Songs Of Harmony

by Andrew Elgin

  That night was long for everyone. They were tired from the journey and from dealing with their memories and reactions but were unable to rest. The news they carried, the sights they still held, would not let them alone.

  It was no surprise that all three were up early, each snatching a wordless breakfast of stale tasting water and the remains of the smoked meat of the night before. The sunrise was blocked by thickening clouds, and a breeze sprang up, strengthening into a steady wind as they prepared to leave. Torrint inspected the mandria with Javin and nodded his approval of what he saw. Despite the grumbling of the beasts, they were quickly harnessed and hitched and moving off.

  Torrint was tight-lipped as usual, but Javin could no longer keep silent as they approached the town. There was a question he had been wanting to ask since the previous evening. "Do you think they know already; the people in Sweetwater, I mean?" If they did know, it would mean they weren't going to be the ones who carried the bad news first. It would mean he wouldn't feel quite so guilty, for some reason.

  Torrint shook his head. "I don't know. I can see people. But I can't see what they know, what's in their heads. And, if they have known for a long time, then how would I tell anyway? There was no sign that anyone else had been there since... ." His voice tailed off.

  "What if they have people like you, Torrint? Eyes who can see what's going to happen? Wouldn't they have told people we were coming? Told them what we know?"

  "It's possible. There are bound to be some eyes there. But whether they want to be known as eyes is another thing. Plus, I have met only a few who have owned to it and none of them, like me, can do more than see. We don't hear anything."

  "But they'd see what happened when we tell people about what we saw, wouldn't they?" Javin persisted, wanting to understand what was ahead of them. "They'd see some sort of disturbance, surely?"

  Torrint nodded.

  "So we're going to be telling them something they already know, aren't we? Someone will know what's going to happen?" Javin continued the line of thought. "That means that everyone knows the future. There can be no surprises then, can there? So are we really going to be telling them something new, some new information?"

  Torrint was silent for a moment, staring ahead, then he gave a heavy sigh, as if reluctant at being forced to speak. "It's not that simple. If I look ahead, it's because I choose to look. I don't get to see everything that's going to happen all the time. I have to want to look ahead and know where I want to look. And that means that, unless someone in Sweetwater actually chose to look, then they won't know. And, yes, it's possible that someone was actually looking out for us, for when we would arrive to trade. But, they wouldn't bother to watch us all the way into town, would they? They'd watch just long enough to know it was us." He stopped to rub his forehead in a tired fashion. "Being an eye is just that. It's seeing something. But if I look in one place, I only see that place for a short time. It's like you turning your head. You don't see what's behind you, do you? You have to choose where to look." He shrugged. "It's the same for me, for other eyes as well, I'm sure." He was silent a moment. "Whether or not anyone knows about Blackeye, we're going to tell them because it's our responsibility. A duty. And it's not one I really want, if you want to know."

  There was the hint of rain in the cool wind as they entered the town. Consequently there was hardly anyone about. The damp seeped into their clothing and drew warmth from them.

  They hauled to a stop in the center of the town, close by a strange building. A central pole held up a roof which covered a roughly circular area of beaten earth. A low wall of brick and stone and clay ran around the circumference with a few breaks in it to allow entry. A small boy was huddled up against the pole, wrapped against the cold and damp in a bundle of clothes, so that he looked like a collection of rags with a head. As Torrint stopped, the boy looked up and nodded. "Torrint. Good to see you."

  Torrint nodded gravely in acknowledgment and clambered down slowly. He gathered his coat around him as he walked back to Banith. They conferred a moment before Banith nodded once in agreement. Torrint fished around in the back of his wagon, hauling out a short leather waistcoat which he put on under his coat before coming back to Javin. He had slipped the metal object into one pocket.

  He inclined his head towards the circular building next to them. "We decided we should tell the Group what happened first. Most of the people here will know it then as well." He turned to speak to the boy, still huddled. "Can you get the speaker for us? We've news we need to pass on. Quicker is better."

