The Shasht War (30 page)

"The tube is as thick as this," she held up her finger and thumb an inch apart. "And it is a foot long, and held in place in a kind of cradle. A sliver of glass is set at the bottom, on which he places a drop of dirty water. A lantern's light is directed under the glass by use of a mirror, and it illuminates the drop of water."

"Mmmm, yes, yes, I see. Go on."

"Then you place your eye to the top of the tube and look down it. The lenses inside the tube magnify the drop of water enormously."

"Ah, yes, exactly as I'd imagined from the drawings he sent."

"And in the water are all these things, well, they must be little animals. They spin and writhe and eat each other, and yet they are invisible unless you look through the lenses in the tube."

"Wonderful. You see, my dear, I was right. Your father is a genius."

Simona did not disagree.

"And now he wants to expand the hospital and open a new building devoted entirely to research."

"Oh, my father's plans grow quite giddy. He wants to examine every plant, every kind of fruit and insect, and see if they contain substances that might be useful for healing."

"A visionary, no doubt of it, but of course, it is expensive. The hospital sits in the middle of the Old City. Everyone has claims to every scrap of ground around it." Aeswiren sighed, they would need forty thousand pieces at least, and he would have a battle squeezing it out of next year's budget. Especially now that a dozen new ships were to be built and sent to reinforce the colony expedition.

And that was another problem that Aeswiren intended to tackle very shortly, but he knew he must move carefully. He would have to show the message to the Old One soon, and he knew it would displease him. Emperors who ignored the Old One's wishes had a way of dying suddenly, of inexplicable causes.

"But we will find the money, from somewhere. I have in mind some demonstrations of your father's micro-scope. Perhaps some of the wealthy merchants will show a little foresight and invest in our project."

Simona nodded enthusiastically, seeing the sense of this idea.

The figs were gone. The Emperor poured more tea and settled back in his chair. Simona noted again that despite his advanced years Aeswiren had kept his shape. He lived simply and drank little wine.

"And now, my dear, tell me of yourself. Have you thought again of what you wish to do?"

Simona bit her lip. Previously she had told him everything about her life while he listened patiently. He knew of the witch mark on her left breast that would forever keep her from a good marriage, and he had expressed his sympathy for her situation.

"I think I could best serve by writing of my father's work and publishing the accounts. That will spread his ideas across the whole Empire."

"That is an excellent idea. I had already thought to offer you a position as my scribe. I want you to write a detailed account of the Land and all its peoples."

"Oh, Your Majesty, I would love to do that."

"Good. You shall. I can set aside 600 pieces for the work, enough to see you comfortably set up in your own household. Then your father can stop harassing you with his dreams of dynastic developments."

Aeswiren was smiling, but Simona had tears running down her cheeks. The Emperor's generosity eliminated her need to constantly fend off her father's attempts to marry her to some wealthy old man. She would have her own earnings, and therefore be able to set up her own household.

"How can I thank you, Your Majesty?"

"You can thank me by writing as well as you are capable, understand?"

He allowed her to kiss his ring and then poured them both more tea.

"Now, to the matter of the captive mots."

"Oh, yes, Your Majesty. What news do we have of them?"

"Nothing. Which surprises me a little. I have my sources in the pyramid, but they say they hear nothing on this subject. Although the priests are looking high and low for a subversive preacher, or so they say."

"What could it mean? Your Majesty?"

"It could mean several things. My sources inside the priesthood are limited, you understand. Not even the Emperor can overrule the temple. It may simply be that the mots are dead and all the fuss is devoted to covering this up. The priests are a cruel lot, they may not have restrained themselves during the torture. If they are dead, then the pyramid will be embarrassed on the day of their sacrifice, for they will not have hearts to give to the Great God."

Simona made a face. Between them there were no secrets. Both despised the cult of Orbazt Subuus, He Who Eats.

"On the other hand, it could be very good news. It may be that they have been rescued."

"But how? By whom?"

