Amazonia - The Spirit of the Sword

The command tent wasn’t much smaller than the old tent of the Khan's back in the encampment, but it was a lot newer, with charging boars and other warrior symbols painted red on the outside. The inside was bare except for a wooden table next to the Khan's throne: a single piece of wood, sculpted into a boar's body with the head right above the Khan's, glaring down.

As we walked in, Khan Khingla was sitting upon it with Lys sitting cross-legged on the table beside him. Prince Timur was the Khan's left side, which wasn’t a good sign. The prince looked haggard, as did his other Bloodguards, Gur and Argat, and even Kula, standing on my left and the Khan's right with several of the Chosen and Captain Tang, seemed tired.

Others were here as well, who must have ridden in the the Khan; mostly nobles, though there were a few Tartaros warriors as well. All of them were talking among themselves, but all conversation stopped as Karl and I walked between them towards the Khan.

We stopped a couple horse-lengths away from the throne and bowed, mine coming a scant moment after Karl's, and knelt as Khan Khingla said, "Karl the Outlander, the tribal khans of the Ghost Goat and Bloody Dog clans do not speak Greco-Roma, nor does the outrider for the Black Dragon clan, who is here as a courtesy. Might I impose upon you to translate for them?"

Karl murmured, "That's strange." Without explaining, he rose to his feet and clapped his hand to his heart. "Great Khan, it would be my honor." He strode over to a pair of noblemen standing together with a Tartaros warrior in leather armor, a round metal cap lined with Warghorse fur on his head.

Karl bowed to them and began speaking quietly as Khan Khingla looked at me. "Amazonia the Reaver Knight, last night you were transformed into a creature of the Shadowlands known as a Shadow Knight, at the express order of my eldest son, Prince Timur. Because you agreed to this transformation, you were able to turn their dishonor back upon them and achieve a great victory for the People. Tell me, was this transformation painful?"

Behind me, people were shuffling in as I replied, "It was, Great Khan, yet I endured."

His weather-beaten face gave me a kind smile. "From the description of you that I heard from several warriors, I cannot imagine the agony you endured without complaint. But tell me this," his face growing stern once more. "Would you agree to become this Shadow Knight again if you were asked to?"

Breathe, Az; he's just testing you. "Great Khan, if you ordered me to do this, I would, but not by choice. It wasn't just the pain... Great Khan, I don't have words to describe how horrible the transformation felt. I'll never do that again unless I'm ordered to."

That seemed to be the answer he wanted to hear, because he began nodding. "For as long as I am the Khan of khans over our people, I will never order you to become such a creature. However, you did so, which I understand permanently changed your Rune sword, and I begin to wonder whether or not I should let your service with Prince Timur continue."

I went still as if turned to stone while the Khan glanced at Lys. "The Shadow Fae tells me there is a way to speak with the spirit of your sword and ask it questions, which it will answer with the truth. Are you willing to let me do this, so I might put my doubts to rest?"

Bells of Hades, what should I say? "I... didn't know such a thing was possible, but if you want to speak with Antonius, or at least what he's become, I've got no objection."

I was lying through my teeth, but I didn’t have much choice. "Lys," Khan Khingla said, "if you would?"

"As the Great Khan commands." She leapt off the table and walked over to where I was still kneeling. "Antonius' voice can be heard clearly by those who speak to the dead, yet a person with the ability to dream-walk can, if they wish, allow a spirit to take them over and let the spirit become them, at least for a little while."

Muttering began behind me as my eyes narrowed. "Why haven't I ever heard of this dream-walking before?"

"Because it got suppressed during the war of the Daemo Princes, since it was something the Celestials could not use and were afraid of. Dream-walking is being able to use your dreams to become part of someone else's dream and even influence it, so the dreamer experiences what you want them to."

Behind me, a woman's voice gasped. "Yrg used to give me nightmares." Glancing back, Wysper’s face was flushing bright red. "Apologies for speaking, Great Khan."

He smiled and beckoned her forward. "No apology is needed. According to Lys, you showed a warrior's true bravery by shielding Greywolf with your body when he was too hurt to defend himself."

Wysper took a few steps towards him and bowed. "I am Brittani, Great Khan," she said as she straightened, "and even though we cherish life, I was taught not to fear death, but instead to be always ready to embrace it."

