Faces of Deception

by Troy Denning

  “Very clever, Rishi,” he said.

  “Good sir?”

  “What happens when I open the coffer?” Atreus asked. “Do you plant one of your little throwing daggers in Yago’s throat, and Bharat another in my back?”

  Rishi’s eyes went wide. “Never!”

  “Why not?” Atreus glanced from Rishi to Bharat. “You know you can’t slip the lock. I’ve seen the scratch marks where you tried.”

  Bharat’s jaw fell, and he turned to gape at Rishi in feigned outrage. “You? A robber?”

  “Bharat, don’t play the innocent,” Atreus said, shaking his head. “It would be a mistake to assume that because I am ugly, I am also stupid. You’re in on his plan.”

  “Plan?” Bharat tried to look indignant. “What plan?”

  “You aren’t taking me to the Sisters of Serenity at all.” Atreus did not try to keep the bitterness out of his voice, and Yago rose, curling his big hands into fists. “You brought me up here to rob me.”

  “Not true!” Bharat protested. “We are only two days from where your map starts.”

  Without quite realizing what he was doing, Atreus stepped around the fire and snatched Bharat up by the collar. “Don’t take me for a fool!”

  Rishi was up instantly, pushing himself between his friend and Atreus. “Oh, Bharat would never do that,” he insisted. “Never in a thousand lifetimes!”

  Atreus released the Mar and stepped back, surprised by the depth of his rage. He had to clench his fists to keep his hands from trembling, and his face and ears were so full of hot anger that he no longer felt the cold bite of the wind.

  “I’m sorry if I frightened you,” Atreus said, “but I warned you. Nothing makes me angrier than being treated as though I’m stupid.”

  Bharat glared at him from the opposite side of the fire. “We do not need you!” he spat. “It is you who need us! How would you find your Langdarma without us? What would happen if we told the Queen’s Men about you?”

  “You don’t want to find out,” growled Yago.

  Atreus met the Mar’s angry stare, and neither of them said anything.

  It was Rishi who finally spoke. “Perhaps this is my fault to some small degree. Perhaps I have, most inadvertently and only through the best of intentions, misled the good sir in a manner most trivial and unimportant.”

  Atreus scowled. “How would that be?”

  “In a tiny way that will have no impact whatsoever on the ultimate outcome of our endeavor, as is evidenced by the heavy presence in this part of the Yehimals of the Queen’s Men, who are most assuredly here only because the Sisters of Serenity must be somewhere nearby.”

  “Rishi, are you telling me you don’t know where the Sisters are?”

  “Not at all! I have a very good idea where they might be,” Rishi said, then took a step backward. “It is only that I have never actually … seen them myself. But I have traveled to one of the valleys on your map, by means of a secret caravan route used by certain, uh … traders from Konigheim. If we can find this trail, I am confident we will eventually find the Sisters of Serenity. As I have said, the Queen’s Men would not be gathering in this area if our destination was not near.”

  Atreus groaned and fell silent, pondering his slim chances of reaching the peaks without the help of his two companions. Given his ignorance of the Yehimals and the unlikelihood of “Ysdar’s devil” receiving help from the superstitious mountain people, he realized that Bharat had been right. He needed the Mar more than they wanted his gold.

  Atreus turned to Bharat. “You can take me to the valley at the edge of this map?”

  “Did I not say so?” Bharat’s voice was still filled with disdain. “The closest is only two days away.”

  “Then you will have your payment in two days.”

  Atreus went to the cart and pulled his treasure basket out, placing it on the ground beside the fire. He lifted the lid, then reached inside and touched the wooden coffer, placing his palm over the magic ward that sealed the chest. He did not bother to hide this from the two Mar, as only his touch would release the enchanted lock.

  Atreus opened the coffer, revealing the mass of golden coins inside. He grabbed a handful and passed them to Bharat. “This gold means nothing to me, and it will only prove a burden in trying to reach Langdarma. After I am certain that you have led me to the edge of my map, you can take your third and leave.”

  “My third?” Bharat gasped.

  “That does not seem fair?”

