Wall of Spears (19 page)

Jaken looked neither left nor right, instead pressing onwards to where the chamber had once stood, but Sumiko could see the tension in his jaw and in the way he rode.

It only got worse when they reached the chamber. Thanks to bucket chains, as well as magic, much of it had been saved, but part of the roof had collapsed and smoke still oozed from broken windows. At the front of the chamber, soot-stained elves were laying out bodies, some of them horribly burned, others killed by swords or crossbows. Jaken dismounted, followed by a dozen guards and Sumiko.

A Council Guard officer, his face blackened by smoke and sweat, his hands bloodstained, rushed up and saluted.

‘What happened here?’ Jaken asked, his voice ice cold.

‘Lord Retsu and Lady Asami warned us there might be an attack by gaijin. They thought they would come through the park, so I had all my warriors there. We only realised they were behind us when we saw the smoke go up and heard the screams. We pursued them but they made it to Lady Asami’s home, where they escaped through the oak tree in her garden. Once they were gone I concentrated on trying to fight the fire, then sent riders to warn you.’

Jaken nodded. ‘Your responsibility was to protect the city while I was gone. You failed, captain.’

The officer paled. ‘I am sorry, my lord. With your permission?’

Jaken again nodded and had already turned away when the captain drew his sword, placed the hilt on the ground, positioning it so the point would go through his ribs, then flung himself down onto the blade. It pierced his heart and burst out of his back, leaving him to fall into a pool of his own blood.

‘You should do that yourself, Jaken!’ someone yelled from the crowd.

‘Who said that?’ Jaken whipped around but nobody stirred. Instead, they all glowered at him.

‘I demand you show me the insolent cur who dared to insult the Elder Elf!’ Jaken bellowed.

But they did not.

Sumiko was delighted to see it — although it had exactly the opposite effect on Jaken. His fury seemed to have no bounds and he paced up and down in front of the crowd, who stared sullenly back at him.

She glanced around, looking for Oroku, and spotted him stepping out of the devastated chamber, a scroll in hand. She recognised the scroll instantly, which was not hard, given she had written it.

‘My lord — there is more news,’ she said, forcing Jaken to turn away from the angry crowd.

He stalked over to where Oroku was bowing low, holding out the scroll in both hands.

‘My lord, this was left by the gaijin.’

Jaken snatched it out of Oroku’s hands and unrolled it.

Sumiko stepped behind him, looking as if she was reading it, although she knew the contents by heart.

‘The gaijin want our most precious secrets — long life and magic — or they will kill the Elven Council they captured, as well as the Elder Elf’s wife herself!’ she said loudly, making sure all could hear outrage in her voice.

Jaken glared at her but it was too late. The grumbles from the crowd turned louder.

‘You have betrayed us!’ someone said from the back.

‘Jaken the gaijin-lover!’ another called out, safe in the middle.

‘What did you do to stop the gaijin?’ Jaken snarled at Oroku. Sumiko could see he was itching to take his anger out on someone and she prepared to step in.

‘I fought as hard as I could. I killed several of the gaijin at Asami’s house and nearly stopped them escaping. Sadly they killed my friend Jimai in the Council Chamber.’

‘No! Not Jimai!’ Sumiko exclaimed loudly, locking eyes with Oroku and receiving a tiny nod in reply.

‘Why could you not stop the human magic?’

‘They were too strong for us.’ Oroku sighed. ‘But next time we shall be more prepared. With Lady Sumiko to help us, we shall be victorious!’

His last statement was far louder than the others and Sumiko turned to acknowledge the murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

Jaken glared at them angrily and the noise died down.

A middle-aged elven mother pushed through the crowd, disturbed the silence, and rushed over to one of the bodies lying before the chamber. She threw herself on the young elf, no more than sixteen summers, who had been pierced by a crossbow bolt.

‘My son was full of life and laughter when you rode out of here with an army of warriors,’ she cried. ‘Now he is dead because you didn’t protect us! His blood is on your hands, Lord Jaken!’

The crowd roared their agreement.

‘Quiet!’ Jaken shouted back. ‘I will make this right! You will be protected!’

‘That is what you said last time — what are your promises worth now?’ the mother called.

Sumiko chuckled inside to see the expression on Jaken’s face. She could tell he so much wanted to rush over there and take out his frustration on the woman but how could you punish a grieving mother? If it had been a warrior, or perhaps an elderly father, Sumiko guessed a head would now be rolling down the street. But even Jaken could not do such a thing to a mother.

