"You're looking good, Valkyrie," I said.
"I'm sorry, Thinker."
"Huh? Sorry about what?"
"I mean I'm sorry I snapped at you back in the aircar. Sorry."
"It's all right."
"I've changed, Thinker. I wish it could be the same as before."
"Yeah. Me, too. We've all changed."
"There's one thing that hasn't changed, though."
"What's that?"
"Two and Three against the world." She was looking out at the dawn. That's what it had been before—she had been Gamma Two, and I had been Beta Three, and it had been just the two of us, against the world. It was nice to hear her say it, again.
"That's a ten." Dawn was coming up behind a line of velvet hills on the horizon. The black sky was slowly turning a luminous violet in the east. A pale rosy halo flickered faintly, tinting the hills blue.
We lay there in the sea of mud like pigs, gawking at that miraculous new day. Valkyrie handed me a dox and I popped it open and savoured the aroma and the taste. We prodded Redhawk awake and forced a dox on him, too.
"Get up, lazybones. Check the dawn!" He came awake blinking, smearing the mud on his face, clutching the dox gratefully.
The sunrise tinted a line of dark clouds pink and red from below. Fingers of golden flame were rising from the hills—it was a silent, slow-motion explosion of heavenly light. A hot bloody gash was burning over the hills now, the molten clouds glowing phospho orange and the entire sky turning an electric blue. Finally a blinding white star burst into view, warming our skin. The air was completely still.
"Are they still out there?" I asked Valkyrie.
"That's a ten. At least one. Right about there." She pointed out into the sea of mud. The Taka had been trailing us, discreetly.
"Persistent fellow."
"Shame we can't invite him over for dox."
"I doubt he'd accept."
"His loss!" It was a fine morning, I decided—a fine new day.
Redhawk stood up and stretched and yawned and took a few tentative steps out into the mud. "Back in a frac," he said.
"Watch out for snakes," Valkyrie said half-heartedly.
***
We set out into the new day, struggling through the mud. We must have looked ludicrous but I felt great, as that glorious rising sun baked my flesh. I felt a tremendous satisfaction. I was right where I wanted to be, doing exactly what I wanted to do. My blood was coursing through my veins and my skin was crawling. Marching in the mud, I thought—for God, for justice. Or maybe just for myself. Tara should be here, I thought. She would appreciate this. I blessed her. Without her, I'd still be washing dishes back on Nimbos—I knew it.
"What are you grinnin' about?" Valkyrie asked.
"Never been happier!"
"You're getting weirder all the time!" Redhawk declared. I just laughed at them. Who could want better companions than these two? Immortal, indestructible mud-creatures, staggering along beside me. Soldiers of the Legion—I knew they'd never quit. I really felt sorry for Kenton Cotter-Arc. He was in terminal trouble.
The sea of mud merged gradually into a wet, soggy plain of tough sawgrass with occasional clumps of tall, willowy trees. I recognized the terrain. We were getting closer, I knew.
The Taka were following us. At first we only saw two of them, scouts, trailing us from several K away, silhouettes on the horizon, falling into the grass whenever we stopped. After awhile there were more of them and they stopped hiding. They kept their distance, marching parallel with us, spears and tridents on their shoulders, shields catching the sun. I could see the mark of the Book on the shields, a black crown over a black skull. It was the ancient seal of Southmark, a still defiant emblem of a long-dead world, and the Taka were the soldiers of that world, soldiers of the past, marching for dead kings.
As we penetrated further into Taka country, into the land of Southmark, more and more Taka appeared to both sides of our line of march. Soon there were hundreds, completely silent, two long columns of marching shadows on either horizon. I was overjoyed to see so many Taka, still strong and free. I knew they didn't give a damn for anything except themselves and their friends. If they had broken with the Legion, they certainly had a reason.
