Journey to Water's Heart

by Lea Ben Shlomo

  The man lying on the floor was White. Even though he was injured and bloody, Tanti still noticed his pale complexion, white clothes, and flaxen hair, which was just beginning to thin.

  His face was bruised, and his arm was soaked red with blood. It was impossible to see how bad his wound was. He lay on the floor, his breathing labored and shallow. He mumbled ceaselessly.

  “Mon… Mon… It was Mondale. He and the cheesemakers from the valley.”

  “Calm down, Anaman,” Dionun said. “Let us take care of you. Then tell me.”

  “Do you know him?” Tanti asked.

  “I know him well. Come, Tanti, help me lift him to the bed.”

  With difficulty, they lifted the large man to the bed. Tanti’s arm hurt so much that he felt that, in a minute, it would tear from his body. However, he didn’t release his hold. He had to prove to Dionun that he could take part in the planned escape. Dionun tore long strips from the sheets of the second bed. “I’m becoming an expert,” he said and hurried to wet the material.

  “Clean the blood from his arm,” he instructed Tanti, while checking the rest of the man’s body. It looked as though he had sustained a serious blow to the chest, which made breathing hard.

  While Dionun used the ointment he’d brought to dress the long gash revealed along Anaman’s arm, Tanti crouched by the wounded man and wiped his forehead. A deep darkness rose from Anaman’s eyes. Tanti rested a hand on his chest. “Breathe slowly,” he said.

  “Who are you?”

  “This is Tanti,” Dionun said. “A Hue-man from Izmeran, or something. A foreigner in our area. He also went through an interrogation, as you can see.”

  “Someone snitched, Dionun. They wouldn’t have been able to catch either of us had they not known when and where to wait.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Dionun said. “They weren’t happy to see your business flourishing. But we’ll talk about it later, Anaman. Right now, let’s focus on your healing.”

  “My children.” Anaman’s eyes filled with sorrow. “I sent them to warn the others.”

  “They must have made it, Anaman my friend. Those two brave angels arrived on time and warned the others. True Lizards, I tell you.”

  “Quiet,” Anaman said. “Spies everywhere.”

  “Yes, that’s what Galrock claims.” Dionun laughed and said, “Don’t worry. Tanti means no harm, and the guards will only be back tomorrow morning… Tanti, what are you doing?”

  “I’m withdrawing.”

  “That’s probably the right thing to do now,” Dionun mumbled and stared at Tanti, who was kneeling, his eyes half-closed, as he took deep breaths.

  Tanti put his palms on Anaman’s chest, ignoring the burning pain in his injured arm. His hands were now a conduit for golden healing, which flowed from him to the other man’s aching chest and back. Words poured out of his mouth, and his heart pounded wildly. His shoulders filled with air, and he didn’t stop. He felt the pain washing away, the crushed molecules stir and start moving, finding their right place. Time stopped.

  Anaman started breathing more slowly, inhaling and exhaling steadily. When Dionun noticed that the healing was working, he stopped what he was doing and sent Tanti a look of admiration. Tanti opened his eyes slowly, exhausted and withdrawn.

  “By tomorrow you’ll feel much better,” he told Anaman.

  “Who are you, you wondrous man? You’re not Blue nor White. You’re not a Mountain Hue-man or a Lizard. How did you get here?”

  “I’m Tanti Marin from Izmeran. I’m not a White or Blue Lizard or anything else you mentioned, although I’ve already been interrogated and tried as a Blue spy.”

  “Listen carefully, Tanti Marin. You’re here, and Dionun and I are here for the same reason. The captain of the guard, Galrock, uses us to convince his people that they have no choice but to go to war. We’re just pawns to him. I don’t know where Izmeran is or who you are. Yet it’s obvious you aren’t hostile or a spy. It doesn’t matter what you will or won’t say during your interrogation. They’ll hang you in the city square in order to rouse the people.”

  “Your words are no less concerning than Dionun’s.”

  “You should be concerned. The entire world should be concerned. Beneath all this tidy, clean whiteness, hides a power that is blacker than black.”

