Shardik (96 page)

‘Three days ago I was taking part with
Erketlis
in that discussion with the Ortelgans, when news arrived from
Zeray
of what had happened here. I left for Tissarn at once, but nevertheless I’m sure that
the
terms will have been agreed by now. I needn’t weary you with all the details - not until later - but
the
main is
that
Yelda, Lapan and Belishba will become independent of Bekla. The Ortelgans
are
to retain Bekla and the remaining provinces in return for an undertaking to abolish the slave trade and to help in returning all slaves to their homes.’

Kelderek
nodded slowly, staring down into his wine-cup and tilting it
this
way and
that
. At length he looked up at
Elleroth
and said,

‘I’m glad the war’s over and more than glad that they’ll abolish the slave trade.’ He put a hand over his eyes. ‘It’s good of you to hav
e come here to tell us so promptl
y. If I can’t make you any better answer, it’s because I’m still weak and my mind’s confused. I hope we can talk again - tomorrow, perhaps.’

‘I shall be here for some days yet,’ answered Elleroth, ‘and we’ll certainly meet again, for I’ve one or two
other
notions in my head - just notions at the moment, but they might come to something. Dear me -‘ he craned his neck - ‘those piscatorial boys out there are certainly slicing up the Telthearna - I suppose it keeps them warm, poor fellows, in these bitter northern climes. And who knows? They might even catch a fish in a minute.’

Soon after, he took his leave and
Kelderek
, finding that the meeting had left him tired, uncertain and disturbed, slept for several hours, not waking until the late afternoon.

After a few days he felt stronger and his wounded arm became somewhat less painful. He took to walking on the shore and about the village
, once going almost a mile north
, as far as the open country round the Gap. He had not realized what a poor village it was - thirty or forty hovels and twenty canoes clustered about a shady, unhealthy patch of shore below a wooded ridge - that same ridge down which he had tottered on the morning of Shardik’s death.

There was little cultivated land, the villagers living for the most part on fish, half-wild pigs, water fowl and any forest beasts
that
they could kill. There was almost no trade, the place was largely isolated and the effects of years of in-breeding were all too plain. The villagers were friendly enough, however, and he took to dropping in to their homes and talking to them about their skills and needs and the troubles of their hard, rough lives.

One afternoon, as he and
Melathys
were walking together outside the village, they came upon five or six of the former slave children, who were idling about among the trees. They looked warily at Kelderek, but none approached or spoke. He called out to them, went closer and did his best to talk to them as comrades - for so indeed he felt them to be - but it was not that day nor for several days after that he had the least success. In
their
silence and curt, unsmiling answers
they
differed much from the children he remembered on
Ortelga
.
Little
by little he began to understand that for nearly all, their sufferings with Genshed had been only the most recent in miserable lives of dese
rtion, neglect and abuse. Parentl
ess, friendless and helpless, they had been enslaved before ever they met Genshed.

From Shouter, after one or two visits, he judged it best to keep away for the time being. The boy had been injured when Shardik charged upon Genshed and neglect of his hurts had brought on a delirious fever of which, until a few days ago, he had been expected to die. He was consumed with fear and convinced that the
Yeldashay
intended him some cruel death; and
the
sight of any of those whom he had himself ill-treated intensified his guilt and panic. Kelderek left him to Melathys and her village woman, but nevertheless found himself wondering more than once what would become of him. Would he, perhaps, succeed in wandering back to Terekenalt, there to shift for himself and find a new criminal master? Or would he, before that, as he himself so clearly expected, be killed in Tissarn by those who had cause enough to hate him ?

The Sarkid contingent also remained, some quartered in Tissarn and some where he had first seen them, guarding the approaches to
the
Linsho Gap. Tan-Rion, asked
the
reason, explained that the
Yeldashay
were still patrolling the province for fugitive slave-traders, from
the
confluence of the Vrako and Telthearna to the Gap itself, the
Sarkid troops forming the heel
of
the
net. The following evening two more slave-traders were brought in, each alone and in
the
last stages of want and exhaustion, having fled north for days before the advancing curtain of soldiers. Next morning the patrolling troops themselves reached Linsho and the hunt was over.

A few days later
Kelderek
was returning with Melathys from an hour’s fishing - he could manage no more - when they met
Elleroth
and Tan-Rion not far from the place where Shardik’s funeral raft had lain. Despite what Elleroth had said at their last meeting, he and Kelderek had not talked together since. It had not occurred to Kelderek, however, to regard this as a lapse on Elleroth’s part The Ban of Sarkid had been absent for several days among his various outposts and bivouacs, but in any case
Kelderek
was well aware
that he himself was in no positi
on to expect warmth from Elleroth or any repetition of the punctilious courtesy shown on the morning of his arrival. By chance it had so happened that the ex-king of Bekla had suffered in company with Elleroth’s son and helped to save his life. This had saved his own; but nevertheless he was now of no use or value whatever to the Ban of Sarkid, who had already done fully as much as anyone would consider incumbent upon him.

Elleroth greeted them with his usual urbanity, enquired after Kelderek’s recovery and expressed his hope that Melathys did not find life in the village unduly rough and comfortless. Then he said, ‘Most of my men - and I too - are leaving for Zeray the day after tomorrow. I suppose you’ll both wish to come? I personally am travelling by river and I’m sure we can find places for you.’

