Scabbard's Song (10 page)

mentioned snakes. There were indeed thousands of them in the swamp. Mostly they were non-poisonous serpents, which preyed on other swamp creatures. What if he were to command them to make a causeway to the giant frog? It would be similar to laying flattened reeds on the surface of the mud. Soldier called forth the snakes. Indeed, they answered his call, coming from holes and nests in the reeds in their thousands. They were all lengths, thicknesses and colours reticulated, plain, patterned, some with hoops and some with stripes, some with collars round their throats and some with rattles on their tails. They came slithering and hissing, their forked tongues darting between their fangs, feeling a way to his feet. Some of them had slim heads, some fat heads, others the flattened diamond shape of the vipers. They gathered around him, tangling together. There were indeed poisonous ones amongst them, one or two so deadly their venom would kill an elephant in two minutes. In normal circumstances, Soldier might believe he was in the throes of a nightmare, but he kept calm, reassured by his knowledge. Soldier commanded the reptiles to form a bridge. Incredibly, the snakes did as they were bid, knotting and weaving themselves together, crossing each others bodies and gradually forming a squirming plaited causeway out to where the squamous UmmU sat. Because they were such versatile and supple creatures, the snakes could render themselves several bodies thick, yet still keep their heads above the mud. Soon the wriggling pathway was ready for Soldier to cross. Me no go! cried Glokk, staring wide-eyed with horror at the moving causeway. Me no step. You dont have to, murmured Soldier. I do. With his heart in his mouth, Soldier stepped out on to the live bridge of snakes. It moved a little underfoot and he almost slipped into the quickmud. Always good at keeping his balance, Soldier stayed on his feet. After a few steps it became, easier, as he grew used to the spongy surface. Those snakes under his feet bore him without protest, sinking a little beneath his weight but rising again with relief. Three feet wide and fifty yards long, the snake-road stretched before the knight. It was constantly moving, constantly shifting, spreading itself where it could, knotting, tangling. Soldier gradually made his way along it, not slipping now, for snakes are not slimy creatures but soft and velvety. When he reached the centre he felt confident of making the whole journey. So long as they did not part and leave him floundering in the deadly mud, he would achieve his goal. And so he did, for the command he had been given was an unbreakable one and no reptile would go against it. Soldier finally got to the giant amphibian, who was now in great distress, his mouth jammed open and forming a massive cave for Soldier to climb inside. Before Soldier entered the repulsive open jaws, he would have liked reassurances. But since the creature could not now talk, he had to trust that the toad-wizard would not close its mouth once the sword was removed. Into the fleshy opening with its smell of fetid breath climbed the intrepid knight. It was a most unpleasant experience, the walls, floor and ceiling being slimy. Soldier could see his sword and just beyond it the rolled tongue of the beast. It would take but a cough from UmmU to slam that tongue into Soldiers head. Soldier reached out and grasped the sword by the hilt. I have my hand on it now, he called, his voice echoing in the bone-dome cavern. I shall wrench it free. Soldier pulled and the sword came away. The flesh around him pulsed. Clearly the giant wanted to cough, but managed to hold it back until Soldier scrambled free of its jaws. Then it let go, the long tongue with its heavy, sticky tip shooting out and destroying a huge patch of reeds. Birds exploded from the spot, going up like pepper-shot into the air. These creatures immediately knew the danger they were in and quickly sought other reed patches in which to hide their gaudy feathered bodies. Thank you, said Soldier, to UmmU. I am grateful to be able to reclaim my sword, which has only recently been returned to me after a long absence. The giant natterjack said that a knight should never be parted from his blade and bid Soldier hold on to his in future. I shall Soldier crossed the causeway of snakes and then bid them dismantle themselves and go about their business. The narrow exit between the two cliffs was now at hand, like a white knife-cut. Glokk would go no further, saying he did not want to enter the Unknown Region. Soldier gave Glokk the dagger he so coveted. The half-giant was immensely pleased with his trophy. He turned it over and over in his large, granite-hard hands, saying, This be mine own. This be mine own . . . It certainly be, mocked the raven. So now be off with you. And Glokk duly went, back into the marsh mists, travelling the path back to his own side. Soldier squeezed through the gap in the cliffs