Guardian of the God - Return from the Hard Journey - Part 3 Chapter 3 - Meeting Again at Jitan

 Guardian of the God

-

Return from the Hard Journey

(Book 6 of the Guardian of the Spirit Series)

Author: Uehashi Nahoko

Translator: Ainikki the Archivist

 

 Part 3 - Sada Talhamaya

Chapter 3 - Meeting Again at Jitan

    Rota’s Ritual Hall had been built where the grassy plain met the edge of the Shan forest. A long line of low hills extended for miles behind the hall. The forest stretched out in front of it and encroached on the walls to either side. When viewing the Ritual Hall from the grassy plain, it seemed to lean on the tall trees that partially enclosed it.

    The Ritual Hall was surrounded by high walls on every side. There were two gates at the northern and southern ends of the hall that led inside; aside from these, there was no other way in or out. Each gate was protected by two towers manned by archers and guards.

    There were lower interior walls inside the two gates that also completely surrounded the Ritual Hall. The sacred site where Rota’s founding ceremony was held each year was inside these walls. The road leading out of the southern gate was paved with smooth stone that cut a path through the plains and the hills beyond them.

    Prince Ihan’s castle was on one of the low hills near the Ritual Hall. The castle was the size of a small city and was surrounded by a moat dug into the foothills beneath it. It was almost time for Rota’s founding ceremony, so many merchants were camped at the foot of the hill outside the castle to sell their wares. Travelers came from all over for the ceremony, including personal guests of the royal family, artists, artisans, and actors. Even though it was still the middle of winter, the city was lively and bright during the few days before the ceremony.

    The atmosphere inside the castle was completely different.  The clan lords, their guards and many guests were camped in the courtyard near Prince Ihan’s personal living quarters. Some of the lords were ranked high enough to stay inside the castle, but there wasn’t space inside to house everyone, especially because of the increased number of guards that the southern clan lords had brought with them. Most of the guards and warriors made tents from thick furs or blankets and slept in the courtyard. The entourages of the northern and southern clan lords self-segregated to different areas of the courtyard and didn’t mingle. People from northern Rota stayed on the west side of the courtyard while people from southern Rota stayed on the east side.

    The warriors and guards pitched their tents so that their openings were directly across from those on the opposite side of the courtyard. There was a tension in the air like the silence before a storm.

 

    Asra’s wagon stopped at the edge of the forest near Rota’s Ritual Hall. Asra could clearly sense water from Noyuk somewhere close by. The stream she could see was small and thin, but she could see it widening ahead of her. It seemed like Shihana couldn’t see it, which worried Asra somewhat.

    Asra narrowed her eyes and embraced the feeling of the cool clear water of Noyuk. Ianu seemed to sense the stream as well. She blinked and fidgeted and couldn’t sit still.

    We must be near the source of the stream, Asra thought. She remembered some of the prayers that her mother had chanted often:

“Beyond the snowy mountains
In the land of the gods
The long spring begins.
Clear water overflows
Into a thousand streams
And sacred moss glows in our dreams.
Wide, deep river and sacred spring,
Please accept our offerings
And grant this land your blessings.

    “May the tree in the sacred spring grow forever. A girl once climbed the tree in the sacred spring and found a ring of flowers and leaves. She slipped the ring around her neck and opened the gate of the gods. Talhamaya daughter of Afal passed through that gate into our world. The girl who opened the gate lived for many years and changed the world with Talhamaya’s protection. Those who rejected the god are now silent for all eternity.”

    “The sacred spring must be close,” Asra muttered.

    Shihana turned to face her. “Can you see it already? Do you see the stream leading to the spring, as it did in the legend of Sada Talhamaya?”

    When Asra nodded, Shihana grinned at her. “We’re standing in the ancient capital city of Rotarbal. The place where Sada Talhamaya’s palace used to be is very close. People aren’t ordinarily allowed to approach the Ritual Hall from this direction.”

