The Price of Wisdom

by Shannah Jay

  ***

  The next morning, they broke their fast before dawn, then Timris led them to a kind of natural amphitheatre near the pool. People had been arriving since before dawn, secretive people, clad, like Timris's group, from head to foot in flowing beige robes and with their faces half covered. None of them had attempted to enter Timris's camp.

  Now, dawn had broken and they were waiting.

  'Clan Sharing!' Timris announced as soon as he and his guests were seated. 'Truce prevails.'

  Three people moved forward, two men and one older woman. 'Truce prevails,' they repeated one after the other.

  'We’re here to discuss our struggle against Those of the Serpent,' Timris announced. He gestured towards the woman next to him, a woman now clad in borrowed draperies to protect her against the sun. 'Herra of Tenebrak came through the portal yesterday, together with five companions.'

  He had to wait a moment while a buzz of comments and exclamations filled the air.

  Herra stood up, pulling aside the draperies that covered her face. 'I greet you in our Brother's name,'

  she said, and her voice echoed so loudly people stared. Deliberately she allowed that inner luminance to show; deliberately she projected joy and confidence.

  A man stood up. 'This is she!' he announced. 'I travelled to Tenebrak once in my youth and shared in a Gathering in the temple there. And afterwards a Sister called Lara healed my wife. This lady led the Gathering. I vouch for her.'

  This seemed to raise even more excitement in the assembled Barrendi.

  Timris's wife Sella leaned across to murmur in Herra's ear. 'That’s Cadvin, leader of the Lower Barrendi. He and my husband are more often at odds than united. He has a fiery temper and he’s recently been trying to make us pay passage fees for traversing his land.'

  'Make his own clanpeople pay?'

  Sella shrugged. 'Times are hard. Cadvin has to pay fines to appease Those of the Serpent. We all know it's only a matter of time before they turn their eyes to our land. And the Barrens aren’t easy to defend; it's so open here and we have so few water sources. They can't launch an outright attack on us, because we have many hiding places and we know the Barrens as no one else does, but if they were to

  JAY The Price of Wisdom53

  capture our springs, of which there are all too few, we'd be lost. '

  'Mmm.' Herra's eyes grew thoughtful. 'You need better barriers, then. And more springs.'

  Timris shrugged. 'Empty wishes, since we can change nothing.'

  'I'm not sure about that.'

  When the introductory ceremonies were over, she stood up, for this seemed to be the custom if you wished to address the clans at a Sharing. 'I'm told that it’d be easy for your enemies to defeat you by capturing your water sources.'

  There was a general hum of agreement.

  'I think I can help you.'

  The lean faces around her were sun and wind scoured, with shrewd eyes and lips that parted rarely to offer speech. The expressions on them were sceptical, but no one challenged her words. They simply waited for her to explain, waited in close-mouthed patience.

  'I can find new water sources, and I can set wards around them against Those of the Serpent, which will make most folk turn away. I can also shift the rocks on your borders around a little, to make entry into certain parts of the Barrens more difficult.'

  There was absolute silence, then Timris asked, 'Can you really do those things, Illustrious Sister?'

  'Yes. Our Brother has enhanced my Gifts, so that for a few years, before I die, I have more power, not less.'

  'You know of your own death?' Timris enquired gently.

  'Yes. But it won’t happen for a few years. I feel it waiting for me,' she shrugged as if it were of no import, 'but with an Enhancement, those years will be rich and rewarding - and I shall use them to fight against Those of the Serpent.'

  Davred sat with anguish twisting his heart, as always when Herra mentioned her death, but her smile was unshadowed and Timris nodded in acceptance. 'A long life and a good death. Who can ask for more?'

  'So I think,' she agreed. 'But now, my friends, can you tell me if you know of any groups of Sisters living secretly in Netheron?' For it seemed to her that if the deleff had brought them here, to the Barrens, then the boy Petur might have been taken away from Setheron, might actually be somewhere nearby. It was the sort of thing the deleff always seemed to know. Perhaps they could see more of what was happening in the Twelve Claims from the mysterious place 'across the Alignments' to which older deleff moved upon their death?