"That is the mystery of the moment. Believe me when I tell you that my operatives are working very hard on that subject right now."

Simona nodded, she could just imagine. Visiting with the Emperor in private, teaching him another language, she had glimpsed some of the workings of his realm and she understood that as Master of the Hand of Aeswiren, he was a different person from the gentle grey grizzled man she dealt with.

"May I tell Nuza of this?"

"You may. And I hope I will be able to tell her myself, very soon. Well"—he grinned faintly—"I will try and tell her myself. I think you will have to be on hand during my first attempts."

"Nuza has said that she would like to meet you in person. She has performed for you so many times and yet only glimpsed your silhouette in the gallery above."

"Well, I want to make a good impression when we meet."

Simona smiled now. Aeswiren's constant wry self-deprecation was so at odds with the official face of the Emperor that it still amazed her sometimes.

"Nuza has also said that she will try and learn some Shashti soon. When I told her how well you were doing at learning the language of the Land, she changed her mind about things. She wants to understand us better."

"Ah, well, she will have her work cut out for her there, because we don't understand ourselves very well and we've been at it for thousands of years."

A dozen men from the noblest families of Shasht were present in the gloomy space for the most extraordinary meeting they had ever attended. Crammed at the back of the Blanteer family mortuary and sworn to secrecy by Janbur Gsekk, they stared at the slim figure they had come to meet.

Naked to the waist, the figure stood before them, exhibiting soft fur from skull to navel, except for a small region around the mouth, nose, and eyes. It was an astonishing mixture for the nobles to absorb—soft grey fur and huge white eyebrows, a muscular body and a quiet voice speaking good Shashti!

"My name is Thru Gillo. I come from a land on the other side of the world. I was brought here as a captive. I come to you for your help in stopping a grave injustice."

Their jaws dropped at the sound of Shashti from the creature's mouth. The Erv of Dinak had slipped off the stone he'd been sitting on and landed on his behind with a thump and a cry.

"I have fought the army of Shasht many times. I have seen the men of Shasht defeated in battle, and I have seen them victorious. I saw this at the battle of Dronned, where we slew more than a thousand men. I saw the men beaten again at the Sow's Head Hill. We made them run that day, although it was a close thing. The men have taught us well. Now we, too, can make war."

The nobles simply stared at him. All of this had been kept secret. What battles had been lost? Until the frigate
Cloud
arrived back with the first load of captives, there had been little news about the expedition since the day, years before, when the great fleet had sailed away from Shasht.

"Your priests declare my people are an 'abomination.' They say we must be destroyed. They say that we are no more than animals and that we are incapable of speech. They say that only men, your kind, is given the benediction of the heavens. Only your kind are loved by your God. As you can tell, your priests are wrong about one thing at least. I speak your language. If we had the time, I would try and teach you mine."

He paused. The nobles stirred after a moment.

"Upon my soul, the creature speaks very well!" murmured Rotty Uspich.

"Extraordinary. For a moment I thought it was a trained animal. But it isn't?" The Baron of Chelo was struggling to accept what he'd just heard.

"Whoever would've dreamed this was possible," said someone else.

"Well, I don't see how the priests can justify what they've been saying. They're clearly lying about these, uh, people."

"Are you sure they're people? I mean..."

Janbur stood and raised his hands. "My friends, let our visitor speak. You will learn everything you need to know. The most important truth is that the priests have lied outright about many things."

With some nervous snorts and grimaces, the nobles resumed their earlier attitudes.

Janbur turned to Thru. Now for the second revelation.

"My friend, we will return to the question of your people's identity in a moment. But I wonder if you would tell the assembled company what you saw inside the pyramid of the Great God."

Thru described the scene: he and the other mots brought into the great hall by the Gold Tops, then the gong and the appearance of the mysterious figure in the high box.

"Did you see his face?" said the Erv of Blanteer when he had finished.

"No. It was hidden in shadow."

The nobles looked to one another. So it had been described before. " 'Tis the Hidden One," muttered the Erv of Dinak.

