The Quest tes-4

by Wilbur Smith

  He woke in the first silver glimmer of day to a sense of elation for which he could find no reason. He left Meren snoring and went out on to the lawns, which were pearled with dew. The sun had just gilded the cliffs. Without further thought, except to check that the Periapt was still suspended from its chain round his neck, he set off for the upper gardens once more.

  As he entered the gardens his sense of well-being became stronger.

  He did not lean upon his staff but shouldered it and struck out with long, determined strides. The pathway to the grotto of the imp was not

  obscured. When he reached it he found the nook deserted. Once he had determined that he was alone, he quartered the ground swiftly, looking for some trace of a living being. No other person had been there.

  Even the ground over which his other self had walked, although damp and soft, showed no tracks of human feet. Nothing made sense. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to trust his own sanity, and to accept the evidence of his mind and senses. The witch was leading him to the borders of madness.

  Gradually he became aware of music: the silvery slither of sistrums and the staccato tapping of a finger drum. He clasped the Periapt tightly and turned slowly to face the mouth of the grotto, half in dread and half in defiance of what he might see.

  A solemn ceremonial procession issued from the mouth of the cave and paced down the moss-covered ledges. Four weird creatures bore on their shoulders a palanquin of gold and ivory. The first bearer was the ibis-headed Thoth, the god of learning. The second was Anuke, the goddess of war, magnificent in golden armour and armed with bow and arrows. The third was Heh, the god of infinity and long life, his visage green as an emerald, his eyes shining yellow; he carried the Palm Fronds of a Million Years. The last was Min, the god of virility and fertility, who wore a crown of vulture feathers; his phallus was fully erect and rose from his loins like a marble column.

  Upon the palanquin stood a splendid figure twice the height of any mortal man. Its skirt was cloth-of-gold. Its bracelets and anklets were of purest gold, its breastplate was of gold set with lapis-lazuli, turquoise and carnelians and on its head rested the double crown of Egypt, with the heads of the royal cobra and vulture at the brow. Crossed over its jewelled pectorals the figure held the symbolic flails of power.

  'Hail, Pharaoh Tamose!' Taita greeted him. 'I am Taita, who eviscerated your earthly body and attended you during the ninety days of mourning. I wrapped the bandages of mummification about your corpse and laid you in your golden sarcophagus.'

  'I see and acknowledge you, Taita of Gallala, you who were once less than Pharaoh, but who shall be mightier than any pharaoh who has ever lived.'

  'You were pharaoh of all Egypt, the greatest kingdom that ever was.

  There could never be another mightier than you.'

  'Approach the pool, Taita. Gaze into it and see what fate awaits you.'

  Taita stepped to the edge and looked down into the water. For a

  moment he swayed with vertigo. He seemed to be standing on > the pinnacle of the highest mountain on earth. The oceans, deserts and lesser mountain ranges were spread far below him.'

  'Behold all the kingdoms of the earth,' said the image of the pharaoh.

  'Behold all the cities and temples, green lands, forests and pastures.

  Behold the mines and quarries from which slaves bring forth the precious metals and glittering stones. Behold the treasuries and arsenals wherein are stored the accumulations of the ages. These shall all be yours to possess and rule.' Pharaoh waved the golden flails, and the scene changed beneath Taita's gaze.

  Mighty armies marched across the plains. The horsetail plumes surmounting the bronze helmets of the warriors frothed like sea spume. The armour, the blades and the spearheads glittered like the stars of the heavens. The warhorses reared and plunged in the traces of the chariots.

  The mailed tread of marching feet and the rumble of wheels shook the earth. The rear ranks of this vast array were cloaked in the dust of their advance so it seemed there was no limit to their multitudes.

  'These are the armies you shall command,' cried Pharaoh. Again he waved the jewelled flails, and the scene changed again.

  Taita beheld a vista of all the oceans and seas. Across this mighty main sailed squadrons of warships. There were galleys and biremes with double banks of oars, their sails embellished with paintings of dragons and boars, lions, monsters and mythical creatures. The pounding of the drums set the beat for the oarsmen, and the waters creamed and curled before the long bronze beaks of their fighting rams. The numbers of warships were so vast that they covered the oceans from horizon to far horizon.

