“It’s a long story — and a disturbing one. But the fate of Kanbal rests upon whether or not you choose to believe me. So please listen carefully.” Quietly but passionately, Laloog began relating the tale of Balsa’s father, Karuna, physician to King Naguru, of his friendship with Jiguro, and of Rogsam’s treacherous plot….
Kaguro sat rigidly as he listened to the dark tale unfold. Partway through, Balsa picked up the thread and in her pleasantly low, calm voice related what had transpired after their flight from Yogo. By the time she reached her return to Kanbal, the last rays of the dying sun had already faded into blackness.
When she finished, Kaguro remained motionless for some time. Finally he raised his face and looked at Laloog, his eyes gleaming. “What proof do you have that this story is true?”
Laloog gave a small sigh. “Only that this woman is truly Karuna’s daughter, Balsa. That I can guarantee. My healer, Yuka, was Karuna’s younger sister — in other words, Balsa’s aunt — and if you saw her, one glance would convince you that they are indeed blood kin.”
“But —”
Laloog cut him off before he could speak. “As I explained, Karuna told Yuka that Balsa died in an accident, then he himself was murdered only days later. Yuka’s a physician. She saw the marks on her brother’s body.” He looked up at Kaguro. “I know how flimsy this evidence is. But think, Kaguro. Remember those days. What kind of man was Rogsam? And what kind of man was Jiguro?”
Kaguro bit his lip. The wind seemed to roar in his ears, whipping up the days of his youth, long, long ago. He had been an unremarkable child; his only outstanding talent had been spear-wielding, but even in that he could take no pride because his younger brother Jiguro was always beside him. Jiguro’s gift had blossomed at a very young age, and everyone marveled at it, saying that he must have inherited it from his grandfather, who had been chosen as the Dancer.
If Jiguro had been conceited like Shisheem, Kaguro might have hated him. But the more he was praised, the more silent Jiguro became, and the more reluctant to wield his spear in front of others. When he was told that Jiguro had stolen the nine rings and fled in protest against Prince Rogsam’s appointment as king, Kaguro had been incredulous. While it was true that Jiguro hated the prince, he had never been one to push his views on others.
Yuguro, however, was the exact opposite. From childhood, he had been bright and cheerful, capable of charming anyone. When Kaguro became chieftain, Yuguro, who was still a youth, had moved to the capital. There he quickly assumed the luxurious life of a city dweller. When he had volunteered to hunt down Jiguro, Kaguro was stunned yet again. He could remember how the usually reticent Jiguro used to pick Yuguro up and play with him when he was just a toddler. Perhaps because he himself was taciturn, Jiguro had been very fond of his gregarious little brother.
And then, when Yuguro returned triumphant, Kaguro felt as though his heart had been gouged from his chest. He knew Jiguro. Yuguro could never have defeated him if Jiguro had fought in earnest, and it grieved him to think he had let his younger brother kill him. Consequently, he found Yuguro’s behavior hard to understand. He had slain his own brother, albeit a dishonorable criminal, and won fame and glory as a hero in the capital. If their roles had been reversed and Jiguro had pursued and killed Yuguro, Jiguro would never have shown his face in public again. He would have returned to his village and lived quietly, mourning his brother….
These thoughts churned in Kaguro’s mind, clamoring for attention. There was no proof. Yet the man Balsa had just described to him was far more like the Jiguro he had known than the version he had come to believe.
He heaved a great sigh, then looked at Balsa. “And if this story is true, what do you plan to do about it?”
She gazed at Kaguro’s lined face. He looked so much more like Jiguro than Yuguro did when she had met him long ago — even the eyes that gazed at her from under slightly furrowed brows.
“Nothing. There’s no proof. And besides, nothing I can do will bring Jiguro back to life. If you believe me, then it was worth coming back to let you know your brother was not a traitor, to tell you what kind of life he led.” A smile touched the corners of her mouth. “Yuguro tried to poison me, but he didn’t need to go to all that trouble. I can’t change anything.”
Kaguro stood up. “I believe you,” he said finally, his voice determined. “But I can’t announce that publicly. If you’ll promise in writing never to return to Kanbal, you may return freely to New Yogo.”
