mind, rendering him permanently insane. Amara must see to it that he learned how to channel the enormous forces that would be directed through him so that he could survive intact.
Jelena was another matter. Amara could see no way that the girl would be able to survive the Sundering. She made a decision.
The entire truth must be kept from both Ashinji and the girl until the last possible moment. The Kirians had no margin for error, and if Ashinji knew beforehand what the Sundering entailed, Amara worried that he might not be capable of going through with it, her assurances to her colleague notwithstanding.
She would pray to the Goddess every day for her son’s forgiveness.
Before Amara departed from her work chamber, she extinguished all candles and tidied her altar. Late afternoon sunlight slanted down in golden shafts to the floor through the high windows. The twins would return soon from their riding lesson, and Lani waited for her in the sitting room, eager to begin work on her new tunic.
Amara nearly choked on a sudden wave of anger.
The peace and safety of her children’s lives, of all their lives, was soon to be shattered in the terrible chaos of blood and war, and she could see no way to avoid her part in the shattering.
As she made her way down the hall that led to her sitting room, Amara passed by an open window and paused at the sound of her second son’s voice. Her breath caught in her chest as the sweet refrain of an old love song floated upwards on the breeze, soft and slightly off-key. Amara leaned over the sill to see her son sitting on a bench in her private garden, Jelena by his side.
They sat, fingers entwined, her head resting on his shoulder. As she listened to Ashinji sing, the melody swept Amara on the tide of memory, back to a time when she had been young and in love with the most beautiful man in all the world. Sen had never been much of a singer either, but whenever he dared, it always sounded sweet to her ears.
Amara turned away and left her son and Jelena to their peaceful tryst. Footsteps weighted down with sorrow, she continued on her way, knowing that it must all end.
I just pray that we all have the strength to survive what’s coming.
Chapter 29
"Ah, Jelena, here you are!” Lord Sen called out from across the sitting room as Jelena entered, dressed for riding. As she approached, she walked as steadily as she could in order to hide the lingering soreness in her loins. Lord Sen’s natural kindliness would prompt him to ask after what ailed her, and she didn’t fancy lying to him.
“ My lord,” she said in greeting, and bowed deeply.
“ I’ve no messages for you today, so you are free to do as you please. How ‘bout that, eh?” Sen said jovially, licking crumbs from the fingers of one hand while clutching a wooden plate littered with the remains of a light breakfast of cheese and bread in the other.
Jelena smiled and nodded.
“ Umm, thought you’d like that. There’s something else I’ve got to tell you,” Sen continued in a more serious tone. “A royal messenger has just arrived from Sendai. Seems there’s to be war with the Soldarans after all. I’ve been summoned by the king to a war council. Seeing as I’m to supervise things, I need to get my tired old carcass along to the capital as quickly as possible. You, my girl, will ride with me in my entourage.” Jelena gasped in surprise.
“ I’m going to present you to the king, Jelena,” Sen announced. His face took on an uncharacteristic expression of gravity, and his words seemed heavy with hidden meaning. “I’ve thought long and hard on this, and I’ve come to the conclusion that he is the one in the best position to help you learn the identity of your father.”
“ I…I do not know what to say,” Jelena stammered. “Thank you, my lord!” She sank to her knees and lowered her head, overcome with gratitude.
“ Get up, girl,” Sen commanded gently, and Jelena rose to her feet. Smiling, he lifted his eyebrows and indicated with a wave of his hand that she was dismissed.
Jelena sketched a swift bow and hurried from the room, filled with excitement. She was to be presented to the king! Surely the king of Alasiri knew every family important enough to have its own seal. Lord Sen would show the king her father’s ring, and she just knew that he would recognize it!
She made her way down the main staircase and exited through the front entrance of the keep, heart singing with joy. She thought of Ashinji, and of how hard it had been to leave his bed that morning. With a little shiver of anticipation, she looked forward to tonight when she could once again feel the ecstasy of his touch.
Feels like it’s going to be another hot day , Jelena thought. She looked up into the near perfect blue of the sky and decided that a stroll in the woods directly across the river from the main gate would be a nice way to spend an hour or two.
The small remnant of venerable oak forest had long been cleared of any animals larger than a few rabbits, squirrels, and birds. Many of the castle’s inhabitants used its inviting cover of greenery as a trysting place.
Lord Dai and his entourage had departed Kerala earlier that morning, and Ashinji had gone along to serve as an escort for part of the way. He wouldn’t be back until evening. Both Aneko and Kami were on duty, and since there was no one else to accompany her, Jelena set out alone.
She passed under the sturdy main gates of Kerala Castle and strolled across the drawbridge, waving to the two guardsmen at their posts, who responded with languid nods. The waters of the Saihama River sloshed and gurgled below, blundering wetly around large boulders half-exposed and baking in the heat of the sun. The river ran low-much lower than usual-even for midsummer. It had been a very dry year.
Jelena carried only her hunting knife, a water bottle, and a journeycake for her lunch. She had overheard two of the kitchen girls talking about a patch of ripening blackberries they had discovered a few days ago, only a few steps into the trees, and Jelena hoped to find it. Sweet, juicy berries would make the perfect dessert!
At the far end of the drawbridge, she paused. Something rumpled and black lay on the path just ahead. At first, she thought it might be a piece of cloth, but as she drew near, she saw it was a dead bird.
The raven lay like a broken toy in the dirt, one wing outstretched and stiffened, eyes half-veiled and dull. Jelena prodded the bundle of feathers with the toe of her boot. A trio of iridescent green and black flies buzzed up from the corpse, circled briefly, then settled back down to their feast. Jelena pursed her lips in disgust. She thought about the bird that had been sitting in Ashinji’s window earlier. Surely, this couldn’t be the same one. Ashinji had said himself that many ravens resided at Kerala; still, the sight of the pitiful, withered corpse filled her with unease.