Fragile Empire

by Christopher Mitchell

  Karalyn smiled. This wasn’t so bad.

  Chapter 11

  Sable

  Eastern Plateau – 15th Day, Second Third Spring 524

  ‘I had no idea the countryside was so beautiful,’ Yanin said, gazing at the endless rolling hills. They were divided up into neat vineyards, and shone bright green in the sunlight.

  ‘Who cares?’ said Ravi, scowling. ‘My feet are killing me.’

  His sister smiled at him as they walked. ‘Did you know that all the wine in the empire is made here?’

  ‘So what?’

  ‘And most of the dreamweed.’

  ‘It’s just fields and dirt to me.’

  ‘Give up,’ Kerri said to Yanin. ‘He’s determined to complain the whole way, and you’re just encouraging him.’

  ‘So I have to be quiet,’ she said, ‘because he’s a pain in the ass?’

  Kerri sighed. ‘Between your weird cheerfulness and his moaning all the time, I think I’m starting to crack up.’

  ‘I can’t help it if I’m enjoying this trip.’

  ‘Trip?’ Kerri said, screwing her face up. ‘And here I thought we were fleeing for our lives.’

  ‘Don’t you start,’ Yanin said. ‘We’re safe enough. We’ve been on the road for seventeen days. If they were coming after us, they’d have caught up by now.’

  Ravi smirked, deriving a strange satisfaction from listening to the two young women bicker. It wasn’t enough to erase the feeling that leaving Amatskouri had been a terrible mistake, but it helped a little. He glanced up at the long caravan snaking into the distance ahead of them through the gentle valley. The sun was beginning to lower to their right and they would be camping soon, marking the end of another day spent trudging along country tracks and roads.

  ‘Can we go home, then?’ Kerri said. ‘You know, if it’s so safe.’

  ‘You know the answer to that,’ Yanin said.

  ‘But working in a vineyard all summer?’ Ravi said. ‘Sounds like torture.’

  ‘Anamindhari is a town,’ Yanin said, her voice edging towards anger. ‘We can look for jobs when we get there. You won’t have to be out in the fields.’

  ‘My clay mage hands will be ruined toiling like a farmer,’ Ravi said. ‘I’m a city boy. I need buildings and people, and a comfy bed, and bars and clothes shops and fresh coffee and hot-food stalls. This is worse than being on the Migration.’

  Yanin’s eyes narrowed. ‘Look around,’ she cried. ‘Does this seem like a volcanic wasteland to you? Dickhead.’

  Her yelling attracted a few glances from others in the caravan. Most were travelling aboard wagons or carts, but a few were walking, unable to afford a seat for the journey. The three fugitives had kept to themselves since leaving Amatskouri. They helped out when asked; with cooking, cleaning and the occasional watch duty at night, but had stuck to the story that they were itinerant labourers, planning to work in the vineyards around Anamindhari for the season, and no one had seemed to have taken much interest in them. Ravi had noticed several very attractive women in the caravan, but with Kerri in such close proximity had felt it wiser to stick to looking only. He glanced at her. She looked different in her travelling clothes with her hair tied back, and he missed her short skirts and tight dresses. She caught him looking and smiled.

  ‘We’ll get a chance to be alone once we get to Anamindhari,’ she said.

  He frowned. ‘That’s right. Just assume that I was thinking about sex.’

  ‘Weren’t you?’

  ‘Well, okay, I was this time. I don’t see why we can’t just do it under a big blanket. We could be quiet.’

  ‘No way,’ she said. ‘I’m not doing it out in the open air with dozens of people around.’

  ‘We could slip a few coins to someone. See if they’ll let us borrow their wagon.’

  ‘No,’ she said. ‘You’ll just have to wait.’

  ‘And I’m not giving you money for that,’ Yanin said. ‘We’ll need every coin we have to pay for stuff when we get to Anamindhari.’

  He scowled at his sister. ‘That was a private conversation.’

  ‘Nothing’s private out here,’ Yanin said. ‘I think that was the point Kerri was trying to make.’

