Heart of Shadows

by Martin Ash

The Khimmurian’s eyes twinkled. ‘It was quickly seen to be ineffective, of course. An absurd measure, if you think about it. How in Moban’s name do you prevent a person from being reborn? Tulmua resorted to more extreme measures – as did Darch. They could not execute the Revenants, for fear they would reincarnate secretly in some other hole and corner. But they could imprison and torture them in the hope of extracting the great secret they claimed to hold. Again, the exertions gained the oppressors nothing. The secret was known only to the leader of the Revenants, a person whose identity was itself unknown.

  ‘Then came disappearances and deaths, ostensibly random killings by thugs, but plainly the work of the Tulmu secret police. This quickly became a political embarrassment. After all, the Revenants were an innocuous folk who had committed no real crime. More importantly from the government’s point of view, death was itself as ineffective as individual deportation, as I have already mentioned. There’s little to be achieved by executing a person who is likely to quickly return in another flesh in a place of his or her choosing.

  ‘Confinement en masse seemed the most logical answer. It at least went some way to solving the problem by putting all the Revenants in one location where they might be monitored and prevented from mingling with the populace. So the Revenants, along with their non-reincarnating followers, were rounded up and removed to ruined Garsh. They were forbidden both to leave and to reincarnate elsewhere.

  ‘Next, Darch argued that it would make sense for their Revenants also to be removed to Garsh. Tulmua initially resisted, interpreting such a move as a neatly contrived solution to relieve Darch of its Revenant problem whilst exacerbating Tulmua’s own. A protracted period of wrangling followed. Eventually a compromise was reached which kept both sides happy. Tulmua agreed to accept Darch’s Revenants in return for a substantial yearly disbursement and certain other concessions. So it has remained to this day.’

  ‘But now the Revenants are defying the law,’ Sildemund remarked.

  Dinbig nodded. ‘It seems something has roused and even alarmed them, prompting them to disregard their own safety and give out warnings to the people.’

  ‘Warnings about what?’

  ‘I’m not absolutely certain, but I suspect it’s not entirely unconnected with the contents of the leather satchel that rests against your hip.’

  ~

  Forewarned by the messenger from border control, the Tulmu commander outside Garsh, Count Draith, was waiting with an appropriate contingent when the Darch company arrived. A tall, dark fellow, somewhat heavy of build, of saturnine character and in his young middle-age, he greeted them with polite formality, and escorted them in person to an area suitable for their encampment. He then took Prince Enlos and others to a vantage point from where they could survey the town.

  ‘How many inhabitants are inside?’ Enlos enquired.

  ‘In the region of four hundred.’

  ‘I understand they are mainly civilians, including women, infants and elderly? And lightly armed?’

  The Count answered with a stiff nod.

  ‘And non-violent, also. Your besieging force is particularly large for the containment of such an unthreatening adversary.’

  ‘They profess non-violence, my lord, but you are forgetting that important officials were murdered here. And the threat to my men comes not so much from within as from without. I came originally with a more compact force. We suffered attacks from local brigands led by Fagmar the Angelic. I was obliged to bring in extra troops to put him to rout. He has gone now.’

  ‘Yes, into Darch.’

  The commander ground the ball of one booted foot into the soil, uncomfortably. ‘Nevertheless, the risk of his return remained, so I kept my men here.’

  ‘Do you perceive a link between the brigand and the activities of the Revenants of Claine?’ asked Dinbig, who stood beside the Prince.

  ‘It’s possible.’

  ‘But unlikely, I’d have thought.’

  ‘Fagmar’s strikes against us aided the cultists.’

  ‘To be sure. Though ultimately it has surely only exacerbated their position?’

  Count Draith declined to comment. Prince Enlos, shielding his eyes against the sun, said, ‘We received reports of a massacre. I was concerned that we might arrive to find the town razed and every last soul slaughtered. I’m relieved to see that that’s not the case, yet the reports can’t have been entirely unfounded?’

