Читать книгу Elinor. The Deserted Valley. Book 1 - Mikhail Shelkov - Страница 16

The dark contours of the fortress of Lauhan, the southernmost outpost of the Ito Empire, appeared out of the thick fog. With each step, everything grew lighter. Signal lights of fortress towers cut the dense white shroud with saving rays.

The group approached the defense ditch.

Just in time!

The bridge has not been raised yet. The Itoshins, unlike other people – Djunits or the traitor-Mechanicum – never used clocks, but the sharp eye of an experienced watchman could always identify the exact time according to the density of the fog. When the time of haze and darkness came, all the bridges rose, windows and shutters on the houses were tightly locked, and bonfires were built on the open areas of the roofs of houses. This was how the Ito Empire met the advent of the time of demons. The demons were scared of the fire, and the defenses of the Itoshins were becoming more effective every year.

This war has lasted for many centuries, but sooner or later the Itoshins will win it!

E’Do gestured Do’Ayve to come to the gate, while he himself turned to the illa.

“Thank you, our good guide! Once again, I propose you share dinner with us at Lauhan, and to go on the return journey in the morning.”

“Thank you, valiant udoğan E’Do,” the illa answered sedately, “but I already said that my duty is to return to Shohan as soon as possible. In seven days’ time, I must conduct a new detachment. The night and demons do not frighten me, for the light that I carry in myself will be stronger than them.”

An illa was what the Itoshinian people called the guides in the fog. The illas were endowed with a special power. They did not become warriors, but at the same time, they possessed the great power of light. They could pass through the most impenetrable veil and not stumble once. Demons did not touch them, for they felt the light. Illas could not take up a sword – thus had their fate been determined!

When an illa was born in an Itoshinian family, there was a feast in the house. Yellow lanterns were hung out on the street, and happy parents gave out sweets to neighbors. The life of the Itoshins was severe, but sometimes there a place for joy to be found. And the birth of an illa was a great joy, for together with the illa, the light was born.

All the illas were white-haired, with thin light skin. All wore white clothes.

An illa named Kanu was one of the most skillful. The Emperor had personally instructed him to lead the detachments to the south, to Laukhan.

The weaker illas journeyed with caravans. But caravans moved along trade routes, where the fog was not as dense, and demons attacked much less often. The strongest illas went into the thickness of the fog under special orders of the glorious Tosho.

Now was just such a case.

The Valley had become deserted. Caravans had stopped coming to Shohan. The Emperor had commissioned the best udoğans to collect the troops and reach the Great Cities as soon as possible. Only the most skillful illas were to lead these detachments, those who found the most difficult and dangerous, but fastest routes.

Do’Ayve had already approached the gate of the fortress and knocked loudly.

“Who’s there?” came a hoarse voice.

“Let the immortal Emperor Tosho be glorious! My name is Do’Ayve. I am the assistant to the valiant udoğan E’Do. Our detachment heads off to the Valley and asks for permission to spend the night in the fortress.”

“May the Emperor be glorious!” the reply sounded from the gate. The heavy shutters creaked, the stretches shook.

“My name is Mitsu,” said a gray-haired guard as he emerged from the gateway toward Do’Ayve. He looked about fifty-five, but it was always considered a sign of cowardice to live until gray hairs. However, Do’Ayve paid attention to the fact that the duty man did not have a right hand. This immediately changed his opinion about the man. For a warrior, nothing was worse than losing the opportunity to fight! And a man who lost his right hand in battle was no longer a warrior. Therefore, only respect could be shown to the gray-haired Mitsu. He had not given up, he helped the soldiers’ cause as best he could, standing at the gate, to warn of danger, to let good people into the fortress and put up fortifications.

“Forgive me that it took so long,” Mitsu continued. “The demons are getting more cunning and sly. Now they sometimes come in the haze. You were lucky. It’s already time to lift the bridge!”

“There is nothing to ask forgiveness for, honored Mitsu. You are fulfilling your duty. We really were in a hurry! We left Shohan a week ago.”

“A week?” Mitsu was surprised. “You were led by a truly great illa!”

“It’s hard to argue with that!”

E’Do approached the gate, and the guard bowed low to him.

The detachment walked into the fortress. First the tall, experienced fighters entered, then the yauls, and, lastly, several young apprentices. Apprentices were forbidden from going into the mist before giving oath to the Dotsu Code and being initiated as soldiers of the Empire, but this was a special occasion. These young men and several girls were fluent in the Common Language, and the udoğan reasoned that in the Valley, such a weapon could sometimes be more useful than a loyal sword.

