The Way of Things: Upper Kingdom Boxed Set: Books 1, 2 and 3 in the Tails of the Upper Kingdom (70 page)

***

It was sheer luck that none of us died that night as our horses
negotiated such rocky terrain, moving from higher altitudes down and further
down to a very dry, arid plateau. In fact a few horses did stumble, but the
moon was full and we managed to find the falcon’s ‘flattening of the bank’ just
before dawn. Kerris insisted we wait for the sun before crossing. It was a very
wide river, and we would be forced to swim the horses, and if we happened to meet
up with a leviathan, water boar or serpent while crossing, it would be very bad
for all of us. I have told myself to trust his judgment on these matters now.
To doubt him would only increase the insult I have caused him, placing him in
harm’s way as I did this entire journey. I have no idea how I will make this up
to him, or if even I must. And so we sat, allowing our horses some much needed
rest and waited for the sun to rise.

Kerris crossed first, little Quiz leaping into the water like a
cormorant and swimming with only his nose and face above water, his tail waving
out behind. The current was strong and it took them a long way down the
opposing bank, but when they finally scrambled up through the reeds onto the
shore, and he turned to wave at us, we knew it would be fine, if a little
uncomfortable. Riding in wet gear is not pleasant. So the Scholar went next,
then the Seer, the Major, the packhorses and finally, it was my turn. I was not
mounted at the time, and I turned to the Alchemist’s black mare. Without the
benefit of the woman on her back, this horse appeared to have become common
once again. There was nothing to mark her as anything remarkable or fine.
Again, a mystery. I vowed not to consider it, however and I pulled the
creature’s tack from its back, removed the bridle from its head and dropped it
all on the bank. I slapped its backside to get it moving away from the river
and our company. She ambled off, unmindful.

And so I mounted alMassay, crossed the river, and together we rode
northwest until sunset.

- an excerpt from the journal of Kirin Wynegarde-Grey

***

The mood was very quiet that
evening. They had lit a small fire, eaten some of the dried fish from the day
previous, and sat close enough to feel each other’s warmth. In the desert, the
days are as hot as a kiln but at night, it is almost enough to see one’s breath
in the moonlight. The tigress sat very close to the grey coat, head resting on
his shoulder, he with one arm around her waist. She was very sad and made it no
secret as to why. Kirin sincerely hoped she wouldn’t be hating him again. That
experience had been most unpleasant. For some reason, he valued her trust.

He turned to look at the Seer,
who was staring into the fire, lost in thought, and the Captain felt a pang of
remorse. Mongrel or not, this was a good man. There was much he had jeopardized
by his own blindness, bonds that he himself had almost shattered. Before, those
bonds would not have been important, but now, for some reason, it was. There
was more than Bushido in this wild, unrelenting and undisciplined world of
‘polished glass’. Or perhaps, he realized with wonder, there was more
to
it.

“The Alchemist admitted she was a
firestarter,” he began.

“Hmm.” benAramis glanced up,
raised his brows. “I said as much.”

“You did. She also said you were
one too.”

“All of this and still you
believe her?”

Kirin arched a brow. “You are
almost as good at avoiding questions as she,
sidi.”

“Have you asked me a question,
Captain?”

Kirin sighed. “Are you a
firestarter,
sidi?
There are no
recriminations. I simply wish to know.”

“Ah.” The man took a deep breath,
stared at his sandals for a few moments before shaking his head. “No, Captain.
I am sorry to disappoint you but I am not a firestarter.”

“Then how did you kill the lion?”

“The lion the Alchemist claims I
killed? That lion, Captain?”

“Is there another,
sidi?”

All eyes were on them now, even
the Scholar’s, and the Seer’s expression grew wistful.

“I started a fire.” He grinned
wistfully. “And he wasn’t a lion. He was my brother.”

Kirin blinked.

“Your brother,
sidi?”

“Yes, but he
was
a soldier in the Queen’s Guard, if that helps. Justice of lions
is a capricious thing.”

Kirin shook his head. One mystery
for another. It seemed he was so easily confounded these days. As if in the
polishing of one’s glass, the world suddenly became less clear.

Kerris changed position, rolling
over on his belly and dropping his chin in his palm. “I have regaled us with
story upon story during our little adventure. I think it’s time someone regaled
me.”

“It is not a happy story, grey
coat.”

“Those are often the best kinds,
sidi.”

