Elasariin was unlike any other place on Lanis. According to the history books, the Anaiian city was built centuries ago by a tribe of Anai that decided to stay in the old forest in Zo’rahn, despite the rest of their kind moving across the sea to form the Anaiian Court of Nemethy. Wooden platforms crafted into the trunks of trees rose a hundred feet above the ground, blending in with branches and leaves to form a living foundation. Wood and rope bridges connected each platform to the others. Small buildings were erected in a cluster around each trunk, each platform holding five or six dwellings.
The main way into the city from the forest floor was to climb the long spiral stairway carved into the trunk of the largest tree in the center of Elasariin. The city was easily defensible because of its remoteness, and the Anai had lived here peacefully for ages. The only occasional enemies were their Zo’rahni neighbors, but none had ever breached the city. It was the safest, most serene, and tranquil place to live in the world.
At least, that’s what Eolisti’s mother had been trying to convince her of her entire life.
To Eolisti, Elasariin was a never-changing, monotonous collection of treehouses she had seen every day as far back as she could remember. There was no excitement, no adventure, no fun. It was the same day in, day out. The city was small compared to what she’d learned of human settlements, with only several hundred Anai living in the treetops. A select group of the more senior members of the community, the High Council, made all the major decisions for everyone living here. The rest of the Anai just followed along like a hoard of mindless sheep.
Eolisti was in the prime of her youth. She should have been out traveling the world on an adventure and making a name for herself, but her mother never let her stray very far from the city, not even into the uninhabited areas of the forest. The other Anai her age were able to come and go as they pleased, but no, not her. Her mother kept her right where she wanted her—home, safe, and bored.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t protect herself. Eolisti had taken up the sword at a young age, and after years of honing her skills, she was one of the best swordswomen in Elasariin. She knew the practice was just meant to keep her busy, but was it her fault that she wanted to put her skills to use? She knew sparring wasn’t the same as a real battle, fighting for your life and vanquishing foes.
She couldn’t even argue with her imprisonment or appeal to a higher power. Her mother was the city shaman and a member of the High Council, and the only one fully trained in magic in Elasariin. If she pulled a few strings to convince the Council to keep her daughter here, who was going to say otherwise?
Eolisti grumbled to herself, shifting in her seat high up in the branches of the tree in the center of the city. She watched the stairs leading up into the city with undisguised anticipation and pushed a couple of leaves out of the way to get a better view of the archway at the top of the spiral stairs. Was it her fault that she was reduced to hiding in the trees anytime there was even a hint of the unusual just to catch a glimpse of excitement?
No, it was not.
Whispers had rippled through the city earlier that evening. A human had entered the forest. These days, it was rare for humans to get anywhere near the forest, let alone wander into it. What was even more interesting was that the human seemed to know how to reach the city. When humans did show up, her mother, being the youngest and most capable on the Council, usually parleyed with them. Eolisti had even gotten to talk to a few of them.
The humans coming here were usually runaway slaves of the wizards in Zo’rahn, seeking aid from the Council to travel across the mountains safely. Eolisti didn’t know the details of why the Elasariin Anai helped them, but she knew that her mother and the Council were involved with some sort of organization. It was unclear what exactly they did, but she had never seen them turn the human slaves away. This human must be another slave if she knew how to find them.
Four days ago, her mother had received a message in the middle of the night. Eolisti had been asleep in her room when a cawing had woken her. After realizing that the noise was coming from inside the house, Eolisti had jumped out of bed and quietly snuck into the hall and down to the doorway that led to the kitchen. There was a soft murmur from around the corner and the flap of wings. She’d risked a glance and found her mother tying a green ribbon around the leg of a raven. A rolled-up parchment lay in front of her, a message from whomever had sent the bird. Fearing being caught, Eolisti had tiptoed back to her room and, when settled in bed again, lay awake thinking.
Something was happening, and this time she would not be left out.
Movement from below shook Eolisti out of her thoughts and back to the present. She could see the top of her mother’s head ascending the stairs. Eolisti leaned forward, gripping the branch so hard her knuckles were white. There was someone with her. A coppery red headscarf came into view as a human trailed behind Vyraeli. No, she thought, that’s hair. She’d never seen hair that color before.
