Arbiter (The Arbiter Chronicles Book 1) (8 page)

"Yes," said Cathel as Ania looked back at him in confusion.

Ania's expression broke into a bright grin. "I show you where best place to sleep," she said, her excitement seeming to break through her earlier shyness about her language skills. The High Lord smiled, watching as Ania grabbed Cathel by the hand and led him around to meet them.

"I leave my daughter in your care, then," she said. "Good night,
Tarethan.
Arbiter."

Cathel pulled his hand out of Ania's grip, stopping where he was and offering the High Lord a deep bow. "Good night, High Lord," he said respectfully. Rae noticed with a slight touch of surprise that he actually sounded respectful, as opposed to the empty obeisance he had shown the masters. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"Yeah…" said Rae, glancing at the High Lord. "…Good night."

The High Lord nodded at both of them, turning and walking back the way she came. As Rae watched, the forest seemed to close up behind her, slowly fading away. Ania waved goodbye as her mother left, then continued to lead them towards the path on the other side of the lake. Cathel said nothing as he reached her, simply giving her a glance out of the corner of his eye as he walked past her and began heading down the path as well.

Rae sat overlooking the pool of water, her hand resting on the ground beside her. Ania had led them to a bank above the pond that was covered with leafy vines, a willow tree stretching overhead. The vines were unnaturally soft to lie on, softer than any plant Rae had ever felt. It almost felt like she was lying in a bed, and she would have questioned it, had so many strange things not already occurred.

It was beautiful, seated where they were. The surface of the pond was as smooth as glass, reflecting the moon above in its depths. Once in a while, she would see the water ripple, and catch sight of one of the small water spirits she had noticed earlier. They kept their distance most of the time, but Rae occasionally saw them eye her and Cathel curiously, before going back to their games.

Ania was sprawled out across Cathel's lap, her eyes closed in sleep with her head pillowed on her arm. The fingers of her free hand dangled over the side, an unfinished string of white flowers resting between her fingertips. One of Cathel's hands rested lightly on her arm, occasionally moving to pat down the girl's long blond hair when she shifted and murmured in her sleep.

Like this, aside from the faint glow surrounding her, she looked like an ordinary child. It was hard to believe she was over a hundred and fifty years old.

"She's tired out?" asked Rae, turning towards Cathel. She kept her voice low so as not to wake her.

"Looks like," said Cathel, glancing down at Ania.

"She seems to really like you," commented Rae, idly twining one of the slender vines between her fingers.

"I suppose," said Cathel with a shrug. He looked away, as if he didn't care, but she didn't miss the gentleness and reverence with which he handled the child. She thought back to their first meeting, to the somewhat rough manner with which he had addressed her. He had shouted at her then, asked her if she was insane, but his touch had been gentle when he took her arm. Where had the roughness come from, then? Fear?

She assumed that he hated her, but then he had defended her against the masters. She'd seen him step in front of her when they mentioned killing her. He protected her…like he protected Ania now…

She didn't much like the turn her thoughts were taking. Rae turned her eyes to the surface of the lake again, drawing her knees up close to herself and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"…So do we just stay here?" she asked, not turning towards him.

"Mm," said Cathel, nodding. "For now. There's no point in going further out into the woods. We might not be able to find our way back. Besides, this is probably as safe as the Edgelands are going to get."

"What about our stuff?" she asked, remembering the dome they had made in the ruins.

Cathel pointed over into the distance. Rae turned her head. Their packs lay at the base of the willow tree, next to their bedrolls. The bedrolls had been neatly rolled up, and were stacked on top of each other. They looked just as though she and Cathel had broken camp and put them away, except she had never seen Cathel leave, and knew for a fact that she hadn't left.

"Ivali?" she asked.

"The High Lord's servants, probably," said Cathel.

"That's convenient," muttered Rae.

"Mm," said Cathel. His hand moved to soothe Ania as she whimpered in her sleep, and Rae saw the little girl move closer. The sight of the two of them, mage and Ivali child, was heartwarming, and Rae looked away again. She lay back, staring up at the expanse of stars over her head. The bed of leaves beneath her was soft, and she felt herself start to grow sleepy, reminding her that she had taken first watch. She forced herself to stay awake a little while longer, looking up at the sky.

