Satori cast a satisfied look at Sol. “Do you wish to address your people?” she shouted in order to be heard over the crowd, stepping aside politely.
Sol seldom flushed. No one in her family knew why; it was just one of those things. But her face was on fire as she shook her head. There was no point in talking to them now; Satori had won them over. But the number of soldiers they would send over to help Jonia would be decided by Sol and her generals; not the irrational crowd. Her lips curled up, in a smile that did not meet her eyes, directed at the triumphant young woman. Well played, my dear. Now I have to stop these fools from getting killed over your father’s ambition. The best she could do was make it hard for volunteers to enrol in Satori’s army. Perhaps I demand that they pay for their weapons and armour themselves. Travel expenses, too. I could argue that the economy is still too fragile. Her mind worked furiously as she yawned; something she did when annoyed. Even so, there might be over a thousand fools eager to risk their lives for the woman.
The smile finally reached her eyes, as another idea hit her. Anthea had some old ships to spare, as well. They were an old class, big and unwieldy, which made them useless in battle. If they added liquid fire to them, though…
Liquid fire was Anthea’s secret weapon, the source of its hegemony of the seas. A nozzle able to spit sticky, tar-based fire that even water could not put out. It would convert the obsolete, awkward vessels into a formidable weapon. She would have to make sure the secrets of its manufacture remained safe, of course; Paul could never be entrusted with preparing liquid fire himself. Anthea could spare enough of the flammable stuff to keep Jonia’s war going for years, at little cost to them. And it might get Paul off her back for a while. Yes, this might work…
Malekshei
Moirah
She had never heard David whistle before, and the sweet music coming from his lips surprised her. He was sitting under a tree, polishing his bracelet, which sparkled in the sunlight that burst through wind-swept leaves. A good sign; he must be feeling better. His distress at Parad’s death had been obvious, but there was something else, too; a forlorn look in his eyes, when he thought no one was looking.
She crawled next to him, startling him. “Don’t worry,” she teased. “They’re never far from you.” She nodded towards the two Maasai bodyguards, playing a game with Annoush. They each held five cubes made of bone in their hands, with dots etched on each side. They yelped in joy or anger each time they threw them to the ground.
David followed her gaze. “Yahtzee,” he explained. Noticing her questioning expression, he hurried to explain. “They roll the dice – the cubes – and try to make certain combinations. I’ll show you sometime.”
She nodded. “Yatzy,” she said, and he smiled.
They watched the game for a while, her eyes fixed on the ebb and flow of the light in the men’s faces each time they rolled the dice. “They’ve come close,” she said.
“Yes,” David agreed. “It’s probably because of their common past.”
“Their past?”
“They all grew up in the Slums. Tie saved them.”
“The Capital priestess?”
“That’s the one. She’s the one who taught them everything they know. Annoush left to join the army, but Lem and Ram stayed on, taking their vows with Themis.”
“So she has her own army?”
“No, it’s not like that,” he protested, then pursed his lips. “Although I can see why someone might think that. No, Tie has no other agenda than to serve justice.”
Moirah tried to remember the woman. She could vaguely recall her shaved head, but for someone of her size, she seemed to blend into the background with remarkable ease. “I don’t remember her well,” she admitted in the end. “So Ram and Lem grew up in the Capital?”
“The Slums,” he corrected her. “Were you never there?”
She shook her head. During the Firsts’ brief stay there, they had only visited the First camp outside the Capital and the Chamber of Justice. Everyone, including Parad and Two-horns, had wanted to avoid giving the Newcomers the impression the First were an invading army, and there had been no time for a guided tour.
“Well, it’s probably where I would have ended up if I hadn’t been taken to the Chamber’s kitchens. Not a nice place.”
“The kitchens?” she asked, confused.
David laughed. “No, the Slums. The kitchens were fine. It was when I became Styx’s servant that…” His voice trailed off.
She knew the rest; how an Orb had joined with him and how Styx’s own guards, the Guardians, had tried to capture him. It was Tie that had saved him, she remembered, and wondered just what the priestess’ game was.