  “Very fair!” Bharat gasped again. Despite his words, his gaze remained locked on the chest. “It is far in excess of what I expected, but a third?” He glanced in Rishi’s direction. “Why not half? After all, it is my cart we are using … and my yaks.”

  “Rishi will accompany me to Langdarma.” Atreus withdrew a second handful of coins and passed them to Rishi. “Save for the small portion I save for the passage home, the rest of the coins will be his.”

  “The good sir is too generous,” said Rishi. Like Bharat, he could not take his eyes off the coffer’s contents. “I hope you will make your passage home a comfortable one.”

  “I’m glad you’re both pleased.” Atreus closed the coffer, then listened to the telltale hiss of the magic lock reactivating itself. “But if you don’t like my terms, you are free to leave with what I’ve given you already.”

  “Leave?” gasped Rishi. “Oh no, I am most happy to go with you as far as you wish.”

  “And you will take one of my yaks with you,” offered Bharat, “to carry your load and provide milk and warmth in the high places where there is none.”

  “Good. Let us hope we’ll all be happy men in two days.” Atreus said as he closed the lid of the cargo basket. “Until then, we can put this unpleasantness behind us and sleep well.”

  It did not escape Atreus’s notice that as he spoke, the eyes of the two Mar remained fixed on the basket. He shook his head, then took the pot and went off to milk the yaks. It was someone else’s turn to worry about his gold.

  5

  Atreus’s first sound sleep in many days ended with a clap of thunder, then a flash so bright he saw it inside his eyelids. He threw aside the carpets he had been using as blankets and sat up, looking out the back of the wagon toward the fire pit. It was that gray time just before dawn when first light started to kindle a pearly sheen in the previous night’s snow. Yago was nowhere to be seen, having risen early to hunt for something furry or feathered to supplement his inadequate diet. In the ogre’s empty bed kneeled a pudgy silhouette, hunched over the open treasure basket and pressing palms to eyes. The figure took its hands away, then swiveled its head around aimlessly.

  “Blind!” The voice was Bharat’s. “The devil has blinded me!”

  Rishi scrambled out from beneath the wagon and ran over to the treasure basket, barefooted and uncloaked despite the deep snow. When he saw the lid lying open, he pushed Bharat into the smoldering fire pit and began shrieking in angry Maran.

  “In Realmspeak, Rishi,” ordered Atreus. He dug out a boot and began to pull it on. “How many times must I remind you?”

  Rishi switched instantly to Realmspeak shrieking, “Thief!” He kicked Bharat in the ribs.

  Bharat rolled into the snow and curled into a ball. “Have mercy, my friend. You are kicking a blind man!”

  “You were stealing my gold,” Rishi accused, and kicked him again, this time in the back.

  “That’s enough, Rishi,” Atreus ordered. “He’s no good to us injured.”

  Rishi kicked Bharat one more time, then turned toward Atreus. “What good is he to us now?” he asked. “Who can trust a thief?”

  Bharat remained curled into a ball. “It is not what you think,” he pleaded. “I was only looking.…”

  “Only looking?” Rishi reached behind the treasure chest, plucked the rucksack out of the snow, and asked, “What is this for?”

  He hurled the bag at Bharat, who flinched, then raised his chin defiantly.

  “Our spl
it was supposed to be even …” Bharat said, “and now you are ready to take two thirds!”

  “Of course! Now I must go with this fool into the High Yehimals,” Rishi said, then paused, seeming to realize what he had said, and spun toward Atreus. “Pay him no heed. Bharat has always been a thief and a—”

  “Yes,” Atreus interrupted, “one is known by the company he keeps.” He pointed at Rishi’s bare feet and added, “You’d better get dressed. You won’t be any good to me with frostbitten feet.”

  Rishi glanced down at his toes, then ducked beneath the wagon and began to dig for his clothes.

  Atreus finished lacing his boots, then slipped his heavy woolen cloak over his shoulders and stepped out into the morning. The air was calm and clear, with the last stars fading from sight and the orange dawn spreading across the frigid sky. The yaks stood a short distance down the hill, tied nose to tail for easy leading. The one in the rear had a pair of canvas bags secured to its shaggy back. Over the shoulders of the other lay a blanket and ropes, ready to secure a rucksack full of gold.

