Snare (53 page)

Loy debated, but if she refused to share her information, no doubt Ammadin would do the same. ‘Yes, I do.’ She thought for a moment – how was she going to describe an artificial intelligence unit in magical terms, when she truly didn’t understand what artificial intelligence was? ‘Or I sort of know. There are two things that have that name, you see. You can find an ark in every synagogue, a kind of box where they store their holy books.’

‘That’s not the one Soutan wants, then.’

‘True. The other one is an ancient artifact. It’s sort of a magical box that can answer questions. But it also steered the magic ship somehow. I don’t really understand it.’

‘Huh. Interesting. I wonder if it really exists?’

‘None of us knows that, either. How do you – you must be able to speak with them, the Chof, I mean.’

‘Not all of them, no. But I’ve spoken with one of the true Chiri
Michi. Her name is Water Woman, and she has spirit crystals. We’ve spoken through them, and I’ve met her as well.’

Despite the warm room and the wine, Loy felt phantom ice slide down her back. The disaster was already happening, Kazraks or no Kazraks.

‘How did she get the crystals?’ Loy said. ‘If you don’t mind telling me, that is. I don’t want to break Bane.’

‘Not Bane at all, but it’s like you and the Ark – I don’t know very much. She told me that some years ago, a great mother found a cave with a stone woman in it. The stone woman – her name is Sibyl – showed the Chof how to use the magic she had with her in her cave.’ Ammadin frowned at her own words. ‘I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s what Water Woman told me.’

‘I wish I could meet her.’

‘I can ask her about that. You must have crystals of your own, after all. Maybe she’ll talk with you, too. She really does want to communicate with us, the H’mai, that is, especially about the Canton Wars.’

Loy felt as if the room had suddenly expanded, that she was sitting in the middle of an immense space with wonderful possibilities opening all around her. Frightening, yes, but exhilarating as well – her hands were shaking so badly that she set her glass down onto the table before she spilled the wine.

‘It’s a challenge, talking with Water Woman,’ Ammadin said with a laugh. ‘She says that Sibyl taught her the spirit language, but she’s got her own way of using it.’

‘I don’t mind a little hard work. To find the truth about the Wars – that’s been one of my dreams since I was a kid. But this Sibyl and her cave, with magicks in it – do you think it’s true?’

‘Well, Water Woman got this from somewhere.’ Ammadin picked up her saddlebags from the table, unlaced one, and brought out a lightwand. ‘It works. I’ve used it.’

‘Oh my god! Do you know – no, of course you don’t. That’s a really old design, an ancient design, and it looks brand new. Could I –’ When she held out a hand, Ammadin gave her the stick. Loy ran her fingers down it, turned it this way and that, and finally, on the very tip, found the stamp she was looking for, an embossed spiral below a capital letter R. ‘It
is
old. Like, eight hundred years old.’

‘Eight hundred years? Is that when we all came here?’

‘Yes.’ Reluctantly Loy gave the lightwand back. She would have loved to have shown it to Master Zhoc. ‘Water Woman gave it to you?’

‘She said it was a present from Sibyl, to be honest. She was just delivering it. She did tell me that Sibyl had a lot of magic.’ Ammadin thought for a moment. ‘Crates of it, I think she said. Hundreds of crystals, anyway.’

‘Why did Sibyl send you a gift?’

‘She wants me to come visit her, so she can persuade me to help her get rid of Soutan.’

‘She sounds like my kind of woman, Sibyl. But did Water Woman say – I’m sorry. Now I’m the one asking too many questions.’ Abruptly Loy remembered Hassan and turned to him. ‘This must all sound very strange to you.’

‘I haven’t understood a word,’ Hassan said. ‘Do you realize that you both slipped into the spirit language?’

‘Slipped?’ Ammadin said in Vranz. ‘I did it on purpose.’

‘Damn you, Ammi!’ Hassan sounded more weary than angry, much to Loy’s relief.

‘Well, we’re discussing my quest.’ Ammadin reached down and ran a hand through his hair, soothing him like a shen. ‘It’s not Bane to discuss a quest with another sorcerer, but you couldn’t listen without breaking it.’

‘In that case.’ Hassan smiled at her, but Loy half-expected to see fangs when he did so. ‘Still, I suppose sorcerers have a lot to talk about when they meet.’

‘Especially these two sorcerers.’ Loy remembered her wine, took the glass and had a soothing mouthful. ‘Do you think Water Woman would talk to me?’

