"Indeed," Skink said from his perch. "As we have seen, this area is somewhat sacred to the Curial powers. I also feel I must point out that we have no idea how far south we actually are. After all, the cove in which we met the Lady Raven and the Lady Dolphin could conceivably have been anywhere along the western coast."
"Whoosh." Bobcat looked from Skink to Fisher. "How bad are we fixed for food?"
"We're okay." She shook her canteen, uncorked it, took a sip. "If we take it easy, we can stretch things for a couple days, maybe four, and I can't imagine it's that far to Kazirazif." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "This pampas grass doesn't grow this thick any farther south than about two days outta town, seems to me."
Bobcat lapped at the mouth of his own canteen. "Might as well get started, then." He got up and started pulling the stove apart.
Skink rustled down, and the three of them got everything stowed, Skink pulling the counterfeit pebble out and setting his actual pebble in its place. Bobcat took one last look at the place, the tingling between his ears making him feel certain that he would see it again someday; then he turned away and set off after Fisher, heading through the grass into the rising sun.
The grass wasn't nearly as thick here as it had been the day before; Skink only had to scurry ahead to scout a path three or four times as the sun bulged up to midmorning. The day did get hotter and hotter, though, Bobcat trudging along and glad for what little shade the stalks overhead provided. He tried to concentrate on the path, to keep his mind off the things he'd heard the night before.
Because it just didn't make sense. Everything that had happened to him this whole trip had seemed geared to getting him to believe that these gods were real, that the old stories about them, the stuff they did, the parts of the world they controlled, were all true. But now, he'd been told pretty much flat out by two of these gods that they weren't gods, that they weren't in control.
So where did that leave him? Everything works the way Shemka Harr had told him it did, except that there are these Curials running around? Where had they come from? How did they do what they did? And how could he tell Fisher and Skink that the world they seemed to be operating in wasn't the world as it really was? Would they even believe him? Did he even believe it himself?
He tried very hard not to think about these questions during that whole, long morning stumbling along beside Fisher and Skink. Around midmorning, though, a smell reached him from ahead. "Hey." He gave a few sniffs. "Is that asphalt?"
Fisher's whiskers twitched. "Yeah. Nothing in the world like the stench of hot tar. We must be getting close."
Another few minutes of weaving through the pampas, and Bobcat pushed through a wall of grass into a strip of clear dirt. The asphalt stink coated his throat, made him cough, and he looked forward to see a wide stretch of blacktop running along to his left and to his right. He padded out onto it, the surface squishy beneath his paws, and looked off to his left. "North, then, I guess."
Fisher stepped up next to him. "Might as well."
He bowed and gestured, she puffed out a breath, and they began heading up the road toward Kazirazif.
And they walked and they walked and they walked, the road cutting straight through the grasslands, nothing but pampas everywhere. When the sun climbed to stand directly overhead, Fisher led the way off into the grass to get a little shade and trail mix. Then it was back to the road and the plod-plod-plod northward.
Bobcat found himself dozing off as he walked, his head drooping down, his mind going fuzzy, till he would almost tumble forward, coming awake with a jerk. On and on into the afternoon, the stink of the tar making him feel all sticky inside and out.
It wasn't until the sun started flirting with the grass to his left that Bobcat could see for sure that the pampas was thinning. Rocks appeared, small ones along the road at first, then outcroppings surrounded by bare dirt glimpsed through the curtains of reeds. The sun sank lower and lower, and so did the level of the pampas grass, the soil growing sandier, until Bobcat could see more of it between the smaller clumps. By the time the sun had bloated, huge and orange, and begun disappearing at the horizon, Bobcat had no doubt at all that they were coming up to the desert, nothing but empty sand already apparent in the distance ahead.
He blew out a breath. "I never thought I'd be glad to see this place."
Skink made a clicking noise from Fisher's shoulder. "Perhaps. But I must say, I cannot wait to see an actual tree again, just growing on its own along the side of a hill."
"Yeah," Fisher said. "Let's take a break here, okay? I gotta take a leak."
She shrugged off her pack and hurried behind one of the last low clumps of grass. Bobcat settled down beside Skink and looked out onto the flats ahead. "So, you wanna just keep going? Maybe an hour more and we'll be in town."
