Between Darkness and Light Trilogy (51 page)

The song ends, and he gazes at me for a
moment in silence. His expression isn’t threatening at all, and yet
I find it frightening; his opinion of me has changed, intensified.
I feel like a small creature that has found itself in the cross
hairs of danger. His expression changes then, as though he shakes
off a compulsion. “I see why you are so protective of it – that is
a very special instrument. It may even be… priceless.”

I realize I’m almost cradling it, I always
find myself thinking of Mathair when I play it, but this time the
feeling is far more intense. I’m holding it much like I wish she
were now holding me. He continues looking at it speculatively, and
dread grows in my heart.

“Do not worry, Shi'ahn, as a personal favor
to you, I will not ask for you to sacrifice your flute in our
negotiations.” Relief rushes throughout my mind and I carefully
place it on the floor on the far side of my chair where it is now
out of his sight, and quietly cast a shield spell around it.
Composing myself as best I can, I face him with renewed
strength.

“Now, you wished to discuss your terms for
leaving Shiral?”

He pauses. “Actually, I would like to end
our first meeting on this rather harmonious note. You are a truly
accomplished musician for one so young and… inexperienced, Shi'ahn;
it was truly a pleasure to play with you.” With that he gets up,
and I accompany him to the door. Without a word he reaches for my
hand, and this time turns it over and lingeringly kisses my palm.
Smoke begins to rise from him, but he continues as though nothing
is wrong. As I begin to worry that I may start trembling, it seems
as though he begins to pull back, but instead he lightly draws his
tongue along my lifeline, and ends by kissing my wrist. When I
regain my senses I find myself alone, staring at the closed
door.

~~~

Meditation is beyond me after that, there
had been something so odd about the interaction with Ishme. I feel
deeply disturbed… caught somewhere between curious, frightened and
intrigued. Just before dawn I give up my struggle to rest and,
deciding I need company more than perfect food, head to the kitchen
for a much needed breakfast. I must not be the only one having
trouble sleeping, William and Gwenllian are already there.

Gwenllian continues to speak to William as
though I have not joined them. William tries to draw me into the
conversation, but I don't really feel like talking, I just eat in
silent thought… until a servant approaches us.

He seems nervous, “Lady Shi'ahn, The
pleasure of an audience with you has been requested, by Dominar
Akkad.”

“Ishme?” My heart floods with concerned
surprise.

“Yes, my Lady. He respectfully invites you
to join him in the Morning Gardens at 9:00.”

I pause for a moment, “Tell him… I will see
him at 9:00.” With that he leaves.

Sounding concerned, William asks, “Shi'ahn,
you seem awfully nervous, is something wrong?”

Gwenllian adds accusingly, “Since when did
you come to be on a first name basis with Dominar Akkad?”

“He visited me last night.”

Gwenllian suddenly seems upset, “Last
night?”

“This morning, technically, he came by soon
after midnight.”

“Observing the letter of the agreement, not
the intent… from one such as him, it does not surprise me.”

What surprises me is that she is actually
talking to me. “It seems odd. Last night I assumed he was
attempting to catch me off guard, and sound me out. For further
interactions though, I had expected that I would have to seek him
out, not him me… I am the one who wants something, after all.”

Gwenllian looks at me, “Astute of you to
notice. I would say that he likely wants something from you. It is
also interesting that he wishes to meet you in the Morning gardens
– they receive more Spire light than most of the surrounding areas,
you will be at a distinct advantage. Perhaps he is trying to be
nice, in order to lower your guard.” She pauses in thought, then
continues. “Shi'ahn, those of the Akkad Dynasty are hunters,
perhaps the greatest hunters in existence – and as leader of that
Dynasty, Dominar Akkad will be the greatest hunter of them all –
that's how they select their leaders.”

“Oh dear.” I feel icy cold spread in my
heart; last night begins to make frightening sense.

“What is it, Shi'ahn?” William sounds
terribly concerned.

“Last night…”

“What did he do?”

“Well, do you remember how nicely Dominar
Ultor greeted us when we visited Uisnach?”