"The shadow lies across the pyramid," said Kelim Meliba. "We must trust in Aeswiren. He is our champion."

"Indeed," Janbur was up, addressing them all. "The Emperor hates the priests. Once he knows what we know, he will withdraw his backing from the colony expedition. He will seek peace with the mots of the Land."

"But what of the Hidden One? If it is true that he exists in the temple, then he is the real ruler. How many times have Emperors died suddenly? Or been deposed in mysterious circumstances. How much power does Aeswiren really have?"

"They are all dead, those who disparaged Aeswiren the Third."

"Aye, a mighty man is Aeswiren," said Krito of the Aveniba. "But also a clever one. He will find a way."

"So the priests have lied to us for centuries," grumbled the Erv of Dinak.

"The sodomistic priests are controlled by this thing, this struldbug that we harbor in the temple," said Janbur with some heat.

"Brave words, my friends," said Kelim. "But caution must be our guardian in these circumstances."

Everyone nodded.

Janbur raised his hands again to gain everybody's attention.

"I think we are all loyal men to Aeswiren. I would give my life for the Emperor gladly. He has brought peace and prosperity to the Empire for twenty years or more. But we know that there is something rotten in the heart of the pyramid. Long has it been suspected. Long have there been rumors, but the Gold Tops never speak and so the secret was kept.

"Now we know. Now we must find a way of helping the Emperor."

"One moment, dear Janbur," said the Erv of Dinak. "You must allow us to hear more from your guest. We have many questions, I am sure."

"Ask them, then. Thru Gillo will answer."

The young nobles peppered Thru with questions. Some demanded that he add numbers in his head and then subtract others, to prove his intelligence. Others asked about the Land, and he described it as he knew it, rivers and forests, mountains and meadows. Still others asked more detailed questions about the campaigns and the military situation. Thru described the mustering of the Land, the raising of the regiments, and the training they had gone through.

"And your homegrown army has defeated the colony expedition twice?"

"Yes. Before they won the battle in which we were captured."

"But after that battle, how well could your people have resisted?"

"The army of the North would have come."

"Ah, so you claim to have more than a single army?"

"There are other armies being raised. All of my people know that we face extermination if we do not defeat the men of Shasht."

"Ah, yes, that would rather stir one up, wouldn't it?" rumbled Rotty Uspich.

"What would, Rotty?" muttered the Erv of Dinak.

"Extermination, my dear Erv, what else?"

These visits to the pyramid were nerve-racking for Aeswiren. Not only did Aeswiren feel naked in public without a dagger in his belt, the Old One was chilling to meet with.

Twelve times he had come to see the Old One in this room. Always he had come by the same method. A plain carriage to the back entrance of the pyramid. A tense meeting in the courtyard, where he bid his bodyguards to wait. Not even Klek was allowed to accompany him. Then, blindfolded, he was lead by Gold Tops through a maze of passages and stairs until they reached this room. He knew the smell of it well, stale incense and floor polish. The blindfold was removed, and the Gold Tops backed out of the room and closed the door. A few seconds later he heard the outer door to the suite close. He was alone in the simple room.

The rug on the floor was a handsome Nisjani rug. The "four flowers" pattern was distinctive, a style that Aeswiren personally liked. A simple bench and a small chair of polished wood were the only furnishings.

Aeswiren had yet to sit down in this room.

He hated being without a dagger, it left him feeling naked. But there was nothing to be done about it, so he simply set his face like iron and stood there, poised for instant movement, waiting. Then...

"Greetings, Emperor Aeswiren," said the curious flat voice with its usual overtones of condescension.

He turned, willing himself to move slowly and keep all expression out of his face. He never heard the Old One come in, not even the faintest scuff of a slipper. Perhaps it floated in, perhaps it simply materialized out of thin air. The thing was a spook, no doubt about it.

As always the Old One wore a suit of brown wool, thick felt boots and gloves, a silk choker around its neck. It felt the cold, apparently, even in the summer months.