“Anyway,” he continued, “by the age of twelve, Ram had already gained a reputation as a fighter, having made his first kill.” He paused for a moment. “He had also raped his first girl,” he whispered.
Rape was unheard of among the First, and Moirah’s jaw slackened. “How?”
“I didn’t ask.” David stole a look at the direction of the men rolling the dice. “As for Lem, he already had his own crew by the time he was fourteen. He was fifteen when his right-hand man – or should I say boy? – ambushed him, leaving him for dead. Tie saved his life. Their lives. She took the boys in and brought them up the traditional Maasai way, the way of their ancestors. By giving them back their past, she offered them a future.”
She nodded in appreciation. “And Annoush?”
“He was a thief. Tie took him from the streets and sent him to the academy, to become a soldier. She could not have foreseen his part in Parad’s capture.”
She gave him a questioning look, and David realised she probably had not heard how Annoush and Parad had first met. “When Styx betrayed Parad, sending him to be captured by Jonia, he was escorted by a young Lieutenant named Tang. Annoush was part of Styx’s group, and he killed Tang, breaking the orders that Parad and Tang were to be captured alive. Parad asked that Annoush be made to serve him in Tang’s place, as his punishment.”
Surprise crossed Moirah’s face. “Why not kill him?”
“A life for a life, is how he put it when I asked him that same question. He said, a death for a death would only result in everyone dying, but by making Annoush live the life Tang could not, both men would live.”
She shook her head, unconvinced, glaring at Annoush. Annoush pried his gaze from the game to meet hers, an uncomfortable look on his face. “I would have killed him,” she muttered and looked away.
A thin smile played on David’s lips, but he made no comment. “Anyway,” he continued, “the point is that Tie gave these boys more than food and shelter. She gave them a purpose in life.”
Moirah bobbed her head in agreement. When First children were born, the Old Woman blessed them. She often passed on the Lady’s wish and made predictions about their future, to help parents guide them properly. Their adherence to the Lady’s teachings were the compass that guided all First; the one thing uniting the many tribes into a single purpose, despite their differences. The Newcomers’ ways never ceased to shock her. Maybe it’s because they don’t have an Old Woman to tell them what the Lady wishes.
“Yahtzee!” Lem shouted, and burst into care-free laughter, as David jumped to his feet, surprising her. She twisted her head to see her father approach them. David bowed his head in respectful greeting.
“Father! What are you doing here?”
Unlike the second leader of the First, Lehmor’s father, the leader of the Fire clan was a mountain of a man, who nevertheless moved with surprising agility. “I just heard from our scouts. There are rumours of Fallen in the North.”
Her eyes drifted to the white in his beard with worry. It covered the many scars he had accumulated through years of fighting. Once upon a time, his enemies were the Wind Warriors, but with the marriage between Moirah and Lehmor, all that had been left in the past. Nowadays, the only enemy their joined clans had was Fallen.
“There are always
strays in the woods,” she said. “Why are you telling me?”
“Not strays. The rumours say the Fallen are gathering again.”
The tiny hairs on her back felt like they were bursting out of her skin. “Where?”
“Towards the Chasm.”
That would be the north-west, where the woods gave way to the strange geological phenomenon known as the Chasm; a vast gash on the planet’s surface that signified the end of Malekshei’s reach.
She studied his face and saw concern. “Could it be true?” she asked both him and herself. Since capturing Malekshei, the only Fallen they had encountered had been wanderers that had lost their way. Lost their way from where? she wondered. Unless they were on their way to some other place. A place we know nothing about.
Instead of an answer, he raised his broad shoulders. “Maybe your friend can tell us,” he said, nodding towards David.
Moirah knew that, since losing the Voice, David had lost much of the intuition that had led many First to treat him like an Oracle. She also knew the subject was sensitive to him, the pain for his loss bearing heavily in his heart. She threw her friend a sympathetic look, as his sagging face betrayed his sadness.
“ I can’t help you,” was all he said.
“Well then, there’s only one way to be sure. An expedition.”
