The Forbidden Library

by David Alastair Hayden

  “Where’d you learn all that?” Zaiporo asked.

  “We covered cold weather survival in my qengai training, in case I ever have a mission to the mountains in winter. A qengai must prepare for all possibilities.”

  “We’ll take an extra break each day to walk around,” Narbenu said. “I forget you’re not adapted to the cold like we are. Rotate your feet as you ride. It helps.”

  “If we have to take time every day to walk and hunt,” said Enashoma, “won’t the yomon catch up to us?”

  “I think they’ll have to hunt as well,” said Kemsu.

  “Maybe,” said Turesobei, “but I’m certain they have much more endurance than us and can probably run through much of the night. I’ll summon the moon mirrors so we can ride an extra hour or two. That’s all we can do. Truthfully, I’m not even certain the yomon do eat. They’re sort of like Kaiaru and sort of like demons.”

  “They eat,” said Narbenu. “Though whether for pleasure or out of necessity, I don’t know. I’m sure the witch must eat, though, right?”

  Turesobei hoped so, but he wasn’t sure what Awasa was capable of now. “At least we have mounts. We should be faster than them.”

  *****

  The third morning passed without any sign of game. They crested a long, low hill and before them stretched another expanse of endless ice in all directions, though to the northeast was a blotch that Narbenu claimed was the outer buildings of another goronku village.

  As they traveled, Turesobei rode beside Iniru as much as he could. It wasn’t that he was tired of Kurine. He was just tired of the endless questions about his life in Okoro. And he missed Iniru. Despite rescuing her, he still hadn’t had a chance to spend much time with her. His excuse to Kurine was that he had to let Zaiporo talk to Enashoma, and that his sister would miss him. He doubted she bought it.

  Whenever Iniru became relaxed or grew tired, she’d start to forget that she was mad at him and relax. She would tease him or exchange barbs with Lu Bei. They would laugh about parts of their adventure together in Wakaro, fighting the Storm Cult and trekking through the rainforest, and they would have long discussions about magic and fighting. But whenever Iniru remembered Kurine, she’d stop talking and cast dirty looks at him.

  Kemsu, when he wasn’t riding point, would ride nearby and try to butt into their conversations. Kurine never did that. He wasn’t even sure if she was listening. Sometimes, though, she would speak to Motekeru or the hounds who rode with her in their makeshift saddle. Turesobei felt guilty for cutting her out.

  “Sobei,” Enashoma asked late that afternoon, “do you think Aikonshi and Hakamoro are okay?”

  “Tough as they are, I’m sure they got down from the mountain with no problem. They’re survivors. And if I missed any yomon, I’m sure they’ll track them down and find a way to get rid of them.”

  “I wish they were with us now,” Enashoma said. “We sure could use their help.”

  “I’m glad they’re not here,” Turesobei replied. “They’re where they belong. I just wish I could say that for all of you. I wish I hadn’t drug you in with the storm winds.”

  “You did what you had to,” Zaiporo said. “Not like you had a lot of control over the dragon.”

  “I barely had any control.”

  “Are you still having nightmares about the dragon?” Iniru asked.

  “No,” he responded.

  She gave him a dubious look. “Liar.”

  “Well, they’re not as bad now. They’re back to the level they were at before we set off to rescue you from the lair.”

  Visions of the huge shadowed monster with the flaming eyes had mostly replaced his nightmares of the Storm Dragon, but there was no way he’d tell them about that. He didn’t want to worry them.

  *****

  Turesobei scanned their surroundings with the spell of sensing presences as soon as he woke up each morning and again at lunch, dusk, and just before going to bed. On the fourth morning he got a hit — a feeling, a knowing that something was out there, and in this case exactly what it was and how far away.

  “I’m picking up a reitsu following us. He’s at the edge of my range. Hard to detect. His energy signature closely matches the ice. If I hadn’t come into contact with one, I’d have never noticed him. But it seems to be just the one and he’s keeping his distance.”

