Scorpio Drums [Dray Prescot #42] Read online

  The Pachak swirled his wet hair back. He grimaced. “I'm with you!” This beach curved around and with the backing of green and colored foliage made a pretty picture. Wa-Te and I started to walk along towards the far end where we could just discern a black domed shape which must be a tunnel exit. We could not see where the river left the cavern, if it did. Movement across the lake caught our eye. Over on the opposite shore people were dancing up and down and waving. So that must be some more of Gochert's party.

  “I really think, Drajak, that we fare better on our own.”

  I was about to reply when the four Hytaks who had followed us all burst out shouting. At last one of them said: “We are very sorry to hear that, for we want to go with you.”

  “What about Vad Gochert?”

  “We serve faithfully for good masters. The vad has not paid us since we entered Loh.”

  Wa-Te might very well get on his high zorca now, for, as you know, Pachaks give their nikobi and then serve—if they don't get paid until the very end of the contract they will still remain loyal right through.

  I said: “I am able to give you employment. I will pay you the going rate, plus a bonus, when we reach my party. Agreed?”

  The bokkertu thus concluded we six went on towards the exit.

  All four Hytaks were crossbowmen. Their spokesman was hight Lurgan the Vandour. As we left the cavern I reflected that it was nice to travel alone, but a little more comfortable, in these circumstances, to have a companion, and much more reassuring to have four hefty fellows at your back.

  We went on smartly enough and found tunnels and caves. Now Wa-Te and I had to remember that these fellows had not been down here long. They would gain experience—if they lived—but for now the Pachak and I had to look out for them like Sunday School teachers and their flock.

  Also, and this I marked with an exceedingly severe mark—birds and animals were already alive as I approached.

  We debouched into a vast cavern and abruptly the booming roar of the Drums enveloped us. The noise continued, filling the cavern with sound. When it ceased, my ears, for one, rang like those famous old Bells of Beng-Kishi. As for my skull, I felt as though it bounced about on my shoulders.

  A vague movement ahead past some tree ferns brought my attention back in focus. No time in a labyrinth to bemoan the state of your health, by Krun! The movement was repeated and I made out the figure of a man in armor walking across the cavern at right angles to our direction. He was followed by others. Their armor and dress reminded me of those soldiers Seg had pointed out to me in the Hostile Territories, remnants of the Empire of Loh. This evidence, then, pointed to this party belonging to Queen Satra.

  Slaves filed past carrying burdens, followed by more guards. At my sideWa-Te whispered: “There's that shint, Trylon Ge-fu-Schian. I don't want to tangle with him, by Papachak the All-Powerful!”

  These people marched near the centre of the column, for presently sumptuously attired people strolled past as though on a picnic outing. The way had been made safe for them. I'd seen the cost of that making safe. Litters were carried past, draped with gold tassels. There was even a band with gleaming instruments; they were not playing, for which I was thankful.

  “They live high on the vosk!” growled Lurgan the Vandour.

  Just then, walking along with an arrogant swing, the armored form of Princess Licria drew my attention. A few paces to her rear walked Folly. They went on and the procession of nobles continued to pass by. Folly had said there were ‘thousands’ in Queen Satra's expedition. I was beginning to think she had not exaggerated.

  “Look at ‘em!” said Lurgan in a choked voice. All of us understood just who and what the figures were who went by now. Some reclined in litters, others walked for a period of exercise. I counted. Dressed in a variety of robes and costumes they might be, they were all of one cloth. There were four Wizards of Loh and six Witches of Loh.

  Wa-Te wasn't even looking at them.

  After that a body of strapping fellows in marvelous armor stalked by and I began to fancy the queen herself must put in an appearance soon. This experience, in itself, of sitting in the front seats, as it were, and watching the entertainment, was weird.

  In the next heartbeat I felt my eyes pop out and my heart give a thumping great kick. I gaped for that heartbeat like any loon; then I saw what had occurred. A great gush of relief swept over me.

  A body of men marched past fore and aft of a man and a woman. Their uniforms were quite unlike those of the Lohvians, for these fine fellows in armor wore bright yellow jackets.

  I stood up.

  Wa-Te said: “Careful!”