“Close the gate and lift the bridge!” E’Do ordered the guard. “No good guests will be coming today!” He then turned to his detachment, “Go straight to the keep of the udoğan Goro!”

The streets of Lauhan presented a gloomy scene. There weren’t many happy sights in the lives of the Itoshins. But still, nighttime Shohan was magnificent.

The torches are reflected on the black surface of Moon Lake. Houses are flooded with a magical light. If you go out to the battlefield and draw your sword, the reflections of the moon and the stars will begin to walk along its sharpened edge. Could anything in the world be above this beauty?

For a young and skillful warrior such as Do’Ayve, nothing could! Almost nothing.

Complete darkness fell over Lauhan. Only signaling fires burned on special sites of extension attachments to the roofs of houses. “If you didn’t light a fire, wait for the night guest” went the old Itoshinian wisdom.

The kindling was being lit in the houses. The windows glowed with faint radiances. It seemed the people of Lauhan had already gone to bed, but then awoke, disturbed by the roar of heavy steps and the clanking of metal. A few gawkers poked their heads out from behind the window shutters.

“May the Emperor Tosho be glorious!” one shouted out, apparently distinguishing in the fog the armor of udoğan E’Do.

“May the Emperor be glorious,” he replied calmly.

The houses in the city were simple: the foundations made of stone, the walls made of thick logs smeared with clay, the roofs covered with poisonous thorn. The roads were covered with polished stone – not for beauty, but for practicality. The fogs in Lauhan were particularly damp, and the roads quickly turned into mud. If the pavement was not laid with stones, soon a real mud marsh would start inside the fortress.

The keep of udoğan Goro towered among the low houses like a black cliff. The tower was built in the shape of a pyramid: a heavy monolith at the base, the next level a less massive block, the next even less, the uppermost a stone cone. Signal bonfires burned in every top corner of each tier, with the largest on the dais. The keep, like the whole city, was built of stones, wood, and clay.

The towers’ wards called out to the detachment. Do’Ayve had already stepped forward to answer, but E’Do answered instead. Silence reigned on the tower for a while and then the answer followed, “The venerable udoğan Goro is expecting the valiant udoğan E’Do in his chambers!”

The inner gates swung open.

“Todo, you are in charge!” ordered E’Do. “Do’Ayve, you come with me!”

The detachment contained itself near the stone foundation of the keep. The yauls were driven into a group and guarded.

Do’Ayve followed the udoğan. The stairs leading up were incredibly uncomfortable, high, and slippery. Do’Ayve thought that an Itoshin should not complain about such inconvenience, but then he heard his commander swear about the layout of the tower.

“Mustn’t a warrior get used to everything?” Do’Ayve asked with surprise.

“Yes,” E’Do replied. “A warrior must know how to climb steep rocks, walk on mountain paths, move in a fog. But if we build a citadel, we must build it so that it helps the soldier and doesn’t get in his way! These steps could have been made in a more convenient manner. Then a warrior would spend less effort on climbing them, investing more forces in his stroke in a fight with the demon instead!”

It was not for nothing that E’Do was the Emperor’s favorite udoğan. Valor and strength were not his only distinctive features; so were wisdom and discretion. And, again, Do’Ayve couldn’t disagree with his commander.

The reception hall of udoğan Goro was furnished in a simple and coarse manner, thus matching the whole fortress. The only decoration of the hall was the weapons hung on the walls, and stuffed demons – a personal collection of the defeated enemies of Goro. Each udoğan usually created a collection of the most terrible individuals. This tradition had started from the Emperor.

“May the omnipotent Emperor Tosho be glorious!” E’Do and Goro cried out at the same time, and afterwards enveloped each other into a strong, manly embrace.

Do’Ayve kneeled down on one knee before the udoğan of Lauhan.

Goro was a man of mature age, in appearance about forty. He greeted his guests without armor, in a light canvas tunic laced with a rope belt. Apparently, he believed the regalia of an udoğan were unnecessary in this reception. The hands and face of Goro were entirely covered with scars. The demons had left many memorable marks with their claws. The udoğan stood straight and proud, his voice penetrated with steel.

