The Quest - Smith Wilbur (читать лучшие читаемые книги TXT) 📗

Rest and refresh yourselves. Within the next few days the council of oligarchs will send for you. In the meantime I am your host, and yours to command.' Before he left them, Bilto looked again at Taita with troubled, searching eyes, but he said no more.

When they entered the house a major-domo and five house slaves were lined up to receive them. The rooms were large and airy, but the windows could be covered with leather curtains, and there were open hearths in the main rooms where fires were already burning. Although the sun was still above the horizon there was a chill in the air, so the fires would be welcome when the sun set. Fresh clothes and sandals had been laid out for them and the slaves brought jars of hot water for washing. The evening meal was served by the light of oil lamps, a rich stew of wild-boar chops, washed down with a robust red wine.

Until then they had not realized that the journey had exhausted them.

Meren's eye was paining him so Taita poured a warm balm of olive oil and soothing herbs into the socket, then administered a dose of red sheppen.

The next morning they all slept late. Meren's eye had improved but still hurt.

After breakfast, Bilto took them on a tour of the village, of which he was proud, and explained how the community lived. He introduced them to the leaders and Taita found in the main that they were honest and uncomplicated. He had expected to detect some ambiguity in their psyches, as he had with Bilto and Colonel That, which might be attributed to the proximity and influence of Eos, but there was nothing of significance, just the petty foibles and frailties of humanity. One was discontented with his wife, another had stolen an axe from his neighbour and was consumed with guilt, while someone else lusted for his young step-daughter.

Early in the morning of the fifth day Captain Onka returned to Mutangi to deliver a summons from the Supreme Council. They were to leave at once, he told them.

The citadel that contains the chamber of the Supreme Council is forty leagues hence in the direction of the Mountains of the Moon. It is a ride of several hours,' Onka told Taita. The weather was fine and sunny, the air crisp and exhilarating. Fenn's cheeks were glowing and her eyes sparkling. At Taita's bidding she fell back with him to the rear of the party, where he spoke quietly to her in the Tenmass.

'This will be a crucial test,' he warned. 'I believe we are heading for the stronghold of the witch. You must suppress your aura now and keep it so until we return to Mutangi.'

'I understand, Magus, and I will do as you bid me,' she answered.

Almost immediately, her expression became neutral and her eyes dulled.

He saw her aura fade and its colours diminish until they were little different from those emitted by Imbali.

'No matter what stimulation or provocation you encounter, you must not allow it to flare up again. You will not know from which direction you are observed. You dare not relax for a moment.'

It was well past noon when they entered a steep-sided valley that cut into the central massif of the mountain range. No more than a league further on they reached the outer wall of the citadel. It was built of large rectangular blocks of volcanic rock that had been fitted together by skilled masons of another age. The passage of time had weathered the stone. The gates stood open: it seemed probable that they had not been closed against an enemy for many years. When they rode into the citadel they found that the buildings were grander and more substantial than anything they had seen since leaving Egypt. Indeed, the largest was strongly reminiscent of the temple of Hathor at Karnak.

Grooms were waiting to take the horses, and red-robed functionaries led them through pillared halls until they reached a small door in a loggia and went through it into an antechamber. Refreshments had been set out on the long table, bowls of fruit, cakes and jugs of red wine, but first they went into the adjoining rooms to freshen themselves after their journey. Everything had been arranged with consideration for their comfort.

When they had eaten a light meal, the council usher came to lead them into the audience chamber. It was warmed by charcoal braziers and padded mats lay on the stone floor. He asked them to seat themselves and pointed out the positions they should occupy. He placed Taita at the head of the group, with Meren and Hilto behind him. He sent Fenn to the rear rank with the others, and Taita was relieved that he had shown no special interest in her. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she sat demurely beside Imbali and saw that she was restraining her aura to match that of the tall woman.

Taita returned his attention to the layout and furnishings of the chamber. It was a large room of agreeable proportions. In front of where he sat, there was a raised stone platform on which stood three stools.

They were of a design he had seen in the palaces of Babylon, but they were not inlaid with ivory and semi-precious stones. The wall behind them was covered with a painted leather screen, which hung from the high ceiling to the stone paving and was adorned with patterns in earthy

colours. When Taita studied them he saw that they were not esoteric or arcane symbols but merely decorative.

There was the sound of hobnailed sandals on the stone floor. A file of armed guards entered from a side door and arranged themselves at the base of the platform, grounding the butts of their spears. The robed usher returned and addressed the company in sonorous tones: 'Pray show respect for the noble lords of the Supreme Council.' All followed Taita's example and leant forward to touch the ground with their foreheads.

Three men came from behind the leather screen. There could be no doubt that they were the oligarchs. They wore tunics of yellow, scarlet and pale blue, and plain silver crowns on their heads. Their manner was stately and dignified. Taita scried their auras and found them diverse and complex. They were men of force and character, but the most impressive was the man in the blue robe who took the central stool. There were depths and nuances to his character, some of which Taita found puzzling and disturbing.

The man made a gesture for them to relax, and Taita straightened.

'Greetings, Magus Taita of Gallala. We welcome you to Jarri, the land of the Mountains of the Moon,' said the blue-robed leader.

'Greetings, Oligarch Lord Aquer of the Supreme Council,' Taita replied.

Aquer blinked and inclined his head. 'You know me?'

'I knew your grandfather well,' Taita explained. 'He was younger than you are now when last I saw him, but your features are cast in his exact mould.'

'Then much that I hear about you is true. You are a Long Liver and a sage,' Aquer acknowledged. 'You will make a shining contribution to our community. Would you be kind enough to introduce to us your companions, whom we know less well?'

Taita called them forward by name. Meren was the first and went to stand before the platform. 'This is Colonel Meren Cambyses, bearer of the Gold of Valour and Companion of the Red Road.' The council studied him in silence. Suddenly Taita became aware that something unusual was afoot. He diverted his attention from the three oligarchs to the leather screen behind them. He scried for some hidden presence but there was none. It was as though the area behind the screen was a void.

This alone was enough to alert him. Some psychic force was cloaking that part of the chamber.

Eos is here! he thought. She throws no aura, and has concealed herself behind a screen more impenetrable than leather. She is watching us. The

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shock was so intense that he had to fight to keep himself under control: she was the ultimate predator, and would smell blood or weakness.