The First Kaiaru (15 page)

T
uresobei and Enashoma came to a halt outside the door to Kurine and Iniru’s room. Enashoma nodded at him, silently asking what he was going to do. While he hesitated, debating whether or not he should go in, Awasa and Zaiporo hurried over. They paused, their faces identical masks of dread as they waited for him to make the first move.

His hand reached toward the door, but he couldn’t bring himself to open it. Enashoma was right. The battles for the heart stones ranged from extremely difficult to nearly unwinnable. And that was with everyone working as a team. If Iniru and Kurine were back at each other's throats, they were all doomed. Should he go in there and break them up? Or would him being there just make things worse?

As he hesitated, their angry voices drifted through the door.

“All I’m saying is it wouldn’t kill you to fold your clothes and put them away properly!” Kurine shouted.

“A servant’s going to come through in a few hours and tidy everything,” Iniru replied. “Why waste the effort?”

“Because you should treat your clothes with respect.”

“You want to talk about respect?” Iniru asked. “How about you respect me and don’t take up the whole bed at night?”

“We’re sharing, and I can’t help that I’m bigger than you.”

Turesobei blushed, thinking of them both snuggled together in bed.

“What I don’t like is waking up in the middle of the night having been knocked off the sleeping mat.”

“Well, maybe that wouldn’t happen if you didn’t jab me with your bony elbows.”

“Maybe if you didn’t take up so much space with all your…your curviness.”

“You think I’m fat?” Kurine asked.

“That’s
not
what I said.”

“You’re just jealous because I have a figure and you don’t!”

“No, I’m not,” Iniru snapped. “Besides, I have a figure.”

“A stick figure.”

“How dare you,” Iniru seethed. “Turesobei likes my figure just fine.”

“Just fine? You think just fine is enough? Well, good. Because my curviness is way better than just fine.”

“Doubt it,” Iniru said. “Especially after you take up the whole sleeping mat and shove him off onto the floor.”

“I’ve never done that to him!”

Why did they have to fight about
this?

Zaiporo shot him a look that was half confused and half admiring. Enashoma elbowed him in the ribs and rolled her eyes. Awasa narrowed hers and looked Turesobei up and down speculatively. A small smile ghosted across her face, revealing her slender fangs.

Turesobei groaned softly.

“Probably because you keep him up all night by—”

“By what?” Kurine demanded. “I don’t do anything you don’t do.
I
just do it better.”

Turesobei buried in his hands and wished they would stop. He had never been so embarrassed in his life.

“Oh, shut up,” Iniru said.

“
You
shut up.”

“I know what your real problem is,” Iniru snarled.

“Oh yeah?”

“You’re jealous. I’ve seen your face when Turesobei puts the boosting spells on me.”

“You’re wrong,” Kurine gasped.

“Am I?” Iniru challenged. “Seems to me that it's not enough for you to be the Blood King’s favorite.”

“What does that mean?” Kurine asked

“You got the fanciest armor with the most protective spells. You got the most powerful weapon. And you got a magic shield!”

“I need those things to protect Turesobei. I didn’t spend my whole life training to kill people, like you did.”

“Really?” Something crashed onto the floor. “You’re going to bring that crap up again?”

“Pick up those clothes,” Kurine said.

Turesobei heard something else hit the floor.

“Pick them up!” Kurine roared.

Something else, something heavier than clothes, struck the floor. He had a feeling this was about to get bad.

The others took a quick step back, suddenly serious again, as the sounds of things crashing to the floor got closer.

Suddenly, Kurine shrieked and a dark shape rushed at the door. The wood frame shuddered as something heavy slammed into it. Then the silk panels ripped, and Kurine fell backwards into the hallway. She had one hand locked onto Iniru's wrist as she fell. Iniru was jerked off her feet and landed hard on Kurine's chest. She rolled off, coughing as she struggled to get her breath back.

Both girls froze when they saw the others peering down at them.

Enashoma glared with so much furious disgust that she reminded Turesobei of their mother. "Are you two seriously fighting over clothes?!"

