King of Ashes

  The older man stood slightly shorter than Lachlan but was still broad, and his grey hair and beard didn’t diminish his look of authority and strength. He smiled broadly when he caught sight of Reza and they embraced like old friends. Then Killebrew pulled away and said, ‘How’s your father?’

  ‘Well enough, thank you. Not wishing to cut short the pleasantries, but we were almost intercepted on our way here.’

  With a single gesture, Killebrew indicated that Lachlan should investigate that claim. Hatu knew that members of this crew would be on the streets within minutes, trying to identify whoever chased them.

  ‘Come along and rest,’ said Killebrew. He took one step towards the back of the building and the door behind Hatu was crashed off its hinges and flew inwards, slamming against the stone floor.

  Weapons were drawn immediately, and Hatu, Hava, and the others turned to see armed men pour through the door. They wore a variety of dress, but from the way they moved, Hatu instantly recognised they were not common thugs, but soldiers or assassins. They came through the door in an organised fashion, ready for a fight the instant they entered the warehouse. A voice from outside shouted, ‘Take him alive!’

  The man nearest Hatu hesitated for the briefest moment, uncertain how to proceed after hearing that command. Hatu stepped forward and cut the man’s neck before he could respond.

  It was clear that the attackers had no regard for anyone else. An arrow shot past Hatu, close enough for him to feel the air move against his cheek, and a scream erupted behind him, followed by the sound of someone thrashing on the floor.

  Hatu slashed a man who came at him unarmed, trying to wrestle him down. As the man fell back, Hatu saw two more a step behind him. For a moment time froze and Hatu considered his choice; bracing to engage their attackers or turning to flee, but the decision was taken from him as a strong hand grabbed him by the collar and yanked him backwards.

  The big man, Killebrew, jerked him around and pushed him towards Reza. Hava had found a bow in a nearby weapons locker and started firing at the men in the doorway, who made easy targets outlined by the light.

  ‘Behind me, the door!’ shouted Reza.

  Hatu was one step past him when he heard an arrow strike home and Hava gasp. He looked back and saw Reza slowly turning to face him, an arrow in his neck and blood pouring from the wound in an arc as he fell sideways, his eyes already vacant. Hava’s eyes were wide, but she turned back and quickly loosed another arrow.

  Hatu hesitated for only an instant after witnessing Reza’s death. He shouted, ‘This way!’ and Hava glanced around to see if there was an immediate threat. Killebrew’s men were holding the attackers at bay for a moment, so she hurried after Hatu. They rushed through a door into a narrow alley between the warehouses, facing a solid wall with no doors or windows, and without hesitation Hatu turned right and ran.

  He had only a vague idea of where they were in the city, but Hatu felt a calm sense of certainty that he couldn’t explain as he ran as fast as he could, wending his way between buildings and making turns using only his instincts. He knew they were moving away from the harbour and then realised that the pattern of streets he had previously observed gave him confidence in his route. His new-found ability to map where he had been, the strange intuition he now possessed, and his understanding of how the city should have been organised combined to erase any uncertainty.

  Hava trusted his lead, following with as much speed as she could muster. Hatu might have been the fastest boy in their class, but she had been the fastest girl and she could keep pace with him.

  While he ran, keenly aware of his surroundings and using his newly discovered abilities to keep them from running into a dead end, or up a blind alley, Hatu considered what had just occurred. He’d warned Reza of the ambush and they’d wrongly thought they’d eluded those men. Obviously whoever had waited in ambush had caught up with them and entered the warehouse with murderous efficiency and overwhelming numbers. It was a certainty that those who’d invaded the gang’s hideout would eventually kill Killebrew and his crew – some of whom might have fled in time – but despite their sacrifice, those who’d attacked would soon be on Hatu and Hava’s trail. For all his abilities and speed, he had no doubt those chasing them would include a few good trackers, and two youths running frantically through the city would hardly escape notice. He knew little beyond that, except evasion and finding shelter were his only goals.

