Chapter 5 The Vulture’s Borders
Simone had not heard any very pleasant sounds in the Fold, so the singing, when it came drifting to them from upriver, seemed to her all the more welcome. She could not make out the words, but it was merry, and the chorus—a harmonized “Wo-OH! Oh-oh-OH-oh”—approached real beauty. Yet the voices were not human.
“Looper song, or I’m a caterpillar,” was Roper’s comment. “I’ve missed it more than I knew.”
As for the boat when it appeared, it was merrier than the song, all blue, green, and brown in the evening sunlight; a flat-bottomed twenty-footer, outlandishly shaped, and except for two small rowing seats, covered with a deck. It was poled along the near bank by two of the dog folk who sang as they went:
The moon is blue, the moon is blue,
Not yellow as you thought you knew.
I say it, what I say is true.
Come dance with me, and you will see
The what and how and who!
Wo-OH...!
They began again on the chorus but were brought up short when Snag hailed them from the bank. “Loopers! There are Sarrs here in need of a ride. Come, we’ll each take a pole. It’s hard work against the current, but not if you have passengers to huff and puff for you. You can teach us a song or two and tell us the latest news.”
This was certainly not the way Snag normally talked, so Simone guessed that he was putting on his breeziest manner to ingratiate himself with the Loopers.
The taller Looper called back. “Garg, extra poles don’t help much if there’s too many in a boat. The Moonbeam’ll ride low in the water with such a crowd on her. And what’s Ulrigs doing on the Kalos so far from home? And why with a human woman and a Looper tied up? Never mind, just take hold when I pole her close. You can tell us your story when you’re on her. I’m throwing a line now. Catch!”
It was as simple as that. Simone would soon learn that with Loopers it is always as simple as that. These two, a trader and his wife, were coming back from the river villages with a small load of grain. Rinorg the boat-Looper asked the Ulrigs every question imaginable, but did not mind at all that he got few answers. He merely invited them to share from a pot of beans that was sitting in the stern, and this they did ravenously.
Rinorg shook his furry head till his ears swayed when he heard that Roper was a wanted criminal. “That kind will be taken before the king on a court day. Lose a paw, too, I’ll bet.” He brushed aside Roper’s stream of protests and lies. “Nope, if these Ulrigs meant you harm, they wouldn’t have brought you back to your own folk. I’m not interested in you, tail-wagger. I want to know about the young human here, so tall and skinny. Well, look, she’s down asleep as quick as that!—and my wife Aldee stroking her paw, I mean her hand. I never saw clothes like that on Sarr or human. Look at her shoes! What kind of animal were they made from?”
Snag and Snart did not know.
“Well, you wanted a song, so I’ll give you the other half of the one you’ve heard. We’ll keep it low for the girl’s sake.”
Once five is five, twice five is ten,
And when you’ve been where you have been,
Divide by two and count again.
Come dance with me, and you will see
The who and what and when!
Wo-OH! Oh-oh-OH-oh!
His Looper wife harmonized on the chorus, and Roper also joined in.
Simone woke, as was becoming usual, to the sound of Sarrs arguing. Rinorg’s voice had ascended to a whine.
“No! I’ll not go any farther by night. We’re almost in the Vulture’s pale now. It’s safe enough by day, but at night they spread out. There’s things in there that scare me worse, Captain Snag, than that sword of yours at my throat. Don’t you understand? They’ll get you too. Black things. Bears. Or things that used to be bears. I’ve never had no trouble with real bears, myself. And flying things, bloodsuckers. Rum knows what else. A different monster for every minute of the night, as like as not. That’s the Vulture’s way.”
Simone saw that the last light was fading from the western sky. The Moonbeam was tied up to a tree branch and swaying ever so slowly in the weak current.
“What’s this Vulture,” she interrupted. “Is he a Sarr?”
“No, Lady,” Snart said. “Whatever he is, they say he was already here when the Sarrs came to the Fold more than four thousand years ago.”