  The Tulmu commander plainly wished he could put himself elsewhere. ‘There was an incident. I had agreed through negotiation to permit some of the elderly and infants to leave the town. It was a delicate business, as they can’t be allowed to go free. Any one of them might be a reincarnate. But I gave my word that they would be taken into protective custody, to spare them the harshness of the siege. The main body refused to budge from the town but they allowed about forty out. We held them temporarily in a stockade until it could be decided what to do with them.’

  He fell silent for a moment, his eyes searching the sparse grass before his feet. Prince Enlos gazed at him unblinkingly. ‘And what happened?’

  The Count exhaled a deep breath. ‘It’s regrettable, but it appears that some of the old folk had taken it into their heads that they might be robbed. Not that they had much of value, but some, at least, possessed a few coins, gold or silver. To save these they had swallowed them before leaving the town. The following day a couple of sentries spotted an old man examining his faeces and extracting coins. They fell on him, and disembowelled him in the hope of recovering more. Before it could be stopped word had spread that the Revenants had bellies filled with gold. The soldiers… You can imagine…’

  ‘How many dead?’

  ‘Seventeen.’

  ‘Is this a typical mode of conduct among the troops of Tulmua?’

  ‘It was an unruly element, ill-disciplined conscripts, not regulars. The men have been here a long time. They are bored, short-tempered. But I offer no excuse. It was a shameful incident. Those responsible have been dealt with.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it. I trust there will be no recurrence?’

  ‘There will not. The irregulars have been assigned other duties.’

  ‘What ages were the seventeen?’

  ‘Most were elderly men and women. Three small children, also.’

  ‘But none of in-between ages? Youths or adults, for instance?’

  ‘As I’ve said, it was only the elderly and the very young that came out.’

  Prince Enlos nodded to himself, and exchanged a meaningful glance with Kemorlin, who stood close by. He addressed the Count again. ‘How do you intend to extricate the remaining Revenants from the town? Will you storm it?’

  ‘That is not ultimately my decision. It depends on the patience of King Lalvi. We’ve cut off access to the fields, so the town lacks a food supply. Their storehouses may be well-stocked, however. It’s possible they could hold out for many more months and still be better fed than my own men.’

  ‘And water?’

  ‘I’ve blocked the main supply to the town, and bored down to block two streams which may or may not feed wells within the walls. But who’s to say there’s not another underground supply?’

  ‘This may be a prolonged investment, then.’

  ‘I am awaiting orders.’

  Enlos stared with a sombre expression across the sun-struck valley. ‘We have to enter this town.’

  ‘That is not possible, sir.’

  ‘It must be made possible.’

  ‘My orders will not allow-‘

  ‘Then I must convince you otherwise. Come, let us talk at greater length, in private.’

  It was then that they took themselves off to the blue Tulmu command pavilion.

  Sildemund was under guard and had virtually no contact with anyone other than Gully and Dinbig. His earlier request, that he be permitted to speak with the female Revenant who had accompanied them, had been denied. He assumed the Heart of Shadows to be the reason for his closer confinem
ent. He noted the tension on the faces of his guards. They would have no knowledge of what he carried, but it would be evident to them that he was a most important charge. And he was mindful of Dinbig’s caveat that, though he was important now, while this business was being resolved, his reprieve would be short. A moment would come, possibly very soon, when he would relinquish the Heat of Shadows. At that time his life would be forfeit – the Supreme Haruspices would make sure of that. He wondered whether any of these guards had been given specific instructions.

  At the centre of the Darch camp stood a circular, white pavilion, heavily cordoned by elite masked troops. Within, silent and unseen, Queen Lermeone awaited events. Sildemund looked around him at the pavilions, white and blue, the many tents, the lonely hills, the isolated town, the soldiers of two nations gathered in force. He was overcome with a sense of displacement. He should not have been here. He had been cast into a role for which he was wholly unprepared, a player in contingencies he did not understand.

  The wind rattled the ropes and canvas of the tents. Evening was drawing in. Watched by his guards, Sildemund made his way back towards his own shelter to rejoin Gully.

  ~

  ‘Gully, we have to escape,’ whispered Sildemund as they lay beneath their blankets late in the night. Neither had slept.

  Gully lay with his hands cradling his head, staring up into the dark. ‘Very well. It sounds a fine idea to me. Let’s be off.’

