Sword and Sorceress 28

by Unknown

  “Trade partnerships often follow family ties,” he replied slowly, as if carefully choosing his words. “If Tsering were to split his affections between two women of different trading families, there might be some concern if trade was to be seen as being unfairly apportioned.” Lin Mei settled more easily on her mat. So it was out. This was about trade. Somehow that did not surprise her. Dorpak looked at her, his eyes measuring her.

  “You have sometimes dealt with complex matters,” he said. “I would be most grateful for your assistance in dealing with this one.” Lin Mei bowed low, partly to hide her face. Danger lurked in the offer, no matter how desperate Dorpak might seem. But as a guest she could not easily refuse his request. “I will tell everyone to cooperate with you,” he went on, “and you will have any assistance my household can offer.”

  “I am most honored by your request,” she said.

  “And I am honored by your assistance,” he replied. And so it was done.

  ~o0o~

  After he had gone she sat back to consider the matter. Suddenly she was consumed by feelings of loneliness. For most of her life she had traveled the western lands, always in danger and surrounded by the unknown and the mysterious. Now she was once more in the midst of mystery and menace. Alone in her quarters, with only Shadow and Twilight to see, she surrendered to her emotions, letting silent tears fall to her lap.

  After a while she used a scrap of cloth to dry her tears. She was investigating a matter of life and death. And apparently she had a reputation in such matters. It would not do if people suspected any weakness on her part. She drank the last of the tea and tossed the cats some scraps of dried meat. After checking her appearance in a mirror she stood, thrust her blades in her sash, and stepped outside, leaving the cats to settle back into a semi-somnolence. She had no worries of another attack anytime soon. In her experience the supernatural needed time to rest, just as mortals did, and their actions did not come too frequently.

  First was a visit to Pakchen Dgorge. The two Kalden brothers, and husbands, met her at the door and let her in without delay, as if they had been expecting her, which was probably the case. She noted that one was the lancer she had seen earlier. They escorted her inside. The noblewoman was waiting on a black cushion which contrasted with her red robes. A tea set waited before her. Her men sat down on mats on either side of her. Lin Mei noted the strong family resemblance.

  “May I offer tea?” Pakchen said, by way of greeting. Lin Mei bowed low.

  “If I may be allowed to enjoy it with you,” she replied. Pakchen smiled and poured for all of them. Lin Mei noted her movements were graceful and economical. So she was most likely born to the title and rank, and not of some merchant family who had purchased them by whatever means. She filed that datum away in the back of her mind. Lin Mei took the moment to evaluate the woman. Pakchen was, like the two men with her, tall and graceful. She accentuated her height with an elaborate hairdo around a split bamboo frame. She introduced her husbands. Palden, with the topknot, was the lancer. Jampha wore his hair short.

  “May I be allowed to offer condolences on the death of your servant?” Pakchen nodded in acknowledgement.

  “Darten was a brave and loyal soldier, who had served our family loyally and well for years, as did his father before him,” she replied. “His death is a great loss.”

  “All the more so as it came at the hands of the supernatural. Will such an unnatural death cause complications in his after-life?”

  Pakchen set down her tea cup.

  “It should not,” Jampha interjected. “He was a good man, and his actions in life had earned him much merit. He will have a good rebirth.”

  “I am not familiar with the type of creature that visited earlier,” Lin Mei went on. “May I be enlightened?”

  “You mean the Rolang?” Pakchen asked. “It is a supernatural creature, a dead man brought back to life by sorcery or magic.”

  Lin Mei considered her next words carefully. “I noted a lack of surprise earlier. Was the attack expected?”

  “There has been much talk in the town that it would come,” Jampha said again. “Our brother’s name, Tsering, was mentioned many times. He has been seen visiting the compound of the Gharlen Clan, for the purpose of seeing Tiniki, the youngest daughter of the clan elder. All know he has feelings for her. Despite our precautions, the Rolang penetrated this compound.”

  “Jampha is adept at gathering gossip in the markets and teasing truth out of it,” Pakchen said.

  Could that have been a smile on her lips? Lin Mei could not tell.