  Yago came pounding out of the morning dimness, a half-eaten marmot dangling from one hand. “What … happened?” he huffed. “I heard a bang.”

  “The trap on my treasure coffer.” Atreus gestured at the open basket. “Bharat didn’t think a third was fair.”

  “I meant no harm!” Bharat protested. “I was only going to take my half—”

  “Bharat, this is the last time I’ll warn you about taking me for a fool,” Atreus said. When the Mar fell silent, he turned to Yago. “Keep an eye on him while you finish your breakfast. I’ll get us ready to go.”

  Leaving Bharat to Yago’s watchful eye, Atreus retrieved the yaks and unpacked the beast in the rear. He found Bharat’s belongings in the first bag and what remained of the food in the second.

  “What a disgraceful thief,” Rishi commented, now fully dressed. “He meant us to starve. I will cut his throat, and then we can be on our way.”

  Bharat swung toward the sound. “Two thirds of the gold is not enough for you? Now you must kill me for the rest?”

  “It is better than you deserve,” Rishi said, “but we have no time for a proper punishment.” He pulled one of his small knives and started toward Bharat.

  Atreus caught Rishi by the arm. “I thought Bharat was your friend,” he said.

  “A friend does not steal his friend’s gold,” Rishi snarled.

  “It’s not yours yet,” Atreus reminded him. “The gold does not belong to you until we reach Langdarma.”

  Rishi’s golden face darkened to the color of mahogany and he said, “Oh, begging your pardon, here I go getting ahead of myself again.” He held his dagger out toward Atreus. “Of course, the good sir wishes to punish the thief himself.”

  “The good sir does not.” Atreus replied, pushing the dagger away. “As a matter of fact, I’m quite happy with how things turned out.”

  Rishi frowned and asked, “You would let a man steal from you?”

  “If it is the only way to learn the truth, yes.” Atreus took Bharat’s arm and pulled the Mar to his feet but continued to speak to Rishi. “Had you tried to open the coffer, I would have known you have no idea where we are going. But since you’re willing to wait for a larger share of the gold, I know we’re near the edge of my map.”

  “This was a test?” shrieked Bharat. “You blinded me to find if I was telling the truth?”

  “He didn’t do nothing,” said Yago, crunching a bone. “You’re the one who tried to open the coffer. You deserve what you got.”

  “Which isn’t as terrible as it could have been,” said Atreus, guiding Bharat to the front of the wagon. “Your blindness will pass.”

  Bharat sighed in relief, then furrowed his brow and clutched Atreus’s arm. “And what of our bargain?” he asked. “Was that only to see if we were telling the truth?”

  “If you will honor it, then I will.” Atreus said as he helped the Mar into the wagon’s passenger seat.

  Bharat did not release Atreus’s arm. “But the split will be even, of course.”

  “Even?” Rishi asked. He was beside them in an instant “Are you going to Langdarma? I am the one taking more risk.”

  “Our agreement is already more than fair, Bharat” agreed Atreus. He peeled the Mar’s hand off his arm. “Be happy with the gold you’re receiving now. It’s enough to make you wealthy many times over.”

  Bharat shook his head stubbornly. “But I am a bahrana, just as Rishi. My share should be half. Anything less is to call me a tarok.”

  “Only by the backward customs of Edenvale,” countered Rishi. “The good sir and his gold come from the far realm of Erlkazar. We should honor the custom of that land, where it is the habit to honor a man’s value and not his position.”

  “But we met in Edenvale,” Bharat said, turning his head away. “I will abide by its customs, or by none at all.”

  “If that’s your choice, I’ll rekindle the fire.” Atreus reached up to take the Mar’s arm. “By tomorrow or the next day, you’ll see well enough to start back with the gold I’ve already given you.”

  Bharat’s unseeing eyes grew wide. “And now you are trying to cheat me out of even my miserable third!” he shouted. “I am coming with you, whether you like it or not”

  Bharat folded his arms and let Atreus and the others pack the wagon and harness the yaks. Then the small company set off on a cold and solemn ride. They spent much of the morning angling up a windblasted mountainside, until their route joined several others and rounded the shoulder into a steep alpine gorge. The distant roar of a mighty river began to rumble up from a tiny ribbon of water thousands of feet below, and the road became little more than a perilously tilted track.

