The Circle sat in a sort of semi-trance, waiting, holding
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the channel open between itself and Fong, more than twelve hundred kilometers away. The emperor stepped into the middle and assumed the lotus posture.
Telepath that he was, and with the Circle providing a carrier wave, the emperor’s connection with Fong was immediate when he opened himself to it. Words whispered in his mind, overlying the concepts, and supported at times by images. Overall, their exchange was approximately as follows:
“Your Magnificence, the elemental raven provided by your Circle of Power is dead. The circumstances are not clear, but I have the distinct feeling that it deliberately disassembled. The Northman was observed burning the body outside his tent in the Buriat encampment early this morning.”
Songtsan Gampo acknowledged the information silently. Tenzin had told him earlier that the elemental had disassembled, and the shock had killed the body.
“Since then,” Fong went on, “the Northman has fought with one of the Buriat, a huge man, larger even than himself, renowned as both a wrestler and swordsman. A remarkable fight; the entire camp is abuzz with it. He killed the Buriat with his sword—after first killing the Buriat’s horse with his fist! But he himself took a great cut on the abdomen, though it did not disembowel Him. Reports of its seriousness differ, and I cannot verify any of them; all large cuts look ghastly to me. I watched the fight through the mind of a tribesman.”
Visually he replayed it for the emperor. When he was done, the emperor asked thoughtfully: “Is he likely to be executed for this?”
“It is highly unlikely. For several reasons: The Buriat seems to have started the fight, and the crowd seems content or even pleased with the result; the Buriat was a notorious bully, and widely disliked. Most importantly, Kaidu has taken the Northman’s part in it. Also, the Northman has left the camp. Alone. And no one seems to know where to or why. The rumor in camp is that
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someone was trying to have him killed, and that he believed he could not long survive there.
“Even his companions did not know in which direction he’d gone. I was able to approach them closely enough to read them on that. I also have very interesting information from the boy who is a clansman of the barbarian. It is not entirely clear—I was unable to probe the boy— but seemingly the barbarian is more than two hundred years old.”
Songtsan Gampo’s mind jerked at that. “Two hundred years? That’s impossible!”
The reaction told Fong that his emperor very much wanted to believe. “Your Magnificence,” he said, “my information was from substrate, not a thought flow, and somewhat unclear. But it seems the barbarian has twice saved his people: once two hundred years ago, and once recently. The boy is concerned for him.”
Songtsan Gampo sat without further reaction for long seconds. Meanwhile Fong kept still; he sensed that the emperor would have a reply. Finally he did. “Surely someone there has at least an idea of where he’s going.’
“Not where he’s going, but his tracks have been found. On the road between Urga and the ancient capital. His ex-companions are following him now. It seems he left before midnight, wounds and all, and wasn’t missed till after daybreak.
“It’s as if he were coming to you.”
The emperor sat mentally quiet, contemplating this. After a long minute, Fong cast another thought. “Another thing, Your Magnificence.”
“Yes?”
“One of his companions, called Ted, seems to be an ancient.”
“An ancient? You mean he too is old?”
“Your Magnificence, you’ve heard the legend that some of the ancients had flown to the stars before the Great Death.”
“Of course.”
“Judging from this Ted’s thoughts and those of the
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barbarian boy, not only is the legend true, but a ship of ancients has returned across the sky. This Baver seems to be one of them—one of the ancients, or more probably one of their offspring. The barbarian boy thinks of them as ‘Star Folk.”
Songtsan Gampo had no further questions, and when it was clear that his envoy had nothing more to volunteer, he ended the communication. Then he looked at Tenzin Geshe and spoke aloud: “You have heard all this. Create another elemental raven and have the barbarian found. Also his two friends. If they are traveling on or along the highway, it shouldn’t be difficult. I do not want them lost again. I will have them captured alive, especially the barbarian and the—star man.’