City of Blaze (The Fireblade Array) (36 page)

Toryn brought his attention back from the ground. “How was this discovered? I had you tested when you were just born and they said you couldn’t wield a drop.”

Morghiad answered him, “Her ability is masked in a way I have not seen before. It is invisible to all kanaala that do not make contact with her.”

Her father thought for a moment. “Morghiad. I suppose you were instrumental in keeping this a secret from your father.”

He nodded.

“Then I must offer you my thanks in protecting her. However, it is now clear to me why you have added her to your army and perhaps why you chose to keep her a secret. Clearly she is a useful weapon to you and, as any father would agree, I do not appreciate seeing my beautiful and innocent young daughter employed to kill and take part in your futile battles.”

“I have not done it solely for my own gain, Toryn.”

Toryn looked fiercely at him. “You will have to try harder than that to convince me, lad. How much of a choice did she have in this?”

Morghiad was unable to answer.

Artemi spoke for him instead. “He has taken excellent care of me. And I did make a choice to stay here and protect the people of Calidell. That is what I said I would do.”

But the kahr knew she was casting her situation in a far more positive light than it deserved. He could see now, from her relationship with her father, that she never could have left him. Morghiad had forced her into this decision; he had not given her the choice she deserved, and the guilt of his actions began to weigh heavily upon him.

Toryn was right to remain unconvinced, but he left the matter there. “Well then, I have no desire to look at your glum face all day, lad. Artemi, are you alright to go back with him? I’ll walk you back to the castle if you like.”

She looked to Morghiad for permission.

“Do as you wish,” he said. “But before I go, I must speak to you alone, Toryn.”

“You can tell me what you need to in front of her.”

The kahr shook his head. “I’m afraid that I cannot. Of course you may relate it to her yourself later, if you think it wise.”

Artemi and her father looked puzzled at his explanation. But she gave him a final hug, stepped out of the door and went to pay her attentions to Tyshar.

“Well?” Toryn asked.

This would be the most difficult part of the meeting, and possibly the most damaging to the father and daughter’s relationship, but Toryn had to know if she was to be kept safe. “I believe that your daughter is the warrior Artemi of legend.”

Her father smiled, and then laughed. “Has all that royal entitlement finally sent you mad? She is a capable girl but those are just stories. And of course she will
look
like the character, that’s why I named her so.”

The kahr pressed on. “In six months of picking up her first sword she learned what ought to have taken a lifetime. She wields like someone who has spent decades learning the forms. Two weeks ago she learned an entire dance in two days and could execute it perfectly. I can think of no other explanation for the masked nature of her power. How else do I explain these things?”

Toryn thought for a moment. “Can you not simply accept that she is an intelligent and able young woman?”

“She is one of the cleverest people I have known, and yes, I think she is singular in her abilities, even if one strips away her meteoric learning. But I found this in a very old book.” Morghiad took the rolled-up picture of her from his coat and handed it to her father.

He looked at it for a minute and then sat down slowly. “Is this genuine? She always hated it when I tried to read
Chronicles
to her when she was little.” He looked at the picture again. “Said it gave her a headache.” He smiled thinly. “Are you sure of this?”

The kahr nodded.

Toryn fell silent in contemplation.

“Artemi cannot know of this until her memories return of their own accord,” Morghiad said.

“I have been around long enough to know about vanha-sielu, lad.” Toryn admonished. Then, “Why did you tell me of this?”

“Because there is a chance that, when she remembers, she will want to leave here and whatever ties she has to myself and the army will become insignificant. I am under no illusions that I can keep her here against her will. But I want to know that someone she cares very deeply for will be around to protect her. And I want you to be forewarned and prepared for when it happens.” The kahr folded his arms.

Toryn looked confused. “You are asking a father to protect his daughter?”

Morghiad smiled. It was the response he had hoped for. “I wanted to know if you would still be her father when you heard the news.”

Toryn looked almost insulted at that, which was good.

“I have a plan in place for her escape, should she need it. The details are on this document.” He pulled out a folded note. “Memorise them and then burn it.”

The older man examined the kahr closely, and Morghiad couldn’t help feeling as if he were under the lens of a magnifying glass. “There’s more to you than your pretty face, lad. I’ll give you that. But don’t think of that as an invitation to bed my daughter. I’ve heard enough today to confirm that no man is good enough for her.”

The kahr offered him a nod of agreement and made his goodbyes. He smiled at Artemi as he re-mounted Tyshar; she would always have someone around who cared for her, and that was the most important thing.

Chapter 11

Strong, golden light pulsed out of the sun, suspended like a disc of pure Blaze Energy in the azure sky. Its light warmed Artemi’s body deeply, and she bathed in it at the window for some time. She was bored today, unbelievably bored. She had read the latest borrowed book in a couple of hours and was now confined to her benay-gosa apartments, alone. All the other benay-gosa were entertaining the king at some sort of party, not that she missed them a great deal. They seemed to think she had gotten off lightly with her union to the kahr, and she was sure some of them suspected the truth about their relationship. And Morghiad was off attending some business that did not concern her, or probably looking for an excuse not to see her. It was curious that she missed his company when it was absent and yet detested it when he was present.

It was not as if she had grown fond of his expressionless, stony countenance and utter lack of conversation. Artemi also missed her sword and her horse. But, naturally, she wasn’t allowed to take either of those out without
his
permission. She went to lie on her silky, soft bed. This truly was a gemstone-encrusted prison cell.

Artemi closed her eyes and dreamt she was riding Glacier across the grassy plains, feeling the breeze upon her face and in her hair. She wished she could wield a giant doorway into some faraway land and gallop right through it, with nothing but her sword for company. That would be a wonderful freedom. Instead she opened her eyes to a silk-lined, stone wall. She sat up.

