Wolf Captured (96 page)
Now Healer reclined with her paws before her alongside Questioner. The maimalodalu looked weak, but he had apparently insisted on being present for this meeting. Healer’s side touched Questioner’s, and Derian wondered whether she was giving him more than physical support.
He wondered a good many things, actually, and had been promised that a few would be clarified here.
Since everyone present understood Liglimosh, the meeting was conducted in that language. The two humans had been assured that whatever the yarimaimalom said would be translated by Hope.
Harjeedian had looked more rueful than Derian had thought possible upon learning that the maimalodalum could translate for the yarimaimalom.
“To think I went north and to all that trouble thinking I would be bringing something new to our land.”
Derian was surprised to find himself comforting a man he’d thought he’d always dislike.
“You did bring back something new—I assure you, you won’t find more than one Firekeeper anywhere.”
Harjeedian nodded. Firekeeper was sitting surrounded by wolves. Blind Seer was at her right, an enormous one Derian had learned was named Dark Death pressed close at her left. A silvery grey female with a splinted leg hovered to the side of Dark Death. It looked as if Firekeeper had a pack of her own, and Derian wondered uneasily if the wolf-woman would be staying here on Misheemnekuru.
Harjeedian was thinking about a matter closer to his own heart.
“The maimalodalum will not commit to saying they will let their existence be known. I think they have grown used to this life. However, they did confirm that the yarimaimalom who have acted as diviners no more willingly led us astray than did any aridisdu.”
Derian grinned. Harjeedian hadn’t said so, but that answer clearly meant that there had been times when diviners had skewed the answers to their advantage, but on the whole, they were probably honest. That made him think of Truth. The jaguar was not present as far as he could tell, though to him one jaguar still looked much like another. He started to ask Harjeedian if he knew, when Powerful Tenderness, the maimalodalu who blended the qualities of a human and a bear with a touch of reptile, opened the meeting.
“First,” Powerful Tenderness said, his voice gruff, “a few matters some of you already know. Last night one of the ospreys carried a missive to Meiyal, iaridisdu of the Horse. In it, Harjeedian reported fairly truthfully the events that had occurred. Omitted were specific mention of the maimalodalum and the role they played. Stressed instead were that the northerners and Shivadtmon had been captured, and that while Derian, Harjeedian, and Rahniseeta were being given leave to stay on the island, that this in no way should be seen as waiving the yarimaimalom’s exclusive claim to Misheemnekuru.
“Meiyal sent a message in return. Yesterday morning, fairly early, Dantarahma, the junjaldisdu, took to sea in a boat capable of limited ocean sailing. He was accompanied by two other boats. All flew colored sails, but when the vessel carrying Dantarahma was out of sight of land, it changed its sails to the more usual white. Then, according to the captains of the two boats that were his escort, they were ordered to sail north, cutting in and out of sight from shore among the islands, while Dantarahma’s vessel went south. Essentially, Dantarahma has fled. This is being taken as a confirmation of the accusations brought against him by Meiyal on behalf of Derian, who in turn spoke on behalf of Eshinarvash and other of the mainland-dwelling yarimaimalom.”
For a long moment, Derian found himself the focus of any number of inhuman eyes. He was uncomfortable in a way he had not been during the numerous crises of the afternoon and evening before, but shook the feeling from him. He’d seen how some of the Liglimom had shied from his red hair and, by their standards, light eyes. Rahniseeta had been inordinately fascinated by his freckles; they didn’t happen on her darker-skinned people.
He recalled how she had laughed, confessing that had she known about them she would have been even more certain he was one of the maimalodalum, for the Wise Horses were very often paints or spotted.
I wonder if she’d had any idea what the real thing was like would she have been so eager to find one?
Derian thought.
I wish I could tease her about it.
He forced himself to listen as Powerful Tenderness reported on Truth’s condition.
“Truth is far gone into possibility,” Powerful Tenderness began, “so far gone that there is doubt she will ever be drawn forth again. Even if she does come back to us, there will be no alternative but to attempt to keep her from divining, or risk losing her again. Therefore, it has been divined that Bright-Eyes-Fast-Paws will take her place representing the island jaguars at the court of Tiridanti for the remainder of this jaguar year. We thank the deities for their firm guidance on this matter.”
