Servants and Followers (The Legends of Arria, Volume 2) (32 page)

“
I am Monika, and I
bind this Sword to me.” She said, grasping the hilt. “I need help
now more than ever, oh gods and goddesses listening to me.” She
said, bowing her head in prayer.

“
Can someone please
explain to me
…”
Oaka started to say.

“
Swords of Arria,
Oaka.” Fato frowned, considering everything that had happend to him
and his friends on this trip.
I
t was a strange turn of events,
but perhaps he should have expected something like this to occur
again.

“
Knights of Arria
Swords?” Oaka asked after a short pause. “Swords that the Knights
of Arria wielded
?
A
nd we’ve got one
?
”

“
Two, Oaka.” Basha
said. “Don’t forget mine from Coe Anji.” He remarked. “I knew that
wasn’t its right name.”

“
Swords
plural
.
” Oaka laughed. “You two have got
the most powerful weapons in all of
creation
…
” He gasped, leaning forward as he started to hyperventilate.
“We have got
…
”

“
Breathe in and out,
Oaka!” Fato called, trying to calm him down. “We’re going to get
through this!” He insisted. “We will!”

“
Only one is in our
hands.” Monika said, withdrawing the
blue
scabbard and the Blue Sword
from the crack made in the cave floor by water dripping down, now
that she was finished with her prayer.
She had to get used to her new weapon, and the new
identity that might come with it, if the lore was to be
believed.
The crest and trough of a wave
could be seen in the shapes of the scabbard, and the Sword
withdrawn from it. The hilt was made of leather dyed lapis lazuli
and opal. She could hear the ocean chopping away at the shore,
etching the landscape
and
herself
into a different shape.

She practiced the
swing of the Sword, getting used to the idea that she possessed
such a powerful weapon that seemed to be constantly moving, never
still, with what lurked beneath its surface. How the water swelled
and retreated with the constant turning of the Earth, the force
that seemed to make everything go down, or come back up again with
the swing. She was amazed by, and relished such a power.
It belonged to her.

“
We have got to get
the other one back
from Lord Fobata and
Captain Goga.” Monika said, sheathing the Blue Sword before she was
tempted to use it for real. She had that feeling of never being
still, of always hiding who she truly was, even from those she
trusted most. She wanted to stop fighting, and be still for
once.

“
I’ll get it!” Gnat
cried, rushing off towards the cave mouth. Gnat had listened to
everything that was happening in amazement, and wanted to be a part
of it somehow. This was her chance.

“
Are you
sure
?
” Basha started to say, turning a
r
o
u
nd.

“
Please, Basha.” Gnat
said, turning back towards him. “If it’s that important, we can’t
let it get into their hands.” She said, “I’ll fetch it back, don’t
worry,” as she started to climb out.

“
Hurray for Gnat!”
Fato cried, flapping his wings.

“
Be careful!” Basha
called out to the servant girl, and then sat down to wait once she
was gone. There was nothing else he could do. Oaka started to calm
down for a moment.

“
You knew, Monika.”
Basha accused her. “You knew it was a Sword, my Sword, and
this
…
” He waved at the Blue Sword she held. “You knew it was here,
didn’t you?”

“
I didn’t know. Or at
least I didn’t know that this Sword was here until just before I
got into the cave mouth,” Monika said, indicating her Blue Sword,
“And then I guessed that your Sword was
...
but I didn’t know
exactly.” Monika explained.

“
You knew it
was
…”
Oaka gasped again.

“
Breathe in, Oaka,
don’t lose it again!” Fato cried. “And please stop blaming her for
everything,” Fato told Oaka as Fato and Oaka started arguing with
each other again
,
except quietly this time around. (“I don’t blame
her for everything,” Oaka said. “You do, Oaka.” Fato insisted.
“Only for what she has done.” “What has she done?” “Kept secrets
from us!” Oaka cried. and so forth.)

Basha shook his head. “Which Sword is
it, the one I have?” He asked.

“
The Black Sword, I
imagine,” Monika whispered.

“
What does that
mean?” Basha asked.

“
The Black Sword of
Death.” Monika said, louder as Fato’s and Oaka’s fight esclated.
“Tau’s Sword it was nicknamed
.”

“
You knew it was a
Sword of Arria!” Oaka cried, accusing Fato. “You knew they were
both Swords of Arria!”

“
What?” Both Basha
and Monika said, turning around.

“
I
didn’t
…
I might have
…
recognized them.” Fato said,
clearing his throat. “I do have my animal instincts, after all, and
I definitely could feel something coming off of them, the magical
power they contained, especially with the Black Sword. The Black
Sword felt terrible to me, especially when Basha was using it, back
in the warehouse. The Blue Sword is not as bad as the Black Sword,
at least to me. I can stand it, but I can still feel that water
power.” He insisted.

“
That’s why you were
shrieking so much back at the warehouse.” Basha remarked, staring
at the bird as he remembered its reaction during the
fight.

“
But there’s more,
isn’t there?” Oaka asked. “Your sense of perception couldn’t tell
you that these things were specifically Swords of Arria. You knew
when I didn’t
.
”

“
You can’t figure
anything out!” Fato cried.

“
You knew, but I
didn’t, and I could feel the Blue Sword just now, just the same as
you can. I could feel the water!” Oaka cried. “I could feel the
water, pushing against me like the tide, and I could feel
the
death coming off of Basha’s Sword,
back at the warehouse, although I had no clue what it was properly
then.” He said. “It just felt wrong, cold, disturbing. Something
that I could never forget.”