Would anyone really miss her if she went out for a short ride? The men of the army trusted her well enough now to let her go, and she couldn’t exactly be sneaky about it, in any case. The only issue would be slipping out without the attendants knowing. She amused herself with thoughts of knocking them out with her bare fists, and glanced out of the window again. It was not too much of a drop to the courtyard below, but it would be very obvious. Artemi paced the room twice, listening for footfalls outside. It was silent. She fastened on her new, long and green satin coat. It had been made especially with riding in mind, split at the back and front, which meant she could sit astride whilst still looking respectable. Morghiad had hidden a long knife for her under the mattress. She reached for it and stuffed it inside her coat. Next, she pulled on her calf-length, soft leather riding boots and listened at the door. There was no one there. Artemi pushed the door open as if she were stepping out of it normally, but kept her footfalls silent. If they did see her, at least she would not
look
suspicious. The antechamber was empty. Artemi strode right out of the benay-gosa apartments.

Whilst moving through the halls, she kept her walk and posture relaxed. There was nothing unusual about her walking unaccompanied, she told herself, and Morghiad would be quick to approve of her walking in the corridors. It was only the king who was funny about that sort of thing, and she was not going to bump into him if he was partying with his mistresses. She passed a few servants who looked at her but said nothing, and even nodded at a few of the guards she recognised. Some gave her curious looks, but did not stop her. Artemi arrived at the stables in surprisingly little time, and began saddling Glacier.

A guard walked into the box. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Artemi’s heart sank. She had failed.

He stepped in and examined the tack. “That is no work for the captain’s benay-gosa. Allow me.” The man finished her preparations and then led the horse out for her.

She tried to keep her eyes from bulging, but forced as warm a smile as she could and offered thanks, mounting Glacier while he held her. She took the reins and trotted the animal out of the castle. The early summer breeze touched her cheeks as she entered the city, its smell mingled with that of fires, street food and perfumes. Glacier danced through the people, clearly as eager to escape as she was.

Upon reaching the city walls, a guard stepped into her path. His long, shoulder-length hair was tied back in a leather band. It was the man who had carried her at the Battle of Gorena. “Why are you alone?” he asked.

“Morghiad has some pressing business to attend to, and is unable to accompany me at present,” she responded.

He nodded but did not move. “Will you be alright? I have a couple of free men who could go with you.”

 Artemi compressed her lips. “I will be fine. I am quite capable of defending myself.”

He thought for a moment. “Just be careful out there.”

Artemi nodded. Why did they have to fuss so much? She could feel the open land calling to her beyond the gates. The soldier moved out of her way and waved her past. Artemi kicked her bay mare into a canter through the tunnel and then out - out into the wide expanse of the Cadran grasslands.

It felt as good as she had imagined it would. Adrenaline and excitement surged through her veins at the freedom from her prison. She delighted in the sensation of the wind and the smell of new leaves, the power of the horse thundering at the ground beneath her. The mount was the finest gift she had received from anyone, more valuable to her even than the sword. Together they stormed up the slope to the woods, now a brilliant green with their fresh growth. It contrasted vibrantly with the blue of the sky, making Artemi’s heart beat faster in appreciation for her world. They had covered the distance to the woodland with blistering speed, and Artemi only slowed the horse a touch when they ran under the first branches. She found herself laughing like a mad woman at the experience, and was glad there was no one there to see it.

They trotted around the woodland for an hour or so, delighting at the way light played on the soil after its arduous journey through the canopy. The old leaves swirled in the breeze and the squirrels chattered to each other noisily with every step her horse took into their territory. The fine multitude of colours in the leaves and the pale bark seemed a world away from the dark oppression of the stony keep. She gazed deeper into the singing woods. The castle called to her instead, making her back itch, but she would enjoy her freedom for a few moments longer.

Artemi let Glacier have a long rein so that she could lie back on the animal’s rump while it walked. She gazed up at the sun. It glittered through the leaves as they moved, warming her heart. Artemi closed her eyes and breathed deeply, but her reverie was broken when she heard hoof falls approaching, and she sat up. A large, black horse drew near. It was Morghiad’s.

“What happened?” His expression could only be described as severe.

She realised her hair must have looked a wild mess from all the running around, and Glacier was somewhat muddy. He was going to be angry with her for this. “I wanted to go for a ride.”

His brow darkened. “You can’t traipse around here alone whenever the feeling takes you. What if something had happened to you? I had no idea where you were.”

“I wanted to escape, just for a little while. That place... it’s like a prison, and as for you - you are my bloody gatekeeper!”

Morghiad dismounted and hitched Tyshar to a nearby tree. “Come down, Artemi.”

What was he going to do? Spank her? She obeyed and tied Glacier beside the warhorse.

The kahr’s green eyes glittered in the light – almost the same colour as the leaves. He took a breath. “Are you unhappy here?”

Perhaps it was unwise, but she had to give him an honest answer. “Sometimes, yes. I am.”

He looked... upset. The tall man sighed. "You are released of your promise to me. I cannot bear your sadness any longer, nor the part which I have played in it.”

She hadn’t expected that! “You’re letting me go? Why?”

“You are right. I have kept you here as my prisoner and now my conscience demands that I allow you to leave. I have lied to those who trust me, my father, my friends and I have done it for you. I have broken the laws which I am charged with upholding. I have been responsible for the deaths of those like you and yet I have allowed you to live. Can you not
see
why, Artemi?” Desperation tinged his voice.