  ‘Stop ganging up on me,’ he said, lighting a cigarette. His eyes darted across to the nearest wagon a few paces ahead on the road. It was packed with goods, all bound for the markets of the eastern and southern Plateau. His legs were tired and he wished he was sitting up there, watching the hills roll by instead of trudging along for hours each day. He tried to think of a way to blame his sister but came up with nothing.

  ‘Could I have a light, please?’

  He turned, and saw a Holdings woman looking at him, an unlit cigarette in her hands. His mouth opened slightly as their eyes met. She was gorgeous. He smiled.

  ‘Sure,’ he said, fumbling in his pocket for matches. He paused from walking, allowing Kerri and Yanin to get ahead of them, and lit the woman’s cigarette.

  ‘I’m Ravi,’ he said. ‘I’ve not seen you before.’

  ‘I’m usually up near the front of the caravan,’ she said.

  ‘Yeah? What do you do?’

  ‘Work for a merchant in Plateau City.’

  He glanced at her athletic physique. There was a sword slung from her belt and he wondered if she was a guard. She noticed his gaze and raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Thanks for the light,’ she said, and strode off.

  He watched her go, shaking his head. If he had been in the city he would most likely have made chase, following her in the hope he might charm her into going for a drink, and then who knows? He had never been out with a Holdings woman. Many were taller than him, but she had been about the same height, and her skin, her eyes… He shuddered. What he would give to spend a few hours with her…

  The slap across his face came as a surprise.

  ‘Asshole,’ Kerri said as his cheek stung.

  ‘What was that for?’ he said.

  She glared at him. ‘Do you think I’m completely stupid? Shit. What was I thinking? I should have stayed in Amatskouri.’

  ‘You couldn’t,’ said Yanin, putting a hand on her shoulder while directing her meanest look at Ravi. ‘It was too dangerous. We work the summer, and then we can go back.’

  ‘You’re just saying that,’ Kerri said, as a tear fell down her face. ‘Ravi can’t go back, not now they know he’s a diamond mage. And you won’t abandon him, which means you can’t go back either.’

  Yanin lowered her eyes.

  ‘Are you going to leave us?’ Ravi said.

  Kerri said nothing, her lips pursed. She turned and began walking, hurrying to catch up with the rear of the caravan.

  ‘You’re an idiot,’ Yanin said. ‘That girl’s the best thing to happen to you in ages, and look at the way you treat her. Couldn’t you at least pretend not to be an asshole?’

  ‘I haven’t touched another woman since we left,’ he said.

  ‘And? You looking for a fucking medal or something? It’ll be your fault if she leaves. We’ve got four days until we get to Anamindhari, where there will be caravans heading back to Amatskouri. That’s how long you’ve got to persuade her to stay.’

  She walked away, leaving Ravi standing alone. He sighed and dropped the cigarette butt on the gravel road, grinding in it with the heel of his boot. He remembered the Holdings woman, and the way she had looked into his eyes, then thought of Kerri, and all the times they had spent together.

  It didn’t seem right that he had to choose.

  The caravan came to a halt before sunset. The wagons clustered in small groups spread by the side of the road, and locals from the nearby vineyards came down with hand-carts, trading with the travellers as the camp was set up. Yanin’s money had bought them food and drink for the journey, which everyone took turns in preparing from communal kitchens. Ravi, Kerri and Yanin had the evening off and sat down by their usual group, waiting for dinner to be prepared. Ravi hauled off his boots and rubbe
d his aching feet.

  ‘Twelve miles today,’ Yanin said, ‘and only one slap in the face for Ravi. Not bad.’

  He shot her a look.

  ‘You should be happy,’ she went on. ‘You’ve lost your tummy.’

  ‘I didn’t have a tummy.’

  Yanin chuckled. ‘All that good living in the city was starting to accumulate round your middle. Look at you now, you’re fitter than you’ve been in years.’

  ‘I’m not fit. I’m worn out. Falling apart. When I finally get into a proper bed, I’m going to stay in it for days.’

  ‘Poor Ravi. A wreck at nineteen.’

  ‘We’ll be twenty in four days, sis,’ he said. ‘Spending our birthday in that flea-bitten town.’

