“The king. He’s dead, isn’t he?” The girl sniffed and scrubbed at her dripping nose with the hem of her sleeve.
“He is,” Ashinji replied. “I don’t think anyone but us knows it yet, though.” He steered Eikko through the doorway back out into the hall and shut the heavy panel behind him, then paused to think.
I’ll need to wash my hands and change clothes, get a horse from the stables…
Princess Taya’s warning about his quarry sprang to his weary and traumatized mind.
The Nameless One is more dangerous than you can possibly imagine.
He glanced at the frozen guards, then at Eikko, hoping she had not seen him shiver. “Come,” he said. Wordlessly, Eikko followed.
“This is it, my lord, right here,” Eikko said, pointing to a tidy, mid-sized house nestled between two smaller ones. Lamplight spilled out onto the dark street through a beautifully carved wooden window screen, forming a complicated pattern on the beaten earth. The street itself was quiet, but all around him, Ashinji heard the muffled sounds of people in their homes preparing the evening meal, laughing with their spouses, playing with children, arguing with one another. He reined in the horse then waited while Eikko slid to the ground before carefully dismounting.
Loosening the knotted ends of the blanket he had used to bind Hatora securely to his back, Ashinji allowed Eikko to take his daughter into her arms. The baby, awake now, sucked contentedly on a dimpled fist.
“Shall I go knock?” Eikko asked.
“No, I’ll do it.” He retrieved Eikko’s rucksack from the back of the saddle then pulled the horse’s reins over its head and dropped them to the ground. Passing the sack to the girl, he then stepped up to the door and knocked.
A few moments passed with no response, so he tried again. This time, a woman’s voice called out through the door, “Yes, who is it?”
“Mistress Sateyuka, it’s Ashinji Sakehera. Jelena’s husband.”
The door flew open to reveal a dark-haired hikui woman in early middle age. “I know who you are, my lord!” She stared at him in shock. “Everyone thought you were dead!”
“May we come in?” Ashinji asked.
“Of course, my lord!” She stepped aside to let Ashinji, Eikko, and the baby enter. “Does Jelena know you’re alive?” Sateyuka then caught sight of Hatora. “Yes, she must because you have Hatora. Why are you here, Captain Sakehera?”
Sateyuka was a handsome woman, with clear, intelligent eyes and the no-nonsense demeanor of someone used to giving orders. Ashinji knew right away his decision had been a sound one. “I’ve come to ask a very great favor of you,” he said quietly. “I’ve no time to explain. I must leave Sendai immediately and I need someone trustworthy to care for my daughter.”
“What has happened to Jelena, my lord?” Sateyuka asked.
Ashinji sensed the strength of the hikui woman’s Talent, but felt only mild surprise. She was doing an excellent job of shielding her thoughts but she could not hide her emotions quite so well; Ashinji felt her alarm like a burst of heat on his skin.
“It’s too complicated. Please Sateyuka. Time is running out. Will you shelter my child?”
On impulse, Ashinji mindspoke.
You are Jelena’s dear friend. She trusted…trusts you, so I will, too. We both need you to do this for us. I promise, when I return, everything will be explained to you.
Sateyuka’s face blanched. She stared hard at Ashinji for a few heartbeats, then gazed at Hatora, still calmly sucking her fist as Eikko bounced her in her arms.
Yes, Captain, of course I’ll look after your daughter! After all, I was there when she took her first breath. I love Hatora because she’s Jelena’s.
“You are the first okui who has ever mindspoken to me,” Sateyuka added aloud. She reached out to stroke the baby’s cheek. “I’ll keep her for as long as you need me to.”
“What about me?” Eikko asked in a tiny voice. “Am I to stay here as well?”
“The mistress will need your help with my daughter,” Ashinji replied.
Sateyuka cocked her head. “You look strong and capable, girl. I think I can find something for you to do in my shop when little Hatora doesn’t need you. Can you read?”
“Yes, Mistress,” Eikko replied, then added, “I can do figures also.”
“Sateyuka, I really must go.” Ashinji swung Hatora from Eikko’s arms and held her close. “I’ve a very long ride ahead of me.” The baby squirmed as he kissed her cheeks and forehead. He knew her thoughts, even though her mind could not yet form words to articulate them.
She knows I’m leaving her and that I have no idea when I’ll return.
Hatora’s face crumpled and she let out a wail.
“Please, baby,” Ashinji whispered, unable to hold back his own tears. “Don’t cry!” For a while, he could do nothing but weep, and when at last he felt strong enough, he handed his still bawling child over to Sateyuka and departed.
With Hatora’s cries ringing in his ears and her mental anguish piercing him like a flight of arrows, he flung himself onto his horse and took off into the night.
A Simple Defense
Sen Sakehera peered through his spyglass, humming tunelessly to himself. He swept the glass from left to right, scanning the valley below. Off in the distance, nearly lost in bluish haze, the twin towers of Tono Castle stabbed defiantly skyward. The big bay stallion beneath him snorted and stamped at the rocky ground, tail thrashing with impatience.
Prince Raidan maneuvered his own mount alongside that of his co-general. The two stallions glared at each other, ears flattened.
“By the One, I think we’ve beaten ’em,” Sen announced. “The valley looks quiet and Odata’s colors still fly over the castle.” He lowered the spyglass and closed it with a snap.
“I’m expecting a scout in shortly,” Raidan responded. “We’ll know more then.” The two men sat their horses atop a ridge overlooking the broad expanse of the valley; below, grasslands rolled away in a series of gentle folds to merge with the rich farmland of the valley floor. Behind them massed the combined elven forces, some twenty thousand strong, consisting of the professional army at its core, augmented by the levies of Alasiri’s great lords.
The elves would face a human army estimated at between forty and fifty thousand professional, well-seasoned troops. Though not quite as outnumbered as they had feared, nevertheless, both elven generals knew their only chance for survival lay with superior tactics and magic.
Raidan gazed toward a dark smudge in the distance, almost directly opposite their current position-the high ridgeline pierced by the Tono Pass. The pass provided the only way for the Soldaran army to gain entry into the valley from the south; it was the key to the elves’ entire defensive strategy.
“I pray there’s been no more plague,” Sen muttered. He twisted in his saddle, first one way and then the other. “Where is that son of mine?” he grumbled. “I need him.”
“If we push, we can make the castle before nightfall,” Raidan said.
Sen scratched his chin and scowled. “Let’s hope that scout gets here soon,” he said. “We need to know how much time we’ve got. I’ll see you at the castle.” He wheeled his mount away from Raidan’s, then trotted off along the ridge toward where his Kerala troops waited.
Raidan raised his hand and his own aides, who had been hanging back at a discreet distance, now urged their mounts forward. “Give the order to march,” he commanded and they dispersed to their duties. The prince did not move off right away, but stayed awhile longer on the ridge, pondering the enormity of the task at hand.