The deathless ones, p.12
The Deathless Ones, page 12
Semil's face was grim. There had been no news of either Marian or the twins she was meant to be tracking down. Amrose had nothing worthwhile to report either. His testing of the new spell had got no results. The volunteer he had used was far too exhausted to be able to test it again soon. According to Amrose, her level of exhaustion made it apparent that the spell was powerful enough to kill the user if they weren’t strong enough. That was enough to make Semil refrain from asking Amrose to cast it himself, without further tests. After all, he did need Amrose to bring his plans to fruition. Not that he didn’t have any other magicians, but none were as strong as Amrose.
The continued silence from Marian was irking him. True, in these times, getting a message through was no sinecure; yet, Marian was enterprising enough to manage it. It was possible she had met with an accident, but Semil hoped not. He didn’t want to send someone else on this job. Marian was blindly obedient, a trait that made her useful in a job like this. Semil was feeling irritated with both Amrose and Marian. It seemed neither of them were as good as he had thought.
I'm surrounded by imbeciles! He hoped at least his spies would bring some news.
"My Lord?" There seemed to be an air of excitement about Cadgen.
Semil glanced at him. "Yes?" he barked.
"Our man in Mirrel got a report through."
"Finally!" Semil said, feeling elated. "How did he manage it?"
"I don’t know, my lord. The messenger was unaware the message being transmitted. Our man had made a mark on the man's wagon and when it reached here, I had it searched. Here."
He held out a tightly furled and still sealed scroll the size of a finger.
"We questioned the messenger casually,” he added. “Our man has been caught and executed. He won't be sending any more messages."
"Then how do we know this message is genuine?"
"From the mark he made on the wagon. If he was acting under duress, the mark would’ve been different."
"What if Syamin's men searched the wagon and took the original message and planted this one?" Semil had to be certain that the report he held was genuine.
"The wagon owner said his wagon wasn’t searched until he got here. He was highly offended by our search."
"Then how did our man get caught?"
"He was caught loitering near the wagons. They searched him and found the seal which he couldn’t hide. He had a decoy message on him and therefore they assumed he hadn’t been able to send a message through."
Semil nodded. "You may leave now. Try and get someone else into Mirrel. I want Syamin watched."
Cadgen bowed and departed.
Semil opened the scroll. It contained two pieces of news, but both were of importance. Semil could see why his man risked capture and death by sending this message. The first was that Marian was in Mirrel. She wasn’t well, and was in the house of Aster now. The second was that Syamin was away from Mirrel. Semil remembered the report he’d received earlier that day from his spies from Nairiac that Myra was on her way to Mirrel to visit the shrine of the Elementals. Something about a dream she had being the reason. Semil's expression showed no change as he put the scroll in the fire. Marian was with Aster, Syamin was away, and Myra was going there. It was the perfect time to strike at Mirrel.
He needed a plan, to take advantage of the situation. He moved away from the table, and started pacing. He found it easier to think if he was moving. He needed to get someone into Mirrel, and contact Marian. She was equal to a few men, and would do whatever he asked without question. Myra was going to Mirrel. An ambush should take care of her, but he couldn’t send more than two men, since they would need to move through hostile territory, and numbers would attract attention. He would need to ambush her in Ceatin, and if he could find some way to blame Syamin for it...
He smiled, pleased at the thought. He had a plan. He needed a soldier and a magician to execute it for him. Amrose and Cadgen were the first faces that came to his mind. Of course, neither might survive, but this was important. This was an opportunity to finish the war, and with the war ended, he could finally pay attention to achieving his ultimate goal. He would still need a powerful sorcerer for that, and they were not easy to find. He debated with himself for a moment. Amrose was necessary for his final goal; finding another sorcerer as powerful was not easy. He would need to ensure that Amrose knew enough of his plans to escape when he needed to. As for Cadgen, he had plenty of other men. Cadgen was expendable. Amrose, at the moment, wasn’t.
His mind made up, he swept the reports off the table and sent for Amrose.
The Bringer of Life and Death
"This isn’t easy," Jala muttered, as she stood on the grass, watching her mother and her uncles. The two humans were near them, not so near that they might be able to hear any conversations, but near enough. Uncle Kal’s eyes moved to the two humans from time to time, a quick glance and then back again. It was her mother who claimed most of Jala’s attention, though. Niya stood between her two brothers, and to her it was as if the three weren’t talking, but simply standing there, but she knew they were talking with their minds. With some effort, she could have eavesdropped upon their conversation without their knowing, but she wasn’t that curious, or that unaware of what a terrible breach of privacy that would be. None of them had done that since they could control their powers.
"Watching two humans?" Agin asked, a soft smile on his face, almost teasing.
"I meant them," Jala said with a jerk of her head, very seriously. She was sure her twin was teasing, but she wasn’t going to be side tracked by responding in kind.
