Death's Sword Book 1: Finding and Seeking

Chapter 12, part 1: Day 16

The lady Maora was soon aware that something new was happening. More klchzak were reported on the surface, even one or two srchzak, all hunting, searching, many chasing after each other, watching. The presence of Hzmai hung over all, brooding. "What is happening now? Who else is bringing pieces into play?" asked Maora. Brchak replied immediately, showing that he had been giving the matter considerable thought, "It could be a ploy, with Hzmai having prevailed upon one of the other lords to see what can be seen from another angle." From what she could see behind him, Maora judged that the other was now near the western borders of Hywhen, maybe already in Masurian lands.

"Or it might be that some-one who is curious or who is getting impatient," added a voice from the green glow in the corner of the room. "I wonder how long we can keep the lid on this. There seem to be at least two dozen klchzak released onto the surface, with srchzak occasionally showing up at the edges. I have also heard rumours of a marchak having been seen loose in the deep chambers. The mages of the Confederacy will start to interfere soon," warned Maora.

"That does not matter if we can capture Death. The mages can only temporarily disperse our fires, Death can extinguish them forever," replied Maora's advisor.

"Verrry true," drawled Maora. "In which case, we must find the boy first, before any more powers move into the contest. Brchak, go amongst the other tuigrahan in Noruth, try and discern who else is releasing their forces. Advisor, continue your search for traces of the star and the crescent. They are bound up in this, somehow. I would like to be waiting for the boy when he reaches his goal, wherever it might be." Both creatures accepted their dismissal and were gone in an instant. Maora thought in silence for a few moments, then began to make some preparations of her own. She did not trust Brchak and there were some things she did not want even her advisor to know.

The trio rose just as night was fading, before the sun had even climbed into view. Tania parcelled out satchels of cold food and filled their mugs with watered wine whilst Burrowwold tightened cinches on the dorvei and generally got the beasts ready. Kleymin caught Tania giving him a very odd look, almost as though she were seeing him for the first time. "What's the matter?" he asked, starting to gather up his things and clear the camp. She gave a little shudder, seemed to come to herself. "Oh, nothing, nothing at all," she said, giving him a nervous smile. She, too, got on with the business of breaking camp.

There was something odd about how she was behaving, something different about her. Kleymin came to the gradual realisation that she was keeping her distance from him. Watching him warily. Always keeping something between him and her if she could. He re-fastened Namarth's scabbard to his harness. The sword's hilt felt strangely warm as he touched it. He frowned, uncertain, and started to slide the blade free. "Oh, put that horrible thing away!" snapped Tania, almost screaming. She recoiled from him. The boy released his grip on the sword. "What's the matter?" he repeated, blinking rapidly as his eye-sight blurred.

"I saw how you kill with that thing," the girl hissed, "It turns you into a..a..a golem! It has more control than you do." Kleymin shook his head. He had not realised that he had scared her so, she who seemed so tough and confident. Perhaps their encounter with the ronin had frightened her more than he'd thought.

He wasn't used to dealing with people and their emotions. I haven't been trained for this. That thought suddenly made him feel sad. "I'm sorry if I scared you," he apologised, simply, half-raising one hand in supplication, "You're my friend. I'd never hurt you." Tania froze, studying his face, then abruptly relaxed, "I'm sorry, too. I'm not myself this morning." She gave a wan smile, shook her head, then resumed her work.

"Are you alright?" Kleymin asked the girl. She froze, looked at him suspiciously.

"Yes, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" she answered, snappishly. The boy shook his head, hair flopping near his eyes, "You just seem different somehow."

She stared at him then snorted. "Perhaps you'd feel a little different if you'd spent a couple of hours thinking you were going to be the playmate of that lot for the rest of your life," she said, tartly. Kleymin recoiled slightly, he hadn't thought of it from her perspective. "Did anything happen?" he found himself asking, grabbing her hand. Tania started to pull away then froze, staring at him, silent for a moment, as though weighing up what to tell the boy. "No," she said at last, "Nothing happened."

She moved out of his grasp and pulled herself up onto her dorvei. "Come on, boy, hurry up," urged the gnome, throwing a set of reins towards Kleymin, "Time we got moving." Shaking his head, sure that he had missed something significant somehow but uncertain what, Kleymin caught the reins and smoothly swung into his saddle.

They rode for the rest of the day, stopping briefly at mid-day to stretch their legs, eat and drink. When they did, the gnome quietly took Kleymin by the arm, glancing around to check that Tania wasn't looking at them. "Leave her be, boy," the gnome warned, "She just needs a bit of time, is all. She'll come round." Kleymin bobbed his head and took the advice.

During the afternoon, slowly, the girl seemed to become less stiff and distant, becoming more like her old self again. By the evening, it was almost as though nothing had happened. As it grew dark, they found a suitable place to settle and made camp. The gnome soon had them playing Mai-long, which he claimed was a game he had learned in Chi'in but was now common in Hywhen. "How many tiles will you take?" asked Burrowwold, grinning at the boy. "Three," decided Kleymin. Burrowwold handed over three small pieces of carved bone. Kleymin looked at them, discarded one of his tiles and laid the others down neatly in front of him. "Very good," approved the gnome, "A natural house with east wind. You win. It seems like you've got the hang of this game now, so what say you that we start playing for money?" he suggested.

"Well, I don't know," said the boy, "I don't have much money and none to spare right now."

"Ah, well, then we won't play for what you've got, we'll play for what you're going to get. Never take the shirt of a man's back, boy, remember that. Always let 'em win a little back before you quit, you get fewer arguments that way. No, a nifty lad like you, skilled like what you are, you'll earn a few bu in time. You can repay me then if you lose, and that's a mighty big if, the way you handle those tiles. You've got a gift, you have. You owe it to yourself to play, you do," wheedled the gnome, nose twitching. Kleymin frowned, then found himself saying, reluctantly, "Hmm, well, alright then." Then he caught himself, "But let's keep the stakes low."

"Sure. A penny a round and twenty penny to the bu. Your deal," said Burrowwold, tossing the bag of tiles into the boy's lap. On the other side of the fire, Tania sighed, "Men. Why do they never grow up?" She sounded completely back to normal. Burrowwold's eyes did not shift from Kleymin's hands and the bag of tiles, "Oh, be quiet, woman!" he snapped, impatiently, "What do you know of men, or understand of the joys of gaming! Come on, boy, deal, deal." he urged, rubbing his hands together eagerly.