Skink was nodding. "Spending a night in comfortable surroundings would be a welcome change of pace."
"Sounds good." Fisher came trotting back. "I just hope they've been able to keep a lid on things. It was plenty ugly when we left, and that was what? Two days ago now? We should probably try to get word to the Ramon so he can tell everyone the plague's not coming after all."
"Whoa." Bobcat had been padding around the clump of reeds, but stopped himself. "I hadn't thought of that." He moved back to his pack. "Maybe we'd better just get going."
Fisher nodded, shouldered her own pack again, and they set off down the road. The night came down quickly, the afterglow fading along the horizon...except, Bobcat noticed as it got darker and darker, for a glow dead ahead. Kazirazif always lit up the sky, but not from this distance; he hadn't even seen the milestone yet. How could so much light be coming from the city that...
A chill rattled his fur even in the warm air. "Hey. That light. You think maybe the city's been torched?"
"I don't know," he heard Fisher mutter, and she picked up the pace.
The horizon get brighter, Bobcat now able to make out the little orange speck of the milestone torch against it. At the speed they were moving, they reached the milestone fairly quickly, and Fisher stopped so suddenly beside it, Bobcat almost stepped on her tail. "What?" he asked.
She looked back. "If the city's been gutted, who'd've come out this afternoon to light the torch on the milestone?"
Bobcat blinked at her, then at the stone, its little torch sputtering away. "But...but the glow..."
"Yeah." Fisher was facing the brightness. "Come on."
Another few minutes of walking, and Bobcat still wasn't quite sure what he was seeing. The entire outline of the city shone, fires burning everywhere. But once he got close enough to make out the towers, he was amazed to see that all the light came from torches, set so close together, the whole wall was traced out in their light. Even where buildings stuck up above the wall here and there, the roofs blazed with light. "What the...," he heard Fisher mutter in front of him.
By this time, smells were reaching Bobcat across the sand, incense and food frying, mesquite smoke and fragrant oils burning, and he could hear laughter, music, voices raised in song. Had a carnival broken out?
The walls rose up to hide the city beyond as they got closer, most of the sounds and scents fading, but even the tower around the little-used Basharah gate stood festooned with torches. Bobcat followed Fisher up to the gate, and the two meerkats posted there he recognized at once: the Raj Tevirye and her lieutenant. The Raj was stepping forward, her arms spread, a smile on her face. "Welcome! In the name of the caliph, all travelers are welcome to the festival!"
She stopped then, blinked, and gave a little bow. "Welcome back, I mean. Though, again, I certainly did not expect you here. As you are returning in triumph, I assumed you would feel free to follow the stories' dictates and enter at the Shasir gate."
"Triumph?" Fisher was blinking at her. "But... But how did you know? What's going on?"
Tevirye spread her paws. "The Ramon announced this morning that the Strangler had appeared to him in a dream. She informed him that, due to exten
uating circumstances, she would not be pursuing her Plague Year at this time. The tension caused by your arrival had been building so all week, that at the Ramon's announcement, the city went mad with relief. The caliph proclaimed the festival, and--"
"Wait a minute." Bobcat's ears pricked at two of her words. "All week? We... We've only been gone two days."
Tevirye tapped a paw against her chest. "Forgive me. It is just that, since your arrival was eight days ago, rumors have flown all week about--"
"Eight days?" Bobcat stared, his stomach rolling, his knees suddenly going weak and making him sit. "We left the night we arrived! I mean, the night after. I mean..."
He looked over, saw Skink's eyes wide. A shudder ran through Fisher's fur. "Uhh, okay," Fisher said. "I should've expected a little time dilation. Raj, would it be possible for you to sneak us to the Ramon again?"
"Sneak you?" Tevirye blinked a few times. "But you would be given a hero's welcome, received as honored guests in the caliph's palace!"
Fisher raised her paws. "No, not yet. We...I... We're gonna need some sleep here, real quick."
"I see." The meerkat stroked her chin. "I think it unlikely that I could get you unnoticed through the streets; I have never seen such crowds in the city before."