Ursa’s near-white eyes were on
him, intense and piercing, slivers of ice in the moonlight. Even Fallon was
nodding, pleading, begging, anything to lift the heaviness that had fallen upon
them. Or perhaps, compliment it. Like a sad love song and hot sakeh.

Sireth smiled, poked at the fire
with the end of his staff. It sent sparks floating into the night sky. He
seemed to be debating whether or not to explain, but finally, he released a
deep breath, relieved his furrowed brow, and began.

“I was born in a gypsy caravan in
the slums of
Cal’Cathah,
and worked
from the moment I could stand. We traveled from village to village, town to
town. Sometimes they were simple gatherings of two or three huts that formed a
market, sometimes they were great sprawling cities. We were always working. My
grandfather ran games of chance, my mother was a dancer and a wonderful singer,
I read palms, told fortunes and such, naturally, and my brother did remarkable
tricks with fire. You see, I was already, from the moment I was born, what I am
now, and he was born a firestarter. My mother claimed no knowledge of these
gifts, although for them to be so strong in two sons who shared only a mother,
I suspect they ran through her line. My grandfather never spoke of such things,
but he never discouraged them either. He was a wonderful man. I miss him still
…”

Fallon smiled wistfully.

“He was a full-blooded lion, my
grandfather, spoke in the accents of the old courts. He was a father to my
brother and I as any man could be, and I believe it was his love for my
mother’s mother – herself a dancer in the caravan – that caused him
to abandon his commission for the life with us. It was he who kept us all
together, kept us safe, until he grew too old to protect us and Nemeth became
our guardian.

“Nemeth was four years older than
myself, apparently the son of a lion who fancied my mother, paid her to dance
for him privately and disappeared in the night, paying nothing for her services
but a child left in her womb. Nemeth looked like a lion, and because of our
grandfather, spoke as one too. There was no spot, no stripe, no rosette or
marble to tell of our mother’s mixed blood. His hair was as long and straight
as yours, Captain, although considerably darker. He used to gloat over it most
constantly, but I didn’t care. I knew he was unhappy, and more than that, he
was strange…”

“Strange?” asked Fallon. “How
strange?”

“Well,” said the Seer. “Once,
when I was in my fifth summer, I was playing in a rice field in the steppes of
Shiam
and a caught a butterfly. Well, I
didn’t ‘catch’ it, rather it landed on my hand, and I was marveling at the
colors and patterns in its wings. Suddenly, the wings began to smoke and it
burst into a puff of flame and ash, and my brother ran laughing from the
field.”

The tigress’ eyes were wide. “He
did that?”

“Oh yes, my dear. He was always
burning things up, or down as the case may be. In fact, it was almost always
the cause for us leaving places – he would start some fire or another.
And it was always quite malicious. He believed he was a lion and was entitled
to all the honor given a lion, even though he banded with gypsies. He had a
terrible temper and would take revenge on anyone who insulted him by burning
something they loved – a magistrate’s residence, a fancy garden, an army
garrison, a little girl’s hair… And the villagers would chase us out and warn
us never to return. We saw a great deal of the Kingdom because of my brother…”

Kerris had his chin in both hands
now. “And he could start these fires just by looking?”

“Well, by looking or by thinking
it, I’m not entirely certain. I never asked. He left in his fifteenth summer,
and I never saw him again for many years.”

“Until the kachkah house in
Shathkira,”
added the Captain,
remembering.

Sireth stared at him a moment,
then nodded.

Ursa was staring at him. “You
said this wasn’t a happy story. This is not sad. This is not sad at all.”

“Ah, but it is not finished.”

“So finish it, idiot.”

“I am tired. I would like to
sleep. If the Captain will permit?”

Kirin allowed himself a small
smile. “Perhaps you will indulge us tomorrow night,
sidi?”

“Perhaps.”

“Well,
I
feel like it’s a sad story,” breathed the Scholar and she flapped
her arms in her lap. “I feel like everything is so sad lately. I think life is
just one sad story after another after another. Just when you think you’re done
with one sad story then along comes another.”

“There is only desire,” said
Kirin softly, looking into the flames. “And the sorrow that it brings.”

The Seer poked the burning wood
again. “But there is love,” he said finally. “And that makes all the stories
worth the telling.”

Smiling, Fallon reached over and
laid a now-white hand on his wrist. It was a tender gesture, full of kindness
and innocence, but of course, she touched where the glove did not cover. And he
was quite unprepared.

