Disclaimer: Does anyone ever read these things? I don't own digimon. I'm not doing this for money.
Seihad: Chapter Five
By: TK Takaishi
** May 22nd, A.S. 522. Eight hours later**
To Emperor Tichon, his throne room on Akeldama did not exist. He was not in a room at all. As always, when he ascended to this level of the thought-plane, all the trappings of the physical world fell away. The tangible blackness that surrounded him was infinite, without borders or walls, floors or ceilings, or even up or down. It was broken only by the tiny streams of whispering violet light that wove their way sinuously through the empty space. Some of them spun quickly and vigorously. Others remained still until they resembled nothing more than tiny, violet stars in the inky distance. Dozens of them swirled and revolved around the Emperor, leaving haunting wisps of lavender in the void that faded as they passed.
Master…they seemed to whisper hungrily as they passed. How much longer? How much longer?
Soon, my faithful ones, Tichon thought back with a slight smile. Soon. It will not be long before we can begin…
Soon… they hissed, savouring the word. Soon…
Have patience, my mirrireid…
**********
Hundreds of miles away, on the other side of Gaea, a lone man looked up.
Night had fallen over the lands of Yagami. The lights of Maitzin still glimmered in the far distance, but here, on the roof of Aidan's palace where he had concealed himself, it seemed to him that the very air had slowed and stilled as the world fell asleep. The soft dancing of moonlit tendrils of mist was the only movement he could see in this world of shadows. Grunting softly to himself, he looked further up still.
The waxing moon's cold pale light appeared from behind a bank of clouds, and the mist turned momentarily silver in its glow. Although the edges of the moon were blurred by thin, translucent veils of cloud, the man could tell that it was already past its zenith. Soon, it would begin its slow descent towards the horizon. It was almost time.
He was proven right a moment later when a hushed bronze bell rang two o'clock, and the watch shifts changed. The soft clatter of their boots reverberated off the stone walls as fresh guards went out to man the defensive walls, and the relieved soldiers went in for a few hours sleep. A dog barked at a raccoon, rousing the other dogs into a brief cacophony of yips and whines. Then the clatter faded and the night's tangible blanket of calm descended once more.
The man lay back and patiently waited another fifteen minutes as the new guards settled into their posts. When nothing more happened, he silently unfastened the buttons on his white Yagami Captain's uniform, and cast it aside. From the package he had in his lap, he swiftly took out a black cloak, and flung it about his shoulders, fastening the broach at his throat with practiced ease. Atop the palace's arched roof, he was all but indistinguishable from the dark green tiles when he pulled the deep cowl over his face. Cautiously, he got up from his crouching position and stretched. He cocked his head one last time to listen for any stray footsteps.
There were none. The guards were not due to change for another six hours, and most of the lords and ladies were already asleep. The only thing he could sense were the light sounds of servants' feet as they scurried about the hallways, dusting off the odd suit of armour, or the ornate candlesticks and mantelpieces that decorated the corridors. They would continue all night, and disappear only when morning came and the Lords began to rise. It was as quiet as it was going to get. The time was now.
Satisfied, he reached into his pocket and withdrew the small, metal pendant. Carefully, he unclasped the chain around it and replaced the link within his pocket. Then, holding it in his hands close to his mouth, he exhaled softly on the metal as one might blow on a glowing ember.
The mirrireid responded instantly. The man felt a great rush of rising power as the metal's subtle blue glow brightened and the talisman flared into life. Around his feet, long, narrow marks began to burn themselves into the green roof tiles, as if drawn by an invisible hand clutching a white-hot sword. The man ignored the angry crimson scars, but continued to whisper, and the mirrireid continued to flicker. Finally, as the last inscription was drawn, the red lines flashed once in unison, then faded to a steady, ambient glow.
As it always did, the raw power rising from the fell symbol on the ground sent a tingle of anticipation down the man's back. Yes…this was power. The numbing fear he had felt earlier that afternoon fell away, and he almost laughed out loud. That witch, Lady Hikari, could not do anything to him. What was a mere human compared to this? How could she hold a candle to what he, a bearer, could summon forth with a few words? The five lined pentagram, simple and elegant, filled his vision, rushing in on him, consuming him hungrily as he reveled in its flames until he could see, hear and feel nothing else. Now! the ever-present whisper said. Do it now!!
Eagerly, he sat down in the middle of the marks he had drawn, and pressed the mirrireid between his two palms, in a horrible perversion of a prayer. The piece of metal began to get colder and colder as he pressed it, until it burned at the flesh of his palms. A white mist appeared around his clasped hands as the balmy air around the mirrireid crystallized into clouds of ice. He didn't care. As he pressed it harder, a slight, red glow began to shine through the cracks of his hands, seeping from between his palms like blood. The man closed his eyes, and slowly, carefully, began to chant:
"Ibaeli roband asilihan zardovudd saetan…Kedoreldan nydiraseth alaech…"
Two stories below him, King Aidan frowned, and began to stir in his sleep.
**********
Kari gazed listlessly out of her glass window at the lights and fires dotting the city. At any other time in her life, she would have thought the view was beautiful. Breathtaking even. Now however, as the fatigue from the journey and from a long day of playing the diplomat finally caught up with her, she was in no mood to appreciate anything.
From her perch on the peak of Aidan's palace, Maitzin was spread out like a blanket before her. The central blocks of buildings and the numerous taverns and bars were all aglow with the multicoloured glow of festive beacons and candles. The roads were alive with moving points of gold and silver – lanterns borne by night-running wagons. In lower Maitzin, Kari could see the running lights of ferries and river-boats as they scurried to and fro along the waterways. She could even see the exact outline of the coast from the oil-lamps on the docks. The whole thing vaguely reminded Kari of years long past, when she would sit atop a mountain ridge, and look down, wide-eyed, upon the tranquil glow of fluttering fireflies blazing through the translucent mountain mist. It was a comforting memory – one of the few not laced with death and pain.
If only her companion would let her indulge in it.
You broke every rule of diplomacy! Cody thought fiercely. In ten minutes! Kari, are you insane?! You not only insulted him to his face, you insulted him in front of his own court, his own counsellors and his own soldiers!
Kari sighed as she watched Cody pace around the room like a caged tiger. So much for reminiscing. She had long since shed her white cloak and donned a more comfortable night-dress which left her shoulders and arms bare. Cody however, was still dressed in his gray cloak and suit, oblivious or uncaring of the late hour. In the candlelight, which was the room's only illumination, his green eyes looked almost obsidian black, terrifying in their intensity. And don't use that playground excuse "he started it first" Cody went on, waving his arms for emphasis. I know you better than that. But, if not that, then what were you thinking?
