Doublesight (31 page)

“Slaves?” Lankor questioned. “Slaves to what?”

She smiled at him. “There are economies built around the larger cities and castles. Those who are poor or incapable of greater things, those who have little talent, are loaned land masses to create a barely survivable existence.”

“But they can leave if they wish, can't they?” Lankor had never experienced the truth of what he had just learned.

“Where would they go? How would they survive? They can leave, but would face bandits, wild animals…” she hesitated, “doublesight. They would never think of leaving. If they left, they could not return.” She halted her horse next to Lankor's. “Here is how life looks in many cities,” she said. Pointing to the farmers, she said, “The lowest class.” Rotating toward the main roadway on her left, she slid her arm through the air indicating the wagons and carts entering the city in a long line. “A slightly higher class of poor are the skilled ones who hand-make goods such as utensils for cooking, for storing items, baskets, clothing of a higher quality, trinkets. Among these are traders who bring jewels and jewelry from far places. These are the ones who help to spread and mix cultures. You'll find the jewels of the sea and land and forest, collected from around The Great Land, all traded here. Performers come, too. Acrobats, singers, dramatic players. And high contests where warriors fight until death or humiliation, at which time they would rather be dead.”

“And inside the city?” Lankor said.

“The owners of taverns, stables, Inns.”

Zimp was interrupted by Raik who had ridden up on her and Lankor. “And whorehouses,” he said. “What class do these women of sex occupy?”

“They are traders,” she said. “They trade a moment's pleasure for a man's uncontrollable longings.” She swung around in her saddle to look at Raik. “They makes a good wage for dealing with filth, don't you think?” She rode on and Lankor's horse stepped in beside her.

“And King Belford the Warrior?” Lankor asked.

“Top of the chain, as you might guess. He lives in Castle Wielk at the crest of the knoll.” She grimaced. “It is his influence you'll see everywhere in the city.”

“The scat at the top produces the stink at the bottom,” Raik said from behind her.

She turned slightly to glance at Raik then over to Lankor. “For once he's right.”

Lankor, the novice in the group, wondered how he'd be able to play the older brother when he had to ask his sister about everything that went on. He wouldn't be much help in knowing how to maneuver the city. But he'd come in good stead as man-power, or beast-power, whichever they might need at the time.

They crossed the trampled fields diagonally toward the city. Lankor felt conspicuous riding with these doublesight. They were to pretend to be traveling to see The Great Land. Why would such an odd group do such a thing?

An argument was occurring on the main road. Yelling ensued, and in a moment swords were drawn. Lankor watched as other vendors widened the space for the two, but continued on their way toward the short wall that surrounded the city and castle. Not wishing to be left behind or to be slow to enter the city, the men quickly gave up on their argument and ran for their carts.

There were multiple entranceways into the castle stronghold. Trails of people disappeared inside the walls. Loose groupings came from the woods northwest of the city, from due west, and from where Lankor traveled with his group. Having begun late, they were just now catching up to a few vendors coming from the southwest. He could see in the distance a line of people from due east as well.

“They are arriving here from the beaches of Weilk-Alshore Ocean,” Zimp told him before he asked. “It takes a few days.” She stopped short and peered into the sky.

“Your sister?” Lankor said.

“Maybe,” she said. “I felt a terrible coldness in my chest.”

“No words?”

“Sometimes there are no words to express what lies ahead,” she said.

As they neared the castle, Zimp led them at a trot across the plain toward the main gate. “Mixing with the people will make it easier to be invisible.”

Lankor and the others followed. He heard hoofbeats behind him. Therin pulled ahead of him at Zimp's heels. Her horse kicked out but missed and Therin took a wider berth.

In the distance, at the main gate, a confusion of carts backed up and one tipped. From inside the compound, seven armed soldiers barged through the onslaught of vendors and kicked into a gallop toward Zimp and her friends. She halted in front of Lankor and he rode up close to her. Raik and Brok flanked them, just inside Lankor's peripheral vision. Therin sat obediently near Brok's horse.