It was difficult to see the newcomer’s face from where she was positioned. The person appeared to be female and looked very different from an Anai. Her figure had accentuated proportions, versus an Anai whose shape was typically willowy, and her movements were clumsy where an Anai’s would be graceful. But she wasn’t like the humans that Eolisti had seen previously. The woman held herself differently than those who’d come here before. So, if she wasn’t a runaway slave, who was she?
Eolisti’s mother turned and said something to the woman, and then they started heading toward the Council building, the largest structure in the city.
She waited until they disappeared before climbing out of the branches. Her hands were trembling and her heart raced. She had to know who that human was and why she was here. This person looked so different from any other human who had come here before. Maybe she was royalty in disguise.
A wide grin spread across the Anai’s face. This was the most fun she’d had in ages.
Casually, Eolisti strolled from the center platform across the bridge that led to the Council building. There weren’t many others out at this time of night. All the children had been put to bed, and most of the other Anai didn’t give her a second glance. Eolisti was usually out all times of the day and night, running errands for her mother, or doing what the townspeople dubbed “causing mayhem.”
Whatever. They wouldn’t know how to have fun if it struck them on the nose, which it might have. A few times.
She walked around to the back entrance of the Council building, where the caretakers and staff would enter and leave. After checking to make sure all was clear, Eolisti pressed her ear against the door, listening. She couldn’t hear any sounds from within. With the barest push, the door swung inward. Luckily for her, locks were rarely used in Elasariin.
The door opened into a dark hallway leading off to the left and right. Doors lined the hall, small meeting rooms for the Council members’ private conversations. Guest rooms would be closer to the kitchens, which would be to the right, near the front of the building. There shouldn’t be anyone working at this time of night, but the caretaker and his family lived here, and it wouldn’t have been the first time she’d been caught wandering the halls of the Council building at night.
Best not to let anyone know I’m here then, she thought as she looked down both hallways then stepped inside, closing the door silently behind her.
Light from outside filtered down through skylights in the ceiling, broken only by the branches and leaves from above. Even in shadow, Eolisti had no trouble navigating the familiar place, following the sounds of movement coming from the kitchens. She treaded lightly, carefully testing each floorboard before putting her full weight on it. These buildings were old, and the last thing she wanted was the creaking of wood to announce her presence. It was slow going, but it kept the planks from squeaking too loudly. She wasn’t afraid of getting caught. Being known as a troublemaker made her immune to criticism, but it was so much easier to get things done if no one knew what she was doing until after the act was committed. It seemed like her mother was always scolding her for one thing or another, so she’d rather apologize after the fact instead of asking permission to do this or that.
When she reached the end of the corridor, Eolisti paused to peek around the corner. A dim yellow light shone through the crack underneath a door on the right wall, the entrance to the kitchens. This door was larger than the others, and the fading varnish signaled its frequent use. A low murmur of voices carried to her ears, but she couldn’t quite make out what was being said.
Her heart beat loudly as she tiptoed down the hall, pausing only briefly at the kitchen door. Shadows moved against the sliver of light shining from beneath. She could hear the voices better here, but they were still too muffled by the door to make out the conversation. She could try to listen at the crack to hear what was being said and risk someone opening the door on her, or she could keep going.
After a moment’s hesitation, Eolisti decided to move on. The human wouldn’t be in the kitchens anyway. She could feel a broad smile spreading across her face as she tiptoed away. Too easy.
It was a few minutes before Eolisti found another door with light shining from under it. Creeping close, she listened but couldn’t hear anything. Was the human in there? She wouldn’t make much noise if she was by herself, of course, but wouldn’t she at least be changing, washing up, or moving around? Well, at least the silence meant that her mother wasn’t in there. If she had been, Eolisti was sure she would’ve been questioning the human.
“What are you doing?” asked a small voice from behind her.
Eolisti’s heart almost flew out of her chest as she jumped, rolling forward into a low defensive stance.
A young Anai girl stood in the middle of the hall facing Eolisti, the light of the moons making her hair shine with a silvery glow. She was holding a wooden tray with a lidded bowl and a piece of brown flat Anaiian bread, called bära. The girl was short for her age, with the top of her head coming just under Eolisti’s breast. She wore long green skirts with a white apron over them and slippers.
Eolisti knew her. She was the caretaker’s daughter, Aerynis. Damn.
