The Balance (The Stone's Blade Book 2) Read online

  “Oh, there you are!” Taryn said, greeting them when they came inside as if they’d been gone for hours.

  Ani glared at him. Renloret did not respond but moved to the table and began sifting through the sheaf of papers Taryn had placed there.

  She perused the room. The dishes had been done and the cot and other bedding had been put away. She couldn’t hide a grimace as she realized they’d been sitting on the porch a fair piece of time.

  Renloret looked up from Taryn’s notes. “Do you think we should do this today?” He tapped the stack of papers.

  “No. There’s still some prep I need to do.” Taryn gathered the papers into one stack and stuffed them into a pack.

  “What kind of preparation?” Ani asked.

  “Well, I need to find out just how many of the old research center staff have returned since you three left. Quite a few of those who worked alongside your mother fifteen to twenty years ago have returned and they might remember something about a twin — if Shendahl said or wrote anything about her in the work environment.

  “I also want to do some background checks on the newest employees to be sure they are not connected with the military. After what Dalkey did at the cemetery and research center, I doubt that the military would risk stirring up more trouble. Even so, I want to be sure that a spy has not slipped in.”

  “Did you have any trouble with the milits after we left?”

  “All of them were present when Dalkey showed them the blade box and talked about aliens disappearing into it, so they weren’t too reluctant about leaving.” Taryn grinned. “And I made sure no one actually saw Dalkey’s body. They all took my word for what happened. I took down their names and said that if I ever found out they were back in Star Valley I would arrest them for aiding and abetting Dalkey in his disobedience of the restraining order. They left quietly, and I haven’t heard a snitch since.

  “And with them gone, Star Valley got back to normal quicker than I thought it would. The official report states that the general had burned your mother’s body to get rid of evidence but had retained the blade and its box as a form of trophy. I mentioned that the ceremonial blade was returned to its rightful owner. Mroz was outraged about the casket and illegal cremation and kindly offered to rebuild the casket. We held a simple ceremony to rebury it about two weeks after you left. Mother has been taking flowers to the grave every week since to honor her friend until Ani returned from Southern to participate in an official ceremony.” He turned a questioning look at Ani.

  “I guess I’ll have to schedule one now that I’m back from Southern.” She bit her lower lip.

  “It doesn’t have to be right now. Mother will expect you to discuss the arrangements with her at some point, and she’ll want to be part of the ceremony. She will also want to hear your impressions of your family’s Southern village. Your parents and their coworkers were always rather tight-lipped about details.”

  “Of course,” Ani said as she sat down. “But what should I say? I’ve never been to Southern, only to a planet in a galaxy way off out there.” She waved a hand above her head. “She’ll know if I lie.”

  Renloret shook his head. “You don’t have to lie, Ani. You can even mention seeing some rockets because Southern has been launching satellites, and everyone on Northern knows about them. In fact, I bet Northern is trying to duplicate the feat. You can say I took you to one of the launchings as a tourist. I’m sure Taryn would enjoy hearing about that.” Renloret looked encouragingly at Taryn.

  Taryn nodded but cautioned, “Just don’t tell her about the Stones. Talking rocks won’t go over very well. And don’t say a thing about your father, either. She’ll think you really are sick or something.”

  “What do you mean, ‘really sick’?” Ani asked.

  “Well, you weren’t exactly in the best frame of mind when you ran away from their house to kill an insane military general.”

  “Oh, that.” She grimaced and shrugged her shoulders. “What did you tell your parents when I didn’t return with you?”

  “Um, I thought it best that Mother and Father know you were still alive, so I told them you were just not thinking straight. They were okay with Renloret taking you to Southern to recover from Dalkey’s stalking you and digging up your mother’s grave, as well as checking to see if your blood could save members of Renloret’s village. Oh, Renloret … you will have to use the same story or this won’t work. You took her home to Southern where her extended family assisted in her mental recovery and her blood stopped whatever disease was the problem.”

