Shades of the Silent: The Children's War
May. 30th, 2006 08:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aithne[well, I guess "tonight" came early...this one's a bit shorter.]
There was a lot of activity that night in town, but no pursuit. When false dawn came, we broke camp, and when the sun peeked over the horizon we were already five miles away from the city. As we rode, Sacha dropped in beside me. "Where are we going now, Khanate?"
"The Himalayas. At least, heading in that direction. We're stopping in Panjakent to see if we can pick up the statue that's causing the plague."
He was silent for a moment. "That's a long way."
"I had a look at our maps last night. Near as I can figure, it'll take us at least three months. Maybe longer."
"Long ride," Sacha replied.
"It's going to be." I patted Sweetgrass's shoulder. "We'll make it. Let me know if you get any urges to touch the arch, all right? I may have to take some more precautions with it."
He nodded, and I reined up and dropped back to talk to Temur, who was behind us. "Temur, back in Samarqand...I had a question about something you said. You said that you saw the arrow hit the guard, but you were down behind the fence before the arrow hit."
He looked over at me. We were out of earshot of the other two, and Temur looked like he was having a hard time figuring out what to say. "Hard to explain, Khanate. But I can see the arrow flying in my mind, and see it hit before it does. I knew when to shoot and even the aim of the shot before he was in position. Even before the arrow left the bow, I saw him dead."
It was a talent not unknown among us. If the Khan knew, I was surprised that Temur had managed not to marry; usually, those who had it were encouraged to have as many children as possible, to breed the talent into our people. "An admirable talent, that. No wonder the Khan recommended you for this mission."
He nodded; a flicker of something else crossed his face. "Yes, Khanate. I hesitate to tell you this. But the great Khan gave me orders as well."
I was not exactly surprised; only surprised that he had chosen to tell me. "What were they?"
"To kill you if you didn't bring the items back to him. If you even thought of destroying them, I was to kill you, Sacha, and Nomolun, and return."
Silence as a few moments passed. Then I said, "I note that I'm still alive."
"That is not an order the great Khan would give. It was not true to what he is. I couldn't follow an order from the great Khan when it wasn't from the great Khan. I believe you are on the right path." He spoke quietly, but with absolute conviction.
I found myself unexpectedly warming to this tall, quiet man. He hadn't had to tell me this, and it must have been difficult. He had been raised with the same discipline that all of us had, with obedience as the highest of virtues. "It was an order from the dead man who has taken him over. Thank you for telling me, Temur. I'd wondered if he'd given one of the people I was taking orders like that."
"He did me. I don't know about the rest."
"He might have given them the same orders, but since everyone's still alive, I think nobody's going to act on them. Interesting, though, that the thing that's taken over his body didn't trust that I would return." I made a tch sound, thinking. "I suppose it's understandable, considering that I did resist the gloves' persuasion."
"I had wondered why he would send you in the first place if he didn't think you would return."
"That I'm not sure of. Perhaps he thought I might, and simply wanted to make sure. But maybe we're not the only scouts he's sent out."
Temur nodded. "I wonder about that myself. I spent a great deal of time readying over thirty horses for long rides before we left."
And you didn't mention this before now? But he might not have known it was important, and Temur had never been under my command before. He probably didn't know that even the smallest detail could make the difference between life and death, to a scout. "That's probably the answer, then. Which means that we may find that they've beat us to a few of the items." I grimaced. "Or we may have to kill them to get to it."
"I would bet on it, Khanate."
I sighed. "If only I could speed up the trip to the Himalayas. We're going to lose six months getting there and back...wait. There's a way to cut the time a lot." I started figuring on my fingers, swiftly.
Temur raised an eyebrow. "That is?"
"Sixteen hours a day, with the speed difference it cuts the time almost in half, maybe more than half..." I looked up. "Spirit-walker's a rather exceptional horse. He can carry a rider for two-thirds of a day without tiring excessively, and he's faster than a normal horse. He can carry three as easily as one. We couldn't all go, of course. But I could probably get there in a month and a half, and then back in about that time."
Spirit was ahead of us, traveling clumped with the other horses that weren't being ridden at the moment. Temur gave him a long look. "Three on Spirit, that's impressive in itself. But I think, Khanate, that we all should go even if it takes us that long. Sometimes it's the journey, not the destination."
Wise words. I nodded. "True. And we'll probably find more items along the way."
"So it seems, we are only a day's ride or a little more from our next destination."
"True. We'll see what we find there." I nodded, then shifted in my saddle. "I don't like the arch. It's constantly whispering at me." The thought of spending three months or more with this voice, trying to persuade me to go find my father...could I stand it? Would I break?
"The whispers are audible, I can hear them too. "
I straightened, surprised. "We're going to have to live with those for three months, at least. I didn't know you could hear it, too." I looked over at him. "Not tempted, Temur?"
He shook his head. "No, Khanate, I am not, it seems it's more directed at you. But if it is audible, its possible that you can block it with a silence like the type Nomolun cast, or at least muffle it by carrying it in a full waterskin."
It was a good idea. When we stopped next, I found a waterskin to put it in. The water muffled it to a level that I could almost completely ignore it, thankfully. My ability to concentrate was restored, and I switched to riding on Spirit that afternoon so I could try untrapping one of the books Rabab had given me.
It took me most of the afternoon. Even with Spirit's smooth gait, being in motion made my job more difficult. By the time the sun was setting, however, I had the book open.
It was about the Statue of Vishnu, the exact thing we were looking for. It had eight arms, and putting the arms in different positions caused plagues of eight different types: a disease of the lungs, a madness, a body rot, disease that made people bleed, and other such things. The wielder was immune to the effect, though if the statue became angry at its wielder, it could kill them.
One position of the arms would cure all the plagues and shut the statue down. A Cure Disease spell cast by a cleric would also save the life of one afflicted, though the cure would only last a day before it had to be cast again. It had an effective radius of about ten miles.
This was not going to be easy.
I consulted with the rest as we rode, sharing what I'd learned. "Can you cast the spell?" I asked Nomolun.
She nodded. "Yes, I can for the four of us, but not all thirteen of us."
"We're going to have to leave the horses and at least one of us well outside the danger area, then. That's going to be a bit of a walk. Though we could take three of us and Spirit."
"Might be the best thought." Nomolun glanced over at Temur. "If it's a dead city, Temur is probably not going to be as necessary, and he prefers the outdoors anyway."
"Also, I think he likes the horses better than humans, so he's a good one to leave with them." I thought about it for a bit longer. "Spirit can carry you, me, and Sacha comfortably. well, comfortable for him. We're going to be a bit squashed." I sighed. "Going to be a bit different than last time. We're going to be very visible, if everyone's dead."
"I understand, Yesui. If they are all dead then it should be easy. It's the live ones I am worried about."
You and me both. I nodded. "We should probably make camp, it's getting dark."
We did so, and in the morning we left Temur to circle the city with the horses, and the three of us rode into Panjakent.
It was a small town, mostly a place to stop on the Silk Road. As we approached the town, it looked like it had once done a thriving business in places to stay, eat, and probably gamble, with a few traders mixed in for variety. Spirit's hooves were quiet on the packed dirt of the road. I was riding the farthest forward, Sacha behind me, Nomolun behind him. Behind me, I heard Nomolun's sweet voice lowered in pain. "Look at that. Look how they died."
Spirit threaded his way between corpses lying on the road, and into the town. Bodies were everywhere, all lying in puddles of their own blood. The flies were thick, and Spirit shook his head irritably as we tied cloth over our noses and mouths. "Does a fly-cloth count as tack?" I asked him. "I brought enough for you."
I am fine. Let us be about our business, and be gone.
I nodded, and we kept going. The vultures, rats, and dogs had been at the corpses, and a few of them had been dragged a few feet from where they'd died. The air was rank with the charnel smell of death. The bracelet was telling me that the statue was within a mile of here.
There was a twitch at the corner of my eye, and I turned. A curtain had just been hastily drawn. Then I noticed, as we came closer to the center of town, that there were no bodies of small children among the dead. The youngest I could see were young men and women, perhaps of eleven or twelve winters.
Children? Alive, in this? How could it be? "On foot, now," I murmured. "Let's see if we can get someone to talk to us."
We dismounted and walked single file into the center of town. There was a well, and recent tracks in the dust--small footprints. "Sacha, you and me to one of the roofs. Nomolun, Spirit-walker, around back of that house." We parted, and I climbed the wall of a nearby house to a roof.