  ‘Don’t make fun of me, Gully. We have to do it. We have to.’

  ‘Easily said. Do you think I haven’t considered the same. It’s impossible.’

  ‘There must be a way. We’ll die if we don’t. We’ve become pawns now, moved on the board to play a necessary part, but ultimately a threat to the Queen.’

  ‘Aye, and she’s our Queen, Sil.’

  ‘That’s the immediate peril. We have no allies. But maybe our hope lies there, too.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Sildemund sighed. ‘I’m not sure.’

  He lay in silence for some time, his thoughts chasing each other around ceaselessly. Eventually, though he did not think he would, he slept.

  The morning brought an overcast with light drizzle and mist. Sildemund was up early and discovered, when he and Gully tried to take a stroll up the slope to stretch their limbs and regard the besieged town again, that their movements had been restricted. They were confined to the immediate area around their tent. No explanation was given. Food was brought, but otherwise they were left kicking their heels.

  The sun rose higher, pushed through the cloud, dispersing the drizzle and slowly burning off the mist. From the blue pavilion Sildemund observed a figure emerge and make its way across the encampment towards them. As it drew closer he recognized Dinbig of Khimmur.

  ‘There has been a development,’ said the Khimmurian, seating himself before the two of them. ‘Late yesterday evening King Lalvi arrived from Pher.’

  ‘The King of Tulmua!’ exclaimed Sildemund. ‘He’s here?’

  ‘It appears that when news arrived at Pher from the border, giving notice of our ingress, King Lalvi deemed the situation important enough to come in person. It’s not entirely surprising, all things considered.’

  ‘Is he prepared to allow entrance to Garsh?’

  ‘It’s tense in there.’ Dinbig nodded towards the blue pavilion. ‘Negotiations have been going on since the small hours. There’s tremendous reluctance on Tulmua’s part to allow access. Lalvi’s not a man given to patience. He’s also suspicious. He favours storming the town and killing the inhabitants.’

  ‘But – you’ve already pointed this out – that would solve nothing. The Revenants can simply reincarnate elsewhere.’

  Dinbig nodded. ‘Lalvi’s not inclined to deep reflection, nor easy temper. He seeks an immediate end to what has become personally and politically irksome. Our arrival further exacerbates the situation, in his perception. His proposed solution, though short-term, would at least relieve him of the problem for a few years.’

  ‘Can he be prevented?’

  Dinbig gave a shrug. ‘Enlos is a skilled and tactful negotiator, with more than a single card up his sleeve. He’s also unlikely to back down now, whatever the cost. His presence, and that of Queen Lermeone, places King Lalvi in a delicate position – one that he would have preferred not to have been in. There’s intrigue here, believe me. And conflict, if all else fails. We shall see what we shall see.’

  ‘Did you employ magic, Dinbig? On King Lalvi, to “enhance his receptiveness”?’

  ‘By great Moban, no! Lalvi has knowledge of certain minor magical techniques, and has a counsellor in his company who has himself received a deal of schooling. The risk of their detecting anything I might invoke is high – very high.’

  ‘Wasn’t that also the case at Dharsoul?’

  ‘The Supreme Haruspices know little of the kind of magic I employ. There was some small risk of detection, but it was slight.’

  ‘What of Kemorlin?’

  ‘Kemorlin wasn’t present when I utilised my skills, you will recall. Even had he been, he has no particular bent. He’s alert, but little more. Though he pretends otherwise, he knows as much of true magic as you do of politics.’

  ‘I do not claim to know anything of politics.’

  ‘My point exactly.’

  ‘Kemorlin is a fraud, then?’

  ‘A trickster, in more ways than one.’

  ‘Then why is he permitted to practise?’

  ‘Enlos doesn’t favour it, as you may have perceived. But Master Kemorlin is a wily fellow. He has certain talents, a clever tongue, and has worked himself into an extraordinary position in the courtly hierarchy. When it serves his ends he’s able to wield a subtle but effective influence.’

  ‘Dinbig, what is your part in this?’ Sildemund asked. ‘You said previously that certain persons had a reason for wanting you in custody, yet though you’re plainly not an entirely free man, you exert authority nonetheless.’

