The Way of the Clan 7

by Dem Mikhaylov

  I found the grave quickly.

  The resting place of the old angler Jogly had changed little - the five oil candles were gone, but there were many fresh flowers.

  “Gra-a-a-mps,” I called softly, leaning toward rough-hewn tombstone. “He-e-ey! I brought some wine! And flowers!”

  In response came silence. Only somewhere far away gleefully cackled some animal, may he

  choke on his tail.

  “Gra-a-amps…”

  Hm, I guess it was silly to hope that everything would turn out so easily. At least I tried.

  Pulling out the candles, I unloaded them at the grave. I put a bouquet of flowers on the tombstone, placed a bottle of wine on the ground. I drank from the second bottle, not forgetting to clink glasses with a tombstone. I opened the book "Summon Spirits for Dummies” at random and read one line: "Spirits are extremely sinister and malevolent."

  It was the truth - the elder was very malicious.

  “What are you doing at my father's grave,” a cold voice said.

  “Hello,” I said before I could turn around. “I also brought some candy for you as a gift. Turkish delight, it is called. Just do not rush and make a shish kebab out of me.

  “You have come to pay tribute?” Said the voice slowly, its owner pacing like a huge tiger around me. The girl’s gaze was piercing bright green. Her hands were empty, crossed at the abdomen. By the way, her stomach had grown— now the pregnancy could not be hidden. Childbirth seemed just around the corner. God forbid she stumbled by accident - and had premature contractions.

  “And this, too,” I said, since it was not a lie. “And also I wanted to disturb his rest.”

  “The dead cannot be disturbed!”

  “If I did not disturb the peace of your dead father - you would have been accused of murder,” I retorted, feeling the heat in the girl's voice. “Let me first explain, Alishana. If my words do not seem fair to you - I will leave.”

  The beauty with a burning gaze paused and pursed her pretty lips with displeasure - eerily like every other beautiful woman. Finally, she nodded lightly:

  “Speak.”

  “Thank you. But first, a word of caution - Alishana, what do you know about the Black Baroness? She has black hair like yours, brown eyes, a nice smile, the habits of a wild cat, fangs, and the bloodlust of crocodile, in general. Very much like you.”

  I did not expect an answer, just wanted to throw around some meaningful words. But to my surprise, I got one:

  “I know the stranger called the Black Baroness. But here, she is known under a different name. We called her Cherfu Gha Mula Koru, which, translated to your language, means "eater of waste." She lived a ragged life, meekly doing the dirty work. Sometimes, when she was negligent or obstinate, I drowned her in the wastewater, used her as a target for throwing

  shells, or just threw her in quicksand— and, stepping on her head, waited for the desert to swallow this piece of worthless flesh. But I was always kind, and did not forget to spit in her face, showing her a little attention. Why?”

  “O-oo-oo-oo-ooh ... !!!” I gave a long groan, having experienced a real catharsis.

  “Why,” the oriental beauty repeated the question, holding out her hand and taking the box of sweets.

  “I do not know how it was with you before,” I said. “But now, very few people dare call the Black Baroness garbage eater. She is the head of a very powerful clan of strangers, the mistress of the gloomy citadel Barad-Gadur. Gadur is in the middle of a volcanic plateau, and she has under her command hundreds of skilled fighters. But she herself is very strong - she has powers of deceit, cunning, and intelligence. And her rancor has no equal. And the worst thing is, she has seen the ring you gave me as a sign of our friendship …"

  “As a sign of gratitude,” Alishana corrected me.

  “As a sign of gratitude,” I agreed. “The Black Baroness saw the ring, and she is very much interested, and she tried to find out from whom it is, where I got it. She was ready to offer a lot for such intelligence.”

  “Did you tell her?” Said she, her voice soft and calm, but her eyes watching intently, gloomily,

  expectantly.