The soldiers stopped in front of the small group. They wore the crest of Weilk, a barbed blackberry bush wrapped around a trout. Five deep purple berries grew at one end. The insignia was said to be one of the more elaborate in The Great Land. Lankor didn't recall its entire meaning, but knew that the fish and berries were the foods that kept their warriors alive during the great battles with Sclan to the north and Flande from the far west.

The largest of the men pushed his horse slightly in front of the others. “You are not traders. What is your purpose here?”

Lankor waited for Zimp to answer. Her horse stood to the front of their group and the soldier had addressed her directly. She turned slowly to acknowledge Brok.

He hesitated, then rode around Lankor to stop near Zimp. “We are travelers of the land,” he announced jovially. “We have never been in a great city the size of Castle Weilk.” He pointed to those entering through the main gate. “It looks as though we're here at the right time, too. What is the purpose of all these people? Is there a bazaar going on? Will there be dancers and singers?” His tone grew more excited with each question, like a child on an adventure.

The soldier relaxed. “We heard of a small band of invaders, one being a Flandean Guard. Those westerners still believe we're at war
with one another. If we find him, we'll throw him in the dungeons,” the man said. He looked the five of them over, lingering on each as though sizing them up. When his glare landed on Zimp his eyebrows raised. “A pretty one, and with you men?”

“My sister does not leave my side since our parents died,” Lankor blurted out aggressively.

“You needn't worry.” The guard obviously noted Lankor's bulk. “I take no woman who would not have me.” He leaned into his saddle. “But if she would have me, I would not complain.” Several of the men behind him laughed.

Lankor noted Zimp's restraint.

“Keep the animal tied while inside.” The soldier pushed his chin toward Brok. “You must be the owner. You have the same intensity in your eyes, the same look about you.”

The man had no idea what he was saying. Lankor waited for Raik to be acknowledged, but the soldier said nothing. He hardly met Raik's eyes at all, glancing past him as though he was invisible. The soldiers turned around and the leader twisted in his saddle. “Slow down and take your turn entering the gate.” He pointed at Therin and repeated, “Tie him now.”

Brok threw a leg over his saddle. He searched in his saddlebag. “Anyone have rope?”

Raik pulled a long cord from his saddlebag and handed it to Brok. “I know
I'll
feel more comfortable with him secured.”

Therin twisted his head from the loop Brok made of the cord. “Therin, hold still,” Brok said. He appeared to be having more trouble than he thought he would.

“Is he all right?” Lankor asked, knowing that everyone in the group understood the deeper part of the question.

“Therin!” The thylacine held still. Brok slid the cord over Therin's head. “He's fine for now.” Brok patted Therin's head then looked up at the soldiers.

Satisfied, they turned and headed back toward the castle.

“I think it might help if we addressed Therin by name. Maybe pose questions to help him remain in analytical thought, you know?” Brok said.

Lankor and the others knew exactly what Brok meant. Therin might be slipping away, farther and farther into a beast singlesight.
The thought of it reminded Lankor of his uncle, always to be a dragon, dropping slowly from the knowledge of being human. Eventually, his uncle would be banished outside the clan to live alone where he would not be dangerous. He would be chained. Dellin would have already lost knowledge of the doublesight and of the sacrifice he had made for them. Lankor felt a deep thickness in his chest, a pain he could not explain.

As the soldiers approached the castle in the distance, Zimp spoke to Raik. “You are lucky I had you shift only once. They saw no threat in you. But as you warned, they know of our arrival. If another group does not arrive today, we'll be watched closely.”

“We'll be watched anyway,” Raik said, pointing at Therin.

“And he'll watch you,” Brok said. “This cord could be chewed through in a moment.”

Raik said nothing. He shrunk into his saddle. “You can't keep me like this forever.”

“Let's get inside,” Zimp said. “It'll be easy to hide among all these people.” She motioned for Brok to lead. “You've got to take over.”

Brok mounted and advanced to the front. He wrapped the cord that held Therin in tow loosely around his wrist. The others fell in behind him. It took several hours of edging into the throng of people to make their way into the compound. Some vendors stopped at the gates and set up their carts, offering breakfast to the late arrivals.

