Ahiram smiled. You haven’t been a Silent for very long, have you now?
And who’s to blame? Anyway, what did I do wrong?
Shadow found Jin.
So what? He tracked her scent.
He would have if what I had given him belonged to Jin, but it didn’t. It belonged to a shepherd. I switched it for her shawl at the last moment. Yet, Shadow led me directly to Jin.
Silence.
Take your dog and go, Ahiram ordered.
Can’t do that. Sorry.
Why?
I’ve got to keep an eye on you.
Sheheluth—
Trust me, I don’t like it any more than you do, but I must. I promise I’ll stay out of your way until you’re about to do something stupid.
Ahiram sighed. Fine. I’ll play along for now …
When you reach Byblos, go to the Golden Oar. I’ll meet you there.
Fine. See you there.
No answer. The dog had vanished. He scanned the surroundings in search of him, but there was no sign of Shadow. “If I ever get a pet, I’ll be sure to get a lion, or a shark, or a cross between a lion and a shark. Perhaps a certain importunate young woman—with more magical tricks up her sleeve than she can actually handle—would stop bothering me.”
Look who’s talking, came a curt reply.
Ahiram harrumphed and sped along a winding downhill path that took him into the canyon. “Jin,” he called out, as gently as he could.
The young she-dwarf whirled around, a short blade in hand. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Ahiram. She kept a defensive stance with the blade firmly set between them.
Ahiram raised his hands. “I haven’t come to fight,” he said gently, as he continued walking. “I just want to talk.”
“Then stop and talk,” she said.
“Fine. Look, I’m sorry for what happened that night … I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know that … How did you get out of Metranos alive?”
“How did you know I went to Metranos?”
“The ones who returned, there were hundreds of them, told us you freed them. They mentioned you by name.”
Ahiram winced. He had asked Ebaan, the real Ebaan, to free them, but he did not expect her to share his name with them. “I left after a few hours, equivalent to two weeks here. I nearly died, but the dwarfs came to my aid and gave me this very powerful potion to drink. It saved my life.”
“Who?” she asked, still suspicious.
“An elder dwarf. He goes by the name of Jinodus.”
“Why would the dwarfs help you?”
Ahiram told her briefly about his encounter with the dwarfs. He told her how Ianor, the fake Ebaan, had impersonated her. “Because Karak-Zuun was threatened. The Temple was this close to discovering its whereabouts and Jinodus and I had an agreement. If he helped me with my quest, I would help him defend the underground city.”
It was not the complete truth, but it was close enough.
“How do I know you’re not lying?”
“You can ask Jinodus yourself,” Ahiram replied.
“I’ve been banished from the dwarfish realm. I’m an outcast.”
“About that. It’s complicated, but I’ve struck an agreement with Farveen …” At the mention of that name, Jin’s features hardened and her grip on the blade tightened. “I agreed that you would stand trial in Karak-Zuun, but that I would get to choose the three judges at your trial.”
“And how will this help?” Her voice was bitter and angry. “Everyone in Karak-Zuun will do her bidding. She is the absolute master. If they refuse to side with her, she will make their life miserable.”
“We’ll see about that. I need you to come with me to Karak-Zuun, and I need you to trust me. I managed to go to Metranos and come back alive from that forsaken place, didn’t I? And I freed all the prisoners, without trading anyone’s life for them, didn’t I? Trust me in this too, then.”
“Why should I go to Karak-Zuun with you? There’s nothing for me there anymore.”
“Humor me. I promise you this: I won’t let Farveen hurt you.”
“Why is this important to you? What does it matter?”
“I don’t want you to be alone, Jin,” Ahiram replied with a disarming smile. “I think I can fix this for you.” Even though Ahiram had ulterior motives, he spoke the truth. His heart went out to Jin. He did not want her to be roaming the land by herself. “Listen, Jin, I’ve been in Metranos. You don’t want to go there. There’s nothing for you there. Only death. You can’t save your friend now.”
“I have to try,” Jin pleaded. “It’s my fault that she ended up there …” Tears began streaming down her cheeks.
Ahiram drew closer, slowly placed one knee on the ground, held her hand, and lowered the blade. “No, it’s not your fault. It’s the fault of the Temple, of this madness they created. What’s your friend’s name?”
