‘We are ambassadors for our people,’ Sarlice added. ‘Lyth and… what remains of Jaria… need allies if they are to survive.’
‘We shall discuss it together with my parents,’ Tyba replied.
Clayr stepped a little closer to me. ‘You must understand the king’s time is in great demand. He places you here—close to the Palace and to the Dome of Gathering—so he can call on you when he has made sufficient time.’
I nodded.
‘You will meet him soon,’ Tyba added in an upbeat manner.
‘You may need to pick the right time to discuss your… concerns,’ Clayr warned.
‘I suppose she knows I haven’t been an ambassador for long and I’m not used to the formalities,’ I said, to Rekala, trying to make myself feel better.
‘You have been rather direct about it thus far,’ Rekala commented as she brushed past my leg to poke her nose in through the door. ‘Not that I blame you.’
‘Thanks for the advice,’ I stuttered.
Tyba blinked from Clayr to me and I got the impression he wasn’t as astute as her at diplomacy. ‘We’ll send an escort to take you to the Gathering of Minds in three hours.’
‘Our thanks, sire,’ I replied.
Sarlice and I gave him the traditional Tanzan greeting. He beamed widely and clapped both of us on the back.
‘You may call me by my first name,’ he said. ‘I have a feeling we are going to be good friends.’
Chapter Seven—The Gathering of Minds
M
inac led us to a medium-sized room with a curtain between two wood-based beds. Rekala and Kestric stalked in and proceeded to sniff every object and mark each piece of furniture with their chins and cheeks while Thita flew to the balcony and perched there to preen his fur.
‘I hope you don’t mind sharing,’ Minac said. ‘There’s a shortage of rooms because of the Gathering of Minds.’
‘What exactly is a Gathering of the Minds?’ I asked. Ciera’s explanations had been brief, almost as if he wanted me to witness it for myself, but I was too curious to wait and I wanted to know what to expect.
Minac cleared his throat before explaining, ‘Local Anzaii and Sleffions meet in the Dome of Gathering and use the Ancient Sapphire Tree to augment the long distance wave communications with beings in all different parts of Tanza. Disseminators speak the message out loud for those who aren’t on the waves.’
‘I had no idea the Ancient Sapphire Trees could be used that way,’ I murmured.
‘Then you have a great deal to learn,’ Minac said in good humour.
‘What do they talk about?’ Sarlice asked.
‘It’s a chance for every realm to report in,’ Minac replied. ‘And discuss anything that’s relevant to the running of Tanza. Things like spiritual occurrences—prophecies, healings, new Anzaii, Sleffions, Tolites or Rada—resources, training and security issues like skirmishes with the Zeikas around the borders.’
‘It sounds important,’ I muttered, again feeling frustrated Ciera hadn’t wanted to involve me in his preparations.
‘It’s important to most Tanzans,’ Minac chuckled. ‘Though I admit we pretty much go about our business here at Dawvor—no time to waste! Well I’ll leave you to it. Someone will call on you in a few hours to escort you to the meeting.’
‘Thanks Minac,’ Sarlice said, seeing him out the door.
She closed it gently behind him.
I unbuckled the Jarian belt and the white scabbard Fyschs was in. I laid them down on one of the beds, staring at them for a while. There was so much yet to be learned, not only about sapphire trees and being Anzaii but, also, about my new sword and being Tolite. Even being bonded with the Emperor skyearl and being a Sleffion was still overwhelming. Rada was the only one of my gifts I felt sure of. Rekala chuffed at me from the other side of the room.
Sarlice unhooked her packs from each other and dropped them beside the other bed. The curtain between our beds was, as yet, pulled back. I lay on my side on the straw-stuffed mattress and watched Sarlice organise her things into a set of wooden drawers. She folded a purple garment in, tossed a small pouch of coins in on top of it and unpacked our emergency food supplies into the second drawer. We would replace it with fresh food before leaving Centan.
She bent down to retrieve a fallen trinket. Observing the fluidity in the way she moved and the way her leather clothing sat so easily on her muscular body, it occurred to me how far out of my league she was. I must have seemed like a youth to her.
‘You are a youth,’ Tiaro responded.
‘I’m nearly twenty.’
‘In some cultures you would still be considered a youth.’
‘What do you know of other cultures,’ I asked. ‘You are an inanimate object.’
