'I will put effort into finding a new cadre of advisers, but after the campaign in Dustari is completed,' she concluded at last. 'If I return home, and the natami remains in the sacred glade, then we will search for new talent. But the risk is too great to be taken beforehand. Ayaki must be surrounded only by servants who were born here, and whose loyalty remains beyond question.'
Nacoya arose and bowed. 'My Lady's permission to leave?'
Mara smiled slightly at the stoop-shouldered figure of her adviser. 'Permission given. Take a nap, old mother. You look as if you could use it.'
'I just got up!' Nacoya snapped. 'Take a nap yourself, and without that needra stud of a barbarian for a change. When he's there you get no sleep, and you'll be needing thyza powder to cover the wrinkles that come before you're thirty.'
'Sex does not make wrinkles!' Mara laughed. 'That's an old nurse's tale. Don't you have duties? The day's messages to sort through?'
'I do have that,' Nacoya conceded. 'You're getting more inquiries from suitors.'
'Opportunists,' Mara said, suddenly annoyed. 'They think to marry me as consort and inherit if I fall in Dustari; or else they are agents of Desio, thinking to open my gates to his army. Why else petition the Lady of the house that's entering into peril?'
'Yes, Lady,' Nacoya said quickly, and the smugness behind her meek tone betrayed her satisfaction. Mara might be young, and foolish in the bedchamber; but when it came to politics, she had an excellent grasp indeed. What remained to be seen was whether she was gifted with the mind of a general of armies. Dustari and the desert men were going to offer a swift and perilous education.
11 — The Desert
The journey began.
Mara pulled free of Ayaki's embrace, trying with all of her will not to cry. She climbed into her litter and looked one last time on the faces of her advisers, whom she might never see again on this side of the Wheel of Life: Nacoya, frowning harder than usual, probably to conceal her grief; Jican, who had a harder time hiding his emotion, since his hands were empty of slates; Arakasi, shadow-still, silent and against his nature looking grim. And Keyoke, dependably expressionless, standing erect on the leg he had left, the crutches leaned unobtrusively against the doorjamb. He wore his sword, but seemed a stranger without armour and warrior's plumed helm.
'Guard Ayaki and the natami, and may the Gods of Fortunate Aspect look favourably upon our endeavours,' Mara said; somehow she managed to finish in the proper firm tone. Her advisers and the house servants arrayed behind them looked on with pride as she waved to Force Commander Lujan to signal her army to march. The tramp of many feet lifted a dust plume over the road, as it had not since Sezu's time. That army had departed, and only forty had survived to return. An older generation of servants wondered if the past would repeat itself, while the newer generation sensed their fear. They watched three companies in green and a shiny black company of cho-ja march out bravely under the shatra bird banner. The sun burned down through the morning mists and flashed off polished lacquer armour. It caught on the streamered points of spears, and on the feathered crests of Strike Leaders, Patrol Leaders, and officers' aides.
At Sulan-Qu the Acoma host boarded barges. Naked slaves poled them downriver through the press of commercial traffic, and grain barges, guild boats, and raftsmen pulled aside to let them pass. Southward they floated, through Hokani Province, past the lands of the Anasati, where warriors in red and yellow offered them salute from the shore. Although Lord Tecuma was a reluctant ally, Mara did not stop. He would make no overtures toward social friendship unless Mara returned from Dustari with her family honour intact.
For Kevin, the river offered endless fascination. He spent even the hottest hours by the rail, talking to the barge master and the slaves who manned the poles with equal interest. He studied the water craft, so different from those of his homeworld, and within days became expert at distinguishing guild colours from house crests, hired craft from those privately owned.
Mara's army drew steadily toward the south, past flotillas of barges bearing market goods, some lashed together into permanent stalls that were patronized by the nobles who used the river as transport between Jamar and Sulan-Qu. Fast messenger boats raced between slower craft, furiously paddled by sweating slaves. Once they passed an imperial barge, bright with gilt and hung with banners, its white and gold colouring a dazzling change from the many-coloured craft of the nobles. Mara travelled in her barge of state, which was green and adorned with a shatra bird figurehead. She sat beneath a feathered shade, fanned by her slaves, and comfortably surrounded with perfumed flowers to mask the less pleasant stinks of sewage and river mud. Kevin saw other Lords travelling in style, attended by musicians, poets, and performers. One even had a troupe of travelling players performing upon a stage for his pleasure. Overflowing baskets of fruit lay before him, and fat lapdogs lounged all over his pillows, like so many beribboned sausages. Unlike the pets and hunting dogs of Midkemia, the dogs of Kelewan were short-haired and sleek, as a consequence of the climate.