"Wysper is also the youngest daughter of Queen Boadicea," Titan rumbled.

The Great Khan raised his eyebrows. "Indeed? Once this matter is settled, I shall take up the betrothal between you and Greywolf. Now-"

"Great Khan," Lys said, "apologies for interrupting. If Yrg has already dream-walked inside Wysper's mind, it means the girl has the ability herself, and would be a better host for the spirit of the sword to command instead of Prince Varsena."

"Not if it's going to hurt her," Greywolf said with the hint of a growl in his voice. He stalked forward to stand beside her. "Wysper's been through too much already."

"She will be fine," Lys replied. "I will have my fingertips on the hilt of the partially unsheathed Rune sword to maintain the connection, and the sword will be on Amazonia's lap. All Amazonia will have to do is sheathe the sword and the connection will be broken."

My eyes met Greywolf’s. "If I think she's in trouble, or you tell me to sheathe the sword, I'll do it without question."

Greywolf grimaced, but then gave me a nod. "I trust you." Wysper smiled up at him, squeezing his hand with both of her own, and as Greywolf let go and walked back towards Titan, a pang of longing shot through me. This is stupid, Az. You don't want someone making eyes at you like she's doing at him. They're both children in love and you're a warrior, so brace up and stop this foolishness. It must be Antonius' doing. This isn't like me at all.

Wysper turned around. "Great Khan, if this will help you, then I am willing. Lys, what must I do?"

The Shadow Fae turned toward me. "Amazonia, if you please, sit down nomad style with your sword upon your lap and draw it out about a half-foot or so." I sat down with my legs crossed and pulled the sword a short way out of the sheathe, while Lys sat in front of me but sideways. She had Wysper sit facing her. "Great Khan, I need to be in a dream-trance so I can maintain the connection, which means I will not be able to speak."

"I understand. Begin when you are ready."

Lys rested her right palm on the sword guard with her fingertips touching the hilt, and placed the fingertips of her left hand upon Wysper's forehead. The girl shuddered. "Apologies, but Yrg used to do the exact same thing."

For a moment, Lys' hand caressed the girl's cheek. "For what it is worth, apologies that she treated you in such a way. I promise I will never give you nightmares the same way she did, though I cannot predict how the Rune sword's spirit will react to feeling alive again. You and I will experience this together as the same dream, so you will not be alone. Are you still willing?"

Wysper nodded, and Lys put her fingertips back on the girl's forehead. "Now relax, and look deep into my eyes-"

"Thinking of nothing." Lys nodded once before staring into Wysper's eyes, the room quiet as an empty arena while the two continued staring at each other.

Then together, both of them closed their eyelids as their eyes underneath flickered as if they were sharing a dream... which I suppose they were. For several moments they remained facing each other.

Then Wysper opened her eyes. "I can see again, really see again. This is marvelous- Az!" She scooted away from Lys, who folded her hand in her lap as Wysper jumped to her feet. "I've missed actually being with you so much."

As he began moving Wysper towards me, I held up my hand. "Lord Antonius, remember where you are and why you're here." The girl's face got a hurt look and a smile quirked at my lips. "Besides, you know I don't like girls the same way you do."

Wysper's expression became puzzled. "Meaning what, I am a girl?" Antonius put Wysper's hands to her breasts and her eyes widened. "I am a girl." The tent erupted in male laughter as he put Wysper's hand between her legs. "No dangling bits."

The laughter grew louder, and even Khan Khingla grinned for a moment before clearing his throat. "I believe I can safely assume you are the spirit of the sword, and not the young woman I see standing before me."

The laughter died down as Wysper's body turned in his direction. "Great Khan?" He nodded, and her body bowed in the sweeping manner of the Eastern Empire's court. "Apologies for my ill manners, but my perceptions are much different wearing this body. I mean you no disrespect."

The tent went silent again as Khan Khingla's hand made a dismissive gesture. "None has been taken. I understand that, because of what you have become, you can only tell me the truth?"

"The enchantment allows me to speak nothing else."

Khan Khingla's face hardened as he leaned forward in his chair. "Then tell me this: were the Sasnayams planning to overrun our encampment, or was that just a ploy by Amazonia to embed herself with Prince Timur?"