  ‘My part has been foisted on me through your arrival and the arrival of the Heart of Shadows. Prior to that I was merely passing an unscheduled sojourn occasioned by the interest of Prince Enlos and Master Kemorlin.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘It’s not a simple tale to tell. Still, perhaps there’s time now.’ The Khimmurian took a draught of water from his flask, and wiped his lips. ‘I first came to Dharsoul some years ago, on a trading mission. I’d recently succeeded in opening a trade route from Khimmur to the southern lands. Khimmur, as you may well know, has something of a reputation for barbarism and a mistrust of foreigners. It was, with some justification, deemed an unsafe place for travel by foreign merchants, and thus bypassed. By opening up Khimmur to trade, establishing favourable terms and guaranteeing safe passage as far as was possible, I gave access between the south and the northern nations – most notably Kemahamek. There are tentative plans to build a bridge later on that will span the Great White River into Nirakupi, further extending trade into Wansir, Jihrango and elsewhere. This opening of the ways has proved a lucrative and highly successful venture, if at times fraught with problems. It has certainly raised my station both within my own country and beyond.

  ‘Upon one of my early visits to Dharsoul I met and loved a woman. Her name was Epta. She was young and beautiful. I was uninformed of certain things about her, such as the fact that she was intended to be betrothed to the young Prince Enlos. She didn’t tell me, as she had no desire to marry him. Nor did she, or anyone, tell me that her father was Kemorlin.

  ‘Kemorlin had great ambition for Epta, seeing her prospective marriage as a means to tremendous power and influence in court. The discovery of our liaison placed me in a most delicate position. Prince Enlos, in a fit of pique, tried to murder me with a sword. I’m no swordsman, but by an exceptional stroke of luck I succeeded in fending him off long enough for Palace Guards to intervene and save my hide. In fact – and I marvel at it still – I drew first blood, my blade etch
ing that little cross-shaped scar that you see today upon his cheek! Don’t ask me how I did it, for I don’t know! But to this day Enlos is convinced that I am an expert bladesman, and that I toyed with him when I might have robbed him of his life!’ Dinbig paused and shook his head in wonder.

  ‘Why were you saved by the Palace Guards?’ asked Sildemund.

  ‘At the behest of the Haruspices, who were perspicacious enough to understand that the nation’s potential new wealth, occasioned by the opening of the new trade route, would be instantly turned to dust were the route’s creator and master engineer to be slaughtered within the Darch Royal Palace. And as it happened, Enlos acted out of wounded pride and a need to restore his personal honour only, for he had no great interest in Kemorlin’s daughter, and was in fact in love with another – though he quickly tired of her, too. So are our hearts ever the slaves of forces we can barely control. The affair was hushed up, and in time Enlos and I came to know a mutual respect, if not exactly friendship.’

  ‘What of Epta?’

  ‘Ah, poor girl! There is the sad part. She had become a political embarrassment, and equally an embarrassment to her father, whose most major ambitions were now thwarted. She was sent away. Kemorlin, it must be said, would have had me assassinated had he been able. But I was alert, and he, moreover, was made to understand that my death – for the reasons I’ve just outlined – was unacceptable to the court. There is a curious factor involved in Kemorlin’s tale, which I can’t go into now. It provides him with a place in the scheme of things, but simultaneously makes him extremely vulnerable. He’s been permitted to grow wealthy and influential, to do almost as he wills, but he could, by a single blow, be brought to ruin, and he knows it. He must tread carefully.’

  ‘But why were you arrested at the border, Dinbig?’

  ‘Largely for me to understand that I’m not immune to the law. I can’t be permitted to rise above my station. It’s a charade, really. I’m disrupted a little, held in custody on no reliable charge, then released. It’s happened before. The truth is that Enlos and I enjoy one another’s company. We both understand the necessity of the game. And on this occasion Enlos, aware of my information-gathering abilities, had hopes of learning something of what was behind the trouble at the border. Unfortunately, I knew little more than he. Were it not for your untimely arrival, I would have been released already.’