They passed thyza barges, and travelling farm workers, and what looked like the Kelewanese equivalent of travelling gypsy musicians. 'Khardengo,' Mara identified, when Kevin mentioned the comparison, giving a brief description of gypsies. 'It is written in the old chronicles that they were a family that preferred wandering to taking land. They live in barges and wagons, it is true, much like your gypsies of Midkemia. But unlike your barbarians, the Khardengo have honour. They do not steal for their living.'
Kevin laughed. 'The gypsies have their own culture. By their mores, they do not steal, only —' he paused, unable to find the right word, and settled for his own language —'borrow.'
'Borrow?' Mara squinted up at him where he lounged chewing sekka rinds dipped in vinegar. 'What is that?'
Kevin used other words to explain, and saw her raise her eyebrows in astonishment. Strange, he thought, that the Tsurani concept of honour allowed goods to be exchanged as purchases, gifts, and spoils; but no equivalent to the neighbourly concept of lending a thing between friends existed at all. He prepared himself for another afternoon of talk, as Mara explored the concept exhaustively.
The river flowed into the great delta above the city of Jamar. There they held to the west side of the river, which took them into a deep channel leading to the harbour. To the east the great delta fanned out, alive with rafts scurrying across the water, as fishermen netted the soft-shelled denizens of the shallows, or sought to capture game birds.
Kevin openly stared as they entered the river traffic at Jamar, the major seaport and trade centre for Szetac and Hokani provinces. Larger than Sulan-Qu, the city was grander and more sprawling. The wharves were built as wide as an avenue, and elevated enough to loom over high tides when storms struck from the south. The length was as crowded as any thoroughfare, bustling with stevedores unloading the blue-water ships that made port from all parts of the Empire. The ships rode high, as the tide was almost full, and Kevin could see the rich tapestry of alien sights along the wharf as the Acoma barges passed.
Bales of dyestuffs lay piled next to lashed stacks of rare woods, alongside chests whose chops were ribboned and complex. Mercenaries stood guard over such shipments, indicating their value.
The Acoma barges passed by a low-riding series of ferry barges, loaded to near sinking by stout crates. They leaked exotic smells, of spices used to cure hides, perfumes, and the rich aroma of ground chocha-la.
The Acoma craft passed by landings piled high with rugs, prayer mats and yarns, leather and lacquer, spirits and resin. Each valuable shipment was shepherded by slate-bearing factors, hadonras, and caravan masters. Under hot sunlight, two-wheeled vehicles pulled by slaves transported the goods from shipboard to docks, and from docks into wagons on dry land.
Kevin watched with interest those Tsurani he had never had a chance to glimpse before. Sly-eyed sailors drank jugs of liquor in the shadows of the alleys, or paired off with the painted ladies of the Reed Life who displayed their
fleshly wares from gallery boudoirs hung with perfumed silks. Street urchins begged coins, and cart vendors hawked wares in a variety of singsong calls. Bead sellers vied for shorefront space where incoming ships landed tenders, to be the first to sell trinkets for sweethearts to sailors coming ashore.
Kevin felt a chill as they rounded the bulk of a large ship, and the slave market came into view. Though it was ignored by the others on Mara's barge, Kevin recognized the compound at once from its high picket fence, and the naked men standing in coffles with overseers snapping their goads. The female slaves were kept from the sun under canopies, and if they were no more clothed, the pretty ones were clean so they might attract masters who would buy them for pleasure.
Reminded by the sight that he was still Mara's property, Kevin's interest in Jamar's strange sights flagged at last. He felt no regret when the ship hired to carry the Acoma army across the sea came into sight. Nets were lowered for the cho-ja to scramble up, and then the Acoma soldiers. Mara's litter was lifted, while she calmly sat inside, by the hoist used to load cargo. Then supplies were hurried aboard.
