On the first afternoon of their journey, neither Ookami nor Darq spoke much at all. Darq was content simply to drink in the sights that unfolded along their path. He could feel the power of the landscape rising around him like green-gold steam. He fancied the spectral hunters of the forest observed their progress from the shadows; weak ghosts in the afternoon. Ookami had chosen a fleet yet sturdy mount for Darq: a bay gelded colt named Follet. Darq was pleased, because he especially liked the creature. Follet was known for his stubbornness, which suited Darq perfectly. Sometimes, the colt was filled with an urge to run, when there was no stopping him, save by breaking his knees. Like Darq, Follet had learned early the advantages of taking the bit between his teeth. But today, the colt was calm, his head hung low, as they ambled along the forest path, with sunlight coming down in hot yet narrow cascades through the canopy of foliage.
Late in the afternoon, Ookami chose a place to pitch his black tent. He did not ask Darq to help him, so Darq went for a walk. They had camped near to a woodland stream; Darq took off his boots and sat on the bank, dangling his feet in the water. It was so cold, it hurt at first, but then his flesh numbed and the sensation was pleasurable. Sunlight warmed his hair and the back of his neck where the locks parted. The only things he could hear were birdsong, the ripple of the water over stones and the dull knocking sound of Ookami hammering tent pegs into the soft earth. Darq felt light of spirit, as if he could dissolve into his surroundings. These were the physical pleasures of leaving Samway behind.
Presently, the knocking died down, and Darq became aware that Ookami had crept up behind him. He turned his head. ‘Did you expect me to help you?’ Darq asked. He felt he ought to know. Perhaps a ‘sorry’ was in order.
‘You can prepare our meal,’ Ookami said.
‘I don’t know how to cook.’
‘Then learn.’
Darq could see how this skill was useful to survival. ‘Teach me,’ he said.
‘Can you hunt?’ Ookami asked.
‘You’ll need to teach me that too.’
Darq had also to learn what local fungi and plants were edible. As he cut up roots and put them into a pot, Ookami began to instruct him in the various options available to hara on the road. Darq enjoyed the education, being fond of facts. Ookami was patient. In fact, in some ways he was like a statue brought to life. He did his job and that was that.
Later, as they ate beside their fire, Ookami questioned Darq about his natural abilities, and his understanding of being Aralid, the first of the caste levels. Darq explained to Ookami that he didn’t really think such distinctions applied to him, and braced himself to defend his position.
Ookami merely nodded. ‘It will still be useful if you learn about the system,’ he said, ‘to understand where your abilities fit within it.’
‘What tribe are you from?’ Darq asked.
‘Ikutama,’ Ookami replied.
‘You look different to other hara I’ve seen. I don’t mean that rudely; you’re what hara call beautiful, I suppose.’
‘You’ve seen very little,’ Ookami said. ‘Your book is at its first page.’
Darq liked those words. He smiled, and Ookami smiled back, slightly.
‘The most important aspect of magic is silence,’ Ookami said. ‘When your mind, soul and body are quiet, you have clarity to move energy.’
‘I know that,’ Darq said. ‘I’ve been experimenting with it recently. It allows me to move among hara unseen.’
Ookami nodded. ‘That’s one aspect. You can also use it for far-seeing, for non-local communication and many other things.’
‘Is that part of Ara?’
Again, Ookami smiled. ‘Perhaps awareness of it is part of Ara, but as you have rightly deduced, some of your skills transcend the lowest levels.’
‘How can you tell? I might be exaggerating.’
‘I can tell,’ Ookami said.
‘Can I begin to learn about the swords?’
‘In time. For now, you should concentrate on journeying inward, listening to your own silence. Transcend impatience. I can see that’s a trait you have.’
Darq knew immediately that Ookami was right, even though he’d never considered that before. He realised that working with this har would not be as annoying as he’d thought it would be. He appreciated Ookami’s reserve, the way he didn’t appear to think a silence was something that should be filled with inane chatter.
When they had finished eating, Ookami said, ‘We can begin your training now, if you’re ready.’
‘I’m ready,’ Darq said.
