Soulblade: An Epic Fantasy Adventure Romance (A Dance of Fire and Shadow Book 4)
Soulblade: Chapter 5

I MAKE SURE TO THANK Shadow as soon as we arrive back at Maratic and he sets me down in the courtyard outside the training cave. His mood is subdued.

“I cannot understand why you humans make everything so complicated and difficult for no reason.”

“Those two do have a reason. They are madly in love. Whether it will last beyond the excitement of their new whirlwind romance I have no idea, but as you say, it could cause some serious complications. Will you keep an eye on Alina while I’m away? You will be able to watch over her from here if you use your mirror.”

“I would prefer it if you do not travel to Rapathia in the first place.”

“So would I, but I have no choice.”

“Only because you accept servitude to the Eldrin. You could break free if you wished.”

“And live in exile in Annubia? Or eke out a lonely existence in the wild forests in the east of Samaran as you did for so many centuries?”

He looks offended. “Sharing my domain with those Eldrin usurpers is little improvement.”

“I should not have to keep reminding you that the alternative would be a long and ruinous battle for dominance. With an outcome for you that would at best be as the sole dictator of a devastated wasteland. Things are bad enough after the Rapathian invasion.”

He does not seem to replace this particularly convincing, but any further argument is cut short by Deris’ interruption as he emerges hurriedly from the training cave.

“Ariel! Where have you been? Jantian found another piece of information in the hidden archive and we need to go through it now.”

I avoid answering his question about my recent whereabouts and hope that Jantian is too busy to ask. I catch Shadow’s hand to stop him leaving.

“Shadow. This is your chance to speak your truth to the Eldrin.”

He hesitates. “They will not listen.”

“In that case, at least try to convince them. Then you will be able to prove you are right about how stubborn and opinionated they are.” I walk inside with Deris, feeling the brush of cold air behind me as Shadow grudgingly follows.

Jantian is standing with Marin by the table of scrolls at the far side of the great arched space. His gaze tracks to Shadow and then back to me but he studiously refrains from commenting on the presence of a powerful Elemental he did not invite to this meeting.

“Ariel, we found a fragment of Jaren’s notes that we think he wrote near the end of his life.” He steps back so I can see the new addition.

Part of this sheet had become wet at some point in its history and has rotted away, but the section that remains is clearly set out in Jaren’s firm hand. And yes, it has taken on a slightly more uncertain, spidery form, as if the writer’s fingers no longer retained their former strength when gripping the quill.

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The enmity between the Knights of Eldaran and the Elementals has brought more tragedy. I now believe it was a mistake to destroy such mysterious beings. I thought nothing could be more devastating than the death of my beloved Valara, but I foresee even greater sadness in the long term future of this Vale.

Samaran grows colder and less fertile. Our lives will be less prosperous than we hoped. Without the Elementals, there is less vitality here and I have become convinced that they are the essence of the land. Now, the seasons are disrupted. The lesser dryads and salamanders are not strong enough to balance the cold influence of the one they call Shadow, the only surviving Elemental.

It has taken me more than a year to convince the Elder Knights that this is the cause of our decline. They have decided that the only solution is to drive Shadow away, far from Maratic.

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I turn back to stare at Jantian, feeling more than exasperated.

“So Jaren finally starts to understand the mess they created by destroying most of the Elementals––and then they try to solve the problem with the same strategy that caused it in the first place?”

He points. “There is more. Below the section erased by water.”

I flatten the crumpled sheet, careful not to destroy the last fragile layers of beaten reeds.

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I no longer believe that the Elementals actively gifted the secrets of forging weapons and other arts. Rather, there are some humans who have an affinity, an understanding of Maratic’s power and can slowly access the alchemical knowledge of the elements and the power of earth and sky.

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There is more, but it is illegible. Time, water, and mildew have done their work in erasing whatever else Jaren was hoping to leave for future generations. When I look up, Jantian is watching me.

“So, Ariel, do you think that is a reasonable conclusion?”

“How would he know so much detail about the rare individuals who could understand how to use Maratic’s power to forge weapons?”

Silence. Then it is Shadow who answers.

“Because Jaren was one of them.”

“How do you know?”

“I could feel it. All the Elementals could tell when someone made a connection with the alchemy of Maratic. It was weak and of limited value. A new weapon here, a farming implement there. Not interesting to us. Not worth more than a few moments of idle observation.”

“But when Valara took possession of Maratic, those abilities became stronger?”

