Chapter 9

NINE THE BEAST PLAYER 1 DAWN The wind, which had picked up in the middle of the night, did not abate even at dawn, rattling the tent cloth incessantly. Shunan had woken long ago, but he lay in bed listening to the groaning of the wind. His father, who lay in the tent beside his, must be listening to it, too. It sounded like someone choking back tears. Flowing as it did between heaven and earth, did the wind voice the wailing of the ghosts scattered on Tahai Azeh so long ago? Or was it the bitter resentment that must lie in the breast of that willowy maiden who would bring to a close the history begun on this field three centuries past? Shunan took a deep breath and sat up. He had dressed without summoning his servants and stood up to leave when he noticed a slip of paper on the tent floor. Picking it up, he ran his eyes over the three lines. We have been waiting long for this day to come. We convey our joy and swear once again our steadfast allegiance. Though we stand in the shadows, we will guard you. It bore a seal in the shape of a Toda scale—the seal of the Sai Gamulu. He crumpled it in his fist. A shadow moved outside the tent, and he heard the voice of a loyal retainer. “Are you awake, my lord?” He went outside to find the retainer standing there with a worried frown. “What is it?” “As I reported earlier, my lord, last night the Yojeh’s men erected tents on the hill. I have come to inform you that just before dawn, under cover of darkness, a huge cart was drawn up the hill and taken into one of them.” Holding back his hair, which was whipped by the wind, Shunan looked up at the hill. The contours of the earth, pregnant with the sun, glowed faintly, and the gentle slope rose black against the sky. On top of the hillock he could see the small shadows of tents. “Rumor claims,” the servant continued, “that when Her Highness Halumiya was attacked by Toda, a Royal Beast swooped down from the sky to protect her.” Shunan stood silent, his gaze fathomless as he looked at the hill. “If they have brought a Royal Beast here—” At these words a smile rose to his lips. “Soldiers’ corpses filled the plain and a cry of sorrow rose to the heavens,” he recited in a low voice. “Behold! The golden-eyed goddess descends from far across the Afon Noah. Toda bow their heads to make her path, Royal Beasts soar in the heavens, protecting her…” He looked at his servant. “We have not come here to do battle. We have come to confirm the will of the gods. Let us stand and witness whether the Royal Beast has indeed come to perform a miracle and save the Yojeh.” Watching his father emerge from the tent beside his, he said calmly, “The time has come. Prepare the troops.” While Shunan gazed up at the hill, Ialu woke from a light doze. He was perched in an old tree in the wood that covered the southern slope. It was a sturdy tree, with thick roots, but the wind had rocked it all night long, so that slapping branches kept him awake. If this wind doesn’t die down … It would severely impair his aim with bow and arrow. Although it was risky, he would have to get closer. As promised, Shunan had gathered his troops at the foot of the hill. He had brought about a third of the entire army, leaving the rest under his younger brother Nugan’s command, but it was still an imposing force. That sobering sight should distract the Yojeh’s men enough to let one man disguised as a Se Zan pass unnoticed. Kailu had been worried about Ialu as he knew he had been investigating Damiya for some time. A sense of impending doom hung over the palace, and everything that had once seemed solid now seemed precarious. Walking on shaky ground, where even the meaning of loyalty was no longer clear, Kailu had begun to fear that he would die as the Yojeh’s shield on Tahai Azeh. Although he was troubled by his own wavering doubts at this time when loyalty was most in question, he had still brought Ialu a Se Zan uniform, just as he had asked. “I don’t know what you’re intending to do,” he had said, “but just knowing that you’ll be there with us gives me a little courage.” Ialu glanced at the bundle of clothes as he spoke. “In this situation, I’m about as useless as a piece of straw caught in a gigantic wave…” His face sobering, he had added quietly, “But I was picked up and thrown onto this path without any choice. I’d like to at least see how it ends.” That was true. Although he had no idea of what he could do, he wished to see with his own eyes what unfolded today on Tahai Azeh, and to choose his own actions. The image of the late Halumiya, tall and