The Singing

by Alison Croggon

  As the sky lightened, Irc woke up and stepped over to Hem, asking for food. Hem gave him some scraps left over from the night before, and Irc nibbled his hand in thanks, gulped the food down, and then flew off. Hem walked outside and watched Irc soaring into the air. The sky was cloudless, letting down a clear, pale sunlight, and there was a brisk, cold wind. A good day for walking.

  Idly watching Irc, Hem wondered what the crow did on his private missions. Sometimes he would be gone for most of the day, impelled most probably by his insatiable curiosity, but he always returned for meals and often just for a chat. He was a fully adult bird now, and on the ground was large and almost clumsy, a quality belied by his aerial grace. His feathers had lost most of the dye that Hem had used to darken him in Nal-Ak-Burat, in preparation for their mission in Den Raven, and were now almost a glossy white. Hem thought sometimes that perhaps Irc might want to leave his strange, unbirdlike life, and become an ordinary crow, although with his white feathers he would always be ostracized by his fellows. He never asked him, and Irc followed Hem without question, although they were now very far away from where he had hatched, in the warm lands of the south.

  Wrapping his cloak close around him against the sharp early wind, Hem walked to the top of the ridge and looked northward over the country they would have to travel. Before him there stretched several long ridges like those they had climbed to find the hut, each lower than the former, like a series of waves sinking down to the plains. They had taken refuge on the only high ground in the area.

  The rocky spines of the ridges had escaped the water, but the valleys between them and the plains beyond were a bleak sight, covered with rubbish and silt. If the ground was swampy, it would be a hard trek to the higher ground he saw rising through the haze far in the distance. Hem studied the terrain for a time, then climbed back over the top of the ridge and across to the next southern ridge to look at what had happened to Hiert. The ground he had covered with such painful labor, pushing the wheelbarrow against the rain, now took him little time to cross.

  He surveyed Hiert from the top of the ridge. Before him the flood line was clear; above it, the turf was green, while beneath it, flattened, yellow grass scattered with rubbish ran down to the houses, which looked forlorn and deserted in the morning light. Most had withstood the flooding, but Hem could see that some buildings had crumbled under the force of the water. The river was now flowing between its banks, still brown and swollen, and the sun shone blindingly on the puddles and pools that it had left behind. Stray animals—chickens, pigs, goats, a few cattle—were wandering the deserted roads, looking for food. Hem could see how deep the flooding had been by the watermarks on the trees; in places it had been almost three spans deep, high enough to flood most of the buildings of Hiert to their roofs.

  He could smell the sweet stench of decay rising from the wrack of the village, and wrinkled his nose. Somewhere in Hiert was the body of the nameless man who had given Saliman the White Sickness. Hem thought of him with pity; he doubted that he would ever know who he was, but now he knew a little of the torment that poor man had undergone. He understood why the village had been empty, why everyone had fled before that illness; he could feel the terror of it in his body even now, and he hoped fervently he would never encounter it again.

  He sighed, and was about to turn on his heel and make the trek back to their hut, when something caught his eye. A cloaked horseman, leading another horse on a rein, was trotting slowly down the West Road, into Hiert. Hem's skin prickled with dread. Perhaps it was someone passing through, or a townsperson of Hiert who had survived the floods by fleeing to higher land, as he and Saliman had, and was now returning to find out what was left of his home. Or maybe it was the Hull that Saliman had thought might be tracking them through Annar.

  Hem dropped down by a large sage bush, squatting to make himself less visible, and prepared to hide himself with magery if it became necessary. He watched cautiously as the lone horseman slowly moved along the Bard Road. Behind him, there trailed what looked like a large dog. Something about the horseman's intentness told Hem that he was searching for something, or someone, and a shiver ran down his spine.

