THE GOD BOX

by Barry B. Longyear

  "If we do this, Ahtma, will you then believe?" asked the gods.

  "Of course," answered the youth. He waved an impatient hand "Do get on with it, if you can."

  Below his boots, to his surprise, Ahtma saw the land part and the seas rush in, and where there had once been solid land there was now a long, narrow sea. A priest of Ihtar was brought up to Ahtma, and the priest asked, "After witnessing this great miracle, Ahtma, are you ready now to declare your belief and become emperor?"

  Ahtma frowned, studied the split continent below, rubbed his chin, and said to the priest, "I want to see them do that again."

  Ahtma, of course, did not become emperor. Instead, quite disgusted with him, the Ihtar dropped him, saying, "Ahtma, we do not exist for you; hence, you must fly on your own."

  His desire not to admit he was wrong—his stubborn pride—was much stronger than his need to have faith. To this day the inland sea between the Empire of Ahmrita and the southern kingdoms is known as the Sea of Ihtar. The fisherfolk there know of a deep hole in the floor of the Ihtar Sea. They call it Ahtma's Fall.

  I told the story of Ahtma's Fall because I always related to the legend and often wondered to myself what it would take to convince me of the existence of these great and benevolent gods guiding human destiny. As each new piece of filth and brutality came beneath my scrutiny, I grew ever further away from the Ihtar and ever closer to my twisted hero, Ahtma. Now here I was with Olassar's box as my split continent, and I shook my head in despair. Was my pride so bound, or would I have to see another demonstration?

  I didn't know. Perhaps the box moving back time for me had been just a simple magic trick, or a spell of some kind. But I had never heard of such a thing; and even so, why? For what reason? Perhaps it was nothing more than an upset stomach or a dream. The one thing I did know was it is very difficult to keep an open mind at the same time every particle of my being is trying to keep it tightly shut.

  So that it wouldn't remind me of all of my unanswered questions, I threw a pink couch blanket over the box and climbed down from the still-moving wagon to walk along side. Walking helps me to think, and I no longer cared about my boots. Ahead, past the front of the train, I could see the minarets of Fort Damra's Nant Temple.

  Reed flutes were braying out their harsh music and the sounds of hawkers and merchants made a dim hiss against the sounds of the wagons and horses. The smell of the salt air was laced with the scent of evergreens. Away from the sea, to the north, I could see the majestic Mystic Mountains.

  I could, of course, see only a few of the mountains. The entire range extended from the foothills in Iskandar, east of the Kigev Desert, almost to the far Zivenese port of Janira, two thousand miles away. But do the mountains I cannot see disappear when I am not there to see them? When I cannot see them, do I still believe they exist?

  What to do, what to do? Was the box a god? Did it contain a god? Did it make any difference what I called it? It certainly acted like a god. I cursed, and the gods be damned for it. It was my right to curse, and I did so. I hadn't felt so soul-torn since I had been a child.

  I heard a stifled laugh, then another and another. I glanced over my shoulder and saw three of the turbaned Nant guards riding alongside the train. All three were trying very hard not to laugh and they were failing miserably.

  "What's so funny?" I demanded of the first guard.

  He pointed a shaking finger and almost fell off his horse, he was laughing so uncontrollably. His two companions were also pointing and laughing. I turned around and saw a caricature of a pink ghost hovering behind me. Olassar's box had followed me. I pulled the blanket from it, my face quite hot. "You're making us both look foolish. Get back into the wagon."

  The box waited for me to climb in first, then it followed, accompanied by the raucous sounds of belly laughs.

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  5

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  In Fort Damra, with the box's silent permission, I wandered around for a few hours. I found several games of dice and cards that whetted several of my baser instincts; however, no one would let me play on credit. Eventually I settled down in an outdoor restaurant and watched the caravan for the signal to return.

  I kept waiting for a glimpse of Syndia, but eventually tired of this. The wagon master was checking harness, and teamsters and camel drivers were caring for their animals and checking loads. Around the caravan stood the Nant guards, motionless and very deadly-looking.

  I was wondering where the guards slept, or if they ever did sleep, when the door in the wagon in front of mine opened. A military officer and a ranking civilian stepped down. As the officer touched his hand to his hat, I could see Syndia in the open doorway. Her face looked quite troubled.

  I stood next to my table and caught her attention by waving my hat. I gestured toward my table, and she nodded. Still she didn't look very happy. When the officer and the official had left, she climbed down from her wagon, spoke to one of the guards, and approached. Despite her frown, she still moved like a dream. I held out a chair for her.

  "Thank you, Korvas," she said, taking her seat.