While he struggled to find the words to appease the mother and her loud supporters, Sumiko called down a bird. It had merely been flying past but nobody else was to know that.

‘News from Vales, Lord Jaken!’ she called, stroking the bird’s head. ‘The mission to offer a peace treaty to the Velsh has been betrayed! The Velsh have killed Lord Nagata and his entire escort!’

This news brought a roar of hatred from the crowd and they began to heave forwards.

Jaken signalled to his guards but there were not enough of them and they backed up nervously. A stone flew from the rear of the crowd and bounced off Jaken’s armour, followed a moment later by an apple, which splattered on his shoulder.

‘Do something!’ he roared at Sumiko.

She smiled. If he ordered his guards to use their swords, then this street would run red with blood from both sides. Almost all of the crowd was armed and they outnumbered the guards twenty to one.

‘People of Dokuzen! Do not fear! The gaijin may have found magic but ours is stronger! Your Magic-weavers will save you! If you want to sleep safe at night, if you want to know that gaijin soldiers are not going to come pouring out of every tree in the city, then you need to trust my Magic-weavers!’

‘What are you doing?’ Jaken snarled.

‘What you asked.’ She smiled at him. ‘Look, they are thinking about it.’

He turned to see the crowd was no longer pushing towards his flimsy line of guards and was instead talking among themselves.

‘Follow me,’ he said, pulling Sumiko over towards the remains of the chamber.

Jaken’s head was whirling as he stepped inside the polished doors of the chamber. The smell of burned wood and, worse, burned flesh was thick here and it took an effort of will to push it out of his mind.

The news that Dokuzen had been attacked was devastating but it was as nothing compared to the reception he had received from the people outside. As a clan leader, he had been used to deference from everyone he spoke to. Since becoming Elder Elf, he had become accustomed to people cheering him and bowing and waving wherever he went. To see them turn like this was shocking. His first impulse was to summon the army back to Dokuzen and impose some order but then he remembered how they had reacted when the news had hit. Would they obey his orders to crack down on their own clans? He had felt so certain of his next move. Dokuzen was built on the clan system and warriors were loyal to the clan first, the Elder Elf second. In the blink of an eye, Dokuzen could dissolve into chaos and civil war. Magic might be the only solution to give him enough time to stop the gaijin.

‘What were you doing out there?’ he asked Sumiko, forcing the fury out of his voice.

‘Helping you,’ she replied.

He searched her face but, as always, could only see honesty radiating out. ‘And how was that helping me? It seemed more like you were helping yourself.’

‘Aren’t they one and the same?’ Sumiko countered. ‘The people are scared and upset. Treat them with force and they will respond with anger. Give them hope and they will follow you again. They need to know our magic is stronger than the gaijin.’

Jaken weighed her words for a moment, then nodded. ‘So how did the gaijin get in here — and how do we stop them next time?’

‘They must have had help. There is no way they could do this by themselves. Asami must have done this. After all, she has vanished along with them and they used her home as their base. And don’t forget Gaibun is a wanted criminal, a rapist and murderer.’

‘I forget nothing. But Lord Retsu was taken in the raid. Surely if this was designed to see me replaced with him, he would have miraculously escaped?’

‘Perhaps he still will,’ Sumiko suggested. ‘He might miraculously escape from the gaijin and return in triumph, with the key to defeating the gaijin and protecting Dokuzen.’

Jaken looked hard at her. Something did not sound right here. Retsu had built his reputation on honour, not betrayal, while both Asami and Gaibun had fought the Forlish.

Then Sumiko smiled and reached out, touching his arm and sending a tendril of magic into him. He felt the warmth flicker down his arm into his chest, his belly, and settle into his groin, making it glow and throb. His train of thought disappeared.

‘Don’t forget, Rhiannon is Forlish. Perhaps she has planned this, to take revenge on us after Daichi and the others humiliated her — and on me, after we fought at the Council meeting. She just chose Asami’s home because she knows it,’ she said.

Jaken nodded. That sounded more reasonable.

‘So how do we stop her? What can we do to protect Dokuzen?’

Sumiko took her hand away. ‘I need to speak to the people. They are used to having magical protection from gaijin. I must promise to keep them safe. Then we need to show the people we are strong, by leading the army south and destroying the Forlish.’

‘But I thought you said the Velsh were the greater threat?’

‘Not any more. The Forlish have invaded and humiliated us by taking captives and burning the chamber. That is what the people will see every day and what we must avenge.’

‘But the captives — the Forlish will surely kill them if we attack.’