“He’s been in that swamp of his ever since,” added Rinorg, “and caused more misery and hurt than anyone can count.”
“Some say,” said Roper, “that he’s a hundred times the size of a normal bird. They say he captures other birds and animals and does such things to them that they end up possessed, full of evil spirits.”
Simone thought of the thing that had killed Raspberry. “And you say he does it with bats?”
Roper shuddered. “Those are the worst, Lady. To be walking at night and not know when or from what direction they’ll come swooping down, or how many! I’d sooner be killed on the spot than travel this part of the river by night. If we’re going on, at least let me have my paws free!”
Snart said to Snag, “Maybe we should wait till morning.”
“No,” said Snag firmly. “These stories of the Vulture are surely exaggerated, and everything depends on our speed. We must pass the Forest before rumors spread about us, or we’ll be captured by Loopers or Lusettas or humans. Who knows but that more Looper boats will be along soon from downriver? We must keep ahead of our own report.”
“But you said the Foresters would help us on our way,” Simone said.
“If they don’t know who you are!” Snag snapped. He turned to meet the wide, questioning eyes of the boat Loopers. They were wise enough to keep still. “Snart! Untie the boat and grab a pole. We’re going on.”
The Looper wife Aldee stirred. “If you’re going to make us go, then give us our poles,” she said quietly. “Just one a-poling is not enough, and I’d rather die doing something than sit here waiting for them to get us.”
So the couple were given their poles and the Moonbeam slipped along in the darkness of the trees, hugging the west bank—the side farthest from the Vulture’s land. They went as quietly as possible.
Early in their journey, Snag handed Simone a knife. “This is for the Fijat Killers,” he whispered. “If any land on you, you must stab them as quickly as possible. Also, if we’re about to be captured, use it to kill yourself. You must, you understand?”
He went to the prow, drew his sword, and stood watch. Nothing happened for a long time, but Simone noticed that the Sarrs kept watching the far bank. Then Simone heard Aldee beside her suck in air suddenly. At once there was a crashing and crackling in the underbrush on the bank. Simone stared intently, but it was a full minute before she saw them. Large, dark shapes were moving down toward them. Snag must have seen them too, for he hastily put down his sword and took up a spare pole. Aldee paused long enough to hand a pole to Simone. Then without a word, all five of them pushed desperately. Only Roper was unable to help, bound as he was.
As they began to pick up speed, they heard splashes behind them. Simone looked back and saw a great, ursine head protruding out of the water and moving toward them, against the current. The thing could swim! She poled till her sides ached and her arms were exhausted, and little by little, she saw the thing left behind. Finally, they had to slow their pace, but however tired, no one stopped poling. Perhaps a half hour passed, and the river broadened into a lake. As they passed along the shore, they relaxed a bit for there was now a quarter mile of water between them and anything on the Vulture’s side.
Aldee was two feet shorter than Simone, but apparently felt a motherly interest in the young of any species. She leaned near. “Don’t be afraid, darlin’. Rinorg and I both hold with Karasis.”
“That’s nice,” said Simone uncomprehendingly. “What’s Karasis?”
Aldee i
gnored her question. “He’ll see us through. Now just pray whatever you’ve been taught to say to Karasis, and keep your eyes up and east. If they come, they’ll come from there, and thank the Rum we’re in a place where we’ll get a little warning.”
This at least Simone felt she understood all too well. She looked out intently. “I—I think I see them,” she said.
“Yes, they’re coming,” Aldee said calmly. “Lay your pole down, dear, and get out your knife.”
The others, too, had seen the dark flittering forms against the sky. In a moment they had put away their poles and drawn weapons.
“Snart,” Snag ordered, “one of us on each side of the Lady.” They moved to defend Simone.
