Book of One 04: A Child of Fire (16 page)

"You all did very well," she said. "Ansari wish to see truth and you have given them much to respect."

"I don't think it went all that well," Aaron told her. "This Ansari wants to fight me."

"That is the highest honor one can receive from Ansari," Kasha replied.

"He does not wish to fight me," Lexi commented.

"You are not ready," Kasha told her.

"I should not have come," Lexi said.

"No, it is good that you are here. There is much for you to learn and much healing to be done."

"What healing do I need? The poison the traders made me drink is now fading away and I will be myself soon."

"I do not speak of the traders' poison," Kasha said. "You must find the truth of yourself and I hope we may help you with this."

"What about me?" Tash asked. "How did he know about me?"

"Ansari know many things. We can see things others cannot. It is part of what makes us Ansari."

"How can you be Ansari, and that man there also be Ansari? It doesn't make sense," Aaron said and Kasha smiled at his question.

"We are a people, but we are not a race like the elven people or bound to some particular land like your Maramyrian people. To be Ansari is to be Ansari, and the man who sits upon that chair is the one who most embodies what it is to be Ansari."

"So it is the name of your people and it is also the title of the leader?" Aaron asked.

"In the most simple terms, yes," Kasha said.

"How does one get to be the leader?" Tash asked.

"He is not so much a leader as the voice of the people, in many ways he is the first among equals."

"So he speaks for everyone, but how does a person get to be the first among equals?" Aaron repeated the question.

"By contest and consent," Kasha said.

"What was his name before he became the leader of the Ansari?"

"We do not speak his name while he is the voice of Ansari. What he was, who he is, who he will be is not important until he becomes himself once again."

"The Ansari are very strange," Aaron said.

"You might find it so, but is it not strange that a person can become a king or queen in other lands simply by being born to the right set of parents? Many fools have occupied thrones in other lands for no other reason than birthright. Is that any better or worse?"

"I don't know," Aaron said with a shrug. "It is your way. But what if you disagree with Ansari?"

"I do not disagree with Ansari," Kasha said.

"But if you did, what then?"

"Ansari knows my thoughts on most things. If we were to disagree on a matter of importance, I would take the throne."

"Just like that?" Aaron asked. "You could just become the leader?"

"By contest and consent," Kasha told him. "I would challenge him and seek the consent of the people."

"But if only the strongest can win a contest, then only the strongest can be the leader."

"A contest need not only be about strength," Kasha said. "There are many ways to challenge another, but the most common one is through battle, for once we were warriors."

"You are no longer warriors?" Aaron asked. "You fight in the circles."

"We fight in the circles but we do not fight as Ansari," Kasha explained. "Just as true fire is not permitted in the circles, so is our power not to be used against those who merely dance with the blades."

"And what power is it that you cannot use in the circles?" Aaron was curious. "Is it like true fire?"

"No, it is not like true fire, but it would not be honorable to put the many warriors who test themselves at such a disadvantage."

"You are not going to tell me, are you?" Aaron asked. Kasha laughed.

"Come," she said. "Let us eat, drink and make merry as we have been invited. You will discover much after this night is done."

"Can I talk to the people here?" Tash asked.

"Of course," Kasha said. "You are welcome here and you are in my domain, so you will be safe. None will seek to do you harm or they will answer to me."

"Are you considered powerful among the Ansari?" Lexi asked.

"Some might think so," Kasha said. "It was not very long ago that I sat upon the chair as the first among my people."

"You were the leader?" Tash asked with wide eyes. "Did that man win against you in a fight so he could be leader?"

"No," Kasha said. "He could never defeat me in a true contest. I left the chair of my own will."

"Why would you do such a thing?"

"I wanted to find a husband," she said with a smile. "And I would very much like to enjoy him this night. You and Lexi are free to visit with the people or, if you are weary and wish to rest, you may retire to any pavilion that is not occupied. If you have need of anything, ask Kazar, he will help you."

She took Aaron's hand and began to walk in the direction of the tents. Aaron smiled and shrugged at Lexi and Tash as he allowed himself to be pulled away from them. They stood silently for a moment and watched as Aaron and Kasha walked past the fire and the people then disappeared into the darkness of the night. After a moment, Tash looked up at Lexi.