  'Behold, Taita! These are the navies you shall command. No man or nation will prevail against you. You will have power and dominion over all the earth and its peoples.' Pharaoh pointed the flails directly at him.

  His voice seemed to fill the air and stun the senses, like the thunder of the heavens.

  'These things are within your grasp, Taita of Gallala.' Pharaoh stooped and, with the flail, touched Min's shoulder. The god's great phallus twitched. 'You shall have indefatigable virility and potency.'

  Then he touched the shoulder of Heh, the god of infinity and long life; he waved the Palm Fronds of a Million Years. 'You shall be blessed with youth eternal in a body whole and perfect.'

  Then he touched Thoth, the god of wisdom and all learning, who

  opened his long, curved beak and uttered a harsh, resounding cry. 'You shall be given the key to all wisdom, learning and knowledge.'

  When Pharaoh touched the last divine figure, Anuke clashed her sword against her shield. 'You shall triumph in war, and hold dominion over earth, sea and heaven. The wealth of all nations shall be yours to command, and their peoples will bow down before you. All these are being offered to you, Taita of Gallala. You have but to reach out your hand and seize them.'

  The golden image of Pharaoh stood tall and regarded Taita with a straight, burning gaze. Then, with solemn majesty, the bearers carried the palanquin back into the dark recesses of the grotto. The vision faded and disappeared.

  Taita sank down upon the grass and whispered, 'No more. I can suffer no more temptations. They are part of the great Lie, but no mortal man can resist them. Against all reason my mind longs to accept them as the Truth. They arouse hunger and craving in me that will destroy my senses and deprave my eternal soul.'

  When at last he left the grotto and went down, he found Meren waiting for him at the garden gates: 'I tried to find you, Magus. I had a premonition that you were in danger and might need my help, but I lost my way in these jungles.'

  'All is well, Meren. You have no need for concern, although I value your help above all other.'

  'The woman doctor is asking for you. I know not what she wants of you, but it is my instinct that we should not trust her too far or too deeply.'

  'I shall bear your advice in mind. However, good Meren, thus far she has not treated you unkindly, has she.7'

  'Perchance there is more to her kindness than we are aware of.'

  Hannah came to the point as soon as they had exchanged greetings.

  'Colonel That Ankut has delivered to me a decree from the Supreme Council signed by Lord Aquer. I apologize for any inconvenience or embarrassment that this may cause you, but I am commanded to conduct an examination of your person and to furnish the Council immediately with a full report. This may take some time. I would be

  most obliged, therefore, if you would accompany me to my rooms so that we may begin at once.'

  Taita was surprised by Hannah's peremptory tone, until he realized that a decree from the Supreme Council would have the same force and urgency in Jarri as a pharaonic order under the Hawk Seal in Karnak.

  'Of course, Doctor. I shall be pleased to comply with the decree.'

  Hannah's spacious rooms were in one of the most distant blocks of the sanatorium, tiled with pale limestone. They were austere and free of clutter. Two rows of large glass contain
ers were set out along a bank of stone shelves against the far wall. In each one, a human foetus floated in a clear liquid that was evidently some kind of preservative. On the lower shelf the nine specimen foetuses were arranged according to the age at which they had been taken from the womb. The smallest was no more than a pale tadpole and the largest just short of full term.

  On the upper shelf all of the foetuses were grossly deformed, some with more than two eyes, others with missing limbs and one with grotesque twin heads. Taita had never seen such a collection. Even as a surgeon, accustomed to the sight of mutilated and distorted human flesh, he was repelled by this explicit display of pathetic relics.

  'She must have a special interest in child-bearing,' he thought, as he recalled the unusually large number of pregnant women he had seen since he had been at the Cloud Gardens. The rest of the room was dominated by a large examination table, hewn from a single block of limestone. Taita realized that Hannah probably used it for operations and deliveries, because grooves were chiselled into the stone top and a drain hole at the foot channelled fluids into a bowl placed on the floor below.

