The Shasht War (28 page)

The Man with the black jacket pointed to the door and made a gesture to encourage them to go through. Thru heard him say "come with me" several times.

The others looked to Thru, even Ter-Saab. This was the strangest thing they had yet seen in the land of Shasht. A man who seemed peaceful toward them. A man who didn't bluster or curse.

Even with the bloody sword in the man's hand, it was an easy decision. The door opened and to wait in that room was to wait for death. Even though it hurt just about everywhere when he moved, Thru headed for the door. The others came right behind. Outside, in the narrow passage leading to the cell, they found other men, three wearing velvet jackets of green and dark brown, and then farther along five more wearing plain linen shirts and breeches. The Red Tops were gone. More lanterns were held aloft to guide their path. Everywhere the men lead them on with smiles and hand gestures and the mots followed, having no other choice.

Instead of returning to the wide corridors they had walked before, they entered a narrow door to a much smaller passage. The only light was that of the lanterns carried by the men. They walked in this dank adit before reaching a heavy wooden door that jerked open onto a loading dock under the stars. They were outside the pyramid once more. The smell of jacaranda trees was strong in the soft night air.

They faced the walls of a narrow courtyard with a wide passage leading to the far side. Through the passage came a wagon pulled by amazing animals, horses, the like of which the mots had never seen. Horses like these had been extinct for a long time in the Land. In fact, in the Northern Hemisphere only wild ponies, no bigger than donkeys, survived, and only in an area of grassland far to the east of the Drakensberg mountains that hemmed in the Land.

They gaped at these beautiful animals, who were seemingly quite domesticated, since they pulled the covered wagon at a good pace. Some of the mots stood dumbfounded, but the men pushed them inside the wagon, where they sat on benches along the sides. Once aboard, the wagon pulled away into the night, rattling down the passage to a gate manned by a small group of men wearing black cloaks and hats similar to the first man into the cell. These men were actually riding on the beautiful animals. Again the mots marveled at the sight. The wagons rolled out the gate and turned onto a curving road, which then passed between bulky tombs and mausoleums erected to honor great dignitaries of the past. Herculean masonry lofted orbs, finials, and pinnacles toward the dark sky. Here were represented the great figures of the courts of the First Dynasty, the time of Kadawak and his successors. The tombs threw up fantastic shadows into the night, while behind them the pyramid's vast bulk seemed to blot out the sky.

"Where are they taking us?" Pern Glazen wondered aloud, looking out the back of the wagon.

"Depends on who they are, I'd say." Ter-Saab grinned through bloodied lips.

"That's a good point," said Pern. "Who are they? Not at all like the usual uglies."

"They're not priests, they don't paint their heads."

"They don't hit us with those damned whips, either," said Juf Goost thickly.

"I don't think these men mean us any harm," said Thru.

"It could be a trick of some kind," said Pern Glazen.

"Hard to imagine why it would be a trick. They killed the Red Tops at the door. We all heard it."

"Maybe they just do this to raise our hopes, so as to crush them completely later when they kill us."

"Maybe," said Ter-Saab, obviously disagreeing.

Thru was as puzzled as the others, but nursed a wild hope that perhaps these men were an opposition force to the temple and all it stood for.

The wagon rolled on, turning every so often, still passing between great bulky structures of stone. They crossed a river as wide as the Dron. On the other side the character of the buildings changed. Now they went on cobbles through streets of tall stone houses. Lanterns were lit at every intersection, though they saw no one out on the streets.

After another turn they saw larger houses, grand enough to have gates and staircases. A light ahead drew their attention. Two men were waiting beside an open gate.

The wagon entered and the gate closed behind them. They came to a halt, and the mots were urged in whispers to climb down and follow the men in the black velvet jackets.

The men urged them to hurry with tense gestures.

