Scabbard's Song (25 page)

but Ill help you. I Im afraid Im not much of a magician . . . You are very young, she agreed. Yes, I am. But, said Luz, I do have the spell of sparrows. I can change us both into that particular type of finch. Finches are not really able to protect themselves, but they are the most numerous family of birds in the world. You can get lost amongst finches. Will you do it? How do I know I can trust you? Oh, yes, as to that I have something to tell you, from Soldier. He said only you and he knew of this. I shall repeat what he said, so that you know I am from him . . . Luz spoke words which awakened an old memory in the mind of the woman. She stood up, ready to leave. Yes, you are Soldiers magician. Ah, Soldier, she said, wistfully, he has never let me down yet and how is his wife, the Queen Layana? She is well. Ah, yes good. Luz, being privy to that memory he had just aroused in this lovely mature woman, was vaguely aware that he might hold a secret which would initiate a royal divorce. There was an implication only, which might have had deeper meaning, but in any case Luz as a magician was bound to discretion, to confidentiality. It would be better to consign that knowledge to the dusty regions of his brain, that mental attic where all the junk of childhood was stored. Are you ready then, my lady? Do the deed, young man. Escape from confinement was always more effective during twilight, when human minds were muddled and moving shadows confused them. The two sparrows flew out of the cave. As bad fortune would have it, Humbold was just entering, coming to check on his prisoner. The sparrows flew over his head. Humbold looked up, and cursed, knowing that something was badly amiss. He called loudly to the camp, to an ancient old witch hunched over a fire. This witch went by the name of Skegnatch and she was the cook in a regiment of witches in Humbolds army. Her comrades were at that moment clustered in covens, awaiting the evening meal of mice brains and lizards entrails. Skegnatch left her boiling pot. I see them, master! she screeched. I am death in feathers! Within seconds Skegnatch was a sparrowhawk, vaulting the air after the climbing sparrows. Her troops came out of their tents, shrieking encouragement to their cook. This battalion of witches was an ugly and terrible sight to the two sparrows ascending to the heavens. Luz wondered for one horrible moment whether they were all going to change into hawks and join their cook in the hunt, but it seemed they trusted her to carry out the deed on her own. Knowledge of a witchs pride - for they are vain to the point of blindness stopped them joining her. Skegnatch was known for her venomous anger and none of them risked it here. Had she called on them, of course, they would have flocked to her immediately. But she would not deign to lower herself by asking for assistance. Luz and Uthellen saw her coming. They saw the flash of her wings as she came up as if shot from a catapult. There would be no escaping her if they remained clear targets in the blue, so both fell quickly to earth, to be amongst the sparrows that were scattered throughout the rocky valleys and gullies below. The sparrowhawk followed, weaving amongst the tall monoliths, the needles of rock. She kept them in sight, ready to sweep in and strike with talons which could kill with one blow. You go on, said Luz, frantically. Ill draw her away. Uthellen saw him turn and settle by a mossy stone while she went on to a stream where sparrows were drinking and bathing. She settled amongst the flock. Looking back she saw a single sparrow rise from the ground behind her, only to be struck hard by a thunderbolt bird from the hawk world. The little body fell instantly to the ground, stone dead. Uthellen let out a cry of despair. Poor Luz! He had given his life to save her own. At that moment the flock around her rose in panic. They too had seen the hawk and they were eager to get out of range of its sharp eyes. Uthellen rose with them, as did other types of finches which covered the bushes and shrubs, the small trees of the mountain valley. The air was full of them, hundreds of darting birds. In came the hawk, now confused by numbers. She swept this way and that, trying to decide which sparrow to strike, finally by necessity fixing on one only. Just as a cheetah needs to pick out one antelope, so a sparrowhawk has to make a choice amongst the confusion of small birds that scatter from the flight path. A bird was struck, the hawk dived with it, hoping for the right kill. It would have been a lucky sparrowhawk that managed to kill one specific sparrow in hundreds. Uthellen got away safely amongst the zipping finches that sought to put distance between themselves and the rogue hawk. Over open country she flew, staying close to the ground, fearful not only of the witch sent after her, but of other hawks too. She had no time then to grieve for the youth who had saved her, but later the sorrow would come. When Uthellen finally reached Zamerkand, she flew straight to the Green Towers window, which she entered. Then she began flying through the palace, looking for Soldier. She was first noticed by Ofao, who was incensed that a bird had got into the building. Who left that window open? Was it you, Drissila? Ofao got hold of a curtain pole and began chasing the sparrow. Stay still, little creature, while I flatten you with my stick . . . Up and down the stairs went the chase. Drissila then joined in, wielding a broom. The poor beleaguered bird flew along corridors, into