  Renloret nodded. “Well, I did take her home. That basic story is general enough to be correct, but how do we explain this twin thing?”

  Taryn shrugged. “I’m working on that. But I’ve got to check on how deep the new staff has explored before you, Renloret, can get to the records room.” He turned to Ani. “Or we need to come up with a reason for Renloret to have returned with you, Ani, to find the twin. I think it will take a few days to set everything up. I’ll forewarn Mother and Father as well. They’ll cooperate with anything we come up with — unless it has to do with aliens.

  “So, Renloret, where did you put the ship?” Taryn was obviously ready to move on to other subjects.

  “In the launch room.”

  “Did you run across any people?”

  “Nothing appeared to have changed since we left and no one confronted us. Kela did not find any trace of other intruders either.”

  “Good. All right, I need you two to stay up here a few days while I prepare the residents for the return of a healthy Ani and her … blade partner.” He smiled at the expression on Ani’s face. “I think I have this figured out. Both of you will be training for the regional blade ring competition, which is scheduled for the last week of summer.”

  Ani tried to interrupt, but Taryn stopped her. “You can’t complain about this, Ani. You’re the one who introduced Renloret as your student at the spring dance.” He looked at her as a parent would look at a child he was instructing. “You’re healed now and your parent’s village is safe, so you’ve come back to finish what the two of you started. Got it?”

  “Got it, Sheriff,” she said with a heavy sigh, resigned to follow the plan. It was not often that she could shake him from a plan.

  “Finally! Now behave and start practicing. I’ll work on the twin angle and let you know.” He grabbed his pack and headed for the door.

  “But this won’t —”

  “Ani, this is the only way it will work. Renloret, I’m relying on you to make it work. You’re blade partners now. I’ll make sure to enter you both. There is a mixed pairs division this time, so it’s perfect.”

  Under her breath Ani said, “Hopefully, we won’t be here that long.”

  “Ani!” Taryn got her attention. “It will work on a lot of levels. You’ve got to play along with your original announcement as to why Renloret was with you.”

  She held her hands up in surrender.

  He turned to Renloret with narrowed eyebrows and determination in his eyes. “You, pilot, will pay attention to the differences in competition rules. I expect to witness a mock match in the village by the end of next week. Star Valley has several participants, and we will be running full practice sessions for the coming months. You both will be there.”

  Renloret smiled and offered the proper Northern blade salute.

  “Nice start,” Taryn replied.

  “How long will it take you to set everything into motion?” Ani asked. She doubted she could last more than a few days of constant contact with Renloret before she cracked and told him how she felt. That would be a heavy distraction, and the Stone needed the twin more than Ani needed to reveal her feelings to Renloret.

  “A couple of days at the most. I’ll let you know.” Taryn stepped onto the porch. “Keep that tel-com on and check it at least once a day.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ani said, giving a sharp salute.

  Taryn rolled his eyes. “Love you too.” Then
he waved and jogged across the clearing to the trailhead.

  Sweat dripped down his neck, soaking into the fabric of the exercise tunic and expanding the dark stain that would soon reach the middle of his chest. Renloret shifted to the next position, holding it for three full breaths. He lowered his torso, touching his forehead to his knees, and wrapped both arms around his calves. He could hear Ani’s slower breathing and envied her control. It had been a long time since he had performed a full Jinma set. He relished the feel of his leg muscles and lower back lengthening. They had been tight after the run.

  Ani’s voice came muffled through her leggings and the tightness with which she held the pose. “Release and finish.”

  A glass of water and a small towel appeared at his feet as he extended upward and out to return his arms to his sides. “My thanks.”

  Ani raised her glass to him. “Well done, pilot. That was the warm-up. Let’s go choose the arsenal.” She stepped lightly up the stairs to the cabin.

  Renloret toweled off the sweat, drained his glass of water, and followed. It had taken Ani only a few chimes to outfit both of them. He assumed he was wearing the same tunic he had worn during their first workout. How long ago? At some moments it seemed an eternity and at others it seemed they had just met. Renloret decided it was most likely both. He entered the cabin.

