The Shasht War (51 page)

"Is it safe in the city?"

"Not yet, so we must wait a few more days. When the Red Tops sail to Shasht with their prisoners, then the terror will be over."

The days passed slowly. They remained hidden in a small room on an upper floor. Heldo brought them their food, but otherwise stayed away, as did his family, all of whom were terrified of the consequences if the fugitives were found hidden on the farm. Thru felt a certain tension in Heldo every time he appeared.

Every day, Mentu went to look at the boat,
Sea Wasp
. He reported on the progress at the evening meal.

"Won't be long before they float her again. She's in excellent shape now. I think we can sail her with a crew of four, though five would be better."

Thru questioned him about navigation, a matter on which he still had many concerns. Mentu explained the use of strict accounting of the positions of the stars, planets, and Red Kemm. By making observations every day at the same time, they could judge their general direction and position. The method was not exact, far from it in fact, but of all systems of navigation, this one had been found the best by many centuries of trial and error.

"As we travel, so we have to take into account the distance east or west we may have traveled, because that affects the time of our observations of the stars. It is hard to keep an accurate log, but one must try, and that means logging our speed several times a day. Sometimes that becomes difficult, in bad weather, say, when we are driven far from our projected course."

Thinking of all that was involved left Thru shaking his head.

"I'm surprised that any ship can actually hope to sail around the world and find its destination."

"Ships often go astray, and it may take months for us to find our course again, which is why we have to take as much food as the barque will hold."

One day Mentu returned brimming with excitement.

"They floated her today. Put in the masts and set her rigging. She will serve very well. But we will need more hands than just our own."

"Remember that I will work, too," said Simona. "I will not stay in purdah once we have left these shores."

Mentu had heard Simona on this subject before, but the idea struck him as outlandish.

"As you wish, Mistress Gsekk. I will not try and stop you. But you may find working a ship to be harder than you had bargained for."

"I can work hard. I will show you..."

Mentu chuckled. "Oh, I don't doubt that. We will all work hard, believe me. Wait until we've been in a hard blow. Out on the great ocean there will be waves as high as the tallest trees, and we will be hanging on for dear life a lot of the time."

The day finally came that Yomafin announced he was going to Gzia Gi to sell the gems. With their blessings and prayers, he set off on his two-wheeled buggy behind a smart black pacer.

The next day Mentu decided to travel, too, a few miles up the coast to another village where some relatives still lived.

"Most of the family went to Shasht twenty years ago. But there are still a few down here on the coast."

Left alone that evening Thru and Simona ate a quiet meal together. When Heldo brought the food, he set it down and ran from the door at the sound of Thru descending the stairs.

"Heldo is behaving strangely," said Thru as he broke a piece of bread.

"I worry about him. He seems unstable."

Thru nodded. "I think he is very stupid. He is afraid, but he is also greedy."

"That is a dangerous mixture, I think."

They ate in silence after that, each suddenly oppressed by the knowledge that though they were close to escaping their enemies, they were also still at great risk.

The next morning, Heldo brought them their food for the day, but this time he did not run away. Instead he lingered until Simona came down to take the tray. Thru followed her, but remained on the stairs.

"You ladies eat well in my house, do you not?"

Simona did all the talking when Heldo visited, since Thru was disguised as her servant, hidden in purdah robes.

"We thank you for the food, good Heldo. Your brother Yomafin will pay you for everything in good time."

"Yomafin will pay, yes, that is good." Heldo was studying them in a way that made Simona uneasy.

"Yomafin is an old friend of Mentu," Heldo said suddenly, as if goaded beyond endurance.

"Yes. We are grateful to Yomafin."

Heldo ducked his head. The glitter in his eyes grew stronger.

"Heldo is not such a good friend to Mentu. Heldo want more money."

Thru and Simona had foreseen that this demand might arise. Simona was ready.

"We have only the great emerald that you saw. We can give you that."

Heldo was a little surprised to be offered the stone so quickly.

"Good. Give it to me now."

"No. You can have it when we leave. That way we can trust you until the end."