  Immediately I hunkered down again, the blood thrumming in my veins. But I had to think of the Pachak. I said: “Will that shint of a trylon recognize you?”

  “Possibly. He was never over careful of his men.”

  “H'm. Then you must adopt a name. You can be Nath ti Zanda. That's a nice little village where the apples are juicy. Now, come on!”

  I stood up as Wa-Te said: “But what are you about?”

  I shouted: “Hai! Hai, my old dom. What kept you?”

  Seg and Milsi swung about and stared directly at me, and Seg's bow was off his shoulder, the arrow nocked and the string drawn back before he'd finished swiveling around. Milsi shouted: “It's Dray!”

  The parties of EYJ fore and aft of Seg and Milsi moved towards me so that the column might proceed. They sent up a yell, a disciplined cheer, all as one: “Hai, Kendur!”

  Well, this was a fine kind of homecoming! I hurried forward. Milsi kissed me and Seg said: “I bet you've been having fun!”

  I said: “Where is she?”

  Immediately all the fun and frolic left Seg's face. He ground out: “She is not with you? We thought she was.”

  “No. Perhaps she is with Inch and Sasha.”

  “No, my old dom. We all fell down a shaft together, with EYJ. Inch is up front now, for we take turns.”

  So they hadn't found the way we four had entered here. There were lots of entrances, and Seg confirmed that there was a message about the fire. “She must be with Karidge and EDLG.” I felt my lips were puffy.

  “Yes,” said Milsi. “I'm sure she is.”

  After that the pappattu was made and I told Lurgan the Vandour to report to EYJ, knowing they'd sort him out. Wa-Te, as Nath ti Zanda, coped with the situation admirably. He was unlikely to be recognized, for his Pachak comrades were dead and in the thousands in the column—well, who would remember one fellow? Then Seg shattered me yet again: “We are engaged to dine at the next stop with the queen.”

  “Queen Satra? You—A Queen of Pain?Wha—?”

  Milsi laughed. “She's not like she is at all.”

  “That's what a little Sybli friend of mine said.”

  “We have not told her about the lapse of time.”

  “Well, by Vox, she'll have to know one day. I've an idea there are plans afoot for her. It seems that there are forces who wish to reinstate the old Empire of Loh—”

  “Do what!” snapped Seg. “The whole of Erthyrdrin rejoiced when the yoke of Walfarg was thrown off.”

  “The idea, I think, is to create a strong central force to resist the Shanks.”

  “That's sensible enough, I suppose.” Seg's handsome face expressed the utmost concern. “But I think that force should be Vallia.”

  “Or, Seg,” I said, most mischievously indeed, “Pandahem.”

  He gave me a withering look. We joined the column and marched on and still the notables had not all passed and still the queen's litter remained in our rear. There must be another damned army following on, too. Seg, Milsi, Inch and Sasha had missed me in the building of the dome and gone looking. With the lads of EYJ they'd tumbled down a shaft they could not climb and so had marched on into the maze. They'd either been fortunate or my companions had been unlucky, for Seg's party reached deeply down without a hint of trouble and they'd bumped into Queen Satra's expedition, and here they were.

&nbs
p; “A damned Queen of Pain!” I said. “How d'you—?”

  “You wait until the dinner, Dray.” Milsi twinkled, her face bright.

  “A real Queen of Pain,” confirmed Seg.

  “So that lets Mevancy out,” I said to myself.

  The lead pastang of EYJ returned and their relief went up forward. Satra's forces were pleased that they'd found some other reckless fellows to take the lead. Inch and Sasha came back with the pastang and great were the reunions. “We're approaching what I think must be the centre.” Inch set his tall form down on a convenient chest, for the column had stopped and preparations for what would have been evening were going ahead. “I think so, too,” added Sasha. “And there are those Ngrangi-forsaken Drums again!”

  The Drums boomed and roared and volleyed through the camp.

  Milsi and Sasha insisted that I dress up in some foolishness of costume from the chests presented to them by the queen. She carried on down here just as though she were in her own court in Walfarg. In the end I found myself wearing a slashed tunic of a nice soft brown color, like mahogany. I'd told them my escapades and why I didn't have my weapons and where they were. So, of course, dressed up and escorted to the queen's tent by a detail of her guards, the first person I encountered as I stepped in was Princess Licria.