About an hour later, I began to hear movement below. Small children were padding towards the well, thin puppies trailing in their wake. Evidently, the young of all species were immune, and I remembered seeing dead dogs among the corpses. The children were bone-thin as well, and entirely silent. They cooperated in bringing up water from the well, pouring it into their buckets, the older ones sharing the burden of carrying one bucket between them.
They retreated, and after a few minutes I saw another child coming. This one was older, about ten winters. I dropped down from the roof, landing softly, and rounded the corner. "Little one, would you stay and talk to me? I have some food to share," I said, trying to make my voice soft.
She whirled. "You have to go, you only have a few hours, then you will spit blood and die."
I shook my head. "Maybe. Maybe not. When did this all begin?"
The girl wore a frightened look. "I am not sure, my mother and father have been dead for six days. Some died before, many after."
"Did anything strange happen before people started dying? Someone unusual coming into town?"
She nodded. "Father talked about a black boy that was found with silver hair."
That sounded familiar. Why? "What happened to him, do you know? Have you seen him at all?"
"They went to take him to see the local mage but they all died before they got there. Father said he lives in the hills over there." She pointed towards the high hills to the south, about a mile away.
"Was he lost, did they say?"
"He was trying to get home, they said, but couldn't find the way."
"Are all of the adults dead, now? Are any still alive?"
The girl nodded again. "Only one survives, she is with me."
One adult. What was special about this one? "With you now? Who is she?"
"She lives with me, there." She pointed to a house a bit north. "Fadl is her name, she is very old." She tilted her head. "I am Hala, and who are you?"
I smiled. "I am Yesui. I had heard things were bad here, but not this bad. I don't suppose you've seen a statue somewhere around? One with many arms?"
"They said the boy had it but only he was able to touch it. Do you want me to take you to Fadl?" she asked.
"That's very helpful, Hala. I would, thank you."
She nodded, and led me to the house she'd pointed at. I looked back; I had gained some followers. A small crowd of curious children and their puppies trailed in my wake. I wondered what on earth I was going to do here, once I got the statue. It seemed wrong just to pack up and ride away. The things I think sometimes. Father would tell me I was getting soft.
Inside, the house was small and dimly lit. There was a woman inside, sitting in a chair at the table. I nodded to her. "Greetings. I am Yesui."
Hala had not lied. Fadl was very, very old, her face deeply lined. Her skin was very dark, as if her parents had come from far to the south, and her hair was starkly silver. There was something very strange about her features, as well, but I couldn't tell what. "Yesui. I hope you have protection, otherwise you will die horribly from this plague."
I nodded. "I do. I wanted to ask you about the boy with silver hair that was found right before the plague started."
"Fairy child, one of the dark elves."
Drow. That was what was familiar about the description of the boy. Spirit-walker had told me about the drow and their underground cities. "Where was he found? Who found him?"
"He was traveling from the south. Hala's father found him when cutting wood with others. He died a few hours later."
I thought. "Hala said he had a statue with him, one that only he could touch."
"Yes, he did from what the few that lived longer said. Those that touched it or tied to take it, founted blood from their lungs almost immediately."
Good to know. "Did the boy seem angry, or just lost?"
She spread gnarled hands. "He was angry and violent, but lost as well."
"I wonder where he's from? I've heard stories of the dark elves, but nobody ever said where they were supposed to live."
"South, the rumor states. Pakistan, Afghanistan, India. They live underground. But that is also not true always. Some live here too."
There was something she wasn't telling me outright. "And you were the only adult that survived the plague, it sounds like. Strange."
She smiled, an extraordinary expression on her lined face. "Not so strange, the blood of the boy's people runs through my veins."
Dark skin, silver hair, features familiar yet alien. Of course. The woman's age had helped mask her origins. "Oh! That makes sense. Thank you, Fadl. This has been very helpful."
"Welcome, child." I bowed slightly and left her and Hala behind. The group of children had been gathered at the door, and they scattered in all directions when I emerged. I walked back to the well, thinking hard. I was thinking so hard that I stumbled over something I didn't see and nearly fell. When I recovered, I found that I was feeling a bit dizzy, and my eyes felt a bit strange.
I made it back to the others, feeling worse with each step. I started to cough when I was a few yards away. Nomolun took one look at me and said, "It's time, you have it. Sacha started coughing about five minutes ago." She laid her cool hand on my forehead and murmured a word, releasing a spell on me. I immediately felt better, the dizziness clearing.
"Thank you," I told her. To the rest, I said, "Well, I have part of an answer. The statue currently belongs to a boy who is supposedly one of the dark elves. The only adult alive in town has dark elf blood, she claimed. The statue can't be touched by anyone but him. So we should probably go see if we can talk to the boy."
Sacha asked, "Any idea what he is doing out here and why?"
"He's lost and trying to find his people again. He came from the south. There are supposedly some dark elves who live around here. And he's had the statue on the entire time he's been traveling, it sounds like. I remember reports of the plague moving south to north."
"Doing this on purpose or doesn't know or can't shut it off?"
I spread my hands. "I don't know. The people who found him, before they died, said he seemed lost, but also very angry. I don't know what we'll find when we find him. He may have been taken over. He may not have."
Sacha looked thoughtful. "Like the great Khan has changed."
"Yes. Perhaps the statue is whispering into his ear. Perhaps humans hurt him in some way, and he's out for revenge. Or perhaps he's killing all the humans to make finding his own people easier."
Sacha sighed. "Best to get this over with, I think."
"True. Let's go."
So off we went. There were murmurs from the children as we rode through the town; Spirit-walker seemed to fascinate them. Away we went into the hills.
It took us about an hour to find the entrance to a cave. I put on my magic-detecting spell and my little light spell, and asked Spirit, "Wait here?" He agreed, and the three of us two-footeds went into the cave.
The tunnel was small, cramped, and stuffy, and there was a vague smell of burning meat. We pushed roots out of our way as we traveled; the person who used this place was obviously smaller than any of us. Finally, the tunnel widened out into a cave, about ten feet in diameter.
There was a waterskin on the floor that was faintly magical, and a large glow coming from the back wall, about a foot into the crumbly dirt. There was also a blob of magic off to my right, amorphous and shifting. Probably an invisibility spell, if I had my guess.
I waved the other two back a bit, deciding to try the friendly approach and see if it worked. "Hello?" I called. "Is anyone here?"
The blob of magic shifted over in front of the large glow, but did nothing else. I tilted my head. "I hear you. I promise, whoever you are, I don't want to hurt you."
The voice was young, and the menace in it was startling to hear. "Go away, human."
I raised my eyebrows. "Well, that's not very friendly, is it? I just want to talk to you. Maybe I can help you."
"You can't help me, and you will die shortly anyway."
I smiled. "How do you know I can't until you tell me why you're here? And no, I won't. Not right now, at least."
"You are my problem, human. You hunt and kill my kind. Now I am getting even, and it bothers you."
Vengeance. Why had I ever thought it would be anything else? "I don't hunt and kill your kind. In fact, if you're what the old lady in the village says you are, I didn't think your kind was even real until a few days ago."
"You lie, you killed all my people but me. And then I found it, and found a way to get revenge. But even after I have killed thousands of you, you still come. Just leave me alone!"
I looked at the glow. "All your people? Who killed them?"
"Humans, slanty-eyed humans, with dark hair."
It couldn't be. Could it? I hadn't heard of any of our people being sent to kill dark elves. "How long ago?"
"Almost three years." The voice suddenly sounded a bit tired, and older than I guessed his years were.
"And you've been wandering ever since, taking your revenge?"
"I have been trying to get home, but I can't find it."
He was talking, and unless I missed my guess he was starting to relax. I sat down in the dirt, tailor-fashion. "How did you find yourself so far from home?" I asked.
"My home is destroyed, burned to the last. I came north to find the ancestral home my mother told me about."
I nodded. "Ah. My name is Yesui. What's yours?"
"Ivas."
Offhandedly, I said, "You know, the woman in the village I spoke of is of your blood. Maybe she knows more about where to find this ancestral home." I tensed, hoping; was this going to be the bait I needed?
He sounded surprised. "One still lives? That's not possible--it should kill all the adults, though it kills fewer and fewer children every year."
"Yes. She is very old, but she told me that the blood of your people runs in her veins."
"Then maybe the ancestral home still survives?" There was a terrible hope in his voice.
"I don't know, but she might."
"Take me to her," Ivas demanded.
"I will." I paused, and said, "It might help if I could see you, you know."
