Temple of the Traveler: Empress of Dreams (15 page)

“You’re not the sweet thing you claim to be, either.”

“I can’t afford to be. Every man I see wants something from me, even gods and kings.”

“And Tashi?”

“He’s honest about what he wants.”

“Um . . . before you try out what we discussed, there’s something you should know about him.”

“He didn’t steal those goats! Villagers are bigots. Not all trolls are goat eaters. They should look for thieving refugees and deserters.”

“Easy, there. I’ve hit a nerve. Sorry,” Sajika said, holding out her hands. “Pinetto says he’s not human.” The younger woman laid out everything they knew. She finished with, “We think the dwarf Kiateros might have slipped him some blood to heal him.”

“No, the smith had a little divine blood and he was human,” the seeress said. “Those damn birds know what’s going on, and it’s time I had a talk with them.” The green-eyed woman stormed out the back door. Her cape shifted and suddenly had fur lining on the edges to keep her warm. She found the ladder Simon left propped against the house and climbed to the roof, shouting in the elder tongue. She didn’t dare crawl up to the dormer where they perched, but she knew they could hear her. “Fallen, what have you done to my favored?”

“Nothing,” the two winged creatures said in unison.

The one with the blue dot on its chest added, “Archanos spared him for your sake.”

“So he’s no longer human because of Archanos?”

The second avian replied, “Your man passed through the Doors to Eternity. The journey through the undergirding changed him.”

The first eagle explained, “He never left the Halls; his current form is a projection.”

She blinked. “What
is
he?”

“Since he chose the path through nightmare, he’s technically one of the Fallen now.”

She almost fell off the ladder. “Is that why you’re here?”

“No, we’re here to protect the wizard’s son until he’s born.”

The people living at the old palace gathered in the den to discuss what Sarajah had learned from the spirit folk. “Pregnant?” said Sajika in disbelief. “How did that happen?”

Tashi snickered and the seeress smacked him gently on the back of the head. The visiting King Legato laughed even louder. “I think it happened sometime after the third time you shouted ‘harder’ in that tent in the orchard.”

Pinetto stared raptly at his fiancée, grinning from ear to ear.

“Well I know
how
,” the ambassador admitted, coloring slightly. “But it’s impossible.”

“What did you think your man’s reward from the gods was about?” asked Legato, shaking the blissful wizard’s hand. “They gave him a chance, and he hit the bull’s-eye.”

Tashi clapped him on the shoulder. “Sure, but it must’ve taken him fifty tries.”

“Hold on,” Sajika said. “Are you saying that fruit you gave me made it possible for me to have an Imperial’s child?”

“Not any Imperial’s, just his,” the seeress clarified. “And as many times as you want, I’d imagine. Although, the terms of the contract only promise that the guardians will keep watch for the first.”

The ambassador sat on her kitchen table, overwhelmed. “We have to get married.”

Pinetto smiled, showing teeth. “I’ve been saying that for weeks.”

“We need permission,
now
! You have to go to Bablios today for permission from the king.”

“Actually,” chuckled King Legato as he handed the ambassador a copy of the emperor’s invitation. “That priest friend of yours? He’s the new emperor and chose the name Pagaose. I figure he owes Pinetto here for stalling the whole Intagliosian army. That ought to be good for a noble marriage permit. He invited all of you to come to his coronation and me to send an envoy to bargain. Since her ladyship here can’t travel, I nominate my vizier to go in her stead. He’ll have to leave soon before snows close the pass south. I’ll make out a detailed list of things I want from the empire and how much I’m willing to give.”

The seeress snatched the paper out of the ambassador’s hands, but she was too stunned to complain. “It says the priest arrived on Emperor’s Day. That means there’s another Door within a day’s journey from Center!” Looking up at Tashi, she exclaimed, “We can fix you there.”

Tashi said, “Jotham made it. He freed the Traveler and became emperor. The world will be right again.”

King Legato grunted. “Claiming a throne is easy; keeping it is a lifetime of work. Nonetheless, we shall declare in his favor.”

The builder said, “You seem to have soured on ruling. What’s wrong?”

“Being king is like digging a latrine for the entire country. Everybody’s lined up with an emergency, and if you slow up for an instant, they’re going to take a dump on you. I’m up at ungodly hours and work till after dark. I never catch up.”

