Five Kingdoms (48 page)

“We gave our oaths. Please, let’s keep them. Better than keep them, let us cherish them, and each other. How nearly could events have had us pass one another by?”

“We have not even seen the whole of our strength,” Shirisae pointed out, more easily drawn from argument than was Alere. “We’ve been without the Sun Blade.”

“We are without it no longer.”

All eyes went to the entryway, and to the mystic standing within it. “The Empress has selected a champion, and has requested that we face the enemy beneath the temple at once.”

Tristus realized that
he had made a fantastic speech, particularly when Xu Liang arrived and he felt some of his boldness begin to drain. He’d meant every word, but being in the presence of Xu Liang had always challenged him. In all honesty, he had no idea what to make of Shirisae’s claim regarding her god. He’d seen the Phoenix dive into Xu Liang’s lifeless form, so he understood that it was more than a mere claim. He’d been witness to the power she spoke of. What may have amazed him in actuality was not the realization she’d spoken of, so much as the apparent fact that she had not anticipated the magic to manifest in the way it had. He would have assumed that she would have known straight away, but perhaps such knowledge was sacred, even from her, and only for the high priestess of her people to truly keep with any understanding. Such was the role of the High Order Master as well. He was the one among all of them—the other Order Masters, the temple priests, field clerics, and knights—who was supposed to have a privileged relationship with God, that he might guide and mediate all those beneath his wing, the extension of the wings of the Prince of Angels.

Tristus shuttled the bitter sentiments that followed such thoughts away with renewed faith in what he had discovered away from the citadel. He’d found his calling.

As they returned to the throne room of the Imperial City, he drew in a deep breath. Some dull pain radiated outward from the bruising around his injury. It remained bandaged. A tight wrap had been put around his upper torso, which held a packet of folded cloth and something medicinal against the wound. He’d layered his own clothing over it and strapped on his armor. He felt secure that the injury could not be made worse unless he sustained further injury directly over it.

They were all of them in the clothes they had brought with them into Sheng Fan. Xu Liang yet wore robes, but they were in the less ornate, more functionally layered style he had worn during their travels. The time for ceremony had passed, and each of them required functional attire in which to investigate what may have been an underground cavern and to potentially come to conflict with a sorcerer of noted prowess, or a dragon.

Tarfan had expressed that he would prefer the former. His niece was the only member of their company who would not be venturing below the temple. As Xu Liang explained it, many of the people of the court who had witnessed her, viewed her as virtually a child. On top of that, she was female, which apparently was not a customary gender for a combat environment. Tristus couldn’t say that he was unfamiliar with that point of view, though witnessing Shirisae had certainly enlightened his perspective on what a woman could accomplish with the proper skill, training, and resolve. Thankfully, Xu Liang had found some way to explain her to his people, else there might have been a conflict over her suiting up in her phoenix armor with the clear intent to take on whatever challenge awaited them. If Xu Liang had insinuated that she herself were some manner of blessed being, Tristus might not have questioned it himself. She was certainly an invaluable member of their company—sacred weapons or no; both of the elves were. Tristus felt graced to be in their presence on any battlefield.

And now they would welcome a new member. As any queen, the Empress of Sheng Fan would not be taking up arms herself. Rather, she would have a champion to perform the duty in her name and with her blessing. During the assembly, Tristus had no way of telling who such an honor might fall upon and it was difficult to descry candidates among the gathering of court officers, palace guards, and even Xu Liang’s own bodyguards. Tristus imagined that it could be one of them. After all, each of Xu Liang’s men had participated nobly in the mystic’s quest and were quite familiar with the Blades by now. He suspected any one of them could be as worthy as Guang Ci.

The guard whom fate had already selected stood before the pillared alcove that held the Empress’ throne beneath the framing bodies of two serpentine beasts—of two dragons of the region, Tristus suspected. Alongside Guang Ci stood Alere. Just in front of their end of the line was Xu Liang. Tristus and Shirisae were aligned to the other side of Alere. Tristus realized that the arrangement had them modeling the spectrum of night and day. The moon, the sky that held it aloft, and the gateway to that sky on one end. Aptly beside that at center, the element that lit the night and darkened the day, followed by the prelude to day’s brightest light. The sun would complete them. Tristus felt both anticipation and a humbling sense of purpose.

When Empress Song Da-Xiao began to speak, he could only focus on the melodic tones of her young voice. She was a beautiful girl with a majestic presence, as poised as any queen or lady of station Tristus had witnessed. The culture of Sheng Fan gave it a more unique element of grace, befitting the divinity her people placed upon her throne. He only wished he could understand what it was she had been speaking to them, though he had to admit that the mystery made it more ethereal to his senses.

He was able to follow better when the empress herself was handed the Moon Blade by Lord Huang Shang-san. The elder performed the gesture with little ritual beyond what Tristus perceived as customary court etiquette, and the Empress walked the Sword to its bearer. Xu Liang received it by bowing at the waist. His cloak of hair fell around his shoulders, concealing the sheathed sword from view, along with the face that Tristus would always find gloriously handsome. The enigmatic elegance of it was only slightly downplayed in the presence of the extreme gentleness of his empress’ features. The Fanese people were lovely for their uniqueness, much in the same way that elves were.

