Jok lunged into the falcon’s body. He had to distract himself and see something else. He just wanted to get away, far away; as far away as possible.
The falcon was soaring above the great plain. The thermal weightlessly carried him through the air. The Tsaomoogra slowly rolled along its riverbed below him. Flat cargo barges carried corn and rolls of fabric toward the mountains. Others were returning from the woodlands, heavily laden with jugs of wine and earthenware. They must be on the way to the capital. That gave him an idea. Hadn’t he promised Ioro he would visit him there? That would be a great distraction right now. It was time to think of the right method.
Jok thought for a while. He stood out too much as a falcon. He had to use another body. So far, the only body he had been able to slip into without direct contact was the falcon’s. Ioro was the infamous exception. Was it because Ioro was a person, or did it have something to do with his sorcerer’s blood? Or was blood the key in general? Was it just because of the blood contact the falcon had transmitted? That was easy to try out. Jok had the falcon keep an eye out for a suitable animal. The first thing the falcon’s instincts homed in on was a mouse. Jok didn’t even have a chance to try anything out. The falcon had already killed the mouse by jabbing it in the head with its beak and had started eating it before he could even think. Hmmm, so prey animals wouldn’t work. The falcon’s instincts were too strong. He let the falcon test another animal. The shepherd went into a wild panic when the falcon dove down and dug his talons into a lamb. It was a total fiasco. The lamb jumped up, bleated and bled like crazy. The falcon struggled to hold on to its back. Jok was unable to establish contact. The lamb’s mind was as accessible as a block of ice. To make matters worse, the mama sheep attacked the falcon. Jok just barely managed to evade the pointed horns and sharp hooves and pull the falcon back up into the air before the little shepherd boy came over. The boy scolded him and threw a few clumps of dirt at the falcon.
An attempt with a steer didn’t go any better, except for the fact that he had the falcon better under control and was able to get back up into the air faster. He had to try with a person. The only candidate who seemed harmless enough to him for today was a man who was lying in the grass near an inn on the banks of the Tsaomoogra, apparently sleeping off a night of drinking. The man was, in fact, very drunk. He didn’t even wake up from his drunken slumber when the falcon’s sharp talons dug into his back. But Jok didn’t have any success there, either. It was as though he were standing before an invisible wall. Frustrated, he withdrew with the falcon. Damn! Whatever he did, he was surrounded by walls.
Over the next few days, he tried out several variations. Regardless of whether he tried it from the falcon or from another animal, nothing worked. He gave up trying for the time being. Instead, he treated himself to a little round of flying with his friend. They were able to call the falcons from Jok’s room without being seen. Tevi returned to his body first after their flight. Jok watched as his friend began to move again. Feeling overconfident, he let his falcon drop and steered him directly through the window at Tevi. At first, he instinctively raised his mirror in defense, then laughed and allowed the falcon to sit on his shoulder. In that moment, Jok sensed the familiar connection. What could that be? The falcon was neither touching Tevi’s blood, nor were there any crystals nearby.
“Why blood? The mirror is enough,” Tevi’s consciousness whispered.
The mirror! Jok immediately returned to his body. “How could I be so blind? Of course, you’re right, the mirror is the point of contact!”
The whole story poured from his mouth: How he had met Ioro, his contact with the prince, his attempts with the animals and the falcon, his frustration about the futility and hopelessness of his search.
Tevi proved to be a shrewd analyst. He culled what was valuable from the confusing mess of information that flowed from Jok’s mouth and sorted it. Then, he and Jok planned a set of experiments that seemed promising.
