The Blood-stained Belt

by Brian H Jones

  After Zaliek rented a house in Koraina and settled down with his family, I got into the habit of dropping in to see them from time to time and Shani often invited me to stay for a meal. She was a vegetarian whose dishes were so enticing that I forgot that meat, one of Keirine's staple foods, was missing from what I ate at her table. While we ate, she would tell me about Wejigara. I learned about the pine forests, the houses made of pitch and wood, and the terraced fields of wheat and mustard seed next to broad rivers in deep valleys. After the meal, we would relax with mugs of honey-flavoured liquor, a specialty of Wejigara, while Dipok fell asleep on her lap. Then, when Shani left the room to put the boy to bed, Zaliek would say softly, 'Dipok's a fine lad, isn't he? What’s more, he’s smart. Anybody can see that.' Once, he told me, 'You know, one day I'm going to send him to the Academy of Philosophy in Orifinre. He'll be a gentleman and a scholar not a rolling stone like his father. His grandfather was a chief and he deserves the best that I can give him.' Zaliek never spoke to me about his wife but he didn't have to tell me how he felt. I could see how his eyes followed her wherever she went and how he lingered behind her chair, touching her shoulder or caressing her hair at the nape.

  Sometimes I felt guilty about visiting them. I liked to be with Zaliek but the fact was that Shani sharpened the attraction of my visits. She reminded me so much of Dana that I sometimes felt as if she was surrounded by an aura that projected Dana's presence to me. It was so strong that occasionally I had to check myself from calling her 'Dana'. Shani would catch me looking at her and she would drop her eyes. Then she would glance at me quickly, slightly sideways with her head tilted, just the way that Dana used to do. As she did so, she would smile secretively. When she did that, I would curse myself inwardly. Damn it, did she think that I was flirting with her? But, then, what else was she to think when she caught me staring at her so intently? What else was she to think when, having caught my eye, she saw me turn away in confusion?

  There was something else about Shani that interested me: I couldn't properly work out how she felt about Zaliek. Her only response to Zaliek's touches and affectionate words was a small smile of acknowledgement that was almost condescending as if she thought that these things were no more than her due and, moreover, were of little consequence. When I complimented her on her cooking, she would say tightly, 'We do our best with what we have.' She said it in a way that suggested that she regretted not having finer and better things at her disposal. In fact, I couldn't see that she had any reason to complain. As they settled in, more and more expensive items began to appear in the house, such as thick-piled carpets, luxurious wall hangings, and delicate glassware. Shani wore robes made of the finest material that was imported from the best looms of Kitilat. In addition, their house was in the most expensive district of Koraina, close to the palace. I knew what we were paying Zaliek and I wondered how he could afford to spend at such a rate.

  On the other hand, as a housewife and as a mother, Shani seemed to be irreproachable. She ran the house quietly and efficiently without any fuss. Perhaps she could be criticised on the grounds that she arranged her son's life rather too much like the way that she ran the house, quietly and efficiently, but the boy was always well dressed, well behaved, and treated with affection.

  Shani often spoke about her homeland but she never spoke about her own background. Mostly, I learned about that from things that Zaliek said. Over time, I pieced together the facts that Shani was the youngest daughter of a small farmer. When Zaliek met her, she was serving food and drink in a tavern. From Zaliek's jocular references to their courtship, it appeared that she actively encouraged Zaliek's advances. Four months after they met, they were married against the wishes of her parents who didn't like the idea of their daughter marrying a stranger, and a wandering mercenary, at that. I often wondered why she married Zaliek who, after all, was about twenty years older than her and came from a different culture and background. Did she fall in love with this big, gruff, roughly-kind fellow, or did she view him as a means of escape from the verdant but confining valley in which she was born and raised? Was there some other reason? I never knew the answer.

  Once I called at the house when Zaliek was out. I made my excuses and turned to go but Shani said winningly, 'Oh, Jina, don't be so prim. Zaliek will be back soon. Come inside and wait for him.'

