Thawed Fortunes (The Guadel Chronicles Book 2)

by Murray, Dean

  Chapter 18

  The regular, swaying gait of the gurra he was tied to finally woke Va'del, pulling him from a place of nightmares where razor-clawed creatures twice his size surrounded him, tearing at his flesh.

  The brightness of the light hurt Va'del's eyes, and a moan escaped his lips as the rest of his body reported in on its abused state.

  A gentle hand cupped his cheek, and Jain's voice washed over him like a warm bath.

  "I know you hurt right now, but you'll be okay. They got the infection under control, and your body has managed to replenish enough of your blood for your heart to continue unaided."

  "What happened?" Va'del's throat was dry, and the words came out as a croak, but Jain apparently understood them.

  "They killed the bag'ligs. We counted afterwards and there were more than a hundred of them. They came from the east, which some people seem to think is significant because there isn't anything that way but barren rock for several miles. Either something drove them there from the west and they were headed back to their normal range, or something really terrible drove them over all that desolation to come here."

  "The guardsmen who were with me, did they make it?"

  Jain didn't respond for several seconds. "Most of them are okay, but two of them died despite the best we could do."

  Va'del felt guilt well up to drag him away to despair, but Jain gently pulled at him to get his attention.

  "It's not your fault. The bag'ligs killed them, not you."

  "My responsibility. They counted on me to be able to help them, but in the end I refused the link and fought as a mere human."

  A new set of footsteps had joined Jain's, crunching through the hard crust of the snow.

  "Not your fault, boy, we all have the right to let only those we trust inside our minds. If she hasn't won your trust, that's her fault."

  Javin's voice always sounded gravelly, like it didn't get used enough to keep it in good repair, but it was surprisingly full of sympathy and understanding right now.

  "Duty requires us to give our best, and that's what you all did. No need to feel guilty about that."

  Va'del remained silent, pretending that he'd passed out again. He couldn't escape the feeling that he possibly hadn't really done his best. He'd never really liked Cindi, but he'd been able to suppress his defenses enough for her to augment him. It was all too possible that both the guardsmen had died not because they'd had to, but because he hadn't been able to fully do his duty.

  Convinced that he was once again unconscious, both Javin and Jain moved a little further away to avoid disturbing Va'del's rest, but his guilt wasn't so easily tricked into leaving him alone.

  ##

  Va'del awoke again when the group camped for the night. He managed to stay awake just long enough to sit up and eat the soup that Jain brought him, and then went to sleep again.

  The sound of people breaking camp finally edged Va'del into wakefulness the next morning, and he found, surprisingly enough, that he felt nearly back to normal.

  On'li, Jain and Mar'li all hurried over to him as he pulled himself from his low tent, but after each had examined him with her powers for several seconds, they all agreed that he would probably be okay as long as he was careful not to overdo it.

  As Va'del finished breakfast, Javin packed up his tent and then the whole caravan set out for the day.

  Walking tugged enough at still-healing wounds for it to be decidedly unpleasant, but Jain walked alongside Va'del, and while her company didn't fully chase away Va'del's self-loathing, it somehow made his dark thoughts more bearable.

  The party had been traveling for about two cycles when the snow started looking patchy, and then disappeared altogether. The mud was extremely unpleasant while it lasted, but just a short distance later the ground dried out and the pair found themselves surrounded by more shades of green than any of them had ever imagined, all of it seemingly shaking, swaying or bobbing to the demands of a barely-perceptible wind.

  "It's like the farms, only with no organization and more different kinds of plants than I ever knew existed."

  Va'del nodded at Jain, amazement at the sheer variety of the shapes and sizes of the foliage around them briefly shocking him out of his despondency.

  As the caravan continued descending, more than one person who'd never been down the mountain before let out an involuntary gasp, while those who'd been down before all pretended not to be affected by the beauty that more often than not was the reason they'd agreed to subsequent trips.

  Jain seemed to be especially astonished by all of the animal life they encountered. When everyone stopped for a quick snack and some water, she counted nearly thirty different kinds of insects or small animals in no more than a couple minutes.

  "Everything's alive. I didn't know it was possible for life to exist in such abundance."

  Va'del smiled in agreement, but found his gaze returning again and again to the trees that surrounded him. The histories had all said trees were almost impossibly big for something living, but he'd still imagined something far smaller than the reality.

  On'li stopped by to check on him, and followed Va'del's gaze to the different bands of trees that covered the lower slopes of the mountains. "Amazing, isn't it?"

  "Yes, did someone plant the different types in groups like that?"

  On'li chuckled, but it wasn't a mocking laugh like Vi'en's would have been. "No, I wondered something much the same the first time I saw them, but I'm told that they are all just suited for different elevations. They grow like that because they have a narrow band of mountain that suits them perfectly."

  "Couldn't one grow where the others belong?"

  The older woman shrugged. "I suspect so, but they probably aren't as good at living in those places, so the other trees probably do a better job monopolizing the resources."

