The Kingdom of Four Rivers

by Guy Salvidge

  There was another toll booth at the turnoff to the trading district. Tuan paid the toll and the caravan turned onto a cobbled road. Their destination was nestled between yellow fields. The east district was a motley cluster of buildings thrown rudely together. Some were made of brick, others of timber or molded plastic. The main street, along which they were travelling, meandered around to the left, and smaller streets branched off everywhere. Most of the side roads were not paved. There were hundreds of people here, few of whom paused in the business of their day to glance at Tuan and his family.

  “You could pass for an Inner,” Liang said.

  “What?” Kai Sen wasn't sure he had heard right. What was an Inner?

  “A person of the Inner Shield,” Liang explained. “The sun does not shine on them at all, except when they come out to collect taxes.”

  “We are Outers,” Ji Tao said. “There are Inners, Outers, and Savages.”

  “Perhaps I'm a savage,” Kai Sen said. “I don't know the rules that govern your world.”

  “No, you're an Inner Inner,” Ji Tao said. “You've been inside even longer than Min Jian.”

  The caravan stopped in front of a drab white building. The building was a hostel, although it did not look like any hostel Kai Sen had ever seen. It was a sprawling network of cube-like rooms, and like everything in the east district, it appeared to have been put together in haphazard fashion.

  Word of their arrival spread quickly. A boy came to take the caravan away. Then they were inside, moving through labyrinthine corridors full of travellers. Tuan and his family were well known here, and Kai Sen barely had time to throw his things down on a bed before he was being paraded around as the man from Shulao. People were asking him all kinds of questions. How long had he been asleep? Had he dreamed? Had he fought in the war? What did he think of Luihang? Were there others like him? Why was he so pale and so tall? He tried his best to answer these questions, but every word he said proved to fuel their curiosity further. It wasn't long before he felt quite ill. Faces were pressing close to him, pushing him back into the corner of the room.

  Liang had been supervising him, and now he realised that his charge needed a break. “More questions after lunch, everyone,” he said. “Kai Sen needs to rest now.” Disappointed, the onlookers shuffled away.

  “I need to sit down,” Kai Sen said.

  “What you need is a drink,” Liang said. “How long has it been since you had a beer? Did they have beer in your time? They must have done; they had everything else, right?”

  “Yes, but first I need to sit down. I'm not well.”

  “What's wrong with you?” Liang slapped him on the shoulder.

  “I just don't feel very well. I'm tired.”

  They were back at the dormitory. Kai Sen sat down on his bed.

  “All right then, you have a rest,” Liang said. “I'll come and get you in an hour. How about that?”

  “Fine.”

  As it turned out, Kai Sen got no peace even here. The dorm's twenty or so beds were mostly empty, but the bed across from his was occupied by a fat man who had been reading. Now he put the book down to question Kai Sen.

  “I'm Gao Li,” the man said, proffering a sweaty hand.

  Kai Sen shook it. “Kai Sen. What's that you're reading?”

  “Xia Lo's 'Romantic Tales.' Have you read it? It's excellent.”

  “No, can I have a look at that?” Gao passed him the book, which was heavily creased. The book was printed, but the typesetting was poor; the lines were crooked and some of the characters had not come out properly.

  “Do you know who published this?” Kai Sen asked.

  “It's from Dragon Press in Zhenghe. Don't you recognise it?”

  “No, I don't read much.”

  “You should! I'll lend it to you when I'm done. But you didn't tell me about yourself.”

  Kai Sen was forced to reveal his extraordinary identity. “That's amazing!” Gao said. “You're joking, correct?”

  “No, it's all true. You can ask Liang when he gets back.”

  Gao grinned, rubbing his fat hands together gleefully. “Chen Tuan will be famous throughout Four Rivers for digging you up. Imagine it! A man from the past! Excuse me, I need to talk to someone.” Gao heaved himself off the bed and went out the door. He had forgotten to take his book back. Kai Sen lay down, alone at last, thumbing through it. There was no publishing information in the front, except for the words, 'Dragon Press, No. 112.'