  “I don’t get it,” Zaiporo said. “What’re they planning? What’s he going to accomplish by tracking us? His comrades won’t be able to catch up or find him.”

  “Could be an assassin,” Iniru suggested.

  “The reitsu have a weak psychic link with others of their kind, even over great distances,” Narbenu said. “So they’ll be able to follow him if they come in roughly the same direction and aren’t so far behind they lose contact. I know they want revenge, but as to what they’re planning, I have no idea. They know they can’t take out Motekeru easily.”

  They stopped a few leagues from a goronku village. Narbenu rode in to let the people know about the yomon heading this way. Kemsu invited Iniru to scout around with him to search for game.

  “I don’t know,” Iniru said, “maybe we should all stick together.”

  Kurine grabbed Turesobei’s arm. “Why don’t we take a short walk? Just you and me.”

  “You know what?” Iniru said. “I think I will scout around with you, Kemsu.”

  As the two of them rode off, Turesobei said, “Can you believe that? What does she see in him?”

  “Who cares?” Kurine said, perplexed.

  “I don’t know what she sees,” Zaiporo said, “but I don’t blame him.“

  Lu Bei, who had been flying around, zipped in front of Zaiporo. “Lady Shoma, do you want me to claw his eyes out?”

  “What!?” Zaiporo said. He turned to Enashoma. “Did — Did I do something wrong?”

  “Did you do something wrong?” she asked. “Idiot. You’ve been hanging around Sobei too much.”

  “Hey!” Turesobei said.

  “Don’t claw his eyes out, Lu Bei,” Enashoma said. “Not yet.” She stalked over and played with the hounds who had taken well to the terrain. They seemed to enjoy running and sliding on the ice and snow.

  Motekeru shook his head and said nothing. Lu Bei turned back into a book. Kurine tugged at Turesobei, so he walked with her, leaving Zaiporo on his own to figure out what he’d done wrong.

  “Look,” Kurine said, “I know you don’t love me. No, shush. Let me finish. I know you don’t love me. And you probably think I’m rash for choosing you without us really knowing each other.”

  “Yeah, honestly, I kind of do think that.”

  “Well, it was rash. I admit it. But you’re cute and smart and … different. You’re the most exciting thing to happen here in ages. Goronku life … it’s pretty much the same, year in and year out, generation after generation. And then I saw you. And you flirted with me —”

  “I did?”

  “And I knew you were interested in me.”

  “I was?”

  “And so I went for it. I knew suddenly that my life could be special. That it didn’t have to be predictable and I could be someone special, too.”

  “You already are someone special, Kurine. You’re incredibly talented.”

  “Just like my mother and my grandmother and my great-grandmother? I knew you could change everything for me, maybe even all the goronku people. And since I did find you attractive, it was worth the gamble. The only other boy I’d ever been interested in … It just wasn’t meant to be. It never could be. And I’m sorry about the kiss. I tried to be fair by asking you.”

  “I thought I’d embarrass you if I said no.”

  “You would’ve, but I’d have been okay. I’m tough. And it’s not the end of the world if a kiss gets refused. It happens. I never stopped to think that in your culture a public kiss might not mean the same thing. And now …”

  “We’re stuck together because of society and the rules. Hey, it’s not my first time. My
first betrothed, the witch chasing us … my marriage to her was arranged by our parents when I was only three years old. I had no choice.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “Your way is better than that, for certain.”

  “Iniru,” Kurine said. “I know you like her. Maybe you love her. I watch you with her, riding beside her as much as you can, talking and laughing, enjoying each other’s company. But tell me, what does she offer that I don’t? I’m pretty, too.”

  “You are.” And it was true.

  “I’m witty. Maybe I don’t have all her exciting skills, but she’s a killer, a trained assassin. That doesn’t bother you?”

  “Well … I never really thought about it that way.” He had grown accustomed to not questioning how the Sacred Codex of the qengai worked, and it was easy to forget that Iniru was an assassin when she had never killed anyone except in self-defense, at least as far as he knew, and she hadn’t been able to kill the Winter Child. “What she does, it’s to bring about a greater good.”