"…Aren't you going to ask?" she asked after a while.

"Ask what?" asked Cathel.

"You know…" said Rae, not looking at him. "The things the High Lord talked about. This whole Arbiter business. Aren't you going to ask?"

"Why?" asked Cathel. "…You'll tell me when you want to."

She said nothing, folding her hands together over her stomach as she looked up at the sky through the willow branches. Her fingers curled inward slightly, her grip tightening. She thought he would have a million questions. She wanted him to have a million questions, because she would hate that, and it would give her a reason to hate him. A reason to push him away and avoid getting attached. But damn him, he understood. He knew she didn't like to be pushed, and he was going to, what? Give her space? Give her time to sort out her thoughts?

She felt anger bubble up inside of her, and she turned away, rolling onto her side and pulling her cloak around herself.

How dare he? How dare he understand her so well?

Didn't he know that she was trying to save him, by making herself hate him? It irritated her to no end.

"I'm going to sleep," said Rae. "Night."

"Mm, night," said Cathel in response.

She closed her eyes, but it was a while before sleep came to her.

The High Lord came at moonrise, as promised. By the time she arrived, Rae and Cathel had already spent a good portion of their day in training. Cathel had woken her up in the morning for sword work, explaining that this was probably the best time for her to learn the basics. The two of them had trained in the shadow of one of the trees until noon as Ania watched. Ania, Rae quickly learned, made up quite the critical audience. She laughed whenever Rae made a mistake, and burst into a fit of giggles once when the girl lost her footing and fell flat on her face. It was annoying, but Rae had to admit that she was learning faster with Ania there, if only because she wanted to shut her up.

After lunch, which as promised, appeared mysteriously in the shadow of one of the trees nearest them, Ania had shown Rae one of the smaller, more private pools that dotted the glade, and Rae took advantage of the opportunity to wash the dirt and sweat of the road and the morning’s activities off of herself. In the afternoon, Cathel led her in another magic lesson, and as the sun began to shift towards the western horizon, she found herself drawn into another game with Ania.

That was how they were when the High Lord found her. She was half-heartedly counting backwards from ten, as Ania disappeared into the woods. Rae hated this game. She had assumed at the outset that Ania would be easy to find, because children tended to hide in the obvious places. But Ania’s Ivali nature seemed to be at play here, because she could disappear for what felt like hours before the seekers finally gave up, and she managed to find them each and every time.

Because of that, she was almost relieved when the High Lord stepped into view, interrupting her.

The High Lord didn’t say anything, not even to give them instructions or to greet them. She simply looked Rae in the eye and turned, heading off further into the woods. Rae followed, leaving Cathel and Ania behind to finish the game.

The High Lord led her to a platform of white stone, resting on the banks of one of the small streams that fed the pool. Rae placed her hand on the stone as she passed beneath its delicate arches, coming to face the High Lord. The platform looked overgrown by vines, but that seemed to be by design, because the stone was smooth and unmarred by any cracks.

“I am prepared to begin your training,” said the High Lord. “If you are willing.”

She stared at the High Lord. Silence fell over the two of them. The High Lord said nothing, simply watching her, waiting for her answer. Rae wondered if she was ever going to say something, to hurry Rae along in some way, but she didn’t. It took her a moment to understand why.

The High Lord didn’t care about time. Compared to her, she had forever.

It was Rae who was constrained by time.

She took a deep breath. “I’m willing.”

“What do you see here?” asked the High Lord, gesturing at the platform around them.

“Ruins.”

“Are they?” asked the High Lord. “Consider your words carefully, Arbiter.”

Rae glanced at the area around her, taking it all in. She shook her head. “…Not ruins. They’ve been made to look like this by design.”

“Does it displease you?” asked the High Lord.

Rae stared at her, wondering why the High Lord was asking her opinion on the interior decorating. But when the High Lord said nothing and simply began watching her again, she realized that she was serious. The High Lord wanted an answer, and Rae knew that only the truth would satisfy her here.

“…No.”

