The Red Queen (105 page)

‘I need to get out of Redport so that I can see if Swallow has returned to the camp and let Ana and Dameon know –’

‘The Empath guildmaster is with you!’ Merret said, grinning. ‘I had forgotten. Never did I think I would see him again. Nor you, Guildmistress. Ye gods, we have enough of Obernewtyn’s leadership here to arrange a guildmerge! How good it will be to see Dameon and Swallow and little Dragon!’

Her use of my title provoked a powerful wave of nostalgia in me and I asked the question that rose unstoppably to my lips. ‘Merret, I saw Rushton fleetingly in one of the infinities yesterday.’

The coercer gave me an anguished look. ‘That is not possible, Guildmistress. For he was mortally ill when the greatship foundered in that terrible storm. During the time it took the Sadorians to rescue us and spread us among the other greatships, he never truly recovered his strength.’

I struggled to concentrate as she went on to tell me that they had reached the Spit, but that even as the three greatships departed, leaving those whom they had rescued ashore and ready to coerce their way aboard a Gadfian vessel anchored there, there had been an unprecedented invasion by a great horde of darkland mutants.

‘Rushton?’ I asked. My lips felt numb.

Merret shook her head. ‘I saw him on the Spit when the beasts rushed out of the darklands. And then he was gone.’

I shook my head, thinking of my vision of him, lying still under the platform upon which he had been standing. I had heard the sound of beasts snapping and snarling.

‘I do not believe he is dead,’ I said. ‘Maybe he survived and broke free of these mutants. I think I saw him running with them, in a dream.’

Merret gave me a pitying look. ‘Running from them, more like, for they are flesh eaters. They do not take prisoners.’

‘I saw him, in Redport,’ I said mutinously. ‘Mayhap he escaped and got aboard one of the other ships and was brought here, only you do not know it because of the block.’

‘Elspeth, if he had come here he would be a slave and all foreign slaves live in Slavetown, besides which, we check every new slave intake.’ She looked suddenly appalled. ‘Elspeth, forgive me. I am a fool for blurting it out like that, for truly he may be alive. That is the thing to remember. I saw him fighting, not dead. Blyss mourned me as dead, and I her, before we were reunited.’

There was the memory of joy in her voice and it was like salt in a raw wound. For even if by some freak and wondrous chance Rushton lived yet, and did come someday to Redport, I would be gone.

‘I am the Seeker,’ I told myself.

‘What?’ Merret asked.

There was a soft tapping at the door, and the coercer beckoned me to stand flat against the wall behind the door before she opened it to the night. I did as she bade, struggling with a combination of grief and disbelief and confusion at the things she had said about Rushton, for I
had
seen him and so had Swallow. Jakoby emerged from the darkness, Reuvan behind her, and Daffyd behind him. The farseeker’s face looked haggard and I thought of Gilaine and did not wonder at the weariness in his face, or his interest in the emissary’s ship. But Reuvan looked stronger than I remembered, his blue eyes very alert and both arms marked with tattoos. Jakoby was as striking as when I had first seen her at the rebel meeting in the Land, years before, with her lean height, gleaming skin and black hair tightly plaited and beaded, golden eyes shining.

After their first almost comical astonishment at seeing me, and a babble of questions and answers in which all of us asked and answered questions at once, the others greeted me more calmly. The tribeswoman responded formally, bowing as her people did, then Reuvan enveloped me in a warm embrace. I had a sudden memory of our first meeting, and of him then carrying me out of danger, half suffocated inside his clothing trunk. Daffyd hugged me last of all, and I was glad to feel the sinewy strength in him. We talked more calmly then, and although they were as interested in everything as Merret had been, they fastened at once on the most important news – that Dragon was in Redport and had been taken by Matthew to Slavetown.

‘We must tell the Quarry folk all of this,’ Merret said urgently.

‘Agreed,’ Jakoby said. ‘Let us go.’

‘Wait,’ I said. ‘Tell me what you learned about the ships, for I will not go with you.’

