Blackstone (Book 2) (5 page)

Siobhan had seen many a forest in her time, but never one as
ancient as this. The trees were massive—so large that five grown men could not
clasp their arms around one. They soared into the sky for several feet before
even one branch sprouted out, their leaves intertwining above each other so
that it formed a thick canopy. Sunlight came in patches, not enough to warm the
forest floor, so the air smelled cool and damp.

She took in a deep breath and nearly choked, the odor of the
place was that pungent. Her nose twitched, trying to decide if she liked the
smell or not. Rubbing at it, her eyes peered ahead, or tried to. She could
barely see more than fifteen feet before it became too dim to see anything
properly.

Eyeing the thick underbrush, she requested, “Fei? Tell me that
there’s a trail we can take.”

“There is,” he assured her.

Oh good. Otherwise they’d be here until next year hacking a
trail through.

He led them confidently up along the forest’s edge for quite
some distance before abruptly diving into it. She saw nothing that resembled a
trail until he stepped foot on it, it was that well camouflaged. Even then it
was little more than a hunting trail, wide enough for one person at a time, but
no more than that. Her enforcers sorted people out so that they had people in
the front, middle, and back to handle an attack if it happened. From Fei’s
nonchalant attitude, this didn’t appear to be a very real possibility, but he
knew as well as she that it was no good telling Wolf or Tran that. Trying to
stop those two from being protective would likely trigger heart failure, it was
that engrained into their natures.

Fei stopped dead in his tracks, snapping his fingers and
said, “Ah.”

That sounded like a man that had just realized he’d
forgotten something of importance. “Ah?” Siobhan prompted him, leaning sideways
to see around Tran.

“I forgot to warn you about the finger monkeys.”

“…The what, now?”

“Finger monkeys.” Fei turned about so that he could project
his voice and talk to the whole group at once. “They’re literally about the
size of your finger. Very cute, very affectionate—totally out of control.
They’re natives of this region, and mostly omnivores. If you have any fruit or
water about you, they’ll flock to you in droves. Also, they’re highly attracted
to warmth. Don’t be alarmed if you wake up to something fuzzy sneaking in under
your clothes.”

Sneaking
under
her clothes? Siobhan’s eyes crossed at
the mental image. “Do they, ah, bite?”

“When provoked. Don’t alarm them, don’t grab them, and don’t
pick them up by the tail no matter how tempting it is. It’s easier to get them
to cooperate if you rub their belly gently with a fingertip and coax them into
going the direction you want them to.” The way Fei said this, he was talking
directly to the less animal-friendly people in the guild. They were all good
with dogs, but Siobhan had learned through previous experience that their
skills with other animals were dubious at best.

“When will we see them?” Tran asked with a suspicious look
about him.

“When they want you to, and not a moment before.” Fei’s
mouth quirked into something that could have been a smile before he turned back
around and started leading them deeper into the forest. “Just remember, you’ve
been warned.”

The humans were, certainly, but how were they supposed to
explain this to either Pyper or Pete? Colliers were famous for sticking their
noses into the unknown and sniffing until their curiosity was satisfied. From
Fei’s description, the finger monkeys would not take this initial greeting
well.

Well, perhaps she shouldn’t worry about this too much. A
little thing like that couldn’t do too much damage, surely.

Siobhan reviewed what Fei had told them on the way across
the bridge. His people were naturally quiet and chose to speak in soft tones.
(After living with Fei for so many years, that didn’t surprise her.) It was the
height of rudeness to do anything that would be an imposition to someone else, and
even speaking loudly could be considered an imposition. They were never to
accept a compliment, but to politely deny it, as it was arrogance to agree.
They were not to eat or drink anything while walking. The women especially
should always be seated properly before they ate. Siobhan expected to forget
that rule at some point and break it—her entire guild was notorious at snacking
on the go.

At some point, the conversation had changed from a cultural
one to a lecture on history, and Siobhan didn’t think that Fei had told them as
much as he should. Since they were walking like this, she took advantage and
asked, “Is there anything else we should know? Something that you only remember
now?”

“Ah?” Fei turned to glance at her over his shoulder. “Yes,
actually. There is a stopping stone in front of doors or walkways. If you’re
riding a horse or carriage, you must dismount there and walk the rest of the
way.”

Markl, of course, had to ask, “Why?”

“It’s mostly in front of temples. It’s a way of equalizing
rank.”

Ahhhh. Made sense. “What else?” Siobhan prompted.