  I hesitated and then yielded. As usual when I was in her presence, it was more than just Shani that was speaking to me. Shani served me refreshments and then excused herself. When she came back a few minutes later, she was wearing earrings and a richly brocaded robe. It had a scalloped, low-cut neck and was gathered under her breasts so that my gaze was drawn to the smooth expanse of her chest and the curve of her bosom. She caught my eye, laughed lightly, and put her hand to her chest. Then she laughed again and fluttered her hand while she asked if I would like a mug of lemon juice.

  I took the mug, sipped at it, and asked, 'Where is Dipok?'

  'Dipok? Oh, he's asleep. He usually takes a nap at this time.'

  I felt even more uncomfortable and said, 'I really can't stay for long. I'll call again this evening when Zaliek is home.'

  Shani wrinkled her nose and frowned, looking both annoyed and amused. She said, 'Oh, Jina, you've only just arrived. You bachelors are always hungry. Here, do have some currant bread.' I put up my hands in refusal but she clucked her tongue impatiently. 'I've just finished baking it and I'll be really annoyed if you don't have some.' She leaned forward, covering her chest with one hand while she handed the plate to me. I took a piece of bread half reluctantly, but also half pleased to have a reason to stay a little longer.

  I started to make conversation about some of the latest gossip at the palace but Shani leaned over, laid a finger across my lips, and said, 'Now that I've got the chance, I want to speak to you about Zaliek.' I looked at her quizzically but she went straight on and said, 'He deserves better, don't you think?'

  'Better?'

  'Yes. He's a good commander, isn't he?' I nodded cautiously, wondering what she was getting at. Shani said, 'Also, you must admit that he's brave and highly experienced.' I nodded again. She waggled a finger at me as if I was a naughty boy and continued, 'There you are, Jina. Now you see that he deserves better.'

  'Well, I didn't say –'

  'Oh, Jina, don't be so modest. A man of your standing and influence can do it easily.'

  'Do what?'

  'Why, get a promotion for Zaliek, of course. I thought you agreed that he deserves it.'

  'Hold it, Shani, hold it! I can't just dish out promotions like sweet cakes at a New Moon festival.'

  'Oh, Jina, you're so professional and absolutely, completely incorruptible! Everybody admires you for that. But don't you think you're being just a little bit too careful in Zaliek's case?'

  'Too careful? I don't –'

  'Of course, you wouldn't want to be suspected of favouritism. Of course not! But, on the other hand, you should guard against being unfair to Zaliek just because of that.'

  'I'm not being unfair to him.'

  'No, no, of course not. That's not what I'm saying. But don't you think you're being too strict in his case just because you're friends?'

  'To tell the truth, I --'

  'You must understand, Jina, that I would never ask this for myself.' While she was speaking, Shani came around to my side of the table and refilled my mug. She stood close to me, brushing my shoulder with her thigh. As she leaned forward with the jug, I had to fight down an urge to put a hand on her body just to feel the firm roundness that I knew lay underneath her robe. Still leaning forward, Shani chuckled throatily and glanced at me sideways. She murmured a question about whether she had served me enough juice and I grunted a reply, unable to trust myself to say anything. Then she straightened and stood close behind me, smoothing her robe. I could hear her and sense her but couldn't see her. She chuckled again in the same way and walked to the other side of the table.

  I steadied myself and asked, 'So you would l
ike to be the wife of a deputy general?'

  'On, no, Jina! You misunderstand me!' Shani waved a hand around the room. 'What else could I want? You can see for yourself that I want for nothing. We live simply, to be sure, but it's quite comfortable and homely.' She wrinkled her nose as she said the last word. Then she added in a matter-of-fact tone, 'I have a loyal husband and a fine son.' She wrinkled her nose again. 'What more could any woman want?'

  'They say, the more you have, the more you want.'

  'Really? Is that a Keirineian saying? It's not a saying where I come from and I don't think it's true anyway. No, Jina, I want only one thing and that is to see that Zaliek gets what he deserves.' She smiled winningly, leaned across the table, and took my hand. 'Will you try to do something for him?'

  'I'll see what I can do.' I released her hand and got to my feet, saying, 'I have to go.'

  'So soon?' Shani followed me to the door. There she put a hand on my arm, stretched up, and kissed me on a cheek. She said, 'It's always good to see you, Jina. You're such a good friend to all of us.'

