All was quiet in the deep darkness of
the underground crypt, and there was noone to disturb the young woman
as she crept carefully between the stone pillars and distinctive
engravings towards the doorway she sought. For a moment she paused,
running her finger over the characters that scribed her sister's name,
and a sense of melancholy washed over her. Then she gathered her wits,
determination on her face as she slipped into the chamber beyond,
pausing to light the lamps that hung around the walls.
On the bier in the middle of the chamber, a young woman lay, dressed in
the traditional robes of death, with her long silver hair braided back
from her face and her hands clasped together over her chest. She seemed
to be sleeping, but as she approached, the visitor knew that no breath
entered her sister's lungs. There was no sign of blood on her face,
carefully and lovingly washed before her enrobement, but the pallor of
her skin told the truth of what had happened, and slowly she dropped
down on her knees beside the funeral platform.
"Najya-neechan." She whispered. "I've done all you asked of me, and I
trust that it will be enough. Kagato and his men have finally lost
interest in us, just as you said they would. My sister, I hope your
gamble will pay off. Father is worried...how much strength you had
already lost when you came here, and how much more it took to seal
yourself away like this. Will you wake again, Oneesama? I wish I knew
the answer. With Masaru and his people so strong - I am afraid to be
named Father's heir, and more - I am afraid that it will prove to be
true. My sister, please don't be dead in there. Please be
sleeping...whatever happens to us, if your life is forfeit because of
it, none of it will be worth it."
There was not a murmur from the still form on the bier, and tears
rolled down the visitor's cheeks as she surveyed her companion's serene
expression.
"You seem at peace, but Airai is not." She whispered. "Whether Kagato's
interests here are truly just about strengthening his magic, I couldn't
tell you. But he has been here, Najya. Of this I am certain. Spies have
reported seeing the Souja more than once over the atmosphere. Father is
vigilant, and there have been no attacks on the Akara since Kagato's
knights came to confirm that you had died of the wounds he inflicted.
But it almost seems greater than that. That this son of Jurai and Airai
seeks to hold more power in his hands than even Masaru can claim. In
the two years or more since you came home, Najya, so much has happened.
So much ill...so much you sought to prevent. First Akito, now you -
will I have to lose everyone I love before this is resolved?"
"Aya."
At the sound of her father's voice, the girl glanced up, meeting his
soft ruby gaze with a hopeless one of her own. At her expression, he
came to sit beside her, resting his hand on her shoulder.
"I have done all she asked of me, Papa." Aya spoke in soft tones, her
hand flitting absently to the pendant that hung around her neck. "I
helped her complete the spell to seal her spirit. I have kept safe the
half of her life force she entrusted to me, and I will continue to do
so. But she was so badly hurt, and when I see her this way...I didn't
realise how much I missed my sister, that's all. How strong Najya
really was, going to Jurai and risking everything to learn about Prince
Kagato. Now...now...what if she does lie dead, Father? What if..."
"We must hope that is not the case, though for the time being, it is
not important." Her companion said gravely. "Najya has taken a big
risk, in sealing herself thus. She protected her family from Juraian
interest and invasion, and for that we must be grateful. This Prince
Kagato that claims Saotome blood is a more dangerous foe than any of us
realised, and I fear he will continue to be so for some time. The more
he learns of Arian ways, the more difficult it will be to eliminate
him. And Najya knew this. The less interest he has in the Akara for the
time being, the better."
He sighed, brushing his hand against his eldest daughter's still, pale
hand.
"Even if it means she and I will never again speak." He added sadly. "I
am grateful for her sacrifice. I do not believe she is dead, Aya. You
and she, you have always been closer than sisters often are in this
harsh, backbiting climate. You are her junior, and yet in some respects
I imagine you more like twins than simple siblings. That connection
between you allows you to protect Najya's spirit more strongly than any
other member of the clan...I believe she has chosen wisely in asking
you to be her guardian. But in doing this, we both know that she
expelled all of her energy. If she is to wake, it will only be when my
magic passes to her. For the time being, we must let her sleep. And we
must not come here so often as you have been...we don't know if the
Saotome watch us, or if they have completely lost interest in light of
their treating with a Prince of Jurai. But if they are to be suspicious
of our coming here - they may realise that Najya is not completely
dead. And should they choose to destroy her body completely while she
is in this vulnerable form - or if they were to come after you and
destroy the pendant you carry - I do not know what would happen."
"I understand." Aya got to her feet, drying her eyes as she nodded her
head. "Papa, do you really think Kagato will be our enemy, alongside
Masaru?"
