Sahra wakened me
well before dawn, which is not my best time of day. When I opted
for a military career, we were besieged in my hometown. I just knew
that once we got out of there, we would sleep till noon, we would
eat fresh food all the time and there would be plenty of it and
never, ever, would we have to go out in the rain again. In the
meantime, I took the best I could get, which was the Black Company
during the siege, with the water fifty feet deep. The only thing
resembling fresh food was the long pig Mogaba and his Nar friends
were enjoying. Unless you counted the occasional lame rat or
slow-witted crow.
“What?” I grumbled. Personally, I am convinced that
even the priests of happy-go-lucky old Ghanghesha are not required
to be pleasant before an hour much closer to noon than this
was.
“I have to go to the Palace. You have to appear at the
library. If we want to snatch Narayan and the girl right in front
of the Greys, we need to start planning right now.”
She was right. But that did not mean I had to accept it
gracefully.
Every Company member inside Do Trang’s complex, and Banh
himself, gathered over a crude breakfast. Only Tobo and Mother Gota
were absent. But they would have no part in any of this. I
thought.
Nobody from outside could be included now, because shadows were
on the prowl.
“We got a plan all worked out,” One-Eye announced
proudly.
“I’m sure it’s one stroke of genius after
another,” I replied as I made a groggy effort to collect a
bowl of cold rice, a mango and a bowl of tea.
“First thing, Goblin goes up there in his dervish outfit.
Then Tobo comes strutting
along . . . ”
“Good morning, Adoo,” I murmured distractedly as the
gateman admitted me to the library grounds. I was worried about
leaving Goblin and One-Eye to operate on their own. My mother
instinct at work, they said, both showing nasty teeth as they
reminded me that every hen has to trust her chicks on their own
sometime. A point well made. Though few hens have to worry about
their chicks getting drunk, forgetting what they are doing and
wandering off in search of adventure in a city where there is not
even one other skinny little black man or ugly little white
character.
Adoo nodded his greeting. He never had anything to say.
Inside the library I went to work immediately, though only a
couple of copyists had arrived before me. Sometimes Dorabee focused
as intently as Sawa did. That helped turn off the worries.
“Dorabee? Dorabee Dey Banerjae!”
I started awake, amazed that I had fallen asleep. I had squatted
down on my heels in a corner, in a fashion common amongst Gunni and
Nyueng Bao but not common among Vehdna, Shadar or many of the
ethnic minorities. We Vehdna favor sitting on the floor or on a
cushion, cross-legged. Shadar like low chairs or stools. Not owning
at least a crude stool is the truest mark of poverty amongst the
Shadar.
I was in character even in my sleep.
“Master Santaraksita?”
“Are you ill?” He sounded concerned.
“Tired. I didn’t sleep well. The skildirsha were
hunting last night.” I used the Shadowlander name for the
shadows. That did not trouble Santaraksita. It had become part of
the language under the Protectorate. “The screams kept waking
me up.”
“I understand. I did not enjoy a sound sleep myself,
though not for that reason. I was unaware of the horror till I saw
its marks this morning.”
“The skildirsha show a proper respect for the priestly
class, then.”
The faintest twitch of his lip told me he had not missed the
joke. “I am properly appalled, Dorabee. This is evil unlike
any we have ever known. The blind misfortune of flood or plague or
disaster we must endure stoically. And against the darkness even
the gods themselves sometimes contend in vain. But to send out a
pack of these shadows to do murder randomly and often, and for no
reason even an insane man can comprehend, that is evil of the sort
the northerners used to preach.”
Dorabee managed a credible job of looking slack-jawed.
“I’m sorry. I’m exercised. You probably never
saw any of the outsiders.” He placed the same stress on
“outsiders” that many Taglians used when they meant the
Black Company specifically.
“I did. I saw the Liberator himself once when I was
little. And I saw the one they called the Lieutenant after she came
back from Dejagore. I was pretty far away but I remember it because
that was the same day she killed all the priests. And the
Protector. I saw her a couple of times.” I was making it up
as I went but that was the sort of thing most adult Taglians could
claim. The Company had been in and out of the city for years before
the final campaign against Longshadow and the fortress Overlook.
I rose. “I’ll get back to work now.”
“You do your job well, Dorabee.”
“Thank you, Master Santaraksita. I try.”
“Indeed.” He seemed to be having trouble getting
something out. “I have decided that you will be allowed
access to any books not in the restricted section.”
Restricted books were those not available in multiple copies. Only
the most favored scholars were allowed near those. So far, I had
been able to determine only a handful of the titles of the books so
set aside. “When you have no other obligations.” Part
of my day, every day, I spent just waiting to be told about
something I needed to do.
“Thank you, Master Santaraksita!”
“I’ll expect you to be able to discuss
them.”
“Yes, Master Santaraksita.”
“We have set our feet upon an unknown road, Dorabee. An
exciting and frightening journey lies ahead.” His prejudices
were such that he actually meant what he said. Me reading had
twisted his universe all out of shape and now he was going to
conspire in this perverted vermiculation.
I took my broom in hand. Exciting and frightening things would
be happening elsewhere in my universe. And I hated every second
that I was not there to control them.
