The Forbidden Library

by David Alastair Hayden

  “He was their champion, you know. Best fighter they had. And I was trying to let him win without getting killed.”

  Iniru shrugged. “Well, I’d think some blocks would’ve helped that.”

  Enashoma leaned in and whispered, “She’s just giving you a hard time because of Kurine.”

  “It’s not fair,” Turesobei whispered back.

  “Nothing ever is,” she said, with a sigh as Zaiporo entered the circle nervously, eyeing Iniru with reverence.

  Zaiporo performed the same spear form Turesobei knew, though more competently than he could’ve done. Iniru stepped in when he was done and praised him.

  “It wasn’t that good,” he argued.

  “Don’t compare yourself to me, Zai. I’m a qengai. I did my first spear form when I was five years old. I trained ten hours every day of my life until I was sent out to help Turesobei. Fighting is all I’ve ever done. Now, let me give you some pointers.”

  She took the spear and began to demonstrate new techniques to Zaiporo and Kemsu who crowded in on her.

  “Well Iniru is certainly popular now,” Enashoma said.

  “Jealous?”

  “What about you, mister?”

  They both looked at each other and laughed.

  “Maybe we should be paying attention, too,” Turesobei said.

  “You’re right. We should. I only know the staff and some basics. Sure am glad Dad made them give me more lessons than the other girls. What about you?”

  “I’m not much in the mood for learning the finer points of spear combat,” he replied.

  “Sulking?”

  “I’ve earned the right, I think.”

  “If you say so.”

  When they took a break, Kemsu said he didn’t want to rest too long because Narbenu would want him back soon.

  “How is it you’re a slave?” Zaiporo asked. “No one else here is. And why aren’t you angry about it? I’d be furious all the time. I ran away because I wanted to be completely free and I had a lot more freedom than you.”

  “I’m paying a blood debt,” Kemsu said proudly. “My father killed Narbenu’s brother. My father didn’t face the repercussions. He ran. So I’m enslaved to the murdered man’s closest kin. That’s Narbenu. I’m doing what my father wouldn’t do. I’m doing what our laws demand. I’m doing what’s right.”

  “Will you be enslaved forever?” Zaiporo asked.

  “Until Narbenu releases me, but before he will do that I must serve him at least five years and prove myself worthy. I must do something noble and brave. I have served four already, but I haven’t had any good opportunities to prove myself. And though he may not seem it, Narbenu is a tough man. He will want to see something amazing out of me. He’s still angry about the murder. And as long as I’m a slave I can’t …” He looked away from Iniru. “I can’t marry or have a family. But the gods will favor me for doing what’s right. I know they will. And once I prove myself, I can do anything I want.”

  They returned to the forms and practiced a half hour more, trying to learn from Iniru as she got used to fighting in the heavy garments and worked to get back to full fighting strength.

  Narbenu arrived and said to Turesobei, “The full Council has gathered and they wish to see you as soon as possible.”

  Chapter 19

  Faded tapestries adorned the walls of the Council Chamber. Turesobei nervously paced along the walls scanning them. The stitching depicted battles, festivals, and religious processions. None bore any writing.

  “Narbenu, do your people read and write?”

  “The priestesses do, so they can maintain our record book. Why?”

  “I hadn’t seen any books since I arrived.”

  “Paper is rare and precious. We maintain oral histories and sing stories.”

  “So do we, though not as much as we did in the past. We read and write more now.”

  Seven cushions lined the far wall. Another cushion sat in the middle of the room. “Is this where I’ll sit when they arrive?”

  Narbenu nodded. “You should stand until they sit and bow when they enter.”

  “Am I in trouble?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Why haven’t I met with the Council before?”

  “You have met some members already. Eira and Sudorga. But the Council wasn’t complete until Trade Chief Tsuroko returned last night. Kurine’s dad.”

  Was Kurine’s dad angry about her betrothal to a foreigner from another race? That might explain the summons. A flicker of hope that they’d annul the engagement flickered through him. That would save him. Though it would probably leave Kurine shamed, which he didn’t want, and he and his companions kicked out into the cold with little to survive on and no knowledge of the land.

