The instructor here was a Lady Hami. She was petite and slim, only an inch or two taller than I was then, and with her hair in multiple braids like asha Brijette. Mistress Parmina gave the same introductions and then took several steps back. So did Lady Shadi. I was unaware of the reasons why and was wondering if I should follow their lead, until I was literally knocked off my feet.
The floor was lined with thick bamboo mats that cushioned most of my fall, but that didn’t stop it from knocking the wind out of me. I lay there for a few seconds, stunned. Lady Hami took the opportunity to drag me back to my feet. She lifted her hand, and I was down on the floor again, though she never touched me. It felt like a great gust of wind had picked me up and slammed me onto the ground.
“You are a Dark asha, aren’t you?” She circled around me, while I gasped for breath. “That means you will never be able to command the runes we can: Fire, Water, Earth, Forest, Metal, Wind. Unfortunately, that doesn’t matter. Get up.”
I struggled to my feet, my dress greatly restricting my movements, and was knocked down again for my efforts.
“You will be taught to defend yourself. You will be taught to fight back. That you start off at a disadvantage does not excuse you from losing. Get up.” It took me longer this time, but another push of air sent me on my back while I was still on my knees. “This will not be like your other lessons, where you are taught finery and flowers. Get up. You will be taught to hone your body like a weapon, to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each rune so that you can learn to counter its effects. Get up. Understandably, it will be difficult for one who cannot harness their use, but that does not make you completely vulnerable. Get up. The Dark rune has its own advantages, but it will take work on your part to master. Get up. I will reassess your progress in two months and determine whether or not I will continue with you as a student or send you away. Not every asha can do this, and I will not waste my time with those who cannot cope with the demands of the training. I told you to get up, novice!”
I scrambled up, heart pounding, and fought to get my breath back.
Lady Hami surveyed me critically for a few seconds. “Return here tomorrow wearing the plain white robes you see and none of your ornamentations. Your mistress will be familiar with my other requirements.”
There was a commotion outside of the room and a surprised cry. At the same time, I could feel Fox’s presence draw closer, and from our link, I felt something much like consternation on his end.
Lady Hami led me outside. A group of asha circled a figure on the ground. It was my brother.
“Incidentally,” Lady Hami continued mildly as Fox pushed himself back up, “your familiar will be allowed to stay and watch during your lessons but will be discouraged from interrupting, as you see here. I understand that the rapport you share means that he feels your distress and would want to act accordingly, but I will not have your training disrupted by these attempts. Do I make myself clear, my good sir?”
“As crystal.” Had blood still been running through his veins, I was sure Fox would have blushed.
Six bezoars remained on the table, identical in every way but their colors.
“What do you intend to do with them?” I asked.
“I would think it obvious, considering my experiment with the taurvi. This is a bezoar retrieved from the head of an hawklike daeva called the indar.” She picked up a bezoar the color of sapphires; up close, it resembled a fossilized ostrich’s egg. “See how it glitters so? It can detect truth from the lies its holder tells.” She moved down the line, touching each piece as she went. “This emerald stone was taken from a nanghait and can make anything grow on barren soil, exempting only runeberries. This peach-colored bezoar once belonged to a zarich; it can ease hunger and give back strength. Mix the bezoar of a savul into any metal and it will be impenetrable to most weapons. An aeshma’s bezoar is said to heal even mortal wounds. And I’m sure this will be familiar; it is from the same taurvi Lady Mykaela once slew.” The yellow stone glinted its venom at me, promising malice.
“And this is my greatest achievement.” She held up a large stone, plain and milky white. “The strongest of the daeva, one who can transport you from one place to another faster than even the wind. Its bezoar protects against all runes but the Dark. Such is the power of the azi.
“Do you want to know what I intend to do with them all? I have seen the toll these creatures have taken on Lady Mykaela through the years. I have seen the deaths they cause, the grief they bring. Whenever a Dark asha raises one from the dead and banishes them to the grave, they only give the land a few years’ peace. They only delay the inevitable. It is a matter of time before there will be too few Dark asha to carry out these tasks. This is what the enemy wants, but few people are willing to change such traditions.” She stepped back to survey her collection.
“After all,” she mused, “who would deliberately break all eight kingdoms only to save the lives of Dark asha?”
14
This was how a typical day went during my time as an apprentice in the Willows of Ankyo:
I woke up at the same time I had as a maid in the Valerian, when the tower bells rang at six, mostly from habit. Breakfast would not be served until half-past seven, but I took the opportunity to practice the dances I had learned the previous day or study the books I was given to read for my history lessons. Sometimes, if I had nothing else to do, I would sneak downstairs and help either Kana or Farsi with their chores. I knew Mistress Parmina disapproved, but she was never an early riser, and if Lady Shadi knew, she never told. If there was one thing about my new position that I was thankful for, it was the food—instead of the gruel that marked my servant days, I was given Lavash bread and cheese, with jam specially prepared for us by a nearby confectionery. Some days it was marmalade or fig or sour cherry, but my favorite was always quince. I had sweet gooseberry tea with my meal and two runeberry slices.