The Broken World Book One - Children of Another God (19 page)

Chanter ate the
bowl of beans and meat in a spicy sauce with relish, enjoying the
steady thrum of Crayash. The absence of Dolana did not bother him
very much, though he missed it, as he always did when he took bird
form. He had never had reason to control a Power for so long
before, and found it interesting. Just for fun, he snuffed out
several street lanterns that a lamp lighter had just lighted on the
street below, smiling at the soft curses that arose. As the man
returned to relight the lamps, Chanter relighted them for him, and
the man muttered afresh.

The next
morning, Cusak, Jashon and Tranton arrived with the breakfast tray,
which the servant deposited and left. Cusak moved to the railing
and stared at the Hashon Jahar.

"When does the
fire fall?" he asked.

"At the same
time it arose three days ago," Chanter replied.

The governor
turned to glare at him. "You don't care that they'll ride in here
and annihilate this city."

"No."

Jashon cursed.
"You damned scum!"

Talsy said, "If
Chanter had not come here, you would all have died three days ago.
At least you've had time to prepare yourselves."

Jashon opened
his mouth, but Cusak was faster. "Is there no way we can persuade
you to hold the wall longer?"

Chanter shook
his head. "No."

Cusak glanced
at Tranton, who coughed and said, "We have your true name."

"You know it,
but I didn't give it to you, so there's no power in it."

Talsy asked,
"Why don't you just accept the fact that you're beaten and start
praying that the Black Riders leave?"

Cusak ignored
her, gazing at the fire wall. Tranton fiddled with his belt and
Jashon scowled. Something about their stance aroused her
suspicions, and she studied them more closely. Cusak looked a
little too calm, Tranton appeared nervous, but Jashon seemed
positively smug. She scrutinised him, but, other than his odd
attitude, nothing about him struck her as unusual. Turning to
Tranton, she eyed the belt with which he fiddled. It was a simple
cord of woven hemp, but she had not seen him wearing it before, and
it looked a lot newer than the rest of his grubby outfit.

Talsy took
Chanter's hand in a casual gesture and led him away from the
Truemen. Out of earshot, she whispered, "I'm sure Tranton has gold
in his belt. He's going to try to trap you."

The Mujar
nodded. "He won't."

Talsy shot him
a nervous glance before turning away once more. The Hashon Jahar
still remained at rest beyond the flames, and, in the city below,
groups of men armed with an assortment of weapons waited. No women
or children were about, however. Evidently they had gone to the
other side of the river, so the bridges could be burnt to give them
time to escape. The battle plan was good, but against the Black
Riders it probably stood little hope of saving more than a few.

Time dragged by
as the sun crept higher. Only the muttering of the men below and
the harsh cawing of crows broke the hush. Cusak stared at the Black
Riders; Tranton tied knots in his new belt, then undid them. Jashon
stood at the back of the platform, his arms folded.

The tension
broke when Cusak straightened with an oath. "They're leaving!"

Talsy turned to
stare across the barrier, the heat shimmer making it hard to see.
The Hashon Jahar milled around, some still on foot, others mounted.
The rest mounted and moved into their former line beyond the fire.
Cusak shot the Mujar a dark glance.

"Either that,
or they know the fire wall is about to fall."

Chanter ignored
him and watched the Riders. Their line formed, they headed upriver,
parallel to the fire wall. The leaders followed the fire around
towards the river, and Talsy wondered if they were going to try to
cross it. Then the column turned to follow the river upstream, and
she let out her pent breath in a great sigh. Cusak banged his fists
on the railing.

"They are
leaving!"

On the city
wall, lookouts shouted, and the men in the streets cheered. Jashon
joined the governor to watch avidly as the column of Hashon Jahar
gathered speed, the horses breaking into a gallop that carried them
swiftly away. The faint jingle of armour mingled with the drumming
of hooves, and the head of the column was already lost in dust. The
end of the column still passed the fire wall, row upon row of them,
four abreast.

Chanter said,
"Wish fulfilled."

"No!" Cusak
shouted, but, even as he did, the flames winked out, causing a
vacuum that filled with a thump of air, raising a cloud of
dust.