“Analeeze. The bravest, gentlest soul you’ll ever meet,” she said choking back her tears. “If I’d been more careful, she wouldn’t …”
“Don’t blame yourself, Jin. Analeeze would not want you to do that. Don’t let her sacrifice go in vain. Do what she would want you to do. Would she be happier if you ended up dead? Would she be happy if you were stuck in the Arayat with her? I don’t know why sometimes those who are better than us have to leave us. I don’t know why they sometimes die first. I lost someone precious to me, and I wish it were me that had died instead of her. I do what I do, even now, to honor her memory. I’ve got nothing else to go by, so that has to be enough. Anyway, look, I’m not one to give great speeches, but I’m certain Analeeze wants to see you in a better place than this. Come back with me to Karak-Zuun. It might not feel like home to you, but if you’re able to help someone else, if you can stop Farveen and give those who live there a better chance, don’t you think Analeeze would be proud of you?” Ahiram was out of breath. “Did I speak too much? Sometimes I do that.”
Don’t spoil the moment. What you said was good.
From the corner of his eye, Ahiram saw a dark form crouching behind a nearby bush. You and your dog can’t stay away for very long, can you now?
I told you, I need to keep an eye on you.
Jin looked at him as if she were seeing him for the first time. “And you have a plan? You can make this work?”
Ahiram grinned. “I’m a Silent. We always have plans.”
The journey back to Karak-Zuun took two and a half days. When they arrived, Ahiram instructed Jin to stay hidden, and he busied himself with the preparations for the trial. What he did and whom he met with, he kept to himself, but he insisted for the trial to take place swiftly. Three days later, Ahiram and Jin faced the harbor mistress. She stood proudly in a long white cotton dress overlaid with ribbons of silver and gold as thick as a thumb. A tiara of the purest gold with twelve topaz tears hanging from miniature crystal hooks sat elegantly over her brow. She wore a necklace of pearls with a large purple agate, which was her personal favorite. A second, smaller necklace of purple star sapphires lay neatly inside the first. Her left arm was adorned with three gold bracelets and one lone topaz ring on her index finger. Her boots were of the finest Mycenean leather, with gold buttons and silver heels. She strode in confidently, holding a gold staff shaped as a stylized thin shovel, the mark of her authority, and sat on a seat delicately carved out of the rock. It was overlaid with thin sheets of gold and glittered under the ambient light.
“Let the accused step onto the Circle of Judgment,” she announced with a booming voice.
Jin gave Ahiram a furtive glance and he nodded, a thin smile slightly parting his lips. A bandage covered the spot on his arm where Dariöm had embedded his medallion. Even though the object had been removed, the wound was still tender and throbbed continuously. Ahiram ignored it and focused on the exchange before him. Jin ascended a few steps and walked inside a circle set two feet below where Farveen was seated.
“Have you come of your free will to face judgment and punishm
ent, Jinokai, daughter of Farveen?” asked the harbor mistress.
“I have,” her daughter replied.
This mother-daughter trial felt so eerie, so strange to Ahiram, but Commander Tanios had drilled into all the Silent the necessity of respecting such cultural differences. “Avoid open criticism, but work like a true Silent: in the shadows, unseen, unheard, and unstoppable.” Back then, these words sounded enthralling. Now that he was doing it, they sounded frightening.
This crazy plan of yours will backfire, Sheheluth protested in his head.
What are you bouncing your voice over now? He silently asked. Is Shadow here?
I told you I’d protect you, didn’t I?
“Let your advocate step forward,” called Farveen with a murderous glint behind the polite smile. Her eyes were fixed on him.
Ahiram joined Jin in the Circle of Judgment. Circle of Judgment, he scoffed inwardly. Tell me, Sheheluth, who comes up with such tacky names?
You’d find it less tacky if you saw the curses laced on its surface. Tread carefully here.
“State your conditions, advocate,” Farveen commanded, “these conditions are binding. No one escapes the dwarfish laws.”
“That I may be permitted to choose the three judges who will rule over this case from among the dwarfs in Karak-Zuun.”
“Indeed, this is the conditions to which we will be bound. Step forward, advocate, and dip your hand in this pool with me. This is the pool of the dwarfish seals. Let you and I be cursed with every curse under the sun if we fail to abide by this condition. Further, advocate, we shall consider the judgment of these three judges binding, and without appeal.”
“Let it be so,” Ahiram replied, as he dipped his hand with Farveen inside a small pool of freezing water.
