Page 74 of Swordheart
“A good start,” said Morag. She gestured for them to follow and went deeper into the stacks, eventually stopping in front of a map cabinet. “Start with one, and let us see if anything rings a bell.”
“The lord called himself the Leopard…” Sarkis began.
It took hours. There were false starts and false leads. But at last Sarkis was able to point to a place on the map and say, “There. That is where the Weeping Lands must have been.”
“Modern Baiir,” said Morag. “You’re a long way from home.” Sarkis inclined his head.
“And this battle, here…” he said, tapping his finger on the map. “The fortified keep held by mercenaries.”
“Four hundred and fifty years ago, give or take,” said Morag. “A lot of messy battles around that period. The civil war took the kingdom apart, and even the victor only held it together for about five years before it fragmented again.”
Sarkis kept his face blank. It would not do to let this woman see his reaction.
Five years. My troops dead, my captains chained in enchanted undeath…all so a cold, vindictive king could hold on to power for five more years.
Because I failed them. Because I played the odds and lost.
And I have paid for that gamble for nearly five hundred years.
“Thank you,” said Sarkis gruffly. He felt an unexpected tightness behind his eyes, like unshed tears. “Thank you, Wisdom Morag. I have no money—not even any possessions save the clothes on my back—but you have given me a great gift. If I can ever repay you…” It occurred to him as he spoke that perhapsWisdomwas the wrong term of address, but he did not know any others to use.
The scholar looked up at him, her face unexpectedly somber. She reached out and clasped his forearm, wrist to wrist.
“I know what it is to lose your connection to the people before you,” she said, and he heard the heaviness of that knowledge in her voice. “To come unmoored in history. It’s why I became a historian in the first place. We must help each other find our place again.”
Sarkis did not trust himself to speak. He bowed to her, very deeply, and went to find Halla.
CHAPTER 24
She was sitting on a bench near the front of the library, leaning back against the wall. She was obviously napping, so he sat down beside her and waited for her to wake up.
“I’m not asleep,” she said thickly.
“Of course not.”
She rubbed her eyes. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“I did. More than I expected to find.” He had also learned the fate of the Leopard’s valley, and though it was a tiny thing to set against nearly five hundred years of failure, he took a small comfort from it. They had known peace there for many years, and even now, absorbed into a larger empire, it was a prosperous place. The Leopard’s daughter had not drawn the blade because she had had no need to do so.
“And did you learn how long…?”
He told her.
Halla’s eyes went round, and the last traces of sleep fled her face. “Four hundred and fifty years!”
“Yes. And I would not have known where to look, if you had not thought of such a clever way to ask.” He reached out and took her hand. “That was well thought of.”
“Oh,” said Halla. “I didn’t… well, I mean, you and Morag did all the work. I just thought how I’d do it, without explaining about the sword, and… you know.” Sarkis saw that she was blushing again.
He had a strong urge to kiss her again, but the taste of centuries spent in a sword lay on his tongue, and he knew it would be a mistake. “Come on,” he said instead, tugging her to her feet. “We should get back to the hostel before it gets too dark.”
It was already late evening. There were lamps lit around the courtyard, but the shadows were very thick. Sarkis saw several women leaning against walls, in a pose that hadn’t changed much in five hundred years.
“Halla? Mistress Halla?”
Sarkis heard the voice from an alley and turned, putting one hand on his sword. Who could be calling Halla’s name here? Did she have friends in the city she hadn’t mentioned?
Halla looked as puzzled as he did. “Yes?” she said.
