The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy) (58 page)

I am embarrassed to say that my mastery of the Cosmean
language is not as fluent as I had thought it to be. Occasionally there is a
word that still escapes me. To make matters worse, the chief’s grasp of Angelic
and Toryn is basic at best. Fortunately the chief’s daughter speaks Merchant
Tongue, and is able to act as a translator on the rare occasion when
communication becomes difficult. We were able to converse easily at dinner
tonight. The chief’s name is Redhorse, and by all appearances seems to be a
wise and gentle leader. He is of an advanced age, much older than my father
even, who was already the age of most grandfathers when I was born.

I experienced some difficulty pronouncing the name
of Redhorse’s daughter, but she reassured me that most foreigners have
difficulty with the inflection, and asked simply that I call her “G.” Her name
is derived from an Angelic word that means “beginning,” which I feel is
strangely appropriate.

Nothing of much importance was said over dinner, but
afterwards when we had retired to Chief Redhorse’s sitting room, his
countenance became much more somber.

“Son,” he said, and his bronze eyes were solemn, “I
understand you have been sent here as an ambassador of the Toryn people, but I
must say that you seem very young for the job.”

“My father is the Elder Lord of Toryn, Chief
Redhorse,” I responded politely. “I believe he hoped to show honorable
intentions by sending the Elder Heir for negotiations.”

“I am not averse to an alliance with Toryn. Your
father has been a noble lord in a time when honor and integrity are in short
supply. However,” he continued, frowning, “I had hoped for an ambassador who
was proven in battle. Perhaps that was unrealistic. I am aware that diplomats
rarely engage in combat.”

I should not have looked at G when her father called
me a “diplomat,” but I could not help myself. Her eyes were downcast, the
firelight glinting off the amber highlights of her hair. She was stunning, and
I found myself disliking the diplomat label almost as much as I despised my
title as Elder Heir.

“If I may, sir,” I said to Chief Redhorse, “although
I claim no experience in battle, I certainly consider myself combat proficient.
Toryn ninjas are acknowledged to be some of the most capable warriors in
Kresmir.”

At those words, the chief brightened considerably.
“Well then,” he said. “Perhaps you can help us after all.”

“Sir?”

He stood, and even with his slightly stooped
shoulders, his silhouette was tall and imposing in the small sitting room. With
purposeful steps, he went to the mantle and opened a small wooden box. From the
box he withdrew a stane that glowed white. Unlike most stanes, which are often
sanded and polished into rough circles, this stane was still in its natural
form, with jagged edges and an uneven shape. Its gleaming white color was not
like any stane I had seen before.

“This is the stane of
Novem Milia,
”
he said.
“Do you understand the name?”

“I believe it is Angelic, Chief Redhorse, for
nine thousand.
”

“Correct.” He offered the stane to me, and I took
it, feeling the solid weight of the gem in my hand.

“What does it do?” I asked curiously.

“This is one of the most powerful magics in
existence,” the chief said, with a gleam in his eye that belied his advanced
age. “When used properly, the stane can, quite literally, freeze time.”

Perhaps I’d given the old man too much credit.
“Freeze time?” I repeated, trying to hide my disbelief. “That would be a
powerful magic, indeed.”

The chief, seeing my poor attempt at a fib, threw
back his head and laughed. “I like you already, son,” he said, clapping a hand
on my shoulder before he retreated to his chair again. “Clearly I was mistaken
when I assumed you were a diplomat. You’ve no more talent at lying than my own
daughter.”

I looked at G, who was trying to hide a smile behind
her hand. “I apologize, Chief Redhorse,” I said, knowing that I’d caused no
offense but somehow still feeling sheepish about it. “You must admit that it
sounds rather unbelievable.”

“I had the same reaction when my father told me
about this stane twenty-four years ago,” Redhorse admitted. “But I’ve seen
firsthand how it works, and I know now that it is a rare and powerful magic.”
He leaned back in his chair and stared at me for such a long time that I
squirmed in my seat. The stane was uncomfortably warm in my hand.