  I sat down across from her. "I would offer you the finest cuisine that this place has to offer, Syndia, except I am somewhat strapped, financially speaking."

  Syndia smiled and shook her head. "The goddess Evantia must favor you, Korvas."

  "Why?"

  "You actively court a sworn celibate, you offer to purchase a wonderful midday meal with no money for a priestess who must not break her fast until evening, the Heterin Guard is combing the countryside trying to find you for your crawling carpet fraud, yet you still have plans to start up a new beetle herd from the three in your pocket. Evantia is the patron of lost causes. By the way, they are hungry."

  "Who?"

  "The beetles."

  "Syndia, I know that you have seen all that I remember, but how can you know these other things?"

  "Such as?"

  "That the beetles are hungry, for one example."

  She pointed toward my chest, and I looked and saw two of my mahrzak beetles peeking around the edge of my robe. They did look hungry. "You see, Korvas, what a marvelous oracle I am?"

  I shrugged a minor apology. "I tried to feed them some of the sawdust loaf last night and they wouldn't eat it."

  "It's an acquired taste." The priestess motioned to a waiter. The fellow came over, and he appeared as though he observed the entire world down the length of his nose. After arching an eyebrow and curling a lip at me, he said to Syndia, "Yes, priestess?"

  "Could we have some cheese and bread," she glanced at me, "and wine?"

  I shook my head at her. "My apologies, but wine makes me stupid." I looked at the waiter and now both of his eyebrows were raised. "What else do you have?"

  "Ale."

  "That's worse than the wine. It makes me stupid and gives me gas, as well. Can you recommend anything else?"

  "Goat's milk?"

  "No. It gives me hives and tastes like onions." I could see that Syndia's gloom was vanishing. In fact, she was laughing at me. I glared up at the waiter. "Come now, you must have some kind of juice."

  "Yes, we do. Aged grape juice. We call it wine."

  "How about tea?" I inquired.

  "We have maue. Not many care for it. It is very bitter."

  "I would love a cup of maue. I was suckled on it." The waiter looked at Syndia and she paused in her laughter long enough to say, "Nothing for me, thank you."

  After the waiter left I whispered to her, "I can't stand maue."

  "Then why did you order it?"

  "That waiter was looking so far down his nose at me I could see the backs of his eyeballs through his nostrils. I see your gloom has left you. May I take small credit there?"

  Immediately the gloom dropped back on her face. "You may take credit for the gloom, as well."

  "What have I done?"

  "While you were wandering
the village, the Heterin guard came looking for you."

  "Here?" I felt my heart beating.

  "Yes, and led by Captain Shadows himself."

  "Cap—"

  The waiter came out with bread and cheese on a board and a cup of hot maue. I sipped on the tea, smacked my lips, and grinned at the waiter. He left and I almost vomited. Once I had regained control of my stomach, I grabbed Syndia's hand. "Captain Shadows. He must be after someone else. I am not that important. His father-in-law isn't that important."

  "He is after you, Korvas, and by name. I admit he does appear to be making more out of the offense than it deserves—"

  "Quite a bit more, I should say."

  "I agree. His men searched the wagons and pack animals very carefully. You are fortunate that you were elsewhere."

  "Oh, how fortunate." I shook my head as I looked at the cheese. "My father always said I would end my days twitching from the end of a wire tied to an uncomfortable place." I looked up at her. "Where is the captain now?"

  "They went ahead in the belief that you had left them far behind. Once they discover that you are not ahead, they will turn back."

  "I do not understand why the captain chases me with such fervor. It makes no sense . . ." A dim light dawned. "It makes no sense unless during the course of his investigation he has learned of Olassar's box."

  The priestess studied me for a moment. "Of course. That is the answer."

  "If it's something the captain wants for himself, couldn't I just give it to him with my compliments?"

  "No."

  "I didn't think so." I clasped my hands and rested my elbows upon the table. "Why?"

  "Pagas Shadows is not a greedy man; he is a fanatic. He is in the service of Tretia, and I believe Tretia thinks this box threatens the Heterins."

  "What should we do?"

  "Now, that is something for you to ask your inheritance." She pushed back her chair. "Please, don't get up. Whatever happens, we will want to move quickly. I must speak to Iamos. Finish your cheese and bread."

  "What about the box? If he searched my wagon, the box has certainly been found."

  "Perhaps not. My feeling is that the box only goes with whom it chooses."

  She walked quickly toward the wagons, and I almost choked on the bread and cheese, my throat was so dry. It became slightly dryer when I realized I had no money with which to pay the waiter. Figuring I could be hung no higher, I took three-quarters of the loaf and three-quarters of the cheese and put them in my pockets. I pulled out my three mahrzak beetles and placed them on the board. They headed right for the cheese and began gnawing their way through it. "Eat heartily, my friends. This might have to last awhile."

