The Tower of Il Serrohe (37 page)

Instead, Nersite grabbed a tall wooden spear with a sharp point. “No! We aren’t cowards. We fight with the Ursimin and all the clans against the Soreyes! Come on, Don!”

Don got to his feet, struggling to discern Bernie’s towering shape and Nersite’s small ball of movement in the oppressive dark. “I’m not much of a fighter. I don’t know what good I—”

“
Then hide under your bed,” boomed Bernie. “It’s sturdy and there are heavy blankets for cover. I’ll make sure they don’t sniff around here. Don’t come out until I return!

“
Well, OK.” Don was afraid enough to hide but man enough to want to get out there and mix it up with the bastards. “Maybe I should fight. I can—”

“
Make up your mind—just do
something
,” Bernie growled. “I’m headed outside. Come on, Nersite.”

Out they went. Don stood there in the sweaty darkness.
What kind of confidence is anyone going to have in me if I hide like a little girl? But how much good will I do if I go out there and get killed, or get the shit beat out of me? And who cares? I haven’t had a beer, so maybe this’ll be the next best thing.

He groped around in the back of the hut where Nersite had found a spear.
How in the hell did that little shit find a spear so easily? Must have great night vision.

He found a slender branch—smooth, very straight, with a sharp point at the top. OK
, here we go!

Before he thought twice, he ran from the hut screaming like a banshee—only to stop dead in his tracks.

Coals from the fire were still glowing brightly silhouetting an orgy of battle between big stocky Ursimin and wiry Soreyes. It looked like a locker-room brawl between football and basketball teams.

The Ursimin’s powerful clubs and spears were matched by the Soreyes agile dodges followed by blows with short staffs. In the dim outer edges of the clearing he could see Soreyes aiming arrows at the Ursimin. But in the commotion, he wondered if they were hitting their own men half the time.

Behind him, a blood-curdling cry knocked him forward by its shear volume. As he swung about, he confronted a Soreye as tall as an NBA player. Without thinking, Don jabbed his spear at his chest but the Soreye sidestepped and hit him hard with a staff.

Don greeted the ground full body. He slammed down so hard he saw the entire Milky Way galaxy spread out before him. Amid the beauty of it all, he heard a high-pitched squeal followed by a slicing sound and the Soreye’s scream of pain.

Don pulled himself away from the galaxy and saw Nersite standing over the prone Soreye. He wasn’t sure, but he could swear the little Nohmin was cursing!

Don stargazed again until everything slowly faded to black. After an unknown interval, he awoke. Daylight streamed through a tiny window, warming his face and glaring in his eyes. He sat up. Every square inch of his body and head was sore. Not just sore, but excruciating.

He was in the hut he and Nersite had shared. Nersite’s bed pad was neatly smoothed and the blanket folded on top. From outside came the sound of children playing, laughing, and shouting.

He stood up.
Oh God, I’ve got the pain of a hangover without the benefit of any beer. This sucks.
He took a step, his legs and back protested and he almost fell over face first. Wincing, he forced himself to take another step. And another. And another.

Poking his head outside, he was greeted by the sight of Ursimin village people milling about: the women cooking on the glowing fire, several bringing big tubs of water to drink or wash in. Other women were tenderly cleaning their fellows’ wounds and helping them change out of torn jeans.

Nersite sat among them chatting and laughing, though most of the Ursimin were subdued. He ran over when he spotted Don. “Good morning! We saw what a nasty bump you took from that Soreye last night, so we let you sleep. How do you feel?”

“
Like warmed-over shit from a corpse,” he groaned. “How about you?”

“
Not bad. I didn’t let them get a hit on me, but I’m a little sore from all the beating and dodging about. Come on, a nice cold drink of water followed by my hot tea, and you’ll be better.”

As they moved near the fire, Don could smell sausage frying. “I haven’t smelled
that
since I’ve been here. In fact, it’s been ages since I’ve had a big New Mexico breakfast. I think I’m hungry.”

“
That’s a good sign,” Nersite said, smiling.

Bernie rose, having had a few wounds tended on his arms. “Ah, the warrior has arisen! Come on, get cleaned up and enjoy breakfast—if you’re hungry.”

“
Oh, I’m hungry, but I don’t know if I can move that much and eat at the same time,” Don muttered.

“
Yeah, you took quite a blow from that Soreye. But you took care of those other two bastards before you collapsed.”

“
What other two bastards?”

Bernie looked at him astounded. Then he looked at Nersite. “Your friend is a funny guy,” he said. “Don’t you remember beating up the two Soreyes who thought you had fainted after Nersite whacked their buddy?”

“
No.” Don knew this was some kind of Ursimin joke.

Nersite looked at him. “It’s true. You don’t remember? You were pretty worked up. I thought you said you weren’t a fighter. Could have fooled me.”

Don sunk down on a log bench. “Well, I’ll be damned. I remember passing out after I saw Nersite cursing the Soreye that knocked the shit out of me from behind. Why would I forget what happened next?”

Bernie nodded knowingly. “Sometimes it happens to a warrior the first time out. You get this surge of energy even though you’re pretty much unconscious. Maybe you’re mad, or maybe the Great Maker is protecting you from yourself. If you knew what you were doing, you would get scared and run. Instead, you stand up and fight.”

“
Maybe it’ll come back to me,” Don murmured in wonder.

“
Maybe.”

Don looked around the clearing. Way back among the trees near the shore was a group of five who weren’t Ursimin. They were about Don’s size, wore gray clothing with hoods over their heads and had long narrow faces ending in sharp chins. The Càhbahmin and the Taurimin also had long faces, but theirs were large and heavily featured. These people were smaller boned and looked nervous.

