“You don’t mind if we keep this, then?” asked Terceth.
“Keep it. Don’t need it. Do need weapon and food and water. You give them back, we go away, not bother you.”
“We’ll see. You just wait patiently. You shouldn’t move too much right now anyhow. Let your head settle.”
Terceth moved to Awhero, drew her away, out of earshot, and questioned her, the old woman answering volubly, waving her arms. The baby began to cry, and the old woman took out a pack of baby food and waved it about, making demanding noises. Someone was sent to bring hot water.
Well, except for some of them like Obrang, they weren’t barbarians by nature. They weren’t trying to be cruel. They were just set on taking over Mahahm. Or . . .
Aufors looked up at the nearest guard and said plaintively, “You should go to Haven. Haven has good land. Haven has wine, and lots of food. Good things. There’s nothing good here.”
“Don’t you worry, desert-rat. By this time we’ve got Haven, too.” The guard grinned. “Some of us landed in Havenor soon after we landed here. We’re taking over the whole place. And we’re all going to live forever!” He laughed, a quiet and very satisfied chuckle.
Aufors subsided against the wall. Well, and well. He could fill in the blanks. The Lord Paramount had been selling long lives in return for frippery and security forces. Some of his customers on Ares figured the price was too high—or they couldn’t buy enough—so the customers decided to take over the store. But they didn’t know where the store got the stuff, not yet. They were looking for something, but they didn’t know what they were looking for. If they went out onto the dunes and found those bodies, they might figure it out soon enough.
Awhero said something to Terceth, who threw up his hands and let her go. Cradling the hungry baby in her arms, bottle at the ready, she came to sit next to Aufors once more.
“I’m going to try to get them to let you go,” said Aufors. “These people are looking for you-know-what, and if they find those bodies out in the dunes, they’ll soon figure out why they’re there. Somehow, you’ve got to get your people to dispose of them.”
She rocked to and fro. “I can’t reach my people. All messenger birds went south. Malghaste left marae, now they hide. Some go to Galul.”
“How far? Too far? Damn. Who’s left in the city?”
“Women,” she said. “Babies.”
“Women.” He thought about it. “Could they . . . ?”
She whispered, “If they were not drugged, perhaps they could understand, but they are drugged.”
“But with most of the men gone, who’s doing the drugging?”
“Old men. Keepers. Maybe it’s in their water. I don’t know.”
“So they probably can’t bury the bodies?”
“Why bury them? Just dragging them away from where they are would be enough. I don’t think Mahahmbi women could do even that.”
“I can’t figure out how the Shah keeps the secret? I can’t be the first traveler to have stumbled over bunches of bodies. Even having seen the Old Friend, you’d think some Mahahmbi men would have gone out there and tried themselves.”
She shrugged. “Perhaps risk seems too great. If they do not want to become statue, Shah’s blessing is essential.”
Remembered the conversation he had overheard in the city, he fell silent. It was true the two old men had spoken of the blessing. And of the vow of silence. Pray heaven they kept silent. It would be a very bad thing if the Aresians found out where the life-powder came from.
26: The Lord Paramount
Late the Lord Paramount had found his nighttimes increasingly wakeful. He was often aroused by small disturbances or sounds which would not have bothered him a few years before. It was true that the longer he reigned, the more anxious about his reign he became, for he was fully aware of the machinations of Prince Delganor. He knew the Prince had killed others in the line of succession. He knew the Prince conspired against himself, Marwell. He also knew, however, that allowing the Prince to operate with apparent freedom limited the field of possible aspirants, rather as turning goats into a pasture keeps down the weeds, not wiping them out, necessarily, but preventing their seeding or spreading. Better an evil one knew intimately than an evil one only guessed at. Thus far, the Prince had served admirably in the capacity the Lord Paramount had assigned him. Mower of aspirants. Cutter down of presumptives.