Rebel Elements (Seals of the Duelists) (46 page)

“I am no one. I have no real past, no real identity. I don’t even know my real name. I’m lost. I have this formless anger trying to get out. And a sadness trapping me inside myself. I don’t know what to do with either of them, but I know they won’t go away until I can find out who I really am, who the real me wants to be.”

Bayan thought a moment. “Maybe one of the sints on campus will know. I’ll go with you, if you want, and we can ask about it when we get back home.”

Kiwani raised her eyebrows. “Home?”

Bayan paused, realizing what he had just said. After a moment, he smiled. “Yes. Home. For now.”

Kiwani smiled and took his arm, and together they walked back to the carriage.

~~~

“Letter for you, Bayan.” Head Duelist Hanna leaned over Bayan’s porridge bowl and handed him a slender envelope sealed with wax and stamped with a starburst symbol.

He frowned, not recognizing it. When he cracked open the wax and slid the letter out, his eyebrows shot up.

“Who’s it from?” Calder leaned over and spied on its contents from the other side of the table in the Muggenhem duel den’s common room. “Master Ignaas witten Oost?”

“Really?” Tarin leaned onto the table as well. “What does he say?”

Bayan read the letter aloud.

To Bayan Lualhati, Elemental Duelist,

Praise and greetings from Ignaas witten Oost, Master Duelist, Duelist Academy.

I have learned of your excellent efforts in the defense of His Majesty, Emperor Jaap voorde Helderaard, from the emperor himself. He speaks highly of you and commends your skill and dedication to the empire. It is my wish that, once you return to campus, you and your hexmates begin an extra class with me, to more quickly advance and broaden your skills.

Again, my congratulations on setting into motion the chain of events that is, even now, bringing down the core of the rebellion in the Huku Hills.

I look forward to your return to campus and to instructing you.

“How did he hear about this so quickly?” Bayan felt a doubt wriggling in his gut. “And the Huku Hills? Kipri never told me anything about that. No one else mentioned it, either. How does he know these things?”

“He’s a Master Duelist. Maybe the air told him.” Eward grinned.

“You know he only chooses a few students for his private classes.” Kiwani sat up straight with a pleased look on her face. “This is a great honor, Bayan. For all of us.”

“You should keep that letter forever,” Calder said. “Can I touch it?”

Bayan slapped his questing fingers aside. “No.” His mind churned, but he couldn’t explain why. Master witten Oost hadn’t been any help during the search for the assassin, Kakios. Had that been deliberate? After all, someone had to chop the man up and stuff his remains into Bituin’s pitchers. But the Master Duelist was responsible for training the best duelists in the empire, and his anger at the attack on Kiwani had seemed entirely genuine.

Bayan sighed. He might never find out the full truth. But he couldn’t deny that there was something that set his teeth on edge at the thought of being in one of Master witten Oost’s “special” classes.

Maybe they’ll help me figure out what bothers me about that man.

“You all right?” Eward waved a hand in front of Bayan’s face.

“Sorry. Just thinking about taking those classes.”

“Aye, me too.” Tarin grinned broadly. “I’m so excited! Just think what we’ll learn.”

Bayan kept his thoughts to himself. Shortly, Teos popped in. “Five minutes, duelists. Let’s get this tournament finished. And hopefully without gallivanting off to save any more emperors.”

Bayan and Calder retrieved their sigil flags. As the hex headed down the hallway toward the den arena, Calder snapped his open and said, “I’m more than ready for another chance to save our entire way of life from destruction. Think of the duel den offers we’d get after that adventure!”

Kiwani and Tarin rolled their eyes. Bayan, tying his fresh new battle pennant to the top of his stave, snorted and waggled the gleaming cloth at Calder. “This’ll do plenty.”

“You can help your future placement by beating Bayan into the sand, though.” Eward gave Calder’s shoulder a friendly shove.

“Aye.” Calder nodded. “Baby steps.”

Bayan and Calder strode onto the arena sand, sigil flags held high for all to see, while their other three hexmates slipped into their reserved seats in the first row. Bayan’s new battle pennant flapped against his hand. Calder’s caught the morning light; its silvery threads gleamed in the waving cloth. A low murmur began as the crowd noticed the duelists’ new pennants, rising to an insistent buzz.

Bayan jammed his stave into the cool, damp sand. He took a deep breath and faced Calder. The warmth of the morning and the freshening breeze invited all sorts of Flame and Wind spells. He could practically see the castings he would use, hanging unused in the air, waiting to be activated.

Bayan grinned. This was where he belonged.

Hanna stepped forward from the side of the broad, sandy oval. “Who stands before the Muggenhem arena?”

“Bayan Lualhati, Elemental Duelist.”

“And whom do you defend?”

Bayan looked over at Kiwani, Eward, and Tarin, then back at Calder. He lifted his chin.

“I defend the Waarden Empire.”

A ring of light widened atop the cliff, and a woman in gold-embroidered white robes stepped through it, leaving a stone corridor with artistic swirls in its walls. She carried a pair of short brass rods, each supporting a crystal that vibrated with a different sound. As the tones faded, the ring of light shrunk to a point, then vanished.

“Thus it ends, and ends well. The eunuch, he received your note?” She slid the rods into deep pockets.

The waiting man nodded.

“Why didn’t you act openly? No one would have questioned it.”

He looked across the landscape, toward Akkeraad. “The student is safe, her attacker slain. The fat eunuch thwarted the plot and earned a promotion, and duelists across the empire earned battle pennants by taking on rebel vagaries. With so many achieving success, the empire is stronger than ever.”

She stepped closer; he could feel her body heat. “But you received no acclaim.”

“I’m looking for a different form of success. And with your help, we can both share in it. Together, we can bring about a golden age that will never die.”

