Dinavhek- The Fall Page 3

  Why did you lead me here? Anikasi wondered.

  She thought and hoped that perhaps the fox was a symbol of one of the gods, though she couldn't remember there being any association of foxes with Oranuken. Could his rival have heard Aasimah's prayer instead?

  The sky was beginning to lighten, and at last, Aasimah caught the rise of the sun. She gladly took in its warmth and positioned herself so that she was out in the open, away from the brush and the trees so that she might bask in the warmth more openly.

  Remembering the fox, Aasimah briefly turned back around to look for it along the edge of the lake and found herself dismayed to discover that it had quietly disappeared.

  “Well, she can't have gone that far,” Zegaru offered. “I mean, there's nothing out here but brush, sand, and rocks. Where exactly would she go? She didn't even bring any food or water with her – it'd be suicide to wander off too far.”

  Falysto would was not so easily convinced. “You don't know Aasimah like I do, lad. She's likely gone off on some fool mission to prove herself. Damn it! I should have – I should have kept my mouth shut. I could have handled things so differently.”

  Cisa crept up to him, keeping her head down, like a frightened animal.

  “You couldn't have known,” she said. “Aasimah's – well, she's spirited. I'm – I'm sure she's just fine. She's probably just, you know... angry. She's probably just in one of her moods. We all know how she gets.”

  “How she's feeling right now doesn't concern me,” Falysto sighed. “I'm more concerned about her whereabouts! There's no shortage of creatures that would gladly rip any of us to shreds out here, and she's probably blundered off into one of their territories. What if she's found her way into a bone-crusher's nest?”

  “What do we do?” “What can we do?” Zegaru asked, looking back and forth between Cisa and Falysto. “You said we're not for leaving anyone behind, but if we can't find her... what else are we supposed to do?”

  Falysto grimaced. There was truth to the boy's words; really, he was wiser than he let on. He would make a fine leader for their group, someday. But there was just something about Aasimah... the old man felt responsible for her.

  “Zegaru, Cisa, lead our people out. See that cluster of trees over to the east? Lead them there. When I find Aasimah, I will bring her there, too.”

  “What? But how are you even going to find her?”

  “Don't waste my time with questions, boy. You're the leader right now and I am trusting you to keep our group safe. Go! Now!”

  *​*​*

  Aasimah relaxed beside the water, contemplating her next move. She was not looking forward to finding her way back to her people, if they were even in the same spot they were when she'd left them. She was sure to be getting an earful from Falysto later on, but he'd simmer down eventually. He always did. Well, he usually did, anyway.

  Aasimah didn't understand why he was so angry about her questions. If the history of their people – whatever 'they' were – was so important, then why wouldn't he explain it to her? Or the rest of them? Sure, they lived their lives on the move, but they weren't uneducated by any means. They traded as often as they could manage to, and Falysto made it his mission to teach them as much as he possibly could. She might not be a scholar by any means, but she wasn't stupid.

  Then again, she had to concede that she might not be especially wise. She did spend the entire night chasing after a glowing white fox in a dangerous and largely unexplored territory claimed to be overrun with all manner of monsters.

  Why had the fox led her to this place?

  Aasimah yawned and shifted around a bit in her spot, trying to get comfortable. She was exhausted, and a light nap didn't seem like the worst way to spend part of the morning. This place was awfully serene, so much so that Aasimah could not help but lower her defenses just a bit. If there were any monsters around here at all, they had enough sense to stay hidden.

  What harm was there in taking a short nap?

  Thus Aasimah chose to ignore her more skeptical inner voice, and drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Though she was not yet aware, someone else had been led to the same spot, and his intentions were much less innocent.

  “Oh, Aasimah, how could you do this to us?” Falysto grumbled as he followed the tracks. They seemed to belong to small canine and they led him right out from their camp. Strangely, they seemed to disappear every so often, as if the animal itself simply vanished, but Aasimah's tracks remained consistent enough for him to follow.