“Delegate,” the builder suggested. “Find people who are good at what they do.”

“Like?”

“The ironworks kept running smoothly throughout the occupation, as did the farmer’s market.”

“Of course, people
have
to eat and get iron.”

Simon raised his index finger. “Ah, but neither task is easy. Find out how they did it, and you can steal people who will make
your
life easier.”

“I’m not a mother,” Sajika complained. “I’m the girl mothers warn boys about.”

“Nonsense,” Pinetto said. “You’re an excellent cook and homemaker; just look at what you’ve done with the palace. You can do anything you set your mind to. If there’s anything you don’t know, there are scores of women hanging around the mansion who will. Just ask or delegate, like Simon said. You’re good at that.”

“Stop being so supportive; this is all your fault!”

The seeress raised an eyebrow at the claim.

“You, shut up,” ordered Sajika.

Pinetto bit his lip but couldn’t contain himself. “I hope he has your hair; it always looks perfect.”

The ambassador whined, “But the baby’s going to be so
tall
.”

“The snow stopped, but weather here can change fast,” warned the builder. “You should leave today while it holds. My place is here, but I’ll send a message with you for my tenants.”

Legato shrugged. “Three of you, plus supplies. You can make it most of the way with canoes. I’ll get some water-savvy guides to volunteer. Best say your good-byes.”

Pinetto led his beloved upstairs to help her process all the new information from the day.

When the couple was gone, Legato said, “I think Harder would be a good boy’s name.”

“If you weren’t king, I’d slap you,” the seeress said.

“I’ve been slapped by the best, sweetheart. I don’t change.”

“They’ll call the child Baran,” said Tashi.

The seeress looked up sharply from the invitation. “Prophecy?”

“Listening. The wizard’s been planning this a long time.”

“Are you in agreement with the trip? You seem sad.”

“I’ll follow you anywhere, Sarajah. I’ll just miss this mansion. It’s the longest I’ve stayed anywhere since I was betrayed. Today, for the first time, I felt at home. If I owned anything, I’d leave part of it here.”

****

Pinetto stood in the courtyard, holding Sajika’s hair, not wanting to let go.

“I’m wearing my ring mail and the cloak you repaired. Combined with my wards, nothing can hurt me.”

“It’s not fair,” his fiancée complained. “When I said yes to you, I thought it meant I’d get to travel wherever you did.”

He whispered, “Your duties and the child both bind you here. Fear not, I won’t delay a second longer than necessary. I want to be here for every minute of our son’s life.” He planted a deep kiss on her, and she melted into his embrace.

Legato made a snowball and tossed it dead center on Pinetto’s neck. He ignored the interruption, and soon the ice crystals steamed off the back of his cloak.

They all walked to the ferry together.

As the ferry departed, their friends waved to them. Being farsighted, Pinetto could see them longer than anyone else. Trying to distract him, Tashi said, “Do you have any spare parchment? My woman sometimes gets an urge to draw at night.”

“Look in my pack. I brought a book for her,” Pinetto said, not moving his eyes from the horizon.

Sarajah rummaged through his pack and found a leather folio with her name on it. Inside were loose papers, ink, and a thick tome entitled
The Book of Dawn
.

“Surprise,” said Tashi. “Pinetto rearranged everything to give your church an instruction manual. The scribes made two copies. This is yours.”

She flipped through the bound pages. “This is amazing. I’ll read everything. Why are there so many blank pages at the end?”

Tashi replied, “We told Baran’s story in the
Book of the Messenger
. I thought you might like to tell the story of Serog in your own book.”

“Why? She hates you and swore revenge.”

“She was your mother for decades. I thought you’d want to honor her, or at least tell her side.”

“I love how you take care of me.” She leaned in for a kiss.

A burly northlander took this tender moment to bellow. “This isn’t the moonlight dinner cruise. I’m Karl, the leader of this expedition. The king told me it’s my job to get you land lovers to Center. These are my assistants Urik and Erik.” He pointed to rough-cut, fortyish mountain men who could’ve been twins. “Now we’re going to be traveling through hostile territory. The first thing I’m going to teach you is how to defend yourself from an armed man.”

Tashi and Sarajah glanced at each other and broke into giggles.

Pinetto said, “Skip that lesson.”