  “Just answer this one question,” Tanti said. “The White queen, does she share her captain of the guard’s ambitions?”

  “It seems to me that the queen, her sister, and Nikon, the head minister, aren’t aware of his actions. They believe him, remember him his fame following the War of the Century, and give him free rein.”

  “A year ago, he convinced the queen to close the borders and station guards at the passageways,” Dionun said.

  “And there’s no one who can stop him?” Tanti asked.

  Dionun and Anaman exchanged significant glances.

  “I’m getting out of here tomorrow,” Dionun said. “And Tanti is coming with me. I’m sorry, Anaman, to leave you here alone. I can’t be of much help without my head.”

  “Don’t worry about me. They only hang the Blues.”

  “I mean to go by your house, Anaman. I’ll let Golin and the children know we met. I’ll send them your love. I think that they’ll let you go eventually.”

  “They destroyed the farm, Dionun. Scattered the herd, destroyed the dairy, and burned down the facilities producing the cheese.” Anaman lifted himself slightly and grasped Dionun’s hand while weeping. “Even if they let me go, I don’t know how we’ll survive this year.”

  “Don’t fret, Anaman. Your family won’t know misery. We’ll gather the herd, rebuild the diary, and produce the cheese. Mondale won’t enjoy his deceit.”

  “Talk to the head of the village,” Anaman said. “He can help. He has a relative at the royal court.”

  “I’ll do that,” Dionun said. “And now, we must return to our room and put things back in place. At dawn, I’ll come over to take off the bandages, before the guards arrive.”

  “Thank you. Thank you both. I think I can allow myself several hours of sleep. Remember, I must see you before you leave.”

  “We’ll come to say goodbye,” Dionun said. After making sure Anaman was ready for sleep, he helped Tanti climb over the wall. Then he quickly put the table and chair back in place and made sure to cover the torn sheet. Shortly after, he and Tanti were in their beds as well.

  Chapter 15

  Lizards

  Two White guards, wearing their extravagant uniforms, unlocked the three locks on the heavy wood door. They entered the room exactly on time, with the condemned prisoners’ breakfast. Whether the prisoners knew or guessed, it seemed as though their mood was similar to their physical condition, which was extremely poor. The new prisoner lay in his bed, his wounds open and his lips swollen, shaking from the cold and sobbing with pain. The second one sat in a chair at the table, his back hunched, a foolish, ingratiating grin on his face. He didn’t move when the guards entered. His eyes gleamed greedily when he saw the breakfast served, and his wide grin exposed his buckteeth. When they placed the plates on the table, the wounded prisoner tried to get up. They didn’t bother to help him. When the prisoner sitting at the table reached out to his friend’s plate, one of the guards smacked his neck. “Be satisfied with what’s yours,” he said and turned to leave with his friend.

  But then, the guard noticed the torn corner of the sheet. Horrified, he approached Tanti’s bed and pulled the blanket off of him. He noticed the bloodstains and infected liquids that seeped through the strips of sheet, which served as bandages and soiled the sheet. He recoiled in disgust. Then, immediately remembering his duty, he straightened, gestured to his friend, and the two of them left. Dionun winked at Tanti and signaled to him to stay in place. He took the rolls and fruit from Tanti’s plate and quickly put them in the bag beneath his b
ed. After that, he sat in the same place as before, hunched and vacant. Shortly after, the guards returned with a sparkling clean sheet. They lifted Tanti, carried him to the chair, and sat him there. Quickly, they stripped the bed of the filthy, torn sheet, not noticing that Dionun had pushed Tanti to the floor.

  “I think he’s done for it,” one of them said.

  “It’ll be a huge disappointment if he doesn’t come to the big show the day after tomorrow,” the other one said and snickered. His friend shushed him. They picked Tanti up and sat him at the table.

  “Eat!” they said. “You have to regain your strength!” They burst into laughter and deftly stretched the sheet over the bed. Tanti swayed and his head fell, with Dionun’s enthusiastic help, onto the plate.

