Scarred Man

by Bevan McGuiness

  ‘What do you want?’ he stammered. ‘Riches? Position? All these women? They are all mine to command, and give. Name it, and it is yours.’

  ‘I want it all,’ Guaman said as he suddenly whipped his sword back and smashed it into the glass with a splintering crack.

  Immediately, wind slammed into the room, almost blowing Guaman backwards. Sinchi lost his balance and slowly, agonisingly slowly, toppled forward. With a despairing scream, he fell out of the window. The women who had been standing on each side of the same window either lost their balance or threw themselves out to join their master. The others threw down their weapons and fled, screaming.

  Guaman stood staring out the window, watching Sinchi’s progress down. The wind whipped around him but he remained motionless. Keshik walked across the room to stand beside him.

  ‘Are we done?’ Keshik asked, shouting to be heard over the wind.

  ‘Yes, Keshik, we are done now.’ Guaman stared out at the vista below him. ‘Look at that,’ he said. ‘It’s mine.’ He turned to the members of the troop who had entered after them. ‘Send word below: it is time for that little display we planned. Go.’

  A man grinned viciously and trotted from the room.

  Guaman mirrored the smile and went back to contemplating the world beneath his feet. Keshik tried to move away, but Ozcollo grabbed his arm.

  ‘Just look at all this,’ Guaman said. ‘It is all mine to control. At a word from me, I can flood all of it. From here, I control the destinies of millions of people. How can you walk away from this?’

  ‘What you offer would tempt many, but not me. I do not wish to control the destiny of millions.’

  ‘You are a fool, Kabutat,’ Guaman shouted.

  Keshik went to break Ozcollo’s grip on his arm, but the man was strong. He dragged Keshik back towards the edge.

  ‘I will not leave you to turn against me,’ Guaman hissed.

  ‘What are you talking about? I don’t care anything about you and your battles.’

  ‘I cannot trust you. You know the ways of the Wall now — you could lead others against me.’ He took hold of Keshik’s other arm.

  Keshik felt an edge of concern. Guaman and Ozcollo were dragging him closer to the edge of the horrifying drop with far greater strength than he had imagined possible. Quite suddenly, he was at risk here. How had he allowed this to happen? He was supposed to be this master of the blade, this unbeatable warrior, and he had become so careless as to be standing by an open window.

  He wrestled with the two men, arresting their forward movement. With every moment, he was getting closer to being able to draw his weapons, to prevent what they planned.

  ‘I never trusted you, Kabutat,’ Ozcollo spat into his ear.

  Keshik wrapped a hand around the hilt of one of his swords, but Ozcollo drove his knee hard into Keshik’s thigh. The sudden pain made Keshik slump slightly. Guaman felt the momentary loss of balance and slammed his head hard into Keshik’s cheek. Keshik pulled at his sword, but before he could draw it fully clear of the scabbard, Ozcollo’s knee smashed into his groin.

  Agony shocked through Keshik. His legs faltered long enough for the two men to wrestle him to the open window.

  Guaman barked a harsh laugh as he and Ozcollo threw Keshik out into the cold air.

  32

  Myrrhini recovered her mind slowly as Maida looked after her. All through the night of her Seeing, she had drooled and muttered incoherently, occasionally speaking words in a harsh language Maida had never heard, with a voice not her own.

  She regained her strength over the next few days as Maida spun stories to the Agents to keep them from becoming suspicious. Fortunately, the spoiling of the ceremony had distracted them long enough for Myrrhini to hide in her cabin, and the next morning the swell rose as some heavy winds struck the Queen’s Quest, allowing the seasickness excuse to be believable. It also gave Maida time enough to consider her own position.

  During her barely coherent phase, Myrrhini had answered to her real name, removing any doubt Maida might have had. This weak, soft woman was the Eye of Varuun, certainly the woman the Agents were seeking, which made Maida’s standing — and safety — problematic at best. She had wounded a number of Agents, killed at least one, and generally made a nuisance of herself. It had been made clear too often to be ignored that she was only tolerated because she might be the one the Blindfolded Queen was seeking. Now that it was clear she wasn’t, anything could happen.

