Chapter 9
After lunch the following day, Clarence reported, “He said his secretaries and the British DMT are looking for a place for us right now.” Before they asked, he clarified, “The DMT is like a government for Freign. He’s going to make what he calls a Mekk Box, which will take up to fifteen at a time, he says probably Scotland where there’s plenty of space.”
“Scotland,” Tasha said to Valencio, who seemed little better than he’d been the previous day. No other was as tense as Valencio, most of them patiently waiting to see whether it could possibly be true. Life as a prisoner had made most of them somewhat fatalistic, though it hadn’t stopped them doing their best to ensure their survival. Most of the ‘favorites’ had been with their men the previous night, just as usual, and reported, surprised, that the men didn’t seem to be worrying as much as expected about the presence of the English wizard who’d ‘destroyed’ their family.
Valencio said, “They’ve been taught to be obedient from the cradle. Zhor, Najia, now Bellamy, they’re not allowing any sign of doubt to show in their behavior. It’s why they’re getting away with it.”
Carol looked at him thoughtfully, “You could be right.” She was spending time with Valencio, regarding his behavior almost as a barometer. If Valencio was excited, there was reason to be excited. If he became fearful, then it was time to arm themselves.
Word came back. Already there was a Mekk Box in progress. Zeeko, Shar-kutsu, Chippo, they were all working with the great wizard to make the escape of the slaves possible. “No-one seems to be disputing,” reported Mariabella. “He has a guard of four, and so do Zhor and Najia, and Fudo is behind them, or appears to be. Ryuichi is working with them as well. Hicham’s not stirring from the apartment, but people report to him, and quite often they don’t even realize I’m there, close by, listening as hard as I can.”
Clarence reported after dinner, “He says Stage 1 of the Mekk Box is finished, and he wants us to nominate someone to mekkri-lift with him, and inspect whatever places are in prospect.” He grinned. “Zhor rebukes him because he starts eating without waiting for me. But he says he can’t remember how many times people have tried to poison him, and he nearly always knows straightaway.”
Carol laughed, “Nearly always?”
“That’s what Madam Zhor said, and he just grinned at her and said, nearly always.” He shook his head. “He’s surrounded by enemies, and he acts as if he’s thoroughly enjoying himself.”
“He’s supposed to be the great wizard. Isn’t he frightening to be with?”
“The Kobi-Wynn - the powerful ones - they could send chills and not even try. John Bellamy, he’s like a mischievous boy almost, except that sometimes, he speaks and it’s like...” He hesitated and shook his head, and then in a low voice, “You listen and you believe.” He looked frankly at Carol, “He’s going to get us out of here. I believe it now.”
But he didn’t really believe it. Clarence was fifty-eight years old and had been a prisoner since he was eleven. He was like many of them. He wanted to believe it, maybe even thinking he did believe it, but unable to. Many chose not to even think of the possibility. They were frightened of freedom, frightened of a new environment. They were frightened of getting into trouble because they wouldn’t know what to do. Some were still pretending that nothing at all had changed. They were the older ones, who walked past the gap in the intervening fence as if it was just not there. The ones who didn’t want to talk to those from Enclosure 1, who shouldn’t be mixing with them.
Hope began to grow, and it became harder for them to be calm. Valencio was a very long way from calm. Abensur carefully explained that it would not be prudent for them to wander freely yet, as well as being against the orders of Madam Zhor. He handed them several copies of American newspapers, full of stories and interviews of the rescued men of Enclosure 3.
Valencio stayed well in the background. He was unsafe and had to keep his head down, but he still wanted to hear what was happening.
Abensur appeared the following morning and offered to escort six people around the Compound. Valencio jumped at the chance. He couldn’t not go, and surely he had that much sense, not to start lashing out for no reason. He put on a carefree grin, stood, and said, “I’ll risk it!”
Abensur started. He hadn’t seen him there, sitting against the wall, behind a few of the others.