Before they could answer, Enashoma spun around, grabbed Zaiporo and Turesobei, then stormed back to her room with them in tow.

Later that day, Turesobei sat alone in his room replenishing his spell strips, when a soft knock at the door broke his concentration.

"Come in."

The door slid open. Iniru and Kurine stepped inside hesitantly. Iniru looked like she was facing the hangman's noose, and Kurine refused to meet his eyes at all. She kept nervously twisting the hem of her shirt.

"Um...hey," Turesobei started, not sure what he could say to fix things.

Iniru held up a hand stopping him. "Let us say something first." She paused, steeling herself. "We are both really, really sorry, and it won't happen again. We both understand how important it is—to everyone—that we work together."

Kurine nodded vigorously, tears sparkling on her lashes. "That's right. And our arguing, it wasn't about you. I mean, it
was
about you, but it wasn't
because
of you."

"It wasn't your fault," Iniru clarified. "Neither one of us is used to living…or sharing with someone else. It's an adjustment."

"Not an easy one," Kurine muttered.

Iniru bristled.

But Kurine looked at her feet and shrugged. "Well, it's not."

“No,” Iniru sighed. “It's not easy. But we're trying. And we’ll get there."

“Um….” He still wasn't sure what to say. “Thanks."

Iniru gave him an apologetic smile. “We’ll see you later, okay?”

“Bye,” Kurine muttered, refusing to meet his gaze.

She continued to stare despondently at the floor as she shuffled out of the room behind Iniru. He wondered briefly if there was something he should do or say to cheer her up.

But they were gone before he got the chance.

T
he Realm of Clouds was not floating in the sky as Turesobei had imagined, but it was easy to see how it had gotten its name. All around them, voluminous clouds of steam vapor rose from countless vents and seeps. There were no trees, fields, or streams in sight; no animals, people, or signs of civilization either. The land as far as they could see was covered by rough, pockmarked terrain.

Judging by the sun overhead, this version of Zangaiden was at some point in the past. Based on the inhospitable terrain, he guessed that it was the distant past.

“It's…a different kind of beautiful,” Kurine said.

“It does almost seem like we’re in the clouds,” Zaiporo said.

“This is Bokaga’s realm,” Hannya said, “and he was exceptionally clever and fond of tricks and deception.”

“We’ll be careful, my lady,” Awasa replied.

They teleported to where the guardians should be, and discovered that there wasn't a highland shelf here. No waterfall or river, and if there was a cave, it would have to be underground. The land was rough but relatively flat as far as they could see, with clouds of steam billowing up everywhere. They were already sweating, and they hadn’t even exerted themselves yet.

Zaiporo pointed. “Hey, there's the cylinder!”

Turesobei evoked the Storm Dragon, and they moved cautiously toward the cylinder on its pedestal, which was sitting out in the open beside a hot spring. It was basically where Turesobei would’ve expected it to be.

“Do you think maybe someone defeated the guardians but couldn’t break through the force field?” Kurine asked.

“Surely, anyone capable of defeating the guardians could penetrate the shield,” Iniru said.

Awasa shrugged. “Not necessarily.”

“We’ll find out,” Turesobei said.

“You know it’s probably a trap, right?” Zaiporo asked.

Turesobei nodded. “The only way to find out is to spring it.”

“Then allow me, master,” Motekeru said.

Motekeru stepped up to the pedestal without hitting the force field. He reached for the cylinder—and his hand passed right through it.

The pedestal and the cylinder both disappeared.

“Well, we knew it was too easy,” Turesobei said.

Breathlessly, they waited for something to happen. But nothing did, and after a few moments, they relaxed somewhat. Kurine started looking for her special stone, even though they hadn’t won the battle yet. Iniru scanned for enemies, and Motekeru stared at the ground where the pedestal had been.

Zaiporo walked about twenty paces away to look at a hot spring.

Awasa was holding a mudra and had her eyes shut tight. “There's something near us. I can feel it closing in.”