"I am hungry," she said. "Do you want to come with me to find some food?"

"I am hungry as well," Lexi told her.

"Good." Tash smiled. "Whatever they are cooking on the fires smells delicious."

Lexi followed the girl and they walked past the large fire in the center of the camp toward several smaller cookfires. Task looked over her shoulder and smiled up at her.

"I am glad you're here," she said. "It is nice to have someone older with me in such a strange place."

"Am I older than you?" Lexi asked, wondering how young the girl might be.

"You are full grown," Tash said. "How many turns of the stars do you have?"

"Turns of the stars?"

"Yes," Tash said. "You know, when the stars positions change in the sky then come back to where they were makes a year."

"The stars have not yet returned to where they were when I was born," Lexi told her.

"That can't be true," Tash said as she turned and looked up under Lexi's cowl, but she knew from looking into her eyes that it was. "You are not even a year old?"

"No," Lexi said. "But my father's people grow faster than your people."

"What kind of people are they?"

"Lizard people," Lexi said. "Beasts and killers."

"What about your mother? Do you know her?"

"I do not wish to talk about her."

"Why not?"

"She is worse. She is a liar."

It was late at night when Calexis strode through the entrance of the royal apartments of the Maramyrian palace, decidedly unimpressed with just about everything. She hated the drapes, the furniture the tapestries, the walls, the ceilings and even the floors. The look of the place irritated her, mostly because it bore little resemblance to her own palace at Xalla and she wondered if it might not be time to return to her kingdom for a while. The entire return journey from Kandara, Cerric had proven resistant to her advances, ignoring her in favor of his obsession for the grand tournament he was planning, and the moment they had arrived, he had locked himself away with Berant while they worked out the details. To make matters more irritating, Cerric had magnanimously proposed that she could help by overseeing the arrangements for both the palace and the city for a week of celebrations in honor of the fighters who would compete for the favor of the god-king.

Calexis snorted in disgust as she thought about how meaningles her role as a ruler had become. By marrying Cerric, she had become the queen of two nations and her army had participated in the conquest of the mountain kingdom of Kandara. One might think that she would be entitled to make some decisions and decrees, but Cerric had gone ahead and appointed the Maramyrian lord, Myrdel as the Steward of Kandara, without even consulting her and, to further demonstrate her irrelevance, her god-king of a husband had barely spoken with her on their journey to Maramyr. When she had pushed him to include her in his plans, he had given her a menial task, as though she was some kind of servant or minion to be commanded. If Cerric wanted her to ready the palace and the city for his warrior games, to essentially decorate them, then that was what she would do. She pulled a velvet cord by the wall and sat down on a richly brocaded sofa and counted the moments before the servants entered, which were thankfully few.

"How may we be of service, your highness?" asked a maidservant, accompanied by two others.

"What artisans are there in this city?" she asked.

"There are many," they said. "Is there some particular skill you seek?"

"There are many skills that I seek. Stone masons, wood carvers, painters, tapestry makers, weavers, clothiers," she said. "Bring me the best of them."

"Yes, milady," the maidservant said with a polite bow of her head.

"And find that mage, Dakar," she added.

"I believe he is at the Temple of the One, your highness."

"Is that where the mages spend their time when they're not scurrying about doing my husband's bidding?" Calexis was curious.

"I do not know, highness. It is not our place to know the business of mages. Shall I send a messenger to the temple?"

"No," Calexis said. "I will go there myself. Ready an escort."

"Yes, milady."

The servants exited and Calexis rose from the sofa and, though she detested the flowery design, she marveled at the fine texture of the fabric. She would have to find out which of the weavers had achieved such a level of refinement. Calexis pulled on a black, slim fitted overcoat and picked a pair of long black gloves from a shelf, readying herself to go out into the city. She was irritated that the Maramyrian summers were not as warm as those in her own kingdom, and the nights had a distinct chill to them, which made it uncomfortable to remain unclothed as she preferred. It was certainly better than the cold mountain air of Kandara, but it was still unacceptable. She would have to see if Dakar and his mages could do something about it, at least for the palace itself.