Jakoby nodded. ‘The
Secret
is now anchored in the middle of the bay, having taken a load of ilthum at the Long Pier earlier today. It will come in to take on more ore in the morning and remain to allow the emissary’s women to come ashore for the masked ball. We have not been able to find out if it will remain moored until the emissary and his entourage return, or if they will be ferried out later by ship boat if it anchors in deeper water.’ Jakoby glanced at Daffyd, but his expression gave away nothing.

‘And the
Black Ship
?’ Merret asked.

Jakoby’s face grew still and grim, and suddenly she looked older. ‘It has anchored in the middle of the bay in deep water, and we have learned that, as always, Salamander did not come ashore, nor did the ship tie up at the Long Pier to disgorge its slave cargo. There is one oddness, though. Apparently it stood offshore outside the Talons to the south for a day before entering the bay, and in that time, one of the Gadfian ships came alongside and tied up to it for a time. Salamander’s pet giant carried some great chest across a gangplank, then he returned to the
Black Ship
and the Gadfian greatship entered the bay. A day later, yesterday, the
Black Ship
arrived in the bay. It is very mysterious but we would need Merret’s skills, or yours, Elspeth, to learn more of it.’

‘I think it must be the treasure promised to the emissary,’ Daffyd said.

‘But why would not Salamander simply bring it in himself?’ Merret asked.

‘Is there anything else?’ I said, puzzled but certain that whatever was in the chest was not the promised treasure. ‘The slaves that came ashore – what happened to them?’

‘They are kept in pens from which individual Gadfians buy them,’ Merret said. ‘We have people checking every lot that comes in, just in case some of our people are among them. There were none in this lot.’ There was pity in her eyes and I knew that she understood I was asking about Rushton.

‘What of Ariel?’ I asked. ‘Is it known whether or not he is aboard the
Black Ship
?’

‘The folk we questioned did not speak of him,’ Jakoby said. She looked at Merret. ‘What of your quest?’

‘It succeeded in practice but failed in its outcome,’ Merret said. ‘I got into the compound and out again without difficulty, but there was no sign of any machine that might be blocking our abilities. Hearing you speak of the greatships, though, it suddenly occurs to me that this blocking machine might not be in one fixed location. That would explain why no one has ever been able to find it.’

‘You think it is aboard a ship?’ Jakoby asked. ‘It would have to be a Gadfian ship boat, since all the greatships come and go irregularly.’

‘Well, it is a nuisance not to know where it is and no mistake,’ Reuvan said. ‘On the other hand the fact that the Redlanders have their Red Queen must more than compensate, for the Redlanders will rise now.’

‘Yes, we need to get moving,’ Merret said. ‘I am eager to let everyone at Quarry know the news. Elspeth, will you go to Slavetown after you have farsought the others?’

‘I will, and I will tell them we have met and ask about the possibility of arranging a meeting during the masked ball. As for the greatships, I think you will find that Rymer and the other Redlanders see the strategic importance of the emissary’s ship and will be keen to gain control of it before any move is made, and if possible, of the
Black Ship
as well. If you will give me leave, I will mention to Rymer that this is your desire, too.’

‘Better if both greatships are under our control,’ Jakoby said rather darkly. She looked at Merret. ‘I will not go back with you to Quarry now; I will remain in Redport and see what more I can learn about the greatships. I will come to the ruins just before dawn.’

‘I must stay with you,’ Daffyd told her, and Jakoby nodded.

‘I need to know whether Ariel is here,’ I said.

‘I will find out if he came in on the
Black Ship
,’ Jakoby promised.

‘Matthew will know,’ Merret told me. ‘He has his people watching for the pale man whenever the
Black Ship
anchors.’

We left the safe house and went together some distance through the streets, then Jakoby said she and Daffyd would head towards the bay. ‘We will meet you in the ruins on the cliff at dawn, Merret, and you can tell me then how Quarry reacted to the coming of the Red Queen.’

‘Be careful,’ Merret told her seriously.

Jakoby smiled for the first time, and there was a feral glimmer in her golden eyes. ‘I think the time for caution is over. Better to say: Be bold.’