Balsa glanced briefly at Laloog. Three nights ago the Herder People had led her through the caves to Yonsa territory, where Laloog had met her. She had been afraid that Laloog would not believe her tale about the conspiracy, despite his respect for the Herders as people of the Mountain Deep. But on the contrary, he had received her warmly. It was then that she had learned that her Aunt Yuka had been trying to convince him for days.
She turned her gaze back to Kaguro. “I’m afraid that I can’t leave Kanbal just yet.”
He frowned deeply. “Why not?”
“There’s something I have to do.”
In response to an urgent summons, Kassa and his father found themselves ushered into Kaguro’s private chamber. Kassa, who knew the reason, felt the long-awaited moment had come, but his father, who had no clue of what was going on, looked very anxious. Kaguro, Laloog, and Balsa were waiting for them.
Kaguro greeted them with a deep frown and began methodically explaining the situation. Tonno listened with an expression of stunned disbelief. When he had finished, Kaguro slowly shook his head. “Frankly,” he said, “I still can’t quite accept it myself.” He glanced at Balsa. “I can’t help but feel that this idea is too advantageous for you. Protecting Kassa is the perfect excuse for you to sneak into the ceremony chamber and take revenge on Yuguro under cover of the darkness.”
Balsa smiled bitterly. “That’s true.”
“Now wait a minute!” Laloog intervened. “Do you think I would tell such a preposterous lie just to allow Balsa to avenge a grudge?”
Kaguro maintained a sullen silence for a few seconds and then finally sighed. “No … When my father was dying, he told me, ‘I will make you clan chieftain, but in any matter pertaining to the Mountain King, you must defer to Jiguro because he has seen the King himself. He knows the secret hidden from Kanbal.’ ” He raised his head and looked at Laloog. “But it never occurred to me that the Herders were people of the Deep … or that they were spying on us.”
A look of displeasure crossed his face and then faded. “Master Laloog. Even if the tale of the Herder People is true, we’re Kanbalese. Shouldn’t we be thinking of what will bring happiness to Kanbal? Don’t you think Yuguro is right? He’s our greatest spearman. Surely there’s a chance that he could defeat the hyohlu? If his plan should succeed and we gained free access to luisha …”
Laloog reached out and gripped Kaguro’s hand with his own. Surprised, Kaguro looked down at him.
“Master Kaguro. That is a terribly foolish dream. Even now, the fear inspired by the hyohlu chills me to the very marrow. As one who has taken part in the Giving Ceremony, I tell you that there is not the remotest chance that a spearman with evil intentions can ever defeat a hyohlu!
“And know this also. The Mountain King is not what you imagine him to be. I can’t tell you what I witnessed beneath the mountain because I’m bound by the vow of silence. But even if I were to try to describe it in words, you’d never be able to understand me.”
He squeezed Kaguro’s hand tightly. “All I can do is beg you to believe me. Luisha is not merely a gem. To invade the Mountain Deep and try to take as much luisha as you want is like milking a she-goat to death while demanding that she produce more milk!” His hand was trembling. “When a goat gives birth to a kid, she shares her milk with us. Luisha too is a treasure that can only be shared when the time is right.”
He gently released Kaguro’s hand. “I suppose it’s impossible for you to understand how I feel. But Master Kaguro, trust me, for I speak as one o
f only two men left who have seen the Mountain Deep. If the Mountain King dies, Kanbal will perish with him.”
Silence blanketed the room.
Kaguro frowned and looked at Laloog. “But I just can’t believe that Yuguro is that stupid. It’s true that this time no one has participated in the ceremony before, but Yuguro traveled to Yonsa territory to learn all about it from you. Didn’t you tell him?”
“Of course I did. I explained everything that happens in the Darkness, but not what happens after the Spear Dance. That knowledge belongs only to those who participate in the Ceremony.” A bitter expression crossed his face as he looked at Kaguro. “You said that you can’t believe Yuguro could be so foolish. If I may say so, Yuguro is not a fool, but rather dangerously hard-hearted. His actions have made that abundantly clear, although I’ve realized it far too late.”
Kaguro scowled at him, the cleft between his brows showing starkly. Laloog gazed back steadily.
“As I said, I told Yuguro everything that happens during the ceremony. The fact that he has still gone ahead with this plan means that he didn’t take me seriously. And I would wager that he hasn’t told the other Spears what he learned from me either.” Laloog clenched his fists. “In fact, he has cleverly prevented them from learning anything. My grandson Dahgu has been kept so busy that he hasn’t been able to return to Yonsa territory for the last three years. Now I finally understand why.”