Inside the walls, vendors set up their wares. It was market day, Lankor surmised. There would be no other reason for so many vendors to be there at once. The four of them dismounted and walked.

The noise was festive. Musicians played their instruments in various corners of the open central area. The stronghold appeared larger from the inside than the outside, with streets spoking from the central area toward a far off wall and another entrance gate. Castle Weilk looked to be a good distance away.

Brok led them deep into the grounds. He asked directions from several people who appeared to live inside the stronghold area. They'd point and Brok would lead the others closer toward the castle.

Lankor smelled the stable before they arrived. A blacksmith worked a pit of fire. As they stepped around a corner, the ringing of metal on metal pierced the air. A bargain was struck quickly and the
blacksmith ushered out several young boys to lead the horses into stalls and to unsaddle them.

“We'll take our saddlebags with us,” Brok said.

The heavy-set blacksmith pointed his hammer at Therin. “If you're leaving him, I have a cage in the back.”

Therin whined and rubbed against Brok's leg. He understood those words.

“He'll stay with us for now. Everyone grab what's important and we'll find a place to stay for a few days.”

One of the boys reached out to touch Therin. He growled and the boy yanked his hand back.

The blacksmith smashed his hammer onto a strip of steel and shook his head. “We don't like strange beasts here. If that thing ain't safe, you'll find it dead.”

“He's safe,” Brok said. “He just doesn't trust people. They're always threatening to kill him.”

The man glared back at Brok. “Still, we'll want him in that cage tonight. And if by morning we find a man,” he poked the hammer toward Brok, “like you, we'll keep ‘im in that cage.”

Brok nodded and swung around to leave, pulling Therin with him.

“What did that mean?” Lankor said.

“They are expecting doublesight,” Zimp said. “I thought you said they only knew we were coming.”

Raik said, “They heard nothing from me.”

They dropped the conversation and mingled with the crowd for a while. Zimp leaned close to Lankor and spoke quietly into his ear. “These people appear to be tense about something. Even the children aren't running and screaming like I would expect.”

33

STORRET PERCHED WITH HIS LEGS HANGING over a high branch of a sugar pine, his back leaned safely against its trunk. The sun had already crested the eastern mountains, spitting sparks of orange along the treetops and into the lightly clouded sky. Feelings of frustration and pain, anger and joy, battered him in shifts. Just as he began to understand one emotion another shoved it aside and occupied his body. He had been noticed as an honorable clan member and talented warrior and leader. Why did it happen just when he met Breel, and why did Oro need to die for him to fulfill such an honor? And even though he felt that he was worthy of honor, what could he, as commander, possibly teach anyone? How much time was there to get ready? The singlesight humans had already attacked them once. Oronice had obviously sped up her journey to the next realm. The only thing he could think of that would encourage her to do that was that Zimp must be in grave danger, or was already dead.

The treetop cradled Storret as though it held a baby. He had spent much of his life in treetops overlooking The Great Land. As morning opened to another day, he allowed the brightness of the sun to cheer him on, to open his heart to whatever this world had for him. Another day. Another mystery as to what might happen. Each day could be an adventure if only one allowed it to be.

He would not make a plan for this day. When he arrived before his troops he'd look them over and decide on the spot what to pursue. He'd ask for their help to get them engaged. He'd praise each and every one of them, no matter what beast image they held.
Each had his or her purpose, and that purpose would be met in a war of any kind.

A war. Had he really thought that correctly?

Doublesight were supposed to hold both beast and human life sacred. Why would they go to war? Legends foretold of great wars and how the Six Shapeless Gods disapproved and punished the beings that lived at that time by separating the humans from the beasts forever. So few doublesight were left on The Great Land after that. They were to be the reminder of what once was. Blessed were the doublesight. He laughed, mocking the idea that their lives had been blessed. In the last few decades, fear of the unknown had caused many humans to separate from their doublesight brothers. A few lords of the land acknowledged the doublesight and elected to accept them, but the singlesight humans, individually, could not be convinced. And laws were only obeyed in daylight and under watch.