The Shasht War (52 page)

"He doesn't seem so frightening to me," said the Eccentric. "I've spent many an hour conversing with him. He has some interesting things to say about the life of the Spirit and the Gods."

Yomafin was visibly struggling. His eyes grew troubled.

"I don't understand. I hear your words, but when I look at him I see a monstrosity, some creature made in the likeness of man. How can you trust it?"

"How can one trust anyone? What is the essence of 'trust'?"

Yomafin frowned not wanting to think about these things.

"And what of the other one? Is that, too, some kind of monstrous creature covered in fur?"

"No," said Simona. "I am Simona of the Gsekk, daughter of the Emperor Aeswiren's personal surgeon. I have had the honor to know the Emperor Aeswiren."

Yomafin colored. Automatically he bobbed his head and said, "I am an Aeswiren man myself, my lady, always have been. A good Emperor he was. But he is gone now."

"That is why we are fleeing. We will go to the land of Thru's folk. On the other side of the world."

Yomafin's eyes widened farther.

"A noblewoman of Shasht will go to live among these animals?"

"Yes. If the Emperor still lives, this is what he would want, too," said Simona. "I am sure of it."

Yomafin's mouth worked, but he was unable to speak. He looked back and forth between Mentu and Simona. He did his best not to look at Thru.

"All right! For the Emperor I will risk this. But as soon as I have purchased the barque, I want you to leave."

"What about the provisions?"

"There are some here, I will see they are loaded for you. But beyond that, nothing. You can obtain more somewhere else. I just don't want you to be here."

Mentu shrugged sadly. "I am sorry to hear these words, old friend. I had hoped for better from you."

"I am Aeswiren's man, and you are my oldest friend, Mentu Vust, but I fear that dealing with this creature is something you should have asked of another man."

Thru came down off the balls of his feet.

"The 'creature' thanks you, Yomafin. I swear that I mean you no harm."

"How can a man trust the oath of a demon creature?"

"Hold on there, just a moment ago I was simply a creature. Now you say I am a demon creature. What drives you to think so ill of me?"

"None but Man can have speech! It is forbidden to the rest of creation. This was the way the Great God planned it."

"Do you honestly believe in the Great God?"

"I—" Yomafin looked away, his face contorted in torment.

"I am sorry for you," said Thru. "It must be hard to think like you do. But please understand that I did not come here of my own free will. None of my folk would ever have come here. We had thought that Man the Cruel was no more. It was the worst day in our lives when we found that we were wrong."

Yomafin stared at him, completely aware now that he was speaking to an abomination and that it was speaking to him. Aware of this, but forced to continue.

"You say you were captured?"

"After a battle, yes."

"And brought here to be sacrificed to the Great God."

"I suppose so. It seemed a strange thing to me. Why would you want to take someone from his home halfway around the world and bring him all the way to your land to kill him in the name of your God?"

Yomafin couldn't answer.

"Come, now, tell me. Do you believe in your God, this Great 'He Who Eats'?"

Yomafin could not find the words to reply. He stared at them, one after the other, muttered "abomination" once more and left them. Mentu hurried after him, crying, "Yomafin. Wait, my friend."

Simona turned back to Thru.

"Don't let his evil words upset you, such men as he are blind."

"I believe that, too, but I have met such words before. They are common among your people."

Thru turned away. There was a different concern in his eyes. Simona knew what it must be and was suddenly afraid. Thru knew that his friends were still alive and in desperate straits in the great city.

Sea Wasp
was a well built little barque. Freshly repaired, still smelling of paint, varnish and tar, she floated beside the dock with sails neatly furled in the late afternoon sun.

Yomafin and Heldo, wearing winter cloaks against a chilly onshore breeze, waited as the wagon came to a halt and Simona stepped down. She reached up and took down her traveling bag. One of Yomafin's young fishermen was driving the carriage and pair, which would now become Yomafin's property. All in all, Simona thought, Yomafin was doing well in this deal.