Heldo was unhappy.

"You give it to Heldo now."

"No, we can't do that. Not if we can't trust you."

"You must trust Heldo."

"You are ridiculous! You help us because you owe so much to Yomafin, your brother and great benefactor. He has told us what you owe him."

"You give it to Heldo!"

"No."

Heldo went away, his face full of fury.

"I fear that Heldo is stupid enough to be dangerous," said Thru.

"Nor is he trustworthy."

Thru made certain preparations before nightfall. While Simona slept he waited in the dark, not meditating, but not sleeping, either.

Shortly after midnight, he heard the door open and close down below. He woke Simona and she hid herself behind an old chest left in the corner. The stairs creaked. Thru took up a position behind the door.

Where they had been sleeping, Thru had left a bale of cloth and their packs with the blankets piled on top. In the dark it might be mistaken for their bodies.

Someone moved very quietly up to the door and opened it just an inch or so. Thru tensed himself.

Something flashed in the air, and an arrow quivered from the center of the bale of cloth. Another arrow flashed in and sank into the pack beside it.

Now the door was opened farther, and a figure entered keeping the bow half drawn in front of itself. Cautiously it approached the piles on the floor, each with an arrow jutting up from where their shoulders might have met if they were indeed Simona and Thru.

Thru stepped silently up behind the man and brought his knife up and set it hard against his lower back while slipping his arm around his throat to hold him.

"Don't move," Thru whispered harshly.

Heldo froze.

"Drop the bow."

Heldo hesitated, then Thru pressed his knife in harder, pricking sharply above Heldo's right kidney.

The bow clattered to the floor.

"Is there anyone with you?"

"No. Heldo is alone."

Thru relaxed his grip.

Heldo turned and swung a heavy fist. Thru had anticipated it and ducked it cleanly before striking Heldo in the center of the chest with his foot.

Heldo sat down with a gasp and struggled to breathe.

Thru crouched down nearby, keeping his face hidden in the purdah veil. Simona approached from the other side.

"You are a stupid man, Heldo."

Heldo would have agreed at that moment, if Heldo had been capable of speech.

"You have tried to kill us, and when Yomafin comes back he will be very angry."

Heldo gasped again. "Don't tell."

"Why not?"

"Heldo sorry."

Simona reached over and tore an arrow out of her pack.

"You tried to kill me."

Heldo hung his head.

"Why shouldn't we tell Yomafin?"

"Heldo will tell the Red Tops."

Simona snorted with contempt. "You are so stupid. You think the Red Tops won't take you as well? If they find us, they will take everyone to the temple."

Heldo looked uncomfortable, for he knew she spoke the truth. The priests were usually quite indiscriminate.

But Simona had another card to play.

"Listen, Heldo. If the Red Tops come here, I will tell them you spoke to us of the Olden Gods. I will say that Heldo worships Canilass."

Heldo's eyes bugged in his forehead. Anyone taken as a heretic would face a long interrogation while the priests hammered his hands and feet into pancakes.

"No!"

"Then you will have to keep silent. Besides, you will not get the emerald if the Red Tops take us. It will go to the Gold Tops."

Heldo saw this uncomfortable likelihood, too, and squirmed.

"Leave us, do not return. Send someone else with the food. Tell them to leave it on the stairs. Understand?"

Heldo nodded, his features contorted by relief and anger.

"Leave us now. Say nothing of this to Yomafin, and we will say nothing, too."

"You say nothing?"

"If you keep quiet about it, so will we."

"You give Heldo the stone?"

"If you stay away from us."

Heldo shook his head. The world was a more complex place than he had ever imagined.

Two days later Mentu returned. He noticed at once that Heldo was subdued, and that an old slave woman brought the evening food.

Under his questioning Thru told him about Heldo's attempt on their lives.

"He will not dare to speak," said Simona.

"I hope you're right. Heldo was always the weak link. He is a stupid man."

"We have observed this," said Thru dryly.

"But it was better to hide here than in the village. Heldo's farm is far away from prying eyes. As far as I can tell, they still don't know you're here, though they know about me."

