Tivi's Dagger Page 14

  “Why did he have Sal executed?”

  Brin shook his head sadly. “A Protector must always have a partner, Ned. Not just for companionship and guidance, but control. I tried for many years not to love Sal, but you knew him; such a thing was impossible. A man may gladly give up his own life for a cause yet balk at giving up the life of another. Pol took Sal’s head to punish me for opposing him. He has played me like his favorite lyre, and now there are none who will stand against him, for fear he’ll do to them what he did to me.”

  There was a silence as I digested his words. “I don’t know what to say. It’s a terrible tale you tell, and I’m sorry you had to endure such a thing. Sal was a good man, and loved by everyone.” I paused for a second and then flashed a small smile. “I promise I’ll try not to trouble you further on these travels. I can’t say what’ll happen when we return home, however.”

  “By then you’ll be married, and the only whip you’ll feel will be the tongue of your wife. You’ll no longer be my responsibility, and I think we’ll both welcome that state of affairs.” He patted me on the back and stood up, brushing the dirt from the seat of his trousers. I got up and faced him for a moment and suddenly we were wrapped together in the tightest of hugs. I smiled into his shoulder and felt a great weight lift from my heart.

  “I love you, brother,” I whispered. “Always.”

  When he released me, he looked into my eyes and brushed the hair from my forehead. “You may not love me much when this pilgrimage is over, Ned. I’ve done a terrible thing, and I will pay the price for it soon enough. But the others are growing impatient, I’m sure. We are but a few days away from our destination and I’m sure you’re keen to see the dragon if it’s still there. Let’s press on, if you’re able.”

  Whatever had entered my mind had long gone, leaving me only with the memory of light and the fae taint on my skin. “I feel fairly able,” I said, trying to reassure him with a cheery smile.

  “Well, none of us seem any less sane than we did before,” Lana greeted us with a too-bright grin. “I wonder what manner of fae thing lives in there, for I heard their chatter as surely as if they were whispering in my very ears.”

  “Those who see them rarely live to tell the tale,” Kari said. “It’s said that many an invading army met a terrible end inside the caverns of Khar Tam while the city still lived. Yet nothing lasts forever, and even the fae did not stop the Night Walkers in the end. Come, let’s continue. Our pilgrimage is almost at an end, for Thar Mati is not far from us now.”

  Chapter 7

  As much as the dark-rocked mountains had appeared to huddle secretively around the ruins of Khar Tam, the peaks on the other side were like a welcoming party, more like hills than mountains and lush with green. The sight of the forest was very welcome to my eyes and I breathed the cool, fresh air with a moment’s delight. The path led downwards, I was pleased to note, into a lush valley shaped like a giant leaf and dotted with clumps of trees. In the distance, smoke curled into the sky and the clouds were white and thin above us.

  We walked for a half-hour before my brother halted the donkey at a clump of grass and flopped down wearily on the verge. Even after the time we’d spent at the Pilgrim’s Rest, his ankle was still bothering him and he tethered the donkey while Lana strapped the injury up once more with a long strip of leather.

  Kari brushed the back of his hand gently against my thigh and then curled his little finger around mine with a smile. “We will be together tonight,” he whispered into my ear, and the brief press of his lips against my flesh was enough to send tingles of anticipation to my prick. He seemed inordinately happy, having discovered some rare mushrooms near the path as we waited, and he patted his satchel with a happy smile. I wondered what he had in store for us in the cookpot and reflected upon the near-constant grumbling of my stomach for a moment, and also the fact that my beautifully-tailored leathers were starting to loosen upon my hips.

  I was pleased to find out that the next settlement marked upon the map was nothing more than an abandoned farmhouse surrounded by scorched fruit trees and scrawny hens pecking and scratching in the dirt. Evidently there had been a fire — quite recently too — but the house appeared beyond repair. Perhaps the inhabitants planned to return, as the site was not quite stripped of all the trappings of farm life — some tools lay scattered about the well and there were many tracks of boots and hooves baked into the hard mud.

  There was ample shelter under the trees and what remained of the roof and it was still quite bright as Lana set about setting stones and digging a hole for the fire. Kel began to gather some sticks with longing looks at his bundle of books. I watched Kari spread out his blanket and begin to slice up some of the smoky, fleshy mushrooms and roots I had come to enjoy. He glanced up at me with a faint smile and I remembered his whispered words.

  We will be together tonight.

  How was it possible to be so excited by such a hushed promise? My body was more than ready for it, especially after my trauma in the caverns. I wanted to feel human again and the desire that hummed in my blood was certainly helping. I busied myself with preparations for a long overdue shave and crouched by my pack to retrieve the necessary items. While I was not looking directly at Kari, I was almost supernaturally aware of his presence so close to me, and it made me restless.

  Soon the fire was crackling away and Kari was humming to himself as he stirred the cookpot over the flames. Lana’s cheek was bulging with a fresh bundle of chewing tobacco and she lay back on her elbows with a look of bliss on her face. Kel had begun to read from a scroll, but I knew the Book of Matativi would be nestling inside. He had loosened his braids so his hair hung in a tangled black sheet over the parchment. Brin was lying on his side with his head resting upon his precious box and a blanket pulled over his legs. My brother’s face was gaunter than ever, which made the darkness of his unruly beard stand out all the more. It was the first time I had ever seen him so unkempt.