  “No, and I did all that I could so I would not be traced back to this village. Still— the Black Baroness is the Head of the Clan of Sleepless. It is a powerful and rich clan. Her friends are many important people, including a number of kings. She has got skillful warriors who can fight like tigers and sneak up on a wild cougar. Who knows, maybe now behind that cemetery

  wall stands one of her spies.”

  “Behind that wall there are bumblebees, wasps, two grasshopper, a mole digging a pit and a fox crawling after a hare. But there is no spy.”

  “I am glad,” I nodded. “Alishana, in addition to my desire to have a talk with your father

  Jogly the fisherman, I would like to warn you about the possible danger - maybe the Black

  Baroness is looking for you.”

  “You are likely right,” replied the girl, her hand instinctively going to her stomach. “She is after my head, just like the rest of the Precursors. She is called Tebbad now, it is her name among our people and she is named so for a purpose. Stranger to our people, from the other world, one who will never be able to rest in the posthumous oblivion, having dared encroach on the ancient tradition of the clan of the Dead Sands, and it worked!” Alishana's otherworldly eyes lit with fervor. “The elders finally lost their minds! What did she bribe them with? What fascinated them? How did she managed to do what no one of us could? To win the right to a name that has been cut out on ancient plate Ruol Agh Togris, polished by millennia of wind, constantly protected by hundreds of elite keepers! Do you know what the name of the plate means?”

  “No …" I said cautiously.

  “It gives effect to the names carved there! My name is on the same plate. It is a powerful artifact

  of our clan! Since time immemorial, it was hidden so securely that few could find it. It was the heat of the Dead Sands! A treasure! Anyone whose name is on the plate receives special forces of the clan - possesses several spells available only to us! That is how it was for millennia! And then the ancient tradition was destroyed - on the sacred slab was carved the name of an outsider! Ugh!”

  She spat, stamped her foot and then gasped, clutching her stomach.

  I jumped in fright, and stopped - upon my neck rested a knife ....

  “I wanted to call for help.”

  “It is not time yet,” Alishana snorted and put away her weapon. “That was the first time I dared to question the wisdom of the Elders. And, in the end, the doubt which originated in my heart led me here, to this village, to my husband. And soon, I will be mother …."

  “Congratulations,” I nodded. “I just hope that vile cesspool girl does not find out— otherwise there will be trouble! She won’t hesitate to kill…”

  “I know… she is vile and dangerous as desert viper and vengeful like a scorpion. Long ago, when the Baroness carefully drained boilers and garbage, I returned to my room and found that my bed, and all my things were cut, smeared with dirt and filth, and my tiled walls covered with black paint .... I ran in anger outside, looking for those who dared to do this... and saw her - huddled in her corner at the food court, this ugly duckling trying to peel off remains of black paint from her skin. I suspected that it was a very permanent black paint, washed away only by a very specific solution… you’d hate to know what I did to her then…”

  “I really do want to know,” I said eagerly.

  “But in addition to personal reasons, she got her name on the plate Ruol Agh Togris. And if she punishes with death a traitor such as myself, her name on the plate will be embossed with a special gold paint which gives a Tebbad some very powerful magic. Then she will become even stronger. Anyone who will punish a traitor receives special privilege. And she knows it.”

  “Alishana, but if you betrayed the clan - what made you give me the Bone Ring, after that? It is a sign of the Dead Sands!
”

  “I do not know,” Alishana’s face was sincere and full of surprise. She was obviously amazed herself. “I was not going to! It is a direct trail leading to me - anyone who recognizes the ring will ask you where you got it, and then the punishers will come…”

  “But you gave it to me! I did not ask.”

  “I know, but did not intend to do it! When I was giving it to you then, I thought it was a simple trinket - I just wanted to thank you! And I could not have confused the rings, ... it was as if the gods or demons interfered and made me make a mistake …."

  "Or the gaming system,” I summed up my thoughts. That was common in Valdira— what happens to the runaway desert traitor, if she escapes and prefers to live a peaceful life? It is necessary to somehow punish, to shine a light on her hiding place— let a detachment of snipers or spies suddenly appear in the peaceful village.