  But Keshik was alive — somewhere — probably with the Scarred Man, whoever that might be. She could not leave him alone in the world, she had to find him — which meant she had to keep Myrrhini from revealing herself to the Agents before Maida could get away. Fortunately, Iskopra still believed that Maida was the one, not Myrrhini, although how much help that would be if Myrrhini’s identity came out was debatable.

  ‘Ice and wind,’ she muttered, not for the first time. Her life might depend on this woman continuing to keep her identity secret. And why should she do that? Why had she kept her identity secret so far? What did she hope to gain? Surely she must know she was what the Blindfolded Queen was seeking.

  Myrrhini groaned, possibly signalling yet another of her almost coherent moments. Maida rose from her seat and leant over Myrrhini, to hear anything she might say.

  ‘Maida,’ she said weakly. ‘The Blindfolded Queen knows just enough to be dangerous.’

  Maida made a noise to signify she had heard and nodded as if she understood.

  ‘What do you know of the Tulugma?’

  ‘The Tulugma? Not much.’

  ‘What is the Tulugma?’

  ‘It’s a warrior sect. Swordsmen, mainly. Why?’

  Myrrhini’s eyes went wide and unfocused. She gripped Maida’s hand and pulled herself into a sitting position until she could whisper in her ear.

  ‘The Tulugma serve chaos, but are sworn to resist. They are conflict made real. Beware the Tulugma.’

  ‘What?’ Maida pushed Myrrhini away and stepped back from the bed. ‘What did you say?’ she demanded, but Myrrhini had already subsided back into sleep.

  ‘Beware the Tulugma?’ Maida repeated. ‘What? Why?’

  The Tulugma, as far as Keshik had ever told her, was just a school for teaching swordsmanship. It produced the finest warriors in the world who then hired their skills to anyone who could afford them. They had no allegiance, followed no structured faith, owed no dues to anyone. As far as she knew. But how much did she know?

  What had Keshik ever really told her?

  Maida considered shaking Myrrhini awake, but she was already snoring softly, and when Myrrhini was snoring, nothing could wake her. She sat on the floor with her back to the bed and stared at the door, thinking, wondering what Keshik was doing, where he was, how he had survived.

  And the Scarred Man? If he wasn’t Keshik, who was he?

  A sudden rolling of the ship and a burst of shouting from the deck made her look up. The shouts grew louder and more strident as orders were bellowed. The ship heeled over sharply, causing her to lose balance and land heavily on the floor. She grunted in pain and forced herself onto her feet. Tatya scurried from under Myrrhini’s bed and then scampered up Maida to sit on her shoulder.

  ‘Come on, Tatya,’ Maida said. ‘Let’s go and see what’s going on.’

  The ship heeled again as she opened the door, causing her to stagger out of Myrrhini’s cabin into the passageway, where she nearly collided with the Ce Atli.

  The tall man was holding onto the low ceiling as he made his unsteady way towards the steps. Over his shoulder was a leather bag.

  ‘I wouldn’t head up on deck,’ he said. ‘It could get unpleasant.’

  ‘What’s happening?’

  ‘Seagulls,’ the Ce Atli said.

  ‘Seagulls? Since when do they attack warships?’

  ‘Since the fall of Vogel they have been getting desperate.’

  ‘Why?’

  The Ce Atli shrugged and started to make
his unsteady way past her. ‘Stay down here,’ he told her. ‘I will have enough to do without putting you back together as well.’

  Maida stepped out of his way to let him past. Tatya nibbled at her ear as if wanting to tell her something, but she ignored it to follow the Ce Atli up on deck. The ship heeled over again as she climbed the stairs, the third abrupt change of direction in a very short time. The Guide was busy.

  On deck, Maida stood and stared. Everywhere, men were running and calling out as the Queen’s Quest tilted over alarmingly. Maida gripped the railing to keep from falling overboard. A loud explosion ripped through the air, followed by the sounds of screaming. Smoke billowed across the deck and the Queen’s Quest rolled again. Maida kept hold of the railing as she looked around, trying to make sense of what was happening. Another explosion sounded, this one further away. She looked in its direction to see another ship, listing heavily, flames leaping up its mainmast and spreading out through the sails. Men on the Queen’s Quest gave a ragged cheer as the Seagull ship started to subside into the water, but their excitement was short-lived.