  Much of the day passed like this. People would come up to him, confirm that he was indeed 'one of the ancients,' grill him for a while and then leave, presumably to spread the word further.

  After lunch, two young women came up to question him for the umpteenth time. Kai Sen decided turned the tables on them, asking a barrage of questions: “What is the importance of Luihang? Who are its main trading partners? What does it export? What kind of government does Luihang have? Is the administrator democratically elected? Have you harnessed electricity? Can you drive a car? Do you know how the shield works?” The women withdrew, perplexed by his anger, and for a while he was left alone. He returned to the dormitory, where Liang was waiting for him.

  “How was your lunch?”

  “Fine, but I'm sick of all the questions.”

  Liang laughed. “Don't worry, they'll get sick of you soon enough, and then you'll be a nobody like everyone else. Does that make you feel better?”

  “I don't know,” Kai Sen said. “I just don't feel very well today.”

  “You want to see a doctor? There used to be one in East District, up on the high street. He's probably still there. Come on, I'll take you.”

  “All right.” Kai Sen allowed himself to be led out of the hostel and into the shield-land. The weather was pleasant, but then Kai Sen supposed that the weather was always fine here. If these people had forgotten about light-bulbs, what chance did Kai Sen have of finding a cure? It seemed hopeless.

  The doctor was eager to see him. “Come in, come in,” the doctor said, ushering him through the door into his office. Kai Sen and Liang had to squeeze past several people who had been waiting to see the doctor, and yet not one of them uttered a word in protest.

  The doctor indicated for them to sit down. “This is an honour,” he said. The doctor's office was shabbily furnished with a battered desk and old leather chairs. There did not seem to be any specific medical equipment, only dozens of boxes piled up against the wall. It was also quite dim, as all the interior rooms here seemed to be. An oil lamp burned in the corner, providing a meagre light.

  “Now, how can I help our special guest?” the doctor asked.

  When Kai Sen did not immediately speak, Liang said, “Kai Sen has not been well today. He is feeling off-colour.”

  “Ah, this is not surprising,” the doctor said. “After all, your body will not be accustomed to physical activity after laying dormant for so long. You need rest. Also, you are perhaps not familiar with our cuisine. Am I right? Perhaps it has not agreed with you.”

  Kai Sen nodded. “There,” the doctor said. “It's not hard to understand. My recommendation is that you rest. Do not exert yourself unnecessarily. Accept no more visitors. In fact, I will contact the hostel and request you be given a separate room, so that you can recuperate.”

  “See,” Liang said, “the doctor understands your situation. It is partly my fault, doctor, for wanting to show him around. We'll go back now. No more exploring for today.”

  “Good,” the doctor said. “Then it is settled.” He stood up and showed them out. “Good bye, my friend,” he called after them. And then Kai Sen was out on the street again.

  Liang took him back to the hostel and blustered about, insisting that he be given his own room. It was done and soon Kai Sen was alone. He lay on the bed thinking. This room did not have a window. When he extinguished the lamp, it was dark. Who was he trying to fool? Himself? Clearly these people did not possess the knowledge required to cure, or even alleviate his condition. What mad
e him think he was entitled to a future? This half-life was a mistake, an oddity.

  After what seemed like several hours of lying prone, someone knocked on the door.

  “Yes?” he said. In that moment, his emotions betrayed him. Despite everything, he still longed for company.

  The door opened. It was Ji Tao. “Are you sleeping?” she asked.

  “No, but I've been resting.”

  “Liang told me you're not well. I didn't mean to disturb you.”

  “It's all right. Come in.”

  Ji Tao sat on the chair next to the bed. Kai Sen sat up. “I've come to ask you if you will come to dinner with us tonight.”

  “Dinner? Who with?”

  “My family. My aunt and some friends stayed in Luihang while we went to Shulao. Now everyone wants to meet you. I mean, if you don't mind.”

  “I would like to meet the rest of your family. What time?”

  “It's after six already, and dinner is at eight. Don't you have a watch?”

  “No.”

  “Then I will come and get you, say at seven forty-five? Thank you. You will be the guest of honour.”