Sahra wakened me
well before dawn, which is not my best time of day. When I opted
for a military career, we were besieged in my hometown. I just knew
that once we got out of there, we would sleep till noon, we would
eat fresh food all the time and there would be plenty of it and
never, ever, would we have to go out in the rain again. In the
meantime, I took the best I could get, which was the Black Company
during the siege, with the water fifty feet deep. The only thing
resembling fresh food was the long pig Mogaba and his Nar friends
were enjoying. Unless you counted the occasional lame rat or
slow-witted crow.
“What?” I grumbled. Personally, I am convinced that
even the priests of happy-go-lucky old Ghanghesha are not required
to be pleasant before an hour much closer to noon than this
was.
“I have to go to the Palace. You have to appear at the
library. If we want to snatch Narayan and the girl right in front
of the Greys, we need to start planning right now.”
She was right. But that did not mean I had to accept it
gracefully.
Every Company member inside Do Trang’s complex, and Banh
himself, gathered over a crude breakfast. Only Tobo and Mother Gota
were absent. But they would have no part in any of this. I
thought.
Nobody from outside could be included now, because shadows were
on the prowl.
“We got a plan all worked out,” One-Eye announced
proudly.
“I’m sure it’s one stroke of genius after
another,” I replied as I made a groggy effort to collect a
bowl of cold rice, a mango and a bowl of tea.
“First thing, Goblin goes up there in his dervish outfit.
Then Tobo comes strutting
along . . . ”
“Good morning, Adoo,” I murmured distractedly as the
gateman admitted me to the library grounds. I was worried about
leaving Goblin and One-Eye to operate on their own. My mother
instinct at work, they said, both showing nasty teeth as they
reminded me that every hen has to trust her chicks on their own
sometime. A point well made. Though few hens have to worry about
their chicks getting drunk, forgetting what they are doing and
wandering off in search of adventure in a city where there is not
even one other skinny little black man or ugly little white
character.
Adoo nodded his greeting. He never had anything to say.
Inside the library I went to work immediately, though only a
couple of copyists had arrived before me. Sometimes Dorabee focused
as intently as Sawa did. That helped turn off the worries.
“Dorabee? Dorabee Dey Banerjae!”
I started awake, amazed that I had fallen asleep. I had squatted
down on my heels in a corner, in a fashion common amongst Gunni and
Nyueng Bao but not common among Vehdna, Shadar or many of the
ethnic minorities. We Vehdna favor sitting on the floor or on a
cushion, cross-legged. Shadar like low chairs or stools. Not owning
at least a crude stool is the truest mark of poverty amongst the
Shadar.
I was in character even in my sleep.
“Master Santaraksita?”
“Are you ill?” He sounded concerned.
“Tired. I didn’t sleep well. The skildirsha were
hunting last night.” I used the Shadowlander name for the
shadows. That did not trouble Santaraksita. It had become part of
the language under the Protectorate. “The screams kept waking
me up.”
“I understand. I did not enjoy a sound sleep myself,
though not for that reason. I was unaware of the horror till I saw
its marks this morning.”
“The skildirsha show a proper respect for the priestly
class, then.”
The faintest twitch of his lip told me he had not missed the
joke. “I am properly appalled, Dorabee. This is evil unlike
any we have ever known. The blind misfortune of flood or plague or
disaster we must endure stoically. And against the darkness even
the gods themselves sometimes contend in vain. But to send out a
pack of these shadows to do murder randomly and often, and for no
reason even an insane man can comprehend, that is evil of the sort
the northerners used to preach.”
Dorabee managed a credible job of looking slack-jawed.
“I’m sorry. I’m exercised. You probably never
saw any of the outsiders.” He placed the same stress on
“outsiders” that many Taglians used when they meant the
Black Company specifically.
“I did. I saw the Liberator himself once when I was
little. And I saw the one they called the Lieutenant after she came
back from Dejagore. I was pretty far away but I remember it because
that was the same day she killed all the priests. And the
Protector. I saw her a couple of times.” I was making it up
as I went but that was the sort of thing most adult Taglians could
claim. The Company had been in and out of the city for years before
the final campaign against Longshadow and the fortress Overlook.
I rose. “I’ll get back to work now.”
“You do your job well, Dorabee.”
“Thank you, Master Santaraksita. I try.”
“Indeed.” He seemed to be having trouble getting
something out. “I have decided that you will be allowed
access to any books not in the restricted section.”
Restricted books were those not available in multiple copies. Only
the most favored scholars were allowed near those. So far, I had
been able to determine only a handful of the titles of the books so
set aside. “When you have no other obligations.” Part
of my day, every day, I spent just waiting to be told about
something I needed to do.
“Thank you, Master Santaraksita!”
“I’ll expect you to be able to discuss
them.”
“Yes, Master Santaraksita.”
“We have set our feet upon an unknown road, Dorabee. An
exciting and frightening journey lies ahead.” His prejudices
were such that he actually meant what he said. Me reading had
twisted his universe all out of shape and now he was going to
conspire in this perverted vermiculation.
I took my broom in hand. Exciting and frightening things would
be happening elsewhere in my universe. And I hated every second
that I was not there to control them.