  “Narbenu, why are you here? You’re not in trouble because of me, are you?”

  “Not likely. I am here because I was your sponsor in admitting you to the village. Not every stranger gets the sort of hospitality you have been given.”

  Seven taps on a tinny drum announced the Council and the members entered the room from a doorway to the side: War Chief Sudorga, Shaman Eira, four goronku he didn’t know, and an enormous goronku he feared he’d soon know all too well.

  Turesobei bowed. The councilors took their seats. Kurine’s father, Tsuroko, thudded down onto his cushion, bones creaking. He was easily a head taller than War Chief Sudorga and bigger around by far. Scars marked his face, hands, and arms.

  “Please be seated, friend Chonda Turesobei,” War Chief Sudorga said.

  Turesobei sat. Narbenu knelt to the side and just behind him.

  “You already know Shaman Eira,” War Chief Sudorga said. He gestured to the others, each in turn. “This is Sun Priestess Oroki, Earth Priestess Faika, Herd Chief Boronaru, and Trade Chief Tsuroko.”

  Turesobei’s eyes skipped across them and landed on Tsuroko who showed no reaction to him. None whatsoever. Turesobei squirmed.

  “Respected elders, I hope that I have in no way offended you.”

  War Chief Sudorga glanced down the line to Tsuroko whose face remained as still as a statue’s. “You haven’t offended us. This is the first chance we’ve had for the full Council to meet since you arrived and we thought it was time to discuss your situation.”

  “My situation?” Turesobei asked.

  “You were in dire need of our assistance and we gave you hospitality,” said Earth Priestess Faika, “as the gods command us to do.”

  “But you have recovered from your injuries now,” added Sun Priestess Oroki, “and though you are trapped in this world with no place to call home, the time for mere hospitality alone has come to an end.”

  An image of him and his companions fighting to survive out on the ice, with Enashoma and Iniru freezing to death flashed through his mind. Turesobei restrained a wrench of panic in his gut and spoke with as even a voice as he could manage.

  “If it’s time for us to move on, I understand. You have given us so much and we have taken more than we had any right to ask for. Shelter, food, help in rescuing my companions, expensive clothing …”

  “You misunderstand us,” said Eira. “We are not kicking you out into the wild. We know you cannot handle that on your own.”

  Turesobei sighed with relief.

  “There is, however, a limit to the generosity we can freely provide,” said Herd Chief Boronaru. “We are not a wealthy people, though we are perhaps the most prosperous of goronku clans in this region.”

  “You are free to leave if you so desire,” said War Chief Sudorga. “But to remain you must —”

  “Pull my own weight?” Turesobei said.

  “Indeed,” said War Chief Sudorga.

  “With my power returning, I may be able to repay you somewhat with a bit of magic, but it won’t match what you’ve given me. We have little else to offer your people. We will have to move on.”

  Trade Chief Tsuroko walked across the room and hunched over Turesobei. Staring down at Turesobe
i with cold eyes, he dropped his hands, like mallets, onto Turesobei’s shoulders. The impact squashed him deep into the cushion. Turesobei swallowed hard and stammered out an incoherent apology, though what he was apologizing for he wasn’t certain. Actually, he was certain. He had stolen the man’s daughter without his permission. Only, she had stolen him, hadn’t she? Turesobei was confused.

  “Stay,” Tsuroko bellowed. “Stay and become one of us. Learn our ways, take on trades so that you might contribute to the community.” Tsuroko lifted Turesobei up by the shoulders. With a deep chuckle he added, “Stay, and I’ll be happy to call you my son.”

  After Tsuroko set him down, Turesobei bowed to him. “I would be most honored to stay and to … marry Kurine … sir. I would. But we must seek a way back our world. My people need me desperately. War is coming to our clan and without me there is no hope for victory. But if I can’t find a way home, I’d be happy to stay here and become one of you.” Not that he would have much of a choice. “But for the sake of my people, I must try to return home.”