‘I am a spirit,’ she countered. ‘I recall some of before, but mostly I just know things about the world—ancient things, modern things, things other people think. I hear them, so I know many things. One day you will hear them too.’
I touched the warm metal clasp holding her to my ear. Her cryptic words did not help me to feel at ease with my new titles.
‘Is it true that the most advanced Anzaii can use the waves to speak to other humans?’ I asked her.
She seemed delighted I was asking questions. ‘Yes it is true. But having artefacts made from an Ancient Sapphire Tree makes it easier.’
‘Like you,’ I replied. ‘You’re partly fashioned from the leaves of one.’
‘Nay,’ she said. ‘Not an Ancient Sapphire Tree, but a Great one. The magical properties are greatly diminished in comparison.’
My stomach turned, in a mixture of uncertainty and anticipation. I shifted to lie on my back and tried not to think about it. But I fell asleep with visions of people coming to me with all their messages for distant relatives, probing me for information, draining me of all thought… and there was Sarlice with her sword out, dancing in and out of my reach. Her arms and neck were bare, revealing, not far from her collar-bone, the stark white scar against the deeply-tanned skin of her shoulder. Lost in my dream, my eyes roved down over the swell of her chest, the lean, tautly-muscled waist and the—
‘Please forgive the intrusion.’ A plump lady pushed through the door, struggling with armfuls of linen. ‘By the nine trees, I sure am sorry to barge in on ye’ like this! Should have brought these up before ye’ arrived.’
‘It’s no trouble,’ Sarlice said even as I pretended to be still asleep.
‘My name’s Hessie,’ the lady told her. ‘I’m Minac’s sister. Now listen, Prince Tyba has sent a messenger here to escort you to the Dome of Gathering. She’s waiting downstairs.’
‘Thank you. Will you tell her we’ll be down shortly?’ Sarlice requested politely.
Hessie nodded and left the room. I groaned and rubbed my eyes. Had three hours passed already? My muscles felt heavy and my eyelids were sticky. Sarlice offered me her hand, which I hesitantly accepted.
Once we’d re-equipped ourselves with our weapons, we made our way downstairs. Thita and the Rada-kin followed.
The woman standing outside the tavern’s huge double-doors was tall and blond with piercing brown eyes.
‘Good evening Talon, Sarlice, Thita, Rekala and Kestric. My name is Skylien. I’m chief among the scribes for the king and queen. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you so much that I tasked some of my subordinates with scribing for tonight’s gathering.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ Sarlice replied. ‘It must be satisfying to have people like that, you can trust to do a good job.’
‘They are very dedicated,’ Skylien agreed. ‘Most of them I trained myself.’
‘You must really enjoy writing,’ I commented.
‘Aye,’ she said. ‘There is something satisfying about making the ink flow neatly from the quill onto the scroll. Scribe work can be dull at times, though, so I write my own material.’
‘I can’t remember the last time I wrote anything down,’ I muttered. Then I recalled the letter I had written to Princess Denliyan. It was heart-wrenching still not knowing if I had gotten her with child in the drug-induced stupor she’d subjected me to. Even though it would be a child of violation, it would still be my child.
‘I would have thought ambassadors like you would have to keep some written records,’ Skylien said, arching one eyebrow. I glanced at Sarlice, who rolled her eyes. Skylien led us away from the tavern down a cobbled street lit with large yellow lanterns.
Thita flew silently above Sarlice’s head, landing on her shoulder every now and then for a pat.
I tuned out as the women discussed what we’d been through over the past few months, choosing instead to focus on our surroundings. The journey only required the briefest walk as we travelled most of the way by ferry on the artificial canals. Despite their slick appearance, the buildings in Centan were not damp. The shield around the city protected it from the shrouds and from the clouds the waterfalls generated. As we passed close enough, I could see many buildings made of polished marble in various hues. Some had plain yellow stone foundations that matched the colour of the ground. There were columns down the main thoroughfares, carvings and mosaics on the walls of official buildings and fountains or troughs on every corner.
The humans shared the city with skyearls and animals of wondrous variety. As such, many of the buildings were enormous, with archways as high as a forest canopy. When I looked up, I saw creatures playing on the beams far above—everything from tiny skyearls the size of Thita to cats, hawks and lizards. I could sense the tightly-coiled control of the predatory Rada-kin as they resisted their instincts to hunt. Some were more used to it than others, depending on how long they’d been bonded.