"Welcome, my lady. The ship awaits you." Yomafin beckoned her toward the gangway. Yomafin was desperately eager to see them gone. Mentu, already aboard, waved to her from the stern-castle of the ship. She did not see Thru, but Simona knew that he, too, had already gone aboard.

"Thank you, Yomafin. When I see the Emperor next, I will tell him how brave and loyal you have been."

Yomafin licked his lips. His friendship for Mentu and his loyalty to Aeswiren had overcome his distaste for helping Thru escape the priests, but he obviously still had his doubts.

"Go in peace, my lady."

Simona stepped past Heldo in her purdah robe and felt his eyes, hot and angry on her. He almost blurted some angry words, but held his tongue as Yomafin shot him a sharp look. Yomafin had promised to beat him black and blue with a chair rod if he persisted with his effort to steal the emerald from Simona. Yomafin had done well from the deal, a profit of thirty percent already, without including the purdah coach and the fine pair of horses. His own sense of honor would allow no more plundering of the lady's purse.

Simona walked up the boarding ramp conscious that she might be saying good-bye to Shasht forever. As she left she felt her spirit soar. If she never saw her native land again, so be it, she thought.

"Welcome aboard," shouted Mentu from the stern-castle, which rose ten feet above the deck at the far end of the little ship. She waved to him and took a look back. Yomafin and Heldo were pulling the boarding ramp back onto the dock.

A gust of cold wind sent a shiver through her, and she stepped down to the cabins in the stern. Hers had been marked for her by a twist of red thread nailed to the door. Inside she found Thru waiting.

Since they were out of view of Mentu, they embraced, hugging each other in a mixture of triumph and relief.

"It is done," she said pulling back.

Thru did not reply. His eyes met hers, and Simona knew what he was thinking.

"I understand, Thru, and I agree. We must try and rescue your friends."

Her heart soared as she saw the instant gratitude in his eyes.

"Thank you, Simona. Can we convince Mentu?"

"I don't know, but we will try."

It wasn't long before there was a knock at the cabin door. Thru opened it to allow Mentu in.

"Well, they've gone at last. We'll pull the ship out on a warp line for tonight. On tomorrow's tide we sail."

"We've waited this long, I suppose one more night can be endured," said Simona.

"And once we sail, we'll be safe," Mentu said while casting a glance out the porthole.

"Yes, true enough, but first we have a final errand."

Mentu looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"

"Before we can sail to safety, we must go to the city. Thru has unfinished business there."

Mentu blinked. Deep down he'd feared that this was coming.

"Then we sail into danger all right. All of us could end on the temple altar."

"There is danger, yes," said Thru, "but you, yourself, said the harbor will be crowded with ships."

"Yes, the festival will have drawn them from every port in the Empire."

"Strangers in great numbers will be out on the streets."

"Yes."

"And the terror in the city has passed?" said Simona.

"That, too, is true. The Red Tops will have withdrawn to the temple. Only the captives already taken will go to the pyramid. The people will be encouraged to jollity in the next few days, to bring the city into a good mood for the great day. I know how they do it."

"So there will be crowds in the streets, and the Red Tops will not be hunting for more victims."

Mentu nodded. He had made these calculations himself, but now he voiced a more critical objection.

"But how will you find your friends? If the priests can't find them how do you expect to do it?"

"That is where we need your help, friend Mentu."

Mentu let out a sad chuckle.

"Why did I know it would come to this?"

"I know your brother would approve of you, Master Mentu," said Simona. Mentu sighed. As if he craved the approval of the brother who had imprisoned him for twenty years!

His own self-respect was another matter.

"If the Red Tops do take me, you will never find your way across the oceans to your home."

Thru did not blink. "You will wear your cloak, it is winter, everyone else will be the same. Your beard has grown long. You will not be noticed."

"And yet, I fear there is something you overlook. Flattering as it is that you think old Mentu can find your friends for you, I must shatter your illusions. I only lived in that horrible city for a few years. I wouldn't know one rat infested wharf from another, and there's hundreds of them."

But Thru had the answer to that.