‘I don’t know,’ Ammadin answered in Tekspeak. ‘I’m surprised you want to talk to her. I thought the Cantonneurs hated the Chof.’

‘Because of N’Dosha, you mean?’

‘Yes, just that.’

‘We hold grudges, yes. My people are very good at grudges, unfortunately. But we also know how to let one go when it’s to our advantage. Some of us have forgotten that the Chof are the indigenous species, not us, but I try to keep it in mind.’

‘Then the next time the Riders pass over, I’ll see if I can reach Water Woman. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t.’ Ammadin frowned into her wine glass. ‘Sometimes I can see her in the crystals,
too, and sometimes I can’t. I know she’s not hiding from me, though.’

‘That’s odd. She must be inside somewhere.’

‘Well, you’d think so, but where? She’s travelling through the Cantons, but she can’t go anywhere near H’mai settlements.’

‘I see what you mean. That
is
puzzling.’

‘But when we do talk, I’ll ask her about you.’

‘Thanks.’

For a moment they drank in silence.

‘You know, I just thought of something,’ Loy switched to Vranz. ‘I wonder if maybe you could help me? It’s about Rozi, my daughter. I think you spirit riders call it “loss of soul”, the way she’s been acting. It’s as if she’s really weary of life, and afraid all the time, and here she is, only eighteen.’

‘That’s horrible, and horribly sad. I don’t know if I can cure it, but I could at least meet her.’

‘Could you come see her this evening? She’s in a sort of school during the day.’ Loy paused, thinking of terms Ammadin could understand. ‘She’s training to be a priestess of our god.’

‘Well, that’s impressive. Yes, certainly. Tonight will be fine. Where shall we meet you?’

‘Did you see the big white dome near the river? Near where the Recallers performed?’

‘It would be hard not to see it.’

‘True. Could you meet me there just before sunset? Out by the front of the dome there’s a fence with a wood bench nearby. I’ll be there.’

Loy was several blocks away before she remembered one particular thing Ammadin had said.
Eight hundred years ago? Was that when we all came here?
Oh my god, Loy thought. How does she know that? She suddenly realized that the Landfall Treaty stood in danger from more than the Kazraks. Technically she should report this break in the dam of myths to Master Zhoc. As she walked on, she was considering her duty to the Loremasters Guild as opposed to her duty to the truths of history.

As Ammadin was showing Loy out, Zayn hauled himself off the floor. He put his glass and the wine bottle on the table, then flopped into the other chair and stretched his legs out under the table. Ammadin came back, hands on her hips, and considered him.

‘I’m sorry I snapped at you,’ she said. ‘But you were going to ask about your Jezro Khan, weren’t you?’

‘Yes.’ He hesitated, then realized that he was no longer angry. ‘It doesn’t much matter. I bet that I’ll find Jezro where Soutan is, well, if they don’t leave Burgunee before I get there.’

‘Did you want to leave tonight? Your horse should be rested.’

‘No, no, that’s not what I meant.’

‘You don’t really want to catch up with him, do you?’

‘It’s not that.’ Zayn paused to finish the wine in his glass. ‘I don’t want to leave you.’

‘You’ve got to.’

‘I know that. For God’s sake, Ammi!’

She looked at him, sadly but distantly, or so he read her expression. Continuing on in this vein, he realized, would bring him nothing but sorrow.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said instead.

‘Don’t keep apologizing for everything, will you?’ She paused, then spoke more calmly. ‘I’ve been worrying about Soutan scanning you out, but Loy tells me that there’s a device you can carry that will hide you from his crystals. She’s going to give you one.’

‘That’s good of her.’

‘She really hopes you’ll kill him, you know.’

‘Tell her not to worry. I intend to do my best. I’ll remember Aggnavvachur in my nightmares as long as I live.’

Ammadin sat down in the other chair. She picked up her wine glass and had a modest sip.

‘What did you think of the Recallers?’ Zayn said.

‘The players, or the real ones?’

‘You stayed long enough to hear about the real ones, then.’

‘About the people like you, yes.’

‘The people like me. How calmly you say that, Ammi! My God. Oh my God!’ Zayn leaned back in the chair and contemplated the far wall. ‘It makes me sick to my guts, thinking about it. I’m just like a horse from some fancy breed, right? Bred to remember everything I saw or heard, just in case the breeders needed my memories some day.’

‘I don’t understand why you’re so upset. I’m probably the same. So? It all happened hundreds of years ago, and it’s not like they meddled with us somehow, not with you and me as people. We’re just throwbacks.’