  Hannah began the examination by asking Taita for samples of his urine and stools. He was only a little taken aback. He had met a surgeon in Ecbatana who had had a morbid fascination with the excretory processes, but he had not expected one of Hannah's status to show similar interest. Nevertheless he allowed himself to be led to a cubicle where one of her assistants provided him with a large bowl and a jug of water with which to wash himself once he had satisfied her request.

  When he returned to Hannah, she examined his output, then asked him to lie face up on her table. Once he was at full length, she transferred her interest from the contents of his bowels to his nose, eyes, ears and mouth. Her assistant used a polished silver disc to direct the beam from an oil lamp into them. Then she placed her ear against

  his chest and listened intently to his breathing and the beating of his heart.

  'You have the heart and lungs of a young man. No wonder you are a Long Liver. If only we were all allowed to partake of the Font.' She was talking more to herself than to him.

  'The Font?' he asked.

  'No matter.' She realized her lapse and glossed over it. 'Take no notice of an old woman's idle chatter.' She did not look up, but continued her examination.

  Taita opened his Inner Eye, and saw that the fringes of her aura were distorted, a sign that she regretted mentioning the Font. Then he saw the distortion clear, and her aura harden as she closed her mind to further questions he might ask about it. Clearly it must be one of the deeper secrets of the Guild. He would bide his time.

  Hannah completed her examination of his chest, then stood back and looked squarely into his eyes. 'Now I must examine the injuries to your manhood,' she said.

  Instinctively Taita reached down with both hands to protect himself.

  'Magus, you are a man entire in your mind and soul. Your flesh is damaged. I believe I may be able to repair it. I have been ordered to do so by an authority I dare not gainsay. You can oppose me, in which case I shall be forced to call for my assistants and, if necessary, for Colonel That Ankut and his men to assist me. Or you can make it easier for both of us.' Still Taita hesitated. She went on quietly, 'I have nothing but the deepest respect for you. I have no wish to humiliate you. On the contrary, I wish to shield you from humiliation. Nothing would give me deeper satisfaction than to be able to repair your injuries so that you may command the respect of all the earth for the perfection of your body as well as that of your mind.'

  He knew that yet another temptation had been placed before him, but there seemed no way in which he could resist it. In any case, if he co-operated it might carry him one step closer to Eos. He closed his eyes and raised his hands from his groin. He crossed his arms over his chest and lay quiescent. He felt her lift the skirts of his tunic and touch him lightly. Unbidden, the lascivious images that the imp had placed in his mind returned. He clenched his teeth to prevent himself groaning.

  'I have finished,' said Hannah. 'Thank you for your courage. I will send my report to the Council with Colonel That Ankut when you leave us tomorrow.'

  Tomorrow, he thought. He knew he should have been relieved and happy to be escaping from this hell that masqueraded as paradise. Instead, he experienced the opposite emotion. He did not want to leave, arid he looked forward eagerly to being allowed to return. Eos was still playing shadow games with his mind.

  It would be another hour before the sun showed above the wall of the crater, but Colonel That and his escort were waiting in the stable yard when Taita and Meren came out of their quarters, Meren carrying their bags. He slung his on to the bay, then went to Windsmoke and strapped Taita's behind her saddle. When Taita came to her, the mare whinnied a greeting and nodded vigorously. Taita patted her neck.

  'I have missed you also, but they must have been feeding you too much dhurra,' he admonished her. 'Either that or you are in foal again.'

  They mounted and followed Tinat's troop out through the colonnade and across the lawns to the lake's beach. Taita turned in the saddle and looked back as they reached the point where the path entered the forest.

  The sanatorium buildings seemed deserted: there was no sign of life except the plumes of steam rising from the vents of the flues that carried the hot waters from the springs under the floors. He had expected that Hannah might come to see them off, and was mildly disappointed. They had shared unusual experiences over the previous weeks. He respected her learning and dedication to her calling, and he had begun to like her.

  He faced forward again and followed the escort into the woods.

