‘What a miserable lot you are!’ Daneel called out, as they sat chewing their biscuits and drinking from their flasks. ‘I bring you to this glorious spot and all you do is munch away like goats. Look around! It is wonderful!’ He called out to the valleys in a trilling song and his voice came bounding back to him in chorus. ‘Welcome to Highmeadow. I spent my childhood roaming these blessed spaces and few are lucky enough to visit so near to heaven.’
Everyone chose to ignore him and he looked decidedly disappointed.
‘How much further is it?’ Lady Wind asked him, hobbling over to him with her arms folded for warmth. She pointed to the rise to which they were headed. ‘Is that the top of the mountain?’
Again, Samuel had to translate and,at hearing her words, Daneel guffawed. ‘Oh, my dear lady. That is but a lump. When we get to the top of this mountain, you will see another is built upon it. Abovethat, three mountains fall together to make a higher mountain. That mountainyou seeis but a pimple, for upon that place the real mountains are founded and they stretch on in every direction for as far as the eye can see and beyond. All of these we must traverse before we will once again stand on flat ground. By that time, you will be so sick and tired of all things white and all things cold, you will vow never to come back this way in your life. So, to answer you,no, that is not the top of the mountain and I hope that is the last time I shall hear that question, for it bothers me greatly.’
Samuel considered translating the whole answer for her, but finally just told her ‘no’.
Lady Windhumphedand stormed away from him in a temper, throwing herself back down beside her god.
‘If it was so easy for us to cross these mountains, it would be just as easy for the Paatin army to come skipping over into Turia, now wouldn’t it?’ Daneel called aloud, teasing her, but of course she had no idea what he was saying and simply ignored him.
‘You are a man of much intrigue, Daneel,’ Balten called up from his meal, ‘but at least these cold days will not be without entertainment.’
Samuel caught sight of the Koian god giggling to herself, hidden away in her hood where Lady Wind could not see her and it made Samuel think that at least some small part of her was human.
After their short rest, they began away again. As Daneel had foretold,whenthey neared the stony rise to which Lady Wind had referred, another greater rise began to grow. With each step towards it, this greater obstacle appeared to drag itself up, until the hill they had just climbed was under their boots and the next lay far above them.
‘We only need to round that hill and we can rest for the night,’ he called back to them.
‘We won’t be going over it then?’ Master Celios asked, dragging his thin,matted hair from his eyes.
‘I never go over what I can go around,’ Daneel responded.
‘How is it that you know these paths at all?’ Sir Ferse asked him.
‘I was born and raised here. I’m as familiar with these paths as you are with the streets of Cintar. I could never get used to that blasted place.’
And with that, they continued on.
The hill, it turned out, was not so simple to walk around, and they had to stop severalmoretimes to rest and snack upon their provisions. Daneel would not tell them about anything that he had planned for them, so they had to take it in good faith that he would lead them to food and shelter as required. Lady Wind seemed to struggle with the climb most of all, and the group often had to wait for her to catch up. At first, the god-woman walked obediently at her side, but more and moreoftenthe girl got away from her and soon began pretending she could not hear Lady Wind pleading for her to wait up.
‘Magician!’ the girl said shuffling along to beside him. ‘I want to talk with you.’ Gone wereher costumes and her hag voice, but she held one hand tightly to her hood, as if to keep her face hidden away from view. Only her eyes could be seen, peering out at him.
‘I think you know my name by now,’ he told her.
‘Magician!’ she insisted. ‘Lady Wind is struggling. How can she be expected to manage all these difficult paths?’
Samuel stopped and let his pack slide from his back to the ground with a thud. He looked at the lady, as she did her best tonegotiatethe rocky terrain. She slipped and slid every third step.
‘She was warned of the dangers. We can’t turn back now. Why don’t your kinsmen go to her aid?’
The girl looked at Ambassador Canyon and Horse, striding just behind Daneel. They seemed oblivious to the plight of their countrywoman.