We've been over this, Kari thought wearily. If I thought that appealing to his pride would convince him, believe me, I would've done it.
And what makes you think it wouldn't have worked? You didn't just tread on his pride, you stomped on it, and tore it to pieces!
Kari hugged her knees to her chest as she looked out over Maitzin again. The slowly moving points of light soothed her eyes. Cody, you may notice things like archers, and locks being on the wrong side of the door, but you are blind when it comes to reading people.
What do you mean by that? Cody said as he stopped pacing and glared at Kari.
King Aidan, she said slowly, is a ruler that genuinely cares for his people. I admire that. It is a necessary trait in a man who has to hold a struggling kingdom together.
Cody glanced around the room, as if he had not heard properly. When his reply came, his thought-shape was tinged with incredulity. Excuse me?
Any man that has managed to pull this kingdom together in the wake of Queen Yagami's death has to love his country, Kari thought emphatically as she looked back out the window. That's no mean feat, when half the provinces are talking about leaving the Yagami banner. Somehow, this man inspired enough loyalty to keep the nation together. And no man can do that with feigned devotion.
You sure made it sound like you hated him…
Oh I do, Kari said wryly. It's hard not to be at least a little spiteful towards someone who calls you a "fool girl" to your face. But Cody, you have a thing or two to learn about not letting your emotions get in the way of seeing someone for who they are. Just because I hate someone, doesn't mean I don't respect them.
Cody sighed. I should've remembered.
King Aidan needs the facts, Cody Kari continued. He is not interested in equivocation. Didn't you notice how direct he was? No nonsense about wishing Bjorn well, no matter how insincere that would be. No meaningless blessings. He cut right to the heart of the matter. So I gave him the truth. Namely, I am not a "fool girl" to be dismissed at his leisure.
You still angered him…
King Aidan will not let pride get in the way of making the right decision. For his people, he will swallow even that.
Couldn't there have been some simpler way to break the news to him? Cody said agitatedly as he started to pace again. Something more gentle perhaps?
What if I had debased myself in front of him? Kari demanded. If he then agrees to meet with Bjorn, you know Bjorn will not stand to be insulted like that. I would have accomplished nothing, and quite possibly made things worse.
Cody grunted. You gamble with the fate of this world, Kari. If you lose...
At least, Kari thought back levelly, I have made a way where previously there was none.
Cody looked up from his pacing, his haggard green eyes finding Kari's own. That you have, he thought grudgingly. However, may the records show that I still think you're insane. For a moment, a small smile tugged at his lips, and he looked like the young Taelidani boy Kari had rescued from the desert years ago. If nothing else, Aidan's expression when you summoned your stand was priceless.
Kari however, was too tired to rise to the weak attempt at humour. She sighed and slumped, her rigid posture melting as she sat on her bed. Glancing at the basin of cold water on the mantel, Kari briefly debated whether it was worth the bother to ask for a hot basin, then decided against it. Pray, Cody she replied. Pray that Aidan sees the way. He is devoted to his people, yes, but that is not enough. I am merely using it as a lever to push him in the right direction. He has to be devoted to all people, all nations, for this alliance to work.
Cody did not say anything, but his silence was acknowledgement enough. For a moment, both of them merely stared out the window at the bright blanket of lights before them. The candle flickered on its stand as a breeze blew in from the window.
Then both stand-masters gasped in unison. Cody swayed, and grabbed onto Kari's bed for support. Kari doubled over and covered her mouth as bile flooded her stomach. She felt like someone had thrown a rancid basin of slimy, lukewarm water on her as she sat on her bed. For a moment, the sheer shock took her breath away and she closed her eyes as she struggled to open her throat, to get her lungs to work. Quickly, Kari slammed her stand's inner eye shut, and the feeling faded away. Without her extra sense of people's spirit, she felt almost blind, but she didn't care. She was too busy trying to keep her dinner down.
"Cody?" she gasped out loud. With her senses closed, she could no longer send thought-shapes. "Did…did you feel that?"
Beside her, Cody was spitting into the basin of cold water. "Stavik," he muttered hoarsely. "What was that?"
Shuddering, Kari scrubbed her hands compulsively against her pale night-dress, and shook her head to make certain that her long hair was still clean and dry. The cold wind coming in through the open window left a welcome, cleansing chill along her skin, even though it raised goosebumps on her bare arms. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shivered, as much from the disgusting aftertaste on her tongue as the cold. "There is dark magic afoot," she said urgently. "Someone in this castle is casting a spell."
"Dark magic? Kari, we're in the middle of Yagami territory! The border is almost two days' march away!"
"Perhaps," Kari said. Then, she leapt from her bed and began to search frantically for her night-robe, "Aidan was so preoccupied in guarding us, someone from the outside was allowed to slip in. Do you know where Isaac is?"
"Of course," Cody said as he straightened up. "He's with the men two floors below us. What are you planning?"
Kari finally found her pale robe in the candle-light. Gratefully, she slipped it on, and fastened the sash at her waist. Her hand automatically went to her side, and she frowned as her hand brushed her hip. "I forgot…they took our weapons."
"They took our men's weapons as well. They can't do anything," Cody reminded her.
"Rouse Isaac anyway, and tell them to improvise," Kari said as she put on her slippers. "Use anything; I don't care what kind of a mess they make. Go raise the alarm. Tell them we're under attack. I'll try and track down…whoever it is that's casting that spell. Join me when you've got everyone rounded up. Whoever gets there first, stop it!"
Cody nodded quickly as he made for the door. "I'll be there in a few minutes. Good luck."
"Same to you." Then, not even bothering to dress properly, Kari strode quickly to the door and threw it open. The four guards stationed around her room straightened up in surprise as the wooden door flew open with a loud crash. Dumbfounded, they stared as Kari emerged still in her night-gown and slippers.
"Stop gaping like a crowd of fools!" she snapped. "Your castle is under attack!" Before they could react to that, Kari turned and started running down the hall.
**********
The Emperor looked up as one of the more distant violet lights began to pulse blood-red.
Master… the bearer seemed to whisper into the darkness. Aid me…Lend me your strength…
**********
Kari skidded to a halt at the first intersection, and gazed wildly in both directions. Which way? The lavishly decorated hallways looked identical in either direction, and the palace was far too large to search all of it. She didn't even know the layout of the whole place. She bit her lip, as she steeled herself. Only for a moment, she promised herself. Only for a moment…
Cautiously, she opened the inner eye of her stand by a crack. Immediately, the foul feeling of sorcery flooded into her stomach, but she clamped her teeth shut and refused to retch. It was pulsing in a grotesque burlesque of a heartbeat, sending out stomach-turning waves of dark magic in a steadily quickening beat. Yes…she could tell where it was coming from. Up on the roofs, further north along the Lords' apartments. Quickly, she turned left and sprinted down the hallway, her nightgown flying. Late-night servants and guards gaped at her as she ran past shouting, "Sound the alarm! You're under attack! Sound the alarm!"