  The boy unravelled himself and bobbed his head before scampering away in a tangle of flapping cloth.

  "What do you mean about telling the Group? Who and what are they?" Javin had many questions. "What will they do? And how are we going to tell them anyway?"

  Torrint and Banith were already under the roof. "The Group's the same people as you met back at Landing. Gerant? Lisick? Remember? They are the ones who can understand what is happening on Harmony, not just in this place, but all over. Telling them, they might know something we don't. And even if they don't know, it might help them understand something else happening." Banith paused and pointed up at the pole. "And this is how we will tell them." Then Javin saw what he was indicating. At the top of the pole, right under the roof, were two large circular discs. What really caught his attention was how out of place they looked. They appeared to be machined or pressed in some fashion. They were each the width of perhaps two hand spans. Looking more closely at them, he was convinced they were made of some sort of plastic. That had to mean they had not been made here. He was amazed and confused in equal measure.

  "What are these things?"

  It was Torrint who answered. "We call them deecees. They probably had a longer name once. But that would have been long ago. They come from your planet originally. The ones who came here first, the first settlers? They brought them. They connect us, the people here, with the Group back at Landing. And don't ask me how they work. I don't know." And with that, he eased himself to the ground, resting against the pole, wrapping his coat tight against the cold wind.

  "But that would mean they are... ," Javin was trying to work it out in his head, but gave up. "They're really, really old! And they still work?" He peered more closely, trying to see wiring or anything else he could recognize. It was frustrating, not being able to see more. Yet, at the same time, he was excited at the existence of something which had come from his home, even if it was hundreds of years ago. He felt strangely proud of the fact that they still worked after all this time. Strangely proud in the same way he had felt strangely guilty about the metal. Haven was a source of conflict in his head.

  Before he could ask more questions, the boy returned with a thickset man with heavy jowls and thinning hair who was hurrying along on slightly bandy legs and obviously not enjoying the exercise. He entered the space and took a few moments to catch his breath. His eyes were deep set and dark, with a piercing gaze which he turned on Torrint who was standing again, his height making the trader seem to loom over him.

  "I'm Bendiss, the speaker here." His voice was surprisingly high-pitched and had a querulous tone to it as if he didn't like being summoned thus. "Why the hurry? There's always time. But the boy was very insistent and mentioned your name, so I'm supposing that you know what you're asking?"

  "This is something the Group needs to know. And, after that, everyone here needs to know it as well. We've carried this for longer than we want, so the sooner we can let it go, the better." Torrint spoke softly. "If we could have the people here...?"

  Bendiss looked at the three men as if weighing the truth of Torrint's words. "We'll see if you're right soon enough." Without taking his eyes from them, he called over his shoulder to the boy. "Lannis! Call them in. Tell them it's urgent and we need them now."

  The boy, Lannis, bobbed his head in acknowledgement and ran off again, but this time calling out as he did so. "Sending! Sending now! We need you now! Sending! Urgent sendi
ng! Sending! We need you now! Urgent sending!" He headed towards the nearest large buildings, still crying out.

  Bendiss folded his arms and had a skeptical tilt to his head. "What is this about? If I find that it has anything to do with your trading, you will be in much trouble here."

  Banith stood forward. "I'll do the telling. I know the details. It's about Blackeye."

  At the mention of the name, Bendiss became more attentive. "What of it? What is the message you want to send?"

  "I have never done this before, so I do not know how it works. But, I have information that the Group must know about. My talent is to see the past when I touch an object. I have been called an eye to the past. I do not see ahead, only back. And that means I have images in my head, but I don't know if I need to use words with you?"

  Bendiss rubbed at the stubble on his cheeks. "You're a new mind to me, so I think it best to try with the images first. If I have questions, I'll ask. Does that suit?"

  Banith nodded. "But how-- ?" he began.