  The remaining three ships that ringed the Queen’s Quest were pulling in closer and, even from where she was, Maida could see the cannon being readied aboard them. Around her, the Agents yelled as they followed their orders. Several were scampering like rats on the rigging, tending to the sail damaged by cannon shot, while others poured water over the deck. Iskopra was standing at the wheel, steering the Queen’s Quest, guiding her through the battle while Huitzilin stalked the deck like a caged julle. The achulti barked orders, but as Maida watched, it seemed that some Agents tended to ignore him while others seemed to all but cower whenever he came close. The dichotomy intrigued her despite the swirling smoke and deafening noise.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ the other achulti shouted.

  Maida spun around to face him.

  ‘Get below,’ he ordered. When she hesitated, he grabbed her shoulder and gave her a shove. As he did, the Queen’s Quest’s own cannon roared their response and vomited hot death towards the attacking ships with a noise that defied belief. Maida stared, stunned at the carnage that the single volley wrought. Men screamed, both masts of one of the ships were shattered, flames licked up from the deck and within heartbeats, the ship started to list. She turned away from the destruction to the achulti.

  ‘What …?’ she said, pointing at the sinking vessel.

  Itxtli smiled grimly. ‘My homeland is small and often overlooked, but we have a few secrets.’

  The Queen’s Quest heeled over yet again as Iskopra brought her around to broadside the next Seagull vessel. Its Guide had clearly seen the fate of his fellow attackers and was already starting to move away. Iskopra heaved the wheel around as if to challenge the remaining attacker, but it too was fleeing. Iskopra watched them leave, as though calculating the chances of them coming back before returning the Queen’s Quest to its original course. With the damage to the sail, mainmast and hull, the ship sat a little lower in the water and seemed a bit sluggish, but it surged forward as the wind caught the remaining sails.

  Maida wrenched her arm free of Itxtli’s grasp.

  ‘Are you going to tell me about that?’ she demanded.

  ‘No.’

  ‘What about the survivors?’ she said, pointing at the dozens of men struggling and crying out in the water.

  Itxtli shrugged. ‘They attacked us without reason, without warning. They are Seagulls and we are not.’

  ‘What is that supposed to mean?’

  ‘It means, Lady, that they drown — if they are lucky,’ Huitzilin snapped.

  ‘Lucky?’

  Huitzilin pointed out beyond the struggling figures. Maida squinted into the sun. The silvery waters reflected the light brilliantly, making even the sky seem pale in comparison, but after a moment, she could make out several large, dark shapes in the calm water. They glided like birds, swooping towards the stranded men with chilling precision. The men in the water all started to scream louder and flail about madly, making towards the retreating Queen’s Quest.

  ‘What are they?’ she asked.

  ‘Bad luck,’ Itxtli muttered.

  ‘Rays,’ Huitzilin added by way of explanation.

  ‘Rays?’

  ‘That is a sweep of black rays.’

  ‘None of this means anything to me,’ Maida admitted.

  ‘They are pack hunters. A sweep, even a small sweep like that, will tear a man apart in a heartbeat.’

  Maida watched in horrified fascination as the black shapes moved with deadly purpose towards the screaming men. They circled and then swept in, turning the water red in moments. The screams increased in vehemence, then in desperation, then fell silent.

  The Queen’s Quest sailed on, leaving the rays behind to their feast.

  Maida turned away from the reddened water to regard Huitzilin. ‘And you are happy to simply sail away, leaving them there to that fate?’

  Huitzilin nodded. ‘Sssa, why not?’

  ‘They are Seagulls,’ Itxtli said as if this simple statement was all the explanation she could ever need. ‘You expect us to rescue them?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Huitzilin snorted derisively and turned on his heel to stalk away. Maida muttered a curse at his retreating back which elicited a small chuckle from Itxtli.

  ‘Well said, Lady,’ he said. ‘Although I cannot condone such disrespect to my fellow Agent and officer.’

  ‘You say that like you don’t mean it.’

  ‘Do I? Then you misinterpret me, Lady. I mean no disrespect to the achulti.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Really.’

