Southern Fire ac-1

by Juliet E. McKenna

  'Isn't Sirket still in the southern residence?' asked Kheda. 'Doesn't Chazen just turn to him?'

  'He's tried,' admitted Janne dourly. 'Sirket claims he's too burdened with the cares of the Daish domain, too preoccupied with taking all the omens, for guidance and warning of any new danger, too busy securing his alliances in case the savages come north. He has more than adequate justification.' Beneath Janne's pride in their son, Kheda heard weariness and frustration and saw lines of strain in her face that hadn't been there when he'd last stroked a loving hand over her hair. 'With you believed dead, every old alliance was broken. Sirket has been striving from dawn to dusk to keep our people from fear or despair, to maintain Daish standing with our neighbours in the face of these successive misfortunes. He's won everyone's admiration, their loyalty and more, their love, with his dedication and perseverance.'

  'I'm sorry you've all had to suffer like this,' said Kheda, chastened.

  'Better this than dying beneath some wizard's magical fire,' said Janne tartly. 'Do you truly have some means to quench their malice? Fear of magic torments our people and those of Chazen that we shelter. Redigal Coron and Ritsem Caid are equally frank in their apprehensions. They'll back Sirket in fighting men, however well armed, wherever they might have come from. They will not send their ships against wizards.'

  'I give you my word I'll make sure they don't have to,' promised Kheda resolutely. 'But these wild men will remain, even when their wizards are dead. Can Sirket count on Redigal support, Ritsem ships, to back a Daish strike to the south, to kill the invaders? What about the men of Chazen?'

  'Redigal and Ritsem will sail as soon as they are sent word,' Janne replied with conviction. 'Plenty of Chazen men will sail with their own ships or crewing on Daish boats, whether or not Saril risks wetting his toes. Itrac has been more than doing her duty by her domain, rousing their spirits and refusing to allow anyone to give up hope of return.'

  'She's still loyal to Chazen?' Kheda broke in. 'Not looking to wed Sirket?'

  'I told you I wouldn't countenance such a match, even if Chazen were dead.' Janne fixed Kheda with a stern look.

  He waved away the subject. 'What news of Ulla Safar?'

  Janne's smile surprised him. 'Ulla Safar is too preoccupied with his own domain to look beyond his borders. Ulla Orhan has taken it upon himself to ensure the domain is prepared for any attack from the south. He's made a close inspection of all their triremes and been considering how best to supply the domain's defences without stripping the islands of either crops to feed those left behind or men to till the land.' Janne's smile turned thoughtful. 'He's paying assiduous attention to all the domain's allies and working hard to repair any ties that might be fraying.'

  'Fraying under the strain of Ulla Safar's brutal approach.' Kheda pondered this. 'Orhan's stressing his loyalty to his father at every opportunity, I take it?'

  'With the greatest humility,' confirmed Janne. 'He's a wily youth and a clever one.'

  'He'll have to be, to keep his head on his shoulders,' said Kheda candidly.

  Janne studied her fingernails for a moment. 'He also makes no secret of wishing for closer ties with ourselves. He sent an emissary to Dau some days ago, to present some fine sun diamonds together with his sincerest admiration.'

  Kheda was startled. 'What did she make of that?'

  Janne paused before continuing. 'She accepted the gifts and sent a modest offering of dog tooth pearls along with polite thanks.'

  'Was that wise?' Kheda couldn't help but scowl with mistrust.

  'Offering anything that could be considered an insult would be less wise. Dau knows that without being told.' Janne shrugged. 'I don't think she'll seriously entertain any offer he might make.' Her voice hardened. 'Apart from anything else, as far as she's concerned, Ulla Safar encompassed her beloved father's death. She still weeps in the night. I hear her.'

  'I will make reparation to all of you, however you want me to, when I come home.' Kheda strove to keep his voice calm.

  'You've found a way to cleanse yourself of the stain of magic?' Janne's face was unreadable. 'As well as whatever it is you've discovered to use against these savages?'

  Can you even begin to answer those questions in a way that will satisfy her?

  'My path and all the omens that guided me led me to a northern wizard,' Kheda began carefully, 'who believes he can defeat these savage mages.'

