Louise Cooper - Indigo 06 - Avatar (35 page)

“Grimya, there’s something you must know. Shalune and Inuss—they ‘re dead.”

Thunder grumbled again, and the wolf’s eyes grew troubled.
I know
.

Indigo stared at her. “You
know
?”

Yes
. Grimya paused, then added unhappily,
Their bodies were washed up on the shore during the night. The priestesses say they will become
hushu.
But Indigo, there’s more. Yima—

“I know about Yima; I know what she tried to do. Shalune told me the whole story.”

But she’s been captured! Indigo, they ‘re going to kill her, and it is my fault!

“Your fault?” Then, as Grimya started to explain, Indigo held up both hands. “No, Grimya; wait, wait. We
must
piece this together from the beginning, or we’ll make the confusion even worse.”

There may not be time. Yima and her man are to die at sunset, and the ceremonies have already begun!

Indigo looked quickly across the lake, but the ziggurat on the far shore was invisible in the pouring gloom. In a brief lull, the sound of the women’s chanting drifted faintly over the water above the hiss of the rain, and for the first time, her mind registered its significance.

“How long until twilight?” she asked tensely.

I don’t know; the storm makes it impossible to tell. I think we must have two hours or more until dark comes. But if we’re to do anything—

“No,” Indigo interrupted her again. “There
is
time. Let’s get into the forest, under cover, and then we must piece both of our stories together. It’s vital that we each have the whole picture.”

They got to their feet and stumbled through the deluge to the trees. There, sheltered by a spreading, huge-leaved giant, they both recounted their stories, and the whole ugly tale emerged. Grimya told of her discovery that another candidate had been substituted for Yima, and of how, fearing for Indigo’s safety, she had in desperation gone to Uluye for help. She recounted the story of Yima and Tiam’s capture, and Uluye’s decree that they should be executed to appease the Ancestral Lady.

She is ready to kill her own daughter
, the wolf said miserably.
I don’t understand that, Indigo—I don’t understand how she can do such a dreadful thing
!

“Oh, but I do,” Indigo replied grimly. “And that’s a part of my story. You see, I’ve learned the nature of the demon we’re seeking, and it’s not the creature who calls herself the Ancestral Lady.”

It is not?

“No. In fact, the Ancestral Lady is in thrall to this demon, Grimya; and so are Uluye and all of her women, and the Dark Islers who owe them fealty.‘’

And she told the wolf of her experiences in the Ancestral Lady’s realm. Grimya listened wide-eyed, not interrupting, and when finally Indigo finished, the wolf whined softly.

“The d-demon is
fear
?” This time she spoke aloud, and there was grave concern in her voice. “But how can we fight that, Indigo? Fear has no body; it isn’t a
thing
that can be c ... aptured and killed. All the others—the Charchad and the s-serpent-eater, even the demon of Bruhome—they were
things
, and we could
s-see
them and face them.”

“I know. But I think it can be defeated, Grimya, although I realize now that we’ll have to use very different weapons from any we’ve used before.” Indigo looked into the she-wolf’s worried eyes. “Do you remember what you said to me some while ago, about the ways in which I’ve changed since we began journeying together?”

“I th...
ink
so.”

“You asked me that day if I believed I still had my shape-changing powers. Well, I know the answer now. I discovered it by chance when the Ancestral Lady tried to use those three images against me: Nemesis, the Emissary and my own wolf self. When I banished the wolf image, when I took it from her grasp, I knew then that although it was part of me and always will be, I could no longer use it.” She smiled sadly. “It was as you said: the cub outgrows its games when it no longer needs them for learning. I don’t need to become the wolf to overcome this demon. I believe I’ve learned how to call on other powers now.”

Grimya looked uncertain. “Other p-powers?”

Indigo nodded. “I’m not sure that I can explain to you; I’m not even sure that I can explain to myself. I just ...
feel
it, Grimya. Something has changed; something very fundamental.” She glanced up at the sky, then suppressed a shiver that coursed through her despite the suffocating heat. “That day, you also said you felt that Nemesis might be afraid of me now. That isn’t true; at least not in the way I think you meant it then; but I believe, Grimya, I
believe
, that I no longer have any reason to fear Nemesis. It has no real power over me; only the power that I’ve been foolish enough to let it usurp.”

