In the Earth Abides the Flame (55 page)

Maendraga and Phemanderac fenced with each other all through the meal, as though weighing each other up: it was clear they would do battle after dinner was over. What form the battle would take was a mystery to Leith. However, now his brother had revealed himself as a magician, he had fewer concerns as to the outcome. In fact, he wondered if it mattered at all.

Was the Jugom Ark somewhere in this house? He doubted it. Why the necessity for the riddle if the Arrow could be found so simply? Leith was attentive to the conversation for any clue as to how the riddle might be solved. As he listened, it became clear to him that Phemanderac saw their only chance was to persuade the guardians to part with their secret.

'The Arrow is not here, that is plain,' said Phemanderac. 'But you know where it is.'

'Of course,' Belladonna acknowledged. 'It would be a poor guardian that knew not the location of that which she guarded.'

'It cannot be far from here,' he pressed.

'I see no logic or reason that requires it to be close.'

'Well, you have to guard it. How can you guard the Arrow if it is far away?'

'Is magic limited by distance?' Maendraga answered.

'It is limited by the power and imagination of the magician,' replied Phemanderac, 'and distance is a limitation of power not easily overcome. Is the Arrow subject to illusion? Can you make it seem to be what it is not?'

Maendraga pursed his lips. 'I've never tried,' he said frankly. 'I doubt it very much.'

'Pass the pork,' interrupted the Haufuth, playing his role of disinterested but powerful leader to the hilt.

'The riddle is geographical, is it not? The answer is in the form of a location?'

'Perhaps,' replied the wily guardian. 'Or perhaps it is metaphorical: air, water, earth and fire, the four elements. By what route did you come to Kantara?'

'Through Deruys and the Mist, then down the Valley of a Thousand Fires and past Astraea.

Ah. I see what you mean. Are you telling us that the solution depends on the way in which Kantara is approached?'

'So you came to Kantara from the north,' Maendraga said, smiling. 'That explains how you avoided my snares, except one. The north-way is little used.'

As the conversation progressed a seed of suspicion, of insight, began to take root in Leith's mind. He could not name it, not yet; but it was there. He deliberately ignored it, leaving it to grow at its own pace.

'A mere technicality,' Phemanderac said. 'But obviously you expect any seekers of the Arrow to approach from the south, from Nemohaim, travelling up the Vale of Neume. You did not expect us.'

'I did not. But I expected someone. Here is some news that might be of interest to you. My nets across the Neume have been sprung by someone competent in mastering illusion.

Another party approaches Kantara.'

He paused and gauged the effect of this announcement on the Arkhimm, and was not displeased with the result. Nemohaim, Kurr mouthed to Phemanderac, who nodded a reply.

'These are ones who would thwart our quest. They are sponsored by Bhrudwo. We must find the Jugom Ark ahead of them!'

'They will have as little success as you will, I assure you. It still comes back to this. Bring the girl to me! I must see the fulfilment of the Arkhimm before I can guide you to the Arrow.'

'Tell me,' said Leith, his face carefully expressionless, his voice devoid of inflection. 'Are there any waterfalls around here?'

Phemanderac turned to him, a puzzled expression on his face.

'Countless thousands, my friend,' Maendraga replied. And Leith caught what he was looking for: the slightest hint of Wordweave. Don't ask about waterfalls. No one who was not looking for those words would have heard them. The magician had been unable to keep his thoughts out of his voice. Indeed, he was probably unaware he had betrayed the location of the Jugom Ark; but, if Leith was right in his suspicion, that was exactly what Maendraga had done. 'Of course there are,' Leith said. 'I didn't expect you to cave in and tell me.' He chose the words with care, and watched his man closely. Again he saw what he hoped to see; the slightest narrowing of the eyes, the merest whitening of the knuckles. He kept any expression of satisfaction or joy from his face, trying to appear young and naive. It was very easy to do so.

Everyone helped clear the dishes away, then the travellers found seats on chairs provided by Maendraga (they didn't ask where they came from, but they appeared solid enough). The guardian and the philosopher faced each other, eyes locked. Hal sat beside Leith, an indecipherable look on his face.

'We're a long way from home,' the cripple said to his brother. 'Don't be too surprised that there should exist things we don't know about.'

