The Hidden City (39 page)

‘And then will you teach me how to pick a pocket?' Talen asked with overly-feigned enthusiasm.

‘All right,' Stragen sighed. ‘I apologize. I'll concede that you know what you're doing.'

‘Oh,
thank
you, Vymer!' Talen gushed. ‘Thank you, thank you!'

‘You've been spending too much time with Princess Danae,' Stragen muttered sourly. ‘I hope she
does
marry you. You deserve it.'

‘Bite your tongue, Stragen. I can still run faster than she can.'

‘Running doesn't always help, Reldin. I thought I could run, too, but Melidere cut my legs out from under me with a single word.'

‘Oh? Which word was that?'

‘Profit, my young friend. She waved unlimited amounts of gold in front of my face.'

‘You sold out, Stragen,' Talen accused. ‘You betrayed every bachelor in the world for money.'

‘Wouldn't you have? We're not talking about a few farthings here.'

‘It's the principle of the thing,' Talen replied loftily. ‘I wouldn't sell out for money.'

‘I don't think it'll be money that Danae's going to offer you, my innocent young friend. If you start running right now, you
might
escape, but I sort of doubt it. I knew your father, and there's a certain weakness in your family. Danae's going to get you, Talen. You don't have a chance.'

‘Could we talk about something else? This is a very distressing sort of subject.'

Stragen laughed, and they went through the patched door at the top of the stairs.

Valash sat in the faint light of his single candle listening with a look of pained resignation on his face as Ogerajin babbled and drooled a long, strung-out series of disconnected phrases.

‘He doesn't seem to be getting any better,' Stragen observed quietly when he and Talen joined the two at the table.

‘He won't
get
better, Vymer,' Valash sighed. ‘I've seen this particular disease run its course before. Don't get too close to him. He's virulently infectious at this stage.'

‘I certainly wouldn't want to catch what he's got,' Talen shuddered.

‘Do you have something for me?' Valash asked.

‘I'm not going to swear to this, Master Valash,' Talen said cautiously. ‘The fellows I picked it up from weren't any too reliable. You might want to pass it on to Panem-Dea, though. It concerns them rather directly, so they might want to take a few extra precautions.'

‘Go on,' Valash said.

‘Well, I overheard a couple of Arjuni soldiers talking in a tavern down by the waterfront –
real
Arjuni soldiers, I mean, not the ones Lord Scarpa's recruited. They were
talking about some orders that just came in from the capital at Arjuna. From what I was able to gather, they've been ordered to prepare for an extended campaign out in the jungle. They
think
they're going to be mounting an attack on Lord Scarpa's camp at Panem-Dea.'

‘Impossible!' Valash snorted.

‘They were saying that the orders came from King Rakya himself. The message had been sent to their officers, of course, so they probably garbled it, but they're absolutely convinced that the Arjuni army's going to attack Scarpa's forces. I just thought you ought to know.'

‘Those soldiers were drunk, Reldin. King Rakya is our ally.'

‘Really? What an amazing thing. He ought to let his troops know about it, then. The two I was listening to were positively drooling about all the loot they thought they were going to carry out of Panem-Dea.'

‘The queen is coming to Panem-Dea,' Ogerajin suddenly sang in a wheezy voice to the tune of an old nursery song, ‘the queen is coming to Panem-Dea.' Then he began to cackle in a high-pitched laugh.

A look of sudden chagrin crossed Valash's face. ‘Calm yourself, Master Ogerajin,' he said, giving Stragen and Talen a worried look.

‘The queen is coming to Panem-Dea, riding in a carriage,' Ogerajin sang in his cracked voice.

‘Don't pay any attention to him,' Valash said rather too quickly. ‘He's only babbling.'

‘His mind really
is
slipping, isn't it?' Stragen noted.

‘Six white horses and silver wheels –' Ogerajin sang on.

‘Have you ever
heard
such gibberish?' Valash asked with a weak laugh.

‘Our presence must be disturbing him,' Stragen said.
‘Does he generally drift off to sleep later in the evening?'

‘Usually.'

‘Good. From now on, Reldin and I'll come by after midnight when he's asleep.'