‘They will let her die. So will you.’
‘Of course we won’t,’ Samuel said with disbelief.
‘They warned her not to come, but she would not be dissuaded. Serving me is all she knows.’
‘What about you? Would they let you die as well?’
The girl looked at him as if he werea fool. ‘Of course not. I would not be allowed to perish.’
‘I suppose they value their god over their fellows. Fair enough. What do you want me to do?’
‘Order her to go back.’
‘Haven’t you already tried that?’
‘No. Canyon would not order her to break her bond with me. It would be demeaning to him. She also cannot do it for herself. You are not of our people. If you command her to leave, she will object, but then concede. It will save her pride-and her life.’
‘You people have very strange ideas. Would you rather die than be offended? And what if I do tell her to leave? Won’t I lose my pride, too?’
‘You have no honour to uphold,’ she said dismissively. ‘Your people are arrogant and rude, so nothing will be lost.’
Samuel sniffed, holding in a curt reply. ‘It’s too far and she would not find the way. Without someone to take her, it is not possible. She will just have to come with us, and we will take care of her. We will not make a fuss of it, if that will make you feel better. Perhaps she will not even know.’
‘Well done, Magician. That is acceptable,’ she said, and through the gap in her hood, Samuel caught a glance of her smile.
The girl turned about and hurried back towards her escort, waving to the lady and calling for her to hurry along.
Samuel hauled up his pack and strode to the front of the procession, breathing heavily as he forged past each of the others, until he gained Daneel’s side.
‘The woman is having trouble,’ he stated and Daneel only gave him a glance to show he had heard the comment.
A few moments later, Daneel gestured ahead and,barely twenty paces in front,was another tiny shack, even smaller than the others, with smoke billowing out of its chimney. He gave a shrill howl and another echoed back at him from inside the hut, signalling that someone was waiting for them inside.
‘I will see to it,’ Daneel then said to Samuel.
An old couple lived inside and they, too,had prepared a meal for the group. Samuel had no idea of how Daneel had sent wordaheadof theirimpendingarrival, but they were all just glad to have warm food, a fire and a roof over their heads.
‘From here it will becomemoredifficult,’ Daneel announced, as they banged their elbows together over their meal. ‘We will climb into the ice country and from there it will be up to the magicians to provide for us. There will be one more roof over our head after tonight, but then we must move quickly. It will take many nights to make the crossing if our luck holds, but we will die unless you can use your skills to warm us. From here, we can only eat what we can carry.’ He took a sip of his bitter milk tea and pointed a finger to Lady Wind. ‘She will go back,’ he said. ‘Our hosts will escort her down the mountain tomorrow.’
Lady Wind tried to object, but there was no support for her in the room. Finally, she nodded her agreement and looked quite relieved by it.
Before they slept, the old couple waved goodbye, chattering to Daneel in his dialect.
‘They will stay with friends and return in the morning,’ Daneel explained to Samuel, noting his look of concern. ‘There are several families still livi
ng this high, but most will be heading to the lowlands soon.’
‘I didn’t see anyone. Why would they live in such a place?’
‘Why wouldn’t they?’ was Daneel’s only reply and he stepped outside to fetch in more firewood for the evening.
‘Have you solved my riddle yet?’ Sir Ferse said softly, squatting beside Samuel on the shin-high stools these mountain folk seemed to employ. The others were busy with their tasks and too busy to take notice.
Samuel had been thinking of little else all day. ‘I only have one answer, but it seems preposterous.’
‘Go on.’
‘You admit that I killed the Emperor and you suggest I also have killed you. Given the circumstances, I can only guess that you, then, are the Emperor. Clearly, however, you are not.’
Sir Ferse seemed pleased with Samuel’s response. ‘I may not be the same man, Samuel, but inside this shell I am not what I seem. I am, or at least I was until you killed me, Edmond Calais, the Emperor of Turia.’