    Shihana looked over the wagon driver’s shoulder and pointed. Asra could see the walls of the Ritual Hall rising up at the edge of the dense forest. Monkeys jumped from tree to tree and chattered above her head.

    Asra held her breath. She was seeing two worlds superimposed over one another. This had happened to her before, but she wasn’t really used to it. She could still see the forest and the Ritual Hall, but she could also see the mirror-bright surface of the sacred spring. The tree growing from the center of it was larger than she’d ever imagined. Its trunk was as thick around as one of the castle’s towers. Its branches were as thick as young trees and extended all the way up to the sky. Blue pikuya moss clung to the tree’s trunk and branches and glittered brightly in fresh spring sunlight.

    At the base of the tree, Asra saw the ruins of an old stone palace, but they were so small and faint that they almost seemed like an illusion. Everything was submerged in water from the sacred spring. She heard water flowing from the spring’s source, but she couldn’t see all the places where the water flowed from here.

    Could Shihana really not see all of this? The entire wagon was underwater! Asra felt like they’d just been dropped into the center of a whirlpool.

    “Stop the wagon!” Asra called out. She was shaking from head to toe. She knew that if she took a few steps forward into the spring, something would awaken within her. She felt Talhamaya stirring inside her chest and reached out for Shihana’s hand.

    “Stop here,” Shihana commanded. “We can’t enter the Ritual Hall from the front, anyway.”

    The wagon stopped quickly. Asra was set gently onto the ground outside. She stared at the spring and clasped her shaking hands together. She felt like she’d just come upon a huge and majestic waterfall in the center of an old forest.

    Mom, I’m here. I made it.

    “What do you see, Asra?” Shihana asked.

    Asra didn’t turn to face her, but she pointed out all the features of the spring and the tree and described them as well as she could. “This is a place where our world and the world of the gods overlaps. No one should disturb it without good reason,” she said.

    Shihana nodded. “Guide us, Asra, so that we don’t profane this place. We’ll set up a camp close to the walls of the Ritual Hall, then you can lead us through. As you can see, the Ritual Hall is within walking distance now.” Shihana’s tone was respectful and almost reverent.

    Ordinary Tal people and the Ramau couldn’t see Noyuk as clearly as Asra, but many of them could sense it. To them, it was like the intensified pine fragrance of the deep woods where they lived. Some could also see the flickering image of the sacred spring.

    Asra felt extremely self-conscious as  the people surrounding the wagon bowed down and paid reverence to her. When she started walking, people rose from their worshipful poses and followed her without a word.

    Asra reached the tree line and gazed down at the Ritual Hall from one of the sloped hills above it. She and the others descended the hill and made camp as far as possible from the Ritual Hall’s northern gate. All told, they had five tents with them. Shihana led Asra toward the largest tent, then stood in front of the tent flaps and bowed her head.

    “Please enter, Asra.” She lifted one of the tent flaps. “Your brother is waiting for you.”

    Asra could see someone standing inside the tent. She dashed in and found Chikisa standing next to a roaring fire.

    “Asra!”

    Asra didn’t even have time to breathe before she was swept into a tight hug. He was warm and familiar and she’d missed him so much that she started to cry. When she did start crying, she felt like she’d never stop.

    “Chikisa! Chikisa!”

    Chikisa was also crying. He hugged Asra closer and choked out a sob. Shihana instructed her monkey to sit near the entrance of the tent, then left.

    Asra and Chikisa sat down on chairs near the fire and shared what had happened on each of their long journeys here. It was hard for both of them to believe that their mother had only been executed two months ago. As they talked, Asra felt that she and Chikisa were very much alone and helpless again. She felt exactly like she had before she’d met Balsa.

    “Chikisa, what do we do now?” 

    “I don’t know,” Chikisa muttered. “But we have to decide soon.”