  Both Hatu and Hava were the products of rigorous training and were able to run faster and further than most, but those in pursuit were clearly not most people. They needed to go to ground quickly, in a sheltered, defensible location, or find a way to disappear.

  Hatu halted in the alley just before they reached the open street, and Hava, half a step behind him, stopped. He scanned the area but saw nothing that offered them a defensible position. He glanced back and saw no signs of pursuit. Hava watched him intensely as she waited for him to act.

  Hatu couldn’t explain why, but he felt a need to turn left down this new street. He nodded at her once and walked on, moving slightly faster than those around him, but not so quickly as to attract attention. At the next intersection he turned right and instantly understood why he was taking this route.

  Straight ahead lay a busy market, and past that a substantial gate. Hatu knew there would be a caravanserai outside, as they were in the southeast corner of the city, and the road from the gate was the major southern trading artery for the baronies of the Copper Hills, Marquensas, and others on the western frontier of the kingdom of Ilcomen. And it would lead them to the town of Pashtar and Master Bodai.

  A glance over his shoulder reassured Hatu that he was still not being followed, but he knew it would not be the case for long. To Hava he said, ‘How much coin do you have?’

  ‘A few gold coins and small gems sewn in the hem of my shirt,’ she answered quietly between heavy breaths. He nodded once, and she took it to mean he wanted the coins.

  She ripped the bottom of her shirt, deftly caught the coins and gems as they fell out, and handed them to Hatu. He handed back one gold coin and said, ‘Find us new shirts of a different colour, and get yourself a man’s hat. When we ride out we will look like two men. I’ll find us some horses and meet you just beyond the gate. Find a sack of travel food and a water skin each, as well. All right?’

  She nodded once and scurried off. He paused for just a moment, recognizing he had taken command without hesitation and Hava did not dispute his being in charge. With Reza dead someone had to decide what to do, and he possessed a certainty that was new but somehow surprised neither of them. He took one deep breath, then moved through the crowded square, and beyond the gate he saw a horse merchant with a string of mounts. Wagons, carts, and pack mules were also being loaded. Glancing skywards he realised it was just after midday and most of those departing soon would do so the next morning.

  Hatu paid too much for the two horses with tack, but he haggled just enough that the trader wouldn’t take notice of his expertise. Leaving a satisfied merchant behind would ensure more anonymity than leaving one who felt abused by a bargain.

  Hatu almost didn’t recognise Hava until she was a few feet away. She wore a large-brimmed floppy hat and had smeared a fair hit of dirt on her face. Her walk was now a more masculine rolling gait, she had a fair-sized sack slung over one shoulder, and she spoke in a lower tone. ‘We ready?’ she asked.

  He nodded, saying, ‘Yes, brother.’

  The merchant glanced at Hava and then promptly ignored her. Hatu and Hava quickly mounted and started down the road.

  Hatu gave one last glance behind them and again saw no pursuit. He surmised that the crew in the warehouse had slowed the attackers down enough to give Hatu and Hava a decent head start, and it would take some time for their unknown enemy to pick up their trail again, if they somehow could. Hatu was not presuming they were away free but counted it possible. They rode away at a canter and put Port Colos behind them.

  AS T
HE SUN LOWERED IN the west, Hatu took it for granted that they would not be overtaken before nightfall. He started looking for a secure place to camp and spied a large rock formation halfway up a tree-covered hillside.

  ‘That looks like a good spot,’ he said to Hava, who nodded agreement.

  ‘If we can tie the horses up a bit beyond, and they stay silent, no one is likely to notice us,’ she responded.

  He looked around and saw a rocky patch of ground near the verge of the road and pointed to it. She fell in behind him, leading her mount as Hatu led his horse there. To any tracker it would look as if they had chosen to leave the road here. He knew that by dismounting their tracks would be shallower – though only an experienced tracker would notice the difference, and while Hatu was almost certain they had one with them, he wouldn’t speculate on his skill. It was better to assume he knew his trade.