"I don't know as he cares as much as Masaru, about the feud between our
peoples." Her companion said thoughtfully, taking her gently by the
hand and leading her slowly back up the steps towards the surface. "I
think his eyes are set on bigger goals. The throne of Jurai, in the
first instance. Whether Masaru is manipulating the Prince, or whether
the Prince is using Masaru to gain in strength..."
He paused, shaking his head.
"I would not like to say which savage beast controls which, or whose
ambition drives them." He said at length. "From all Najya said to us in
her reports, we know that Kagato's focus has generally been Jurai. That
to succeed the throne there, he has sought to eliminate all those who
have learnt of his bastard origins...all those who he perceived as a
threat to his claim."
"And if he should choose to annexe Airai, or unite with the Saotome
once he has grabbed power?"
"I hope we shall not have to witness that event." The mage grew grave.
"Najya told me she had revealed to Lady Aiko that she knew the nature
of the connection between Kagato and Akito Saotome. Then your sister
was forced to flee Jurai, badly wounded and in fear of her life. In
light of that...I don't believe it is safe to send anyone else to Jurai
at present. It is possible that Lady Aiko is an ally of her son and
more involved in this than we should like to think. All we can do for
now is hold on to our own and defend our lands and people if such an
attack comes."
Aya frowned, as her father helped her out of the steep cavern opening,
gazing thoughtfully up at the clouded sky for a moment as she
considered. Then,
"What about Najya-neechan's friend? The one from the Science Academy?"
She asked softly. "Is she not an enemy of Kagato?"
"You mean the scientist, Professor Hakubi?" Her companion rubbed hs
chin, shaking his head slowly. "No. We cannot involve others in our
fight, Aya. Especially not innocents. From Najya's own testimony, her
friend Professor Niwase was murdered by the taint of Masaru's curse. If
she has not already been slain, we must not risk arousing suspicion on
Professor Hakubi or ourselves by venturing too far from home."
"Then we can do nothing?" Aya sounded frustrated, and her father shook
his head.
"No, we can do nothing." He agreed quietly. "At least, not until Kagato
and Masaru's plans become clear. I expected a far more ferocious
assault after Najya's return, and it has not come. Something is
stalling them - and for the time being, we know too little to act.
Patience, my child. I have thought about it all in some detail - trust
your family's mage to act with wisdom when the time comes."
"I do trust you. Papa, I'm sorry." Aya sighed, leaning up against him.
"It's just, with Najya..."
"I know." The mage nodded his head. "But for now, there's nothing we
can do to help Najya or change her situation. Whilst Kagato lives, it's
not safe for her to be seen to be alive, anyway. She told you herself,
did she not, of the blood vow Kagato made with Masaru? So long as Najya
is alive, he remains at risk from the Saotome mage's cursed power. If
he should realise it - that he has not completed his part of the
bargain fully - he would come after her again. For the time being, your
sister is better off dead. You saw how thoroughly those knights
examined her body - how one of them sought to put his blade through her
chest to see if she would bleed. We cannot risk such a thing happening
again."
Aya shivered, closing her eyes at the memory.
"She did not bleed." She whispered. "But I felt the pain as if it were
my own. All right, Father. So long as Najya relies on me to protect
her, I will do as you say. She is close to me always, in any case. I
don't have to see her to let her know I'm thinking of her. Our bond is
bigger than that - just as you say. I've been weak, that's all. But
I...I must be stronger. I must be like you and like Najya, and put the
family first."
"Good girl." her companion smiled, squeezing her hand approvingly. "I
believe your sister will live again, and Aya, you will be here when she
does. Bound as you are now, you and she exist outside of time. Like
Najya, you will not age or grow older until the seal is released. I may
not see my daughters together again, but I have faith that they will
be, one day. And until then, we must work as hard as we can to maintain
peace for the Akara. That is my duty as the mage of this clan...and I
will do my utmost to hand on peace to my heiress, so when she wakes,
she'll wake to a land of calm, not one of war."
"Whatever I can do to help, Papa, I will." Aya made up her mind, her
hand clasping around the pendant tightly as she felt a flicker of
energy stir within it. "For you, for Najya, for the Akara...for Airai.
Whatever I must do, I will do. That is my duty...as a daughter of the
Akara mage!"
------------
"There is no new information, my Lord."
The knight bowed low before his master, anxiety and wariness flickering
in his odd gaze as he raised his head to the Prince. "I am grieved to
bring you such news, but it is true. And despite our best attempts, it
has been impossible to find any trace of the stolen artefacts on the
planet Airai."
"I see."
