Passages

by Olan Thorensen

  “How much farther to the top?” Mark asked Gulgit.

  “If we could fly, Haldakit says only about ten miles. Unfortunately, we forgot our wings. He says it’s taking us this long because of how the pass cuts diagonally through the mountains, instead of being direct. If all goes well, we’ll start down late tomorrow.”

  “A whole day for ten miles? I’m half afraid to ask, but that sounds like tomorrow will be a struggle.”

  “He says it will be. It’s slow, hard to breathe, and we want to have the entire day to reach the top and start down. The other side is supposed to be steeper than this side. The advantage is that we’ll drop fast. If we can reach the top early enough, we can descend quickly to where breathing is easier.”

  At mid-day, they came to a fork in the cleft. Without hesitation or looking back at the rest of their party, Haldakit took the narrower route. Mark was beginning to wonder whether their guide really knew what he was doing. The answer came when they rounded a mountain spur to reveal a panoramic view of the cleft twisting downward beneath jagged peaks.

  “Blessed be,” said Gulgit. “I confess I was beginning to worry about Haldakit. He obviously knows these mountains. There’s no way we could just stumble on this route by ourselves—the curve in the cleft hides it until we get right here. Looks like we’ll reach the top in a couple more hours.”

  “I haven’t asked, Gulgit, but there aren’t any Narthani border posts or patrols?”

  “Not here. The Narthani don’t figure Sulako has any interest in stirring them up. Quite the opposite. What we hear is that Sulako is trying hard to stay neutral in any conflict involving Narthon. They’re fooling themselves that they can stay out of fighting indefinitely. If the Narthani conquer everyone else, Sulako will simply be the last victim. I suppose it’s natural to see your neighbors attacked and do nothing to help—hoping you’ll be safe as long as you don’t get involved.

  “As for border posts, Haldakit says we’ll come to one on the Sulako side about halfway down the mountains. He assures me the post is small, five to eight men, and they can be bribed. Once we come to it, we’ll have weapons ready, in case Haldakit is wrong or there are new border guards. I hope there’s no trouble because we intend to come back the same way after we leave you in Iskadon. We don’t want alerts going out for a small group of Rustalians who attacked a border post.”

  “Then I hope there are no problems, Gulgit. I hope you know how much I appreciate you, Haldakit, Yusup, and Tazeeb helping us reach Iskadon.”

  “Uh . . . well . . . Haldakit and me are here to help you. But Yusup and Tazeeb are along for me. Our leaders agreed we were indebted to you to a degree because you helped us with the Narthani cutter. But they said I could come with Haldakit only if I had two guards, in case we ran into trouble. And to be honest, they don’t know you, so Yusup and Tazeeb are partly here to protect me from you.”

  Mark laughed. “I suppose I see their point, but for whatever reason each of you four is here, I appreciate it.”

  Rest stops increased, not to give people’s muscles a break, but to allow them to gulp air for ten to fifteen minutes before continuing. The trek they followed was a game trail for a mountain animal Haldakit described as having features similar to some species of goat or sheep. Where there was prey, there would also be predators. When Mark asked, Gulgit translated the answer and mentioned a creature with a name even he couldn’t pronounce. Haldakit said it seldom attacked humans and never a group the size of their party. Mark wasn’t reassured. He kept a shotgun at hand and Maghen and Alys close.

  In the afternoon, Haldakit decided they hadn’t made good enough time to continue until the next morning, so they camped for the night. They had been in and out of clouds the last day and a half, but Mark knew they were surrounded by peaks thousands of feet higher. By now, he had revised his estimates of the altitude. He believed the peaks must be at least 20,000 feet, with the pass somewhere in the range of 15,000 feet or more.

  It was a major effort for them to gather themselves the next morning. Of the three members of their family, Mark seemed to suffer the most from altitude sickness—enough so that for the first time since they’d started the climb, Maghen gathered their bedding and readied their horses. Meanwhile, Mark held Alys, who acted the least affected.