  He picked his way between trees and over the rocky ground, attempting to leave a false trail to the crest of the rise. A long barren ridge of rock lay along the spine of these hills, and when he reached it, Hatu saw the patches of rock and scrubby trees continued down the slope and into the distance. He quickly calculated a route down but led their horses north, doubling back parallel to the road until they met a long patch of hard-packed earth that led uphill to a sheltered outcrop above the rock formation he had spied from the road. It was broad and deep enough for them to take cover for the night. They tied off the horses downhill, keeping them tacked up in case they needed to make a swift departure.

  Hava said, ‘That’s a good false trail, Hatu. Even if they follow it and double back, we’ll hear them go past and be gone by the time they return.’

  He smiled at her approval and took a deep breath, as close to relaxing as he could get. ‘No fire, I think.’

  Hava nodded. She opened her backpack, pulled out a tightly wrapped oilskin package, and unrolled it. Hatu recognised the travel food: dried rolls of crushed peas, a specific type of white fish, and a few other ingredients that had been selected for their scentless quality. An agent might easily be betrayed by body odour, so producing any distinctive scent, by consuming spicy, perfumed, or pungent foods like garlic, onion, and peppers, was avoided when travelling. Their meal was slightly bitter but nourishing.

  Hava handed Hatu a roll. He nodded his thanks and softly asked, ‘Where did you find travel rolls?’

  She smiled. ‘In my backpack. I didn’t buy us food because I already had some. We can buy more along the way if we need to.’

  He nodded. ‘Always one step ahead of me, aren’t you?’

  Her smile broadened. ‘Usually.’

  As night fell, they huddled together for warmth and Hatu found himself comforted by her closeness and fascinated by his feelings. Hava had been a mystery to him his entire life, even though he felt he knew her better than anyone but Donte. There were things he wanted to talk to her about, his feelings and his new-found abilities, but this hardly seemed like the time or the place. He also knew that neither of them would be quick to sleep, though resting this way would keep them more alert and able to defend themselves should the need arise.

  After a while he could feel her tension and he whispered, ‘Reza?’

  He could feel her start to nod in the darkness, then she whispered, ‘Yes. It was a lucky shot for the archer, unfortunate for Reza.’

  ‘His father will understand; he will not be pleased, but he will understand,’ whispered Hatu. ‘No blame will come to us.’ He thought of Master Kugal’s rage at Donte’s fate and hoped he spoke the truth.

  She shrugged in the dark and he felt her relax a little.

  After a few minutes of silence, he whispered, ‘Noconochi training, what’s that like?’

  ‘Why?’ she responded. She reached back and put her hand to his groin. ‘Do you wish to have sex with me?’ she asked, trying to be playful despite the circumstances.

  ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘just not now.’ He gently moved her hand so as not to become even more distracted. ‘I am just curious; I know little of the Powdered Women.’

  ‘I understand. You’re not pretty enough to be sent there …’

  He made a shushing sound and then chuckled. ‘I try not to dwell on my hideous appearance.’

  She laughed, then said, ‘The act itself is simple, just like when the farm animals do it, but it’s other things, like learning how to behave as if a man is pleasing you. A lot of it is acting. Some roles are difficult at first, but once you master them, they are just something you do. The men they pick to train with us are … eager, but most of them are very uninteresting to be around, though they only let them linger when we practised in the way of little talk.’

  ‘Little talk?’

  ‘After a man spends himself, most wish to leave or simply roll over and sleep. So keeping him in the bed requires some talent. Holding his cock as if getting him ready for more sex works sometimes; asking questions to make him feel important can work too. Many men get stupid or let their guard down after sex. So that “little talk” while in the fading glow of sex is when some men reveal the things they should keep secret. It’s easy to take advantage of them because they want to show you how clever they are, how much power they have, or how important their influence is to others. Small talk is very important to a Powdered Woman. It is a little-recognised art of spy craft.

  ‘I didn’t care that much for being with other girls, and thank the gods I was never paired with Nessa.’