The invisibility spell came down. He was the size of one of our children who had about twelve winters; how old he really was, I couldn't venture a guess. He had long silver hair, raggedly cut, and he was very thin. He had obviously been alone for some time, but there was a fire in his eyes. This one, if he lived, was going to be a great warrior some day, judging from that fire. Or, perhaps, a mage of some power, I thought, considering the invisibility spell.
I got up from where I'd been sitting. "All right, let's go. I have three other people with me--two humans and a horse. None of them will harm you."
He turned and rammed his hand into the wall, coming out with a statue as long as a man's forearm, many-armed. He picked up his waterskin, and we made our way outside.
The statue was whispering, Kill him. Kill him, and I can be yours to take to the Khan. I scowled and ignored it. The boy would be easy to kill. He was no match for the arrows that the three of us could put in him. I had decided against that the moment that I'd come into the tiny hovel of a cave, however, and the fact that the statue wanted me to do it made me even more against the idea.
Besides...I understood about revenge. It sometimes took terrible forms, but I understood it. I led Ivas back to the village and to Fadl's house, leaving the others outside. I knocked, was invited in, and took Ivas in. "Fadl, this is Ivas. Ivas, Fadl. Ivas is looking for the ancestral home of the dark elves, and I was hoping you might know more than I do."
"The ancestral home of my father. I don't know, Yesui, but I do know that my father said he spent his youth under the human city of Tashkent." She was giving Ivas a steady look. "That might be what you are looking for."
It was out of our way, very much out of our way. "Do you know if there's anyone who lives nearby who might know more?"
Fadl shook her head. "No, my father was killed last year by the son of the Khan from the north, but his house remains. No one goes there, they feared him. You might find something there."
One of my brothers had come through here? "We will need to go look. One of the Khan's sons came through here? When?"
"Yes, Chagatai came here last year. About eleven months ago."
He had been gone for years, and I'd missed him, but had taken my father at his word when he'd said he'd been sent on a diplomatic mission. Something about securing trade ties with some place in the south. He had been, instead...slaughtering dark elves? Was it Chagatai who had killed Ivas's people?
I shook my head. I couldn't think about it now. "Ah. Where is your father's house?"
"North about three miles, follow the eastern hills, it's a large house."
"Thank you, Fadl." I turned to Ivas, who had that hope burning in his eyes. "I'll take you there, if you like. But we need to talk about that statue of yours, first."
He clutched it a little more tightly. "What about it?"
"If you're going to travel with me for even a little while, you need to turn it off and leave it that way. I have a bit of protection, but there still may be people living north of here who do not."
"They are just humans," he said.
And one of them is a companion of mine who I'd miss greatly if he died. "They're people just like you," I said, warning in my voice. If he balked, I was going to have to kill him.
He sniffed. "Fine." He fiddled with the arms, and to my magic sight the power of the statue shut down almost completely. I relaxed. I wasn't going to have to kill Ivas. For the moment, at least.
"Thank you," I said. "Off we go." As we went out the door, I muttered to myself, "It's not the dead I feel sorry for. It's the children who live."
Ivas, if he heard me, didn't respond.
We piled onto Spirit's back after he assured me that he could take Ivas's weight in addition to ours. He pulled into a smooth canter, and though Ivas pretended to be bored with the ride, I could tell from the tenseness of his body that he was intensely interested in what was going on. I wondered if he'd ever ridden before.
We reached the house, and did a circle of it. There was no magic on it, though the door was locked with a kind of lock I'd never encountered before. Sacha and I dropped into our native tongue and started discussing the lock, getting out our tools. Nomolun pointed out, "We could go in through the window, you know."
I rolled my eyes. "What fun would that be? Give us a few minutes."
She threw up her hands and said to Ivas, "Show them a lock they've never seen before, they're like toddlers with a new toy."
A few minutes later, Sacha and I got the door open. "Finally!" Ivas said. It had taken all of our lockpicks and other tools, plus a couple of makeshift picks made from hair that Spirit donated from his tail, and I had a much better understanding of the workings of this kind of lock. You needed four hands to pick it, at least, though. Definitely a two-man job.
I swung the door open and stuck my head inside. It was dim and dusty, but I could see that this was the house of someone who had lived a long time and collected things from around the world. In just the front room, there were weapons I didn't recognize, armor pieces made out of metals I couldn't identify and that were still shiny even after a year of dust. There was little magic in here, other than a floorboard at the back of the front room.
I waved everyone in. "We're looking for papers. Don't take any of the other stuff."
I walked in, seeing that there were shelves high up. Very high up--the ceiling was more than twice the height of a tall man, and the shelves were very near the ceiling. I promised myself that I'd investigate those later, and went to look at the suspicious floorboard.
Most of the floorboards were simply laid down and mudded together, like almost all floorboards I'd ever seen in the houses I'd been in. This one was strange--there were little wooden spikes in every corner. Experimentally, I tried to pry one of the spikes up, and found that it was easier to lift the whole board out of place.
There were more boards attached to it, forming a long, deep box. I set it on the floor and took a good look. It looked like the easiest way to get it open would be to pry one of the side boards off, and I proceeded to do so.
Out spilled papers, money, and a small, jeweled dagger than glowed with magic. Papers, just what I was looking for! I set everything else aside and began to go through the papers.
The very old ones weren't in a language I could read, a script that was very flowing in an elegant hand. Later, that same hand turned to a script I could read. It looked like journals, a few letters written but never sent, observations about life above ground. There were things about his wife, who had died long, long ago, and fond observations about his daughter, who was growing old so much more quickly than he was.
Then I found what I was looking for. A map of the caverns beneath Tashkent, and entrances both inside and outside the city. I put the papers back in the box; I'd take them to Fadl, and see if I could convince her to either let me copy or buy the map from her. The money I did the same with; the dagger I played with for a bit before I concluded that whatever the magic was, I wasn't going to be able to trigger it here, and put it in the box, as well.
Everyone else was hunting through cupboards and drawers, and I stood and contemplated the shelves around the ceiling. "How did you get up there? Surely, you weren't that tall..."
Well, however the deceased owner of this house had accessed those shelves, it wasn't obvious. I made do with climbing up there and snake-crawling along the shelves. Thankfully, there was enough room for me to do so in most places. There were books up here, mostly written in that same flowing script, books about magic things. I spotted one that was bound nearly identically to the ones I'd gotten from Rabab, snagged it, and dropped to the floor.
"I think I found what we want. A map to the places below Tashkent," I said. Everyone nodded and followed me out. Outside, I said, "Everything in that house probably belongs to Fadl by rights. I'll ask her and see if she wants anything brought back."
Ivas cocked his head. "What about the stuff you took?"
"The papers except for the map I'll give to her, and I'll pay her for the map, and the knife and the book if she's willing to sell them."
He sniffed. "Just wondering."
I shrugged. "I thought she'd want the papers, and I didn't think I could get that box put back together quite right." At that point, Sacha touched me on the arm, and motioned. There was a woman there I hadn't seen before. She was dressed in skirts and very colorful shawls.
An adult? Still alive? To Sacha, I said in a low voice, "Get everyone up on Spirit, be ready to run." I took a step towards the woman. "Greetings. Can we help you?"
She heard me I saw, then turned and walked away. I took a few more steps forward. "Are you a survivor of the plague?" She kept walking. At a bit of a loss, I followed.
She was walking quickly, and I dogtrotted to keep up. She was heading towards a large willow tree with a grave marker among the gnarled roots. I suddenly thought I might understand. She was not a survivor of anything, at all.
The woman reached out and pointed at a knot in the tree's trunk, then vanished. I blinked, walked forward, and investigated the knot. I pushed on it, and it opened, revealing a narrow slit behind the knot.
The little knife! I rummaged in the box and came up with it, then slid the blade into the tree. It fit perfectly. I wiggled the blade, found that it would turn one way, then jumped as the space between the grave marker and the tree opened. Stairs led down into darkness.
I stared for a moment, and then turned and waved to the others, excited. They came over as I cast my little light and started down the stairs.
There was something shiny at the bottom of the stairs, reflecting my light. Cautiously, I went down, to find that what had reflected my light was a set of chainmail armor and a pair of swords, one long and one short, displayed on a headless dummy. They were made out of a silvery material I'd seen only a few times before in my life. What had they called it? Oh, yes. Mithril.
I looked around, seeking any sign of the ghost. There was no sign of her, but there was something else on the wall. A map.
I went to the wall, raising my light. It was a map of a totally underground route north to Tashkent, to a place under it that the map called Zan. Ivas was behind me, and I turned to him. "An underground route. Probably safer, but with fewer places to hunt. The place you want looks like it's called Zan."