  As the horseman moved behind the higher buildings of the tavern, Hem lost sight of him. He waited impatiently to see if he would reemerge, but he didn't. Perhaps he had gone inside to salvage some belongings, or to loot what goods remained in the wreckage; or perhaps he was looking for signs that he and Saliman had stayed there. It seemed a long time before he came out, this time without the horses, but still followed by the dog, walking slowly. He wandered along the West Road, looking from side to side. Hem crouched lower, to keep himself off the skyline. The walker then turned aside, up the same path that Hem and Saliman had used to climb up the ridge days before, which led to where Hem was crouching. There wasn't much of a path left; it had briefly become a river in the rains, and now was a deep, slippery runnel in the hill, which made it hard to climb. The figure steadily worked his way up the hill and Hem became more and more anxious.

  As it drew closer, he thought that it wasn't a man after all, but almost certainly a woman. A refugee from the floods, most likely, as he had thought. Why she was toiling up this steep hill was a mystery, especially as she was clearly exhausted: her head was bent low, and she often stumbled. He could sense no sorcery about her, although if it was a Hull, and was hunting him and Saliman, it would most likely shield its sorcery. Soundlessly, Hem moved behind the bush, keeping the woman in constant view. She stopped and rested for a time, and the dog sat on its haunches and waited for her. Then she stood up and stubbornly began walking uphill again. As she drew closer, Hem became more curious about what she was doing. She slipped, and Hem heard her curse under her breath, then she stood up straight, looking up the hill, shading her eyes with her hands. Hem at last saw her face.

  It was Hekibel; and of course the dog was Fenek. Hem cried out in surprise, and stood up, waving, and began to run toward her. Fenek growled and Hekibel swung around, and Hem saw that in that brief moment she was terrified.

  "Hekibel!" he cried. "What are you doing here?"

  Fenek recognized Hem and jumped up and tried to lick his face, but subsided when Hekibel told him to stay down, and just stood beside them, his tail wagging furiously.

  "Hem?" As he reached her, Hekibel took his arms. "Hem? Is it really you?"

  "Yes, it's me." Hem studied Hekibel's face: she looked haggard and drawn as if she hadn't slept for a long time, and the skin around her eyes was puffy and red. She was dressed in men's clothes, and she was filthy, smeared with mud. "What's happened? You look exhausted."

  "I am," said Hekibel, her voice breaking. "I am so tired .. . Oh, Hem, I so hoped to find you, but I thought—I thought I didn't have a chance. But tell me, how is Saliman?"

  "Saliman is healed," said Hem.

  Hekibel was silent for a moment, clearly amazed, and Hem saw something like awe in her eyes. "Did you heal him, Hem?" she asked at last.

  Hem nodded, feeling awkward.

  "By the Light." Hekibel sat down very suddenly, as if all the wind had been taken out of her. "You healed him of the White Sickness. Marich said it couldn't be done ..."

  "He's not sick anymore," said Hem. "But he's still weak. And I left him this morning before he woke up, so he won't know where I am. Why don't we go back to the hut?"

  Hekibel nodded. "Is it far?"

  "Over that next ridge," said Hem, pointing. He stared at Hekibel with concern; he had noticed that her hands were trembling. "Can you walk that far? And then I could make you some breakfast."

  Hekibel smiled. "Of course I can," she said. "I've come this far. It might take me a little longer than I would like, that's all."

  By the time they reached the hut, the sun was well up in the sky. Hekibel didn't speak during the walk; she breathed heavily, her lips pressed hard together, conserving all her energy for walking. Fenek followed close at her heels protectively, aware that his mistress was suff
ering. On their way, Irc touched down briefly: Saliman had told him to look for Hem. Hem sent him back with a message to prepare some breakfast, and by the time they arrived at the hut, Saliman had a pot of porridge bubbling on the fire. Irc had already warned him that Hem was bringing Hekibel, so he showed no surprise when he saw her. He greeted her gently, and offered his arm to lower her down to sit.

  Hekibel was so clearly at the end of her endurance, and so transparently glad to sit down somewhere dry, to warm herself by a fire, to eat a hot meal, that neither Hem nor Saliman asked any questions until she had finished eating. Fenek simply curled up by her feet and went to sleep.

  Hem took advantage of the silence while they ate to mind-touch Saliman, and to briefly tell him about what had happened the night before.