  I muttered a farewell and left the house. The day was cool, but I was sweating. My skin was fevered and prickly, just as it was when I was in the field before we went into action.

  Soon after Zaliek arrived in Keirine, he had a private audience with Sharma. When I asked him how it had gone, Zaliek replied cautiously, 'Well enough, I guess.'

  'Nothing in particular to report?'

  Zaliek gave an exaggerated shrug. 'We chatted about old times. Then he showed me around the palace. Impressive, isn't it?'

  'The people expect their king to live in a manner that reflects the glory of the nation.'

  Zaliek raised his eyebrows sceptically and grunted. 'In that case, it looks like the people's expectations are being satisfied, for sure.' He chuckled. 'There was a trade delegation from Kitilat waiting to see Sharma. The times are changing, eh? It used to be that Keirine sent delegations to Kitilat, asking for assistance. Now it looks like it's the other way around.'

  I replied, 'Now that we've got direct access to the sea, we don't need much from them. Also, we control access to Usserd and the west. They want to keep the routes open.'

  Zaliek nodded thoughtfully. Then he chuckled again and said, 'I recognised the leader of the delegation -- a shifty little rodent named Bahdere. He was in the forefront of the move to eject my mother and me from Kitilat.' He chuckled again. 'I made a point of greeting him but he suddenly had a coughing fit and found that he couldn't speak.'

  I said with feeling, 'Diplomats! They're like the grease on the wheels of a wagon – filthy and sticky, but necessary for the wheel to move forward.'

  Zaliek grinned. 'Not honest and upright like us soldiers, eh?' He rubbed a finger across his nose, looked at me speculatively, and asked, 'Do you know that there's trouble brewing with the Usserdites?' I nodded. Zaliek said, 'Sharma said that he wants me to be involved in the campaign.'

  I was annoyed. Why was Sharma broaching the matter of a campaign against the Usserdites when nothing had been decided yet? Military matters were my provenance. Of course, I discussed everything with Sharma, almost down to the last detail. Nevertheless, I was the general and he was the king. I swallowed my annoyance and said, 'If it comes to war against Usserd, it's not going to be an easy campaign. We'll need people with your sort of experience.'

  Zaliek must have sensed that I was annoyed because he hesitated, pursed his lips, and then changed the subject. He remarked, 'Sharma has put on weight.'

  'Don't ever say that to him. He doesn't like to hear it.' That was an understatement. I had seen Sharma fling a mug of wine at someone at who made a casual remark about his weight, after which he drove the person from his presence amidst a torrent of abuse.

  Zaliek asked, 'Is Sharma in good health?'

  'Good enough, I guess. Why do you ask?'

  'His eyes are red and puffy and he gets short of breath after he's walked for a while.'

  It sounded to me as if Sharma was recovering from a bout of drinking when he met with Zaliek. I knew the symptoms. However, I didn't say that to Zaliek. There were some subjects that you approached with the greatest circumspection and then only if it was absolutely certain that what you said wouldn't get back to Sharma. I replied, 'Sharma has a lot on his mind. Sometimes he neglects his personal welfare in the interests of the nation.'

  Zaliek nodded thoughtfully. I got the impression that he had made up his own mind about Sharma's health and state of mind. He took out a small dagger, looked at it speculatively, and began to clean his fingernails. Then, almost carelessly, he said, 'I saw Mecolo as well.'

  'Oh? Where?'

  'I caught a glimpse of her when Sharma was showing me around the palace. She took a look at me, recognised me, and then turned away without greeting me.'

  'She didn't speak to you? Why would she do that?'

  'Hold on, comrade. There's more to the story. When I was leaving the palace, she suddenly came out of a side door, grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me behind a pillar.' His eyes narrowed at the memory. 'She put her hands on my shoulders, looked me in the eye, and began to cry. I can tell you, I was surprised -- I hadn't seen her for twenty years and now there she was, just crying.'

  'That's all that she did – just cry?' I remembered that, a long time ago, Mecolo told me, 'No one will ever see me weep outside this room.' Well, the times had changed for all of us, and not only for Mecolo.