Redhorse spoke at last. “More than two centuries
ago, an army of Angels arrived in Cosmea and advised the reigning chief that a
devastating evil would soon be emerging from the Cosmean Caverns. The natural
magic of Kresmir had kept the evil at bay since the beginning of time, but with
the increasing drain on the planet’s resources and growing population,
Kresmir’s holds on this evil were weakening. The Angels revealed that this evil
is wholly indestructible. It cannot die. It can only be contained.

“The Angels also brought with them a stane of
Novem Milia.
This stane had the power to
trap the evil for nine thousand days, and it was Cosmea’s only hope. The Angels
fought alongside the Cosmeans and the chief, and managed to activate the magic
deep in the Cosmean Caverns. The stane, which was very much like the one in
your hand, literally froze time in its surroundings, trapping the evil in a…a
time bubble, if you will. It is called ‘the Stane of Nine Thousand’ because it
can only freeze time for nine thousand days, or just under twenty-five years,
before the stane’s magic is drained, and the evil is once again freed.”

My mind was racing to comprehend what this man was
saying to me. An ancient evil? Why had I never heard of it? How had the
Cosmeans kept such a unique magic a secret for this long? Most disturbing of
all was that Redhorse had already stated that his father had first told him
about the magic twenty-four years ago. I suddenly had a sinking feeling that I
knew why he has asked about my combat experience.

“In less than four weeks, the stane that is
currently keeping Kresmir safe will be completely drained of its power,” Chief
Redhorse said, and nodded to the stane in my hand. “That stane will have to
take its place. But the magic cannot be activated until the first stane has
relinquished its hold on time in the Caverns. To enter the affected area would
mean certain death for a mortal.”

“Would you not simply be frozen in time?” I asked,
surprised that my voice was still working.

“It’s impossible for humans to be resuscitated after
being frozen,” G spoke up from her place across the room. “Your heart will stop
beating permanently. Spirits and the undead may survive, and Angels can as
well, but not humans.”

I was quiet for a moment before I met Chief
Redhorse’s solemn gaze. “Sir, are you asking me to enter the Caverns and cast
the spell myself?”

Redhorse inclined his head slightly. “Only an Angel
can successfully activate the magic without being trapped. Unfortunately it has
been many years since an Angel has entered Cosmea, and as the stane in the
Caverns grows weaker, I fear that no Angel will come. I would ask that you
journey to the Heavenly City and find an Angel willing to assist us.” He paused
briefly, then continued with a fleeting smile, “I am also asking you to
accompany me, and a few of my warriors, into the Caverns. The skills of a Toryn
ninja would be most helpful in the event that something goes wrong. If you
agree to my request, I would be most willing to forge an alliance with Toryn.”

It was akin to blackmail, but without a hint of
malice. I wondered at the twist of emotions inside me. I was not afraid to do
what he was asking, but there was a yearning in my heart that I did not quite
understand. I glanced at G again, but she had averted her eyes and was staring
at the floor, waiting for my answer.

“I would be honored to stand by your side, Chief
Redhorse,” I said. It was a very curious situation, being so infatuated with a
girl I had only just met. “I can leave for the Heavenly City tomorrow, if that
is your wish.”

Afterwards, G walked me back to the inn. She was
mostly silent, but when we reached the door to the tavern, she stopped and put
a hand on my arm.

“You don’t have to do it, you know,” she said.

Her touch was electric, and I made a conscious
effort to appear nonchalant as I met her gaze steadily. “Do what?”

“Find an Angel. Help him cast the magic of the
stane. He only wants you to because you’re Toryn, and if the Angel does not
succeed, Toryns are usually so much…better with magic. Cosmeans aren’t
experienced in the use of stanes. We prefer natural methods.”

Ah. That explained the chief’s eagerness to recruit
me.

