The plaited line in the airway trembled, the pieces of glass tinkled musically. And again.
Awhero went to the door and called deeper into the warren, “Bird is here, Kamakama.”
A youthful form erupted into the room and launched itself up the narrow stairs, soft-footed, only a slight scratching betraying the climb to the pigeon cote above. The Mahahmbi used pigeons to train their hunting birds, the malghaste used them to carry messages. Within moments the boy was down again, passing the message capsule to Awhero and standing with cocked head while she took it apart.
“They go south,” she said. “Everyone. They want us out of city. They say danger here, they want us on our way to Galul. Well, I can’t go with this child sick, and nobody can go in direction Shah goes, before or behind, that’s for certain. Best will be to wait until he and all his men march off toward marae, then we’ll go another way. We can be gone by time he gets back.”
The youth scratched his nose. “You want me to make rounds?”
“Better had,” Awhero acknowledged. “Tell everyone to come here or send someone, so we can plan.” Now what? She knew Genevieve had reached the refuge. She knew Aufors had been spotted by malghaste watchmen. He had been close in. Probably coming here, looking for her. Foolish man! If she could find him, he could accompany malghaste when they sneaked away. If she couldn’t find him, likely he’d be taken by Shah’s men and they’d end up killing him after all!
The malghaste would have to go far east or west to keep out of Shah’s path. No point in their going by their usual desert routes, not with all Mahahm-qum watching them in moods of murder and mayhem. Some of those killed by airship’s cannon had been old men, men about to receive His Effulgency’s gift. Getting dead so close to immortality, why, that was shocking, no doubt. So said fathers and brothers, heatedly.
Well. If they asked her, she would recommend going by sea, as Aufors appeared to be going. Down the western shore, which route was, no doubt, also being chosen by some of those at the marae. They wouldn’t empty the small refuges. Some would stay nearby to keep an eye on the Mahahmbi. Perhaps to lead the Mahahmbi into mountainous country.
Awhero sucked her cheeks with pleasure, savoring thoughts of Mahahmbi among mountains. Then, as baby cried in real pain, she forgot pleasure. Pray heaven it was only colic.
25: The Empty City
The mountain range that had been partially inundated to make the islands of the Stone Trail continued down the west coast of Mahahm, splitting just south of the desert into two ranges, one continuing south along the shore while the other veered eastward across the continent in the virtually impenetrable barrier of chasms and cliffs that protected the highlands of Galul. It was near a stony buttress slightly north of this split that Aufors found a mooring. He tugged the boat up behind the rocks where it could not be seen from the sea.
Getting this far had been simple enough, but now he had a fit of the niggling which-ways. Northeast to the city, or east along the foot of the mountains, looking for wherever Genevieve might have gone. The mountains enclosed a big territory, very steep, very dangerous, and if Genevieve had had some destination in mind, she had kept it to herself. If he went to the city, he would at least have a starting point from which he might trace her. Dislike it or not, he could only choose the city.
He put on the desert cloak he had brought, along with a tattered festoon of stained rags he had plundered from the machinist’s store. Dirt on the face plus the few days’ beard he had accumulated since fleeing Mahahm made the malghaste impersonation quite believable. He had purposefully arrived in midevening in order to make his trek in the dark. Though he carried a light, the stars would give him enough to travel by. A moment’s reference to the locator gave him the heading he would need.