‘But –’ He stopped, thought, considered her for a moment. ‘What do you mean, you’re probably the same?’

‘Well, I can see in the dark. Most people can’t. I hear spirit voices. Most people can’t. I can smell when someone’s lying or angry. How many other people can do that? Every spirit rider has silver eyes. Where do they come from?’

Zayn could barely believe that she was as calm as she looked and sounded. ‘I see what you mean,’ he said. ‘You were lucky, though. You were born out on the grass.’

‘Oh yes. My mother and father couldn’t have been happier. Their child – a spirit rider! They ran around bragging to anyone who’d listen. They still do, come to think of it.’ She smiled, then let the smile fade. ‘For you, well, we know how different it was.’

Zayn nodded, picked up the wine bottle, and refilled his glass. ‘But that’s not why I feel so sick, thinking about it,’ he said at length. ‘Not the way my father treated me, I mean. I don’t know why. Maybe I hate thinking that I am what I am because someone thought I’d come in handy.’

‘Better than thinking Iblis was your grandfather, isn’t it?’

At that he had to laugh. ‘All right, yes, better than that. But it still gripes me. I mean, suppose the Ancestors had done this to everyone. Given everyone some kind of weird talents or strengths or something. Then it would have been –’ he hesitated, found the word at last. ‘It would have been fair. But the play this afternoon, it made it clear that most people were just people. And they used the rest of us like we’d use a riding horse. We were useful, Ammi. Tools. Machines.’ Zayn drank half the wine straight off.

‘Well, it’s not quite like horses. A stud will mount any mare in heat, and a mare in heat will take any stud. Our ancestors were H’mai. They must have agreed to all of it, the long-term plan, I mean, as well as having children together.’

‘You’re right, yes. They must have agreed. I’m beginning to see why Mullah Agvar wanted to get away from them. The Settlers, I mean, breeding people like horses, talking people into doing it. No wonder he called them demon talents. But I wish to God his successors hadn’t taken it out on us.’

‘Us? Oh, you mean the men in the Chosen.’

‘Yes. The legion of the damned, that’s us. Through no fault of our own. How’s that for justice?’

‘You’re not really damned, you know. The play should have made that clear if nothing else.’

‘You’re right.’ He managed to smile. ‘I don’t know why I keep talking about damnation. I really don’t.’

‘It was something you could believe in, I suppose. Now you realize you don’t really know much about yourself or what’s going to happen to you. You’re alone again, aren’t you?’

For the briefest of moments Zayn wanted to throw his half-full glass of wine into her face. Very carefully he set it down on the table, then stood, steadying himself on the back of the chair.

‘If we’re going to meet Loy’s daughter, and if she’s a priestess in training or whatever that is, I’d better sober up. I saw a pump outside by the stables. I’ll just go stick my head under it.’

Now that Soutan was no longer pretending to be a sorcerer, he had stopped running off to hide when he used his crystals. That afternoon he was sitting on the green lawn by the manor house with the box in front of him and Arkazo next to him. Warkannan saw them when he came out of the stables. On the soft grass Warkannan’s footsteps made little sound, and Soutan was so absorbed in what he was saying that he never looked round. Warkannan stopped a few feet behind them and listened as Soutan muttered the strange words that he called commands.

Soutan handed Arkazo the crystal, who laughed, shook his head, and handed it back. When Soutan spoke again, he used Vranz, and Arkazo answered him in the same. Nodding in agreement every now and then, Soutan listened intently to Arkazo’s every word. Warkannan disliked the way Arkazo responded to that flattering intensity by smiling and leaning a bit closer. In the cavalry he’d seen naive young officers courted this way by certain experienced sergeants – not out of sexual interest, but in the hopes of recruiting an ally against the senior officers should the sergeants need one.

‘Find something interesting?’ Warkannan said in Kazraki.

Soutan shrieked, startled, then twisted around and glared at him. Arkazo smothered a laugh.

‘I didn’t realize there was someone behind me,’ Soutan said with immense dignity.

‘You’re not the only one who can move quietly,’ Warkannan said.

Soutan muttered something under his breath and made a great show of smoothing down his shirt.

‘Did you find Zahir?’ Warkannan went on.

‘Yes. He’s in Sarla, which is the worst possible place he could be. I could only see him for a few minutes. He was washing under a pump, and the spirit rider must have been some distance away. Once he finished, he went inside a building, and I lost him.’ Soutan glanced at the crystal in his hand. ‘I’d better close this down. That spirit rider might be able to pick up my scan.’