Huang Shang-san and five guardsmen—each with one of the Swords—had followed the Empress distantly, and when she had finished presenting the Moon Blade, the elder received and passed along the Night Blade. The Empress appeared to take a moment of pause with the heavier sword, though she handled it without strain, in the manner of one trained to hide strain and to make spontaneous adjustment for the unexpected. Guang Ci bowed as Xu Liang had done, and received
Behel
. In dignified succession,
Aerkiren
and
Firestorm
were also delivered. It was through observing that Tristus realized that the heavenly blades had been arranged not only by spectrum, but by type as well; there were three swords of varying length and breadth and likewise, there were three spears, presumably all of a different style. The Storm Blade had its heavy, sweeping serrated blade mounted atop its keen black shaft with silver edging and the Dawn Blade was more an impaling weapon, long enough to be a short sword without its shaft and slightly creased leading to an ornate sun design at its connecting point. A span of gold adjoined the platinum blade with a silvery-white shaft. Tristus noticed its construct even more acutely under the circumstances, as a lady of such authority placed the weapon within his hands. He bowed while his fingers closed around the remarkable weapon, first given to him by an angel—perhaps forged by angels. The Empress’ voice spoke to him in syllables he couldn’t begin to decipher, though he had come to detect a certain pattern to the speech.

When his moment of receiving such honor had passed, the Empress stepped to the side of him, followed by Huang Shang-san and a final guard. In the soldier’s hands lay the final of the Celestial Swords. A narrow wooden shaft that spoke primarily of pliability was mounted with a short, serrated blade possessing a dagger’s tip. Beneath the pale head, which currently gave off a warm golden glow, were wrapped ornate tassels of deep red and orange-gold.

The Empress made an announcement and the minister at her side repeated part of it. Afterward, the footsteps of another came from behind the line. Tristus dared not look, accustomed to the etiquette of such ceremony as this, but when he was able, he stole a glimpse of the young man introduced to them as Jiao Ren coming to stand beside him. The youth had been referred to as a general. Tristus could not be surprised by the selection.

Jiao Ren was given the
Spear of Heaven
. The Empress retreated toward her throne with the Minister of Ceremonies in tow. She stepped up onto the dais before turning toward the court once again, addressing everyone. There were six blades of tremendous power at the center of everyone’s attention, and six bearers as well. The colors of the weapons bled into the air and mingled in a way that felt as meaningful to Tristus now as it had when there were only five of them—more so, because at last all six were joined, just as Xu Liang promised they would be. Six Celestial Swords to bring together Five Kingdoms.

“This will be
a test of honor,” Xu Liang said to them while they made their way to the Temple of Divine Tranquility with a small entourage of soldiers and officials. “The outcome of this effort will aid the Empress in determining how much value to place upon the role of not only the Swords, but their bearers as well.”

“Of course, your station is fixed,” Tarfan said.

“I will remain Imperial Tactician and Tutor regardless,” Xu Liang confirmed.

“And, of course, you will remain a dwarf,” Alere said to him, in his way reminding Tarfan that preexisting stations and roles were irrelevant.

Tarfan harrumphed at the mountain elf’s unchanging directness, then said, “Wonder what it is we’ll actually find in the underground.”

“If you fear a dragon, you could still choose to stay with your niece.”

“Absurd! A perfectly able dwarf letting a litter of children use to play above ground go adventuring into the wilds of an unexplored cave without him? I’d never live it down. Dragon or no dragon, I’m going with you.”

Tristus laughed a little because he couldn’t help himself. He had begun to find Master Fairwind far more endearing than vexing by now.

After a few moments, he looked to Xu Liang and asked, “If little comes of this, and it’s made to seem as if the Swords are merely an archaic dream…” The manner in which Xu Liang looked at him—as if he’d either said something wholly preposterous or in a language he could not decipher—drew a pause from Tristus. It made him first feel as if he were being silently told that he was making no sense, but it settled in such a way that he felt more as if he were being advised against needlessly dallying with his question. “I…well, if this doesn’t convince the Empress that we’re needed, will we be asked to leave Sheng Fan?”

The question, finally completed, was met with comprehension, and Xu Liang gave a considered nod. “Alere, Shirisae, Tarfan, and Taya will be advised to return to their own lands. You, Tristus, will be permitted to stay, or to leave if you so choose.”

Tristus opened his mouth to ask why, but held his tongue at the recalling of the blessing he had received for taking injury meant for Xu Liang. He wondered now whether or not Xu Liang found his devotion cloying…perhaps contrived and self-centered. Of course, Tristus had no way of knowing any of what happened ahead of time. He had acted only out of fear that Xu Liang might be killed. If only there was a way to take back all that had been said—or at least very well implied in Vilciel. He never meant it to corner or impose upon the mystic. After all that had happened, he’d merely felt overwhelmed by the level of emotion that had developed in him. He should have been content to be devoted to him as a knight. He did not have to suggest that more than that would be welcome.