Jok was in a great mood for the next few days. Tevi was unbelievable. He never could have done it without him! They quickly figured out that only one of them had to be holding a mirror, regardless of the form they took, to make a connection with direct contact. Jok created small mirrors the falcons could wear on collars. They quickly learned to connect from falcon to falcon and, with more practice, they could do it without touching wings. If both falcons were wearing mirrors, the distance didn’t seem to matter. The little mirrors also made it much easier to quickly slip into the birds. They tried out other animals, starting with Master Go’s sweet-tempered ox. It was the same every time. They were not only able to make contact with almost every animal using this method, they were also able to slip out of the falcon and into another animal. As long as the falcon was wearing a mirror, it acted like an extension of their own bodies.
Finally, they tried it with a person. Tevi tested one of the servants. He wasn’t able to connect to the man’s consciousness, but he was able to take over and control his body. He was easily able to leave Master Go’s estate in the servant’s body. The barrier spell didn’t recognize him. He left the man to tell Jok of his success.
The servant was thunderstruck when he suddenly found himself outside in the field, not knowing how he had gotten there. Jok and Tevi heard him talking to Marada about it that night in the kitchen. He feared he was losing his mind. Marada gave him a soothing tea. After that, Tevi didn’t want to try to establish contact with people anymore.
“What if he really does go crazy?” he asked.
Jok didn’t have an answer for him. In contrast to Tevi, he continued the experiments. He tried to establish contact with one of the youngest Grays via the kitchen cat. He was immediately able to make contact, just like he had learned from Tevi. Jok didn’t spend much time at all on introductions and instead, immediately tried to take control of the Gray’s body. The boy realized something wasn’t right, defended himself and began to scream. Jok withdrew immediately. He couldn’t risk someone discovering his experiments. So, contact with sorcerers could be established via blood and mirrors, but they couldn’t be taken over without their consent. That meant using them as unwilling hosts was out of the question.
Jok didn’t tell Tevi that he had made another attempt with a person. His friend seemed to assume he shared his concerns. Jok didn’t want to risk putting their somewhat battered friendship to the test. He decided to support Tevi more. Via the mental connection they now shared nearly every day, as though it were second nature, he taught Tevi what he learned in the tower. Surprised, Tevi was amazed by this offer and began to show Jok the new things he had learned since he and Jok had stopped speaking.
Master Go furrowed his brow. Jok was an enigma. One of his most promising students and his most difficult. He was still maintaining this ludicrous friendship with a Blue. Go still had no idea exactly what the two of them were up to in their free time. It was clear they were up to something. He just couldn’t figure out what. The two of them had apparently found a way to communicate that eluded his control. Well, if Jok had any foolish ideas, he could still turn him into a mirror. It would be a pity to waste so much potential, but you can’t have everything. For now, he would keep a closer eye on him.
*
Kanata observed his sons. Ioro was calm and circumspect. He fulfilled his duties with almost pedantic precision and applied his intellect deliberately and effectively. Ioro would be a good general. If he was honest, Ioro would also make a good king. Unfortunately, he had forfeited that option. After Ioro’s birth, the Crystal Chamber had sent him their oracle’s message. “The old must make way for the new.” The message was clear. Ioro was the sorcerers’ preferred candidate to become the next king, despite being merely the son of a concubine. But they hadn’t anticipated Kanata’s pride. He wouldn’t let anyone dictate what he should and shouldn’t do. In a crucial vote at a meeting of the High Council and the Crystal Chamber, he had successfully ensured the Crystal Chamber’s recommendation was overruled. It had helped quite a b
it that, apparently, several of the sorcerers were against this new development. In particular, a certain Go had advocated for Kanata’s position, but not without being bribed. In the future, only the son of a legitimate wife could be heir to the throne.
Now, Tolioro was the heir. Kanata looked at his second son with mixed feelings. The boy thought too little and allowed his emotions to rule him when logical thinking was required. Kanata furrowed his brow. Hopefully, he had not done a disservice to the House of Mehme by making that decision! But he still had time. Perhaps he could drum some wits into Tolioro yet. If not, he could only hope Ioro would somehow be able to fix Tolioro’s greatest blunders. If that didn’t help... More than one heir had been the victim of a regrettable accident in the history of the House of Mehme.
