Chapter Thirty Eight - Soil
"Is the owner of the threshold within?"
Shuna opened the tent flap. Pazu saw that he wore a slightly puzzled look. It had been Pazu who had spoken.
"Visitors, you are welcome over my threshold, please enter."
Pazu removed his boots, Sheeta hers and they once again conducted the formalities before sitting. In the dark the tent was even more unusual. Around the perimeter of the main space were placed a series of small pottery lamps, their bellies burned a sweet smelling oil, their tallow wicks gutted and danced in the slight draughts created by the carpet walls billowing from the snowy night pressing around the tent. Around the room the occupant's shadows played on the walls and the faces of those present were lit by the flickering firelight. From time to time the heavy tent walls would move more as a restless wind came along the valley.
Once again the conversation began. This time Keya spoke to Pazu and although resisting giving details Pazu spoke of his home town, his parents, his skills in engineering but he then bounced questions back to Keya asking about engineering in Gondoa (of which there was very little beyond wind and water powered pumps and irrigation). He asked of flying and Shuna said some lighter than air balloons were used with very weak engines that people bought in Restormel but in general the Gondoans did not fly. The fact that Pazu was an engineer seemed to interest Keya.
And once again the meal was amazing. To begin with small pastries spread with a spicy sour paste that woke up the palette. This was followed by a fish course. With a thick leather glove Keya pulled from the ashes of the fire earthenware balls, eothren,(1) Shuna called them, the size of large potatoes. Crumbling the soft clay away revealed fish steaks, baked in the fire's heat within the clay and again oiled in the ochre coloured paste. The lower half of the clay surround became the bowl from which the fish was eaten direct with the fingers. For the main course again the wooden bowls with bomao and over this a stew of vegetables in a thick glutinous dark sauce, side dishes of sweet corn and green beans. Pazu ate, he was starving. Sheeta watched him.
"Aqiwa,"(2) she said, urgently, "aqiwa, aqiwa, fhesta!"(3)
Shuna poured water from a large animal skin into a pottery cup. He handed the cup to Sheeta and she held it out to Pazu.
"You'll need this."
He stopped chewing, looked at her. He looked at Keya and saw the younger man had a slight smile on his face. Then it hit him, a heat, a burning searing heat on his tongue and against the inside of his mouth.
"Urh…!"
He took the water and drank. More, he needed more. He held the cup out to Shuna.
"Aqiwa!"
The older man poured.
"You learn the language fast Paetsu, in your time of need it is well to learn fast."
He was smiling and beside Pazu, Sheeta was giggling. Her waterfall laugh filled the tent. Shuna grinned and even Keya made a small smile.
"Urgh! Oh, wow!"
Pazu swallowed two, three cups of water.
"Ow! That's hot!"
He fanned his hand in front of his mouth while Sheeta continued to laugh.
"Paetsu, the konsha spice can be added more heavily to meals to make more heat. Keya, are you our cook again?"
"Lady, I am, did I do wrong?"
"I think you did mischief, didn't you? Please don't make fun of our guest, my companion. He is your Paetsu as well remember."
"My lady, forgive me, I am but an ignorant man of the soil."
Keya bowed his head, palms together.
but he's made his point
Pazu knew it was deliberate. Earlier in the day Sheeta had felt Keya was curious about him. Harmless mischief it may have been but Pazu took a disliking to Keya at once. Fun with the hot spices was nothing, there was something else about the man, the way he looked at him, as though he were an intruder. Sheeta spoke again and this time there was a clear edge in her voice.
"Keya, tonight let us talk of light things. I do not wish to hear of the soil."
Shuna interrupted.
"Keya, offer our guest the meat."
Keya found another bowl, added bomao and then a second stew of lighter colour with small pieces of yaoko steak in it.
"Please, Paztsu, this is less warm, called yaoksu, more to your liking I hope."
"You eat it Keya. I will stick with this. What is it called?"
Keya stared at him, a sudden flicker passed across the man's eyes.
"Paztsu, the vegetable stew is called mescah, I like it hot, please don't struggle with it."
"One day I'll take you to my old home, the Ravine. I'll serve you Judd's meatballs. But I won't laugh at you. You will be welcome there."
Keya's smile faltered.
"And the name is Paetsu."
The atmosphere around the fire changed suddenly. Sheeta was watching Pazu, Shuna kept an eye on Keya.
"With respect my friend, Paetsu is a prince who has returned."
"I'm aware of that."
"Paztsu is a prince who is away, one who is lost."
Pazu stared at the man. Neither dropped their gaze.
"I'm not lost, Keya. I am returning."
Beside him Pazu felt Sheeta move, raise an arm. Keya's eyes flickered quickly to her and then back to Pazu. Shuna had moved also, raised a hand against Sheeta, a clear wait, lets see where this goes gesture, thought Pazu.