Agin didn’t turn to look. He didn’t need to. He knew what she was referring to. Their mother stood at the far end of the lawn, deep in conversation with their uncles. He didn’t need to look at her to know that she would be looking calm and relaxed. Her dark eyes would be serene, as would her face be. Agin thought he had forgotten what she looked like, but that was before she made her unexpected return. Now he couldn’t believe he had ever thought he had forgotten. He was only a baby when she left, but being an Elemental, he had been aware from the moment of his birth, though not as aware as he was now. He wondered how many more aeons it might take for the pain to recede. How long would it take before he might be able to look at his mother and not feel bitter?
Agin followed his twin's gaze to where the two humans stood. They appeared nervous, though their hands were in each other's. Agin remembered with a jolt that they were also twins, torn apart by a war, and now, they were together again, thanks to Niya. Agin turned away from the humans and walked away. He had enough of reunions. He wanted an end to all this. He just wanted to do what he was supposed to do without having to worry about the fate of the world or their own safety.
"Hey," a hand touched his shoulder. Agin knew who it was. Vay's touch was as light as the air he embodied. He tried to relax, but he couldn’t. "Is she staying this time? Do you know?" He asked.
"Who cares?" Vay said bitterly. "Are you so bothered about that?"
"I don't know," Agin muttered. "Maybe." He shook his head. "I don't know."
"I’m not!" Vay said almost viciously. “I don’t want her anywhere near here!”
Agin stared at him in surprise. "Why do you feel so strongly about it?" He asked.
Vay was silent for a moment. Then he said, "When she left, you two were babies. So, you wouldn't remember. Bhav wasn’t strong then. He wasn’t well because he was not touched by Nadais, and she just left. He would have ceased to exist if Uncle Kal hadn't braved Nadais' wrath and taken Bhav to him."
"And Nadais accepted?"
"Yes, and he agreed to touch the two of you too, but he demanded a price from Uncle Kal."
"What price?"
"I don’t know. I learned all this as I grew older, eavesdropping on our uncles, mostly unintentionally. But no winds blow in the seat of Nadais, no air enters his presence, and hence I do not know the price that was demanded."
Agin digested this in silence. "All three of us owe our lives to Uncle Kal then."
Vay nodded. "Yes. He brings death in the human world, yet he has brought life to my siblings when our mother chose to leave and let them fade from existence." Vay sounded so bitter when he spoke of their mother, and Agin could understand now why it was that Vay never mentioned her in all these years.
Agin looked at where Jala stood, talking to Bhu. He couldn’t imagine an existence without his twin. If Uncle Kal hadn't done what he did, he would not have existed, so, the question of existing without his twin was superfluous. Neither of them would have existed. If it had happened, what would have happened to the elements that were part of them? Would his fire and Jala's water still have existed? What might the world have been like in that case? Would Terrin ever have come into being? Or would Nadais have created some other Elemental to take their place? He didn’t think it likely. It was hard to imagine Terrin without fire or water. It was more possible that Terrin itself wouldn’t have come into being.
His eyes sought Bhav and found him standing near Naksa. What would have happened to the sun if Bhav had ceased to exist? Of course, Terrin hadn’t yet come into being then, but would Terrin ever have existed if not for Uncle Kal’s actions?
Niya turned her head suddenly and her eyes met Agin's. She smiled, but Agin stared stonily back. She shrugged and turned back to her brothers.
"I should thank you for bringing her to us," Jiv said aloud.
"You are beginning to be very repetitive and boring," Niya remarked. "And I didn’t bring her out of any wish to help you. It was her choice, not mine."
"You saved Marian," Kal said abruptly.
Niya glanced at him. "After your foolishness, I had to do something to save the day."
"My foolishness?" Kal demanded.
"You didn't even realise who she is, did you?" Niya asked.
"What do you mean who she is?" Jiv asked. "Who is she?"
"She is the last of the Chosen Ones of Nadais, the last disciple. And you, my brother, attacked her in the shadow of Nadais himself. You are lucky he didn't think to punish you!”
Kal's face remained impassive. "I see," was all he said before he turned around abruptly and walked off. Niya turned a bewildered gaze on Jiv who shrugged.
"He hasn't changed much," Jiv said. "He still doesn't forgive himself easily when he makes a mistake."
Niya watched Kal gravitate towards the humans who now stood next to each other, their postures indicating awkwardness. She shook her head. Mortals! After being apart for a few short human years, they didn’t know what to say to each other, or how to behave.
"That’s why they are human," Jiv said quietly. "We are different, Niya. You ought to know that."
"Oh I do," she said. "But I would rather not be faced with any more stupidity right now."
"Are you talking of them or of us?"
"Your foolishness is what created this situation."
"I could argue that Semil caused this situation, with a little assistance from Aster, granted, but I don't think you will agree with me," Jiv said.
"Two humans!" There was contempt in her voice.
"Aster is no mere human. He is the Chosen One of Nadais, and he has been aware of it from his childhood." Jiv reminded her.
"Unlike Marian, you mean." She said thoughtfully.
"Unlike her, and all other Chosen Ones." Jiv agreed.