There was a prayerful muttering to acknowledge this statement, and Derian realized that only he, Firekeeper, and Blind Seer had not automatically reacted.
Shape doesn’t seem to matter
, he thought.
In this, at least, Blind Seer is closer kin to me than Harjeedian would be—or Rahniseeta ?
The thought made him very uncomfortable, as if he’d somehow been unfaithful to her.
“We now must address the matter of Shivadtmon,” Powerful Tenderness went on, “and come to a conclusion as to how to deal with what he represents. We must deal with Elwyn and Wiatt, the surviving northerners. However, as will be seen, their crime is merely one of trespass and willingness to do violence in order to steal. Shivadtmon’s is far more serious.”
Next, the bear-human-reptile summarized what had occurred, including Shivadtmon’s role as Dantarahma’s tool, his deliberate misleading of Waln and his followers regarding Misheemnekuru, and, finally, in greatest detail, what had happened atop Magic’s tower.
“Are you saying,” Hope asked, interpreting for a wolf called Integrity, “that the evidence is that Shivadtmon actually performed magic?”
Powerful Tenderness looked at the wolf as he replied, “Yes. As you know, we of the maimalodalum can sense magic as you hear sound. The ability varies among us, but at the moment the wingéd folk report that Shivadtmon’s knife took Waln Endbrook’s life, each and every one of us felt something. Those-of you who were working beside us may recall the moment.”
There was a general stirring among the yarimaimalom and Derian did not need a translator to know this was confirmation. Harjeedian looked very uncomfortable.
“I was working with Healer over Questioner at that time, and saw the reaction mentioned. I was called out almost immediately after, however, to hold the canvas onto which Shivadtmon and Firekeeper jumped. When he landed, I distinctly heard what Shivadtmon said: ‘I prayed to Magic and she answered my prayers.’ Are you saying that he believed he prayed, but what he did was sorcery?”
Questioner stirred, and Derian instinctively knew that this was why he had insisted on being present.
“Harjeedian,” Questioner said, “what I am saying—and not all my kin agree—is that where blood is involved, there is no difference between sorcery and prayer. The rituals involved may be called prayer, but they are sorcery. I think one grew from the other.”
Harjeedian looked offended, as well he might.
“But, Questioner—though I understand your divined name is Defier-of-the-Deities, and now I have some idea why—that is blasphemy. Our records show that blood sacrifice was involved in the earliest rites of prayer. We evolved away from it over time, especially as the lore of the aridisdu devolved to provide other ways of knowing the divine will, but it was not until the time of Divine Retribution that the practice was relinquished—and then, so many argue, it was as much a secular decision, meant to ease our relations with the yarimaimalom, as one willed by the deities.”
“So argued Dantarahma,” Questioner said.
A fit of coughing forced the wounded maimalodalu to stop, and Powerful Tenderness took up the account.
“Harjeedian, the most sensitive of us—the ones with the best ‘hearing’ for matters of magic—have long sensed something awry on the mainland. We think that Dantarahma also was aware of us. We believe he took actions to prevent us from sensing what he and his fellows did. Therefore, we were uncertain whether we were sensing something more than an unusually powerful talent or some minor artifact sporadically at work.
“We do not think it was chance that Dantarahma sent his minion not merely to Misheemnekuru, but precisely to this island. If the matter was merely, as Shivadtmon says, to weaken the yarimaimalom’s claim to exclusive use of these islands, then touching ground anywhere would do, but Shivadtmon was steered—and Waln Endbrook through him—to this one island out of so many, to the very place where those who could sense Dantarahma’s actions lived.
“The northerners as a whole view anything magical as an abomination. They might make an exception for a beautiful piece of jewelry that might or might not be magical in nature, but for a maimalodalu? Wain was a violent man, as were many of his followers. I think Dantarahma expected—perhaps he had even divined—the likelihood of our paths crossing, and of our being destroyed or so severely weakened that we would no longer offer a threat to him. At the very least, he would receive confirmation as to our existence, learn whether he was threatened by a peculiarly talented yarimaimalo or—as I think he divined—something else.”