The young man in the chair looked thoughtful, sitting back as he
considered this. He appeared calm, but a flicker of dark energy danced
in his golden eyes, keeping his servant on his guard, for he knew that
in the two and a half years since the death of Professor Mikamo Niwase,
the temperament of Prince Kagato had proven unpredictable and
occasionally violent.
"Well, Tessei, then I suppose we must presume that the stones were not
taken to Airai, either."
At length he got to his feet, moving across the chamber to the window.
"Which leaves us with the very real problem...doesn't it?"
"My Lord?"
"You and Tetta seem to have become adept at discovering where things
are not." Kagato turned, and Tessei took an instinctive step back
towards the door, ready to flee should his master's quick temper be
unleashed in the form of the dark magic that had begun, little by
little, to pierce his soul. Since the slaying of his best friend,
Tessei had seen the once amicable, mischievous Prince change from an
ambitious young hopeful to something dark and embittered, and even the
knowledge that the late Professor's death had been at his hand did not
seem to have brought Kagato any comfort. If nothing else, Tessei mused
now, taking in the rigidity and frustration on the young man's face,
the opposite had been true. Since Mikamo Niwase had been laid to rest
on Seniwa, Kagato's obsession with securing Jurai's succession and the
power of Airai had increased threefold, as if somehow in his dedication
he could justify to himself the loss of a man he had once called an
ally.
"My Lord, if I may, the Dark Heart of Jurai is not so easy to locate."
Tessei spoke softly now. "We are doing our best, but Prince Kagato, I
am beginning to think that our first impulse was the true one. That
somehow Professor Niwase secreted the stones somewhere before his death
- and that he did not tell anyone what his intentions were."
"In other words, I killed him too quickly." Kagato spoke in low tones,
and Tessei bit his lip. Had he gone too far, in mentioning the
scientist by name? "Perhaps so. Perhaps Mikamo did secrete them, as you
put it. But even so, I find it hard to believe that, if they are on
Jurai, we have not located them."
"And yet, Highness, if they had been taken by Professor Hakubi or Dr
Akara, I am sure we would have discovered them by now." Tessei said
evenly. "My Lord, we searched every inch of the laboratory at the
Science Academy. We spoke in detail to Professor Hakubi, and even used
the drug on her that you said would loosen her tongue and persuade her
to speak. She could not tell us anything. She does not have the stones."
"And yet you still failed to kill her." Kagato sighed, resting his chin
in his hands. "Why do I rely on you both, Tessei, when you are
constantly failing to do what I ask of you?"
"Honestly, my Lord, I do not understand myself why my poison failed to
kill Professor Hakubi." Tessei admitted, spreading his hands. "It was a
potent dose - three times enough to kill an individual. I was as
frustrated as you were...her suicide would have been most timely."
"Considering what she must know about me." Kagato muttered. Tessei
frowned, his eyes narrowing as he took in his master's expression anew.
"My Prince?"
"She was Mikamo's lover, and Dr Akara's friend." Kagato folded his arms
across his chest. "Can we believe she knows nothing? Even with your
interrogation, Tessei - can we be assured while she remains alive that
she is not a potential leak? That she might not yet reveal our plans to
those around her?"
"Tetta and I were very careful in conducting our enquiries." Tessei
said levelly, inwardly cross at the doubt in his master's voice. "We
used the magic you bestowed us with and we mingled among the Academy
students as though we were alumni. And we secured the services of Dr
Clay to spy for you. I firmly believe that, if they knew anything about
your purpose or the Dark Heart of Jurai, we would have learnt it."
"Yes, perhaps." Kagato sighed, rubbing his temples. "All right. I
accept that you have been thorough in your work, Tessei. As for
Professor Hakubi, I shall have to think again about her, and what to do
about her. I won't have a potential loose end, even if she is nothing
more than Mikamo's heartbroken lover. It would have been convenient for
her to have taken her own life in a fit of griefstricken pique, but I
see that she is not to be so easily destroyed. I will have to look at
this from a new angle...and in the meantime, you can tell me what you
learnt from Airai. More specifically, from the Akara. You did, I trust,
infiltrate their camp and investigate thoroughly the circumstances
surrounding the death of Najya Akara?"
"Yes, my Lord, for the third time, just as you asked." Tessei bit back
the impatience from his tone. "She lies as she did the first time we
visited - dead of the wounds inflicted by my Lord before she fled
Jurai. Her family continue to mourn her - but there is no life in her
body."
"And of this you are sure, Tessei?" Kagato's eyes glittered a warning,
and Tessei bowed his head hurriedly.
"Yes, my Lord. Tetta pierced her heart himself with his blade." He said
quickly. "And no blood gushed from the wound. She is a lifeless corpse
- My Lord, you need not fear any more from her."