"Nice." He studied the map briefly, appearing to commit it to memory. There was a metal door set into the wall at the back of the small chamber, and he headed towards it.
We were about to lose him. I said in a voice that carried command, "Wait, Ivas."
He turned. "What?"
"We've helped you. Now, you need to help us. The statue you carry does not belong on this earth. Give it to me, and I will destroy it."
He narrowed his eyes. "What if you use it against us?"
"I will not. All I want is to see it destroyed. A few miles away is a village full of children who've lost their parents. Those who were at the breast have already starved to death. More will probably do so in the next few weeks. Then, when word spreads that the plague is gone, people will move in. It's very likely that the children will all end up enslaved, and in some of the worst places I can imagine." And I know about slavery, little boy. I've helped sack enough cities to know all about slavery. "I wouldn't do that to any race of people, my own or others."
Ivas shook his head. "It doesn't want to go with you. I am not sure I can release it."
Of course it didn't want to go with us. But it must. I smiled. "It doesn't? Ah, but it was whispering to me before. It has a hold on you, I think."
That pricked his pride. He stared at the statue for a long moment, then set it down and said, "Kali, I release you." And then he collapsed, like a hamstring-cut foal.
No! I won't let this happen. I knelt beside Ivas, feeling for a pulse. He was alive, though starting to cough and wheeze badly. "Nomolun, do you have another Cure Disease handy?"
She shook her head. "No, four is all I can carry for the day."
Sacha asked, "The book say anything about this?"
I thought. "It said that it would sometimes kill it's wielder if it disagreed with them. It also said that the arms in a certain position would cure all of its plagues--ah!" I pulled my sleeve back and bared the bracelet, and touched it to the statue.
Ahmad appeared. "Pull the second and third arm on the left up, all the other ones down." I moved to follow instructions, and breathed a sigh of relief as Ivas started breathing normally again. Judging by the cursing that I was hearing from the statue, it was working.
"Same to you. Stupid thing." I wrapped the statue in a cloth and stowed it.
Ahmad smiled. "Ah well, at least you can kill two birds with one stone. There is a temple at the head of the Indrus river, almost forgotten and in a valley that few know about. Take the statue there and the priest that still lives there can destroy it. The head of the Indrus is in Pakistan, about a two month ride southeast from here on your way to the dwarves."
I sighed. "Well, at least it's on the way. Thank you." He disappeared and I said to the rest, "All right, Ivas, I'm sure you'll want to be off. Thank you. The rest of you, we need to visit the village, and see if there's anything we can do. We should leave soon, though."
Ivas went through the door without another word, and was gone. The rest followed me up to the surface. Though I thought about taking the swords and armor, I figured I'd better ask first.
As we rejoined Spirit-walker and mounted up, Sacha asked, "Was that a ghost? Or something like Ahmad?"
I shrugged. "Ahmad is something like a ghost. I'm reasonably sure that was Fadl's mother. I'll check with her to be sure, though."
A while later, we were back in Panjakent. I went to see Fadl, leaving the others outside. "Well, we got the boy sent off to Zan," I told her. "He won't be spreading the plague everywhere he goes, any more, and I doubt he'll be back. I picked up some things in your father's house that are yours by right." I handed her the box with the papers, money, and knife in it. "Some...strange things happened while we were there."
"Such as?" she asked.
"When we came out of the house with the knife, I saw a woman. She didn't speak to me, though it looked like she could hear me. She showed us to a chamber underneath a tree that the knife I just gave you is a key to. Tell me, did your mother tend to wear very colorful skirts, and shawls? A bit shorter than me, pretty eyes?"
Fadl nodded. "Yes, that was her a long time ago."
"It was her, then. She was buried under the tree that opened to show us downward. It had a map of the underground ways to Zan in it, and armor and weapons enough for one person. I don't really know what happened--if it was her spirit, or if it was somehow an illusion. But she showed us the way, and I don't even know why."
The old woman smiled slightly. "It was probably her. People never went there, they say it was haunted. They said an evil spirit chased them away and wouldn't let anyone get close to the house any more. It seems that you just had to be the right person."
"Apparently. I didn't get any feeling of menace from her, at all. And she didn't appear until we'd come out."
"And she led you to it. Something bothering you about that, Yesui?"
I sighed. "There is, but it's a little more general than that. There have been strange things happening to me lately, and this is just one thing in the list. It seems like everywhere I go, dead people are telling me there's something special about me. I got the feeling that she meant me to take the armor and weapons, but I wanted to ask you about it, first. They likely belonged to your father, so they're yours by rights." I made a wry face. "And--how did she know that we really needed the underground map to Zan? I think the boy would have gotten there aboveground, and we did have the map for that."
Fadl shrugged. "Keep the armor and the weapons, I have no need for them. If they will help you on the way, then keep them. Spirits have a way of knowing what you need most. She may have felt that the boy needed to get there underground. Something may have happened to him had he traveled overland."
Yes. Like my father, or my brother Chagatai. "Maybe. Well, I wish good luck to him, and I hope he sorts himself out one of these days. He had a tale that was...a little disturbing to me. His home city was wiped out by people who, if I'm matching up the times correctly, were the same people who killed your father. And it makes me wonder why the Mongols would have decided to try to wipe out the dark elves."
"I don't know, but it would be interesting to find out. Were they looking for the boy and his plague?" Fadl's eyes were sharp. She might be old, but her mind still worked just fine.
I shook my head. "I don't think so. It sounded like Ivas found the statue after his city was destroyed and he started wandering."
"Magic of any type can be addicting and some may have wanted to use that power for themselves. Why else would you destroy a whole city to the last?"
"True. Maybe they were looking for the statue. What he described didn't sound like typical Mongol behavior. They usually enslave the women and children and capture the artisans. From what Ivas said, they killed everyone."
She nodded. "Only someone looking for something or someone kills them to the last person. When they couldn't find it they killed them all, or tortured them all to death."
"Very likely." Chagatai, what have you gotten into? What were you doing for Father? Were you even working for Father? "Anyway. We need to be on our way soon, but I was hoping to help you before I went."
She looked surprised. "Help me with what?"
I shrugged. "Deal with the bodies, maybe help the children lay in what food's available. I fear what will happen when word gets around that the plague here is gone, but at least we can try to make sure you won't starve to death."
"Ah, that would be useful, at least it would give some of the children something to do."
"There is quite a bit of valuable stuff in your father's house. If we bring it here, you may be able to use it to barter with once traders start coming by again," I said.
Fadl nodded. "Have the children bring it back, we will see what we can do. Other towns are probably reeling from the same event and I know you have to have better things to do, so I don't want to slow you down."
"It won't delay us more than a day or two. I'll go see if I can organize the children," I said, bowed, and left.
There was another reason for me to stay. Chagatai had done this; whether intentional or not, he had done it. I'd lay my money on intentional, myself. If I could do something to help...
Well, Yesui, I'd say this was guilt you were feeling. I sighed and admitted it to myself. It would take only a bit of effort to put things right enough so most of the children and Fadl might live. And it might assuage the little voice inside of me that said, this is partially your fault. You've not been paying much attention to what Chagatai was doing.
I sighed and went to organize the children. I went with them and a few hand carts to get everything we could from Fadl's father's house, and picked up the armor and swords for myself. Fadl's mother did not reappear, though I could have sworn I felt her watching.
Spirit I sent to get Temur, and when he arrived I sent him out to hunt what he could. We'd butcher whatever he brought down and hang it; the older children could cook. Nomolun, Sacha, and I started building pyres. I had a silent but wide-eyed shadow in Hala, and a few of the younger children. They took direction admirably well, almost as well as a child of the tribes.
We spent two days in Panjakent. The children helped us clear out one of the empty houses to sleep in, and I spent the evenings unlocking and deciphering two of the books--one from Rabab, one from here.
The one from Rabab was about the Eye of Amara, which was a red stone with a slit in the middle. It gave normal animals destructive abilities. The abilities seemed to be specific to whatever animal was targeted, and they became controlled by the wielder.
The book from here was about a withered tree branch, dark and twisted. When used, it would destroy any crops in a ten mile area, withering them in seconds. No food would grow on that lend for ten years, and even food that had already been picked would become poisonous.
When I gave Fadl the book back, I said, "Don't sell this, or give it to anyone. Even me. It's too dangerous. Hide it as well as you can, and forget it exists."
"That bad?"
"People have killed for these books, Fadl. And will again."
She nodded. "I will keep it safe. Good travels, Yesui. And good luck."
I smiled. "Thank you, Fadl. I appreciate it."