  Hatu couldn’t help but laugh at that and forced himself to keep his laughter as quiet as possible. ‘Well, that might have been … interesting.’ He snuggled closer to her as the night began to grow colder. ‘And maybe fun to watch.’

  She elbowed him hard in the ribs and he winced. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘They were going to teach us how to sing, though I’m not very good, and dance, play instruments, cook special dishes … Had I not been sent home …’

  ‘You never said why,’ he observed.

  She shrugged. ‘I had a talk with the mistress who is in charge of the school. She suggested my talents would better serve elsewhere.

  ‘They teach anything and everything to lure a man into betrayal.’ She let out a small sigh. ‘I don’t think I was going to be very good as a Powdered Woman.’ She wished she could tell Hatu about her fight with the spy, but she obeyed her orders to remain silent.

  Hatu said nothing. He had been thrown so off balance by Hava’s appearance, he had never asked himself why she might be on this journey with him. Master Facria had told him only that she was coming with him, but not why. Why the journey in the first place? He felt a chill wash over him. There was a reason that wasn’t apparent, but should be.

  She continued to chat about the skills she’d been taught, and as he heard every word, his mind also raced through the possible reasons why she of all people would be called out of training to accompany Reza and himself on this mission. Reza would have sufficed, or Hatu could even have travelled alone at his age, or any student or young sicari on the island could have served; but instead, Zusara had sent for Hava.

  His mind quickly discarded probable reasons and finally he realised why Master Facaria had been summoned to the meeting of the masters. He had told Zusara to pick Hava for this journey.

  But why her? One reason kept presenting itself to Hatu, but he kept pushing it aside as he explored other choices. He narrowed down every possible motive until he remembered his conversations with both Masters Facaria and Zusara and how they had both focused on his feelings for Hava.

  Hava fell silent and Hatu realised she had dozed off. He decided to let her sleep while he kept alert and concentrated on this new conundrum. After a while he realised that only one thing was certain: Facaria had told Zusara of his infatuation with Hava, and Zusara had probably concluded that she was now the only person on Garn who could get inside Hatu’s defences. Both masters considered her to be the most important person in Hatu’s life: she could be a powerful weapon to use for him or against him. The yet-
unanswered question was, why would the masters feel the need to have someone able to get this close to him?

  A distant sound interrupted his reverie and he roused Hava with a gentle squeeze of her shoulder. She came alert, heard the sound of approaching horses, and was on her feet at the same moment as Hatu.

  They scampered out from beneath the overhang and down to where the horses were tied. They calmed the horses, stroking their muzzles and holding their bridles gently. There was a risk that they would catch the scent of the approaching horses and nicker in greeting. Even the slightest chance of being heard had to be avoided.

  Hava and Hatu were near motionless as the sound of riders became louder, reached a crescendo, and then faded away. Hatu was almost certain they were from the group that had attacked the warehouse. Once they reached the next town and asked about riders passing through, they would double back to check the road again.

  Neither Hatu nor Hava had any knowledge of the terrain or the region, other than knowing where the road led. Hatu said, ‘They’ll return.’

  ‘How soon?’

  He considered for a minute. ‘They fought Killebrew’s men and will ride through the night. They can trade horses in the next town, but they will be tired … They will probably rest and wait for us to overtake them. When we fail to show tomorrow, they will come back. Noon at the latest, I think.’

  Hava remained silent, watching him in the faint light of the rising moon.

  After a while he said, ‘If we can catch up with them, arrive at the town without being seen, while they ask about us, find new mounts and the rest …’

  Hava said, ‘We could circle around the town perhaps?’

  ‘If it’s not surrounded by bloody farms, yes, we could. Even a small wood could conceal our passing.’ Passing through any farm would prove risky; one barking dog would bring a farmer outside to care for his animals or crops and short of killing that farmer, there was no guarantee their presence would be kept secret, especially if those following Hatu and Hava offered a reward for information on their whereabouts. They would still have a head start, but Hatu would rather have lost them altogether.