Blackstone (Book 2)

by Honor Raconteur

  The trail abruptly branched out into something that looked like a real road, and to one side stood a small building that could only be a guardhouse. Fei stopped abruptly in front of the house and put his right fist into his vertically held left palm before bowing to it. Then he said something in a language she had rarely heard spoken—his native tongue. “Weaso.”

  A man came out of the building, his dress and features similar to Fei’s, although he was a good ten years older, black hair thinning up top. He had a smile from ear to ear as he returned the bow and responded happily, “Teso! Anamiene, Man Fei Lei. Ketano?”

  “Deno.” Fei turned and gestured toward Siobhan, silently asking for her to move so that she stood at his side. She promptly obeyed the silent instruction and tried to copy what she had seen Fei do. It felt beyond awkward to bow like this, though. “Kana Siobhan Maley. Deepwoods banche to dega saio.”

  “Hooo.” The man responded, understanding in his voice.

  Siobhan was glad someone understood what was going on. She sure didn’t.

  “Lu-ren, may we speak like this?” Fei abruptly switched, his head inclined toward Siobhan. “None of them know Hanga.”

  “Of course,” Lei assured him before bowing to Siobhan, and the group behind her. “I am Lei Lu Gu, Guardsman of the Western Mountain. Also Fei-xian’s older cousin. I am pleased to meet you.”

  “Thank you.” Siobhan gave him a smile. Older cousin? No wonder they looked alike, then. “We are pleased to come and see Fei’s homeland. We do not wish to intrude where we are not welcome, however. We did not send advanced warning of our coming…” she trailed off invitingly.

  Lu shot his cousin a look that said that was not good etiquette on his part. “No wonder I had not been forewarned of your coming, then.”

  Fei spread his hands in an apologetic manner. “It is beyond difficult to send messages home.”

  “Yes, I grant you, that is so.” But, his expression added, you should have done it anyway. “Forgive me, Guildmaster, but I cannot let you pass here without permission from one of my superiors. Fei-xian, of course, can do so.”

  “He warned us that he would have to go ahead and get permission,” she assured him, seeing that he was somewhat upset that he couldn’t just let them pass. Maybe he felt rude for saying so. “It’s fine. We’ve walked for six hours straight now and would like to take a rest. We will do so here, if that is alright.”

  Lu looked relieved. “Of course. I have a kettle on, if you wish to have tea?”

  Anything to drink sounded heavenly just then. It had been quite the hike to get up here to this mountainous city. The back of her shirt was soaked with sweat. “We would be glad to have some, thank you.”

  Fei turned to her and said in an undertone, “This might take me about an hour. I have to hunt the right people down to explain.”

  Siobhan made a shooing motion. “Go. We’ll be fine.”

  With a nod, he spun on his heel and took off at a ground-eating lope.

  As soon as he was out of earshot, Siobhan turned back to the guardsman and asked, “Lu-gui, you’ve known Fei his entire life?”

  “Until he left,” Lu confirmed.

  “Well, if you wish,” she said with an innocence that didn’t fool a single person in her entire guild, “why don’t you sit and drink that tea with us? While we drink, we can share stories back and forth? I’m sure with you knowing him so many years, and me knowing him so many years, we’ve got some good ones to share.”

  Lu got a twinkle in his eye that spoke of mischief. “Indeed, that might be so, Siobhan-jia. Let me make some tea so that we may sit and talk.”

  “Poor Fei,” Sylvie muttered to no one in particular. “He’s never going to live anything down with these two around.”

  It took Fei a little longer than an hour to come back, and when he did return, it was not alone. Behind him were two stodgy-looking old men that had not seen their prime in some time. Both sported long white mustaches, thinning hair pulled up tight on the top of their heads, with multiple layers of shirts and jackets on. How they could be cold in this mild weather, Siobhan could not comprehend.

  She stood as they approached her, eyes on Fei, trying to convey the silent question, Can we come in?

