storm (73 page)

            Terez brought his
sedu
up beside Peridot.  “This is where I should be.”  He reached out and clasped hands with his brother.

            “I am glad you're here,” Pellaz said, “although it is reckless of you.”

            “I'm a survivor,” Terez said.  “You know that.”  He and Raven joined Tharmifex and Velaxis, riding four abreast.

            As they reached the end of the pavilions, the sun broke through the clouds.  Every resident of Imbrilim, human and har alike, had gathered alongside the main highway to watch the army leave.  The crowd of onlookers went on for miles.  Some threw flowers and others held censers of burning incense.  Some of them sang.  Yet more stood in silence, harlings in their arms.  Groups of hienamas from several tribes uttered blessings and called upon dehara light and dark to add their strength to that of those now riding into the unknown.

            About a mile from Imbrilim, a force of two hundred or so riders was spotted, approaching at speed from the north.  The crowds at the side of the road parted to allow the leader of the new arrivals to reach the Tigron.  It was the Kamagrian Tel-an-Kaa, and she had brought others with her.

            Pellaz was astonished by her appearance, because he had never seen her in any guise other than the one she habitually employed while seeking out stray Kamagrian around the world, when she generally pretended to be a human female.  Then, she was a waif-like gypsy creature, dressed in colourful skirts and adorned with clanking trinkets.  Now, she was more like one of Ashmael's warriors, a harder edge to her bearing as well as her clothing of close-fitting leather.

            “I haven't brought you much,” she said to Pellaz, “but I rounded up as many of our best agents in the area as I could before coming to you.  I'm sorry I'm late.”

            “You're most welcome,” Pellaz said, eyeing the rather fearsome looking collection of parazha behind Tel-an-Kaa.  “Does Opalexian know of your...
recruitment
?”

            Tel-an-Kaa grinned.  “I had no time to tell her.  I obeyed an impulse.  We are ready, tiahaar.  It is time Wraeththu appreciated that Kamagrian are not afraid to face whatever dangers lie ahead.”

            “I can see that,” Pellaz said, and leaned from Peridot to embrace Tel-an-Kaa briefly.  “We are glad you're here.”

            “Then, let's ride,” she said, and signalled to her parazha to move on.  “We'll find a place in the line.  I'll speak to you later.”

As the tribe leaders left Imbrilim, so their warriors followed, a seemingly endless procession of hara.  So great a force.  How could Ponclast resist it?  He'd made no strikes on Imbrilim recently.  He'd made no apparent preparations.  Nohar knew what he was thinking, or what his allies were really capable of.  There was a clear boundary around Fulminir, and if anyhar crossed it, it invited devastating retaliation from hara who flashed out of the otherlanes.  But Swift's forces had been able to survey the area in relative comfort from a reasonable distance.  To all intents and purposes, Fulminir went about its daily business as if it were nothing more than a simple Wraeththu settlement.  There was no sign of troop training or reinforcements arriving, although hara worked steadily on the walls, throughout the day and night.  It was as if they were luring the Gelaming to them, attempting to lull them into a false sense of security.

For so great a force, making and striking camp was a lengthy process, but by the time the armies reached the designated resting point that night, the domestic staff who had gone on ahead at dawn had already done most of the work.  A vast temporary Imbrilim stood in the wild fields, where feral horses roamed.  It was much like the original Imbrilim had been, many years ago: a host of pavilions and floating veils.  The flags and banners of the tribes cracked in the evening breeze upon high poles, so that hara could easily find their billets.  Woodcutters had been to the forests to gather fuel for cooking fires.  Meals were being prepared. 
Sedim
and horses churned the fields to mud.  It seemed like chaos.

            Pellaz retired to his pavilion with Terez and Raven.  Before they ate, they were joined by Tharmifex, Velaxis and Ashmael.  Pellaz was aware of an itch inside him, a sense of impatience.  It took him a moment to realise what it was: he wanted them all to leave so he could go and find Galdra.  It was clear that wasn't going to happen.

            Shortly after eleven o'clock, Vaysh arrived.  His expression was not joyful.  Pellaz didn't want to hear what he was going to say.

            Vaysh addressed his opening remarks to Tharmifex, which was telling.  “Eyra's Listeners have made a report concerning Abrimel.  They picked up otherlane residue, which confirms he left Imbrilim by that means, but no trace of
sedim.
  One of Eyra's hara took a
sedu
into the otherlanes.  They found a trace signature and, from what they could gather, Abrimel left voluntarily.  There was no energy fallout of distress.  His signature was mixed with that of a being similar to those who have been directing attacks upon our hara.”

            Tharmifex was silent for a moment, then glanced briefly at Pellaz.  “Are you suggesting, tiahaar, that Abrimel has left Imbrilim willingly with an enemy?”

            “The evidence suggests it,” Vaysh said. “The Listeners were very thorough.  They made several checks.”  He looked at Pellaz.  “I'm sorry.”

