Journey to Water's Heart

by Lea Ben Shlomo

  “I promise I’ll bring you fruit. Now move!” Tanti shoved Gayalo and went to the stair. The steep path would take them down the mountain.

  Tanti didn’t understand the logic of the locals, who had set up rocks that turned on their axes, and had paved twisting one-way paths and steps in a rocky mountain, which even goats and donkeys would have a hard time navigating. Yet despite the difficulty, he decided to make his way down the steep path without any further delay.

  He hurried to organize his stuff.

  Climbing down the stone ledge to the first step was difficult and dangerous for Gayalo. The horse cooperated, mostly because of his burning desire to reach the other side of the shrub bursting with fruit. As the two of them stood there, Gayalo ate while Tanti gathered handfuls of fruit into a cloth bag.

  Barely managing to pull Gayalo away from his meal, they started their dangerous, tiresome journey down the steep path, while Tanti coaxed his horse forward with the sweet fruit.

  “If the road ends in the middle of the way,” Tanti said, “you and I will find ourselves in a lot of trouble. We probably won’t find another fine shelter like the cave where we spent the night. Nor will we find a nice room with a balcony overlooking an exquisite view. This is the perfect inn for winged creatures. Take another fruit and come, Gayalo. We only have two-thirds of the way left.”

  By the time they reached the desired plains, it was noon. Despite his bruises and injuries, caused by slipping down the steep slopes, despite his sunburned face and the fact that his legs no longer carried him, he blessed his good luck for finding the path that led him to the open plains.

  For a long time, he lay under a leafy tree, eating fruit, as well as two squashed fritters left in his bag, and a bite from a red apple. A tiny, snowy white bird stood on a branch above him and chirped. Its melodious chirping sounded like the chime of fragile glass bells. Tanti whistled softly, and the bird answered, warbling, and made a long, yearning sound. Tanti whistled again, imitating it. More sounds were added to its song. Another bird landed on the branch beside it, and the two birds immediately flew off and disappeared.

  Tanti rose and continued walking, wishing to take advantage of the daylight hours. He passed a wide field of wheat, followed by huge stone pillars scattered around, which looked like tree trunks and enormous white statues. The wind raised clouds of fine dust. Tanti held his hat so it wouldn’t fly away and wandered among the stone pillars. He thought he saw people walking and disappearing among the windy swaths of dust. A faint sound of drums echoed in his ears and then disappeared. Tanti shuddered and wished to keep his distance from the place.

  The cool wind grew stronger, and he wrapped the scarf around his neck more securely. He noticed a towering white wall built from chiseled stones. He couldn’t see a thing beyond it. Judging by the large stones, all similar in size, Tanti assumed this was the large wall of the city. He hoped to reach the city gate and find an inn to stay at, where he could enjoy a good meal, sleep in a safe, protected room, and recharge before continuing his journey. Gayalo also needed tending to and rest. The descent down the mountain had worn his hooves.

  He walked along the wall, the rising wind hindering his progress. After a long time, he noticed a wood-and-iron gate. When he came closer, he saw the gate was securely locked. No one stood by it. He stood there, shouting, requesting to be let in. He knocked on the gate with a stone, but there was no answer from the other side.

  Tanti examined the place. The bottom half of the door was covered with dust. Weeds grew, twisting around its hinges. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years. He continued riding along the white wall. The wind blew harder in the gully formed between the hills at his right and the wall. Its incessant howl agitated his senses, and the cold crept beneath his scarf. Tanti considered turning toward the hill, climbing it, and trying to observe the city from there. Maybe he’d see the entrance from there. He was afraid the climb would worsen Gayalo’s legs and hooves, and decided to continue walking down the route he was taking now. Suddenly, the road was blocked by the mountain wall. The rocks looked as though they’d been ripped out of place and covered the wall. He dismounted from the horse and, with no other choice, turned toward the hill to climb it and bypass the barrier. By then, he had to beg Gayalo to follow him, talking endlessly and coaxing him with soft words and the remainder of his food. Then, to his relief, he noticed that the avalanche of stones created a ledge that allowed him to comfortably cross to the other side of the wall. He walked faster.