“All of the buildings have different levels of floors in
them. The higher the floor is, the higher in rank you must be to enter that
section. Unless you are invited, do not go up more than two levels.”

“I’m very grateful you mentioned that
now
,” Sylvie
said wryly. “Anything else like that?”

“No, I think that’s—” he stopped midsentence and smacked both
hands together, the back of one hand against his open palm. “I’d forgotten.
There are certain paths here that lead to opposite mountains. There is one in
particular none of the women can go to.”

Siobhan’s first thought was that the mountain or the trail
might be dangerous, but why only to women?

“The god of that mountain is a woman,” Fei explained,
half-turning so that he walked sideways on the trail. “If a woman enters the
mountain, it will make the god jealous, so women are forbidden to enter.”

From behind her, Siobhan could hear Markl’s journal come out
of his pouch and the quick scribbling of pencil on paper. “Is that the only
female god?”

“No, not at all,” Fei denied. “She’s the only one known to
get jealous, though. Many of the female gods are protectors for our women and
children.”

Siobhan held up a hand at Markl. “Wait, scholar. Don’t get
sidetracked by religion right now. Fei, are you sure that’s all you need to
tell us?”

“Hmm, I think so? I’m sure there’s other things you’ll
notice as you come in. I’ll just give you two warnings. One, stop at the first
temple you see and buy prayer beads to put around your wrist.” Fei held up his
own left arm in demonstration, where painted black beads hung. “If you don’t
have these on you, then every temple monk and shrine maiden is going to badger
you into joining theirs.”

“Lead us straight to a temple then,” Tran advised dryly.
“I’d rather not deal with that.”

Fei shrugged agreement. “Fine. The second thing is, if you
are invited to someone’s home, make sure to bring something with you. Fruits,
flowers, something along those lines. Showing up empty-handed is rude.”

Finally, a cultural quirk that she had in common with him!

“Everything else that I’m forgetting to mention is probably
not as important,” Fei finished with a dry smile. “They will make allowances as
you’re all foreign. The things I mentioned are just the ones that you
absolutely
cannot
do.”

“Noted,” Denney assured him.

Markl lengthened his stride and came around Siobhan so that
he could walk right behind Fei and pepper the man with questions.

She tapped Tran on the shoulder to get his attention. When
he turned and looked down at her, Siobhan drawled, “How much do you want to bet
that by tomorrow, one of us will forget the ‘no eating while walking’ rule?”

“I don’t take sure bets,” Tran denied, tone half-amused,
half-resigned. “It’s an engrained habit in this guild.”

Heaving a long sigh, Siobhan resigned herself to the
inevitable embarrassment.

ӜӜӜ

Saoleord did not look a thing like she had expected it to.

Fei had told them once that in the past, travelers had
walked down their main roads sometimes without even realizing they were in the
middle of a city. How in the world had they managed to do that? Even from here,
standing in the middle of the trail, it was obvious there were buildings about!
Granted, the trees and plants and the curve of the mountain camouflaged a great
deal of the city. She couldn’t begin to guess how deep or wide this place went.
But popping in and out of the tree line were sharply slanted roofs of all
colors, from red to black, with the edges curving up again in a unique style
she had never seen before. Hints of white walls could be seen as well, and
mixed in the fresh mountain air was the distinct scent of wood smoke and
something exotic, like a blend of spices she had never before tasted.

The trail abruptly branched out into something that looked
like a real road, and to one side stood a small building that could only be a
guardhouse. Fei stopped abruptly in front of the house and put his right fist
into his vertically held left palm before bowing to it. Then he said something
in a language she had rarely heard spoken—his native tongue. “
Weaso.
”

A man came out of the building, his dress and features
similar to Fei’s, although he was a good ten years older, black hair thinning
up top. He had a smile from ear to ear as he returned the bow and responded
happily, “
Teso! Anamiene, Man Fei Lei. Ketano
?”

“
Deno
.” Fei turned and gestured toward Siobhan,
silently asking for her to move so that she stood at his side. She promptly
obeyed the silent instruction and tried to copy what she had seen Fei do. It
felt beyond awkward to bow like this, though. “
Kana
Siobhan Maley.
Deepwoods
banche to dega saio.
”

“Hooo.” The man responded, understanding in his voice.

Siobhan was glad someone understood what was going on. She
sure didn’t.

“Lu-ren, may we speak like this?” Fei abruptly switched, his
head inclined toward Siobhan. “None of them know Hanga.”