The captain that Lujan had engaged to provide their overseas passage was efficient and determined to make the peak tide that was but minutes away. He called the dock crews to cast off, even as his sailors were lashing down boxes of Acoma supplies.
The vessel drew away from the wharf, dragged into deeper, less crowded waters by a longboat with a dozen oarsmen. Slaves rowed in time to a drum pounded by a fat man in a loincloth, who called off rhymes to synchronize the dip, pull, and lift of the heavy looms. The blades rose from the water in a flash of bright colours. Slaves had painted them in bright patterns, to ward off ill luck at sea.
Coalteca was the name of the vessel Lujan had hired. She carried three masts, and a massive, carven tiller that took seven slaves to man. The ship drew off from the land, and the smaller craft used by fishermen and shore traders thinned out. The towboat cast off lines, and the pilot on board waved the disengaged signal to Coalteca’s captain, who barked commands to raise sail. Deckhands scurried aloft and loosed lines, and yards of fibre sails cascaded down and bellied into the wind. Standing in kaleidoscopic patterns of reflected light, Kevin saw that the canvas, like the slaves' oars, was painted with symbols and patterns. The result lent the air of a circus tent, a mad riot of colours that held no harmony, except to Tsurani eyes. Kevin squinted, rubbed his temples, and decided that if he was a god of ill fortune, he would avert his gaze from such a ship if only to keep from getting headaches. As he leaned on the rail and hoped he would escape the seasickness he had sufferd on board a Kingdom ship, he stared at the waves and wondered if Coalteca’s keel was painted in patterns to ward off attack by sea serpents.
After sundown, in a comfortable cabin lit with the fireless blue-violet globes made by the cho-ja, he asked Mara. This required learning a new word, as the concept of sea monsters had never before been discussed.
'Ah,' Mara cried in discovery, after a quarter hour of gestures, and finally crude chalk drawings on a slate. 'I understand what you want to say. You ask about the egu, large creatures, similar to relli, that live in the deeps beneath the waves. Yes, the Sea of Blood is filled with them. Each ship carries lances tipped with oiled rags. You called them "harpoons" earlier, but they are not the same as darts to kill fish. An egu lance is always lit when fired. Sailors say only flame or a Great One's spells will repel attacks by egu.'
Kevin rubbed his temples again. Dinner did not find him with any appetite, and he decided to retire to sleep.
'My great barbarian gets seasick,' Mara teased, the healthy flush of her own cheeks a sure indication that the malady was no problem for her. She shot her lover a flashing glance and said, 'I know an infallible cure for bellyaches.' She then shed her robe without ceremony and tumbled into the alcove where he knelt, trying to sort cushions from blankets.
His robe soon joined hers, abandoned in a heap on the floor. Further thoughts of egu did not trouble his sleep after that, for he had no energy left to think.
* * *
Coalteca completed her crossing inside a week, untroubled by egu, and tossed by surprisingly few squalls.
'It is summer,' Lujan said in answer to Kevin's inquiry. 'The winds are steady, and the rainfall slight.' He raised a sunburned arm and indicated the shoreline of Dustari, rising purple off Coalteca’s painted prow. 'Look, you can see our destination, the city of Ilama.'
The port in Dustari differed greatly from what Kevin had observed of Jamar, built on granite hills, and backed by jagged mountains. The wood-and-paper-screen construction favoured throughout the mainland Empire was here augmented by stone. Immense, multitiered towers arose, their pyramid structures serving as watch stations for a massive crenellated wall. Other towers with light beacons marked the string of scattered islets that extended seaward arms to the west. The headlands bulked darkly rocky, between expanses of reddish black sand of volcanic origin. The contours of the hills were steep-sided, and lush with trees that had unfamiliar shapes. The smells on the breeze were also strange, and peppered with a pungence of spice.
'The grinders of condiments have sheds at the harbour-side,' Lujan said, When Kevin commented. 'Ilama does great trade in spices that grow only in the mountains to the south.'
The folk were also famous for their weaving and prayer mats woven ir Dustari were reputed to carry good fortune in their threads. Fey blood ran strong in the folk from that shore; many children born here grew up to take service with the Assembly of Magicians.