  "By holding the pictures you want me to see in your head. Choose the first one, or the most important one and keep it clear. You can do that? When I have that one, I'll let you know and you go to the next one until finished." When Banith nodded, Bendiss continued. "It's easier if I hold you, touch you. Shoulders work well. Closer is better." He placed his hands on Banith's shoulders and leaned his head forward until their foreheads were touching. "When you're ready, let me know. Just see something and I'll try to see as well." He frowned in concentration.

  Banith took a deep breath.

  After a moment, Bendiss's face took on a grim expression. At one point, he opened his eyes in shock. As they were engaged in this, so people began to enter under the roof. They were silent, but looked with interest at Torrint and Javin and also at the two others engaged in silent communication. Javin watched as the arrivals sat on the floor seemingly anywhere. A few of them exchanged knowing glances, as if this was confirmation of something they had seen in some fashion. The boy, Lannis, had also returned and was sitting on the wall, counting the people, by taking pebbles from a pocket and placing them on the wall one at time as the people entered.

  As the floor filled in, Bendiss asked a few quiet questions of Banith and, at one point, asked to see and hold the metal he had taken from Blackeye, nodding as he put the images and words together. Finally, he was satisfied that he had everything he needed. Banith sat himself down and Bendiss turned to the people. First, he gestured to Torrint and Javin to sit. Javin had no idea what was happening and Torrint put his finger to his lips, blocking the questions Javin had.

  "I thank you all for coming so swiftly," Bendiss began. "It is as Lannis said, an urgent sending." He glanced questioningly over to Lannis who counted the pebbles and nodded his head. Javin assumed it meant there were enough people. Certainly, there seemed a good number of them there, and all surprisingly quite still, apart from the usual few coughs and slight fidgeting.

  "Although all of you know what to do, it is my duty to remind you," Bendiss continued. "Take the time now to relax your bodies fully. Breathe deeply and evenly. Stretch if needed. Clear your minds. Be calm and relax. When I take my place against this pole, underneath the discs, that will be the signal for all here to gather your attention fully upon the sending." He pointed to the discs above him. "Then, let your imagination and certainty know that you are allowing yourself to give power to these and allow the sending to take place."

  The rhythm of the words suggested a well-worn formula, but one which was still adhered to; the people stretching limbs and rolling shoulders, breathing in and out heavily. It certainly wasn't anything like Javin had expected and filled his mind with more questions. A deeper silence now settled on the crowd.

  "All of you here will know of the message and you will be responsible for spreading exactly and only what that message is." Bendiss glared at the people. "You have no right to change it to something else. You have no right to alter it to fit your life. You have only the right, the duty, the responsibility, to make sure that those not here understand the message. If you cannot do that, you may leave now with no loss of character or respect." He let the silence stretch as he waited for anyone to stand up. Nobody did. Satisfied, he nodded and turned abruptly to point at Banith. "This man has provided me with a heavy message, a clear message, a vital message. Neither he nor his companions are in any way implicated in what you are about to witness. They are blameless. Because they bear bad news, they are not themselves part of it. I hope that is clear to all?" A final glare. He then took up his position with his back to the pole.

  "Now, begin to focus your attention. Send the call out that we might be heard in Landing." He then closed his eyes as the crowd obeyed his request.

  Javin had been looking around, trying to understand what was going on. When Bendiss asked for their attention, Javin was caught unawares. It was as though there was a wave of something which washed over him. He could not describe it, only feel it as it passed through and over him. It made him feel lighter and he was aware, in a way he could never describe, that he was just one small part of a larger thing. The crowd had an identity, a power, a presence of its own. And he, Javin, was swept up in it and, for a moment, he lost touch with the ground he knew he was sitting on. Or, rather, he lost the sensation of sitting on the ground. His attention was elsewhere, not centered in himself. It was, instead, on the two flat panels at the top of the pole. All his attention was being drawn there, gently but implacably. He became aware of his membership of, and his place in, this assembly of people.

  It was easier for him to close his eyes against the dizzying sensation. At first, as he did so, there was no sound. Just a potent silence. Then, in the midst of this crowded silence, there was something, a voice or something like a voice. It sought attention. It sought an answer. It sought to be heard. It sought a response of some kind. And, for a time which could have lasted a second or an hour, no response came. Then, suddenly, there it was. It was different, and that made it the response.