E’Do and Do’Ayve were offered rough wooden chairs to sit on. Goro himself settled in a broader armchair, carved from stone and covered with yauls’ skin. He looked inquiringly at Do’Ayve. The young warrior felt a little uneasy.

“This is my assistant!” E’Do explained. “I keep no secrets from him.”

“He’s too young!” Goro noted, but Do’Ayve was used to such remarks in his address by now.

“At eighteen, he has killed as many demons as the common Itoshin doesn’t kill in his entire life!” E’Do answered in his assistant’s defense. Do’Ayve was flattered by such an intercession.

“It’s commendable,” said Goro, and paused for a moment. “So, to the Valley?”

“To the Valley!” E’Do confirmed. “That’s why I wanted to ask for a piece of advice from a worldly-wise udoğan.”

“Advice on what?”

“Advice on what should I do. I know how to fight demons, and I’m good at it. My warriors do it just as well. But there are no demons in the Valley.”

“Ye-e-ah,” Goro drawled, “There’s something worse than the demons in the Valley. You know, brave E’Do, I’m glad that I’ve returned to the lands of the Empire. I am glad the Emperor leaves me to be the udoğan of Lauhan and does not send me to the south. I find it easier here. I’m just like you – I know how to fight demons and do it just as well. This is my occupation, my essence, the essence of the warrior – and I like it. Wars must be carried out by the sword, and in the Valley, that is not always so. But I’m glad that it is you who is heading there! You are young, brave, and devoted to the Emperor! And your fighters are devoted to you. What else is needed?”

“Tell me about the clans!”

“About the clans? Why such an interest?”

“The Emperor allowed me and my warriors to join clans,” E’Do replied.

“Is that so?” Goro fell deep into thought.

For several centuries, the Itoshins had sent military detachments to the Valley to patrol the cities and retain order. The single duty of an Itoshin was always to serve the Emperor. And if the Emperor sent the Itoshins to the Valley, then the Itoshins had to obey the rulers of the Valley, as they did the Emperor. However, at first, the udoğans faced the fact that the burgomaster of one city could give an order that differed from the order of the burgomaster of another city. Therefore, Emperor Tosho sent a messenger to the Valley with a demand to work out a single law the Itoshins would obey. Since then, the burgomasters had become powerless over the warriors of the Empire. Only the Council of Four could give special orders. The Itoshins had also cut at the root all theft, robbery, smuggling, counterfeiting, fights with arms, vagrancy, and begging. For such violations, they denounced those guilty of the crime to a city prison, where it was the local court that passed decisions. Moreover, the Itoshins could sentence individuals with death for murder, necromania, and human trafficking on the spot, but such an order had to be given personally by the udoğan, and only in the case of an emergency.

The Itoshins never joined the clans. However, now the Emperor had lifted the ban due to special circumstances.

Udoğan E’Do led his troops not just to protect the order; he had received a personal task from the Emperor to find out what had happened in the Valley. Do’Ayve knew all this. E’Do had no secrets from his own warriors, and the command of the ruler was quoted word-for-word. E’Do’s detachment continued to serve the Law of the Valley, but he had to act in his own interests as well. This is why the Emperor abolished the ban on joining the clans.

“The Emperor remembers your merit, faithful udoğan Goro,” E’Do added. “That’s why he advised me to ask you about the clans and life in the Valley, for you know more about it than anyone else!”

More than the other udoğans still alive.

It would perhaps have been more correct to speak so, but E’Do was choosing his words carefully. Indeed, Goro’s age was already admired. But he commanded the fortress and obviously wasn’t avoiding battles. The testimony of that was his scars, many of which were very fresh. At the same time, Goro had spent a long time in the Valley and knew a lot about it.

A modest smile spread over the stern face of the fortress owner. He obviously enjoyed the idea of gaining attention from the Emperor.

“Then I’ll say this,” Lauhanian udoğan began, “Of course you, valiant E’Do, have heard that it’s all different in the Valley. I really love our people and culture for our simplicity. There is an Emperor, and no one above him. The will of the Emperor is the only truth. And it is the udoğans that carry out this will. If you are a warrior, listen to the udoğan, the detachment commander. If you are a city dweller, listen to the udoğan, the city administrator. If you are the udoğan, listen to the Emperor. That’s it! The power lies in the simplicity.

