by Robert Adams
“I will meet with you and your son,” agreed the Eldest “But if you bring even the one true-man, none of you will ever see me or mine again.”
“Oh, all right,” said the Fowler a little peevishly. “My son and I will come back along this trail. When you are sure that we are indeed alone, with no true-men close behind, you can show yourself or bespeak me and we will come to you. Is that plan easeful to your mind, Old One?”
That first meeting had been just after dawn. It was almost noon before one of the sons of the Eldest beamed back that the stranger Teenéhdjook and his half-breed son were loping back along the trail, alone and followed by no creatures be could see or smell or sense the minds of. Nonetheless, the Eldest let the two proceed nearly a mile more before he stepped onto the trail before them, leaving a son and a grandson concealed in the fringes of the forest, each of them aimed with several bone-tipped darts.
After that meeting, there were many others, some with the Fowler, alone, others with hin and various of his brothers, sisters and their get, finally with a mixed group of the Teenéhdjook. Kleesahk and two of the big Ganik women who were either mates or mothers of the others of the party. This last group the Fowler persuaded the Eldest to conduct to his well concealed campsite. There were other group meetings after that one; Kuhmbuhluhner Teenéhdjook and Kleesahk went with the sons and grandsons of the Eldest to hunt, while the Ganik women foraged beside the females of the other species; then all sat or hunkered side by side to feast about the fires then all slept through the frigid night, huddled together under the furs inside the snug shelters deep in the forest.
It was not until the first soft-green shoots were pushing up through the last remnants of the last snows of the dying winter that the Eldest finally consented to a meeting with true-man Kuhmbuhluhners. Two of these men came, accompanied by the Fowler, one of his brothers and two of his Kleesahk sons, all four now very familiar to the Eldest.
Cautious until the very end, the Eldest insisted that this momentous meeting take place many miles from the campsite, and although he appeared alone, he and those with whom be met were under constant observation by his sons and grandsons, all well armed with darts and ready slings.
The Eldest recognized one of the men who rode into the clearing as him who had led the tree-cutting party of which the Fowler had been a part on the late-autumn day they had first met and mindspoken. The short, broad Duke Fillip rode beside and a little behind his human companion — a man who looked and smelled much like him, though taller and even broader. Both men’s bared heads were crowned with shocks of hair only a few shades lighter than the dark-red hide of the duke’s big horse, both were of a weathered-ruddy complexion and both had bushy brows over blue-green eyes. The bigger man was, of course, Byruhn III, King of New Kuhmbuhluhn.
“Lord prince,” said old Elmuh, “the lord champion now has heard all up to the first meeting of my grandfather with his highness King Byruhn III. Shall I continue?”
“No, Elmuh, thank you. I shall take up the tale. Return to your meal,” the prince said and nodded graciously.
“Know you, Cousin Bili,” Byruhn began, “that before the arrival of the family of Elmuh’s grandsire, Teenéhdjook owned far fewer powers than now they do. Before even the Kuhmbuhluhners came down from the north, those early Teenéhdjook and Kleesahk — for they had been interbreeding with the big Ganiks for years — had aided the true-men to massacre and drive out the great warparty of Ahrmehnee and Moon Maidens who invaded from the east. But no sooner was that crisis done than the savage small Ganiks turned on their erstwhile allies so viciously and in such numbers that these less warlike ones found it necessary to find and fortify a glen much like this one. They were living there, under intermittent siege, when my great-grandfather and his folk arrived and, making common cause with them, used their superior arms and war skills and bigger horses to drive the small Ganiks back to whence they had come.
“King Mahrtuhn and his folk found the Teenéhdjook priceless in the work of building. Each of them had the strength of many full-grown men, of course, but more, they were more agile than most men and had no slightest fear of heights. Despite the seeming clumsiness of their huge hands and thick fingers, they were capable of doing very delicate work in wood or stone and many another medium, while their differently structured eyes could easily see smaller things or objects much farther away than could your average true-man.
“Also, this acute vision and their well-developed sense of smell made them superlative hunters, even better when once they were taught the use of the bow and the spear-throwing stick. And they knew every edible wild plant in these mountains and glens. They it was who kept my forebear, and the other folk fed until land could be cleared and crops planted and reaped.