Anger and fear hung heavy in the room.
“Ex — excuse me …” Kassa’s father broke the silence. “Forgive me, but surely you can’t be suggesting that Kassa try to stop a scheme that clever Master Yuguro has spent so much time planning? Why, that’s …” He choked and then continued. “That’s impossible! I won’t let you do that to my son!”
“Father!”
Tonno gestured impatiently for him to be quiet. “If you’ll pardon me saying so, even if Master Kahm were to believe Kassa, he has no hope of stopping Master Yuguro either, let alone the king. And if the Musa and Yonsa clans should oppose the king, we’ll all be branded as rebels.”
Kassa had never heard his father speak so forcefully. Kaguro and Laloog stared wordlessly at his tanned face, now a dark red as he glared at them. Laloog grimaced and buried his face in his hands. When he lifted it again, everyone was shocked by his expression of despair.
“Then we’re lost, for the Darkness reads the minds of men,” he said. “When the hyohlu comes to the Spear Dance, the chamber is plunged into darkness. Within it wait countless other hyohlu, who peer into the hearts of the Kanbalese.
“Experiencing this in the flesh is completely different from hearing it described in words. Yuguro is a master at using words to manipulate people. He probably thinks that he can talk his way through this situation too. But the hyohlu aren’t so easily swayed. If they sense even a trace of enmity, they’ll attack instantly.”
The corners of his mouth twisted in a sad smile and his eyes were full of tears. “Yuguro will be slain mercilessly, we’ll fail to obtain luisha, and Kanbal will starve.”
Balsa gazed up at the ceiling with knitted brows. Then, taking a deep breath, she looked down at Laloog and said, “The ceremony chamber, just how big is it?”
He looked up and hesitated, then shrugged his shoulders. “The king, his nine Spears, and their attendants — about twenty people in all — form a circle along the stone walls of the chamber. The spearmen compete in the center of that ring. You’ll get an idea of the size if you imagine a space just big enough for twenty men to form a circle.”
“So even if there’s an army waiting outside, there’re only twenty men inside, right? Of those twenty men, how many would side with us if they heard your message?”
Laloog and Kaguro looked at each other. “I suppose Master Kahm and my grandson, Dahgu.”
Balsa frowned. “Just two. That’s nowhere near enough.”
At that moment, Kassa piped up. “Er, excuse me, but …” His face flushed beet red as all eyes suddenly turned toward him. He was so nervous that the top of his scalp went numb, but he forged on bravely. “Um … The evening before he left for the capital, I met Master Kahm. I don’t know how to explain this, but he seemed afraid. He may have been told how the ceremony is conducted, but none of them know what really happens in the Mountain Deep. Master Kahm isn’t a coward. I’m sure of that. So it made me think the other warriors must be nervous too.” Kassa faced Kaguro, unaware that he was gazing squarely into the eyes of a man he had never had the courage to even look at before.
“Master Kahm told me he was doing this to save Kanbal from starvation, as if he was trying to convince himself that he must risk his life despite his fears…. I’m sure that many others must feel the same way. If they’re afraid, they just might listen if they hear that I’ve brought a warning from Master Laloog, who actually knows what happens there.”
Tonno was staring at his son as if he were a stranger, but Kassa was so wound up he didn’t notice. “I think we have to chance it and hope that others will join us. My father said we might be viewed as rebels, but I don’t think this is the time to worry about that. I think it’s more like being faced with a herd of goats stampeding toward a cliff. We have to head them off before they go over.” He looked at Balsa. “I want to see my cousin Kahm one more time. Please let me go.”
Tonno grasped his shoulder. Kassa placed his hand on the hilt of his dagger and looked up at his father. Balsa remained silent, studying the expression on his face. She had thought him cowardly once, but now she saw an unexpected stubbornness. In this state he was likely to go to the Herder People and plead with them to take him even on his own.
She sighed. “Well, if you’re that set on it, I suppose we’ll just have to give it a try.”
Everyone turned to look at her in surprise.
“But in return, Kassa, you must promise me this. If you find that nothing you can do will change things, you must do as I say and run.”
