The Quest

by Wilbur Smith

  The glory of the diamond mountain he had looked upon remained with him long after he had left the magical pool and gone down through the gardens.

  Meren was waiting for him at the lower gates. ‘I have been searching for you these last few hours,’ he rushed to meet Taita, ‘but there is aught very strange about this place. There are a thousand paths but they all lead back to this spot.’

  ‘Why did you come to look for me?’ It was fruitless to try to explain to Meren the complexities of the witch’s garden.

  ‘Colonel That Ankut arrived at the clinic a short while ago. No sign of Captain Onka, I am pleased to say. I had no chance to talk to the good colonel, not that I would have achieved a great deal by doing so. He never has much to say.’

  ‘Did he come alone?’

  ‘No, there were others, an escort of six troopers and about ten women.’

  ‘What kind of women?’

  ‘I only saw them from afar - I was on this side of the lake. There was nothing unusual about them. They seemed young, but they did not sit comfortably on their mounts. I thought I should warn you of his arrival.’

  ‘You did right, of course, but I can always rely on you for that.’

  ‘What ails you? You wear a strange expression - that dazed half-smile and those dreaming eyes. What mischief have you been at, Magus?’

  ‘These gardens are very beautiful,’ Taita said.

  ‘I suppose they are pretty in a repellent way.’ Meren grinned with embarrassment. ‘I cannot explain it, but I do not like it here.’

  ‘Then let us be gone,’ said Taita.

  When they reached their quarters in the sanatorium an attendant was waiting for them. ‘I have an invitation for you from Dr. Hannah. As it will soon be time for you to leave the Cloud Gardens, she would like you to dine with her this evening.’

  ‘Kindly tell her that we are pleased to accept.’

  “I will come to fetch you a little before sunset.’

  The sun had just sunk below the clifftops when the attendant returned. He led them through a series of courtyards and covered galleries. They met others hurrying along the galleries, but they passed without exchanging greetings. Taita recognized some as attendants who had been with them during Meren’s treatment.

  Why have I not noticed how extensive these buildings are until now?

  Why have I not felt any inclination to explore them before? he wondered.

  Hannah had told them that the gardens and clinic had been built over many centuries, so it was no wonder that they were so large, but why had they not excited his curiosity? Then he remembered how he had tried to follow the three girls into one of the blocks, but had lacked the will to continue.

  They have no need for gates or guards, he realized. They can prevent strangers entering where they are not welcome by placing mental barriers to exclude them - as they did to me, and as they did to Meren when he came to find me.

  They passed a small group of young women sitting quietly beside a fountain in one of the courtyards. One was playing a lute and two others were waving sistrums. The rest were singing in sweet sad harmony.

  ‘Those are some of the women I saw this afternoon,’ Meren whispered.

  Although the sun had already gone behind the cliffs, the air was still warm and balmy and the women were lightly dressed.

  ‘They are all with child,’ Taita murmured.

  ‘Like those we met on our first day in the crater,’ Meren agreed. For a moment it seemed to Taita that there should be something significant in that, but before he could grasp the idea they had crossed the courtyard and reached a portico on the far side.

  ‘I will leave you here,’ said their guide, ‘but I shall return to fetch you after you have dined. The doctor is waiting for you with her other guests. Please enter. She is expecting you.’

  They entered a large and artistically furnished room, lit by tiny glass lamps floating in toy ships on an ornamental pool in the centre. Splendid floral displays hung in baskets from the walls or grew in ceramic and earthenware pots arranged on the mosaic floor.

  Hannah came across the room to them. She took them each by a hand and led them to the other guests, who lounged on low couches or sat cross-legged on piles of cushions. Gibba was there, with three other doctors, two men and another woman. They looked very young to hold such eminent positions and to be privy to such extraordinary medical wonders as existed in the Cloud Gardens. The other guest was Colonel That. He rose as Taita approached his couch and saluted him with grave respect. He did not smile, but Taita had not expected it.