Ookami nodded and took out some incense from one of his leather satchels. He threw some grains of the sweet-smelling resin into their campfire and instructed Darq to compose himself for meditation. He led Darq on an inner journey, through wondrous landscapes, which he described in a soft voice. Darq’s mind expanded. He felt as if he were nothing but a spark of consciousness in an endless vista of wonders. He did not feel disorientated or disturbed. He felt at peace.
After the meditation, Ookami did not ask Darq to describe his experiences, but simply said, ‘Reflect on what you’ve seen. The landscapes you saw are part of yourself, and there will be messages within them for you.’
‘It was interesting,’ Darq said.
‘It was a start.’ Ookami smiled. ‘Now, we should sleep.’
Darq had his own bedroll, which he laid out in the surprisingly spacious pavilion next to Ookami. Before they went to sleep, Darq asked, ‘Are you taking me anywhere in particular? You don’t have to tell me where. I’m just curious.’
‘We’ll go where our trail leads,’ Ookami replied. ‘That’s not a deliberately obscure answer; it’s what will be.’
‘So the answer really is no,’ Darq said. ‘How much do you know about me?’
Ookami raised himself from his bed, propping himself on one elbow, his head resting against his hand. ‘My hienama gave me this task. I was told where to come, and that I’d be entrusted with the care of a young har. Your guardians informed me you might be in danger, from factions who wish to use you. That’s the sum total of my knowledge. Is there anything you’d care to add to that?’
‘No, I was hoping you could enlighten me.’ Darq paused. ‘I think my parents were important… or are. I don’t know who they are, but I’m sure my lineage is significant.’
‘That seems a sensible deduction,’ Ookami said.
Darq considered, at this point, telling Ookami about the voice he sometimes heard in his head, but for some reason felt reluctant. He knew that Ookami would tell him to block it out, and Darq also knew that would be the right thing to do, and yet part of him welcomed the messages. He did not feel particularly threatened by them, and once Ookami had trained him in the manner Thiede had suggested, surely Darq could look after himself?
‘Sleep now,’ Ookami said, lying down again. ‘We’ll head towards the east tomorrow.’
‘How long for?’ Darq asked. ‘There must be an end to this.’
‘There will be,’ Ookami said, ‘and when it reveals itself, we must be prepared.’
After a few days’ travel, Darq realised that the desires Thiede had awoken in him were not something to be confined to a few nights’ pleasure after feybraiha. He was astounded to discover his body had physical demands, which appeared to override many other considerations. Ookami, for all his reserve, became an object of desire that Darq wished to touch and taste. However, the har did not appear to share these needs. He was utterly self-contained. Darq had no idea what the etiquette of such things might be, so he wrestled with how the subject should be broached. Eventually, he decided a direct approach was best, so he announced over their evening meal one night, ‘My body needs aruna.’
‘That’s natural,’ Ookami replied. ‘We’ll enter one of the villages tomorrow. There, you can attend to your physical needs.’
This was not quite the answer Darq had anticipated. ‘Won’t that be dangerous? I thought we had to stay away from other hara.’
‘These are isolated communities,’ Ookami said. ‘My instincts tell me you’ll be quite safe.’
‘You speak as if I must go alone,’ Darq said. He didn’t welcome the idea of that. How did hara initiate physical contact? He foresaw difficult moments.
‘I can’t take part in such activities,’ Ookami said. ‘I’m preparing for a Grissecon and must abstain for a while.’
‘Isn’t that… problematical?’
Ookami twitched one side of his mouth into a smile. ‘It can be borne,’ he said.
‘That’s another thing you must teach me,’ Darq said. ‘I find this whole aruna thing very inconvenient. It’s worse than having to eliminate waste!’
Ookami laughed aloud. ‘You’re an unusual har, Darquiel.’
‘So I’ve been told. Well? Will you teach me that?’
‘I’ll teach you how to prevent discomfort,’ Ookami said, ‘but really you should not deny yourself aruna unless it’s unavoidable. It is a pleasurable activity, as well as refreshing in both a spiritual and physical sense.’
