Marthian had
thrown herself into her work even more obsessively since she had received the
Emperor’s letter. Viola, Aurelian and
she had discussed the letter over and over again without reaching any
agreement.
On this morning, by now in early September, they were in the
proconsul’s garden, taking a brief rest before returning to the endless round
of sanitation, reclamation and recovery. The two invalids were sitting on deck
chairs with their bad feet up while Marthian rather absentmindedly pruned and
weeded. They were talking about the
Emperor again.
‘So, when is the earliest that he could come?’ Marthian asked.
Viola did another rough calculation in her head.
‘Well’ she said, ‘two months would be the absolute minimum and from
what Kath said they can’t use the main portal. So, it must take them some time
to sort that out…’
‘As I’ve said before’ indicated Marthian, ‘the question is whether when
he comes it will be with a new broom’
Aurelian sighed loudly.
‘Do you have to torture an invalid?’ he asked wearily, ‘this was meant
to be a rest from the rigours of leadership’
Marthian seemed to be unable to hear him.
‘Are you really up to going, Viola, as my representative?’
‘I’ll go back with Kath and Potentilla’ said Viola, patiently, ‘as we
said, ma’am’
‘What about your foot?’ asked Aurelian, sympathetically.
‘It’s not a running race’ said Viola, ‘and anyway, we’re not going
quite yet, are we?’
Marthian looked up from her pruning.
‘Soon, though’ she inisisted, ‘and I’ll send whatever force that I can
muster to go with you’
‘That won’t be much’ murmured Aurelian, ‘if we’re being sensible’
‘We’ll see’ said Marthian, giving an Aurelian a look that said ‘not in
front of the children’
Viola settled back down in her chair and watched a dragonfly flit
backwards and forwards over a huge orange orchid. Aurelian and she sat in
friendly silence, grateful that their lady was occupied with something other
than giving orders for a while.
Marthian peered at the sundial in the middle of the garden, and then
she addressed them both.
‘Ten more minutes and then we’re seeing the sanitation people, Viola.
And you, Aurelian, I need you to start getting that squad together. I’ll give
you a week to find recruits’
Marthian strolled back into her office, taking off her gardening gloves
as she went.
Aurelian looked over at Viola and they shared a little conspiratorial
chuckle.
‘Maybe I’ll assign myself to
the Visnea party’ whispered Aurelian.
‘Maybe, I’ll just never come back’ answered Viola.
Marthian stuck her head round the door.
‘Come on you two – the day’s wearing on’
***
It was clear
to them early on in their time in Ortia that Rem was going to leave. He was
never happy in the city and once he had ensured that Viola’s foot was healing
well he had nothing much left to keep him there. He had been away a long time
and he kept muttering about things that he needed to do. Kath, in particular,
hoped that he would stay a little longer.
John and Hardacre were also eager to go, but they were limited by the
rate at which their strength returned. Also, they felt that they had to ensure
that the bond between the Hybitor and Ortia would remain strong and so they had
many conversations with Marthian about the Emperor’s intentions. They left all
that remained of Hardacre’s mail papers with the Proconsul, so that she could
keep in contact. John also promised to try and find out what was going on in
the Empire.
On the morning of the third week of their stay, Rem announced that he
was leaving. The others clustered round him trying to persuade him to stay a
little longer, but he was insistent that he would go and go straight away, with
the minimum of fuss. Hardacre insisted
that he should have gifts from them all, but the only thing that he would take
was Hardacre’s bag. Hardacre emptied the whole thing, which made a huge pile of
clothes and equipment in his room and then Rem filled it up with his
possessions. Hardacre realised that he’d never get all his stuff home now, but
he didn’t mind.
They all found their own way to say goodbye. John and Hardacre shook his hand, Potentilla
patted him on the back and Viola embraced him. Kath hugged him and wouldn’t let
go. Eventually she had to be gently prised from him and given to Viola for
comforting.
‘Kath, my dear friend’ he said, smiling, ‘you taught me to talk, and
now I speak a better way. I am more grateful than you could ever know’
‘And you saved me so many times’ responded Kath, crying her eyes out
‘and you looked after me. And you even went to the evil city when you really
didn’t want to. You were extraordinary. I’ll miss you so much!’
Viola led her slowly away, knowing that Rem would never be able to
leave if he felt that Kath still needed him.
Hardacre bowed to Rem; a very deep bow.
‘Master Healer, you are the best among us, and the strongest, and you
have had the most to put up with. Go with our respect and love, and know that
if you ever need our help that we will come to you’
Rem nodded but said nothing. His
face was streaked with tears and he needed to go, before he found leaving
impossible. He picked up his bag and
then he looked back at all of them with his deep grey eyes. They were no longer
full of judgement – his friends had not been found wanting after all. He walked
off. None of them expected that they would ever see him again.
Rem was
desperate to make his way home, but he didn’t immediately head for the re-built
city gates, instead he made for the east of the city and to the temple complex.
He had one more task to complete.
The Lady’s area was almost deserted with all the priests and
priestesses inside and the main door to the temple locked shut. He banged on it
three times with his fist but there was no reply. He sat on the steps leading
up to the main building and began to sing. It was a long wordless melody, which
seemed to build up in volume but without becoming strident or painful. It was a
call to those in need and he was willing to sing it for as long as it took.
The song went on through the afternoon, and he became tired and very
hungry, but he had no intention of giving up.
And then eventually he heard the sound of a bolt being pulled back and
Julia appeared. She was deathly white and her eyes were empty.
‘Who disturbs the Lady’s shroud?’
she said in Visneorian.
Rem stood up and shook his head.
‘I do not speak elven tongues’ he replied in Ethian
‘Why have you come, plains-dweller?’ she asked, switching to the human
language.