  Fei gave her a discreet nod before he turned and introduced, “This is Bo Sei Jin, City Master. He is responsible for any visitors that come here.”

  “Rare as they are,” Bo Sei Jin remarked. If desert ground, filled with nothing but sand and cracks, could be given a voice, it would sound like his. “Greetings, Deepwoods Guild.”

  “And Saoleord’s historian, Kim Ra Im. Masters, this is Siobhan Maley, Guildmaster of Deepwoods.”

  In the hour that Fei had been gone, Siobhan had gotten some training from the cousin-guard, so this time she was more sure of herself as she put her hands together and bowed to them. “I am pleased to meet you.”

  Neither man smiled, but did give her looks of open approval for her good manners. “We are also pleased, Guildmaster Maley,” Bo Sei Jin responded. “You have traveled far to come here. Please, follow me. We have a house prepared for you.”

  A whole house? Just for them? For a place that didn’t see many visitors, they were strangely accommodating on short notice. “Thank you.”

  The historian fell into step with her as they all shouldered their packs and started after Bo Sei Jin. “May I call you Siobhan-jia?” he inquired.

  So far no one had asked permission, just called her what they deemed appropriate. Siobhan was somewhat taken aback by this question, but readily assured him, “You can call me what you wish. I answer to almost everything, these days. But how should I address you? Is Bo-zhi appropriate?”

  His eyes crinkled up in a silent smile, making them almost disappear in his face. “You have been well taught in our customs, I see. Yes, you are right, that would be the most appropriate way to call me. However, I am not the only historian of the Bo family, so referring to me in such a way would be confusing. Sei Jin-jia is perhaps a better choice.”

  Oh? If he was suggesting ‘jia’ then did that mean they were more or less the same in rank? Siobhan didn’t really know the class structure in this culture; she had gone higher in ranking on a random guess, just to avoid giving any offense. “I understand. Thank you.”

  “Man Fei Lei tells me that you have come with a request. It has been well over sixty years since the last time someone from the outside has requested anything of us. What do you seek here?”

  Now, how to respond to that? What had Fei told them, anyway, that she would be asked that question? “Knowledge, I suppose is the best answer. We seek forgotten history and advice from the keepers of that history.” Cocking her head, she said in confusion, “What did Fei tell you we came for?”

  “Help.” Those dark eyes were strangely penetrating, as if he were reading the answers to his true questions off the back of her skull. “He said that there were dangerous signs of trouble brewing in the continents and that you have all come here for help. He feels certain that something disastrous will happen soon.”

  Siobhan stared blindly ahead, almost missing it when they went from a dirt road to one paved with tightly-fitted stone. “Color me paranoid, but I believe he’s right. It’s why we came. And, if we are wrong, I do not feel that this will be a wasted trip. We’ll have seen a corner of the world few do and give Fei a chance to see his family.”

  He hummed in response. “We, too, are glad that you have come for that reason. We have missed the boy. I find it interesting to meet his guild, as well. I see that there are many foreigners mixed in your guild.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Two from Wynngaard, I think. One from Teherani. The others?”

  “One from Island Pass, three from Wynngaard, one from Teherani, one from Orin, and the rest from Robarge,” Siobhan corrected. “Of those, one is a scholar that is staying with my guild indefinitely and is beyond excited to be here. He’ll probably ask many…” she stumbled off as she finally got a good look beyond the trees
and saw for the first time the city around her.

  Stunning. Simply stunning.

  There was a valley in between the mountains, thick with trees and houses that seemed so intertwined that it was like the buildings grew up alongside. On the few places of open cliff face, walkways had been built. Each was carved into the rock face in an elaborate pattern, which let traffic flow freely. Stretched out at intervals were long cables that crossed the valley, going from one mountain to the other, and she watched as a large basket traveled along the line to the opposite side at a slow but steady pace. The basket, even though it was some distance from her and high overhead, looked large enough to put her entire guild into.