‘Certainly. But the people will never stand for us giving away our secrets. The humiliation will be too great. We might as well think of them as already dead and mourn accordingly. Don’t tell me you want to preserve your wife’s life? I mean, if she is dead at the hand of the gaijin, there is nothing to stop you remarrying.’

‘True.’ Jaken had to admit he felt a thrill at the thought, answered by a pulse from his groin. They had to show their strength. A lightning march south to destroy the Forlish would go a long way to restoring his reputation. And then the Velsh could be crushed and the world would still be his. The people would cheer him again. ‘Go and speak to them, tell them that,’ he said.

‘Of course.’ Sumiko smiled widely.

The crowd had been growing, both in size and restlessness, but quietened when Sumiko stepped back outside, feeling a surge of triumph. Jaken was on the edge now. She would use him to prop her up for a little longer, get the people used to the idea of a Magic-weaver ruling them, then he would go over the cliff.

‘People! Do not fear!’ she called, reaching into the magic to throw her voice all the way to the back of the crowd. ‘I am here to protect you!’

‘How? Can you bring back the dead?’ the mother who had harangued Jaken called out.

‘I cannot bring back the dead. But I can protect you with magic, ensure no filthy gaijin will walk these streets again. Meanwhile, I will send Lord Jaken and the army out to destroy the gaijin who burned and killed in the heart of the city. Trust in me and I shall keep you safe and avenge your son and all the other sons and daughters killed today.’

‘Sumiko! Lady Sumiko! Saviour of Dokuzen!’ the mother cried and her call was taken up by the rest of the crowd, who cheered and waved at her.

Sumiko basked in their adoration and smiled warmly at the mother. It was the least she could do for her accomplice, who would be paid well for her performance here today.

Sendatsu was unable to sleep. Thoughts of Asami were torturing him. He wanted to rush down to Forland, draw his sword and carve his way to her. He could see it in his mind’s eye, the two of them using swords and magic to cut their way out of Ward’s castle, then she would turn to him and declare they had to be together.

But that daydream was cut short by another fear — the child she carried with Gaibun. Would he risk everything to get her out, only to have her turn away from him and embrace Gaibun?

And then it struck him: that was not important — getting her out was. A live and happy Asami, even if she was with Gaibun, was all that mattered.

The realisation made him smile a little. All that time and effort devoted to being angry about Gaibun and when it came down to it, all he cared was that Asami was safe.

But that did not bring him any relief. Fear of what might be happening to her circled inside his head until he had to get a breath of fresh air. He pulled open the door and almost ran into Gaibun.

‘What are you doing here?’ he asked.

‘Trying to pluck up the courage to knock on your door — and hoping you were unable to sleep, just as I.’

Sendatsu could not see his former friend’s face in the dark but he could hear the fear and worry in his voice.

‘Come in. I shall make green tea,’ he said.

The fire was dying down but he stirred it up and put on water.

‘I cannot bear the thought of her in that place,’ Sendatsu admitted.

‘I will do anything for Asami and to save our child. If I had the chance, I would change my life for theirs in an instant. Yet I fear I will never get that chance.’

‘I should tell you not to throw your life away but I feel exactly the same way,’ Sendatsu said.

‘You have your children, though. You have them to live for.’

‘I know,’ Sendatsu said, unable to stop glancing towards the bedroom where they both slept. ‘But they are coming too. I think I might be able to use them to get inside the castle. It seems selfish, but I have a feeling it might make a difference. Talking to Mai sometimes makes me think I need to trust my heart and what it is telling me.’

‘I don’t want to see them hurt but, if it saves Asami, then I will not stop you.’

Sendatsu poured out the tea for the two of them and pushed a shallow bowl of the steaming liquid towards Gaibun carefully. He took a tiny sip himself but it was too hot and he left it on the table.

‘As for me, don’t feel you have to save me to make up for things. I spent the last moon fighting with you over Asami. I am as much to blame as you.’

Gaibun blew on his tea and sipped. ‘It is kind of you to say that but it is not true. I know where the blame lies and I swear to you that I will make up the debt I owe.’

Sendatsu drank his tea carefully. ‘And what happens afterwards? What if we get Asami and the others back and we can all sit around this table together?’

‘What do you mean?’

Sendatsu steeled himself. An apologetic Gaibun, determined to repay Sendatsu, was better than the one who had been trying to destroy his relationship with Asami. But he could not face going into Cridianton and maybe losing one or more of them without asking the question.

