Edge of Worlds (The Books of the Raksura)

by Martha Wells

  Before anyone else could speak, Delin stepped forward and said, “This is Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud Court.” He performed all the introductions, naming Moon, Stone, Heart, and all the warriors. He finished, “And this is Callumkal, Master Scholar of the Conclave of the Janderan.” He gestured toward the smaller version of Callumkal. “His offspring, Kalam.” He nodded to the silver armored person. “And Vendoin, she is Scholar of the Hia Iserae.”

  Jade jerked her chin toward the groundling who had hung back on the edge of the platform. Delin had been speaking Altanic, and Jade used the same language as she said, “Tell your companion she won’t need that weapon.”

  “Ah.” Delin turned to look, smiling a little. “That is Captain Rorra.”

  Captain Rorra was female, very slender, with pale green skin and thick gray hair braided tightly back from her face. There was something about her tall body and the proportions of her arms and legs that made her look a little like the groundlings of Aventera. Her clothes were practical, pants and a shirt of some tough dark brown fabric, with belts and a strap across one shoulder to hold various items, and she wore heavy boots instead of sandals like the others. An oblong canister with a tube running along the top was cradled in her arms. It had a trigger, and the tube looked not unlike the Aventeran projectile weapons Moon had seen, and Delin’s device that was used to fire signal lights. He knew such weapons were more common in Kish. They shot a tiny projectile, coated with a substance that caused a stream of fire to shoot out of the weapon to strike whatever the projectile landed on. They were one of the reasons the Fell tended to avoid Kishan territories.

  Delin added pointedly to Callumkal, “Captain Rorra should come and sit with us. She may have insights.”

  “Captain Rorra prefers to keep her distance,” Callumkal said, with some irony in his voice. Moon got the impression that it had been decided ahead of time that Rorra would stay back and watch them with her weapon, and Delin clearly knew that and wanted to get it out in the open.

  “Is she so afraid of us?” Jade asked.

  Next to Moon, Stone breathed out, a near-silent hiss of annoyance. Moon didn’t know why Jade was pushing this, but he thought it had the potential to disrupt everything before the meeting even got started. If Rorra fired her weapon, she could only get one of them, and the warriors waiting above would reach her before she could fire again. That was why the weapons were best used in groups, all firing at once. Rorra had to know that, and Moon didn’t think Callumkal was a fool.

  Callumkal hesitated. Kalam looked up at him, waiting, and Vendoin made a gesture with one hand, possibly signaling that it was Callumkal’s decision. Callumkal said, “Very well.” He turned. “Rorra, please join us.”

  It was Rorra’s turn to hesitate, but then she walked forward, picking her way through the low grass. There was something tentative about the way she walked, as if her boots were awkward on the uneven ground. As she reached Callumkal, she said nothing, and just gave Delin a grimace. This close Moon could see her pale green skin was lightly scaled, her long-fingered hands had claws, though the tips had been filed down, and there were patches of loose skin on either side of her throat. She’s a sealing, Moon thought, or at least she had been at one time. Groundlings who had sealing in their ancestry didn’t tend to have the gills. Full-blooded sealings didn’t stay out of the water for long periods, or come this far inland. He glanced down at her feet, noticing now how her boots were oddly bulky at the bottom and might be built up to account for fins. She caught him looking and frowned.

  Delin said, “Now, show them the artifact.”

  Callumkal gave Delin a look that suggested he didn’t appreciate being given instructions, but gestured to Vendoin. She pulled the bag off her shoulder and carefully drew out something wrapped in coarse cloth. She knelt and unwrapped it, then tilted it up to show them. It was a cracked stone tile, stained and weathered, with a forerunner carved on it, clearly the original of Delin’s drawing.

  Jade’s spines moved in reaction, and she nodded grimly to Delin. “I see.”

  Vendoin glanced around, making sure everyone had gotten a look, then began to wrap it up again.

  Callumkal said, “As Delin must have told you, some of us believe that the city this came from belonged to the species we call foundation builders, who lived in the Kishlands in the distant past. But some believe this object means it was a city of the people Delin calls forerunners. He told us you had discovered an ancient forerunner city, and that you had some words of caution.”

  Rorra interposed, “I wondered if you had any proof of this experience.”

  Delin gave Moon an ironic eyebrow lift and said in Raksuran, “Captain Rorra is very mistrustful. Apparently there are scholars who would have made the whole incident up, possibly with your help, for amusement or to gain attention.”

  Moon hissed under his breath. This meeting was already going badly, and he had no idea why. At least nobody’s actually dead yet.

  Chime made a derisive noise and said in Raksuran, “The incident wasn’t what I would call amusing.”

  Annoyed, Heart added, “They don’t want anything to come between them and their goal. They have their ideas, they don’t want facts to bother them.”

  Rorra said, “Speak in Altanic, please.”

  Jade tilted her head, and said in Altanic, “We’ll speak how we like.”

  Callumkal frowned, and said in Kedaic, “Captain, if this goes badly, you may need to return to the ship.”