    Asra nodded. She’d forgotten that they could decide for themselves now. Asra knew what Shihana and Ianu wanted from her; all they’d ever wanted was for her to become Sada Talhamaya. And Asra knew how to become Sada Talhamaya now. She had to enter the spring and climb the tree growing inside it. She was sure the ring of sacred mistletoe was hanging from one of the tree’s branches. If she found it and put it around her neck, the ring would become a gateway for the god to enter this world and remain there permanently.

    But will I even be human after that? Asra thought.

    She’d only just reunited with her brother. If she became Sada Talhamaya, they wouldn’t be able to live together like they had before.

    “It all feels like a dream,” Asra said. “Is it really my destiny to become Sada Talhamaya?”

    “Yeah, it is like a dream. A long and terrible one,” Chikisa said.

    Asra’s eyes widened. “Chikisa, have you seen Prince Ihan?”

    Chikisa shook his head. “They told me we’d both go to meet him after you got here,” Chikisa muttered. He stared into the fire. “Shihana told me about mom and Prince Ihan. I finally understand why she was so terrified of Rotans, but her story is still kind of hard to believe. I don’t know if I want to meet Prince Ihan or not.” 

    Chikisa frowned. He looked like he was about to cry again. “What am I supposed to say? Am I allowed to look at him? Will I have to tell him how much mom suffered because of him?”

    Silence fell as both Asra and Chikisa remembered their mother.

    “My guess is that it’s all a lie,” Chikisa said. “Shihana always uses people. She probably made up Prince Ihan being in love with mom. It can’t be true.” Chikisa hid his face in his hands and cried like a little boy.

 

    Shihana observed Asra and Chikisa’s conversation through the eyes and ears of her monkey. When Chikisa broke down crying and didn’t stop for a while, she had the monkey leave the tent. She checked to make sure that the guards in front of the tent were present and alert, then broke her soul connection with the monkey and prepared to visit Prince Ihan in his castle.

    Shihana didn’t use the main roads to enter the castle. There were too many people in the city; she didn’t want to be observed going in or out. There was an underground tunnel beneath Rota’s Ritual Hall that led into the castle. This tunnel was one that only the Kashal and the royal family knew about. It was a remnant of the living areas of her ancestors, the Sul Kashal, who had built many such tunnels ages ago. Then as now, the river people of Rota preferred living underground.

    The tunnel was cold and damp, but still sound even after all this time. The Sul Kashal who had built this tunnel had served Sada Talhamaya. It might even be the same tunnel that Kiran had used to sneak in to Sada Talhamaya’s palace and assassinate her. Had Kiran run at full speed through this tunnel with his breath clouding his vision, just as Shihana was doing now? The tunnel was a long one; it connected the Ritual Hall to the castle and extended even further beyond that. Even Shihana didn’t know exactly how long the tunnel was.

    When Shihana finally arrived at the castle, she opened a secret door in the side of the tunnel. She saw someone standing just inside holding a dim light. It was her cousin Kafam, who was keeping watch over this entrance to the castle.

    “Are you going to see Prince Ihan?” Kafam whispered.

    Shihana nodded.

    Kafam offered her a nervous smile. “Good luck.”

    Shihana looked into Kafam’s eyes. Many of her friends and allies came to fear her after learning what she was capable of, but Kafam was just as smart as she was and always understood her plans. She enjoyed talking with him; he could usually get her to understand a situation from an angle she hadn’t seen before.

    Both Shihana and Kafam had noticed Rota’s instability during their teenage years. Shihana knew what it was like to live in the shadows and be bound by the laws of her ancestors, so she always sympathized with the Tal people. She also understood the petty dissatisfaction of the clan lords on a fundamental level; the desperation and poverty of the north was just as obvious as the greed of the south. All of the desires and conflicts of Rota’s factions twisted and gnarled together like the roots of a huge tree. Rota itself was the tree that grew from these tangled roots, and King Yosam’s death would be the axe that cut it down.

    King Yosam maintained a fragile peace that could end at any moment. He hadn’t been able to change Rota much during his reign, for better or worse. Keeping the dignity of the royal family intact and preventing war were his only real accomplishments as king.