He gasped and lost focus for a
moment, and immediately the Scholar pulled her hand away.

“Oh, sorry, I’m so sorry. I
forgot. Are you okay?”

“Ah yes, yes…” He wiped his brow
with a forearm, then grinned. “It’s simply those blasted kittens again…”

She grinned back. “All six of
them?”

“All six.”

Kerris frowned. “What kittens?”

She glanced from Kerris to Sireth
and back again. “Oh, nothing. No kittens. No grey striped kittens or anything
–
Oh!”

Her hand flew to her mouth.

“Sidala?”
asked the Captain, leaning forward.

She turned her wide emerald eyes
on him.

“Oh, Captain!” she said, smiling
like the sun. “I think I know how we can talk to Solomon!”

“She is gone,
sahidi.”

Jet barraDunne sighed, ground his
molars together tightly. He was staring up at the moon, and did not bother to
look back at the cats gathered around the metal bowl. White smoke billowed and
curled, but there was no voice, no face, no flash of golden eyes. He could
guess well enough what had happened.

It was very late, their first
night in this strange land beyond the Kingdom, and he could almost see his
breath. This had started months ago, just before the New Year, and they had already
celebrated the Moon Festival while in the desert. It would be winter soon. He
would not see his bed for a very long time.

“Is she dead?” he grunted, still
not looking back.

“Impossible to tell,
sahidi,”
said the one called Talmoud.
“Would the Seer kill her if he knew?”

“It would be the Captain,” he
answered. “He would take off her head with his katanah. It is exactly what he
would do. Unless he allowed her the honor of
sheffuku.”

“How do we find them now?”

He turned now, wrapped his
bearskin cloak around his shoulders and sat back down by the fire. His silver
striped brow drew in as he thought. He was not a happy man.

“The oracle,” he said finally.
“Track the oracle and we will find them.”

The others shuddered at the word,
but bent low over the bowl and back to their work.

Jet barraDunne sighed and reached
for his tea.

***

“Me? Why me?” Kerris frowned and
whapped the ground with his tail. “Honestly, Kirin. I have nothing to offer
here. Nothing.”

“Because you have also talked to
Solomon, that’s why.” Kirin eased his grip on the back of his brother’s neck,
realizing that the others were likely watching from the fire and remembering
his promise to respect. “Back in the pit, when you went to
Swisserland.
Remember?”

“That was nothing of my doing,
believe me. I was just about to eat some crabs and
boom,
Swisserland
. It was
most annoying.”

“Yes, but the Scholar thinks you
can help.”

“Well yes, she would think that.
She thinks many things about me, most of them not entirely accurate.”

“Kerris, please. It is our last
chance.”

“He should try the sundial again.
That should work.”

“It doesn’t work, Kerris. He said
so himself. Only devastation and man. It is a conduit, nothing more. And that
is what the Scholar is saying - that the Seer cannot initiate contact with
Solomon because he
never
initiated
contact with Solomon. It was always the star that initiated the contact and it
was the Seer who was merely the conduit.”

“Yes, yes, I understand that bit,
but why us?”

“Well,” Kirin began slowly. He
had to speak carefully. His brother was not comfortable with this for some
reason. Kerris, who was usually game for anything, seemed cautious, uncertain,
even afraid. “I have spoken with Solomon on many occasions, but it’s not about
simply speaking to Solomon, but the connection of speaking
through
Solomon, the ‘being in his mind,’ so to speak. You know the
feeling, when his hands are your hands and his words are in your mouth. You
experienced that too, in the pit.”

“It was wholly unnatural.”

“Exactly, so if we can use the
Seer as a conduit once again, we can at least determine whether Solomon is
alive or not. And the Scholar is hoping that if the Seer can finally get a
sense of this man, then perhaps we have a chance of finding him.”

The grey lion sighed, glanced
back at the figures still seated by the fire so many paces away, waiting. He
looked back at his brother. “But what if…”

“Yes?”

“What if I do this and…”

“And?”

 
“And what if something bad really happens? What if the panic
starts to come or I call the lightning again or somebody dies or gets hurt, all
because of messing about in here?” He tapped his fingers on his head. “I really
can’t take much more of that, Kirin. I’ve had about enough of messing on this
journey. I’m not entirely sure what is real, what is memory, what is fear. I’ve
been good for a long time, really I have, but this, well, this has been really
hard.”