Kevin longed for the chance to explore the town, and watched the street traffic avidly as Coalteca dropped anchor in the bay. Two-wheeled carts moved along the docks, hauled by a six-legged creature much slighter than a needra. Weaving flocks of scarlet-and-white shore birds screamed and dived above the masts, chasing one another for the chance to snatch scraps tossed overboard by the cooks.
Dirty urchins shouted, their voices echoing across the harbour, as they likewise sought handouts. Suddenly their cries stilled, and they wheeled and fled into waterfront alleys. Kevin's interest sharpened.
Onto the wharf marched soldiers armoured in yellow and purple. Bearers carried a lacquered litter hung with banners bearing the symbol of a catlike animal entwined with a snake. Servants hurried aside to clear the way for the company, and the dock crews bowed low in deference.
'The Lord of the Xacatecas comes personally to meet us,' Mara commented in some surprise. Poised by Kevin's shoulder, and dressed in rich robes of green, she wore makeup that artfully managed to play down her youth.
'You didn't expect him?' Kevin asked, turning to assess the reason for her nerves.
'I did not.' Mara considered, frowning. 'That he has left his war camp to attend the arrival of the Acoma honours us.' She waved to one of her maids and said quickly, 'Unseal my black-lacquered carry chest. I'm going to need a finer overrobe.'
Kevin's eyes widened in surprise. 'The jewels you wear now are already blinding.'
Mara fingered the seed pearls and emeralds stitched in rows and whorls at lapel and cuffs. 'For a Lord who rules one of the Five Families, and the Warchief of Clan Xacala, I shall wear metal. To appear in less than my finest apparel might be taken as insult, and this man is one my people must never risk offending.'
Sailors began to lower Coalteca’s tender, and under Lujan's direction Mara's honour guard assembled on the deck, their armour polished, and their spearheads adorned with streamers. The Lady hastened off to change her robe. Kevin, dressed in Midkemian-style trousers and shirt, took his place among her cortege like a grey-and-white dove in the midst of a festival.
Shortly after, Mara reappeared, clothed in an emerald silk overrobe tastefully sewn with copper sequins. Kevin preferred it to the pearls, and said so; the reddish glint of the copper set off the deep brown of her eyes. But the compliment brought no smile from her.
Lujan saw his Lady settled on board the canopied tender that would bear her party ashore. The new Force Commander's light brand of h
umour also seemed absent, which Kevin interpreted as a cue to be restrained. Changed from the brash captive freshly taken from the battlefield, the Midkemian had finally learned the wisdom of keeping quiet when the time warranted. That Lord Xacatecas was immensely powerful was apparent by the depth of Mara's bow, made the moment she stepped onto the stone wharf, to the personage in yellow armour and dazzling gold wristbands who sat like a king enthroned upon his litter.
The Lord of the Xacatecas inclined his head, arose, and returned a polite bow. He was an older man, who did not appear dissipated. His flesh was sunburned and hard, and his hazel eyes shrewd amid their wrinkles. His dress was fine, yet not frivolous, and his mouth was bracketed by deep folds that hinted at irony as he smiled.
'Lady Mara, are you well?'
His voice was gruff, but well modulated. And Mara, looking up at him, smiled also. 'You honour me too much, my Lord,' she said in quick deference, by which Kevin knew the man had higher rank, but had not insisted she speak first. Lord greeted Lady in friendliness, with a public display of favour. 'I am well,' Mara continued, her poise belying her strain. 'And greatly flattered to see you here. You are well, Lord Chipino?'
'Well indeed,' the man replied, with sudden, acid sarcasm. He tossed back steel-coloured hair and laughed; Kevin could not see why, but decided the Lord was responding to some subtle nuance of Mara's as he offered his arm and led her forward. 'Lord Desio, may he and his cousins die choking, shall be made to regret this day.'
Mara murmured something in reply that caused the Lord of the Xacatecas to laugh again, and to eye her with fresh appreciation. He completed a gracious motion, and the Lady was handed into the Lord's own litter, a thoughtful courtesy, since his personal appearance had not been expected, and time had not allowed the Acoma servants to unpack her palanquin. The company of warriors moved off in squares of black and yellow offset like a chequerboard with squares of green.
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