Chapter 4
It took us only four days to return to Bani. I pushed us hard, even sustaining Ita and Ina with my mana, so that they wouldn't exhaust themselves pulling the cart. My gut wound healed, and Myta radiated content satisfaction. Notably, Sati chose to keep sharing our tent. Her voice was a regular addition to the chorus of our nightly activities.
In theory we had no firm deadlines, but if I were going to be leading a mercenary company to Metic, I wanted to recruit people I could rely on. And the sooner I began interfering with the machinations of the Pure, the better. The jungle was still sweltering, the rain came through regularly, but for me the trip was still a welcome relief from the trials we'd endured.
There were no attacks, and no outstanding threats against us. Just me and my companions, traveling with purpose, enjoying one another's company.
Myta continued to teach Cata and Denu, while I offered the occasional observation about more advanced sorcery. My additions were more for Sati's sake, than anything else. The apsara had an advanced knowledge of sorcery, as one might expect from the daughter of one of the oldest, and most powerful sorcerers I knew of. But there were odd gaps and inconsistencies in her skills.
Ramana had been practicing sorcery for longer than most of the kingdoms of the Shattered Lands had even existed. He had undoubtedly forgotten more about the manipulation of mana than I had ever known. However, such experience meant that he had skipped or glossed over parts of Sati's education. Things that were so ingrained in his understanding, that he forgot that they even needed explanation.
That was my interpretation, in any case. One way or another, the apsara's education was oddly spotty, and she was far too proud to acknowledge the gaps. So I expounded somewhat on Myta's lessons, delving deeper into the theory behind what her students were practicing, or discussing the more advanced techniques they were preparing for. And more often than not Sati found an excuse to be within earshot.
Each time I exposed her to some extra bit of knowledge, I could tell. I would receive another small rush of poisoned mana indicating that her soul sickness had lost just a little more ground. It made me wonder about the kinds of people Ramana had surrounded himself with. I didn't blame the god-king for Sati's blind arrogance, not really. He himself had long since moved past the frailties and limitations of mortals.
But his court must have seen the blinders that she wore. Any competent sorcerer could have shored up these gaps in her knowledge. Had they just been too afraid to speak up? Or had the apsara been so far separated from others? Were all his daughters, the other apsaras, so very sheltered and removed from interaction with 'lesser' beings?
Or perhaps Sati's sisters had fostered her weaknesses. She'd outright told me that the daughters of Ramana fought each other for recognition in his court. That they tore down one another in contests over the scraps of authority he left to them.
She and Myta had far more in common than I ever would have suspected. And I was glad, in some ways, that she had come into my care.
When we arrived at Bani the main gate into the market district had finally been replaced, the dark wood banded in iron was polished to a shining gloss. The guards greeted us warmly, many of them personally thanking Myta for her efforts in the city. No small number of them owed her their lives. Well, they all did, just some more directly than others.
I expected to meet with Tarun, but it wasn't to be. When I asked for the commander's location I was told that Minister Yatek wanted to see me in the governor's estate immediately after I arrived. I tried to push aside my reflexive dread at the news. My skill as a soul sorcerer was well and truly unveiled now, and Yatek was well disposed towards me. I thought he was at least. I'd helped to heal the man, as well as defend the city. Surely I had nothing to worry about.
The governor's estate was a large, sprawling affair of dark stone. As with much of Bani, colorful cloths hung off of the profusion of statues and reliefs that decorated it. It hurt me a little to admit it, but I loved the aesthetic of the city. A dark and elegant backdrop, graced with the brilliant highlights of decorations and plants. It reminded me of Mithal, at the height of its glory.
Yatek was waiting for us in the front courtyard, a grin on his craggy face. He was a small man, giving an impression of age and frailty that I knew to be entirely false. His skin was wrinkled like bark, and his hair was composed of fine vines. If he were cut, I wouldn't be surprised if sap leaked from the wounds. With such a strong and vital aspect, he would hardly feel the touch of age at all.
"Minister, I hope we haven't kept you waiting?"