"Great." Bobcat's eyes had started itching. "Maybe there's a hotel or something nearby, somewhere we can crash?"
Tevirye shook her head. "I saw nothing but 'No Vacancy' signs in the windows on my way to work this afternoon." She tapped her nose. "All I can offer you is the spare guardroom. It's somewhat cluttered, but there are mattresses."
"Uhh..." Bobcat looked at Fisher.
She was looking back, the dark fur of her face ashen. "Whatever," she said.
Tevirye nodded. "Then this way, please." She started toward the gate. Fisher fell in behind, Bobcat dragging himself after, but the meerkat didn't actually go through into the city. Instead, she stopped under the gate's arch beside an iron door set into the wall, pulled a key ring off her belt, worked a key into the door's lock, and pushed the thing open. "As I said, it's not much, but you should be able to get some sleep."
Fisher squeezed past her, and Bobcat peered in. The room inside was dark, two small windows letting in just enough light to see a table covered with broken spear parts, rusted armor hanging from the walls, and a couple dingy mattresses. "Thanks," he mumbled. Tevirye got out of his way, and he stumbled in. Fisher had already crawled out from under her pack, was curling up on one of the mattresses, and Bobcat was only awake long enough himself to hear the door close.
Sounds kept tripping over him in his sleep, though, clatterings and mutterings and something that reminded him of bubbles popping, sometimes shaking him so much that he was fairly sure he had woken up. But his eyelids were too heavy to lift, and none of the sounds seemed worth the trouble to investigate; he felt tired enough to think that he actually had missed a week of sleep.
Finally, though, a smell washed over him that made his stomach rumble: chili, it was, a scent spicy enough to make his whiskers sweat just whiffing it. That was worth waking up for, he decided, so he rolled over and opened his eyes.
If not for the soiled mattress under him, the same little windows, and the same narrow shape, Bobcat would've sworn he'd woken up in a different room. Lanterns now hung from the walls, the broken spears and rusted armor cleared away, and several meerkats were hovering over some wonderful-smelling pots on a stove that now rested beside the door. A carefully embroidered cloth covered the table, and Bobcat saw that the Ramon Sooli sat in his chair at one end talking in low tones with Fisher and Skink. When Bobcat sat up, the three of them looked over.
The Ramon smiled. "Good afternoon, Bobcat. You slept well, I trust?"
"Yeah." His tongue felt dusty. "Afternoon?"
Fisher nodded and tossed something at him. His paws weren't quite up to that, though, the thing striking him in the chest and rolling to the floor: a wicker-covered bottle. "Apple-grape juice," Fisher said. "If you feel half as dry as I did when I woke up, you'll need it."
"Thanks," he croaked out, raising the bottle, and sucking it all down, shaking the last, sweet drops onto his tongue. He set the bottle down and blinked at the light slanting in from the windows. "How long have I been out?"
Skink rustled from his mat on the table. "We slept through all of last night and most of today. Curial time is not our own, and the transition from one to the other, as we saw crossing the prairie, can be quite draining." He jerked his head into another position. "All in all, this has been a most intriguing experience."
Bobcat blew out a breath. "Uhh, yeah." He rose to his paws and was a little surprised to find them steady. He felt pretty good, actually, sort of quiet inside, nothing jabbing or flaring up behind his eyes. Even the buzz at his forehead had sunk to a sort of whisper. "I've got to tell you, Ramon: that chili smells incredible." He padded to the nearer end of the table and settled at the place set there.
The meerkat inclined his head. "It is a favorite recipe of mine. I thought perhaps it would be best for you to eat something before the festivities begin."
"The what?" Bobcat blinked at him.
The Ramon's eyes had lit up. "Oh, yes. I have been discussing my plans with your associates, but I will happily go over them again with you. From here, I will call upon our caliph Trajar--may the Twelve guard his steps--and inform him that you have arrived. You, I am thinking, can use that time to move around the city to the Shasir gate, and I know our caliph will be overjoyed to lead a grand procession out to meet you. The three of you will then accompany him back to the palace where you will be his guests at a celebration of the Strangler's defeat. I will arrange--"
"Uhh, you'll pardon me, Ramon." Bobcat raised a paw. "But is this all really necessary? It's not that I don't appreciate the gesture and all, but, well, I mostly just wanna get back to Ottersgate as quick as I can."
