As soon as they hadstopped, the nidepoux lay down on their flanks so fast that Xuven hadto grab the malian's legs and then swiftly pull her away in orderto lay her down. Robust and vigorous as the beasts were—and theyhad shown astonishing stamina while crossing the Steppes—they werenot used to being ridden, and fear had sapped their strength. Theirhearts were pounding so fast that Pelmen feared that they might diewithout further delay. Setting his own exhaustion aside, he tried torub them down. The earthenware bowl that served to water them,carefully wrapped in cloth, had survived their misadventure. Hefilled it and set it before their muzzles before satisfying his ownthirst.
Xuven had knelt downbeside Ezechian-Uzeve's apprentice. A vaguely familiar bittersweetodor emanated from the pot in his hand. With the other hand, hesmeared the places where the marks of strangulation were displayed.
"TheHealing Salve should take effect rapidly," he said, looking up athis nephew.
"Whatare we going to do with her?"
Xuven stood up todraw Pelmen aside. "She might be Ezechian-Uzeve's accomplice aswell as his victim," he said, lowering his voice. "In eithercase, she represents a danger if we let her go. If she's stillcommitted to those on the cart, she'll try to warn them, in whichcase the peril is immense. If she isn't, and chooses to return toBelenia, she might talk about her adventure and reveal our presenceto enemy ears."
"Wesaved her life, though."
Xuven dismissedPelmen's argument with a wave of his hand. "Her reappearance backthere wouldn't help us, unless..."
"Unless...?"
"Unlesswe can convince her to accompany us until the end of our mission, andthen take her evidence to the Hortal when the moment comes. She'sonly a mil'ser,and her word won't carry much weight among her fellows, but if wecorroborate what she says, perhaps it will be taken intoconsideration."
"Howwill you do that?" Pelmen asked.
"We'llsimply explain the situation to her. Oh, don't fool yourself—you'llhave to watch her most of the time."
Pelmen rolled hiseyes. Xuven didn't seem to notice.
"Ihope that we won't have to take extreme measures. Above all, it'simportant to find out which camp she's in—although I have mysuspicions about that."
With that, Xuventurned around and went back to the malian. She was sleepingpeacefully. Seeing her in that state, Pelmen yawned.
"Sheneeds sleep," said Xuven. "I'd pref..."
"Look!"said Pelmen. He crouched down and extended his arm toward an oblongform that was discernible beneath the apprentice's trousers.Ignoring Xuven's frown, he slid his hand inside. With a triumphantsmile, he brandished his prize, which reflected the rays of Astar,accenting them with a golden gleam.
"Amberrock,"murmured Xuven.
"Whichmeans," said Pelmen, jubilantly, "that she was only persuadedrecently to undertake this journey. If not, she'd have bought newclothes a long time ago. You can see how threadbare her trousersare."
"True.After her passage through the Pool of Bliss, Ezechian-Uzeve took herto the AmberrockPalace.I couldn't follow them inside, of course, but that's doubtlesswhen the bargain was offered to her."
Pelmen's eyelidsfluttered. When he replaced the amberrock, he nearly collapsed on topof the apprentice.
"Youcan hardly stand up," said Xuven. "Rest—I'll take the firstshift on watch."
Pelmen made noattempt to protest. He had no idea where Xuven got his energy from.So far as he was concerned, he had exceeded his limits some time ago.His sleep was both deep and dreamless.
A voice pulled himout from that bottomless well: a shrill and hoarse voice, which hedid not recognize.
"...they'reall over me! Everywhere! They're swarming! They're biting me! ByMalia, what have you done? Why have you put me in contact with these...abominations?"
"Withoutthose abominations, as you call them, the stranguls would be feastingon your dead body at this moment," Xuven replied, in a calm tone.
At those words,Pelmen found the strength to open his eyes. The malian, of mediumheight by the criteria of her own species but taller than anyhevelen, was frantically scratching her torso, her back, her face andher arms—everything, in fact, that was not covered. Her longslender fingers might perhaps have seemed feminine in differentcircumstances, in spite of the calluses distributed over them.
"Smearyourself with this," said Xuven, showing her the pot of linguilisgrease. "That will deter them better than your gesticulations."
"Idon't want to have anything to do with you!" she spat, taking astep back.
"Whatingratitude," said Pelmen, getting to his feet with difficulty,"toward those who saved your life."
She looked him upand down sullenly. Xuven shook his head. "Don't waste your time.I've already explained to her. We'd be better off talking to awall." He held out the pot. "Your turn. Lice like nothing betterthan malian flesh. We'll see how well she gets on by herself."
Pelmen had barelystarted smearing himself when Xuven drew him toward the recumbentquadrupeds, reducing his voice to a murmur. His wrinkles had extendedfurther, but his eyes were gleaming with determination. "They'veset out again," he said. "We must do likewise, but I doubt thatyour new friend will want to join us."
She was scratchingso violently that her flesh was darkening in places. She looked atthem, her eyes filled with tears of rage. To their amazement, sheadvanced toward them, her lips taut. "Give me that!"
Pelmen had finishedwith it, so he let her snatch the pot from his hands. She moved somedistance away, turning her back on them, and commenced applying thegrease with sweeping gestures.