Grimya shook her head. “I don’t under-stand.”

“No.” Indigo saw the futility of trying to express what she felt in words that would make any sense. Words couldn’t communicate it; the feeling—the conviction—was too formless. Yet it
was
a conviction, and in attempting to challenge and overcome her, the Ancestral Lady had, however unwittingly, done her a great service. If she could only hold on to what she had learned, hold on to it and use it, then this demon might be defeated and Yima and Tiam’s lives saved.

If
, she thought. That was the imponderable. She had yet to put her own power to the test, and there was so little time. But the skeleton of a strategy was already taking form in her mind, and with Grimya’s help, she believed that she could prepare quickly enough for what she must do. Poor Grimya; the wolf blamed herself entirely for Yima’s predicament, and felt her guilt and shame so deeply. She’d move mountains and forests, if she could, to put right what she thought was a betrayal.

Indigo turned to the wolf again. “Grimya—do you know how many of the priestesses are still in the citadel?”

“I don’t kn...
know
. Very few, I think. Most are with Uluye on the sh-shore.”

“Would it be possible for us to reach the caves without being seen? Could you find a route?”

Grimya considered for a few moments before replying, “Yess, I can do it. And the storm will make it easier.” She blinked. “Wh-what are you planning, Indigo? Will it help Yima?”

Indigo hesitated. Then: “I can’t be sure, Grimya. It’s a gamble. But, yes ... if it works, I hope that Yima and Tiam will be free by morning.”

The rain was slackening when they emerged from the trees, though it was still heavy. Lightning flashes were intermittent now, and the thunder less deafening; the storm was passing as quickly as it had come, and Grimya was anxious to make haste before they lost the advantage of its cover. With no route into the citadel other than the broad, open stairway, it took time and the greatest care to reach their goal, and Grimya sneaked to the ziggurat to reconnoiter, while Indigo waited at the forest’s edge for the signal to follow.

Despite the storm, the ceremonies at the lakeside had continued unchecked, and the crowd of onlookers had swelled to what seemed a vast throng. People stood sodden and forlorn, rank upon rank, silent, frightened, their numbers stretching back into the forest as far as the wolf’s eyes could see. In the arena, a large coterie of priestesses formed a semicircle around Uluye, who presided over them like a grim statue on the oracle’s rock, ignoring the water beating down on her as she watched the progress of the rites. Still the grisly wooden frames were unoccupied, but the atmosphere had an ominous quality, which the storm had done nothing to lessen.

Some of the women, Grimya saw, were about to begin a circuit of the lake. This ritual would be very different from their customary nightly procession, for they carried offerings of food, ornaments, clothing—offerings perhaps brought by the villagers—to cast into the water in an attempt to appease their angry goddess. A shrill, bloodcurdling song of praise was sung before the women set off, and while the crowd’s attention was focused on this, Grimya called out telepathically to Indigo.

Come now, but quickly! The rain has almost stopped, and I can see the sky growing lighter. Run to the stairwell—I am waiting for you there.

In her dark robe, Indigo was almost invisible as she came in a crouching run from the forest. She joined Grimya, and as she paused to get her breath, they both looked uneasily at the nightmarish scene on the shore.

They haven’t brought Yima and her man down from the citadel yet
, Grimya communicated.
I don’t know where they are being kept, but they must be guarded. We shall have to take great care
.

All the same, I don’t think we dare wait
, Indigo said.
They may not be brought out until the last moment
.

Grimya peered up at the stairway rising above them.
There is no sign of anyone up there at present. If we must go, I think we should go now. The first flights of steps will be the most dangerous. If we can reach the first cave level, it will be much easier to hide
.

Then let’s go now, while their attention’s diverted.