"Do you think I'm not Paetsu? Do you think I am Paztsu? Or even an imposter, some foreigner come to steal your Lucita?"
"Paetsu," Sheeta spoke urgently
"I'm fine, Sheeta, unless I am making myself offensive here and causing our kind hosts insult, perhaps Keya would care to answer," he never for a second dropped his gaze.
"Paztsu, you are very bold."
"And you Keya are very rude. Sheeta calls me by my name. You call me by another. I have no particular problem with you being rude to me, but when you are rude to Sheeta, then I take offence."
The young Gondoan flicked his eyes again at Sheeta and back to Pazu.
"I think perhaps we need to lay this subject aside and speak of lighter things," Shuna had spoken.
"Shuna, we know nothing of this man, he could be any onthuo."(4)
"That is true. An earth dweller, just like you Keya. It has been seven hundred years, we are all onthuo now. Do you think I'm an imposter? A liar? An upstart? A foreigner here to cause trouble?"
"Paetsu!" Sheeta sounded annoyed now
"Do you want me to stop this conversation Sheeta? I will if you say so."
Pazu still wasn't looking at her, but at the young man opposite him. Shuna wondered, this Paetsu spoke to Sheeta but did not look at her. This young man, crudely dressed, no beard, not much more than a boy, spoke to his social superior without eye contact, a clear insult. And yet, and yet, Sheeta did not seem to be offended by his actions. That meant… that meant she was his. Under his spell. And that might be a problem.
Sheeta, to his great surprise said nothing, and nothing meant carry on, let's see where this goes. Shuna changed his sitting position a little, Pazu thought the way he sat now he could get up fast if necessary. Pazu assumed the men had brought their swords inside the tent at night, and wondered how far away they were. Pazu was closest to the entryway, Sheeta next, the two men were the far side of the fire. Without looking up, Pazu measured distances around the inside of the tent; an escape route.
"Well, Keya, what is your answer?"
The young man had a nonchalant air about him, confidence, a card up his sleeve. He knows something I don't, Pazu thought.
"Paztsu, how can we know? How is it possible to decide such a thing? There is only one proof and I doubt we can see that proof tonight."
"Oh, I think we can."
He broke eye contact with Keya for the first time since his mouth had been burned by the food. He turned to Sheeta and held out his hand.
"Please."
She knew what he wanted, what she didn't know was what he would do. Wondering quite where this would end, she reached up and untied the leather cord at her neck. The stone, until now hidden under her dress, came into view. Keya looked at it. Both Shuna and Sheeta saw him looking. Pazu took it by its leather string, it swayed with the movement of his hand. Keya stared at it, the stone, the stone of Laputa, touched only by royalty. In the hand of a stranger. It swung on its cord, turning gently and within the heart shaped crystal behind the crest there was something moving. A small light came from it, just a gentle glow. Keya ran his tongue along his lip, Sheeta and Shuna both saw his eyes change as he looked at it.
Cupping one hand under the other, Pazu let the stone come into his hand. It lay there softly pulsing, swirling, his palm became white-blue.
"Keya, you know this better than I don't you? Who can draw a spell from the stone?"
"Queens, Kings, Princesses, Princes, no others."
"Royalty? From any of the four nations?"
"True."
"If I speak a word of command and this stone responds I am royalty. Do you agree?"
"It would be true."
"That is not what I asked. If I speak a word of command and this stone responds, who am I?"
Pazu's voice was level, strong. He could feel the stone in his hand, not just it's weight and shape but something else, a living beating thing. It was like holding a tiny bird there, warm and eager. A bird that wanted to take flight. He felt something odd, the stone wanted to become magic, it wanted to become power, it didn't like lying dormant around a neck on a cord, its natural state was active, passionate and living. Around her neck it was like a cold steam engine, out of use. It wanted to be fired up, its furnace roaring, its boiler full and its steam pressure dancing past the red line. It wasn't a dead thing, but alive. It craved life. That sensation slightly perturbed Pazu but he didn't let that show. He did wonder if Sheeta knew this.
"You would be Paetsu, prince of Gondoa."
Keya's voice was firm, still confident, but a mildly arrogant smile played at his lips. It seemed he knew nothing would happen.
"And more importantly, when I am Paetsu, will you recognize me as such?"
Silence.
"As Sheeta does. Sheeta recognizes me, you deny that she's right. That's why I am angry Keya, not with your opinion of me, but with your opinion of her. Don't you see that?"
"I see that."
"Then recognize me, and apologize to her."
"The stone will not respond Paztsu."