"Inmoderation!" Xuven instructed. "Or we'll be forced to do it foryou."
The malian paused,then resumed more slowly, only using as much as she needed this time.
"Haveyou questioned her?" Pelmen asked.
"Doyou think she's in any mood to talk?" The gravity of theexpression in his eyes belied Xuven's faint smile. His right handwas plunged into his toga, clutching his wand. "She'll befinished soon. Let me handle it."
Otherswould not have noticed anything, but over the months, Pelmen hadlearned to interpret the tiny wrinkles that appeared in the cornersof his uncle's eyes. He'sabout to do something he doesn't like.
The tremorstroubling the malian had ceased—shewas no longer trying to scratch herself. She put the pot of greasedown beside her and stood up. With her back still turned she startedwalking, parallel to the edge of the Forest of Shadows—and thenbegan running. She was weak, and her gait was unsteady. Xuven heldout his wand and moved his lips—aninstant later, she fell forwards. He went toward her unhurriedly, andPelmen went with him. They reached her just as she leaned over herhands in order to get up. A further blast plastered her face to theground like an invisible, colossal hand. Pelmen raised his eyebrowsat the demonstration of force.
"Youowe us a debt," declared Xuven, in a strong, clear voice. "It'sa matter of life and death. According to our traditions, you'llonly be free of us when we decide to let you go. Until then, youbelong to us. You'll follow us, and will be as docile as anidepoux."
With that, Xuvenleaned over, took her by the shoulder and turned her overunceremoniously. A trickle of mauve blood was escaping from themalian's lower lip. Her misty eyes were flashing, but that was heronly reaction.
"Thoseaccompanying you—thosewe're trailing—areour enemies. If you try to rejoin them or warn them, know that you'llbe treated as such."
The tone of Xuven'svoice and his expression allowed no ambiguity. He took hold of hisflint. The malian's almond eyes widened while Pelmen, alarmed,wondered whether he should intervene.
Xuven rummaged inhis satchel, however, and took out a gray object that turned out tobe a trana root. He sliced it into segments, which he held out to themalian. "Eat! I won't take no for an answer."
She looked at himwildly. With a scornful gesture, she raised herself up on her elbows,accepted the morsels and swallowed them. The restorative did not takelong to take effect. The captive's gaze became brighter andbetrayed surprise.
"Thetrana roots will fortify you but won't nourish you," Xuvenexplained. "You'll need to feed yourself. You'd do better tostart sooner rather than later. What's your name?"
She got to her feetwithout replying and moved away, with Pelmen on her heels. Xuven hadput away his wand and was observing her movements. At a clump ofplants that Pelmen would have taken for noxious weeds she knelt down,took hold of them, braced herself, and succeeded in unearthing them,revealing black bulbs lodged between the roots. She chewed a few ofthem avidly. When Xuven ordered the resumption of their route, shepointed at the nidepoux and made it understood that she preferred tostay behind.
Xuven shook hishead. "In that case, you can go on ahead as a scout. There's nopoint trying to get away. Pelmen here is as accurate with his thornsas I am with this." He pointed the wand at her, and a current ofair smoothed out the wrinkles in her loosely-fitting trousers.
Her eyes widened.With her head bowed, she took a semicircular route to overtake them.
Whatcharacter! Pelmenthought. Xuvendid well to show her who's in charge.
He chewed tranaroots while observing her, leading his mount by the bridle. Thequadrupeds were evidently in no hurry, but he was confident that theyhad recovered. Once in a while, Xuven shouted curt orders to themalian, guiding her with his voice as he might have done a beast ofburden.
As soon as theyfound the wagon ruts again, he called upon the Sign of Aoles. Theirquarry had gained a significant lead on them, due to the slowerprogress of the nidepoux.
"Agood thing, too," Xuven mentioned, looking pleased. "With thebare horizon and the isolate's stature, they could see us from a longway off, now."
The apprentice'sshoulders were slumped, and her entire attitude indicatedresignation. Sometimes she stumbled, uttering a slight groan beforecontinuing. When she sensed that she was going too slowly, she turnedround, and, seeing the nidepoux coming closer, accelerated again. Herlanky body seemed out of place in the undulating yellow expanse.
"Willshe be able to survive so far from the pools?" Pelmen asked.
"ThisSinistan was able to," Xuven replied. "Why do you think that heand his gang would pay so dearly for mil'ser ifthey were going to die on the way?" Xuven looked at Pelmenmomentarily before continuing, with a faint smile on his lips: "Ithink she's even more mutinous and stubborn than you are."
"Shealso seems completely lost. Something tells me she isn't going tomake things any easier."
The lower part ofAstar had crossed the line of the horizon when Xuven ordered a haltin the shade of a clump of tri-folds. The malian's gray skin wasstreaked with pale lines that must have indicated great fatigue—fortheir part, the marks of strangulation were faded—because as soonas the nidepoux came to a stop she let herself fall to the ground.Even in her exhaustion, there was something graceful about hermovement.
Xuven sat downcross-legged and began breathing deeply. While he took care of thenidepoux, Pelmen wondered whether his uncle could sleep with his backso straight. He did not appear to be conscious of his surroundings,at any rate.