  What was this terrible thing he had done? I could not imagine what it could be. Once more I tried to guess my brother’s mind, but it was no clearer to me than a pool full of mud and leaves, so I gave up with a heavy sigh. I scraped the last of the stubble from my throat and rubbed the area, glad to be clean again. Studying my reflection in Lana’s blade, I was particularly pleased to note that my cheekbones had grown more pronounced and the whites of my eyes had lost the bloodshot look they often had, brought about by too much wine and fun and not enough sleep. I ran my damp fingers through my hair to lift it off my face and turn the kink in it to favor the shape of my head. Even my skin was clear and glowing with health. The combination of simple fare, fresh mountain air and exercise appeared to be having an extremely positive effect on my appearance and I could not help gazing admiringly at myself for a little longer before rinsing the blade of the remnants of my beard.

  “Shave, brother?” I said mildly, indicating the bowl and dagger, but Brin just grunted and closed his eyes even though it was clear he had no intention of sleeping.

  I closed my eyes and inhaled the unfamiliar yet sweet smell of the grasses and trees around us, the spicy aroma from Kari’s cookpot and the faint stink of rotting animal fodder, straw and chickens. Somewhere nearby was the sound of a gushing river. Above us, the mists swirled and danced around the peaks. It was a beautiful land which I was quickly coming to love, and I wished we had more time. Kari had already informed us that we should be gazing upon Thar Mati within the day, and Brin was talking about rising with the dawn.

  Why was my brother in such a hurry? There was no need for us to be rushing along in such a fashion. After all, didn’t the Protectors’ Bible itself teach us that the journey itself was the whole point of any pilgrimage? Perhaps not. My memory of the sacred text I’d been forced to read at school had dimmed with the passage of time. The Protectors’ Bible had, however, served Lana and I very well on the Pirates’ Isles when we ran out of clean arse-wipe linens. What would Brin do to me if he found out about that part
icular blasphemy? I chuckled to myself at the memory of it, then returned to wondering what he kept in that box and why he was so determined to forge ahead when it was obvious to all around him that he needed rest.

  Every step back toward Lis would bring me closer to my bride, and I was keener than ever to tarry.

  Once more putting my ghastly fate firmly at the back of my mind, I settled my gaze on the much more pleasant sight of my lover — my stomach fluttered a little as I formed the word again in my mind — on his knees at the fire. His features were bathed in the soft golden light of the leaping flames. He dipped his spoon once more into the cookpot and blew on the steamy liquid, then dribbled it onto the back of his hand where he proceeded to lick at it with the tip of his tongue, his expression contemplative.

  I imagined that tongue on my cock with a shiver.

  Then he glanced up at me and smiled, and for a moment he was all I could see. I could not prevent a daft grin from spreading over my face. What would my friends say if they could see me now? Nedim Melchion, unsnarable bachelor and renowned lover and leaver, reduced to a puddle by the sight of a man licking soup off his hand. As I contemplated the question I found for the first time in my life that I didn’t give a shit what my friends would say.

  As night descended upon us we wrapped ourselves in blankets and huddled around the fire, patting our full bellies, empty bowls beside us. Kari’s ability to produce delicious food from so little would never cease to amaze me. Even my brother indulged in some praise, which surprised me no end.

  “I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that you’ve been a fine guide and cook so far, Kari.”

  Kari beamed. “Why, thank you Brindar. It’s been my pleasure.” He looked over at Lana and Kel, who nodded and winked in a manner I found most puzzling. “I was also able to mix a draught for you, should you wish it.” He handed Brin a vial of a dark green-tinted liquid. “It will not only ease the pain of your injury but speed up your recovery, and ensure you get a good night’s sleep.”

  Brin opened the vial and sniffed at it suspiciously. “What’s in it?”

  “Merely healing herbs and the pulp of a rare mushroom I was most lucky to find earlier. If you don’t trust me, I will happily take the first sip.”

  “I’m sure you could have poisoned me at any time,” Brin said wryly, and gulped down the liquid with a grimace.

  “It is an interesting choice of weapon, this famous poison of the Methari,” Lana observed. “On an arrow tip or a dart, it’s a devious method of killing from afar and with ease. I like the idea, although my dwarven friends do not approve. They’re of the mind that one should always look into the eyes of one’s enemies before wielding a blade.”

  “You and your dwarven friends,” I chuckled. “It’s said you keep the tobacco trade going single-handedly.”

  She threw a twig at me with a chuckle. “It may be so. But the dwarves are an honorable people, and if I were ever forced to embrace a religion I would lean toward their philosophy, as it closely mirrors my own thoughts on many things.”

  Brin snorted. “Dwarven philosophy? Such a concept is surely contradictory, for their texts sound to me like nothing but a bunch of children’s rhymes. Dwarves do little more than drink ale and enrich themselves and those we met did little to convince me otherwise, despite their preaching.”

