The Far Side (38 page)

He listened to Ezra with half an ear at first.  Then he realized what Ezra was trying to say.  Collum had come and was standing close by as well.

Melek knew that this was the most critical thing he’d ever done in his life.  How could he convey to Ezra and those he protected that very shortly this was all going to be out of his hands?  Ezra was telling him of one thing after another that could be theirs if they treated them fairly.  It made Melek sick that he couldn’t assure the man that they’d be treated fairly.

Helpless, he turned to Collum.  “Sachem, he seeks assurance.”

“And you can’t promise it, can you?” Collum said gently.

“No, Sachem.”

“Well, it will not make your task easier to know that in something like this I’d like to tell you that I know my brother’s mind and that all was well.  Except I don’t know his mind -- nor do I know General Flaner’s mind, either.  Once he was my brother’s tutor and there is a strong bond between them.  General Flaner was always easily swayed by flatterers and charlatans.”

Melek closed his eyes.  “I can’t deliver these three to Flaner without assurances.”

Collum laughed bitterly.  “Assurances that he would violate in a moment if he thought it necessary.  Tell me, Melek, who are these three?”

“They say they are strangers from a very distant place who traveled here.  They say it is further, even, than Big Moon.  I don’t know how to credit what they say.”

“You need to be more observant, Melek,” Collum told him.

“Sachem?”

“More than once they’ve had discussions among themselves.  I’m as sure as I can be those discussions are about what to tell us -- as we keep talking about what to tell them.”

“I imagine so, Sachem.”

“Kris, Melek, shakes her head when she listens to Andie’s ideas of what to say, and often about what Ezra says as well.  She was, I’m certain, the one who made sure that we knew of their weapons.”

“Even now they haven’t been very forthcoming about the weapons that she and Andie carry,” Melek told the Sachem.

“We know she killed the Tengri.  We know it was with a weapon like Ezra’s.  That alone, Melek, speaks volumes about what sort of a person she is.  Clearly, Ezra is her guard.  Clearly, he has to do things that take him away from her, as it did then.  She did what she had to do.  I spent some time trying to understand what emotions she felt afterwards.”

“Sachem?  She looked -- victorious.”

Collum laughed.  “She looked like any man would, after his first kill.  Relieved, pleased, scared, upset that something like that was necessary.  And Ezra?  If you were the guard to the King’s daughter?  How would you react if you were far away when she had to defend herself?”

“I would be ashamed, Sachem.”

“Perhaps.  Or perhaps you would be intelligent enough to know that you’d done your duty in full earlier, teaching her how to defend herself.  Ezra had to be with us, don’t you see?  He never leaves the two women unless he must, but when he must, he doesn’t look back.

“He was pleased, Melek.  His student did what she’d been taught.  What teacher isn’t pleased at that?  None of us is but mortal, Melek.  We can’t always be there for our students -- and now and then, no matter how much we wish otherwise, those we teach will have to prove what they’ve learned.  Kris did so.”

Melek groaned with frustration.  “I can’t do this, Collum.  I can’t be responsible for this.”

Collum patted Melek on his shoulder.  “Sergeant, think about one thing.  Ezra isn’t stupid.  Think on another thing: Kris isn’t stupid.  And contemplate Andie: she is, I think, the smartest of all of us.  They know and understand the risks.  They trust us to do our best -- and so we shall.  That said, they have tried to reserve knowledge of their weapons as much as possible.  They don’t talk about them; they don’t wave or display them as a proud bowman would.  They go about what they do quietly, without bragging or posturing.  In a word, Sergeant, describe what that is?”

“Confidence, Sachem.”

“Exactly.”  Collum turned his eye on the distant column.  “Send Cellon down to the column and tell them where we are.”

“Yes, Sachem.”

Melek did that and turned back to Collum.  “It is done, Sachem!”

“Now, I have a request for you that you need to be sure that you understand.  I want you and me to spar, hand-to-hand.  Convey to Ezra what we are going to do.  Then, after we spar, ask Ezra to spar with me.”

