After that, only a short time elapsed before the sound of small bodies striking the voller died away. No more sharp little beaks thrust their tips through the canvas armor. Now I could hear a constant cheep-cheep from the deck abaft the control position.
Faintly, muffled, a voice said: “They’ve gone!”
“Don’t take off your canvas, Rollo! Hold still!”
Just then he gave an almighty yell. I guessed what had happened.
“Wait, wait,” I shouted back.
Now I could open the canvas sufficiently to see properly. No more tiny birds fluttered into my face. The aisle between the trunks petered out and I selected a new course. Then I looked back onto the deck.
The canvas hump was Rollo. A fair number of little birds had become entangled and stuck there, fluttering away like crazy. Others hopped and fluttered about the deck. The moment they flew up high enough they were whisked away aft. Rollo had thrown off his canvas the moment the main attack had ceased and one of these little fellows had stuck him.
“All right, Rollo. Cautiously. And shield your eyes, just in case.”
The canvas hump moved as a sluggard moves on a Sunday morning. At last Rollo appeared, staring about, pale-faced.
I said: “Take a look aft, my lad.”
He looked.
After a little interval, in which the birds fluttered and flew off, he said: “I cannot feel sorry for Shanks, after what has been said of them, no, by Lingloh! All the same—”
“All the same, these little birds of Paz have defeated a force of Shanks.” This was true. The two flying pinnaces were moving erratically among the trees. One smashed full into a trunk, broke up, fell. Bodies tumbled from it. I wondered what the life here would make of a fresh fish diet.
The other pinnace curved down and went on down and vanished in the shadows of the floor among those gargantuan trunks.
“All praise to the Names!” breathed Rollo. He threw the canvas down and the last of the birds freed themselves. Those stuck in my canvas cleared off as well. We had the voller to ourselves.
“We can keep on south between the trees — until the trees stop.” I eyed Rollo. “Or we can try west out to sea, or up and over the forest.”
“The Shanks will be on the coast. We’ll have to fly south.”
I rather liked the way he’d said ‘fly’ so unaffectedly.
We had come through a nasty ordeal. Now we had to make the most of our chances. It would be necessary to keep an eye on Rollo in case he got the shakes. I had a shrewd idea he would not, since he regarded all this as a mere part of going adventuring. And, if he did, I had the equally shrewd idea he’d get over them sharpish.
The headlong onrush of the voller could now be eased. She cruised along sedately and there was an extraordinary amount of time to change course to avoid those solemn pillars rising to the green heavens.
Away to starboard the mingled rays of the Suns fell through a gap and made the intervening trunks dark bars, edged with color, the spaces between smoking with flittering life, hollow, fading away, on and on, into the tree-barred shadows of the distance.
Both Rollo and myself were impressed by these vistas of immensity concealed beneath a green canopy of leaves. The smell of the brellam forest remained with us in memory in after days, as I know. The many insects flittering in scintillating clouds contrasted with the tall solemnity of the trees. Undersea caverns? No, I do not think so. This strange world beneath the brellam trees’ leaves formed a world of itself, a world apart, a world that owed nothing to any comparison with undersea.
Presently Rollo heaved up a sigh and said: “I famish.”
Rather too brightly, I replied: “A capital notion!”
Somberness, stillness, these were the keynotes here.
We ate something or other. I’d slowed the voller well down the scale of her speed range. Usually one does not push an airboat along as fast as she is capable all the time. The general belief at the time was that if you pushed a voller hard, you would materially shorten her life. Hence, pilots cruised whenever possible at optimum speed.
When, at last, we saw we were leaving the true brellam forest and entering the rain forest proper, the jungle, I decided we had to rise. The heat was now considerable, for although Kregen’s temperate zones extend far further than Earth’s, the Equator is still hot. We sweated, by Krun.
Up we went, finding a gap, and cautiously entering upon the realm of the air above the jungle, we floated up into the brilliance of the Suns.
A rapid and then a second more thorough scanning of three hundred and sixty degrees revealed no distant ominous dots. We had the sky to ourselves.
