Traveler of the Void
Part 2 - The Curse
Chapter 4 - Saving Lives
Sometime before dawn, the soldiers guarding Prince Tarsan’s prison cell heard footsteps coming from the stairs leading to the upper levels of the palace. Saluna appeared on the stairs, holding a pine torch aloft. Guards fanned out behind her on the staircase.
“The king has asked to speak to Tarsan one last time, to get him to confess and reveal any secrets he may have regarding Prince Karnan,” she said to the soldiers guarding Tarsan’s cell. “I have been sent to escort him to our father. Please release him into my custody.”
The guards hesitated briefly, but they weren’t going to disobey the commands of a royal princess of Sangal. Besides, even if Tarsan was released, his hands would still be bound behind his back with strong leather bonds. It was unlikely that he could hurt anyone else. They readied their swords, checked Tarsan’s bonds, and tied a rope around his waist.
The guards opened Tarsan’s cell and used the rope around his waist to yank him bodily forward. The rope was woven of two thick strands for durability. The soldier pulling Tarsan passed his end of the rope to one of the guards accompanying Saluna. When he noticed the insignia on the guard’s chest, the soldier grew a bit suspicious. The guard’s crest was not that of the King, but of Saluna’s own personal guard.
But Saluna and her guards did not give Tarsan’s prison guards time to speculate. The guard accepted the rope and started pulling Tarsan up the stairs, with Saluna and her escort following them. The top of the staircase opened out into a courtyard that was covered in the lingering blue mist of a pre-dawn morning. It was still half-dark; no one spoke as they crossed the courtyard. The air was heady with the sweet scent of rakushul flowers.
Tarsan stared at Saluna’s back as he walked behind her. He wanted to call out to her. He felt like if he didn’t say anything now, he might never get a chance to talk to her again. He couldn’t stand the idea that everyone else seemed to know exactly what evil thing he had done while he himself could remember nothing at all.
He was even more disturbed that his body
had apparently acted on its own. He didn’t remember making the decision to
harm anyone, much less Karnan, which meant that he must have wished Karnan
harm unconsciously. But he honestly didn’t think that he harbored any
grudges like that. He didn’t understand it at all. Time must have gotten
away from him somehow; maybe he'd just failed to think before he acted.
Had he really injured Karnan so badly with a spear? Then why couldn’t he remember it?
He was happy that his father wanted to speak to him again. Perhaps that showed that he still had some fatherly consideration for Tarsan after all. Tarsan knew that he wouldn’t be able to give his father a different answer than he’d given previously, though. He couldn’t confess to a crime that he didn’t remember.
Tarsan considered his plight as he walked, but realized after a while that the guards were not leading him anywhere near the king’s quarters or the throne room. The king’s quarters were off a hexagonal courtyard in the northern part of the palace. Tarsan knew that he was being led east. He quickened his steps and called out, “Saluna!”
Saluna turned to face him and brought a finger to her lips. They were standing at the rear of the palace’s guest quarters, near a large freestanding shed that looked like an old storage building. Saluna paused and shifted her gaze from side to side, trying to make sure they hadn’t been followed. Then she whispered something to the guards.
“Rasal, Nosh, Ganol, Sandol. Thank you so much. You’ve done more than enough. I’ll handle things from here.”
The loyal soldiers looked at their princess with expressions of concern. “Won’t you reconsider, princess?” Sandol asked. “We are your guards. We would follow you to Hell if you asked. I am certain many others feel the same way, including Prince Tarsan’s personal guards. Perhaps we could steal a ship...”
Saluna smiled and shook her head. “Thank you. But you mustn’t. You’d be breaking your oath to the king if you did something like that. All I ask is that you do not betray me, and that you never again break this country’s laws.”
Saluna shook each of the hands of her guards and thanked them personally. Saluna’s plan had gotten them this far; now all that was left was to escape with Tarsan and cover their tracks. She passed her guards a letter to give to her sisters, absolving them of any wrongdoing and begging them not to punish her guards for obeying her. She didn't want any of her guards to suffer because of her. They could claim that they were just following orders and were ignorant of what she had planned.
Saluna started undoing Tarsan’s bonds. He stared at her in shock.
“Saluna, you can’t do this,” Tarsan said in a strangled tone. “I can’t let you take the blame for anything I’ve done.”
“It’s too late for that. Consider me compromised,” Saluna said flatly. “I led you out of that cell, but I can’t make you disappear. That’s the situation we’re in. And I can’t take back anything I’ve done up until now.” She sighed. “Well, then. Let’s go.”