            “It can't be so,” Tharmifex said.  “Abrimel has been glamoured.  It's the obvious explanation.”  He frowned.  “However, it's strange that nohar picked up any sense of an enemy entering Imbrilim.  Security there is extremely tight, and there was a sizeable force of
sedim
present.  Somehar would have felt or seen something.”

            “They would,” Pellaz said curtly.  He put down his plate.  “I believe this might be Abrimel's final rebellion against me.  I imagine he has a treasury of currency Ponclast would covet, namely whatever he has learned of our plans.”

            “Can you really say that of your son?” Velaxis said.  He appeared more troubled than anyhar else.

            “You know that I can,” Pellaz said.  “I know you are close to him, Velaxis, and I can imagine how you must feel about this, but I think we have to face reality.”

            “There is no proof,” Velaxis said.  “I'm sure... I'm sure I would have suspected, felt...
known
something.”

            “We'll find out,” Ashmael said darkly, and from his tone he could have meant anything by that.

For three days, Pellaz was unable to meet with Galdra, and in fact did not even lay eyes on him.  Many hara wanted his time.  He spent a poignant half hour riding alongside Spinel, who informed the Tigron that he had been an inspiration to the Irraka.  “You made us think,” he said.  “Now I know why.”

            “Maybe you just needed time,” Pellaz said graciously.  “I think that in order to survive you would have changed and grown anyway, but thanks for the compliment.”

            On the third evening, Galdra turned up without an invitation at the Tigron's pavilion.  Tharmifex and Velaxis were there, and in fact seemed to have become permanent fixtures for dinner each night.  Both greeted Galdra like a long lost friend.  Pellaz found it easy, not at all awkward, to integrate Galdra into the gathering.  He noticed that his guests left earlier than usual, and the moment the pavilion closed behind them, he was in Galdra's arms, sharing breath as if they were underwater and the Freyhellan was the only source of air.

            “I've missed you,” Galdra said, right into Pell's mouth.  “Ag, how I've missed you!  I couldn't stay away any longer.”

            The walls to the pavilions were thin.  Everyhar around the Tigron's abode that night would have been in no doubt that he was taking aruna with somehar, and most of them would have known or guessed who it was.

            Ecstasy spent, they lay in each other's arms.  Pellaz felt drowsy and contented.  The world was a good place.  Nothing bad could exist in a universe where this comfortable state abided.  They lay side by side, facing each other and Galdra reached up to take a lock of Pell's hair in his fingers.  “You hide it well,” he said softly, “but I do
know,
Pell.”

            “Know what?”  Pellaz had no idea what Galdra would say.  Already, he knew enough about the Freyhellan to expect anything.

            “It should be Cal here, holding you, giving you his strength.  I wonder sometimes whether you resent the fact it's me, because you are kept apart from him, unsure of where he is or how he is, or of why he can't come to you.”

            Pellaz felt his body stiffen involuntarily.  The words were like a knife wound.  “Don't talk of him here,” he said.  “Don't.”

            “You should.  You can say anything to me.”

            Pellaz pulled away from Galdra and sat up.  He felt dizzy and had to put his head in his hands.  Galdra was silent and motionless behind him, giving him this time.  After some moments, Pellaz lowered his hands.  “Galdra, Cal is not here simply because he doesn't want to be.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “He went to Galhea.  We had news.  I thought you might have heard.”

            “No.  The Gelaming are more tight-lipped about your affairs than you realise, at least with outsiders.”  Galdra sat up also, put his hands on Pell's shoulders.  “What have you heard?”

            “Not much, but if he can get to
Forever,
he can get to me.  He doesn't want me, Galdra.  That's the truth.”

            “I can't believe that.”  He kissed Pell's shoulder.  “It isn't true.”

            Pellaz laughed harshly.  “It is.  I know you love me, and maybe that's because you never knew me before I was Tigron.  You love what you see.  Cal loves a dream, a dead har.  He can't love what lives.  He's Tigron of his own life.  He can't cope with what I've become.  He defers to nohar.”

            Galdra pulled Pellaz back down to the bed, held him close.  He didn't speak, just pressed his lips against Pell's hair.

            “There may have to be changes,” Pellaz said abruptly.  He felt Galdra go utterly still.  “After this is all over, there may be changes.  Perhaps you understand my meaning?”

            Galdra did not respond immediately.  “I am here for you in whatever way you want me to be.  I think I know what you mean, but I also think we should not speak of it.  Too much would happen.  I think you might be wrong about Cal.”

            “But if I'm not?  In Immanion, you told me I should let go of my dreams.  What if I see them for what they are now – a nightmare?  You said we should be together.”

            Galdra sighed.  “I know you more intimately now than I did when I said those words.  I have seen things inside you, Pell, things that have made me sad for both of us.  We could be together twenty years and if he came for you, you'd still go to him.  I know that.”

            Pellaz uttered an angry, wordless sound.  “Too many times I've thrown out a challenge to the universe, to him.  Important times in my life.  I've asked him to come to me, when it would have meant everything.  He never did, not when I blood-bonded with Rue, nor when I met you in Immanion.  He is never there when it would make a difference.”

            “What if he walked in here now?”