  Kurine cocked an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

  “Honest.”

  “Sobei, give me a chance. That’s all I ask. Let me earn your love. We are betrothed. I can make you happy.” She stroked a finger along his lips. “Please.” She stepped in until their bodies were touching. “Pretty please …” She kissed him.

  Maybe Lu Bei should gouge my eyes out, he thought as he said, “I promise I’ll give you a chance, Kurine. But Iniru is my friend. I risked everything to save her. You have to be nice to her. You must be her friend as well.”

  Kurine frowned, pouted, then sighed. “If that’s what it takes. Come on, we’d better head back.”

  Minutes after they returned, Kemsu and Iniru rode in carrying four rabbit-like creatures they’d killed.

  “Not much around here,” Kemsu said. “This area is over-hunted being so close to a village. But we got dinner. The real way. Didn’t even need magic.”

  Iniru snorted and dismounted.

  Zaiporo skinned and butchered the creatures. Narbenu returned, carrying a block of cheese the village had given him in appreciation for the warning. They ate some of the cheese along with the raw meat. Turesobei hated it. The taste wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t good either and the meat was tough and difficult to chew, though the goronku and Iniru, with their sharper teeth, made quick work of it.

  “You know,” Iniru said to Enashoma, “your hair has really grown out. I like it.”

  Enashoma turned away from her. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

  “What — What did I do?” Iniru asked.

  “It’s … nothing,” Enashoma said. “I’m just not in the mood for chatter.”

  Iniru turned to Turesobei. “Sobei?”

  “What?” he snapped miserably.

  “Oh fine,” Iniru said. “Never mind.”

  “The cold,” said Motekeru, and it was the first thing he’d said all day, “is getting to all of you. Maybe you should try silence for a while. You might learn to like it.”

  *****

  Three more days of riding, eating rations and some raw game, and three more nights spent in freezing snowhouses had everyone’s tempers flared. Except Narbenu who was so used to these conditions as a scout that it didn’t faze him. In fact, he enjoyed it. They were now out in the true wilderness, far away from most settlements. It was an unusual route to take, and more dangerous, but it was the most direct route and they didn’t want to endanger any communities.

  Having just finished a late afternoon stretch and walkabout, Turesobei cast the spell of sensing presences. Their reitsu stalker didn’t appear, but Turesobei doubted he was gone. Probably he was just hanging further back. He did pick up something else.

  “There’s a beast northwest of us. Two hundred paces. I think it’s a sonoke.”

  “I don’t see anything,” Kemsu said. “Must be in a hollow, or maybe lying behind some rocks.” Gullies and rocks had become increasingly common over the last day of riding. “But then it’s hard to see anything right now.”

  The sky was deeply overcast and a fine snow was misting down on them. The goronku considered this to be heavy weather. Upon Kemsu announcing it as such, everyone from Okoro laughed, especially Iniru who had grown up in a rainforest.

  “Only one?” Narbenu asked. “You sure?”

  “He’s on the outside of my range, but I think so. Why?”

  “They’re herd animals. Small herds, usually. Not common to find one alone this time of the year, but it may have gotten lost or injured. Kemsu, you and Iniru go after it. We could use the meat. If we all go we’ll be more likely to scare it off. Everyone else, walk around and stretch.”

  “What about you?” Kemsu asked.

  “I have … business … to attend to.”

  Enashoma dismounted. “Won’t killing a wild sonoke disturb our mounts?” she asked.

  “Never bothers them,” Narbenu responded. “The wild ones are a different strain. Savage, too, so you have to be careful around them.”

  “Should I go and calm it with a spell?” Turesobei asked.

  “I think Iniru and I can handle this,” Kemsu said.

  Kemsu and Iniru drew their spears and rode off. A lot of time passed. Enough that Turesobei grew concerned. When Narbenu began to fidget, Turesobei cast the spell again, putting more power into it than before.

  “I think they must have just killed the sonoke. Its energy is fading. They’re farther away than I expected though. Must have had to chase — Oh no!”

  “What’s wrong?” asked Narbenu.