Harjeedian had remained silent through all this long speech, but anguish remained on his face as he spoke.
“Are you saying that the miracles we credit to the intervention of the deities in our lives are instead the foulest of sorcerous practices?”
Questioner was blunt, but not unkind.
“That is the very question I asked myself when my travels took me into lands that did not know the deities as we do. You call me blasphemous, but I think of myself as one who would sort truth from the fraud. Only when that is done will I look upon the face of the divine unshrouded by confusion.”
“And have you done so?” Harjeedian asked harshly.
“I came home again,” Questioner replied, “and it remains my home. Find your answer in that.”
The pain it caused Questioner to speak was obvious, but Derian rather thought it was how Healer bared her fangs that made Harjeedian cease his inquiry.
“Returning to the immediate problem of Shivadtmon,” Powerful Tenderness said, “Truth averred that saving his life was essential, but she is gone to where she cannot tell us why.”
Hope spoke for the jaguar Bright-Eyes-Fast-Paws.
“I do not have Truth’s ability, but this much is clear. Shivadtmon must live because through Shivadtmon’s testimony Dantarahma will be completely discredited. Moreover, Shivadtmon can identify others who shared worship with Dantarahma. Right now, Shivadtmon is still exhilarated from what he believes is a showing of divine favor, but when that elevation leaves him, there are several ways to convince him to assist us. I will be pleased to advise.”
Derian swallowed hard, noticing now the jaguar had raised a paw from which claws extended, but he did not think physical violence would be the first resort. Shivadtmon’s vanity might be appealed to, or it could be pointed out to him how he had been used and then abandoned. Derian would make sure these suggestions got to someone, just in case they needed advice on the workings of the human mind.
“And after?” Hope asked, speaking for the raven Bitter. “What do we do then? Has Shivadtmon been blessed or is he our curse?”
This led to a considerable amount of debate, and although Hope did her best to translate, Derian lost some of it. The end result was that if at all possible the fact that Shivadtmon had done magic must be concealed, lest intelligent listeners draw appropriate conclusions—and some ambitious ones chose to act on it.
“The fact is,” said a maimalodalu whose name Derian had missed, “Shivadtmon was in a very good place for sorcery and had what may be the ideal sacrifice. It has been suggested that taking the life of one of one’s own kind—thus symbolically slaying the self—is a powerful magical conduit.”
“So,” Hope said, speaking for herself this time, “I suggest we do not give any of the details. Harjeedian’s report told that most of the northerners were killed when the tower fell. When Shivadtmon calms, I think he will not wish to boast of killing another human. Murder is not looked upon highly even in the civil courts. It is punished far more severely in sacred law.”
Harjeedian smiled one of his thin-lipped, snaky smiles.
“I think that I can say a thing or two to lead Shivadtmon’s thoughts in the right direction. I believe I can be subtle enough that he will not see himself led.”
His offer was accepted, and the discussion moved on to the matter of Elwyn and Wiatt.
To Derian’s relief, neither sailor was to be executed, but equally, neither would be permitted to leave Misheemnekuru.
“They will be our prisoners,” Powerful Tenderness said. “Frankly, I would not like to be the one who tries to harm Elwyn. His luck is incredibly powerful. His nature is crude, but his intelligence childlike. I think, in time, he could be happy here. Wiatt may be less so, but although he was strongly led, still, he made his own decisions.”
“One thing more,” Powerful Tenderness said. “The humans have sent boats after Dantarahma, but, perhaps out of shame, they have not asked for our assistance. A seal or dolphin could do a great deal to limit the search—so could seagulls or ospreys. What are the omens?”
“We help,” said Bright-Eyes-Fast-Paws the jaguar. “Even were I not a diviner, I would know this. Dantarahma must be stopped, lest he spread his blood cult to other susceptible minds. Moreover, the humans must know he is dead so they can name another to his place without hesitation.”
“And those who sailed with him?” asked Questioner. “What of them?”
“Boats sink,” said the jaguar with finality, and no one disagreed.