    But Yosam wouldn’t be king for much longer. When he died, all of Rota’s conflicts would come to a head at the same time. Shihana understood this clearly and was always irritated when others didn’t. Wasn’t it obvious? And weren’t the Kashal supposed to be spies for the royal family? Why hadn’t any other members of the Kashal used their knowledge and information to prevent such a dangerous situation?

    Shihana closed her eyes and remembered.

 

    When Shihana first talked to Kafam about Rota’s future, she was fourteen years old. She asked him why none of the Kashal interfered to help Rota avoid or resolve so many of the obvious conflicts she could see.

    “It’s impossible,” Kafam said. “None of the Kashal would ever think of it. They’re too stuck on their old legends and ways of thinking. Even if the ground shook beneath their feet and threatened to swallow them whole, I think they’d still try to fortify their own position instead of moving. It’s just how they are.” He said all this in a way that made him sound pleased at his own cleverness, but Shihana didn’t think that any of what he said was clever. It didn’t take much intelligence to understand the general outlines of how the Kashal thought; they’d both been taught that exact way of thinking since their early childhood. She didn’t bother to call out his smugness, though. Kafam was smart and a good sounding board; she rarely asked more of him than that.

    Shihana went to her room and leaned her back against the wall. She could see her dim reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall on the other side of the room. When she thought about how duty-bound and restricted by tradition the Kashal were, she wanted to vomit. Something restless moved within her and wouldn’t keep still.

    I want to change it. All of it. I want to change the world with my own hands.

    She understood all of the forces in play that could lead to Rota’s destruction. If she put her mind to it, she could neutralize them all. She could be the one who created true and lasting stability in this country.

    When she thought about that, all of her frustration and irritation vanished. She felt excited, like she was setting up new strategies for tarzu before a tournament.

    But I don’t have all the information I need...

    Usually, Shihana planned out her tarzu matches using detailed charts that meticulously listed the movements and movement combinations of each of the pieces. She knew a lot about Rota’s current situation, but she didn’t know how all of the pieces would move. She tried to imagine it, but she just couldn’t see it.

    Shihana realized that she would have to reverse engineer her usual process. She needed to envision what an ideal Rota would look like; then she could work on placing the pieces so that they’d be guided into the correct position.

    Talking to Prince Ihan always gave her hope. He was as wise and kind as King Yosam, but he wasn’t afraid of change. On the contrary, he wanted it--maybe even as badly as she did. Shihana believed that Prince Ihan also desired to change the world for the better. When he became king, he might get a chance to try putting his plans into action.

    But Prince Ihan wouldn’t be able to inherit the throne easily. With King Yosam dead, the southern clan lords would rise up and assassinate Prince Ihan so that they could seize power for themselves. Unless Prince Ihan had the full military support of the north backing him, it was unlikely that he could win a war against all of the southern clan lords.

    Shihana thought of ways to increase Prince Ihan’s support in the north. She wanted to create a wall of people around him that could be counted on to protect him in a time of war. She needed to prepare as far ahead as possible to give him any hope of success.

    And so Shihana prepared, carefully and diligently. First, she won over many of the younger Kashal to her own way of thinking. Some of the men and women of her father’s generation were also dissatisfied with the current system; Shihana fanned these flames of discontent into open rebellion. When she convinced them that her plan would make their lives a lot better in the future, she could manipulate them however she wanted.

    The Kashal were trained to discover secrets, so they were incredibly valuable as allies. The only reason Shihana had been able to deceive her father for so long was because of her thorough education as a spy. Shihana knew that she wouldn’t be able to use Prince Ihan until the time was right, but her current position allowed her to pass information to him directly. With any luck, this relationship would make her appear trustworthy to him. She hoped to guide his policies when he was king so that they could both achieve their goal of changing Rota for the better.