Tomorrow, they would plan. Tonight was for pleasure. He lowered his head and kissed her.

Adrian de Hond:
a warmaster in the First Tuathi War

Aklaa:
a Raqtaaq realm on the eastern border of the Waarden Empire, conquered in battle some twenty years past

Akrestoi:
a person from Aeolis, Kallichon, or Pallithea

Aleida:
an older student in Braam’s hex, she can manifest a Wind avatar she named Zephyr

Amyntas Ithrakis:
the Academy’s Shock Instructor, she holds the rank of Avatar Duelist

Anima magic:
a forbidden magic involving the control of living creatures. The Tuathi employed anima casters in their wars against the Waarden, but anima magic is believed to be untenable within the borders of the empire after so many centuries of elemental spells, as if elemental spell residue builds up and prevents the anima magic from coalescing

Anneke:
a noble girl in the class ahead of Bayan’s, friends with Kiwani

Antoon de Hond:
a warmaster in the Second Tuathi War. His Natal Day is a midsummer Waarden holiday

Anuq:
an Aklaa passing himself off as Shawnash, with a mysterious hold over Lord Eshkin and Lady K’mokamo

Avatar:
a magical creation formed from a single element. Once summoned into a form of the duelist’s choosing, the avatar will assume that shape every time it’s summoned. It can cast its own set of avatar spells at a duelist’s direction, more powerful than the elemental spells a duelist can create alone

Avatar Duelist:
the second rank at the Duelist Academy, achieved by less than half its students. Avatar Duelists can manifest all six elemental avatars and use them to cast spells, battling other duelists’ avatars instead of fighting directly with their own spells like Elemental Duelists do

Azhni Bikonya:
a Shawnash chanter employed by Wateyo tes’Eshkin for the exclusive care of his daughter Kiwani, Azhni’s throat was injured by a childhood disease, leaving her perpetually hoarse and unable to perform song magic

Balanganam:
Bayan’s homeland, containing mountainous uplands and broad, humid river deltas. Balanganam joined the Waarden Empire seven years ago, in 2005 IC, but most Balanganese still consider themselves independent of the empire.

Balang:
common term for a person from Balanganam

Bantayan:
a hardy, social culture, spread across two realms: Balanganam and Pinamuyoc. Its people are characterized by their relatively short stature, social ties, love of food, and tenacity. In Bantayan culture, it is considered the act of a rude little child to tease or insult someone in any way

Barbarian:
common term for a Dunfarroghan, referring to their Tuathi ancestry

Battle pennant:
a long, thin white cloth given to survivors of a duelism battle to mark them as having seen combat. It is attached above a duelist’s sigil flag on the flag stave

Bayan Lualhati:
a fifteen-year-old Balanganese boy who discovers, to his chagrin, that he can cast elemental magic

Bhattara:
god of the Bantayan. He lives in the sky and can see all things

Bhattara na
:
“Bhattara wills”, an expression of acceptance or fatalism

Bituin:
a young seerwine pitcher plant which Bayan brings with him to the Duelist Academy as a gift

Blessed Ward of the Empire:
a godchild of the emperor, representing a bestowment of favor and political alliance upon the child’s family

Blood type:
citizens of the Waarden empire have one of three different blood types: Waarden, Northern Common, and Southern Common, with Waarden blood being the dominant type, always manifesting in children with only one Waarden parent. A chanter’s healing crystal contains one drop of blood belonging to one of these three types, allowing the healing of anyone possessing that type of blood. Therefore, chanters always carry three crystals with them, one containing blood of each type

Braam vander Broek:
a minor noble in the class ahead of Bayan

Breckan:
an older student, she’s a member of Braam’s hex

Calder Micarron:
A Dunfarroghan teen from Marghebellen. Previously indentured to the Firedust Guild, he was injured in an accident that revealed his magical ability. His guildmaster took him to the nearest chanter, but the three-day journey left a permanent flame-shaped scar on Calder’s cheek

Caolan, Lady:
a noblewoman who washed out of the Duelist Academy for falling in love, and who has since become the most famous potioneer in the empire, catering to the whims of the nobility in Akkeraad

Cassander:
one of Philo’s Kheerzaal eunuch assistants

Casts:
various element-specific versions of the same spell. A duelist determines which cast of a spell is released by which element he or she invokes before performing the spell’s motions. For example: the Watercast of Stormwave releases a wave of water toward one’s tegen, while the Flamecast of Stormwave releases a fiery fog that spawns miniature flame tornadoes. A spell’s motion set must contain the sacred motion for a particular element in order for that spell to have a corresponding element cast

Cavan:
Head Duelist at the North Keenaght duel den in Renallen. He teaches Calder some basic Void techniques, and seems to live in the Void at all times

Chanter:
one who possesses song magic, but not the ability to sing, due to injury, tone deafness, etc. Chanters can perform healing magic, which requires only toneless rhythmic sounds and a crystal containing a drop of blood matching the patient’s blood type. Because of their ability to heal wounds quickly, most chanters are assigned by the Temple of Ten Thousand Harmonies to duel dens across the empire. Others find employment in the private sector, or travel the High Ways as itinerants

Chantery:
headquarters on the Academy campus for all chanters assigned duties there. It lies in the center of the campus

Cormaac:
an older student in Braam’s hex, determined to agree with everything Braam says and does

Cozenwar:
a last-ditch push during the First Tuathi War, led by Warmaster Adrian de Hond, which turned the tide and enabled a Waarden victory

Cricket:
term used by eunuchs to refer to other eunuchs, in reference to their high voices

Dakila:
Bayan’s sparring partner, defense instructor, and friend. His Waarden uncle by marriage was Bayan’s school teacher