The Way Into Darkness: Book Three of The Great Way (16 page)

It was midday when they passed over the final rise and saw Goldgrass Hill stretched out below them. Cazia couldn’t help it; she gasped.
 

The grass was not gold or even slightly yellow; it was the most vibrant green she’d ever seen in her life. Small white cottages dotted the landscape, with little garden plots and lush lawns between them.
 

The road sloped away from the caravan, crossed an arching stone bridge, then went straight up what must have been Goldgrass Hill proper. It was a long, gentle slope that seemed to go on and on, passing through the gates of a white-painted lumber wall, then into the city itself. Above the wall, the buildings were somewhat larger and closer together but still had a great deal of greenery between.
 

At the top of the hill was another white wall, with a few towers looming over the top. Cazia also thought she saw high-peaked roofs like the one Ivy lived in inside Peradain.
 

Great Way, Peradain seemed so long ago.
 

Ivy stepped up beside her. “Well?”
 

“It’s beautiful, little sister. Very beautiful.”
 

The little princess was extraordinarily pleased. “It is true. Peradain was beautiful, too, in the way, but Goldgrass Hill is the most lovely city in all of Kal-Maddum. Oh, and the grass will not turn gold until the autumn.”
 

“Noted,” Cazia said, and they laughed together. “Why is everything painted white?”
 

“For this,” Ivy answered, staring out at the buildings below them. “So, a few things to remember. Try to--”
 

At that moment, four deep baritones began call out a long, sustained note.
They’re doing it wrong
was her first thought, because they sang
aw
instead of
ah,
as she had been taught. Then others joined in, making a chord. Finally, the song began. It was in Ergoll--Cazia was learning to tell the difference between it and Toal--and the melody was simple, joyful, and a little triumphant.
Wrong for me but not for them.
Cazia couldn’t help but smile wider.
 

“Our homecoming song,” Ivy said. “I will have to join in, so I will be quick, okay? First, try to stay on the paths. It is not a capital crime to walk across someone else’s green, but it is considered awfully rude. People put as much pride in the grass as they do the gardens. Second, you are a guest, so you will not be expected to take part in contests of wit. In fact, do not try. It is a complicated game and you do not know half the rules. All you need to remember is to never show that you have taken offense to anything anyone says, even me. Third, it is considered slightly rude to talk about the possessions of someone who is not there. Talk about what I have, and what you have, but not what he or she has.”

“Is that why you talk that way?” Cazia said without thinking. “
So-and-so and the wife
instead of
So-and-so and his wife
?”
 

Ivy looked abashed for a moment. “It is easy to cause offense to an Ergoll when speaking Peradaini. Finally, before you meet my mother and father, you and Kinz are going to be taken somewhere private so you can be bathed and given fresh clothes. I hope you will not mind--”

“Oh, I would love a bath! Song knows, I need one.”
 

“Oh, good! Kinz was afraid it would make her sick or something.” Belterzhimi approached and held out his hand. Ivy took it. “I will see you inside the villa!” The Warden helped her onto the front of the cart, then climbed up beside her. They stood, side by side, and joined in the song with the others. Immediately, the voices seemed to become three times louder.
 

It was a joyous procession. Cazia had never seen so many happy faces or lifted spirits. Not at a wedding, not at a healthy childbirth, never. Her whole body flushed with the pleasure of seeing merchants united with families, of soldiers stepping out of the caravan to embrace their dogs, of children waiting patiently at garden gates for a familiar face, and of countless people weeping and waving at Ivy--at Princess Vilavivianna, who waved back at everyone, smiling so broadly that she could barely keep up the song.
 

They sang all the way down the road, across the bridge, and up the hill. Everyone did, except for a few squint-faced grumps that Cazia wanted to pinch. There were always a few.
 

People lined up along the main road or clustered at the edges of the crossroads, craning to see Ivy as she passed. By the time they reached the top of the hill, it seemed that the whole town was singing.
 