  ‘You and Colonel Cambyses are to go down the mountain in a few days’ time,’ Hannah explained to Taita. ‘Colonel That has come to be your escort and guide.’

  ‘It will be my pleasure and honour,’ That assured Taita.

  The other surgeons clustered round Meren to examine his new eye and marvel at it. ‘I know of your other achievements, Dr. Hannah,’ said the woman, ‘but surely this is the first eye that you have successfully replaced.’

  ‘There were others, but they were before your time,’ Hannah corrected her. ‘I feel confident now that we can look forward to succeeding with any part of the human body. The gallant colonels who are our guests here this evening will vouch for that.’ The three surgeons turned towards That.

  ‘You also, Colonel?’ asked the younger woman. In reply, That held up his right hand and flexed the fingers.

  ‘The first was chopped off by a savage warrior wielding an axe. This one comes from the skills of Dr. Hannah.’ He saluted her with the hand.

  The other surgeons came to examine it with as much interest as they had Meren’s eye.

  ‘Is there no limitation on the body parts that you are able to regrow?’ a male surgeon wanted to know.

  ‘Yes. First, the operation has to be approved and sanctioned by the oligarchs of the Supreme Council. Second, the remaining parts have to continue to function. We would not be able to replace a head or a heart, for without those parts the rest of the body would die before we could seed it.’

  Taita found the evening most enjoyable. The conversation of the surgeons touched on many medical wonders that he had not heard spoken of previously. Once their reserve had been softened by a bowl or two of the wonderful wine of the Cloud Gardens vineyards, Meren and That entertained them with accounts of the strange things they had seen on their campaigns and travels. After the meal Gibba played the lute and Taita sang.

  When the attendant came to take Taita and Meren back to their quarters, That walked part of the way with them.

  ‘When do you plan to take us down the mountain, Colonel?’ Taita asked.

  ‘It will not be for a few days yet. There are other matters I must attend to before we leave. I shall give you plenty of warning of our departure.’

  ‘Have you seen my ward, the girl Fenn, since we left Mutangi?’ Taita asked. “I miss her sorely.’

  ‘She seems equally attached to you. I passed through the village on my way here. She saw me and ran after my horse to enquire after you. When I told her that I was on my way to fetch you she was much excited. She charged me to give you her respects and duty. She seemed in the best of health and spirits. She is a lovely girl, and you must be proud of her.’

  ‘She is,’ Taita agreed, ‘and I am.’

  That night Taita’s dreams were complex and many-tiered, in most cases peopled by men and women he had known. But others were strangers, yet their images were so meticulously etched that it seemed they were creatures of flesh and blood, not woven in fantasy and gossamer. The dreams were linked by the same thread: through all of them he was carried along by the expectation of something marvellous that was about to take place - he was searching for a fabulous treasure that was almost within his grasp.

  He woke in the first silver glimmer of day to a sense of elation for which he could find no reason. He left Meren snoring and went out on to the lawns, which were pearled with dew. The sun had just gilded the cliffs. Without further thought, e
xcept to check that the Periapt was still suspended from its chain round his neck, he set off for the upper gardens once more.

  As he entered the gardens his sense of well-being became stronger.

  He did not lean upon his staff but shouldered it and struck out with long, determined strides. The pathway to the grotto of the imp was not obscured. When he reached it he found the nook deserted. Once he had determined that he was alone, he quartered the ground swiftly, looking for some trace of a living being. No other person had been there.

  Even the ground over which his other self had walked, although damp and soft, showed no tracks of human feet. Nothing made sense. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to trust his own sanity, and to accept the evidence of his mind and senses. The witch was leading him to the borders of madness.

  Gradually he became aware of music: the silvery slither of sistrums and the staccato tapping of a finger drum. He clasped the Periapt tightly and turned slowly to face the mouth of the grotto, half in dread and half in defiance of what he might see.