“Of course,” Lei assured him before bowing to Siobhan, and
the group behind her. “I am Lei Lu Gu, Guardsman of the Western Mountain. Also
Fei-xian’s older cousin. I am pleased to meet you.”

“Thank you.” Siobhan gave him a smile. Older cousin? No
wonder they looked alike, then. “We are pleased to come and see Fei’s homeland.
We do not wish to intrude where we are not welcome, however. We did not send
advanced warning of our coming…” she trailed off invitingly.

Lu shot his cousin a look that said that was not good
etiquette on his part. “No wonder I had not been forewarned of your coming,
then.”

Fei spread his hands in an apologetic manner. “It is beyond
difficult to send messages home.”

“Yes, I grant you, that is so.”
But
, his expression
added,
you should have done it anyway.
“Forgive me, Guildmaster, but I
cannot let you pass here without permission from one of my superiors. Fei-xian,
of course, can do so.”

“He warned us that he would have to go ahead and get
permission,” she assured him, seeing that he was somewhat upset that he
couldn’t just let them pass. Maybe he felt rude for saying so. “It’s fine.
We’ve walked for six hours straight now and would like to take a rest. We will
do so here, if that is alright.”

Lu looked relieved. “Of course. I have a kettle on, if you
wish to have tea?”

Anything to drink sounded heavenly just then. It had been
quite the hike to get up here to this mountainous city. The back of her shirt
was soaked with sweat. “We would be glad to have some, thank you.”

Fei turned to her and said in an undertone, “This might take
me about an hour. I have to hunt the right people down to explain.”

Siobhan made a shooing motion. “Go. We’ll be fine.”

With a nod, he spun on his heel and took off at a
ground-eating lope.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Siobhan turned back to the
guardsman and asked, “Lu-gui, you’ve known Fei his entire life?”

“Until he left,” Lu confirmed.

“Well, if you wish,” she said with an innocence that didn’t
fool a single person in her entire guild, “why don’t you sit and drink that tea
with us? While we drink, we can share stories back and forth? I’m sure with you
knowing him so many years, and
me
knowing him so many years, we’ve got
some good ones to share.”

Lu got a twinkle in his eye that spoke of mischief. “Indeed,
that might be so, Siobhan-jia. Let me make some tea so that we may sit and
talk.”

“Poor Fei,” Sylvie muttered to no one in particular. “He’s
never going to live anything down with these two around.”

It took Fei a little longer than an hour to come back, and
when he did return, it was not alone. Behind him were two stodgy-looking old
men that had not seen their prime in some time. Both sported long white
mustaches, thinning hair pulled up tight on the top of their heads, with
multiple layers of shirts and jackets on. How they could be cold in this mild
weather, Siobhan could not comprehend.

She stood as they approached her, eyes on Fei, trying to
convey the silent question,
Can we come in?

Fei gave her a discreet nod before he turned and introduced,
“This is Bo Sei Jin, City Master. He is responsible for any visitors that come
here.”

“Rare as they are,” Bo Sei Jin remarked. If desert ground,
filled with nothing but sand and cracks, could be given a voice, it would sound
like his. “Greetings, Deepwoods Guild.”

“And Saoleord’s historian, Kim Ra Im. Masters, this is
Siobhan Maley, Guildmaster of Deepwoods.”

In the hour that Fei had been gone, Siobhan had gotten some
training from the cousin-guard, so this time she was more sure of herself as
she put her hands together and bowed to them. “I am pleased to meet you.”

Neither man smiled, but did give her looks of open approval
for her good manners. “We are also pleased, Guildmaster Maley,” Bo Sei Jin
responded. “You have traveled far to come here. Please, follow me. We have a
house prepared for you.”

A whole house? Just for them? For a place that didn’t see
many visitors, they were strangely accommodating on short notice. “Thank you.”

The historian fell into step with her as they all shouldered
their packs and started after Bo Sei Jin. “May I call you Siobhan-jia?” he
inquired.

So far no one had asked permission, just called her what
they deemed appropriate. Siobhan was somewhat taken aback by this question, but
readily assured him, “You can call me what you wish. I answer to almost
everything, these days. But how should I address you? Is Bo-zhi appropriate?”

His eyes crinkled up in a silent smile, making them almost
disappear in his face. “You have been well taught in our customs, I see. Yes,
you are right, that would be the most appropriate way to call me. However, I am
not the only historian of the Bo family, so referring to me in such a way would
be confusing. Sei Jin-jia is perhaps a better choice.”