The coercer grinned. ‘I do not think
you
have ever needed to be told that, my friend.’

Merret, Reuvan and I continued north, and as we came closer to the two towers, we slowed and sometimes stopped altogether to avoid encountering Ekoni patrols or slaves hurrying hither and thither, sometimes with their Gadfian masters or harnessed to wheeled pallets laden with bundles. Merret negotiated the streets as easily as Maya had done, which told me how many times she must have been in Redport. I tried to imagine her life in Quarry, but in truth I felt bewildered at the speed of the events happening around me. I had never imagined that we would arrive in Redport at the very moment an uprising was brewing, because I had thought Dragon would need to present herself to her people. I had imagined our arrival would be the catalyst, not that we would be swallowed up in the rush of ongoing events.

I glanced along a lane and saw a glimmer of water and realised we were closer to the shore than I had realised.

‘I am not convinced by this idea of a machine on a ship,’ Reuvan said softly. ‘I thought Talents don’t work over water.’

‘But we are not talking about Talents,’ Merret said softly. ‘We are talking of a device that blocks Talent, maybe only incidentally. There are many Shambalan devices in use in Redport, and we know they have a paint that blocks Talent.’

‘What?’ I asked.

‘A paint,’ Merret said. ‘It is used to whiten the masks they wear and the face paint some of them affect, but since the white-faced lords’ land seems to know nothing more about Talents than Gadfians, we have to assume the effect is accidental.’

I frowned, remembering being told that the white-faced lords regularly wore masks because it was considered foolish and dangerous to reveal one’s emotions. Those whose control was of a very high level wore white paint instead, and made their faces into masks.

Something touched my shoulder.

‘Another foolish funaga custom,’ the old cat sneered.

I turned with a rush of joy and relief to find myself face to face with Maruman, who was lying languidly along a sill, one paw stretched out to me. ‘Maruman!’ I cried, and scooped him into my arms. He hissed but allowed it with a long-suffering air, his mind spilling into mine.

‘Can it be Maruman?’ Merret marvelled. ‘I am glad he lives yet.’

‘Tell the brainless she-funaga that Marumanyelloweyes is glad
she
is alive, too, then she will see what a stupid compliment it is!’ the old cat snarled, having taken Merret’s words from my mind.

‘Don’t be so ill-tempered,’ I beastspoke him. ‘She is glad to see you, as am I. But where have you been all this while?’

I rearranged him slightly and he hissed again. That was when I realised with dismay that the hand resting along his flank was wet. I looked at him more closely and was distressed to see he had a deep cut and his torn ear was bloodied, too. ‘Whatever has happened to you?’ I asked.

Maruman regarded me haughtily from his one good eye, and for a moment I feared his loathing of being questioned would silence him, but at last he responded, though it was not truly an answer. ‘Marumanyelloweyes is the Moonwatcher. I have done what needs doing for ElspethInnle.’

‘Are you saying . . . I don’t understand,’ I modified my words quickly.

‘Marumanyelloweyes came to Mornirdragon. We dreamtravelled together, to the hidden door, as the oldOnes commanded. Rasial/Gavyn flew with us/guarded the door, and when the H’rayka came, they/it led/lured it away. Mornirdragon looked at the memories and then said she must go to the place that she had dreamed about.’

‘You . . . are you saying
you
are the reason Dragon came into Redport?!’

Maruman ignored the question. ‘Mornirdragon came. I/Marumanyelloweyes led her to the dream place. We entered and went
seliga
.’

I stared at him, wondering if I had misunderstood. ‘You went somewhere in Redport and then you went
seliga
?’

‘We/Mornirdragon and Marumanyelloweyes,’ Maruman sent. ‘I will show you.’

Without warning, he sent me a violent torrent of images.

I saw a young dark-haired woman walking into a dark sea, the white foam luminous. She was clad in a black form-fitting garb as slick and shining as the skin of a ship fish, some sort of machine mounted on her back. She slapped at the surface of the water and a ship fish emerged beside her. She sank into the water and it towed her from the shore.

