5
SPEED AND DESPERATION were our only allies. We left Sharadim’s henchmen bound and gagged in a large chest. We took the insensible princess with us. I held her in my arms as I might hold a loved one. Every time we came upon a guard we would call out that she was sick and that we were hurrying her to the hospital wing of the palace. And very soon we were back in the courtyard, running for our horses.
Sharadim was now bundled into a cloak and slung over Prince Ottro’s saddle. We had crossed the bridge and were galloping through the town within minutes. Still there was no pursuit. Doubtless they were still shocked by the murder of the Master of the Rolls and it had not yet registered that their princess had been kidnapped.
Through the town, and now she was waking. I heard her muffled protests. We ignored them.
And then at last we were on the open road again and heading for where we had hidden our boat. We looked back all the time, but none came after us. Von Bek grinned, “I had thought us as good as dead. There is something to be said for experience!”
“And quick thinking to make use of it,” I pointed out. I, too, was surprised that we had managed to get away before a hue and cry was raised. Apart from the murder of Prince Albret, the other factor in our favour was that the entire palace had been geared for a peaceful celebration. Most ordinary guards were on ceremonial duty. Many strangers were coming and going all the time. By now they would have found Neterpino Sloch, Duke Perichost and Prince Pharl and would be attempting to discover what had happened to Princess Sharadim. These people seemed to have no sophisticated methods of long-distance signaling. If we could reach the boat in time, we had every chance now of getting completely clear of Valadeka.
“But what of our captive?” said Prince Ottro. “How will we dispose of her? Take her with us?”
“It would prove an unwelcome encumbrance,” I said.
“Then I suppose we shall have to kill her,” said Ottro, “if she is of no use to us. And if we are to save this realm from Chaos.”
Alisaard murmured an objection. I said nothing. I knew that Sharadim was now awake again and could hear our conversation. I knew, too, that I had frightened her sufficiently—if momentarily—to make a little further use of her.
Two hours later we had released our horses into a field and were climbing down the cliffs to where we had left our boat. Sharadim was over von Bek’s shoulder. Ottro led the way. Eventually we stood on the shingle. The sky was grey now and the whole beach seemed dead. Even the ocean had a lifeless quality to it.
“We could take the body with us,” Ottro argued, “and dump it in the sea. That would be the end of her for ever. The nobles would pick up the pieces soon enough.”
“Or would they seek revenge on my murderers, I wonder?” She was on her feet, shaking out her lovely golden hair. Her eyes were blue flints. “You could bring our realm to civil war, Prince Ottro. Would that be what you want? I promise unity.”
He turned away from her, untying cords from the mast and settling it in the centre of the boat.
“Why did you not go yourself to Barganheem and try to take the sword?” I asked her. I was bluffing. I was using the few words I had found in her mind.
“You know as well as I why that would be folly,” she said. “I can enter Barganheem at the head of an army and take what I want.”
“Would not Morandi Pag object?”
“What if he did?”
“And Armiad?”
She drew her beautiful brows together in another glare. “That barbarian? That parvenu? He will do what he is told. If he had come to us a few hours before the Massing we could have settled this once and for all. But we had not known where you would be.”
“You sought me at the Massing?”
“Prince Pharl was there. He offered to buy you both, dead or alive, from Armiad. So he would have done, had not the Ghost Women found you first. Armiad is a poor ally, but so far he is the only one I have in the Maaschanheem.”
I realised now that her schemes already extended beyond her own realm. She was gathering accomplices everywhere she could. And Armiad, of course, in his hatred for me, was perfectly willing to be of service to her. Now I knew, too, that the Dragon Sword was probably in the Barganheem, that someone called Morandi Pag knew its exact location, or was its protector, and that Sharadim felt he was powerful enough for her to require an army to aid her against him.
Federit Shaus, Alisaard and Prince Halmad by now had readied the boat and were preparing to push it into the water. Prince Ottro drew out the long knife I had taken from Neterpino Sloch. “Shall I do it? We must get it over with.”