  The whole place was awash in bright hues, the colors so vivid that they drew in her attention so completely she found it difficult to look away. The scent, too, was stronger here as if the trees had masked the scents earlier. She felt like she had just stepped into a fantasy.

  How could Fei have left this place? How could he bear to?

  From behind her, Wolf let out a low whistle. “It’s quite the place.”

  “Understatement,” Markl disagreed, voice shaking slightly. “Great mercy, I’ve never seen the like of this before. How do those baskets work, going along the cables like that?”

  Siobhan rolled her eyes, amused. Of course that would be the first question he asked.

  Ra Im turned and answered, “We have a series of pulleys and lines that draw the baskets back and forth. They are necessary, as our work is done largely on one mountain, while we choose to live on another.”

  Interesting. Why the split in location? Was it to keep the smellier jobs, such as tanning, away from the houses? Keep the place smelling better? But that raised a good question. “Fei told us on the way here that there is a mountain that none of the women should go to. Which mountain is that?”

  Ra Im pointed directly ahead. “The third mountain you see in the distance. That is the one you must not go to. All other parts of Saoleord you are free to visit as you please. We have no restrictions here.”

  She almost blurted out Really?! Very few places in this world allowed such freedom. Even in Goldschmidt there were places that guildsmen were not supposed to go into.

  “Come,” Sei Jin encouraged them, moving forward once more.

  The road was not completely straight—it would have been quite the feat to do that on top of a mountain—but twisted and turned, going up and down as the land dictated. Sei Jin and Ra Im both pointed out places that became slick after a rainfall. Siobhan thanked them each time for their concern and smiled inwardly. Falling was a fear that all old people shared and they forgot that for the younger generation, it was not a danger to be truly concerned about.

  As they walked, she got a closer look at the buildings, since the road was obviously a main one that went through the mountain city. They were mostly wood (no surprise) with river stone used here and there as accents. They all had tall, sloping roofs that curved on the corners, trim painted in bright colors. Not once did she see a place in need of repair. Everything here was kept to a high standard, it seemed. From a distance, the place was visually captivating, but it was just as beautiful up close. That was not a feat that many cities could manage to pull off.

  Finally they turned off the main road and onto a smaller path that led directly to a large building painted in white and red. Even though it was in good shape, as everything else was, this place had an air of disuse hanging about it. Ah, the guest house? It looked more than large enough to accommodate eleven people.

  Sei Jin creaked to a stop before turning to face all of them. “There are separate quarters inside for men and women. I have requested fresh bedding to be put inside for your use, but I do not think it is here yet. Please, unpack first and refresh yourselves. I will send someone for you within the hour that will guide you to the main hall. There, you may give your formal request and tell us exactly what brought you here and what you wish from us.”

  Ohhh, so there was going to be some formality to this after all? She had been wondering, what with the way two prominent men came to fetch them. “I understand. We will be ready at that time.” She made plans to bend Fei’s ear as soon as these two had left.

  They each gave her a bow, which she returned, before they retreated back down the path and out of sight.

  “Nice place,” Rune commented, turning slowly in place so that he could get a full look. “But Fei, I thought ya said that ya don’t get many visitors up here.”

  “We don’t,” Fei responded, already moving toward the steps. “We have a dedicated caravan that comes up once a year and does trading with us. The house is for them.”

  Ah, now that made more sense. The building was certainly large enough to house a caravan. She took a better look at it as she approached. A large wrap-around porch on all sides, glass and wood doors that slid to the side instead of opening out, with wooden floors throughout that shone in a dull gleam. When she opened a door, she discovered that the inside had little furniture, mostly dressers with tables that sat low to the floor. Stacks of cushions were in the corners, which she assumed were for people to sit on, as there wasn’t a single chair to be seen.