“Well, now!” exclaimed Rollo. He expanded his chest and looked pleased.
“Well now, young feller-me-lad, is for us to take stock.”
I raked out the strongbox Farris had placed in the voller. Whatever its contents, it would have been guarded devotedly by my lads of the Guard Corps. Now my Delia in pursuance of her mysterious errands for the Sisters of the Rose, errands which took her from me as mercilessly as the Star Lords took me from her, had ordered the minting of a special coinage. In various sizes and weights, she had ordered produced gold, silver and bronze coins. Their difference from the normal coinage of Vallia lay in their anonymity. A vacuous face on the obverse, a blurred scene of battle and carnage on the reverse, a few profound words of the universal Kregish — ‘Honor that which is honorable’ – and you had money you could spend anywhere without evoking comment.
As a great trading nation Vallia had access to coinage of many foreign nations. In the strongbox there would be coins from many countries beside the special Delian currency. There were also a reasonable number of Vallian talens, for people would be more likely to be suspicious of a foreign fellow without Vallian coins in his wallet. There were, I was intrigued to see, a goodly number of bronze krads, that patriotic coin minted by the Presidio of Vallia in the Times of Troubles and which formed the main part of the Vallian Freedom Army’s wages. I rubbed my thumb over a krad, thinking back...
“Right, sunshine,” I said, rousing myself. “We’ll have a share out.”
“But—” he began, and fell silent.
“You’ll have to learn to handle money circumspectly. If you wish to become a freelancing adventurer upon the face of Kregen, then there are many instructions to master and lessons to learn.”
“Well, I’m learning—”
“Assuredly.” I was dividing the coins. I gave him half. I would have liked to have spared him more; but there were two reasons against that.
Stowing the coins away in the worn purse Farris had provided I spotted one coin so badly clipped it was shaped like an egg. It was one of Delia’s special minting, what she called her ‘Funny Money’. There had been a ring of dots around the edge. Milling would never deter a good coin clipper of Kregen. Coin clipping in some quarters amounted to a religious obligation.
“You are generous, Drajak—”
“Oh, no. Don’t mistake me. You’re going to Vallia to study with San Deb-Lu. You can shoot in your bow on holidays.”
He gave his condescending half-smile. “We have not yet finished this adventure. Vallia is a long way off as yet.”
I didn’t choose to answer.
Steadily we flew on devouring the distance and we saw no signs of Shanks. Crossing the desert proved a simple task, so simple as to remind me of the travails the caravan with Mevancy had suffered. Truly, to fly through the air is a great boon to travel! At least, on Kregen.
I said: “I do not think it would be a good idea to land in Makilorn, the capital city of Tsungfaril. We’d attract far too much attention.”
“Yes, I see that. But if we land out of the way, how do we—?”
“Precisely. We can touch down on the west bank just before the suns rise, and hide the voller in one of the caves there. Then we’ll have to walk in.”
He made a face.
“I suppose so.”
This, then, was t
he plan we followed. Nothing untoward happened and we stashed the voller away out of sight and marched in to the River of Drifting Leaves on which stands Makilorn. Here I stood no nonsense from the ferrymen, indicating to them that I’d been ferried across the river before and would pay only the prescribed price. Because Mevancy had been swindled on this point I called her pigeon, as she called me cabbage.
By our tunics we were clearly foreigners,[7] for hereabouts just about everyone wore the yellow or ochre colored gown and cloak of the desert. The heat was oppressive, lying like a leaden blanket, and wind or no wind there seemed always to be dust hanging in the air, flat on the tongue. I directed our steps to the Mishuro villa, for San Lunky Mishuro was one of us, in the conspiratorial business, even if, as a Diviner, attempting to stand aloof from our more devious goings on.
The guard was unfamiliar to me; a silver coin and a curt word saw my message passed in via the Deldar. Very quickly the Deldar returned, calling: “Pass Drajak the Sudden through. The san commands!”