  The White guards were finally satisfied with the sheet. One of them reached out to pick up the filthy sheet, and Dionun started gobbling down the rolls, shoving as much as he could into his mouth, chewing and sucking and humming in satisfaction. He tried to say something, spraying crumbs all over the place. His hand bumped into his plate, upending it into his lap, and he continued eating the leftovers from his clothes. The shocked guards rushed to complete their tasks. When he shoved his hand into Tanti’s plate and pulled the yolk from the egg, adding it to the pulp in his mouth, they could no longer endure the sight. They hurried out of the room, while the prisoner praised the taste of the egg, the sticky yolk pouring down both sides of his mouth.

  Dionun straightened the minute the door closed.

  “Why on earth did you behave that way?” Tanti asked. Why did you shove my head into the plate?”

  Dionun didn’t answer. He listened as the footsteps grew fainter, quickly wiped his mouth on his clothes, and triumphantly lifted the dirty sheet that the guards had left when they had rushed away. “Those Whites are birdbrains,” he said and started tearing thin strips of the sheet.

  “Help me, Tanti,” he said. “We’ll make a rope out of these strips, which will get us out of here.” He showed Tanti an easy method of braiding that made a rope, as long as there were enough strips. While Tanti braided the white rope, trying to ignore the pain in his left arm, Dionun jumped, climbed, and disappeared beyond the wall. It was silent for the next hour. Tanti assumed that tireless Dionun had gone wandering again.

  After a while, he heard whispering. “Calm down, Anaman. Calm down. I’ll be back later, and Tanti will come take care of you as soon as the guards leave. You have two and a half hours to write. If you hear from me, hide the papers immediately.”

  “As you say, Lizard. Do it.”

  Dionun didn’t answer. He’d already jumped into the room and was examining Tanti’s work. “Very good, very good,” he mumbled distractedly.

  “How’s Anaman?” Tanti asked.

  “It looks like he’ll heal. His body, I mean. He’s still upset, worried, and tense. You should repeat last night’s treatment. This time, aim for the heart.” Dionun paced the room.

  “Listen to me, Tanti,” he said. “I’ve discovered a passage through which you can also pass.” He told Tanti his plan and taught him the sign language they’d be using during their escape.

  “Dionun,” Tanti said, while admiring the sophistication and simplicity of the signs he was memorizing diligently. “What’s a Lizard?”

  Dionun took a deep breath. His expression changed. The constant movement of his body ceased, and he looked like a different man.

  “If only you hadn’t asked,” he said and sat down. The two were silent as the question hovered in the air.

  “We’re not sure how the War of the Edges began,” Dionun finally said. “How kings and rulers started attacking each other, sending their people to their deaths under the guise of slogans of justice and ancient rights. They waved flags and incited hate by respectively emphasizing their colors. The Whites wanted to conquer the limestone mountains that bordered Blue Nautilin. The Reds rose from the east. The Hue-mans suddenly emerged, their involvement in the war unclear, apart from their desire to expand their kingdom by pushing out the Swamp Dwellers. A wind of unrest seized the world. Enthusiasm and hero worship. The military commanders became influential and powerful. Those resisting the war were imprisoned and executed. Only the parents of the injured and dead soldiers didn’t find solace in the decorations of valor sent with the bodies of their loved ones. But they didn’t dare open their mouths and complain. No one listened to them anyway. This is how things have always been, when kings and princes are embroiled in power struggles and issues of inheritance, which are accompanied by cruelty and bubbling resentment between men and their brothers, resentment that is stronger than their hatred for the enemy.

  “At the time, the power of the mages and confidants grew. Many still claim that they’re the ones who caused conflict and incited hate. Oddly, most of them have lived an unusually long life.

  “I won’t weary you, Tanti, with the historical ups and downs of our region,” he said. “I’ll just tell you that the Whites grew very strong. Their young commander of the guard, Garuff, won the battles in which he took part. He crushed the Swamp Dwellers and the Reds, who were almost completely annihilated. It was obvious that soon enough the Whites would attack Nautilin. And that’s when the first Lizard appeared.