  Then she was gone, and Kai Sen regretted not being kinder to her. Now time passed more slowly, and he began to wonder whether how he was supposed to dress for this occasion. Turning on the lamp, he pulled out all the clothes he had been given, laying them flat on the bed. Nothing seemed appropriate. Finally he settled on a plain shirt and black trousers. Then he realised that he had not yet had a shower. This hardly seemed possible, but it was so. It would be necessary to venture out of his room.

  When Ji Tao knocked on his door again, Kai Sen felt better. Showered, shaved and dressed in clean clothes, he no longer felt so bedraggled. Ji Tao must have been surprised to see him make an effort, for she commented favourably on his appearance. She was wearing a long purple dress, and her hair was held up with a black clasp. She, too, was making an effort, and the result was quite impressive. This earthy woman was in fact quite attractive beneath the layers of grime. As they walked down the dim street, Kai Sen felt the urge to hold her hand. But he resisted, not knowing how she would respond.

  The eating house was bright and noisy. He heard laughter, saw people smiling and eating. Ji Tao led him over to a long table. Kai Sen recognised Liang and Tuan. There were several others he did not recognise, however. He was invited to sit next to Tuan at the head of the table. The table was decked out with finery.

  “Mr. Kai,” Tuan said, “you honour us with your presence. This is my wife Rong Li, and daughter Ping. And this is Mr. Amar, his wife Ambika, and sons Rame and Roshan.”

  Kai Sen greeted them. As the first course of soup and bread was served, Tuan started to tell him about his inquiries into the 'ring road situation,' as he called it. It seemed that Tuan had made contact with a minor official who had in turn contacted someone in the Inner Shield. It was thought that Kai Sen might get an audience with the administrator in the coming days.

  “You bring esteem to my family and my business,” Tuan said.

  Kai Sen thanked Tuan and promised he would do his best to impress the administrator of Luihang. Privately, however, he was terrified. What had he got himself into? But those were questions for another day. Tonight was for enjoyment. Kai Sen ate fish, pork, rice and vegetables, drank rice-wine and beer, and finally coffee and cake. By the end of the meal, he was starting to feel queasy. He was not the only one, though; the Chens were not used to rich food themselves. How was Tuan paying for this extravagance? Was all of this being done for his benefit?

  As they ate their dessert, a man came over to see Tuan. At first Kai Sen thought he was the restaurant owner, but he soon realised that the man was the trader Bao Min.

  “My friends,” Bao Min said to the whole table, “it is good to see you again. It is unfortunate that we were separated in Shulao, but I have some good news for you. I have retrieved your caravans.”

  “Retrieved them?” Liang said. “How?”

  “They had to be liberated from some unmentionables,” Bao Min said. “The details are not important. Now that I have heard of your success in Shulao, I have come to arrange our profit sharing.”

  “Profit sharing?” Liang said. “You mean you want a cut of what we found in Shulao? You're not going to give in to him, father? He left us to die there.”

  “Mr. Bao,” Tuan said. “You are entitled to one quarter of whatever profits the Shulao expedition garner.”

  “But this is not acceptable,” Bao Min said. ”After all, without my guidance there would be no profit at all.”

  “That is all I'm willing to offer,“ Tuan said. “It is final.”

  “Then I shall keep your caravans and return to Shulao myself. I am quite aware of which building contained the artefacts.”

  “You were aware, were you?” Liang said. “Then why did you not aid us there? Father, let him keep the caravans. That is all he deserves.”

  “My son speaks the truth,” Tuan said.

  “Then I shall take my leave of you,” Bao Min said.

  Later, Ji Tao explained to Kai Sen why Tuan was not intimidated by Bao Min's threat. “What Bao Min doesn't know is that you need a special key to make the lift go down to the bottom levels.”

  “Your father has this key?”

  “He doesn't have it,” Ji Tao said. She showed him a small metal key hanging around her neck.

