Читать книгу Hidden Enemies - Steve Reilly - Страница 9

The small fire burning in the iron hearth cast flickering shadows on the walls of the room. Obiri sat in a large padded chair and considered what he had been told by Camille. He was not surprised. He had known that humans could be dangerous and cruel from the histories passed down through generations and more recent stories he had heard had convinced him of their truth. The story of the auch’s fight for freedom was still told around the fires during longnights, though Obiri feared that many did not believe the tales these days. This was the reason that auchs had isolated themselves from humans for the last seven centuries. “I very sad for you,” he told Camille. “I not know your mother but meet you. Hear truth in your story. Make Obiri sad.”

Camille thanked Obiri but told him the time of grieving had passed. “For now I need to rest and stay away from the men who hunt me,” she told him. “In time I would like to see those responsible brought before the king for justice.”

Obiri poured fresh glasses of minted water for his guests while he considered what he would do next. “I no think auchs able help seek justice. Auchs no do this,” he finally told her. “Many years auchs stay away from humans. No put people at risk for you get revenge. But Camille stay Konungssonur, be safe.”

Aiyu spoke up. “Lowlanders chase Camille. Holdbori bring her to auchs. He protect her. Holdbori tell Aiyu help her. Auchs should help.”

Obiri looked at him and Aiyu squirmed under the gaze. “I no say Auchs not help Camille,” he told Aiyu. “I say auchs stay away from humans.” He turned to Camille and smiled. “You stay at Konungssonur. There more like you live here.”

“More like me?” she asked.

“Yes, four come last four seasons,” Obiri explained. Camille’s head spun with the news - four others driven from their homes and finding their way here! From what she had overheard she had believed that hers was an isolated case driven by greed.

“Something happen in lowlands,” Aiyu said. “Auchs do nothing, more come. Auchs be found. We can no hide now. World begin change. Time for auchs change too.”

Obiri ignored the comments and instead asked Aiyu how Bhata and the children were managing and if they were still enjoying their time on the farm. While they chatted, Obiri considered Aiyu’s comments about Holdbori and what the spirits wanted. Aiyu was in the middle of a question about friends in the city when Obiri interrupted and asked him to open the door. The conversation had barely started again when a young auch appeared in the opening.

“Obiri need something?” he asked.

“Yes, Urak. Find Kallu, tell I need her call Torkeen. Next bring Alayna here.” Urak left, closing the door behind him.

“Who are Kallu and Torkeen?” Camille asked.

Aiyu answered her. “Kallu next clan elder. Obiri teach her lore of auch people. Torkeen no auch. Torkeen meeting of clan elders. One elder speak for one clan. Important decisions affect all auchs need more elders talk. Torkeen speak for all Sysla. Now must wait for elders gather and talk.”

Obiri told her, “I no think auchs can help but hear Aiyu words. I speak at Torkeen and say this. You will speak too, and Aiyu. Then Torkeen decide.”

“I understand and thank you,” she told Obiri. “I will not ask that auchs put themselves at risk for me and I do not seek revenge. I know there will come a time when these men will be forced to stand to account for their actions.”

The door opened to reveal Urak. “Kallu organise messengers to leave in morning. Alayna here,” he said stepping aside to allow a woman to enter. She was tall and thin with long grey hair flowing down her back. She wore a long sleeved red velvet dress with a high collar, drawn at the waist and falling to the floor. The top was patterned with yellow jagged flashes. Her drawn face was clear of any marks and Camille, guessing her age to be nearly seventy, thought that she had once been a beautiful woman. Alayna’s eyes widened when she saw Camille though she said nothing.

“Alayna, this Camille. She will stay Konungssonur. See she comfortable,” Obiri asked of her.

“Of course,” she said, turning to Camille. “Follow me.” Camille rose and thanked Obiri before following Alayna and Urak out of the room.

As they walked, Alayna said to Camille, “Girl, I have many questions but there are three others who would hear your story as well.” Urak led them over a series of galleries before stopping in front of a door carved with the image of a crescent moon. Alayna told Camille that the auchs had made the symbol on the door in the hope of assisting her and the others in finding their own rooms. “We know when we are here,” she admitted, “but we still have no idea of how to get here.” She opened the door and entered followed by Camille. The furniture in the house was smaller than she had seen in Aiyu and Obiri’s homes, more suitable for people of her size, which she found comforting. The front of the room held a plain table and chairs with a cooking fire set up at one end. The back of the room was divided into curtained cubicles.