As soon as he wassure that the nidepoux were firmly tethered and had enough to eat,Pelmen went to check that the malian had not moved before he wenthunting. He knew that he was taking a risk, but after having settledfor mushrooms and the occasional veguer biscuit for three days, hefelt the need for meat. Fatigue slowed him down and took a toll onhis reflexes, but he succeeded in sniffing out the trail of someptats, and his instinct allowed him to anticipate their movements.
By the light ofHamal, he returned to the grove with two prizes in his belt. Againstall expectation, the malian was sitting up and eating—plants,apparently. Pelmen scanned her from head to toe without notinganything abnormal. She acted as if he did not exist, of course.
He did not mindabout that. Xuven was lying down, asleep. Pelmen cut up one of theptats, telling himself that at least his experience as a tanner wasuseful for something. He chewed the raw flesh for a long time,watching the malian from the corner of his eyes. Eventually, she laydown. The second ptat was intended for his uncle, so Pelmen wrappedit up in tri-fold leaves. He forced himself to stay on watch for aslong as he could—hedid not have the heart to wake Xuven. Then he went to sleep in histurn.
They proceeded morediligently the following day. At regular intervals, Xuven made hisnidepoux bound forward, overtaking the malian who hurriedly got outof the way, and scanned the surroundings. He sometimes lost theirquarry's trail when predators crossed it, in which case theyaccelerated their pace to compensate for the detour.
The expanses ofyellow grass gradually gave way to terrain with the blue-tintedlichens of the steppes. Aoles was almost constantly present now, in amanner that Pelmen would once have judged unpredictable, before theCilamenites had trained him.
The shadows of therare cacti were lengthening when the cart and its escort of ganglingsilhouettes appeared in the distance. Xuven immediately ordered themalian to lie down on the ground, which she did.
She was moreobedient than before, if one set aside her refusal to speak whenquestioned. She was stubborn, and that was a fact. From theill-tempered glances that she sometimes darted, one could haveconcluded that she had a grudge against the whole world. Pelmenwondered if he might not have become like her, back in the tannery,if he had not had Master Galn, Teleg and Alicene to make him dream ofa better future.
They camped near acactus with prominent swellings, which they used to replenish theirwater supply. Pelmen took advantage of the opportunity to replenishhis quiver with fresh thorns, as well.
"We'llneed to be more careful than ever," Xuven said. "One can see along way in the Steppes. Fortunately, Aoles is powerful here so wecan leave a greater distance between them and us."
That was what theydid the following day. The monotony and tedium of the environmentweighed upon Pelmen, who missed the mountainous buttresses of theCanyons, where there was always some detail to attract the eye. Hewas in a hurry to go out hunting. Perhaps he would be able to catch arocol, or even—he sniffed the air more attentively—asteppe-runner. Some distance to his left, a white-petaled carnalynewas diffusing the tempting perfume of its nectar. The carnivorousplant was in the closed position, certainly not for very long, andthere was nothing remarkable in the vicinity. Pelmen gazed forwardagain.
He uttered an oathand his heartbeat quickened.
Neither Xuven northe malian were visible any longer. His uncle had moved forward alittle while before, but that could not explain his disappearance,given the clear line of sight. The malian's absence was even moreinconceivable.
Pelmen mounted hisnidepoux and was about to urge it forward when Xuven reappeared somedistance away. His head appeared first, followed by the rest of hisbody. Almost undetectable from where Pelmen was, a dip in the ground,obviously deep, had masked his uncle until then.
Shecan't take long to appear, either.
Even so, he urgedthe nidepoux forward. A hundred and fifty yards further on hestopped, having reached what must have been a stream, now dry. Nosign of the malian. That was not yet completely abnormal, since theopposite slope, although not as high, was too steep to climb easilyand the trough in the ground was sinuous.
Notcompletely unusual,but disquieting.
If their captive hadtried to get away, she would have gone to the left. Pelmen dismountedbefore taking his nidepoux down the steep slope. He began sorting outthe odors, eliminating all those that did not belong to the malian.The delicate fragrance was almost imperceptible, but he recognizedit. It was drawing away—to the left, indeed.
Pelmen groaned as hestudied the dry bed. Strewn with boulders and sharp stones, it didnot lend itself to a pursuit on nidepoux-back. Pelmen could choose toclimb up the small ravine again in order to launch his mount at fulltilt along the rim of the ditch, but the malian might take cover insome recess when she heard him approaching. Better to track the odor.
He started running,guiding his nidepoux by the bridle. He had to solve the problemhimself—thecaptive was his responsibility. Weaving between the boulders, heconserved his breath as he had learned to do during his longexcursions with Ielun, Symen and Laneth, having no anxiety forhimself, but for the nidepoux, whose long rein was grazing his hand.
From time to time helost the scent, then found it a little further on. In spite of allhis efforts, it did not become any stronger. The malian had waitedfor the most opportune moment for her escape, using the delay torecuperate her strength.
MayAstar ensure that she isn't guiding me toward our enemies.