rooms, through courtyards, until finally it was exhausted. It settled on a garden wall to catch its breath, while Ofao sneaked up under cover of a fountain and raised his pole. Hold there! The voice came from the arbour walk, where Soldier and Layana were taking a stroll. Ofao put a frustrated finger to his lips and pointed to the bird, before raising the pole again. I said HOLD! cried Soldier, striding forward. I do not want that bird harmed, Ofao. But its been in the palace all morning, giving us a merry chase. First let me inspect it. Ofao snorted. You dont expect it to sit still while you do that, do you? But Uthellen did remain immobile. Unfortunately, she could not speak in the way that Luz had spoken when he was a bird, for she was not a magician and had no powers. Nor could she change herself back into a woman again. She simply waited for Soldier to pick her up and stare at her markings. This is not Luz, said Soldier I remember distinctly that he had a dark brown patch on his neck. This bird has no such markings. Uthellen felt very vulnerable in Soldiers firm grip. Would he now just squeeze and crush her little form? Who has any use for a sparrow? Soldier continued to study her, though, as Layana said, Perhaps the magician has changed yet again, from bird to human and back again? Who knows whether his identity was discovered by Humbold? Can you speak, bird? If you are Luz, peck the tip of Soldiers thumb. Uthellen pecked his thumb, not because she believed she was Luz, but because there would be no second chances. At that moment Sando and Guido entered the courtyard. They went running over to Soldier. Is it Luz? asked Guido. Is he back? said Sando. Soldier sighed, wearily. Well, I think we have the bird, but to what end? He cannot seem to change himself back again. I know of no other magicians in the city who can do it. Guido cried, We have no more Bhantan magicians to hand. Sando added, You hold the very last of them in your fingers. They were about to retire to the palace with the little bird when a flock of the creatures flew into the courtyard. The sparrows landed on the boxed myrtle bushes that hedged the fountain. They squabbled there, chattering at one another, one or two of them going to the fountain to bathe in the water. Suddenly one of these newcomers detached itself from the others and flew straight at Soldier. It landed first on his shoulder, then flew down to the path at his side. Finally it blossomed into a young man. Luz! cried the twins, simultaneously. You are back! Soldier stared at the sparrow he held in his fist. Ah, fooled again, eh? he murmured, and tossed the little creature towards the fountain, where it was about to be set on by a dozen of its kind when it too blossomed, but this time into a woman. Uthellen? cried Soldier. It is I, replied the woman. Soldier, I am eternally grateful to you, and to Luz, for rescuing me. And to us, said Sando. He was our magician, continued Guido. Yes, thank you all. She turned and saw Layana, just the other side of the fountain. And especially to you, she added quietly, curtsying to the queen. Soldier wondered why Uthellen should thank his wife, who had had very little to do with her escape, but guessed it was something to do with the fact that they were both women. The rest of them, the men, went ahead to order a feast of welcome for the mother of IxonnoxI, while Layana took her to the quarters that had been prepared for her. The two ladies appeared later on, as the men were sitting down, meat already on their plates. They all listened to Luzs story, of how he had flown to Humbolds camp and had narrowly escaped death or detection several times. Finally, said Luz, there was our encounter with the witch who had changed herself into a sparrowhawk. I expect Uthellen thought I had been caught there, did you not, my lady? I did indeed, said Uthellen, smiling. I saw you fall. Twas another! cried Luz, already the worse for the drink, being a youth who had rarely imbibed an alcoholic beverage before. Some sacrificial sparrow flew between me and the raptor bird. She struck at him instead and he dropped like a pebble into a well. Saved my life. Poor little bastard. Poor little dusty brown orphan. Saved Luzs life. Dropped like a stone . . . Luz started blubbing here, as he grieved for the small finch that had been his saviour, had given its life for his. The young magician, still suffering the trauma of the expedition, fell into a maudlin state. This is the greatest sacrifice of all, that one sparrow should give his life for another. He sobbed again, wiping away his tears with the back of his sleeve. Then anger followed and he began to rant and rave about witches. They ought not to be allowed on the earth! he yelled at Guido, as if it were the fault of that king that there were such creatures in the world. They ought to be drowned at birth like litters of curs. I agree, said Guido soberly. But I have no authority to carry out these drownings, so please do not clutch at my sleeve, young Luz. Remove your fingers, or I will prise them open with my knife. Yet they live! They cluster together horribly in times of war. They form their ugly regiments . . . Sando said, Wizards can be ugly too. I once knew . . . But Luz would not be deterred from his drunken speech. Not like witches, eh, King Guido? He finally let go of his monarchs sleeve. Witches are despicable. Witches are the gugliest the highest well, I tell you, King Sando, they are horrible. Horrible. I can honestly say I have never met one nice witch, let alone a