‘We shall be grateful,’ answered Kelderek, conscious, despite himself, of his sense of inferiority to this man and of his utter dependence on his goodwill. ‘It’s time now that we were returning to Zeray, and I’m afraid I’m not strong enough to march with the troops. You say “most of your men”. Aren’t they all going?’

*I should have explained to you earlier,’ replied Elleroth. ‘Under the terms agreed with the Ortelgans, we are taking control of this province - all land east of the Vrako. That is perfe
ctly
just and reasonable, as Bekla certainly never controlled it and the last -
indeed the only - Baron of Zeray, the Ortelgan Bel-ka-Trazet, specifically invited us to annex it only a few months ago. For some
little
while, until we have the place settled, there will be a force of occupation, with outposts at suitable places.’

‘I’m only surprised you think it’s worth your while,’ said Kelderek, determined to express some view of his own. ‘Will there be any profit at all?’

“The profit we shall owe to Bel-ka-Trazet’ answ
ered Elleroth. ‘I never knew him
, but he must have been a remarkable man. If I’m not mistaken, it was he who first conceived what I believe is going to prove an innovation of the greatest importance.’

‘He
was
a remarkable man,’ said Melathys. ‘He was a man who could pluck advantage from an acre of ashes.’

‘He advised us,’ said Elleroth, ‘that it would be practicable to construct a ferry across the Zera
y strait, and even outl
ined to us how it might be done - an idea entirely of his own devising, as far as I can make out. Our pion
eers, together with men from Dee
lguy, are engaged on the work now, but we have sent to ask for the help of some Ortelgan rope-makers. That will be most important. No one understands the uses and qualities of ropes like
Ortelga
ns. When the ferry is complete, Zeray is bound to become a commercial town of importance, for there will be a new and direct route, both for Ikat and for Bekl
a, across the Telth
earna and on to the east. Whatever countries may lie there, the ferry is bound to open up entirely new markets.’ He paused. ‘If I recall, Crendrik, you were interested in trade, weren’t you, when you were in
Bekla
? No, no -‘ he held up his hand - ‘I didn’t intend any malice, or to wound your feelings, I assure you. Please don’t think that. Isn’t it true, though, that you played a large part in directing the empire’s policy in commerce?’

‘Yes, that’s true,’ answered Kelderek. ‘I’m not an aristocrat, as you know. I’ve never owned land: and to those who are neither farmers nor soldiers, trade’s vital if they’re to thrive at all. That was what I could understand about Bekla that our generals couldn’t. It was from that that
the
evil came - ‘he paused - ‘but there was good as well.’

‘Yes, I see,’ said Ellcrodi rather abstractedly, and began to talk to
Melathys
about the probable needs of the Tuginda.

The villagers learned with regret that the soldiers were leaving, for on the whole they had behav
ed well and paid honestl
y enough for whatever they had had. Besides, they had brought welcome change and excitement to the normal squalor of life in T
issarn. There was the usual bustl
e as arms and equipment were got together and inspected, quarters relinquished, loads apportioned and an advance party despatched to prepare the
first night’s camp (for only Elleroth
and a few other officers, with their servants, were to go by water, available canoes being scarce).

During the afternoon
Kelderek
, weary of
the
racket and commotion, took a line and some bait and set off along the waterside. He had not gone far when he came upon nine or ten of the slave children splashing about the shore. Joining them, he found them in rather better spirits than he had come to expect, and even began to derive some pleasure from their company, which now reminded him a
little
of old days on Ortelga. One of the boys, a dark, quick-moving lad about ten years old, was teachin
g them a singing game from Palte
sh. This led to
others
, until at length Kelderek, being teased and challenged to contribute something, showed them the first Ortelgan game that came into his head.

Cat catch a fish in the river in the foam;

Cat catch a fish and he got to get it home.

Run, cat, run, cat, drag it through the mire-

As he s
cratched out the lines with a sti
ck and laid down a green branch for the fish, he felt once more, as he had not for years,
the
exhilaration of that spontaneity, directness and absorption that had once led him to call children’ the flames of God’.

Take it to the pretty girl that’s sitting by the
fire

And away he went, hobbling and shuffling slowly enough, for as he had told
Elleroth
, he was still far from healed; yet in his heart he went as once in the days when he had been a young simpleton
who would rath
er play with the children than drink with the men.

When it was no longer his turn to be the cat, he dropped out. He was resting unobtrusively behind a rock when he realized that
the
boy loitering near him was Shouter, but so haggard and pale that at first he had not recognized him. He was playing no part in the game, but staring moodily at the ground, pacing one way and another and jabbing viciously at
the
stones with a stick. A second glance showed Kelderek that if he was not actually weeping, he was probably as close to it as was possible for any boy who had spent several months in the service of Genshed.

‘Are you feeling better?’ asked Kelderek as Shouter came a
little
nearer.

‘ ‘be mucking stupid,’ answered Shouter, barely turning his head.

‘Come here!’ said Kelderek sharply. ‘What’s brought you out here? What’s the matter?’ The boy made no reply and he took him by the arm and said again, ‘Come on, tell me, what’s the matter?’