by Hugh Cook
'What do you mean, which child? Monogail, of course, you ignorant--’
'Monogail! But how--’
'Nan Nulador, that's how. He grabbed her for Celadric. 421
What're your dungeons made of, huh? Ricepaper, perhaps?’
'Where's Nan Nulador now?' said Hearst.
T was put to the necessity of killing him,' said Yen Olass, 'So I could make good my escape.’
'Really? And tell me, how did you escape?’
T can walk through walls,' said Yen Olass, not wishing to confess to Hearst that she had been kidnapped and spirited out of the castle by a Yarglat tribesman in the Ondrask's employ.
'That's a very clever trick,' said Hearst. 'You must show it to me one day.’
'One day I will,' said Yen Olass.
'But only if you abandon your crazy scheme to kidnap Celadric,' said Hearst. 'Otherwise you won't live to see nightfall, let alone one day, whenever that may be.’
'Hey, it's not my crazy scheme. It's all these crazy men who thought it up. If you want to argue, you argue with them.’
'I'm not going to argue,' said Hearst. 'I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when it's all over.’
T haven't finished explaining things to you yet!' said Yen Olass.
'Goodnight,' said Hearst.
And, true to his word, he laid his head down and went to sleep -- or pretended to.
'What does he say?' asked Chonjara, who had been unable to follow this conversation.
'He says he's not going to fight for us,' said Yen Olass. 'He's going to sleep instead.’
'He'll feel better when he's rested,' said Chonjara. 'In fact ... so will I. Wake me if anything happens.’
And he too laid himself down, and, with the ease of a professional soldier, went to sleep.
* * *
Towards noon, the Lord Emperor Celadric came to the Ondrask's raft with his brother Meddon and a mob of fighting men. Some of the soldiers were Meddon's; some were members of Celadric's personal bodyguard, which he had now withdrawn from the womanhunt.
Hearst, Yen Olass and Chonjara watched through cracks in the bamboo walls as the troops came aboard. There was no need for a council of war: they were obviously badly outnumbered. They would not be kidnapping Celadric today.
Losh Negis came into the cabin and silently handed out ceremonial masks, which would obscure their identity if anyone was rude enough to challenge the cabin's privacy. Along with ten of the Ondrask's men, they waited, hoping Celadric and Meddon would not stay too long. Outside, the rest of the Ondrask's people -- most of them women -- began serving the guests.
With so many people crowded into the cabin and warm sunlight beating down, it was hot. Yen Olass, sweating behind a horsehide mask, peered through a crack in the wall. What she saw was mostly legs, none of which took her fancy.
Outside, the Ondrask was now confronting Celadric, who had brought him a gift.
'What is it?' said Losh Negis, taking the elaborately carved casket his emperor handed him.
'Open it,' said Celadric with a smile.
So Losh Negis opened the casket, and discovered a knife reclining on velvet. A very beautiful knife.
'Do you know what it's for?' said Celadric gently.
'No,' said Losh Negis.
'It's to kill yourself with,' said Celadric, in his oboe-smooth voice. 'Your behaviour last night was less than acceptable. You must understand that such behaviour has consequences.’
Losh Negis hesitated.
Celadric turned to Meddon and said:
'Kill him.’
'With pleasure,' said Meddon, drawing his sword. 423
Losh Negis dropped the casket and fled. He hurled himself against the door of the cabin, which burst open. He crashed to the floor amongst the bodies inside.
'Eagles!' shouted Meddon.
And in a trice, blades were out and blood was flying. Celadric came running in after Losh Negis. He had been slashed across the face. His panic was masked with blood. Outside, his men were being butchered by Meddon's bravos.
The fight on the raft was brief. Taken by surprise, Celadric's men were easy meat. Most of them, in keeping with the spirit of a river festival, had come unarmed. Meddon, victorious, entered the cabin and looked around. There were fifteen people inside. Every one of them was now wearing a horsehide mask.
'Losh Negis,' said Meddon, 'I've got no quarrel with you. Give me my brother -- or my brother's head.’
Losh Negis took off his mask.
'Ah, there you are,' said Meddon. 'Which one's my brother? Come out, Celadric. You can't hide forever!’
'That one,' said Losh Negis, pointing Meddon to the far corner.
'This is treason!' shouted Celadric, tearing off his mask.
'But of course,' said Meddon mildly, advancing on his brother. 'It's your own fault. You shouldn't have had York murdered last night.’
'That woman did it! I never--’
'Skak!' shouted Meddon, less mild as he moved in for the kill.
The next moment he was down on the deck, struggling. Half a dozen men had jumped him as he moved in for the kill.
'Call off your men,' said Chonjara. 'Let me go,' said Meddon, 'Or you're dead.' Chonjara sliced off one of his fingers. 'Call off your men,' said Chonjara, 'or I'll take your nose off next.’