The gates to the compound at the top--what Ivy had called the villa--had been thrown open. Dozens of people stood atop the walls and in the entrance, and the streets became so crowded that Cazia began to fall back, losing sight of the cart and the princess. As she passed through the thick, lumber walls, she heard someone call her name.
 

It was Kinz. Goherzma, Belterzhimi’s servant--actually, he was the warden’s “man,” which seemed to be pretty much the same thing--had pulled her aside, and now they beckoned to Cazia.
 

The two girls were led along the wall to a small outer building. It, too, was painted white, although the wood grain had begun to show through. Kinz and Cazia were handed off to a group of stern older women in short tunics. The girls were taken to a large stone basin with a tiny fire beneath. The water inside was delightfully hot.
 

The stern women began to scrub at the girl’s backs with rough cloths almost immediately, but Cazia didn’t ask them to stop. It occurred to her that they might not speak Peradaini, and maybe would push her under the water if they heard.
 

It was Kinz who asked them to stop, in Toal. They seemed disappointed, but they became much gentler. They also became more resentful at the extra time the chore would require. Cazia kept her things in sight the whole time.
 

It was hours before Ivy and her parents were ready to meet Kinz and Cazia, and that was just fine by them. Kinz took to a soak in a hot tub immediately, and the girls were almost disappointed when they were summoned.
 

“I am not made comfortable in fine white clothes,” Kinz said. They’d been offered linen robes with deep pockets, and Cazia immediately put the three crystals Kelvijinian had given her into them.
 

“I know what you mean,” Cazia said. “I hope we won’t be expected to eat dinner in them.”
 

They were. Kinz and Cazia were brought before Alisimbo and Silvisbemuntu of Goldgrass Hill, king and queen of the Ergoll people. After an initial show of respect, they were seated on cushions on the floor before an empty table. The king and queen were both very like the princess--pale, yellow-haired, and lean. Unlike the princess, they looked at Cazia the way a falcon looks at a mouse.
 

But they were friendly, even though it seemed to take an effort. Their Peradaini was quite good, although not as good as Ivy’s.
 
They were grateful to have their daughter back, and were considering making honored guests of Cazia and Kinz.
 

Considering? Cazia wasn’t sure what to make of that.
 

“We must ask,” Alisimbo said, “why you did not send Vilavivianna to us with the Ozzhuacks. Why did you delay?”
 

“That was her choice,” Cazia answered.
 

“Her choice?” Silvisbemuntu said. “She is a child.”
 

“She’s only three years younger than me.” Cazia suddenly realized that the king and queen were addressing their questions to Kinz. “There’s something you should understand: Kinz was not with us when that decision was made. She and her brother only joined up with us as we split from the Ozzhuacks. At that time, Ivy had already committed to going with me.”

The king’s friendly expression faltered. “My daughter is of the royal blood of the Ergoll people. Please show the respect she deserves by using her proper name.”

She invited me to call her that,
Cazia almost said.
 

Silvisbemuntu glanced at her husband in admonishment. “Our daughter has told us of those lost when Peradain fell, but she will not tell us what happened afterward. She says we must hear the story from you. That you asked this of her.”
 

Alisimbo’s expression became icy. “What hold do you have over our daughter that you can make demands of her?”
 

“Friendship,” Cazia answered. They didn’t like that answer. “The truth is, the three of us talked this over for many long evenings on our trip south. How could we tell this story without being mocked as liars? I promise you, you will find it hard to believe, and the Toal already stole the artifacts we brought to prove our tale. So Ivy said… I’m sorry, Princess Vilavivianna said we should strike our deal first, then tell the story.”
 

“What will we be bargaining for?” the queen asked. The good humor was slowly leaving her expression, too.
 

Cazia sighed. There was no way to put this gently, so she just said it. “Your flying cart. I need it.”
 