"And there is no sign that the Akara have the Dark Heart?"
"None whatsoever." Tessei shook his head. "On the contrary, they seemed
eager to please the emissaries of a Juraian lord."
"Suspicious, surely, in light of Najya Akara's sudden death?"
"Perhaps, but it meant we could move freely about their premises and
conduct whatever searches we liked while there." Tessei spread his
hands. "The stones are not on Airai."
"Masaru agrees with you on that." Kagato sighed. "He says that if they
were, he'd have sensed their presence. Such strong magic - I'm sure
he's right. But then, I don't sense them here on Jurai, either. And my
magic grows in all ways - but even so...even so..."
He clenched his fists, flickers of strange energy flaring around his
hands as he did so.
"Where the hell are they!" He demanded.
"My Lord, I have one further suggestion." Tessei said hesitantly.
Kagato glared at his companion.
"Well?" He snapped. "Don't prevaricate. Tell me!"
"That somehow they were buried on Seniwa with Lord Niwase, Kagato-sama."
"Buried with...?" Kagato's golden eyes widened with disbelief, then,
"Do you think that even a remote possibility?"
"I don't know." Tessei faltered. "But...Prince Kagato...Lord Niwase's
cause of death was never in any doubt to his kin. The shame of his
suicide - they did not seek further investigation into the matter.
There was no autopsy, and he was interred on Seniwa. I have been
thinking, on our flight back to Jurai. What if...what if Professor
Niwase swallowed the capsule containing the stones before Masaru-sama's
dark magic compelled him to take his own life? What if the reason we
can't find them is because, in a moment of mad desperation, he sought
to take them with him to his final resting place - well away from the
planet Jurai?"
Kagato was silent for a moment, staring at his knight as he digested
these words. Then, at length, he whispered a curse.
"You might be right." he murmured. "Damn it, and how am I meant to
overcome that hurdle and find out, if that is indeed the case?
Demanding my friend's exhumation cannot be seen as anything other than
suspicious, and asking for an autopsy may reveal the scars of the magic
Masaru left inside of him. Desecrating the grave of a Seniwan Lord is
not the behaviour of a Prince of Jurai, for sure...but damn it, what if
you are correct?"
"My Lord, perhaps Tetta and I could travel to Seniwa." Tessei said
softly. "And convey our continuing respects to Lord Niwase's family, on
the behalf of yourself and Lady Aiko."
"And that would achieve what, exactly?"
"Nothing directly, my Lord." Tessei said simply. "But if vandals were
to attack the crypt whilst we were visiting, it might be prudent of us
to offer our support. And for my Lord Prince to take an active interest
in restoring the resting place of one who was a dear friend - if you
follow my meaning."
For a moment Kagato's eyes flickered with something close to genuine
grief. Then they hardened, and slowly he nodded his head.
"I understand perfectly." He said softly. "And you have restored my
faith in your intelligence, Tessei. Go, and do this thing. I have trust
in your discretion, if nothing else - discover whether or not Mikamo
was fool enough to take the Dark Heart with him when he died. It is too
important a matter not to know for sure...so make sure you are quite
certain either way before you leave Seniwa."
"Yes, my Lord." Relief flickered in Tessei's reddish eyes, and he bowed
his head, his strange, silverish blue hair falling over his shoulder as
he did so. "As you wish."
With that he withdrew, closing the door behind him slowly with a sigh
as he contemplated the meeting. At times, he knew, serving such an
unpredictable Prince was a danger in itself. And yet, with the power
that Kagato had already massed...
He shook his head, clearing his mind of any doubts. Even since the
alliance with Masaru of the Saotome had begun, Kagato's strength had
grown and both Tetta and Tessei had benefitted from the focusing of
their master's power. He had already bestowed both of them with the
ability to conceal their true appearances when conducting his business,
and Tessei knew there could only be more to come for those who had
served their Prince loyally. How he had come to wield so much Arian
magic, Tessei had his own suspicions, but he had chosen to ignore them.
"After all, if my master is a bastard or not, it matters nothing at all
if he has enough strength to take a crown by force." He muttered to
himself as he hurried along the hallways towards the barracks where he
knew Tetta was awaiting him. "Whoever has the power to hold Jurai is
the true leader, whatever the truth of his blood. Emperor Shigure is
strong, it's true - but even he cannot imagine the magic that Prince
Kagato may one day wield, if he succeeds in fully uniting Jurai's Power
with the dark magic of the Saotome. He will be a fearsome enemy
then...and I will not make him my
enemy."