  Must be her youth, thought Mark. Except for tiring faster when she plays, Alys might as well be back at the ranch. He had also come to the conclusion that he wasn’t a mountaineer. He rued that although he hadn’t cared for sea duty, it sounded more appealing all the time.

  They didn’t stop to eat at mid-day. He wasn’t the only one feeling faint. They gulped in air, as their lungs tried to compensate for the lack of oxygen. Thus, he didn’t realize they had reached the border summit and started down until his horse stumbled and almost threw him. Startled, he looked around. The track was steeper than before but was going down and not up. He turned in his saddle to look behind them. The cloud layer was so dense, he could only see thirty or forty yards away.

  CHAPTER 35

  CLOSER

  Mark’s elation at reaching the top of the pass warred with irritation that after the climb, he didn’t get to see the top. He consoled himself after realizing he wouldn’t have seen more than he currently did inside the clouds.

  He knew he must have adrenaline pouring into his bloodstream. There was no logic to his feeling rejuvenated going down when the same altitude while going up made him feel sick and weak. But there it was. Four hours and four thousand feet lower, they camped by a snow-fed stream and built the biggest fire they’d had in sixdays. They ate their fill and slept until sun up the next day. At mid-morning, as they descended into a valley by following a track that intersected a road. In the middle of the valley floor were two huts, a corral with three horses, and a man dozing in a chair in front of one hut.

  Must be two more men inside, thought Mark.

  Haldakit rode ahead while the rest of the party waited a hundred yards away. Mark watched as the sleeping man woke and walked out to meet their guide after he dismounted. Their conversation lasted long enough for Mark to get nervous. He gripped the rifle he’d unwrapped upon seeing the border post. He breathed easier when Haldakit remounted and trotted back to them to speak with Gulgit.

  “He says the leader of the Sulakoans is someone he’s dealt with before. The bribe was smaller than I expected, so we’re good to pass.”

  When they rode past the post, three men stood and watched them. Mark picked up smatterings of speech he couldn’t understand. It had a harsher lilt than the softer Rustalian he’d heard since leaving Rumpas on Drilmar.

  The next day, they bought four horses at a ranch near the base of the Sulako side of the Gongalor Mountains.

  “Once we get to the flat lands tomorrow, Haldakit says there will be many places to buy fresh horses if we need to,” said Gulgit.

  Farms became lusher. They passed fields with workers baling a version of hay, other workers in fields of a bush crop Mark didn’t recognize. Harvested wheat fields lay next to low, running plants with round orange globes that looked like melons or pumpkins. One afternoon they passed through steep terraced hills with trees growing fruit that resembled apples. The horses they saw were smaller than those Mark had encountered before, and the cattle had black-and-tan hides with various degrees of small spots. He saw and heard a few dogs and other animals that reminded him of goats. Twice, he saw small herds of water buffalo.

  Settlements increased in number, then villages, and two days later they came to the first Sulako town. Haldakit estimated that it had a population of about three thousand. A central plaza was surrounded by two-story structures with shops on the bottom floors. Maghen had noticed people staring at their party the last few days, especially at her.

  “Haldakit says Maghen stands out too much because of her hair and clothing. It’s not so noticeable with us men, but he thinks all of us should change to look less foreign.”

  They stopped at a narrow street lined with small
shops. An hour later they left, transformed. Maghen wore an ankle-length flowered skirt, a brown shirt, and leather sandals with thick straps. Her straw-colored hair was fashioned into a bun and covered by a green scarf. The four men wore baggy trousers tied at the waist and shirts that hung below their belts. Their beards were trimmed to more closely resemble the prominent chin whiskers and long sideburns worn by many Sulakoan men. From then on, if they wore coats or cloaks, they left them open so the clothes underneath were visible. It was the best they could do to impersonate Sulakoans.

  On the way out of town, they stopped at the plaza and bought food at open markets and shops.

  “I think the change in clothes is working,” said Maghen an hour after leaving the town. “No one seems to be paying us as much attention as before.”