So, in we went into the courtyard under the shade trees and here came Lunky, hurrying along to meet us. He did not look just the same. He had grown, filling his new office as a Diviner, fuller in the face, more assured. “Drajak!” he exclaimed, bustling forward. “Where in the name of Lohrhiang the Unfathomable have you been?”
“As to that, Lunky, I wish I knew. Although, to be sure, Tsung Tan will know.” I gave him the Lahal and added: “You must ask San Chandro for the true explanation.”
Now I was most anxious to know if our plotting had succeeded. I’d been snatched up by that fumble-tentacled Scorpion at the moment when we were escaping with Queen Leone, not having killed her. Now, was Kirsty firmly on the throne, the malefactors put down, everything going to plan?
Quickly Lunky sketched in the details of what had occurred whilst I’d been away. Yes, indeed, Kirsty was queen, and listened with great attention to Chandro. The fortunes of the party led by Shang-Li-Po were cast down. There was trouble in the west, out of Tarankar, and thither Kuong, Llodi and Mevancy had gone. I had half-guessed they’d be off to where the trouble lay; still, I was disappointed to have missed them.
“They have gone to Kuong’s trylonate of Taranik. The queen collects an army to follow them. You will join that army, Drajak?”
He sounded wistful. I said: “Mistress Telsi thrives?”
“We are to be married as soon—” he spread the fingers of his left hand “—as soon as convenient. Affairs press hard.”
I said: “You have your work here, Lunky. Fighting is not the way your life has been ordained.” I did not forget the way he’d tried to protect Telsi, the way he’d ridden back for Mevancy and me.
“To the glory of Tsung-Tan.”He brisked up. I made the pappattu between him and Rollo, and he went on to say that it was time for a meal. Being good Kregans, we did not disagree. We went into the villa to a very fine meal, and Telsi was gracious and charming, and I started to itch at what I considered sinful delays. A fellow has to eat, true, by Krun! But, after that, he must get down to work. I looked at Rollo the Runner in some sorrow; still, the dastardly deed must be done. One thing was sure, I didn’t want him stowing away again.
All work and no play may well make Jack a dull fellow; all play and no work assuredly makes Jack insufferable.
“You will go up to see San Chandro at the palace?” Lunky handed across the silver dish of palines as he spoke.
I shook my head. “I’d like to; but there is no time even for that civility. I must get off to Taranik.” I turned to Rollo. “There will be an invasion very soon, an invasion of a different sort from the damned Shanks. You are hereby appointed liaison officer. You will—”
“I am flying with you to Taranik.”
“You will take care of the Guard Corps. You will explain just who Drajak the Sudden is, and why his name is Drajak.”
Mistress Telsi, half-pouting, said brightly: “Why is anyone’s name what it is? Why, then, Drajak, are you Drajak the Sudden?”
I laughed in a casual way, deflecting the question. “Oh, I suppose I’m too quick at times.”
“Thankfully so,” breathed Lunky.
“I still think I ought to come with you—”
I cut him off brutally. “What clothes do they wear over in the west?” I popped a paline. “In Taranik, say, or Tarankar?”
“Very similar to ours. Desert robes — oh, I see!” Lunky gave my tunic a stare. “Yes, that would not do.”
Telsi bustled about and outfitted me and, as Zair is my witness, I thought of Thelda and her busy bustling ways, and sighed, and came back to the present. Rollo was sulking. I knew very well I would have to slip away. Well, I’d had enough practice at that game, avoiding the fanatically loyal attention of my lads in the various jurukker regiments.
Rollo’s fascination with my Guard Corps did not surprise me. Any body of folk of that nature hold and demand interest.
In the course of conversation one thing Rollo said interested me. His opinion, from what little he had already seen of Tsungfaril and Makilorn, was that these people were far less apathetic than those of Walfarg. This did not cheer me up. By Zair! These people needed a sharp pointy stick applied to their rear ends to get them moving in ways outside their own obsessions with going to their paradise of Gilium. There was no secret that Queen Kirsty’s army would be almost entirely mercenaries.
That sharp pointy stick would be applied — mercilessly — by the Shanks.