  Once they had their fill, I stood up, bent over the table, and whispered, "Meet me back at the wagon." I stood up and shouted. "What filth! Horrible insects all over! Yechh!" Other patrons looked toward my table as the waiter came running over.

  "Is there a problem?"

  "No, there's no problem, unless you think eating in a bug-infested hovel is a problem. What do you serve with a full meal? Worms?"

  The waiter looked at the table, and my friends did a credible job of appearing filthy and loathsome as they chirped and waved their horrible little legs. I swear the waiter lifted his apron and issued a silent "Eek!" Since that petunia was not about to harm my friends, I took my leave.

  "Be assured that I will never eat in this establishment of ill health ever again!"

  I assumed a posture of offended dignity, stormed toward my wagon, and climbed inside. I noted that the box was still where I had left it. I pulled out the bread and cheese and noticed that one of the box's drawers was opening. I leaned over and peeked to see what Olassar's case thought I needed. It was a full copper coin. I picked up the coin." What for?" I asked around a mouthful of cheese and bread.

  "To pay for the cheese and bread, Korvas," said Syndia's voice from the door. I looked and she was holding my three beetles in the palm of her hand.

  "There's no need," I offered. "The beetles—"

  "I know all about the beetles. Now there is something you need to do." She pointed at the coin in my hand.

  "Why?"

  "It is the honest thing to do."

  "And your point?" I demanded.

  "Korvas, I believe you are redeemable, but you must help in the redemption just a little. Go pay for the bread and cheese, then get back here. We must leave before Shadows returns."

  "Where shall we go?"

  "I know not."

  "The box." I turned to Olassar's box and asked, "What does the caravan need?"

  No drawers opened, but as I was about to open one, a fellow arrived behind Syndia. He waved his hand hesitantly and, looking much confused, he asked, "I be a guide. Does anyone here need a guide?"

  "A guide?" I asked. A strange scent wafted beneath my nostrils. I checked the cheese, and even though the beetles had returned and were having a snack, it wasn't the cheese.

  "Yes, a guide," said the man. "Something told me . . . I be told you need a guide."

  Syndia faced the man. "Can you get us to the land of the Omergunts without traveling any farther on the King's Highway?"

  "Yes. We go straight up into the mountains from here."

  "I didn't think there was a road into the mountains this far to the west."

  "There be not." He said as he grinned. "That be why you need guide."

  I waved my hand in front of my face in an attempt at moving along whatever it was that had befouled the air. "Fellow, what is your name?"

  "Ruuter. I be Omergunt. Will I be staying here?" he held a hand out toward the interior of my wagon.

  "No. We value our solitude too dearly." I turned to Syndia. "Isn't that true?"

  She stepped down from the wagon and said to Ruuter, "We'll find a place for you, never fear." She looked up at me and said, "Pay for the bread and cheese."

  "But—"

  "Pay."

  I paid for the bread and cheese. I didn't like it, but I did it.

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  6

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  There were enough good reasons for staying out of the Mystic Mountains to make the route through Kienosos very attractive. In the mountains were strange flying men, wicked witches, bloodthirsty murder-worshipers, and a sufficient assortment of things that slithered, crawled, and crept to make use of the mountain roads one's last choice.

  In addition to these unpleasantries, there was no road into those mountains from Fort Damra. Brief stretches of ancient logging trails were still visible, but they were too overgrown to be of any use. At the outset this meant leaving the wagons behind.

  To divert Captain Shadows, Iamos took the wagons and most of the Nant Guard back toward Iskandar in an attempt at making it look as though the entire caravan had turned back, while we took Guard Commander Meru and seven of the Nant Guard, some horses and pack animals up into the mountains.

  This was the first time I got to see the occupants of the two other wagons. The first was a terribly ancient Nant priestess named Ahjrah. Her incredibly wrinkled face carried an expression of resignation to constant pain. A guard rode next to her.

  The person who had been riding in the fifth wagon was still something of a mystery. It was so small he or she had to have been a young child or perhaps a dwarf. The person was covered from head to foot with a dark veil. Syndia instructed me not to speak to the small one at all. Under no circumstances was I allowed to speak to the person.

  The priestess said to me: "If you obey this rule in the same manner that you obey so many others, Korvas, you will die instantly at the hands of the nearest guard. There will be no appeal. Do you understand?" .

  I nodded, of course. However, the questions almost burned holes through my pate. Who was that person? Why was I not allowed to speak to the person? What did that person, or the old woman, have to do with me or Olassar's mission to the Omergunts?

&nbs
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