    Shihana realized at least one large flaw in her plan relatively early on. Prince Ihan’s primary loyalty was to his brother, King Yosam. Even if the southern clan lords actively tried to usurp him, he would probably do everything in his power to promote peace and prevent war, just as his brother would have done. What Shihana wanted--no, needed--was the power to change Prince Ihan’s mind. She wanted his primary allegiance to shift from King Yosam to her.

    Finding Torisha before anyone else was an unusual stroke of good luck. She could have used Prince Ihan’s love for Torisha to raise the status of the Tal people as a whole. Shihana hoped to use her at the opportune time, but she wasn’t able to time things right, and Torisha had her own goals and desires. She was too afraid of being discovered by the Rotans, so she kept her head down and lived and quiet life.

    Torisha was a beautiful woman, but that beauty was cast in darkness. There were times when Shihana wondered if she’d been cursed. She was also quick to anger and slow to forgive. Shihana used Torisha’s rage to win her over. By promising to hide her from the people who had hurt her forever, she managed to gain Torisha’s tentative trust.

    Torisha was terrified of her at first. All she did was stare at Shihana with the unique brand of hostility that the Tal people reserved for the Kashal. Shihana tried everything to convince Torisha that she was her friend.

    “I’m not here to bother you, or to report where you are to anyone. Please don’t worry about that. I came here as an ally. I won’t try to stop you from entering the forbidden forest or inviting Talhamaya back to our world.

    “If you don’t trust me, you can tell any of the Tal Kumada what I just said. If you tell them that, they’ll report me to the other Kashal. I’ll lose my position, my family and my home if you do that, but I need you to understand how serious I am.”

    Torisha’s glare became more curious than hostile.

    “Prince Ihan still loves you.”

    Torisha’s shoulders shook.

    “I understand why you wanted to disappear,” Shihana said. “I won’t tell anyone where you are, not even Prince Ihan. I’ve watched over both of you for a long time. I’m sorry things turned out this way. It must be so hard for you...”

    Torisha’s eyes overflowed with tears.

    It didn’t take long for Torisha to trust her completely after that. Shihana was the only person she knew that she didn’t need to keep secrets from. There was nothing they couldn’t talk about; no conversation topic was off-limits. They talked at length about the suffering of the Tal people and the misguided reasons for it. They talked about history and philosophy and plans for the future.

    One day as she sat and talked with Torisha, Shihana realized that Asra had the potential to drastically change Torisha’s future--and maybe the future of the Tal people in Rota.

    “So...did you ever consider the idea that the legend of Rota’s founding might be mistaken in some way?” she asked. “I always heard that Rotarbal was subjugated under the rule of a cruel god, but I also think king Kiran had good reasons to want to change the story. Wasn’t sending the Tal people off into isolation and poverty the same kind of subjugation he was supposedly trying to end? The Tal Kumada are the ones who keep the Tal people oppressed with their teachings instead of searching for the truth. I find them contemptible and foolish.”

    Torisha was utterly convinced by this conjecture Shihana made about Rota’s history--even more than Shihana expected her to be. From that day on, Torisha’s dream was to change the lot of her people by worshiping Talhamaya.

    “I...I’ve had such a difficult life.” Torisha’s face was pale. “I had to leave the man I love forever because I was born Tal. My family rejected me and cast me out. Ever since then, I’ve done nothing but run and live in fear. When I finally found a husband and settled down with my family, my husband was killed by wolves.

    “And now--I am ill. Gravely ill, I think. There’s a burning pain in my chest all the time. I don’t think I have much time to live.”

    That was probably true. Torisha was unusually thin and looked sick.

    “Asra is showing signs that she can sense the world of the gods, but I never want her to be one of the Ramau, ever. She would never be able to marry or have children. She’d be forced to live in seclusion with the Tal Kumada for the rest of her life... I can’t stand it. I don’t want her life to be like that.”

    She sighed. Her eyes glittered with feverish light. “I’m a pebble that’s been crushed beneath the heel of my life. I don’t want my children to suffer the same way. When I think about what will happen to them after I die, I can’t sleep at night.” She faced Shihana squarely. “Are you really my friend? Even when I die, would you...”