“We cannot murder her,” I said. “She’s right in one thing. A civil war could result from that. If we leave her, some will realise we’re not the killers she says we are.”
“Civil war’s inevitable now,” said Prince Ottro feelingly. “More than one country will refuse to acknowledge her as Empress.”
“But many others will accept her. Let our actions be witness to our Humanity and honesty.”
Prince Halmad and Alisaard were both in strong agreement.
“Let her be brought to Law,” said Alisaard. “I for one shall not descend to her methods. Flamadin is right. Now many will suspect her. Her own people might insist upon a trial…”
“That last I doubt.” Von Bek spoke soberly. “Or let us say that those who do insist on a hearing will be silenced soon enough. There is a monotonous pattern to the rise of tyrants which, I suppose, is reflected in the general pattern of human folly. Depressing though it is, we must accept the fact.”
“Well, she’ll be resisted now,” said Ottro with satisfaction. “Come, we must set sail at once for Waldana. There, at least, I will be believed.”
Sharadim was laughing at us as we shoved off into the water. Her wonderful hair whipped in the wind and her cloak snapped and flapped as she clasped it around her body. I stood in the stern, looking back at her, staring into her eyes, perhaps trying to will her to put a halt to her evil. But her laughter grew stronger. I could still hear it when the boat rounded the headland and she was lost from sight.
I think that some big schooners came after us. We saw them on the second day but happily they did not see us. By then we were almost at the coast of Waldana. We let Ottro and the others ashore in a small fishing harbour, at night. The prince saluted us. “I go to rouse my people. We, at least, shall oppose the Princess Sharadim.”
We had no time for rest.
“North,” said Alisaard. She had a kind of compass on a thong about her neck. “But quickly. By morning it will be gone.”
We sailed north, the black of the ocean gradually turning to pewter as the sun rose, and then, on the horizon, we saw the entrance. Already it appeared to be fading. Expertly, Alisaard moved the sail to catch the full benefit of the breeze. The boat tugged forward. It seemed to bring von Bek and myself alive again. Eagerly we stared at the great columns of soft light which plunged from an unseen source and descended to an unseen destination.
“I’ll have to risk a more rapid approach,” cried Alisaard. “It’s now only seconds before the eclipse is over.” And with that she directed our little boat between two of the columns which had grown so close together that I thought we must be crushed by them. The whole temple of light was contracting, the columns moving to form a single faint beam.
But we were through and even though this tunnel was considerably narrower than the last, we knew we were safe. For a moment we knew a little relief on tranquil water, then the ship was tilting, moving along the corridor at enormous speed.
“We are taught to know where and when to find all the gateways between the realms,” Alisaard informed us. “We have charts and calculators. We can anticipate when one gateway opens and another closes. We know exactly where one will lead and another will not. Never fear, soon we shall be in Barganheem. We shall arrive about noon.”
Von Bek was weary. He fell back in the boat, a weak smile on his face. “I have to trust your j
udgment, Herr Daker, but I’m blessed if I know how you decided we should find this sword in Barganheem.”
I told him how I had come by the knowledge. “I have the advantage over Sharadim that I can consciously read something of what is in her mind. She can only guess. That is, she has the same power but she does not know how to use it. I was able to let her see my whole mind for a moment—”
“And that was why she fainted so suddenly? Aha! I am glad you do not let me enjoy such a privilege, Herr Daker!” He yawned. “But this means that if she ever learns the secret Sharadim will be able to read something of your thoughts, also. She will have the same advantage.”
“Even now she could well be determining which of her intuitions she should trust. There’s every chance she’ll pick the right ones.”
The boat shivered. We looked forward. Ahead was a bright green mass of light, almost a ball, like a sun. Slowly it turned to blue and then to grey. Then the corridor seemed to narrow dramatically and we found ourselves ducking. There was a noise like wind-chimes, random yet musical, and we were jerking painfully, the whole boat bumping up and down on what, evidently, was no longer water.