I saw a blue-eyed woman with strange, wild red hair beaded here and there, hand resting on the shoulder of a long-haired Cassy. The red-haired woman gestured to a raw excavation in the red earth. ‘I have no body to bury in his crypt, so I ask that, before you leave, you will make his face for me on its wall, that I might visit his dear image. None can remember his face with more love and sorrow that we two can, and I have not your skill to render it.’

‘I will do as you ask,’ Cassy said.

‘When I die, I will be laid to rest in the crypt, too, and he will keep watch over me.’ She moved away, leaving Cassy staring into the excavation, and then it was night and I saw dark water sheened with moonlight and a woman came to Cassy and I saw that it was Hannah. She lifted her hand to point to the moon, now full and riding high in the sky, and I was startled to see that she was pregnant. ‘There is danger, my friend – the Balance of Terror computer,’ she said, ‘capable of activating any and all of the weapons that remain, immortal, deadly, and unreachable as the moon itself, save by one means: Sentinel.’

I saw the old woman from my dream – Sukarni – hold up a long thin Beforetime device of some kind and laugh as the sky about her burst into leaping blue flames and a dragon exactly like the one on the tiled Dragonstraat coiled in the air about her, transparent, so that I could see a gibbous moon through it, pale as a ghost in the daylight sky.

Flowing through the dizzying welter of images, drowning out all but the odd few words or cries, was the sound of rushing water: not waves or water falling as rain, though at different moments I heard those sounds. It was as if I was within the mindstream, and it was coming to the sea. There was no summoning in it now, only a sense of things being drawn together. I knew without question that this was what Ari-noor and Ari-roth had meant when they had spoken of the song of the waves that had carried Maruman’s name across time.

I saw the Red Queen from Dragon’s coma dream – a beautiful woman in the prime of her life, floating, red hair streaming about her like seaweed in red-tinged water littered with broken bits of wood and debris. Beside her, a greatfish rose massively, impossibly huge, shimmering with phosphorescence under a star-dappled sky, moonlight shining on the red-haired child splayed, face down, upon its great back, dead or deeply unconscious, face hidden under the sodden mop of hair. I heard the screaming, insistent cry of a bird and a red feather spiralled down against clouds coiling and roiling. The moon showed through a gap in them for a moment, like a sly eye watching it fall.

I saw Dragon in a red dress and a mask, her hands outstretched to me.

I saw three Agyllian birds, bearing something in a net, flying above white velvet peaks.

I saw Dragon as a child, little more than a baby, lying curled on her side in a small round cryopod, thin arms clasped around a ragged toy cat in her arms, and I heard the howl of a wolf.

I saw Gobor One Ear racing through the darkness, the other wolves loping behind him. I heard a cracking sound like thunder inside the earth and the ground shook and broke open like a vast stony maw. It spat out fire and I saw wolves falling into a molten gold stream. I heard the roaring bellow of the Entina and the cry became the sound of the siren in Habitat.

I saw the moon crack and open like an egg, and a seethe of transparent beasts emerged.

I saw Cassandra as a young woman, arms bare, face serious and sheened with sweat as she laboured at a half-made glass form, honing a dragon. I saw the young Tiban man, Samu, bend down to kiss her and then take up a piece of paper. I saw the words scribed on it:
Through the transparency of now, the future.

‘You will use my words?’ he said, smiling.

I saw Dragon clad as she had been when I last saw her in the camp behind the dome. She was coming up a set of steps leading out of the earth into the open. It was a dark night and she did not see the hooded Ekoni looming over her. She staggered and lifted a hand to her brow. He reached down towards her, but at the last moment she seemed to feel his presence and she shrank back. At the same time he struck out at something and suddenly I was far away. But I saw the Ekoni reach out and catch hold of Dragon. I saw him grasp her roughly and then another man loomed up in the shadows behind him and struck the Ekoni a ferocious blow that might well have killed him, for he dropped like a felled tree and lay still.

I heard Matthew’s voice, the soft highland notes in it, though not the words. Then Dragon seemed to swoon, but before she could hit the ground, Matthew scooped her into his arms.