  Zaliek continued, 'After about a minute, she pulled herself together and said, "Oh, Zaliek, it's good to see you again.’ Of course, I was thinking it was just the opposite. I mean, damnation, what am I supposed to think when she acts like that?' He shook his head in bewilderment and said, 'I thought I was getting used to women, but this – well, man, this is a new experience.'

  'What happened next?'

  Zaliek shook his head again. 'She asked if I was going to see you soon. Of course, I said yes. Then she said that I should tell you that she wanted you to remember your promise to act for the good of Keirine.' He looked at me closely. 'What's it about?'

  Promise? When had I made a promise to Mecolo? I guessed that she was referring to her appeal to me to support her son, Bedaxili. But that was a long time ago and, anyway, as I said, I had never made a promise to her. What was on her mind? What was prompting her to raise the matter now? I said cautiously, 'Her memory must be faulty. I never made a promise to her.'

  Zaliek said, 'Mecolo said that now that I was a soldier of Keirine again, I should help you to keep your promise. She said that the time was coming when our resolve would be put to the test.'

  'Damn it, man, I tell you that I never made her a promise. Her memory is faulty. And as to trying to involve you – well, I tell you, the best thing is to forget about it.'

  Zaliek looked at me even more closely and lowered his voice. 'You're not messing around with her, are you?'

  'Don't be a fool, man! Of course not!'

  'It would be a bad move if you are.'

  'I told you I'm not! I have nothing to do with Mecolo and that's the whole truth.'

  Zaliek stood there scratching his head. He looked so awkward and bewildered, like an elephant puzzled by the question of how to cross a rope bridge, that I burst out laughing. Zaliek grinned in embarrassment, scratched his head, and then asked, 'How are things between Sharma and you?'

  I was on the point of evading the question completely but my guard was up. I didn't want to offend Zaliek and I didn’t want to say or do anything that could start a rumour, so I replied, 'Things between us are pretty good. Our relationship isn't perfect – we have our disagreements – but generally it's good.'

  'Do you see a lot of him?'

  I wished that Zaliek would leave the matter alone. However, I stayed calm and replied, 'I probably see more of him than anyone else does. I see him on official occasions, I discuss business with him, and he invites me around for social evenings.'

  'Just the two of you?'

  'Yes, just the two of us.'

&
nbsp; Zaliek tugged at an ear and grimaced. 'None of this is my business, is it?'

  I took a deep breath, gathered myself, and said, 'No problem.' Then, just to make sure that there were no misunderstandings, I added, 'With regard to what Mecolo said, I want you to know that when I'm with Sharma, I hardly ever see Mecolo – or Roda, come to that. And I never – I mean never – see them at any other time.' I could have added that although I hardly ever saw them, I knew that Sharma’s relationships with his wives hadn’t improved with time. Their incessant rivalry and complaints about each other, as well as their demands for preferment for their children, irritated him so much that he avoided them for days on end if not longer. In fact, I suspected that he was thoroughly bored with them. His attentions had been wandering to other quarters for a long time. However, although I knew plenty, there were some aspects of Sharma's relationship with his wives and family that I didn't know about and didn't enquire into. Sharma didn't speak to me about personal and family business and I didn't ask any questions.

  Zaliek grunted. 'Well, I gave you Mecolo's message like I said I would. If you say there's nothing in it, then that's good enough for me.' He shrugged. 'As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of the matter.'

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: INSECTS

  I sometimes wished that we had never conquered the Western River Strip. It was true that it was a popular move at the time because it provided further evidence that a vigorous Keirine could not only defend its territory but was also able to deal with the neighbours who had harassed and humiliated it for so long. Occupying the Strip was also a popular move amongst land-hungry Keirineians who, within the space of ten years, turned the area into a green and prosperous expanse with market gardens and small farms that were fed by a network of canals.

  On the other hand, it was costly to guard the Strip. The Usserdites who had been evicted from it were always staging raids and thieving expeditions. Besides that, one never knew when one of the neighbouring Usserdite chiefs would succumb to pressure or resentment and mount a more determined attempt to reclaim some of the land that had been lost.