The mots struggled to walk, and some had to be half carried. They passed through a door that led to a dark hallway with a brick floor. A door opened ahead throwing red light into the passage. The walls were covered in painted figures. Thru glimpsed stylized figures of men, and beautiful horses. Then they passed through the door and stepped down into a dimly lit wine cellar. In an alcove among the wine barrels they found bedding laid out, with water and some rough, dark bread. It was the first food they'd seen for two days, and they were ravenous. Even Juf Goost, who couldn't chew with his battered mouth. Thru helped Juf soften bread in the palm of his hand by pouring on the water very carefully. Then Juf shoved some down past his broken teeth.

It was all consumed in a few moments and merely left them feeling hungrier than ever. The men had gone, the door had shut, they were left with the single lantern burning above the door.

They sat there feeling the tension and excitement of the escape drain slowly away. They were definitely not in the hands of the priests of the Great God, He Who Eats. Beyond that they could only guess who their saviors were.

They didn't have long to wait. The door opened again, and a group of men came into the cellar, lead by the one they'd first seen with the bloody sword. He now wore a linen shirt and knee breaches in black velvet. His companions were more sumptuously garbed. White stockings to the knee, velvet breeches, silk and velvet garments, and square-cut hats with plumes and tassels.

These five men gazed down at the battered captives. Thru could sense a common excitement among them. Their eyes flashed in triumph. When they spoke Thru understood them easily, their words were almost without accent. They were very pleased with themselves.

"I have to say, they are magnificent."

"A little bruised, perhaps."

"They staged a revolt apparently. Killed some Red Tops."

"Well done, I wish we could kill all the goddamn Red Tops."

"So they had to be taught a lesson. Black Tops were used of course."

"Damn the priests, sodomistic peasants, all of them."

"No breeding, they behave like the filth they spring from."

Thru wondered what he was hearing, for some of it made sense and other parts did not.

"Anyway, well-done you fellows."

"I say, a big hand for Janbur, it was his idea."

"We were all in it together," said the one in black, Janbur of the Gsekk. "I could not have done it without you."

"We're all in it together all right, and we'll die on the altar together if the priests track us down."

"We have sprinkled gold enough to hide our tracks. This is a good place to hide. In a day or so we will move them into the Shalba."

"Why the Shalba? Why not out to the country?"

"They will be guarding all the roads. We have thrown down a gauntlet to the priests. Later I will send word to the Emperor that the creatures are safe. The Emperor will have to make his decision."

"And whatever his decision is, we will obey it," said the thin one who had worn black and carried that bloody sword.

"Who among us would betray our oath to the Emperor? But we know he does not really want these creatures to be killed."

"The Emperor must rule. Out with the priests."

"Out with them," said the others.

"Indeed, damn the sodomistic priests, all of them."

"And what of our new friends here? That one looks as if he might not last long." The speaker pointed out Juf Goost.

Juf's eyes were wide with alarm at being selected. Thru whispered reassurance. The men didn't appear to notice.

"Yes, he does seem rather poorly. Well, you've still got seven if that one goes."

"Damned priests, what did they do to the poor creatures?"

"Look at all those eyebrows going up and down. Damn me if they don't look like a lot of big monkeys!"

"That's why they call them monkeys."

"I can see why, but they're obviously much more intelligent than monkeys."

"Of course. You've seen the objects brought back?"

"Incredible work. The rug things with the bright colors. The pottery and wood carvings, too."

"They are an artistic bunch of monkeys if that's all they are."

"Bah, they're obviously intelligent. Perhaps not as intelligent as men, but more intelligent than anything else..."

"I've heard they're offering two hundred in gold for some of that pottery. Beautiful work."

Thru had heard enough. Slowly, painfully, he pulled himself to his feet. They stared at him.

"Excuse me," Thru said in good Shashti. "Could we have more water? More bread? We are very hungry."

The men stared at him with open mouths.

"It spoke to us?" Gasped the one called Janbur.

"We have been lied to about this colony from the beginning. It is not Aeswiren's wish. Aeswiren obeys some other force, perhaps the priests, perhaps the Hidden One."

"Why do you raise that name here, Janbur, under my roof."