  Maerad summoned me last night, he said.

  Saliman almost dropped his spoon. Hem felt his astonishment and relief as he answered, She summoned you?

  Yes, said Hem. I have never felt anything like it; she was so strong. She's north of us. I know where to go now. He gave Saliman an image of what he had seen—the bright, shimmering path that led to Maerad.

  Good, said Saliman. That is good news, Hem. I was thinking this morning that it is time we moved on from here—all the better if at last we have some idea of where to go. We'll talk more of this later. At the moment, I wish to know what Hekibel has to tell us. Something is very wrong and I fear that it bodes ill for us.

  Hem nodded and ate his porridge. After they had all broken their fast, Saliman offered Hekibel some medhyl. She drank a few sips, and a little color returned to her face. She leaned back against the wall of the hut, shutting her eyes.

  "I suppose you want to know why I came looking for you," she said.

  "Yes, if you feel able," said Saliman.

  "I have to tell you. That's why I was looking for you, to tell you, although I thought that probably both of you were dead ..." She paused, struggling with herself, and didn't speak until she had regained control of her voice. "Saliman, I cannot say how sorry I am—"

  Saliman cut her off with a gesture. "Hekibel," he said. "As I said to Hem, and as I would have said to you had I the chance, leaving us behind was the only sensible option. Hard, I know ... but the truth. Do not distress yourself, I beg you."

  Hekibel looked down at the floor, her face dark. "That is gracious of you, Saliman. I thank you. I'm not sure that I would have such grace, especially after you hear ... Whether or not it was the right thing to do, I still felt as if I were abandoning friends in need. But, as you will see, it may have been more fortunate for you than it seemed at the time." She paused, biting her lip, and the others waited.

  "It's hard to tell this story," she said at last. "But I suppose, as players say, the best tunes run swift and simple. As you know, we left the tavern and continued up the West Road as swiftly as we could. Just out of Hiert the waters were rising so fast it was terrifying; I thought that we would be swept away Obviously we couldn't leave the road unless we abandoned the caravan, and Karim wouldn't hear of that... He said there was a stone road that turned to higher ground just past Benil if we could make it, so we pushed the horses as much as we dared. Karim thought if we could reach Trigallan, we would probably be out of the worst of the flooding. There were many people on the road with the same idea—children crying, panicked beasts. It was chaos." She shut her eyes for a moment.

  "Anyway, to cut the story short, we got to Trigallan. It was a big island: when the sun rose the next day, there was water in every direction, as far as you could see, with roofs and trees and little hills sticking out of it. I've never seen anything like it. You could see people on the roofs or clinging to trees, and others went out in boats to rescue them. The townspeople took in as many as they could, but there were more needing help than those to give it, there were so many in trouble .. . and all sorts, Saliman. There were many soldiers as well as farmers and townspeople, and lots of children who didn't seem to belong to anybody. But everyone was in the same trouble, and I didn't see anyone arguing or fighting, even though there wasn't enough of anything to go around. The headwoman of Trigallan, Narim, made sure of that.

  "I was very glad we had the caravan, because at least we had somewhere to sleep; there were people just sitting out in the rain, because they had nowhere else to go. So we found a spot, and unharnessed the horses, and waited for the rain to stop. And, eventually, it stopped, and then the water began to go down, quite fast, as fast as it came up ..."

  Hekibel trailed to a halt, and was silent for a while, her head bowed. Hem thought that she might have fallen asleep, and briefly wondered whether he ought to wake her, but then she shook herself and sat up straight.

  "When we reached Trigallan, I did what I could to help Narim and the others who were trying to do something about the chaos. So I wasn't around the caravan much. And anyway, you know what it was like with Karim and Marich. I was glad to get away from them, to be honest; they were squabbling all the time, much worse than ever before. I think Marich felt bad about leaving you two behind, much worse than he would admit. So it was better to be out and doing something. So I wasn't there when ..."