Aerynis raised a thin, pale eyebrow, waiting for Eolisti to answer her question.
Eolisti straightened and cleared her throat. “Good evening,” she said in the politest voice she could muster.
The girl rolled her eyes. “Why are you sneaking around here, Eolisti?”
Eolisti’s temper flared, but she managed to rein it in and smiled sweetly. “I heard we have a guest in the city. A human.” She glanced down at the tray of food. “Is that for her? What’s she like? Where did she come from? How did she get here?” Eolisti bit off a dozen other questions before they escaped her lips. She could barely contain her excitement.
Aerynis’s eyebrows climbed further up her forehead with each question. “I don’t know anything, Eolisti. I haven’t even seen her yet.”
Her eyes flicked down to the tray of food.
“As you can see, I was on my way to offer her some food.” Aerynis shrugged, then narrowed her eyes at Eolisti. “Even if I’d already met her, what makes you think I’d tell you? You’re not even supposed to be here. Does your mother know you’re here?”
When Eolisti didn’t answer, Aerynis sighed and rolled her eyes again. “I have work to do. Now get out of my way.”
She moved to step around her, but Eolisti blocked her path. She reached down and snatched the tray out of Aerynis’s hands before the girl could stop her.
“Hey!” Aerynis squeaked in surprise and reached out to take the tray back.
Eolisti held the food over her head and smirked down at her. “I’ll take it from here.” She turned on her heel and looked over her shoulder at the other Anai’s incredulous face. “Well? Get lost.”
“Mifela,” Aerynis said under her breath.
“What was that?!” Eolisti growled, but by the time Eolisti turned back around, Aerynis was already halfway down the hall. How dare she call her a mifela. That little brat would get it. Later. She reminded herself. There are other matters to attend to. She needed to hurry before her mother got wind of this little encounter. Aerynis was probably on her way to tell on her right then.
She turned back, balanced the tray on her hip, and rapped on the door three times.
No answer came right away. She heard no movement from inside the room. Eolisti was beginning to wonder whether this was the right door or not when a soft “Come in” came from inside.
Eolisti pushed the door open, and light poured out into the hall. This guest room was just like the others she had seen before. Simple, with a yellow curtain dividing it down the middle, a small bed and a table with two chairs on one side, and a chamber pot and a large wooden tub on the other. A lamp with a small flickering flame rested on the table, casting a dim golden glow over the room. There was a window on the wall next to the bed, open to let in a slight breeze. The walls were plain, and the room held no decorations. It was used for functionality. Visitors to Elasariin didn’t tend to linger.
The young human girl sat on the bed, hugging her legs to her chest. Now that she could get a closer look at her, the girl really was different from any of the humans Eolisti had encountered before. Her hair, the color of her skin, the shape of her face, her eyes—everything else was different. Eolisti knew that there were other lands where humans dwelled, over the mountains to the west and across the sea, and she knew of the countries stretching over two continents. Those of fairer complexion to the north and darker to the south. She had seen a map of Lanis before, but those places seemed so far away. Her mother had told her before it was extremely rare for any of the western humans to travel this far east unless they were being sold as slaves.
But she didn’t look like a slave. She looked well-nourished, and her clothes, filthy as they were, were much too fine to belong to any but the most highly placed slaves. Her eyes also didn’t have the distant look that many of the others coming through Elasariin had.
The girl looked about the same age as Eolisti, though she knew that humans aged faster than Anai. She’s pretty for a human, she decided, but not as pretty as me.
Eolisti tried to give the girl a friendly smile. “Good evening! My name is Eolisti.” She held up the tray for the human to see. “I have some food for you.” Eolisti walked over to the table and put the tray down, tossing some of her dark hair over her shoulder.
The girl watched Eolisti with her big gray eyes. She didn’t speak, and Eolisti felt the corner of her mouth twitch as she tried to keep the smile on her face. How long was she going to stare at her? She had the sudden urge to wave her hand in front of the girl’s face to see if she would respond, but suppressed it. That might offend her.
“Sophie,” the girl said finally, her voice shaking slightly. “My name is Sophie.”
Eolisti nodded and then gestured at the food. “Hungry?” she asked with that smile still plastered on her face, setting the tray down on the table.
