Читать книгу The Seekers: Soul Ties - Anton Anderson - Страница 12

Iskrila felt like she was about to faint. She had just finished making yet another flaming arrow, putting it into a big barrel in front of her. She looked around, tired from hours of monotonous work and being constantly dizzy from that foul smell.

For whatever purpose this place was built for, it was quite roomy. There were a dozen more barrels like hers, all half-filled with flaming arrows. Those arrows were sharp tipped so they could penetrate the object they hit, and they were wrapped in rags, soaked with flammable oil and tar. Several workers sat at little tables just like hers, making arrow after arrow.

Flammable tar radiated a nasty, heavy odor from which there was no escape. It smelled as bad as rotting flesh, though wildly different, unique even. It felt like something invisible and oily was literally blocking Iskrila’s nostrils. All the windows were closed and draped with thick hides; the door was locked – there was no way anyone outside could see what was happening here. The room was lit with jars of burning bugs, for nobody wanted to risk having real fire near all this fuel.

The smell was really messing with Iskrila’s sanity, as well as with her breakfast, so she decided to stretch her legs. She covered one of the filled barrels with a piece of blanket, picked it up by the straps, and carried it outside.

The guards at the door recognized her and let her pass. Fuck, yeah! It’s so freaking great to be outside! She stood still for a while, listening to some faraway chatter and breathing clean, fresh air. As nice as it was, Iskrila remembered that lunchtime was approaching.

Horrible memories of yesterday flashed in her mind. The confusion and dread she felt when Sabiri didn’t return home. The anger at Star and Haileen as they tried to calm her down. The words they said.

«She’s not alone out there.»

«The other war mistresses are with her – like anyone would mess with them!»

Yeah, right, Iskrila thought. They would definitely not fall into Drowners’ trap! An army of swarmers wouldn’t mind eating them alive! A time vortex, or a teleportation veil, or any other sort of stupid magic crap wouldn’t appear right in front of their noses! I really should’ve given her my amulet!

Iskrila made herself stop. Her hand dove into a pocket on her belt and fished out a neatly folded piece of paper. When she finished re-reading Sabiri’s letter for the fifth time today, she was once again smiling, hopeful for a quick reunion. Sabiri would return tired and hungry, so Iskrila decided to cook her something nice beforehand.

Heading back home, Iskrila couldn’t help but notice just how the village had changed recently. People were whispering about the fight ahead. Far fewer were strolling the streets, even at daytime. The guards also looked weary. Everybody was on edge because of the task ahead. It did make sense, but…

Suddenly, a string of yelling and arguing kids sprinted by, almost knocking her down. She watched them go for a while. With their parents busier than ever, there was no one to keep them in check. Yet they were so lively! She was just like them once, so she chose not to be mad.

Walking near the Birds house, Iskrila noticed Berani, one of the lookouts. She called out to her unnecessarily – Iskrila would’ve stopped by even without invitation.

There were a bunch of sacks in front of Berani, some still tied to her tail. Judging by the sweat on her forehead, she had been carrying this weight for some time, and now was taking a break. The barrel was heavy as well, so Iskrila chose to follow her example.

«Hey, Iskrila, any word about when we’re starting?» Berani asked. «I had to cancel a few plans already. It would suck if it was all for nothing.»

«Hi to you too, Berani.» Iskrila scratched her head. «Didn’t Maia tell you?»

Berani shook her head.

«Sabiri said next week. If there aren’t more developments with her or Star, then we’re set.»

Berani’s face shone with joy. «Finally! I’m so tired of waiting for things to get back to normal! Well, thanks for the info. I need to go.»

Iskrila helped Berani load up with sacks, then watched her heading towards the pier. It was a neat idea to tie some of the sacks to her tail. Iskrila looked at her own. Why didn’t they have fingers or something on their tails? It would’ve been so useful! Feeling rested enough, she resumed her walk.

When she finally reached the storage, Iskrila was tired again. To an outside eye this place was nothing special besides the two guards posted at the door. After unlocking it and stepping inside, Iskrila immediately cursed everything in the world. The smell of flammable tar was even worse here! Trying not to breathe too much, she quickly added her barrel to the rest and locked the door.

That odor destroyed what little was left of her resolve of going back and finishing the arrows. Berani’s words made her wonder if there really were some developments. She had enough time to visit Star and to cook some lunch.

Unfortunately, when Iskrila knocked on Star’s door, no one was home. Where could she be? There was a person who would know, but did she really have to find her?