“Is that you, Alayna?” a voice called from behind the curtains.

“Yes,” Alayna replied, “and I am not alone.”

An olive-skinned face wrapped in blonde curls appeared through the curtains. “Well, I’ll be a flea’s backside,” it said before disappearing. Moments later a woman joined them still buttoning up the yellow dress she had obviously rushed to put on. It was decorated with a similar pattern to the dress her mother had worn. “Who is this, then?” she asked.

“Girl, this uncouth woman is Marie. She joined us last year. I have been here for three years. Marie, this is Camille. I know no more than that Obiri has asked us to care for her. Now, where are the others?” Alayna asked.

“They should be back soon. They have gone to collect supplies,” Marie told her.

“Then we will wait for them. Marie, make us some tea. Come and sit down, Camille. There will be more than enough time for your story when the others return.” Camille asked them where they get their supplies.

“The auchs treat us well and see to our needs,” Marie told her.

Alayna went on, “We only need to go out and tell the first auch we see that we need food and they take us to the storehouses and give us what we want.”

“What do they want in return?” Camille asked.

Alayna said that in the three years she had been in the city the auchs had asked for nothing. She explained that the auchs were a very communal society. “Everything is there for the whole community. It seems that they need the close contact with each other that their society creates,” she said. “Each auch only takes what he or she needs and if anything needs to be done, whoever is able does the work. It sounds strange but it works. We offer our services but they tell us that others are more suited to do what is needed. Konungssonur is essentially a farming community and the auchs are bigger, stronger and faster. They are far more able to do the work, but we help where we can. This leaves us with much free time.”

Marie served the tea and Camille raised the cup to her lips. It had a sour citrus flavour but was quite refreshing. Something nagged at her about Alayna’s statement. “But what of Aiyu and his family?” she asked. “If auchs need the closeness of the community then why have they isolated themselves from it?”

“As far as I can tell,” Alayna said, “Aiyu and others like him have volunteered for this isolation as their work for the community. Their stories say that many generations ago an auch known as Ngai the Great led them away from humans to hide in the mountains and for all these generations the auchs have lived with the fear that they will be discovered. Families agree to live above the great cliff they call the Edge and watch for any possible intrusion by humans. I do not know why, but their distrust of lowlanders, as they call us, is a major factor of their lives. Some families may last there for five or six seasons but most only stay for one or two. When they can no longer tolerate the isolation, another volunteers to replace them.” Before she could ask any more questions Camille heard voices outside. The door opened to reveal two more women with arms full of vegetables who were thanking someone out of sight. They shut the door, stopping when they saw Camille. “For pity’s sake close your mouths and come in,” Alayna snapped at them. She turned to Camille. “These are the other two of our little group, Lysandra and Yvonne.” Each of the women smiled as they were introduced. “This is Camille. Now put those down and get yourselves some tea so she can tell us her story. We have waited long enough for you to get back.”

While they poured the tea Camille watched them. Lysandra was a hard-looking woman with short black hair. Her dark blue dress was decorated with a light blue lace frill at the neck, cuffs and hem. Yvonne was much prettier, with long red hair falling over her shoulders. She wore a green blouse and pants with calf-high boots. The blouse was embroidered with the insignia of a tree on the left breast. When they sat, Camille began to tell her story while the women prepared the vegetables that Lysandra and Yvonne had brought back. They questioned her as she spoke and offered opinions throughout the tale. They offered sympathy at the news of the death of her mother and were surprised at her ability to outdistance and elude the hunters. With numerous interruptions the meal was cooked and eaten before Camille finished with her arrival at Konungssonur and her meeting with Obiri. Her mind was taken back to her mother again because meeting these women raised the problem of her mother’s words. She asked a question of her own. “My mother wore a similar dress to yours,” she said to Marie. “Are you also gifted with healing?”

“I am,” Marie answered simply.

“When our powers begin to mature at about your age, someone with the knowledge provides us with the clothing that tells others of these powers,” Alayna told her. “Each of us has different skills and our clothes are representative of these.”

Camille looked at the women sitting around the table. “Can you tell me what my dress means?” she asked.

Alayna’s face saddened. “That I cannot do, child,” she said. “If I were to tell you what your powers were, it would restrict your mind to my vision of your abilities. None of us know the extent of another’s powers. You must discover your own path and not restrict yourself to the limitations of other’s expectations. But I can tell you that your powers are becoming obvious to you because you have been given the dress. You must look to yourself and see what is there.”