Sophie watched her like a frightened animal for a few more moments, then unfolded herself and stood. “Thank you,” she said softly, finally averting her eyes and fixating on the tray of food instead. She sat down on one of the chairs and lifted the lid on the bowl. Eolisti leaned over to see what she had been given. Makile stew. Of course it was. The food here didn’t vary much. It was all so boring.
The girl looked at the stew for a moment, then picked up the spoon and took a sip. It was too bland for Eolisti’s tastes, but the girl apparently didn’t mind it. She ate with a gusto that Eolisti imagined could only come from days without substantial food. She hadn’t even asked what was in it. “It’s better if you eat it with the bread,” Eolisti suggested, staring at her in astonishment.
Sophie nodded and dipped the bära in the stew.
Eolisti sat down across from the girl as she ate but waited until she was finished before speaking again.
“So, how did you come upon our little city, Sophie?” she asked, trying to keep the tone conversational. Eolisti was bursting with questions, but she knew from experience that people usually got upset if they were bombarded with inquiries while they ate.
Sophie glanced at her warily and did not answer immediately. Eolisti’s foot twitched, wanting to tap impatiently. Instead, she kept that friendly smile on her face. Sophie swallowed her food and said, “A friend of mine directed me here. I walked for four days from Tanzar through the countryside, and then through the forest.”
“And you weren’t afraid of entering the forest at night?”
She gave the Anai an almost sickly smile. “Of course I was afraid, but I had to do it. I’m more afraid of what I left behind.”
“What did you leave behind?”
A pained look came across the girl’s face. She set the bread down and folded her hands in her lap. “I…” She paused, considering her words carefully. “I just needed to get out of there.” It looked like she wanted to say more but remained silent.
Eolisti nodded. Even though she knew that wasn’t the whole story, Eolisti knew how it felt to really need to leave somewhere. She had that feeling every day. “I’ve heard some stories about Zo’rahn,” she admitted when Sophie provided nothing else. “Are you Zo’rahni? You don’t look Zo’rahni. Are you a slave?”
Sophie looked both surprised and relieved at the sudden change of subject. “Yes, I’m actually half. My mother was from Morigael. My father is Zo’rahni. I’ve been told I take after my mother more than my father.” She allowed herself a small smile. “I don’t remember them that much. I was taken away from my family at a young age. But no, I’m not a slave.” She suddenly looked up, eyes wide, clearly afraid she’d said too much.
It took all the will power Eolisti had to not roll her eyes. “Relax,” she said, forcing that unthreatening smile on her face again. “I’m not reporting anything you say to anyone. We’re just chatting.” She placed a hand over Sophie’s and changed her expression to worry. Eyebrows raised. Relaxed facial muscles. “It seems like you need someone to talk to,” Eolisti said in a gentle, calming voice she’d heard her mother use when trying to calm frightened deer.
Sophie smiled sadly at Eolisti. “Thank you.” The girl was silent for a time, and Eolisti had the impression that she was deciding whether or not she could trust her. Apparently deciding that she could, Sophie continued speaking. “I’m not a slave. Technically, I’m an apprentice wizard and not old enough to apply to become ranked yet.”
“What do you mean by ‘ranked’?” Eolisti asked. It seemed they finally stumbled onto something interesting.
Sophie’s expression changed, and her voice took on an airy quality. “Being ranked means that you have taken the testing required to be recognized as a fully-fledged wizard of Zo’rahn. Normally, that means you are over the age of twenty and have completed two years of apprenticeship to a wizard of fourth rank or higher. There are seven ranks,” she explained, seeing Eolisti’s confused look.
“Each rank above the first requires both a test of skill and an assessment of your achievements in magical studies. Some apprentices are quite powerful but hold back on testing to the next rank to sharpen their talent, even if they are old enough. Once you make rank, it becomes very competitive.”
“Sounds boring.” The words left Eolisti’s mouth before she could even think about stopping them. “W-what I mean,” she stammered at Sophie’s look of shocked indignation, “is that it sounds like a lot of book work. You must want to get out and travel and explore. Experience the world around you, not just study.”
“Well, some study is like that, but others are less so. We are always trying to push the boundaries of the world around us with magic. Sometimes, that requires us to do fieldwork. Zo’rahni wizards are sent all over Lanis on missions researching and looking for artifacts and other magics that have been lost over time…” She trailed off at this, a troubled look clouding her face.