    She was shaking like a leaf. She seemed completely terrified, but also strangely determined. Shihana realized that now was her chance.

    She values her daughter’s safety and freedom over her own life. If Asra gained the power of Talhamaya...

    Torisha jumped at the idea. She ran away with it and took it places that Shihana hadn’t foreseen. Shihana compared her reaction to the idea of Asra becoming Sada Talhamaya to twigs and branches snapping back against her legs and face while traveling through the woods. Branches were weak on their own, but taken together and combined with Shihana’s own movements, those branches could cause damage.

    When Shihana observed Torisha’s religious zeal for Talhamaya, she grasped how to make the Tal people her allies. The Ramau were especially easy to win over to her side due to their relative isolation from the rest of their people. They, too, were branches that snapped back when they were pushed through. Shihana became attuned to their unique brand of dissatisfaction; they were discriminated against even among the Tal people. She learned ways to channel their dissatisfaction to turn certain situations to her advantage and build her own power.

    She was sure that she could use the Tal people. She didn’t want to lead Rota into a huge war; it didn’t seem like anyone wanted that. Still, the Tal people could serve as reliable troops or backup forces for Prince Ihan. It was fortunate that he was partial to the Tal people, and that the Tal people knew it.

    Just when Shihana felt that she’d reached a stalemate, she managed to backtrack and gain more allies that she’d overlooked before. After her conversation with Torisha, she took out her tarzu board and started placing pieces, creating a model of the scenario she currently faced. When she looked down at her game board, she realized something critically important.

    Making Prince Ihan the king of Rota wouldn’t be enough to change the country. She would have to change the hearts of the Rotan people as well. Rotans had benefited from their tyranny over the Tal people for hundreds of years. They believed in their nation’s founding legend. No one questioned it. In order to change their minds, Shihana would have to flip that legend on its head.

    If she could do that, her path to victory was clear. She could envision it. She could guide all the other pieces. But she didn’t know how to change the legend of Sada Talhamaya and make everyone believe it. The Ramau did much to change the perception of Sada Talhamaya among their own people, but Shihana never figured out how to spread their version of the story to the rest of Rota in a convincing way.

    She also didn’t believe the Ramau when they told her that they’d seen the sacred river flowing from Noyuk into Rota again. She thought that Torisha probably had a fever dream inspired by her religious fervor. But when Ianu, one of the Ramau, showed Shihana proof that the sacred river was flowing again, goosebumps rose along her spine.

    She’d made a mistake. That mistake locked her on to the path she’d prepared for herself. She was living through a cataclysmic historical moment. Many events and conflicts were converging to form a great wave--and Shihana could direct where and how that wave would wash over Rota. She could achieve her goal. Rota would change. All of her plans were in place. All she had to do now was react, and wait.

    Shihana stared down at her hands. They’d gotten her this far. She was so excited that she was trembling slightly. Talhamaya was the last piece she needed to move. After Torisha and Asra violated the ancient Tal vow to never visit Sada Talhamaya’s grave, Shihana devised a cruel and desperate plan. It wasn’t her first choice, but she hoped it would be effective.

    Instead of bringing in the Chamau as instructed, Shihana decided to wait and see if Sada Talhamaya’s power would show itself somehow. She knew she would have to attack Torisha and Asra in some way in order to get the god’s power to emerge, but she didn’t need to risk herself simply to test the extent of Talhamaya’s power. When she received news of the Shintadan massacre, she felt like all of her dreams were finally within reach.

    Of course, there were always complications. Some of the complications she’d resolved over the past few months hadn’t been foreseen and had been deeply irritating. But Shihana’s flawless victory was close at hand. King Yosam was out of the country. She couldn’t lose concentration for a moment. She had the keep her eyes on the goal and clear any obstacles in her path.

    “Kafam, I want to see Prince Ihan,” she said. “Are all the preparations made?” 

    Kafam nodded.