“If Cosmeans are less experienced with magic than I,
it would be both foolish and selfish if I were to turn my back on your father
now,” I responded. “He needs my help. I hope he would do the same for Toryn, if
the opportunity presented itself.”

“But…” She trailed off, looking frustrated.
“Sometimes people die in the Caverns. No one died the last time they restrained
the evil, but the time before that someone did, and the time before that…”

I put my hand over hers, pressing her fingers
against my arm. I was strangely moved by her concern for my well-being. “My
reasoning stands.”

She shook her head wordlessly, looking up at me with
those wide russet eyes, and suddenly my heart was pounding loudly in my ears.
Without thinking, I leaned down and, cupping my hand against the back of her
neck, pressed my lips to hers.

It was as brief as any kiss could be and still be
called a kiss, but in the few moments that it lasted, she responded, her hands
sliding up against my chest and leaving my skin heated everywhere she touched.

When I pulled back, ready to apologize, she smiled
at me, looking quite shy and not at all upset. Then she turned and left, and I
retreated to my room, where I am sitting now, writing frantically in this
journal as though my life depends on the act of recording what quickly turned
out to be the best day of my existence thus far.

***

IT
HAS BEEN TWO DAYS SINCE I HAVE WRITTEN.

I am perhaps the first Toryn to have reached the
Heavenly City, to have looked upon its glorious spires and witnessed the
perfection of the dwelling place of the Angels.

I have heard stories from Toryns who have
encountered Angels in their travels, but had never met one myself until this
morning.

After G left me at the inn in Cosmea, I could hardly
sleep. Writing helped, but not much. I lay awake in my bed until daybreak,
pleasantly haunted by the memory of her lips against mine. It was not my first
kiss, but it was the first one to have affected me so. Was it her first? I have
not the courage to ask.

Upon repacking my belongings and leaving the inn, I
encountered Chief Redhorse, who was accompanied by G and a female wolf.

“Good morning, Chief,” I said, bowing low. I had
never met a wolf before, and hesitated after greeting the chief, unsure of how
to proceed. I was saved from my own awkwardness when the wolf stepped forward
and surprisingly greeted me in the traditional Toryn style.

“I am Delail. I welcome you, young ninja,” she said,
and her tone was warm, the words flowing off her tongue like silk.

“I thank you for your welcome, elder,” I said,
bowing again, and introduced myself with my name and clan, noting with a pang
that very soon I would be forfeiting my first name and become known only as
“Lord Li.”

She did not repeat my name, which I vaguely recalled
was a Cosmean tradition- refraining from using others’ names unless necessary.
“I trust you bear no wounds from your journey?”

“None, elder. And you?”

She smiled, and the welcoming gesture was only
slightly marred by her lethally sharp teeth. “I am well, and was glad to learn
of your presence here. It has been many years since I have seen a Toryn, though
I spent a good deal of time on your island in my youth. I will be traveling with
you to the Heavenly City. I have a friend there who may help us.”

A wolf, friends with an Angel? Having no idea how I
was to persuade an Angel to leave the Heavenly City and travel to Cosmea to
undertake a potentially life-threatening mission, I felt a vast sense of relief
that Delail might be able to offer help.

“I will be traveling with you as well,” G spoke up
from beside her father. “This may be my only chance to see the Heavenly City. I
wouldn’t want to miss it.”

I nodded, making a monumental effort not to show any
sign of excitement at the news. “I planned to leave immediately.”

“I have a small airship that I will leave at your
disposal,” Chief Redhorse said, motioning to something behind me. “My daughter
is a skilled pilot and should be able to get you to the Heavenly City by
nightfall.”

I turned to look, seeing the front end of what
appeared to be a very small airship poking out from behind the edge of a cliff.
It should not have surprised me, because most cities are far more advanced than
Toryn in terms of transportation and mechanical workings, but it did. I had
never been on an airship before, and wondered uneasily if my motion sickness
would translate to air sickness as well.