“Go? Where?” Tarsan looked up at the old storage room. Its walls and doorway were covered in vines; it clearly hadn't been used for quite some time.
Saluna dismissed her loyal guards with a wave of her hand and pushed open the door of the disused storage room. Then she took her brother’s arm and led him into the musty darkness.
After Shuga discovered that Tarsan had been cursed, he'd cautioned Chagum to be extra-cautious about the magic weaver in their midst. Chagum even allowed Shuga to sleep at the door to his bedroom. There was no way for them to know what shape this magic weaver might take. It was impossible to be too careful in this situation.
The night after Tarsan had been sentenced, Shuga awoke from a fitful doze. His eyes scanned the room to determine what had awakened him as he reached down to draw his sword. He was absolutely certain that he’d heard something. He was just about to call for guards when he heard Chagum get up out of bed and approach the doorway.
Chagum glanced down at the sword in his hand. “Shuga?”
“I know, I know. I’ll call the guards.”
At just that moment, two shadows lengthened along the wall in Chagum’s bedroom. When Shuga realized who the shadows belonged to, he dismissed any thought of calling the guards.
“Princess Saluna!” Chagum gasped, stunned. He extended his hands to Saluna and Tarsan, who where both breathing heavily.
“Crown Prince Chagum, please, help us.”
Chagum stared slack-jawed at Saluna as she knelt to the ground and rested her forehead on the floor. She radiated an aura of helpless despair.
“I beg you! Our lives are in danger! Please, save us!”
Chagum was shocked silent for a moment. Then he knelt down and rested his hand on Saluna’s shoulder. Her skin was cold and clammy; she was shivering. “Please don’t bow to me, Princess Saluna. Look at me, and tell me what’s going on.”
Saluna’s face rose from the floor. She fixed her eyes on Chagum. “Thank you for hearing us. I apologize for bringing you trouble. I couldn’t think of any other way for us to survive.” She paused. When she spoke again, her voice was no louder than a whisper. “You know that our father has condemned Tarsan to death in three days. This is the customary punishment for anyone that does deliberate harm to a member of the royal family. I begged my sisters to aid me until midnight last night, but they paid me no heed. If Tarsan really did intend to kill Karnan, he would be deserving of his punishment. I do not believe his actions were intentional. Tarsan has no memory of attacking our brother at all.”
Chagum and Shuga exchanged glances.
Saluna continued speaking in a tone of desperation: “I know how unbelievable it sounds. You’re perfectly within your rights not to believe me, but I have known Tarsan since he was born. He can be violent, but he has never forgotten the wrongs he has done, nor has he ever tried to make excuses for his own actions. Such behavior would be cowardly and detestable. Tarsan would rather die than be a coward.
“That’s why I believe in him. I can’t explain it any better than that. I could not, in good conscience, stand by and let him be executed for a crime that he does not remember.”
Tarsan had kept his eyes on the ground since entering the room, and now his shoulders shook.
“My brother and I have thrown away everything we have, except our lives. All we want is to survive. Please, conceal us inside your baggage when you return to New Yogo. After we cross Sangal’s border, we will flee, and trouble you no further.
“You are an honored guest and the representative of a powerful allied nation. No one would dare search your baggage, not even the king. Even casting suspicion on you would be an insult.
“I know that we have only spoken a few times, and you have not known us for very long, but please...please! Help us.”
Shuga approached Saluna and said in a low, severe tone, “Princess Saluna. Do you intend to sow a seed of distrust between our two nations?”
“Excuse me?”
“Shuga,” Chagum said in a tone of warning.
“Forgive me if I seem rude,” Shuga said, speaking to Chagum now. “It is as Princess Saluna says. Our bags will not be searched--at least not by the King of Sangal. But it would be foolish to think that the King and his family would somehow not notice that Princess Saluna and Prince Tarsan have gone missing. And when they do notice, they’ll ask the obvious question: Who among the foreign guests present for the coronation seemed most friendly with the prince and princess?
“The result will be that you will be suspected of betraying the king’s trust, even if no one will be able to claim such with any certainty. Matters worsen when you consider speculation around your motivations for assisting Princess Saluna and Prince Tarsan. What other motive could you have, aside from usurping Karnan and installing Tarsan on the throne?”