Kirin felt an unexpected rush of
tenderness. The journey
had
been hard
on Kerris, starting with the avalanche, the jail, the pit, not to mention the
Alchemist, and it hadn’t let up. His brother regularly wrestled with dark and
inexplicable fears. He drank to avoid the darkness. Sometimes the drink helped.
Sometimes, it made things worse.

Sometimes he wondered which twin
was the lucky one.

“I promise you that won’t happen.
The Scholar and the Seer won’t let that happen. Nor will I.” He rifled his
brother’s hair. “This one last thing, then we know for certain. And if we
cannot make contact with Solomon tonight, we will turn for home in the
morning.”

“Promise?” The blue eyes were
pleading.

“Promise. Now come, the Major has
made the tea and we will wait for your Scholar to give us our orders.”

“She is a feisty thing, isn’t
she?”

“She is indeed.”

“I think I quite like her. She’s
got this amazing book…”

Kirin smiled, albeit sadly, and
the pair turned toward the others and began to walk.

***

The fire was high and crackling
and the three men sat facing each other, legs crossed, breathing deeply. The
Major circled behind them, watching everything, the falcon hooded on her arm.
And the Scholar knelt between the lions, rolling up their sleeves to the
elbows, baring their wrists to the night sky. Her emerald eyes were wide, dancing.

“Okay, just breathe deep, deep
cleansing breaths, in and out, in and out. Captain, Kerris, both of you have
had these strange experiences with Solomon. I want you to think on these times,
and these alone, okay? Just the memory of Solomon. His voice, his hands, his
face—“

“I never saw his face,” said
Kerris.

“Idiot,” growled the Major.

“Well, I didn’t.”

The tigress swallowed. She was
not entirely sure this endeavor would work. It was only an idea. But the
Captain had said ‘ideas were her stock in trade.’ She remembered that because
she had been there. Besides, they had little to lose.

“It’s okay, Kerris. Just focus on
what you can remember. Even if you just say his name over and over in your head
– quietly, I mean. Don’t actually say it out loud. That’s far too
distracting. And don’t let your minds wander, either. Just Solomon, his voice,
his Humlander-thingee, his tiger-dog-monkey accent –“

“His strange way of talking…”
Kerris’ voice was quieter now. The Captain was silent, brow furrowed,
apparently deep in thought and memory. He, of all of them, had the best
impression of Solomon, for he had had the most conversations, with words and
without. He was ultimately their best hope. This entire journey now hinged on
the ability of the Captain to focus.

It always had.

She kept talking, but now her
large eyes were on the Seer, who had removed his gloves earlier on in the night
to prepare. He also seemed deep in thought, and she wondered if this was
similar to the experience of Farsight, only without the benefit of the opium.
She hoped, for his sake, it would work. He needed it to work, if only to
reestablish his own sense of faith in the Gifts and in himself.

She watched and, as if slowed
down or under water, he raised his spotted hands, allowed them to hover a moment
over those of the brothers, then brought them down swiftly and tightly over
each wrist.

Kerris gasped and suddenly the
three of them were elsewhere.

***

breathe in and out in and out Solomon heartbeat beat Slow and steady
Beat beat beat

Wild and fast beat beat beat breathe in and out No I don’t like this
Slow and steady beat beat beat safe and sound breathe in and out Solomon Please
no Peace remember the ocean and the crabs beat beat beat Yes the crabs And the
ocean the deep vast beautiful blue ocean Yes the ocean beat beat beat And
Solomon beat beat beat And Solomon beat beat beat And Solomon beat beat beat

And Solomon

three hearts beat as one beat beat beat

three souls remember beat beat beat

one disappears

but there is another

***

Someone was shouting.

Kirin opened his eyes.

He blinked several times, let out
a long held breath. It was very late at night and they were sitting by the
fire, as if nothing had happened. In fact, he wondered if anything at all
had
happened, or even if they had yet to
begin. He glanced at Kerris, who was frowning, and then at the Scholar, who was
smiling.

“Did it work?” he asked, over the
shouting.

She jerked her chin in the
direction of the Seer.

Who was shouting.

“Hey! Hey! Can anybody hear me?”

Kirin couldn’t help it. He smiled
like the sun.

“Solomon! Is that truly you?”

“Captain! Oh damn…” And the Seer
was making wild gestures with his hands, finally grasping the Captain’s arms
and pulling him into a great, most unexpected hug. “Are the others here too?
Your brother? Fallon Waterford, Scholar in the Court of the Empress? Major
Ursa?”