Samuel was stupefied. He could now feel everything about the man slipping into place-his words, his movements, his mannerisms. If it were not so obvious it would have been a ludicrous statement, but Samuel immediately knew it to be true. Still, he struggled to come to terms with the concept, while the man beside him waited for a response. ‘But…how?’ was all Samuel could finally manage to say.
Sir Ferse made sure his voice was lowered as he began to tell Samuel what had happened. ‘As well as everyone,I had heard the whispered prophecy of my demise but,being the man I was, I of course ignored such nonsense. It was not that I did not believe it could happen-for,as you know,I trust the visions of Master Celios above all-it was just that I imagined it happening after I was old and grey, and such a death at that time would probably even be welcome. Then, the day of my death happened, as you are well aware, given that you were there, and I was quite surprised to find myself waking up in this body. You see, in the days leading up to my demise, Master Celios’ visions had grown stronger and he had secretly devised a method of capturing my essence and ensuring that my consciousness was not lost.’
‘Sorry, I have to interrupt you there because that is just not possible. No magician can do what are describing. It is just not within our capabilities.’
‘Then I suggest you have a chat to Master Celios yourself, because he seems to know quite a bit more about magic than you. Don’t worry, I have quizzed him on the matter quite exhaustively, but he can only reveal that the method came to him in another inexplicable vision. It had taken him every moment since the vision to prepare and, unfortunately, a body did have to be found.’ With that, he gestured to himself, as if to exhibit the point. ‘Sir Ferse was a likeable and steadfast fellow, but he was required to serve me one last time, in his way. Don’t fret, for the process did not kill him. My essence was borne into his, for that is the way it has to be, and our thoughts became one. Poor Lady Ferse was correct when she said something had happened to her husband, but he is still here, in here with me.’ And he tapped himself on the temple.
‘So is this you or Sir Ferse speaking?’
‘Both of us but,as it turns out, some personalities are stronger than others, and some souls-or whatever term we should use-are more developed than others. Over the first few weeks of our beingconjoined, Sir Ferse became less and less dominant and I became more in control. Our personalities merged and perhaps that explains my subtle change of heart. Being the megalomaniac that I was perhaps explains the fact that I ended up being much more dominant, but we are both here, joined as one.’
‘Can it be undone?’ Samuel asked.
‘Oh, gods no,’ the man declared, struggling to keep his voice lowered. ‘At least, I hope not. We are one person now, mixed and mingled like two coloured inks. There are not two people to separate any more. I am Andor Ferse and also Edmond Calais, once-Emperor of Cintar. Also, I don’t have a body to return to, as mine was buried long ago, so I would not find the prospect of being “unhomed” very attractive.’
Samuel took some moments to mull over the facts of the last few minutes.
‘I will keep your secret,’ he affirmed and the other nodded. ‘But I must admit that yours is by far the more interesting.’
‘Good. And I shall keep yours, or else you would probably lose your head.’
‘Then I must also ask you, why have you come here with us? Why have you kept your presence such a secret?’
‘I have come, my young friend, to save the wife and son I love. I have kept myself a secret because, quite simply,my familywill not be returning to Cintar.’
‘What?’ Samuel heard himself declare and the others looked over,causing the Emperor to respond in a whispered voice.
‘The Empire is falling. After I was reborn,I had decided to keep quiet for a while and wait until an opportune time to announce myself. I quickly discovered in those early days what my servants really thought and how they spoke about me behind closed doors. There were already so many plans in motion to siphon my gold and power,so many plots to kill and outdo each other for attention. I found that almost everyone in the palace had very little genuine interest in the Empire and a lot of interest in themselves.’
‘But they are Turians. AllTurians love the Empire.’