  No one said anything, and Delin’s expression remained pleasantly bland. The Kish obviously didn’t realize that the Raksura could speak Kedaic. It was a common trade language throughout Kish, made up of words from all the various languages of the species who lived there, but Moon had heard it used in the east and the west, far past the Reaches.

  Rorra’s jaw went tight and she said nothing. Jade said, “We don’t have any evidence because the city flooded and was destroyed when we escaped it. It was designed to flood, to kill the creature inside if it managed to get free of its prison.”

  Vendoin had tucked the tile away into the bag and stood, and now spoke for the first time. Her voice was light and high, and it made the Altanic words sound almost melodic. “Was there some outward sign that the city held this creature? Some warning?” She gestured with an open hand. “I’m thinking of trading flags, and other such devices used by long-distance travelers.”

  That was a good question. Jade glanced at Moon to show she wanted him to answer. Jade apparently wanted to maintain an aggressive pose and leave the actual discussion to others. He wished he knew what had made her so angry all of a sudden. From Balm’s worried expression, he knew he wasn’t the only one wondering. He said, “If there was, we didn’t recognize it as a warning. There were symbols we thought were just decoration, but nothing that stood out.”

  Vendoin and Callumkal seemed to absorb this information thoughtfully, while Kalam and Rorra both looked shocked that Moon could talk. Why do groundlings do that? Moon wondered, irritated.

  Vendoin said, “You would think they would make it obvious that danger lay within, but there is no accounting for a strange species’ reasoning.” Her large eyes blinked, as she appeared to recall that the strange species was probably a Raksuran ancestor. She added, “No offense.”

  Moon shared a look with Chime, and decided the best course was just not to respond to that.

  Stone, clearly fed up with how everyone else was wasting time, said, “The Fell were the only ones who knew that thing was there, because it told them.”

  Rorra said, “And they told you.”

  “Oh, here we go,” Chime hissed under his breath in Raksuran. “This is like the Aventerans all over again.”

  “It’s not an uncommon reaction,” Moon said.

  Stone gave him a nudge with his shoulder. It was meant to be comforting, but Moon was still too irritated with Stone to receive it in the spirit it was meant.

  His expression perplexed, Delin added, also in
Raksuran, “I noticed this too, with the Aventerans. Are people simply that blind to detail? I look much like Vendoin, in that we both have two arms, two legs, one head, and so on, but all else is different. It does not seem a survival trait to ignore these facts.”

  “What are you saying?” Rorra demanded.

  Delin let a little impatience show, and answered in Kedaic, “We’re speaking of your willful ignorance in confusing Raksura with Fell.”

  Also obviously nearing the end of her patience, Jade said, “This is entertaining, but you didn’t come here for words of caution. Delin’s given you those, and you’ve ignored them. And he’s already asked, and knows the answers to, all these questions. What do you really want from us?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Callumkal glanced at Vendoin, and read something off the mask of her face that Moon couldn’t see. Callumkal said, “Very well. Delin told us of your abilities. I think he must have told you that we want your help.”

  Vendoin turned to Delin. “Did you know we meant to ask this?”

  Delin said, “It was a possibility that occurred to me, as a potential method of entering the city. But as I told you, I am undecided about the wisdom of attempting it in the first place.” He eyed Callumkal. “I did wonder if your expedition would be too wary of the Raksura to make the suggestion, once you met them.”

  Callumkal inclined his head to Delin with an air of irony. “I’m glad I could surpass your low expectations.”

  Chime flicked a glance at Heart, and said, “Where is this city? Can you show us a map?”

  Vendoin turned to Callumkal. “I think we must show them, before we continue.”

  Callumkal didn’t answer immediately, clearly reluctant to take that step. Jade folded her arms, her spines taking on an irritated angle. “You can’t ask us to go somewhere with you if you aren’t even willing to trust us with the location.”

  “True,” Callumkal conceded. Rorra drew breath as if to protest, but didn’t speak as Callumkal reached into the flat pouch at his belt and drew out a square of waxed cloth. He stepped forward and knelt on the mossy ground. As he unfolded it, Rorra moved around him and stood close by. Kalam sat beside his father. Callumkal said, “This is a copy, of course. The original is carved into a stone that forms part of the support beneath the Archive Kedmar. We know nearly nothing of the species we call the foundation builders, who constructed it and carved the image. They left behind little else but some writings which are mostly poetry, the meanings of which are greatly disputed by various scholars, and the stone beneath the ruins of their cities.”

  “There should be more. I still believe something tried to destroy everything they left behind,” Vendoin added, not reassuringly.

  Callumkal made what Moon interpreted as an I’m not going to argue with you in front of strangers gesture. Callumkal added, “The annotations were made by the mapmakers who copied it.”

  The map was drawn on the cloth with a dark ink, the place names and directions neatly written out in Kedaic. Heart and Chime both leaned forward to look, Chime from one side and Heart from the other. One of the skills Chime had used as a mentor which he still had as a warrior was copying text and drawings, and Heart was expert at it as well. Arbora who copied books in the court’s library tended to have excellent memories for writing and drawings, something that made the copying go much faster. Moon suspected this one long look would be enough for them to memorize the map and recreate it later.

