Leslie Moore - Griffin's Shadow

Thousands of stars glittered overhead in a clear, black sky. The moon had not yet risen-the bulk of the castle lay in darkness below, like a slumbering dragon. She leaned out over the sill and inhaled deeply of the cool air.

A tiny whisper of sound, like the soft chime of a bell, caused her to start. She peered into the darkness below, trying to pierce the veil of shadow that obscured the source of the mysterious noise.

A ghostly, bluish light flickered to life and revealed the dim outlines of a figure standing in the yard directly below the window. As Jelena watched with growing unease, the light waxed stronger, resolving itself into a perfect sphere that floated just above the head of a woman with fiery red hair.

Sonoe stood looking upward, right into Jelena’s eyes.

Jelena hissed in surprise and fell back from the window, nearly tripping over the hem of her robe. Trembling with reaction, she crouched on the floor beneath the sill, her thoughts racing.

What is my father’s Companion doing here at this time of night?

The beautiful mage’s eyes had looked like two black stones set in alabaster. Jelena felt a sudden wave of fear, like the cold exhalation from a freshly opened tomb.

This makes no sense! Sonoe is a Kirian, and if not a friend, then at least an ally!

Profoundly disturbed, Jelena scurried for the safety of the bed and Ashinji’s comforting presence. She climbed in, pressed herself against him, then lay unmoving for the rest of the night.

"This hikui girl, your Majesty. You are certain she is yours?” Lady Odata of Tono asked, disbelief coloring her voice.

“Yes, quite certain, my lady,” the king replied, clearly irritated by the implication. “The White Griffin confirmed it. You know as well as I that it only reacts when one of the true blood of Onjara touches it. I’d be happy to demonstrate to all of you!” He pounded his fist on the polished oak of the council table in frustration.

“Easy, Brother,” Raidan soothed. “Your lords only want assurances that this isn’t some sort of deception. You can’t blame them for that.”

“No…no, I can’t. You are right,” Keizo admitted. He sighed and unclenched his hands, laying them flat on the table. “My apologies, my lords and ladies.”

Raidan observed his brother over steepled fingers. They had spent most of last night arguing over how best to handle this situation. Raidan had urged caution, recommending that Keizo present the girl to the Council, but hold off on any public proclamations to legitimize her. Keizo would have his hands full just dealing with the shock and dismay of his advisors. He didn’t need a public outcry to add to his troubles.

In the end, though, Keizo remained resolute. The Council and the elven people would know about his daughter, and, in time, come to accept his decision-or so he believed.

Now, faced with the full wrath of his lords, Keizo remained in control, handling the situation well enough, considering.

Several of the lords shouted simultaneously, but one voice in particular-Morio of Ayame’s-rang out above the others. “Your Majesty, where is this leading? You have no child of your blood, save this girl…this hikui girl. If you legitimize her, then you are as good as declaring that you plan to name her your Heir!”

“That I cannot do, my lord of Ayame. It is against our law,” the king replied, tight-lipped.

“How do we know you won’t suspend the law?” Lord Morio continued. “With respect, Majesty, if you try, there are many of us who will oppose you! The elven people will never accept a hikui as their ruler!” Many voices cried out in agreement, adding to the general cacophony.

Sen Sakehera, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. “My lords and ladies, I pray you, shut up !” he roared. All shouting ceased and every eye fixed upon the King’s Commanding General. “That’s better,” he said. “Now that I can hear myself, I’d like to get in my few humble words, with your permission, Majesty.” The king waved his hand in consent.

“It was I who brought Jelena here to Sendai. My son Ashinji found her along our southern border, fleeing from bandits. If he hadn’t come along, she’d be dead, and so would I, because some months later, Jelena saved my life. I owed it to her to try to help her find her elven kin.” He glanced at the king, who sat very still, face impassive.

“I’ve come to care for this girl very much, and so has my son. I know her mind, far better than even her own father does,” Keizo’s mouth twitched at this, but he otherwise showed no reaction. “and I know that she has absolutely no desire to be anything other than my son’s wife.”

Lord Sen turned to regard Raidan. “Your Highness, Jelena is no threat to you, even if the king claims her publicly.”

Raidan heard the unspoken message in Sen’s softly spoken final words and saw the promise in his eyes. You’d go to war against me to protect this girl! he thought . We’d both better pray to the One that it never comes to that, for then I’d have to destroy you, my friend!

The Lord of Kerala sat down and glanced around the table at his fellow advisors. A heavy silence, full of consternation and confusion, blanketed the room. The air hummed with energy, the result of fourteen individual Talents amplified by proximity and stress.

The whole situation threatened to give Raidan a vicious headache. He rubbed at his temples. “Brother, why don’t you send for Jelena now? I think it’s time that your Council meet your daughter and see for themselves just what she’s like.”

“I’ll go and get her myself,” Keizo murmured.

The king stood and exited the room. He returned a moment later with Jelena on his arm. “My lords and ladies, I present to you my daughter…Jelena.”

Raidan’s eyebrows lifted in surprise at the transformation his niece had undergone. The girl wore a splendid, multi-layered court gown, an ornate silver headdress resting on her tamed locks.

By the One, she’s really quite pretty, he thought, and if she weren’t a bastard Onjara, and already married, she’d have no trouble finding a place as a concubine to some minor lord or court official.

Jelena held her head high, but Raidan sensed her nervousness; to her credit, she masked it well.

“My lords and ladies, I thank you for receiving me,” the girl addressed the Council in excellent, though heavily accented, Siri-dar. “Please allow me to sit and answer any questions you may have for me.”

Well said, girl, Raidan thought.

The king snapped his fingers and a servant came forward with a chair, which he placed next to the king’s. Keizo waited while his daughter sat with admirable grace and adjusted her skirts, then folded her hands demurely on her lap.

Keizo resumed his seat and held up his hand before anyone could speak. “Before you question my daughter, I have an announcement to make. There will be an official ceremony of legitimization for her in two days time. I will then present her to the people.” The king calmly gazed at his advisors, daring them to challenge him.

“Tell us about yourself, child,” Lady Odata spoke up first, breaking the tense silence.

“I was raised in the house of my mother’s brother, Duke Teodorus of Amsara,” Jelena began, her voice quiet but steady. “My mother bore me in disgrace, disowned by her own family because she confessed to the crime of lying with an elven man. She died giving birth to me, so I never knew her, except through the stories told to me by my foster mother.”

Jelena went on to tell her tale of growing up outcast among the humans of Amsara, ignored or openly despised by most of them; her foster mother and human cousin became her only sources of love and emotional support.