Camille knew that, as with her mother, there would be no further discussion on the subject. “Well, can you tell me what your skills are?” she asked.

“All in good time, child,” Alayna told her. “Now it is time to rest. Tomorrow I will show you Konungssonur. For now you will sleep in Lysandra’s bed. She will share with Yvonne.” Camille protested that she would not put anyone out. “Don’t be concerned,” said Alayna. “She spends most nights in there anyway. I’m sure neither of them will object.” Yvonne and Lysandra both dropped their heads and laughed when each noticed the other.

True to her word, on the next morning Alayna took Camille walking around the city. She found it bigger than anything she had ever seen or could have imagined, but everything looked the same and she was soon lost. At one point she looked down from the galleries to see that they were above the lake and she could see fish feeding on the weeds and shellfish living on the city’s pylons. At other times they walked above rocks and stones. “How are you finding your way around?” Camille asked. Alayna told her that she had no idea where they were but that she recognised some of the buildings.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “The auchs will see us home.”

Time passed slowly for Camille. Life in Konungssonur was uneventful. It seemed to her that the other women spent their lives preparing meals and eating them, or drinking tea. She was becoming restless after being idle for five days. It gave her time to think but thinking only brought back memories that she wanted to forget. She decided that the time had come for her to do something so she rose early on the next day, left the rooms and walked to the nearest junction of galleries where she looked to see if there were any markings to indicate where each led. There were none that she could see so she walked to the next junction. Still she could see nothing to indicate where she was or where the galleries led. She backtracked and returned to the rooms.

When the others had risen she asked them, “How do the auchs find their way around the city?” Their answers were all similar. The auchs will tell you they just know and they are unwilling or unable to explain it further. “I will find out how,” she promised. Marie’s smile was one usually reserved for small children declaring they can achieve the impossible, and the indulging looks of the other women only helped to make her more determined. She rose and stamped out of the rooms, slamming the door behind her. Standing on the gallery, she wondered what she would do now. She had not stood there long when an Auch appeared and asked her if he could be of help. “Can you tell me if Aiyu is still in the city?” she asked him. The auch didn’t answer immediately but looked around the galleries. Another auch quickly approached and she asked her the same question.

“Yes. Aiyu still in Konungssonur,” she replied.

“I am Camille, a friend of Aiyu. Can you please take me to him?”

“I am Feeta. I take you to home of Aiyu,” the female auch said and turned to leave. Camille turned to thank the first auch but he was disappearing along another gallery so she hastened to catch up to her guide. They had not gone far when Feeta knocked on another plain wooden door. When it opened and Aiyu saw Camille, he smiled a big toothy grin.

She accepted his invitation to come in and have some minted water while they chatted and thanked Feeta for her assistance. She quickly turned the conversation to the subject of navigating the city. “When I was coming here,” she said, “the first auch I spoke to did not know if you had left the city. Then another was able to assist. From that I assume that auchs do not talk to each other with their minds.” She waited for his reaction.

“Auchs no able talk with minds,” Aiyu agreed.

“So how do you find your way around the city?” she asked.

“I just know,” he told her with a shrug.

“I know that you just know, but how?” she pressed.

Aiyu tried to explain. “I want go somewhere. I know I am here. I just go.”

Camille tried to think of another way to ask her question. “How do you know where your house is? Stop. I know. You just know.” She thought through her question and rephrased it. “If you want to go and see Obiri, how do you know how to get there?”

Aiyu considered his reply. “I am here. I know where Obiri live. I just go.”

Camille was becoming frustrated with his answers, or lack of them. “But if I wanted to go and see Obiri,” she asked, “how would I get there?”

Aiyu’s face lit up as he answered, “I take you.”

“You will not take me,” she snapped back. Aiyu looked at her in confusion. She tried again. “If I wanted to go and see Obiri without help from any auchs, how would I get there?”

Aiyu tried to understand what he was being asked. Finally he said, “We here. Obiri live two cells closer lake, three cells closer high mountains.”

“Cells?” she asked.

“Not know how to say,” he told her. “Some houses in cells, some houses no cell.”

Suddenly the right question came to Camille. “Is there a pattern to the houses in the city?” Aiyu told her that there was and she was happy. The pattern might not be obvious but, now that she knew that there was one, she knew that she could find it.