“Please,” Roper gasped from the floor of the boat. “Please cut me loose and get me a knife, if you love Ulrumman. I promise I won’t run, I promise! I can’t stand to think of them landing on me, and me not able to even whack at them. Cut me loose, or I’ll throw myself in the river!”
Simone crouched down near him.
“No!” Snag snarled. “Only by my orders. Get away from him.” But Simone cut through Roper’s belt that had been used to bind him.
“Thank you, Lady,” he cried, licking at her arms and face. “Thank you for your mercy. You’re worthy of your great lineage or I’m a—”
“Silence!” Snag commanded with a glance at Rinorg and Aldee. “One more word about that and I’ll kill you, Roper, before the robalts do.”
Rinorg quietly handed Roper a knife, and a moment later the cloud of Fijat Killers descended. For her part, Simone was more angry than afraid. One of these things had killed Raspberry, and she was determined to pay them back. She found however, as they all did, that the Fijat Killers swirled and hovered just out of reach, seeming to move effortlessly to dodge any blow. And they were hard to see.
The Sarrs and Simone stood in a line, swinging swords, jabbing with knives, even using oars; but the Killers were untouchable. At this rate, thought Simone, she would soon drop from exhaustion and the Killers would swarm over her. A wing tip clipped the side of her head, and a moment later it happened again. They were getting bold. She began to panic.
“It’s no use,” panted Aldee beside her. “We’ve got to get under cover. They can’t bite through a thick tarpaulin. Here, can’t we just—”
“No!” said Snag. “Straws! Do you have any straws?”
“You mean for breathing under water? No, we don’t have any.”
“Then we’ll just have to try it without. Everyone in the lake and splash them!”
Simone jumped over the side with the others and found that, so near the shore, even the Loopers could stand with their heads above water. She stuffed her knife in her belt, crouched till her chin touched the water, and began to splash at the Killers. The others were doing the same, creating fountains of spray. They found that even the bat-things could not dodge a spray of water, and oh how they hated it! Some few that were really drenched collided with the lake’s surface and skittered toward the shore. The rest withdrew to a safer distance. In a few minutes it was unnecessary to splash at them, except occasionally when one flew near to test them. The rest hovered a dozen feet over the Moonbeam. Simone even dared to imagine that a few of the things were departing back toward the east and said as much to Aldee.
“Yes, dear, they’ll have to give up,” Aldee barked. “They can’t bite fish! Your Captain Snag has outsmarted them.”
Little by little the cloud of Killers thinned until only a few flitted here and there. The travelers waited until these few were gone, then waited quite a while longer. Finally, they hauled themselves wearily over the Moonbeam’s sides and for a while did gloriously nothing but talk about what had just happened. Sitting on the deck, Simone found herself hugging Roper on one side and Aldee on the other and wondered if she might grow fond of these dog-folk.
At last Snag reminded them that they must go on. “That’s right,” said Roper. “We’re not past the Vulture’s land yet, and if we stay here those hulking, swimming things will catch up to us. Let’s pole.”
Simone thought that Roper said this last with more enthusiasm than necessary. He was undoubtedly hoping the Ulrigs would forget that he was supposed to be tied up. Snag seemed willing to let the matter go for now, so Roper took a turn at one of the poles, and they glided on along the shore. The lake eventually narrowed and became a river again, the banks closing in beside them nearer than before.
“Uh, Snag?” Roper ventured. “I recall there’s a place a few miles along where the old Ursan bridge used to be. Some of the bridge still sticks out over the water on the Vulture’s side. If there’s more trouble, I’m guessing it’ll be there.”
Rinorg and Aldee agreed, for though little was known about roads in the Vulture’s land, a road—or the remains of one—must come down to the river from that direction. As the discussion of their poor prospects continued, Simone made the mistake of lying down. She did not intend to sleep, but fell off in about half a minute.
Aldee woke her. “Up, child,” she whispered, “and not a sound. We’re near where the bridge used to be. See where I point.”