and found himself in a foreign land. He advanced further, leading the horse. On looking back just once he failed to find the crack through which they had come. He shrugged, putting it down to sore eyes and tiredness. The journey across the marshes had exhausted both raven and human. When they were able, they made a mossy bed and lay down to sleep. Normally, Soldier would look around first, make sure they were safe in what was after all a strange land, its properties and materials unknown, its populace (supposing it had one) and its wildlife unfamiliar to a stranger such as he. This time, however, the fatigue won. Raven, horse and human slept unguarded. Soldier woke first, shivering with the cold. It was only because he had covered his mount and himself with fir branches that he had survived sudden winter weather, or he might have frozen to death in his sleep. When he moved the shield of firs, which he had originally placed there to ward off the heat of the noonday sun, he found himself shifting heaps of snow. This was not so unusual, for winters could come and go within the hour in some places he had known. Yet this time the icy weather was only a hundred yards wide, in a long, hard, glistening white strip which ran like a road over the countryside. Even as he stared at this phenomenon, the snow and ice began to melt into shining drops of water. Icicles which hung from the branches of trees fell with a glassy tinkle to the ground beneath. Great wads of muffled snow dropped from cedar shelves. Yet on either side of this brilliant but frozen path over the landscape the sun had baked the ground hard and grassland withered in the heat. Soldier woke the bird, which had crawled down a rabbit hole to rest, before the ice-strip thawed. I remember half-waking, said the raven, as surprised and enthralled as the human, and feeling intensely cold. When I looked out from my hole, I sensed a huge dark shape passing over us. We seemed to be in the shadow of something that glided not very high above and across us. I simply hunched into my wings and fell fast asleep again, convinced I was in a nightmare. Something passed over us, Soldier. Something? A god or goddess, dyou think? I dont know, replied the raven, shivering, but then Im as familiar with this side of the marshes as you are. No one comes here. No one, bird or beast, has ever entered this hinterland and returned to tell the tale. I dont know why we are here, but I do know I am glad we remained asleep, for some giant raptors find their prey by detecting movement below them, just as hawks see the movement of voles and mice in the grass. Perhaps this one would have stooped and snatched us up, if we had been awake. Well, replied Soldier, here is our white road. We must follow it while it lasts, he looked up, which will not be long under this sun. Soldier saddled and mounted his charger and soon the trio were on their way again, still heading north-west, seeking a sign that would give Soldier an answer to one of his three riddles. As they followed the icy path, which became a strip of moisture, they came across huge balls of fur and bone that lay by the wayside. The raven recognised these objects. When an owl eats a mouse, it regurgitates the fur and bone in a solid wodge. Thats what these lumps look like to me. Owl pellets. Yet these are the bones and skins of no mice or voles, said Soldier, prodding a steaming heap with his sword. These are buffalo furs and buffalo bones. Look at the size of that skull. Over there is a deer, for you can see the antlers sticking from the pellet. And yonder must be a wild boar, for the tusks protrude from the mass of tightly bound strips of hide. Perhaps our strange god is an owl? Perhaps. I have an idea that it flies over an area, freezes its prey, then descends and devours it at leisure. We must keep a wary eye open for this monster, which should not be too hard to see. They continued on their journey, their eyes constantly-flicking heavenwards. Yet no monster appeared in the sky. Finally the rapidly evaporating road led them to a range of mountains, which they crossed using a low, winding pass with tall, steep sides. If there was a monster up there it would surely not be able to drop down into such a narrow gully and they felt safe enough to relax. The black bird chattered the whole way, which Soldier could have done without, but nothing untoward occurred until they emerged on the other side. There they came to a much wider valley, with pasture land, braided streams and rivers, and what appeared to be orchards, though they were in poor condition. As they proceeded out into this pleasant landscape, Soldier could see that the hillsides had been cleared and tiered for planting, though the farmers they belonged to had been negligent of late, for the crops had either not been planted or had been left to rot on their roots. Further evidence of neglect could be witnessed in the windmills, their sails tattered and hanging still on their towers. We