regal, floated into his mind. When he had first met her, he had been surprised at how tall she was. She had favored him with a gentle smile, but he had remained motionless, head bowed. Something about her had inspired awe and discouraged familiarity. His sole purpose in life had been to protect her, but he had failed, and she had died. She must have felt such regret. How bitter it must have been to leave this world so abruptly, foisting such a heavy burden on her granddaughter, who is still so young. While he knew that affairs of state are never governed by compassion, Ialu found that he could not forgive Damiya for the heartless murder of his own kin. The sky through the branches above his head slowly turned from ultramarine to pale purple. No matter how this day ended, tomorrow, the dawn would come again. He closed his eyes. Elin must be in the tent on the hillock by now. He wondered how she felt. He stayed there a long time, his eyes closed, listening to the wind. 2 UNEXPECTED MUSIC “The sun has risen,” said a voice from outside the tent. The cloth covering the entrance was raised and propped up on both sides. As Seimiya stepped through the opening, a swirling gust of wind, fragrant with grass, set her robe fluttering. She gasped at the sight in front of her. Countless shafts of light burst through the clouds to fall on a plain that stretched as far as the eye could see. Although the clouds were gray and sullen, they glowed dull silver where the sun lay behind them, and trailed across the sky in the wind. She felt as if her soul would ride that wind and be carried across that great expanse. “There’s no need to weep, Seimiya,” a gentle voice said. Unnoticed, Damiya had come up beside her, where he stood protectively. It was only at his words that she realized tears were streaming down her cheeks. “I admit it’s rather overwhelming to see so many Toda gathered in one spot, but remember, that is your army, Seimiya. You have no need to fear.” She shook her head. “I was not looking at the Toda.” It seemed strange that she could have missed them, but until that moment, she had not even noticed the massive army. Row upon row of black-scaled beasts with Warriors astride them, resplendent in their armor, and thousands of banners flapping in the wind—all these had been nothing more than part of the scenery. It was the glory of heaven and earth itself that had moved her heart. The land which she was seeing for the first time in her life, the land in which she had been born, was majestic, beautiful, and, most of all, incredibly vast. Tears rolled down her cheeks, one by one. How pitiful that she had never been allowed to see the land she ruled. How pathetic the rank of ruler. This knowledge struck her forcibly, and she could not stop the tears from falling. The wind must have changed direction. The scent of Toda thickened, and Leelan’s hackles rose. “Calm down,” Elin said. “The Toda are far away.” She frowned as she watched her. Leelan was already saddled, and they were just waiting for the signal to fly, but it might become hard to control her if the Toda came too close. At that moment, she heard a commotion outside. Quietly, she approached the doorway, where she could hear the guards’ voices. “What’s going on? Are those reinforcements?” “That’s Nugan’s flag. I guess he couldn’t stand to stay home and miss this.” Elin stepped outside, but the guards only glanced at her and made no attempt to stop her. The sight before her was chilling. Toda packed the skirts of the hillock. Unlike in the drills she had watched many times as a child, they were assembled in full battle formation—men and beasts fused together in a single black mass. The guards had stopped talking, and the only sound was the wind. Even the summer birds and insects were silent. Frightened by the sudden appearance of the Toda, they must be hiding. The Toda troops made so little sound, it was hard to believe how many were there. They massed at the bottom of the hill, shrouded in a heavy silence and brimming with the tension of something about to happen. A memory came vividly to her mind—the bee swarm long ago, when the whole hive had left their nest and followed the queen bee … a single black mass. So, she thought, men abandon their old queen in the same way. Except that bees only split the hive, whereas men could not keep themselves from crushing their former ruler. Elin took a deep breath. The feeling that rose in her chest was akin to sorrow, yet somehow emptier. Something peculiar was indeed happening on what from her vantage point was the right wing