  “I heard he was in a retreat in the mountain, above the Loksangha Monastery,” Lin Mei said.

  “That would not be a problem for such an adept,” Palden said, speaking for the first time.

  “Could such magic be done from such a distance?” Lin Mei asked.

  Pakchen looked at her across the tea set, her eyes level. “If you are asking if my husband, Tsering, could be the one responsible,” she replied, “I must say yes. A powerful and adept sorcerer can wield such power, even from a great distance. Even from a faraway mountaintop.”

  ~o0o~

  Afterwards, back in her rooms, Lin Mei pondered the meeting. There had been little of interest in the rest of her meeting with Pakchen, aside from learning that the wedding had been recent, and had not been attended by Tsering or Sousom. She blew out the lamp and went to sleep, her blades within easy reach.

  The next day dawned bright and clear, and the haggling outside the city walls began early. Lin Mei made her rounds of the silk fair, checking with the guards under her command. The night had been uneventful; the guard was mainly for form. Taiyung was a wealthy and powerful city, and its reach extended far into the surrounding countryside. Brigands were rare. The ruling clans of the city were known for their passion for justice, and their ferocity in enforcing it.

  That thought took her to the graveyard north of the city. A quick search led her to what she was looking for. In the section set aside for condemned criminals she found a grave that had been recently dug up, with shovel marks still fresh in the ground. She looked at it thoughtfully for a short while before entering the town though the East gate. There she stopped at a street vendor’s stall and bought some roasted meat and barley bread. The stall was in a busy part of town and the man was busy. But not so busy he could not spare time for gossip.

  “There is news of strange events in the compound of Dorpak Champa,” the vendor ventured. Lin Mei looked up at him.

  “Gossip outruns a fast horse,” she replied, quoting a mountain proverb. “What is being said?”

  “Much talk of unnatural things, a dead man brought back to life. Bad thing, that. The dead should stay dead. But now we know why Dorpak and the Dgorge woman brought in extra guards two days ago. People wondered why. Now we know.”

  “It was the Rolang,” a nearby street urchin piped up, “a dead man walking!”

  “And what do you know of Rolangs?” she asked.

  “That they cannot be killed easily, because their flesh has hardened as they lay dead, so that magic must be used. And that they don’t walk like normal men, because their legs are not as bendable as they used to be. So they hop like this!” The boy held his feet together and took three hops, to the amusement of all nearby. Lin Mei laughed and bought him a scrap of bread. She stopped at other stalls, making more purchases, but learned nothing more.

  On the way back into town she tried to see Tiniki Gharlen but was not allowed into the compound. Some maids shopping at a vegetable vendor nearby were more forthcoming, describing a shy and pretty young girl, the sheltered daughter of a wealthy and proud family. They also confirmed that a man had been seen visiting of late, with the family’s blessing.

  A temple sat on the street near the compound of Dorpak Champa. She stopped there, and after making a modest but significant donation to the place, spoke at length with the priest, leaving with a small sealed jar, which had also cost a modest but significant donation.
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br />   Back in the compound Lin Mei stopped at the Dgorge household and spoke with Palden, leaving the jar with him before returning to her own rooms. There she gave the two cats some scraps of meat she had brought for them, then bathed and changed into clean clothing. Out on the veranda, with a cup of tea, she considered the matter. Across the sand garden she could see the bamboo stand. The sand had been raked smooth. The tracks left by the Rolang were gone. She brought up her memories of the night before, her eyes thoughtful. Finally she went back inside and took a nap. She would need the rest later.

  Evening came late. It was midsummer and the air was warm and thick. She changed into thick rough clothing, what she normally wore on the trail. It had been cleaned by the maids, and the cloth felt pleasant against her skin.

  The compound was settling down for the night, but she could see lamps burning within the Dgorge household. Occasionally armed men opened the doors and looked outside. She saw to her blades, checking the long dagger with special care before thrusting it in her sash. She was as ready as she could be. Nearby Shadow and Twilight prowled about the room nervously. She sat on a mat on the veranda.

  She did not have long to wait. A sudden roar split the night air to her right, and a long shadow cast by the torches near the gate speared across the sand before her. Lin Mei grasped her sword and leapt from the veranda to run out onto to the sand, the cats following. There she confronted the Rolang, which landed before her with a single leap that spanned the length of a man.