‘So they do, the common masseslove the Empire much more. In the palace, they quickly learn to profit themselves from the Empire. It sickened me. Several times,I considered revealing myself and killing everyone-starting from scratch-but I realised it would only be a matter of time before the same thing happened again. Power corrupts, Samuel, and only a few of my staff, such as my beloved General Ruardin, truly believed in my vision of the Empire. I told no one and Master Celios aided me. I waited until my son was born and,for the first time, I felt real joy. Too long had my heart been leaden and I had lost all memory of true happiness. I planned to escape with him, for I already have enough gold secreted away to live a long and happy life in some corner of the world. The war was not going well, but I could not care less. All that ruined my plan was the selfish act of the Paatin Queen. She took my son.’
‘And your wife,’ Samuel reminded him.
‘Of course.’
‘So why do you think I will continue to help you, now that I know our mission is a farce and we will not be returning the rightful heir to Cintar?’
‘Because I have begun to understand you, Samuel. More than anything, I know people. That is how I managed to do everything I ever accomplished in my life-by reading and predicting people’s behaviour. You don’t care about the Empire. You care about the lives being lost in the war and perhaps you even care about the Order; although not as an organisation, but more for its ambitions.’ Samuel was impressed so far. ‘Your Grand Master Anthem had been trying to create a utopian Order all along, and I know that many have long desired for the Empire to be broken. That process has already begun and I doubt anything can save the Empire now. Many of the territories are already lost. At best, Turia will maintain its place as a nation amongst many, but there is a decent chance it will be lost altogether. All we need to do now is kill the Paatin Queen. These desert people are just like those Koians. Their god is all-important to them. The Paatin Queen summoned the people from their tribes and villages to attack us and,once we kill her, they will return to their old and simple ways. So that, Samuel, is how I know you will not reveal me. Because what I am doing is right and you are a righteous person. Saving my son, killing the Paatin Queen and keeping my identity secret will give you everything your heart says is good, Samuel, and I know, somehow, that you will accomplish all three.’
‘How do you know all that? Celios?’
‘No, not this time. As I told you, Samuel. I know people. You will do this because it is who you are.’
Samuel took a long time to summon his next reply, while the reborn Emperor watched on intently. ‘I believe you, but I have one more question.’
‘What is it?’ asked Sir Ferse keenly.
‘If it is,indeed,true that
you were the Emperor, and that people can be reborn into new bodies, it raises an interesting possibility.’ And he looked over his shoulder towards the now-sleeping Koian god. ‘Perhaps, what they have been telling us about her all along is actually true.’
Morning arrived and with it came the driving wind and rain. It was a miserable start to the day and they clambered slowly along the paths in their stiff,goat-hide raincoats. Thegarmentswere coarse and uncomfortable, but at least they kept them dry and the hoodsprotectedtheir faces from the biting wind. Daneel had produced a long sled and they had bundled their packs on top of it. They had been planning how to best manage towing it along, when Horse had stepped in and had simply begun dragging it behind him. He looked no more bothered by its weight than he had carrying his enormous pack.
‘The man is incredible,’ the embodiment of Edmond Calais said, looking towards the tireless Koian warrior.
Samuel could only agree. ‘He uses magic in a way I have never seen. It is in his muscles and fibres and very essence of being. It is very subtle. I only saw it myself when he was fighting. It fused with his movements, giving him strength and speed beyond normal men.’
‘They train them from birth.’ It was Ambassador Canyon. He had stalked up beside them in the rain and overheard them talking; and although he could not understand the Turian language, their inference towards the Koian male was clear. ‘They are warriors, bornand bredto die for the royal line.’
‘How do they learn such magic?’ Samuel asked, slipping into the Old Tongue.
‘Magic? I know nothing of magic. As I said, we do not welcome magicians in Koia. They are cursed at birth for the trouble they bring.’
Samuel ignored the stinging comment. ‘Why did you not tell us about these warriors before, Ambassador Canyon?’ Samuel asked him. ‘You made out they were only simple servants.’
‘Empress Moon ordered them to protect our god. They do that best when their purpose is secret. I only told you they were servants and that is all anyone needed to know. They are servants and protectors of our god,the highest honour for any of their kind. I told you the truth.’
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