  'You're suborning sorcery?' Janne was horrified.

  'I am bringing to bear the only possible weapon I can find for defence of my domain,' said Kheda with quiet determination.

  'Where is he?' Janne clutched at her mantle and the fine fabric tore beneath her fingers.

  'Not here, not even in Daish waters,' Kheda assured her. 'He's watching the savages, planning how best to attack.'

  'Oh, Kheda, what have you done?' Janne stared at him, utterly dismayed. 'How can you ever free yourself of such a taint?'

  'My intent is wholly pure,' said Kheda with all the conviction he could muster. 'All I am doing, all that I will do, is in the best interests of my domain. The guidance of the stars and every omen and portent that's offered itself has confirmed me in this course of action.' He couldn't help it, his voice rose with anger at Janne's doubting him. 'Ask Sirket to read the heavens for you, as they stand now, today, here. Ask him if stars don't offer the hope of freedom for the Daish domain, from the fear of the savages and their magic, from the leeching burden of those fled from Chazen?'

  'By finding a wizard to call down magic at your order?' Janne plainly found the notion revolting.

  'Only against their wizards, and they started it,' snapped Kheda.

  'That's a child's argument!' Janne pulled the fragile mantle tight around her bare shoulders and the tear worsened. 'What will Ritsem Caid think, or Redigal Coron? How can you prove you've avoided irreparable stain by associating directly with a wizard? How will you explain this sustained deceit to them now? I thought you'd return with something that would balance such wrongdoing, not compound it!'

  'I am not required to explain myself to anyone.' Kheda restrained his temper with some difficulty. 'I will say I am oath-bound not to reveal the mystery of countering magic. Every domain has its secrets. This will become one of the Daish hidden skills. I'll swear I have undertaken every necessary purification. They will just have to trust me.' He managed a smile. 'They'll have to, if they want the assurance of Daish aid if these invaders and their sorcery ever return. For the present, all our allies need know is the magical threat is removed and we of Daish and Chazen need their help in killing the rest of the savages, at once, before they have any chance to summon new wizards. They must all sail south, launch a coordinated attack.'

  'How will we know when to do this?' Janne sounded suddenly weary. 'You've no messenger birds. Even if you did, they take time to spread their word.'

  'There will be a sign.' Kheda did his best to ignore the qualms knotting his belly.

  You claim the purity of your intent shields you from the taint of magic. Will that clarity of purpose enable you to see the future past the perversion you are planning?

  He took a dogged breath. 'You must tell Sirket this came to you, in your dreams here. There will be a red moon, or moons, I'm not entirely sure when. That's long been a sign of war. Sirket must tell the others to keep watch as well. As soon as they see it, everyone must sail south, to fight to the death.'

  'You're certain this sign will be there?' Janne narrowed her eyes at him, mistrustful.

  'I am,' said Kheda doggedly.

  Because it will be no true sign, but one you'll be fabricating with Dev's collaboration. Will you ever admit such shame to anyone, that you suborned magic to raise a false omen? Will there be enough pearls in the next harvest to keep Dev's mouth shut or will he be leeching on your fear of exposure for the rest of your life?

  Silence hung still within the circle of the wall but for a faint susurration from the tower above their heads.

  'What then?' Janne was plainly
suspicious. 'What happens after these battles, assuming you all live through it and no magic burns you to ashes where you stand, from north or south?'

  'You and I will meet here,' Kheda said slowly. 'At the next full of the Greater Moon.'

  'It'll all be over by then?' There was a desperate note of hope in Janne's question.

  'One way or the other,' Kheda replied grimly. 'Then I'll take the omens and we'll consider how best to manage my return from the dead.'

  He smiled at Janne but she did not smile back. 'Let's hope the omens are favourable.' She stirred a few of the feathers littering the ground with one gold-ringed, sandalled foot. 'If that's all we have to discuss, I had better look for guidance in whatever dreams might come to me here. Rekha and I have been visiting all the towers of the domain.'

  'So no one would remark on your visit here.' Kheda nodded his understanding.

  I hope these dreams bring reassurance that these are all steps on the right path, however distasteful.