Kassa hesitated a moment, but then he nodded.
“Do you promise?”
“Yes.”
Balsa looked at Tonno. “I’m still not sure what the inside of that cave is like, but if it’s dark, I may be able to help at least Kassa to escape.” As she said it, she saw her own death clearly in her mind. But for some reason, the idea of going to the chamber in the Mountain Deep did not bother her. She realized that in her heart she actually wanted to enter that Darkness in which Jiguro had danced with the hyohlu.
Tonno looked at her as if he did not know what to do. She gazed back at him. “I can’t tell you that I’ll bring Kassa back alive,” she said. “But I can promise you one thing. I won’t return without him.”
Balsa and Kassa left at dawn the next day. Tonno did not tell his family why Kassa was leaving, only that he was being sent by the chieftain on a confidential mission to the capital. Avoiding their worried eyes, he put his hand on Kassa’s shoulder and they left the house together.
It was a cold morning. Frost covered the ground and the frozen grass glittered in the light of the newly risen sun. They headed toward the cave where Kassa had first met Balsa. She was already there waiting for them with Kaguro and Toto. To their surprise, even Laloog, the Yonsa Elder, was there, using his spear as a staff. Kassa went to stand silently beside Balsa, his breath turning white in the frosty air. Toto gave each of them a goatskin knapsack.
“There are togal and yukkal leaves as well as laga in these bags. Remember never to light a flame in the caves. You’ll be able to see in the dark if you use the togal leaves, but there isn’t much you can do about the cold. If you can’t stand it, eat one of the yukkal leaves. They’ll warm you up from the inside, and you can rub them on your feet too.”
Toto grabbed Yoyo by the elbow. “Yoyo will lead you to the Yonsa clan. Other Herders will be waiting for you in each clan territory. They’ll give you more food.”
Kaguro stirred. “The ceremony chamber is at the bottom of the cave behind the king’s palace. It takes ten days even on horseback
to reach the capital from here, but there’re only about five days before the ceremony starts. Are you really sure you can make it in time just by traveling underground?”
Toto grinned. “Don’t worry. Leave it to us.” Then the smile faded from his face and he looked intently at Balsa and Kassa. “When you’re in the caves, you may use togal. But don’t use it after you enter the ceremony chamber. Promise?”
“Why?”
“If you see the hyohlu’s true form, you can never return above land.”
Kassa felt his father’s hand tighten on his shoulder. “Balsa,” Tonno said. “Take care of Kassa for me.”
She nodded slightly, then turned to Kaguro. “If Kassa should return alive, will you and your clan swear to protect him no matter what happened in the Mountain Deep, no matter the result?”
He gazed steadily back at her. “Anyone born to the Musa clan is the same as my own blood kin. Even if it means opposing the king, I will never abandon Kassa in order to protect the clan.”
Kassa looked up at him in surprise. A stern light gleamed in Kaguro’s one eye. He looked down at Kassa and then finally back at Balsa. In an unusually quiet voice, he said, “It’s said that in the Darkness under the mountain, men can’t hide what is in their hearts. I wonder what Yuguro will see there.”
Balsa looked back at him wordlessly. Then with a faint smile she slapped Kassa lightly on the shoulder. “Well, shall we be off?”
He looked up at her and nodded. With Yoyo in the lead, they stepped into the dark cave.
“Make sure you come back!” Tonno yelled after them. His voice bounced off the walls, gradually fading into silence.
When the three figures had disappeared from sight, Kaguro turned abruptly from the cave entrance and stalked away. Toto the Elder fell in step alongside Laloog.
“Do you think Balsa will succeed?” Laloog whispered.
Toto glanced up at him. Only he and Laloog knew the secret that they had not shared even with Balsa and Kassa, let alone Kaguro and Tonno. “She will. I believe it was fate that brought her here, although she was furious with me for using that word ‘to dismiss her suffering,’ as she put it. But sometimes things seem connected by a strange thread that pulls them all together. You know what I mean?” He smiled slightly. “At least, that’s what I felt when I heard that a hyohlu had not only met Balsa on her way through the caves, but danced the Spear Dance with her and gave Gina a piece of luisha. And now look. In the winter that Balsa and the hyohlu met, the ceremony is finally about to take place, after a delay of fifteen years.”
Guardian of the Darkness Page 13