  Before the polite Lahals could be made, she screamed out: “Drajak the Sudden! I'll have you! Seize him up, guards!”

  With a shocking abruptness a rapier point rested against Licria's throat. The guards froze. Seg, in whose capable fist the hilt of the rapier was gripped, said: “I think you make a mistake, princess.”

  She gargled something. Seg hadn't pricked her throat. If he had to, to make her see reason, he would. “Now, princess. We are honored guests of the queen. So is Drajak. You do ill to cross your aunt.”

  The guard detail commander, a hikdar, cleared his throat. “Permission to speak?”

  I said: “Spit it out, hik!”

  He rolled his eyes at Licria, motionless under the rapier threat.

  “Come on, man!” I snapped. He was a Hytak, solid and reliable, so I could do business with him. “We shall not harm the princess. There will be no blame attaching to you. Just that I do not want to be—”

  “Seized up!” snarled Seg. “What kind of bitch princess is this?”

  At that awkward moment the curtains over the tent's inner opening swished open and a little Och lady waddled through. She was not really looking at what she saw, wrapped up in her duties, so she squeaked out: “Please come through, the queen awaits—” Then her brain registered the tableau, and her squeak went up into bat's frequencies.

  “Let us all go in to see the queen.” Seg spoke pleasantly.

  The guards were not allowed past the curtained opening, and when they stopped as we went through, Seg took the rapier away from Licria's throat. I said to the Hytak Hikdar: “Don't worry, dom.”

  Easy words, I know; but I intended to honor them.

  The table was spread in a fashion to arouse the most intense desires. I shall not describe the details. Suffice to say that if they have banquets like that in Paradise, then Paradise is well worth striving for.

  The famous silver trumpets of Loh pealed.

  The curtains at the far end opened and Queen Satra walked through.

  She was astonishing.

  She wore robes of simple cut and style, fashioned from the most expensive fabrics. Her jewelry sparkled demurely. Her hair still came forward in that widow's peak over her forehead. That hair was pure white. Her face was a round dump, with creased cheeks, and dimples, and a little pink mouth from the left hand corner of which peeped the tip of a tooth slightly askew in her jaw. Her eyes, dark and brilliant, seemed to me to bear an emotion I couldn't fathom. She was just such a housewife as you might meet going to market with her basket on her arm. Those arms were pink and chubby. Her hands were very small and the fingernails polished. Her whole demeanor was mild, demure, modest.

  This—this was a famous Queen of Pain of Loh?

  Licria burst out in a blazing fury, the words pouring out in a frenzied torrent: “Aunt! This man—defiled—disgusting—whipped—sent to the Death Jungles of Sichaz—torture—I will not tolerate—”

  “Control yourself, child!”

  The queen's voice sounded mild, soft and a little breathless. I did not miss the hardness of honed steel in her words.

  Milsi said: “Oh, majestrix, there has been some terrible mistake!”

  “Yes,” confirmed Sasha. “This is our dear comrade Dray and he would never insult a lady's honor.”

  “He's Drajak the Sudden, Drajak the Defiler!”

  “If,” said the queen in that soft mild voice that snicked in like a rapier, “you cannot control yourself, Licria, until I get to the bottom of this imbroglio, you had best return to your tent.”

  Licria gasped. She paled. And she kept quiet.

  That was your power. That was your Queen of Pain!

  “Now, Milsi my dear, tell me all about it.”

  “Well, majestrix, it is like this.” Milsi went off into the story we five had fabricated. You see, quite clearly an Emperor of Paz was a ridiculous idea at this time. If anybody were to rule Paz then it would be the ruler of the Empire of Loh. Undeniably. Pandahem was owned and controlled by Walfarg as part of the empire. Milsi, who was Queen of Croxdrin, would be totally unknown to Satra. Likewise, any Emperor of Vallia was a potential enemy to the Empire of Loh. Havilfar defied Loh, and was about two hundred seasons after Queen Satra's time to be instrumental in the empire's downfall. Hyrklana, too, resisted. Now our equipment differed from that of these people, and so we fancied we might get away with claiming to come from almost anywhere, Donengil, Balintol. In the end we'd decided to be truthful. We acknowledged, proudly, that Vallia was our home.

