Reborn (13 page)

The door snapped opened behind them and Nima walked in. “That was quite the display you put on today, Eric. If you were trying to stay low key, I’d say you failed quite miserably. Perhaps try setting yourself on fire next time. That’s sure to draw less attention.”

Eric scowled with irritation. “I’m really not in the mood right now, so whatever it is you want, please—”

“Oh, don’t worry, Eric, I’m not here to bother you; I was simply making an observation. I’m actually here for her,” she pointed to Jade.

“Me?” Jade said, apparently as shocked as the rest. “Why are you here to see me?”

“Well, it seems that Eric has created quite a stir throughout the village. Between the Circle and Kelus, it will be some time before they figure out what to do next.” She smiled widely as she rubbed her hands together. “I see this as an opportunity.”

“An opportunity for what?” said Jade, looking rather confused.

Nima’s smile only deepened as she walked over, then cupped Jade’s cheeks in her hands, drawing her in close. “Today we start your training.”

* * *

“I don’t know about this,” said Jade nervously, walking next to Nima. “I’ve never had any desire to learn the arts. Besides, I already have a purpose; my place is by Eric’s side. I’m sworn to protect him to the best of my abilities, even giving my life if necessary. I’ve no time for anything else, and I definitely don’t need any distractions.”

Nima turned on her so fast, it made Jade flinch. “And do you somehow think that tapping into that astonishing ability of yours will somehow hinder your commitment to him?” Nima said, exasperated. “It seems the gods themselves have blessed you with a rare gift, a level of talent that has not been seen in centuries, and you contemplate wasting it because harnessing it seems inconvenient? You are a master with blades, that much I cannot deny. I would put you up against any of our best without hesitation, but what happens when steel is no longer the answer? You say you are committed to protecting Eric, yet you place limitations on your own potential, limit yourself in the ways you can defend him. Tell me, then, do you think your way of thinking can be defined as true dedication to your duty? A complete and total commitment to protect the man you love, as you seem to believe?”

Jade’s eyes glazed over as she contemplated Nima’s carefully chosen words. She wouldn’t even hesitate to give her life for Eric, but it never occurred to her how limited she really might be, at least in some ways. There wasn’t a bladesmaster in any corner of the world that wouldn’t find her formidable, but those few heavily trained in the arts could easily make short work of her. Nima herself could toy with Jade at will, at least from a distance. There was no telling what sort of foes Eric would face before their journey ended. It was her right—no, her obligation—to be as prepared as possible, to transform herself into a tool of death using all channels available to her. She was a weapon that lived only to serve one purpose: to protect the Gate Keeper.

Jade never said a word, but it didn’t matter. Nima recognized the look of acceptance in her eyes. “Funny, isn’t it?” said Nima. “How easily we put the needs of others before our own? Our instincts of self-preservation have limits, and will only go so far, but when it comes to protecting our loved ones,” she spared a quick glance over Jade’s shoulder, “we will run through fire.”

Jade tried not to be obvious when following Nima’s revealing glance. She saw Amoshi off in the distance, firing off arrows into a tree one at a time. Unleashing shot after shot, he didn’t seem to notice anyone was watching, but Jade’s instincts were sharp. She noticed the slight break in his rhythm and the subtle turn of his head, before his rapid stream of endless arrows continued pummeling the tree again. Jade’s expression betrayed her as a knowing smile flashed across her face. With a twinkle in her eye, she said, “Lead the way, I’m ready.”

“Oh, no—I didn’t mean...” Nima’s face went crimson as she fumbled with her words—a rare display for the ever-confident woman. She cleared her throat, suddenly looking around in every direction except toward Amoshi. “Um, we’re almost there. It’s just around that corner,” Nima said. With a bright-red face and hasty steps, she hurried on ahead.

* * *

The sturdy building they approached was easily the largest in the village, looking more like a warehouse than any sort of training facility. The fine green double doors were bordered with painted yellow vines, making the rest of the faded wooden structure look rather plain.