    A small bell rang to announce a messenger’s arrival. Ihan’s son Sahan lifted his head at the sound. Ihan was sitting in the castle’s library, writing something at a desk. Sahan was playing near him; sometimes Ihan looked up at him and frowned when he made too much noise.

    A few minutes before, Ihan’s wife and daughter had come for a visit to show off the beautiful new clothes they’d bought from traveling merchants that were in town for the founding ceremony. Sahan had decided to come with them out of curiosity, but his mother and sister hadn’t lingered. He and his father were the only ones in the library now.

    “Dad, the bell’s ringing.” Sahan suddenly frowned. He hated that bell. Whenever a messenger came to see his father, a servant came to take him out of the room.

    Ihan stood up and picked up Sahan. “You’ll understand the real meaning of that bell someday, Sahan,” he said. “You’re a prince, too.”

    Sahan ran his hands through Ihan’s soft beard. A servant entered the room and took Sahan from Ihan’s arms, then withdrew.

    When Ihan was alone, he said, “Come in, Shihana.”

    Shihana didn’t make a sound as she approached. He looked at her nervously and asked, “Did you find them?”

    “Yes, Your Majesty,” she said. She had to crane her neck to look up at Prince Ihan, who was much taller than her. His gaze was sharp and penetrating.

    “Shihana, is Torisha’s daughter really the Chamau?”

    Shihana nodded.

    Ihan believed her. When Shihana first came to him with her report, she’d told him the whole long story of how Torisha came to be executed. He’d gone to Shintadan and had her body exhumed to be sure, but now that he was, he didn’t doubt anything that Shihana had said in her initial report. The cold had preserved Torisha’s body for the most part; he still had nightmares about her bloodless face and hands.

    “Your Majesty, that girl’s power is real. She really can summon Talhamaya. While traveling here from New Yogo by way of Rakul province, she exterminated a huge wolf pack using the god’s power. She saved a caravan.” Shihana told Ihan about the herders she’d talked to and the wolf corpses she’d examined. “The wolves were killed the same way the people at Shintadan were.”

    Ihan understood perfectly what that meant.

    “Have you given further consideration to my proposal, Your Majesty?”

    Ihan sucked in a huge breath, then let it out slowly as he looked down at Shihana. “Your proposal? You mean your intent to deliver Talhamaya’s power into my hands? Power that is said to be worth the strength of two hundred thousand men in battle?”

    Shihana nodded.

    Prince Ihan’s gaze was as sharp as swords. “Why would you come to me instead of my brother with such a proposal, Shihana? Are you telling me to usurp Yosam’s place by force?”

    Shihana snapped her mouth shut. Answering poorly here could mean her death. Ihan’s contempt and suspicion radiated from him in waves.

    Shihana stood up straight and looked him in the eye. “Do you really think I would ever suggest such a thing?” she asked quietly. Her voice shook. “All I want is one thing, and that is to maintain the peace that King Yosam has worked so hard to achieve. I’ve observed the southern clan lords preparing to rebel. They’ve heard that king Yosam’s health is failing. I’m trying to prevent a disaster before it happens, Your Majesty.”

    Shihana paused. “It may be presumptuous of me to make such a proposal, but consider my position. I am one of the Kashal. That makes me knowledgeable about both Talhamaya and the crisis that Rota currently faces. If anything happens to king Yosam while he’s abroad in Sangal, it will be too late for us to gather our allies here. That work must be done now. If you threaten the southern clan lords with Talhamaya’s power, you would end their rebellion before it could even get started.”

    Shihana seemed to glow with an inner light. “’Why now?’ you might ask. It’s a fair question. I’ll tell you; it’s why I asked to meet with you tonight. The timing is perfect. The Hasal Ma Talhamaya is flowing in Rota again after centuries. The daughter of the woman you loved has the power to summon Talhamaya. Doesn’t all this seem a little too convenient? It’s almost like the god planned things this way.”