Below us were clouds. Above was a blue sky and a sun at zenith. The columns had disappeared. We were not on water at all, but in a soft, green mountain meadow. A little way from us, in another field separated by a drystone wall, three black-and-white cows were grazing. Two of them looked with mild curiosity in our direction. Another made a noise as if to indicate she had no interest in us whatsoever.
In all directions were these same steep meadows, walls and mountain peaks. It was impossible to see anything of the land below the clouds. There was a strange, pleasant quietness here. Von Bek put his leg over the boat and smiled at Alisaard. “Is all of Barganheem so peaceful, my lady?”
“Much of it,” she said. “The river traders tend to be quarrelsome, but they never bother to climb so high.”
“And what of the farmers? Will they object to finding a boat in one of their fields?” Von Bek spoke with his usual dry humour.
Alisaard was removing her visor completely. Once again, as she shook out her long hair, I was struck by her resemblance to my Ermizhad, both in mannerisms and looks. And again I felt that pang of jealousy when she gave von Bek an answering smile which held, I was sure, at least a hint of an emotion that was stronger than casual friendship. I controlled myself, of course, for I had no right to feel as I did. I was committed to Ermizhad. I loved Ermizhad more than I loved life. And this, I reminded the childish creature whining within me, was not Ermizhad. If Alisaard found von Bek sexually attractive and my friend reciprocated her feelings, it should be an occasion for me to feel pleased for them. Yet still the little nagging devil remained. I would have cut him from me with a white-hot knife if that had been possible.
“You’ll notice that the farmers have placed no livestock in this particular field,” said Alisaard. “They are as aware as any that this is, in their terms, a magic place. They have had cows disappear when the Pillars of Paradise materialise! They’ve seen stranger things than boats. However, we cannot expect them to be of much help to us, either. They have no experience of travelling between the realms. They leave such adventures for the traders of the river valleys far below.”
“How shall we begin to look for Morandi Pag?” I asked, breaking rather curtly into her speech. “You said you could guess, by the name, where we should begin looking, Lady Alisaard.”
She looked at me curiously, as if she sensed an emotion which had something to do with her. “Are you in pain, Prince Flamadin?”
“Merely anxious,” I told her briefly. “We cannot let Sharadim gain another minute…”
“You don’t think we have made time for ourselves?” Von Bek reached down and wet his hands on the lush grass. He patted at his face and sighed.
“Gained some and lost some,” I reminded him. “She must either consider bringing an army into Barganheem or she must plan fresh strategy. If she’s as impatient for power as I believe, she will now be willing to risk more than she ever did in order to get to the Dragon Sword before we do. So, Lady Alisaard, where would you think it wise to begin looking for Morandi Pag?”
Silently, she pointed down the steep hillside towards the clouds. “Unfortunately we must descend to the river valleys. That name has an unhuman ring to my ears. But be warned—when we reach the valleys you must allow me to speak. They have traded with the Gheestenheemers for several centuries and we are the only people who have not at some point offered them violence. In as much as they trust any outrealmer, they’ll trust me. They will not trust you, however, for a moment.”
“A xenophobic race, eh?” said von Bek cheerfully, readying himself for the long walk down.
“Not without reason,” said Alisaard. “You Mabden are the unlikeliest of evolved species. Most of us learn to enjoy and understand the differences between cultures and races. Your history appears to be a long tale of persecution and destruction of anything not like yourselves. Why is that, do you think?”
“If I had that answer at this moment, my lady,” said von Bek with some force, “I do not believe I would be here discussing the problem. All I can assure you is that a few of us ‘Mabden’ are as concerned by the truth you state as anyone. I sometimes think we are born of a monstrous nightmare, that we live perpetually with the horror of our hellish origin, that we seek to silence any voice which reminds us of what ill-formed intelligences we are!”
She was evidently impressed by his passion. I merely wished that I had said as much and been as eloquent. I forced myself to take a keen interest in the surrounding view as we tramped rapidly downhill towards the calm plateau of cloud.