Even as she shouted, however, the huge, bronze bell mounted on the highest tower of Aidan's palace began to ring quickly and urgently. Three sharp taps, then silence. Then three sharp taps again. Doors flew open all around her as people milled around, wondering what was going on, and guards began to shout at orders at one another to get the Lords and Ladies into the safe-rooms downstairs. Kari allowed herself a grim smile. Either Cody or Isaac had managed to raise the alarm. Whoever the sorcerer was, he wouldn't be able to cast his spell in peace for long.
Suddenly, one of the guard's shouts pierced through her shell of concentration and seared across her consciousness. She snapped her head around as a guard ran by, shouting at the top of his lungs. "All healers to King Aidan's room immediately! Where are the healers? The King is dying! The King is dying!"
Kari reached out and grabbed the guard's arm in an iron grip. "What happened?" she demanded.
The guard tried to pull his arm away. "Milady, I-"
"What happened?!" Kari shouted.
"The King is dying!" the guard snarled as he wrenched away. "The head healer doesn't know what's wrong with him. Some kind of sudden disease! Now, milady, I have to go find the-"
But Kari was not listening. The moment she had heard the word "disease", she had already reversed direction. By the time the guard finished his sentence, she was already disappearing around the nearest corner. "Merde," she swore under her breath. Of course. Of course. What else would the sorcerer do? What else could the spell be doing?
Even the strongest sorcerer could not hope to pull the entire castle down on its sleeping inhabitants. He could not conceivably kill every lord and lady in the building either. The guards would be able to find him long before he managed to. Kari didn't know how the sorcerer had managed to get into Aidan's very castle, but whoever it was had to know that once he started his spell, he would be found very quickly. He would have a few minutes at most, to cast one single spell. And when one had one, single shot, one always aimed at where it would do the most harm.
The stand-masters could not be touched by dark magic.
So the only one left was…Aidan.
Help. She had to help. She didn't know how, but the urgent need to do something drove her onwards. Tearing along the corridors, she risked a quick thought-shape to Cody. Cody! She screamed into the thought-plane, ignoring the instantaneous flood of stomach-turning slime. Aidan's being killed! I'm going to go help him! Stop whoever is casting that spell!
There was no answer. Kari wasn't sure whether it was because Cody had closed his stand's eye and couldn't sense her, or because he didn't bother to respond. Either way, she didn't have time to find out. Brushing past a group of guards that tried to stop her, she bounded up some stairs, taking them three at a time. The guards were beginning to notice her now, and some reached out to catch her, shouting something about "her own protection". Kari desperately threw off their arms and slipped through their clumsy attempts to stop her. "I know what I'm doing," she shouted back as she kept running. "Your King is in danger! I'm a healer, let me be!"
After what felt like an eternity, even though it couldn't have lasted more than two minutes, Kari found the hallway she was looking for. The door to King Aidan's bedchamber was flooded with frightened and nervous people, all of them straining to see what was happening to their King. Four guards were holding them back firmly with their long spears. "Stay back!" they shouted above the crowd's frightened din. "Give the healer space to work!"
Kari elbowed and pushed her way through the crowd as fast as she could. When she reached the door, the guards sidled sideways, and neatly blocked her path. "Lady Hikari," one of them said, "you should be in the safe-rooms downstairs. Give the healers space to work."
"I'm a healer," Kari shouted as she tried to brush their spears away. "Let me pass! I can help!"
"The healer gave specific orders that-"
"Your King is dying!" Kari flared as she forcibly pushed her way past the startled guards. "Let me pass!"
As she stepped into the room, Kari was almost overwhelmed by the stink in the room, both to her stand's senses, and to her physical senses. Her eyes watered and a faint, low roar filled her ears as her vision began to dim. Quickly, she slammed her stand's eye shut again, but unfortunately she couldn't do the same with her nose. Gulping air through her mouth, she staggered across the wide bedchamber to where the healer and their assistants were desperately trying to save their King. When Kari arrived at Aidan's bedside, she gasped.
Aidan was thrashing furiously on his bed, despite the best efforts of the healer's assistants, who were trying to hold his flailing form still for the healer to work. His skin was mottled with dark blue bruises and ulcers, and his limbs and digits were swelling up with a hideous pus beneath the skin. Already, some of the ulcers on his skin had burst, and his white bed sheets were slick with the black blood that oozed from his wounds. A stomach-turning stench of rotting meat wafted up as the hissing blood ate hungrily into the clean sheets. Aidan couldn't seem to breathe through his swollen throat as he choked and scrabbled at his neck for air. "Hold him still!" the healer shouted. "Someone hold his mouth open! Hold his mouth open, damn you!"
Kari staggered up to the healer, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Let me help," she said, shaking the woman's shoulder urgently.
The healer looked over. "Lady Hikari!" she gasped. "You should be in the safe-rooms! I can't possibly ask you to-"
"Your King will be dead in one minute unless we do something," Kari interrupted urgently. "I am a healer as well. Let me help!"
**********
The incessant ringing of the general alarm signal throbbed urgently in people's ears as Lords and Ladies wandered about the corridors in various states of undress. Guards ran to and fro, rounding up the people from their apartments, and taking them to their safe-rooms. Slipping through the bewildered crowd like a darting snake, Cody plunged ahead, seeking the dark sorcerer with his stand's eye. Behind him, the Shienar honour guards doggedly followed the stand-master, trying to keep up with his burning pace as they roughly shoved their way through the congested hallways.
All around them, white-cloaked soldiers shouted at them to stop, to head towards the safe-rooms below the palace, but their protests fell on deaf ears. Cody could hear nothing but the deafening roar of his pulse in his ears, and feel nothing except the nauseatingly oily taint of dark magic in the air. Behind him, Isaac and his men merely held up their hands as they ran past. "We're not armed!" he shouted as they rushed past. "Let us pass! We can help!"
Finally, Cody led the Shienarans down the length of the hallway, and turned right onto one of the many stairs in the palace. Without pausing to draw breath, he ran up the stairs, roughly shoving his way through the confused and frightened crowd of nobles that rushed down on their way to the safe-rooms. Then they were on the upper levels, where the Royal family used to dwell. There was some kind of disturbance down the hallway, but Cody ignored it, and kept on running upwards. Isaac and his men followed wordlessly.