‘I have come to heal’ said Rem, ‘my master has sent me’
Julia stared at Rem. She was still uncertain of this strange being.
‘Come with me’ she said, ‘I wish to see you properly’
She ushered him inside the temple and took him to the ante room, which
led to the Lady’s presence. Here her power was at its strongest. Julia stared
deeply into Rem’s eyes and took his hands in hers. For a long while neither of
them spoke. Then Julia dropped his hands in sudden shock.
‘It cannot be’ she said, ‘are you a servant of the enemy? If so, your
work has already been done’
Rem shook his head.
‘No’ he murmured, ‘we were enemies, but my master has travelled many
paths and finally found the one upon which you try to walk – the path of
harmony’
‘How can that be?’ Julia asked, ‘does he not lead the cloaks?’
Again Rem shook his head.
‘He is beyond that. There are no leaders and no followers, there are
only souls. You looked inside me, and so you know that that is true. The Lady
and my master, they are together, they are as one’
Julia lifted up his hands again. This time she held on to them. She
forced herself to look into his eyes again and then she looked away.
‘Can you heal the Lady?’ she asked
‘No, I cannot,’ he responded, ‘but my master can. Again I say, you know
is this true – you have seen inside me’
Julia said no more, but instead led Rem through the network of
corridors that led to the Lake, the spiritual vessel for the Lady. It had no
banks, and had an entirely still surface, with only one type of creature living
within it, the deep water char that could never be seen by any mortal and that
could never be caught.
They were in the presence of the lady, but she was much diminished. The
lake was less than one half full and it seemed to shrink away as they watched
it. Rem looked at Julia for her approval. She nodded.
Julia took Rem to the edge of the lake, embraced him, and then they
both toppled in, she holding on to him very tightly. They dropped into the
completely clear water and fell down and down, until they felt the cold
presences circling around them. Then they were filled with the spirits of their
gods, each losing themselves.
‘I am the restless spirit who
wanders in the dark’ said Rem, but he did not speak with his own voice
‘I am the cold spirit who speaks
from the depth of the earth’ said Julia, and she did not speak with her own
voice, either.
‘I can save you’ said the Grey
Wanderer
‘But at what price?’ asked
The Deep Lady
‘No price, just a promise’
‘What promise?’
‘That you will not abandon this world, even when it appears to be dying,
and even when you are given means to escape’
‘I do not understand’
‘I mean to save our world. Even
when our betters expressly forbid it’
‘And if I do not agree?’
‘You know the answer. I am bound
to save you anyway’
‘You ask it as a favour, then?’
‘Yes, and I ask you to trust me’
‘Then I do trust you and I will
agree. Now save me’
The stillness of the centre of the lake was disturbed by a bubble of
grey water that lifted up slowly to form a massive water spout. Inside the
spout were white specks of foam or slime. These white stains were being scraped
off the bottom of the lake and forced into the air, high above the city. The
spout was visible to all the inhabitants, and they did not know if it signalled
good or ill.
When the white elements reached the top of the spout they briefly
sparked into light and then fell away into nothing. Slowly the grey was rubbing
out the white. The last of the White Devil was purged from the Lady, and she
was strengthened.
‘Do the others of your kind know?’ asked the Lady, with renewed energy.
‘Not yet, but soon. And then they will
pursue me endlessly’
‘But what will you do?’
‘I will run’
Their jobs done, Julia dragged Rem back up to the
sides of the lake and back inside the temple building. They were now themselves
again. Rem felt his clothes – they were
as dry as when he entered the complex.
‘What happened?’ asked Rem, ‘I do not remember’
Julia smiled and held his hand.
‘You will remember’ she replied, ‘but not yet’
They waited, still and silent, until the noise of the gods left them
completely. Then Rem picked up his stuff and looked around.
‘I must go’ he said. He lifted his fingers to his head and felt the
sweat dripping from his brow. He hurried out of the temple, with Julia leading
the way. Once he was at the main door he turned one more time to the high
priestess.
‘It is too much’ he croaked, ‘I must go home’. He left her.
He ran as fast as he could out of the city, and he only stopped when he
was surrounded by the plains and the open sky, and then only after the grey
blanket of twilight had nestled over him.
***
The next day
Julia came to see Marthian. She refused to come into the Proconsul’s Palace and
insisted on meeting in the open air. The whole city was celebrating the Lady’s
recovery but no explanation of how it had all happened had come from the
Temple, and, in fact, none ever did.
‘Are you well, High Priestess?’ asked Marthian
‘Yes, all is well, after all, Proconsul’
They stopped and watched the rapid rebuilding of the walls. A sea of
builders and surveyors swarmed over the constructions. Block by block the great
white walls were growing upwards again. Julia looked at Marthian and smiled.
‘I see that the rebuilding goes well, too, cousin’
‘Yes, it will never be the same, but it may well be good enough’
‘Yes. And no foe will ever be as bad again’
They both nodded together. A cordial silence rose up between them.
‘So, the Emperor is coming?’ asked Julia, after a little while.
‘So it seems’
‘That is good’
‘Well, let us hope so’
Marthian wondered whether there was some point to this conversation.
‘Marthian?’
‘Yes, Julia?’
‘Should I resume my inspections?’
‘No cousin’ said Marthian firmly, ‘that is my job now’
‘Good’ said Julia. She made as if to leave but then had another
thought.
‘We must gather together as many allies as we can’ she said
‘What do you mean?’
The High Priestess frowned, the lines on her forehead furrowed.
‘I’m not sure. It is just that sometimes we have friends where we least
expect them’
Marthian smiled inwardly – this was religion was it, vague
generalisations that couldn’t be denied.
‘I will bear it in mind…’ she said gravely, ‘…but for now I have a city
to rebuild’
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