regiment of em. Scuse me. The youth then rose majestically from the table, walked unsteadily but regally to the window, and was sick, out and down into the street. Someone yelled up at him from below. He looked down haughtily on his victim and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Pardon! he said. I think someone ought to put the young man to bed, said Soldier. Ofao? Yes, sire. And Ofao . . . Yes, sire? You know, dont you? Yes, sire. I know. I am restraint itself, sire. The gentle servant put his arm around the magician and helped him from the room. Luz complained all the way that he was perfectly capable of walking by himself, but when he was let go he fell in a heap on the floor. Ofao helped him regain his legs again and then they were gone, through the doorway and out into the passage. For a few minutes the sound of Luz arguing with Ofao drifted back, then there was silence. Ofao returned and nodded to the group. Sleeping like a babe, he informed them. A herald from the Imperial Guard came into the room. Your Majesty, he said, kneeling before the queen, an envoy from the beast-people has arrived. He is at the gate. A dog-head. Layanas look was cold. Send him away. No, wait, said Soldier. Herald, what is the creatures name? He calls himself Wo. Layana, Soldier said, this is the sword-finder who was responsible for the return of Kutrama to my side. I think we should hear what he has to say. Layana, the memory of having been savagely attacked and scarred by a dog-head returned, was sorely afraid of the creatures. She not only feared them, she detested the very sight of them. It was true her husband had had dealings with this particular beast-person, but there were precedents. No beast-person has ever been within these walls, she told him. It would be against all tradition. Sometimes tradition should be broken. Layana said, quite reasonably, Why cant one of us go out there to him, rather than let him in here? That would quite ill-mannered, spake Soldier softly in her ear, and not at all in the tradition of your family. We must invite him in and treat him with great hospitality, as we would any other envoy. Im sorry, my darling, for I know you have a great antipathy towards these creatures and I fully understand why but it is surely time to begin building bridges. You need say nothing to Wo. I shall do the talking. Perhaps you would like to leave us? No, no. I shall stay. All right, send the dog-head to us. We shall hear what he has to say. Uthellen looked approvingly at Soldier. Sando and Guido simply looked at one another with raised eyebrows. In a short while a dog-person stood before Layana and her husband, while the rest of the court remained in attendance. Yes? asked Layana, curtly, unable to disguise a tremor in her voice. You wished to speak with us? Soldier said, getting up and offering his place at the table, Would you like to drink before you speak? You must be parched from your journey. Perhaps you would like to eat at the same time? A drink, yes, thank you, Soldier, said the visitor, his canine jaws forming the words very carefully, his wolfen eyes not leaving the queen. The journey has been dusty and I am indeed very thirsty. He sat down in Soldiers place next to the queen. There, to the amusement of the rest of the court, he poured some water from a goblet into a shallow dish and proceeded to lap it up with his long dogs tongue. Then he wiped his jaws with the back of his hand. Layana shuddered, violently, and gathered up her voluminous dress around her. The dog-head looked at her again, then around the table, and hung his head in shame, knowing they had been expecting him to drink from the cup. I am unable to use these goblet devices, he said. They are not designed for the jaws of a beast. My good friend Wo, Soldier said, breaking the silence and glaring at the rest of the people
present, you have no need to explain anything to us. You have your ways, which are as valid as ours. Forgive our bad manners in seeming to stare. It is simply a fact that we have forgotten how to honour a guest, having been through war and plague. Now that you have quenched your thirst, my dear wife has not yet had the pleasure of meeting you. Layana conquered the horror that had been mounting within her. No that is to say I have not yet had the pleasure. Lady queen, rumbled Wo, with a friendly growl, I am greatly glad to be permitted inside these walls. I know it must be centuries since a barbarian was allowed to enter within, if they ever have at all. We have been enemies for so long. The killing between us has been endless and wasteful of life on both sides. But now your husband has stretched forth his hand across the divide. And I have grasped it. Strange as it may seem, we are now friends. Not master and dog, not alpha leader and human follower, but man and beast-person as equals. Soldier killed one who was close to me in kin, but one who did you a personal harm. I am sdrry for both, but all that is now in the past. He seemed to be coming to the crux of the reason for his visit. You are now at war with another, with the enemy from within, Chancellor Humbold. I have heard your numbers have been culled by various methods and I have brought myself, some of my warriors and a plan to assist you in your goal. Layana said, We would be pleased to hear the plan. Wo nodded, then snapped his fingers. Through the doorway came three trolls, ugly little creatures with sickly-white skin, all lumps and bumps. Clearly they were troglodytes, beings whose forms had seen but little of the