Then they were at the top of the palace, and the staircase ended. They could not go up any further. There was another crowd here, and Cody hesitated for a second as he chose his direction again. This time, he sprinted straight for the milling horde of white-cloaked soldiers instead of running away from them. "Let us pass!" he roared as he elbowed his way through. "What's going on?"
Several soldiers turned and started at his appearance. "Lord Cody, we-"
"Hey!" someone shouted. "You're not supposed to be up here! You could be-"
"I'm trying to help!" Cody pleaded. "Just…trust me for one minute, and tell me what is going on!"
The soldiers looked at one another, and hesitated. Just then, there was a great boom, then a huge crack of thunder ripped the air asunder. Alarmed shouts filled the air as a sudden blast of wind blew down the corridor. His eyes widening in surprise, Cody shoved the guards aside, and looked for himself.
Ten men were sprawled on the floor, groaning. The heavy oak door that they had used as a battering ram lay in pieces on the floor. Cody looked up, and saw a dark, translucent violet wall still shimmering from the impact. It stretched across the entire corridor like a spider's web, and blocked off all access to the corridor beyond. Cody risked another look with his stand's eye. The sorcerer lay beyond the wall. He had obviously erected it to hold off the Yagami soldiers so he could cast his spell in peace.
"Fools!" Cody murmured under his breath. Behind the wall, he could make out a dozen more just like it, spaced every few meters apart. It would be all but impossible to get at the roof from here. Raising his hand, he sent an experimental cyan lightning bolt into the wall. The wall flickered slightly, and a crack appeared, but it held. Cody nodded. Given enough time, he could break through this. But time was definitely not something that he had.
Looking around wildly, he spied Isaac staring wide-eyed at the shimmering violet wall, and the dent Cody had made in it. Grabbing the Shienar Lord-Captain by the arm, Cody pulled him close. "Isaac!" he muttered. "Get your men to help these Yagami soldiers batter that wall down. Use anything you can find. Chairs, tables, swords, spears, whatever they give you, use it."
"Yes sir," Isaac said as he licked his lips. "But I don't think we'll be able to bring it down anytime soon."
"It doesn't matter," Cody said as he released the Lord-Captain's arm, and started looking around again. "You're only providing a distraction. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Then do it!" Cody said as he finally spied what he was looking for. Darting over to a nearby window, Cody smashed it open with his fist. The beautiful stained glass blew outwards, and Cody kicked away the remaining shards with his boot. Sticking his head outside, he looked both up and down.
The cold night breeze felt like a slap to his face compared to the warm air inside the palace. It was nearly an eighty meter drop to the stone-paved courtyard below, but only a fifteen meter climb to the roof. Unlike some of the others, Cody's stand could not fly. But that didn't mean heights stopped him. "Hack at that wall with all you've got Isaac!" Cody shouted over his shoulder. "I'll be back!" Then he climbed onto the windowsill, and summoned his stand.
Immediately, his stand's arms appeared superimposed upon his own. Suddenly, Cody's hands were encased in heavy metal gauntlets, both of which were grasping an arrow-straight rapier. Swiftly, Cody switched the rapiers around in his hands until he held them with the blade pointed downwards. Then, leaping from the windowsill, he plunged them into the palace's stone walls.
He slid down a few meters in a shower of sparks and whirring stone chips as the rapiers sliced through the wall. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his arms trembled with the effort as he shoved them even further in, and managed to bring himself to a stop. For a moment, the stand-master hung suspended on the wall like a fly on a sheer rock cliff. As he waited for his pulse to calm down slightly, Cody took a deep breath and adjusted his grip. Then he drew out his left rapier, and plunged it into the wall above his right one. Once that was secure, he withdrew his right one. Swiftly, he began to scale the smooth stone wall by dragging himself hand over hand with his impromptu climbing claws.
Soon, he had reached the roof. Cody rolled over the ceramic parapet with a final heave on his entrenched rapiers. Letting his stand disappear, he crouched by the parapet and listened closely.
He could hear nothing on the roof. No footsteps, no breathing, no wind, nothing. Two stories down, he could hear the shouts and bangs of the men as they tried to break through the violet wall, and he grunted softly in satisfaction. Good.
Now the enemy's attention was divided on two fronts: whatever spell he was casting, and holding the wall intact against the constant barrage. Quickly, Cody took one look around, and began to run along the edge of the roof towards the sorcerer. Well, whoever it was would have to divide his attention on a third front before long.
The sorcerer was very close. Cody could almost taste the nauseating waves of dark magic rolling across the rooftops. Going quietly now, he padded along the green roof until he judged the distance was right. Then he turned and started heading up the shallow slope of the pointed roof to reach the other side. Just before he reached the top, he stopped.
Even without his stand's senses, he could see the glow of cold fire on the other side of the roof. There could be no doubt that the sorcerer was on the other side. This close, Cody thought he could hear the screams of the damned floating on the reeling night air. He could hear the melodic chanting of the man's incessant spell. The air felt thick with tar, and his skin crawled from the oily taint. And suddenly, Cody felt angry. Very very angry.
The challenge he had planned died in his throat as a blinding rage overtook Cody. His stand began to boil in his veins as it rose out of his flesh, its white eyes shimmering with a righteous wrath. Before he knew it, he had gathered himself, and was hurtling forwards. Up the steep green slope. Past the apex of the roof. Up, up into the air. Rapiers burning bright, Cody attacked with blinding speed.
The sorcerer looked up and hissed in surprised horror at the terrible sight of a stand-master, unveiled in all his frightening glory, carving an arc of fire across the sky as he descended upon his prey. The horrible keening cry that emerged from under the cowl sounded more like a snake than a human. But he could only watch as Cody's rapiers made twin slashes of lightning against the dark field of stars. He could only scream as Cody's challenge shattered the night air like brittle glass.
"Begone, devil!"
**********
Suddenly, the bearer's whisper turned into a shout. The pulsing stream shuddered and became erratic, beating like the heart of a hunted animal. Master! the slender sliver of crimson shouted into the darkness. He's found me! Save me! Save me!
Tichon raised his arms, and the swirls of violet streamers began to converge on the one, shivering light. Veils of mist wrapped themselves around his fingertips. Fear not! His thought speared through the darkness to reach the struggling bearer. Draw from my power. Let me fill you, and you shall know power unlimited!
***********
The sorcerer screamed and raised his arms. A translucent shield sprang into being around the sorcerer. As Cody's rapiers smashed into the wall, there was a great crack of breaking lightning, and the wall disintegrated into a million, fading pieces. Staggering backwards, the sorcerer's foot caught on the roof's short parapet, and the man fell screaming from the roof.