  “I’m sensing more sonoke coming toward them.”

  Narbenu drew his spear. “How many?”

  “Hard to know exactly but … dozens. Thirty, maybe forty of them. Moving in on them fast.”

  Enashoma climbed up onto the saddle with Motekeru.

  “We have to get to them and warn them.” Narbenu kicked the flanks of his sonoke. “And fast.”

  Lu Bei popped out. “I’ll stay as far ahead as I can, master, to warn them as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll keep my spell up so I can judge their location.”

  “As soon as we alert them, we’ve got to get away from the sonoke herd,” Narbenu said. “Packs that large are rare and incredibly deadly. If they smell the blood of one of their own slain, they’ll go into a frenzy.”

  Chapter 25

  Having been alerted in advance by Lu Bei flying ahead screeching warnings, Iniru and Kemsu appeared over a ridge, racing their mounts at full speed. Wild sonoke were charging after them, two ahead of the pack were closing in fast. As they joined Turesobei and the others, the two pack leaders surged forward, going much faster than their tame sonoke mounts could. Probably because the wild sonoke didn’t have saddles, supplies, and riders to weigh them down.

  The wild sonoke were different in appearance. Their fur was rust-tinged instead of gray-tinged. Their horns were larger, their fangs longer. Narbenu twisted in his saddle and jabbed at one with his spear, scoring a minor wound on its flank. The second beast tried to ram Kemsu, but his mount turned enough to dodge the blow. Iniru struck its tail, but that only angered it more. As it rounded on Kemsu again, Turesobei lunged with his spear, missing the beast entirely. But as his mount turned, Zaiporo got in a shot and stabbed the beast in the eye, causing it to fall back. The other wild sonoke attacked Motekeru. He dodged his mount out of the way then grabbed the wild sonoke by the horns and pulled it up off the ice far enough that he could reach in with the claws of his other hand and rip out its throat.

  Narbenu and Kemsu gaped at Motekeru in awe, but only for a moment. Dozens more of the wild sonoke were closing in.

  “We’re not going to get away!” Kemsu yelled.

  Turesobei tapped Zaiporo on the shoulder. “Switch places with me.”

  Carefully, while still riding, Zaiporo hopped ahead of Turesobei and took the reigns of the mount. It was a maneuver they had done before on denekon and it worked perfectly. Sitting backward in
the saddle to face the enemy, Turesobei quickly cast the first powerful, non-storm spell he could think of that might affect an entire herd chasing after them, the spell of the flame wall. It was a poor choice in this place, but since the creatures would be unaccustomed to fire, he hoped it would terrify them.

  A shroud of flame erupted between them and the wild sonoke. The beasts in the lead skidded to a halt and then backed away in terror. The flames flickered out and Turesobei sagged in the saddle. He’d had to use a lot of internal kenja to pull that spell off with a quick-casting.

  Lu Bei sped along beside him. “Didn’t work long, master!”

  “I knew the spell would fail quickly.”

  “I didn’t mean that. Look.”

  The wild sonoke had conquered their fear and renewed the chase, their frenzy unabated. At least it had bought them a little time. Surely the wild sonoke would tire eventually.

  “How good are their senses?” Turesobei asked. “If I magically summoned a cloud of fog, would it bother them much?”

  “They can hear us and smell us well enough,” Narbenu said. “I think we’d be at more of disadvantage than them.”

  They rode as fast as possible, but the wild sonoke gained on them steadily. Turesobei cast the spell of dark fire. A crackling, black and purple globe of fire appeared in his hand. He tossed it at the lead sonoke. It struck the beast, melted its face, and sent it tumbling, slowing several others. But it didn’t slow the herd

  “Wow,” Kemsu muttered. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

  “Turesobei …” Kurine muttered. “You … how …”

  “The bloodlust is in them strong now,” Narbenu said. “How many times can you do what you just did?”

  “Two or three, if I’m lucky,” Turesobei said, panting heavily. “There’s a limit unless I use the storm energy. And I may pass out if I keep at it.”