  Of course, Tall Inch and Sasha from Ng'groga in the south east, and Seg from Erthyrdrin in the north, were nominally subjects of Queen Satra. The institution of mercenaries included in its tenets the notion that a person could settle down in an adopted country. We were Vallians.

  As the banquet proceeded Licria ate little, toying with and savaging her food, glaring at me in a way that can only be described as baleful. We all had estates and titles in Vallia, and used them. I fancied this mild-seeming little queen was trying to worm information about Vallia out of us for future use—future offensive use.

  In a diplomatic way we were able to assure her that Vallia had no intentions of conquest across the sea. Holding the island was the job. The wine went around and the queen relaxed a trifle. We spoke politely of this and that and soon the queen was explaining things that puzzled me.

  “Queens of Pain?” she said, her voice only slightly slurred from the wine. “Oh, yes. I was a wonderful QuoPa! Marvelous! The poor wretches I had tortured—hundreds, thousands. I rode my zorca into battle. I cut down my enemies. Oh, yes, by Lingloh, I was a true, right and puissant QuoPa!” She stared at Licria. “This princess who aspires to be a Queen of Pain is a pale shadow of what I was. She is milk and water, when I was fire and iron!”

  Licria's convulsive reaction caught a glass and sent the red wine into a blood red stain across the tablecloth.

  There were slaves everywhere, naturally, to minister to our every want at table. Licria snarled at the little Och girl, who shrank away from the stain, holding her cleaning cloth.

  “That's right, Licria! Let the blood stay!”

  Queen Satra had been downing the wine. I didn't keep count; but she had drunk deep of the grape.

  She went on: “I have had ten husbands. Just think of it. Ten of the pompous fools. Oh, no. It is a woman's world, right enough.”

  Milsi said: “Men have their uses, though.”

  “Oh, aye, by Lingloh!All my children dead.All of them.Every single one.” I happened to be looking at Licria as the queen spoke. A tiny movement curved her lips. I felt sorry for Satra's children. She went on: “Whose child are you, Licria? I can never remember whose grand daughter you are. At
any rate, you're the last of the descendants.”

  Licria found another goblet and did not answer. The shaft of pure hatred that sprang from her face for a half a heartbeat only portended great evil for the queen. Satra went on maundering about her life, recounting great deeds, famous battles, territories won. Then she said: “All that is past. I am no longer a QuoPa. I have repented of my evil ways. No longer will the silver trumpets of Loh shrill out over foreign dead as our armies sweep on to victory. No, no more, no more.”

  She was not sick with chivrel, so her white hair must be a sign that her life was well past the two hundred mark. Very soon now she would slip away. If the plot worked as Licria wished, she'd ship out faster than that!

  If the Star Lords were serious in their intentions to recreate an empire here in Loh, and wanted Queen Satra to become the empress, maybe they hadn't quite reckoned on her change of heart. She was no longer a Queen of Pain. She was now a mild little old lady anxious to get her life right with Hlo-Hli Herself, or any of the secret pantheon known to her, before she went shuffling off to the Death Jungles of Sichaz. So that left the charming Princess Licria. She would be a Queen of Pain! By Krun, she'd be a QuoPa to outdo any QuoPa who'd ever lived!

  What price Dray Prescot as Emperor of Paz with Licria as Empress of Loh?

  Satra sighed and nearly went to sleep and was escorted to bed by her slaves. She was smart enough to give orders that we were not to be disturbed.

  Licria flounced out without a word. We five, pleasantly filled after the banquet, our senses about us, went along to the tents given over to our use. The jurukkers of EYJ formed a comforting shield. I went off to check that the four Hytaks had settled in and found them happy enough in this new situation. “Where's Nath ti Zanda?”

  “He was called out by a little Sybli. Very pretty, by Kyfar!”

  “Did she wear black beads around her neck?”

  “Aye, lynxor, she did.”

  Now what did Folly want with the Pachak? I went off along the lines looking for them.

  The soldiers of Loh were smart, no doubt of it. I remembered the army we'd seen in the Hostile Territories. ‘Great Beasts of the Air’ as we'd called them, then had destroyed that army. The downfall of the Empire of Loh was a complicated and not easily explained fact of history.