  Let them all be burned to the ground— oh, so fun to behold! The delight of many, after all!

  But it was one mystery less - because I immediately thought I knew more about the Dead Sands. Whistle correctly, and the whole clan of the Dead Sands will come running… Dream on, Ros!

  But what about the plate with the names ….?

  “Alishana,” I gently nudged. “And your name has not been erased?”

  “Only death erases one’s name,” followed the definitive answer. “And no one has authority over the names on the plate Ruol Agh Togris. But my name is now marked in red, and that tells everyone devoted that I betrayed the clan, that I am no longer one of them. As soon as I die - my name will be absorbed and replaced. Some say that the plate is the forgotten ancient god, and that he eats the souls of dead Warriors, those whose names are engraved on the polished stone Ruol Agh Togris. Before, I would have taken off the head of anyone who dared utter such blasphemous words, but now, I myself am one of those who fell into doubt, and lost her faith.”

  “And where is this plate?” It was not that I suddenly fell into a bout of historical fever, but that I had learned one rule a long time ago - if an important "local" starts to pour out her soul, you have to play along carefully and listen gratefully, because this chance may not come again. Besides, I was not in a rush— my whole team had gone to collect some things desired by Bom. The wolf was absent, the daughter too, gone fishing, and I was completely free ....

  “No one knows exactly,” said Alishana, returning the empty box of sweets to me. “Do you have more Turkish Delight?”

  “No, but ... there are sunflower seeds and pickled mushrooms - they’re good, not poisoned!”

  “Give them!”

  And lo and behold, the pregnant killer beauty began to eat the seeds and threw the pickled mushrooms into the air, catching them with the tip of an extremely narrow blade with a hook at the tip. It was such a cinematic experience— the sword reminded me of an instrument used to

  pick the brains out of mummified bodies. Looks like the tastes of pregnant women were changing in not only the real world, but also the virtual. My stomach would have been ruined by such a combination.

  “But legend says that the clan of the Dead Sands brought it with them after their initial expulsion. The slate itself was so large that it was carried on a wagon pulled hundreds, who barely managed to save it. I am sure that part is true, because the rumor is confirmed by the historical chronicles of the ancient city known to you under the name of Algora.”

  “Dragged the plate across the city?”

  “Dragged it out of the city, to its northern gates. They turned out to be closed, because the mages of Algora desired to take the sacred Ruol Agh Togris for themselves, since it was considered an extremely powerful artifact. At the northern gate, a battle broke out, and many soldiers were killed, by the hundreds. Part of Algora was destroyed, but the clan managed to open the gate, leaving the flaming ruins. The remaining daredevils covered their retreat and killed the king who ruled Algora then, as well as the head of the Mages Guild. Since then, began a centuries-old hatred - with military campaigns, attacks on convoys, and sent assassins.

  These seeds are delicious…”

  “Eat for your health. Alishana, you said out of the city, because your ancestors entered it, right? Entered through the southern gate?”

  “I do not know. I am telling you what is written in our historical chronicles. I tell out of gratitude for preventing the Black Baroness finding me, for your silence, and for catching the one who poisoned my father. But the chronicles say - we came out of Algora, and it was the second step in our long journey to the northern red-hot desert, which became our new homeland.”

  “And where the path begin?”

  “The city of Algora.”

  “No, you said this was the second step. But what about the first?”

  “That I do not know.”

  “Well, how about the place? Do you know the place in town from which the second step started? From the street? The neighborhood? Someone’s home?”

  “From under the ground,” said she, a most unexpected answer that made me fall into a stupor.

  “From under the ground?”

  “From under the ground.”

  “That is - from under Algora?”

