Leslie Moore - Griffin's Daughter

“ Tono rightfully belongs to us,” Ashinji said. “Elves have lived and farmed that valley for centuries. It was only because the Soldarans invaded and stole it away from us that it ever became part of the Empire.”

“ Hmm, yes, and Keizo the Elder won it back for us at the cost of many elven and human lives. The Soldarans have been smarting over that defeat for a long time. Looks like the empress has finally decided it’s time for her to avenge her great grandfather.”

“ How are the Soldarans getting past the Tono garrison, Father?” Ashinji asked. “I thought that Lady Odata kept her troops vigilant.”

“ She does,” Sen replied. “The humans must use trails through the mountains. It’s very difficult terrain… treacherous, horse-leg breaking. That’s why the raiding parties have been relatively small.” He paused for a moment, tugging at his earlobe, then continued. “There’s something else that’s very disturbing. I’ve a letter from Prince Raidan. He asks if any of our people have fallen ill with a mysterious sickness. He tells of a plague striking border folk, particularly those living close to human settlements. He says that it appears that a human disease has begun to infect elves. All humans die from it, but our people seem to be able to survive, though it leaves them in a terribly weakened state.”

Ashinji frowned with worry. “The nearest human settlement to Kerala is that big castle to the south of us… I forget the name of it, but it’s at least three days ride from here.”

“ Umm, yes. Amsara Castle, seat of the duchy,” Sen replied. “It’s not the duke’s people that I’m worried might bring disease to our folk… it’s those bandits.”

Lord Sen swept up his papers into a neat pile, pushed back his chair, and rose to his feet. He stood taller than average, a well-built man and still fit, despite being well into his middle years. “I want you to ride out tomorrow morning. Take some of the guard with you. Go to Saihama village first and talk to the sheriff. Find out if she knows of any folk in the village or on the outlying farms that have fallen ill of this mysterious plague. Then, find those bandits and clean them out.” His tanned face settled into the hard mask of a man who had come to the conclusion that a terrible calamity loomed on the horizon.

“ I fear the future, Youngest Son. I can’t shake this feeling that war is coming, and soon. If we have to fight, we cannot afford to have our people weakened by illness. The Soldarans have always had an advantage of numbers over us. Without an army at full strength, we haven’t much chance.”

“ We have to believe that somehow, we’ll be all right, Father. What else can we do?” Ashinji rose from his chair. “I’ll leave at first light.” He turned to go.

“ Don’t forget to say goodbye to your mother. I know she’s all wrapped up in this wedding business, but she would kill me if I didn’t insist that you interrupt her for a proper farewell.” Sen smiled wryly.

“ I will, Father,” Ashinji replied. Emerald eyes met gray-green ones in acknowledgment of the unbreakable bonds of love between father and son. “I’ll see you when I return.”

"Ashiiii!”

The two little girls leapt up from the floor and flung themselves upon their big brother, shrieking with delight. Jena and Mariso were identical twins, the youngest of the Sakehera brood. Twinning was very rare among elves, and the twins themselves were believed to bestow special luck upon their families.

“ Whoa! You’ll knock me down, you demons,” Ashinji cried in mock fear, then burst out laughing as the twins swarmed over him. He scooped up one child under each arm and carried them, giggling and squirming, into the center of the large, open room where two women sat on a low couch, each one bending over something in her hands. The older of the two women looked up, and her handsome face broke into a gentle smile.

“ Mother! Mother! Look who’s here!” the twins shouted in unison.

“ Yes, my pets, I can see perfectly well. You don’t have to carry on so. Do let your brother alone so he can come and greet me properly!” Lady Sakehera held out her hand.

“ All right, monkeys,” Ashinji said, lowering the girls gently to the floor where they collapsed in a giggling heap. He clasped his mother’s warm, strong-fingered hand in his and kissed her tattooed palm. He then bent over and kissed his oldest sister Lani’s cool cheek, and was rewarded by a demure smile.

Lani was tall, like their father, and just blossoming into young womanhood. She possessed an elegant beauty and a calm maturity far beyond her years. Like Ashinji, she, too, found great pleasure in intellectual pursuits, but she also nurtured a serious artistic talent as well. At present, she and her mother were working in tandem on a large piece of needlework. From the look of the fabric and the complexity of the design, Ashinji surmised that they labored over a wedding robe.

“ Come sit by me, Son. Can you stay and talk awhile?” Lady Sakehera asked.

“ Of course, Mother,” Ashinji replied, settling down on the couch beside her.

The twins immediately began clamoring for his attention. “Ashi! Your hair…” cried Jena. Mariso took up the sentence and finished it. “Can we braid it? Pleeeeese?” Ashinji found the children’s exuberance impossible to ignore. Their small bodies hummed with the wild energy of the very young.

“ Well, it’s still wet, but…”

The girls shrieked with glee.

“ Girls, please! Not so loud. Ashinji is not one of your dolls, you know. Maybe he doesn’t want his hair braided just yet.” Lady Sakehera shook her head in reproach, but Ashinji could see how hard she worked to suppress her laughter.

“ All right, monkeys. If you must.” He braced himself as the girls climbed over the side of the couch and wedged themselves in behind his back. One of them produced a comb and began attacking his damp locks with enthusiasm.

“ Maybe after you two are finished with our brother’s hair, you can sit still long enough for me to show you some stitching,” Lani’s tone crackled with wry amusement. Her clever fingers seemed to move impossibly fast for such intricate work. A single bead of perspiration stood out on the fine skin of her forehead.

A set of ceramic wind chimes hanging in the room’s main window tinkled merrily in the warm breeze. Today, the wind came from the southeast, carrying with it the heat it had absorbed during its long journey across the great southern desert.

“ I’m going away for awhile, Mother,” Ashinji said.

“ I know, Son. Your father has told me.”

Ashinji studied his mother’s profile, trying to glean from it a clue to her innermost thoughts, but Lady Amara Sakehera had been well trained. She was a daughter of the House of Naota, the wife and strong right hand of the Commanding General of the king’s army, and a mage of exceptional Talent. If she were fearful over what could happen to her son, she would never show it. Her face remained smooth and calm.

“ I hope I’ll not be away much longer than ten days or so.”

“ Perhaps, when you return, you can tell me what has been troubling you these past few days.” Amara’s eyes, emerald green like her son’s, spoke of her desire to offer wisdom and comfort to her child. Ashinji sighed. He had never been able to hide his troubles or fears from her. She was too highly attuned to the psychic energies of all of her family.

The twins put the finishing touches to his hair, securing their handiwork with a leather thong. One of them gave the braid a playful tug as the two of them scrambled off the couch to go attend Lani. The room rang with their bright chatter as the older girl tried to explain what she was doing.