  The minute they passed the wall, the wind ceased. He found himself walking through a grove of acacia trees. Apart from the rustle of leaves and the ancient song of trees, which flowed inside him and touched his heart, all was silent. The grove was softly lit. Rays of sun penetrated the foliage, creating slanting lines of radiance among the leaves. Tanti walked among the trees, making his way carefully in order not to eclipse the whisper of the leaves. The branches were full of white blossoms, which fell softly on his head and face, like gentle snow. Under one of the trees was a wide bench, its backrest depicting intricate etchings of winding shapes and peacocks, whose stylized tails touched each other and created a fan. Tanti was happy to see that he was approaching a place inhabited by people. He passed by the bench while stepping on the carpet of petals, when he heard approaching voices. He retreated, instructing Gayalo to stop, and hid behind the split trunk of an ancient tree. From where he stood, he peeked through the gap between the two trunks and saw three women walking toward him.

  He wondered if he was dreaming. The women walking beneath the snow of flowers looked as though they were floating in it. Between two elegantly dressed ladies walked the queen. Even though she was short of stature, every movement she made exuded queenliness, with her straight back and proud neck. Her long white dress flowed behind her. Her hair, the color of wheat, cascaded down her shoulders, curling at the ends. On her head was a crown of pearls. Just as Tanti had expected, the queen and her ladies sat on the bench facing him. He stroked Gayalo’s forehead to calm him, and considered emerging from his hiding place and revealing himself, but then he continued looking at them.

  The queen held a bundle of letters in her hand and read from them. Her oval face was delicately rendered, apart from her full, expressive lips, which stood out against her pale skin. “Our noble people will not be able to endure for long the White presence near its borders, the constant attempts to infiltrate, conquer, and rule territories that aren’t yours…” she read out loud.

  Tanti was mesmerized by her beautiful, frowning face and her soft, supple mouth. The pupils of her light eyes darted quickly over the page she was reading, her forehead furrowing and her cheeks flushing softly.

  “How dare he?” she kept saying. “How dare he write this and send me these ugly lies?”

  “Please, Queen Laorin,” said one of her ladies. “Don’t let the words of a foolish Blue king upset you.”

  “None of what he writes is true. Why does he insist on sending his provocative and offensive letters? Haven’t we done everything to maintain the stability of the borders, as they were when my parents left them to me?”

  “He probably wants Hey Hill back. I heard it was discussed in the Council of Ministers. He’s provoking you in order to cause a war.”

  “Certainly not. Under no condition will there be a war here. No good comes from war, apart from casualties and devastation.” The queen raised her head. “I’m not going to react to these provocations.” She tore up the letter and flung it away. Torn pieces of paper floated around. One of the women reached down, collected the torn pieces, and put them in her pocket.

  “Who is this villain upsetting the fairest of all the queens in the world?” Tanti wondered. “Whether he is a Blue king or a Green bandit, he deserves to be ripped to pieces, like his letters.”

  “Look, Queen Laorin,” said the taller lady, wishing to distract the queen from her anger. “Look how gently the flowers
of the grove are falling.” Her friend reached out, collecting the petals in her hand. “Little white gifts,” she whispered.

  “White gifts.” The queen sighed. “White birds. White peacocks on a white bench. If only one flower in the kingdom was of another color. Yellow, or perhaps…red…”

  “A red flower?” the two women said, absolutely horrified. “Have mercy on us, Queen Laorin. How awful; how inappropriate.”

  The queen reached out toward the falling flowers. “Each and every flower was alive. Now, detached from its crown, it plunges to its death. If only there was at least one petal that wasn’t white. My soul yearns for change…”

  On her palm landed a soft, red tassel. Then a blue one. For a moment, the queen froze. The girls recoiled in fright. The queen regained her composure and pulled her hand back, looking at the colorful tassels in wonder. She raised her head and looked at the young man, standing in his colorful clothes in the middle of the white grove, a long-necked horse with a brown spot on its forehead at his side.