Home
Tevi was keeping himself busy with cartography. The falcon offered him ideal conditions. He could see the land beneath him through the falcon’s eyes and it was easy for him to transfer those images to paper. Tevi had not only created maps of Karapak, but also of the adjacent countries. One day, when Master Go was traveling and the house sank into its usual lethargy, Tevi seemed lost in thought. The two friends were dozing in Jok’s room in the midday heat. At one point, Tevi jolted up. He had made a decision. Livelier than Jok had seen him in moons, he began to talk. “You know I come from Kamiataneeri. I think you once saw a few images of my home in my memories, but you have never actually been to the city from whence I come. Come with me, I want you to see it.”
Jok was all fired up. He quickly secured the room so they wouldn’t be interrupted. The falcon seemed to be waiting for him. Tevi’s falcon was already calling out in the distance. Jok followed his friend as quickly as his wings could carry him. They flew across the vast plains, dotted with villages, and toward the northeast. The land beneath them slowly started to change. The vast fields, already thick with grain ready to be harvested, were followed by dark pastures with fat livestock. Then, the flatlands gave way to gentle hills.
After two hours of flying, the falcons were exhausted. They were flying against a powerful headwind. The air felt colder and fresher. Jok could see a strange, gray line on the horizon. As they flew closer, he realized the gray line was water. So much water! In theory, he had heard a bit about the ocean, but hearing about it and seeing it were two very different things. He and Tevi flew along a wide, densely populated road. A city appeared in the distance.
“Kamiataneeri!” Tevi’s thought voice rang out with pride. “The largest trading center on the North Sea.”
Kamiataneeri was truly an impressive city. It stood on a bay that formed a natural harbor where the major imperial road met the coastal road. The falcons rested atop a boulder, which gave them a good overview of the city. How should they proceed from there?
“Not as falcons,” Tevi transmitted. “Kamiataneeri is a bad neighborhood for falcons. The swarms of seagulls will attack us right away. I’m also not certain the city guards would leave us alone. Royal heraldic bird or not, the people of Kamiataneeri will protect their chickens.”
“How can we get into the city then?”
Tevi thought for a moment. “We have to switch anyway. I think a dog would be good. There are a lot of stray dogs in the city.”
“But the dogs aren’t wearing mirrors. We won’t be able to communicate with each other.”
“What if we go together?”
They were silent for a moment.
“We could try,” Jok agreed, hesitantly.
Tevi’s thought voice sounded full of confidence. “We have shared a body often enough when visiting each other. This time, it’s a third body we are both using.”
The bird’s turned their heads toward each other. “Let’s give it a try!”
Tevi picked out the dog. It was a shaggy, medium-sized mutt with mouse-gray fur. The dog didn’t know what was happening to it when the falcon dove at it. With a yelp, it dropped the stinky, half-rotten piece of meat it was chewing on. The next moment, Tevi had taken over it. The dog sat completely still as Jok’s falcon landed on it. Jok sent out a careful tendril of thought. The dog was barely perceptible. Tevi’s familiar consciousness had been superimposed over its consciousness. Jok slipped in completely. The dog stood up and shook. The falcons flew up.
“That was easy!” Tevi laughed boisterously. “Do you want to steer the dog?”
“Not yet. You know the area better. You steer the dog.”
The dog ran toward the city at a striding, slightly swaying trot.
The gate was wide open. Tevi pushed passed to the left of a fat market woman carrying a basket full of eggs on her arm. A strong kick hit him in the ribs and hurled him backward.
“Damned strays!” the gate guard grumbled. “We have too many of those as it is!”
He raised a massive cudgel and walked toward the dog. The dog tucked its tail between its legs, recoiled, and ducked under a cart. Tevi was barely able to evade the hooves of the mule pulling the cart. The front left wheel ran over the dog’s tail and it yelped in pain. The ground was soft enough that the tail didn’t break, but it hurt quite a bit. When the wheel let him free, Tevi fled as quickly as he could.