Strangely, the first thing Jade noticed upon entering was how thick and soft the gray carpet was. Her feet seemed to sink in with every step, to the point where it altered her smooth walk. Her warrior instincts seemed to cry out with each step. This terrain could easily cripple anyone’s footwork when engaged in sparring, but she shook away the illogical thought. After all, these were not swordsmen here, and she needed to remember that. Her expertise with steel meant nothing within these walls. Here, she was just a novice, and would likely be treated as such.

The large room was practically empty, save for three small tables, each with a single drawer. There were five separate doors that probably lead to some sort of sleeping quarters, but she couldn’t be sure. Yellow oil lamps, too numerous to count at a glance, hung from varying heights across all the dark green walls. They released that same spicy scent Jade was now growing accustomed to.

Around two-dozen men and women sat on the floor with their legs crossed, eyes closed, and palms facing up. It looked as though the women outnumbered the men by at least a four-to-one ratio. They sat motionless while Jade wandered about. Finally, the girl sitting out in front of the others opened her eyes and rose from the floor. She drifted across the room as if she were weightless, the thick carpet proving to be no hindrance at all.

The smiling woman was rather plump, with curly brown hair draped down over her green eyes, partially hiding her round face. Like the others, she wore a red robe that hung loosely around her large frame. “Hello, Nima,” she said cheerfully. “I see you’ve brought the girl I’ve heard so much about.” She looked at Jade, still smiling widely. “My name is Mise. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jade started to hold out her hand, but retracted it as Mise bent into a bow.

“A pleasure,” said Jade as she bowed, smoothly covering her minor blunder in etiquette. She always made it a point to learn the ins and outs of any new culture, starting first with proper greetings.

Mise’s dimpled cheeks shook with excitement. “Nima has told me all about your exceptional talent. I must say, I can hardly wait to get started.” Jade had to concentrate on every word in order to understand the woman. Even though they spoke Common here, their words sounded quick and rushed. This woman was clearly very excited, which only made it that much harder to understand her speech. “We must get started right away.”

“Mise,” said Nima.

“Oh, this is so exciting. I think we’ll begin with—”

“Mise!” Nima barked.

The plump woman’s cheeks rattled as she shook her head, then looked at Nima as if only now realizing she was there. “Oh...uh...yes, Nima?”

Nima rolled her eyes in exasperation before looking back to Jade. “Mise here is one of our top instructors. Her expertise in training has helped produce many of our finest palins. We owe her a great debt.”

“Oh, I only bring out what is already inside each and every one of my students. However, I must say, this one will be my greatest challenge yet. So much untapped potential that needs to be—”

“Needs to be left in my hands,” interrupted Nima.

“Wait...what?” said Mise, the smile slowly melting from her face.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you in between your childlike cooing. Jade here is going to be my special project, so there is no need for you to fuss over her. I’m only showing her around, getting her acquainted before we get started.”

“Oh, I see,” the plump woman sniffed, tilting her head so far back she could almost look at the ceiling. “Very well then. I must get back to the other students anyway.” Her warm smile returned when she looked back to Jade. “It was nice to finally meet you. If you have any questions or are just seeking a different perspective, please don’t hesitate to seek my instruction.” Her gaze flashed toward Nima. “I’m easy enough to find.”

“Thank you so much. It was nice meeting you too,” said Jade.

Mise wandered back to the other students and dropped back down to her former position. Many were no longer meditating, just glaring at the foreigner. Nima had only told a few ranking palins about Jade’s potential, and certainly none of the regular students. They knew this was one of the outsiders, but nothing of her potential.

Nima waited until she was sure the plump girl was no longer paying attention to them. “Mise is a fine instructor and an even finer woman, but that doesn’t change the fact that she will have little to do with your training. Mind you, dear, it’s not that I don’t trust her—far from it, in fact.”