"Hardly," he snorted. "You gave me an excuse to escape! Kari surrounded himself with bird-brained sycophants, and I'm glad for the excuse to avoid their company for awhile."
His familiar, a spirit in the form of a small bird, screeched indignantly, but he waved at it dismissively.
"You know I'm right. Most birds have all the sense of a concussed child before they awaken. Not like you were even a bird before you were a spirit."
I had been curious about that myself. His familiar had the shape of a bird, but was woven from wicker, with strategically placed thorns dotting their form. When it came to spirits, trying to determine their nature based on their appearance was a fool's game. You might learn the truth of their origins, or just uncover their taste in fashion. Determining which was a matter of examining their aspect. Or simply asking them, although that carried its own complications.
"Did Bani'kari not have an heir?" I asked.
"Oh he had plenty of children," Yatek scowled. "But none of them could be trusted with Bani. And despite what people believe, the governor position has never been hereditary. Ramana is just too lazy to look far for replacements. So whatever halfway competent child there is has gotten the job for the past few centuries."
Sati made a sound like a distressed kettle.
"What?" Yatek asked. "You think King Ramana, of the kingdom of Ramana, who rules from the capital city Ramana atop Mount Ramana isn't lazy?"
"I always just thought he was incredibly fond of the sound of his own name." I noted dryly.
Yatek snorted out a laugh, before shooting me a warning glance.
"Careful talking like that," he warned me. "The fossil tolerates my attitude because he likes me. He's used to me now, and I'd be too much trouble to replace. You may have done him a favor, but his eye is on you. Neither your background, nor bond to his daughter, will give you much leeway."
I nodded. The minister's warning was wise, but in truth I was tired of veiling my opinions to appease the man who'd spearheaded the destruction of my home. Now that Myta had pulled me from the hole I'd hidden myself in, I wasn't sure I could return to it.
"In any case," Yatek continued. "The king went a bit farther afield this time. He located someone he felt might bring new life to the city's court. Someone you know. Gerim, formerly Gerid, and merchant of Kuru."
I missed a step as my brain stuttered trying to imagine the brash, vulgar, and incredibly boisterous slave trader running a city. I respected Gerid, both personally and as a merchant, but I'd have never picked him for a political office.
"Yes! That face you're making was half the reason Ramana chose him." Yatek laughed. "He's very canny though, and well experienced in the actual, practical aspects of managing people. Something this whole district needs desperately.
I nodded slowly. I could see it. The longstanding feud between the governors of Bani and Kuru had distracted both from actually running and improving their respective regions. With war on the horizon, or maybe already beginning, the king needed tangible results. And he needed them yesterday.
"One thing still confuses me though." I confessed. "Gerim? Not Bani'Geri?"
"An older honorific, one Ramana didn't apply when appointing the children of the previous governors. It means he's a probationary or interim governor. If he performs well for a time, the duration of the coming war perhaps, he'll get the full title."
Sounds of arguing came from inside the estate, and Yatek grimaced. Gesturing us to follow, he led us back down towards the lower parts of the city.
"I'll show you all your supplies, Esur'uk. Ramana has arranged for you to have a generous war chest, and I took the liberty of spending some of it on your behalf. Your soldiers have also had their gear repaired by the most skillful artisans in the city."
"I don't actually have soldiers yet." I was a little bemused by the way this powerful sorcerer was fleeing. Presumably from those who were nominally running the city, or perhaps the relatives of the late governor.
"Don't be ridiculous. All the fighters who served under Mytan have agreed to join you again. You can't tell me you didn't see that coming."
"It was my intent to seek them out," I admitted. "But I wasn't sure it would work out. The city guards are contracted for five years at a time, and caravan guards are an incredibly varied lot."
"Well, that's all taken care of. Kari broke the contracts for the city guards in any case, and none of the caravans had terribly restrictive practices. Tarun is housing them, and holding your supply wagons for you. Sergeant Hati has been keeping them all in line, though I believe there was some tension with the scout."