  Moon sat up on his knees to move closer. He reached for the edge of the map, meaning to tug out the wrinkles in it, and Rorra grabbed his shoulder.

  Jade was suddenly between them. She slapped Rorra’s hand away before Moon had a chance to draw breath. Rorra stepped back and instinctively jerked her weapon up. Delin stepped in front of her. He said, “It is always good to get permission before touching any stranger, but in a Raksuran court, one especially does not touch the consort.”

  Moon hissed in frustration. He knew he could have handled an aggressive, arrogant maybe-sealing without resorting to violence. He couldn’t tell Jade in front of groundlings that she was overreacting, but he badly wanted to.

  Rorra’s gaze went to Jade. She said, “I don’t like being threatened—”

  “I’m not threatening you.” Jade bared her teeth. “But if you want a fight, say so.”

  Vendoin said hastily, “No one wants a fight.”

  Callumkal shoved to his feet. “It was a misunderstanding.”

  Sounding bored, Stone added in Raksuran, “I came for the forerunners and the foundation builders and the groundling-eating monsters; if there’s going to be a fight, I’m leaving.”

  In the same language, Jade hissed at him, “Promises, promises.”

  Speaking Raksuran too, Moon said, “She’s not a queen, Jade. She doesn’t even realize she’s acting like one.” He would have to save asking what is wrong with you? for later.

  “Moon’s right, Jade,” Balm added, watching with concern.

  Jade’s spines quivered in irritation. “I know that.”

  Pointedly, Vendoin plopped down on the ground. “I’m showing everyone where the city is now. Those interested please look.” She turned to Chime and Heart. “You see, these figures indicate sea-mounts. You are familiar with those formations?”

  Chime and Heart leaned closer, and Heart said, “They’re mountains?”

  “Possibly natural formations, possibly constructed by former inhabitants of the region,” Vendoin told her.

  Rorra took a step back, still watching Jade warily. Callumkal looked from Rorra to Jade, and sat down again next to Vendoin. Moon found himself meeting Kalam’s gaze. The boy was wide-eyed. Moon thought about trying to smile reassuringly, decided it was more likely to look like a threat, and eased back to sit beside Stone. Stone stared up at the tree canopy and shook his head in resignation at how stupid they all were. Moon muttered to him, “You’re not helping.”

  Low-voiced, Stone replied, “If we can’t get through looking at the map without a fight, how are we supposed to work with these people?”

  Moon grimaced. Stone had a point. No one else heard except Delin, who rubbed his eyes wearily.

  Trying to pick up the fallen threads of the conversation, Callumkal told Jade, “As Delin suspected, we hoped to ask some of you to travel with us to the city, to help us enter it.” He looked around at the others, his expression conveying exasperation. “I hoped to work my way up to this request more gracefully, but there you have it.”

  Jade settled her spines deliberately. Sounding more reasonable, she said, “You haven’t mentioned the signs of Fell presence.”

  At least none of the groundlings glared at Delin this time. Callumkal said, “There is no proof that the Fell were in the area because of the ancient city, or that they were still there by the time we arrived. The settlements that were destroyed were travelers’ outposts, as far as we could tell.”

  “Travelers’ outposts?” Moon asked.

  Vendoin answered, “We couldn’t identify them from the . . . remains. It may have been a sea-going race who seeded the settlements as supply depots as they moved through the area. Some do this to extend their reach through the oceans or the empty seas, where there are no other ports or habitations, like stepping stones, you see?”

  Moon did. It meant these people would return at some point and find their friends dead and no fresh supplies. It was a grim picture to imagine.

  The scales of Jade’s brow furrowed thoughtfully. Heart took up the questioning, asking, “Did you find the destroyed settlements on your way there, or the way back?”

  Chime added, “And could you tell how long ago they had been destroyed?”

  “The way back,” Callumkal said.

  Vendoin answered Chime, “We couldn’t tell how long. The remains had been exposed to weather and carrion feeders.” Anticipating the next question, she said, “We knew it was Fell because there were dead dakti, also partially eaten.”

  Moon exchanged a look with Stone
. So the Fell could have followed the Kishan ships out to sea, and fed on the settlements while they waited for the groundlings to find the way into the city.

  Sounding frustrated, Rorra said, “But if the Fell are there, and want the city, why haven’t they entered it already? They are fliers like you, they could have made it through the winds at the top of the escarpment.”

  Jade managed not to sound too annoyed. “They might be in the city already. We don’t know that any more than you do.”

  In Raksuran, Stone muttered, “Or they can’t get in because they don’t have a key.”

  A key. A forerunner or someone enough like one to open it for them. Also in Raksuran, Moon said, “Maybe they don’t know what they need.”

  Chime turned to them. “In which case, if we go there, and can’t get through the entrance, we’ll know there’s something terrible inside, and that we shouldn’t keep trying.”

  Following the conversation closely, Delin waggled his hands. “That is a point. But I am not sure the logic follows completely.”

  Jade flicked a warning spine at them. Callumkal’s expression was impatient. In Altanic, she told him, “They’re discussing the idea that the Fell may not know how to enter, so are waiting for you to open it for them.”