“Why not?” asked the High Lord.

“Because this place is yours. It fits you. If this were my place, I would be unhappy about it, because I’d think it was falling into disrepair, but you and I are very different, and this is perfect for you.”

“You would live in a house of stone, given the choice,” said the High Lord. It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” said Rae, nodding.

“…Would you then force me and my daughter to live in a house of stone, as you do?”

Rae shook her head emphatically. She didn’t even need to think about that answer. Four walls and a roof couldn’t contain them. It would simply stifle them. “No,” she said.

“Why?”

“…Because you were meant to be out here,” said Rae. “What I think of as shelter would be a prison for you.”

The High Lord stared at her, as if judging her honesty, before nodding slowly. “You have answered well. Remember this truth, Arbiter. There are many who would, given the power that you have, attempt to put forth childish Rulings in an attempt to make us the same as them. We are not the same. Even among the Ivali, even among the High Blood, we are not the same. If you are to judge, than this is a truth you must understand and take to heart.”

She turned away from Rae, walking towards the open space that overlooked the river. Rae turned towards her, but didn’t attempt to follow her. “Say, for example, that the dispute was between myself and my sister, the Shadow Queen,” said the High Lord. “My sister wished to combine our forces and join our lands together. She looks at her lands and thinks to herself ‘The moon looks over my castle every night. There is no reason why my sister, Alcian, cannot govern from here.’ Knowing what you know about me, what would my response be?”

“You’d probably refuse…” said Rae.

“So, I refuse,” said the High Lord, nodding once. “In my haste, I inadvertently insult my sister. The insult angers her, and she responds in kind. The two of us argue, and the argument dissolves into threats. She believes that I am spurning her hospitality, and that I have insulted her pride and her character greatly. I believe that she is being unreasonable, and is trying to control me. The dispute reaches the ears of the Queen, and the Arbiter is brought in to judge.”

She looked up, her eyes fixing on Rae. “In whose favor would you Rule?”

Rae folded her arms, thinking the problem over. The main issue in this case was a misunderstanding. Both sisters had started out with nothing but good intentions, but miscommunication and the inability to understand each other had caused it to dissolve into chaos. She shook her head after a while, looking up at the High Lord. “I’d Rule in favor of no one.”

“Why would you do such a thing?” asked the High Lord.

“Because both parties are at fault. Your sister doesn’t understand that you, as the lady of the moon, can't live inside a castle. And you don’t understand that your sister is just worried about you and wants you to have a stable home. I’d explain both of that, and say that in this case, it’s both no one’s fault and everyone’s fault for continuing the argument.”

“…But what if I or my sister state that while that may be the case, insults were exchanged in the course of the argument that could not be forgiven.”

“I’d deal with each insult on a case-by-case basis,” said Rae. “But that no longer applies to the original issue. It has to do with how you treated each other afterward”

“And if you found that over the course of the argument, she insulted me repeatedly, while I said very few things against her, except to try and explain my case. What then?”

Rae frowned. Was that supposed to be a trick question? “Then, I’d Rule in your favor, High Lord,” she said.

“And if you found the opposite?”

“I’d Rule in her favor.”

“Even though you know me, and not her?” asked the High Lord, raising an eyebrow. “Even though I took you in to my home and cared for you for a time? You would rule against me?”

“If I had reason to,” said Rae. “You said it yourself. The Arbiter has to be fair.”

“Good,” said the High Lord, nodding. “You must never be afraid to make a Ruling. If you attempt to please everyone, you will only meet with disaster. Choose the party you know, and people say you have accepted a bribe. Choose the party you do not know, and people call you a traitor. Choose the middle ground, and people say you are indecisive and afraid. Decide not to choose, and people say you are shirking your duty. But all of these are Rulings, and they are your responsibility. If you attain this position, you must be prepared to gain the ire of the powerful so that justice can be obtained.”

“If I attain this position,” repeated Rae, stressing the first word as she turned to face the High Lord fully.

A faint smile appeared on the High Lord’s face. “Yes,” she said. “If. In the end, that is your Ruling to make as well.” She glanced back at her. “Join me for a walk?” she asked.