  And then, as if floating into his mind from unseen corners, Javin slowly became aware of sounds, of a voice, of small, shifting pictures, of an awareness which was not his. And all of this carried in it the tale of Blackeye. The count of the bodies, the metal, the overgrown trackways, the crumbling buildings, the deaths, the means of death and the other people, the strangers who brought the metal. It was all conveyed in one seamless tapestry of sensations, words and pictures, and it contained within it everything that Javin, Torrint and Banith had experienced, but as a whole, not in fragments or even sequentially. Somehow, it all made sense and was perfectly clear in his mind. Behind that flow of information, Javin could sense the crowd acting as witness to it all as well as maintaining the channel. There was shock and there was horror, but these were muffled and suppressed.

  Then there was a time of silence and of cessation. And the other voice or non-voice made a reply of some kind. And then there was further silence which slowly degraded into the common, everyday near quiet of a group of people trying to be still. The connection had ended and Javin became aware of his body again. He couldn't see the sun behind the clouds to make an judgement on how much time had passed. All he knew was that he felt cold and stiff and needed to stretch. It was apparent that it was true for many others around him.

  As the sending had seemingly come to an end, he wanted to know what had happened and how. There was no formal end as there had been a beginning. The crowd began to disperse in the still damp air. Their concerns were more about what they had learned. From what Javin could understand, they had experienced it as if they themselves had been to Blackeye and seen it all there. Somehow, what Banith had passed on to Bendiss had been shared with each person in the hut. It had also been passed on to Landing in some strange fashion. Hushed whispers began as the people shared what they had each felt and seen and heard in the exchange. The larger group of senders (as Javin now thought of them), broke up into smaller groups as they left the hut. Som
e were silent and thoughtful, others sought to confirm with others what they had experienced. Still others were crying openly and being comforted by those around.

  It was as if he was the center of a storm about to sweep through the town. It brought back the earlier feelings of guilt at bearing the news, of feeling responsible. Despite the strangeness of it all, Javin felt an emptiness. It felt unfinished somehow. Just letting all the people go without some sort of ending seemed wrong. Javin didn't know how to phrase it. He turned in response to a gentle tug on his arm and found Banith looking at him. Behind him, Bendiss was now seated with his back against the pole, his knees up and his arms draped across them, hands dangling. Torrint, off to one side, was standing looking out, seemingly lost in thought. Lannis was still seated on the wall.

  "It was the first time for me as well," said Banith. A smile briefly showed itself. "Strange, wasn't it?" Javin could only nod. Then his stomach gave a deep growl. He grimaced apologetically. Banith smiled again, this time for longer. "Me too. A small amount of that dried meat only goes so far. What do you think, Torrint, shall we go eat?"

  Turning, the tall trader's eyes re-focused. He rubbed his hands together briskly. "I think so. A good meal that someone else cooked will help greatly. If you need us...?" This last was said to Bendiss who shook his head without looking up.

  "I doubt more details will be needed. Go eat. Lannis here will fetch me something as needed."

  As the three of them left the hut, Javin asked, "What happened and why is Bendiss still sitting there? And what's going to happen next?"

  "Let's get some food first. Then we can think how to answer those questions." Torrint stopped so suddenly that Javin nearly bounced off him. "And remember. We were the ones with the news. We're the ones who saw it. There will be people here who will know we saw their dead loved ones." He jerked his head at the hut. "Doesn't matter what he said in there, we're still the ones who told them of the dead and why they died. If it were me, I don't know which would be harder: knowing they were dead or knowing how they died. Nothing's going to happen. I've seen that. But you might pick up a lot of things you don't need and that aren't yours." In answer to Javin's unspoken question, he added, "Things like anger and other emotions. You might feel them. But they're not you." He pursed his lips as if deciding whether to add anything, but, deciding against it, he turned and marched on to a large building ahead of them.