“But the Teenéhdjook were a dying breed until the arrival of Elmuh’s grandfather’s family, for those Teenéhdjook we found here had but two pureblood females still living, and one of them too old to breed. This was the original reason why the Teenéhdjook males had bred with the big Ganik women. But — as Elmuh earlier told you — such hybrids are almost always sterile, as mules are, and they uniformly lack the full size and strength of a full Teenéhdjook, nor do they ever live as long.
“King Mahrtuhn and his sons and retainers were quick to recognize and appreciate the value of these large, strong, vastly talented, but inherently gentle and retiring creatures. Very soon after the arrival of my forebears, all of these outsized beings were placed under royal protection, they were honored and privileged subjects, only required to perform such tasks or labors as it pleased them to do. They would have made fearsome fighters in the battle line, but as the most of them loathe warfare and will kill only for food or in final defense of themselves or their families, King Mahrtuhn exempted them from weapons training or war drills. The royal foresters it was who taught the big ones the use of bow and spear-thrower, and then only in the context of the hunting of game animals.
“Being what they are — in many ways, especially moral ones, they are far superior to most true-men — the Teenéhdjook and Kleesahk never tried to take unfair advantage of the great respect borne for them by King Mahrtuhn and the Kuhmbuhluhners; rather did they conceive a sincere love for these first humans of normal stature who had ever proffered them true friendship in a span of time known by the hills alone.
“Rather did they come to respect and revere these true-men who treated them as large but praiseworthy men like themselves, not as huge, potentially dangerous animals.
“Especially did they come to revere King Mahrtuhn. No one had realized the depth of their devotion and adoration of him until his death, when they all joined to give his husk a truly magnificent resting place — carving a tomb out of the living rock of what has since been called King’s Rest Mountain.
“But with their grieving done, they did not hesitate to transfer the full measure of their love, allegiance and unswerving loyalty to his sons — King Byruhn III and Duke Fillip, his younger brother — both of whom were telepaths. as too is King Byruhn’s only living son, my father, King Djahn. And the two royal brothers admired and respected their huge and mighty subjects in as full a measure as had their late father. So when the Fowler — who, being one of the very few fullblood Teenéhdjook still living in his group, was their Eldest or leader — notified the duke and the king of the presence of a large family of pure-strain Teenéhdjook camped in the northeastern reaches of New Kuhmbuhluhn, told of their natural terror of all true-men and suggested that, if granted time to patiently win them over, he could persuade them to settle permanently in the kingdom, my eager grandfather and great-uncle promptly pledged their full cooperation.
“Lumbering operations were shifted to another forest, and a string of watch posts linked by pony patrols was established to make certain that no true-men wandered into the designated area and alarmed the new family of Teenéhdjook. The Fowler was relieved of all other responsibilities for an indefinite time and given leave to choose whomever he wished whenever be wished
to accompany him on his visits to the new group.
“Only when the Fowler felt the time was right was a meeting arranged between the Eldest of these new Teenéhdjook and the royal brothers of New Kuhmbuhluhn. As agreed, they came without escort, save for the Fowler and his sons; hunters they rode, rather than destriers, and they were completely unarmed save only for their swords and dirks, so great and deep was their knowledge of the honorable and gentle ways of those they sought.
“That meeting was a complete and unqualified success. The Eldest of the new-come Teenéhdjook was allowed free and full access to the innermost recesses of the minds of both men, that he might know from the outset that all he had been told by the Fowler and his kind had been unembellished truth and that he and his family were not being lured into any manner of trap or ambush.
“Thus, young cousin, did Elmuh’s grandfather and his family take up open residence in, and become ever-loyal subjects of, the Kingdom of New Kuhmbuhluhn. But it was not until they had become settled and secure among the true-men — whose races had been their enemies and their very terror for uncounted ages — that the Eldest revealed to King Djahn the prophecies of the Eyeless Wise One which had directed them here.”
At that juncture, Rahksahnah asked, “But Prince Byruhn, if continue a pure strain of these Teenéhdjook, wished your grandfather, why allow did he interbreedings with these Ganiks to go on? Master Elmuh stated did that both his mother and his mate Ganiks were. Horses or kine you would not so carelessly permit to breed . . . at least, would not any Sane woman . . . or man.”