'Faravaunt!' shouted Meddon, using a code word which meant nothing to anyone inside the cabin." To his men, it meant retreat. Instead, they crowded into the entrance. 'Sir--’
'Get out of here, you swine-gutter filth! They're going to cut me to pieces! Go! Horse off!’
Reluctantly, Meddon's men retreated. Hearst took an axe, and, masked, went outside and cut the anchor ropes. The raft began to drift downriver.
'Are they all gone?' said Chonjara.
'They're all gone,' said Losh Negis.
'Good,' said Chonjara.
And he cut Meddon's throat.
Downstream, smoke was rising to the sky as Garabatoon began to burn.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
They sailed first to the Greater Teeth, and it was there that Yerzerdayla helped Yen Olass put the finishing touches to her plan for taking over the Collosnon Empire.
The original plan, concocted by the Ondrask, had its dubious aspects. Chonjara, having promised to support Monogail as empress, was supposed to rally an army under his own command. The Ondrask thought at least half the Collosnon forces would come to Chonjara's banner.
Morgan Hearst was supposed to raise a mercenary army from his western homeland of Rovac, to support the forces loyal to the Ondrask and Chonjara. Hearst was to be given Monogail's hand in marriage, so that when Monogail attained her maturity she would be wife of the emperor. That guarantee of power and influence was supposed to convince him that it was in his best interests to support their cause.
But, as Yerzerdayla pointed out, this plan had its defects. Initially, it would make Chonjara the most powerful man in Tameran. Given such power, he would be unlikely to relinquish it. And even if he did -- what mother in her right mind would want to marry her daughter to Morgan Hearst, a man of no character.
Watashi was the best choice as supreme commander. He was not of the Yarglat, so he would need to come to Tameran as Monogail's general if he was to hope to command the assent of the most powerful Collosnon military commanders, who were all Yarglat clansmen. For Watashi, Monogail would always be indispensable. Stokos was too small and too far away to hope to conquer Tameran, but Stokos was hungry enough and populous enough to provide at least one army to contend against any other powers -- such as Onosh Gulkan, the Witchlord -- which chose to try for the throne of Tameran.
Hearst, bribed with the prospect of ultimately controlling the west of Argan, could be counted on to provide a second army. If he hesitated, Watashi could offer to bankroll that mercenary army -- Stokos was small and hungry, but its gold reserves were substantial.
Yerzerdayla and Yen Olass schemed together, then dickered with Hearst and Watashi, then presented Losh Negis and
Chonjara with an ultimatum: they could swear themselves to Monogail's cause, or leave their bones on the Greater Teeth.
They swore their oaths of allegiance.
'But what about you and me?' said the Ondrask. 'What happens between us, now?’
'That,' said Yen Olass, 'remains to be seen.’
She thought about it in the days that followed, as they forced the Lord Emperor Celadric to sign papers formalizing his abdication in favour of Monogail, as they drafted letters demanding that hostages be sent to the Greater Teeth, as they received the garrison commander of Garabatoon and accepted his oath of allegiance.
The Ondrask had changed over the years. Losh Negis was both more and less than the man she had seen so long ago in the cave to the north of the hunting lodge near Gendormargensis. She had seen him compromise his dignity by capering around on all fours, playing a part in a farce organized by Celadric. But then, too, she had seen him attacking Nan Nulador with a battle hammer. A rash act, no doubt, and probably one prompted more by hatred of Celadric than by love of Yen Olass. Still, the fact remained -- he had saved the life of her child.
And, as the days went by, he did his best to show his respect for her. He had his hair washed and cut, and his fingernails trimmed and cleaned. He had seven rotten teeth pulled out. His breath came to smell like apples. He courted her assiduously. Yen Olass was nattered by his attentions. But before she could take him seriously, there was one personal defect he would have to remedy -- he would have to learn to wash.
She was still trying to think of a tactful way to put it to him when they arrived at the Lesser Teeth. She dropped several hints, but he took none of them -- he seemed oblivious to them. So, in the end, she decided to be direct.
The Ondrask met her one afternoon on her direction. He wore his usual stinking clothes and his body stank as always. Yen Olass smiled, kissed him, took him firmly by the hand, and led him, not to the bed which he had been hoping for, but to a large room with a sunken pool in the middle. The pool was filled with steaming water.
There were six hefty washerwomen standing round the pool, waiting. They were armed -- no expense had been spared -- with sponges, lemons, soap, body oil, body scrapers, cloths, towels and pumice stone. The Ondrask regarded them with some apprehension, then went and took a good look at the pool.
'What's that?' he said.
'A bath,' said Yen Olass.
And she pushed him into it.
* * *
While the Ondrask of Noth was enduring the very first bath of his life, Yen Olass went to check on Monogail, to see how she was settling back in. They would be staying on the Lesser Teeth for a little while yet, until they had the ships and the soldiers they needed to move on Tameran.
Yen Olass found Monogail very excited; she had something she wanted to show her mother urgently.
'Mam! Mam! Come and see! Straffs had a baby! So's Alamanda!’
Yen Olass doubted it, but allowed herself to be dragged along to see. Monogail led the way into her bedroom.