“Let it be so,” Farveen confirmed. “You may rejoin the accused.”
Ahiram did as told. The Hall of Judgment was wide enough for a thousand dwarfs to stand in it, but there must have been twice as many attendees who stood shoulder to shoulder. Farveen regained her post, raised a triumphant hand and called out with a powerful voice, “Advocate, proceed. Make your choice so we may judge. Choose your judges from the dwarfs in my city.”
Ahiram bowed and said, “I call Orwutt, Zurwott, and Xurgon to be the judges of this case.”
Not recognizing the names, Farveen frowned. She had assumed Ahiram would ask Jinodus and some of the dwarfs he had met to judge the case. She prided herself on knowing the name of every citizen of Karak-Zuun. There could have been dwarfs she was not acquainted with. No matter whom he chose, however, the oath of allegiance that every dwarf took when settling in Karak-Zuun meant they were bound to do her bidding.
Three dwarfs stepped into the circle and stood next to Ahiram.
Oh, you sneaky little Silent, Sheheluth’s voice whispered in his head. Called on your friends, I see? But how will this help you here? They are not from Karak-Zuun.
Ahiram ignored the snide remark. “Harbor mistress of the proud city of Karak-Zuun, I am happy to present to you the three judges who will rule in this case: Master Xurgon, brother of Erlak Keil Xin, leader of Xilim-Sylin, the Winterleaf dwarfish tribe of the Northern Realm.” Confused, Farveen gripped the side of her throne tightly. “Next, allow me to introduce Orwutt and Zurwott, two brothers of the Southern Realm and nephews of the illustrious Master Kwadil. These three dwarfs lack neither stature nor honor nor reputation. They shall be my chosen judges for this case.”
Farveen smiled a condescending smile. Rising to her feet, she grasped her staff and bowed before the three dwarfs. “It is a true privilege to have Masters Xurgon, Orwutt and Zurwott in our midst today. I shall throw a feast worthy of the mighty Kwadil and of the Northern Realm in your honor. However, these judges do not meet the binding condition, you, advocate, established for this judgment.”
“How so?” Ahiram asked.
“By your own words, you are bound to choose three judges among the dwarfs in Karak-Zuun.”
“And I have, Harbor Mistress,” Ahiram replied innocently. “Are we not all in Karak-Zuun?”
“I meant dwarfs who live in my city.”
“You did?” Ahiram asked with a contrite voice that may have fooled even an Adorant. “I am terribly sorry, but that is not our agreement.”
The Harbor Mistress gripped her staff so tightly, her fist shook. “Are you mocking me?”
“Kerishal and Xanthor be my witnesses,” Ahiram replied, striking his breast, “mocking you is as far from me as the Games of the Mines are from Taniir-The-Strong.”
Xurgon, Orwutt, and Zurwott barely managed to keep a straight face. The Games of the Mines were not a location, but an activity, therefore, Ahiram’s statement was open to interpretation. Perhaps Ahiram had in mind the distance separating the castle from the mines where the games took place. True, the entrance to the Games of Bronze, Silver, and Gold were a stone-throw away from the castle, but the one of Meyroon was a distance away. In the first case, Ahiram would be mocking Farveen; in the second, he would not. However, if by distance to the games he meant the distance from the castle to the mines, then this too was ambiguous: at their farthest point, the mines were miles away from the castle, but they also happened to run directly beneath it. Then again, he may or may not be mocking her. Adding to the confusion, Ahiram had simultaneously invoked Kerishal, the dwarfish goddess of healing, and Xanthor the dwarfish god of war, referencing both healing and wounding, life and death. Invoking two opposite deities could be interpreted as a shorthand for invoking all the gods, which would mean he was not mocking Farveen. A literal interpretation of his words required the blessing of both gods, which would never happen unless day and night stood side-by-side. In this case, Ahiram was surely mocking Farveen. Therefore, it was impossible to deduce if Ahiram was mocking her, or not, or both. It was a true dwarfish statement, worthy of any dwarf, Xurgon concluded.
Farveen said in a low voice, “That is not what you agreed upon.”
“Are Xurgon, Orwutt, and Zurwott not presently standing with us in Karak-Zuun? Therefore, I choose three dwarfs from among those who are in Karak-Zuun. My choice fulfills the condition of our agreement word for word, does it not?”