Valencio ignored the swiftly raised wands of the guards, and asked, “Tasha?”
She nodded.
Carol said, “Georgia, Adelbert, if you want, also Mildred and Veronica.” Those who’d been subject to most cruelty recently, but not the ones from Enclosure 1. Not yet. None refused the treat, though most were nervous.
Abensur said casually, “Kofi-Zee, Thuli, guards.”
Valencio’s eyes flicked to him. It was obvious that he wasn’t trusted, and he wondered if he’d be forbidden to go, or if more guards would be called just to watch him. Maybe they were right. It was terribly difficult to be calm and sensible these days.
Abensur didn’t call extra guards in case it precipitated a confrontation. He knew perfectly well how tense the boy was.
Except for a very few, the prisoners’ experiences of the Kobi Compound had previously been limited to bedrooms and classrooms. Hardly any of them had even seen any of the women, except for the healer now and then, and quite recently, her trainees. Abensur pointed things out, “Manager’s offices, kitchens, where your meals are prepared, library, young children’s classrooms - they have school from the age of three, women’s quarters...”
They were quiet, still a little apprehensive. Valencio was silent. Everywhere they went, he was pointed out. He hadn’t realized that his notoriety had only grown with the years.
Abensur was also surprised. He understood the looks on the faces of the men. Valencio was a full grown man, tall and strong. It couldn’t be just his looks, but it was obvious that some of those watching him would have him again if they had the slightest opportunity, and neither Yiko nor Narzu-Han were around to stop them. He would not allow Valencio to leave the enclosure again, he thought, and glanced at the slave’s expressionless face. He wasn’t the only one who’d felt the meaning of those stares.
There were frei around, in robes of a slightly different styling to those of the men, all showing the yellow ‘flash’ of el-Kobi, all with one or more colored stripes on left shoulders, almost always adjoining the black stripe of seniority. Some of the younger ones hadn’t even known of the slaves until Mariabella had started being seen sometimes with Hicham. Now there they were, five women in dull colored shorts and shirts, numbers on their arms, and the young man, dressed the same, also numbered, and with wrist and ankle cuffs besides.
They stared curiously, disapprovingly, more so when they took in the lustful expressions of some of the men. There was a woman in a wheelchair by herself, who raised a hand to the group. Valencio remembered seeing her a long time ago, though she was fatter now. Bouchra Kobi-Wynn. Nusa’pei had said she had no power to change things, but things were changing now. Were they changing for the crippled lady as well? He raised a hand back at her and she gave him a regal nod.
Abensur pointed at John Bellamy. “He’s making your transport.”
Valencio stared. Just an average sized man, as Mariabella had said. Short hair, black with some white, though he looked younger than he did himself. In jeans and a shirt that would have been very colorful if it wasn’t so faded. He hadn’t seen dress like that in eighteen years! He wished he could hide. He didn’t want to be seen by the powerful wizard, even if he did pretend to be only ordinary. He was a wizard, as the Kobis were wizards. Could he really care about their welfare? He didn’t appear to have noticed them so far. Four Kobi Fighters stood around, and Valencio cringed internally as eyes lingered on him. He kept his expression impassive.
“His last wife was medj,” said Abensur, trying to reassure the slaves, who were only medj as well, and probably didn’t believe that Bellamy could care a
bout them.
“We’re going in that?” Tasha said to Abensur.
“Instant travel. Only the great wizard can do that!”
Adelbert shivered, “I can’t. I’m sure it will kill us.”
Tasha laughed at her. “Considering what a knife edge we’ve lived on so long, I thought you’d have more courage by now.”
Adelbert smiled back. “I was nearly dead not so long ago. You’re right. I’ll be brave.”
Valencio hardly heard them, and anyway, the comments were not sincere. None of them actually believed they would be freed.
There was a sudden clatter. Zeeko was staring at Valencio and had dropped something. Valencio ignored him.
Bellamy emerged again from the box, and said, “OK, everybody stand back.”