Cody was not fooled for a moment. Without pausing, Cody ran for the roof's edge and threw himself headfirst down the narrow space between the two apartments into which the sorcerer had fallen. Folding his arms and legs close to his body, he plummeted gracefully downwards like a diving hawk, heedless of the shrieking wind that filled his ears and whipped his dark bangs from his face. He felt no fear. He felt no doubt. There was no room for such meaningless emotions in the void of his perfect concentration. The surging power of his stand flooded his body like a raging fire, breathing electric life into every muscle and fiber in defiance of the looming death that rushed up at him. He could taste the cold, misty air as it streaked past his face, hear the shrieking and screaming of splitting stone as his stand's aura crushed the alley's walls, and see the finest grains of sand on the ground nearly a hundred meters away. As he always did when he walked the fine knife's edge between life and death, he felt alive.
Finally, less than fifty meters from the ground, the young stand-master flipped around until he was upright, and threw out both his hands.
The alley spanned fully three meters from one side to the other, and the young stand-master's arms were not nearly long enough to reach both sides. But they didn't have to. His stand's longer arms emerged from his own arms like smoke, and its armoured palms plunged into the stone walls on either side, even as its boots carved sparks in the mortar. As Cody dropped, suspended in the body of his flaring stand, he left a burning trail of broken stone above him to mark his passage.
In a great screech of splintering stone and mortar, Cody grinded to a halt. One of the lower level's windows had been smashed open and the broken window-pane was flapping slightly in the wind. The stand-master grunted as he pushed off of one of his stand's arms, and flipped into the open portal.
As he twisted through the air, dark balls of violet flew out of the black room and hit the stand-master on the chest and arms. Startled, Cody threw himself backwards into a crouch, then felt his own body in amazement. The magic crackled and twisted around his body like struggling serpents, but not the slightest twinge of pain assaulted him. Before him, the sorcerer howled in frustration as his attack splashed harmlessly on Cody's body. There was a brief flash, and chairs and tables around the room lifted on their own accord, and hurtled towards Cody.
Now the stand-master was prepared. In an earsplitting crack, his stand's rapiers sliced cleanly through a solid oak table. Even as his stand dealt with the heavier pieces of furniture, Cody himself grabbed a chair that had been heading for his head, twisted around and threw it into the wall behind him, where it shattered into a dozen pieces. When the last chair had been smashed, Cody swung around furiously.
The sorcerer was nowhere in sight. The door to the room, some kind of antechamber, hung open, allowing the light from the hallway to spill in. Cody ran to the door, threw it aside, and dashed out into the corridor. "Come out, demon!" he roared as gave chase down the hall. "You can't run from me! Come out!"
The sorcerer was nowhere to be seen. Cody halted at an intersection, his chest heaving as he glared around. "You can't run from me!" he shouted again, heedless of the strange stares that soldiers of the palace were giving him. "Come out, hellspawn!"
**********
Master… The shout was beginning to verge on despair. It is a stand-master that pursues me. My power is useless! Why master…why are you abandoning me?
I do not abandon my followers, Tichon assured the bearer. Come, draw more from me. Use my strength to return. You cannot defeat the stand-master. Not yet. Use the mirrireid as I have taught you…
Tichon reached out, and a short, hollow line of radiance appeared between his palms. The other streamers seemed to pause, all holding still to observe the Dark Lord cast his spell. The line expanded, then stretched and distorted. One end shot forwards into the darkness, seeking out the rapidly beating streamer. The line was becoming stronger now, brighter and thicker, until it seemed that a river was rushing forwards to engulf the bearer.
Return! Return!
**********
Suddenly, a wave of dark magic hit his stand's eye so hard the stand-master almost staggered under its blow. Furious, Cody turned to his left. The great, arched wooden door to King Aidan's audience chamber stood at the end of the hall, looking as solid as before to the naked eye. To the stand's eye, the waves of dark magic were getting stronger again, but the pulses were faster this time, more desperate. Wordlessly, Cody drew both his stand's rapiers and ran straight for the source. The thick wooden door flew into a thousand splinters as Cody smashed it open with a scream of rage. Without waiting for the wooden pieces to crash back to the floor, the stand-master dove through.
Behind the door, the sorcerer looked up and hissed as Cody streaked through the cloud of exploding door fragments into the wide audience chamber. In the split second it took for him to crush the distance between them, Cody only got a few fleeting glimpses of the spell the man was casting. There was another pentagram on the ground. The five lines in their concentric circles were unmistakable. The sorcerer's hands were glowing as well, and a foul red wind was rising and sweeping across the entire hall. A roar was slowly building up in the air itself. And the sorcerer himself was shimmering as if he was donning a cloak. The ground could be seen beneath his feet, and the edges of his body were beginning to disappear. But the man was not wearing a cloak.
Then Cody was there, and there was no time left to observe or to think. Desperately, he launched himself into a flying leap. The sorcerer howled as both of Cody's rapiers found their mark, and the stand-master's momentum sent both of them flying off of the pentagram. Just as Cody's foot cleared the edge of the red mark, the roar crescendoed to a high-pitched scream, and the pentagram exploded with light.
The hem of Cody's cloak, which had been over the pentagram when the spell had come to completion, abruptly snapped rigid. Without warning, the edge of the stand-master's gray cloak suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a razor-clean edge of shorn fabric. Then both stand-master and demon crashed back to the ground.
Even stabbed through the heart, the sorcerer still struggled like an animal. Cody flinched as the sorcerer's claws raked across his face and left ugly red marks as they sought to gouge out his eyes. The man writhed like an eel in the stand-master's grip, and blows rained down on Cody's face, back and arms.
Finally, Cody forced himself upright. Leaving his stand to hold the rapiers in the man's chest, he used his own hands to grab the man's lapels and drag him upright. Turning, Cody smashed the man into a nearby pillar. The solid stone pillar cracked under the impact. Cody shoved his face right up to the sorcerer's own.
"I told you," Cody gritted, "you can't run away from me, you piece of hell-spawned filth!"
The sorcerer choked on his own blood. Then, despite everything, he leered at Cody. "It matters not," he sneered, "whether I run away or not. My mission is done. King Aidan is going to die."
The shock pierced his heart like an icy arrow. Snarling, Cody shoved the sorcerer harder into the pillar. "What did you do to him?!"