Oh? If he was suggesting ‘jia’ then did that mean they were
more or less the same in rank? Siobhan didn’t really know the class structure
in this culture; she had gone higher in ranking on a random guess, just to
avoid giving any offense. “I understand. Thank you.”

“Man Fei Lei tells me that you have come with a request. It
has been well over sixty years since the last time someone from the outside has
requested anything of us. What do you seek here?”

Now, how to respond to that? What had Fei told them, anyway,
that she would be asked that question? “Knowledge, I suppose is the best
answer. We seek forgotten history and advice from the keepers of that history.”
Cocking her head, she said in confusion, “What did Fei tell you we came for?”

“Help.” Those dark eyes were strangely penetrating, as if he
were reading the answers to his true questions off the back of her skull. “He
said that there were dangerous signs of trouble brewing in the continents and
that you have all come here for help. He feels certain that something
disastrous will happen soon.”

Siobhan stared blindly ahead, almost missing it when they
went from a dirt road to one paved with tightly-fitted stone. “Color me
paranoid, but I believe he’s right. It’s why we came. And, if we are wrong, I
do not feel that this will be a wasted trip. We’ll have seen a corner of the
world few do and give Fei a chance to see his family.”

He hummed in response. “We, too, are glad that you have come
for that reason. We have missed the boy. I find it interesting to meet his guild,
as well. I see that there are many foreigners mixed in your guild.” He glanced
over his shoulder. “Two from Wynngaard, I think. One from Teherani. The
others?”

“One from Island Pass, three from Wynngaard, one from
Teherani, one from Orin, and the rest from Robarge,” Siobhan corrected. “Of
those, one is a scholar that is staying with my guild indefinitely and is
beyond excited to be here. He’ll probably ask many…” she stumbled off as she
finally got a good look beyond the trees and saw for the first time the city
around her.

Stunning. Simply stunning.

There was a valley in between the mountains, thick with
trees and houses that seemed so intertwined that it was like the buildings grew
up alongside. On the few places of open cliff face, walkways had been built.
Each was carved into the rock face in an elaborate pattern, which let traffic
flow freely. Stretched out at intervals were long cables that crossed the
valley, going from one mountain to the other, and she watched as a large basket
traveled along the line to the opposite side at a slow but steady pace. The
basket, even though it was some distance from her and high overhead, looked
large enough to put her entire guild into.

The whole place was awash in bright hues, the colors so
vivid that they drew in her attention so completely she found it difficult to
look away. The scent, too, was stronger here as if the trees had masked the
scents earlier. She felt like she had just stepped into a fantasy.

How could Fei have left this place? How could he bear to?

From behind her, Wolf let out a low whistle. “It’s quite the
place.”

“Understatement,” Markl disagreed, voice shaking slightly.
“Great mercy, I’ve never seen the like of this before. How do those baskets
work, going along the cables like that?”

Siobhan rolled her eyes, amused. Of course that would be the
first question he asked.

Ra Im turned and answered, “We have a series of pulleys and
lines that draw the baskets back and forth. They are necessary, as our work is
done largely on one mountain, while we choose to live on another.”

Interesting. Why the split in location? Was it to keep the
smellier jobs, such as tanning, away from the houses? Keep the place smelling
better? But that raised a good question. “Fei told us on the way here that
there is a mountain that none of the women should go to. Which mountain is
that?”

Ra Im pointed directly ahead. “The third mountain you see in
the distance. That is the one you must not go to. All other parts of Saoleord
you are free to visit as you please. We have no restrictions here.”

She almost blurted out
Really?!
Very few places in
this world allowed such freedom. Even in Goldschmidt there were places that
guildsmen were not supposed to go into.

“Come,” Sei Jin encouraged them, moving forward once more.

The road was not completely straight—it would have been
quite the feat to do that on top of a mountain—but twisted and turned, going up
and down as the land dictated. Sei Jin and Ra Im both pointed out places that
became slick after a rainfall. Siobhan thanked them each time for their concern
and smiled inwardly. Falling was a fear that all old people shared and they
forgot that for the younger generation, it was not a danger to be truly
concerned about.

As they walked, she got a closer look at the buildings, since
the road was obviously a main one that went through the mountain city. They
were mostly wood (no surprise) with river stone used here and there as accents.
They all had tall, sloping roofs that curved on the corners, trim painted in
bright colors. Not once did she see a place in need of repair. Everything here
was kept to a high standard, it seemed. From a distance, the place was visually
captivating, but it was just as beautiful up close. That was not a feat that
many cities could manage to pull off.