“Of course.” Shadow looks at each of us in turn. “You mean, you did not know any of this until now?”

“Jantian guessed most of it a few weeks ago, when the first fragments of concealed history were discovered. But at that stage it was just guesswork, speculation.” I hesitate, as more questions start to surface. “But if Jaren had to hide his opinions because they differed from those of Valara, why would he need to continue hiding them after her death?” I refrain from saying, After you killed her. It probably would not help the tenuous cooperation emerging here.

Once again, Shadow seems surprised that this is not common knowledge. “Because the Knights of Eldaran were too impressed by Valara’s abilities as a Power Mage. No one could speak against the laws she had set down for this new kingdom. I did not even know that Jaren had developed other ideas. I am sure he knew better than to speak most of them aloud to any of the others.”

The long silence seems to hover in the sunlight flickering through the openings in the crystalline rock wall. Finally, Jantian addresses Shadow directly.

“Shadow, the Eldrin intend to remain here. We shall continue to develop our skills to protect our country and the King. But I hope that by acknowledging some of the past mistakes made by the Knights of Eldaran, we can make our presence here more bearable for you.”

Not exactly an apology then, but maybe a cautious move closer to something like a truce––and I know this is a big step for someone like Jantian. I feel a tug of frustration as I notice the sharp edge of my desire to challenge the Eldrin commander being dulled by this fragment of compromise.

Shadow does not respond but at least there is an absence of hissing anger. I notice Jantian waiting for a few thoughtful moments before carefully asking another question.

“I found several vague references in these archives to some evil force in the lost lands south of Rapathia that had driven the Power Mages to seek sanctuary further north. What do you know about this?”

Any mention of Rapathia always seems to stir bitter memories for Shadow, jagged edges of remembered pain that the passing centuries have failed to erase. A few tense moments pass before he answers.

“I do not know more than that, except that something feared and terrible destroyed the great Citadel of the Mages. Very few survived and yes, they came north, through Rapathia and into Annubia. And finally Valara arrived here in Samaran.”

I can see that Jantian is forming another question. Guessing it is probably about Rapathia, I catch his eye and shake my head. To my relief, he gets the unspoken message.

Shadow walks out in silence.

Deris raises a curious eyebrow in my direction.

“Has he gone far?”

“I don’t think so.” The underlying sense from the binding that holds me to Shadow tells me he has left Maratic, but not for long. “I think he will return soon. He has waited too many years to reclaim his place here. But he hates talking about the time he was enslaved in Rapathia. If we want the advantage of his cooperation and his knowledge, we have to deal with him cautiously. Dare I say, respectfully.”

Jantian is still staring at the gathered shreds of Maratic’s history. “Whatever destroyed the Mage Citadel was probably the source of corruption that has been slowly ruining Rapathia for centuries. We know that the two power places in Rapathia were taken over by humans after Valara defeated the Rapathian Elementals. But then both those places were destroyed in the constant internal wars for possession of them.”

The line of prophesy in Jaren’s writings still haunts me.

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At the end, one will come. And set them all free.

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Jantian has found no further detail to reveal whether this is something that came from Jaren’s own discovery or if he was merely passing on a secret he had heard. On its own, it is of little help in guiding us in our task. Water and time have erased what further clues might once have waited in these pages, but for me, that surviving fragment offers a tiny thread of hope.

If I really have Nissanda’s lineage, could I be the one to free whatever tormented souls the prophesy speaks of? And could it be the key to a reprieve for both Marin and myself? Perhaps this new mission will give us the chance to replace out.

I venture the question that I know is on everyone’s mind.

“Jantian. What is it you expect us to do in Rapathia?”

“To put it simply, replace out what has been going wrong there for some considerable time and try to work out a solution. There is more at work there than the fact that Rapathia is on the brink of ruin after this failed invasion, although that alone would be bad enough. Lawlessness and disease could increase rapidly through a failed state and eventually spread disaster to Annubia and Samaran. We have to act now to deal with it.”

“But you think there are dark forces there that caused the corruption in the first place? The reason Rapathia has always been at war, whether with itself or with other countries?”

“Yes.”

Silence. If Jantian only plans to send the five of us––assuming Nem recovers in time to join Marin, Deris, Brac and myself––it is a daunting task he is setting us. We don’t even know where to start looking.

Maybe there will be no need. Maybe whatever sinister force is lurking in the murky forested swamplands of Rapathia will sense the presence of five Power Mages intruding on its territory and come hunting for us.

That thought is not reassuring.