  Their guide had also emphasized that when Sulakoans were within hearing, Maghen should act deferential to her husband and not speak without appearing to respond to him.

  “It’s not that Sulako women don’t have standing,” said Gulgit. “It’s just that Haldakit thinks the customs are different enough here that it’s safer for your family not to have Maghen violate some taboo she isn’t aware of.”

  “I’d tell you to give her the news if the two of you spoke the same language,” said Mark. He imagined the response if Jocelyn (his Earth wife) was told she had to act subservient. However, Maghen took it without comment. Mark committed himself to ensuring that his wife knew the change in behavior was only temporary and only for the benefit of the Sulakoans.

  The pattern of purchasing food continued in subsequent small towns, with Haldakit doing the talking. They bypassed the larger towns to avoid chances of being questioned by Sulako officials. Even so, it seemed as if explanations by Haldakit about the identity, purpose, and destination of their party were needed about every thirty to forty miles. Several times, coin passed from their guide to one or two Sulakoans. One tense encounter happened a day’s travel from Iskadon. What appeared to be a military patrol of ten armed men dressed alike came up behind them. The leader yelled something, and Haldakit turned back to meet them thirty yards away. Mark could hear voices go from questioning to angry, then back to calm. The leader said something that sounded like a curse, and the group rode hard toward Iskadon.

  “What was that all about?” Mark asked Gulgit, after he stopped casually checking the positions of his shotgun and two pistols.

  “Haldakit says it was just a young officer pretending to be more important than he was. Maybe to impress his men. Haldakit didn’t translate everything, but I think he told the officer to go fuck himself.”

  Mark was glad he didn’t know what was being said. He decided not to relay Gulgit’s explanation to Maghen. When he told her it was nothing, her look of disbelief needed no elaboration.

  Villages increased in frequency on the flat terrain, until the next one along the road was always within view. They saw more military, including a battalion-size cavalry unit that forced all other traffic off the road as it passed.

  As they got closer to Iskadon, the separate villages gradually transitioned to what on Earth would be considered suburbs. Finally, they reached the outskirts of the port city of Iskadon.

  Clusters of multistory wooden buildings gave way to brick. By the time they could see a square mile of taller buildings, some reminded Mark of cathedrals and mosques with minarets. Haldakit turned them from the city center toward the harbor a mile away.

  “As he’s explained before, Haldakit knows where we can stay out of sight most of the time. I didn’t catch exactly who these people are, but I think they’re some distant relatives of his. He went into details with Sulako words and references I couldn’t catch. Important thing is, he trusts them. I don’t think we’re in any particular danger, but it’s best if all of us stay inside, except when we have to be out looking for your ship. As soon as we can, we’ll go to the harbor and ask around for any vessels heading west.”

  “I noticed there were sections we passed through that looked much newer than other parts.” Mark said in a tone conveying a question.

  “Never been here myself, but I’ve heard it’s because Iskadon became a major port only in the last twenty years. The old capital of Sulako was Bandapara on the north tip, sitting where the Throat narrows across from the Iraquinik Confederation. The Pamahan at the time was Tuontuk the Great, the ruler, emperor, or whatever title you’re familiar with. He named himself the Great, but it might turn out to be accurate. Supposedly, he decided that Bandapara was too exposed; there was no natural terrain to help them defend the city, in case of an invasion. So he moved the capital to Demarung, about three or four hundred miles west of here. There, the surrounding rivers, lakes, and canyons would make capturing the city a daunting undertaking.”

  “Let me guess who he was worried about,” said Mark. “The Narthani.”

  Gulgit nodded. “Of course, that meant the capital had no harbor. The Sulakoan rulers had kept external trade going through Bandapara, but Iskadon is about three hundred miles closer to the new capital. Now, Haldakit tells me trade is pretty evenly divided between Bandapara and Iskadon, with most of shipping trade between eastern Melosia and Drilmar going through Iskadon. The western trade from Landolin and Iraquinik goes through Bandapara.

