ignored
her.
Beyond the
village, the horses broke into a canter across the velvet grass.
Talsy noticed that her horse stayed close to Brin's while Kieran's
paired up with the woman warrior's. Chanter's animal moved alone,
as did Shan's and the other warrior's, Taff.
When they
reached the wall, Jesher pulled the leather bag that held the Stone
from his tunic. Chanter gestured at the wall, and the Mujar mark
flared blue. As the gate opened, Jesher turned to his son and shook
the boy's hand. He shot Brin a meaningful look, then looked at
Chanter.
"Mujar, a
question."
Chanter
inclined his head. "One."
"How do we
close the gate?"
"Don't open
it."
Jesher nodded,
looking grim, and raised his hand in farewell as the party moved
past him. Shan turned to wave before the gate closed behind them,
blocking out the sunlit valley, and his father.
Chapter Five
The riven
earth and the frozen forms of the Hashon Jahar made Talsy shiver.
Moments earlier, Chanter had called her horse forward, and they
stood at the edge of this unnatural clearing, gazing at the
strangest sight she had ever seen.
"A Hashon
Jahar birthing ground," Chanter explained.
"They're being
born?" she whispered, alarmed.
"They were.
Now they're not doing anything."
The ebon forms
were frozen in various attitudes, most in the act of climbing out
of the soil, their hind parts still sunk in the earth, their
steeds' forelegs braced to pull themselves from it. Several had
emerged, but stood immobile, their stone eyes blind. Others had
only their heads above the surface, while a few were merely lumps
beneath the earth, unborn. The torn ground bore the scars of many
birthings, the Riders gone, leaving only the craters of their
emergence behind.
"They come
from the soil?" Talsy asked.
"Far beneath
the earth, where it's hot and full of earth blood, that's where
they're conceived. Then they struggle up to the surface and emerge,
like this."
"What's
happened to them?"
"The staffs
have been broken. Their power is dwindling, soon all they will be
is statues."
"I can't say
I'll be sorry to see the last of them," Talsy muttered, and Chanter
shook his head.
"They had a
purpose, and now the unchosen will be rife."
"And when we
restore the Staff of Law?"
He smiled at
her optimism. "Then you'll restore them, too."
Talsy
shivered, and her horse followed his to where Kieran waited with
the Aggapae. For a month now, they had travelled through wild
country, finding little sign of corruption. For reasons of his own,
Chanter had opted to go first to the Whispering Sea, a long and
arduous journey. They followed a broad river, keeping to its banks
as it flowed to the sea. The Aggapae provided meat by hunting,
usually three of them going together, leaving Shan behind. The boy
made himself useful gathering firewood and tending the horses,
relieving the others of the chore.
That night,
while the Aggapae hunted, Shan collected wood and Kieran bathed in
the river, Talsy turned to Chanter.
"Why is it
that the Aggapae and the Arrad weren't swallowed by the
ground?"
"They're
simple people. They don't ravage the land and build cities, so they
haven't angered the Dargon. Also, the Dargon are most active around
the cities, but the horsemen live far out in the plains, away from
civilisation."
Talsy nodded,
twiddling a stick. "When the staff is restored, will all the
unnatural creatures that have been bred die?"
"Yes."
"So if we had
a child -"
"Stop it."
She sighed.
"Hypothetically."
"I don't know.
It would depend upon how Mujar the child was."
"Because they
can't be killed?"
"Yes."
Talsy glanced
around as Shan emerged from the forest with an armload of firewood,
frustrating her desire to ask more questions.
Two weeks
later, they came across a Trueman city on the river bank, many
boats and barges moored beside it, waiting to carry goods up and
down the spate. A tar web surrounded it, dividing cultivated fields
that farmers irrigated with river water. The party stopped
her.
Beyond the
village, the horses broke into a canter across the velvet grass.
Talsy noticed that her horse stayed close to Brin's while Kieran's
paired up with the woman warrior's. Chanter's animal moved alone,
as did Shan's and the other warrior's, Taff.
When they
reached the wall, Jesher pulled the leather bag that held the Stone
from his tunic. Chanter gestured at the wall, and the Mujar mark
flared blue. As the gate opened, Jesher turned to his son and shook
the boy's hand. He shot Brin a meaningful look, then looked at
Chanter.
"Mujar, a
question."
Chanter
inclined his head. "One."
"How do we
close the gate?"
"Don't open
it."
Jesher nodded,
looking grim, and raised his hand in farewell as the party moved
past him. Shan turned to wave before the gate closed behind them,
blocking out the sunlit valley, and his father.
Chapter Five
The riven
earth and the frozen forms of the Hashon Jahar made Talsy shiver.
Moments earlier, Chanter had called her horse forward, and they
stood at the edge of this unnatural clearing, gazing at the
strangest sight she had ever seen.
"A Hashon
Jahar birthing ground," Chanter explained.
"They're being
born?" she whispered, alarmed.
"They were.
Now they're not doing anything."
The ebon forms
were frozen in various attitudes, most in the act of climbing out
of the soil, their hind parts still sunk in the earth, their
steeds' forelegs braced to pull themselves from it. Several had
emerged, but stood immobile, their stone eyes blind. Others had
only their heads above the surface, while a few were merely lumps
beneath the earth, unborn. The torn ground bore the scars of many
birthings, the Riders gone, leaving only the craters of their
emergence behind.
"They come
from the soil?" Talsy asked.
"Far beneath
the earth, where it's hot and full of earth blood, that's where
they're conceived. Then they struggle up to the surface and emerge,
like this."
"What's
happened to them?"
"The staffs
have been broken. Their power is dwindling, soon all they will be
is statues."
"I can't say
I'll be sorry to see the last of them," Talsy muttered, and Chanter
shook his head.
"They had a
purpose, and now the unchosen will be rife."
"And when we
restore the Staff of Law?"
He smiled at
her optimism. "Then you'll restore them, too."
Talsy
shivered, and her horse followed his to where Kieran waited with
the Aggapae. For a month now, they had travelled through wild
country, finding little sign of corruption. For reasons of his own,
Chanter had opted to go first to the Whispering Sea, a long and
arduous journey. They followed a broad river, keeping to its banks
as it flowed to the sea. The Aggapae provided meat by hunting,
usually three of them going together, leaving Shan behind. The boy
made himself useful gathering firewood and tending the horses,
relieving the others of the chore.
That night,
while the Aggapae hunted, Shan collected wood and Kieran bathed in
the river, Talsy turned to Chanter.
"Why is it
that the Aggapae and the Arrad weren't swallowed by the
ground?"
"They're
simple people. They don't ravage the land and build cities, so they
haven't angered the Dargon. Also, the Dargon are most active around
the cities, but the horsemen live far out in the plains, away from
civilisation."
Talsy nodded,
twiddling a stick. "When the staff is restored, will all the
unnatural creatures that have been bred die?"
"Yes."
"So if we had
a child -"
"Stop it."
She sighed.
"Hypothetically."
"I don't know.
It would depend upon how Mujar the child was."
"Because they
can't be killed?"
"Yes."
Talsy glanced
around as Shan emerged from the forest with an armload of firewood,
frustrating her desire to ask more questions.
Two weeks
later, they came across a Trueman city on the river bank, many
boats and barges moored beside it, waiting to carry goods up and
down the spate. A tar web surrounded it, dividing cultivated fields
that farmers irrigated with river water. The party stopped
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