‘I know why Asami sent me away now. She knew she was carrying your child and knew that you would never let her go. If she had chosen me, it would have turned to bloodshed. She could not bear to see that. But the truth is out there now. So, if we can get her back, will you let her make her choice?’

‘Between us?’

‘Or neither of us. After all, we have hardly shown ourselves worthy of her. After the way we treated her like a possession and fought over her, I would not blame her if she turned away from us both. I discovered something about myself tonight. I love her with all my heart but I would rather see her with you, or by herself, happy and healthy, than dead in a Forlish prison.’

‘And if the Forlish have made sport of her?’ Gaibun asked hoarsely, his hand shaking and his tea dripping onto the table.

‘That would not matter to me. I would do all I can to help her heal, try to see her become again the Asami we know and love. Anything else would be up to her.’

‘And you mean that?’

Sendatsu put down his tea and looked into Gaibun’s eyes. ‘With all my heart,’ he said quietly.

‘I know what she can do with her magic — Aroaril knows she used it on me to stop me taking her to bed. But she must have been hurt by them, unable to fight back. I keep thinking of filthy Forlish hands on her.’

‘Don’t think like that. We have to see her as alive and safe.’

‘I try but I am so afraid.’

‘Don’t get me wrong. I worry — but I worry about not getting her out. After she is free, she can do whatever she wants, as long as it makes her happy.’

‘But my child —’

‘Will always be yours, no matter what.’

Gaibun lowered his head into his hands. ‘I have made so many mistakes, I don’t know if I can make up for them. But if we can sit here with Asami, I will let her choose whatever she wants to do. Perhaps that will make things better.’

Sendatsu reached across the table and gripped Gaibun’s shoulder. Gaibun looked up and Sendatsu was shocked to see his proud friend crying, tears dripping down his face.

‘Can I sleep here? I cannot go back to an empty hut. The voices in my head grow too loud then,’ he whispered.

‘Lie down by the fire. I will bring you a blanket,’ Sendatsu said gently. ‘You know I forgive you for what you tried to do.’

Gaibun wiped his eyes with his sleeve. ‘Yes, but that is the problem. I cannot forgive myself.’

‘Wake up. I think we are here.’

Asami opened her eyes with a start, to see Noriko leaning over her. It was light; at first she thought it dawn but now saw it was close to dusk.

‘We travelled through half a day, all of one night and almost all the next day, stopping only to change horses. We must have covered quite some distance,’ Noriko said softly.

Asami sat up carefully, relieved that her head did not spin this time, although her body still felt stiff and her neck and back were aching abominably. She glanced over to see two burly guards still sitting either side of Retsu, who was trying to look out of the window.

‘Are those the same ones as last night?’ Asami asked, trying to stretch her neck.

‘They changed them along with the horses. But I think they have the same orders,’ Noriko said.

‘Did you sleep at all?’

‘A little. Once the sun came up I wanted to see where we were going.’

‘See anything interesting?’ Asami rubbed her aching right shoulder.

‘No oak trees close to the walls. I spotted one a mile ago and there might be others closer but I don’t know where.’

That woke Asami up better than a strong cup of tea. They needed oak trees to get away but the thought of trying to fight their way through a city and then for miles through hostile country seemed impossible.

‘It sounds like we should have tried something last night,’ she said softly.

‘Ssh! Remember Sendatsu!’

‘How could I forget him?’ Asami said.

She peered out of the window to see a thick line of cavalry riding alongside the coach, no more than five paces away. Beyond them, however, was a huge human city, its stone towers rising tall above its powerful wall. It was crude and squat compared to Dokuzen, but there was no denying its size.

The cavalry either pushed ahead or dropped back and the carriages rattled through a wide gate and into the streets. Unlike the smooth stone of Dokuzen, these were roughly cobbled. And rather than the houses being set well back from the road, here they pressed in close and even hung over the top, reaching across to almost touch, two or three storeys above street level, blocking out the light from those below. The carriage doors had no windows, just fine wooden bars, and now they could smell the city, the stench of thousands of people pressed in together, their animals, their waste and their rotting food.

Noriko moved back from the window and covered her face with the sleeve of her kimono but Asami had been to Patcham and knew something of what was to come. Even Patcham had not smelt this bad, though. Still, she looked out, trying to remember the way they were coming, trying to see an oak tree or something that could perhaps help her escape.