Simone got on her knees, finding that the boat under her was tied to the bank in the shadow of some willow-like trees. Yes, a dark mass extended over part of the river from the east bank. On top of this and about ten feet above the water, some large creature appeared to be moving. No, more than one.
“Rinorg thinks the rodroms, the bear things, are probably on the right bank as well as the left. They want to scare us toward the right bank, into a trap. That’s why they’re showing themselves on the bridge. Of course, they don’t know we’re here, but they expect us.”
“So what’ll we do?” Simone whispered.
“Strike an even distance between the banks and row for our lives. It’s too deep in the middle for poling, so Rinorg and I will row. We’ve been dumping our cargo to lighten the load.” The Looper paused and laid a paw on Simone’s forearm and spoke in a whisper. “Rinorg and I would like to know—should we—might some call you by a more exalted title than Lady?”
Simone was silent, wishing she could speak freely with this new friend.
“The highest of all then? Will you not speak? But wait, I am answered in my heart.”
Aldee might have said more, but Snag now slipped back to them from the front of the boat. “We’re going to try something dangerous, Lady,” he said. (Simone just did keep from saying something sarcastic about how safe the river journey had been so far.) “We probably can’t row fast enough to escape the enemy coming from the banks. Snart and I will use poles to push off from the beasts themselves. That may keep us ahead of them.” He paused. “Lady, I’m sorry for my misjudgment in trying the river at night. I will never....” He trailed off.
“You’re sorry about your misjudgment,” Simone echoed flatly. “Is that you’re way of saying it’s hopeless? Well, let’s get on with it.”
“We could, of course, stay where we are,” Snag continued as if he had not heard. “But it’s very likely that the other rodroms have followed us upstream in order to close the, uh, trap.”
“I said let’s get on with it.”
“Very good, Lady.”
At that moment, from not far downstream, came the sound of barks, snarls, and booming growls.
“They’ve caught up to us,” Snag said. “Push off, Snart, and you, Rinorg and Aldee, row hard.” Snag leaped forward, crouched with a pole in his paw, and peered ahead. Their small hope of surprise was lost. The terrific noise coming from behind them had alerted the enemy. Even as they reached the middle of the river and began to near the broken bridge end, great beasts splashed into the water ahead of them, rodroms, the black bears of the Seelkir.
Rinorg and Aldee brought the Moonbeam ever so slowly toward the line of these creatures, steering toward a gap between two of them.
“You must
not be captured,” Snag shouted, looking back at Simone. “Use your knife on yourself.” Then he leaped to his feet, pole held high, and tried to poke one of the floating monsters in the head. This only drove it under water. Meanwhile, the clamor behind them continued, like a hundred bears fighting a thousand dogs. The river was a nightmare of noise and darkness.
At the rear of the boat, Snart, and Roper too, had seized poles, so Simone did likewise and stood forward by Snag. They were nearly parallel to the bridge end now, and the rodroms were closing in on them. Waves from the movement of their bodies were rocking the Moonbeam. Even in the darkness and confusion, it was clear that the boat would not get through. Simone jabbed with her pole at one of the attackers and somehow missed. Then she felt the boat collide with something and begin to turn broadside to the current. A rodrom’s great, dripping head came out of the water just at her feet. Too close to jab with her pole, Simone backed away screaming. Behind her a growl reverberated. The rear of the boat dipped. The sound of claws ripping wood. Her companions barking and howling. The boat was going over!
Simone dropped the pole, crouched, steadied herself, and jumped over the rodrom in front of her, cutting the water in a clean dive. She remained submerged long enough to kick off her shoes and then surfaced and swam with all her strength, not pausing to think where she was going. Oddly, her only thought was that this water was very cold compared to the shallows she had splashed in earlier. She reached a bank before the rodroms reached her. But the nightmare continued for, dragging herself from the water, she saw it was the east bank. She fled into the Vulture’s Forest.