  A solemn ceremonial procession issued from the mouth of the cave and paced down the moss-covered ledges. Four weird creatures bore on their shoulders a palanquin of gold and ivory. The first bearer was the ibis-headed Thoth, the god of learning. The second was Anuke, the goddess of war, magnificent in golden armour and armed with bow and arrows. The third was Heh, the god of infinity and long life, his visage green as an emerald, his eyes shining yellow; he carried the Palm Fronds of a Million Years. The last was Min, the god of virility and fertility, who wore a crown of vulture feathers; his phallus was fully erect and rose from his loins like a marble column.

  Upon the palanquin stood a splendid figure twice the height of any mortal man. Its skirt was cloth-of-gold. Its bracelets and anklets were of purest gold, its breastplate was of gold set with lapis-lazuli, turquoise and carnelians and on its head rested the double crown of Egypt, with the heads of the royal cobra and vulture at the brow. Crossed over its jeweled pectorals the figure held the symbolic flails of power.

  ‘Hail, Pharaoh Tamose!’ Taita greeted him. ‘I am Taita, who eviscerated your earthly body and attended you during the ninety days of mourning. I wrapped the bandages of mummification about your corpse and laid you in your golden sarcophagus.’

  ‘I see and acknowledge you, Taita of Gallala, you who were once less than Pharaoh, but who shall be mightier than any pharaoh who has ever lived.’

  ‘You were pharaoh of all Egypt, the greatest kingdom that ever was. There could never be another mightier than you.’

  ‘Approach the pool, Taita. Gaze into it and see what fate awaits you.’

  Taita stepped to the edge and looked down into the water. For a moment he swayed with vertigo. He seemed to be standing on the pinnacle of the highest mountain on earth. The oceans, deserts and lesser mountain ranges were spread far below him.’

  ‘Behold all the kingdoms of the earth,’ said the image of the pharaoh.

  ‘Behold all the cities and temples, green lands, forests and pastures. Behold the mines and quarries from which slaves bring forth the precious metals and glittering stones. Behold the treasuries and arsenals wherein are stored the accumulations of the ages. These shall all be yours to possess and rule.’ Pharaoh waved the golden flails, and the scene changed beneath Taita’s gaze.

  Mighty armies marched across the plains. The horsetail plumes surmounting the bronze helmets of the warriors frothed like sea spume. The armour, the blades and the spearheads glittered like the stars of the heavens. The warhorses reared and plunged in the traces of the chariots.

  The mailed tread of marching feet and the rumble of wheels shook the earth. The rear ranks of this vast array were cloaked in the dust of their advance so it seemed there was no limit to their multitudes.

  ‘These are the armies you shall command,’ cried Pharaoh. Again he waved the jeweled flails, and the scene changed again.

  Taita beheld a vista of all the oceans and seas. Across this mighty main sailed squadrons of warships. There were galleys and biremes with double banks of oars, their sails embellished with paintings of dragons and boars, lions, monsters and mythical creatures. The pounding of the drums set the beat for the oarsmen, and the waters creamed and curled before the long bronze beaks of their fighting rams. The numbers of warships were so vast that they covered the oceans from horizon to far horizon.

  ‘Behold, Taita! These are the navies you shall command. No man or nation will prevail against you. You will have power and dominion over all the earth and its peoples.’ Pharaoh pointed the flails directly at him.

  His voice seemed to fill the air and stun the senses, like the thunder of the heavens.

  ‘These things are within your grasp, Taita of Gallala.’ Pharaoh stooped and, with the flail, touched Min’s shoulder. The god’s great phallus twitched. ‘You shall have indefatigable virility and potency.’

  Then he touched the shoulder of Heh, the god of infinity and long life; he waved the Palm Fronds of a Million Years. ‘You shall be blessed with youth eternal in a body whole and perfect.’

  Then he touched Thoth, the god of wisdom and all learning, who opened his long, curved beak and uttered a harsh, resounding cry. ‘You shall be given the key to all wisdom, learning and knowledge.’