  There was a buzz of amazement, then Cadvin said, 'Well, I might. Not exactly where they live - I'd rather not know that, thank you - but the general direction. If Those of the Serpent haven’t captured them.'

  'Then I pray you to tell me after this meeting.'

  He nodded. 'It's a small return for what you’ve claimed you can do for us.'

  'What I have promised, so shall I do.' She realised her words were reminiscent of the Hashite vows and a smile crossed her face briefly at the thought of Benjan. How she was looking forward to being reunited with the companions of her long journey to the Lands of Nowhere! But this was no time to grown sentimental. 'In the meantime, if you have any who are desperately sick, I would heal them for you before I leave - not small problems that will get better anyway, but serious things which might lead to death.'

  There was a long 'Aah!' of satisfaction.

  Herra turned to Sella. 'If I wait here by the pool for three days, will that be long enough for all who need my help to get here.'

  Sella nodded. 'Yes. We’ve missed Sister Healers desperately.'

  Nothing Davred or Ivo said about Herra weakening her powers and leaving herself vulnerable would change her determination to heal the Barrendi. 'These people are few in number, but they already form a focus where the Serpent can find no purchase. We need to leave them as strong as we can. It's my guess others will continue to join them.'

  In the three mornings which followed she formed a Healing Circle with Davred and Ivo, and together they tended the sick; in the afternoons, she walked the Barrens with Timris, or Cadvin, or one of the other clan leaders. Every now and then she would stop and concentrate and sometimes, afterwards, water would flow from among the rocks she touched. Then she’d set wards around these places. When she reached known springs, she set even stronger wards and showed the Barrendi how to approach them safely. On the fourth morning, two deleff walked out of the portal drawing a wagon.

  Herra laughed aloud to see them. 'There you are, Davred! Said I not that our Brother would provide.' She went to kiss Sella's cheek, to clasp Timris's thin hand warmly in hers and to pat Methlos on the shoulder, then hold him at arm's length, one hand on each of his thin bony shoulders. 'Friend, put aside your anger and work calmly with your people to defeat the Serpent. Anger can make you careless in your actions.'

  As she withdrew her hands, he fell to his knees sobbing, and when she tugged him to rise, his eyes had changed. Although there was sadness behind them, the anger had left his face, and determination had replaced it. 'Thank you, Elder Sister,' he said, in a voice thickened by emotion. 'Thank you for bringing me back from the dark pit of my despair.'

  'Our Brother worked through me. It's he whom you should thank.'

  He bowed his head. 'I shall bless his name every day of my life.'

  'Now,' Herra turned to her companions, 'let us go and find the boy - and if necessary, confront Sen-Sether.' She seemed full of energy, absolutely sparkling with it.

  CHAPTER 7 THE BOY, PETUR

  Hidden beneath dun-coloured draperies, both men and woman looking alike, the Barrendi walked into the town of Yethalak, followed by a trader's wagon. There were some jeers from a group of urchins as the procession passed them, and once a stone was thrown at the Barrendi and a voice yelled,

  'Primitives! Yah! Primitives, go back to your rocks!' Even the grown men on the streets stopped to scowl at the small procession.

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he Price of Wisdom55

  Herra was sitting behind the driving seat, with Ivo and Davred up in front of her. Overnight she’d made herself look much older and ugly into the bargain, by growing a couple of warts beside her mouth and causing her skin to wrinkle. They couldn’t pass through Yethalak without some excuse, so they must appear to be traders. As the Barrendi had said, all roads in this stark, arid region passed through the town, for it had an abundant water supply.

  The four young novices were walking with the Barrendi, because Daranna would have been a target for the local Initiate's attentions if she’d been seen riding in the wagon. Cadvin had already warned them that in Yethalak, the Shrine had total control and dealt harshly with those who didn’t follow the Serpent - unless they were 'primitives' and able to pay their fines - and even then there were occasional

  'examples' made.

  When the wagon pulled into the town square and drew up behind the waiting Barrendi, men clad in black robes were already standing there. Someone must have run to warn them. They came straight across to the wagon, ignoring the Barrendi.