Except for the ‘OK,’ he spoke Arabic as easily as they did themselves. He went back inside and after a moment, the box glowed. He came out again and consulted with Zeeko, who still looked distracted. “Pull it all out, we’ll try again.”
He noticed his audience then, and joined them. Abensur introduced him to everyone, using English, and the wizard’s language also switched to English, as he said, “Decide on someone whom you all trust to say if a place is suitable. Also, ask around, take a vote. I want to know if you’d rather go somewhere that’s not yet ready and will mean you have to work, or wait here for a bit longer until it’s fully prepared.”
Tasha smiled, “I think we’d all be prepared to sleep in the open rather than wait here a moment longer than we have to.”
Bellamy grinned at them in their light clothing, and said to Abensur, “It’s a lot colder where we’re going, certainly far too cold for bare feet. They need shoes and socks, warmer clothes, and a suitcase each for their possessions.”
Abensur bowed his head in the standard gesture of respect and obedience, as if Bellamy was a Kobi-Wynn Elder.
“And get those ghastly numbers off them!” His gaze settled on Valencio’s wrist-cuffs, and he looked accusingly at Abensur.
Abensur said quickly, “The cuffs as well, as soon as we’re back in the enclosure,” though he thought it would really be better to hobble him, maybe even keep him under a Spell of Calm for the next few days. Valencio was unpredictable, and very fast when he attacked.
Bellamy hurried back to the workers. “Don’t use magic. Magic leaves traces.”
Zeeko looked up, puzzled. Bellamy ran a hand through his hair, “It all has to be manual, or the track gets confused.”
Zeeko said sorry, and looked at the neat rolls of wire in his hand. Bellamy glanced at the wire and it turned bright red. “Put it away somewhere, and it can be used for other things. Just not this. Nothing must be touched with magic, and no magic should be used in its construction.”
“I’ll order in some more, as quickly as possible.”
Bellamy nodded, and said, “It should not even be moved with magic. Get some of those great fighting wizards doing something useful with their muscles for a change!”
There was laughter, and he said, “Do it the way I want, and I’ll bring us back some beer for knockoff time.”
Valencio wondered that he seemed now so friendly with former enemies. Could he be trusted? He was a bloody wizard, the same as the others. And yet....... His gaze roamed over those helping. There was no hint that the Mekk Box was anything other than transport.
Zeeko raised his voice. “Chippo, if you even touch your wand, I’ll take it off you. No magic, he said.”
Zeeko would show it in his behavior if it was a box just to kill them. He didn’t need any telepathy to read Zeeko.
Zeeko shot him a look and this time, he held his gaze. What was it he felt from him? Guilt? It was about the past, nothing to do with the Mekk Box that would take him away. But he didn’t know whether what he felt from Zeeko was real or only his own imaginings. What he so desperately wanted.
Abensur gave them a few more minutes, and then said, “Back to the enclosure and I’ll take another group.”
Valencio still stared at the Mekk Box. Would the plain looking box really take him away? Freedom?
Kofi-Zee touched him on the arm and said his name. He jumped, painfully, and Kamchatsu raised his wand. They must knew how hard it was to be calm. He turned and walked after the others. He wondered what they’d do if Veronica, for instance, was suddenly disobedient. No-one was watching Veronica, while the three guards scarcely took their eyes off him.
The moment they returned, he strode to the far end of the enclosure, forgetting that Abensur had said something about removing numbers.
Abensur was relieved. It was an excuse not to take off the cuffs. Valencio was so tense now - and the cuffs could definitely be needed. Would it be more or less risky to ask permission to hobble him? They wouldn’t want a fuss because one of the prisoners started killing guards. But Abensur was sure that Bellamy was extremely angry with all of them, even if he wasn’t showing it. He didn’t want him even more angry.
Valencio went and leaned against the fence, staring back into the enclosure. Were they really to be freed? There was not a hint that he’d been able to pick up that there was anything that was not as was stated. And when Tasha and Emma found him, the numbers on their arms were gone.
