Rem
travelled fast – his long legs were ungainly but rapid. The downside, however,
was that his strides seemed to jar and tire him, and so he had to take frequent
breaks. They developed a way of walking together: Kath would plod slowly on,
while Rem would stride off and establish a resting point. When Kath caught up
with him he would run on. This worked only when Rem thought the terrain was
safe. For the first two days out from Portalis he was cautious, and so they
moved together in a chaotic series of clattering half-runnings and collidings.
Rem would not be the perfect companion for a country stroll.
After one particularly painful collision Rem picked himself up but
looked frustrated.
‘Rem not good at walking. Human built for walking. Rem not good for
nothing’ he said.
‘”anything”’, Kath murmured, having got into the habit of correcting
continuously.
Rem glared.
‘”Anything”’ he barked
irritably, and then he remembered.
‘Yes, that good’ he said gratefully. He was always happy to be put
right and seemed to Kath to be like a word sponge.
‘Rem not good for anything’ he said morosely.
Kath laughed
‘Other than saving my life and my expedition…’ she said
Rem looked at her with his strange deep grey eyes. He grinned.
‘Rem being stupid. While Rem helping, Rem useful’
They walked on.
Rem knew the West Road well from the wall to about where they were now,
and he was concerned about what might be ahead. He started make large looping
detours from the road, particularly whenever he picked up the spoor of hooved
horses. He knew these meant elves. He also saw that in some places minor
repairs had been made to the roads, suggesting that some reasonably well
organised people still came down this road occasionally.
Kath was worried about the road ahead, partly because she relied on Rem
completely as her guide, but she also knew that at some point they would come
across more elves. She had fretted about the ones that they had met before.
Were they her enemies as well as Rem’s? She’d never seen actually them, but
they might well have been in Imperial uniforms. If so, they represented the
authority on whose land she now, at least nominally, walked. Perhaps Rem was an
outlaw, from some evil marauding tribe of grotesques. If so, he was an
unusually kind and helpful vagabond. What was that saying about honour among
thieves?
That evening they stopped to rest about thirty minutes’ walk south of
the road. Rem had said that all the horse tracks had come from the north and so
he was avoiding anything on that side of the road. He was getting increasingly
restless.
Rem built a fire and they warmed themselves next to it, as the night
was cloudy and drizzly. They were eating mostly vegetable and herbs, but
tonight Rem had caught a pheasant and they were enjoying the change in their
diet. Kath knew that she’d have to make some plans soon, and that she would
still need Rem’s help.
‘Rem – we’ll be in Melloreis soon’ she said.
Rem nodded. He looked uncomfortable.
‘What do you plan to do?’
‘Rem not know. We far from Rem’s
home. Not go near elves, but not leave Kath. Rem wondering.’
Kath had been wondering too. The whole thing seemed ridiculous now that
it was only her. What did she hope to achieve? The only reason for going on was
because there was no way of turning back, but she’d increasingly realised that
there was a way to turn back. Rem could take her to where she could wait for an
Amansk caravan and she could throw herself on their protection. Then she could
take the long way home to Eth.
‘Perhaps I should just give up?’ she said
‘What?’ said Rem, ‘why give up?’
‘Because you won’t go further if there are elves and think there may
well be elves.’
Rem shivered and moved closer to the fire.
‘Where elves?’ he asked.
‘There is another city’ explained Kath.
Rem stared at her.
‘What city?’
‘It’s called Ortia, it’s another Elven city. It’s probably about three
days walking distance from Melloreis.’
‘Too close’ muttered Rem, ‘far too close’
‘The thing is – it may not even still be there’ said Kath, ‘it may have
been destroyed’
‘Not heard of it. But if elves still there then not good’
‘Yes, so that’s why maybe we should give up’
Rem stared at Kath and then at the fire.
‘Why you give up? Come so far for giving up?’
The glow of the fire outlined him. He was bathed in a diffuse light.
‘Humans give up easy’ he said contemptuously, ‘why that?’
‘That’s not true’ she said, feeling attacked.
‘Seems true’ he muttered
‘I’m thinking of you’ she said, feeling even more aggrieved.