"And Semil? What makes him different?" She was curious.
Jiv shrugged. "He was... he was different, and I admit I miscalculated. Still, the situation could have been salvaged had he not chosen to be angry and vengeful."
She digested this in silence. "Perhaps," she said. "But he’s only a human after all, and they are violent and unpredictable most of the time. Perhaps, it is time the two of you told me what exactly happened."
Jiv narrowed his eyes "You already know. You were there. Remember?"
"Not for all of it,” She said. “I came into the picture only after the mess had been made. Besides, they need to be told." She gestured towards Madh and Sadjah.
"The humans?" Jiv asked. “I was thinking so too. I’d promised the children that I’d tell them everything after the Solstice.”
She nodded. “Yes. I forgot they don’t know everything either.”
"We'll gather them together and tell them," Jiv said.
"So, we'll have a nice, cosy, family gathering where they can all give me the cold shoulder, stare at me accusingly, and you two can tell stories." Niya’s words came out more bitter than she intended.
"What do you suggest then?" Kal asked. Jiv and Niya had not noticed his return to their side, so intent were they on their conversation.
"Call the two humans. Tell them. You don't need words to let my children know what happened," she said, knowing that she was perhaps being cowardly.
"You did leave, you know." Kal said gently.
"I know, but I had my reasons," she said. It hurt that not even her brothers saw through all the lies, didn’t understand why she had to leave, that they too chose to believe the worst of her.
"I'm sure your children would love to hear them," Jiv muttered.
"If I choose to share it with them, which I don't, not yet anyway. Besides, don't we have more important matters to worry about?" She was angry, though she strove to sound normal.
Jiv nodded. "We do. I shall tell them all I know. You'll have to help me. You too played an important part in it, you know."
"I was just correcting an anomaly that you created!"
"Let's not fight over this again," Kal said. "What's done is done, and none of us is the master of time, so we cannot change what happened. Let's find a way to deal with the repercussions now."
"I think it is better if I do use words," Jiv said. "The humans are important. Haven't you seen their skins? Those markings?"
Niya nodded. "Yes," she said. "I saw... that’s why... I tried so hard to bring her here."
"We need them to trust us," Jiv said. "Which they might not if we don't communicate openly."
"All right," Niya sighed. "Just make sure we don't get side tracked."
"I'll see to that," Kal said placing a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring way. She couldn’t explain to herself how comforting it felt, how soothing.
"All right," she said. "But even if we tell them everything, we still can’t explain how Nadais had two human children, can we?"
Kal looked at where Madh and Sadjah stood. "No, we cannot," he said. "That answer only our father can provide."
Ancient History
The building was deserted, and dilapidated. It had no roof. A portion of it had completely crumbled, it had no doors or windows, and only gaping holes remained where they might have once been. A gnarled and ancient tree stood near the building, its roots burrowing into it, and its canopy spread over it, as if to provide it with a different kind of roof.
A woman appeared near the tree so suddenly that she might have used magic to get there. She was tall, with short, dark hair, and was dressed in a grey tunic and brown breeches. Her face was ordinary, and she had grey eyes, a straight nose, and a pointed chin. She looked around her, and then seeming to be satisfied, moved towards the derelict building. She passed through the hole where a door must once have stood, and through the crumbling building to a room at its centre. At one time it might have been a large hall, but now half of it had fallen in and it held no shape. The woman picked her way across to a heap of broken bricks and stones in one corner. At first sight, they looked part of the crumbling ruin, but on closer inspection, it was clear these were relatively new. The woman pushed at one of the stones, and a trapdoor opened on the floor near the pile. She lowered herself carefully down and pressed a lever on the wall, and the door closed as if it had never been.
She stood in a dimly lit corridor. There were empty brackets on the wall, but there were small openings, at the very top of each wall that provided ventilation as well as a little bit of light. The floor and the walls were made of stone. She walked purposefully to a door set at the end of the corridor, opened it and went inside. It was a large room with an oval table in the middle and three women sat around it. Two were extremely old, but not infirm. Their eyes were shrewd and their glances sharp.
The third woman, who was young, looked up at the newcomer and greeted her, smiling, "Layla."
"Ellora," Layla returned the smile as she sat down at the table on a chair between Ellora and one of the old women.
"How goes your mission, my child?" One of the old women asked.
"It goes well, old mother," She replied. "The thieves are almost fully under my control now. With the help of Lord Aadron, I've managed to get rid of my rival."
"You took help from a man?" The other old woman asked, her tone and face both disapproving.
"I used him to further my ends." Layla replied coolly. "Hamon was too powerful to handle on my own."
The old woman opened her mouth to utter another protest when the other one interrupted, "You are enterprising. That is good. Please keep quiet, Shira, you can’t see past anything your hatred for men."
"It’s you who can’t see past anything, Meia," Shira said scowling. "Men are our enemies. They are the ones keeping us downtrodden and ignorant. There can be no circumstances that justifies accepting the help of one!"