  “For your purposes, you’d have a much better chance of getting a ship toward Caedellium in Bandapara, but that’s another thousand miles by land. Plus, this is as far as Haldakit and I will go. But don’t worry, we’ll find you something going at least to Bandapara. Suvalu is spoken there enough that you can find another ship.”

  They continued skirting the center of Iskadon, passing a quarter mile from the harbor. Mark could occasionally see ships’ masts through gaps between adjacent buildings or down the streets. He was beginning to wonder if their guide knew where he was going—until Haldakit stopped and knocked at a two-story building with only a single large door facing the street. A man opened the door. He had strikingly similar features to Haldakit’s, though he was a decade older. The two men hugged and kissed cheeks.

  I guess that settles whether Haldakit’s contact is a relative or not, Mark thought. Either that or the hookup system here is pretty damn fast.

  Haldakit led his horse through the gate, down a short corridor, and into a large courtyard. The rest of their party followed. The outside of the building might have looked unobtrusive, but the inside spoke of an economic status at odds with the neighborhood.

  Haldakit, his kissing acquaintance, and Gulgit talked for several minutes while the rest of the traveling party waited, standing and holding the horses’ reins. Maghen let Alys run free, and girl played with a black puppy that had been lying under a pergola-like structure at the other end of the courtyard.

  When the conversation broke up, Haldakit followed the other man inside. Gulgit came up to Mark.

  “The other man is named Darstan Zardoz. If I understand correctly, Haldakit’s and Zardoz’s grandfathers were brothers.”

  Second cousins? Mark wondered.

  “Zardoz’s family changed their names to Sulakoan ones when they immigrated to Sulako. Darstan’s supposed to be a mid-level official for civil and religious enforcement.”

  Great! A cop! Just what we need.

  “It seems he’s pleased to see Haldakit, who’s been here several times but not for about five years. However, he’s not happy Haldakit brought us to his house. I get the sense he doesn’t personally care what our business is in Iskadon, as long as he’s not officially aware of it. This makes it awkward because we’re at his home. Haldakit got him calmed down and told him we’d be gone as soon as you find a ship. This may work out to your advantage because Zardoz obviously wants you gone as soon as possible.

  “In the meantime, a servant will show us to a space above the stable. We’re not to come into the main house unless Zardoz invites us. Haldakit says customs here are that guests can only talk to women of a household if the husband allows it, which won’t happen for us. We talked about this befo
re. Haldakit also advises that Sulakoans in cities are stricter about men talking to women they’re not related to without a husband or father’s permission. I don’t think that’s a problem because none of us speak Sulakoan, but be aware even of appearances. Not speaking the language also means we’d have a hard time explaining why we broke some law or custom.”

  “If this Zardoz is so anxious to get rid of us, is he going to help us find a ship?”

  “I think we have to go it alone to start with. It’s possible he’d help if we couldn’t succeed on our own, but I’d worry he’d eventually toss us out.”

  “Any chance this could get dangerous?” Mark asked.

  “Probably not from Zardoz because his relative is involved, but it’s a different nation with a culture I’m not familiar with. I suppose nothing can be ruled out—which means we need to find a ship for you as soon as possible. Fortunately, it’s a busy port. Even if none of the ships currently in the harbor are appropriate for you, one or more new ships come in almost every day.”

  “All right,” said Mark, “when can we get started?”

  “If you’re up to it, we can get your family settled above the stable. Yusup and Tazeeb will be here with them while we go to the harbor. Haldakit will come with us.”

  The accommodations were definitely one-star to Mark, which means they were infinitely better than they had experienced during most of the previous months. The stable covered one side of the structure enclosing the courtyard. Adding their horses to those of the Zardoz family made for sharing stalls, but none of the horses seemed to mind. An outer stairway to the second floor of the stable led to a single space covering the entire floor. Mats were stacked in one corner, and wooden furniture, some broken, lay scattered around the space.