We were slowly approaching a dark forest when the trees shuddered and a long line of Taka appeared, striding out of the shadows. There were so many it was as if the entire forest had come alive and was advancing on us abreast. They approached at a slow walk, spears and shields winking in the sun. We turned and saw the two columns that had been parallelling our march had stopped, facing us. Then they began their advance, spears and tridents held high. To our rear, another long line of warriors had silently appeared. They too were coming at us, spears and shields, side by side.
When they linked up, they stopped. We were totally surrounded. It was a beautiful day, a sky full of grey clouds, a light, wet breeze.
A massive crack split the sky. I had been expecting it, but I jumped anyway. Another! Hundreds of spears, smashing against the shields. It sounded just like E's, firing in unison. The shields jumped, up from the ground, flashing in the sun, and the world erupted in sound—they were drumming the spears against the shields, almost in ecstasy. I cringed, despite myself.
When it stopped there was a sudden, savage roar, a blood-curdling war cry, and the Taka advanced, shaking their shields and waving their spears and tridents wildly. My blood pressure was going up.
They stopped in unison and grounded the shields and battered them again with the spears, and broke into a joyous song. I knew it well. A boy soldier sacrifices himself for his people. His lover begs him to stay, his mother begs him to stay, his little brother begs him to stay. He goes. He faces the enemy alone, and dies. He is remembered forever.
"Very impressive," Redhawk observed. The Taka must have known we could have killed them all with our E's. They weren't afraid. Taka were afraid of nothing.
I raised my E on high, so they could see it. Then I handed it theatrically to Valkyrie and walked forward to meet them. A fierce howl arose from the Taka.
"Be careful," Valkyrie called out after me.
Things change when you decide to do something that may result in your death. Accepting Tara's mission changed a lot. A few years before, I would have been paralyzed in terror, facing those Taka. Now all I could feel was admiration for them.
I knew the leader would have to face me. He came out of their ranks as I drew closer. He held his trident high, then grounded it into the earth, dropped his shield, and started walking towards me. And each time his feet touched the ground, his warriors slammed their spears against their shields. The earth trembled at his approach. It was a nice touch.
I stopped and grinned. I couldn't help it. I recognized him. How could I not recognize him? It was Deadeye Flowers, Standfast, Waterwalker—my blood brother. He held his head high as he approached me. His fine features were fixed with determination. Long tangled dark hair reached to his shoulders. He was naked to the waist but a necklace of blackened exoseg teeth hung around his neck. I was filthy, covered with mud. How could he recognize me? We stopped a few paces apart. A silence settled over the field. He looked into my eyes, fearless.
"Deadeye!" I shouted in Taka. "I am Slayer! I greet my brother! I return from the stars, to rejoin my lover and my son. Your heart still beats within you. You have guarded the Queen and the Prince. I am eternally grateful. Tell me of Moontouch! How is Stormdawn? Are they well?"
Deadeye gaped at me in astonishment. Clearly I was not expected. "Slayer!" he gasped, "You live!"
"Yes, Deadeye—I live! How is Moontouch? How is my son?"
He stepped back, uncertain. Something was wrong. Something was certainly wrong.
"Deadeye! How is Moontouch?"
"Have you come for the Star?"
The question caught me flat-footed. Deadeye knew about the Star! I knew I could not lie to him.
"I have come to see my wife and son. I have also come for Gildron—an
d for the Star."
"Then we are enemies, my brother. I defend the Star."
"We are brothers! We cannot fight! I do not care about the Star! I have come to see my family!"
"You are my prisoner, Slayer. Surrender or die!" He raised one arm.
"Deadeye! Don't be foolish! You cannot fight us!"
"If I drop my arm, my warriors will attack."
"If they attack us, they will die!"
"Then we die!" His eyes glittered with determination.
"No! No! We surrender! I am your prisoner, Deadeye. Take me to Moontouch."
"Tell your companions to drop their weapons."
"Deadeye! Where is Moontouch?"
But he would not answer.
Chapter 9
Every Crazy Bastard
This could be better," Valkyrie observed dryly. The three of us had been marched into a ruined temple complex in the forest and locked up in a windowless cell deep underground. The air was cold and wet, the stone walls and ceiling were covered with multiple layers of sopping green mold, and the floor was a puddle of icy slime. The ceiling was so low we could not stand upright. A very faint glow could be seen from the peephole in the sturdy wooden door—there was a torch out in the corridor. Otherwise, it was dark.