Improbable at thestart, that idea ended up becoming plausible, given the drystreambed's unpredictable changes of direction. Pelmen's sweathollowed out furrows on his dust-covered face, but his legs pursuedtheir course untiringly and he did not relax his vigilance. If he hadnot had any other motivation, the memory of the prisoner that had gotaway from him in the course of his first journey across the Steppeswould have sufficed.
He reached what musthave been the source of the watercourse, where only a pool ofstagnant water subsisted. On the edge of the ditch, footprints stoodout, as elongated as their maker. Pelmen climbed up the side, pausingseveral times to haul up his nidepoux.
He scanned the bleakexpanse and saw the silhouette of the malian. He hoisted himself ontohis mount, which, responding to the thrust of his heel, launchedforward. The terrain was smooth again, so he quickly gained ground.
The bow would onlyserve as a last resort, he decided. The malian had darted a glanceover her shoulder. She must have been conscious that her cause wasnow lost and was only continuing out of pure obstinacy.
I'llmake her feel my pun...
He broke off inmid-thought. The fugitive had just risen above the ground, withoutany possible explanation. Pelmen's jaw dropped. He immediately drewin his reins.
ByAoles—one moment she's running and the next she's several yardsup in the air!
Suspended inmid-air, the malian seemed even more disconcerted.
Whatsorcery is this? Some trick of Xuven's?
If that was thecase, it was unusual to say the least, because he could see clearlynow that the captive was enclosed by a kind of bubble, motionless nowat shoulder height.
All his hairbristling, Pelmen got his bow ready, and opened his mouth—but themalian got in ahead of him, uttering a scream and abruptly spreadingher arms. Immediately, the bubble burst, and a gasp of surprise washeard, which did not come from either Pelmen or the malian.
Theair blurred, to recompose in the haughty image of a feless'tu withfeatures and limbs that were doubly feminine, clad in a blue robeslit down the sides. The tip of Pelmen's thorn, pointed toward theascendant, trembled.
Impossible!She wasn't there a moment ago!
Theascendant ignored the threat. She looked at the malian who had fallenon the ground with arched eyebrows. The mil'ser raisedherself to her knees, her jaw clenched.
"Youwon't be going any further," the feless'tu articulated,in a calm and clear voice with melodious tones. She turned to Pelmen,considering him from her full height. "That bow won't benecessary, my friend—we don't want to fight."
Pelmenlowered his weapon, subjugated by her majesty. Withher phenomenal powers, she could have dealt with me already if shehad wanted to.
Thatthought was simultaneously reassuring and disquieting, so he kept histhorn notched, ready for any eventuality. Ezechian-Uzeve'sapprentice divided her anxious glances between him and the fused. Theascendant redirected her attention to the mil'ser.
"Ifyou were thinking of returning to Belenia, you'll have to bepatient, I fear. We're Elisan-Finella, in the service of the HighHierarch Talja-Guelza..."
"And,through his intermediary, of the Hortal himself," added Finella, ina more velvety voice.
"...charged by him to shed light on the overly frequent disappearancesof mil'ser,"Elisan finished. "Henceforth, you're under our command. We wantto know where the cart that took you aboard is going..."
"... acuriosity that you and the bearded hevelen seem to share," Finellaput in, addressing herself to Pelmen.
Thebearded hevelen? Are they talking about Xuven? How do they know?
"Infact, we'd also like to know for what reason two hevelens aretaking such risks to follow that cart," Elisan confirmed, glancingsideways at Pelmen.
Hesaid nothing. So they too were being followed! And neither he norXuven had seen anything. As to whether this feless'tu waswho she claimed to be, that remained to be seen.
The mil'ser,who had just stood up, unleashed a torrent of spite and rage. "I'mnot under anyone's command! I belong to nobody but myself!" Shesuddenly brandished her fragment of amberrock, whose flame-like, rubyglitter danced in her eyes. "You see this? I earned it! It cost meplenty"—her hand caressed her neck feverishly—"and it'shigh time for me to profit from it. Do you think, maybe, that I washappy being poor?"
Elisan frowned, butPelmen interjected. "I was offered a fragment of the same kind,"he said, "as large as yours. I refused—and do you know whathappened?"
"Ohyes!" said the mil'ser."You regretted your stupid decision so much that you've beentrying ever since to find your benefactor, in order to beg him totake you into his service!"
"Doyou honestly believe that?" asked Pelmen. "After my refusal, theytried to kill me. They have crimson shamans who can destroyeverything in their path with fire!"
"Sowhat? I don't want to have anything more to do with them. I'mgoing back to Belenia."
"Oh,so you count on living as a recluse for the rest of your life? Ifthey get their hands on you, they'll try to suck you in again withtheir lies, or arrange to have you disappear quietly."
"It'sa risk I'm willing to take."
Pelmen bit his lip.She was as stubborn as he had imagined—perhaps even more so—andillogical too.
"Doyou really believe," said Elisan, "that fragment of amberrockwill allow you to find balance and harmony?"
Therewas a silence. The isolate fixed her green eyes on the feless'tu withthe expression of a wounded animal. Pelmen strained his ear, tryingto catch her muttered response. "I sure won't find what I need inThe Pool of the Second Chance..."
"Howdo you know? Have you ever immersed yourself in it with the rightattitude, or in the right state of mind?"
