* * *
“You!” Someone jerked his head up by the hair. Pain exploded across his eyes. The nausea billowed up, uncontrollably, and he vomited across the man’s boots.
“For the . . . What in hell!” The guard drew back a boot to kick Aufors, only to be stopped by Terceth himself, who jerked him roughly away.
“Men don’t heave for the joy of it, Obrang! He’s been hit on the head.”
“Bassid didn’ stop when I tol’ im, Prince Terceth.”
“Obrang, you can’t get information from an unconscious man. I’ve told you that before!”
The man went away cursing, to clean his boots, while the other knelt before Aufors and offered water. Aufors shook his head. “It won’t stay down,” he murmured.
“Rinse out your mouth at least,” said the other. “So you won’t stink so when you answer me.”
Aufors did so, turning slightly to spit in the place Awhero had just moved from.
“Now,” said Terceth. “Who are you, the three of you?”
“My mother,” said Aufors, gesturing weakly with an elbow, concentrating on the words he used, trying to sound like Awhero. “That’s her foster son, Kamakama. She’s taking care of baby for one of her friends, I don’t know who. My name’s Taipa.”
“You’re what? A citizen of Mahahm?”
“No.” Aufors tried shaking his head, quickly giving up the effort. “We’re malghaste. Ah . . . servants. Ah . . . untouchables. We carry out shit.”
Terceth thought about this. “The town’s almost empty? Did you know that?”
“Yes. Shah went out. He took most all men. Our people went then. Only few of us left. Baby was . . . sick so we waited to go. We got left behind.”
“Why is everyone leaving? Except the women, young children, and babies, that is. And a few old men.”
“Shah, he’s on rampage. He wants to kill all … malghaste. He says we are traitors. It’s not true. We don’t know why he’s saying so.”
“The women don’t seem to understand the language we’re speaking, but you do. We learned both Mahahmbi and Haven-tongue, but the women don’t seem to understand either one.”
“They do,” Aufors said. “But they aren’t allowed to speak it. Women evighaste. Dirty. Can’t use men’s words without making words dirty. If they talk Mahahmbi, they have tongues cut out. They’re afraid.”
“Umm,” hummed Terceth. “I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me where you got the weapon, and what it was for.”
Aufors raised his head, fixed the officer with an innocent stare. “Stole it from Mahahmbi palace. Stole food for baby, too.”
“That’s right, sir,” said one of the men standing by. “We almost caught somebody coming out of a storeroom there yesterday. There was baby food all over the place.”
Aufors sulked, “Need food for baby, need weapon. We travel all alone. Animals are fierce in mountains. Must have protection.”
“Did the others all have protection?” Terceth asked in a suspiciously neutral tone.
Aufors risked shaking his head, very gently. “Not many had weapons. But there are very many many of them. They can make loud noise, wave torches, frighten animals away. Old woman doesn’t count, so only two of us, boy and me. Not enough to frighten.”
“So, if the Shah wants to kill you all, where is he?”
“Malghaste camp place south of here. He went there. To kill many malghaste. We need to go before he comes back.”
“Oh. He’s coming back?”
Aufors did his best to look honestly amazed. “Where else he go?
Terceth stared at him a long time, a stare which Aufors returned with a wounded, reproachful look of his own. Finally the man reached into his pocket and took out the packet of lichen powder that had been in Aufors’s pack. “Can you tell me what this is? And where you got it?”
“Stole it,” said Aufors, who had anticipated the question. “From palace. It was in locked box, so I thought it was important. Medicine. Valuable, maybe?”
“Ahh,” said the officer. “Well, well. Can you show us where you got it?”
Aufors scratched his head, reached back, tenderly touched his wounded head. “No.”
“Why no?”
“Can’t remember where. Remember going to palace. Remember weapon. Remember box. Can’t remember palace. Head hurts when I try. What’d he hit me for?” Aufors, listening to himself, thought he sounded an absolute fool which was, probably, what was wanted. He glanced up to see Awhero beaming at him approvingly.