Then I went outside, and we mounted up and rode out. East towards Kashi we went, towards the Eye of Amara.
There was a lot of activity that night in town, but no pursuit. When false dawn came, we broke camp, and when the sun peeked over the horizon we were already five miles away from the city. As we rode, Sacha dropped in beside me. "Where are we going now, Khanate?"
"The Himalayas. At least, heading in that direction. We're stopping in Panjakent to see if we can pick up the statue that's causing the plague."
He was silent for a moment. "That's a long way."
"I had a look at our maps last night. Near as I can figure, it'll take us at least three months. Maybe longer."
"Long ride," Sacha replied.
"It's going to be." I patted Sweetgrass's shoulder. "We'll make it. Let me know if you get any urges to touch the arch, all right? I may have to take some more precautions with it."
He nodded, and I reined up and dropped back to talk to Temur, who was behind us. "Temur, back in Samarqand...I had a question about something you said. You said that you saw the arrow hit the guard, but you were down behind the fence before the arrow hit."
He looked over at me. We were out of earshot of the other two, and Temur looked like he was having a hard time figuring out what to say. "Hard to explain, Khanate. But I can see the arrow flying in my mind, and see it hit before it does. I knew when to shoot and even the aim of the shot before he was in position. Even before the arrow left the bow, I saw him dead."
It was a talent not unknown among us. If the Khan knew, I was surprised that Temur had managed not to marry; usually, those who had it were encouraged to have as many children as possible, to breed the talent into our people. "An admirable talent, that. No wonder the Khan recommended you for this mission."
He nodded; a flicker of something else crossed his face. "Yes, Khanate. I hesitate to tell you this. But the great Khan gave me orders as well."
I was not exactly surprised; only surprised that he had chosen to tell me. "What were they?"
"To kill you if you didn't bring the items back to him. If you even thought of destroying them, I was to kill you, Sacha, and Nomolun, and return."
Silence as a few moments passed. Then I said, "I note that I'm still alive."
"That is not an order the great Khan would give. It was not true to what he is. I couldn't follow an order from the great Khan when it wasn't from the great Khan. I believe you are on the right path." He spoke quietly, but with absolute conviction.
I found myself unexpectedly warming to this tall, quiet man. He hadn't had to tell me this, and it must have been difficult. He had been raised with the same discipline that all of us had, with obedience as the highest of virtues. "It was an order from the dead man who has taken him over. Thank you for telling me, Temur. I'd wondered if he'd given one of the people I was taking orders like that."
"He did me. I don't know about the rest."
"He might have given them the same orders, but since everyone's still alive, I think nobody's going to act on them. Interesting, though, that the thing that's taken over his body didn't trust that I would return." I made a tch sound, thinking. "I suppose it's understandable, considering that I did resist the gloves' persuasion."
"I had wondered why he would send you in the first place if he didn't think you would return."
"That I'm not sure of. Perhaps he thought I might, and simply wanted to make sure. But maybe we're not the only scouts he's sent out."
Temur nodded. "I wonder about that myself. I spent a great deal of time readying over thirty horses for long rides before we left."
And you didn't mention this before now? But he might not have known it was important, and Temur had never been under my command before. He probably didn't know that even the smallest detail could make the difference between life and death, to a scout. "That's probably the answer, then. Which means that we may find that they've beat us to a few of the items." I grimaced. "Or we may have to kill them to get to it."
"I would bet on it, Khanate."
I sighed. "If only I could speed up the trip to the Himalayas. We're going to lose six months getting there and back...wait. There's a way to cut the time a lot." I started figuring on my fingers, swiftly.
Temur raised an eyebrow. "That is?"
"Sixteen hours a day, with the speed difference it cuts the time almost in half, maybe more than half..." I looked up. "Spirit-walker's a rather exceptional horse. He can carry a rider for two-thirds of a day without tiring excessively, and he's faster than a normal horse. He can carry three as easily as one. We couldn't all go, of course. But I could probably get there in a month and a half, and then back in about that time."
Spirit was ahead of us, traveling clumped with the other horses that weren't being ridden at the moment. Temur gave him a long look. "Three on Spirit, that's impressive in itself. But I think, Khanate, that we all should go even if it takes us that long. Sometimes it's the journey, not the destination."
Wise words. I nodded. "True. And we'll probably find more items along the way."
"So it seems, we are only a day's ride or a little more from our next destination."
"True. We'll see what we find there." I nodded, then shifted in my saddle. "I don't like the arch. It's constantly whispering at me." The thought of spending three months or more with this voice, trying to persuade me to go find my father...could I stand it? Would I break?
"The whispers are audible, I can hear them too. "
I straightened, surprised. "We're going to have to live with those for three months, at least. I didn't know you could hear it, too." I looked over at him. "Not tempted, Temur?"
He shook his head. "No, Khanate, I am not, it seems it's more directed at you. But if it is audible, its possible that you can block it with a silence like the type Nomolun cast, or at least muffle it by carrying it in a full waterskin."
It was a good idea. When we stopped next, I found a waterskin to put it in. The water muffled it to a level that I could almost completely ignore it, thankfully. My ability to concentrate was restored, and I switched to riding on Spirit that afternoon so I could try untrapping one of the books Rabab had given me.
It took me most of the afternoon. Even with Spirit's smooth gait, being in motion made my job more difficult. By the time the sun was setting, however, I had the book open.
It was about the Statue of Vishnu, the exact thing we were looking for. It had eight arms, and putting the arms in different positions caused plagues of eight different types: a disease of the lungs, a madness, a body rot, disease that made people bleed, and other such things. The wielder was immune to the effect, though if the statue became angry at its wielder, it could kill them.
One position of the arms would cure all the plagues and shut the statue down. A Cure Disease spell cast by a cleric would also save the life of one afflicted, though the cure would only last a day before it had to be cast again. It had an effective radius of about ten miles.
This was not going to be easy.
I consulted with the rest as we rode, sharing what I'd learned. "Can you cast the spell?" I asked Nomolun.
She nodded. "Yes, I can for the four of us, but not all thirteen of us."
"We're going to have to leave the horses and at least one of us well outside the danger area, then. That's going to be a bit of a walk. Though we could take three of us and Spirit."
"Might be the best thought." Nomolun glanced over at Temur. "If it's a dead city, Temur is probably not going to be as necessary, and he prefers the outdoors anyway."
"Also, I think he likes the horses better than humans, so he's a good one to leave with them." I thought about it for a bit longer. "Spirit can carry you, me, and Sacha comfortably. well, comfortable for him. We're going to be a bit squashed." I sighed. "Going to be a bit different than last time. We're going to be very visible, if everyone's dead."
"I understand, Yesui. If they are all dead then it should be easy. It's the live ones I am worried about."
You and me both. I nodded. "We should probably make camp, it's getting dark."
We did so, and in the morning we left Temur to circle the city with the horses, and the three of us rode into Panjakent.
It was a small town, mostly a place to stop on the Silk Road. As we approached the town, it looked like it had once done a thriving business in places to stay, eat, and probably gamble, with a few traders mixed in for variety. Spirit's hooves were quiet on the packed dirt of the road. I was riding the farthest forward, Sacha behind me, Nomolun behind him. Behind me, I heard Nomolun's sweet voice lowered in pain. "Look at that. Look how they died."
Spirit threaded his way between corpses lying on the road, and into the town. Bodies were everywhere, all lying in puddles of their own blood. The flies were thick, and Spirit shook his head irritably as we tied cloth over our noses and mouths. "Does a fly-cloth count as tack?" I asked him. "I brought enough for you."
I am fine. Let us be about our business, and be gone.
I nodded, and we kept going. The vultures, rats, and dogs had been at the corpses, and a few of them had been dragged a few feet from where they'd died. The air was rank with the charnel smell of death. The bracelet was telling me that the statue was within a mile of here.
There was a twitch at the corner of my eye, and I turned. A curtain had just been hastily drawn. Then I noticed, as we came closer to the center of town, that there were no bodies of small children among the dead. The youngest I could see were young men and women, perhaps of eleven or twelve winters.
Children? Alive, in this? How could it be? "On foot, now," I murmured. "Let's see if we can get someone to talk to us."
We dismounted and walked single file into the center of town. There was a well, and recent tracks in the dust--small footprints. "Sacha, you and me to one of the roofs. Nomolun, Spirit-walker, around back of that house." We parted, and I climbed the wall of a nearby house to a roof.