I don't know about, you mean, Leith thought, but he held his tongue.

'Now then,' Phemanderac said quietly. 'Explain to me how you will prevent us discovering the Arrow of Yoke.'

'Immediately after you've explained to me how you plan to gain the information necessary,'

said Maendraga pleasantly. 'Be warned: I will kill anyone who gains this information in the absence of the full complement of the Right Hand.'

Leith, who was about to speak, held his tongue.

'I can do it,' said the guardian. 'Not all my arts concern illusion. Being slain by magic is not pleasant.' The Wordweave came through strongly: give up this quest. 1 do not want to slay you, but I will.

'No doubt you can,' said Phemanderac, carelessly replying to the Wordweave. 'No doubt you can.'

'Can he do it?' Leith asked his brother.

'It is possible. If he can see the seeds of disease or ill-health in us, he could simply enhance them until they became the dominant force in our bodies. Similar, in fact, to what happened to the Hermit.'

Something was wrong with Phemanderac: his eyes had glazed over and his jaw drooped slackly. 'No doubt you can,' he repeated.

'Fool!' crowed Maendraga. 'He replied to my thought, and so became ensnared by it. What will you do now, Haufuth?' He turned to face the village headman.

Hal narrowed his eyes in concentration: the Haufuth shrugged his shoulders, apparently unconcerned, and Phemanderac's eyes cleared in an instant. 'Not much of a Wordweave, really,' he said. I overmatch you: speak the truth! Maendraga spun round, shocked.

'You overmatch me,' he said incautiously, then realising his error, gave such a shriek the cabin shook.

'You have spoken the truth,' Phemanderac said, 'and have fallen into my trap. Really, Maendraga, we used to play this game as children. Is your art grown so feeble?' But Maendraga could not move or speak. The weaving had rendered him incapable of volition.

Belladonna rose wearily. 'I suppose now he is held in thrall of the truth, you will ask him to reveal the location of the Arrow; and no doubt he will. But it is a mistake, I warn you; and I will oppose you with my life, small though my own powers be.'

Phemanderac readied himself to put the question. The solution to the riddle! His scholar's mind ached to have that answer in its compass.

Unregarded in the drama of the moment, Hal turned to Leith. 'Does he have to reveal the secret?' he whispered.

'I don't think so,' Leith replied carefully, his hand in front of his face.

'Good,' Hal whispered. 'Revealing it this way would break him.' He leaned forward as though keen to know the outcome of the moment.

'Maendraga!' Phemanderac commanded. 'Tell me the location of the Jugom Ark!'

The question hung in the thick air of the cabin. Behind them, Belladonna busied herself setting the fire, obviously unwilling to watch the humiliation of her father.

'The location!' the philosopher pressed. 'Where is the Arrow?'

Words came from the guardian's mouth. 'I... will not... tell you,' he whispered.

'What?' Phemanderac roared. Belladonna gasped, and clapped her hand over her mouth.

'Impossible! You must tell the truth! You cannot resist!' Leith's friend was beside himself.

'Nevertheless ... I will not... tell you,' came the reply.

The man from Dona Mihst tried rephrasing the question, but could not break the resistance of the guardian. With a curse he sat down heavily on his chair, which promptly disappeared.

'That'll be sore in the morning,' Belladonna said tartly, as the philosopher tried to recover his dignity. 'Now release my father, then do what he asks and bring back the girl'

'You are released,' Phemanderac said, defeat in his voice. 'I did not think resistance to a Truthweave was possible.'

'Neither did I,' said Maendraga, his face pale. 'But I give thanks that it proved to be so. I felt such a power - I felt as though I might have done anything. 1 do not know where it came from.'

'Stalemate then,' the Haufuth said. 'Maybe we will continue this game in the morning; but for now I am going to rest. Do you think you could shape an illusion solid enough to support me as I sleep?'

Maendraga laughed, having recovered in an instant. 'It will be the sorest test yet of my powers, but I will try.'

'Good,' said the big man. 'Just warn me if you're about to lose the illusion.'

Leith waited until all slept, then crawled quietly over to where Phemanderac lay. A shake of the shoulder sufficed to wake him. Leith put his finger to his lips, then spoke quietly.