“Shuga!” Chagum said in a voice sharp enough to cut. “Enough. They’re
trusting me with their lives.” Chagum’s tone brooked no argument. He
exuded an aura of quiet strength. “Didn’t you promise that you wouldn’t
try to shield me from any of the consequences of this plot? Do you expect
me to stand by and watch them be killed? Closing my eyes and looking the
other way now wouldn’t just be cowardly; it would be idiotic. Let’s just
say that the King of Sangal would suspect us of everything you’ve
speculated on. He won’t have enough evidence to make his doubts public.
And such vague points of contention and distrust are common between
nations, even among allies. I don’t believe relations between our nations
would break down over such a trivial and baseless matter. In fact, I
consider that impossible.”
Shuga sighed. Chagum’s mind was set on this; he doubted he could say anything to change his mind. Shuga took a step back from Saluna and Tarsan and shook his head.
“I understand. I will accept your judgment in this matter, Your Majesty.”
Saluna seemed shocked at Chagum’s sudden outburst. She had believed him to be characteristically calm and even-tempered; this was the first time she’d seen this other side of him. When Chagum shifted his gaze from Shuga to Saluna, she felt her heart skip a beat.
“I’m glad you trust me,” Chagum said, “and I will do everything in my power to save you both.”
“Thank you,” Saluna said, fighting back tears. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”
Tarsan looked up and said, “Crown Prince Chagum. I offer you my deepest thanks and beg you to see my sister to safety.”
“Tarsan?” Saluna asked, looking at him with a little frown. She shook her head and said harshly, “Tarsan, abiding by our father’s judgment would not only be a stain upon your honor. It would be unjust. Do you truly intend to die for a crime you don’t even remember committing?”
Tarsan couldn’t quite meet her eyes.
“Running away is also dishonorable,” Saluna said, “but it is better to run now and live to clear your name than it is to die here for no reason.”
Tarsan took in Saluna’s determined expression and gritted his teeth. He heaved a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.
“If we don’t live through this,” Saluna said, “we will never be able to repay Prince Chagum for his kindness.” Saluna’s pale face turned toward Chagum. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Chagum shook his head. “You owe me nothing. I need no repayment. You don’t deserve to carry such a burden. None of this is your fault--either of you. Prince Tarsan was cursed by someone.”
Saluna and Tarsan looked at him with uncomprehending faces. In order of events, Chagum told them how Tarsan had come to be cursed and how Shuga had discovered it. Finally being able to tell them both gave him a tremendous sense of relief. “But,” he said, remembering with a frown, “we don’t have any evidence left behind from the magic weaver’s curse, so there’s not much we can do to prove it.”
Saluna, stunned silent, felt like collapsing to the floor again. “How...why...why was Tarsan cursed?”
Tarsan leaned toward Chagum and Shuga and asked hoarsely, “Is the reason I can’t remember what I did to Karnan because I was cursed?”
“Yes, probably,” Shuga said. “I can’t be completely certain, but I do suspect that’s the case.”
Tarsan’s face suddenly turned bright red. He slammed both fists into the floor. “Shit! Who cursed me? Who? When I find that bastard I’ll...” He looked directly up at Shuga.
“Our best evidence for the curse is that seashell ring,” Chagum said.
Shuga nodded and retrieved the ring from his breast pocket. When he saw it, Tarsan’s eyes sparked in recognition.
“That’s Eshana’s ring,” he said. “It’s unmistakable. But she should have it. You’re saying I had it? You found it on me? Why?”
“Who is Eshana?” Chagum asked.
“The girl that’s become the Eyes of the Nayugul Raita,” Saluna muttered. “She’s a fisherman’s daughter, from Kalsh. Tarsan treats her like a little sister.”
“Ah, I understand now,” Shuga said.
His eyebrows furrowed together.
Chagum looked at Shuga with an expression of mild irritation. “What do you understand?” Chagum asked.
“I think it is possible that this girl is not actually the Eyes of the Nayugul Raita,” Shuga said. “Someone wants us to think she is. She may be just like Tarsan when he was cursed--an empty vessel manipulated like a puppet.”
“A puppet?” Saluna asked.
“Yes,” Shuga said. “It seems that very powerful magic weavers can directly manipulate the souls and bodies of other people. I’m sure some people would be more difficult to control than others, but I also doubt that controlling a young girl would pose much of a challenge for such a magic weaver.”
Chagum nodded. “I think I understand, too. A girl under the magic weaver’s control is assumed to be the Eyes of the Nayugul Raita and infiltrates the palace without anyone becoming suspicious. But for such a close friend of Prince Tarsan to be used in this way...could there be a reason?” Chagum paused and frowned. “But no, that’s wrong. That little girl smelled like the water of Nayugu. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh...yes, I had almost forgotten that.”