«Huh, I guess Star isn’t home.» Haileen’s voice ended Iskrila’s struggle.

Iskrila gave her a smile. «Yep. I don’t know whether I should go find her, or if I should return home and make lunch for Sabiri.»

«Sabiri should return soon, so I’d suggest you go home. I can give Star whatever update you wanted to tell her.»

«No, thanks.» Iskrila shook her head. «I’ll find her later.»

After saying goodbye to Haileen, Iskrila headed straight to the market. Most traders lived there, so they could watch over their wares while still being home. Butchers got many kinds of meat, mostly from the nearby forest. Iskrila wasn’t a specialist in how to catch prey, she just knew what kinds of meat she found tasty. The butcher helped Iskrila choose the tastiest lump.

Loaded with meat and separated from her money, Iskrila slowly continued on her way home. On the other side of the road stood tables with fish. Iskrila liked to catch a few herself from time to time, but she was hardly an expert.

Farther away stood shelves with armor and weapons. It was always pleasant to see her and her people’s work displayed for sale, but the stocks had been scarce lately. Iskrila wondered just how many people would sell their arms and armor once the battle was over. These days they were making their products much more simply and quickly, to arm everyone before the battle started. Soon those shelves would fill with rather crude pieces. She, of all people, knew that the quality wasn’t the issue, but the appearance… Those could be tricky to sell to strangers. She needed to talk to Star about making a deal directly with some poorer, smaller tribes that wouldn’t mind the way they looked.

Farther ahead there was a mishmash of stuff. Files for horns, claws, and hooves; pots, mugs, plates, brushes, soap, brooms – all sorts of stuff. The traders selling those immediately jumped at their chance to earn a bit.

«Hey, Iskrila! Look at a file I have! Rounded on one side, straight on the other – just for your claws!»

«Don’t listen to her! I got you a great file last time! Better take this broom! Long handle! I couldn’t believe just how much easier it was to clean the house with a handle this long!»

«She doesn’t need your stupid broom! Better take this robe! With a pocket for your tail! So warm when the weather’s bad!»

The first two sellers tried to stop Iskrila from leaving, but she ignored their calls. The third was standing at the last set of shelves and was selling clothes. There was all kinds of stuff there: underclothes that were smooth and light, robes that were thick and fluffy, shorts and pants that looked and felt strong.

But Iskrila’s eye caught something special. There was a shelf with various fal-lals: hide and leather bracelets, chokers, bands… Their various shapes and colors combined still couldn’t match just how bizarre one particular item looked. It was a white bow-knot. Made from the finest lace: so thin, so light – it was almost transparent. Just how long had it taken to combine the thousands of individual, incredibly thin threads, leaving gaps of air between them, painting this fine complex pattern?

Iskrila asked permission to try it on, then found herself unwilling to touch it. What if she ruined the beauty? She wasn’t careful enough to handle this delicate piece. Luckily, the trader came to her rescue. She lifted the thing from the table, then carefully placed it in Iskrila’s open palms. It felt completely weightless! Trying not to breathe, Iskrila carefully wrapped the straps around her neck and tied them gently. The bow-knot thing was huge – it stuck out farther than her chin! She couldn’t even look down without danger of messing up the thing.

«Do you like it? I’ve spent ages making it!» the trader said.

«You’re also a crafter? It’s definitely unusual and kinda cool, yeah, but I can’t look down in this thing, and I would immediately ruin it in my smithy.»

She looked at herself in a mirror – a crazy-looking freak stared back at her, smiling and giggling.

«You definitely shouldn’t take it to the smithy. You can wear it in your free time.»

At first, Iskrila wanted to refuse. Why would she need such a thing? Even if she was careful, just for how long would its beauty survive? But there was something cool in that freak that looked back at her from the mirror. Something unusual and wild.

«How much?» the words escaped her mouth.

«Fifteen gold.»

«Fifteen gold!» Iskrila wanted to yell. She could feed herself for several months for that much money! She could buy a full set of clothes! She… What, what «she»? This bow-knot was a work of art, and the trader clearly spent a lot of time and skill making it. She wanted to buy it! It was so beautiful and strange. What else would she do with her money? Why shouldn’t she spend it?

«This is a piece of art, so, here!» Iskrila was relieved to find enough gold and silver in her bag. «You did a great job!»

The trader snickered. «Thank you for your kind words, mistress. Please don’t worry – it may look fragile, but if you were to wear it gently, then it would prove strong enough to wear for years to come. You’ll see!»