Turesobei opened his kenja-sight and saw a dozen man-shaped forms, carrying swords and shields, heading their way. Whatever these guardians were, they couldn’t be seen with normal sight.

They were going to reach Zaiporo first, and he had no idea they were near him.

“Zai, run!” Turesobei shouted.

Zaiporo looked up, realized what Turesobei had said, and moved—but too late. An invisible blade plunged into his back and out through his chest. As he fell, the blade pulled back and stabbed him a second time.

E
nashoma knelt in the field of lavender within the Canvas. She took several deep breaths, formed the proper mudras with her hands, and opened her mind to the kavaru.

Once again, she stepped out of her body as a spirit.

Nāa stood across from her.

“Greetings again, Chonda Enashoma.”

She responded with an awkward hello.

He gestured. “Why don’t we sit together?”

Facing one another, they sat crosslegged in the rich-scented lavender.

“So….” Her voice trailed off. Despite days of contemplation, she struggled to figure out what to ask him. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

He smiled. “Then maybe I should begin.”

“Please.”

“I know you have lots of questions, but I would prefer to not talk about my past. I cannot yet handle any painful memories.”

“I’m really sorry I upset you last time.”

“It was not your fault,” he said. “And I apologize for complicating your personal life by being…well, basically a parasite.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “Most of the others seem all right with it, and Zaiporo will come around soon.”

“I meant
you
actually.”

“Me?”

“Enashoma, you have not taken a bath nor hardly looked in a mirror since you found out that I was experiencing the world through you.”

She frowned as she thought about her actions over the last week. “You’re right!” She put her face in her hands and groaned. “Oh, I’ve been so unfair to Zai.”

“I do not think you did so intentionally.”

“No, I didn’t. I had no idea I was being that self-conscious.”

“It is going to take time for you to adjust to this,” Nāa said. “And I want you to know that it is not easy for me, either. Imagine experiencing the world through someone very unlike yourself and having no control over what happens.”

“That would drive me mad.”

He took her hands in his and smiled. “We will both adapt in time. Just behave as you normally would and pretend I am not here.”

“I’ll try, but it’s not easy being myself when I know I’m sharing my body and experiences with a strange man.”

“I do understand. Trust me, you will get used to it.”

“You’ve done this before?”

He withdrew his hands. “Oh, I have experienced far worse than this. Imagine dying one day and being reborn into a new body. The shock is intense, and sometimes it takes years to get over it. And the body you are born into….” He snapped the head of a lavender stem. “It belonged to someone who gave up their life, willingly, so that you might live on.”

“That’s awful.”

“I hate that I ever did it.”

Enashoma tried not to judge him. For a Kaiaru, he seemed extraordinarily kind and thoughtful.

“Every time you are reborn that way, you change a little, taking on some of the characteristics of the person you are replacing. And, of course, the longer you go before dying, the greater the shock and the harder it is to accept the transformation.”

“Is it easier to be reborn as an inheritant?”

“Much so, because the inheritant will be more like you than any other descendant.”

“Then why be reborn any other way?”

“Because you cannot know when or where the rebirth will take place. An inheritant may not show up for decades, or longer, and even then they must survive long enough to come into contact with the kavaru or the process will begin again. Plus, a Kaiaru with a failing will to continue on into another rebirth might not manifest an inheritant at all.”

“Chonda Lu clearly wasn’t bothered by that risk.”

“Lu was always a bit different,” Nāa said. “And obviously, he engineered the process somehow, which is not surprising. He was studying rebirth and inheritance even when I worked with him.”

“Your will failed, though…?”

He smiled sadly. “I was weary of life. I had seen enough of the world and wanted nothing more to do with it.”

“That’s hard for me to imagine.”

“You are young still. Given enough time, you would understand. After a few lifetimes, you grow jaded. You begin to seek esoteric knowledge or power. You dabble in things you ought not to dabble in. You interfere with the lives of your descendants.”

“Like Chonda Lu with my clan and my brother?”