At least they were in the city now. The dog’s nose picked up myriad pungent scents: refuse in all states of decomposition, urine and rats intermingled with the aroma of fresh bread, cooking meat, wet wool and many more. The scent of the salty, fishy ocean breeze lay over the whole city. The dog walked to the walls of the houses and tried not to draw attention.
“Why are you being so careful?”
Jok received a mental shrug in response. “I remember we used to eat dog roast quite often.”
They arrived at the harbor. Fascinated, Jok looked at the many colorful ships. Wide, flat cargo barges belonging to coastal merchants were moored at the pier next to the narrow hulls of the fast, high-sea yachts. Goods were being unloaded while other goods were loaded onto the ships. A fat man stood amidst the hustle and bustle with an imperious expression on his face, writing something on a long list.
“The harbormaster. He checks the goods for the customs duties.”
The nets from the fishing boats were stretched out on long rods to dry and the men sat on the shore, mending the nets and talking. Gaunt street urchins were running around between them playing tag. Jok couldn’t get enough of the unfamiliar scenery. Tevi wanted to move on.
“Come on, you can see it again in a few days.”
Where did his friend want to go?
“Home...”
Jok withdrew a bit. That was Tevi’s private life. The dog was now running purposefully down a small side alley. The houses grew shabbier. Finally, they looked like crooked stalls and shacks. The dog squeezed between two houses. They ran out into a small courtyard. Jok recognized the place. This is where he had seen Tevi’s mother in his memories. The dog sniffed and approached the open entryway. It was dark and smelled moldy. No one had been here in a long time except for a few rats and a cat. The dog’s keen nose could only sense a weak scent. The little house was empty. Tevi didn’t even seem disappointed.
“She was sick even then and was hardly able to work,” he said quietly.
“Then how did you end up with Master Go?” Jok asked.
“There were five of us. I was the youngest. Mama didn’t know how to feed us anymore. So, she took all of us children to Master Tu Pointed Beard. His house was a bit outside the city, behind the three big hills at the end of the fishing harbor. She offered Master Tu a child in return for enough food for herself and the other children until the end of the next rainy season. Master Tu chose me.”
“But I met you at Master Go’s!”
“That was a year later. Go traded one of his black oxen for me. I have no idea why he wanted me so badly.”
Jok was silent. He didn’t know how to respond to that.
The dog cowered in the entrance to the empty hut and whimpered quietly. They heard voices drawing nearer. Two adolescents jumped into the courtyard.
&n
bsp; “Ha,” one of them yelled, “I told you I saw a dog sneak in here!” The other one raised his sling. Tevi was just able to dodge the rock so it only hit his flank. The dog yelped. The second boy pulled a knife.
“Let’s get out of here!” Tevi hissed.
As quickly as they could, they returned to their bodies and abandoned the dog to its fate.
*
“Father still favors Ioro!” Tolioro threw himself on the divan and morosely fished out a piece of candied fruit.
Iragana looked at her son. One had to be careful when he was in such a bad mood. Not that he would ever threaten her directly. As Kanata’s first consort, she was protected from him, but Tolioro sometimes had a way about him that frightened her. The last time she had angered him, she had found her favorite maid’s corpse bound and gagged in a puddle of blood in front of her door. Someone had whipped the girl to death. Iragana was almost certain Tolioro had swung the whip himself.
There were rumors among the servants. The prince delighted in torturing others. She had once overheard two kitchen maids. The elder woman, a sturdy, stocky woman, was telling the younger woman that the prince could only get an erection after he had beaten her black and blue. What was she to do? It was the servants’ fate to tolerate abuse from their rulers. She advised the younger woman to cry and scream as quickly and loudly as possible. Then the prince would be finished with her faster.
Iragana, of course, made sure the indiscreet woman was immediately removed from the palace. There was a good market for tongueless, female slaves.
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