  Ani was sorting through the drawer in which she kept a variety of blades. She took some out and placed them on the table. One had a blade with two slicing edges and a nasty row of curved hooks designed to make removing the weapon either impossible or extremely painful. He swallowed and grimaced at the imagined pain and damage it would cause. He picked it up.

  “I thought so,” Ani said.

  “What is this?” he asked as he examined the unique blade. It was masterfully constructed.

  “Uncle Reslo’s invention. I don’t think he gave it a name. He’s a highcraft blade maker. The milits pay a tremendous amount for custom blades — mostly officers, but he’s had a few foot soldiers with wealthy families who wanted them to have the best. His are the finest on Northern.”

  The weight and balance of the unusual blade was exquisite. “May I?”

  “Here.” She handed him a sheath. “Boot, thigh, bicep, or waist strap?” She reached into the second drawer.

  Renloret tried to imagine using such a weapon. He knew he did not want to face a similar one. “Bicep.”

  “Also guessed correctly.” She tossed him two straps. “You’ll have to practice with it so you don’t injure yourself. It’s an unknown weapon, and I would not suggest using it in the blade ring unless you want to inflict lethal damage. To my knowledge, there are only three in existence. I’ve never had the opportunity to use it, though I wish I had thought of it when I went after Dalkey at the research center.”

  Renloret shivered at the memory. “The sword was weapon enough, Ani.”

  “I suppose. Oh, you can strap it for top or bottom draw.” She returned to the first drawer, pulled out a pair of triple-pronged hooks, and after a brief hesitation, put the hooks back. “I’d suggest you try a bottom draw. There’s a magnetic lining in the sheath, so no catch is needed. I’ll set up some targets for throwing practice later. In the meantime, let’s go with straight blades.” All her leg and wrist sheaths were loaded as she grinned up at him. “Ready?”

  He slid the unusual blade into its magnetic sheath and set it next to the straps for fitting later. Then he quickly made his choices and followed her to the clearing in front of the cabin.

  She stood with her back to him — still and loose. He watched her hands tighten to fists and waited. She turned to face him, a frown on her face. “This won’t work. To get this right, I’ll have to show you the blade room.” Her bottom lip pushed out in a pout.

  “More tunnels,” Ani said, brushing past to enter the cabin. She went directly to the necessary room, and he watched her press a tile to the right of the door. The towel cabinet retreated and slid silently out of the way. “I always thought these were the only secret places we had. I never imagined the tunnels from the lake house to the research center. Come on. I’ll take you to one of my childhood training facilities.”

  Renloret followed. The cabinet closed on its own. A set of stairs led down several flights in near spiral formation to a landing Renloret assumed was directly under the cabin. The short hallway ended in a double door covered in intricate carvings. Renloret recognized the similarity to the designs on the doors at the lake house and on Lrakira.

  “Who carved the door?” he asked, curious.

  “Probably one of the members of the original research team. I’m pretty sure it was neither of my parents nor my uncle. I have in mind who it might have been but I can’t remember her name. She got sick and I think she died a couple of years after Father left. Mother was quite upset. She said something about wishing the woman had waited a few more years.”

  Renloret contemplated that. “Do you suppose she got pregnant and you weren’t old enough to provide the correct blood for a vaccine?”

  “Perhaps. Mother only said that if everyone had patience, time would fix everything.”

  Renloret shook his head. “The Stones were working on time as fast as they could. I think they were expecting to be told the moment you were born. They would have sung the time-song then and aged everyone at the same time. But communications were not always good, and when your father returned to Lrakira six years later, he was surprised that it was the first anyone knew about you. And you were already five.”

  “So if the Stones had known about me sooner, my family might have aged at the same time and my mother might not have died?”

  “As you said, might. I guess we’ll never know,” Renloret said, his voice soft. He changed the subject. “Do you know when this was completed?” An arm sweep indicated the secret passage and room ahead.

