Leslie Moore - Griffin's Shadow

One last thing needed to be done before Magnes could return to the temple for a few hours of sleep. From the supplies in his satchel, he made up a mixture of willow bark, feverfew, and goldenseal.

“Brew this up as a strong tea and make Ashi drink it as soon as he wakes. He’ll hate the taste, I’m sure, so put a lot of honey in it,” he instructed, handing the packet over to Gran, who tucked it away within the folds of her skirt.

She nodded. “When will you return?”

Magnes raked a hand through his curls and scratched the stubble of beard sprouting on his chin and cheeks.

“This evening.”

"Concentrate, Jelena. Feel the dormant energy within the wick, take control of it…That’s it. Now, kindle the flame.”

“I’m trying, Sonoe, but I don’t think it’s working! Wait… I… yes !”

The little beeswax taper flared to life. Jelena gasped with delight.

“You did it, Jelena! Excellent! You see? I told you that you could.” Sonoe laughed at Jelena’s bemused expression. “You always underestimate your Talent, Jelena. You should never do that. Remember who and what you are. You’re an Onjara, and believe me, you’ve got the Onjara ability. You mustn’t be afraid to use it.”

Jelena nodded in agreement. “I hear what you’re saying, Sonoe, and I know you’re right. It’s just, well…until I came to Alasiri, I was a nobody…no, even worse, I was a despised nobody. It’s been a long, hard struggle to let go of all that and to see myself as worthwhile. Ashinji helped me the most, but so has my father…and you, of course.”

The windows of Sonoe’s private sitting room were thrown open to admit the soft spring breezes that wafted up from the gardens below, bringing with them the sweet perfume of the season’s first blooms. Sonoe and Jelena sat side by side on a silk upholstered couch, their bodies touching in the easy way of close friends. From across the room, gleeful giggles bounced through the air. Eikko and Sonoe’s maid Chiba had charge of Hatora, and the two hikui girls happily passed the cooing baby from one pair of arms to the other. Sonoe’s little dog Jewel spun and leapt around the girls in a frenzy of excitement.

Such peace, Sonoe thought. Pity it all has to end.

Her hand strayed to her bodice and pressed the black stone pendant secreted between her breasts.

Tonight, everything would change.

Sonoe reached out and laid a hand on Jelena’s cheek. Despite all her efforts, she had failed to quash the genuine affection she felt for this girl.

It will make her death so much harder to witness. If only a way could be found to spare her…

Sonoe sighed.

Such thoughts are counterproductive . Jelena’s fate was sealed long ago, and there’s nothing anyone can do to change it.

“Kindling a candle flame seems like such a little thing, though,” Jelena said. She reached out and snuffed the candle between her thumb and forefinger. “It’s a far cry from the powerful magic you and the other Kirians wield. I feel like a mouse beside an oliphant sometimes.”

Sonoe laughed. “Have you even seen an oliphant?”

“I’ve seen pictures…in books about the faraway south, out beyond the deserts,” Jelena replied. “There are leagues and leagues of forests so dense, the sun never reaches the ground. The humans who live there, the Eenui, are small and very, very dark-skinned. They ride oliphants, or so the books say. Mai Nohe’s father, Master Kurume, traveled to the Eenui lands, when he was a young man. It took him nearly a year to get there.”

“Tell me about Mai,” Sonoe prompted.

Jelena’s eyes swiveled downward and a stain of color crept into her cheeks. “There’s nothing to tell, really,” she murmured.

“If that’s so, then why are you blushing, pet?” Sonoe pressed, grinning. “You can’t hide the truth from me, dear heart. You know better. I think the handsome young swordmaster has turned your head!”

“We are getting to know one another, yes. I promised I’d give him a chance to win me over, and he’s certainly doing his very best!” A brief smile played across Jelena’s mouth, to be replaced by a frown of anguish. “Oh, Sonoe! What am I to do? Mai is handsome, kind, steady…”

Sonoe pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I can hear a ‘but’ that you’re not saying. Let me finish your sentence…‘but he’s not Ashinji’.”

“Am I being hopelessly pathetic for hanging on to my dead husband for so long? Gods, Sonoe, what’s wrong with me?” Jelena’s voice rose with her inflamed emotions. “I’m lonely and my child needs a father! Any other woman in my position would gladly accept a man like Mai, but here I sit, pining after a ghost when a living, breathing, wonderful man wants to share his life with me!” Jelena huffed and flopped backward into the cushions.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Sonoe soothed. “The love you and Ashinji shared was a very rare and beautiful thing, and it can’t ever be duplicated. You’re afraid that nothing else can ever measure up, but Jelena, there’s your mistake. Don’t even try to find the exact same thing you had, because you’ll fail. Accept what comes along for what it is, and happiness will follow.”

Such sage advice , Sonoe thought. The ironic part is, I meant every word .

Jelena nibbled on a fingertip, her humanish face a tablet upon which Sonoe could easily read all of her conflicting emotions. Clearly, Keizo’s daughter felt a strong attraction to Mai Nohe, but her love for her deceased husband had not diminished one whit.

Poor Jelena! You so much want to be reunited with your beloved Ashi. Well, my sweet friend, your wish will be granted very soon.

“Jelena, I’m so sorry, but I’ve just remembered something that I need to do. I must go.”

Jelena looked confused. “Now?”

Sonoe realized the abruptness of her departure would seem strange to the girl, but it couldn’t be helped. She needed to get away from Jelena, and quickly. The closeness she felt for Keizo’s daughter threatened to overwhelm her resolve.

“Yes. There’s a very important errand I need to run. Society business. If I leave now, perhaps I won’t get into too much trouble.” Jelena nodded in understanding. “Stay here as long as you like,” Sonoe added. “I’ll have more tea sent up for you.” She grabbed a light cloak, for where she must go would be chilly. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

She left Jelena and the maids to fuss over the new little princess, blissfully unaware of the coming storm that would soon alter all of their lives forever.

Sonoe paused in the hallway outside her sitting room door and cast a quick spell of concealment upon herself-a simple glamour, nothing more. She had no time for a true invisibility spell. Still, anyone who happened to glance her way would not recall seeing her.

Quickly, she made her way along deserted back hallways to the castle library. The place normally stood empty at this time of day, and today proved no exception. The mellow smells of polished wood and leather permeated the air. The library consisted of three interconnected rooms, each with its own collection of chairs and tables. Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, each one containing many hundreds of scrolls, folios, and bound books. Narrow windows, glazed with expensive glass, pierced the wall space between the shelves, allowing in abundant natural light. Dust motes danced in sunbeams slanting to the mat-covered floor.

Keizo, never much of a scholar, rarely came here. His father, Keizo the Elder, had assembled most of the fine collection which now graced the shelves of Sendai Castle’s library-a collection that included many of the most important texts ever written about the magical arts. Chief among them were copies of the writings of the greatest elven mage to have ever lived, Iku Azarasha, head of the Kirian Society during the reign of Queen Syukoe Onjara, over a thousand years ago.