Warriors Of Latan

Chapter 20

After all the furious preliminaries, the actual Challenge seemed almost tame, at least to Blade. After Winter Owl left the Sweet Wisdom in the hut and shut the door, the two Challengers might have gone to sleep for all anybody outside could tell.

«This is as it must be,» said Crystal, seeing Blade's annoyance. «They go so far into the Sphere of Wisdom that anyone with a weak Voice could go mad in there with them. «

«If they go so far and their Voices are so strong, isn't there danger of their Voices-leaking out?»

After a moment Crystal understood the image. «There is danger, that is all we know. Much danger. During the first of all Challenges, it is said that forty other people died or went mad. So this is not the time for you to learn more of the Voice. Would you put your hand into a fire to learn how hot it was?»

Blade shook his head. At least there was one consolation. No one in the village was allowed to use telepathy while the Challenge was being fought out. That eliminated the danger of some undiscovered enemy agent sending a warning to Ellspa. Such an agent might still be able to leave the village and warn her in person, but from Cheeky's account her hiding place was quite secluded. It would probably be daylight before they could find her. By then the warriors of the village would be scouring the countryside.

Blade also didn't mind not having anyone overhearing his thoughts, not even Cheeky. He was feeling more than a little angry with the world, Latan, and all the people in it, especially telepathic shamans with more courage than sense. Between them the Guardian and the Wise One probably knew the answers to every question about telepathy, including some he didn't know enough to ask. Now they were about to carry all their knowledge to the grave.

Blade knew that the two shamans had no obligation to him. He told himself that over and over again. It didn't help. He still wanted to pick up both shamans by the scruffs of their necks and bang their heads together until he'd pounded some sense into them.

In this mood, it was probably just as well he had no communication with Eye of Crystal. He doubted it would be very pleasant for her to learn what he was thinking about her father.

At least Winter Owl seemed to be having second thoughts about the Challenge. Perhaps he'd realized, now that it was too late, that the Guardian's glorious death was a very poor trade for the shaman's leadership in the war against the Rutari. The warrior paced up and down like a caged tiger, and when he thought no one was looking at him his face was twisted into a grim mask.

At last Winter Owl's pacing brought him close to Blade. «You took your life in your hands when you entered the hiba-gan's hut, I must tell you.»

You can't show you've got nerves like the rest of us, thought Blade.

«That was not wisdom,» Winter Owl went on. «Indeed, there may be some who doubt if you have wisdom. That is not a good thought, especially about a man with a Voice as strong as yours.»

That is not a thought at all. It's just you fussing like an old woman.

«I had thought to take you among the warriors so that you might fight the Rutari beside us. Now, I do not know if that can be. Your slaying the shpuga and your skill at nor may not be the wisdom needed by a warrior of the Uchendi. «

Blade swore under his breath. He'd been kept locked up among the Rutari because he was too valuable. Now he was likely to suffer the same fate among the Uchendi because he wouldn't kowtow to their bloody taboos!

«That must be as you wish, Winter Owl,» Blade began, more calmly than he wanted to. But Eye of Crystal had overheard the conversation, her patience was gone, and now she had to confront her uncle.

«Mother's brother, you have already been as big a fool tonight as you should be. For the love of all who may think you better than a shpuga, do not try to be a bigger fool. You say that Blade has no wisdom and that you will keep him from the battles against the Rutari. Yet he had the wisdom to see what lay under the hiba-gan's cloak and defeat the Wise One. He might not have been her only victim, either. Would your Spirits call it well done if you and my father had both joined Blade in dying because he gave too much thought to laws made by fools and children?»

«Sister's daughter, you will be-«

«I will be nothing at your command, and never silent again!» She looked angry enough to strike her uncle. Blade moved so that he could step between them if the quarrel got that far out of hand.

«And you whine of keeping him out of the war, when he has made an English weapon that can slay shpugas! A weapon that can give us a sure victory over the Rutari! A weapon he will teach us to use, if you are not such a fool as to forbid him.

«You have nearly taken away our hopes of victory by letting my father do what he is doing. Blade can give us back our victory if you let him! If you do not, then I think the Spirits have forsaken you or perhaps the Rutari bought your-«

Winter Owl's hand went up and back, for a blow that would surely have knocked Crystal sprawling to the ground. Blade moved faster. His left hand shot out and clamped down on Winter Owl's wrist. His right hand dropped to the hilt of his knife. It took all his self-control not to break Winter Owl's arm or at least sink his free hand up to the wrist in the man's stomach.

Winter Owl was too surprised at Blade's intervention to resist or even shout. That gave Blade time to control his temper. When he finally spoke, only someone who knew him very well could have told he was in a rage.

«I will not judge your wisdom as you have judged mine, Winter Owl. I simply say that Eye of Crystal is telling the truth about the new weapon. I did not tell you about it because I wished to be sure that I could teach it to others.

«Now I know that I can. I will teach it to the warriors of the Uchendi, so they may kill the shpugas of the Rutari. I will teach it to all who will learn, whether you wish me to or not. The only way you can keep me from doing this is to kill me, and I will not lie down and be easy for you to kill.

«Now let us hold our tongues about this matter until the Challenge is over, or someone is sure to hear us and take up the quarrel. Both you and I are grown men and proven warriors. We do not need others telling us what to do.»

The threat of an open challenge to his authority and the reminder about other people listening seemed to calm Winter Owl. «Very well,» he said in a level voice. «We shall be at peace with each other until the Challenge is past. Then you shall show me this weapon before you show it to anyone else.»