About an hour later, I began to hear movement below. Small children were padding towards the well, thin puppies trailing in their wake. Evidently, the young of all species were immune, and I remembered seeing dead dogs among the corpses. The children were bone-thin as well, and entirely silent. They cooperated in bringing up water from the well, pouring it into their buckets, the older ones sharing the burden of carrying one bucket between them.
They retreated, and after a few minutes I saw another child coming. This one was older, about ten winters. I dropped down from the roof, landing softly, and rounded the corner. "Little one, would you stay and talk to me? I have some food to share," I said, trying to make my voice soft.
She whirled. "You have to go, you only have a few hours, then you will spit blood and die."
I shook my head. "Maybe. Maybe not. When did this all begin?"
The girl wore a frightened look. "I am not sure, my mother and father have been dead for six days. Some died before, many after."
"Did anything strange happen before people started dying? Someone unusual coming into town?"
She nodded. "Father talked about a black boy that was found with silver hair."
That sounded familiar. Why? "What happened to him, do you know? Have you seen him at all?"
"They went to take him to see the local mage but they all died before they got there. Father said he lives in the hills over there." She pointed towards the high hills to the south, about a mile away.
"Was he lost, did they say?"
"He was trying to get home, they said, but couldn't find the way."
"Are all of the adults dead, now? Are any still alive?"
The girl nodded again. "Only one survives, she is with me."
One adult. What was special about this one? "With you now? Who is she?"
"She lives with me, there." She pointed to a house a bit north. "Fadl is her name, she is very old." She tilted her head. "I am Hala, and who are you?"
I smiled. "I am Yesui. I had heard things were bad here, but not this bad. I don't suppose you've seen a statue somewhere around? One with many arms?"
"They said the boy had it but only he was able to touch it. Do you want me to take you to Fadl?" she asked.
"That's very helpful, Hala. I would, thank you."
She nodded, and led me to the house she'd pointed at. I looked back; I had gained some followers. A small crowd of curious children and their puppies trailed in my wake. I wondered what on earth I was going to do here, once I got the statue. It seemed wrong just to pack up and ride away. The things I think sometimes. Father would tell me I was getting soft.
Inside, the house was small and dimly lit. There was a woman inside, sitting in a chair at the table. I nodded to her. "Greetings. I am Yesui."
Hala had not lied. Fadl was very, very old, her face deeply lined. Her skin was very dark, as if her parents had come from far to the south, and her hair was starkly silver. There was something very strange about her features, as well, but I couldn't tell what. "Yesui. I hope you have protection, otherwise you will die horribly from this plague."
I nodded. "I do. I wanted to ask you about the boy with silver hair that was found right before the plague started."
"Fairy child, one of the dark elves."
Drow. That was what was familiar about the description of the boy. Spirit-walker had told me about the drow and their underground cities. "Where was he found? Who found him?"
"He was traveling from the south. Hala's father found him when cutting wood with others. He died a few hours later."
I thought. "Hala said he had a statue with him, one that only he could touch."
"Yes, he did from what the few that lived longer said. Those that touched it or tied to take it, founted blood from their lungs almost immediately."
Good to know. "Did the boy seem angry, or just lost?"
She spread gnarled hands. "He was angry and violent, but lost as well."
"I wonder where he's from? I've heard stories of the dark elves, but nobody ever said where they were supposed to live."
"South, the rumor states. Pakistan, Afghanistan, India. They live underground. But that is also not true always. Some live here too."
There was something she wasn't telling me outright. "And you were the only adult that survived the plague, it sounds like. Strange."
She smiled, an extraordinary expression on her lined face. "Not so strange, the blood of the boy's people runs through my veins."
Dark skin, silver hair, features familiar yet alien. Of course. The woman's age had helped mask her origins. "Oh! That makes sense. Thank you, Fadl. This has been very helpful."
"Welcome, child." I bowed slightly and left her and Hala behind. The group of children had been gathered at the door, and they scattered in all directions when I emerged. I walked back to the well, thinking hard. I was thinking so hard that I stumbled over something I didn't see and nearly fell. When I recovered, I found that I was feeling a bit dizzy, and my eyes felt a bit strange.
I made it back to the others, feeling worse with each step. I started to cough when I was a few yards away. Nomolun took one look at me and said, "It's time, you have it. Sacha started coughing about five minutes ago." She laid her cool hand on my forehead and murmured a word, releasing a spell on me. I immediately felt better, the dizziness clearing.
"Thank you," I told her. To the rest, I said, "Well, I have part of an answer. The statue currently belongs to a boy who is supposedly one of the dark elves. The only adult alive in town has dark elf blood, she claimed. The statue can't be touched by anyone but him. So we should probably go see if we can talk to the boy."
Sacha asked, "Any idea what he is doing out here and why?"
"He's lost and trying to find his people again. He came from the south. There are supposedly some dark elves who live around here. And he's had the statue on the entire time he's been traveling, it sounds like. I remember reports of the plague moving south to north."
"Doing this on purpose or doesn't know or can't shut it off?"
I spread my hands. "I don't know. The people who found him, before they died, said he seemed lost, but also very angry. I don't know what we'll find when we find him. He may have been taken over. He may not have."
Sacha looked thoughtful. "Like the great Khan has changed."
"Yes. Perhaps the statue is whispering into his ear. Perhaps humans hurt him in some way, and he's out for revenge. Or perhaps he's killing all the humans to make finding his own people easier."
Sacha sighed. "Best to get this over with, I think."
"True. Let's go."
So off we went. There were murmurs from the children as we rode through the town; Spirit-walker seemed to fascinate them. Away we went into the hills.
It took us about an hour to find the entrance to a cave. I put on my magic-detecting spell and my little light spell, and asked Spirit, "Wait here?" He agreed, and the three of us two-footeds went into the cave.
The tunnel was small, cramped, and stuffy, and there was a vague smell of burning meat. We pushed roots out of our way as we traveled; the person who used this place was obviously smaller than any of us. Finally, the tunnel widened out into a cave, about ten feet in diameter.
There was a waterskin on the floor that was faintly magical, and a large glow coming from the back wall, about a foot into the crumbly dirt. There was also a blob of magic off to my right, amorphous and shifting. Probably an invisibility spell, if I had my guess.
I waved the other two back a bit, deciding to try the friendly approach and see if it worked. "Hello?" I called. "Is anyone here?"
The blob of magic shifted over in front of the large glow, but did nothing else. I tilted my head. "I hear you. I promise, whoever you are, I don't want to hurt you."
The voice was young, and the menace in it was startling to hear. "Go away, human."
I raised my eyebrows. "Well, that's not very friendly, is it? I just want to talk to you. Maybe I can help you."
"You can't help me, and you will die shortly anyway."
I smiled. "How do you know I can't until you tell me why you're here? And no, I won't. Not right now, at least."
"You are my problem, human. You hunt and kill my kind. Now I am getting even, and it bothers you."
Vengeance. Why had I ever thought it would be anything else? "I don't hunt and kill your kind. In fact, if you're what the old lady in the village says you are, I didn't think your kind was even real until a few days ago."
"You lie, you killed all my people but me. And then I found it, and found a way to get revenge. But even after I have killed thousands of you, you still come. Just leave me alone!"
I looked at the glow. "All your people? Who killed them?"
"Humans, slanty-eyed humans, with dark hair."
It couldn't be. Could it? I hadn't heard of any of our people being sent to kill dark elves. "How long ago?"
"Almost three years." The voice suddenly sounded a bit tired, and older than I guessed his years were.
"And you've been wandering ever since, taking your revenge?"
"I have been trying to get home, but I can't find it."
He was talking, and unless I missed my guess he was starting to relax. I sat down in the dirt, tailor-fashion. "How did you find yourself so far from home?" I asked.
"My home is destroyed, burned to the last. I came north to find the ancestral home my mother told me about."
I nodded. "Ah. My name is Yesui. What's yours?"
"Ivas."
Offhandedly, I said, "You know, the woman in the village I spoke of is of your blood. Maybe she knows more about where to find this ancestral home." I tensed, hoping; was this going to be the bait I needed?
He sounded surprised. "One still lives? That's not possible--it should kill all the adults, though it kills fewer and fewer children every year."
"Yes. She is very old, but she told me that the blood of your people runs in her veins."
"Then maybe the ancestral home still survives?" There was a terrible hope in his voice.
"I don't know, but she might."
"Take me to her," Ivas demanded.
"I will." I paused, and said, "It might help if I could see you, you know."
The invisibility spell came down. He was the size of one of our children who had about twelve winters; how old he really was, I couldn't venture a guess. He had long silver hair, raggedly cut, and he was very thin. He had obviously been alone for some time, but there was a fire in his eyes. This one, if he lived, was going to be a great warrior some day, judging from that fire. Or, perhaps, a mage of some power, I thought, considering the invisibility spell.
