1219-10-01
A:
One day passes. Then another. Then another.
Fight after fight after fight.
And still, I can't beat her.
I slam my hand into my head.
Why? Why? Why?
Why can't I beat her?
Why is she so much stronger than me?
What's the difference between us?
She calls it motivation. I laugh at that. Her father never loved her. She never speaks about him. Never once. I would understand if she did. Loret speaks about Zahra all the time.
And yet.
This pain.
I'm supposed to be strong, and I can't even win.
I look up at the sky. Smoke and ash fill it. A thick fog spreads across Ghar.
The Days of Fog.
It's that time.
Five days out of the year, the fog comes. Cold. unnatural. It covers everything.
Perfect time for an attack.
Loret walks over and sits beside me. He pats my head.
"How are you feeling, A?"
"I'm fine."
"With Zara taking control of most of the top clans, I think it's time to surrender."
"I refuse," I say. "I know I can beat her. She has something. Some inner energy. No… it's like invisible armor."
Loret stays quiet for a moment.
"I think it's time," he says. "Time I tell you your name."
I look up at him, stunned.
Those words.
The words I've always wanted to hear.
My chest tightens. Every loss to Zara burns inside me.
She's taken most of the tribes. The ones who refused her are gone or broken. It all happened too fast. Like time skipped forward and she had already won.
We're on our last leg.
She beats us in every way. Every fight. Every plan. It's like she sees the future. Like she knows every move before it happens.
She controls the board.
And I'm trapped in her game.
I look back at my father. Tears start to form.
My name.
And yet, I don't feel like I deserve it.
"No," I say, standing up. "I want to beat Zara. Not only that, I want to become the undisputed leader of Ghar before I get my name."
I look up at the sky. Dragons fly overhead.
"Only then can you give it to me."
Loret smiles.
"Alright, my son. But that time may come sooner than you think."
Fenlason.
A small city deep in Ghar. Built like the coastal cities, made to attract merchants. Stone, wood, and huts placed to look alive, even when it isn't.
It's empty. Quiet.
Perfect.
A place Zara wouldn't expect.
A place to hide. To plan. To survive.
Fenlason is one of our last strongholds.
Three people around my age walk up to me. Maybe a few months younger. I look at their taji. Clean. No dots.
No battles.
Two boys. One girl.
I smile.
"Is this what you wanted to show me, Loret?" I ask.
My father nods. "This is Fran." He points to one of them. "Kano." Then the other. "And this is Ton."
"It's nice to meet you," I say. "Did Zara send you?"
"She did," Fran says. "But she came on her own too."
My eyes widen.
Zara.
Is she here to end this?
No.
"How did you know?" Kano asks.
"Your taji," I say. "No dots. You've never fought."
They go quiet.
"She believes in this war," I continue. "Even if she's winning, she won't admit it. She would start a civil war just to protect Ghar from outside threats."
I pause.
"I've only seen one ruler from another land. He gave me my core. Gave me this power. An unrefined spear."
I look at my hand.
"It never felt free. Like the power carried something with it."
The girl stares at me.
Not fear.
Confusion.
Like she's never heard of me.
"What?" I ask.
"Purple eyes," Ton says. "I've seen someone else with them."
Everything in me tightens.
"What?" I step forward. "Who?"
"Someone from another country," Fran says. "They came to Gorento. They had purple eyes."
"That's impossible," I say. "What did they look like?"
"It's not," Loret says quietly. "Your mother had purple eyes. She was from Tethambia."
My chest tightens.
"Tethambia has fallen," he adds.
Ton nods. "I heard merchants say Sha'tar wiped them out."
Silence.
"You might be the last," Loret says. "The last with purple eyes."
I shake my head. "It doesn't matter."
But it does.
"What did she look like?" I ask.
Fran takes a breath. "Different. Quiet. Almost like a doll. Black hair. Deep violet eyes. She wore layered clothes. Ribbons. Looked like a noble."
"Tethambian," Loret mutters.
"Was she alone?" he asks.
Fran hesitates. "No."
Ton steps forward. "The woman with her had white hair. Blue eyes. She felt… dangerous."
I exhale slowly.
"Enough," I say. "We deal with Zara first."
We move toward the edge of the city.
I see her.
Ton and Kano run ahead, straight into her arms.
Her soldiers stand behind her.
The formation. The stillness.
It feels like that night.
The moon hangs above us.
Cold. Watching.
I'm ready.
If she wants to fight for a man who never loved her, then I'll fight. I'll die if I have to.
"I was starting to worry," I say. "Thought you killed them."
"I'm not a barbarian," I add. "So what do you want, Zara? If you want to fight, then…"
She cuts me off.
"We surrender," Zara says.
The air turns cold.
Too cold.
It lingers longer than it should.
I look into her eyes, searching for anything. A lie. A crack. A sign this is another move in her game.
There's nothing.
Only resolve.
"What? Why?"
"Because," Zara says calmly, "the only way you'll understand me is if the future plays out the way it's meant to."
She steps forward slightly.
"I could keep fighting. I could keep beating you. But there's no point. It only delays what's coming."
Her gaze sharpens.
"I've convinced the six main families under me to stop. It's time your tribes agree to peace."
"I refuse," I say.
Zara laughs.
"Listen. This is what you and Loret wanted. Now it's your turn."
She turns to her soldiers.
"Is this war about winning," she calls out, "or beating me in a fight?"
Silence follows.
Then she looks back at me, a faint smile forming.
"I look forward to peace talks, Loret."
I move before I think. I grab her arm.
"I want to beat you," I say. "I want to win. I won't accept this."
She looks down at my hand, then back at me.
"A," she says softly, "if we unite, I promise I'll spar with you."
She pulls away.
A small smile lingers on her face.
"The day of the elephant is coming," she says. "The day the gem rises."
Her eyes meet mine.
"And ice will fall."