The malian shiftedher weight from one foot to another. "I've done that—more thanonce, and during the conjunctions. Now, it'll be a full six yearsbefore I can try again! It feels like I could try a hundred timeswithout getting anywhere."
"Forsome, harmony requires an apprenticeship," said Finella.
"Wecould teach you to find the most favorable state of mind," Elisanproposed, "and even allow you access to the purest pool ofTurquoise Water there is. Yes, we could help you discoveryour mil'nan."
Theterm reminded Pelmen of something. Suddenly, he remembered. Thepieces of the puzzle fell into place within his mind. According toXuven, most malians found their mil'nan atbirth, and thus became feless'tu,those strange individuals with four arms, two heads and two legs, butfor those who were exceptions to the rule, there was the Pool of theSecond Chance. There must be more favorable periods sincethe mil'ser hadalluded to the conjunctions of the moons with Astar, and the sixyears that she would have to wait for the next attempt.
The isolate probedElisan with her gaze. The sullen expression had almost disappearedfrom her face, giving way to perplexity, and even to interest."You'll help me, on condition that I place myself at yourservice, is that it?"
Pelmencould have intervened—after all, the mil'ser washis prisoner. Instead, he put his bow over his shoulder and waited tosee what would happen. The mil'ser hadproved her determination. The fused magician, whose mission seemed tobe similar to the one confided to Pelmen and his uncle by theTireless Traveler, seemed to have arguments that made her moredocile.
"You'veunderstood me perfectly," Elisan said.
"Youcan refuse," Finella added, "butthere's one thing we can guarantee—it's not amberrock that willbring you your mil'nan."
The mil'ser,her eyelids lowered, traced a curve in the dirt with her foot. "I'dbe able to spend my amberrock as I intend?"
"Youcan do whatever you like with it."
"You'llpermit me to use the Pools of Bliss?"
Elisanhesitated. The mil'ser wasstill contemplating the dust at her feet. "If you wish. However, wewouldn't advise using them right now."
"Idon't want that at all—itwas a trap." She had raised her head and her eyes were shiningbrazenly. "If you'd given me any other reply, I'd have refused.What wages would I get?"
Pelmen opened hismouth, and then closed it again with an incredulous smile. Theisolate had some nerve. She had just met a magician capable ofappearing unexpectedly out of nowhere and imprisoning her in abubble—an emissary of the Hortal, no less—and she wanted tonegotiate her salary!
Coldly, Elisanreplied: "That of an apprentice. Food and shelter, and five whiteberyls a day. What do you say?"
The mil'ser clearedher throat, holding her head high, unable to resist the temptation toprolong the delay for a few seconds. "I'd say that you've foundyourself an apprentice," she declared, finally.
Elisan nodded herhead. Finella made her voice vibrate in a low tone, and a few yardsaway, an elongated mass surged from behind a rock. The melepek wascarrying several jars and sacks, as well as a bowl heavier than theone that Pelmen used to water the nidepoux. A comfortable saddle witha double saddle horn was fitted to its back, in which Elisan-Finellatook her place, with a graceful movement.
"Let'sgo rejoin your companion," said Elisan, looking at Pelmen. "Hemust be waiting for you impatiently. During the journey, we'll takepleasure in listening to your story."
"I'llbe glad to take you to him, but I can't say anything for themoment," Pelmen replied. Although his instinct suggested to himthat he could trust the feless'tu,he preferred to let his uncle decide the matter. Taking someone tohim who had such troubling powers already made him uneasy.
"Asyou wish. By the way, I nearly forgot." Elisan turned in the saddleand put the tips of her long fingers together, forming a circle thatshe completed by bringing the palms of her hand into contact. At thatmoment, the air between the fingers was disturbed, and a blue-tintedsphere appeared, whose size diminished when she directed it towardthe mil'ser besidethe melepek.
Beforethe latter could react, the Bubble brushed the perimeter of her neck,matching its curvature to it. Pelmen blinked, but his eyes were notdeceived. The last dark marks on the mil'ser'sskin, evidence of the strangul's attack, were no more than amemory. Rather than bursting, the Bubble shrank to the point ofvanishing into thin air.
"Thankyou," said the isolate, in a voice where respect and gratitudecompeted with disbelief, as she felt her throat.
"Whatis your name?" Elisan asked.
"Lominan."
"Prettyname," approved Finella's suave voice.
The dry streambedwas easy to find again. Elisan must have had her own means ofdetection, for she indicated without hesitation that they should goaround it to the north and continue northeastwards. Shortly aftertheir departure, Pelmen had seen her form another circle with herhands. No sphere had appeared, but Elisan's half-closed eyes hadseemed lost in the distance for most of the time thereafter. Themagician was manifesting such great detachment and self-confidencethat even Lominan was looking at her reverently.
The trio progresseduntil Astar had set completely, his light replaced by that of thestars in the firmament. When Pelmen perceived the familiar odor ofhis uncle and his nidepoux, he made a sign to the malians to waitwhere they were. "No need to put him on the defensive," he said.
The nidepoux wassheltered behind cacti, and Xuven was standing in the shadows.
"Don'tcome any closer," he said, when Pelmen tried to join him. A currentof air surrounded the latter before withdrawing.