of the assembled troops. New Toda regiments were drawing up alongside, one after the other. She wondered if a flag with the Toda scale pattern was the one the guard had said belonged to Nugan. The newly arrived troops far outnumbered those that had come first. A messenger on horseback bearing the scale-patterned banner was sent from the newly arrived ranks to two figures in the center front line who wore particularly bright and splendid helmets. They must be the Aluhan and his son Shunan, Elin thought. They sat regally astride their Kiba with a standard-bearer behind them holding aloft the Aluhan’s flag. The messenger passed back and forth between the Aluhan and his younger son several times, but in the end, the new troops did not pull back. Elin looked around her tent, and her eyes fell upon Seimiya and Damiya. They were gazing down at the scene below and conversing quietly when Damiya, perhaps feeling her eyes upon him, glanced her way. “Elin,” he called. “How’s Leelan?” Elin pushed back windswept strands of hair from her eyes. “She’s fine.” Damiya smiled. “Good. When it’s time, we’ll pull the tent down on either side. As soon as you see the sky, hop on Leelan and fly.” Elin turned her eyes to Seimiya without answering. But Seimiya did not look at her. She stood staring at the Toda army as if lost in thought. The clouds flowed by, and the sun suddenly appeared, illuminating earth and sky. In that light, the Aluhan raised his right hand, and hundreds of war horns blew. Their high peal seemed to erupt from the earth like the cry of a newborn babe, and, riding the wind, it shook the plain and caused the skin of all those who heard to shiver. With it came the rumble of scraping earth. The Toda were on the move. As Seimiya watched the Toda climb the hill like a slow, black wave, a strange thought occurred to her. Does Damiya realize that he let his true intentions show? “That is your army,” he had said. Her lips twitched in a faint smile. The moment I accept it as my army, the Yojeh will vanish from this world. What would vanish was an invisible something that wrapped the hearts of her people. And once broken, it would never be recovered. She did not want to give up that pure something, guarded for three centuries by generations of Yojeh … But she could not protect it, even if she were to marry Damiya. She was certain of that now. Watching the approaching army and seeing that it was close enough for her to make out the faces of Shunan and his father, she turned to her maidservant. “Bring me the blue flag.” Damiya turned to her with a startled expression. “What?” Seimiya looked up at him and said quietly, “I cannot marry you, Uncle Damiya. Not you who seek to rule this land with a heart that could murder my grandmother.” All expression was wiped from his face. After a slight pause, he sighed. “Do you remember the craftwork I gave you once?” Seimiya frowned, unable to follow his train of thought. “That miniature palace, it was exquisite, wasn’t it? Seimiya, what counts is the form. If you can make a perfect, unshakeable form, people can settle down comfortably within it and live contentedly.” She turned her face from Damiya and looked at Shunan as he climbed the hill. “No matter how perfect and beautiful,” she whispered, “I do not want to live in a box that never changes.” With her eyes still on Shunan astride his detestable Toda, she continued, “The children born to Shunan and me will bear not only that which is sacred, but also the defilement of this land … My children will not be gods but human. And they will see this land with their own eyes, right from the start.” If she had been looking at Damiya, she would have seen the sorrow that rose in his eyes at that moment. But by the time she noticed anything, he had already moved. Hearing a cry of surprise from her maidservant, she turned to see Damiya grasping the blue flag. “I won’t let you do this, Seimiya.” He smiled the way he often had when she was little and had done something naughty. “Give it back!” She held out her hand, but he continued smiling and made no move. “Se Zan!” she cried. “Seize that flag!” But not a single Se Zan responded to her call. Half of them had whipped out their daggers and placed them against the throats of the others. “At times like this, it is foresight that determines one’s fate,” Damiya said calmly. He turned his eyes to Elin. “Come now, Elin. It’s time. Go back to your tent and get on Leelan. You’re a clever girl. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you which Toda to attack first … Off you go now.” Elin stared at him and gritted her teeth. Shining with a light as hard as stone, her eyes never wavered. On feet that did not seem to be hers, she moved slowly toward the tent, but as she approached the entrance, she noticed that the Se Zan who had been standing there an instant before was gone. She glanced at the space where he had stood and, at that moment, a black shadow moved by her. Just as it passed, something bright flew from its hand. Turning, she saw a trail of light, and then something sank into Damiya’s right hand. It had taken less than a second, and happened in complete silence. Before blood even began spurting from Damiya’s hand, the running shadow had slipped behind him and wrapped an arm around his neck. “Elin!” With his voice, sound returned to Elin’s ears. “Grab the flag and give it to Seimiya.” For a moment, Elin stood frozen, too stunned to move. Even though she understood that it was Ialu holding Damiya, she seemed to have gone numb. “Hurry!” At his urging, her body came to life, as if her soul had returned. She ran toward them and snatched the flag from the ground at Damiya’s feet. The grass was red and wet with the blood dripping from his arm. She shook the flag to remove the dirt and then handed it to Seimiya. With a bloodless face, Seimiya took the flag. As if fearing that she would hesitate, she thrust it high above her and waved it at the men surging up the hill. At that moment, the young man beside the Aluhan stopped his Kiba and removed his helmet. He looked as though he could not believe what he saw. In the next instant, a cheer rose from the front line and spread like a wave through the ranks behind. The sound shook the earth. However, it was not taken up by the army’s left wing. Oblivious to their silence, the Aluhan and Shunan removed their armor and dismounted. Leaving their Kiba with the standard-bearers, they began walking up the hill. When they were just twenty or thirty paces from the top, the earth suddenly began to rumble, and the Toda forces broke into disarray. The Toda at the head of the left wing charged after the Aluhan and Shunan with ferocious speed, and the rest followed suit. In no time, the two men were cut off from their troops. One Toda rider, his banner flying in the wind, raised his sword to the heavens and charged straight at the Aluhan. Fleeter than a horse, his mount charged up the hill as if flying through space and whistled past the Aluhan, who barely had time to draw his sword. When the Toda stopped, blood was spurting from the Aluhan’s neck. His knees buckled, and he crumpled facedown on the grass. “Father!” Shunan cried. He raised him in his arms, but the Aluhan had breathed his last. Covered in his father’s blood, Shunan looked up. The Warrior raised his helm, and his face leapt into Shunan’s eyes—his own brother, eyes wild and face strangely contorted. “Nugan…” “The Aluhan’s proper station is that of a faithful vassal!” Nugan shrieked. “I will not let it be sullied by rebellion.” Again, he raised his sword, dripping with his father’s blood, and pointed it at the heavens. Troops rushing to the Aluhan’s aid collided with Toda Riders who sought to stop them. Cries of “Sai Gamulu! Sai Gamulu!” could be heard among those loyal to the Aluhan. Thus began a fearsome battle of Toda against Toda. Seimiya and the others stared aghast at the melee of Toda troops. When the Aluhan fell and Nugan turned his blade toward Shunan, Seimiya cried out, “Somebody! Please, please save him!” Her voice shook, and she looked around desperately for help, but there was nothing anyone could do. Finally, she turned, white-faced, to Elin. “Elin…” Pressing her hands together as if in prayer, she begged. “Elin!” Her plea washed like a wave through Elin’s heart. Should Shunan die, Seimiya would have no choice but to marry Damiya and appoint Nugan as the next Aluhan, even though he had murdered his own father. The calm composure on Damiya’s face when she glanced his way was in stark contrast to the distraught Seimiya. Suddenly, she knew. This is exactly how he planned it. In that instant, she made her choice. Turning to Seimiya, she nodded. “I will save him.” Tears rolled from Seimiya’s eyes. “Please! I promise you. If you save Shunan, I will free the Royal Beasts and make sure that the ruler never again uses them as weapons of war.” Elin held her eyes. Then she nodded once more and dashed toward the tent. If she flew on Leelan in front of this many people, then Seimiya’s vow would probably be meaningless. But she no longer hesitated. If a Toda Rider ruled, everything must