  That rode ahead with the vanguard. He had spoken to Taita just once since they had left the clinic, to exchange a brusque, formal greeting.

  Taita felt his unnatural desire to remain in the Cloud Gardens recede as they approached the entrance to the tunnel through the crater wall that led into the outer world. He thought of being reunited with Fenn, and his spirits soared. Meren was whistling his favourite marching song, a monotonous, tuneless sound, but a sure sign of his good humour. Taita had grown accustomed to it over the thousands of leagues that he had listened to it and it no longer irritated him.

  As the gates of the tunnel appeared, That fell back and rode beside him. 'You should don your cloaks now. It will be cold in the tunnel and freezing on the far side. We must keep together when we reach the

  entrance. Do not straggle. The apes are unpredictable and can be dangerous.'

  'Who controls them?' Taita asked.

  'I do not know. There was never a human being in sight when I came this way before.' Taita studied his aura and saw that he was telling the truth.

  He avoided the brutish stares of the apes as they drew level. One hopped forward and sniffed his foot, and Windsmoke skittered nervously.

  The other two bobbed their heads aggressively but allowed them to pass.

  Nevertheless, Taita sensed how close they were to violence and how easily provoked to attack. If they did so there was nothing he could do to restrain them.

  Taita stooped forward in his saddle as they entered the mouth of the tunnel and the hood of his cloak brushed against the rock. As before, the tunnel seemed endless, but eventually they heard the dismal howl of the wind and saw fitful grey light ahead.

  They emerged into the austere, magnificent grandeur of the mountains, so different from the beautiful serenity of the Cloud Gardens.

  The apes crowded round them, but reluctantly they shuffled and hopped aside to let them pass. They rode out on to the pathway and into the scourge of the wind. They huddled in their leather cloaks, and the horses lowered their heads to plod into the gale. Their tails streamed out behind them, their breathing steamed in the icy air and their hoofs slithered on the ice.

  That was still beside Taita and now he leant towards him until his lips were level with Taita's ear. 'I have not been able to speak to you before this, but now the gale will cover our voices,' he said
. 'I do not know which of my men has been set to spy on me. It goes without saying that we can trust nobody at the sanatorium, from Hannah herself downwards. They are all spies for the oligarchs.'

  From under the leather hood Taita studied him closely. 'I know that something troubles you, Colonel, and I think by now that you have learnt to trust me.'

  'I am troubled that you should look upon me as a renegade Egyptian, a traitor to my pharaoh and my country.'

  'Is that not an accurate description?'

  'It is not. I long with all my soul to escape this haunted place and the great evil that has sunk its roots deep into the land and the souls of its inhabitants.'

  'That is not what you told me before.”

  'No. That was when Onka was close at hand. It was not possible for me to tell you all that is in my heart. This time I have been able to escape from under his eye. He has a woman who is one of us. She placed something in his wine to discourage him from acting as your guide back to Mutangi. I volunteered in his place.'

  'What role does Onka play?'

  'He is one of the high-ranked spies of the Supreme Council. He has been set to watch over all of us, but you in particular. They are fully aware of your importance. Although you might not know it, you have been deliberately enticed to Jarri.'

  'For what reason?'

  'That I cannot tell you, for I do not know. I have been here less than ten years, but I have observed many men of special worth and talent come to this land as though by pure chance. But the oligarchs knew they were coming. Just as they knew you were coming. You are not the first of these whom I have been sent to meet. Can you imagine how many of these superior men and women have been brought to Jarri in this manner over the centuries?'

  'There seem to be many layers in this society,' Taita said. 'You speak of them and us as though we are separate bands. Who are they, and who are we? Are we not all Egyptians? Do you include me in your band or am I one of them?'

  That replied simply, “I count you as one of us because I now know enough about you to believe that you are a good and just man. I perceive that you are gifted. You are a man of power. I believe that you may be the saviour sent to put an end to the pervasive evil that directs the oligarchs and controls all things in Jarri. I hope that, if any man can, you will destroy the greatest evil of all ages.'