‘I'd appreciate it, Vymer.' Valash looked at them, his face still worried. ‘He wasn't always like this, you know. It's the disease.'

‘I'm sure of it. He's probably not even aware of what he's saying.'

‘Exactly, exactly. He's completely out of his head. Why don't you two just forget his crazy singing?' Valash snatched his purse from his belt and dug out several coins. ‘Here. Come by again after he's gone to sleep.'

The two thieves bowed and quietly left.

‘Nervous, wasn't he?' Talen said as they went back down the stairs.

‘You noticed. He even forgot himself and opened his purse.'

They reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘Where to?' Talen asked.

‘No place for the moment. Keep this to yourself, Talen.'

‘Keep what?'

But Stragen was already speaking in sonorous Styric, weaving his fingers intricately in the air in front of him.

Talen stared as Stragen opened his hands palm up and made a sort of tossing gesture rather like a man releasing a pigeon. His eyes became distant, and his lips moved silently for a time. Then he smiled. ‘Surprised her,' he said. ‘Let's go.'

‘What's going on here?' Talen demanded.

‘I passed the things we just discovered along to Aphrael,' Stragen shrugged.

‘You?
When did you learn Styric magic?'

‘It's not really all that difficult, Talen,' Stragen grinned. ‘I've seen Sparhawk do it often enough, and I
do
speak Styric, after all. The gestures were a little tricky, but Aphrael gave me some instructions. I'll do it better next time.'

‘How did you know it would work?'

‘I didn't. I thought it was time I gave it a try, though. Aphrael's very pleased with me.'

‘You
do
know that you just volunteered to serve her, don't you? I know
that
much about her. You're her slave now, Stragen. She's got you.'

‘Oh, well.' Stragen shrugged. ‘I suppose a man could do worse. Aphrael's a thief herself, so I'm sure we'll get along.' He squared his shoulders. ‘Shall we go?' he suggested.

‘You're absolutely certain?' Sparhawk eagerly asked the Child Goddess.

‘Kalten is,' she replied. ‘He was walking past the building, and Alean started to sing. He'd recognize her voice, wouldn't he?'

Sparhawk nodded. ‘She could raise him from the dead by singing to him. How fast can you get me to Natayos?'

‘Let's take the others to Dirgis first. I want to fill Xanetia and Sephrenia in on what's been happening.'

‘I already know about all that. I need to get to Natayos, Aphrael.'

‘All in good time, Sparhawk. It's not going to take us all that long to get to Dirgis, and the others might have some useful ideas.'

‘Aphrael –' he began to protest.

‘We'll do it my way, Sparhawk,' she told him firmly. ‘It won't take all that long, and it might give you enough time to get your temper under control. The others are waiting in the room with the map on the wall. Let's get them and go to Dirgis.'

There was one brief argument before they started. ‘I have no need of a horse,' Betuana insisted, tightening the lace on one of her half-boots.

Aphrael sighed. ‘Please do it my way, Betuana,' she said.

‘I can run faster than a horse. Why burden myself with one?'

‘Because you know how far it is from here to Dirgis, and the horse doesn't. It's easier for me that way.
Please, Betuana, just for me.' The Child Goddess looked appealingly at the armored Atan Queen.

Betuana laughed and gave in.

And so they went out into the snowy courtyard, mounted, and rode on out into the streets of Sarna. The sky was heavy with clouds that obscured the surrounding mountains, and it was spitting snow. They left town by way of the east gate and slogged their way up the steep slope to the top of the gorge. Sparhawk, Itagne, and Vanion rode in the lead, breaking trail for the Queen of Atan, who rode wrapped in her heavy cloak and with the Child Goddess nestled in her arms. There was a strange dichotomy in the personality of the little divinity that troubled Sparhawk. He knew that she was wise beyond his ability to comprehend it, and yet she was still in most ways a little girl. Then he remembered the naked reality of the
true
Goddess, and all hope of ever understanding her vanished.

‘Can't we go any faster?' Vanion demanded.

Sparhawk's friend had been in an agony of impatience ever since he had learned of the attack on Sephrenia, and Sparhawk had at times feared that he might have to physically restrain him. ‘Fast or slow doesn't matter, Vanion,' he said. ‘We can run or crawl, and we'll still get there at just about the same time.'