"My magic may be useless against you," the sorcerer murmured as his eyes began to close. "but the King has been infected. They are all infected. And no healing art on Gaea will cure them of this poison…"
"Stavik," Cody swore hoarsely. "You-"
"You can't stop us," the sorcerer whispered through the blood pooling in his mouth. There was a triumphant grin on his face as his eyes began to cloud over. "Anything you do will only slow the inevitable. There are others that will come after me. And you can't stop all of us…You couldn't even stop me…"
Cody lifted and slammed the man into the pillar again. "Give me the cure!" he roared. "Give me the cure or I'll-" Cody cut himself off as the man sagged against the stone like a rag doll without a groan. Cursing, Cody slapped the man across the cheeks, and checked his pulse. There was nothing. Quickly, he dissolved his stand's rapiers, and laid the man against the ground. He checked his pulse and breathing again. There was nothing. He couldn't even sense the sorcerer's spirit.
The man had died.
**********
The healer looked hesitant for a moment, then turned her gaze to Aidan. The King's groaning and thrashing was fading. His skin turned even more black than before. Then she nodded. "All right then. Hold his mouth open so I can give him some of this." She held up a jar of medicine. "We need to get him to start breathing first."
But Kari shook her head. "No," she said quickly. "Conventional medicines won't work. This isn't a disease you're accustomed to working with. You can't cure diseases caused by the dark arts with mere herbs."
"Dark arts?" The healer's eyes grew wide. "Here?"
"I can save your King!" Kari said as she grabbed the healer's shoulders and shook her. "Just have your servants let go of him and stand back. Do it!"
The healer hesitated again. Suddenly there was a great flash of cyan light outside the window that lit up the room like a lightning strike. A thunderous roar shook the entire palace to its very foundations. The healer looked back and forth between Kari and the window, and swiftly made a decision. "You heard the Lady," she shouted at her startled assistants. "Stand back! Stand back! Give her room to work!"
King Aidan hardly needed to be restrained anymore. He was clearly dying as his death throes began to fade away. Kari shook her head as she took off her night-gown, and cast it aside urgently. When she took a look at the black blood, she turned one last time to the healer. "And one more thing," she said quietly. "Prepare some élantis herbs, and two beds in the Infirmary."
White-faced, the healer scurried to the King's bedside, and selected a large bundle of herbs. "They are here," she said breathlessly. "And the rooms will be prepared."
Kari nodded her thanks and stepped up to the bed. King Aidan was lying almost perfectly still now. Only occasional twitches of his arms and legs indicated he was still alive. She took a deep breath, ignoring the fetid stink in the air. Then in one swift move, she opened her stand's eye as far as it would go, and summoned her stand.
The healer tumbled backwards and some of her assistants screamed as the white beast appeared in the room. The guards from outside heard the screaming and ran inside with their weapons drawn. Then everyone stopped as they saw what was happening.
Beside the King, the Lady Hikari stood alongside her stand before them, and both of them seemed to be robed in a clean white mist. Time paused and took a deep breath of awe as everyone stared, unable to wrench their gaze away from the mesmerizing spectacle. Kari's slim, beautiful face was shining with a light as white and pure as freshly fallen snow. Every feature of her slender figure, every fold of her dress, every lock of her hair seemed to be illuminated by a brilliant light from within, glowing with such blinding clarity that it seemed far too real. Even her simple night-dress transformed into a dazzling piece of white cloth, so pure that it made the King's silver robes seem like dirty rags in comparison. A gentle breeze blew through the room, and lifted Kari's long hair so that it floated gently above her shoulders like a glistening cloud of jewels. Helpless, some of the healer's assistants collapsed onto their knees and began to weep. They wept with fear as they cowered from the stand-master's glory. They wept with joy as they beheld the stand-master's breath-taking beauty. Some of them fell prostrate before her and began to pray. "Dai'San Yagami!" they cried. "Dai'San Yagami!"
Slowly, Kari lowered herself onto the bed, and put her arms around the hideous figure of King Aidan. Her soft hands caressed the torn and bleeding flesh as if it were her own. Unheeding of the dark blood that stained her dress, without a hint of shame or disgust, she drew him close to her chest with the tender care of a mother nursing her child. Her stand drew up and spread its wings over the duo until they were enveloped in a cocoon of soft white feathers.
Then, she began to sing:
"Shelter I give thee,
And safety from harm.
Love I offer thee,
And hope in the storm.
Take my hand, O child of Gaea,
This gift I offer is free.
Be neither afraid nor fearful,
For my peace I give to thee."
A great hush spread across the bedchamber as everyone watched with baited breath. Over and over, Kari softly sang the two verses until her song seemed to fill the whole room. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the white light from her hands seemed to spread into King Aidan's flesh. Then the light receded again. It flowed forth, then seeped back, like the cleansing waves of the ocean lapping against a broken, black beach. But Kari didn't stop singing. She hugged the King even closer, and chanted softly into his ear. Tears began to fall from her eyes, sparkling as they left glistening trails on her cheeks. "Look," one of the assistants whispered to the healer. "She cries! She sheds tears for our King!"
And then the King moved slightly. His hand twitched, then fell into Kari's open palm. It seemed to the healer that his head moved slightly. With that, the white light began to spread slowly from Kari's hands to the King's shoulders, then to his torso, to his face, to his arms and hands, and to his legs. The white light wiped away the ugly stains from his flesh, and sealed the ugly wounds on his skin. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the blood on his sheets began to turn from black to red. Aidan's limbs began to shrink again, as if the dark pus was being drained away. He coughed as his throat opened up again, and he sucked in huge lungfuls of air. His deathly rigid arms and legs relaxed and fell limply against Kari's body as she continued to embrace him.
Kari stopped singing, but continued to embrace the King. The healing continued. The colour returned to his face, the last of his wounds sealed themselves. The coughing stopped as his breathing evened out. Gently, Kari rocked him like a baby, then carefully laid him back down on the bed. Her stand shimmered once, then began to fade away like a ghostly spirit.
In wonder, the healer walked to the bed, and touched her King's face. Aidan appeared to be sleeping peacefully, without a hint of pain on his face. But there was something different about him. A soft, subtle glow seemed to illuminate Aidan's face, as if Kari's healing aura refused to go away completely. In the soft white light, the King of Yagami looked younger. Fuller. Stronger.
Kari stood up from the bed. "He will need rest," she said faintly. "Move him to a clean bed. And when he wakes, give him some of the élantis herb. He'll need it to make the blood he lost." Then, she too, collapsed onto the bed. Sliding off its side, she fell onto the floor, shivering. As murky mist crowded in on her vision, the last thing she heard were the sounds of the healer shouting for hands to carry the two of them to the sick ward.
**********
Tichon's eyes snapped open as the flickering light suddenly flared with one defiant gleam, then died out completely. There was nothing left on the Perenic thought-plane of the bearer. Not a whisper, not an echo. The bearer was dead.
The Emperor sighed. The bearer had accomplished his mission, that was the important thing. But the sorcerer had been useful. Turning his attention to the ground to his left, his impassive gaze rested upon the blood-red insignia gleaming on the stone floor. It had not been there a moment ago.
