Kheda squared his shoulders. As he did so, the rain-stiffened leather thong caught at the back of his neck. He lifted the twist of ivory over his head. It was warm in his hands, firm yet still somehow soft, a paradox just like the horned fish that had borne it, a creature of the sea yet warm-blooded, red blood in its veins, a beast that bore live young and suckled them. His fingers traced the scales he had shaped into the creamy ivory, fading into a sharp terminal spike.
A dragon's tail, favourite device of augurs, symbolising the hidden and unforeseen. That's what it looked like to me, so that's what I carved, just like Daish Reik had always taught me. It seemed a minor omen, prompting me to play the soothsayer. How many itinerant fortune-tellers know the full complexity of the lore underpinning that belief? Not many, and those that do will keep silent about it, if they value their hides.
He set the ivory down on his fading circle, the spiral luminous in the dim light. It was each moon that marked a dragon's head, in this ancient and seldom looked-for reading of the heavens. The Greater Moon first, that was how it was done, according to the faded parchment stored in the recesses of the Daish observatory library, smeared and stained, crabbed writing blurred where mould had been scraped from the kid skin. Kheda recalled his incredulity when Daish Reik had first guided him through the words.
'The Opal is talisman against the dragons of earth and fire. As the Greater Moon holds the foul beast's attention, it looks away from that which is behind it. Just so, the Pearl is talisman against the dragons of air and water, the Lesser Moon drawing the monster's eye and leaving it oblivious to what might approach from the rear. Therein may he your opportunity, in times of trial!
Dragons. Beasts of magic, embodiment of the chaos wrought by all sorceries and enchantment Could this archaic reading show him something with a bearing on his quest to defeat the magic afflicting his people?
Opposite the arc of self, where the Greater Moon rode, was that reach of the heavens where portents spoke of a person's dealings, for good or ill, with other individuals, marriage above all else. Kheda shook his head in silent bafflement. The Sea Serpent would be the stars in that part of the sky, emblem of the mysterious, of darkness and unseen forces.
What of the other dragon? He moved the ivory twist to mark the arc of the compass devoted to daily duty and physical health where the Vizail Blossom bloomed opposite the Lesser Moon. But that was a constellation almost exclusively tied to feminine concerns. Wouldn't this just mean Janne and Rekha were fulfilling their usual obligations, despite the threats surrounding them? He'd never doubted that. Inspiration failed him and another recollection brought his father's words out of the darkness.
'It's a warlord's duty to watch the skies, to watch the birds of the air, wild beasts and tamed, to seek out every omen and portent that might have a bearing on his people's future. You must read and learn all you can from the records all our forefathers have kept and trade your choicest and most potent talisman gems for copies of such records from other domains. Never grow so arrogant that you dismiss anyone else's learning but rather seek out all such lore with a humble, open mind.'
Then Daish Reik had laughed and clapped Kheda on the shoulder, brushing into oblivion the pattern of both earthly and heavenly compasses that he had so painstakingly drawn in the sand to illustrate some earlier point.
'On the other hand, if you spend too much of your time with your head in a book or your face turned to the skies, you'll miss what's going on around you. If you've done either long enough to get a crick in your neck, you've been at it too long. Chasing meanings and interpretations can just leave you as giddy and useless as a hound that's been chasing its tail. Learn when to stop looking. The significance of past and future is only to serve the present and it is your people in the here and now that are your main responsibility.'
The only person whose life you can influence at the moment is yourself. What can you do? Try getting a good night's sleep, so you're as fresh as possible for whatever trials arrive with the dawn.
Kheda swept the seeds away into the darkness, picked up the ivory dragon's tail and hung it around his neck once more. He moved away from the grille with its persistent draught and wondered how best to settle himself on the unyielding stone. Finding his way to the corner closest to the door, he sat with his back in the angle of the two walls. He drew up his knees, feet flat to the floor and folded his hands in his lap. Leaning a little, he could rest his head against the wall and he resolutely closed his eyes.
It's not going to be easy to sleep in here, so what will make for a distraction from these discomforts? Calculating the paths of the heavenly jewels, that's worth trying. Where will the others be, when the Ruby is next in conjunction with the Yora Hawk?
Chapter Fourteen
There's nothing to be done about it. Admit it, you're awake. Still, scant sleep's better than nothing.
Kheda opened his eyes, got to his feet and began pacing back and forth from cell door to window, stretching the stiffness out of his legs and back. That scrap of sky paling above him, he listened to the distant sounds of the rousing fortress. A handful of shadows passed the grille, sentries' feet slowing towards a brief meal and then the sleep they'd been warding off all night. Others went in the opposite direction, pace quickening, low voices bright with greeting. Kheda could hear speculation about something in their tone.
I doubt they're discussing the weather.
A voice replied to an unheard question. 'He'll get what's coming to him and never you mind. You check the roster of ships due and departed.'
Any further discussion was lost beneath the sound of sandalled footsteps. The rattle of keys heralded whoever had been sent to fetch him out of this hole. Kheda stood below the grille as the lock snicked and the door swung open. The same jailer as before stood on the threshold, lantern raised to see where the prisoner might be before risking the cell.
His nose wrinkled with distaste as he took in the early-morning consequences of the overripe lilla fruit. Careful to avoid that corner of the cell, he tossed a plain cotton tunic and trousers on to the floor. The draught scattered the dry lilla seeds in all directions. 'Clean and dress yourself.' He stepped back to allow a younger man to enter with a bowl and ewer of water.
'Thank you.' Kheda couldn't quite hide his surprise. Stripping off his foul rags, he tore the cleanest patch from the tunic to use as a washcloth. More surprises followed. The water in the ewer was warm and a small vial of liquid soap sat in the bottom of the bowl. Even without the chance to wash his hair and beard, this was still a vast improvement on sluicing himself in the sea. Seeing the jailer raise a quizzical brow at him, he concluded his ablutions. Deciding against trying to dry himself with the foetid remnants of his tunic Kheda dragged the clean clothes over his damp body and walked through the door, head held high.
'No nonsense now,' said the jailer perfunctorily as they climbed the steps to the inner courtyard.
We both know there won't be. I don't suppose you're unhandy with those gem-studded swords you're wearing today and even if you were, you should be able to hold your own against a defenceless beggar.
Then his step faltered as the old familiarity of an armed man walking one pace behind tripped him with a treacherous memory.
Are you recovered, Telouet, and guarding my son?
'Open up.' The jailer called ahead to a younger man guarding the gate. 'On you go.' He sounded a little impatient, pushing Kheda from behind.