Iskrila thanked her again and went home. Walking in this thing proved to be bizarre. The bow-knot was constantly putting pressure on her chin. With her every move, the fabric was rustling, scaring her shitless that she was crumpling it. But at the same time, it was so cool! No one else had anything like that. She couldn’t wait to show it to Sabiri!

Having finally reached home, Iskrila carefully took her gorgeous bow-knot off, put it away from harm on one of the shelves, then got to work. Quietly humming one of Edweena’s songs, she started to work. After starting the fire in her stove, she sharpened a knife and divided that wonderful pink meat into two huge portions. It was riddled with threads of white fat that would’ve cut easily even by the dullest of blades, but Iskrila liked her knives sharp. She made a few deep cuts and stuffed them with herbs that were teasing her nostrils already. Anticipating how delicious it would smell, Iskrila put their future lunch deep inside the stove. Every few minutes she collected the juice produced by sizzling meat and poured it over the cooking dish.

When the aroma started to become impossible to resist, the door swung open. With her heart racing with joy, Iskrila dropped her spoon and rushed to greet the visitor.

«Glad to see you too,» exhaled Sabiri as Iskrila flung at her with an embrace.

For a few more seconds, Iskrila refused to let go of her strong and warm body, listening to Sabiri’s heartbeat.

«It’s wonderful that you’re okay!» Iskrila let Sabiri go and looked at her face.

Sabiri was beaming with happiness back at her. «Sorry I’m a day late. I’ll tell you everything.»

«Before you do this, look!»

Excited to show off the beauty, Iskrila rushed towards the shelf, quickly put the bow-knot on, then turned around towards Sabiri.

«I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it! Isn’t it beautiful?»

That wide smile on Sabiri’s face! That half-opened mouth as she was looking for the words… Iskrila was so thrilled she’d bought it. She would give all the money in the world to bring Sabiri such delight! To make her smile! To make her laugh!

Sabiri finally exhaled. «That’s… That’s gorgeous! Can I touch it?»

After hearing «Of course,» she ran to wash her hands, then carefully approached Iskrila. A gentle touch. A feeling of Sabiri’s finger moving across the fabric, feeling its fine texture. A pair of eyes, staring at the beauty. A face, beaming with joy. It is the best day ever, Iskrila thought.

«Wow.» The word escaped Sabiri’s mouth. «I’ve never seen anything like this! I’ve never felt fabric so thin, so light and smooth. It’s amazing! Where did you find it?»

«Just bought it from one of the traders.» Iskrila also reached to feel the fabric. «Actually, I never cared to learn her name. I’ll fix that.»

«Can’t believe we have a crafter like this! Do keep it safe.»

The next half hour flew by unnoticed. The meat was probably as delicious as it looked and smelled, but none of them had noticed that, being all too busy looking in each other’s eyes and savoring Sabiri’s tale. Impressed with Sabiri’s agility and strength, intrigued and puzzled by the trespasser’s true intent, Iskrila drew herself deep in thoughts and fantasies about yesterday’s events. But Sabiri cut her daydream short.

«By the way,» she said, her claw seeking a piece of meat that was stuck between her teeth, «I didn’t come alone. Two Vapor strategists tagged along. One of them, Amber, had a good idea. We’ve made a lot of weapons and armor, but not for the healers. She thinks we should arm them as well, just in case, and I agree. Some of them might already have some gear, but the rest – »

Iskrila interrupted her. «Lemme guess – you want me to rush more gear for them. Alright, I’ll do it.»

«We won’t send them up front, but some simple armor and swords should be both mobile enough – »

« – and not too hard to gain some proficiency, to train together and become a unit, effective and united,» Iskrila finished Sabiri’s thought.

The enchanting effect of Sabiri’s safe return disappeared at once, replaced by the uncontrollable urge to do whatever she possibly could for her. In an instant, Iskrila recalled what supplies they had left, how many spare hands could do the job, how many pieces of gear she needed to make.

«We’ve got just a week left.» Iskrila suddenly stood up. «I need to start right away. Will you clean up?»

Sabiri smiled. «Of course I will. What a strange question?»

Iskrila was about to open the door, but something stopped her. The bow-knot! She went back and put it on. This time, it wasn’t so bizarre a feeling, but it was still so cool!

«Don’t ruin it in the smithy!» Sabiri said.

«I won’t!»

The door closed, leaving Sabiri alone. From out the window she watched Iskrila hurrying away, ready to carry on her request. Was she worthy of Iskrila’s efforts? Was she willing to do as much for her? Sabiri felt she knew the answer, but could she do the same for the whole village?