  Though it took him a few hours, Falysto came upon the same lake that Aasimah herself arrived upon early that morning. He sank to the ground wearily. He hoped that Aasimah was still around there somewhere, for he was not sure he could continue on much further.

  If only the gift ran through my veins, like it does hers. I would be so much stronger, he thought. Strong enough to protect her.

  He didn't know for certain that she possessed the gift, but he strongly suspected it. He would bet his own life on it in confidence. The rest of their people had lost their own gift many generations ago, but Aasimah's father had it. Old Falysto still remembered that fateful day when her father came limping to him, pierced by several arrows, and dropped little Aasimah into his open hands.

  Though he could not speak in his present form, Falysto understood that he was entrusting the life of his daughter to the old man. He reassured him that he would take good care of Aasimah, and he knew that his words were the last that the girl's father would ever hear, as he fled with the sickly infant clutched lovingly in his arms.

  But now... Now, he wondered if he failed to keep his promise.

  He feared that he would be unable to, at any rate. He and his people could pass for human. What little dagaz blood ran through their veins wasn't enough to give them any physical traits of that race. But Falysto, whose grandfather was a full-blooded dagaz, could always tell. Aasimah possessed more of the blood than anyone else in their group, and it showed. The girl looked human enough in terms of appearance, though her eyes were a dead giveaway. They appeared a bit slanted, a trait that could feasibly lead one to mistake her for being part-elf. It was the color that drew attention however, as they were golden and distinctly wolf-like.

  Appearances aside, it was more or less her mannerisms that truly gave her away, for she possessed not the gentleness of the elven people, but instead, the sheer ferocity of a cornered wolf. So, too, did she possess their graceful gait; she could outpace everyone in her troupe and rarely did she ever tire.

  He wasn't prepared to raise such a rebellious youth. There was a great fire burning within Aasimah's soul, a wild blaze that could never be tamed or subdued. She was not born to play leader to a band of (mostly) humans; she was born to run wild, and Falysto understood that attempting to tether her would be an act of cruelty. What Falysto hoped was that that same fire would keep her warm even if the world around her turned cold.

  He hoped to nourish that fire, stoke the flames so that it might withstand even the strongest gusts of wind. And now he feared that Aasimah might pay the price, for he had forced her into a life that was clearly not meant for her.

  His dear, stubborn little Aasimah.

  Aasimah heard him long before he approached. She crouched, prepared to spring at a moment's notice.

  “Don't come any closer!” she snarled.

  “Hey, now, I'm not for hurtin' ye,” said the man. He seemed a rather coarse fellow, and one definitely at odds with his environment. His skin was rather pale, highly unusual for a desert-dwelling man. Aasimah guessed that he wasn't from the area. He had strikingly beautiful and lively blue eyes, and a warm, open smile.

  But Aasimah knew better than to trust a pretty face.

  “I told you to stay back,” Aasimah growled when the man took another step.

  He stopped and held up his hands, showing that he carried no weapons.

  “There, now, see? I'm unarmed. I think you really have the upper hand here,” he added with a deferential nod
. He had a point, for she had already drawn her dagger, and she continued to hold her defensive position.

  Regardless, Aasimah was not convinced of this man's seeming helplessness.

  “What brings a pretty girl like yerself out here?”

  “Hunting,” Aasimah answered immediately.

  “Hunting? For what, exactly?”

  A sign from the goddess?

  “A fox.”

  “Mm, you don't seem the fox-hunting type. Where're your hounds?”

  “I don't have any; I'm the hound.”

  The man chuckled, and Aasimah wasn't sure whether she should feel embarrassed for herself, or insulted. In hindsight, she supposed it was a rather stupid thing to say, but she desperately wanted to make this man back off. Already, he was much closer to her than he should be.

  “You mean to tell me a pretty thing like yerself is out here killin' foxes with yer bare hands? Please. Though you do look the part, I guess.”

  Aasimah said nothing in response. She noticed that he was, quite suddenly, within arm's reach of her. How did he manage to close that distance between them without her noticing?