  Her face briefly crumpled, but she controlled herself, and when she spoke again, her voice was steady. "A Hull came to our caravan, and he was looking for you. Marich told me." She paused, clenching her hands together. "I came back to the caravan late in the afternoon, and Karim was dead, and Marich was—well, he had been stabbed and left for dead, but he wasn't dead, he was ..."

  Saliman took her hand, and she squeezed his tightly and then pushed him away. "It was terrible," she said. "I didn't know what to do, there was blood everywhere . . . Marich was in such pain, and I didn't know how to help him. The Hull had walked in, pretending to be an old associate of Karim's, and when it found that you both had been left behind in Hiert, it was furious. It dropped its disguise, I suppose. Marich said he knew it was a Hull, although he had never seen one before, and it just—froze—Karim, so he couldn't move, and then it brought out a dagger and said it would make him suffer. Marich tried to stop him, but the Hull just turned around and stabbed him, and Marich passed out, and when he came to, Karim was dead. But Marich told me—he told me some things as he lay there, before he died."

  Hem stared at Saliman, his eyes wide with shock. He had liked Marich, and much as he had distrusted Karim, he would never have wished such a fate on him. He remembered all too clearly the casual cruelty of Hulls.

  "Marich said the Hull was looking for you both, and he thought it would come to Hiert," said Hekibel, her voice steady. "He didn't know why. What's terrible is that Karim had been spying on you for the Hull. I would swear that Karim didn't know it was a Hull, but all the same, he had been taking money to report whatever you said. And he was supposed to keep you and Hem with the troupe, so the Hull knew where you were. Whether or not he knew it was a Hull he was dealing with, he must have known it bode you no good. Stupid, stupid Karim. He was always so greedy for money . . ." She whispered the last few words, her cheeks scarlet with shame. "I don't know what to say. If you don't want to speak to me ever again, I understand..."

  Saliman was silent for a time. "Hekibel," he said, his voice very gentle. "Be comforted that I already suspected as much, as did Hem. And be sure I wouldn't blame you for another's act."

  "I took the horses right away and just—I just couldn't stay there. I went and saw Narim and she gave me some saddles so I could ride the horses. She was very shocked that there was a Hull in Trigallan. She—she saw that I had to find you, if I could, to warn you. I've ridden all night and all day to get here. I kept a watch on the road, and I saw no one else, not one single person, but I thought maybe—well, they have sorcery, Hulls, and perhaps I wouldn't have seen it even if I passed it. I'm so glad I found you ..."

  Now, having told the burden of her story, Hekibel began to cry in earnest. It was some time before she could speak again. Hem put his arm around her and waited until she stopped sobbing.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, sniffing and wiping the tears from her face with her hands. "It's been so terrible . . . such a terrible time."

  "It has," said Saliman. "I am very grieved to hear that Karim and Marich are dead. I was very fond of both of them; and if Karim was greedy, he didn't deserve such a death. Always it is the way of the Dark, to work our faults to its advantage."

  He was silent for a time.

  "I wonder why the Hull didn't attack us before," he said at last. "I'm sure it was tracking us from the moment we left Til Amon. And I would dearly like to know why we have sparked their interest. Do you think that they have guessed, Hem, that Hem of Turbansk is the same Hem who escaped from them in Edinur?"

  Hem shuddered, thinking of the Hulls who had taken him in Edinur, and the nightmares that still pursued him. "I don't know," he said. "Do you think they could add it up? Hardly anyone knew I was in Norloch ..."

  "It is a small chance, but a chance all the same," said Saliman, frowning. "I think it more likely that it was following me. I did not disguise my identity in Til Amon, after all, and there would be some who would want to know why I am traveling through Annar. That makes sense, without looking for other reasons."

  Hem nodded. "I wonder too why we were not attacked when we were on the road?" he said. "It could have, at any time..."

  "Perhaps there was only a single Hull following us, and it felt that it could not contest us, which is the truth. I have a certain reputation as a warrior, after all." Saliman smiled grimly.

  "It's possible that it is looking for reinforcements before it seeks me. Or that it believes that we are dead."