"Don't you trust the judgment of the lady beside me? Do you think she would travel away for a month and return, saying the stone had led her to someone and she would accept me, yet you think she is deluded, or worse, lying to you?"
"I did not say that."
"You are thinking it."
"Paetsu, I think this has gone far enough."
"No Sheeta, if we don't finish this tonight, I don't know when it will finish."
"Say your word then Paztsu, draw forth a spell. If you can."
"Keya it is wrong. This is wrong," Shuna seemed furious
"I must have an answer Shuna. If this Paztsu can do this, I will know."
Pazu held the stone high. He knew what to do, he spoke quietly, in an almost offhand way.
"Lirhum."
Instantly, without even a moment of waiting, of building, of coming the tent was filled with light, a warm, strong, rich pale blue torch was in Pazu's hand. He could feel it on his skin, it was buzzing, throbbing, it became warm. On Laputa he'd not noticed this, he'd been too afraid. In the forest, with Sheeta's last breath sighing from her body, he'd been too distraught to care. But now it felt like he held a living thing, not a rock. This wasn't a mineral, and this wasn't magic. In that tent on that snowy night Pazu learned. In his hand was a thing alive, a thing not of magic but of power, of life-force. For an instant he was afraid.
The orange warm tones of firelight and lamplight were replaced by a world of palpable blue. In the huge library the blue light had been strong, it had filled the gigantic cavern. Here in this tiny space it almost blinded, burned the eyes, the hot flames of the fire became transparent and irrelevant. And there came a noise in the tent, a low humming. Outside the tent, out of the central hole where the smoke of the fire issued there stood a blue column, straight and pure, an arrow of light. It stood a pillar of purity between hearth and heaven, extending up until the eye couldn't measure it.
--I--
---o-o-oOo-o-o---
I I
On the road, beside the snowy field in which their skidplane sat, the two men in dark coats looked up from their roaring campfire. In the next valley, or the next one to that, there came something that caught their eyes, an impossible vertical ray of blue. Monoghan had been with Muska at Tepis but had not gone on board Goliath. He had stayed at the fortress, or what remained of it. He knew this blue line, this arrow. He had seen it briefly shine from the top of a tower and flicker to the eastern sky. Monoghan knew what this was.
"There, we need to move. Now."
--I--
---o-o-oOo-o-o---
I I
"Paetsu! Enough, please!"
Sheeta's voice was shrill. Pazu on the other hand was worried. He didn't know how to stop it. When they had climbed back up from the library she had doused the stone with a word he had not heard. Now this living, vibrating, humming, hot thing was in his hand. Keya and Shuna both had their eyes shaded by their hands, their faces turned away.
Then it came to him. The word popped into his head, unbidden. Emshieh.(5)
"Emshieh!"
The light was gone. The yellow firelight seemed weak and pathetic in comparison.
where did the word come from? who said it in my head?
There was sudden movement, Keya got up, stepped around Shuna and went outside.
"Keya!"
Shuna stood and followed him.
"Well, now they know, at least," Sheeta looked at Pazu.
"Here, yours," he handed the stone back
"Paetsu, I'm not so sure. It might be yours," she gave him an odd look, part fear, part impressed awe.
She put it back around her neck. Shuna came back in.
"I am very sorry, please, I crave your forgiveness, lady."
"I think it is Paetsu who might ask your forgiveness."
"Yes, Shuna, I'm sorry. That wasn't necessary."
"No, Paetsu, perhaps it was. Now we know, now he knows. My prince."
He bowed his head.
"Perhaps we should leave?" Sheeta stood up. Pazu did also.
"If you wish lady, although my threshold is yours to stay within."
"Do you still want us to travel with you tomorrow?"
"Lady, it is I who should ask if it is you who still wishes to travel with us. Keya was very rude, I will speak stern words to him later."
"Shuna, in this weather we cannot travel on foot, we have no warm clothing, no tent," said Pazu, "if this snow keeps up we might be stuck here all winter. Yes, thanks, we'll come with you. When are you leaving?"
"When do you wish to leave, Paetsu?"
"Early, we will eat in the inn, you take a quick breakfast. Come into the yard ready to go. Knock on the door. As soon as you can."
"I understand. We will. In the morning then. My lady," he bowed, "and my prince," another bow.
"Let's go."
Pazu led Sheeta out, and it wasn't lost on Shuna who was in charge here. Outside the snow was falling thickly. Keya was nowhere in sight.
--I--
---o-o-oOo-o-o---
I I
"Did I do wrong?"
"I don't think it matters, wrong or right, it's done."
"Keya worried me, right from this morning he worried me, the way he looked at me. Do you know him well?"
"No, he's just one of the village men. Shuna is his uncle. And no, I don't think you did do wrong. I had thought we would have to face this sooner or later."