"What?" Fisher leaned forward. "You don't want a big party?"
Bobcat shrugged. "Well, if you guys really want one, then I'll go, but--"
"Me?" Fisher gave a laugh. "Hey, I was only agreeing 'cause I figured you'd want to eat a lot and get all drunk." She turned to the Ramon. "It's a great offer, you understand, sir, but huge state-sponsored social gatherings give me gallstones." She rubbed her flank.
"Yes, Bobcat." Skink shifted again. "You are the hero of the hour; in a very real sense, you have saved the world. You deserve something in recognition, do you not?"
"It's okay. Really." Bobcat did his best to keep his ears up. "I don't wanna get everything in an uproar. I'm glad I could give you folks a chance to have your festival and all, but me, I just wanna get reprovisioned and get back on the road home."
Fisher had narrowed her eyes, and Bobcat looked away. How could he go to some party with the caliph? It was bad enough the Ramon was here, probably was going to start asking questions that Bobcat would have to dance around, trying not to blurt out that the world didn't work the way the Ramon had said. "It's just," he said, running for an excuse, "it's just that meeting Death, well, it's made me want to get back to my life as soon as I can."
He looked back, saw the Ramon nodding. "Perfectly understandable," the meerkat said. "I would be honored, though, if you would at least stay for supper."
Bobcat's stomach growled some more, and he had to grin. "Hey, the way the chili smells, you'd have to kick me out to keep me away from it."
The Ramon laughed, raised a paw, and called something to the meerkats around the stove; they bowed and hauled one of the pots off. In the bustle that followed, chili being ladled out, condiment bottles and seasonings appearing on the table, Bobcat tried his best to keep his eyes from straying anywhere near Fisher's furrowed brow. Back home, he'd always gotten the feeling that she could look right through him, tell what he was thinking almost, and he didn't want to give her the chance to do that now if that was possible.
It got harder and harder as the meal went on, though. The Ramon wanted to hear all about their journey south to
the Savannah so he could write it up for his accounts, and Skink seemed more than happy to go into all the details: their dash through the crowded streets, Fisher and Bobcat's fight and how the Lady Dolphin and the Lady Raven broke it up, the encounter with the seagulls, the trek across the pampas, meeting the three Ladies and all that followed among Bobcat, the Lady Lioness, and the Lord Tiger.
Bobcat kept his head down the whole time, concentrating on the spicy bite of the chili and dreading the story's end. He was just about done with his bowl when he finally heard: "...and Fisher and I watched Bobcat disappear into the reeds. The Lady Lioness led us from the Lord Tiger's clearing to another nearby and told us we should wait. 'Start a fire,' she said, 'so he may find his way here. If, however, he has not arrived by the time full night has fallen, then he will not be arriving at all.' She turned away quickly then, the grass opening before her and closing behind her."
Skink stopped for a moment. "Fisher and I waited, and the sky grew darker and darker. I had nearly given up hope when Bobcat came out of the reeds."
Silence fell, and Bobcat kept his eyes on the last chunks of tomato in his chili. A throat cleared, and he heard the Ramon say, "Bobcat, I would much appreciate your tale as well for my accounts. You are, after all, the only one on record to have met the Blood Jaguar face-to-face and lived. With your defeat of her as well, your story becomes even more--"
"I didn't defeat her." Bobcat had to interrupt. "We made a deal. All that talk about having to stop her, facing her down and all, that was all a crock of..." He swallowed the rest with the last bits of his chili.
"Indeed?" Bobcat could hear the excited quiver in the Ramon's voice. "Could you elaborate? If we can come to--"
"No!" Bobcat hadn't meant to shout, but he couldn't stop himself once he'd started. "Just drop it, okay? The Plague Year got canceled! That's all that matters! Not the way I stumbled around, not the way I had no idea what was happening, not the way I behaved like an idiot the whole time! Everything turned out all right despite me, so can't we just talk about something else?"
The Blood Jaguar Page 23