"Just like a female to bitch about the accommodations," Redhawk said. "This isn't so bad. It reminds me of our quarters in Uldo Milport."
"At least we had dox on Uldo," Valkyrie continued. "We haven't even got water here. However I do think it was nice of them to let us keep our clothing, don't you agree?"
"Well, these are Thinker's buddies. We're probably getting the VIP treatment."
"We probably are," I said. "I don't think this is a permanent detention facility. There's not even a pot to pee in. And there's no sign anyone else has ever been here."
"You mean, like a human skull?" Redhawk asked.
"They're probably deciding what to do with us," I replied. "I don't think we'll be here long."
"I thought Thinker was particularly masterful back there with the Taka, didn't you, Valkyrie?"
"Yeah—he just swaggered right out there and took charge, didn't he?"
"They knew better than to fool with him."
"Lucky it was his best friend in command of the troops, huh?"
"Otherwise we might have been in trouble."
"Three is a natural leader. 'Drop your weapons! Don't fire! We're surrendering!' He said it with such authority I was forced to comply."
"Say, Three, I'm just curious," Redhawk said. "Did you make any enemies among the Taka? Because if this is how your friends treat you, I don't think I want to meet any of your enemies."
"All right, all right," I said. "Maybe things could have worked out better, but starting a war with the Taka was not in the plans. Our mission is to contact Gildron and secure the Star. And we need the Taka's cooperation to do that. We could have fought our way past all those Taka—by killing them—but that would have doomed the mission. Just wait. It will work out." I leaned back against the cold, wet wall. I was in no hurry. I had all the time in the world—I was an immortal, after all.
***
The door creaked open and someone thrust in a blazing, smoky torch. The light almost blinded us. We awoke groggily, blinking. Our throats were parched. Someone was kneeling in the doorway with the torch. There was a heavy thunk and a gurgling sound. Several gourd-like objects rolled around on the floor. We snatched at them and sucked greedily. Water bottles, full of sweet life.
He watched us silently. It was Deadeye, I realized. His long hair was tangled and sweat beaded his dirty face. His eyes glinted as cold as death.
When I finished the gourd I dropped it to the cell floor and fixed my gaze on Deadeye. He looked back and finally spoke.
"The world has changed, Slayer," he said.
"You pledged your life to your Queen," I said in Taka. "You have betrayed me, and yourself, and your people."
"No, Slayer! I keep my word. My Queen lives—I am her slave. Does not my heart beat within me? I have not betrayed you!"
"And my son?"
"Stormdawn rules all Southmark, with his mother at his side. I guard them with my life. It is just as you wished." A tremendous wave of relief washed over my body. Moontouch and Stormdawn—alive and well! Who could want anything else?
"Why did you greet your blood brother as an enemy?" I asked him.
He lowered his head and hesitated. "It is the curse of the Star," he said. "Moontouch saw you coming, but she did not know it was you. She saw three angels from Hell, and all bore the mark of the Legion. One was seeking death and one was seeking vengeance and one was seeking redemption and all had lost their past. She said they had come for the Star, and wanted to take it away. She said we must stop them."
"I do not want the Star, Deadeye, but Moontouch is right. I have come to take it away."
"I do not want the Star either, Slayer, but I must defend it, with my life. It is evil—it is cursed, but I obey my Queen."
"I agree with you about the Star. I would destroy it if I could, but I cannot. We are all slaves of the Star. Let me speak with Moontouch. Let me speak with Gildron! Is Gildron with you?"
"We do as my Queen commands," Deadeye said. "And nothing else. We march to Stonehall today. You march with us. We march together, Slayer—as in the old days. Come. The sun rises on a new day. The world has changed, but we can pretend it has not."