  Anger flashed across Tsuroko’s face, but then he smiled warmly. “Well said, my boy. Well said. We must all do what is right in serving our people.”

  As Tsuroko returned to his seat, War Chief Sudorga asked, “Do you know of some way you might return?”

  Turesobei shook his head. “My plan is to seek out the Forbidden Library. If knowledge of a way to return to my world exists, surely it must be there.”

  “We know almost nothing about the library,” said Sun Priestess Oroki, “save that it lies on an island on the Glass Sea in the north.”

  “They say winged demons guard their knowledge jealously, sharing it with no one,” said Earth Priestess Faika. “Never do they venture out, which is good, for they are mightier than even the yomon.”

  Even if these were hardly credible legends, they were hammering Turesobei’s hopes. “I must try, though. And I’ve faced yomon and demons before.”

  “But the ice,” said Tsuroko. “That is a challenge you are not accustomed to. Unless you go the long way around, the trek to the shores of the Glass Sea is treacherous, taking you across the Central Wastes. And the sea itself … The clans of this region do not send caravans in that direction, though some peoples do send ships and caravans to and across the sea. I myself have never journeyed to the Glass Sea and I have been many places.”

  Tsuroko led their trade expeditions … across this world … no wonder he was battle scarred and huge.

  “To get there, you would need sonoke to ride,” said Tsuroko, thoughtfully scratching through his crudely-chopped beard. “You’d never make it there on foot. Supplies, of course. A guide and guards. Knowledge of how to survive on your own if it came to it.”

  “I could do it without guards,” said Turesobei. “I have Motekeru and the hounds, my spells and Iniru’s qengai skills. I would need a guide and supplies, but I have no way to pay for those things. I’d have to travel on my own.”

  “You would never make it without a guide,” Tsuroko said. “Trust me. This land is less hospitable than you think.”

  “It seems harsh to me now.”

  “You’ve only seen our little region,” said War Chief Sudorga. “This area is quite tame.”

  “And as I said before,” Herd Chief Boronaru commented, “we are not wealthy. We trade clothing for iron and herbs but otherwise we subsist on what we hunt and grow. You would need food and equipment, four mounts at least. A guide. All that would cost you a small fortune. Which you do not possess.”

  “But you could stay here and work to earn these things,” said Earth Priestess Faika. “If all of you worked hard for two or three years, we could give you what you would need.”

  “And you could travel part of the way along a trade expedition,” said Tsuroko.

  “Two years?!” Turesobei said, alarmed. “My people will need me desperately in four months, six at best.”

  “I am sorry,” said Eira. “We are all sorry. We cannot afford the extravagance it would take to fund your journey.”

  “Even if I returned what I didn’t use, should my journey fail?” Turesobei offered.

  Tsuroko frowned and shook his head. “My boy, the chances of you reaching the Forbidden Library, much less returning from it … That would be a poor deal for us. I’m sorry.”

  The fatigue he’d spent weeks recovering from rushed back into his soul. Turesobei sighed and hunched his shoulders. “I understand. And I can’t blame you. Out of kindness you have already given us much. Clothing and food. And we have given nothing in return.”

  “I wouldn’t say nothing.” Sun Priestess Oroki gestured toward a blank spot on the wall. “The story of you coming here, the boy from another world who was both a wizard and a dragon, shall be stitched upon cloth and hung here for all to see for centuries to come.”

  “To think that our modest village would host visitors from beyond the gate,” said Earth Priestess Faika, “is beyond anything we’d have imagined. So you have paid us some and kindness is expected by the gods.”

  “Tsuroko and I will discuss the specifics of what your journey would cost,” said Herd Chief Boronaru. “But keep in mind you will be eating and living here. You must earn your keep beyond that. But we would be generous and not seek to make any profit from you, only to recoup our expenses.”

  “With your magic,” said Eira, “I believe you can earn above your board and keep from us. But you will have to be patient. And you are fortunate, though we were not, that a plague three years ago cost us many lives and there are plenty of rooms to house you and much work that is needed to be done.”