'I have it,' he said.

The philosopher's eyes widened, asking the question: are you sure? Leith shrugged his shoulders: I think so.

Phemanderac nodded, then turned over. But he did not sleep.

The Arkhimm slept long into the morning, except Phemanderac who took an early walk. He was beside himself with impatience, waiting to meet with the young Loulean; but took time to check for enchantments, and found none. Leith woke to a dull and wet morning. Mist enveloped the hut in gloom. If one can believe one's eyes, he thought. There was no sign of the two guardians.

They took a light breakfast from their own meagre supplies. Phemanderac returned as they were leaving the table (except the Haufuth, who was busy inspecting their supplies in search of a second helping). Immediately he took Leith aside.

'What have you learned?' he asked eagerly. 'Do you have the secret? Have you solved the riddle?'

'I think so,' said Leith. 'You see, it has to do with—'

At that moment the door opened, and Maendraga and Belladonna came in. Both wore robes: the pale blue robe lent Maendraga a regal dignity, while the simple grey shift complemented Belladonna's beauty. Phemanderac ground his teeth in frustration.

'We didn't interrupt anything important, did we?' Maendraga asked with glee. 'You want to be careful. I know a spell that can make words hang in the air long after they are spoken.'

Phemanderac grimaced. 'That, among other reasons, is why we are about to take our leave.

We are the Arkhimm, the questers for the Jugom Ark. We have endured trials and deprivation to get this far, and will tolerate your obstinacy no longer. If the Most High wants us to find the Arrow, he will guide us Himself.'

Maendraga raised an eyebrow. Clearly, the game was not over. 'We will come with you.'

Belladonna smiled. Beautiful and deadly, Leith realised.

'I don't think so,' Phemanderac answered. 'We've had enough of your help.'

'I gather, then, you think you have some idea as to where the Arrow might be.'

'Not really. But your news about others in the valley means we cannot wait. We must seek the Arrow.'

'Have you told them we are leaving?' the Haufuth said to Phemanderac, still playing his part well. 'We were to have been on our way by now.'

Within the hour the Arkhimm took their leave of the guardians' cabin, but not of the guardians themselves. They needed food, and gained supplies in exchange for allowing Maendraga and Belladonna to accompany them. The young woman closed the door of the hut, and with a gesture her father restored the illusion of the great castle: they spent the next few minutes walking down a hallway and through a courtyard to the arched gate, and out into the sunshine.

Phemanderac walked just behind Leith, who of necessity led the group. 'I hope you're right,'

he muttered under his breath. 'We're relying on you.'

'CAN YOU RETRACE OUR STEPS?' Leith whispered to Wiusago as the travellers wound their way down the path from Kantara. Away to their left, down in a little ravine, the silver stream bubbled and fussed.

'Retrace them? Certainly. Anything to be gone from this witchy place.' The practical Deruvian had been profoundly disturbed by the encounter with the guardians.

'Then do so. Take us to the foot of the scree slide.' In silence they came to the mouth of the glorious valley. At any other time Leith would have enjoyed the sight of the little stream leaping down a set of stair-like rapids, the bright water glinting in the sudden sunlight.

Instead, surreptitiously he moved from one member of the Arkhimm to another, making eye contact and trying to reassure them without words, for fear of the guardians. It was a difficult task, made all the more difficult by the fact he himself was in need of reassurance. If he was honest, he had little more than intuition to go on, that and something he had seen without really looking at it. He had racked his memory, trying to force it to show him what he wanted it to reveal, but he couldn't be sure. The guardian seemed to have confirmed what he thought, but who was to say that was not part of Maendraga's plan? Phemanderac and Hal also communicated confidence to their

companions: it made Leith feel sick to his stomach. Please, 1 don't want to let them down.

Funny, he could raise no enthusiasm now about the plight of Faltha. All that mattered was that he keep faith with his friends, that his risk pay off. He couldn't stand it if—

a voice exploded into his mind.

He looked around, but no one had their eye on him. With all that had happened in this valley, he suspected for a moment the guardian, or Phemanderac, or Hal, had spoken directly into his mind. But no; he could remember the sound of that voice.

After all I've said to you, why are you speaking to me?