He pauses, “Do you mean when he greeted the
women?”

“Ah… yes. Ishme could give him lessons.
Frankly, I’m surprised he didn’t lose some of his tongue.”

They both almost burst out, “Tongue?”
William continues, “But Shi'ahn… you’re an Avatar of Order… he
kissed you???”

“Only my hand, William. And my wrist.”

“With his tongue? And he wasn’t harmed?”

“I didn’t say that. Smoke rose from his
mouth, but… it did not seem to give him pause.”

Gwenllian disparagingly states, “One of
those.”

“The way he looked at me sometimes, I
suspect he may view me as… prey, though I do not think killing is
his aim.”

She looks at me speculatively.

William sounds resolute, “Shi'ahn, I will
monitor your meeting, secretly, if you don't mind?”

“That would be wonderful, brother – thank
you.”

Gwenllian rather surprises me then,
“Shi'ahn, I suggest that you avoid leading Dominar Akkad to
underestimate you. You will want to appear as strong and self
assured as you can with him.

“Hunters exploit weaknesses, I know,
Gwenllian.”

She stands, “I have to be going, there is a
lot happening today.”

She's right, there is a lot going on today,
I also beg my leave and return to my rooms. What does one wear to a
garden meeting with someone like Ishme? Something that will allow a
hasty retreat, if necessary. My leather riding clothes from Shiral,
they should be appropriate, and would give me confidence. Perhaps
the scent of it will remind Ishme that I am a dragon friend, I do
not stand alone. The fire diamonds should add to the effect. I
leave my hair down – it gives the impression that I am not
concerned… he would have no idea how quickly I can invoke
battle-braids, and it leaves me looking more formal, as though I’m
wearing pants only because we are meeting in a garden, not because
I don’t trust him.

I walk to the garden, and first sight Ishme
at precisely 9:00. My punctuality seems to please him, as does my
attire, judging from the way his eyes quickly scan my figure and
his following smile.

“Shi'ahn, thank you for agreeing to meet
with me on such short notice. I was hoping you would join me in a
game of croquette.”

“Good morning, Dominar” His eyes glint with
displeasure. “Ishme. Excuse me, but, what is croquette?”

“I’m sorry, I thought they played it on
Shiral…”

“They may, I don’t know everything that
happens at home. Tell me, how does one play?” He looks at me a
little oddly, but explains.

“The object of the game is to navigate your
ball through each hoop, continuing through the course of the game
until reaching the final goal and striking the post just behind
it.”

“That sounds easy… what is the course path?”
He points to each goal in turn. “May I practice a little?” He
simply nods, so I use Harmony to mimic the telekinetic form of
sorcery, and move a ball through the correct hoops. Before I get
far at all, he places a shield in front of the ball.

“No, Shi'ahn, you must move your ball by
striking it with a mallet.” He holds a mallet out for me to
grasp.

“A mallet? But then… what skill does this
test, simply one’s understanding of trigonometry?”

“This isn’t a test, Shi'ahn, it is a
game.”

“But what is its purpose?”

His smile seems both untrustworthy and
playful, “Why, the interaction of the individuals playing, of
course.”

“I don’t understand.”

“No, I see that you don’t. Shi'ahn, what do
you do for entertainment, on Shiral?”

“Entertainment?”

“Hmm… What do you do for fun, when you are
not working on some important task?”

“I study.”

“And when you are not studying?”

“I… immerse myself in music and dance,
explore beautiful places, and fly with Zah-Ha’Gor.”

“And Zah-Ha’Gor is?”

“My dragon friend. A magnificent blue, we
used to explore the most amazing things together.” He glances at my
jewelry, then redirects the discussion slightly. I can’t help but
wonder, is flying with dragons such a strange pastime?

“What did you do with the people, Shi'ahn?
How did you socialize with them?”

I take a deep, slow breath. “My people are
not comfortable with the concept of ‘socializing’ with me. They are
fine with William, but me they tend to… well…”

Ishme provides the words I cannot utter,
“They worship ‘The Shi'ahn.’”

I can’t help the sorrow in my voice, “Yes.
That describes it well.”

“Was it difficult, then, discovering Lumina…
a place where you are not revered above all others?”

I almost laugh, “Difficult? Are you kidding?
To no longer be looked to as ‘She who will fix all?’ To no longer
feel the weight of the world on my shoulders from the moment I wake
