The Invisible Chains - Part 2: Bonds of Fear (59 page)

“Still here, right here,” Obyann said in a tired voice.

“Yes, I think I know what you mean, my Treasure beyond Compare.

Daily, I think. Daily exercises. Right after his reading lessons, I would

think.”

“Oh no,” Obyann sputtered. “No, no, no. One day reading, the next

day counting, then reading again and so on.”

“There’s only so much his brain will retain, Pookie,” Rahendo

said, with a doubtful look on his face.

“Could you see your way to shortening your lessons to, let’s say,

three quarters of an hour, my Improvement on Loveliness Itself?”

“Hm... still, that would give you only half an hour or so, tops.”

“That’s thirty minutes which I’ll turn into forty five minutes. After

all, he can’t tell the difference. He can’t count beyond twelve, can he,

my Banquet of Love for a Hungry Soul?”

“Didn’t you guys hear me,” Obyann yelled, “I said one day reading

and the next day trimmytrickything.”

“Splendid,” Ryhunzo said. “Obe, my boy, we’ll have you counting

your balls off in no time. Each day, after your reading lessons, we’ll

make three sums and I’ll give you one interesting mathematical

riddle. An enigma. A conundrum.”

“Listen, you little, perverted, curly, hard-of-hearing weirdo, I said

one day reading—”

“And a few sums—”

“No. And the next day—”

“A few sums and some reading. Splendid, most splendid.”

Bonds of Fear

463

“Damn you, Landemere, help me out here,” Obyann cried

desperately.

“Can’t, big guy. I happen to agree with them.”

“You’re never
ever
of any use at all, are you? You’re just sitting

there, breathing and taking up space. Stinker.”

“But ain’t I
purty
?” Arranulf guffawed.

Obyann snorted.

“Don’t worry,” Ryhunzo raved. “You’ll love it. I’ll make it really

interesting. Manly. Like this. Army Group A leaves Lorseth, marching

north at twenty five miles a day, while a day later Army Group B

leaves Dermolhea, marching north at fifteen miles a day. When will

Army Group A overtake Army Group B, if you know that Army Group

B takes a rest of a day every four days and Army Group A takes a rest

of half a day every six days and that the distance between Dermolhea

and—”

“Is there an h in Dermolhea, yes or no?” Rahendo asked suddenly.

Obyann’s face colored maroon with patches of olive green.

“Get out, you two,” he yelled beside himself. “Get out, get out, get

out before my fist A, traveling at a gazillion miles a second, meets

your faces B and C, making them fly from here to Dermolhea, both

with an h, at a speed inconceivable by man.”

“Come, Engorger of my Manhood, we’re not wanted here, so

let me take you to our room and make sweet, sweet, ardent love

to you until you squirm beneath me in helpless abandonment and,

forgetting both decorum and modesty, you give yourself to me in

such a daring yet enticing but shameless manner that it would make

the whores of Lorseth Market blush, while I, erupting in a—”

“Oh, Pookie, shh...” Rahendo said, holding his hand over his

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lover’s mouth.

After the door closed behind them, Obyann sighed.

“Maybe, in their fervor, the little perverts will forget all about it,”

he said wistfully.

“You can’t count on that,” Arranulf replied dryly.

Bonds of Fear

465

Anaxantis and his party had ridden across the Northern Marches

for two days steady. By midday of the fifth of March, they were only

hours away from the border. Although there had been no animosity

between them, the Clansmen and the much smaller group of

Mukthars each kept to themselves.

Lethoras and Brenx seemed to get along just fine, he had noticed,

not without some apprehension, although the latter’s eyes often

wandered in the direction of the more comely Mukthars. Apparently,

his lordship of Brenx had an eclectic taste.

They had brought small tents to sleep in. Anaxantis could have

easily commandeered an inn, and any local lord would have been

happy to provide him with lodgings. In fact, it would have been the

highlight of their social year. Since he didn’t want to advertise the

whereabouts of the lord governor, he had rejected those options.

They had stopped for a rest, a quick bite, and to stretch their legs.

Anaxantis took a stroll on his own. The others knew better than to

disturb him when they saw him walking away with his hands clasped

behind his back, deep in thought. Hidden as they were by some trees,

he hadn’t seen that he was moving in the direction of Timishi and

Rodomesh. Only when he heard them talking, he looked up.

“I will ask him as soon as possible, rouwin, if it will set your mind

at ease,” he heard Timishi say.

“Yes, it would, nagàrouwin.”

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“Well, they say you shouldn’t speak about Shardosh or he might

appear. Look who’s there.” Timishi laughed.

Rodomesh turned around.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Anaxantis said.

“No, no,” Timishi replied, “never mind. Rodomesh was just going,

and I’d like some company.”

“You’re sure I can leave you alone with him?” Rodomesh asked,

only half joking.

“Off you go, beddurouwin,” the Mukthar prince grinned.

“What did you call him? Beddurouwin or something,” Anaxantis

asked when Rodomesh had left them. “I suppose that’s something

like ‘friend’ in your language?”

Timishi raised his eyebrows.

“How come you’re suddenly interested in our language?”

Anaxantis colored slightly red.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just that I’m interested in

people and their customs. And their language. Always have been. It’s

not sudden, you see?”

Timishi laughed.