change. To see that change, she would have to rescue Shunan. She knew that Leelan could never understand what she felt, even if she tried to share it. She knew her thoughts would only spin around in her own brain, yet she could not help speaking to her in her mind. So, Leelan, I am using you as a weapon after all. With each stride, the Silent Whistle bounced, and each time it struck her chest, she felt a pang in her heart and clenched her jaw. When she reached the tent, she stepped across a body that lay upon the ground and pulled the ropes. With a dull sound, the canvas split in two and fell away. Leelan blinked in the sudden brightness. The scent of Toda carried by the wind was so thick it made Elin feel ill. Leelan’s nostrils flared, and her fur stood on end with the anticipation of falling upon her natural foe. Elin quickly unwound the bandage binding her left hand, on which only two fingers remained. Waving it, she looked into Leelan’s eyes. “Let me up!” Leelan obediently bent down so that she could climb on. Swiftly, she wound the reins around her left fist and shouted, “Fly!” She felt the movement of Leelan’s wing muscles against her stomach. Leelan dropped into a crouch and then sprang into the sky. “Take me there,” she shouted, pointing at Shunan, then, spreading her arms wide, she placed the plugs in Leelan’s ears. A tumult arose from below when people saw the Royal Beast glide through the air, straight for Shunan. A long, high-pitched whistle issued from Leelan’s mouth. At the sound, the Toda surrounding Shunan flipped over en masse, exposing their bellies to the sky. Warriors who failed to leap in time from their rolling mounts were crushed beneath them, or sent flying through the air to lie sprawled on the ground, staring up at the sky in bewilderment. Leelan’s claws sank first into Nugan’s mount, ripping it to shreds in moments. Splattered with Toda blood and chunks of flesh, Nugan was thrown to the ground. He stared at Leelan with a look of blank astonishment. Leelan did not stop there. One after another, she ripped the prostrate Toda with her claws. Snarling with rage and crazed with blood, she butchered them until she was covered from head to foot in gore. As the Warriors regained their senses, they grabbed their bows and shot at Leelan, but she was impervious to their arrows. Before their eyes, the lone Royal Beast slaughtered Toda by the dozens. “Leelan … Leelan!” Elin pounded on her back with all her might. Reaching out one arm, she removed an earplug and yelled into her ear, “Stop! That’s enough! Enough! Put me down over there!” But the Beast showed no sign of halting the carnage. “Leelan! Stop! Now! Or I’ll blow the whistle!” Elin shouted. Only then did Leelan reluctantly drop the Toda corpse in her claws and glide a short distance away. Dismembered Toda radiated in a broad circle around her. Beyond them massed those Toda that had remained unaffected by her whistle. Their Riders had, at first, been so overwhelmed, they had failed to grasp what was happening. Now, however, they began to tighten the circle around Elin and the Royal Beast. They raised their bows, and a hail of arrows whistled toward them. Elin ducked her head. Sliding off Leelan’s back, she ran over to Shunan. “Hurry! Come with me!” She grabbed his arm and half dragged him toward Leelan. “Take him!” she shouted. “Take him over there!” As she shoved him onto the Beast, she felt something thud violently into her back and pitched forward. She choked, unable to breathe, then realized that she had been struck by an arrow. “You…” Shunan began, but she pushed his chest. “Get on,” she gasped. “Hold on to the reins.” “You, too,” he said, grabbing her hand, but she yanked her arm away. “She can’t carry two. Go!” She shoved the plugs into Leelan’s ears. “Go!” she yelled again. While Leelan probably could not hear her, she understood Elin’s gesture. She flew up into the air and sped off without looking back. Her figure blurred in Elin’s eyes. Falling to her knees on the grass, she gazed up at the sky. Leelan’s figure, shining in the sun, grew hazy. Pain coursed through her with every breath, and tears trickled down her cheeks. The Toda drew closer, and their scent overwhelmed her. The thought occurred to her that everything until this moment had been nothing but a dream. She was with her mother now, about to be eaten by Toda. In those few moments before the Kiba reached her, she dreamed her whole life. Faces floated into her mind and out again, like clouds blown by the wind. Joeun, Esalu, Yuyan, Tomura, and Ialu. Images rose in