Whatever Sophie said about the study of magic, it still sounded incredibly dull to Eolisti. If all of the Zo’rahni were like this, why were her people so wary of them? They didn’t sound formidable at all. Eolisti wasn’t stupid. She knew magic could be extremely dangerous and had seen her mother use it to deadly effect on intruders before, but how dangerous could a girl like this be? She was the exact opposite of what the Anai had expected from a wizard of Zo’rahn.
“Are most people in Zo’rahn like you? You seem very, uh, different from what I’ve heard of your people.”
Her cheeks reddened. “Well, no. Not really. Most of the wizards in Zo’rahn conform strictly to tradition. We are trained to be better than those around us. Stronger. Deadlier.” She met Eolisti’s eyes and shook her head, smiling ruefully. “Not ‘we.’ Not anymore. They.”
Eolisti only half-listened as Sophie spoke. She didn’t sound very interesting, but Eolisti’s mother went out to meet this girl herself, so she had to be a person of some importance. The amount of secrecy was strange, too. Usually, the entire city would be preparing days before humans arrived, and she did make the trip here from Tanzar by herself and unscathed. There had to be more to her than met the eye. Eolisti just needed to figure out what was so special about the girl.
Sophie was still talking softly when another noise from the hall caught Eolisti’s attention, the low thumping of approaching footsteps. Eolisti jumped up, startling Sophie into silence, and walked across the room. She pulled back the curtain and dragged out the large wooden tub, taking a bucket out of it. “You look like you could use a bath,” she said hurriedly, glancing back at Sophie and smiling apologetically as the door slammed open, startling the poor girl again.
In the doorway stood Vyraeli, with clenched jaw and furrowed brow directed at her only daughter. “I see you’ve met our guest,” she hissed scathingly in Anaiian. Aerynis’s blonde head poked out from behind Vyraeli, a smug look on her face. That little traitor.
“Mother.” Eolisti smiled sweetly and gestured to the tub, speaking in the human tongue. “I was just preparing a bath for her. She looks so tired. I think it would help her relax before sleeping. Don’t you agree?” she asked innocently.
Eolisti held her breath, bucket in hand, as the anger on Vyraeli’s face slowly turned to wry amusement. Sophie looked back and forth between them, but Eolisti, determined not to be thrown out, kept her eyes on her mother.
Finally, Vyraeli sighed and closed her eyes. Her fingers twitched at her side, and Eolisti knew she wanted to massage her temples and ask the gods to give her strength like she did whenever Eolisti misbehaved. She opened her eyes and smiled woodenly. “Aerynis, please fetch some water from the kitchens so our guest can wash. You,” she glared at Eolisti. “Sit.”
Eolisti shrugged as Aerynis approached and snatched the bucket from her in much the same way that Eolisti had snatched the tray from the girl earlier. When Vyraeli wasn’t looking, the young Anai stuck her tongue out at Eolisti. Eolisti’s temper flared, and she briefly considered trying to trip the brat, but reminded herself that that would be stupid and only get her into more trouble. The moment passed, and Eolisti walked over to the table and sat in the chair as Vyraeli instructed. She folded her arms over her chest and leaned back. There would be time for revenge later.
When Aerynis closed the door, Vyraeli’s gaze shifted from Eolisti to Sophie.
“My daughter is right. A hot bath would help you sleep. Our Council will meet on the morrow to discuss how to handle the special circumstances that your position requires. You must understand that we don’t normally deal with people of your station and will need to make adjustments to our usual arrangements. We’ll inform you when everything has been agreed upon and assign you what we call a Vendarii, a protector. This person will be one of our trained warriors and will be able to escort you to your next destination. You will be provided with the essentials for your journey.” She turned to Eolisti and narrowed her eyes, a wicked grin spreading across her face.
“Since my daughter seems to have taken to you, please feel free to have her fetch anything you need.”
Eolisti eyed the older Anai suspiciously, but said only, “Of course, Mother.”
With that, Vyraeli took her leave. Eolisti waved at her as her mother stepped aside to allow Aerynis entry with a bucket of steaming water, then closed the door behind her.
“Well, Sophie,” Eolisti took the bucket from Aerynis and poured the water into the tub. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”