  I glanced at him, amused. For so many years he had firmly believed in his own mandate to preach but quickly tired of the same behavior in others, a trait I found common to all Protectors. Yet he had not begun to instruct Lana against the perils of unbelief as I’d expected. Being in Methar was having an effect on all of us, it seemed. My brother seemed actually interested in what Lana had to say. Perhaps the healing herbs were already having unknown effects upon his brain.

  Lana laughed. “A typical belief. And it’s true that few bother to talk to them properly, as they often appear gruff and uncurious. But as you saw, over a few ales you may find your eyes and mind opened in many ways despite the fact that, as a people, they do not embrace change and in fact actively fight against it. If you look closely, you’ll see all the traders either wear or carry a symbol like this.” She drew a rough triangle in the air. “It’s commonly — and mistakenly — believed to be a representation of the mountain they’re said to originate from.”

  “What is it in fact?” Kel said, interested. “I had not noticed such an adornment on those we met.”

  “Their principal philosopher whose Cautionary Tales you heard, Antrocus the Solid, said that ‘civilization’s ship may sail or sink in the swelling tide, but the barnacle will ever thrive on the underside.’ For what better symbol for dwarves than something small yet sturdy, which weathers all manner of storms and still remains the same? It’s a lesson we should note, for throughout history even as kings and nations rise and fall in times of war and peace, you will always find dwarven traders, and they will always be wealthy, and they will always sup an ale with anyone who’s buying. And of course,” she reached into her back pocket for her pouch. “They will always have the best tobacco.”

  “Dwarven philosophy! So interesting. I don’t believe the university has even a single book on the subject. If only we’d had more time around the camp fire to discuss such matters! So much knowledge in the world and yet so little time to absorb it, and all must fit into a too-small vessel such as this!” Kel accompanied his lament with a knock on his skull.

  Brin’s eyelids were beginning to slide downwards and he swayed a little. If I had not known him so well I would have sworn he was drunk. He pointed over to a gap in the trees and muttered something indistinct. There was naught where he pointed but trees and I strained to hear what he was saying, for he was clearly seeing something the rest of us could not.

  “Look there. It’s Sal. He’s found me at last.” His eyes filled with a look of dull pain. “Sal, my dearest friend. By the Gods, I’m so sorry.”

  “Brin?” Suddenly fearful, I knelt before my brother and peered into his unfocused eyes. “What are you saying? Look at me.”

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured again, before slumping over the ground with his head resting on Lana’s lap. His hand twitched for a moment before he gave a loud snore.

  Lana grinned at Kari and Kel gave him a brief clap.

  “Well done!” Kel exclaimed, and stretched to light the candles in his lantern to add to the glow given off by the fire. “Now I can continue my studies of the Book of Matativi in peace, without the weight of my cousin’s disapproval weighing upon my back.”

  “And now I can have peace.” Lana said, lying back against her pack once more and sighing contentedly as she pulled at her thick blanket. I noticed with amusement that she was tucking Brin’s hair behind his ear and seemed content to cradle his head in her lap. “If the clouds clear and the moon’s favorably bright, perhaps I can continue my map of the stars. I tire of keeping Brindar occupied with conversation, much as your brother has grown upon me since we set out. Besides, he is in desperate need of some proper rest and if he won’t give it to himself, then thanks to Kari.”

  “You poisoned my brother?” I said to Kari, who had the grace to look sheepish.

  “I did not deceive him,” he said. “It was a healing draught he drank, nothing more, made from my grandmother’s own recipe. I may have added too much of the mushroom pulp…but he’ll sleep very well and wake refreshed and happier in the morning, don’t worry!”

  “Go and take Ned to the river before the candles blow out,” Lana said with a lazy wink.

  Kari took my hand and I laughed as he led me away.

  “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “Lana’s right. Brindar needs to rest. He eats and sleeps little and grows more exhausted by the day, not to mention more irritable and wearisome to talk to. I fear your brother is carrying some great burden, my Ned.”

  The little endearment made my heart jump a little. “You don’t call me that name any more, what was it? Tiyal. Why not?”

  There was just
enough light from the moon and stars to guide us as we picked our way down the short but steep slope to a grassy patch of river bank among the high grasses and overgrown tea plants. A thin waterfall trickled into a small pool from which steam rose faintly and I could smell the familiar scent of rotting eggs. My breath caught in my throat as I saw that there was a blanket spread out there on the bank already, with some candles burning in the shelter of some black boulders. The other side of the river was a steep slope dark with virgin forest that chattered and sang and groaned with life as the winds whistled through.

  “This is a beautiful spot, is it not?” Kari pulled me into his arms and kissed my ear. “Tiyal means something like little brother who knows no better. It’s how we often describe believers of the Thirteen, who abandoned Matativi to a sad King’s whims and never sought to find her again.”

  We sat down on the blanket together and he touched his lips to the palm of my burnt hand. “But you have proven yourself to be smart and brave, and I do not see you as such anymore. I love you, my Ned. I am so thankful that you did not come to lasting harm in the caverns of Khar Tam, for I would never have forgiven myself. Let us bathe and wash those foul memories from our flesh. It’s been too long since I felt the warmth of the mountains’ bellies in my bones.”