  ‘So what is it with you two?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You hate him, and he treats you like a servant. I thought you were supposed to be the same rank.’

  ‘We are.’

  ‘So why the problem between you?’

  ‘There is no problem, Lady. We both serve the Blindfolded Queen loyally.’

  ‘But there will be some credit, maybe a promotion to the one who brings in the woman she is looking for?’

  ‘I imagine so.’

  ‘And he thinks he has the one, doesn’t he?’

  Itxtli shrugged.

  ‘As do you.’

  ‘Of course. Onaven is an interesting woman of rare intelligence and insight.’

  ‘She’s a mystic.’

  ‘She is.’

  ‘And me? What am I?’

  Itxtli faced her squarely for the first time and stared intently at her. ‘You are a beautiful and dangerous woman — Tusemon unless I miss my guess — who has made a life with a renowned criminal, wanted in most countries for most violent crimes. The fact that Keshik is scarred is coincidental to his importance. You, I believe, are not who my queen seeks.’

  ‘You know Keshik?’

  ‘Not personally, I am glad to say, but yes, I have heard of him and know his reputation.’

  ‘He is no criminal.’

  ‘By any definition of the word, he is.’

  ‘If he is wanted in most countries, why aren’t I?’

  ‘You do not kill people for a living. Unless you count that fool of an Agent in Usterust.’

  ‘Huitzilin thinks I am a Midacean witch.’

  ‘I know.’ Itxtli studiously did not smile, but Maida could see it was an effort not to do so.

  ‘You don’t?’

  ‘Obviously. You are Tusemon.’

  ‘I never said that.’

  ‘You did not disagree when I said it.’

  ‘Not exactly a convincing argument.’

  ‘No,’ Itxtli agreed. ‘But Midacean witches are not known for their friendships with shapeshifters.’ He pointed at the rodent on her shoulder.

  His perception shocked Maida. ‘She is not a shapeshifter,’ she protested.

  ‘Maida, don’t take me for a fool. I recognise the kind of damage a spurre can inflict on a human body. What she did to that gormless halfwit was l
ike a signature. The only thing I don’t understand is how she let you be taken in the first place.’

  ‘What will happen to the women who are not who your queen is looking for?’ Maida asked.

  ‘That was the least subtle change of subject I have ever heard, Maida. Coming from the woman who managed to lure an Agent to his death, presumably with the promise of sex with the long-term companion of Keshik — who is not known for his forgiveness and kindness — that was very sloppy. You can do better, I am sure.’

  Maida glared, eliciting something approaching a frown from Itxtli.

  ‘That was more like the Maida I have heard of,’ he said.

  ‘You have heard of me?’

  ‘Of course. You are,’ he paused, ‘not exactly famous. You are more known by your association with Keshik than for your own exploits. But yes, you are well known in certain circles.’

  ‘If I am so well known, how is it Huitzilin did not know me?’

  ‘Two reasons. One, Huitzilin is not in those certain circles I mentioned, and secondly, he did not know you were with Keshik. Only Iskopra knew that.’

  ‘You did not answer my question, Achulti.’

  ‘The women who are not the one my queen seeks will be escorted home with a gift to make up for their inconvenience.’

  Maida was about to make a sarcastic comment about her chances of ever seeing such a gift when Itxtli suddenly looked beyond her, at something over her shoulder. She stopped talking and turned to see what he was looking at. Myrrhini walked unsteadily towards them. Her face was vacant, her mouth was working spasmodically and her clothes were torn into tatters. When she came close, she tottered and fell. Maida leapt forward to catch her before she hit the deck. Sounds were coming from Myrrhini’s drooling, daven-stinking mouth. Maida stooped to hear.

  ‘The Dark reached out for you, Maida. It took you, consumed you and gave you back. But it will never be sated. The Dark will always have you, it will never set you free.’ Her eyes snapped open, but she was not looking at Maida, she was staring instead at Tatya, who was still nestled against Maida’s neck. Myrrhini gave a harsh hiss and raised a pale hand to point at the shapeshifter. ‘You and yours belong to the Dark. It calls and you will answer. You and yours do not belong.’