  Rishi stopped the wagon so they could look across the river. On the opposite side of the gorge lay an immense plateau of snowy hummocks and leafy green willow bushes. In the untold distance beyond stood a remote wall of ice-draped mountains, as jagged as orc’s teeth and so high they were scratching tiny furrows of white cloud into the belly of the passing sky.

  “The Spine of the World Dragon,” Rishi announced, pointing at the peaks. “The valleys on your map lie there.”

  Without any trees or animals for scale, Atreus could not quite comprehend the magnitude of the mountains. To him the range looked like the brink of the world, a sheer barrier of ice-coated spires as high as it was impassable.

  “Men can live there?” asked Yago, incredulous.

  “If it is the wish of the mountain gods,” said Bharat. He was facing the peaks, though his sightless eyes were fixed on the sky above. “But more often, it is their wish that men die there.”

  “And how could a cowardly rug seller who has never ventured beyond the safety of the roads know such a thing?” demanded Rishi. He glanced over his shoulder at Atreus. “Pay Bharat no mind. It is said the Mar were born there, and of course that is where we shall find Langdarma … if we are strong enough.”

  For the first time Atreus wondered if he was strong enough. On his map, the peaks were little more than circles of fanning lines, with the names of the valleys written along serpentine spaces below. There was nothing to suggest the staggering height of the mountains or the sheer ruggedness of their ice-caked flanks. That a paradise could be hidden in such a place seemed impossible, and yet the sight made Atreus believe in Langdarma all the more strongly. Sune taught that beauty had to be guarded, and he could think of no better protection than those mountains.

  “Perhaps the good sir and his servant would hide now?” asked Rishi. “Several roads pass along here, and we are certain to meet many foolish Mar who would be most alarmed to see Ysdar’s devil riding in a yak wagon.”

  Atreus and Yago ducked down between the carpet rolls, half-covering themselves beneath the cotton tarp Bharat used as a dust shroud. Rishi slapped the reins, urging the yaks forward onto the precarious canyon trail. The listing track turned out to be more heavily traveled than any of the roads they had been
on so far. Several times an hour, Atreus and Yago had to pull the dust shroud over their heads as Rishi eased to the side of the road to let pass another wagon or a caravan of yaks. Twice, after hearing of an approaching patrol, he and Yago hid in the rocks below the road bank.

  As it happened, both patrols were heading back to the comforts of Edenvale and paid little attention to Rishi or the wagon. The leaders paused only long enough to brag about how close they had come to catching Ysdar’s devil, assuring the two carpet sellers that they themselves had chased the fiend deep into the mountains and made the Yehimals once again safe for travel. Rishi and Bharat thanked them profusely for their efforts, and when a passing salt caravan mentioned yet a third company down in the willows, no one thought it necessary for Atreus and Yago to leave the cart. The two westerners simply remained in back, peering out between their guides, ready to pull the dust shroud over their heads at an instant’s notice.

  After a time they rounded a bend and felt cold vapor in the air. Perhaps a mile ahead the shoulder of the mountain curved away, exposing yet more of the snow-hummocked plateau and revealing the head of the canyon, where a lazy river came twining out of the willows to plunge into the gorge. The result was a beautiful horsetail waterfall, so long it turned to mist before reaching the rocks below.

  The road left the mountainside just past the waterfall, then began branching off through the willows. One of the less traveled offshoots turned toward the sky-scratching peaks Rishi had pointed out as their destination, crossing the river via a suspension bridge of woven vines and swaying planks. They were halfway across when the third patrol emerged from the willows on the other side. The company had only two dozen warriors, but riding beside the leader was a small man in a cloak and sable hat His face was paler and more fine-boned than those of his Mar companions, and in the crook of his arm he carried an elaborately carved staff decorated with mystic symbols.

  “Now look what your greed has brought on us, Bharat,” hissed Rishi. “A wu-jen!”

  “Wu-jen?” rumbled Yago.

  “From Shou Lung,” Bharat explained.