“Sachem...” Melek felt dizzy.  The Sachem was older, slower, except for running, and then he was as strong as or stronger than any man.  It would not be good.

“Melek, if you don’t spar as if I was a true sparring opponent, you will be sorry -- and you will have to do it again.  Do it right the first time.  If you think of me as an old man, you won’t grow old yourself.”

Melek tried to convey “contest” and “practice” to Ezra.  Ezra looked at the man heading down to the column, then at Collum, not Melek.  He grinned and waved for Melek to proceed.

Back in the market in Arvala, Melek had been humiliated.  He’d seen the knife in the young man’s hand; he’d seen the broad back of Trenzos, the very rich merchant.  Trenzos wasn’t a noble -- but his wife was and his children were.  He’d moved to intercept the man who he thought was intent on killing Trenzos.

But, before he intercepted the boy, the boy had cut Trenzos’ purse away and had turned to flee.  He’d run into Melek then.  The boy had lunged with his dagger at Melek’s gut -- Melek had his sword out and ready... what was he supposed to do when a cutpurse attacked him?  He’d slid the blade through the boy’s belly, hating himself as he did.  He’d had no choice!

Trenzos, furious at the theft, had been stunned at how quickly the Market Guards had reacted.  He’d even given Melek a copper as a reward.  That had been two seconds before one of the other guards had said the fatal words: “Isn’t that Councilman Melchior’s son?”

Now Melek was humiliated once again, only this time in what he’d thought was his area of expertise.  He’d lunged for Collum in a simple grapple and tried to take him down, where he could use his youth and strength to overpower the older man.

He’d flown through the air and sprayed dust when he landed.  He’d tried one more time for honor’s sake, but it had turned out no better.  Collum had planted a foot in his belly, and Melek had turned a full summersault in the air, before crashing, bruised and shorn of breath, to the ground.

Collum had helped him up and gestured at Ezra.  Ezra had laughed and said the word “Practice?” to Collum.

There was not a single one of those in the scout detachment that could follow what happened next.  Blows, faster than the eye could follow, one after another.  They danced, they moved and twisted.  More and more blows.  Twice Collum had jerked, and after the second time, his nose was bleeding.

Melek was surprised when finally Collum stepped back and stood looking at Ezra, without moving.  Ezra bowed to Collum, who shook his head and stepped forward and clasped Ezra’s arm in the old salute.  Then they hugged and slapped each other’s backs.

Melek stood still, having seen a battle between men who, either one of them, could have killed him without breaking a sweat.  It was one thing to believe that Ezra had weapons that could kill him without Melek being able to stop him -- it was something else to realize that Ezra didn’t need a weapon.  And neither did Collum.

Melek looked at the two girls, and Andie promptly did some blows and kicks, ending up looking a lot like Ezra had, during the “sparring.”

Melek moved close to Collum.  “Are you okay, Sachem?”

“I do not know who his fighting master is, but I wish I’d studied at his feet!  I have spent most of my life perfecting this sort of fighting -- and to be bested by someone so much younger!  It is humbling, Melek!  Humbling.”

“Humbling, Sachem, is knowing Ezra doesn’t need his thunder rod to kill.”

Collum chuckled.  “Dumi will be here soon.  You needn’t talk to him about this or me.  And Melek, weapons are tools we use to kill our enemies.  Any tool, Melek, any tool is dangerous in capable hands.  Let this be a lesson you retain for the rest of your life!”

A dozen men came up the slope, Captain Dumi at the head.  “Report, Melek!”

“There is party of the ancient enemies about a hundred miles south, Captain!  They number about seventy-five.  Captain, they once numbered eighty with twenty slaves.  Now there are only nineteen slaves, Captain!  The Chain Breakers have begun to fulfill their blood oath!”

Startled at news of the ancient enemies, Captain Dumi commanded three of the runners to return to the column with instructions to be alert.

“And the other strangers?  Are they from the East?”

“No, Captain.  They are from much further away.”  As Ezra had done it, and it was dark enough already for stars to be visible, Melek gestured at the points of light in the sky.  “They are from another star, Captain.”