  ‘Anamindhari is meant to be wealthy from what I heard,’ she said. She turned to Kerri, who was sitting in silence, her head down. ‘You’re being very quiet.’

  Kerri looked up. ‘Just thinking.’

  Yanin nodded sagely, as if she understood, and Ravi’s temper rose. As the daylight faded the lanterns hanging from the front of the caravans were lit, and a chill breeze cut through the camp. Dinner was doled out to them – more stew from a large pot that never seemed to empty, served with a warm chunk of bread. Cups of wine were also handed out, and Ravi drank his in one gulp. He turned away as Yanin frowned at him, and noticed a group of young women approach, their long skirts trailing in the dust. Proper travellers, he thought as he watched them laughing and chatting with each other. They halted a few yards away from the campfire where he was sitting.

  ‘Hey, girls,’ one of them called out to Yanin and Kerri. ‘We heard you were down here, stuck at the back of the caravan. Are you working the vineyards this summer?’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Yanin, smiling.

  ‘Is this your first time?’

  Ravi’s sister nodded.

  ‘Well,’ the woman said, ‘the rest of us seasonal workers hang out much further up the line, and we were wondering if you’d like to join us for a drink, and we can answer any questions you might have about Anamindhari. Have you got jobs lined up?’

  ‘No,’ said Yanin. ‘We were just going to try our luck, see what we could get.’

  The woman laughed. ‘Sounds like you definitely need our help! Come on, we don’t bite.’

  Yanin glanced at Kerri, who nodded.

  ‘What about me?’ Ravi said. ‘Am I invited too?’

  ‘Girls only,’ the woman said.

  Yanin smirked at him as she stood. ‘See you later, brother. Make sure you behave yourself.’

  Ravi glared at her. Kerri got to her feet without a word, and the two women joined the others as they walked off towards another camp.

  ‘Shit,’ he muttered. He lit a cigarette as the dishes and cups were cleared up. Someone threw him a blanket, and he pulled it round his shoulders and huddled closer to the warmth of the campfire. He looked around at the other travellers in their small camp. Most were middle-aged, some with small children. Experienced merchants and trades-folk, he guessed. Nobody that looked interesting enough to talk to.

  He wondered if anyone was looking for him. Maybe the city was in mourning, lamenting the loss of his skills, both in the clay-pits and in the bedroom. He thought back to some of the girls he had known, and smiled. Maybe if Kerri left him in Anamindhari he would be able to chance his luck with some of those travelling girls. He felt a pain in his chest, a dull throb, but he ignored it.

  He remembered the Holdings woman he had met earlier. Forget the travelling girls, now there was a woman he would like to get to know. Perhaps, he thought, lifting his head and glancing around at the other campfires dotted across the field. He got to his feet. It was foolish, he would never find her among the covered wagons and crowds of travellers. Nevertheless, his legs began walking. He skirted the outer circles of wagons, keeping away from the campfires, glancing at the people. He walked by the roadside towards the lead wagons, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Ahead, a shadow loomed, and he started.

  ‘Hi, Ravi,’ said the Holdings woman, her figure outlined in the flickering light of the closest campfire.

  He was speechless for a second, his mouth hanging open. She smiled and offered him a cigarette.

  ‘You on watch tonight?’ she said, lighting it for him with a match.

  ‘Eh, no,’ he said. ‘Um, are you?’

  She squinted at him. ‘Yes. Why else would I be standing out here on the road, armed?’

  He glanced at her leather armour and sword.

  ‘So what are you doing, then?’ she said.

  ‘Just, eh… just going for a walk.’

  She raised an eyebrow, then gazed up and down the empty road.

  ‘Fallen out with your girlfriend, have you?’ she said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I saw her slap you.’

  ‘She’s wishing she’d stayed at home.’

  She looked him up and down. ‘You don’t seem much like the usual traveller-types. You from Amatskouri?’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Have you been?’

  ‘A few times. I like the Rakanese people. Always up for a laugh.’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I miss the parties I used to have.’

  ‘Do you like dreamweed?’ she said.

  ‘What? Eh, yeah, I suppose.’