Rae nodded once, following the High Lord into the forest.

They talked for a while as they walked, but their conversation no longer turned to the subject of the Arbiter. If Rae had to describe it, she would say that the topics seemed random, small talk almost. The High Lord asked her how she was enjoying her stay and how Ania was behaving. She spoke of stories from Ania’s childhood, and stories of the previous Arbiters she knew. Rae said nothing for most of the conversation, answering questions when she was asked and occasionally pausing to comment on something. When the walk was over, the High Lord led her back to the glade, where Cathel and Ania waited.

The same thing happened the next day. Cathel roused her in the morning for their sword work, and the two of them began sparring for the first time, Cathel using another wooden sword that he created. She misjudged a block, causing Cathel’s sword to strike her fingers, and their training was cut short as he examined the extent of the damage. She got a lesson on medicinal plants and herbs then, and discovered that Cathel’s Edictal Series could be used to command water to freeze into ice. Once it was clear that nothing had been broken, Cathel sternly corrected her grip and the two of them began practicing again.

The High Lord came for her again that night, leading her back to the river. Again, the conversation stayed stubbornly away from the subject of Kaeltharin, instead turning into a discussion about whether a High Lord’s servants could place charges on their master in a dispute. Unsurprisingly, the High Lord argued from the Lord’s perspective, while Rae’s thoughts took on a more democratic turn. If the High Lord seemed displeased by her answers, she didn’t show it, instead sitting beside Rae and watching as her own servants played in the water. They didn’t appear during the day, only coming out when the moon hung in the sky.

“Why are all the Arbiters human?” asked Rae as they resumed their conversation, looking over at the High Lord.

“Because none of the Ivali can be truly impartial, where Courts and Lords and loyalties are concerned,” said the High Lord, turning towards Rae. “And none of us would have ruled in favor of the subjects, like you have done. Sometimes, it takes an outsider’s perspective to end a conflict, but only if the outsider truly understands what caused the conflict in the first place.”

Their conversation ended that night without a single mention of the Shard of the Star or of the Reaper’s geis.

On the third day, she mastered the spell to start a fire. Cathel sat beside her on one of the banks that led into the pool of water, watching her as she held the flames cautiously in her hand, transferring them from hand to hand as if still unable to believe that they wouldn’t burn her.

“I meant what I said,” he said. “You’re a fast learner.”

“It took me longer than the last one,” said Rae, looking up at him. She closed her hands, extinguishing the flames.

“It normally does,” said Cathel, resting one arm across his knee. “Months longer.”

“It feels like months,” muttered Rae bitterly under her breath, watching as Ania amused herself across the pond with the faint outline of a dryad she had managed to rouse from its tree. “Three nights without any mention of the Shard…”

“Don’t think about it like that,” said Cathel. “…You have to stay for as long as you need to. Don’t rush the High Lord.”

She said nothing. Deep down, she knew that Cathel was right. There was no better way for her to spend her time than spending it here, learning…well, learning something from the High Lord, she assumed. But the slow pace of their lessons was grating on her. By tomorrow, she would have been in the Twilight Realm a week. She couldn’t help but remember that she only had fifty-one left, and there was no telling how long traveling to the Shard would take.

But wandering around lost in the Edgelands would probably eat up more time in the end than waiting to see what the High Lord wanted.

She sighed in frustration, laying back in the grass and watching the clouds pass overhead.

The next day, the High Lord came before sunset.

Rae looked up from her seat next to the lake, watching the High Lord make her way over to her with the same practiced grace. She glanced up at the sky, but sure enough, the sun was still present, although it looked to be around late afternoon. She got to her feet, brushing stray blades of grass off of the fabric of her traveling clothes. She glanced at Cathel out of the corner of her eye, but the mage was already studiously looking the other way, his attention drawn to the book he had brought with him.

“Arbiter,” said the High Lord as she reached her. “It is good to see you well.”

“…High Lord,” said Rae tentatively, glancing back up at the sky. “…You’re early.”

“I am,” said the High Lord, pointing at the eastern horizon. “The moon rises before the sun sets today,” she said. “And our lesson is better held early than late. Follow me.”