  'Leave me to deal with them,' Ivo said in a low voice, then more loudly, 'Give you good morning, honoured sirs. Is it all right if I stop here and trade?'

  'What have you to trade?'

  'Beringa sap, glowberry juice,' Ivo reeled off a string of products which he’d found in the wagon, ending with 'sewing needles and pins, small scissors and kitchen tools.'

  'Show us.'

  Ivo snapped his fingers and Herra scuttled to obey him. As she displayed their goods, she cringed away from him, as if afraid he would strike her.

  'Well, this one treats his women properly, anyway,' one of the men in black chuckled. He reached out to swing Herra round and study her face. 'Too old.' He shoved her away so roughly she nearly fell.

  'And must have been ugly even in her youth. No honour to the Serpent there.'

  The Servants and the Initiate picked over the goods and took at least a third of them. Ivo said nothing, but grew angrier as the minutes passed and the looting continued.

  Eventually, the black-clad men stepped away. 'You can trade during the day, but come dusk you must leave the town. We don't want such as you polluting the air when we go to make sacrifice to our Serpent Lord.'

  The Initiate glared at them. 'If I had my way, I'd force all you traders to visit the Shrines like decent folk do, but the Lord of the Inner Shrine in Setherak, the Illustrious Sen-Sether, has advised us that traders are still needed to carry goods across the land.' He gave Ivo a shove, sending him staggering back against the wagon. 'You won't always be needed, though. We won't put up with this blasphemy much longer.'

  He then went across to harangue the Barrendi, who were waiting to set up their stall and sell the gemstones and silver jewellery from which they made a large part of their living. Again, he took a large share before they were allowed to start selling.

  As dusk drew near, everyone packed up and left the town, the wagon taking a different direction to the Barrendi. The four young novices left town first with a Barrendi guide, circling around it to meet the wagon as it rolled into patchy scrublands, where thorny plants and succulents struggled to survive in the low rainfall and parched rocky soil.

  'Well,' said Herra, as the deleff settled into their steady pace, 'it's not surprising that the Barrendi who live nearest to the town want to charge a toll of all who pass through the Barrens. It's a wonder they've survived so long. And if Those of the Serpent ever find the secret pockets in their garments, the pockets where the best gems of all lie hidden ready to be sold to a few trusted jewellers, then they’ll be killed out of hand.'

  'They're brave people,' agreed Davred.

  'It's amazing that anyone can survive in such harsh times, a compliment to the hardiness of our species.'

  'Humans are very adaptable people. If our galactic history has shown us one thing, it's shown us that,' Davred commented. 'It's the same on Sunrise as elsewhere. The human spirit is a wonderful thing.' He’d never have thought in this way until he came down to join the Sisterhood. He sometimes said to Katia that he’d found his soul here.

  Herra settled back to watch the featureless countryside pass by. She couldn’t forget the Servants of the Shrine back in Yethalak. With their ill-will, she couldn’t see the Barrendi maintaining their independence for much longer. Unless . . . on a sudden decision, she jumped down from the wagon.

  'Go on without me, Ivo, and find a camping spot. I'll catch up with you in a little while.'

  Davred leaped down to join her. 'Let me come with you, Elder Sister. We can't risk anything happening to you.'

  'No risk. The focus of power in that small town is not large enough for the Serpent to do me any harm.' She kilted up her long grey skirts and strode off before he could say anything else, leaving him to worry and fret until she rejoined them.

  Not long afterwards, Ivo pointed to some markings on a rock at the foot of a tree. They turned off the track and found a small spring and a clearing which was obviously a regular camping spot.

  'In the old days,' Ivo told Davred, 'there used to be travellers' huts along all the main roads, places where we could sleep and rest in safety.'

  'What happened to them?'

  'People stopped using them when the Serpent came into power. Those scum used them to trap and rob travellers. Now we traders have our own system of markers for good camping spots.'

  'Will Herra be able to find us here?' Alaran asked.

  'Herra would be able to find us anywhere,' Davred said, but still felt uneasy as he waited for her.