"Because, dear mother, the time has come when we must confront this thing and remove its fangs, whatever it is."

"Bah, it's all a silly fantasy. Spooks and bog-sprites! You'll be worried about ghosts next."

"Whatever you say, you have to admit that this mot is not at all like a 'monkey.' Isn't that so?"

Behind the screen the hidden figure of Janbur's mother, Tekwen Gsekk, sniffed, but said nothing. In truth, she was stunned by the appearance of this talking animal that Janbur had hidden in her house.

"You know the emperor is searching high and low for these creatures of yours."

"Of course."

"The priests would love to use this as an excuse to destroy our family."

"Don't worry, the mots will be moved tonight."

Thru, who was sitting in the elegantly furnished room, looked up at this.

"Where will we go?" he said.

The woman behind the screen shifted. She was not yet comfortable with this creature being able to speak Shashti like a citizen.

Janbur, however, answered with hardly any hesitation. He was used to speaking with Thru.

"We plan to move you out of the inner city to an estate in the suburbs. You will be hidden there for a few days, and then we will move you again. That way we can be sure to keep ahead of the Hand. They will be searching for rumors among the city's serving classes. It's hard to keep the servants from learning about something like this, and such knowledge is worth gold."

Thru nodded. He and Janbur had discussed this eventuality. In the three days since he had broken the silence and spoken to the men, they had undergone a sea change in relations. Great new vistas of understanding had opened up for both of them.

"So, dearest mother, you can see why it is important that we stop this horrible colony. Why must we destroy this other people? They have done us no harm. They have much they could teach us about preserving the fertility of our land."

"Mmmm," Tekwen had been wavering. This idea sparked her interest. As the owner of more than ten square miles of grazing land worn down to stubble and dust, she was perennially concerned with such ideas.

"So, tell me again, where did they originate? They are not men. What are they?"

Janbur shot Thru a look to say "forgive her, she doesn't understand yet."

Thru shrugged slightly. He had grown used to it. Humans had a hard time accepting the idea that any other creature might be able to talk to them. Thru thought it pretty understandable. Men would probably not want to hear what the animals might say.

Speaking in a patient voice, Janbur repeated the story.

"They say they were raised up by the High Men. Long ago, in the time of the ice."

"Who were these High Men? Why have we never heard of them?"

"We don't know. I have asked the scholar, Petazm, but he says that there are no records of the older time. We know only of the Old Kingdom and the Empire."

"Stuff and nonsense, how do you know it wasn't all begun by the Great God, just the way the priests say? The world began when Kadawak built the Empire."

"But we know that's silly. The world had existed for a long time before any priest shaved his head and painted it red. There were other gods for thousands of years."

"The priests would break you for that thought."

"Of course, they keep the people ignorant on purpose. They rule the nobility with intimidation and occasional brutality. But it is still true. We had other gods before the coming of this one, this He Who Eats."

Again Tekwen lapsed into silence. This was an uncomfortable area of thought. Getting in the way of the priests could only cause trouble.

"And for a start the priests have obviously lied to us about these creatures. Our guest here has told me things that changed my ideas about the world."

"Impossible."

"Not at all. Mother, please accept this. I am introducing you to Thru Gillo. He holds the equivalent rank of a colonel in his own army, and in his civilian life he aspired to become a weaver of fine rugs."

"A weaver, well, he's not very big so that's more believable than his being a soldier." She gave a snort, then realized that Thru understood her word for word. She took a breath.

"I apologize, Master, uh, Gillo. This has all been a terrible shock to me."

Thru looked to Janbur, unsure how to respond. Janbur raised a hand and spoke instead.

"Thank you, Mother. When I talked with Thru Gillo, I learned that he already knew something about our world, we know nothing of his."

Silently Tekwen Gsekk sized up the situation.

"All right. I will spread the word among my friends. I will tell them that the creatures are intelligent enough to speak Shashti and that the policy of exterminating them is surely immoral and must be halted."