He nodded. “Lu and I saw eye-to-eye on many things. But ultimately, he was more like the rest of our kind than I was. As far as Kaiaru go, I am an aberration. Power and indulgences never meant much to me. I was always drawn to art and creation. That was why Lu sought me out. He admired my art. And he learned a lot from me.” Nāa scowled. “Unfortunately, after I was gone he twisted much of that knowledge to dark purposes. But then, I suppose certain events did alter the both of us...and not for the better.”

Enashoma wanted to ask more about that, but respected his wishes. She waited, but he said nothing further.

“Were you originally a man or a woman?” she asked.

“I am not certain Kaiaru were originally human at all, but that is merely speculation. Anyway, I believe my first body was a woman. But I am uncertain. Like the rest of my kind, my memories only stretch back a few millennia. In fact, my oldest memory I have is being reborn into a new body and thinking that I never wanted to do that again.” He chuckled. “I was reborn twice more afterward.”

“I can’t even imagine not knowing so much of your past.”

“Would it make you feel better to know that of those years I can recall, I spent most of them as a woman?”

“A little.” Enashoma stared at him a few moments. A thought came to her, out of nowhere. “You know exactly why your kavaru awoke, don’t you?”

Nāa flinched, cocked his head, then frowned. “I cannot believe you broke through my mental barrier.”

“I didn’t,” she replied. “Not intentionally. The thought just came to me.”

“Ah. I suppose that is to be expected from time to time, with our minds linked so closely.”

“So you do know?” she asked.

“Yes.”

She stared at him patiently. Finally, he sighed and answered her unspoken question.

“Lu Bei summoned me.”

“The fetch summoned you…. How?!”

“How does he do anything?”

Enashoma scratched her head. “With tea?” she said jokingly.

But Nāa nodded seriously.

“Wait, how could Lu Bei summon you with tea?!”

“He brewed the perfect bowl. In truth, it would not have worked without the brush being nearby. Though how the fetch knew my stone was here, I have no idea, since none of you were aware of the Blood King’s collection.”

“You are going to have to explain to me how a bowl of tea could summon a kavaru back to life.”

“I made a promise two thousand years ago. I cannot bear to divulge the details. I will say this much. When I was dying, I told everyone it was the end for me. But Lu Bei insisted I return. I could not leave him, he said. Because he would have no other friends, only his master. He kept on and on, badgering me this way.”

“I’m familiar with that tactic of his,” she muttered.

“Finally, over a bowl of tea…” tears welled in his eyes “…a bowl of my favorite brew, I made a promise to him. ‘If ever you desperately need me, little fetch, I will return. No matter what.’ It was the sort of heartfelt promise you do not intend to keep but that you give someone just to make them feel better. At least, that is what I thought it was. But Lu Bei, clever thing he is, trapped me with it. As soon as the words left my lips, I found myself bound by a spell. Imagine that, I had bound my very existence into a spell that little creature controlled!”

“How could he do that?”

“Lu Bei is a magic beyond all others. A magic neither I nor Lu nor even the Blood King could ever fully understand. He is a creature of whimsy and of love, both peaceful and excruciating. And he is somehow more than the sum of all those things.”

“But he didn’t bring you back until now….”

“I scolded him for tricking me. Naturally, he denied having done it intentionally. I made him promise not to summon my kavaru back to life unless it was absolutely necessary. ‘Let me fade as I wish,’ I begged him.”

“He was true to his word. We desperately need help.”

“There is no doubt about that.”

“What I don’t understand is that he seemed so surprised and amazed to see your stone in my hand when we went into the Blood King’s kavaru vault.”

“Surprised, or genuinely happy and disguising his reaction? He knew the energy from the brush and the right bowl of tea could summon me back. And he had to know that yours would be the soul I would call to. Though perhaps he did not know for certain my kavaru was here. Perhaps he had merely hoped or guessed….” Nāa shrugged. “Only Lu Bei could tell you whether his reaction was genuine.”

“Wow…sweet, devious little Lu Bei…I always knew there was more to him, but….” She shook her head.

“Indeed,” Nāa said. “But that is enough about Lu Bei and my awakening. We must begin your training. You have much to learn and little time for doing so.”