  As they were building a fire, they heard thunder behind them, and lightning flashed across the sky.

  'That storm must be directly over the town,' said Alaran. 'I wonder why it isn't raining here.'

  'I think,' Davred said, after staring at the sky for a moment or two, 'Herra has caused the storm.

  And I hope she’s used it to damage that Shrine beyond repair.' He hated the shrines, every one of them, for they radiated pain and vicious evil.

  When she came back to join them, Herra had an air of satisfaction about her.

  'Strong, was it, the lightning?' Davred asked, grinning.

  'Very strong. I'm afraid it struck the Shrine and set it alight. But I think, just in case they decide to wreak vengeance on us, we should travel on through the night once we've eaten.' The deleff tossed their heads, as if they understood.

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  Ivo used the boiling water to make a jug of hotbrew, then doused the fire and began to load things back on the wagon while Daranna poured beakers of the refreshing drink for everyone and passed out slices of dried journey bread to eat with it.

  Purvlin eyed the hard bread with distaste but said nothing, chewing it stoically like the others. He never seemed to get enough food to fill him lately. He could have eaten three times this amount. And his clothes were getting too tight on his growing body.

  'We'll find somewhere to camp and cook a proper meal in the morning, then you'll feel better,'

  Herra said, coming up behind him so silently that Purvlin jumped and spilled some hotbrew on to the ground.

  'How do you manage to walk so quietly?' Daranna asked.

  'Because my body is in balance. It's one of the things I'll be teaching you. It's one of our sayings: Bodies in balance, health in order.'

  When the wagon set off again, Herra settled down in one corner, clearly not wishing to talk, and no one disturbed her. The young people fell asleep in the back of the wagon, tumbled in a heap like young animals everywhere, and soon everyone except Herra was dozing. She sat there thinking hard, wondering how to find the boy Petur and how to fend off Sen-Sether when they did find Danver's son, who was also Sen-Sether's nephew and the true heir to the claim of Setheron.

  When the approach of dawn turned the world into a mass of greys and whites, the deleff pulled the wagon to the side of the road and walked out of the harness.

  'That's a nice little stre
am,' Herra said, rousing immediately. 'We can all bathe. I've felt dirty ever since we left Yethalak.'

  Daranna noticed that the warts were gone from Herra's face and her skin was once again smooth, but didn’t comment. She longed quite fiercely to learn the Sisterhood lore, longed to make some difference to this world of pain and trouble. But she must be patient. The knowledge would come. She had been chosen, so she must have some Gifts that would help.

  ***

  Up on the satellite, Met summoned Robler. 'We have a pretty good fix on Davred this time.'

  Robler smiled. 'Good.' As an afterthought, he added, 'Well done!' But it was obvious the compliment was only for form's sake. There was no real warmth in his voice. 'Now, show me exactly where Davred and the others are.' As he listened, he stood staring at the readout with a gloating expression.

  At the other side of the com-room, Meera said nothing. For all Robler's threats, she wouldn’t have reported Davred's re-emergence from wherever it was he went that couldn’t be tracked, but Met was still loyal to the Exec, or rather, to what Robler stood for - the Galactic Confederation. Meera was sure that now there wasn’t a single person on the satellite who did not feel uneasy about how Robler was behaving, but no one would dare oppose him openly. Rebellion during a State of Emergency might bring the severest penalty of all, a mind-wipe for the culprit.

  She watched as Robler stood thinking, then nodded to himself and moved towards the door. 'I'll take last watch,' he said. 'You can all have an extra rec-break.' Again it was an afterthought that made him add, 'You've more than earned it.'

  When he had gone, Meera slipped out to warn Kerem that something was happening. 'I don't trust Robler any more,' she whispered, hoping the makeshift privacy equipment they'd installed in Kerem's quarters was working.

  'He's still trying to get Davred and Soo back to the satellite. By force.' Kerem's expression was extremely disapproving. On his planet such irrational behaviour wouldn’t have been allowed. On his planet no one would ever have been given absolute power over others, whatever the emergency. 'I wonder . . . ' his voice trailed away.