The Quest - Smith Wilbur (читаем книги онлайн бесплатно TXT) 📗

They stripped off their dusty, sweat-stained tunics and stood for a moment to enjoy the breeze upon their naked bodies. Taita stooped to pick up his clean tunic, but Fenn stopped him. 'There is no great hurry, my lord. It will be some time before the others return to search for us.

We should take advantage of this moment, and that we are unencumbered by our clothing.'

'When Meren reports our demise to That, the whole company will race here to find our remains. They might arrive to find us very much alive.'

Fenn reached down between his legs. 'Do you recall what Meren said about this? How it makes a man reckless? Well, I propose that we be reckless together.'

'When you hold me like that, you could lead me anywhere, and I would make no protest.'

She smiled slyly and sank down on her knees before him.

'What are you doing now?' he demanded. 'This is something you never learnt from me.'

'Imbali gave me precise instructions. But hush now, my lord, I will not be able to reply to any more questions. My mouth will be otherwise engaged.'

They cut the matter fine, and were only just able to complete setting the stage for their subterfuge before they saw the dust of galloping horses

approaching from the direction of the river. They moved back into the grove of acacias and sat quietly together at the base of a tree. They held each other's hands and wove round themselves a spell of concealment.

The hammering of hoofs grew louder until That and Meren appeared out of the dustcloud, riding hard at the head of a large band of armed men. As soon as they saw Windsmoke and Whirlwind grazing at the edge of the grove, they swerved towards them and came up only twenty paces from where Taita and Fenn were sitting.

'Oh, by the guts and liver of Seth!' Meren cried. 'See the blood upon the saddles! It is even as I told you. The djinni have seized them and carried them away.'

The dark stains were giraffe blood, but That was not to know that.

'By the coupling of Isis and Osiris, this is a tragic business.' He swung down from the saddle. 'Search the area for any sign of the magus and his consort.'

Within a short time they had discovered Taita's ripped, bloodstained tunic. Meren held it in both hands and buried his face in it. 'Taita has been taken from us. I am a son without a father,' he sobbed.

'I fear that good Meren is overplaying his part,' Taita whispered to Fenn.

'I never suspected such talent in him,' she agreed. 'He would be superb as Horus in the temple pageant.'

'How can we go back to Pharaoh and tell him that we allowed Taita to be taken?' That lamented. 'We must at least find his body.'

'I told you, Colonel That. I saw them both taken up into the sky by the djinni,' Meren tried to dissuade him.

That, though, was dogged and determined: 'Nonetheless we must continue our search. We must comb every inch of the grove,' he insisted.

Once again, the men spread out in an extended line and advanced through the trees.

Meren and That were in the lead and Meren walked within arm's length of where they sat. His face was set in a formidable frown and he muttered to himself under his breath: 'Come now, That, don't be so pigheaded. Let us go back to the boats and leave the magus to his tricks.'

At that moment there was a shout as a searcher found Fenn's bloodstained tunic. Meren hurried to him and they heard him arguing with That, trying to persuade him to abandon the search. Presented with the evidence of the bloody garments That at last gave in. They took Windsmoke and Whirlwind and rode back to the carcass of the

giraffe to butcher it and carry away the meat to the boats. Taita and Fenn stood up, picked up their weapons and wandered away towards the north, angling back to meet the Nile again far downstream.

'I do so love being alone with you,' Fenn said dreamily. 'Shall we stop and rest again under the shade of that tree?'

'It seems I have awakened in you the sleeping dragon.'

'I have discovered that my little dragon never sleeps,' she assured him.

'She is always wide awake and ready to play. I hope she does not weary you, my lord?'

Taita led her to the trees. 'It will be pleasantly diverting to see who will first weary whom,' said he.

The entire company were plunged into mourning when they heard the dire tidings of Taita's disappearance. The next day when they had reloaded the horses and set off again downstream, they went like a procession of funeral barges. Not only had they lost the magus, but Fenn, too, was gone. Her beauty and winsome ways had been talismans of good fortune to all the company. The younger women like Sidudu, especially those she had set free from the breeding farms, worshipped her.

'Though I know it is not true, even I feel bereft without her,' Sidudu whispered to Meren. 'Why is Taita playing this cruel trick?'

'He must make a new life for himself and for Fenn. Few of those who knew him when he was ancient and silver-haired will understand his magical transformation. They will see in his rebirth some malevolent act of black witchcraft. He and Fenn will become objects of fear and loathing.'

'So they will go to some place where we will not be able to follow them.'

'I cannot comfort you for I fear that it will be so.' He placed his arm round her shoulders. 'From here on, you and I must make our own way.

We must find strength and purpose in each other.'

'But what will happen to them? Where will they go?' Sidudu persisted.

'Taita seeks a wisdom that you and I cannot understand. All his life has been a quest. Now that his life has become eternal, so the quest also.' He thought about what he had said, then went on, in what was for him a rare flash of insight: 'That could be either a great blessing or a great burden.'

'Will we never set eyes upon them again? Please tell me that it will not be so.'

'We will see them again before they go. Of that we can be certain.

They would never treat us so cruelly. But one day soon they will be gone.'

While Meren was speaking he was watching the near bank as it slid by, looking out for the sign that Taita had promised he would leave. At last he saw a bright prick of light from the bank, a reflection of sunlight off polished metal. He shaded his eyes and peered ahead. There it is!'

He steered in towards the bank. The rowers shipped their oars. Meren jumped the gap between the deck and dry land and ran to the sword that stood on end, its point buried in the earth. He drew it out and brandished it over his head. 'Taita's sword!' he called to That in the following galley. 'This is an omen!'

That sent a shore party across to him, and they searched the bank for half a league in either direction, but found no further sign of human presence.

Taita is a crafty old fox, Meren thought. He has played this charade to such perfection that even I find myself almost taken in by it. He smiled to himself, but kept a solemn mien as he told the men, 'It is futile to continue the search. These affairs are beyond our understanding. If Taita, the magus, has succumbed, what chance do we stand? We must go back to the flotilla before we ourselves are overwhelmed.' They obeyed with alacrity, consumed by superstitious dread, and eager to take refuge in the galleys. As soon as all were safely embarked, Meren gave the order to continue the voyage. The rowers took their seats on the benches and pulled for a league in silence.

Hilto was at the stroke oar in the bows. Suddenly he lifted his head and began to sing. His voice was rough but powerful, the voice that had commanded men over the din of battle. It rang out across the silent river:

'Hail, thou dread goddess, Hag-en-Sa, whose years stretch into eternity.

Hail, thou who art the keeper of the first pylon.