Thisis what it's like to be among magicians,Pelmen thought, frowning.
"Whois the malian accompanying you?" Xuven's tone was harsh and cold.
"Anenvoy of the Hortal—at least, that's what she claims. She saysthat her name is Elisan-Finella. She's succeeded in convincing our...guest to decide against returning to Belenia." Briefly, Pelmen toldhim about their captive's flight, followed by the surprisingapparition. Xuven had him repeat the details he considered important.
"Femalesare only good for bringing trouble," he complained. "First thisLominan, and now Elisan-Finella—and a magician no less! We aren'tout of the abyss yet!" He smoothed his beard. "Anyway, it's notyour fault, I suppose."
"Inyour opinion, can we trust her?"
"Wherehave you ever seen a female we could trust? And two in one!" Heshook his head.
"That'snot what I asked."
"Maybe,"said Xuven. "I'd rather meet her before making a decision."
Pelmen had no cluewhere his uncle's misogyny could have come from. It wasn't thefirst time he had denigrated females in general.
Xuvenstopped fifty yards from the malians. He bowed ceremoniously, andthen made his introductions. In return, Elisan-Finella dismountedgracefully before making a distinguished curtsey. Lominan watched thescene with astonishment. The feless'tu disclosedher identity.
Pelmensmiled inwardly. Earlier in the day he had been huntingthe mil'ser andtrying to tire her out like a rocol. Now he could almost believe thathe was in the reception room of some palace.
"Pelmentells me that you and I have the same objective," said Xuven,without beating around the bush.
"We'retrying to discover what is causing such an exodus of mil'ser,"Elisan confirmed, "and why. Your companion has not revealed yourmotives to me..."
"They'reidentical. One of our Aguerris sent us to investigate thedisappearances of travelers, also on the rise."
Pelmen cleared histhroat. "I have reason to believe that one of my friends has chosenthat exile or been forced into it. His sister has asked me to findhim."
Xuven frowned atPelmen, who remained impassive.
"Iunderstand," said Elisan, inclining her chin toward Pelmen beforereturning her attention to Xuven. "Will you agree to join forces?Pelmen mentioned crimson shamans. If that means that the power ofValshhyk is at work behind all this, then an alliance between uswould be most advantageous."
"Iaccept." Xuven had responded without hesitation, lowering his head,perhaps in a slightly dry manner.
Elisan smiled, andtheir pact was thus concluded. Later, Xuven revealed to Pelmen thatsuch an alliance between a malanite magician and a hevelen shaman hadnot been forged for several centuries.
They settled downfor the night, Pelmen with his uncle, the latter's gnarled wandstuck in the ground and dispersing their odors, Elisan-Finella andLominan a little further away, near the melepek.
Pelmen darted aglance at his uncle. So far as he could judge, the latter's facebetrayed no agitation, which was usual for him—but at any rate, hewas not keeping watch on the malians.
It was the rain thatwoke Pelmen, by falling upon his face. Dawn had just broken, and onemight have thought that Hamal had contaminated the whole of thestellar vault with her greenish glow. They were nothing but clouds,however: vast fluffy moving masses, which had begun to pour downlarge raindrops.
Pelmenturned his head to the right and left, troubled. Except for themelepek, there was no trace of the malians. The odors in the air weredominated by the dampness, making it hard to sort them. He scarcelyhad time to reflect on this before Lominan's leg seemed to emergefrom behind a transparent curtain, and then the mil'ser appearedin her entirety. Whatever was camouflaging the malians blurred then,and it was Elisan-Finella's turn to become visible.
Pelmenshivered. Thefused one's magic is truly amazing. I don't think I'll ever getused to it.
Elisan gave him adiscreet smile before directing the attention of her new apprenticeto a saddlebag on the flank of her pack animal. While Lominan tookout a few plants with pale brown leaves, she personally took chargeof unhooking a heavy bowl and placing it on the ground. The rainbegan to crackle as it flowed into the receptacle, which didn'tseem to bother the magician at all. She created a Bubble that slowlyinflated and grew heavier.
Lominan paused inmid-gesture, the leaves halfway to her mouth. Pelmen also held hisbreath, and a little further away, Xuven watched the scene with openinterest. Elisan guided the Bubble with her hands as if impalpablethreads linked it to her. The sphere positioned itself directly abovethe bowl with the blue-veined white interior. It suddenly tore, andwater poured down noisily—a water that was not green, but to whichsome alchemy lent a turquoise blue appearance. Elisan-Finella liftedup her robe, stepped over the edge and placed her feet inside. Thefaces of the ascendant and the respondent relaxed.
Pelmencould hardly believe his eyes. TheBubble has simply captured the rainwater! And that color! That bowl...one would think that it was a version of the pools, adapted fortraveling.
Herfootbath concluded, the feless'tu invitedLominan to imitate her. At first, the mil'ser seemedinclined to refuse, but she let herself be persuaded more easily thanPelmen would have supposed. It seemed to do her nothing but good, thetension visibly fading from her features.
Pelmen went to joinXuven beside an old worm-eaten tree-stump. "It looks like abelenite bowl," said Xuven. "It's the same material as that ofthe Original Pools. Remarkable—truly remarkable!"