  “There, now. See? I'm not that dangerous. Why don't we go look for that fox together?”

  “Why don't you get lost?” Aasimah snapped.

  The man sighed, seeming genuinely dismayed.

  “This could've been easy for you,” he lamented, at the same time she heard a familiar voice call her name.

  Too late, she became aware of another figure closing in behind her. She half-turned a moment too late; at the same moment that she felt a small, sharp pain in her back, she saw from around her assailant's shoulder old man Falysto falling to the ground.

  Dazed, she stumbled forward.

  She fought as hard as she could, but in the end, she succumbed to the sleeping poison.

  Chapter 3

  The Dawn of Takirar

  ∞∞∞

  Prince Adsuni slumped forward in his seat, supporting the weight of his head upon his hand as he listened to yet another lengthy speech. He was joined by roughly two dozen other men, sitting all about him muttering to themselves and taking notes. Normally, his father would be the one sitting in this chair, listening to these dreary speeches and utterly pointless debates. Unfortunately for both him and the young prince, he found himself feeling under the weather this morning, and so the prince was forced to shoulder his burdens for the day.

  The prince wondered if there could possibly be anything less interesting than the present discussion that he was only partly paying attention to.

  So the new king of Takirar was seen leaving his palace a week ago, what of it? Since when did sunlight and fresh air become so scandalous? The prince left his own home as frequently as he could, though he never ventured beyond the Aranaot marketplace.

  “This is clearly an act of aggression,” argued one man.

  “Going outside?” the prince asked dispassionately.

  “No! No, my prince, you do not understand, he was seen stopping by a blacksmith's stall. Our informant said that he was clearly looking into weapons—”

  “Pah! You know damn well the 'weapon' he was looking at was a spreading knife. What good is that gonna do? Our men aren't made of butter!” another man shot back.

  The prince brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose, pinching that soft spot between his eyes; he felt a headache coming on.

  “This can't really be the most important thing for us to talk about right now, can it?” Adsuni asked. “What about human trafficking? Have there been any updates on that investigation?”

  His councilmen shifted about their seats uncomfortably. Adsuni strongly suspected that at least a few of them were involved in some way, though he couldn't prove it. His father urged him to drop the matter months ago, and Adsuni had - for a time.

  What the king didn't know wouldn't hurt him, but it might save a few Dinavhene lives caught in the crossfire of those vile border skirmishes he'd been hearing so much about.

  The prince felt a tad guilty bringing such a subject up behind his father's back, but if the king wouldn't investigate, he didn't see any harm in doing so on his own time.

  At that moment, Prime Minister Hymuse stood up from his seat and turned to address his prince.

  “I am afraid news on this subject is rather sparse, my lord. The men involved in these despicable activities have been all the more secretive since we have began looking into their activities. It has become increasingly difficult to find them and none of our suspects have been caught doing anything to warrant a search of their properties. Fret not,” he added, “for I have a team following a lead as we speak. As soon as I hear back from them, I will report everything directly to you.”

  His answer was not what the prince was hoping for, but he supposed he should be satisfied with that – for now. He dared not press the subject further, lest one of his councilmen inform his father of their meeting.

  “Trafficking is often a sign of war,” one man put in.

  “Trafficking is a symptom of war,” another one corrected.

  “This has Takirar written all over it. Shouldn't we strike at them while they're weak?”

  “And risk alienating Toluduna, who alone supported us during our last war?”

  A great argument broke out then, with more than half of the councilmen arguing in favor of striking out at Takirar, and the few opposed pleading for diplomacy. Adsuni wasn't surprised by this; those in favor of initiating conflict had either suffered great losses in the previous war, or were wealthy enough to see the war as more of an investment if new territories and resources were to be gained. Those few that opposed had close relatives whose lives would be directly jeopardized and likely could not afford to contribute to the war effort.

  “We're not invading anyone,” Adsuni said loudly, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention.