In the middle of the rapidly cooling insignia, a scrap of gray cloth lay innocently on the floor.
**********
Kari woke slowly to the clean, medicinal smell of the sick ward. She could feel the gentle sunlight coming in from a nearby window on one side of her face, and hear the slight hiss and roar of the many distant waterfalls in Maitzin. Every muscle felt as if it had been twisted and wrung dry like an overused rag. The tiredness seemed to have soaked itself into her very bones, as had the grimy film that covered her skin. Grimacing with her eyes still closed, she hugged her own arms and rubbed them feverishly, but felt nothing coming off on her fingers.
Then she remembered the events of the night before and let go of her arms. Slowly, she took a deep breath with her eyes still closed, trying to let the fresh smell cleanse away some of the dirtiness she still felt from immersing herself in all that dark magic. She opened her eyes.
She was in a white room. The sheets had been tucked so tightly around her body that she had to pull at them to sit up. Beside her, two candle-stands looked as if they had been burned all the way to their bases. A small basin of lemon-scented water and some assorted herbs that were arranged on a clean, wooden table nearby was the source of the medicinal scent. Dully, she realized that her pale night-gown was draped across a nearby chair. It was only then that she realized someone had changed her into a silken gown, which was somewhat looser and richer than her old one.
"I see you're awake," a tired but pleased voice said beside her.
Kari turned her head to see Cody rubbing his weary face as he straightened up from his slouch in the chair. He had not changed at all, and his gray cloak was rumpled and twisted as if he had slept in it. Even his dark hair, normally impeccably combed, was slightly messy. "I…," Kari began. Then she stopped. Her throat felt as if something filthy had died in it. Cautiously, she put a hand to her neck and cleared her throat. "What time is it?" she said finally.
"Eight
o'clock the next morning," Cody said as he stifled a yawn. "You were
unconscious the whole night, and the healer wouldn't let anyone rouse you. Not
that I blame her."
Aidan?
"He's fine. Resting in the next room," Cody replied verbally. Then he raised a hand and grinned. "You may be awake enough to converse in thought-shapes, but my mind's a little too tired to send them. I stayed up all night last night, watching you, and I have a feeling that anything I send will be far too blurry for you to make out anyway. So…out loud, if you please."
Kari laughed. Sitting up, she rearranged her pillows and then sat up completely, resting her back against the backboard of her bed. "What happened?"
"I found the sorcerer," Cody said, slightly more seriously. "Sorry it took me awhile. He'd set up barriers along the corridors and the stairs, so I had to take the scenic route. He's dead now."
"Good," Kari said as she closed her eyes in relief. "Was anyone hurt?"
"Well, no," Cody said as he rubbed his eyes. "The guards made an exhaustive search of the castle. They found a discarded Yagami captain's uniform on the roof almost right above King Aidan's room, and the remains of some strange red chalk. Apart from that, nothing was found."
"He must have known we would have sensed him the moment he cast his attack," Kari said. "If we hadn't been there to stop him, King Aidan would probably be dead by now."
"It's what might have happened afterwards that frightens me," Cody said grimly.
"Two stand-masters, ambassadors of Sheid, a country they are currently at war with, walk into Maitzin to stay with Aidan," Kari said as she shook her head. "The next morning, the poor soul is discovered dead. You can guess what the people would think of that."
"But I've been thinking," Cody said as he frowned in thought, "wouldn't it make more sense for the sorcerer to come after one of us? Or both of us? As great a blow to our reputation killing Aidan might have been, wouldn't killing one of us be much better?"
"Perhaps you understand less about the nature of your gift than you might think," Kari replied. "Our stand renders us immune. The Lord's spirit itself resides within us. How can the devil touch us with his sorcery when we're protected by the Creator? He can't. So he tried the next best thing." She laughed softly into her hand. "What he didn't count on was that our protection can be extended to whoever accepts it willingly. All Aidan had to do was…believe."
Cody looked up. "How did you do it anyway?"
Kari leaned back into her pillows in thought. "It was…strange," she said at last. "When I…first took him into my arms, it felt disgusting. It felt as if I was being violated and raped, as if I had leapt into a cesspool of poison and muck. Yet…"
"After the first leap of faith, it…didn't seem to matter anymore. I no longer saw the dirtiness. The blood. The dark, ugly sores. I didn't even notice the dark magic that was wrapped around him like swamp slime. I held him like he was my own child, and it felt…right, somehow. The only thing on my mind was that…this man, this man was a child of God as well. And once I remembered that, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to…hug him like he was my own."
They were both silent for a long time. Then Kari stirred. "Whoever that sorcerer was, Cody," she said quietly, "he was very skilled in the Dark Arts. We can handle one with ease, but we can't be everywhere at once. If Khaydarin has more sorcerers like him…"
"He had help," Cody said as he shook his head. "When I fought him, Kari, it was less like fighting a man than a demon. He had been so consumed with darkness that he no longer even sounded or felt human. And to top it off, he had this to help him." Cody drew something out of his pocket. "I searched him before I had his corpse burnt. He was clutching this in his hand so tightly it had burnt an imprint of itself into his palm."
Kari took the silver pendant into her hand and gazed at it intently. Despite the fact that it looked clean, the surface felt like it was coated with a dirty layer of oil. Frowning, Kari picked up a cloth from her bedside table and scrubbed at its surface. Nothing came off of the pendant, and the oily coat remained. Finally, Kari set the cloth down. Handling it with the tip of her fingers, Kari held it up to the light.
The five-cornered pentagram felt cold to the touch, much colder than it should be in this late spring weather. It was a simple design, carved in fine silver and inscribed in a circle of steel. Kari grimaced with distaste as she turned it around in her hand. As she did, the edges seemed to shimmer with a weak blue light, just bright enough to be seen in the well-lit room.
"A pentagram," Kari mused as she set the thing on her bedside table. Picking up her cloth again, she began to wipe her hand compulsively. "Perhaps I should not be surprised."
"I believe the proper term is a mirrireid," Cody said as he gazed at it as well. "I read somewhere that it helps dark magic users to focus their powers better. Alone, I think that sorcerer might have been able to kill Aidan in perhaps an hour of summoning. But with this…he could have killed the man in a matter of minutes."
Kari gazed at the thing again. "Was the man carrying anything else?"
"A poisoned blade that had been dyed black, and a Yagami Captain's uniform, obviously fake." Cody said. "Nothing else of note. I had the uniform burned, and the blade melted. I searched the castle along with the guards. Like I said, there are no other surprises here."