“Isn’t that just a long-winded way of saying that your hobby is

prying?”

“Sorry. Forget it,” Anaxantis said, becoming a shade deeper red.

“No, it’s all right,” Timishi said. “I was just teasing you. I must say,

you look adorable when you’re blushing. Anyway, you were asking

about the meaning of rouwin. It’s a Muktaresh word that can’t be

literally translated I’m afraid. It means something like chosen

brother.”

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467

“Ah, something more than a friend, but less than a brother.”

“On the contrary. Something more than a brother. The tie is much

stronger than that with birth siblings. We Mukthars believe you make

your own life. You start out with what the Gods, Shardosh, nature or

all of them throw in your lap. Then you begin to mold your own life.

The brothers you got at birth... well, they can be a mixed bag, can’t

they?”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Anaxantis smiled.

“But the brothers you choose, well, they are your responsibility.

After all, you chose each other. So, the ties are much stronger.”

“I bet there is some solemn ceremony to confirm that tie.”

“Not really. There is a formal ritual, though. You see, strangely

enough it is always the beddurouwin who has to take the initiative.”

“Beddurouwin?”

“The younger brother. He holds his hands out, palms down.

Then, when and if the nagàrouwin takes his hands in his, the bond

is formed. Little or nothing is said except, for the first time they call

each other nagàrouwin and beddurouwin.”

“So simple and so beautiful,” Anaxantis said. “So it follows that

the nagàrouwin is the older brother, the senior partner.”

“Yes, though it hasn’t necessarily anything to do with age. In fact,

Rodomesh, my beddurouwin, is four months older.”

“Is it a once in a lifetime bonding?”

“Between the two people, yes. Of course they can form other

bonds as well. You can have many rouwining. Just like you can have

many birth siblings.”

“I see. So you can be the nagàrouwin in one bonding and the

beddurouwin in another?”

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“Yes. And the nagàrouwin sort of inherits the beddurouwining

of his new beddurouwin. I am not going too fast for you? In that

manner a network forms of different, interwoven bondings, with

several complicated implications on all kinds of social planes.”

Anaxantis looked surprised at Timishi.

“What?” the Mukthar laughed. “You believed your own

propaganda that we are just some wild barbarians?”

“No, of course not... actually... yes. There’s not much known about

your people in Ximerion, or the free city states, or anywhere else for

that matter.”

“Ah, I see. You don’t know much about us and the unknown equals

the barbaric, the primitive. Although it is you lot who are ignorant.”

Anaxantis frowned. Then he laughed.

“Good point. You’re clever.”

Timishi shrug-grinned.

“So is there some hierarchy, seeing as there is an older an younger

chosen brother,” Anaxantis asked.

“Yes and no. In normal circumstances: no. It’s more a bond

between equals, although the beddurouwin, having taken the first

step, is considered to be the weaker of the two. He’s the one who

wanted, maybe needed the bond, you see. And in a whole group of

interlinked rouwining the most senior nagàrouwin has a special

kind of authority. His opinion will be asked first in serious matters,

and he will be listened to respectfully, but his advise is just that. It is

not binding. In the long run he is just the first among his equals.”

“Interesting. So, do you have a nagàrouwin?”

“What? Me?” Timishi laughed out loud. “Of course not. I’m a

prince. I may chose to have more beddurouwining, though.”

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469

“Ah... I see. Is there, eh, a physical component in the relationship?”

“You mean sex? Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. Brothers don’t

have sex.”

“No... no, of course not.”

“My turn,” Timishi said. “I told you I am the second son of the

third queen. And if my teachers were right you are the first son of

the second queen.”

“Oh dear, never call her that when mother can hear you,”

Anaxantis laughed. “She is too much to handle when she’s angry,

even for a Mukthar prince.”

“So, they were wrong. Your mother is the first queen?”

“Well, yes. She married father after his first wife died.”

“But then she is the second queen after all, isn’t she?”

“Oh no, she is the
only
queen.”

“The quedash of Ximerion has only one queen?”

“Yes. He wouldn’t dare take a second queen. Mother would kill

him. And her. Him instantly. Her... well, it depends. We’re talking

weeks at least. But, it’s just not our custom. Every king of Ximerion

had only one queen at any given time.”

“All the quedashang? How strange. So, what does that make you?”

Anaxantis looked for a moment uncomprehendingly at Timishi.

“Oh, I see. I guess I’m just the fourth son of my father. Nothing

more or less.” He grinned.

“Isn’t it dangerous, having only one queen? What if her sons are

all physically deformed. Or retarded? Or just weak? That could mean

the end of the line.”

“Well, yes... I suppose so. Then another House would take over.

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In fact it is how our House came to the throne. Berimar IV was

considered a weak king. Grandfather wanted the crown, so he

denounced Berimar as unworthy of it and claimed it for himself. He

beat and killed him in battle and just took it.”

“How magnificent. Your grandfather wanted the crown, so, sword

in hand, he took it. What a man.”

“Hm... And you can take that quite literally. He pried the damn

thing with his own two hands off Berimar’s still warm corpse.”

Timishi looked at him, full of admiration.

“I had no idea. You must be so proud of your House. Especially

of your grandfather. Imagine, fighting to the death for the crown.

Maybe you’re not all that weak, like I thought.”

“Oh, you know...” Anaxantis replied unsurely.