  Va'del nodded. Scarcity of resources was something that every member of the People was familiar with. The gardens which had been established in nearly all of the villages, combined with vast mushroom farms and the trade to the lowlanders, largely guaranteed everyone sufficient food now, but there had been times after the Goddess had first led them up into the mountains when starvation had stalked them all.

  On'li closed her eyes for several seconds and then opened them, nodding at Va'del. "You seem to be holding up fairly well. Still, be careful not to overdo it. We can always put you on one of the spare gurra if needs be."

  Va'del shrugged. "I'll be okay. You all do good work. Thanks for patching me up yet again."

  On'li frowned briefly. "I'm just sorry you need it so much. You've been injured more on our behalf in the last few months than some Guadel with decades of experience."

  "I'm better off than some."

  The frown was back, and fiercer than it had been a few seconds ago. "It isn't your fault those two died. We women only get vague impressions when we're linked with someone, but even so I believe linking is still one of the hardest things we could ask as a society. It's hard for any of us to give up so much of our privacy, to let someone know us so intimately. Some claim that it's easier for the women to bear, but I don't know that I believe it. Otherwise I think there would probably be more Guadel with multiple wives."

  Va'del's surprise must have made its way to his face.

  "Don't get me wrong, very few women like the idea of sharing their husband on any level, but linking with a sister-wife requires us to let her into our minds in a bit of the same way, and that's more than most women can bring themselves to do." Seeing that she'd left him with plenty to contemplate, On'li patted him gently on the shoulder. "Don't forget to eat something, and remember it really isn't your fault."

  It might be easier to believe that if everyone didn't keep bringing it up as though they expect me to feel guilty about it.

  ##

  Jain looked around in amazement at the town before them as they finally descended down the last little bit of the mountain and skirted around the large, red boulders that ha
d given the village its name. Her surroundings were so incredibly different than anything she'd ever seen that she felt a bit like she was dreaming. Everything was so hot, and nobody had mentioned the ever-present dust, leaving the ground in puffs wherever anyone stepped.

  The low buildings clustered around each other in groups with dirt roads meandering between them. The people were all different too, most of them were tall and their skin was a dark color that was as different from Va'del's darker tone as his was from the rest of the People.

  The men were dressed similarly to the flowing shirt and trousers that Jain was accustomed to, although the cut and materials were quite different. The women on the other hand weren't wearing trousers. Instead they seemed to have wrapped a length of cloth around their waists. The garment didn't look at all comfortable, and Jain suspected it would be hard to walk very quickly wearing something like that.

  It was obvious someone had spied the caravan coming down the mountain sometime earlier in the day and spread the word. There were almost a hundred villagers who'd left their work to come gawk as the People crossed the last little distance to the village.

  The children pointed, some even laughed, and for the first time Jain realized that she must look as odd to them as they did to her.

  Trying not to feel self-conscious, the Daughter turned back to the front of the Caravan where Si'mon was shaking hands with a stern-faced man standing at the front of the crowd. The caravan master then turned to the woman standing next to what Jain assumed must be the village headman, and performed some awkward greeting that involved bending at the waist and kissing the back of her hand.

  The woman blushed prettily and then fanned her awkward clothes out in a display of grace as she somehow seemed to decrease in height by several inches before suddenly rising again.

  If those clothes let you look that graceful, maybe they aren't so bad.

  Jain carefully moved up along the caravan line until she could hear what was being said.

  "...good to see you again, Si'mon, but we need to talk about some of your internal policies before I can let you set up."

  Whatever the man said next was too low for Jain to make out clearly, so she slid forward just a little more, which unfortunately caught the attention of Bell, who grabbed her young charge by the elbow and hauled her back up to where the other four Daughters in the party were watching Si'mon, the village headman, and several other people disappear into the village.

  Bell was the Guadel who was primarily responsible for teaching magic to the girls in Jain's year class. She was generally quite nice, but the trip had revealed that outside, where mistakes could kill people, she could be as unbending and demanding as the worst of her colleagues.

  Jain sighed, but knew better than to appear less than attentive as Bell launched into a pointed set of observations about the disastrous consequences which tended to result from disobedience. Despite her attempts to focus on what her instructor was saying, Jain found herself wondering what was being discussed down in the village.

  ##

  Si'mon watched as all of the guests were cleared out of the common room so that they could speak in privacy. A whispered conversation with the Council members on the way through the village had quickly revealed that they wanted him to take the lead in discussing whatever was on Matrim's mind.

  It was a politically smart strategy as it bought the Council time to confer before being forced to come up with an official position. Si'mon could appreciate the reasons while still regretting just how political the Council had become in just the last couple of decades. He'd far and away have preferred to have been open and honest with Matrim. The other man had always been forthright with him, but it was hard to expect the Council to play things straight with the lowlanders if they couldn't even do so with each other.

  Matrim looked at Javin and Va'ma with a raised eyebrow. "You never used to feel that you needed bodyguards to talk with me Si'mon. Some of the others who've come down over the years have, but you never did."