  ‘I get off at midnight,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you come to my wagon, and we can smoke some, and maybe have a drink?’ She pointed to her left. ‘I’m parked over there, with the lead wagons. Mine has red and yellow wheels.’

  He blinked. Could it really be so easy? He hadn’t even tried to use any of his lines on her, too surprised at meeting her on the road, and there she was, inviting him to her wagon.

  ‘I’ll be there,’ he said.

  She touched his arm. ‘I’ll see you then.’

  His stomach churning, he stepped off the road and walked back to his campfire. His blanket had disappeared, and he sat as close to the flames as he could get without scorching himself. Anticipation thrummed through his body, and he thought about the Holdings woman. Shit, he didn’t even know her name. He wondered if she invited lots of men back to her wagon, and it made him feel small, but then he realised that she was acting in the same way he did when he chased girls.

  The hours dragged past, and Ravi sat by the fire as the rest of the travellers went to sleep, either heading back to their wagons, or curling up in front of the fire with blankets wrapped over them. Where were Kerri and Yanin? He frowned. He knew it would be easier to slip away at midnight if they hadn’t returned, but at the same time he felt spurned that they had abandoned him for an entire evening.

  At last the midnight sentry from the rear of the caravan returned to the campfire, and Ravi stirred himself. He was half-frozen by the dying fire, and rubbed his hands over the embers. He stood, stretching. Still no sign of the girls.

  He lit a cigarette and stole away from the fire. The camps were mostly quiet, but he could hear a raucous noise from a camp to his left. As he passed it in silence, he saw it was the travelling girls, still up, drinking, smoking and laughing round a campfire. He noticed Kerri and Yanin among them. Both looked drunk, and Yanin was kissing one of the girls.

  Fine, he thought. If they could go to a party without him, then he would show them that he was quite capable of finding his own good time. He continued on, passing tents, wagons and quiet fires, until he reached the lead camp. A handful of travellers were sitting by the fire, talking in low voices, and Ravi kept to the shadows, scanning the wagons until he found the one with red and yellow wheels. He crept round to its rear, and knocked on the wooden door-slat. A moment passed, then it opened.

  The Holdings woman smiled down at him, and beckoned him in. He leapt up the steps and climbed into the back of the covered wagon. It was crammed with crates down either side, leaving a narrow space in the middle. Blankets had been spread on the floor of the wagon, along with a pile of books, and some bottles of brandy and wine. The Holdings woman was sitting on a trunk, we
aring loose slacks. Her long brown hair was down, floating below her shoulders, and her dark skin was glowing in the light of the small oil-lamp.

  ‘Have a seat,’ she said, ‘Sorry my place is so cramped. As you can no doubt see, I’m carrying a lot of stuff with me.’

  He sat on a crate next to her, and she passed him a tin cup full of wine.

  ‘What’s your name?’ he said.

  ‘Sable.’

  He smiled. ‘Hi, Sable. Tell me about yourself.’

  ‘No,’ she said. ‘I don’t think so. I’m much more interested in hearing about you. I’ve been up and down this route several times, and I’ve got to know the type of people who make the journey. There are your usual travelling merchants, and the itinerant folk, who move from estate to estate, following the seasonal work. Then there are the chancers, hoping to make it big in Anamindhari.’

  ‘And which am I?’ he said.

  ‘I hadn’t finished,’ she said, lighting a weedstick. ‘There’s a smaller group, not so common. They’re the ones running from something, or someone.’

  He swallowed, noticing a knife strapped to her ankle.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ she laughed. ‘I’m not going to tell the authorities.’

  ‘I thought you might be the authorities.’

  ‘I have an army background,’ she said. ‘But we’re here to talk about you.’

  She passed him the weedstick and he inhaled, then coughed. Shit, it was strong. He slurped down his wine, and she refilled his cup.

  ‘Let me try to guess,’ she said. ‘You ran away from Amatskouri. Your girlfriend came with you, and that other woman. Your sister? She seems the sensible one, so I’m going to say that it was something you did that explains why you’re running.’

  He took another draw and settled down. His head was swimming nicely and he gazed at her. He doubted he had ever seen a more beautiful woman.