‘How can you be so calm?'

‘You get numb after awhile,' Sparhawk laughed wryly.

It was perhaps a quarter of an hour later when they crested the top of that long hill and looked down at the town of Dirgis – where the sun was shining brightly.

‘That's incredible!' Itagne exclaimed. Then he turned to look back down the trail they had just climbed, and his eyes suddenly went very wide.

‘I asked you not to do that, Itagne,' Aphrael reminded him.

‘It's still snowing there,' he choked, ‘but –' He stared at the sun-drenched snow-field just ahead again.

‘Why do people
always
want to stop right there?' the little girl said irritably. ‘Just move along, Itagne. Once you've passed the crossover between the two places, it won't bother you any more.'

Itagne resolutely set his face forward and rode on into the bright sunlight. ‘Did you understand that, Sparhawk?' he asked in a strained voice.

‘Sort of. Do you really want to hear about what happens to you when you step through the place where two hundred miles have just been abolished?'

Itagne shuddered.

They rode on down the hill and entered the city.

‘How much further?' Vanion demanded.

‘Just a little ways,' Sparhawk replied. ‘It's not all that big a town.'

They rode through the narrow streets where the snow lay thickly piled against the sides of the buildings. They reached the inn, rode into the courtyard just behind it, and dismounted.

‘Everything's been fixed now, Betuana,' Aphrael was assuring the Atan Queen. ‘I'm keeping him in a deep sleep so that everything has a chance to knit back together again.'

‘Who's watching over him? Perhaps I should go there.'

‘No, Betuana,' Aphrael said firmly. ‘I don't have permission to take you there – yet.'

‘But he's alone.'

‘Of course he's not alone. I'm right there beside him.'

‘But –' Betuana stared at the little girl.

‘Try not to think about it.' The Child Goddess pursed her lips thoughtfully. ‘Engessa-Atan's a deceptive man, you know – probably because he's so quiet. I didn't realize how remarkable he really is until I got into his mind.'

‘I have always known,' Betuana said. ‘How long will it be necessary to keep him away from me – us?'

Aphrael let the Queen's slip pass without comment. ‘A few weeks. I want to be sure that everything's healed. Let's go on inside before Vanion has apoplexy.'

Sparhawk led them into the inn, where the innkeeper seemed to be so engrossed in wiping off a table that he was totally oblivious to anything else. They went up the stairs, and Sparhawk was startled to see Mirtai standing guard at Sephrenia's door. ‘What are
you
doing here?' he asked her. I thought you were back in Matherion.'

‘I've been lent out,' she replied, ‘like an old cloak.'

‘You know that's not true, Mirtai,' Aphrael said. ‘Danae's perfectly safe where she is, but I needed someone I could count on to guard Sephrenia. Let's go inside.'

Sephrenia was sitting up in bed when they entered, and Xanetia was hovering protectively over her. The room was flooded with sunlight.

Vanion went directly to the woman he loved, knelt at her bedside, and gently put his arms around her. ‘I'm never going to let you out of my sight again,' he told her in a thick voice.

Sephrenia took his face between her hands and kissed him.

‘You'll hurt yourself.'

‘Hush Vanion,' she told him, embracing his head and holding his face fiercely against her body.

Aphrael's huge eyes were luminous with tears. Then she seemed to shake off her sudden emotion. ‘Let's get started,' she said crisply. ‘A great deal has happened since the last time we were all together like this.'

‘And all of it bad,' Itagne added in a gloomy voice.

‘Not entirely,' she said. ‘The worst of it is that Klæl ambushed the Church Knights in the mountains of Zemoch. He had those strange soldiers with him, and
our friends lost almost half their number in killed and wounded.'

‘Good God!' Itagne groaned.

Since Sparhawk already knew the details of recent events, he decided to clear up the mystery of Klæl's soldiers once and for all. He touched his fingertips to the bulge under his tunic. ‘Blue Rose,' he said in the silence of his mind.

‘I hear thee, Anakha.'

‘Our friends have encountered Klæl again. He hath brought warriors here from some other place.'