  Chapter Eight

  Kai Sen woke up feeling ill again. Though he had slept, he had not truly rested. It was still dark, and the shapes in his room seemed unfamiliar. No one else was stirring at this hour. Kai Sen pushed the blanket away and climbed quietly out of bed. Someone was snoring nearby. He shuffled to the door, groping in the darkness for the handle. Turning it, he padded out into the corridor and the empty halls beyond. You’re getting sicker, a voice inside him said. An acidic taste of bile was rising in his throat, and there was a weak heaving sensation in his chest. It was getting worse, as he knew it would. It was simply a matter of time.

  Sleep offered him no comfort now. Once he had slept blissfully, and dreamed of cool, quiet landscapes filled with exotic creatures and people. Now his dreams had turned sour. He slept fitfully, anxiety gnawing at him, as well as its cousins fear and regret. Don't think like that, he warned himself. He would have to find some purpose for his final weeks. Maybe the doctors in Luihang Inner Shield could help him. If the administrator summoned him today, then he would have hope again. Was that why he stood here shivering in the pre-dawn air? Was that what had compelled him to leave the building and stand on the corner of the road?

  It was getting lighter. Tilting his head back, he thought he could dimly perceive the grey curve of the shield. Kai Sen needed something to sustain him, some inner light. He waited, observing the imperceptible transformation of night into day. This gave him cheer, for perhaps it symbolised a turning point. His spirit had been waning but now it would wax again. Kai Sen rubbed his hands together for warmth, and then felt the first rumblings of hunger. Good. He wasn't dead yet.

  There would be no audience with the ruler of Luihang today. He saw this clearly now. Nor would there be an audience tomorrow, or the day after that. Perhaps it would be better to focus his attention on the administrator of Baitang instead, which would allow him time to unveil his scheme. Why had he not thought of this before? He had been in such a dark place, as though moaning pitifully from the bottom of an abandoned well, that he could not see that which was all around him.

  With renewed purpose, the day became a pleasant one for him. After breakfast, he spent some time talking to Liang. Market day would be held two days hence. Kai Sen himself was to be a salesman.

  “You know more about this stuff than we do,” Liang said. “Hey, what does all this stuff do anyway?”

  “You'll find out soon enough,” Kai Sen said. “I will present the wares to the people. It's the least I can do.”

  Kai Sen woke on the morning of market day long before dawn. By the time daylight filled the great t
rader hall, all was in readiness. Tables were laid out with a hundred different items, ranging from dull thermoses to wireless headphones (for which there was no electricity) and waterproof tents. It was junk for the most part, but what did it matter? Ignorance truly was bliss. In Kai Sen's imagination, the headphones became a ceremonial headpiece, the coffee thermos a sacred receptacle used in occult divination. But the centrepiece of Kai Sen's display was the atmosphere suit, which the documentation claimed protected against both chemical warfare and nuclear radiation. The suit was made of a glossy resin, and was coloured bright orange. It came with an inner jumpsuit made of a shiny synthetic material, as well as heavy gloves, which he was going to style as 'gauntlets.' And then of course there was the helmet, with its crystal blue visor. As the citizens of Luihang were not aware of what the atmosphere suit had been used for, Kai Sen was free to embellish. The humble atmosphere suit would be transformed into a high priest's divine robe, the helmet a sacred vessel for communicating with the Lord-on-High.

  Kai Sen stood quietly, waiting for the doors to be opened. There was a sense of expectation; Tuan gave him an encouraging word, while Ji Tao brushed some imaginary dust off the atmosphere suit, which had been dressed on a manikin. Kai Sen was filled with a sense of his own importance. It was an unfamiliar feeling. Even the other traders seemed preoccupied with the Chen stalls, rather than their own. Finally, the doors opened and eager bodies streamed forth. It did not take long for a crowd to assemble in front of Kai Sen. They muttered to themselves, pointing at the atmosphere suit and grinning nervously. Someone made a joke, but the gist of it was lost on him.

  Kai Sen stepped forward to face the crowd of brown and yellow faces. He started counting them but soon gave up. There were hundreds of people packed into the space in front of him, clogging up the hall's main thoroughfare. He cleared his throat and the hubbub died down.