  “Lizard was a young man who lived in the rocky limestone mountains that bordered with White Anura. His mother died when he was a child, and his father didn’t know how to take care of his lively, rebellious son, who was restless from the day his mother vanished from his life. When his father married again, his new wife preferred her own children and abused her stepson. He retaliated by playing pranks on her. Pranks for which he was punished and severely beaten. He would wander the hills and forests, and sometimes didn’t come home for several days, until one day, he left home for good and settled in a cave in the mountains. He grew up alone, finding his food in the vegetation and animals in nature. Sometimes, he’d appear in his birth village, sneaking between the market stalls accompanied by a wolf, as rangy and filthy as he was. He would exchange the berries and mushrooms he gathered, or the animals he trapped, for the goods he needed. Then he’d disappear back into the mountains, without going to visit his father’s house. His ability to climb steep surfaces and survive harsh conditions served him well in the area where he lived. He started growing grapes and raising sheep. Few remembered his real name. “Lizard” was what everyone called him because of his dark hair and skin, and his ability to climb vertical rocks and stone walls, like a lizard.

  “When the White army approached the mountain border, he started gathering around him youngsters, some of them outlaws on the run, some adventurers and challenge seekers. He trained them and turned them into warriors with rare physical skills. He taught them how to make their bodies flexible, cling to bare steep rocks with nothing but their hands and feet, find their food in nature, and use their surroundings as a lethal weapon in order to create an advantage in a battle. Despite the rigorous training and strict discipline, many young Blues joined his ranks. Living in the wilderness and dealing daily with life-risking dangers thrilled them, and his power grew. The Blue king of the time, who was concerned about the Whites’ rise to power, heard about these legendary warriors who called themselves ‘Lizards’ and sent them help. He appointed Lizard as Commander of the Special Forces, and when fighting broke out on the border, the Lizards started harassing the Whites, disrupting their orderly ranks. They’d pop up among them without warning. The Whites didn’t know how to cope with their fighting methods. Mainly, they damaged the Anurians pride and self-confidence. The White enemy was no longer invincible.

  “There was a standstill in the battles. The confused Whites wanted to regroup and strengthen their hold in the area. Shortly after, battles recommenced. By now, the Blues’ confidence had increased, and many were willing to join the army.

  “That was when the much-admired White queen died mysteriously. The king was despondent over her dea
th and fell gravely ill. He preferred to pass the monarchy to his young son, a dreamy, tenderhearted creature who fell in love with a smart, vivacious Red princess and married her. Under her influence, the war at the eastern border ended at once. It was quickly realized that the young royal couple wasn’t under the influence of the mages, as their parents had been.

  “The young king, who was considered weak and looked fragile, didn’t give in to the mages’ pressures and did what he could to stop the battling.

  “In Nautilin, the king was replaced. The king of Anura signed a treaty with him, despite the protests of Military Commander Galrock and the mage White Lune. There were rumors and suspicions that White Lune was responsible for the death of the White queen and the continuous illness of the king. He was imprisoned here, in this tower.

  “The Lizards, who were supposed to disband and return to their respective homes, stuck with their leader, Lizard, and continued their training. Without an enemy to fight against, some of them started initiating missions in which they could realize their exalted skills. They didn’t obey their leader’s orders and, with time, became a gang of ruffians that made a living from thieving and looting. They were persecuted by the law and added secrecy and escape to their growing list of skills. When Lizard died, the Lizards disbanded. The gang weakened and stopped their activity almost completely. Only lately, as a result of the closing of the borders and the renewed hostility between the Whites and Blues, have the Lizards become active again, led by the son of a senior Lizard whose name I won’t mention. He set himself a goal to train the young men and turn them into warriors, who vowed to fight for their people. They wouldn’t let those who broke the law join their ranks. The group changed. They joined a similar group of Whites, in which the discipline was even stricter. Yet Lizard activity is still forbidden. The king of Nautilin views them as a bunch of thieves and is afraid to let them gain power.”

  Dionun fell silent.