A servant informed her that an escort had been alerted and she made her way out of the palace and through the city to the temple square, as it was called, even though it was more of a circle. The last time she had been here, the square had been filled with the people of the city, roused by their king to celebrate his marriage to the Xallan Queen and the new temple that had been built at the center of the square had been filled with mages, giving their power to a ritual that had raised the spirit of the god that had entered Cerric and made him powerful. Now, in the dead of night, the square was quiet and the temple loomed silently up into the inky black of the cloud covered sky, its dark spires disappearing into the darkness. Calexis found Dakar waiting for her at the entrance.

"Your highness," Dakar said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit so late at night?"

"I doubt it will be pleasurable for either of us, mage," she said. "If anything I though you might share in my displeasure."

"What is it that displease you, milady?"

Calexis glanced over at the guards who had accompanied her from the palace, all of them grey eyed, dead soldiers, who had become slaves to Cerric's power. She noticed that one of them seemed to have a different look to his eyes, more intent and it was almost as though they glowed slightly. Calexis' own power told her that Cerric was using his magical connection to the dead soldier to keep an eye on her.

"I would like to know your thoughts," she said, using the words Dakar had given her, to awaken that part of his mind that he kept separate from her husband. "Cerric has given me the task of decorating the palace and the city for the upcoming tournament and I would like to surprise him with something suitably majestic to celebrate his power and glory."

Dakar gave her a knowing look and she recognized the change in his expression. She glanced over at the guards and saw the magic fade from the one who had been watching her.

"A private conversation then?" Dakar asked.

"Yes," she said. "That would be most helpful."

"Have you ever visited the temple of Kroma?"

"Kroma?" Calexis was surprised that Dakar would suggest such a thing. Cerric claimed to be Kroma and it was likely that he might have some connection to the temple, perhaps even some way of hearing their words in such a place.

"It is a dead place," Dakar said. "Like the other temples, they are testaments to a past that has fallen to dust. I would not like to disturb the work of my brothers and sisters inside this new temple, for they too are preparing many magics for your husband's tournament. Come, you will find the temple of Kroma interesting."

"Lead the way, mage," Calexis said and she followed him across the open square to the entrance of a temple.

Dakar pushed open the tall double doors and with a flick of his fingers the torches ensconced on the walls burst into flame, lighting the dark inside of the temple with a warm, orange glow. Calexis followed him in and he led her across the dusty floor then to an alcove among the many that lined the walls of the circular structure. There they sat upon dust covered stone benches.

"It is a great risk to both of us for you to seek me out like this," Dakar said.

"No greater than the one you took in speaking to me at Kandara," she replied.

"What service might I be to you, Calexis?" Dakar said with a sigh.

"Is it safe here?" she asked. "May we speak freely?"

"Yes. There is no one listening."

"I want you to teach me, Dakar," Calexis said. "Teach me the trick you use to hide part of your mind."

Dakar looked at her with an odd expression.

"Out of curiosity, what has prompted you to ask this?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not particularly, but it is interesting that you should want to learn such a thing now. Will you answer my question?"

Calexis looked at the mage suspiciously, trying to determine if he was attempting to get her to betray herself, but she realized that if it were the case, what they had already said was more than enough for Cerric to blast her with his power, which was something she knew he could do on a whim.

"It is the way he looks at me," she told him. "Cerric is no longer interested in me. Every attempt I make to seduce him, he brushes me off, busy with other things, other matters, the tournament, the army, and half of which is my army. He wants nothing to do with me, that much is obvious, but he watches me, constantly. I am worried that he can hear my thoughts, that he can do to me what he has done to you and the other mages."

Dakar could tell that Calexis was on edge, and the fact that Cerric's enthralled servants were keeping a close eye on her was taking its toll. He suspected that she would not like what he was about to tell her.

"Cerric cannot hear your thoughts, Calexis," Dakar said. "But that is something he hopes to change very soon. The priesthood of mages has been working on a new spell, a kind of magic that will work much like the book, one that will enthrall even those without magic and possibly those like yourself who are able to resist the effects of the book. It is something he plans to do during the celebrations for the tournament, when as many people as possible are in the city."