  “Yah! Yah!” she yelled, waving her arms about. “Yah! Yah!” The dead man turned blank staring eyes at her, his mouth emitting a horrid stench as he growled. Around his ankles Twilight bounded about, slashing at his feet and legs. Lin Mei jumped to the side and ran to the bamboo. If she was right, the creature would have to follow. Sparing a look back she saw that it had. Reaching the bamboo she struggled for a moment to pass between the stalks. Behind her she could hear the monster coming closer. Suddenly there was a squalling sound and she spared a look back. Shadow had jumped onto the Rolang’s head, grasping it while he chewed on its ear and clawed at the eyes. Twilight was still shredding the trousers. She slipped between the thick stalks and silently sent a command to her feline companions. They cut off their attack and retreated to the safety to the veranda. They had accomplished their mission.

  Behind her she heard the Rolang crash into the bamboo. The tough plant stalks bent, but did not give way. Unable to move in any way but hopping he continued to crash into the stalks. Behind she could hear shouting and yells, as the armed men of the compound rushed out, Palden in the lead with his lance. But she had no thoughts for that. She had her own quarry to hunt.

  She ran into him just a short way further. Drawing her dagger she held it before her.

  “I don’t think you should,” she said as he attempted to draw his sword, difficult to do in the close confines of the bamboo. “Drop your blade. It’s all over.” With an outlet of breath that might have been a sob Jampha did as she bade.

  ~o0o~

  They were gathered in the Dgorge hall. Pakchen sat against the wall, her long black hair loose and held back by a silver headband. Palden sat to her right, his lance on the mats beside him. He had taken time to clean the head of the potion Lin Mei had given him. She sat to Pakchen’s left. Jampha was between them, facing Pakchen. His face was a pale mask showing what might have been numb shock.

  “I would know more,” Pakchen said, speaking to Lin Mei.

  Lin Mei settled back on her heels, carefully arranging her thoughts.

  “Last night when the attack came,” she began, “I noticed the bamboo stirring, despite the lack of a breeze.” She did not add that the cats had noted something odd in the bamboo first, before turning their attention to the house. The less said about them the better. “But the Rolang emerged from the house itself. So who was in the bamboo? And it was Palden who emerged from the door, with the other men. I did not see Jampha until later.”

  “Also, all the talk about Tsering did not seem true to me. And most came from Jampha. While monks may sometimes be distracted by the pleasures and temptations of this world, to become an adept such as a Geshe would require such a level of commitment that it seemed improbable.” She stopped to spare glances at the two brothers.

  “I noticed a strong family resemblance. Does Tsering also share that resemblance? Enough so that Jampha could pass for Tsering as he visited the Gharlen compound?” Pakchen nodded slightly. “Then might they also share a talent for magic? Both Palden and Jampha were monks with Tsering at the Loksangha Monastery. Did Jampha progress further than he may have admitted to?”

  “I would have been a great Geshe!” Jampha spoke at last. “Tsering was always my inferior! But he was allowed to stay, and I was brought here to marry that...” He stopped, pale at what he might almost have said. Before him Pakchen sat very still, her face cold and still.

  “What did you mean?” she asked slowly. “When you said ‘that...’?”

  “Tiniki is a sweet young girl,” Jampha said, “and her family would have allowed me to pursue my studies.” Lin Mei noted that Pakchen was a formidable presence, bordering on intimidating. She wondered if that might have been a factor in the drama that was unfolding.

  “You have betrayed me and both our families,” Pakchen spoke in a voice as cold as the winds of her mountain home. “You also caused the death of a loyal and valued servant, who died bravely in my defense. You will leave this house, and go to the Loksangha Monastery. There you will take Tsering’s place in the cave. You will stay there for the rest of your life, praying for forgiveness, and for the soul of Darten.” She waved her hand. Two large guards took him away.

  ~o0o~

  The next day dawned clear and bright. With it came an offer to join Dorpak Champa for breakfast. Lin Mei changed to suitable attire and followed the maid to the main hall, the cats following along behind. Something told her not to make them stay.