  “I assume around the time the cabin was built. I’ve known about it all my life.” She pushed the doors open. “This is where I had my first blade lesson. Where I blooded my mother and heard the Song of Healing for the first time. Where I learned everything my mother and my uncle could teach me about blades and the ‘Southern’ methods of competitions. Of course, I now assume all that talk about Southern was a lie and it really was Lrakiran traditions I was being trained in. But they were similar to Northern styles.” She walked across the room, the lighting brightening to show the expanse of it.

  Renloret gave a low whistle as he took in the three full training rings. There were rows of audience seating around the central ring. Traditional Lrakiran weapon stands flanked each ring. Long and short swords alternated with sabers and foils in the racks. The room seemed to be waiting for activity, inviting combatants or trainers and students. Though on a smaller scale, this could have been any training room on Lrakira. Renloret gazed upward. Along one wall, banners hung proclaiming Lrakiran championships with names, places, and records. On the opposite wall, Teramaran banners were similarly draped, though they did not spell out the individual accomplishments.

  Renloret pointed to the first set. “Those are Lrakiran, Ani.”

  She glanced up and harrumphed. “I grew up being told they were from my parents’ home on Southern. They called it the Lrakira District. They never said a thing about an alien planet called Lrakira, and I never questioned them.” She shrugged. “Now that I’ve been to Lrakira, I see the similarity to the banners that were hanging in the ring where my blade skills were tested. I guess that’s yet another point to discuss with Yenne.” She walked to the other side of the ring, shaking out her arms.

  Renloret tried to get rid of the sudden unease that shivered through his body. The similarities between the two distant planets were unnerving. It could not be mere chance. How could the original research team not have questioned the similarities? He tried to push his own questions aside. Only one problem at a time could be solved. Perhaps that was why the original team never asked — they were trying to solve one problem, the survival of their species, first and
foremost. They made the best decision for the immediate circumstances and they took advantage of the opportunities those similarities offered. Renloret had to commend their efforts. He needed to do exactly what he suspected they had been doing — stay focused and solve the problems in front of him. He could turn his attention to the shared societal traditions once they successfully completed their immediate mission to find Ani’s twin.

  Ani stepped into the central ring. “This is how it will go. Wait there until I announce you, then walk to the center of the blue section of the ring and give me the salute.”

  Renloret adjusted his blades and watched in fascination as Ani became a competition referee.

  She stood quiet for a few breaths, then she raised her arms overhead and turned slowly, acknowledging an imagined audience. He could almost hear the cheers. She then saluted and bowed to the four directions.

  “Gents and ladies, welcome to today’s first game. From the red I give you Anyala Chenak, a district and regional youth champion in all age brackets in staff, sword, and short blade. She placed second in foil at her last regional youth competition at the age of seventeen. She was a pairs champion at the age of twenty with Taryn Avere in sword and short blade. They qualified for and won the continental championships pair’s competitions in sword in the twenty-three to twenty-eight age bracket two years ago. That same year, Miss Chenak became Northern’s first female singles short blade champion. She now instructs hand-to-hand, staff, and short blade at the Saedi City Military University. Please welcome her back to the competition ring.”

  She pointed at the red section of the ring, giving a salute to the currently invisible combatant. She then turned around several times using her arms to encourage applause from the make-believe audience before turning to face Renloret. He smiled widely at her showmanship and acting ability.

  She now waved her hands to quiet the imagined crowd. “Gents and ladies, it is my honor to introduce Miss Chenak’s first opponent. From Southern’s Lrakira District and the village of Awarna, please give a big Northern welcome to Renloret.” She grinned. “He’s so famous there, he does not have a familial lineage name. He’s an award-winning troubadour in opera and folk, and from what he tells us, he has placed well in several blade ring battles in both local and district games. We don’t know if he even qualified for Southern’s continental competitions, but we will take his word for it … this time.” She waved her hands from side to side. “Now, now, folks. The boos are uncalled for. Let’s try this again.” She motioned for him to enter the ring.