Across the Face of the World (27 page)

'It never snows like this on the moors,' Wira said.

'Open your eyes,' his brother commented.

Again the Haufuth moved to quell a potential argument, turning to the figure of the old farmer outlined in the flickering fire. 'I'm glad you advised us to bring wood up on the moors. It would be a cold night otherwise.'

Kurr grunted his thanks for the acknowledgement.

Time passed slowly. Hal stirred the embers of the fire. Outside, the snow continued to fall in a pale curtain, and now lay inches thick on the ground. The others saw the reflected flames dancing in the eyes of the old farmer. He began to speak again and Leith closed his eyes, letting the rich, deep voice wash over him.

'Now I will tell you the story of the leaving of the Vale. It is called Dhaur Bitan, The Poisoning.' After clearing his throat, he began.

'On a fair spring day a boy child was born to parents of high rank in the House of Leuktom, a child exceedingly beautiful to behold. His features seemed to all to be perfectly formed, and in his countenance the dullest could read a destiny of greatness and lordship. At the foot of the fountain in the Square of Rainbows, his parents gave thanks publicly for their firstborn son, a gift to them and to the Vale from the hands of the Most High.

'Many watched the antics of the small but growing boy with amusement and love; for in those days, a thousand years after the settlement of the Vale, the play of children in the streets near the fountain had become rare. Only those who were of the families of clan leaders now lived in the streets from where the Rock of the Fountain could be descried. Saurga, the younger brother of the leader of the Kerd Clan, had long been held in high esteem for his wisdom and compassion. Now, with the birth of such a son, he was further exalted among the people of the Vale.

'On the morning of his third birthday the young boy escaped the vigilance of his mother and was gone from the city a while. When he returned the people of the Vale marvelled, for the child had met with the Most High and received from Him the Fire of Life at an age younger than any other. In but a little while he surpassed his parents in knowledge of the Fuirfad, the Way of Fire; and even Weid his instructor was amazed at the depth of under¬standing the boy demonstrated. His naming day was moved forward from his fifth birthday, and he was named Kannwar, the Guardian of Knowledge.

'The years of maturing were marked in Kannwar by wisdom and insight, and he was ever desirous of justice and fierce in its defence. Much time he spent in the Hall of Lore, debating with the elders and poring over scrolls written by scholars of centuries gone by. Seldom did he join in play with those his own age, and his peers, though in awe of him, did not understand his disposition. The Council of Leaders often discussed the young man, some seeking to appoint him to a position of responsibility so as to test him. Yet the wisest among them counselled patience, divining that knowledge alone would not suffice to make the youth a leader of men. And so they waited and watched; and some noted that Kannwar had no close friend.

'When Kannwar was eighteen years of age Raedh, the leader of the Kerd Clan, departed from among them and all knew he had been translated. The Council of Leaders assembled and selected Garadh son of Raedh, a man of gentle demeanour, to assume lead¬ership of the clan.

All applauded the choice save Kannwar son of Saurga, who saw the rejection of the claims of his father to lead¬ership as an injustice and a slight to his family. His 6wn wish to become a leader of men seemed thwarted; for now, instead of being the son of a clan leader, Kannwar was merely cousin to a leader to whom might conceivably be given lordship of the House of Leuktom. Saurga dismissed the grievance of his son and worked to support Garadh his nephew. In heaviness of spirit Kannwar spent much time alone in the Hall of Lore among the scrolls, but these could not console him for the loss of his destiny. He took to wandering alone; seldom thereafter was the young man seen in Dona Mihst. His cousin Garadh sought him out and attempted to heal his wounds with words of conciliation, but the bitterness within Kannwar turned to pride and, after words of scorn, he smote his clan leader a blow to the head, knocking him senseless to the ground. Before Garadh could recover, he fled, and not until the end did he return to the City of the Fountain.

'For three years Kannwar kept his own counsel, walking in ways none other had ever trod, travelling far from Dona Mihst and gath¬ering knowledge of the world. His parents despaired of his where¬abouts. Some guessed that he had met with an accident, not unheard of even in those days of joy, while others speculated that he had been translated by the Most High.