Alisimbo and Silvisbemuntu exchanged a series of short sharp words in Ergoll, their expressions stony.
They’re insulting each other, trying to decide what to do next. It’s just like Ivy said.
 

“How did you learn of this cart?” the king asked. “It has been kept in utmost secrecy.”
 

Cazia shrugged. “Belterzhimi asked us a lot of questions, and he asked once too often about flying a cart.” She felt a pang of regret at that. The warden had been kind to her, mostly, and she didn’t want him to think she’d betrayed him.
 
“It’s obvious you have a cart but no one to fly it.”
 

“We have you,” the queen said. “Apparently, you can fly it.”
 

“I’ve been told how it’s done,” Cazia said, “but I have never actually tried it. And you would have to make a prisoner of me.”
 

The queen leaned back and stared at her. “Just how much gratitude do you think we should show to a girl who dragged our daughter through the wilderness instead of bringing her straight to safety?”
 

Cazia felt her face grow warm, but she remembered Ivy’s warning and did her best to hide her growing anger. “I would not wager a tin speck on the gratitude of royalty. What I’m going to offer instead is something you can use for the benefit of your own people.” From her pocket, she drew out one of the crystals.
 

Alisimbo laughed nastily. “A piece of cheap quartz?”
 

But Silvisbemuntu leaned forward, her brow furrowed with interest.
 

Cazia smiled. She had the queen’s attention, at least. “Do you have any serpents here inside the villa?”
 

“Ahch,” the king exclaimed. “This. You foreigners are so terrified of the serpents. Yes, we have serpents living as guests here. They are allies.”
 

“Iv--Princess Vilavivianna says they eat chickens and things from specially built coops.”
 

“We are pleased to raise the animals for them. The serpents are tenacious fighters who terrify our enemies. It is because of them that your people have been held at the other side of the Straim.”
 

“But,” Cazia said, “there was a time when you were at war with them.”
 

“Of course,” Alisimbo said impatiently. “Before the Alliance, there was no Alliance. Any child would understand this.” So much for not insulting guests.
 

The queen’s voice was quiet when she spoke. “What are you saying?”
 

Cazia set the crystal in front of her and she picked it up.
 

Kinz said, “Way iss fullgorm bin intfull.”
 

“Of course I do,” Silvisbemuntu said.
 

“Of course you do what?” the king snapped. There followed a short exchange in Ergoll, then the king took possession of the crystal. Kinz spoke again. The queen grabbed the king’s arm in excitement. They began talking quickly over each other.
 

Cazia took out the second crystal and heard “--some sort of trick.”
 

“Of course it’s not a trick,” she interrupted. “Unless you think I’ve conspired with each of you to trick the other. No, I don’t speak Ergoll. Yes, I have a second translation stone, and no, these two crystals are not the only things I’m offering for the cart.” There was no need to mention the third; that one was hers. She stood. “Where would we find some of these serpents late in the afternoon?”
 

The king and queen led them up a flight of stairs to a long outcropping of rock that stood above the courtyard. It was a fine vantage point to overlook the fast-flowing river, and it was also a good place for three large serpents to sun themselves in the fading afternoon.
 

The king still held the crystal Cazia had given them, so she handed the second one to his wife. “Princess Vilavivianna has told us that you both are experts at keeping a neutral expression. This would be an excellent time to practice those skills.”
 

She walked slowly toward the serpents. They noticed her and reared up, swaying. As she came closer, they began to hiss. Cazia forced herself to take another step closer, then another. Goose flesh ran down her back. That was near enough, she was sure. The king and queen were close behind her. She half expected them to call her back, but when they didn’t, she turned and walked away as calmly as she could.
 

Ivy’s parents had indeed kept their expressions neutral, but there was no disguising the utter shock on their faces. They glanced at the crystals in their hands and then at the serpents.
They’re afraid the serpents will understand them.

“You can talk in front of them. Unless you give a translation stone to one of them, they won’t understand you any better than before.”