“But none of you has any weapons.”

“Those two
are
weapons.”

“What about you? You look kind of scrawny.”

“Loan me your crossbow,” said the wizard. He aimed the quarrel skyward, concentrated on the tip, and pulled the trigger. The missile grew brighter as it climbed, eventually bursting into a golden cascade.

The entire ferry crew went, “Ooo. Aah.”

“Right,” said Karl, handing the bewitched crossbow to his assistants. “First we retrace our steps to the falls at the border.”

“I want to visit the memorial,” said the seeress. Pinetto and Tashi agreed quickly.

“Then we buy boats at Mud Springs. There are six of us. Are you more concerned with speed or comfort?”

“Speed,” the men said together.

“Then we can get three two-man canoes,” Karl decided, staring pointedly at the seeress. “You’ll each have to paddle and steer.”

“I can do anything your men can,” she bragged. Her muscles were redesigned for stalking prey.

“Ever been in white water before?” Karl asked.

Pinetto said, “I’ve sailed through sulfur and demons on the Inner Sea.”

Tashi nodded. “In the Tamarind Pass since I was a boy.”

Unwilling to be outdone, with no idea what the man meant, the seeress said, “Sure.”

“If you’re willing to push yourselves, I think we can make it to the sea in a week or so.”

The wizard fiddled with a specially prepared sextant and complained, “The stars here are different, though. I can’t find the Hunter.”

Karl took the sextant from his hands. “Ouch, you have a sharp burr on that thing.”

“Sorry, I’ll fix that. Here, use my handkerchief to wipe that drop of blood,” Pinetto said, collecting the sample for later testing.

****

Although Pinetto and Sarajah could see in the dark, their guides couldn’t. With the threats of mudslides, avalanches, and flash floods, they decided to camp at the entrance to the pass to the border valley. The wizard lit their campfire, and they took shifts watching in two-person teams. One of the guides made the mistake of suggesting the only woman cook dinner.

The next morning, Sarajah took the lead, walking at a ridiculous pace. Pinetto had the longest legs and recently ran for his life fleeing hordes of enemy spirits. As a sheriff, Tashi had traveled on foot for a living. The guides, however, used their arms for sailing and paddling. She reduced them to panting heaps. “What’s the matter? Can’t keep up with a girl?”

Tashi whispered to Pinetto, “A magically modified, girl
predator
, maybe.” To his girlfriend, he said, “Now that you’ve had your revenge and they’re on their knees, do you feel better?”

“Yes.”

“After they recover, can we resume at a sustainable pace?”

She sighed, affecting an aristocratic, almost operatic air. “Because she favors you, the queen shall be merciful.”

Tashi shook his head. “Don’t play with the men who cover your back.”

****

The six reached Border Falls Fortress an hour later. Tashi pulled up the hood of his coat in case someone might recognize him. Pinetto pulled his goggles over his eyes and hunched over a little so he wouldn’t look so Imperial.

The seeress approached the Intagliosian guard at the top of the stairs, holding out a piece of parchment. “I have an urgent message for Emperor Sandarac,” she lied.

“Who are these men?”

“Boatmen and pack carriers for my return to the capital.”

“I’ll have to have the commander look over your letter, ma’am.”

“That’s miss,” she said, tightening her cloak against her form to make certain asserts more noticeable. “You don’t mind if my bearers start carrying my luggage down while we wait?”

“No weapons in the fortress, ma’am.”

“If I remember, there’s a little dumbwaiter that goes to the ground floor. They can put all their sharp, pointy things in there. Someone as important as you could lower it to the ground floor and give them back after I’m cleared. We can chat while we wait, just the two of us.”

“I suppose,” the guard said. “I mean, I am the senior guard on this shift.”

As the men hauled their gear down an endless flight of steps that served as a portage for the waterfall, Pinetto whispered, “Did I act like that the first time I met her?”

Tashi laughed. “Almost every man does. Make this fast because we’ll want to be out the doors into Mud Springs before he realizes what’s happening.”

They had to wait for her outside the lower gates of the fortress for twenty bits before she arrived with their weapons. Pinetto noted no one carried swords, only his darts, some staves, and the crossbow. He was accustomed to traveling with knights. “I miss the smith,” he muttered as they took the curving path down through town.