  The place was designed so that if you opened all of the connecting doors, a person could see from one end of the house to the other without a problem. But her hosts had been right in saying that the women’s quarters were clearly distinct from the men’s. The women had mirrors, changing partitions, and colorful paintings on the walls that were all clearly feminine. The men had such things as well, but they were plain, and without any real decoration.

  Siobhan took advantage of one of those screens and changed into fresh clothes, tidying up her hair in the process by tying it up in a loose bun. The dogs seemed to find it fun to run back and forth between the men’s rooms and the women’s, keeping track of everyone as they learned the building. Returning to the main room, she found Fei and Wolf already seated at the table, although only Fei could manage to put his legs underneath. Wolf was too large to fit, so he had angled himself off to the side instead, one elbow on the table’s surface.

  Grabbing a cushion to sit on, she joined them. “Fei, do your people not believe in chairs?”

  “No,” he admitted, eyes darting to Wolf in open amusement. “After some time, you will become used to it.”

  Wolf snorted, clearly disagreeing.

  Well, sitting on the ground for a week or so wouldn’t kill him. Or her. “Fei, I need to talk to you about this meeting that will happen later.”

  “Of course.” His tone indicated he had expected her to say that.

  “But first, I must ask. Don’t you want to stay with your family while we’re here?” This had been worrying her off and on ever since he’d broached the idea of coming to Saoleord.

  Fei blinked. “May I?”

  Siobhan rolled her eyes to the heavens, praying for patience. “Yes, of course you can, you idiot. They haven’t seen you in years. We have permission to go anywhere we want in the city, don’t we? So it’s not like you have to serve as escort for us. Go, go.”

  He lit up in the brightest smile that she had ever seen from him. “Then, I will.”

  “Wait, guide me through the meeting first,” she added hastily, not wanting him to think that he could go right that minute. “Then you can go.”

  In a rare gesture, he openly chuckled. “Of course, Shiobhan-ajie. I would not let you go alone. You don’t even know where to go.”

  “Exactly,” she responded, relieved. “I’m glad you understand that. Now, what do I need to know about this meeting with your elders?”

  “You have met two of the men you will speak with already,” he answered calmly. “There is a council of five altogether. Sei Ja Na is the City Librarian. Every record we have is in her care, and she will be the one to convince to let us peruse the records.”

  From his description, Siobhan wasn’t sure if this woman would be difficult to convince or not. “Is she hard to deal with?”

/>   “At times. But I think if you can convince her that we seek knowledge not for our own ends, but to prevent great harm from befalling our city, that she will be more amiable.” Fei gave something that might have been a shrug. “She has denied requests in the past, but most of the time she grants them. Hyun Woo is the city general, and one of three master strategists that we have. He will have the most questions, I think. He is also one of the men that I hope to bring back with us.”

  “Yes, I remember you mentioning him before. Who’s the last person?”

  “Oh Jae Pyo. He is a…” Fei trailed off, brows furrowing briefly. “Hmm. I don’t know the right way to translate this. Commerce Expert? Main Merchant?”

  “Business advisor?” Markl offered, as he joined them at the table.

  Fei gave him a thankful nod. “Probably the best way to describe him. He will have no vested interest in our coming and will likely not say much. It’s the other four you must convince.” As an afterthought, he added, “Or at least that was the case when I was last home. They hold term for ten years. Assuming that no one has resigned or died unexpectedly, that should be the people that you will deal with.

  “Good luck,” Wolf offered to her.

  “Why am I the one doing the talking?” Siobhan whined to no one in particular. “Markl’s the one with the silver tongue!”

  “You’re the guildmaster,” Fei disagreed, although not unsympathetic. “They will not hear another person speak in your place.”

  Wonderful. “Markl, grab something to write with,” she ordered. “Help me come up a speech. I refuse to go in there unprepared.”

  Markl whipped out his handy-dandy notebook and opened it to a clean page in the very back. “Where do you want to start?”

  Rubbing at her forehead with her fingertips, she groaned. “Good question. Where do we start?”