"Someone has to go to the house of the Erv Blanteer. He is a friend of Janbur of Gsekk; he will know where they are hiding."

Mentu nodded thoughtfully. "The Erv Blanteer? Any idea where in the city that would be?"

"It is a big house, with a wall around it. There are many trees in that part of the city. Gardens, too."

"Ah, in the outer Shalba, then. All right, Mentu can do that. I just hope that this Erv is willing to cooperate."

"I hope this, too. You will tell him you come from Thru Gillo, the mot who spoke to him and his friends in the vault beneath that house."

"And then what?" said Simona.

"Then I will go ashore at night to find them," said Thru. "And we will arrange a way of picking them up. Then we will sail to the Land."

Mentu was won over. "Well, I would say we have a chance, then. If this Erv that you spoke to has stayed true to his friends, then this could work. But we will still be taking a great risk."

"You said we needed more hands to sail the boat."

"I did. Sailing this barque with just the two of us would be difficult."

"I will help, I will be a sailor," said Simona.

"You will not need to compromise your honor, my lady. We will be able to handle the ship." Mentu spoke more sharply than he had intended. In truth, he was troubled by Simona's disregard for purdah.

"But more hands would help?" said Thru.

Mentu agreed.

"Perhaps we can also arrange to load more stores while we are in Shasht?" said Simona.

Mentu nodded. Yomafin had left them short in that regard.

"We have some coin; however, it exposes us to more danger."

"But to load a few sacks of grain would seem a normal activity," said Simona. Mentu had to agree.

Suddenly Simona stood forward.

"And now I wish to make an announcement. As of this moment, I, Simona of Gsekk, abandon the state of purdah."

She lifted up her veils, one by one, and pulled them back off her head.

"I will not live my life in hiding, as if I had committed some terrible sin just by existing."

Mentu's eyes bulged as she pulled the veils away and stood there, her face and hair openly visible. Only slave women were ever viewed thus.

"My lady!" He raised his hands as if to block the sight of her.

"I will no longer hide from view," she said firmly. "I learned before that I did not need to hide that way, and I will be free from now on."

She reached out, took Mentu's hands, and pulled them down gently.

"Look on me, friend Mentu. I am free."

Mentu was an eccentric from the culture of Shasht, but he found this moment difficult.

"You are free, but go uncovered. It does not become a woman in our culture to do this. When a woman goes uncovered, she is thought to be a slave."

"But I am free."

The determination in her voice made Mentu smile, despite his reservations.

"If you insist, my lady."

"Please call me Simona."

Mentu nodded. Then turned away with a sigh. The world had grown very strange while he had stayed in his tower.

After warping the boat out to the end of the line and making all secure for the night, they gathered in the small galley, set just in front of the mainmast, and ate a meal of flat bread, cheese, and pickles, which they washed down with thin wine. Thru and Simona spoke animatedly of the stores they needed. There might be as many as ten mots and brilbies to feed. Unfortunately, neither Simona nor Mentu were aware of the prices of meal and beans. Or whether oats were cheaper than wheat this year.

Mentu was largely silent, lost in his own thoughts. As they concluded, Mentu voiced another concern.

"We will have to keep watch from here on, and I suggest we change every four hours through the night. I will take the first watch."

Thru and Simona slept in separate cabins. Thru continued to distance himself from her physically. That strange, terrible day in the cave still haunted him and left him racked with guilt. An unnatural mating between the kinds. And an offense to his love for Nuza. And yet, he found Simona very dear to him, a great friend. Someone as close as family could be, and still not be family.

The guilt about his betrayal of Nuza often kept him from sleep, but on this night he slept soundly until he was shaken awake.

Mentu was leaning over him.

"My friend, we have a crisis brewing."

"What is it?"

"Come and listen."

Thru stumbled onto the deck while still pulling on his coat against the cold. A few clouds, silvered by the moon, scudded across the sky.

He heard a long wailing cry, then a furious roar of anger.

"It started just a few minutes ago. Some shouting, then this."

The cries had suddenly grown louder. A distant banging could be heard, more roaring and shouting.