her mind’s eye: Leelan when she had first responded to Elin’s harp, her first flight, her shining figure as she mated in the sky. What a rich dream it was. She smiled. With shallow gasps, her body crumpled slowly to the ground. Mother. She felt the grass caress her cheek, and awareness returned. Ruthlessly, the knowledge that she was about to be devoured by Toda pierced her mind, and an indescribable despair spread through her. Is this how her mother had felt? When she had known that her life, which she had lived so hard, was to end like this, had she, too, felt a desolation that gnawed her very bones? I don’t want to die yet … This thought hit her with sudden force. I don’t want my life to end this way. Sobbing, she struggled to move. The ground shook as the Toda drew ever nearer. Pressing her left elbow against the earth, she turned to look up at the sky. Tears blurred her vision, and everything seemed very far away. As her consciousness began to fade, in a corner of her mind, she thought she heard her mother’s finger flute. And with that high note came the sound of beating wings. Something huge was gliding toward her. Leelan! Her eyes widened. But why … Breathing like a bellows, her fangs bared in a snarl, and her fur stiff and straight as needles, Leelan dropped from the sky. The shouts and screams of the Toda Riders echoed all around her, and arrows began to fall like rain. Elin could only screw her eyes shut and cover her head with her arms. Something blocked the light of day, plunging her into darkness. The sounds of arrows whistling and people shouting grew distant, and her body was wrapped in stillness, as if she were in the sudden lull of a storm. Opening her eyes, she saw Leelan’s face right before her, fangs bared. She had covered her with her wings. Elin froze, staring at that snarling face. Suddenly, Leelan shoved her muzzle at her, and butted her in the chest before she could grab the Silent Whistle. Pain seared her back where the arrow had pierced her. Groaning, she uncurled from the protective ball in which she had been huddled. As if waiting for that moment, Leelan snatched her up in her jaws. Elin screamed, and her muscles went rigid, but for some reason she felt no pain. Instead of the agony of rending fangs, she felt only a dull pressure, as if she were being pressed by thick fingers. Leelan, she realized, must be holding her in the back of her mouth where there were no teeth. She was caught between her gums. At that moment, she felt something warm and soft move beneath her. Leelan’s tongue. Deftly, she used it to roll Elin’s body so that she lay on her side, with nothing touching her wound. Then she kicked the ground with her feet and flew up into the air. Elin felt her body lift. Wind roared in her ears and whipped at her hair. Her arms were stretched above her, and she rested them against Leelan’s muzzle, gazing at her shining fur. Leelan’s saliva, still smelling of Toda blood, soaked into her clothes. She closed her eyes. A hot lump rose from the pit of her chest into her throat. Why?… Why would she do this for me? When I’m not her child, or her parent, or her mate. When I used the Silent Whistle like a whip to make her obey me. Why? Her feelings for Leelan, which she had locked away deep inside for fear of that sweet delusion, burst forth and shook something awake inside her. Leelan, I just wanted to know. That’s all I ever wanted … I stood on the edge of that abyss between man and beast and played my harp for you, checking each note, one by one, to see if it would reach you. Because I wanted to know. I wanted to know what you thought. And you—you spoke to me, one note at a time. We explored each other’s incomprehensible minds from across that yawning chasm. Sometimes we hit the wrong notes like clashing echoes. Yet sometimes, just by chance, the notes we played for one another made unexpected music, like this. Her eyes filled with tears. As long as the life you have given me continues, let me stand on the shore of that great abyss and play. Let me pluck my harp, note by note, and speak to the creatures of earth and sky, so that I may hear music as yet unknown. Opening her eyes, she turned her head and saw Tahai Azeh stretching far into the distance. The Toda and their Riders were now so far away that she could no longer distinguish one from the other. They dwindled to tiny black dots, like a swarm of bees, while the earth and sky went on forever, brimming with light. Elin listened to Leelan purr in encouragement from deep in her chest and gazed, transfixed, at the land below.