Finally they turned off the main road and onto a smaller
path that led directly to a large building painted in white and red. Even
though it was in good shape, as everything else was, this place had an air of
disuse hanging about it. Ah, the guest house? It looked more than large enough
to accommodate eleven people.

Sei Jin creaked to a stop before turning to face all of
them. “There are separate quarters inside for men and women. I have requested
fresh bedding to be put inside for your use, but I do not think it is here yet.
Please, unpack first and refresh yourselves. I will send someone for you within
the hour that will guide you to the main hall. There, you may give your formal
request and tell us exactly what brought you here and what you wish from us.”

Ohhh, so there was going to be some formality to this after
all? She had been wondering, what with the way two prominent men came to fetch
them. “I understand. We will be ready at that time.” She made plans to bend
Fei’s ear as soon as these two had left.

They each gave her a bow, which she returned, before they
retreated back down the path and out of sight.

“Nice place,” Rune commented, turning slowly in place so
that he could get a full look. “But Fei, I thought ya said that ya don’t get
many visitors up here.”

“We don’t,” Fei responded, already moving toward the steps.
“We have a dedicated caravan that comes up once a year and does trading with
us. The house is for them.”

Ah, now that made more sense. The building was certainly
large enough to house a caravan. She took a better look at it as she
approached. A large wrap-around porch on all sides, glass and wood doors that
slid to the side instead of opening out, with wooden floors throughout that
shone in a dull gleam. When she opened a door, she discovered that the inside
had little furniture, mostly dressers with tables that sat low to the floor.
Stacks of cushions were in the corners, which she assumed were for people to
sit on, as there wasn’t a single chair to be seen.

The place was designed so that if you opened all of the
connecting doors, a person could see from one end of the house to the other
without a problem. But her hosts had been right in saying that the women’s
quarters were clearly distinct from the men’s. The women had mirrors, changing
partitions, and colorful paintings on the walls that were all clearly feminine.
The men had such things as well, but they were plain, and without any real
decoration.

Siobhan took advantage of one of those screens and changed
into fresh clothes, tidying up her hair in the process by tying it up in a
loose bun. The dogs seemed to find it fun to run back and forth between the
men’s rooms and the women’s, keeping track of everyone as they learned the
building. Returning to the main room, she found Fei and Wolf already seated at
the table, although only Fei could manage to put his legs underneath. Wolf was
too large to fit, so he had angled himself off to the side instead, one elbow
on the table’s surface.

Grabbing a cushion to sit on, she joined them. “Fei, do your
people not believe in chairs?”

“No,” he admitted, eyes darting to Wolf in open amusement.
“After some time, you will become used to it.”

Wolf snorted, clearly disagreeing.

Well, sitting on the ground for a week or so wouldn’t kill
him. Or her. “Fei, I need to talk to you about this meeting that will happen
later.”

“Of course.” His tone indicated he had expected her to say
that.

“But first, I must ask. Don’t you want to stay with your
family while we’re here?” This had been worrying her off and on ever since he’d
broached the idea of coming to Saoleord.

Fei blinked. “May I?”

Siobhan rolled her eyes to the heavens, praying for
patience. “Yes, of course you can, you idiot. They haven’t seen you in years.
We have permission to go anywhere we want in the city, don’t we? So it’s not
like you have to serve as escort for us. Go, go.”

He lit up in the brightest smile that she had ever seen from
him. “Then, I will.”

“Wait, guide me through the meeting first,” she added
hastily, not wanting him to think that he could go right that minute. “
Then
you can go.”

In a rare gesture, he openly chuckled. “Of course,
Shiobhan-ajie. I would not let you go alone. You don’t even know where to go.”

“Exactly,” she responded, relieved. “I’m glad you understand
that. Now, what do I need to know about this meeting with your elders?”

“You have met two of the men you will speak with already,”
he answered calmly. “There is a council of five altogether. Sei Ja Na is the
City Librarian. Every record we have is in her care, and she will be the one to
convince to let us peruse the records.”

From his description, Siobhan wasn’t sure if this woman
would be difficult to convince or not. “Is she hard to deal with?”

“At times. But I think if you can convince her that we seek
knowledge not for our own ends, but to prevent great harm from befalling our
city, that she will be more amiable.” Fei gave something that might have been a
shrug. “She has denied requests in the past, but most of the time she grants
them. Hyun Woo is the city general, and one of three master strategists that we
have. He will have the most questions, I think. He is also one of the men that
I hope to bring back with us.”