  'Among other reasons.' Janne's eyes were shadowed. 'Until I got that message, it was always possible you were truly dead. Even then, I could only hope it was from you.'

  'It's nearly over, I promise you.' Kheda stepped forward to put his arms around her but Janne broke free of his embrace.

  'You had better leave. I should be alone to dream true.'

  'Until our next meeting, then.' Kheda bent to kiss Janne briefly on her lips. 'I'll be counting the days.'

  'As will I.' Her wistful smile tore at Kheda's heart yet, perversely, encouraged him.

  Stars above, she's plenty of reasons to be angry with you but she misses you all the same.

  Kheda gave Janne one last smile and left. Careful to keep the tower between himself and any watchful eyes from Janne's galley, he headed for the line of dunes running down the spine of the island. Ducking to keep his head below the crests tufted with coarse new grasses, he followed the path he and Risala had scouted through the hollows and gullies. The beach on the sheltered side of the islet was thick with discarded oyster shells, crunching underfoot. Kheda hurried towards the ranks of vats made from discarded hulks of fishing boats. 'Risala?'

  She appeared in the middle of the weathered, battered hulls drawn up well beyond the reach of the highest seas, tied to stakes hammered deep in the sand. 'Well?'

  Kheda skirted the boats to reach the gap they had forced open to hide the skiff, sail stretched over the lowered mast and laced to the sides to give them some shelter. As he joined Risala the faint reek of rotting shellfish rose all around him, summoned by the previous night's rains that had left the skiff ankle deep in rainwater.

  Catching his grimace, Risala grinned. 'This place must stink to high heaven during the pearl harvest.'

  'It does, believe me,' Kheda assured her. He looked at the vats waiting to be filled with the divers' haul from the sea bed, the precious pearls retrieved once the flesh had rotted away. 'I hope Dev's got his plan worked out by the time we get back. It's not that long till the harvest should start and we'll need its bounty more than ever, if we're to repay Ritsem and Redigal for their help.'

  Risala returned to tending her brightly coloured scroll, carefully unrolled on the sand and weighted with oyster shells against the inquisitive wind. 'What did Janne say?'

  'She's confident that the Chazen people are keen to go home as soon as they can,' Kheda said with relief. 'There doesn't seem to be anything to these rumours of Chazen Saril having designs on our domain. Redigal and Ritsem will fight with us too, as long as they're not facing magic. So let's be on our way.' Kheda began unlacing the sail and folding it as Risala had shown him.

  Risala carefully rolled up her scroll, blowing stray grains of sand from the delicate reed paper. 'Are you all right?'

  'Seeing Janne made me realise how much I miss my family,' Kheda said shortly. 'The sooner we get back to Dev, the sooner we can have this all done and over with. Then we can all go home.'

  'It's low tide.' Risala nodded towards the sea as she capped the leather-bound scroll case. 'We'll have to carry the boat over the reefs.'

  'Come on then.' Kheda reached for the rope at the skiff's prow and looped it around his wrists, laying the rope across his shoulder.

  With him dragging and Risala pushing from the stern, the skiff slid reluctantly over the furrowed sand. The sea was lapping lazily around the reefs, bright beneath the water but dull and dry where the tide had left them abandoned to sun and wind.

  'We'll have to wade out a bit.' Kheda rolled his head from side to side to ease his shoulders. 'We'll just ground the boat if we get in here.'

  'Fair enough.' Risala leant on the stern to catch her breath.

  Striding into the shimmering water, Kheda shivered at the touch of the rain-cooled sea on his sun-warmed legs. The skiff was easier to pull with some water beneath its hull. Kheda looked down warily to the white sand beneath his feet, mindful of the hazards Daish Reik had warned him about.

  Watch where you're stepping. An urchins spines festering in your feet can poison your blood for a slow death. The quickest way to die is frothing at the mouth because you've trodden on a sand lurker. Their venom fells in moments. It paralyses. Men have drowned in water no deeper than mid shin. Still, they're the lucky ones. That's a quick and painless death compared to the one sea snake poison brings you.'

  End up dead through some stupid accident after all you've put everyone through and Janne will kill you, the mood she's in.