  “We have a shortage of able workers,” said Boronaru.

  “Then I will do what I can to pay you for what I need,” said Turesobei dully, knowing the Chonda Clan would be finished by the time he even reached the library.

  The Council stood and War Chief Sudorga said, “You and your companions are welcome to stay here as long as you like, provided your adhere to our laws, simple as they are. We name you honorary members of Clan Aikora. And if you take the pledge you can become members in full and be one with us.”

  Turesobei bowed. “Thank you, councillors.”

  After they exited, Narbenu patted Turesobei on the back of the head. “You okay, lad?”

  “Yeah, I mean … yeah.”

  “Their offer was fair.”

  “I know,” Turesobei replied. “But life is not. I know because it keeps proving it to me.”

  *****

  Turesobei gathered his companions in Motekeru’s room and told them what the Council had said.

  “I can’t see any other way,” he told them. “I’m sorry. I’m so incredibly sorry.”

  Enashoma wiped a few tears away and nodded. Zaiporo hugged her. Tears welled in his own eyes, but he bravely held them in check.

  Iniru’s face was perfectly expressionless. “At least we saved the world.”

  “Not that anyone will know,” Turesobei said. “My people probably think I’m a coward, or worse, a traitor.”

  “Hasuferu went to your grandfather,” Lu Bei said. “Kahenan will know. He will tell the others if he must. And it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks you are. You saved all Okoro.”

  “Is this part of my grand destiny that you returned for, Lu Bei?”

  “Master, I arrived too early. For what reason that happened, I do not know. I may never know. The things that happen now are not things I expected.”

  “We’ll have to learn to live here,” Turesobei said. “I mean, we knew we were probably stuck here. And we can save up for the trip. But I promise, we will get to the library eventually and, if there’s a way, I will get us all home.”

  “You mustn’t lose hope,” Lu Bei said. “I believe you will all return to Okoro … in time.”

  “I can do heavy labor to help earn our way,” said Motekeru. “A lot of it. And I can stand guard for them. I do not tire. I will do whatever I can for you, master.”

  “Master?” s
aid Turesobei. “Are you sure you wish to call me that still? You weren’t too happy being called back. And I forced you to obey me and got you trapped in everlasting winter. I mean … you don’t have to call me master anymore. It’s not necessary.”

  “Well, I didn’t like you … Chonda Lu … much. And I’m not happy about being back or trapped here. But I respect you, master. I like you better than … him.” Motekeru turned to Lu Bei. “I think we all do.”

  Lu Bei nodded. “I don’t often agree with Motekeru, but I do on this.”

  After a few minutes of everyone sitting in depressed silence, Zaiporo said, “So we all need jobs? I’ve been a guard before. I can do that again. I can help with butchering too, maybe.”

  “I can sew,” Enashoma said. “That seems important to their trade, though I’ll have to learn how they do it.”

  “I can hunt, guard, and scout,” Iniru said.

  “When I’m well enough, I can cast spells and draw some sigils for them,” said Turesobei. “There are things I can do that will more than earn our keep. We’ll work hard. Hard enough that it won’t take two years. Maybe a year. Maybe just six months. We’ll do our best.”

  “What about Kurine?” said Iniru bitterly. “Won’t she be a problem if we’re stuck here that long? You can only put her off for so long.”

  “Oh, it would certainly be a problem,” Turesobei muttered. “Her father is on the Council. He’s enormous, intimidating, threatening, and he seems to like me and wants me to stay. Breaking her heart would be incredibly dangerous. I’m sure of that.”

  Chapter 20

  Shaman Eira entered the room and sat across from Turesobei.

  He lifted his still-broken arm. “I thought you might want to witness healing magic.”

  She bobbed her head. “Yes, please. While my eyes can still behold such a sight.”

  “I’m casting the spell of winter healing. With all the ice, wind, and water energy in this world the effect will be powerful. Normally I’d use the spell of summer healing instead.”