  Tanti took a step forward, removed his hat, and bowed deeply.

  “Who are you?” the queen asked. The girls hurried to stand on both sides of her, to protect their queen.

  “Tanti Marin from Izmeran, at your service, Your Majesty.” Tanti bowed again.

  “How did you get here? Izmeran is beyond the Black Mountains. I’ve never heard of anyone who managed to cross them.”

  “I was lucky,” Tanti said. “I managed to pass the canyon of the furroids almost unscathed.”

  “And how did your horse cross the rocky mountain?”

  “Well, to tell you the truth, we plunged into the slide. I mean, I spun in after Gayalo… I mean, my horse jumped into the tunnel, and I couldn’t abandon him. We spun until we reached the stone ledge…”

  “I don’t understand a word you’re saying,” the queen said. One of the ladies whispered something in her ear. The queen nodded. “Between furroids and slides, Izmerandi, have you come across any soldiers? Did no one try to stop you?” she asked, and gave her ladies a significant look.

  “Guards?” Tanti mumbled. “Soldiers… I passed by stone pillars that looked like statues. I heard drumming and marching. That’s what it seemed like, although I’m not sure if it really happened, or if I lost my mind because of all the white overwhelming my senses.”

  “‘All the white’ probably causes many to lose their minds,” the queen said, almost to herself.

  “Your words are strange, man,” said one of the ladies.

  “So are your clothes,” said the other.

  “And who are these furroid creatures? Why were they chasing you?” the women asked.

  “Haven’t you heard of the hairy cave dwellers who live on both sides of the canyon, and regard passersby like me as a delicacy? Obviously, you don’t travel much.”

  “No. We don’t travel much.” The women laughed.

  Queen Laorin sighed from the bottom of her heart. She examined the tassels in her hand once more.

  “What else have you encountered in your journey, Tin… Tanin…”

  “Tanti Marin.”

  The queen smiled. “Would you be kind enough to accompany us to the castle and tell us more about those ravenous furry creatures, the images in the rock, and the dizzying tunnels?”

  “At your order, Your Majesty.” He was willing to go to the ends of the world if she ordered him to do so.

  “Of course,” the queen said. “We’ll serve you bread and wine. And white cheese, which is considered a delicacy in Anura and all of the neighboring countries. Your horse will be tended to as well. I see bite marks on his legs…”

  “Guard!” Just then, a thunderous voice was heard. “Seize at once the Blue spy who has infiltrated the palace!”

  Soldiers dressed in white uniforms rushed into the grove. Two of them grasped Tanti’s arms. A tall man, wearing a uniform weighed down by medals made of gold and silver, stood before him. His hair was graying, and a white mustache covered half of his scowling face. He bowed before the queen.

  “I’m glad I arrived in time to capture the elusive Blue spy,” he said. “My people told me they saw a stranger approaching the city walls. Then, when we lost him, we surrounded the area and reinforced our searches. Fortunately, we arrived before the damage was done.”

  “I’m not a spy,” Tanti said. “And I’m not Blue, thank God.”

  “He doesn’t look all that Blue to me,” the queen said.

  “Of course,” he said. “As a spy, he must conceal his identity. I’d say he did it very originally.”

  “We’d better check the matter, Galrock.” The queen closed her fist on the colorful tassels in her hand. “Had he wanted to hurt me, he would’ve done it by now.”

  “Perhaps he was sent only to collect information,” Galrock said. “If he reports on the breach in the wall, all too soon we’ll find ourselves under the threat of intrusion. Then I’ll have to tighten security and station guards around the place, in order to ensure your safety.” He signaled to his soldiers, who had surrounded Tanti. “Take him to the White Tower,” he said.

  The queen paled. “Don’t you think you should interrogate him first before locking him up in prison?”

