Leslie Moore - Griffin's Shadow

“Ai, Goddess…I am so sorry to see you here, my son,” she said in Siri-dar. She held out her hand to Ashinji, who clasped it in his. “Who are your kin, young Ashinji?” Gently, she removed her hand from Ashinji’s grasp and patted his shoulder.

“My parents are Sen and Amara Sakehera, Lord and Lady of Kerala,” he replied.

The old woman gasped. “Amara Sakehera is your mother?”

“You know my mother?”

The old woman bobbed her head. “Amara and I were colleagues, many years ago.” She waved her hand, indicating that Ashinji should follow her. “Come. We’ll go sit, and you can tell me your tale. We still have some time before the afternoon training session begins.”

She led him to where two rough stools leaned against the barracks wall. Ashinji waited for her to sit before he settled beside her.

“Once upon a time, I was known as Chiana Hiraino,” the old woman said.

“Are you kin to Tesuka Hiraino, the famous historian?” Ashinji asked.

“Tesuka was my father. You’ve studied his writings in school, no doubt. Well, Chiana Hiraino no longer exists. The woman you see before you now is known simply as ‘Gran’. The Soldarans tend to call every woman past her childbearing years by this name. It’s a term of affection for them.”

Gran was, indeed, well into her elder years. A fan of creases set off her clear blue eyes, and silver frosted her pale blonde hair. Bony hands, roughened by hard work, rested in her lap; still, her lean body gave the impression of strength rather than frailty.

Ashinji wondered how the daughter of such a renowned man as Tesuka Hiraino had come to be in this place.

“Are you a slave, Lady Chiana?” he asked.

Gran chuckled. “Yes, my son, I’m a slave, and please, don’t call me by my old name. I’m “Gran” now, and just that. Now, tell me how you ended up here.”

Ashinji gave her an abbreviated account of the battle that had ended in his capture, omitting the part Sadaiyo’s betrayal had played.

“I’d heard rumors the Soldarans had already launched an attack on our homeland,” Gran said, “and now I know the rumors are true.”

“The empress sent an army into Kerala, with the express purpose of splitting the Alasiri forces in order to weaken us. Now, King Keizo will have to keep part of his army in my father’s demesne, tied up defending the border.”

“I remember the day Sen Sakehera married your mother,” Gran said. Her eyes grew wistful as she recounted the memory. “By the One, but he was handsome! I can see a lot of him in you. Your mother gave up a great deal to be his wife.”

“You said you and my mother were colleagues once.”

“Yes, indeed. We went to school together. We are both graduates of the Kan Onji, also known as the Red Order.”

“You’re a sorceress? But then…”

“I was a practitioner once, but I gave that all up long ago,” Gran interrupted. “So did Amara, but for very different reasons.” Her voice had taken on a note of sadness, and Ashinji sensed something painful hidden behind her simple statement. Gran reached out and laid a hand on his forearm. “Your Talent is quite strong, young Ashinji, but it is still largely dormant. No…wait.” She paused and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, then opened again. “Your Talent is not dormant. It has been blocked, and by someone quite skilled.”

“Blocked? Are you certain?”

“Quite certain,” Gran replied.” Do you have any idea who might have done this to you, and why?”

“Yes, sadly, I do. My mother.”

Gran frowned. “But why would Amara block her own child’s Talent, particularly one as strong as yours is?”

“I’m second-born. The House of Sakehera always pledges its second-born child to the king’s service. I’ve been a soldier my entire adult life.”

“Ah,” Gran nodded. “And I remember that in your mother’s family, only the girls receive any formal magical training.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Ashinji said. “So, you see, I never had any chance of developing my Talent much beyond the basics, even had I wished to. I think my mother must have blocked me in order to make it easier for me to accept my fate.”

“I sense this has caused you pain, my son,” she said. “Have you any sisters, then?”

“I have three sisters, but none of them have been sent to mage school…at least not yet.”

“Such a pity you were not sent to the Red Order,” Gran replied, shaking her head. “You could have been a formidable mage. Still, there is much you can learn, even now. I can’t remove the block without hurting you, but I can teach you how to use the Talent you do have to help you survive this place. Even blocked, you are still stronger than you realize.”

“I have a wife and a baby on the way, Gran. I need to survive for them.” Ashinji paused, then added, “Somehow, I have to find a way to escape.”

“Ai, son,” Gran sighed. “In all the years I’ve lived in this yard, I’ve not once seen any slave escape, save through death.”

“I don’t understand why you’re still here, Gran. Surely, a sorceress of the Red Order is too powerful to be held against her will.”

“Mistress de Guera has offered me my freedom any time I choose to take it, but I have declined,” Gran replied.

“But…but why?” Ashinji asked, astonished.

“That is a long story, young man, and one day, perhaps I will tell it to you.” Gran’s tone and the set of her jaw warned Ashinji not to push any further. “Now, tell me about your wife. Who are her kin?”

“My wife’s name is Jelena…” Ashinji began, but Gran interrupted him.

“Jelena…that’s not an elven name,” she said.

“No, it isn’t. She’s Soldaran-born.”

“You married a human ?”

“Jelena is hikui. Her mother was the sister of the human lord whose lands border Kerala to the south.” Ashinji told Gran of Jelena’s childhood as a drudge in her uncle’s house, her reasons for fleeing north into Alasiri, and of how they had found each other.

“Your wife sounds like a remarkable young woman. Did she ever find her elven kin?” Gran asked.

“Yes, and when she did, it was almost more than either of us could adjust to. She had always been told her father came from a noble family, but just how noble proved to be a great shock. Jelena is the daughter of our king.”

“Silverlock’s daughter! Keizo Onjara sired a child on a human woman?” Gran had drawn herself up on her stool and her face wore an expression of consternation.

“Yes. The king met Jelena’s mother before he came to the throne.”

“Tell me, does your wife have any Talent?” Gran peered intently into Ashinji’s face.

“Yes, she does, but she’s unable to use it much. My mother, as well as Jelena’s aunt and her father’s Companion are both giving her some training…”

“Her aunt…Do you mean Taya Onjara?”

“Princess Taya Onjara, wife of Crown Prince Raidan, yes.” Aware, now, that Gran’s interest in Jelena had become much more specific, Ashinji asked, “Why all of these questions about my wife?” He felt uneasy .

She’s behaving as if she needs to find out something about Jelena that’s of vital importance to her…but how could that be? Until this moment, she had no idea my wife even existed.

As if sensing his growing discomfort, Gran settled back onto her stool and patted Ashinji’s knee. “Don’t mind my nosiness. It’s just been so long since I’ve spoken to another elf. I’ve been trying to teach that imp Seijon some Siri-dar, but all he cares about are the curse words and the vulgar names for private body parts.” She smiled, but her eyes remained troubled.