Moirah felt her spirits return. A rumour that important would have to be checked by one of the leaders, but an expedition involved dozens of men, perhaps even hundreds. Her father would be safe among so many warriors.
“May I come?” she asked. She had not told anyone of her pregnancy yet, and if her father needed her, she would gladly follow him.
“Over a few strays?” he said, the smile returning to his lips. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
Chamber of Justice, the Capital
Gella
Gella’s head swam as she left the Audition Hall to walk down the long corridor leading to the exit. She had done this to be close to Cyrus, to protect him. Instead, she now had to fight a war at the far end of the realm.
A slender girl standing in the middle of the corridor interrupted her thoughts. Gella attempted to walk around her, but the girl glided sideways, cutting her off. Gella examined her and her hand caressed the empty sheath on her belt. What is this?
“What do you want?” she asked.
Instead of an answer, the girl startled her by taking her hand. Gella considered fighting, but something about the girl’s youthful innocence made her follow her instead. The girl led her to a small, elegant room with a towering statue of Themis at its centre. Gella recognized the place; they were standing inside Themis’ temple. The girl left her before the statue and stepped outside, closing the door softly behind her. A choir could be heard practicing somewhere nearby, filling the room with their soft singing. The whole church emanated a melodic kind of serenity.
“What do you believe in, my girl?”
The voice came from behind her, catching her by surprise. She spun around to face a large woman. She wore the garments of a Themis’ priest; a white robe with an amulet of Themis’ scales on a long gold chain hanging around her thick neck. She pulled back a cowl to reveal her shaved head.
Gella pondered the question, eyeing the woman with suspicion, her hand once again caressing the empty sheath.
“Ah, I see.” The big woman before her chuckled, as she glanced at Gella’s hand. “A warrior. In that case, let me rephrase. What do you fight for?”
“To protect the realm and the prince,” came the knee-jerk response.
To Gella’s disconcert, the woman chuckled again.
“Do you know who I am?”
Gella shook her head.
“In that case, allow me to introduce myself. I am Tie, Chief Priestess of Themis. Do you know how I got to this position?”
Again, Gella shook her head from side to side. The woman leaned towards her, until their noses almost touched; so close that Gella could smell the faint smell of incense, overshadowed by a minty breath. “Well, it was not by falling for crap, let me tell you,” she whispered. With a wink, her head snapped back and she continued. “My whole life I’ve dedicated to serving justice; and you know the first thing that requires?”
Once again, Gella shook her head. “Truth, my girl. More than anything, justice requires truth, for without it, it’s arbitrary. No better than throwing a dice.” She patted her nose. “Which means that I’ve quite a nose for the pretty lie. Now, do you want to try again?”
Her lips were smiling, but her eyes seemed to bore two holes in Gella’s soul. Feeling like a small girl being told off by her teacher, she swallowed. “I’m here to protect the prince.” Tie’s smile widened to a grin. “That much is true, at least.” She tilted her head and flared her nostrils, like a hound sniffing for prey. “But protect him from what? That’s the real question.”
Gella took an involuntary step back and tried not to think, filled with the irrational fear that this strange woman was able to read her thoughts. Her discomfort grew into panic with Tie’s next words. “So, you know about them, don’t you?”
“Who?” she blurted out, trying to gain some time.
“Whom, not who. Don’t they teach English any more at the academy?”
Gella stared at her in confusion and Tie sighed. “I suppose you don’t need grammar to kill someone. Regardless, it would appear you know about our foe. Did David warn you about them? He must have. Was he pleading for his life? Is that how he told you? But if you believed him, why did you kill him?”
Again, she leaned closer to Gella; way too close. A thin smile played on her lips. “And for that matter, how did you get by two of my best men?’
Gella’s mind tried frantically to find some answers; or at least some excuse to run out of the small room.
Cocking her head, Tie scrutinized her with piercing eyes, like studying an insect on a glass. “You see, my girl, I’ve already studied that proof of yours.”
Gella blinked. “How? When?”
Tie waved dismissively. “Not important. You know what is important? That there’s no blood on it. Isn’t that strange for someone who had their throat slit?”