sun and fresh air. Their heads seemed far too large for their bodies and lolled first this way, then that, as they walked towards the table. Their small, stocky bodies were round, but with muscle not with fat. Unlike Wo, they did not need inviting to the table. They pushed their way on to a bench, and grabbed beakers of wine to swill down, slaking their thirst. Then they looked at Wo and nodded in unison. These trolls, said Wo, have a dirt kingdom below our feet. If you did but know it, the whole of Guthrum has passages beneath the surface, with chambers dug out in the fashion of moles. It is there the trolls live and work, bothering no one, eating mostly grubs and worms, drinking from underground streams. They are not refined creatures like you and me, said Wo, with a flash of an ironic dog-grin, but rough-and-ready characters, who take what they need from the subterranean natural world. It is true they sometimes on feast days spit-roast a badger, but for the most part they do not bother the other underground creatures, the rabbits, moles and occasional fox. They suck what they can from the soil and leave the rest to its own. Layana said, We are set to be well disposed towards these trolls, dog-headed Wo, if you would get to the point. Yes, yes, Lady Queen Im sorry, I am being lengthy. What I am going to suggest is that our army - I say our army, because my warriors and I would wish to join you can use the tunnels of the trolls to be in any appointed place, then burst forth and surprise the enemy. Thus there would be compensation for our lack of numbers. The foe would be numerous, but confused and divided by our sudden attack. We could come up amongst them, from beneath the very ground on which they tread. We could prevail through the very stunningness of our plan, and conquer, the gods willing. Layana looked at Soldier. Soldier felt a great excitement. This is a marvellous scheme, he said. Layana, did you know of the existence of the troll underground world? No, my husband. We always believed they lived in caves in the mountains, far from here. Well we did, we did, said one of the trolls, his mouth full of cake and showering crumbs, but we breed excessively. We make children faster than rabbits make kittens. We had to expand. Make room. Make room. Expand, said another, reaching for a sweetmeat. We spread out, digging, digging, digging, telling no one. We had to go very deep, said the third, to keep our secret safe from discovery. Otherwise we would have been heard, or your houses would have dropped into our chambers beneath, disturbing our sleep. Interrupting our breeding, giggled the first. The images this threw up were too much for some of the listeners, who turned away in disgust at the thought of these maggoty creatures making love below the very rooms where they ate, slept and made love themselves. And you are willing to let us use your tunnels and chambers? asked Soldier of the trolls. Who is your king? Do we need to formally ask him? Me, Im the king, said the first troll, reaching for another cake. My name is Qwooush, spelt Q-3-0-0-3-Q, and I say whats what. Soldier said, But what do you get out of it? What is your price? You give us your babies for one year, said King Q3OO3Q, and we eat them. Yum, yum. What? cried Layana. Ha! cried King Q3OO3Q. I make the joke! He grinned widely, revealing two long rows of thick, blunt teeth. No, no. Not really. What we wish is this air shafts. At the present we use the trees, coming up through the hollow trunks, to hide the air shaft. But we are spreading underground. We need more air shafts and we must come up in places where there are no trees or rocks to hide the chimneys. You let us come up in other places, guard them so no one drops things down, or makes a flood, and we help you fight your battle. This is our price. Simply, the air shafts. We cannot breathe down there. It is hot and stuffy. We need more cool air I think this is a reasonable price to pay, interrupted Wo. For myself and the few warriors I have brought, the cost is nothing. I wish to fight alongside my friend Soldier. My warriors have come because I asked them to and I know they will fight to the death. For the rest of the beast-people, they still distrust you, and though they will not join with Humbold, as the Hannacks are doing, they will not fight on your side either. In time, perhaps, we will all manage to live together in peace. So? said King Q3OO3Q. Do we have a pact? Air shafts for free passage underground? I think we can accommodate you, said Queen Layana, smiling at her husband. Yes, there is a pact between us. Afterwards, Soldier took Wo aside, and said, Thank you for coming to our aid for bringing the trolls. It was nothing. Oh, but it was something. Wo, I am so glad to see you. I heard you were banished. I was chastising myself for not finding out more, but the thought of war drove it from my mind. I am so sorry. The dog-head gave him a lopsided grin. I was not exiled - after all, you gave us the barns, the seed grain and the ploughs; in fact, many secretly confessed they admired me for what I had done. But publicly I was shunned. Dog-heads turned away from me when I walked abroad. I was cut wherever I went. Gradually this went away. These things do. Beast-people started speaking to me again. He grinned a second time. Things were almost back to normal when I recruited warriors for this expedition. The gods only know what they will be saying about me back in Falyum now Good things, I hope. And if not, they are but fools, and who cares what fools think?