Lunky offered Rollo the hospitality of the Mishuro villa. “This is somewhat different, my fine feller-me-lad, from our time in Hinjanchung.”
“That is due to the generosity of you and your friends. Still—” he waved an airy hand. “Still, I shall not be staying here.”
I compressed my lips. Well, he would have to be dumped, that’s all.
In the event that was exactly what I did. I ascertained more information about the west, brought myself up to date on what the current situation was — all of which will be related in due time — and that evening slipped quietly out of the Mishuro villa by a well-remembered back way.
Silver paid my passage across the river. I was at the cave and bringing the voller out long before Rollo, even had he realized I’d gone — which a cunning half-lie had prevented — could have followed.
With that leaping spring of a fine flier under me I soared up into the night sky of Kregen, fleeing due west in the streaming golden pink radiance of She of the Blushes.
Chapter twelve
Through the apple green and rose pink of a splendid Kregen morning the voller soared on westwards. A voice at my back said: “So there you are!”
Slowly, I turned from the controls to look back, slowly, for the boiling fury inside me had to be contained. He stood there, not smiling and not frowning but wearing a sorrowful expression designed to cut me to the quick. His lower body shimmered and was not fully realized. His upper body seemed to float lopsidedly about and small curly blue flames lapped it in a waver of fire.
“You beastly, ungrateful, conniving hulu! You — you—” He could not go on. He was panting. His lupal projection showed that clearly enough.
The relief must have showed on my face, for just as I was about to speak he burst out: “By Lingloh! I see you are overjoyed to be rid of me!”
In a voice perhaps harsher than I meant, I said: “You have a job to do. I did not ask you to come adventuring with me. But as you have volunteered yourself for the task then you must buckle down to all of it.”
“Oh, yes! I am to wet-nurse a gang of your jurukkers whilst you go flying off into wonderful adventures—”
He saw the lash of genuine anger in me as I ripped out: “So you really think I want to go flying off like this?” The bitterness in my words made his lupal projection flinch back. “Don’t you think I’d far rather be at home, like any sensible person?”
He recovered himself from that blast of bitter anger. “Perhaps. Not everyone wants to skulk by the hearth—”
“You have a great deal to learn, Rollo. I just pray you stay alive to learn it.”
All the same, there was truth in what he said. The trouble was not so much that I was flying off into some kind of adventure, as that I did not have Delia to share the excitements with me. That I’d never dream of taking her with me now, into the perils I foresaw ahead, was beside the point. Adventure, as I have said, is great on your own, when you can expand the chest and breathe the wonderful air of Kregen — even if down here in Tsungfaril a slick of sandy dust seemed always to film your tongue. And adventure with a few blade comrades is splendidly fine. It is the quality and intent of this so-called adventuring that dictates its values.
Maybe he saw some of that in my face, for he said somewhat surlily: “I intend to stay alive to my full allotment of seasons, thank you.”
His image began to break up. As he’d admitted, his command of his own kharrna was still erratic. His kharrna would, one day, under the tutelage of Deb-Lu, become the powerful force it was in my comrade Wizards of Loh and then, like them, he could project his image in so concrete a form as to fool onlookers that he really was there.
“Remberee—” he called, and I replied as the last vestige of him winked out.
Just for a moment, when he’d first spoken, I’d thought he’d sneaked aboard as he had before. I let out a breath. Even then, even then, it would have been childish of me to have been surprised. Wizards of Loh could perform prodigies of sorcery, by Zair!
Flying on smoothly through the wine-rich Kregen air I passed over territory that looked distinctly uninviting. Now I was flying over true desert. For dwabur after dwabur rolling sand dunes stretched to the horizon in every direction. This was your genuine Sahara desert, right enough.
A touch on the controls sent the flier climbing. Higher up, that flat dusty taste on the tongue vanished, the heat diminished — although not by much, by Krun! — and conditions improved. As far as I could see the rippling dunes of unsullied sand stretched away to the horizons.
Scorpio Invasion Page 10