Damn it, I should have thought of that!
Tie placed a heavy hand on Gella’s shoulder and brought her even closer. She was now whispering in her ear. “Don’t worry, I placed it back, redder than it was. So, the question is, why did you lie? Why did you really come back?”
“To protect –”
“Yes, yes, the prince. From them.” She eyed Gella carefully; this time, she made no effort to deny it. “Excellent. Then, know you’ve got an ally. I hope you know how hard that is in a place like this.”
“Why?” Gella blurted out.
“Why am I helping you? We have a common enemy. I’m disappointed in our people, very disappointed. Children are supposed to build on their parents’ achievements, not bring them down.”
“Our ancestors had flying carts, but we ride oxen ones,” Gella murmured.
“Exactly. So much lost, so much forgotten. There are forces that wish we lived in caves, but I believe in progress.”
Gella thought of all the priests and priestesses she had met. Dry, prematurely aged preachers of the fire and brimstone disposition, trying to dictate people’s lives, eager to promote arbitrary distinctions among them. Scorpio tended to be more secular than most places on Pearseus, and she had an innate suspicion of religion. “It’s the first time I’ve heard a priest talk of progress,” she observed suspiciously.
Once again, Tie chuckled. “Some of our brothers and sisters may exaggerate in their efforts to help our world. But their heart’s in the right place, I assure you, even if some of their methods are misguided. Not everyone is as cultivated as you, and our methods must reflect that.”
Compliments made Gella wary, and it must have shown on her face, for Tie hastened to continue. “I didn’t mean as a compliment, just a fact. We’ve built a world where knowledge is distrusted instead of reve
red; where superstition and ignorance rule over science, and where books are banned. Like I said, our methods need to appeal to our flock, even if we don’t like them.”
“What is it you seek?”
Tie leaned back, pondering the question. “Justice,” she said in the end, a happy grin on her face as she rolled the word in her mouth, savouring it like a sweet.
“Then, you, too, have found an ally…” Gella said and extended her hand in friendship. It disappeared in Tie’s hand as she clutched it and shook it eagerly. “…And you know how hard that is in a place like this.”
Tie’s grin widened. “In that case, there are a few things you should know…”
City of Oras
Lehmor
The sunlight streaming from the window blinded him, bringing water through Lehmor’s half-closed eyelids. He cracked open his eyes and squinted at his surroundings. Raising his palm to his forehead to shield his eyes, he examined the unusual cavern with the rugged, empty earthen walls and no furniture save for a small, elegantly carved wooden nightstand. Large, circular windows filled one wall, opposite a closed oval door. He frowned, then looked downwards at his body and the strange bed he lay upon. It had no visible joints and was made of a fine material unknown to him, warm to the touch and hard. He caressed its smooth surface with his fingers. It felt strangely organic, as if it grew out of the ground.
A transparent, flexible pipe, stemming from the wall behind him like a thin root, fed a transparent liquid through a vein in his arm. Everything seemed unfamiliar. He sniffed loudly; a pungent smell filled his nostrils, masking the odour of moisture. He removed the pipe, ignoring the liquid dripping onto the ground, and swung his feet onto the floor. Despite its granite colour, the surface felt warm as he climbed out of the bed to walk to a large opening looking outside. It took his mind a few minutes to realise what he was looking at, then recognised the vast chasm that stretched before him, all the way to the horizon. The Great Chasm, he thought and craned his head out of the window. At the chasm’s fringes, he made out the Great Mountain; the tremendous mountain range that forbade access to the east. He yawned and stretched, then scratched his belly. At the edge of his consciousness, a thought tugged like a small child, vying for his attention. Ignoring it, he turned back towards the bed, then froze in place. He rushed to the window again and stuck half his body out. His jaw dropped at the startling realization: the mountain stood behind him; not before him. He blinked a couple of times and swallowed hard. No one had ever crossed the Great Chasm. Am I dreaming? How can this be?
Pearseus Bundle: The Complete Pearseus Sci-fi/Fantasy Series Page 36