    Ihan blinked like he’d just been slapped. “You are Kashal and you claim that Talhamaya had a hand in this? Even if that’s true, why would you go along with it? Isn’t cooperating with Talhamaya antithetical to who you are?”

    Shihana nodded like she was accepting a challenge. “I believe that Talhamaya’s potential to cause disaster can be transformed into a miracle that will save our nation.” She spoke clearly and didn’t stumble over her words. “The Chamau has appeared. She has the power to destroy Rota--or to save it. Are you saying that we should ignore her, or execute her to prevent another massacre like what happened at Shintadan?”

    Ihan didn’t answer.

    Shihana spoke softly. “Please, just think about it. Asra is a twelve-year-old girl. She still listens to the adults around her. If you directed her and told her how to use her power...” Shihana trailed off. “If you did that, you could change Rota overnight, Your Majesty. You could suppress the resistance of the southern clan lords and make them pay their fair share of taxes. You could improve the lives of the Tal people. Your could wield Asra’s power as a sword of justice to create a nation that's not just peaceful, but thriving.”

    There was a long silence. Shihana held her breath.

    Ihan’s face showed his distress plainly. He was clearly tempted by Shihana’s proposal, but he was also unsure about what would be the right thing to do. “I’ve wished for the power to do all of those things for a long time,” he said. “I always thought that if I could only free myself from the burden of economic reliance on the southern clan lords, I could create real and lasting change.

    “I want to keep Rota whole for Yosam’s sake, but I can’t do that and change the country at the same time.” Ihan frowned. “Shihana, the people of Rota would want me to reject your proposal. It tramples our nation’s history and values underfoot as if they’re meaningless. King Kiran killed Sada Talhamaya to create this kingdom. You can’t expect me to cooperate with Sada Talhamaya reborn when King Kiran killed the original one because of her bloody, tyrannical oppression of her subjects.”

    Ihan put his face in his hands. “I’m sure that’s what Yosam would say.”

    Shihana’s face was calm and expressionless. None of what she was thinking was obvious on her face.

    “But I still have to decide what to do about the children,” Ihan said. He looked at Shihana with pain in his eyes. “I’ll decide what to do regarding your proposal when my brother returns. I want to discuss it with him before I decide. In the meantime, I’ll... I’ll meet Torisha’s children.”

    Shihana nodded. As she led Prince Ihan to the tent where Asra and Chikisa were staying, she made a mental note to tell Kafam about this conversation later.

 

    Asra and Chikisa heard a sudden commotion outside their tent. They found each other’s hands reflexively and faced the tent’s entrance.

    The tent flap lifted, letting in cold fresh air from outside. A tall man that looked like a warrior entered the tent. His movements were as lithe and supple as a whip. He had high cheekbones and close-cropped black hair, which made him appear stern, but his eyes were kind.

    The warrior stood next to the fire in the tent and stared at Asra and Chikisa.

    Asra was so nervous that she couldn’t breathe. That’s Prince Ihan! He and our mom were...

    Ihan didn’t show it, but he was nervous as well. He was so surprised that he wasn’t sure what to think. He could see Torisha in both of their faces, especially Asra’s.

    “Um... I don’t know what to say,” Ihan said hoarsely.

    Chikisa and Asra said nothing as Ihan’s expression of surprise changed to one of sadness. “I have no doubt that you’re her children. You look just like her.” Ihan came closer to Asra and Chikisa slowly, step by step. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally meet you,” he said quietly.

    Chikisa and Asra looked at one another in confusion. They weren’t sure what they should do or say. They looked blankly up at Ihan and didn’t move.

    “You have every right to hate me,” Ihan said. “I hate myself. I made your mother suffer, and for that, I’m sorry.” His voice was unsteady and whisper-quiet. “Torisha...” Ihan chanted a prayer for the dead. At the end of it, he said, “I’ll do everything I can to make sure your children are happy. I swear it.”

Illustrations:

• The Castle at Jitan
• Rota's Ritual Hall
• Ihan, Asra and Chikisa

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