“Yes, Solomon, we are all here.”
Kirin found surprised at how happy he felt. It would make killing him that much
harder. He glanced at Kerris. His brother was staring at him, a strange
expression on his face. Perhaps the ordeal had been too much for him after all.
He would be sure to ask him about it soon. He pushed it out of his mind. “We
were unable to contact you—“

“Yeah, yeah, the satellite,” the
Seer released him, wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Ah damn, sorry,
folks. Not usually so gushy. I guess I’d just about given up hope of ever
talking to you all again…”

“The star died, Solomon. It was
impossible to reach you without the star.”

“Yeah, I figured that. Poor Max.
He’d been up there so long. The orbit decayed and he burnt up in the
atmosphere.”

From her perch on the Major’s
arm, rhe falcon chirupped.

Kirin held up a hand. “We are in
the Lower Kingdom, Solomon. Beyond our Empire’s borders. Where are you?”

“Turkey. The Humlander is still
running, but my GPS is out. Went out with Max, I’m afraid. But when I couldn’t
reach you folks, I made a plan B…” The Seer waved a hand. “Sorry. I’m getting
ahead of myself. I guess I don’t need a plan B. Where are you?”

“We are…we…” Kirin suddenly was
at a loss for words. They were where no cat had ever been. How could they
explain?

Solomon went on. “The last time
we talked, you were in Iraq –“

“Hirak.”

“Right. So, where are you now?
Jordan? Syria?”

“Ah, but we have passed through
Shiryia
,
sidi.
Shiryia
is the very
edge of the Empire.”

“Wow, that is one damn huge
Empire. So, just past Syria, huh… Wait, that means you’re in Turkey!”

“Turakee?”

Fallon grinned. “Tuurrah’kheee.”

The falcon chirupped again,
spread her wings, opened her beak. Ursa stared at her.

“Yeah,” the Seer went on. “I’m in
Antalya
. It was once a shipping city.
It’s utterly devasted. Ruins everywhere.”

Kirin swallowed. This could prove
difficult.

“Are there…
people,
sidi?”

“Haven’t seen a single one. No
animals, either, for that matter. Well, birds and snakes and things, but none
of those…rat-things…”

The falcon hissed now, bobbed her
small hooded head.

Fallon leaned forward now. “Where
is
Ana…thalya?
You said it was a
shipping city? What does that mean?”

The Seer rolled his eyes to the
night sky. “Shipping, uh, well, do you folks know what a ship is?”

They stared at each other.

“I’ll take that as a no.
Shipping, ships, boats, traveling on water…”

Kerris rose to his feet and left
the fire. Kirin suddenly had a very bad feeling.

“It doesn’t matter,” Solomon
continued. “I’m on the Mediterranean coast, probably about a day and a half
drive to the Syrian border.”

The Scholar let out a little
squeal.

“Do we need to go back?” asked
Ursa.

“I have no idea. Solomon, we have
lost our maps. Can you draw in the sand this
‘Turah’kee?’
Show us where you are?”

“Um, yeah, sure. But I don’t like
to get out of the vehicle at night, just in case those rat-things come back…“

The falcon began to screech,
flapping her wings and trying to lift from the Major’s arm. Suddenly, Ursa
gasped.

“I know! I know!” She swung her
arm upwards, removing the hood and launched the falcon into the night sky. “Go!
Go find Solomon!”

And with a sharp piercing cry,
Path the falcon disappeared into the darkness.

“Wow,” said Fallon. “That is…a
really good idea…”

“Tell him,” said Ursa as she
knelt back down beside the fire. “Tell Solomon about the falcon.”

Kirin did, and they talked for a
good long while after that, until even Solomon was yawning, and they bedded
down for what was left of the night, happy and eager and looking forward to the
morning.

Except for Kerris, who spent the
night with the horses.

***

This new land, this
Turah’kee,
was a remarkable place. As
they made the first step of their journey now southwest, it had, almost
immediately, begun to grow trees - pines, cedars and date palms – in
clusters that broke the dullness of the gold. By noon, there were mountains too,
small at first, then larger, and the once flat horizon transformed itself into
something more regal, more feline in temperament, bolstering their spirits far
more than the occasional hare dropped from the sky. This was good country
– they knew it in their bones. Much better than the weeks spent in
desert. Their fortunes were changing indeed.