“
Who the hell are they?” Don asked.

Bernie and Nersite moved close to Don. Nersite whispered, “The grey ones are the Loopohmin.”

Bernie pointed to a pair standing away from the shore a few yards to the right of the Loopohmin. “And those are the Linksmin.” Don looked.

They were about the same size as the Loopohmin, but their clothing was tawny with streaks of coppery red. They also wore hoods but their faces were rounded and their eyes mere slanted slits making them look oriental.

Both groups were uneasy and insular, keeping a close eye on the Ursimin. They didn’t seem anxious for contact with anyone there, yet they stood their ground, even under Don’s intense gaze.

Bernie spoke, “They also had losses last night.”

“
Losses?” Don said.

“
Yes, the Soreyes weren’t here just for exercise. They took four of their youngsters, two Loopohmin and two Linksmin, probably as hard laborers or for… their hides.”

Don grimaced. “Those bastards! We’ve got to get them back!”

“
Don’t worry, we will try. But a counter attack now would be pointless. The Soreyes have probably returned to their high plains, and we’re at a disadvantage on the open country. They would see us coming.”

Don clenched his teeth and thought furiously. “I don’t get it. They are shadowing my every move. First the Kastmin village attack, then here. How can they move through the bosque without someone seeing, hearing… or smelling them?”

“
They are obviously going directly to each location. They somehow know your movements.”

Don couldn’t contain his frustration. “But they can’t see through the trees. Even if they had a way to see detail that far away. Someone is following us—”

“
I would have known it by smell or sound,” Nersite said. “The clanspeople are very perceptive. I don’t know how the Soreyes know where to go. But if they move directly, any forewarning can’t be fast enough.”

“
And they’re doing it!” Don raged. “I wonder about those Sianox…”

Bernie shook his head. “They aren’t the most trustworthy, but they would not betray the clans.”

“
And how do you know?” Don countered.

“
I don’t, but some of their own have been captured by the Soreyes to use as watchers. They are restrained by ropes and can only move a few yards beyond the length of the ropes.”

“
Like watch dogs on a chain,” Don muttered.

“
What? Well, anyway, there is no love lost between the Sianox and the Soreyes. The watchers can’t help but notice when someone is approaching and their attentiveness is used by the Soreyes to alert them to clanspeople in their vicinity. But those captured Sianox constantly attempt escape and a few have succeeded. The rest continue for a while and eventually die from loss of hope and refusal to eat. This is well known, so we don’t have reason to suspect betrayal unless…”

“
Unless, what?”

“
Unless there are one or two who have turned against us to work for the Soreyes voluntarily. There’s no way of knowing—”

“
Unless you consider the events of the last few days,” Don added bitterly. “That Jasin and Flit, they don’t seem too dedicated. More interested in their own little piss-ant concerns.”

Nersite patted Don’s arm. “Don’t judge them too harshly. That is their nature, but I don’t think they would betray us.”

Then something came out of the back of Don’s mind. “What about the bats? Can we trust
them?
”

Bernie laughed. “I don’t know. They’re an odd lot, they don’t mix much with the rest of us, but neither do the Loopohmin or the Linksmin over there. Yet the bats have done nothing to make us suspicious.”

“
And,” Nersite added, “they were the ones who brought you here in the first place, Don.”

“
Yeah, I know. It’s just that they can fly so they have a view and means of movement the rest of you don’t possess.” Don mulled this over. “Forget it, you’re right. In fact, we should be sure they also come to Il Mote.”

“
They probably already know about it and will be there,” Nersite said knowingly. “When the attack happened on the Kastmin island, they no doubt became aware of what’s going on. Their home is near by.”

Don sighed. This was all very complicated. “So you said those people over there lost some of their own last night.”

Bernie nodded. “The Loopohmin family had two of their youngsters taken yesterday afternoon several miles north of here. The Soreyes have been known to capture Loopohmin children and raise them to serve their own needs. The Loopohmin are expert hunters. Look how lean they are, allowing them to run fast to outmaneuver their quarry, and their sense of smell is even keener than the rest of the clans with exception of the Linksmin.”

“
So what do the Soreyes do, make the two Linksmin into captive hunters also?”

“
We’re not sure. The Linksmin are very uncooperative when they don’t want to do something. The Loopohmin have a tendency to go along with someone who has the drop on them, but just don’t turn your back.”

“
Sort of ‘kiss up’ when necessary, and then go for the throat when you let down your guard, huh?”

“
Yes, something like that.”

“
So are the Linksmin another source of leather?”

“
Maybe. It’s too horrible to think about,” Bernie growled feeling uncharacteristic compassion for the Linksmin.

Don started walking toward the group of Loopohmin. Immediately the wary group went on alert, their eyes growing wider and their bodies tense. Don could swear he heard a threatening murmur as he approached. Interestingly, the group spread out as if preparing to surround Don if he came any closer.

Instantly, Nersite was at his side, pulling furiously on his tunic. “Don’t! They don’t tolerate the approach of strangers. Or anyone else for that matter!”

Don stopped. He raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I don’t mean any harm,” he called out to the Loopohmin. “I just want to talk. I want you to know we will try to get back your captured children. But we need your help.”

One of the Loopohmin stepped forward. He was slightly bigger than the others and distinguished by white hair in his beard and on a lock that fell down from the hood tightly covering his head. “We don’t need help from the likes of you, stranger. But we will try to cooperate, if you’ll leave us alone otherwise. If you mean to fight the Soreyes, we will be there.”

“
Good. Then come to Il Mote tomorrow and meet with the rest of the clans to plan war.”