"You bastard!"
Jashon lunged at Chanter, and Cusak leapt at the same time,
colliding with him. The two reeled apart, clutched bruised
shoulders and glared at each other. Talsy pulled out her hunting
knife and stepped back, bumping into Chanter. He gripped her
shoulders to steady her, and a sheet of flame shot up between them
and the Truemen. Cusak and Jashon stumbled back, raising their arms
to protect their faces. When they had retreated far enough, Chanter
let the flames dwindle to waist height.

"You have
nothing to fear," he told them. "They won't return."

"How the hell
do you know that?" Jashon snarled.

"See for
yourselves."

The Truemen
turned to look at the column of Black Riders, whose speed and
direction remained the same. The last of them galloped past the
unprotected city as if it did not exist.

"They may still
turn around," Cusak pointed out.

Chanter shook
his head. "No."

The governor
scowled at Chanter's lack of explanation, but the reason dawned on
Talsy. "They won't, because they don't know that the fire wall
won't be raised against them again. All they know is that a Mujar
protects this city, and it's therefore impregnable. Right?" She
glanced at Chanter.

He smiled.
"Yes."

Cusak gave a
sour grunt, and Jashon muttered to Tranton, who fingered his belt.
In the city, the silence that had fallen when the fire wall winked
out now filled with muted cheering and shouting. The Black Riders
continued to gallop away, dwindling into the distance upriver.

Chanter patted
her shoulder. "Time to leave."

Talsy nodded,
wondering how they were going to get past the three hateful men who
blocked their way. A rush of wind ruffled her hair, and the air
filled with the sound of beating wings. A raven winged away into
the blue sky, and the sheet of fire died. Jashon stepped forward,
leering.

"Left you in
the lurch, didn't he, Mujar whore?"

"No, he's
watching, but, unlike him, I have no compunction about killing."
She brandished the knife.

Jashon started
towards her, but Tranton grabbed him. "Leave her, she's not worth
it. We've lost him, but at least the city's safe."

"Mujar bitch!"
Jashon raged. "Filthy yellow scum lover! You should go in the Pit
too!"

Talsy, filled
with sudden courage and deep wish to hurt the man who had tortured
Chanter, beckoned to him. "Come on then, try it! Ingrate! Torturer!
Stinking Trueman savage!"

Clearly
incensed, Jashon shook Tranton off and charged. Talsy jumped aside
and slashed with her knife. A line of blood appeared down Jashon's
arm, and he howled with rage. She ducked under his swinging fist
and slashed again, opening a wound across his belly. Jashon roared
and lunged, but missed once more as Talsy spun away in time. As he
ran past, she stuck out her foot, sending him sprawling. He leapt
up, red faced, and threw himself at her. Talsy flung herself aside,
and Jashon hit the railing. The old wood cracked under the impact
and gave way. With a wailing scream, Jashon plunged over the
edge.

Talsy panted,
staring at the gap in the railings. Tranton made an inarticulate
sound and went to peer over the edge, his face ashen. He turned to
her with glinting eyes.

"Murderess!"

She shook her
head. "It was a fair fight. He got careless. I never meant to kill
him."

"You drove him
to it! You goaded him!"

"He started
it."

Tranton turned
to Cusak. "Call the guard! Arrest her! She must hang for this!"

The governor
eyed Talsy. "We can't."

"Why not?"

Cusak pointed
upwards. "He's watching, and she's his clan."

Tranton spat
vile curses. "He's left her! He didn't protect her from
Jashon."

"There was no
need," Talsy pointed out.

Tranton glared
at her, his thin, wrinkled face twisted with grief and hate.
"Jashon was right, you should go to the Pit."

Cusak went to
the trap door. "We can't punish her, but I'd like to see her get
out of this city in one piece. She won't get any protection from my
soldiers."

Talsy raised
her chin. "A far greater man than you protects me."

Tranton spat on
the floor. "He's not a man, you stupid whore. Haven't you figured
that out yet?"

"He's a better
man than you've ever been, or any Trueman in this city. He's got
more decency in his little finger than the lot of you put
together."

Cusak snorted.
"Tranton, let's go. You have a funeral to arrange."

Tranton turned
away with a growl, and she called after them, "Thanks to a Mujar,
the rest of you will live!"