"Itseems to have an effect on them."
"Maliansneed water, and not just to drink. Turquoise Water, in particular."
"Yes,I think I understand that—but tell me..."
Pelmen asked whatthe Original Pools were. According to Xuven, they had been fashionedby Andunieve and Malia themselves, and each one performed in adistinct capacity.
"They'reonly found on the first two levels of Belenia. From the thirdonwards, there are only subsidiary pools, imitations that evidentlydon't have all the virtues of the originals. That's why theTurquoise Water is purer on the first levels."
"The feless'tu obviouslycan't live in the Strays' quarter and have something like that."
"Thesame thought had occurred to me."
They set forth, withXuven and Pelmen taking point, Elisan-Finella and Lominan bringing upthe rear. With the exception of sparse veguer'en, which chased therain away from before their mauve bulbs, the steppe was duller thanever. Several times, Pelmen and Xuven hesitated after having resortedto the Sign of Aoles—the rain made the trail harder to follow. WhenXuven chose to take a winding passage between hills, Elisan-Finellacame forward to dissuade him.
"Thereare sanrkhas in there," she asserted.
Unlike Xuven andPelmen, who tended to hunch their shoulders under the downpour, sheand Lominan remained upright, seemingly appreciative of the waterstreaming over their skin. Elisan pointed to a stony plain. "We'llgain ground by going that way."
Xuven grimaced, butmuttered his agreement, which only half-surprised Pelmen. Themagician certainly seemed to know what she was doing.
The rain did notstop until the end of the afternoon. Xuven made a further appeal tothe wind, and had to agree with the accuracy of Elisan-Finella'sprediction.
During the days andthe weeks that followed, Lominan became less surly, and Pelmen evensaw her smile while addressing Elisan-Finella. During the day, themalians usually conversed between themselves, keeping a respectfuldistance between themselves and the nidepoux.
Morethan once, their revelations plunged Pelmen into confusion. Accordingto what he could make out, the mil'nan,the ideal double of an isolate, was not an end in itself, but a merepreliminary to the quest for happiness and blossoming—which for amalian, was anything but individual. That was, at least,Elisan-Finella's notion: the state of being feless'tu liberatedthe mind and allowed the respondent as well as the ascendant tobecome more familiar with their own nature. Thus, the ascendant couldmeet other feless'tu,discover whether or not they had common interests, and choose to formrelationships of a more or less intimate nature with an ascendant ofthe opposite sex. Respondents profited from the shared emotions toenrich their own personal life until the time came for them to becomeascendant and perhaps discover their own soulmate.
Thepossibilities gave Pelmen a headache. Finella had mentioned a familyliving in interconnected shells in which, because of the associationsof the feless'tu,there were twenty-four husbands and wives—who shared their emotionsby physical contact or by immersing themselves in a pool known as theGift of Malia. On hearing that, Lominan had smiled, as if it were themost desirable of prospects!
Pelmencould scarcely imagine the intimate relationships of feless'tu,but reproduction was the likely outcome, and he found the indecencyand voyeurism in such four-or-more way relationships deeplydisturbing. So, he refrained from digging too deeply into thequestion and instead, took care to keep his distance fromElisan-Finella. After all, a little courtesy was enough.
Lominan surprisedhim by asking to accompany him on a hunting expedition. As shepromised to obey him in everything, he accepted. She did, indeed,follow his instructions, limiting herself to observing silently. Whenhe had riddled a blue-furred quadruped with thorns and hoisted itscorpse onto his shoulder, he read a certain respect in her eyes.
"Soyou were also offered amberrock?" she asked him.
Herewe go.He put down his prey and examined her curiously. The mil'ser'sinterest seemed sincere, so he decided to tell her about hisexperience. She seemed impressed—and also nauseated—by the shamanwith the burned face and the powers he had displayed.
"Asfor me," she said, "it was Ezechian-Uzeve who introduced me toRegnan at the AmberrockPalace.Life had never seemed bleaker to me than at that time. The amberrock...shone like the hope of a new beginning."
"Iunderstand what you mean, only too well."
She grimaced. "Isaw afterward, in the cart, that Regnan considered us to be less thannothing."
"Butnone of you left."
"Thejourney was our only prospect. Regnan promised us that we would beable to live as we pleased, gaining wealth beyond our wildest dreams.A possible future, however desperate, is better than no future atall."
"Yes,that's also what Teleg must have thought—my friend, the one I'mlooking for."
Lominan's emeraldeyes shone with a more intense gleam, and she bit her lower lip."There's one thing that I wanted to say to you... Thank you...thank you for what you did for me."
Pelmen raised hiseyebrows. "Well, well—what courage! Who would have thought thatwould end up coming out! Astar has marked this day with his imprint..."
"Don'tmake fun of me. It's just that... I didn't see any of whathappened, and I wouldn't have believed someone so... er, small...could put an end to a monster like the one that attacked me."
Pelmen wrinkled hisnostrils. "I think I still prefer your indifference to yourpraise."
Lominan blinked."No!" she protested. "Oh, excuse me, I'm so awkward! It'snot that you're small, you're just... thickset. I... I meant thatit was on seeing you kill that game, back there that I realized justhow skillful you are with your bow."
