Emperor Ranaz Malrabia was dead. Killed by Ashjagar. Ashjagar would remain a threat. One that would need to be eliminated if Kaiteran was to reclaim all that he’d lost. All that Ranaz had taken from him.
But he wasn’t too concerned.
With a pulse of energy, he sensed the life around him.
Thousands of waheshi were frozen beneath the ice.
Not dead.
Frozen.
And the thing about ice… well… that light growing in the distance… that would change everything.
Chapter eighteen
Emperor
Migo pressed a hand to his chest, trying to suppress the burning pain that simmered beneath. It came to no avail. Would the rest of his life be like that? Suppressing pain? He supposed he had enough experience with that sensation already.
The stillness in the room of the former emperor of Malahem was tense. The other shamans stared at Migo with mixed emotions, but mostly shock or anger. When he glanced down at his arm where Katsi held his elbow, she withdrew it and didn’t look back at him. He had to admit, even to himself, that his assertion to become emperor was a bold one, but if it meant saving all of Malahem, would that not be worth it? Was that not something even Katsi would commit herself to?
“We will not swear allegiance to a Marem,” Adrina said. “Even if you are Ashjagar.”
“I think we should hear him out,” said one of the other shamans, a man with a thin mustache and short, straight black hair. He stood like a soldier, shoulders up, neck back, confident. He wore a fine suit of brown and dark yellow. In fact, all three of the men wore similar clothing, just different colors. They no doubt had different roles. They certainly had close ties to the emperor, seeing as they were the first ones to even bother investigating the outcome of Migo’s arrival. Perhaps they’d been Ranaz’s advisors.
“To what end, Jafir?” Adrina asked.
“To an end that doesn’t result in all of us dying or becoming slaves.”
“So you would take orders from a child with some vain belief that he will have any idea what he’s doing?”
“A child who managed to kill the most powerful shaman.” Jafir folded his arms.
“He did so unwittingly, thrusting us into this very predicament.”
“It’s something we should discuss,” said one of the other men in a purple coat, still clutching a few potions in one of his hands, “but now is not the time. Unity is needed, as the man has suggested. We should assemble everyone together. They need to know that we’re safe, however temporary that safety may be.”
Adrina gave Migo and Katsi one last look before turning toward the other shamans. “Agreed. Let us see to the immediacy. We can discuss our gloomy future after we’ve restored order.”
The group of shamans departed, leaving Migo and Katsi in the room with Ranaz’s mother, who sat silently on a chair, rolling her son’s rings in her hand. There were several more artifacts still sitting on the shelf. Migo could only wonder how many shamans had died to create those. He remembered watching when Katsi recovered her second armlet from the shaman in the cave. It had absorbed the woman’s blood before she picked it up. There was no doubt something sinister to all of that.
“My son did the right thing,” Ris said, looking Migo in the eyes. “But became misguided. He did not trust anyone fully and was resistant to collaboration. Thus the continued execution of every stormcaller he ever found and our current predicament.”
“Everyone has their faults,” Migo said. He was still unsure of her motives. Despite all his suspicions, Migo had been too trusting of everyone. First Ranaz, then Nagesh and Hadiv. It was sad really. It made him look silly, always desperate to find someone he could rely on. Perhaps one of the many consequences of losing his father was becoming a fool. “Ranaz’s fault was thinking he could kill my father and then try to kill Katsi. You say he didn’t trust anyone. I doubt he consulted much with those shamans who just left. But what about you?”
Ris gave a smirk that looked just like Ranaz’s. “Astute observation. He truly had no confidants, though I suspect I was the closest thing he had to one. I’m not sure he could keep much private from me anyway.”
“Then tell me this, why did he kill my father?” Migo narrowed his eyes at her.
“Ah, that is one thing I know of.” She shrugged, slipping one of the rings on and off her finger. “I don’t know all the details, but your father had good relations with the shaman tribes in the area. That already made him a target for my son. To make things worse, he somehow connected the activities of a shaman back to the emperor himself and also discovered that my son was after something in that cave. Ultimately, I believe your father was assassinated to keep attention on the shaman war and off of his own activities. He was always so afraid that people would discover he was a shaman.”
Migo gulped back a sickness climbing up his throat. There was still the question of who had infiltrated the palace and stolen his father’s journal. Why wait for so long before stealing it? He’d left too much in Hatan’s hands alone. Perhaps he should have handled matters at home before running off to seek justice. The whole world was facing the consequences of his decisions. Now he had to see if he could fix all that he’d broken.
“Assassinated over such a simple thing,” he muttered mostly to himself.
The woman shrugged. “Five hundred years was too long. He lost himself in his objective. It was well past his time, though it certainly leaves the world in a concerning predicament.” Her cold way of talking about her son made Migo uncomfortable. He found himself resisting the urge to clench his fists, grasping for a weapon that wasn’t there.
“We’ll find a way out of it,” Katsi said firmly.
“That unity the young king mentioned is paramount,” Ris said. “If the goal is to protect the people, then the people will need to work together to protect themselves. You two can’t protect them all. Any person that falls to the bleeder armies is subject to become yet another waheshi, so you’d want to protect the most people you possibly can..”
“What’s the best solution?” Migo asked, interest piqued.
“Silver and magic,” Ris said. “Soldiers armed with silver and enhancement potions are the most effective weapon against bleeder armies. Though shamans will not follow a Marem emperor.”
Migo pointed to Katsi. “Then we make Katsi the new ruler.”
Ris smirked. “You know that won’t work either. She has no legitimate claim to a throne, and none of the Marem nations would follow a shaman.” She rose from her seat with a grunt. It was hard to believe she was over five hundred years old. “So you shall have to find a solution that works or we’ll never survive what’s coming.” She walked toward the door, leaving her son’s body behind.
“Wait,” Migo said. “Leave those rings.”
Ris paused, bouncing the rings in her hand with the sound of tinkling metal. She regarded him carefully before speaking. “I shall.” She held her hand out to him. “But swear you find a way to bring us together. Swear you will succeed where my son failed.”
Migo had no idea how he was going to do it, only that he would try his very best to make it happen. He nodded to her. “I will unify us.” His voice was barely more than a whisper, but he felt the solidity of those words. He would pursue them to the end.
“Very well,” Ris said, handing Migo the rings. “Whatever comes, you two watch out for each other. There is strength between you. A strength that made you more powerful than my son. That is the strength we will need.” She turned and disappeared out the shattered doors.
“We can do this, Migo,” Katsi said from behind.