I got up from where I'd been sitting. "All right, let's go. I have three other people with me--two humans and a horse. None of them will harm you."
He turned and rammed his hand into the wall, coming out with a statue as long as a man's forearm, many-armed. He picked up his waterskin, and we made our way outside.
The statue was whispering, Kill him. Kill him, and I can be yours to take to the Khan. I scowled and ignored it. The boy would be easy to kill. He was no match for the arrows that the three of us could put in him. I had decided against that the moment that I'd come into the tiny hovel of a cave, however, and the fact that the statue wanted me to do it made me even more against the idea.
Besides...I understood about revenge. It sometimes took terrible forms, but I understood it. I led Ivas back to the village and to Fadl's house, leaving the others outside. I knocked, was invited in, and took Ivas in. "Fadl, this is Ivas. Ivas, Fadl. Ivas is looking for the ancestral home of the dark elves, and I was hoping you might know more than I do."
"The ancestral home of my father. I don't know, Yesui, but I do know that my father said he spent his youth under the human city of Tashkent." She was giving Ivas a steady look. "That might be what you are looking for."
It was out of our way, very much out of our way. "Do you know if there's anyone who lives nearby who might know more?"
Fadl shook her head. "No, my father was killed last year by the son of the Khan from the north, but his house remains. No one goes there, they feared him. You might find something there."
One of my brothers had come through here? "We will need to go look. One of the Khan's sons came through here? When?"
"Yes, Chagatai came here last year. About eleven months ago."
He had been gone for years, and I'd missed him, but had taken my father at his word when he'd said he'd been sent on a diplomatic mission. Something about securing trade ties with some place in the south. He had been, instead...slaughtering dark elves? Was it Chagatai who had killed Ivas's people?
I shook my head. I couldn't think about it now. "Ah. Where is your father's house?"
"North about three miles, follow the eastern hills, it's a large house."
"Thank you, Fadl." I turned to Ivas, who had that hope burning in his eyes. "I'll take you there, if you like. But we need to talk about that statue of yours, first."
He clutched it a little more tightly. "What about it?"
"If you're going to travel with me for even a little while, you need to turn it off and leave it that way. I have a bit of protection, but there still may be people living north of here who do not."
"They are just humans," he said.
And one of them is a companion of mine who I'd miss greatly if he died. "They're people just like you," I said, warning in my voice. If he balked, I was going to have to kill him.
He sniffed. "Fine." He fiddled with the arms, and to my magic sight the power of the statue shut down almost completely. I relaxed. I wasn't going to have to kill Ivas. For the moment, at least.
"Thank you," I said. "Off we go." As we went out the door, I muttered to myself, "It's not the dead I feel sorry for. It's the children who live."
Ivas, if he heard me, didn't respond.
We piled onto Spirit's back after he assured me that he could take Ivas's weight in addition to ours. He pulled into a smooth canter, and though Ivas pretended to be bored with the ride, I could tell from the tenseness of his body that he was intensely interested in what was going on. I wondered if he'd ever ridden before.
We reached the house, and did a circle of it. There was no magic on it, though the door was locked with a kind of lock I'd never encountered before. Sacha and I dropped into our native tongue and started discussing the lock, getting out our tools. Nomolun pointed out, "We could go in through the window, you know."
I rolled my eyes. "What fun would that be? Give us a few minutes."
She threw up her hands and said to Ivas, "Show them a lock they've never seen before, they're like toddlers with a new toy."
A few minutes later, Sacha and I got the door open. "Finally!" Ivas said. It had taken all of our lockpicks and other tools, plus a couple of makeshift picks made from hair that Spirit donated from his tail, and I had a much better understanding of the workings of this kind of lock. You needed four hands to pick it, at least, though. Definitely a two-man job.
I swung the door open and stuck my head inside. It was dim and dusty, but I could see that this was the house of someone who had lived a long time and collected things from around the world. In just the front room, there were weapons I didn't recognize, armor pieces made out of metals I couldn't identify and that were still shiny even after a year of dust. There was little magic in here, other than a floorboard at the back of the front room.
I waved everyone in. "We're looking for papers. Don't take any of the other stuff."
I walked in, seeing that there were shelves high up. Very high up--the ceiling was more than twice the height of a tall man, and the shelves were very near the ceiling. I promised myself that I'd investigate those later, and went to look at the suspicious floorboard.
Most of the floorboards were simply laid down and mudded together, like almost all floorboards I'd ever seen in the houses I'd been in. This one was strange--there were little wooden spikes in every corner. Experimentally, I tried to pry one of the spikes up, and found that it was easier to lift the whole board out of place.
There were more boards attached to it, forming a long, deep box. I set it on the floor and took a good look. It looked like the easiest way to get it open would be to pry one of the side boards off, and I proceeded to do so.
Out spilled papers, money, and a small, jeweled dagger than glowed with magic. Papers, just what I was looking for! I set everything else aside and began to go through the papers.
The very old ones weren't in a language I could read, a script that was very flowing in an elegant hand. Later, that same hand turned to a script I could read. It looked like journals, a few letters written but never sent, observations about life above ground. There were things about his wife, who had died long, long ago, and fond observations about his daughter, who was growing old so much more quickly than he was.
Then I found what I was looking for. A map of the caverns beneath Tashkent, and entrances both inside and outside the city. I put the papers back in the box; I'd take them to Fadl, and see if I could convince her to either let me copy or buy the map from her. The money I did the same with; the dagger I played with for a bit before I concluded that whatever the magic was, I wasn't going to be able to trigger it here, and put it in the box, as well.
Everyone else was hunting through cupboards and drawers, and I stood and contemplated the shelves around the ceiling. "How did you get up there? Surely, you weren't that tall..."
Well, however the deceased owner of this house had accessed those shelves, it wasn't obvious. I made do with climbing up there and snake-crawling along the shelves. Thankfully, there was enough room for me to do so in most places. There were books up here, mostly written in that same flowing script, books about magic things. I spotted one that was bound nearly identically to the ones I'd gotten from Rabab, snagged it, and dropped to the floor.
"I think I found what we want. A map to the places below Tashkent," I said. Everyone nodded and followed me out. Outside, I said, "Everything in that house probably belongs to Fadl by rights. I'll ask her and see if she wants anything brought back."
Ivas cocked his head. "What about the stuff you took?"
"The papers except for the map I'll give to her, and I'll pay her for the map, and the knife and the book if she's willing to sell them."
He sniffed. "Just wondering."
I shrugged. "I thought she'd want the papers, and I didn't think I could get that box put back together quite right." At that point, Sacha touched me on the arm, and motioned. There was a woman there I hadn't seen before. She was dressed in skirts and very colorful shawls.
An adult? Still alive? To Sacha, I said in a low voice, "Get everyone up on Spirit, be ready to run." I took a step towards the woman. "Greetings. Can we help you?"
She heard me I saw, then turned and walked away. I took a few more steps forward. "Are you a survivor of the plague?" She kept walking. At a bit of a loss, I followed.
She was walking quickly, and I dogtrotted to keep up. She was heading towards a large willow tree with a grave marker among the gnarled roots. I suddenly thought I might understand. She was not a survivor of anything, at all.
The woman reached out and pointed at a knot in the tree's trunk, then vanished. I blinked, walked forward, and investigated the knot. I pushed on it, and it opened, revealing a narrow slit behind the knot.
The little knife! I rummaged in the box and came up with it, then slid the blade into the tree. It fit perfectly. I wiggled the blade, found that it would turn one way, then jumped as the space between the grave marker and the tree opened. Stairs led down into darkness.
I stared for a moment, and then turned and waved to the others, excited. They came over as I cast my little light and started down the stairs.
There was something shiny at the bottom of the stairs, reflecting my light. Cautiously, I went down, to find that what had reflected my light was a set of chainmail armor and a pair of swords, one long and one short, displayed on a headless dummy. They were made out of a silvery material I'd seen only a few times before in my life. What had they called it? Oh, yes. Mithril.
I looked around, seeking any sign of the ghost. There was no sign of her, but there was something else on the wall. A map.
I went to the wall, raising my light. It was a map of a totally underground route north to Tashkent, to a place under it that the map called Zan. Ivas was behind me, and I turned to him. "An underground route. Probably safer, but with fewer places to hunt. The place you want looks like it's called Zan."
"Nice." He studied the map briefly, appearing to commit it to memory. There was a metal door set into the wall at the back of the small chamber, and he headed towards it.