The others fell silent. Basha stared at
his older brother and stepped forward, almost wishing that he could
comfort Oaka. Whatever the Black Sword was, it wasn’t him. He had
only used it because he needed it back in the warehouse. He almost
wished that he had not picked it up. Almost, because he might still
need it.

“
I have seen at least
one other Sword of Arria,” Fato admitted, turning to them, “Back in
Coe Kiki. About ten years ago, before I was born, they were doing
some digging or cleaning near the old fortress on the palace
grounds, and they found the Brown Sword, the Sword of Earth, either
buried beneath the soil or
beneath
some possessions
in a basement
. There was a bit of an uproar amongst the noblemen over who
owned or could claim the Brown Sword as their own, although I don’t
know why. They did some research, and passed on the Sword to a
young nobleman named Pacaben, who was knighted a few years later.
Sir Pacaben.” Fato remarked.

The group gaped at Fato. “We didn’t
know they had found a Sword in Coe Kiki!” Basha gasped. “We thought
they were all lost!”

“
Well, it was sort of
hushed-up.” Fato remarked. “Most of the noblemen who were living in
Coe Kiki at the time of the Sword’s discovery became aware of the
fact, or at least the rumor of its existence. But those higher up,
all the way to King Sonnagh himself, didn’t want to spread the word
amongst common people and foreigners, to protect Pacaben’s identity
and keep this weapon a secret in case they needed to use it. So
they dispelled the fact as much as possible. However, that secret
sort of has been leaking out over the last few months, especially
when Sir Pacaben has been showing off the Sword.” Fato scoffed.
“Idiot. It was only a matter of time before even you people in Coe
Baba would have heard of it. Your friends and family members
probably know about it now.”

The others glanced at each other,
uncertain about what this could mean to their possession of the
Black and Blue Swords, if somebody else in Coe Kiki could claim
them.

“
Say, Monika,” Oaka
started to say, deciding to change the subject, “The Black Sword of
Death, how could it be called Tau’s Sword? Wouldn’t it be Loqwa’s,
and why would it be a god’s sword in the first place if it is a
Knight’s Sword?”

“
What does that have
to do with anything?” Fato asked Oaka.

“
The Swords are
associated with the gods because
…
the first thing you three should
know about magic is that magic is performed using ten elements,”
Monika said, “Which are bone, stone, earth, air, water, plant,
fire, spirit, shadow and death.” She recited quickly.

The two young men and
the falcon repeated her words slowly, trying to remember the
elements so that they would be prepared in case such knowledge
proved important. Monika reminded them of a few once or twice, and
then added, “Ten of the gods are each associated with one element
that falls under their domain. Dalan is bone, as he is the god of
animals
…”

“
Woo-hoo! Dalan has
an element!” Fato cried, thrusting a wing up into the
air.

“
Whoop-de-do and
hullabaloo,” Oaka said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“
And
t
he god of the body
,
one might say.”
Monika continued. “Popo is the god of stone, as he molded the
mountains. Qei is the god of the harvest and farmers, so he is the
god of the earth, as he tends to the earth so that it might be fit
for the seed. Then
…
”

“
So Tau is Death?”
Basha asked, jumping ahead. “I still don’t understand, why wouldn’t
it be spirit, or
…
”

“
Loqwa is spirit
because he leads the dead into the underworld. He protects the
dead, and it is even said he leads the dead out to be reborn in new
bodies.” Monika said.

“
New bodies?” Oaka
scoffed. “That’s not what I heard. The dead stay dead, end of
discussion.”

“
It’s a common belief
in places like Kiwata and Angora.” Fato said before Monika had a
chance to speak. “Sometimes in Pinal and Pakka as well.”

“
He’s right about
that.” Monika said, slightly surprised Fato was so
knowledgeable.

“
Why would it be like
this?” Oaka asked. “Why would people get reborn?”

“
It gives people, or
animals, a second chance at life, in case they did something wrong
or weren’t perfect.” Fato said. “I would like to believe that I had
a previous life before I was stuck here with this one,” He
muttered, glancing at Oaka. “Traveling with you.”

“
Death itself
is
the realm of the mortal, of nature.”
Monika said, trying to ignore the pair. “Loqwa does not take away
life, he only acts after it is gone. Men and nature cause death.”
She said. “Tau is associated with death because he is the king of
the gods, the most powerful god, who created humans and gave us
mortality in the process. He also gives power to kings and leaders
that decide who lives and who dies, and nature
…
Tau is the god of
thunder and lightning, and causes other disasters. What could be
more powerful than that in nature?” Monika asked.

Basha shuddered. It
seemed almost disturbing to think of the creator god, the most
powerful god, as also the ‘death’ god, the one that brought about
misery and torture
, although
there was one legend…maybe it was true, then
. And he had held the Death Sword, wielded the Black Sword,
Tau’s Sword? He had used it to maim, possibly kill those smugglers?
Did it really have a touch of Tau’s power in it? Was this why the
Knights of Arria were so powerful, feared by their enemies, able to
claim and take over a kingdom? It was rumored the Swords of Arria
could split a mountain, especially if they were combined. Did they
really have the powers of the gods in them?

“
What is wrong
with
…
why are you still traveling with us?” Oaka asked
Fato.

“
You were probably a
monkey or a rat in a previous lifetime!” Fato told Oaka.

“
Forget it,” Oaka
said, turning to Monika. “Do you know magic then?” He
asked.

“
Well, a little bit.”
She said, turning away from him.

“
I
have
…
” Oaka hesitated, and then was silent for a moment. It was
difficult to see him in the darkness, as sunlight started to fade
above, but then there was a flash of light. They could feel warmth
from the flames. Monika gasped and leaned towards Oaka, as Fato,
startled, flapped away from him.