‘I do enjoy it,’ Darq said, ‘but the fact that it’s a need rather than a choice is irksome.’
‘You haven’t truly enjoyed it yet,’ Ookami said. ‘If you had, you wouldn’t speak like that.’
‘So what must I do? Just go up to somehar? I really don’t know.’
‘I’ll come with you to socialise, if necessary,’ Ookami said. ‘You’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s not that difficult and you too are what hara call beautiful, though in truth you meet few who aren’t.’
‘So if everyhar’s beautiful, then nohar is more desirable than any other?’
‘It doesn’t work quite like that. We all have our individual preferences. You’ll eventually discover yours.’
‘I find it difficult to look at hara in that way,’ Darq said. He sighed deeply. ‘I’m swiftly coming to the conclusion that might be an aberration.’
Ookami grinned. ‘Trust me, there will be certain hara who you do look at in that way. Start tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll see what I mean.’
‘I already see what you mean,’ Darq said, ‘but it just seems to me my preferences are narrow, and sometimes you can’t always have what you want.’
Ookami observed him inscrutably for some moments. Then he inclined his head in silent acknowledgment. Darq’s heart turned over.
Chapter Nineteen
The following day, they came to a valley with a river running through it. A small town clung to both sides of the valley, which had a relatively small community of hara who called themselves the Nemodilkii. They did not speak a language either Darq or Ookami could understand, and the only way communication could take place was through mind touch. The language spoken predominantly in Samway was Megalithican, since the Olopade were not originally native to this land. Although the mountain phyles of the tribe spoke other languages, Darq had never learned them. Phade had made it a requirement that all his hara could speak Megalithican too. Darq quickly found himself wishing he’d learned Anakhai before, but of course he’d never thought he’d have a need to know it. Mind touch was immensely useful, and in many ways eliminated the need to learn other tongues, but there was something in speaking aloud, face to face, that could not be replaced by any communication of the mind.
Darq and Ookami rode into the town square, which flanked both sides of the river. The water ran wide and shallow in that place and could be crossed on foot, although there were numerous bridges for carts and those who wished to keep their boots dry. Hara went about their business, and most made a gesture of greeting to the two strangers. In mind touch, Ookami asked a har for directions to the Nayati. He told Darq it was well thought of by hara if newcomers went to pay their respects at the community sacred building on arrival.
The buildings of the town were very old and apparently lovingly tended. The Nayati was actually the original church, once used by humans, and many of the ancient icons remained, now decked with the garlands of a gentler religion. Ookami said he also wanted to visit the place in order to acknowledge his gods, the dehara of Ikutama. He missed them when traveling in lands beyond their immediate influence. It was possible to speak with any dehar in a working Nayati.
While Ookami sat cross-legged on the worn stone floor, and composed himself for votive meditation, Darq wandered around the building, taking in details. The Nayati was empty but for its two visitors, and the atmosphere was peaceful, the air smelling of lilies. Darq stared at the brightly colored windows, depicting bearded men who raised admonishing fingers and looked stern. Every single one of them appeared about to give someone a severe telling off. Darq came upon a realistic life-size statue of a man hanging upon a wooden cross, and thought he looked quite beautiful, but for his hairy face. So sad a god, though. And how cruel of humans to have kept him like that. Darq thought that those who had worshipped the hanging god should have cut him down from his torment centuries ago. Darq was compelled to pick up a handful of flowers and twine them around the statue’s head and shoulders. It made the whole thing look more cheerful.
The town was sleepy in the afternoon. Dogs lay sunning themselves on doorsteps, and the distant sounds of hara at work came from the fields. Ookami considered it safe for Darq to wander around on his own for a while, perhaps thinking this would give his charge the opportunity to strike up friendships. So while Ookami pitched the tent in a meadow outside town, Darq ambled into an area where pottery was made. Here, looking into the open workshops, he made polite and guarded greetings to the hara working within. All were cordial, if reserved. Some tried to sell him wares, others sent him images of places where he could find a good meal. Visitors were few in this area, but hara clearly perceived he was no threat.