Farveen opened her mouth to protest when the meaning of Ahiram’s words hit her like a thunderbolt. Word for word. She realized her mistake. In her haste, she understood Ahiram’s contract to mean that he would choose three judges from among the dwarfs who were citizens of Karak- Zuun, dwarfs who were from Karak-Zuun, but what he said was more general. He phrased it in a way that allowed him to choose three judges from among the dwarfs who happened to be in Karak-Zuun. Keeping her countenance, she relaxed her grip on her staff and calmly considered every word to see if she could rebut the argument. She searched for a weakness she might be able to exploit, but by her own mouth, she had, a moment ago, affirmed exactly what Ahiram had pledged, word for word. In her haste and self-assurance, she ran blindly into a child’s trap, and she could not find a way out. She glanced at the crowd and knew that the slightest outburst would harm her credibility. She forced a graceful smile and said with a loud, albeit shaky voice, “I accept your choice, advocate, let the judgment proceed.” Under her breath, she muttered, “I’ll let them judge to their hearts’ content and when they’re done, I’ll deal with Jin personally. She won’t survive the week.”
Farveen’s hatred for Jin knew no bounds. Jin’s progenitor was a beast, a savage of a dwarf who had brutalized her. He had mocked her, laughed at her authority, and degraded her. Then he had walked away whistling a sailor’s tune. Later, she had hunted him, captured him, and he was still rotting in the depth of Karak-Zuun. She made a point to visit him often and after years of torture, he had become a shell, a scarred shadow that whimpered and groveled at her feet. Initially, Farveen had tried to end her pregnancy, but the medicine she had to ingest for four weeks nearly killed her after the first dose. Instead, she bore the child, and when the girl was born, she named her Jinokai, a derisive name that meant “stump.” F
rom the moment she laid eyes on her daughter, she hated her. Jin was the living proof of her shame and quickly became the bane of Farveen’s existence. She had thought of selling her as a slave, but when she found out that the brute reacted to the news of Jin’s birth, she changed her stance and used the girl to torture him further. She taught Jin to hate him, and as soon as Jin could speak, she would bring her to the dungeon where the little she-dwarf repeated the imprecations her mother had taught her.
When Jin turned ten, she refused to go down to the dungeon with her mother. In secret, she tried to free the prisoner, but when her attempt failed, she fled aboard a ship. It was on that ship that she met Analeeze and her young, boisterous friend, Slippery Slued. Four years later, Analeeze and she landed in the port of Taleb off the cost of Barak Nun where they tried to steal from a wealthy cloth merchant.
“Run, Jin, run,” Analeeze had warned her, and that was the last she saw of her friend, who was later sentenced to the Arayat. Years later, aimless and tired, Jin returned to Mycene and worked as a servant in Jinodus’ tavern, where she met Domnina and Lilith. The two she-dwarfs told her about the shepherdess Tyleen, whom Ebaan had freed from the Arayat. Sometime later, they told her that Ebaan was willing to free hundreds of prisoners from the Arayat if Tyleen brought him a certain young man hiding in the orchards near her sheep.
“Ebaan is going to use wolves to force him out of his hideout,” Domnina told her. “Tyleen wants us to pretend to be Oriana’s children. He won’t suspect three little girls. We’ll drug him and send him to Ebaan, and we’ll get our loved ones back.”
“But isn’t that wrong?” Jin asked.
Domnina shrugged her shoulders. “Most likely, he’s a criminal of sorts. Do you want to free your friend or not?”
To free Analeeze, Jin had consented.
And now the young she-dwarf looked up and saw the gaze of hatred contorting her mother’s face. When the fake Ebaan, under the guise of Jin, brought Ahiram to Karak-Zuun, Farveen’s hatred for her daughter, which had turned to a dull and stubborn resentment, exploded anew. Convinced that Jin had brought Ahiram to Karak-Zuun to destroy the city and the work she had undertaken, Farveen wanted her daughter gone, destroyed, dead. She wanted to throw her body triumphantly in front of the imprisoned dwarf she would never forgive. She wanted them both smashed and gone like the filth of the earth, like a blotch on her soul. Farveen was unaware that she was now closer than ever to that dark place where rage turns into despair, the place where a Kerta priest could easily seek her and find her.
The Wretched Race (Epic of Ahiram Book 3) Page 32