As they moved into the city, there were glimpses of something finer. A park with statues and open areas caught her eye, as well as tall stone buildings under construction, half-naked men swarming over them like ants. Images like that came and went, flashing past the carriage window. But most of it was grim and functional, rather than beautiful; dirty rather than shiny. And always there was the smell. The cavalry created a path for them and the carriages rattled by too fast for her to see individual faces in the crowds. She wondered if they knew who was in the carriages and what they felt about elves. Perhaps what Sendatsu and Gaibun had said was true and the common people adored elves, thought of them as something kind and wise and good. Perhaps they could find help out there.

The city changed slowly, the houses becoming something closer to ones she recognised: large, stone-built and set back from the road. The sun reached through here and lit up the carriage. But now, looming over them, was the castle. It was a solid slab of grey stone. There was nothing beautiful about it. The carriages raced at it and it swallowed them up and dropped them back into darkness.

The carriages skidded to a halt amid tumult. Men shouted orders, horses stamped and cried and boots thumped on stone. The carriage door was wrenched open.

One of their guards spoke for the first time. ‘Time to get out. Go slowly and don’t try any magic. There are a hundred crossbows pointed at you.’

Asami went first, wincing a little at the soreness she felt in her back, as well as the weakness still in her legs. Crude wooden steps had been pushed up to the carriage door and she stepped down them, looking all around her. The courtyard was large, although surrounded on three sides by a tall wall; the fourth side was the flat face of the castle itself. Men with crossbows stood all around, while others poked out from the tiny windows cut into the face of the castle itself.

A double line of Forlish soldiers, helms pulled low over their eyes, their mail shirts polished, pointed spears at her, providing a corridor down which she should walk towards the open doors of the castle keep. Everything was grey — the stones, the armour, even the light that fought its way in here. There was one splash of colour — an older woman stood to one side, wearing a fine red dress. It was a completely different style to what Asami recognised but she could tell its quality nevertheless.

An older man with a face like thunder, dressed in fine armour with a red scarf tied around his upper left arm, stood behind the woman.

One of the cavalrymen jumped down from his horse and saluted the older man, before dropping to one knee before the woman. She raised him up and embraced him, before walking towards Asami, although staying carefully behind the line of soldiers. The man with the scarf paced behind her, looking even more unhappy than before.

‘Welcome to Cridianton. I hope your stay will be short and you will be returned to your families soon,’ she said loudly.

Asami studied her face. It was lined, her lips pulled down by time or sadness, she was not sure which, a permanent frown furrowed into her brow, yet it was not unfriendly.

‘I am Queen Mildrith. I am sorry for what my husband has done. I hope there can be peace between our nations. Meanwhile I have picked out your rooms myself and tried to make sure you will be as comfortable as possible.’

Asami glanced at Noriko and Retsu, who had caught her up. This did not sound as she had expected.

The man with the scarf stepped forwards and shouted, his voice as harsh as his words.

‘Try to escape and you will be killed. Use magic and you will be killed. I am the castellan of this castle. Attack my men and you will be hurt. And I shall hurt the women first, make them scream.’

‘We are not men, we are elves. And to threaten the lives of the Lady Noriko and Lady Asami is the work of a coward!’ Retsu shouted.

‘Whatever you are, heed my words or pay the price,’ the castellan replied. ‘Follow my men inside.’

Asami could see Queen Mildrith glaring at the castellan but the man himself either did not see or, more likely, did not care. That was interesting. She did not know much about human government but surely the wife of the king would have more power than that? Or did they believe that women were not fit to rule? If so, she mused, they might find much in common with the likes of Daichi and Jaken.

After what he had said, Asami was expecting a dungeon dripping with rats and stinking of death but perhaps Queen Mildrith had some power after all, for they were shown to comfortable rooms, with proper beds. But she noticed the elves were being split up and sent in all different directions. She, Noriko and Retsu were ushered away from the others and locked into a room together, the solid wooden door bolted and guarded behind them.

‘This is wrong,’ Retsu growled. ‘They should have given you both a room by yourselves. It is disgraceful they expect us to share. I shall demand you be left alone and I be put with some of the other lords.’

But Noriko caught his arm as he walked towards the door, his stride spoiled by the limp from his wounded leg.

‘No,’ she said. ‘Who knows if we will ever get out of here? If not, I want to spend my last moments with you.’

Asami looked away, embarrassed, as Retsu stared helplessly at Noriko.

‘But my honour and your husband …’

‘To Aroaril with them both.’

‘I cannot just go back on everything I have lived by.’

‘Don’t you understand? I have dreamed we could finally be together and if this is to be the last few days of our lives, then I will not waste them.’