Garadh did not reveal what had taken place between himself and his cousin, for fear of besmirching the name of the family of Saurga.

'At about this time a tall, gaunt figure began speaking in the outer villages to such as would listen. In ringing tones he spoke of justice and fairness for all; with subtle words he placed ques¬tions and doubts in the hearts of men. The villagers lived far from the fountain, and suddenly this began to trouble some among them, who began to wonder why they were excluded from the great city where only leaders and their families lived. With great command of the Fuirfad, the stranger reminded them of the founding of the Vale, when all were as one; and of the settlement of Dona Mihst, in which all had been given a place close to the Water of Eternal Life. He told them of his many travels, of a vast, rich world waiting outside the walls of their small valley; of a world of promise in need of ordering, a world of bounty ripe for possession. Men had lived in timidity and fear long enough, he said; it was time they matured and broke out of the womb in which they had long been imprisoned. This thinking men adopted as their own and, becoming discontent, amplified the arguments of the grey-cloaked stranger. He would then move on, seeking new audiences to sway, new hearts to poison, and soon he had a sizeable following.

'The hearts of some misgave them and they reported these words to the Council of Leaders.

Weid of the House of Wenta covertly attended a number of meetings held by the mysterious stranger, and discerned that in this man the Fire of Life had gone out. The mark of the fire he definitely bore, and his knowledge of the Fuirfad was considerable; but his words were not the words of the Most High and his agreeable manner hid a disfigurement of spirit. Then Weid remembered his former pupil, and for a while would not accept that this sower of rebellion was Kannwar, the child of promise. But soon this could no longer be doubted.

'A group of discontented villagers sought an audience with the Council of Leaders. At their head strode the stranger who, though professing reluctance, had been persuaded to lead the delegation. The Council of Leaders discussed the grievances, but being pure themselves could not understand the minds of those led by Kannwar. The youth they had once known frightened them, for they could see an unnatural change in him, and dire threats were written on his brow. None but Weid perceived that the Most High had withdrawn the fire from Kannwar, for none but Weid conceived that such a thing might be possible. After the angry group had departed from the hall, the Council of Leaders debated over a course of action but could not agree upon what should be done. They decided therefore to observe only, in spite of the warn¬ings of Weid of the House of Wenta.

'Emissaries Kannwar now set in the city itself to disseminate his ideas, but he himself remained hidden. Many there were who listened to and believed words of anger and hate spoken in those days, though fewer openly joined the ranks of the disaffected. Few in the city, however, opposed Kannwar in word or in deed, for many felt guilty of the privileged positions which (as it now seemed to them) they had occupied in the stead of their fellow men; and others found they did not have the courage to publicly denounce the purposeful young man, silenced as they were by threat and intimidation.

'Early one morning, during the first stages of the conflict, the city awoke to find an arrow embedded in the Square of Rainbows between the Tower of Worship and the Rock of the Fountain. Its iron shaft glowed red-hot; it was tipped with gold and bore mariswan feathers that moved gently in the morning breeze. To the crowd that gathered in the square it seemed that a voice spoke, fraught with warning. None could remember the exact words, yet all felt a presage of doom. Some then repented, and not a few forsook the society of Kannwar. The arrow then vanished; only the mark of its landing remained. It seemed then that disaster could be averted, but with words of blandishment and guile Kannwar bound people to himself with promises of freedom from innocence and exhortations selectively quoted from the Fuirfad.

Thus he claimed that his followers alone did the will of the Most High, for only they saw the need to use the gifts they had been given to rule the whole world; only they saw the need to abandon the Vale. It was at this time that Kannwar openly advocated in public speech the breaking of the prohibition imposed by the Most

High-

'He stood in front of a great crowd of men, saying: "The Most High has purposed that on the day you drink of the fountain the eyes of your spirit will be opened and you will be like Him, possessing all knowledge and power. These are the gifts we need to possess the whole world, and they can be obtained only through the partaking of the Water of Eternal Life. The fountain is pleasing to the eye, will feed our bodies and will enrich our spirits; how can the Most High mean for us never to drink of it? For His plan is that we should drink of the fountain, and on that day we shall break free of the restraints of childhood and become men indeed, no longer dependent on the Most High for every gift but able to give and receive pleasure from our own hands. He is but waiting for the time when His children grow into this understanding. Our task is to persuade all those who dwell in the city of their need to partake of the fountain."