“Aye, my lady,” agreed Byruhn, nodding, “the breeding of domestic animals must be always controlled. But, my lady, the Teenéhdjook are not kine, nor any other type of beast. They are men, else there could never be any form of issue from their matings with Ganiks. Moreover, they are staunch and valuable subjects and, as such, are and should be free to take such mates as they fancy, within their own class, of course. Not all of the Teenéhdjook chose to mate with Ganiks or Kleesahk, not at the onset, at least. But some did — our Elmuh’s sire, among them. And we Kuhmbuhluhners were to later find ourselves glad that they had so done.
“Personally speaking, of course, I cannot imagine bedding a Ganik woman, ever; the small ones or the large, though the large Ganiks at least keep themselves cleaner than the small. Not only do most Ganiks attire themselves in ill-cured or even green hides, but because of one of their host of gods or devils — this one called Plooshuhn — they never bathe their filthy bodies from birth to death, and they all dress their hair with a foul concoction of rancid butter and their own or someone else’s urine.”
Recalling the unholy reek of that horde of shaggies he and his squadron had fought back on the plateau, Bili set his jaws solidly and fought to hold down his rising gorge. Such unnatural creatures as the prince was describing sounded to him more bestial than the very wild beasts themselves.
“My lord duke,” asked Lieutenant Brakit diffidently, “has this officer his lord’s permission to address his highness the prince?”
Despite his nausea, long self-discipline forced a smile to Bili’s lips to accompany his reply. “Of course you do. You’d not be dining up here at this table were you not nobly born.” Then he said to Byruhn, “My lord prince, Lieutenant of Freefighters Frehd Brakit is, as I mentioned earlier, a cadet of the House and County of Pruhzburk; as such, as you have just heard, he knows the proper forms, and he has a question, I would presume. Will my lord deign to hear him?”
“And good it falls on my ears, such decent, old-fashioned courtesy, sir duke. It is to your credit that you command and lead men of such noble antecedents and matchless manners.” His words were solemn and formal, but the smile he then turned upon Brakit was warm. “What would you of me, my fine Pruhzburker?”
At Bili’s brusque nod, the officer asked, “Possibly a foolish question, your highness. But, with such a total lack of personal hygiene, how do these Ganiks keep themselves free of parasites and maintain their health?”
“No foolish question that, young man,” said the prince, “rather, one clearly spawned from out the mind of a veteran and innovative field officer. My sincere compliments, Frehd of Prubzburk; your question and the manner in which it was couched have deepened still more my respect for you and your employer. When your contract with Duke Bili be done, you need seek no further than New Kuhmbuhluhn for another.
“In answer. They don’t. You’ll never find a still-living small Ganik not ahop with fleas and acrawl with lice, and with wormy guts, like as not, to boot. So few of their sickly children survive to adulthood that they were long since an extinct race, did they not all breed like voles in a summer pasture, or maggots in a cow-pat.
“The big Ganiks, though far and away cleaner in their persons and their habits, still are unattractive to me and to most other true-men, with their long, horsy faces and their big, overprominent beaver teeth. The most petite of their women still will stand, barefoot, some foot taller than I; but they all — both men and women, if of full Ganik blood — are poorly proportioned, being thin and gangly, with big heads set upon narrow shoulders. Their arms are shorter and their skinny legs much longer, proportionately, than in normal folk, their hips are right often broader than any other part of them, and the dugs of the women are but flopping, pendulous sacks.”
“Ugh!” Bili wrinkled his lips in distaste. “Why then are the Teenéhdjook males so fond of these big Ganiks?”
The prince shrugged. “In the beginning. I suppose that a good deal of the attraction was novelty; you see, the big Ganiks are almost hairless — that is, they have far less body hair than even true-men and true-women, much less Teenéhdjook — and a male Teenéhdjook can be every bit as randy as any man-at-arms you ever saw, although I’ll say in their defense that these Teeoéhdjook and the Kleesahk, most of them, habitually control themselves better than many true-men. Later on, they had no choice but to breed with the big Ganiks.