  “Of course we’ll interrogate him. In the meantime, we must make sure he won’t escape or contact his people. And take that giraffe of a horse to the south enclosure. They wouldn’t mind another beast of burden.”

  Tanti, who up until then stood stunned, regained his senses when he heard the insult hurled at his horse. He wrenched his arms loose and started thrashing around. “Don’t you dare touch my horse! He’s not a beast of burden!” He tried to attack Galrock, but the soldiers overpowered him. They held him and tied his hands back. Tanti continued thrashing, kicking, and raging. “Gayalo, run! Get out of here!” he hollered.

  The queen approached the horse and stroked the brown stain on his forehead.

  “I’d like to look over Gayalo a bit more,” she said. “Look at his hooves, how worn they are. Take him to my stables in the meantime and tend to his wounds.” She stared at Tanti for a long time. Tanti calmed down. Despite the scowl on her face, Tanti understood Gayalo would enjoy her patronage.

  Galrock, although unhappy with her decision, didn’t protest, as he had his “Blue spy,” which was enough for him. He gestured at his soldiers, and they led Tanti away.

  When he passed by the queen, Tanti stopped and bowed. He wanted to explain that there was a mistake, to ask her to cancel the decree. But the cold look in her eyes froze his heart. “Furry creatures and stone pillars,” she said. “Spiraling tunnels.” Her light eyes were cold and piercing. “Lies and tall tales. To think I almost believed your stories.”

  She turned around and walked away, her ladies with her.

  Chapter 12

  Prisoner

  The guards dragged Tanti away. His heart was heavy. Just one moment ago, a door had opened to a world of light—a magical, enjoyable world—and it had immediately slammed in his face. Now, the grove looked neglected and gloomy. He barely noticed the path leading to the palace, flanked by handsome bushes, meticulously clipped.

  For a while, Tanti and his guards walked silently down the wide path, until they reached a white iron gate with scrolled designs depicting long-necked cranes among branches and flowers. Beyond the gate sprawled a beautiful flower garden. Flowers and shrubs were organized symmetrically, with gravel paths passing among them. The flower beds were surrounded by surfaces covered with glass pebbles the color of milk, while other surfaces were covered with crystal pebbles. Delicate, gleaming-white marble statues stood among the white flowers, planted like rings around trees and between fountains and water basins.

  The meticulous sight calmed him a bit. Soon, they’d find out they had made a mistake and set him free. He tried to express his admiration before the guards, but when he slowed down and
turned to them, they prodded him with their sticks to continue walking, their expressions frozen.

  Then he saw the White Castle, tall and intimidating. For a moment, he forgot his predicament and stared at the complicated structure, with its numerous windows and doors surrounded by decorated columns, lintels, and cornices. Apart from the wide entrance and the stairs descending from it, all the windows were long and narrow, as were the roof balustrades and the pointy towers. The castle, with all its towers and buildings, looked as though it were reaching up, aspiring to rise even higher and merge with the pale skies.

  Next to the castle was a lone structure. It was a tall, gloomy tower. Spiral stairs surrounded the lower part of the structure and then seemed to disappear within it. The guards took him there. With every step, Tanti felt his spirits plummet. While climbing the cool stairs, a disturbing thought plagued him. How would he set himself free without revealing the true purpose of his stay? How could he prove he wasn’t a spy? He had to provide a logical reason for his presence in Anura. On the other hand, old Aklivor had issued dire warnings about revealing anything concerning the mushroom. He tried to think of several stories, but they seemed easily refuted. He’d have to stay close to the truth without telling the truth. Yet what would he say? His head started pounding. His legs grew weary from the endless climb up the steps.

  Finally, the climb came to an end. They circled the landing, passed by locked doors, and stopped before a heavy wood door. A guard waiting for them unlocked the door. Tanti was shoved inside, and the door slammed behind him.

  He realized how grave his situation was. He started pummeling the door and shouting. “Open up! You’ve made a mistake! I’m not a spy!”