  Si'mon shrugged, hoping he was keeping his face schooled enough that the other man wouldn't realize his deceit. "I'm afraid that in some things I'm being overruled these days. We've been seeing more bag'lig attacks than ever before. It has some members of the Council acting more cautiously than normal."

  The village mayor nodded after a moment, not completely satisfied, but apparently willing to accept the explanation for now, and the pair talked of less consequential matters for several minutes as mead was brought around for everyone.

  Mindful of the fact that the rest of the caravan was waiting outside the village, Si'mon finally placed his battered earthenware mug on the rough oak table. "You had something else you wanted to be discussing?"

  Matrim nodded. "That exile--Be'ter, I think he said his name was, before he got over the initial relief at having survived the trip down the mountain. Within a day or two of arriving he clammed up regarding all things personal and started stirring up problems. He had wild tales about your caverns being paved in gold and jewels. That isn't much different than some of the rumors that treasure hunters bring with them as they drift into town, but the problem is he knew the mountains, and was telling everyone who'd listen that you were all ripe for the picking. Said as there had been a group of bandits up there that had been raiding you for months before they finally got shut down."

  Si'mon felt his chest tighten as he thought through the implications of what the mayor was saying.

  "When he started realizing he wasn't going to be able to raise his own little army to go after you all, he got mean. He put three of the more hot-headed youngsters in the care of the healer before we finally drove him out of town. There are those who think I shouldn't have said anything, but nobody likes to feel like someone else's waste bin. When I saw it was you as was leading this group, I thought I'd tell you there's been some starting to mutter as we don't need your trade."

  "Only you do. You need our trade as badly as we need yours."

  Matrim nodded. "That's about the long and short of it. I don't expect as that you can make any promises other than that you'll be passing on my concerns to that Council of yours. Next time you have one as is so dangerous you can't be keeping him around, don't be sending him down here."

  The mayor's final words were heated enough that Si'mon was glad On'li had been excluded from the meeting. He knew Javin's wife well enough to know she'd never have managed to keep her mouth shut.

  The Guadel looked around the pleasant common room that he'd almost come to view as a second home, meeting both Javin's and Va'ma's eyes before nodding. "I'll pass the word on, and see what I can do to make sure that next time we just cut his throat."

  ##

  Jain was sure that the meeting was going to last for cycles, but sooner than she'd expected, Si'mon had returned from the village, and the caravan had set up camp on a series of wooden platforms several minutes west of the marketplace. Wood was quite possibly the rarest building material available at the Capital, and Jain was flabbergasted by the thought of sleeping on it. She couldn't think of very many things that would have felt quite as wasteful. Maybe drinking from a jeweled cup when a normal iron one would have done the job just as well, but even that didn't quite capture the feeling.

  It was obvious from the way that the other Daughters were staring at the platforms as they finished setting up camp that they were equally amazed by the thought of using wood for such a mundane purpose.

  Bell walked by and smiled at them all, even Jain. For whatever other shortcomings one might be able to attribute to Bell, she never held a grudge like some of the other Guadel did.

  "I know what you're thinking, I was thinking the same thing the first time I saw the platforms. The thing you have to remember is that down here wood is the most plentiful building material. We needed something to keep us up out of the mud, so it only made sense to construct these."

  Most of the girls seemed satisfied with the explanation, but Jain found herself wondering what else she
would run into down here that was completely different than what she expected.

  Bell looked around as if counting to make sure they were all there, and then pulled out a small bag for each of them. "This is your allowance for the month. I figured that you'd want to look around and buy some things, but you're not to go anywhere without an officer from our Guard escort and at least four of his men. There are more ways that you can get yourselves into trouble down here than I could possibly list."

  In what had become a rare display of emotion since Be'ter had been exiled, Mali shot Jain a look that seemed to say that leaving Va'del to go sightsee around the village was proof of the fact that she didn't really care about him. Jain suppressed conflicting emotions of anger and guilt and focused on the fact that Va'del had been so tired when they finally arrived at the campsite that it was virtually guaranteed he was asleep by now. Her staying or going wouldn't make any difference to Va'del one way or another, and she knew that if he'd been awake he'd have told her to go with her friends.

  Va'del wasn't like Be'ter had been; he didn't expect to control anyone's every waking action. It really was too bad that Mali's punishment had been reduced due to good behavior. The trip would have been much more pleasant if Mali had stayed up in the Capital.

  A short time later, all five Daughters were walking through the dusty market area of the village. Jain was nearly overcome by the amazing variety of colors and scents that surrounded her. Her sisters all seemed equally overwhelmed, with the sole exception of Mali, who was so quiet as they walked between booths that the others almost forgot she was even with them.

  It was sometimes hard to remember that this new, quieter, more withdrawn Mali was the same person who'd spent so much time tormenting Jain previously. These days Mali didn't even try to speak to her old friends. Jain almost thought once or twice that Mali really had changed, but every so often some of Mali's anger would leak through and dispel the illusion. Jain was convinced that Mali hated her and Va'del both. The only thing that Be'ter's exile and certain death had changed was how obvious Mali could be with regards to her dislike of others.