"He would ensorcel the entire people?" Calexis was appalled, yet she wondered about his purpose. "Why?"

"It is his nature," Dakar said. "In the short moments when I have been free of my duties, I have studied the book of prophecies I told you about and I have learned many things. It appears that Cerric is inhabited by not just one, but two gods."

"Two gods? Which gods?"

"As you know, he once claimed to be Kroma, the god whose temple we now visit, but if the seers of the Mistrani were correct, he is also Kenra, the god of shadows," he told her. "The way the Mistrani prophecies are written, it appears that Kenra took Kroma within him during a battle between the two of them at the edge of this world on the path to Etherium. I have not yet read the entire book, but there is mention that Kenra stole from Stroma as well. It would explain how Cerric is so powerful, if he has the power of two or even three gods within him."

"If he is so powerful then why does he need to control everything?"

"I do not know exactly, but I have also learned some things from the link that binds me to him. If the center of his thoughts is that of Kenra, then it is his nature to be suspicious of everything. According to the Mistrani, the dark god of shadows was always thus. He is a jealous god, who pretends to be many things in order to get what he wants. It would not surprise me if Cerric is already gone, consumed by Kenra, who has already swallowed his older brother, Kroma."

"Then Cerric is no more? I am married to Kenra?"

"I do not know," Dakar told her. "All I know is that the mind that binds me to him through the power of the book is the mind of a god, not that of a man. And from the way the Mistrani describe him, I would say that he is Kenra, but more powerful than he ever was."

Calexis sat quietly for a moment, thinking about what Dakar had told her. It was already confusing at first to think of Cerric being someone else, a god no less, but it made sense that if a god had entered him then the weak minded fool, Cerric would be no match for him.

"Do the prophecies tell anything more about the godswords?" she asked.

"A little," Dakar said. "They mention that the oldest of the gods kept the knowledge of their existence from the younger gods and hid them to prevent their use.

"Which ones are the older gods?"

"Stroma and Ayra are the two older gods. Mara, Kroma and Kenra are the younger three. It is not clear whether they are their children or if they came into being when the older two awoke at the dawn of the third age. The prophecies are very clear about some things and less so about others."

"You told me I would find this temple interesting," Calexis said.

"I did," Dakar replied with a dark grin. "Come, I would like to show you something."

Dakar stood and Calexis rose as well and followed him from the alcove to the center of the temple. The mage stopped short of the large, open area in front of a dais and made a quick gesture with his hand. Calexis felt the faint tingle of energy as Dakar used his power to lift the layer of dust from the floor in front of them, revealing a symbol that was inlaid in the smooth stone. It was an old symbol of a mountain and Calexis noticed that it seemed to glow faintly with a warm, reddish color. The light from the symbol was so faint that she thought it was simply a reflection of the fire that burned in the torches along the walls, but her own magic allowed her to see more clearly and she realized that it was indeed glowing.

"What does it mean?" she asked.

"I suspect that Kroma may yet live," Dakar told her. "Perhaps you might offer him a prayer in the hope that he might yet prevail over Kenra and stop this madness."

Calexis gave the mage a skeptical look and he let the dust drop again to the floor.

"I would rather not wait for some god to sort things out," she said. "Now teach me how to separate a part of my mind. If Cerric or Kenra or whomever it is I am married to is planning on using the priesthood to enslave everyone, including me, then I will need to be able to protect myself from that magic if I am to be able to kill him."

Dakar raised an eyebrow at her.

"Her highness is ambitious as ever, I see," he said.

"I am a queen," Calexis reminded him. "I do not take orders from petty kings, or scheming gods for that matter."

*****

Cerric was pleased to find that the preparations for the tournament were well under way. The mages had been busily placing crystals throughout the city and connecting them to the star shaped structure in the temple that they had used to open the path from Etherium, allowing him to return to the world. In a few days everything would be in place and messengers were to ride out across the land, inviting every warrior to participate in the tournament and encouraging the people of the kingdom to attend the festivities. Gifts were promised to all those who came to the crown city and great feasts of food and drink were to be given freely.