“Why then?” asked Jade. “You said yourself she is a fine instructor. She seems very nice and has shown more than a passing interest in me. I’m not saying I would choose her instruction over yours, I’m just wondering why you’re so concerned about her interfering. Why can’t I learn from both of you?”

Nima sighed. “Follow me, we’ll talk in the other room.” They went through one of the five doors, with Nima leading the way. The smaller room looked very similar to the first, except that the carpet was red. Two standing oil lamps flickered their scattered light along the same green walls. There had been very little furniture in the main room, but there was none in here at all. The only things that even came close were a few red pillows scattered across the floor.

Nima sat down on one of the pillows with her legs crossed, then gestured for Jade to have a seat across from her. “I will try and answer your question with a confession of my own.” Jade readjusted her pillow and listened attentively. “Not so long ago, because of my deal with Kelus, I more or less lay claim to your life. Your life was my responsibility, and I was to be held accountable for you, as well as your actions. I understand this must sound strange to you, but this is the way of our people.”

“We’ve talked about this before,” said Jade. “And as I told you before, I hold no resentment.”

“That’s because you don’t know the whole truth, dear.” Jade leaned back a bit, eyeing Nima suspiciously. “My intentions were not exactly pure. I had personal reasons for making that deal, and none of them had anything to do with your safety. When we scooped your half-dead body off the beach, I saw nothing but an endless bag of knowledge lying there before us—an actual human being from the old world right here on our shore. My only intent was to extract as much information from you as I could, maybe even rewrite a few of our own history books. After all, how accurate could they be, pieced together from barely legible scrolls? You...you were the key to that lost knowledge.” She hung her head, having difficulty meeting Jade’s eyes. “Your well- being was never any concern to me.”

“I was the key?” Jade hissed as a tear ran down her cheek. “What did you plan to do with me once I no longer proved useful? Throw me back into the sea where you found me? Oh, no, that would be a waste of good meat, I suppose. Perhaps you would have cut me up and fed me to your livestock. That way I would have served one last purpose, even in death.”

“I’m sorry, Jade,” said Nima in a soft, breaking voice. “I’m not proud of what I did, but I feel no shame either. Remember, I didn’t know you, yet I still put myself at great risk. Yes, I took that chance just so I could gain from it, but then everything changed. I learned more about Jade Ethrista than I ever intended to. I listened to stories about her friends, and shared her fears that you might never see them again.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve come to think of you as my friend. In a way, I still feel as if you are my responsibility, and I plan to honor that by being your personal mentor. I alone will share my knowledge with you, and we will see just how far you can go.”

Jade stood slowly, than flashed her companion an icy glare, before walking toward the door. “I need time to think,” she said over her shoulder. “If I decide to accept your teachings, I will be back in the morning.”

“Don’t bother trying to play the victim, Jade,” said Nima. “I told you everything so we can start clean. I really do consider you my friend, but don’t you dare forget,” she waited for Jade to look back, “your secret was far bigger than mine. When were you planning to tell me you travel with the Shantie Rhoe?” Jade’s eyes opened wide for a second, but she quickly recovered her composure, then hurried out the door. Nima smiled, then whispered as if Jade were still in the room. “See you in the morning.”

* * *

Dark dreams haunted Eric as usual while he tossed and turned in his sleep. He awakened with a jolt, sitting up, covered with sweat. He wiped the moist brown curls from his eyes, then kicked back the damp sheet. After a moment he lay back down again, eyes wide open as he tried to remember his dream, an exercise in futility to be sure. Many a time recently, Jade would awaken him when he cried out for no reason, but when he tried to explain the nightmare that had him shivering with terror, he couldn’t recall a thing.

This time was no different as he lay there trying to remember some sort of detail, anything.
How can I not remember the horrors that nearly drive me to madness
? Thinking on that a little further, he decided he might have answered his own question. Any normal mind would rather purge these dark thoughts than store them in memory.