They left their hiding place. Indigo allowed herself one quick glance back; then, as Grimya called that the way was clear, she turned to the staircase and started to climb, moving as quickly as she dared on the wet and slippery surface. The rain had almost ceased now, and as Grimya had warned, the sky was lightening in the west as the stormclouds began to clear. Aware that within a matter of minutes, they would be all too clearly visible from below, they gained the first ledge and climbed the second and then the third flights. As she set foot on the fourth staircase, Indigo was beginning to think that they might, after all, reach the upper levels without encountering anyone, when Grimya suddenly communicated a frantic warning.

Indigo! Lie down, quickly!

Instinct propelled Indigo before her conscious mind could react, and she threw herself flat on the stairs, where the parapet was high enough to shield her from view. Grimya, belly to the stone, crawled back and peered cautiously out from the parapet’s end—then uttered a tiny, involuntary whimper.

Moments later, the small procession came into view, and Indigo drew in a sharp breath. Four priestesses with spears in their hands, and faces as hard as the rock of the ziggurat, strode along the ledge below them and turned onto the staircase they had just climbed. In their midst, two figures dressed only in short, sacklike garments and hung about with fetishes, shuffled with an air of hopeless defeat, their heads bowed and their feet dragging. Though she had never seen him before, Indigo knew that the young man must be Tiam. His left cheek sported an ugly, spreading bruise, and the eye above it was so swollen that it was closed to a slit. Yima’s face was hidden behind the curtain of her unbound hair, but Indigo could hear her rapid, shallow breathing as the two captives, clutching each other’s hands, passed by with their escort.

The party descended the stairs; the last Indigo saw of them was the priestesses’ spear tips glinting in the gloomy, reflected light from the sky. As they dropped out of sight, Grimya communicated urgently,
This means we have very tittle time left. Whatever we mean to do, we must do it quickly
!

Indigo glanced speculatively at the staircase and the tiers of ledges above them. Now that the prisoners had been taken down to the arena, she thought it unlikely that anyone else would be left in the citadel; even those with no part to play in the ceremonies, the very elderly and the very young, would be among the watching crowd.

They started up the stairs, more quickly now, but still with a cautious eye for any movement above them, and she said:
Grimya, I need to go to our quarters to make ready, and then I want you to go to the temple on the summit
.

Me? To the temple?
Grimya’s mental voice sounded puzzled.

Yes. I think I know how we can best contrive what we need to do, and your help will be vital.

And, quickly, she explained the plan that was taking form in her mind. Grimya wasn’t entirely happy with the thought that it meant her leaving Indigo’s side, even for a moment. If something should go wrong, she said, she wanted to be with her friend, to protect her. But she gave way, albeit reluctantly, and they hastened on until they reached the uppermost ledge. While the wolf waited outside to keep watch, Indigo ducked through the curtain that hung over the entrance to the oracle’s cave. No lamps were burning, but the light outside was growing stronger and she could see well enough to find what she needed. First, a rapid change of clothes, from the sodden black robe into the oracle’s ceremonial garments. Then the oracle’s crown, which to Indigo’s relief still stood in its niche at the back of the cave. She’d feared that Uluye might have removed it, but it seemed that the High Priestess still respected, the taboo against entering the cave when the oracle was not in residence.

Then ... Indigo paused, looking at her crossbow, which lay among the baggage she’d brought with her when she first arrived at the citadel, and which she hadn’t touched since. No; she wouldn’t take it. Although she would feel a great deal more secure with it in her hands, it was too worldly a thing, too mundane; it would detract from the image of unearthly power that she must rely on now. Her knife, though, was another matter, for it was small enough to be hidden. At least she’d have one physical weapon if things went wrong....

She was tying the knife in its sheath firmly to her sash when she heard Grimya’s mental voice call to her from the ledge outside.

Indigo, the sky is almost clear and I can see the sun. It will set very soon. We must hurry, or we’ll be too late!

There was anguish in Grimya’s tone, and Indigo swore softly. She needed more time in which to gather her wits and prepare herself. The plan was so haphazard, her skills so untried ... even another hour might have made all the difference. But there was nothing she could do about it. Prepared or not, she
had
to make the attempt, and she couldn’t afford to consider the possibility of failure.