"Will someone tell the Red Tops?"

"I don't think so. Not until my name filters up to the city. I don't have enemies any more in the village."

"We told Heldo we would keep his attack on us a secret."

"Yes, a wise move. But Yomafin should be told. He knows best how to judge Heldo's moods."

Mentu stayed with them after that, but Heldo was not seen again, nor did he go to the Red Tops.

Three days later, Yomafin returned from the city.

The gold was in imperial crowns, heavy coins bearing the face of Aeswiren III.

"Enough here to buy the
Sea Wasp
, and provision her for a year."

"This is excellent, friend Yomafin," said Simona. "You have done very well."

"How was it here while I was away?" Clearly Yomafin had already noticed that Heldo was behaving as if guilty about something.

"Oh, uh, it was quiet, very quiet." Simona tried to keep her voice steady.

Yomafin was not appeased with this.

"What did Heldo do?"

They looked to each other for a moment. Then Mentu explained that Heldo had tried to rob Simona in the night. Yomafin looked sharply in Thru's direction.

"The 'lady' subdued my brother?"

"Ah, yes." Mentu looked up at the ceiling for a moment. Clearly, Yomafin did not believe this. "Actually, my friend, the 'lady' is not a lady."

Yomafin blinked. Thru let his hand rest on the hilt of his knife under the purdah robes.

"Mysteries upon mysteries, Mentu," muttered Yomafin. "What is this about?"

"I think we shall have to reveal ourselves more fully. I had hoped to spare you this, but I think you have to know the truth."

Mentu signaled to Thru, who after a long moment of hesitation withdrew his veil and the hood.

At the sight of the face covered in fur, with the huge bushy eyebrows and wide-spaced eyes, Yomafin lurched to his feet in alarm.

"What is this?"

"Please, do not be alarmed. I mean you no harm," said Thru.

Yomafin whirled to Mentu. "What is this?"

"This is a stranger to our land, who found me in the Tower of Quaranine and convinced me that there was a way to escape my fate."

"A stranger," Yomafin whirled back to stare at Thru. "You are one of them!"

A silence fell.

"One of them?" said Thru in puzzlement.

"And you speak Shashti so well I was fooled."

"What do you mean, 'them'?" said Mentu.

"While I was in Gzia Gi, I met with an old friend. He says that he has been contacted by people in Shasht who need his help. There are some monkey men there, who have been hidden by rebel aristocrats. They want to get out of the city."

Thru jumped forward, Yomafin put up a hand to ward him off and raised his fist.

"It's all right, Yomafin," said Mentu hurriedly.

"They are alive?" Thru was close to shouting. He had long since given up hope that his companions from the voyage could still be alive.

"You know them? Then you are one of them."

"Yes. I was separated from them in the city. I traveled on the canal. But, Yomafin, our friend, we are not 'monkey men'; we are mots and brilbies."

Yomafin was still shaking his head, amazed at this latest turn of events. More than that there was a genuine horror in his eyes.

"Mentu, when I saw your face once again, I knew I would have nothing but trouble in store. But little did I know that it would bring me to this pass!"

"Yomafin, my friend, I told you with my first words that this would be a risky venture and that I would not hold you to it in payment of our old debt."

"I know, I know, but look at the position you put me in. I thought we were just shipping out some runaway ladies of the aristocracy. Now I find that one of them isn't even a human being, but some kind of animal, or a monster even."

Thru's jaw tightened. Simona put a hand on his arm.

"Yomafin," said Mentu sharply, reaching out to hold his friend by the shoulder. "This is an 'animal' that can speak our language."

"But it is abomination! The priests have always told us that the world is ours and ours alone."

"You believe the priests?" Mentu murmured softly.

Yomafin looked around wildly for a moment, grasping at straws for an answer. Mentu knew his old friend too well.

"You're right, I don't. And yet I find the sight of this creature repulsive and threatening."

Mentu and Simona looked at Thru, who was several inches shorter than Yomafin and far less bulky.