'In the midst of a heated debate in the Square of Rainbows a second flaming arrow landed, throwing the factions into disarray. Again the warning and the premonition were felt, accompanied by a command: rebellion must cease and the leaders tried in the Hall of Lore.

The supporters of Kannwar then made their escape from Dona Mihst, and not a hand was laid upon them. The rumour of the words of the Most High spread throughout the city, and many who had considered rebellion in their hearts were afraid and hid, fearing the judgement to come. The Council of Leaders met and decided that the words of the Most High had ended the rebel¬lion, for none of the rebels were abroad in the city. Yet some opposed this, saying that the council was bound to place the leaders of the trouble on trial. Dissension among members led to open quarrel, and no decision could be made.

'Just before noon on the day following the second arrow, Kannwar returned to the Square of Rainbows with the force of his followers behind him. In the hundreds it numbered, men and women, and all were armed with sharp sticks, clubs or rocks. There Kannwar issued a challenge to the Council of Leaders, calling them to be present as witnesses to what he was about to do. As word of the challenge became general knowledge, the people of Dona Mihst and those from all other villages in the Vale slowly gath¬ered in the square. The two factions of First Men, the group led by the council hardly outnumbering those who acknowledged Kannwar as their lord, opposed each other in silence; the splash of the Fountain between them the only source of noise. Then one of the council, Sthane of the House of Saiwiz, the least of the clan leaders, stepped out and stood before the tall, grey-robed rebel and said: "Son of Saurga, will you not return to the path of wisdom from which you have strayed? The deed you purpose to do may not be done by men, for of the Fountain of Eternal Life none may drink, lest they drink of the judgement of the Most High. I call you, with the people of the Vale as my witnesses, to reconsider your action. But if you do not, I at least will oppose you." And the old man folded his arms across his chest and stood grimly, feet apart, facing the grey figure.

None in the city went to his aid.

'Kannwar answered Sthane by raising his huge club and, with one fell blow, slaying the old man where he stood. With a cry, he leapt over the body of the clan leader and ran unopposed to the fountain. Stooping beneath the great jet of pure water, he cupped his hands and put them to the fountain. In utter silence, with the eyes of Dona Mihst upon him, he raised his hands "to his lips and drank.

'Kannwar turned to his followers with blazing eyes and shouted in triumph, a shout suddenly cut off by the appearance of a shadow looming over the Square of Rainbows; a shadow formed as a giant Figure stepped in front of the sun. His feet were planted on either side of the town, and His white-robed body and jewel-crowned head towered above the stricken city. In His left hand He carried a bow and in His right hand a flaming arrow. His countenance was terrible to behold. Men shrank in terror from that gaze, yet none could flee; all were transfixed as though time itself were frozen. Slowly, in silence, the Figure nocked the arrow to the bow, drew the string back and raised it to His shoulder. With a swift movement he loosed the flaming arrow at Kannwar, and its gold tip hewed off his still-cupped right hand and buried itself in the side of the Rock of the Fountain. Then Kannwar cried aloud for the third time, a cry of anguish and fear. A tremor shook the city, throwing many to the ground. Cracks appeared in the marble flagstones of the Square of Rainbows, and all around was a noise as of groaning, which slowly died away into silence.

'Then did the Most High speak to the doomed city, saying: "What is this you have done? You have neglected the gifts I have given you, regarding them as worthless, and have sought after the one gift I have forbidden you. Foolishly you seek your own dominion: which one of you, by his own hand, created any world or the hosts within it? You have sought to take eternal life by force when it was freely available at My Right Hand. Fools! Did you not know that the very air of the Vale is laden with the spray of the fountain I set amongst you? Every day you breathe eternal life: it is this fountain that has preserved you thus far. Your bodies cannot yet contain the undiluted Water of Life. He who drank of the fountain, he whom I now name the Destroyer, will surely now never die. I shall not withhold the gift of the fountain from him.