As they
vanished down the stairs with a parting glare, Talsy slumped
against a wooden upright, her knees weak. Jashon's death shocked
and sickened her. She had only meant to cut him a little, to let
him feel some of the pain he had inflicted on Chanter. She forced
herself to move, the urgency of quitting this terrible city before
word of the tragedy spread and mobs of angry people laid siege to
the tower goading her. Sheathing the knife, she shouldered the bag
and headed for the stairs.

In the street,
the men who had gathered to defend the wall sat drinking and
talking. A crowd surrounded Jashon's crumpled body, and Tranton's
voice rose in shrill outrage from its midst. She slipped from the
tower and hurried away in the direction of the river. The deserted
streets allowed her to reach the bridge unhampered. No guards
demanded toll, and she trotted across the stout structure.

On the far
side, the city's population packed the streets, forcing her to push
her way through. She kept her head down, but the fear of being
recognised drove her to buy a hooded cloak from a street vendor.
Thus disguised, she pushed on. The main thoroughfare went straight
through the city, a wide dirty road at the end of which the far
gates were visible over the heads of the masses. She was almost
halfway there when someone shouted, "Hey! It's the Mujar
whore!"

People recoiled
from her, leaving her in a pocket of emptiness. Shouted insults
flew thick and fast.

"Look at her,
running like a whipped dog!"

"Scum
lover!"

"Where's your
Mujar now, bitch?"

"What's it like
to lie with an animal?"

"Run, filthy
slut!"

Talsy kept her
pace to a fast walk, refusing to give them the satisfaction of
chasing her. Rotten fruit, vegetables, eggs and stones flew at her.
Most missed, but a few scored hits, and the stones stung. The crowd
followed, keeping up a flow of vitriol that soon lost its
originality. A rotten tomato hit her on the cheek, and the mob grew
bolder. The city gates beckoned, two grinning soldiers waiting at
them.

A particularly
large rock, hurled with some accuracy at her head, exploded in
mid-air. Talsy looked around, startled by the bang and the rain of
hot sand that hit her. The crowd hesitated, many looking up. High
above, a big bird hung like a cross in the sky. For a minute the
missiles and the shouts stopped, then the Mujar's intervention
seemed to enrage the mob beyond control, and with a roar it charged
her. Talsy broke into a run for a few steps, but hundreds of angry,
stick-waving people blocked her way. She stopped, a frisson of fear
running through her.

A circle of
blue fire exploded into being around her with a great thump. The
crowd's forerunners, pushed by those behind, stumbled into it and
recoiled with screams of pain. The throng surged back, roaring its
hatred like a giant, many-headed beast. Talsy walked on, the circle
of fire staying with her in a hissing wall that scorched the earth
and left it blackened. People scrambled out of her way, clearing a
path to the gates. Missiles still flew, but most did not make it
through the fire's heat. Another large and well-aimed rock exploded
beside her. Several archers with longbows shot at the big bird high
above, but their arrows burst into flames before they reached the
Mujar.

The soldiers at
the gates pulled them open when she reached them, for they, like
her, clearly had no doubt that the fire would burn a path through
them if necessary. A final barrage of insults followed her out of
the city, then the gates slammed shut behind her, cutting off the
virulence of the city's inhabitants. The ring of fire winked out,
and Talsy breathed a deep sigh of fresh, chill air as she hastened
away, glad to be back in the open. She made herself a silent
promise never to reveal her Mujar companion in a city again. Yet,
for good or ill, he had saved those people, fanning their
resentment to new heights.

Two miles up
the road, an eagle glided down to land on the road before her. A
rush of wind and the sound of beating wings accompanied his change,
and Chanter stood before her. Her misery overwhelmed her, and she
dropped her bag to run into his arms. Chanter held her, patting her
back in his awkward manner.

"Hush, it's
over now."

Talsy sobbed
into his chest. "I hate them! They're loathsome! The Hashon Jahar
should have wiped them out!"

"Don't think
such terrible things," he remonstrated. "They're just -"

Talsy jerked
away. "If you tell me they're just ignorant or confused, I'll kick
you!" She wiped her eyes. "They're filled with hate! They're cruel,
nasty bastards, the lot of them. Now I know why you won't help
them. They don't deserve it."