“Stars are but pinpoints of light!  How can they be from one of them?”

“Captain, the sun is a giant ball of fire.  Still, like a fire blazing at hand, a fire appears much smaller further away.  They say the stars are very far away, indeed!”

“And you believe them?” Captain Dumi demanded.

“Captain, four of the ancient enemies caught us in camp.  We had no warning of their coming, they were there and we weren’t ready.  Private Collum killed their leader, and then Ezra, of the strangers, killed the other three.  Captain,” Melek paused and clapped his hands together softly.

“That fast, Captain.  In the time it takes me to clap once, he killed three of them.  He has also killed three dralka.”

“And you’ve killed how many, Melek?”

“More than three, Captain.  But the last one he killed was a half mile away.”

Captain Dumi looked at him.  “You weren’t deluded, Sergeant?”

“No, Captain.”

“Introduce me to these strangers,” the captain commanded.

Melek turned to Ezra and motioned him and the two young women forward.

“Captain, they don’t speak our tongue, so we have only a few words in common.  Ezra is a guard in the employ of Lady Kris’ father.  Captain, she must be a least a princess of her realm.  With her is Lady Andie.  I think Lady Andie is Lady Kris’ tutor.  Captain, Lady Andie has shown us a new weapon, and moreover, she knows how to make a ship sail against the wind.”

“Flatly impossible,” Captain Dumi told him.  “She is lying.”

“Captain, their guard, Ezra, killed a dralka at a hundred yards with a thunder rod, his weapon.  Another at three hundred yards and another at nearly three times that.  Single shots, Captain.  Three hits, no misses.  And when he killed the enemy, they never had a chance to draw a breath, much less fire.”

Melek paused and decided to tell the captain worse news.  “Captain, the Tengri carry thunder rods like Ezra, but they aren’t as good as his weapon is.  We have captured five of their weapons and brought them along.”

“You are trying to tell me something, Melek.”

“Captain, you must not let your ideas of what can be or should be blind you to what is.”

Captain Dumi looked unsure.  That was when Collum coughed.  Only one man from the column was still with Captain Dumi.

“Captain, we’ve met before.  Two years ago you were presented to my brother in Korli in the south of the West Finger.  I stood at his left hand.”

Captain Dumi met Collum’s eyes.  “I was presented to the King.”

“And I am the King’s brother, Pallas, now Collum, Sachem of the Chain Breakers.

Captain Dumi’s eyebrows shot up, then headed into orbit.  “Lord Sachem!  I had no idea you were here!”

“Captain, before you is one Chaba, formerly a slave of the Tengri, her chains broken.  For the first time in twelve hundred years we have one whose chains have been broken.  Standing a few feet away is Lady Kris, who broke those chains, personally.  Soon, I will make her a Chain Breaker.  Whatever you are thinking, think about those facts.”

The captain’s throat worked.  “She broke the woman’s chains?”

“Killed the bastard who owned those chains dead with one shot, Captain.  I tried to find all the pieces of his brains, but there were too many!  Captain, do not let Lady Kris or Lady Andie shoot at you.  And if Lord Ezra shoots at you, your worries are over!”

“I hear, Sachem!  I don’t understand, but I hear!”

Collum laughed low.  “Captain, here stands before you a woman, rescued from slavery.  Before you also stands the woman who freed her, killing the bastard who enslaved her.  What’s not to understand?”

Melek spoke up.  “Captain, did Destu and Landrew tell you that we found where Rangar hid?”

“Only Landrew survived, and he only survived a short time, delirious with bizarre tales of what had happened in the south.  The storm killed Corporal Destu, and the lightning stroke that did so reduced Landrew to a simpleton.”

“We found the hideout for Rangar, sir, as well as everything else.  The hideout was once a dralka rookery, Captain.  We took shelter there during the storm that destroyed the outpost.”

“And Lieutenant Menim?”

Melek pulled himself erect.  “Captain,
he ran.  One morning we awoke and he was gone.  We tried to find him, but we have no idea where he had gone.”