  “Yes, from under Algora. The ancient scrolls of the leather desert worm stated that the Clan was walking forth for a long time along a wide underground corridor, whose walls were made of red and yellow stone. When they finally thought they would never see dawn again, before them appeared a bright light, and then the procession was outside. Following the words of the prophecy, the clan moved north and soon were looking at the northern gate, locked in front of them. Next stepped in the gray-haired battlemages, demanding us to leave the sacred plate. But, as it turned out, the mages of Algora never before had faced a clan of warriors, and greatly underestimated my ancestors. Now you know.”

  “Yes,” I said. “Then you fought your way through and went to distant hot deserts. It became your second home. Do you know anything else, Alishana?”

  “About the customs of my people?”

  “No, about the underground passage.”

  “Nothing except a few lines written in the margins of an old scroll, stating something incomprehensible.”

  “And what do they say?”

  “Hmm ... that was a long time ago. These mushrooms are tasty ... I will try to remember. Circling up the steps of Exodus, we are marching up and up, and we meet the soul, the souls, hundreds of souls rushing down …."

  “Be so kind, Alishana,” I said at once, dry-lipped. “Be so kind, and repeat the poem again. I would like to record it.

  “Circling the stairs of the Exodus, we are marching up and up, and we meet the soul, the souls, we meet hundreds of souls rushing down ….That's all I know, stranger. Consider it my thanks for the news and the entertainment. In response, I ask one thing - do not disturb the rest of my father. Now he will not hear your call, and will not come. I do not know why, but I do know this for sure.”

  “Alright,” I did not hesitate to answer. “I am not going to bother him.””

  “Then go.”

  “But I still have a lot of questions for you!”

  “I am not going to answer them. You stir up the past and bring me pain… Go, stranger, and never again appear here.”

  “A last question!”

  “What?”

  “What god do you worship?”

  “Our Gods were long gone, they left many years ago, leaving us to fend for ourselves. It caused the exile from our native land. According to legend, the Guardians, chief servants of the gods, the inhabitants of temples and cities, our defenders, suddenly went crazy and started killing us by the dozens, howling demons slicing people up with their rays, incinerating streams of light and fire, freezing streets with fierce cold, filling villages with sizzling lightning. Our ancestors did not manage to fight the Guardians, and there was only one-way out - to escape. Now go away, stranger, we are finished here. I finished the seeds and mushrooms, and now I want to pray and return t
o my husband. I still have to cook the soup ….”"

  “Then I will go. Soup is sacred,” I nodded. “I will never show you your ring again. And I am sorry for bothering you. But who knew you’d be here? Alishana, you mentioned you saw a Guardian in the shape of a star with five rays?”

  “Yes, like a star. Now please leave!”

  “Good luck to you and your child, and your husband. Goodbye!”

  I went to Lagenbrok. Not for long. In this German-style town, I could eat a couple of hot dogs smeared with mustard, some potatoes, and take a drink of beer. And gather my thoughts.

  I walked to a nearby restaurant and plopped down on a chair. A beautiful blonde waitress instantly came to me and I pointed in silence at a pitcher of beer at a nearby table. Then I pointed at the plate of sausages and its neighboring plate of potatoes. She gave me an understanding smile and brought me both... well, that was another plus in Valdira— a hangover was not a threat.

  I continued to think about the Guardian mentioned by Alishana.

  The guardians, servants of the gods departed, were flying five pointed stars.

  These were the so-called Guardians of the Ancients. They are considered extremely powerful, resistant to any kind of damage — pretty much immortal.

  One of the Guardians once flew from somewhere under the bridge in Algora, and began to battle. This was a shock to everyone, including the Amreetas.

  I do not know why, but my thoughts insistently spun around this— Angora could be under Algora. Death underneath life. Was it not symbolic? Life over Death— just as good.

  But this was only a guess - and I was willing to bet that there was only a very small probability that I was the first who got this information about the City of the Dead and the Exodus stairs. I was not the most meticulous and inquisitive player in all Valdivia. There were probably even those who were lucky enough to get the information by accident. And the thing about the Baroness being drowned in wastewater…

  Pretty waitress brought a mug of beer and stared at me in surprise — my face was contorted noticeably with suppressed laughter.