***
I knew it was not far to Stonehall. We marched through grassy fields under a clear sky. The three of us accompanied Deadeye and all his troops, a long column of warriors like a great glittering snake, slithering through the sawgrass, spears and tridents and shields reflecting sunlight. Free men, I thought, fighting for themselves, for their own families, for their own race, for what they believed in—against all enemies. No conditions, no hesitation, and no doubts. I admired the Taka.
We cleaned up at an icy creek, washing most of the mud away. Eleven looked almost human now, although Ten and I were still pretty scruffy. It didn't matter. We felt great.
"Does Moontouch await me?" I asked Deadeye, as we strode through the grass.
"My Queen awaits you, Slayer. When I told her you had come, she was not surprised. Her eyes were fierce, Slayer. You must abandon your quest for the Star. Come home, to us. Do not touch the Star. It is evil."
"What has it done?"
"The Star is our salvation. It is our strength. Southmark is rising, Slayer. The dead Kings stir in the dark of the tomb. Your son sits on the throne of Southmark, and he is the voice of the past. We are proud and strong and free once again, just as the Book prophesied. The women are sewing the battle flags, Slayer, with threads of silver and gold. Ancient flags! The Golden March, Slayer—the Golden March resumes!" He looked up at the sky, hypnotized.
"Why do you say the Star is evil?"
"It eats at our hearts, Slayer. How can we oppose such power? The slave turns on the master, blood brothers threaten each other, the Queen is mistrustful of her lover. How can you doubt it is evil?"
"I don't doubt it."
"The world has changed, Slayer. The Star is ours! Would you steal it away from your Queen? I will not permit it! Starmouth will not permit it!"
"Starmouth? Who is Starmouth?"
"Starmouth speaks for the Star. He whispers the words of the Star in the ears of my Queen. He is our salvation. He is never wrong. Without Starmouth, we are nothing."
"That's nonsense, Deadeye—don't talk like that. You talk like a slave!"
"We are slaves, Slayer—slaves of the Star. But the Star will make us strong, Slayer—strong!"
"I'd like to meet this Starmouth."
"You will, Slayer. You will."
***
I remembered a long, dry gully that led to the dead city of Stonehall. It had once been a grand canal, sometime in the distant past. When we came to it this time, however, I did not recognize it. A wide canal greeted us, shimmering in the sunlight. A large, elaborately carved a
nd painted wooden barge was drawn up at a small pier on the bank, guarded by a group of Taka warriors. A dark flag hung limply from the bow. I recognized the crown and the skull, the sign of the Book. The boat looked like something from history, but it was obviously brand new.
We went aboard, with Deadeye and a small contingent of warriors. As we stood in the shade under brightly colored awnings, the barge silently pulled away from the pier. One of the crew handed out gourds of fresh water. I noticed someone at the stern appeared to be piloting the boat. Deadeye was silent, content, a gourd in one hand, his eyes gazing into the distance. I noticed most of his warriors had set out marching in our direction down a stone road along the side of the canal. The Grand Canal had been rebuilt. The highway had been rebuilt.
"Deadeye—how is this boat powered?" There were no sails, no oars—not even the noise of a hidden engine.
"The water powers it, Slayer. How else should a boat be powered?"
"You have rebuilt the Grand Canal—and the King's Highway."
"Yes, Slayer. Stonehall stirs. Southmark arises, from the past. My blood races within me. I am so proud to see my race rise up from the mud! We stretch our limbs in the sunlight after a long sleep. We awaken."
"How did this happen, Deadeye?"
"You know how it happened, Slayer. It is the Star. We thank the Star."
We approached Stonehall in perfect silence up the Grand Canal. And both banks of the canal were lined with fearsome stone statues, soldiers of the Golden Sword in full regalia, facing the canal. There were thousands of them—battalions of them. The last time I had seen them, these statues had been time-ravaged, overturned, shattered, colorless, and those that stood had all been headless, decapitated by some ancient foe. Now they were spotless, perfect, fully painted, glittering with color, armor glinting silver and gold, spearpoints winking in the sunlight, sightless eyes full of cold menace.
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