“Ka Sisskame! Ka Sisskame! Ka Sisskame!”
The shout rose above ferocious growling and splashing, and Simone paused in the ravine she had stumbled into. A terrific fight seemed to be raging back on the river. She could hardly imagine that her few traveling companions were raising such a shout or putting up such a fight. What was happening?
She tried to clear her mind as she inched along a very narrow ledge in the stony ravine wall. Perhaps, she hoped, the rodroms would be too thick of body to follow her here. On the other hand, they could probably climb anywhere. She fingered the knife handle at her belt and wondered what it would be like to use it on herself. (She had no doubt that she could do it.) What made it so necessary that she do so? Snag had not said, and it made her sick with fear to imagine the possibilities.
A few moments later, the ledge petered out. Unless, she wished to go back, she would have to stay where she was on the rock wall, a sheer drop of many feet below her and an impossible climb to the ravine edge above her.
“All right, then,” she whispered gamely to herself, “I’ll go back. There’s no other way, so that’s what I’ll do.”
But she did not move, and at first she did not know why. Slowly, she acknowledged that she was paralyzed with terror. She could not go back toward the sounds of those ghastly rodroms. She leaned against the ravine wall and looked up. Stars. Lost children of Ulrumman.
“Well, what’s become of You?” she said to the sky. “No guts to come down here and give a little help? What about all those fine promises?”
Of course, no one answered. Down on the river the noise was dying down and receding. Slowly, slowly, the minutes passed, the night passed, and finally the forest calm returned. Simone felt that she simply had to go back, if only to keep herself from falling asleep and pitching off the ledge. Her knees were weak. Still she did not move. She pictured the great head of the rodrom emerging from the river by the Moonbeam; the dead, staring eyes of the Fijat Killer by the fence row at home; and her heart turned to water. She could hardly breathe from fear.
Presently, she heard something skittering on the stone ledge back along the way she had come. She pulled out her knife and listened, wide-eyed. It was coming nearer, something low to the ground and light weight. She called herself an idiot: it must be some harmless, nocturnal animal. But then again, was anything harmless in the Vulture’s forest? Within six feet of her it stopped. It spoke.
“Human, have you come through a door from the Old World?”
That scratchy little voice! Raspberry was dead, but— “Are you a Fijat?” she asked.
“Yes. I’m the Misar Fijat Mald of the Nasseelkir, adjutant of the Council of the Forest Obscure. Please tell me, girl, is your mother Susan Tanner?”
“Yes, yes, I’m Simone her daughter. Did you—did you know the Fijata—”
“That’s all I need to know,” said Mald. “No time for anything else, great Lady. Return with me, please, to the river.”
Simone at last found her legs and began to slip along the ledge. “But why to the river?” she asked. “Isn’t that the most dangerous—”
“Shhh! Not a sound. The rodroms and other evil things are prowling. Quiet now, Lady.”
Simone followed Mald the short distance back to the Kalos, and there he left her while he searched upstream along the bank. Soon he returned.
“One boat remains, Princess Simone. The others were broken up by the rodroms.”
“But there was only one to begin with,” Simone corrected in a murmur.
“Others followed you,” Mald said, “and I with them. Fifteen Loopers in five boats, and they fought the rodroms. My challenge now is to pull the remaining boat free from the bank and paddle it here. I’m afraid I’m too small, but you, on the other hand, are too large to risk leaving the trees, whether to go under the bridge or across the road above. I smell rodroms. No, stay here. I’ll go try to move the boat, since it’s the only way. I may be able to stay on the bank and pull it along by a line.”
She heard him scurry off again, and this time the wait was long. She stood numb and drained, too tired to watch for the boat. At last it came, gliding along the bank to pause in front of her; and on the aft end was a Looper with a pole. Without questioning this, Simone walked forward into the water and climbed onto the deck. She laid herself down. The boat moved upstream again, and as it did, a robin sang. Dawn was near.