  That amusement was short-lived. Kheda picked his way carefully between the rocks with their weeds and skein creatures. Kicking up sand as he waded, now waist deep, he saw small shapes dart away through the suddenly clouded water. Tension prickled between his shoulders as he found himself anticipating stabbing pain with every step. Splashes of salt water stung his dry and chapped lips and in all the scrapes and scratches he had collected.

  What would happen now, if you were truly dead? These savages would tighten their grip on Chazen, unchallenged, at leisure to move north and bring destruction to Daish whenever they wanted. Worse, you've brought a wizard here, whom you cannot trust, who knows the worst of you and your plans and could betray your memory any time he chose. Your death would hand him your family's future. You didn't realise, did you, on all that long voyage when your death would have meant so little, that your return would be the most perilous part of your journey, for everyone?

  As it happened, the worst Kheda felt was the sharp edge of a discarded shell scraping the side of his foot and the brush of something unexpectedly solid against his thigh as the sand fell away beyond the outlying line of rocks. Startled and, at the same time, finding himself forced to swim, Kheda looked down. There was nothing to be seen in the darkening depths.

  'In you get.' Risala climbed in over the skiff's stern and addressed herself to raising the sail.

  Kheda hauled himself around to the stern and climbed aboard, dripping. He reached for the oars and deftly mounted them on the thole pins.

  It's nearly done. It's nearly over. As soon as it's done, you can go home. You'll make it up to your wives and children, if it takes you all the wealth of the domain and the rest of your life to do it.

  He hauled on the oars with grim determination, driving the skiff through the waters until Risala captured an obliging wind in the triangular sail and set them on the wide, curving course that would take them out into the ocean, beyond the reach of Janne's galley and swinging round towards the anchorage where Dev would be waiting.

  He will be waiting. He will have made his plans. We will see an end to these savages and their magic.

  Chapter Nineteen

  'Do I scrape the barnacles off the skiff or is there something else you want to claim for winning that wager?' Cross-legged on the Amigal's deck, Risala grinned wryly at Kheda.

  Leaning on the skiff, now upturned and stowed safe onboard, Kheda spared her a brief smile and noted the apprehension in her eyes. 'Dev, do you have a plan?'

  Sitting beneath an oilcloth rigged from the mast to shel
ter him from sun and rain alike, the wizard was shuffling through a sheaf of creased paper, pen held between his teeth, heedless of a drip of ink on to his chest. His silver bowl was set to one side, the water within dark and oily.

  He doesn't look to have shaved or bathed since we left him. Whatever else he may be, he's plainly not zamorin, not with that beard shadow and that receding hairline. Zamorin never go bald.

  'Dev, for the last time, do you have a plan yet?' Kheda could see Dev's notes were half obliterated by copious amendments. 'I told Janne to tell Sirket and all the others to watch for a sign in the moons. At least one will have to be more than half to stir them to action, otherwise anything they'll see will be an ill omen and they'll just stay put. The greater's already at dark and the lesser's on the wane. If we don't act tonight, it'll be at least eight nights before we can do anything with hope of support.'

  And the Ruby, the Amethyst and the Diamond are in triune. Red talisman against fire, carried by the Sailfish for good luck, for those as close as brothers. The purple gem for inspiration and new ideas, riding in the arc of friendship and alliance, led by the Horned Fish, guide and friend of all who sail the seas. Bright Diamond, potent talisman for rulers and defence against corruption, it's in the arc of marriage, with the Bowl as rising sign, symbol of refreshment and sharing. If that wasn't portent enough, it dances hand in hand with the Pearl, for the Daish domain and its warlord.

  The mage looked up at the tense silence, smiling with satisfaction. 'I believe I have a plan.' He set down his bundle of papers and ran a hand over his bald pate. 'As long as at least one of you is good and handy with a bow'

  'My father had me trained in all such skills.' Kheda allowed himself a little scorn. 'A warlord cannot expect his men's respect if he cannot do himself what he asks of them.'

  Dev looked at Risala. 'What about you, girlie?'

  She smiled sweetly, though her eyes stayed hard. 'I carried my father's quiver when he went hunting for jungle fowl. As soon as I could string a bow, he set me practising on feathers tied to posts in the compound.'