"Hmph," Kari muttered. Taking a cloth from the table beside her, she wrapped the mirrireid tightly with it, then handed it to Cody. "Keep it safe," she said. "And don't let anyone else touch it. Our stands may protect us from dark magic, but they won't protect others."
"I believe some of the more curious counsellors expressed interest in examining the artifact," Cody said tactfully.
"Well, they're not going to get the chance."
"Agreed," Cody said dryly as he pocketed the talisman.
Then both stand-masters turned as someone knocked on the door. Cody gave Kari a puzzled glance, then called out, "Enter."
The door opened to admit the head healer. Her eyes were wide with awe as she stepped timidly into the room. When she saw that Kari was sitting up on her bed, the healer dropped prostrate onto the ground and lowered her head reverently. "Dai'San Sheid," she murmured. "Dai'San Yagami. You must truly be God's servants to have saved our King from such dark magic. The Lord's light illumine you always, stand-master. May your blessing and favour fall on us, your servants…"
Kari and Cody exchanged embarrassed glances. Then Kari cleared her throat. "Rise, rise," she insisted. "Do not ever bow to me, for I am only a steward, not your Queen. Rise now."
The healer rose reluctantly but kept her head bowed and her eyes downcast. "Dai'San Yagami," she repeated. "If there is anything you need…"
"I am fine now," Kari said awkwardly. "What is it that you came in for?"
The healer cleared her throat nervously and fidgeted with her hands. "The King Aidan requests the honour of your presence. He wishes to speak to you."
Kari sighed. Although she felt stronger now, she still did not quite feel up to getting up and walking for another hour. Now the choice had been taken away from her. "Of course," she forced herself to say. "If you will give me ten minutes to change and prepare myself, I will be happy to present myself to your King in whatever audience chamber he…"
"Uh…no, Lady," the healer stammered. "You misunderstand me. You need not present yourself to the King. King Aidan is here, outside your room, and he wishes the honour of speaking to you now."
Kari raised her eyebrows. "Healer, were those his exact words?"
"They were, milady."
Kari gave Cody a startled glance. Well, this was an abrupt turnaround. Only yesterday the King had made Kari wait half an hour before even permitting her to present herself to him. Now, here he was, asking to be presented to her?
"Well," she said faintly, "if he doesn't mind my appearance, by all means, let him in."
The healer closed her mouth and bowed so low that she almost bent double. Then, still murmuring her thanks and praise, she backed out of the room with her eyes downcast. Kari reached out to her and opened her mouth to tell her to relax, then closed it again as the healer disappeared around the doorway. Helplessly, she glanced at Cody, who merely shrugged. "You might as well get used to it Kari," he suggested gently. "Face it, you're no longer a farming girl from Kurtal…"
Kari shook her head. "That's not the way they should be acting," she protested. "Perhaps I should put my foot down and-"
"These people need someone to look up to," Cody said as he lifted a hand in calm her protests. "And I know it's not the proper thing to do, but it may be some time before these people get used to the idea. So for the time being, it might be better to-"
"Lady Hikari?"
Cody stopped talking, and Kari turned to the doorway. King Aidan was standing there dressed in a simple white robe like her. There were dark bags under his eyes, and his face was pale and drawn, but there were no scars or wounds from last night's encounter. As King Aidan felt her gaze upon him, he shifted his hands and took a deep breath.
There was an awkward silence. Then Kari sat up a little more in her bed. "Yes?" she said cautiously as she unconsciously tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear.
Aidan looked even more awkward. "My men," he began hesitantly, "have told me everything that transpired last night. What the Lord Cody did to counter the threat of the sorcerer, and what…you did, Lady Hikari."
Kari said nothing, but simply stared at Aidan. The King cleared his throat and lifted his eyes to meet her gaze. "It appears, my Lady," he said awkwardly, "that I owe you an apology. In fact, it appears that I owe you my life."
Kari's throat felt dry. "Well," she forced out, "you were the one who did it. If you had not accepted my hand, I would have been helpless. I cannot save the unwilling."
"Please, Lady Hikari," Aidan said as he held up a hand pleadingly. "I am a stubborn man, and you do not know how…difficult it is for me to admit that I am wrong. I would be grateful if you would hear me out in silence."
Kari nodded and closed her mouth. Aidan took another deep breath. "I have reviewed your invitation for your conference, my Lady," he continued. "My counselors have been over it again and again. I must admit, Lady Hikari, that we were about to refuse you one more time, until…the incident happened last night."
Aidan awkwardly bowed his head in a gesture of acquiescence. "After what happened last night, there can be no doubt that you are who you claim you are, and that your motives are indeed pure. It did not take long for the council to reach a unanimous decision this morning in light of recent events, a decision that I have chosen to accept. I am prepared to leave within a week's time, or as soon as you and I are strong enough to make the journey."
Kari and Cody exchanged amazed glances. It was an abrupt turnaround that defied their wildest prayers. Aidan continued with the air of a man doggedly trying to lay everything out before shame finally overwhelmed him. "If Ambassador Cody would be so kind as to grant us safe passage through Shienar soil, we would not have to cut across the Saera desert and run into the Khaydarin patrols, and we may be able to reach Ardinberg in as little as two weeks. As for your claim to my throne, Lady Hikari, it may be a matter of time before I persuade my more stubborn counselors to accept your claim, but I am-"
"Enough," Kari interrupted as she held up a hand, shaking her head in wonder. "I have heard enough."
Aidan closed his mouth with an audible click. Kari shook her head amazedly as a wide smile spread across her face.
"King Aidan. You may keep your throne. I spoke the truth when I said I had no interest in stealing your throne from under you."
"Nevertheless-"
"It is enough, King Aidan, that you have decided to come," Kari said as she smiled at him. "This is a time of turmoil for the people, and it is better for them to see their own, familiar King, whom they know and love, installed firmly on his throne, rather than a newcomer such as myself."
King Aidan bowed his head again. "Truly, Lady Hikari, your wisdom is a lesson to us all."
"A lesson well-learned, apparently," Cody said as he leaned back in his chair and laughed. "Kari, I suppose you were right after all."
"Very well then," Aidan said as he leaned back. Waves of relief seemed to slip off his shoulders as he gave Kari his first genuine smile since she had arrived. "We shall set off in one week's time. The alliance remains to be seen to. But for now, the people of Yagami stand ready to serve their Dai'San."
**Author's notes: Sorry for wait, etc. etc. *sighs* It really can't be helped. Well, I'll try and get the next chapter out sooner, if possible. I hoped you liked it. I always wish I had more time to edit, but I just decided to get this out and get over it. I've stewed over this chapter long enough. Next chapter, spotlight's on Yamato!