«That is good enough.» Winter Owl hadn't asked for any oaths and Blade hadn't given any. As long as that was so, Blade could go ahead and show archery to anyone he wanted to afterward, whatever Winter Owl said.

And some people said life among primitive peoples was simple and free! Blade's experience led him to believe that taboo and custom and oath could snarl things up just as thoroughly as the most sophisticated civilized bureaucracy!

Blade released Winter Owl, and the warrior turned back to his niece with a look in his eyes Blade didn't like. If Winter Owl was going to work off his frustrations on Crystal, the whole bloody fight might have to be done over again! But whatever Winter Owl was going to say or do, he never got around to it. Suddenly a scream broke the silence and filled the darkness. It was a woman's scream, and there was both mental and physical agony in it-more agony than any one human being could ever stand.

The scream came again, then Blade heard faint moans and the sound of retching for a couple of minutes. At last silence returned, more complete than before, as everyone wondered what the screams meant but didn't dare to ask.

Blade cuddled Cheeky in the crook of one arm and put the other around Crystal. He would have embraced Winter Owl as well, if he'd thought the man needed that human comfort in the presence of the unknown.

After what seemed like hours but could only have been a few minutes, they heard the Guardian's voice calling from within the hut. It sounded almost frighteningly normal, but Blade noticed that Winter Owl drew his knife as he moved toward the door. Blade did the same, gave Cheeky to Eye of Crystal, and kept her behind him as they went in.

The Guardian was sitting slumped in a corner of the hut, a thin trickle of blood at one corner of his mouth. His eyes were open but seemed unfocused and wandering.

In the center of the hut lay the Wise One. Blade had never seen anyone who was more obviously dead, and few more gruesome corpses. The Wise One's face was contorted with awful pain, and in her last moment she'd emptied her bladder, bowels, and stomach. She'd even managed to dislocate some of her joints with the violence of her dying convulsions. The air was so thick with foul stenches that Blade felt even his iron stomach give one or two uncertain twitches, and Winter Owl clearly felt no better.

Crystal turned green and dashed for the fresh air. She stayed out only long enough to vomit herself empty, then returned with half a dozen reluctant warriors and women. By the time they'd carried out the Wise One's corpse and started scraping the floor of the hut, the Guardian was able to speak again.

«Daughter, wife's brother, B-Blade,» he said. «The Wise One is dead. She fought hard in the Challenge, and honorably. Let her courage be remembered…» His voice trailed off.

«For myself, I swear it,» said Blade.

«I thought-English were honorable,» said the Guardian. Then with a tremendous effort he focused his eyes and took in enough breath to speak steadily. «There is one more thing I must do tonight. I must read the poison on the dagger of the Wise One's First Friend. I took from her mind the picture of its being deadly, but not what it is. If we are to face it, we must know how to heal it.»

Blade and Winter Owl looked at each other over Crystal's head. Before Blade could speak, Winter Owl nodded and said, «This will do more for the Uchendi than you think, sister's husband. Blade knows an English weapon that can hurl small spears the length of a village. It seems to be lawful, with no magic to it. If these-these-«

«Arrows,» said Blade.

«If these arrows thrown by the bow were tipped with poison, what might they do to the shpugas?»

The Guardian managed a smile. «Nothing the Rutari will rejoice at, I think. And without their shpugas- Yes, it is true. I must read the poison at once, and be sure that someone else remembers what I learn. Then you who remain behind can make the poison, and my spirit will watch our victory if my body does not. «

«Father-«began Eye of Crystal. She took a deep breath, crossed her hands over her breasts, and got herself under control. «Father, do you wish what I think you do?»

«Yes. I will cause the poison to enter my body, and you will join me in the Sphere of Wisdom while it does its work. Remember what I say and what you see as I taught you, and you will be able to make the poison as easily as the Wise One.»

«Father, I know I must help in the reading. I have the healing knowledge more than anyone else here. But must-must it be you?»

«I am dying, daughter. Indeed, I have been dying since the spring. My heart has been failing. I knew that I would be of little use next year, so I chose to die by the Challenge.»

No one said anything. They all seemed to realize there was nothing to say. The Guardian smiled. «Come, daughter. Be true to all I have taught you. I cannot condemn anyone to die by the poison just to spare your heart. The only condemned man in the village now is River Over Stones. Would you choose to spend time in his mind?»

Crystal shuddered at the idea. «His mind is like a nest of snakes at best. It will be even worse tonight. Also, he does not have the Voice so strongly. He might not be able to tell me what must be known, even if he wished to.»

«Which he will not,» said the Guardian. «Do you know what must be done?»

«Yes.» Crystal stood, blinking back the tears for a moment, then motioned to the others. «Leave us, please. «

Blade obeyed so quickly he almost felt guilty. He would have given a lot to stand by Crystal in her coming ordeal. What made it worse was that she'd brought it on herself. If she hadn't revealed the archery to Winter Owl, he would never have spoken to the Guardian. If the Guardian hadn't known about archery, he would never have insisted on this painful method of reading the poison.

But if the poison wasn't analyzed the Uchendi would lose a major weapon against their enemies. And this after losing the Guardian's telepathic skills and leadership!

As usual, there was no easy solution.

Blade had long since become reconciled to this fact of life. He still hadn't managed to get used to seeing people like Eye of Crystal ground to mincemeat by the machinery of a badly run universe.