“Once below that layer,” said Alisaard, “we shall no longer be in the territory of the farmers. Look, there’s one of their houses…”
It was a rather tall, conical building, with a chimney and thatch almost to the ground. I saw two or three figures nearby, going about the ordinary business of farming. However, I was struck by the oddness of some of their movements. Our descent took us closer to the farm. The people did not look up as we went by, though they had plainly seen us. Evidently, they preferred to pretend we did not exist. As a result I could stare without much rudeness at them. They seemed oddly bent. At first I attributed this to the nature of their work, to some unusual cut to their clothing, but it soon became obvious, from the glimpse I had of their faces, that they were not human at all. I was reminded at first of a kind of baboon. And now I understood a little better what Alisaard had meant. Another close glance and I saw large, solid cloven hoofs where the feet would be on a human. What else were these quiet, harmless farmers but devils from the superstitions of Daker’s world? “Why,” I said with a laugh, “I do believe we are marching through Hell, von Bek.”
My friend offered me a sardonic glance. “I assure you, Herr Daker, that Hell is not nearly as pleasant.”
Alisaard called out a greeting in her clear, sweet voice. It was as if a beautiful songbird had suddenly begun its call. Hearing it the farmers looked up. Their strange, wizened faces beamed in recognition. Now they waved and shouted something to us which was in such a thick dialect I could barely understand a word. Alisaard told me they were wishing us good fortune “below the sea”. “They think of these layers of cloud as an ocean and the people beneath it possess almost a mythological character to them. They have, of course, never seen a real sea. There are large lakes below, but they will not go beyond their own shores. So this is the sea.” And it was at that point that I began to realise we had entered the clouds, that visibility was rapidly growing less. I looked back. Already I could barely see the farmhouse. “Now,” Alisaard told us, “we had best link hands. I shall continue to lead. The path is marked by cairns, but frequently animals will destroy them. Be wary, too, of the smoke snakes. They are predominantly dark grey and frequently cannot be seen until they are at your feet.”
“What do they do, these smoke snakes?” Von Bek stretched his h
and out to Alisaard. He put his other hand in mine.
“They protect themselves if you step on them,” she said simply. “And since we have no weapons save the knives we must be more than usually careful to avoid that. I shall watch for the cairn. You two watch the ground. Remember, they are of a darker grey.”
In all that white and grey, with rocks and the remains of abandoned walls sometimes emerging from the fog, I wondered how anyone could spot such a creature. Nonetheless I scrupulously did as she had instructed me. I had come to trust Alisaard both as a comrade and as a guide. This fact increased my misery on one level, particularly when it seemed to me she gave von Bek a further admiring glance.
The going was slower and slower, yet I continued to concentrate on looking for the dark grey of a smoke snake. From time to time I saw something moving; something which curled lazily upwards like a snake and then sank down again, which seemed to possess a vast number of coils, like the old pictures of sea-serpents on mariners’ charts. I thought I heard a faint noise, too, like the rise and fall of surf on a gentle beach.
“Are those the sounds the smoke snake makes?” I asked Alisaard. I was astonished at the echoing effect of the fog. My voice sounded completely unreal in my own ears.
Ahead, concentrating on finding the next cairn, she nodded.
It had grown very cold and our clothing was either soaked or running with water. I could not imagine it would be much warmer when we emerged from the fog, since it was thick enough to blot out most of the sunlight. Von Bek, too, it seemed was feeling the chill, for he appeared to be shivering.
I looked ahead, wondering if Alisaard’s ivory armour offered her any protection at all from the fog. As I did so, I saw a great grey coiling shadow rise up not three feet from the Ghost Woman. I cried out in warning. She did not respond, but stopped. The three of us watched as the thing writhed slowly into the fog. I had still not made out any features. “They are not to be feared when they poise themselves like that,” Alisaard told me. “They are merely looking at us. If they can see us then we are in no danger. It is only the young ones, and usually only when they are disturbed in sleep, who strike. But I remind you—do not step upon a smoke snake. They react violently when startled. These old fellows have seen many travellers and know they are not in danger. Am I clear?”