“You see, some years after Elmuh’s forebears settled here among us Kuhmbuhluhners, a deadly and most mysterious plague struck, affecting only the pure-strain Teenéhdjook, not either the Ganiks or the Kleesahk, This disease did to death the oldest and the youngest, mainly, but also all the gravid females . . . and unfortunately, all of the Teenéhdjook females of breeding age were carrying, at that time. Now there are no pure-blood Teenéhdjook that I know of in all of New Kuhmbuhluhn, alas. Some few who claim to be, have the size to be, are at the very best at least a quarter Ganik probably more, in truth.”
The prince had a long draft from his goblet, then said, “Cousin Bili, I’ll now be as blunt with you as you were with me this morning. You’ve heard, by now, about all that there is to know of my House, lands and peoples and the great and deadly problems that beset us all, but you have yet to set my mind to rest on certain facts concerning you and your rather heterogeneous following. So now you must tell me. Just how does a Confederation thoheeks come to be captaining a band composed of not only Ehleenee, Horseclansmen and burker Freefighters, but Ahrmehnee tribesmen and Moon Maidens, as well?”
Chapter XII
“Last spring,” Bili began, “I was summoned down from Harzburk, because my sire, Thoheeks Hwahruhn, had been taken quite ill and was feared to be near death; and die he did, very shortly after I had arrived in Morguhn. But, at the same time, I and most of my nobles were faced with a rebellion of certain disloyal nobles, bemused peasants and city commoners and a gaggle of blood thirsty priests and monks of the Ehleen Church.
“They sought to trap me and my loyalists in my capital city, Morguhnpolis, but with the timely assistance of some score and a half of Freefighter city guardsmen, we all managed to hack our way out and gain to my country seat, Morguhn Hall. This they shortly invested, of course, but it was a mere armed rabble they commanded, no army, and a single nighttime sortie so agitated and alarmed them that they began to hack each other in the dark and most had fled by a little after dawn.
“With all save a couple of my noblemen,
a few score Freefighters and the warriors of a small clan new-come from the Sea of Grass the Undying High Lord Milo and I hotly pursued the rebel bastards rode the cowardly scum down and slew some hundreds of then, on the road to Morguhnpolis.
“Halfway to my capital, my scratch force was augmented by several troops of Confederation light cavalry, lancers, mostly, and then we all rode on. But we found Morguhnpolis deserted. The rebel leaders had, realizing apparently that they could not hold the city, driven all the commoners out the west gate, then rebarred that gate and affected their own escape by way of a secret tunnel that led from a subcellar of the city palace to an old quarry some half a mile outside the walls. And while we took up pursuit of the mob of commoners along the west road, the mounted leaders together with a large contingent of rebels from the neighboring Duchy of Vawn — wherein the risings had succeeded — rode north into the Duchy of Skaht, then angled west into the Ahrmehnee lands before turning south and so gaining to Vawn. The Ahrmehnee warriors, Sacred Sun bless them, killed at least a third of the rebel poosteesee before they were done. Too bad they didn’t get them all . . . especially their leader, Vahrohneeskos Drehkos Daiviz of Morguhn!
“With the rebels holed up in or mustering around Vawnpolis, a large proportion of the Confederation Regulars quartered on the inhabitants of the trade city of the Duchy of Morguhn — Kehnooryos Deskahti, which had been firmly rebel and had had to be stormed by High Lord Milo’s infantry — and with me, the High Lady Aldora, my nobles and Freefighters and some hundreds of Confederation cavalry going through Morguhn like a dose of salts and scotching rebels wherever we found the bastards, the High Lord began to assemble the noblemen of the entire archduchy with their retainers and a vast horde of unemployed Freefighters in and around Morguhnpolis.
“When all had rallied, he left strong garrisons in both Kehnooryos Deskahti and Morguhnpolis, brought in a few specialist officers from the Confederation capital, marched the bulk of the regular foot over to Morguhnpolis, then set our column on the road to Vawnpolis. It should’ve been a short, easy advance, but thanks to that same bastard, Drehkos Daiviz of Morguhn, it was anything but! With a partly mounted force of rebels from Vawnpolis, the old devil harried us near every step of the way — raiding supply and reinforcement columns, picking off vanguards and flankers and stragglers whenever the opportunity presented itself, felling trees to block the trade road, polluting the water, sniping at the columns and at camp sentries. Finally, he and his full force ambushed the head of the column one afternoon. Although we beat oft the boy-buggers, we took heavy losses.
