Michael Foster - She Who Has No Name

‘You thought the Emperor’s death would do the same, but it did not. The warring only escalated.’

‘That was before I learnedthatour world wasengaged in a mightybattle, that every continent has been beset by war and that this is beyond the petty concerns of one stubbornEmpire. I cannot blame those infernal plotters of Cintar, as I do not blame you. You only act out of your belief to protect your people, but that does not excuse the bloodshed that results. These wars will continue until civilisation is ground to dust, unless an impossible child is born with the powers to bring it to an end. That is what the culmination of these texts refers to and I have seen the evidence for myself.’

‘I’m surprised you believe anything that comes from the Circle, stolen or otherwise. Cang is a demon at heart. You know how devious he can be.’

‘True,’ the old man nodded. ‘But even he cannot have plotted so well. These stories come from all corners of the world and are timeless beyond recall, written in stone that is thousands of years old, or whispered in tales that have been known forever. That is beyond any single man to fabricate.’

‘Then remember that once the star is in decline, my war will continue, child of prophecy or not. Your stories are amusing, but I am not interested in fairy tales. I have only entertained your request to suit my own ends.’

‘I never assumed any less,’ Anthem told her.

‘Will you keep to your end of the bargain, old man?’

‘I will. Cintar will be yours. A single city is a small price to pay for what we have gained.’

She seemed pleased with his answer. ‘What will you do with your king, without a kingdom for him to command?’

‘The world will be his kingdom. You will see.’

‘If he is as great as you say, I will throw myself at his feet, for even I would not be able to resist such a slayer of kings and empires. If he is not, he will die before my armies along with the rest.’

Anthem gave her his best knowing smile. ‘So be it.’

Just then, the Paatin Queen looked troubled. She dropped her cup, smashing it on the floor and clasped her face. Anthem stood as attendants came rushing up to her side. Samuel could see strange energy boiling around her, pouring from the ether and concentrating around her. It was the same troubled power that now surrounded the Emperor.

‘What is it?’ the old man asked with concern.

‘Get away from me!’ she spat, slapping at her attendants, and they fled back to their places. The magical force then seemed to calm and the pain left her face. ‘It’s finished. Bring me my potion,’ she said, resumingher seat, while one brave girl gathered up the broken pieces of her cup. Another maid replaced the vessel, filling it with a steaming brew, which the Queen gulped at thirstily. ‘As Ajaspah nears, so do these feelings-intense pain and craving. I have visions, of other places and peoples. I feel someone else inside me, other names across the aeons. They have been burning at me so long and,at times,I do not know who I am. My people have grown worried and only the strongest potions have kept me sane these past months. Now, even those are insufficient.’

‘I don’t know what could be the cause. The Star of Osirah is nothing more than a passing celestial body. It carries no power that can affect us. Perhaps it is coincidence.’

‘So many coincidences, old man. No, and it is happening to your Emperor as well-I know it, even though he denies it. I know him, and I know his true name; it is Thann. I remember him-in different bodies, different guises. I see him under countless skins across countless Ages, but it is always him. I have kept him here all this time, my prisoner, in hope that this mystery will be resolved. Alas, it only grows deeper.’

‘Iamcertainly surprised to hear that, but I will not have time to ask him. I must admit, I am eager to pass by the Temple of Shadows and see what Cang has been doing with my magicians all this time, but the timing is unfortunate. The child must take precedence, and I will certainly not risk taking a babe into his valley.’

‘I see him across time,’ the Paatin Queen went on. ‘He knows me by another name, but for the life of me I cannot recall it. They have called me Alahativa for so long, that I have forgotten the sound of my own name. How can it be? Who could forget their own existence? All I know of my distant pasthas beentold to me by my own historians. But now, the memories come back in frightful bursts. They are dangerous and violent. I feel another woman struggling within me, but I do not want to let her have control. She grows stronger every day and I don’t know how much longer I can contain her. I think you know, old man, that I am older than most, even by your standards, and I am not scared easily. These thoughts, however, keep me terrified and I weep every day from the confusion.’

‘Then why does he not remember?’ Anthem asked innocently.

‘He does!’ she said angrily, hitting her fists upon the table. ‘But he refuses to admit it. The Emperor within him has made him stubborn and he pines for that accursed woman and child. I could never bear him a son and he has held it against me for all time and kept me suffering. Somehow, that Turian wench has born him a male when hundreds before could not. Damn her and damn him! Damn them both!’

Anthem began to look worried as Alahativa grewevermore irritable. He stood and went to the balcony,and swept open the veiled curtains, revealing the great comet in all its glory, burning over the city. The streets were full of dancing and festivity, with music and coloured lights on every corner and rooftop. ‘Come. Enjoy Ajaspah,’ he called to her. ‘Witness your people dancing in the streets. Your city is celebrating.’

The Queen seemed calmed by that. ‘I have been craving this event for a hundred years, but,now it is here, I do not have the heart to witness it. My mind is troubled.’

Anthem returned sullenly from the balcony and retook his seat. ‘Then that brings me to our final piece of business. The Argum Stone.’

She must have retrieved it from a pocket at some stage, for she opened her palm and displayed the glittering ring set upon it. ‘This? Such a droll name for such a wonderful thing. You know, it was quite difficult getting dear Samuel to part with it.’

‘I can imagine. The poor boy. Such a burden weighs heavy upon me, but,in the end, it is only one of many I must bear. Now give it me.’

‘Wouldn’t you like me to put it on, next to this one, so I can show you what it can do?’ she ask, holding it beside her finger so that the two gleaming rings were side by side.

‘Gods, no, woman!’ he said, almost leaping from his seat, but she was only teasing him.

‘Calm now, Grand Master. You are not a young man any more. Such frights may rupture your heart. I am only playing. I have no need of two such things.’ With that,she pushed it towards him. It rolled its way across the polished surface, and then fell over, spinning in tight circles before rattling to a halt in the middle of the table. ‘There. It is yours. Take it.’

The old man took a moment to sum her up; then leaned forward, reaching for the glittering ring. Within the table, a host of tightened springs and mechanisms kept the diabolical blade hidden and readied to explode from its housing. Anthem reached over and put his palm upon the Argum Stone, looking the witch in the eye. It seemed he, too, suspected treachery, but as he withdrew his hand,the blade remained still and the Queen let him take the magical relic without so much as a fuss. Slowly, he sat back and dragged the ring back to his place, where he plopped it into his other hand and held it aloft. He gazed at the thing and,with his mouth agape,turned it over so that it caught the light.