  “Yes, the recent developments in Takirar have me concerned. Our history with that country and its leadership is stained with blood and tears. I cannot pretend otherwise, and to do so would be an immense disservice to you all! But please, do not let fear rule your minds. Wouldn't it be better for Takirar to have stable leadership, as opposed to leaving it unoccupied? And wouldn't it be better, too, to give our people time to recover from the last war? Only now have we begun to rebuild–”

  “It wasn't unoccupied,” Gotaaga snapped. “We earned that territory, in case you've forgotten. It belonged to us – to Dinavhek!”

  “And yet it was your men that failed to keep it under our ownership, was it not?” Hymuse asked, tapping his finger against his lips to hide his smirk.

  Gotaaga's face reddened and he sputtered in fury, but he offered no rebuttal, for Hymuse had spoken truly; the Takirari territory that fell under Dinavhek's control had been freed by a resistance group a mere month ago. Gotaaga petitioned the king to supply him with more soldiers, but the man refused, for he believed it to be a waste of Dinavhene life. Shortly after that, a new king of Takirar emerged from the shadows, though he remained shrouded in mystery, as few people ever saw him face to face.

  So far, the new King of Takirar had not made a move against any of his neighbors. Little was known about him as a ruler, or as a man, and it was rumored that his very existence was kept hidden even from his own people. His birth could have been scandalous in nature, or his parents simply might have wanted to keep their one and only child a secret. Adsuni didn't care, and neither did his father; they just wanted their people to be able to live in peace.

  “Enough!” Adsuni ordered as he stood up to address the entire chamber. “Enough, all of you! Listen, it will take years before Takirar will reach even a tenth of the strength they once claimed. They have made no move against us since their surrender. We have more problems here, in our own land. Dinavhene citizens are starving to death. Dinavhene citizens are dying because they don't have a roof over their head. Can we not focus on them, just this once?”

  Hymuse nodded. “Yes,” he agreed.
“After all, how many of our people are starving in the streets as we speak? How many of these citizens are veterans from the last war? How many of them were abandoned in their time of need as thanks for their services? I am sure you would agree, my lord, that even just one preventable death is too many. Am I correct?”

  “Of course you are!”

  “Then I see no reason that we cannot all come together and work on a solution to that problem... right, my prince? And my fellow men?”

  Good old Hymuse! Adsuni could see why the man was so popular among the people, for he was a man of such high standing, and yet he did not hold himself above the commonfolk. Adsuni wished he could be like Hymuse – confident, wise, and well-spoken.

  Adsuni felt inadequate next to him.

  From his vantage point Adsuni towered over the prime minister, though he felt as if it were the other way around; Hymuse stood well below him in the center of the room, but his presence commanded respect.

  The rest of the councilmen muttered and nodded in agreement, and the prince retreated back to his seat, content to observe the remainder of the meeting. He would let Hymuse take care of the discussion from here on out.

  Glanen waited for him obediently outside the door. Ah, faithful Glanen – one of few constants in the prince's life, and one of only four people Adsuni felt he could truly depend upon. The knight was busy regaling one of the cleaning women with tales of his heroism beyond the Dinavhene border.

  What was he talking about this time?

  “—And that was the last time the Giant Slug of Coranvir was seen!”

  “Giant slugs are there, now?” Adsuni asked with a laugh as he came through the arched door.

  Glanen wasn't remotely embarrassed. “My prince! Ever am I glad to find myself in your company again,” he said, dropping to his knees.

  Adsuni cleared his throat.

  “Ahem. Er, yes, that's... good. Well, Sir Knight, we have a, um, important matter to discuss. So, if you would just – erm, come with me—thanks!”

  The maiden scurried off, leaving the two alone in the corridor. She'd been fairly pretty; Adsuni almost felt bad about interrupting her one-sided conversation with Glanen. Then again, he couldn't imagine that the knight's father would never approve of him consorting with people so far below his rank. Alas, their fleeting romance was never meant to be!