must be wary of the plague, said Soldier to the bird, for there are all the signs of a disease sweeping the land. No hands are in the fields, no one is working the mills. Pestilence is in the air, I think. They continued riding down through the foothills, until they opened into a wide, flat plain. When they camped that night, watchfires were visible a little further on. With the dawn came sight of a walled city, with a mounded castle within it. Around the walls of this city were tents, similar to those of the Carthagans, except these were of natural undyed cloth. There were warriors moving around amongst the tents, which were pitched well away from the wall of city. The scene had all the hallmarks of a siege similar to the one Soldier had just ended at Zamerkand. Im not sure we want to get into this, said the raven, his thoughts on the same lines as the knights. I shall be all right, but you may get dragged away as a spy, or slave, or conscripted as a warrior for one side or the other. Can we not go around? Soldier looked for ways to circumnavigate the trouble ahead, but found they were hemmed in at the lower end of a long valley, across which stretched the army that was besieging the city. Wherever he rode he was sure to come across units of that army. It seemed he was going to have to talk his way through. Having made up his mind, and informing the raven of his decision, he urged his charger forward. In an hour they were entering a satellite camp of the besieging army. A peripheral sentry challenged him, spear at the ready, calling for the password. I do not know the password, said Soldier. I am a stranger in this land. There are no strangers here, argued the sentinel. Thou art either renegade Plethorite, or Samonite like me. Which is it? I tell you, I come from beyond the marshes which lie at the back of that mountain range. A country called Guthrum, though I am an adopted son of a people called the Carthagans, from across the Cerulean Sea. The sentry leaned forward and peered into his face, then let out a startled cry. Thou hast the blue eyes of a sorcerer! Watch ho! Here is a creature from the depths of hell, come to visit death upon us . . . From a tent nearby poured a band of troops in various stages of dress. Quite clearly they had been interrupted during a meal, or a siesta, and were not expecting an attack. Yet they were armed and though a little bewildered by the sentrys cry,, ready for battle. In the front was a captain, who on seeing just one man on a horse, demanded a report from the sentry. Here is a dark sortileger of a kind I have never seen before, said the sentinel, not taking his eyes from Soldiers face. See, my captain, he has the eyes of a wolf and a familiar raven sits on his saddle. The captain stared and slapped down the mans spear in disgust. A wolf has hazel eyes, dolt. This man has the eyes of an angel from the azure-blue world of the sky. Art thou an angel, stranger? No, replied Soldier. I am a traveller, a wayfarer, looking for clues to some puzzles I have to solve. I would be grateful for some fare and safe passage through your army, if thats possible. The bird is just a pet, who travels with me, and has no special powers . . . the raven gave them a squawk to show that he was just a bird of the crow family, nothing more . . . and I mean no harm to any man. I have no magic, I am no sortileger, as your man seems to think. I am merely a knight at arms, seeking. The captain stood with hands on hips, surveying the horse and rider for a while, then nodded. Gome with me. Thou maun eat and tell me a tale, knight. I shall listen with interest. My tent is over there. He yelled at the rest of the guard, And next time there is a call to arms, be much swifter to answer it. We could have been overrun by Plethorites by the time you sluggards were out of that tent flap . . . Soldier thought this was a little unfair, since they had come at the run immediately they heard the call, but an officer expects to chastise his men and his men expect to hear such complaints from their captain, so he kept his peace and let the army business run the way it always had. Dismounting and leading his charger, Soldier followed the handsome captain to his tent. The cool interior was quite lavishly furnished with carpets, silk cushions, tapestries on the walls, and a colourful spread of food and drink on a low table. There were seven young women in the tent, who seemed to have come from the same pod, for they all looked exactly alike in features and dress. Invited to sit, Soldier was then served by the women, who fluttered about him in chiffon and silks, giggled when he looked at them, and hid their faces in shyness. You keep a fine tent, said Soldier, drinking some of the cool and very welcome wine from a golden goblet. This is most pleasant. Are you typical of an officer of this army?^ Me, no, said the captain, giving the women an irritated glance. Im very rich. Most captains have the bare necessities. My father is