He stared, and Tasha smiled but as if frightened, and almost whispered, “We won’t be slaves any more.”
Emma, oddly, seemed less afraid, and said, “If you go to Abensur, he’ll take your number off, too.”
Valencio put a hand to his right arm where the hated number was. Could he be trusted with a wizard now? Maybe later. He didn’t even go to lunch. He didn’t think he could possibly eat, and he should stay right away from wizards. He’d have a biscuit if he was hungry. And when he heard the bell for dinner, he ignored that as well, not even noticing when Tasha and Hilde stopped and just looked at him, before going away again.
Abensur had the report that he was not attending meals, and gave orders that he be treated with great care - care not to provoke him, care that he not be allowed to kill anyone. If he killed anyone now, it could be disastrous for all his charges. He was feeling very possessive now, wanting to see them freed, even Brigitta, though it would mean losing her. Two extra guards at all times when anyone was in the enclosure and he wanted reports. He wanted to know how the boy was coping.
Late the following day, Carol and Tasha found Valencio mechanically sharpening a blade. Carol announced without preliminaries, “I’ve seen it. It’s real. He showed me two places. You weren’t there, but the vote was overwhelming. We’ve chosen the place where there’s an old castle, almost a ruin, and there’s mountains and trees, and it’s wonderfully untidy, and it’s cold and wet and wonderful.”
She took his hands as he stood bewildered, and insisted, “It’s real. You’re going to be free! We all are.”
Tasha smiled at him and touched the number on his arm. “When are you going to show yourself to Abensur so he can take this off? You’re the only one numbered now.”
But Valencio only repeated Carol’s words, “Mountains and trees, and it’s cold and wet and wonderful.”
Carol nodded, her eyes shining with tears. “A half ruined old castle, but he said they’d get in units or something, and there would be a lot of people working very hard to get it ready for us.”
Tasha said, “So hard to believe!”
“He said it was mekkri-lifting, mostly called ‘mekk-lifting’ or sometimes ‘doing a mekk.’ He just put an arm around me, and we were suddenly just there.” She laughed, “And I looked around and promptly fainted. I thought I was believing, but I guess I wasn’t at all.”
Tasha said, “I think I’d faint, as well.”
“He said there would be people looking after us. We’re not just to be set loose to starve.”
Valencio said, “We will be free, though?”
“Oh, yes. If we want, we could leave straightaway.”
Tasha said, “How would we live, though, if we did
that? I think we’ll need to stay a little while, just to get our bearings.”
Valencio smiled slowly, “Never to see a wizard again? I’d be happy to starve.”
The reactions of others were mixed. Some were enormously excited, others were no longer indifferent. Instead, they were very frightened. Mary hid behind a bush and cried.
Carol said to Hilde, “For goodness sake, keep a watch on Valencio for us. If he does something now, it might wreck everything.”
But when Hilde went looking, he answered that he had every intention of keeping right away from wizards. Hilde looked at him consideringly, and then asked, “How long since you’ve had something to eat?”
“I came in for breakfast...”
“I noticed, only once the wizards were gone, you took just one broki and took it away with you.”
Valencio said defensively, “I had a few biscuits as well...”
Hilde smiled at him, “So you haven’t noticed there’s more than biscuits left for our use now?”
“Just that I’m not very hungry.”
“Come with me now, and you can see what selection of food they’ve left for us.”
Valencio rose and walked with her, after a moment saying, “I’m sorry to worry you, Hilde. I promise I’ll try very hard to behave myself.”
Hilde touched him gently, “I know you will.”
There was quite a large selection of food left available, and Hilde said, “You’re not the only one not eating. Abensur arranged extras.”
Valencio nibbled a date scone under the stern eye of Hilde, but it was like his throat was closed, and he put it down. He couldn’t. He’d only be sick if he tried to eat now.
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A Change of Fortune Page 15