Saluna and Tarsan glanced back and forth at Chagum and Shuga, clearly not understanding their conversation. Tarsan broke in suddenly, unable to sit in silent ignorance: “Um...what is the water of Nayugu, and what does it smell like?”
Chagum blinked and looked at Tarsan. “I...smelled the water of another world. Compared to this world’s water, it’s more....vivid? Intense? It’s hard to explain, but I wouldn’t mistake it for anything else. When Eshana arrived in the hall with the guests and passed me, the smell was clinging to her.”
Saluna shifted her gaze from Chagum to Shuga. “But the tool Tarsan was cursed by was Eshana’s ring. It seems we can at least verify that the magic weaver used her for that purpose.”
Chagum nodded and looked at Shuga. “Could we try a Soul Call for Eshana? We may find out the truth about the curse if we can summon her soul back to her body.”
Shuga sighed and shook his head. “Your Majesty, I must be honest. Performing a Soul Call for the girl is beyond my capabilities. The magic weaver behind Prince Tarsan’s curse is far more powerful and experienced than I am. The girl may be some kind of trap. It may be the case that anyone that touches her will be cursed as Tarsan was.”
Chagum heard the sound of footsteps from the hallway, then more muffled sounds of people stirring. The sun was rising, its light faintly visible through the room’s windows.
Shuga faced Saluna and Tarsan. “We won’t give up on figuring out this curse. Fortunately, Prince Karnan’s condition is stable, and Prince Tarsan’s life has so far been spared. If we can discover the magic weaver and find proof of their wrongdoing, it is still possible for your family to reconcile.
“Of course, I’m still concerned about the overall plot against Sangal’s royal family. Right now, I think our safest choice is to have Princess Saluna send a letter containing all the details that we know across the border to New Yogo, preferably to someone that the royal family can trust. Aside from that, we must exhaust every effort to make sure you stay safe and hidden.”
Saluna and Tarsan faced each other, then nodded together. They had an answer to why Tarsan had attacked Karnan without remembering it: he had been cursed. But they’d still been forced to run away from their normal lives and would have to consider new ways to cope. When they’d first learned of the curse, something in them had deflated, but they seemed steadier now. It was still possible that their lives might be spared...at the expense of their family, their social status, and their home. When they thought about their lives just a few short days ago, they felt like baby birds that had fallen out of their nest just after hatching.
Seeing their faces, Chagum said in an encouraging tone, “Putting everything aside for the moment...you two made quite the entrance. To think that there are secret passages in these walls! The Sangal royal family is formidable indeed. You could assassinate anyone in the palace you wanted at any time, in total secrecy. I should be terrified of you.”
Saluna went a shade paler, but then she smiled. “We have no such murderous intent. The men of the royal family have no knowledge of these passages.” Her smile deepened. “Which means that the women are more to be feared than the men in my family, I suppose. We have far more effective methods at our disposal than murder. These passages were originally created so that we might spy on our guests in secret, and...win them over, if that proved necessary.”
Chagum blinked at her, then blushed faintly pink. “Oh. Uh...I see.”
Seeing Chagum’s flustered expression made warmth return to Saluna's chilled limbs. She smiled at Tarsan. “You are the first man ever to travel that passage--or any passage in the palace.”
Tarsan’s expression contained a mix of complex emotions, as if he was searching for the appropriate reaction to what he was hearing and wasn’t quite able to figure out what that would be. He flicked his eyes nervously from Saluna to Chagum.
The genuine affection in the smile that Saluna gave Tarsan pierced Chagum’s heart. “You are strong, and resilient--both of you. I think you could have a very good life for yourselves even without your family’s status.”
“You may be right,” Saluna said. “Maybe this is for the best. Whenever we travel by sea, there are certain words drilled into us, almost from the day we’re born. Would you like to hear them?”
Chagum nodded.
“If your ship is wrecked in a storm,” Saluna said, “don’t try to save anything from the ship. Think only of your own survival. As long as you survive, a new path will appear before you.”
At her words, several faces flashed across Chagum’s memory: all the faces of the people that had told him to survive no matter the cost. He had trusted them with his life. Now Saluna and Tarsan were trusting him with theirs.
The people that had protected Chagum had
exhausted all their strength and used every advantage they possessed to
keep him safe. When he thought of them, he felt warmth and light spread
through his chest like an affirming flame.
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