They were in bed, Pazu had lit a fire in the bedroom's small grate but even with its heat the room was night winter cold. Sheeta pressed close to him for warmth. She spoke to his chest, he spoke to her hair. Down below their legs were intertwined. They touched together everywhere they could, to try and gain warmth.
"Is it like this all the time?"
"Oh, no, it's because of you. Keya is of the soil, like many in Gondoa. Others are of the sky. Your coming is going to upset some people, it is going to split things into two."
"Soil?"
"One who does not believe we should return to the sky or even now relearn the old things – flying, the machinery, the science. Originally these were the people who cast Phom out. From that day people have turned their back on flying and all it stands for."
"Oh, my."
"And those who are of the sky oppose them in their thinking. These people would originally have been Phom's supporters. But today it tends to mean those who think we should build flying machines and other machinery, re-learn the science."
She felt Pazu move against her, he was shaking his head.
"I can't believe this, an argument that goes on and on for seven hundred years? That's crazy."
"No, Paetsu, that's people."
"I don't understand minds like that."
"I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"
"Absolutely. Of course. Uh, what am I forgiving you for?"
"Bringing you here. To this mess."
Pazu moved and looked down at her, at her wonderful face amid that storm of wonderful hair.
"Sheeta, where you are, I am. That's all I care about. War, winter storms, stupid infighting between people, it doesn't matter. For you, I'll go anywhere, do anything."
"Paetsu, you know, you might have to. I'm sorry, my fault, I just didn't think this through. You are going to be an important person soon, in a few days. You will need to make decisions. People will be looking to you for a direction to take."
"Soil. That's you. You're of the soil aren't you?"
"I am. But more than that I'm of you."
"You said, in Hamar's wagon, you said you didn't want people to know about the past, that it was even better to lose those beautiful songs, this beautiful language than risk having another Muska come along."
"Yes."
"Do you still think that way?"
"I don't know. That was before I realized finally who you were. And before I'd even worked out that if you were Paetsu, what that would mean."
"Sheeta, you need to know, if you don't already. I'm of the sky."
"Yes. I know."
"And you?"
"I don't know."
"I don't want you to be of the soil, Sheeta. You can't be on one side and me on the other."
"I know, but now I don't know what I want, other than you."
"I want you too. More than anything."
"I want… now. I want you now."
"What?"
"Paetsu, my beautiful boy. Can I have you?"
"Now?"
"Hm."
So he gave himself. And this time, their second time, it was different. Before it had been urgent and physical and full of wondrous heat and burning discovery. This time they did this for comfort, for each other. This meeting, this pressing together was a medicine, a balm, a protective blanket against the coming days when they would face a force they didn't yet understand. This time there was even a slight taste of fear. Nor was there any fumbling this time, he knew what she needed, what she liked, and she knew he liked to kiss her where she was soft, so she lay there, not guiding him, letting him enjoy her. He made the decisions, he kissed, he bit, with his teeth he scraped exquisite lines across her, he touched, he entered. She let him. She asked if he minded her blood and he said no, he thought she was beautiful where she bled, where her blood was like the sunrise he wanted to be. He marveled even at the colour of her blood on his fingers. She asked if he needed her touch and he kissed away her request, no, this time no, this time is for you, you are of the soil and I am of the sky and the two should not be apart, the two should be together, let us make them together, let us be together, the sky darting down to the soil, falling upon the land, pressing within the soil, like a plough to the wet earth.
This time it was quiet. This time she did not cry out but held him with quiet sighs and soft moans as he drew her from the rich earth and lifted her up with him to the sky, the startling blue sky, cloudless and pure. Strong he was, the bright sun, he lifted her to the sun and offered her up to its burning heat and she came there, quietly, almost resting, resting in the soft embrace of his love, his caring, his need. She closed her eyes and drifted, calm and complete, finished and warm. He as always, as he did, followed after, always following she who had gone on ahead. He finished later and caught her and they lay quietly together and wondered, each within themselves if the soil and the sky ever could be joined, or whether it was hopeless and that time and people and circumstance would forever keep them parted.
But even in all this, in the midst of her doubts and confusion and worries about sky and soil, inside Sheeta a warm thing fluttered, a delicious heat, a happy thing.
we're going to be married, we're going to be married, he asked me to marry him, we will get married. I love him. he loves me. I love him.
Whatever happened, however things might go, surely this was enough?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
31 March – 1 April 2007
(1) Eothren : egg
(2) Aqiwa : water
(3) Fhesta : fast, quickly
(4) Onthuo : earth, or in this instance earth dwellers, people who are not descended from the flying nations.
(5) Emshieh : end, finish.
For author notes about Chapter Thirty Eight, please see my forum (click on my pen name)