  When Pharaoh touched the last divine figure, Anuke clashed her sword against her shield. ‘You shall triumph in war, and hold dominion over earth, sea and heaven. The wealth of all nations shall be yours to command, and their peoples will bow down before you. All these are being offered to you, Taita of Gallala. You have but to reach out your hand and seize them.’

  The golden image of Pharaoh stood tall and regarded Taita with a straight, burning gaze. Then, with solemn majesty, the bearers carried the palanquin back into the dark recesses of the grotto. The vision faded and disappeared.

  Taita sank down upon the grass and whispered, ‘No more. I can suffer no more temptations. They are part of the great Lie, but no mortal man can resist them. Against all reason my mind longs to accept them as the Truth. They arouse hunger and craving in me that will destroy my senses and deprave my eternal soul.’

  When at last he left the grotto and went down, he found Meren waiting for him at the garden gates: ‘I tried to find you, Magus. I had a premonition that you were in danger and might need my help, but I lost my way in these jungles.’

  ‘All is well, Meren. You have no need for concern, although I value your help above all other.’

  ‘The woman doctor is asking for you. I know not what she wants of you, but it is my instinct that we should not trust her too far or too deeply.’

  ‘I shall bear your advice in mind. However, good Meren, thus far she has not treated you unkindly, has she?’

  ‘Perchance there is more to her kindness than we are aware of.’

  Hannah came to the point as soon as they had exchanged greetings.

  ‘Colonel That Ankut has delivered to me a decree from the Supreme Council signed by Lord Aquer. I apologize for any inconvenience or embarrassment that this may cause you, but I am commanded to conduct an examination of your person and to furnish the Council immediately with a full report. This may take some time. I would be most obliged, therefore, if you would accompany me to my rooms so that we may begin at once.’

  Taita was surprised by Hannah’s peremptory tone, until he realized that a decree from the Supreme Council would have the same force and urgency in Jarri as a pharaonic order under the Hawk Seal in Karnak.

  ‘Of course, Doctor. I shall be pleased to comply with the decree.’

  Hannah’s spacious rooms were in one of the most distant blocks of the sanatorium, tiled with pale limestone. They were austere and free of clutter. Two rows of large glass containers were set out along a bank of stone shelves against the far wall. In each one, a human foetus floated in a clear liquid that was evidently some kind of preservative. On the lower shelf the nine specimen foetuses were arranged according to the age at which they had been taken fro
m the womb. The smallest was no more than a pale tadpole and the largest just short of full term.

  On the upper shelf all of the foetuses were grossly deformed, some with more than two eyes, others with missing limbs and one with grotesque twin heads. Taita had never seen such a collection. Even as a surgeon, accustomed to the sight of mutilated and distorted human flesh, he was repelled by this explicit display of pathetic relics.

  ‘She must have a special interest in child-bearing,’ he thought, as he recalled the unusually large number of pregnant women he had seen since he had been at the Cloud Gardens. The rest of the room was dominated by a large examination table, hewn from a single block of limestone. Taita realized that Hannah probably used it for operations and deliveries, because grooves were chiselled into the stone top and a drain hole at the foot channelled fluids into a bowl placed on the floor below.

  Hannah began the examination by asking Taita for samples of his urine and stools. He was only a little taken aback. He had met a surgeon in Ecbatana who had had a morbid fascination with the excretory processes, but he had not expected one of Hannah’s status to show similar interest. Nevertheless he allowed himself to be led to a cubicle where one of her assistants provided him with a large bowl and a jug of water with which to wash himself once he had satisfied her request.

  When he returned to Hannah, she examined his output, then asked him to lie face up on her table. Once he was at full length, she transferred her interest from the contents of his bowels to his nose, eyes, ears and mouth. Her assistant used a polished silver disc to direct the beam from an oil lamp into them. Then she placed her ear against his chest and listened intently to his breathing and the beating of his heart.

  ‘You have the heart and lungs of a young man. No wonder you are a Long Liver. If only we were all allowed to partake of the Font.’ She was talking more to herself than to him.