We were about to lose him. I said in a voice that carried command, "Wait, Ivas."
He turned. "What?"
"We've helped you. Now, you need to help us. The statue you carry does not belong on this earth. Give it to me, and I will destroy it."
He narrowed his eyes. "What if you use it against us?"
"I will not. All I want is to see it destroyed. A few miles away is a village full of children who've lost their parents. Those who were at the breast have already starved to death. More will probably do so in the next few weeks. Then, when word spreads that the plague is gone, people will move in. It's very likely that the children will all end up enslaved, and in some of the worst places I can imagine." And I know about slavery, little boy. I've helped sack enough cities to know all about slavery. "I wouldn't do that to any race of people, my own or others."
Ivas shook his head. "It doesn't want to go with you. I am not sure I can release it."
Of course it didn't want to go with us. But it must. I smiled. "It doesn't? Ah, but it was whispering to me before. It has a hold on you, I think."
That pricked his pride. He stared at the statue for a long moment, then set it down and said, "Kali, I release you." And then he collapsed, like a hamstring-cut foal.
No! I won't let this happen. I knelt beside Ivas, feeling for a pulse. He was alive, though starting to cough and wheeze badly. "Nomolun, do you have another Cure Disease handy?"
She shook her head. "No, four is all I can carry for the day."
Sacha asked, "The book say anything about this?"
I thought. "It said that it would sometimes kill it's wielder if it disagreed with them. It also said that the arms in a certain position would cure all of its plagues--ah!" I pulled my sleeve back and bared the bracelet, and touched it to the statue.
Ahmad appeared. "Pull the second and third arm on the left up, all the other ones down." I moved to follow instructions, and breathed a sigh of relief as Ivas started breathing normally again. Judging by the cursing that I was hearing from the statue, it was working.
"Same to you. Stupid thing." I wrapped the statue in a cloth and stowed it.
Ahmad smiled. "Ah well, at least you can kill two birds with one stone. There is a temple at the head of the Indrus river, almost forgotten and in a valley that few know about. Take the statue there and the priest that still lives there can destroy it. The head of the Indrus is in Pakistan, about a two month ride southeast from here on your way to the dwarves."
I sighed. "Well, at least it's on the way. Thank you." He disappeared and I said to the rest, "All right, Ivas, I'm sure you'll want to be off. Thank you. The rest of you, we need to visit the village, and see if there's anything we can do. We should leave soon, though."
Ivas went through the door without another word, and was gone. The rest followed me up to the surface. Though I thought about taking the swords and armor, I figured I'd better ask first.
As we rejoined Spirit-walker and mounted up, Sacha asked, "Was that a ghost? Or something like Ahmad?"
I shrugged. "Ahmad is something like a ghost. I'm reasonably sure that was Fadl's mother. I'll check with her to be sure, though."
A while later, we were back in Panjakent. I went to see Fadl, leaving the others outside. "Well, we got the boy sent off to Zan," I told her. "He won't be spreading the plague everywhere he goes, any more, and I doubt he'll be back. I picked up some things in your father's house that are yours by right." I handed her the box with the papers, money, and knife in it. "Some...strange things happened while we were there."
"Such as?" she asked.
"When we came out of the house with the knife, I saw a woman. She didn't speak to me, though it looked like she could hear me. She showed us to a chamber underneath a tree that the knife I just gave you is a key to. Tell me, did your mother tend to wear very colorful skirts, and shawls? A bit shorter than me, pretty eyes?"
Fadl nodded. "Yes, that was her a long time ago."
"It was her, then. She was buried under the tree that opened to show us downward. It had a map of the underground ways to Zan in it, and armor and weapons enough for one person. I don't really know what happened--if it was her spirit, or if it was somehow an illusion. But she showed us the way, and I don't even know why."
The old woman smiled slightly. "It was probably her. People never went there, they say it was haunted. They said an evil spirit chased them away and wouldn't let anyone get close to the house any more. It seems that you just had to be the right person."
"Apparently. I didn't get any feeling of menace from her, at all. And she didn't appear until we'd come out."
"And she led you to it. Something bothering you about that, Yesui?"
I sighed. "There is, but it's a little more general than that. There have been strange things happening to me lately, and this is just one thing in the list. It seems like everywhere I go, dead people are telling me there's something special about me. I got the feeling that she meant me to take the armor and weapons, but I wanted to ask you about it, first. They likely belonged to your father, so they're yours by rights." I made a wry face. "And--how did she know that we really needed the underground map to Zan? I think the boy would have gotten there aboveground, and we did have the map for that."
Fadl shrugged. "Keep the armor and the weapons, I have no need for them. If they will help you on the way, then keep them. Spirits have a way of knowing what you need most. She may have felt that the boy needed to get there underground. Something may have happened to him had he traveled overland."
Yes. Like my father, or my brother Chagatai. "Maybe. Well, I wish good luck to him, and I hope he sorts himself out one of these days. He had a tale that was...a little disturbing to me. His home city was wiped out by people who, if I'm matching up the times correctly, were the same people who killed your father. And it makes me wonder why the Mongols would have decided to try to wipe out the dark elves."
"I don't know, but it would be interesting to find out. Were they looking for the boy and his plague?" Fadl's eyes were sharp. She might be old, but her mind still worked just fine.
I shook my head. "I don't think so. It sounded like Ivas found the statue after his city was destroyed and he started wandering."
"Magic of any type can be addicting and some may have wanted to use that power for themselves. Why else would you destroy a whole city to the last?"
"True. Maybe they were looking for the statue. What he described didn't sound like typical Mongol behavior. They usually enslave the women and children and capture the artisans. From what Ivas said, they killed everyone."
She nodded. "Only someone looking for something or someone kills them to the last person. When they couldn't find it they killed them all, or tortured them all to death."
"Very likely." Chagatai, what have you gotten into? What were you doing for Father? Were you even working for Father? "Anyway. We need to be on our way soon, but I was hoping to help you before I went."
She looked surprised. "Help me with what?"
I shrugged. "Deal with the bodies, maybe help the children lay in what food's available. I fear what will happen when word gets around that the plague here is gone, but at least we can try to make sure you won't starve to death."
"Ah, that would be useful, at least it would give some of the children something to do."
"There is quite a bit of valuable stuff in your father's house. If we bring it here, you may be able to use it to barter with once traders start coming by again," I said.
Fadl nodded. "Have the children bring it back, we will see what we can do. Other towns are probably reeling from the same event and I know you have to have better things to do, so I don't want to slow you down."
"It won't delay us more than a day or two. I'll go see if I can organize the children," I said, bowed, and left.
There was another reason for me to stay. Chagatai had done this; whether intentional or not, he had done it. I'd lay my money on intentional, myself. If I could do something to help...
Well, Yesui, I'd say this was guilt you were feeling. I sighed and admitted it to myself. It would take only a bit of effort to put things right enough so most of the children and Fadl might live. And it might assuage the little voice inside of me that said, this is partially your fault. You've not been paying much attention to what Chagatai was doing.
I sighed and went to organize the children. I went with them and a few hand carts to get everything we could from Fadl's father's house, and picked up the armor and swords for myself. Fadl's mother did not reappear, though I could have sworn I felt her watching.
Spirit I sent to get Temur, and when he arrived I sent him out to hunt what he could. We'd butcher whatever he brought down and hang it; the older children could cook. Nomolun, Sacha, and I started building pyres. I had a silent but wide-eyed shadow in Hala, and a few of the younger children. They took direction admirably well, almost as well as a child of the tribes.
We spent two days in Panjakent. The children helped us clear out one of the empty houses to sleep in, and I spent the evenings unlocking and deciphering two of the books--one from Rabab, one from here.
The one from Rabab was about the Eye of Amara, which was a red stone with a slit in the middle. It gave normal animals destructive abilities. The abilities seemed to be specific to whatever animal was targeted, and they became controlled by the wielder.
The book from here was about a withered tree branch, dark and twisted. When used, it would destroy any crops in a ten mile area, withering them in seconds. No food would grow on that lend for ten years, and even food that had already been picked would become poisonous.
When I gave Fadl the book back, I said, "Don't sell this, or give it to anyone. Even me. It's too dangerous. Hide it as well as you can, and forget it exists."
"That bad?"
"People have killed for these books, Fadl. And will again."
She nodded. "I will keep it safe. Good travels, Yesui. And good luck."
I smiled. "Thank you, Fadl. I appreciate it."
Then I went outside, and we mounted up and rode out. East towards Kashi we went, towards the Eye of Amara.