“But that isn’t how it is in the Great Cities. Each city has its own burgomaster, and there is no unitary power. Imagine, brave udoğan, that one burgomaster conceived one thing, for example, to put a trading post between the cities, and another one wants to create a stadium at the same place. And what’s to be done? Whom to listen to? Yes, yes, to the Council of Four! There are still two burgomasters, and what if one supports a trading post and another the stadium? That’s where the clans play their part. The clans are a hidden power, and not the kind that we honor. It lies not in the speed of the stroke, but in the influence of the clan on other inhabitants of the Valley. Their beautiful words strike stronger than sharpened blades. Lies, cunningness, weaving intrigues, and endless machinations behind the back – these are the weapons of the clans! And as for the actual governance, the power of the burgomasters is emblematic. Any burgomaster in truth fulfills the will of the most influential clans.

“Even if it contradicts the Law,” E’Do offered not as a question, but rather an affirmation.

“That’s why the Emperor sends you,” Goro continued approvingly. “You are a man of insight, quick to grasp things. It took me years to realize that. At first, I believed the burgomasters were the noblest people who cared about the well-being of the inhabitants of their cities. But no, udoğan E’Do. Not all rulers are as honest and straightforward as our Emperor, let his name be praised for years and years!”

“Let it be so!” Do’Ayve replied at the same time as his commander.

“Even though you call me a man of insight, I still cannot understand how we can profit from the right to join the clans,” E’Do continued, looking into Goro’s face. “My detachment will still remain faithful to the Law, and the weaving of intrigues is alien and disgusting to me, even if it can serve a great goal. How should we act then?”

“You just answered this question yourself,” Goro chuckled.

“How?” the young udoğan frowned.

“Stay faithful to the Law!” The ruler of Lauhan got up from his chair and began to pace around the hall as his speech became more emotional. “You shouldn’t join the existing clans. Establish one of your own! Let it be ruled by someone you can fully trust. Oppose the dishonesty with your nobility, the lies – with the truth. Support the burgomasters, but rely only on the Law. The Valley is not yet populated. Even the old clans with their names and traditions will have to reinforce their positions anew. Don’t lose time – while others will be weak, strengthen your position with the power of the Law!”

E’Do became thoughtful, but in his eyes, a light flashed. He nodded slightly and thanked Goro for his kind advice. Do’Ayve had listened to him as if bewitched, thanking fate for allowing him to be present throughout the conversation of these remarkable people, the young and fair udoğan E’Do and the experienced, wise udoğan Goro.

“There is one more nuance that I want to inform you of, udoğan,” said E’Do after a short pause, “And I am sorry I did not tell you about it earlier. The emperor is in correspondence with the rulers of other nations: the Taurian konung, the Djunitian Head of The Academy’s Court, and the Governor of Bandabaze. The omnipotent Tosho insists the Great Cities unite under the rule of a single ruler until it becomes known why the Valley was emptied.”

Goro sat down in the armchair again, hands clasped at his face.

“May all of Elinor bless our Emperor for his wisdom. Living in the Valley is all I ever dreamed of. If only other people had enough sense to agree with this! You couldn’t imagine, oh fearless E’Do, how many problems could be solved at once, however,” he added intently, “if we entrust the Valley to the Taurs, they will establish the cult of their goddess in every corner. If to the Guawars, they will steamroll all the sea trade under the Bandabaze. Is it that?” Goro looked up at E’Do questioningly.

“I do not think so,” he retorted at once. “At least the divine Emperor did not say anything about that. But I’m sure he is more aware than any of us as to what’s happening and will be able to insist on the right choice of a worthy ruler.”

“Indeed,” agreed the ruler of Lauhan. “Goodness, we got carried away by this conversation, and your detachment needs some rest! You both can stay in my reception rooms.”

“We shall stay at the inn!” E’Do refused immediately. “I do not want to offend you, honored, mighty Goro, but I’m not used to having more than necessary.”

“I was informed there are children with you.”

“Apprentices!” Commander Do’Ayve corrected. “The youngest is already fourteen. Very soon they will become warriors of the Empire. There is no need to worry about them.”

“May I ask, why did you take them with you?”

“I took only those who speak the Common Language perfectly.”

“Once again, I admire your forethought! And stiffness and straightforwardness speak through you, but it is in them that the truth lies. You look very much like your father, valiant E’Do!” said Goro, concluding their conversation.

In response, E’Do bowed again and left silently, followed by Do’Ayve. He knew the difficult story of his commander and his family. Therefore, he admitted that, after such seemingly trivial words, even the unshakable E’Do’s heart would become restless.