‘Greetings,’ I called through the waves to nobody in particular.
A chorus of voices came back to me and half a dozen birds fluttered around my head crying through the waves, ‘Welcome, welcome, Talon of Jaria. Astor! Astor!’
Rekala and Kestric trailed behind us, a little bewildered by all the new sights, sounds and scents. I stopped to stroke Rekala’s head and she rubbed her cheek against my hip with a low whine of apprehension.
‘What do you think of the city?’ I asked her.
‘It is confusing,’ she complained. ‘There are too many scents all in one place. I cannot discern where everything is.’
Rekala’s nose provided one of the most important senses that she used to understand the world around her, including the direction and distance of other creatures. When she’d been alone in the jungle, she’d used this to hunt prey and avoid other icetigers. Now, however, it was overwhelming for her. When I concentrated on her mind, I got the impression of a map spread out around us, with hundreds of smells all piled on top of each other, as if there were humans, skyearls and animals all standing in the same place in every direction around us.
She seemed relieved when we crossed the road into the parklands that surrounded the Dome of Gathering. Large blue lanterns hung from the boughs of countless trees in the courtyard. A banner-lined stone pathway led to a set of stairs and the immensely high glass dome.
Skylien led us through groups of people who were chatting and sipping mugs of lime-green liquid. Tyba came down the stairs looking pleased to see us but somewhat distracted. Skylien shook our hands farewell, nodded to the prince and departed.
‘Well met, friends,’ he said. ‘Do come in.’
We passed through the wrought-iron entryway and into a hall of starry black. Crystal candleholds jutted from the ebony walls, catching shards of light and throwing them in all directions, but the immensity of the hall made it far too big to light properly at this time of night. Instead, the candles winked above us as skyearls flew in by the dozen, using the waves so they never crashed into each other. I kept one hand on Rekala’s shoulder to reassure her.
Further down the hall, we emerged into a blue-lit chamber with rings of green-glass chairs underneath a distant glass dome. An oval-shaped stage jutted into the middle of the room. On its front end was a Great Sapphire Tree; the biggest I had ever seen. Its trunk was several paces wide and its branches richly jewelled with the same stone-like leaves that adorned my belt. Blue light emanated from each leaf and reflected in the pupils of the thousands of eyes right across the chamber.
Ciera was lying on his stomach at the back of the stage, speaking urgently with a group of eight other skyearls and their Sleffion. I felt like I should have been there with him but Tyba patted my shoulder and lead us up a spiral staircase to a small balcony.
A broad-shouldered man sat rigidly at one of the tables, watching the figures on the stage. He had an ordinary face that was, somehow, not what I expected of a king. I could see the resemblance between Tyba and him, but the prince’s face was more symmetric, his features sharper. Crystom wore a neatly-trimmed beard and moustache that was brown with flecks of silver. His arms were tanned and spotted from many days spent in the sun.
Opposite was a regal looking woman in purple velvet and white silk robes. She had her greying black hair done up in a bun with a golden circlet atop. She had a kindly, but firm, look about her and the beauty of her youth was apparent in her large green eyes, streamlined cheeks and petite nose.
‘This is my father and mother,’ Tyba told us unnecessarily, ‘King Crystom and Queen Emyla.’
The king slapped his left palm against his right shoulder and nodded his head. ‘Pleased to meet you Astor Talon. And you S.T.R. Sarlice. Your skills are welcome here and I hope you decide to join our army for the defence of Tanza.’
Despite the formal way he addressed us, there was a twinkle of mirth in his eyes. I guessed that Tyba got his exuberant nature more from his father than his mother. I expected that the king and prince were people who followed rules when it was necessary, but knew when to strike a compromise and show a sense of humour.
‘If what we’ve heard is true,’ Crystom continued, ‘you could eventually have a position here training our new recruits in archery and swordcraft.’
‘Thank you,’ Sarlice replied in astonishment, forgetting to return the ritual greeting.
‘He thinks we are here to settle down?’ I thought to Rekala and Tiaro, affronted.
‘It’s a big realm,’ Rekala replied. ‘They’re bound to be self-important about it and forget that there are Kriites living quite happily in other nations.’