'Here,' said Monogail, drawing her to the big earthenware dish of rocks and weed and water. 'Baby ones! Look!’
Peering into this aqueous paradise, Yen Olass saw a tiny
tiny fish sharing the dish with Straff, and a tiny tiny frog occupying a rock with Alamanda. She wondered who had arranged this present for her daughter. 'Baby ones! See!’
'Immaculate conception, huh?' said Yen Olass. 'What's immaculate, mam?’
'We'll say it means perfect,' said Yen Olass, and hugged the child who -- no matter who or what the father might be -- was most definitely hers.
THE END
About this edition
This ebook was scanned from an original paperback on saturday the 6th of November 2010.
Major corrections, formatting and general cleaning done on saunday the 7th of November 2010.
Some errors may still be present, but the books is readable.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Also by Hugh Cook
THE WOMEN AND THE WARLORDS
THE WOMEN AND THE WARLORDS
Maps
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
Name: Yen Olass Ampadara
CHAPTER TWO
Name: Lord Pentalon Alagrace
CHAPTER THREE
Gendormargensis: capital of Collosnon Empire; military and administrative city situated on Yolantarath River, commanding strategic gap between Sarapine Ranges and Balardade Massif. Extensive fortifications and notable archives; centre of fur trade; famous for annual horse fair and river tournament; pop. (est. Khmar 18) 273,460.
CHAPTER FOUR
A light snow was falling; the spectators were starting to disperse. Lonth Denesk's bloodstained corpse was an ugly sight, so Haveros removed his cloak and used it to shroud his father's body. Haveros looked strangely lost. It was very quiet.
CHAPTER FIVE
A month after the duel, Lefrey disappeared.
CHAPTER SIX
In the early days of spring, when the city of Gendormargensis was still talking about the public humiliation of General Chonjara, a patron asked Yen Olass Ampadara for a reading. The patron was Volaine Persaga Haveros.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Midsummer's Day initiated a new year, Khmar 19, which did not get off to an auspicious start. Drought fostered forest fires and brought a water shortage to the surrounding region; stones fell from the heavens, and then a comet appeared in the northern sky, causing an outbreak of dralkosh hunting; the Yolantarath River fell below memory's lowest level; there was a rumour of cholera, an outbreak of equine enteritis and a plague of mice; a child was bitten by a mad dog and died of rabies, and a cat by the name of Lefrey succumbed to a virulent form of influenza and passed away, a tragedy which greatly distressed an oracle by the name of Yen Olass Ampadara.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lord Alagrace was annoyed when Yen Olass disappeared, particularly after a casual enquiry established that there was ultimately nothing to stop an oracle from having children just like any other woman. As he saw it, Yen Olass had turned down a chance for her life to end happily ever after. Now she was a runaway slave, and likely to go under the spikes when she was caught. He was disappointed in her.
CHAPTER NINE
The slave Yerzerdayla was sold down the river by the dralkosh Bao Gahai, who was jealous of her beauty and who needed the money. Since the collapse of the Safrak Bank, the economy of the Safrak Islands was marginal; even as chief confidant of the Witchlord Onosh Gulkan, Bao Gahai could not live in the style to which she had once been very much accustomed.
CHAPTER TEN
Counselled by Yerzerdayla, Yen Olass stayed behind when the slaver moved on. She recognised the truth of the points Yerzerdayla had made. Khmar was capricious, true, and it might amuse the emperor to receive a petition from a woman. However, Khmar would never be free to indulge himself like that.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Lord Emperor Khmar hated living inside buildings. Enclosed by four walls, he became uneasy, disturbed by the dead air, the muted sounds, the diminished contact with the weather. Appreciating the benefits of impressing the populace with his wealth and power, he allowed architects to build him palaces, but he refused to inhabit them; the glorious Retzet t'Dektez in Gendormargensis was empty but for guards and caretakers, as Khmar had never so much as stepped inside it.
CHAPTER TWELVE
A man does not eat with a woman. A master does not eat with a slave. And the emperor most certainly does not eat with a female slave. Yet this happened.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
In Favanosin, Lord Alagrace, dealing with military simplicities instead of the delicate politics of Gendormargensis, had no need of an oracle to help him. Yen Olass lived alone in a small two-room house, the property of a midwife who had fled when Khmar's troops invaded; she never saw Lord Alagrace from one week to the next. She drew food and fuel from Central Supply, eating well, for as an oracle her rations were t
hose of a junior officer.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The invaders were shocked by their first sight of Castle Vaunting. Its battlements seemed endless. Labouring upwards out of a hill of grass, its heights, the details shrouded by heavy rain, made a doom-dark mountain mass; shadow upon shadow, the tors and crags of the enemy stronghold strove toward the darkness of engulfing cloud. Eight towers studded the walls, while the vertiginous gatehouse keep was a fortress in itself. That hulking darkness, lording it over the centuries, had been built to hold against armies greater than theirs.