Pelmen gave her awry grin. "That's all right. I don't regret what I did, at anyrate."
"Meneither!" They both burst out laughing.
Shewent with him on several more of his hunts. She too had grown uppoor. Initially brought up in a mil'ser shelter,she had demonstrated a gift for the mysterious art form calledwriting, but she had not found any master who would agree to take heron, only learning it by herself, and had to settle for making aliving picking mushrooms, harvesting toropones or cleaning shells.She made no allusion to her attempts to discover her mil'nan.Pelmen guessed that each of her disappointments had only made hermore bitter.
During theirexcursions, she asked him to talk about the Canyons. Pelmen did so,without being able to mask the desire he had to return to hishomeland.
Little by little,the country became harsher, the vegetation sparse and bare. Onlyrarely did they catch a glimpse of the cart they were following, as adistant shadow that soon disappeared.
A month had gone bysince the meeting with Elisan-Finella when the wind began to carrythe acrid reek of sulfur in sudden gusts. Pelmen immediatelyremembered Stenlen and his charred remains, but, contrary toexpectation, neither Xuven nor Elisan-Finella seemed unduly worried.In spite of that, Pelmen decided to increase his vigilance.
Game was harder toflush out, although some animals did not react normally. One rocol,instead of fleeing, flew right toward Pelmen, its little eyes filledwith fury: an easy target. The nidepoux became more nervous and weresometimes prey to violent and inexplicable fits of shivering.
By night, Pelmen sawhimself thrown into abysses where he never reached the bottom, hisskin liquefied long before then by the extreme heat. He woke upsweating, fighting down cries of terror.
The nightmares alsowormed their way into his companions' sleep. Lominan howled in thedarkness, and unaccustomed wrinkles of anxiety furrowed Xuven'sbrow at dawn. Even Elisan-Finella seemed to have lost her serenity.At every meal, now, she invoked a Bubble that rolled over the surfaceof the water cupped in her companions' hands or adapted to the formof aliments. Without that, the water and nourishment had a bittertaste that was almost unbearable.
One evening, Xuvendistributed the necklaces of Cilamon and asked Pelmen to put on his.The odor of sulfur had become more pronounced during the day so thatPelmen felt a permanent headache. Too often, he had let his minddwell on the overwhelming odds against them, and the superiority oftheir adversaries.
As soon as he hadfastened the clasp, air appeared to escape from the necklace tocaress his face—a miraculously fresh air devoid of any miasma. Thesensation was pleasant. He began to breathe more freely, andstraightened his shoulders, while his thoughts became clearer.
Fantastic!This necklace is fantastic! If only it didn't isolate us from theodors of the steppe...
For her part,Elisan-Finella raised the object toward the sky, reddened by the raysof the setting sun. Whether or not it was turned toward the light,the orange gems of the artifact shone with an unalterable interiorgleam. The string consented to stretch when she extended it aroundtheir two necks.
"Whymust we wear them?" asked Lominan.
Pelmen listened morethan a little attentively to the reply, which came fromElisan-Finella this time.
"They'resacred objects. They were thought to be forever lost, although someparchments in the spire of the Magic Arts mention them. Theircreation goes back to the time of Astian, and it's written thatthey have great power. They provide protection from the miasma ofValshhyk's own breath."
"Valshhyk?"said Lominan, smiling. "A tale to scare children! What we can smellisn't poisoned, it's just sulfur, natural in this region."
"Areyour nightmares also natural, then?" Elisan retorted, staring ather with a piercing gaze. "When you fall into the gulf and burningbreath melts your skin?"
Lominan opened hermouth, several seconds passed before she was able to articulate areply. "How... how do you know that?"
"Arethe crimson shamans close by, then?" Pelmen put in, no longer ableto hold back. "Are they trying to put us off the track?"
Lominan looked athim, terrified.
"Impossibleto be so certain," Xuven temporized. "The one thing I'm certainof is that caution is more important than ever."
Elisan-Finellanodded approvingly.
By the sidewaysglance that Lominan darted after having put on her necklace, it waseasy to understand that she too was now feeling the benefit of themagic of Cilamon.
"Theprotector merits his name," Finella commented.
"Youhave our gratitude, Xuven," Elisan declared, bowing to the latter.
"It'sa friend by the name of Fekkar that you have to thank," hemuttered. "A krongos."
"Soit's the people of the rock who have conserved these artifacts,"Elisan murmured. "The krongos Fekkar must honor you with greattrust to have confided them to you—which signifies that hiscommunity supports our cause. I don't know whether we should bereassured or even more alarmed."
"Allthat I ask of you," said Xuven, considering Elisan and Lominanalternately, "is to take as good care of them as of the apple ofyour eye."
They nodded—afterwhich everyone settled down for the night.
Two days later, on arocky plain dominated in the distance by mountains with snow-cappedsummits, they saw swirls of gray smoke escaping from fissures. Thesmallest of those cracks could have swallowed entire buildings. Theyall converged on a central axis, which zigzagged like a dark riverwith red gleams, a gaping wound plunging deep into the entrails ofthe world.
"TheGreat Rift," Xuven murmured.