Life appeared to move at a very slow pace here; slower even than Samway, which was hardly a maelstrom of hectic activity itself. Darq could feel himself slowing down, as if falling into a dream. He came upon a young potter working a clay pot on a turning wheel. Noticing he was being observed, this har beckoned for Darq to approach. He took Darq’s hands in his own and pressed them to the wet clay. Darq laughed, enjoying the silky feel of the forming vessel beneath his fingers. The other har laughed too, even when Darq’s clumsy pressing reduced the pot to a misshapen mass.
You are just passing through, the har said to him in mind touch.
Yes… a short visit. I like it here.
Where are you traveling to?
I don’t know.
The har raised his eyebrows, ‘Darzu,’ he said, and placed a hand against his own chest.
‘Darq.’ Darquiel indicated himself.
I will finish work soon. Would you like me to show you the best place to eat?
That is kind of you, though I probably don’t have any of your currency.
Darzu grinned. I can stretch to buying roasted roots for a hungry stranger.
Darq inclined his head in gratitude, realising he was probably looking at the second har with whom he’d take aruna. Darzu had a wide, high-cheekboned face, and dark auburn hair, which he wore in three plaits, two of which hung over his shoulders, the other down his back. In sunlight, his eyes were almost orange. His hands were long and sensitive, the hands of an artist. Darq knew he should probably inform Ookami about this development and indicated as much to his new friend. I’m traveling with my teacher. I should tell him my plans, otherwise he would worry. Or rather, Darq thought, Ookami would look for him, which could be inconvenient.
If you return in an hour, I’ll be finished, Darzu told him.
Darq walked to the meadow where Ookami had erected their tent. ‘I have an assignation,’ Darq said.
Ookami smiled. ‘Efficient work, my friend!’
‘I’m going to eat with him. Will you excuse me?’
‘Of course.’ Ookami hesitated. ‘Be careful in the tides, Darquiel. Let nothing slip through the water. The hara here are not your foes, but others might pass through later, who are.’
‘I understand. My mind is seal
ed.’
Darzu took Darquiel to a small inn, which was full of workers relaxing after a day’s toil. It appeared hara in this area did not believe in working long hours, since they took their dinner fairly early by Samway standards.
We do what is necessary, Darzu explained when Darq questioned him. Life is for more than toil, don’t you agree? We produce enough to fulfill our needs and a little over for the late summer markets. All hara of Nemodilkii believe in the celebration of life, and all of its subtle pleasures.
It sounds excellent, Darq agreed.
Friends of Darzu’s came to join them, and for some time Darq was able to observe his companions in silence, since they were all chattering in their native tongue. He did not feel excluded, however. He drank the heavy red wine that Darzu had bought for him, which further enhanced his general feelings of torpor. A har with a fiddle began to play, and another young har, with long rags of black hair, jumped onto a table to dance. His trousers came to just below his knees and he wore beaded bracelets around his ankles. Other hara clapped and sang. Perhaps it was wonderful to lead so simple and joyous a life. These hara appeared to have no cares; they lived fully in the moment. Darq found it impossible to imagine any of them lying awake at night, full of inexpressible thoughts and desires, yearning for something they’d never heard of.
Darq was quite drunk by the time Darzu suggested they leave the inn. The Nemodilkii had unbound his hair; it hung in a rippling dark red cloud down his chest and back. Darq could smell its perfume. Outside the inn, it was very dark, as there were no lamps or torches to light the narrow streets. Darzu took one of Darq’s hands in his own. His palm was powdery with clay. Some time during the evening an unspoken agreement had been reached.
Darquiel expected to be taken to Darzu’s home, but perhaps that was not the custom with strangers in Nemodilkii. They went out of town and into the forest meadows, where sheep cropped the sweet grass; ghostly shapes in the darkness. Overhead, the sky blazed with stars, although there was no moon. At the top of one of the hills was a hollow, surrounded by trees. At the bottom of the hollow was a pool, and the earth around it had been churned to mud by sheep and wild deer. Ferns grew high around the pool, and Darzu took Darquiel into them.