each morning? To not have everyone so awed by my presence that they
fail to notice… No, that aspect hasn’t been difficult – it’s been
like a vacation! Except, of course, recently. And now, my people,
those who are left… they are in pain and I must help them.”

Looking at me contemplatively, he finally
says, “I hadn’t realized you felt such a sense of duty toward them.
It is strange, since I do not remember an influence such as yours
during the attack.”

“No, I wasn’t there, I was… detained.
Imprisoned.”

“You were? I had heard that you eluded
capture.”

“It was Cailli who held me.”

Ishme looks confused, “Cailli?”

“The Cailliach, the creator of our
realm.”

He looks first concerned, and then truly
surprised, “Why?”

“She referred to my accommodations as ‘a
safe place.’ I assure you, if she had not taken me, the battle of
Shiral would have been very different. William has influence there,
that I will freely admit – but Shiral is MINE. She always will
be.”

I belatedly realize that my tone has become
cold and hard, and my words somehow seem to reverberate, ringing
with truth, although I had not done anything intentional to cause
it. Fortunately, Ishme does not seem offended or upset, but rather
intrigued. “Well, Shi'ahn, I believe it is time for us to begin our
game.” As he gestures for me to take the first turn, I can’t help
but think that it seems we have already begun to play. We are
silent as I make my first two shots, which are flawless of course –
it’s just aiming and judging the ground, after all. He remains at
the beginning point at first and I feel… intensely watched as I
bend forward to properly grasp the mallet. Then he moves to stand
somewhat in front of me and begins speaking while still watching me
intently, making me feel as though he undresses me with his
eyes.

“Shiral is an interesting place – few worlds
are so strong in both Magic and Technology, it really is a rare
combination, and therefore valuable.” Ah, here we go.

“So what would you be willing to accept in
exchange for your withdrawal?”

He smiles in a way that almost sends a chill
down my back, “Why, something of greater value, of course.”

“Greater? That hardly seems fair.”

He laughs lightly, “Fairness has little to
do with it. You must realize that my Dynasty incurred losses in the
battle that would need to be repaid, and there is also the issue of
the other Dynasties. Our pulling out easily would be seen as a
betrayal.” He pauses as I take aim, then adds, “Of course I should
not leave out the fact that Shiral is an exceptional hunting ground
– rare indeed are worlds with such an array of magical creatures
for us to match our skills against.” My aim hits the ball
correctly, but I put too much force into the blow and it stops in a
place that I am incapable of scoring another hoop from. I place the
ball as best I can to assure that when it is my turn again, I will
have no trouble with the shot.

Ishme smiles, “Ah, a pity. Well, my
turn.”

I don’t bother giving him any silent turns,
he doesn’t need it. “So what do you propose would be acceptable in
trade for My Home?”

“Prince Llywelyn’s ship would suffice.”

“You are asking me for something that I do
not, and cannot control.”

“Shiral is a valuable world, Shi'ahn. And I
would be risking much to return my lands there to you. Perhaps, if
you could provide a world with similar strengths…”

“That I could quite likely do, although not
until our hostilities are truly ended.”

As I give him that answer, he makes a
mistake similar to mine, thus surrendering the turn. I find myself
doubting the sincerity of his mistake. I win the game, but it feels
hollow. He takes my hand as though to shake it, but instead steps
closer and raises it up to kiss yet again.

William’s voice rings out, “Good Morning,
Shi'ahn! I didn’t realize you played croquette.” Ishme releases my
hand with a rueful sigh.

“Ishme was just teaching me.”

Ishme's expression turns resigned, “Well, I
should be going now. Thank you, Shi'ahn, for the pleasure of your
company.” He makes a dismissive gesture with his hand, and every
piece of croquette equipment disappears. He bows politely toward
me, nods his head slightly toward William, and walks away.

~~~

William watches Ishme leave, then says,
“Well, that looked interesting…”

“I'm so glad you were there – I felt much
more confidant, knowing you were nearby.”

“I wasn't the only one, Lucian was here
before either of us – though he was very well hidden.”