‘Rem look after self, Kath not worry. Kath weaker than Rem’
She knew that this was true, but really didn’t like hearing it.
‘If I’m so crap then why are you helping me at all?’
‘Help weak people. Help in need. Rem way. Not abandon child on the
road’
Kath leapt up and kicked the ground.
‘I am not a child!’ she shouted
Rem looked at her in amazement. He opened his mouth and as he did she
raised her hand to stop him.
‘I know’ she said, ‘no need to say it’
He smiled.
‘You not child, but like child you do
need help on road. You lost way. Rem help the lost, if can’
‘I know’, said Kath, ‘and I’m very grateful.’
There was a brief silence while they chewed their pheasant and were
lost in their own thoughts.
‘Why do you hate elves so much?’ she asked, finally.
‘Long time we fight elves, long before this Rem born. They fight us, we
fight them. They hate us, we hate them. They cruel. We not cruel.’
Kath wondered how to reply to this.
‘I don’t think that is all elves, at all. There are many kind and
generous elves. On the other side of the wall they have a great Empire, and
it’s not cruel. There are problems with it, but it’s mostly fine.’
‘Empire’ said Rem savagely, ‘empire is what elves do. Rem not like
empire. Fight empire always.’
Kath was beginning to realise something; something very strange and
worrying.
‘Your people have always fought the empire? For how long, exactly?’
‘For many lifetimes. Far back beyond memory’
‘Do you know where your people came from, Rem?’
‘From where sun rises. So tribe say’
‘To the east?’ she said, pointing in that general direction.
‘Yes – so it is said’
‘And why did you come?’
‘We came with many others. To fight elvish empire. But we hate spilling
of blood. We come here. We no go back.’
Kath chose her words carefully.
‘Did you come from a place called Tlaxaca?’
‘That place is legend. We come from here’
‘But you have heard of Tlaxaca?’
‘Yes, many legends. Not all true’
‘We have legends about Tlaxaca – they’re not good, not good at all’
‘Our legends bad too’ admitted Rem
Kath stared into the fire and saw an entire land covered with a horde
of ravenous monsters, ripping apart the land, and feasting on blood. And then
she tried to imagine one of Rem’s ancestors there, with a club, breaking
people’s fingers, but making sure that no blood was spilt. She couldn’t.
‘Our legends talk about an evil that came from the east, an evil in the
form of a vast army of horrid humanoid creatures that overcame the peaceful
Elven empire here and turned their capital – that was Melloreis, where we are
heading now – turned it to rubble. What
are your legends?’
Suddenly Kath was aware of how small the little circle of fire was, and
how big the rest of the world was – and how it was alternately confusing and
frightening. Still, the fire was very warm and comforting.
‘We came from there’, said Rem, ‘but we see blood everywhere. And there
blood like god. We hate blood like god. We think blood good in body, bad spilt.
We think life good, death bad. Death bad before right time. For them death is
power; death is glory. Master think long about it too, so we and Master change
mind and try again’
‘And the rest of the legend?’ asked Kath.
‘We stay. We live different life. Different view...’ his voice trailed
off.
‘Do you believe the stories, that legend?’
‘It long ago – does it matter?’ he replied, opening his palms.
Kath shook her head.
‘Not to you and me, but possibly for the elves – they have such long
memories. Perhaps we’ll keep the story of your origins quiet if we ever meet
any nice elves’.
‘No nice elves’ he grumbled.
He went to extinguish the fire and settle down to sleep. Kath realised
that she had to make her decision soon; probably now.
‘So, will you help me get to Melloreis, even if there are elves?’
He didn’t hesitate at all.
‘Yes, of course. I promise Kath help. I do what needed. Even with elf’
She smiled. The fire was nearly out.
‘If you’re sure, then I am indebted to you. I hope to be able to repay
you someday’
Out of the growing darkness came Rem’s voice. Kath could not quite make
out the tone.
‘Rem not expect payment from children’
Then another sound, and this time Kath knew exactly what it meant. Rem
was laughing softly.
Kath sighed and lay down on the ground. It was still pleasantly warm
from the fire.
No comments:
Post a Comment