  Dorpak was in an amiable mood. Trading had been good, profits were more than satisfactory, and his household was once more at peace. Lin Mei was amused to see two small bowls with meat stew on the floor in the corner. The cats settled down to eat. Dorpak gestured to the mat opposite him. After soup and pickles the rice was brought in, hot and steaming. Both dug in with relish, chopsticks clicking. After the bowls had been taken away and tea served he dismissed the maids.

  “This matter is well-settled,” he said. “Tsering has been sent for. He will take Jampha’s place in the household. Also, another Kalden, a cousin of the brothers, is coming down to join the household. All appears to be well.”

  “Pakchen wishes another husband? Three are not enough?” Lin Mei asked, eyes wide. Dorpak laughed at her surprise.

  “The mountains are a hard and dangerous place,” he said. “One cannot have too many good men about.”

  —or good women, Lin Mei thought.

  Tear-Stained Sword

  by Jessie D. Eaker

  For every spell there is a counter-spell. The trick is knowing when to use it. This is Jessie’s first submission to SWORD AND SORCERESS in several years. His previous stories were in SWORD AND SORCERESS 6, 7, 9, 11, 14, and 15, as well as the anthology MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY’S FANTASY WORLDS. Despite the feminine spelling of the first name, Jessie is male. The last name is pronounced "acre" with the E being silent. Jessie lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife Becki. This past year they have become empty nesters as the youngest of their children moved away to college. This has been quite a challenge since they’ve been surrounded by kids most of their lives, but they’re adapting and discovering the joys of cats and of being grandparents. His youngest daughter Rebecca also has a story in the book. Jessie says, “It is a unique privilege to share the pages with a talented writer who just happens to be your child.”

  My prey was close.

  Drawn by the magic that bound me, I gradually made my way toward the back of the hall. The white lace scarf affixed to my right wrist tingled in delight as I spied m
y target. I instantly recognized her. Faydra! It couldn’t be her!

  She stood alone and beautiful, waiting for my arrival. Her gown was bright green, embroidered at the sleeves and hem in white ancient patterns. She wore her hair long, with her wavy red locks held back with two emerald combs. Her youthful face had gentle freckles sprinkled across the pale complexion of her nose. Her eyes held an expression of deep sorrow.

  I sprinted toward her—the spell of compulsion on me was irresistible. The world around me grew suddenly quiet, as if the goddess herself held her breath. I heard no sound other than my own pounding heart.

  Twisting my blade flat, I leveled my sword to strike. At the moment before...our eyes met. Faydra’s brilliant green eyes loomed before me. And they swam with tears.

  I plunged my sword deep into her chest, with just a hand’s breath of sword remaining. The task completed, the compulsion broke, and the scarf affixed to my wrist loosened and drifted free.

  “Oh Goddess, what have I done!” I whispered.

  Faydra’s lower lip trembled. The tears filling her eyes became dislodged and rolled down her cheek. In the horrid silence, I heard a tear, then another, splat loudly against the exposed flat of my sword. Her trembling hand slowly rose and gently touched the side of my face. “These tears are for you, Kerrin, my foolish sister....”

  ~o0o~

  I bolted awake, gasping for breath. My heart hammered in my chest and my hands shook. I threw back the covers and sat on the edge, cradling my head in my hands, as I waited for the dream to fade. It had been months since I had been sent to find a rebel leader. Months since Faydra’s body had been laid to rest. Yet the dreams still came—the same one over and over: the taking of my sister’s life.

  The room was dark except for the few coals in the fireplace and a lantern turned down low next to the door. I looked toward the room’s narrow slit of a window, and sadly found it still dark outside—dawn would be a while coming. I rubbed my eyes. There would be no further sleep for me. I got up and padded in my bare feet to the window, where I opened the shutter and gazed out across the dark courtyard. A faint breeze tugged at my loose shirt, smelling of cool mist and damp earth. I breathed deep the chill spring air, trying to shake off the dream. If my servants caught me such, they would scold me, saying the night vapors brought evil spirits. But I knew ghosts didn’t come through a window. They haunted my dreams.