Birthgrave 03 - Quest For The White Witch by Tanith Lee

Author:Tanith Lee
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2010-11-08T00:00:00+00:00

Part IV

The Cloud

1

The flies came with the morning. I woke, and the air of my chamber buzzed with them. They flickered across the panes of the windows inside the lattice and crawled along the table-ten flies, or twelve, or more; it was hard to be certain, for they were forever in motion. Their noise and agitation disturbed me, so I turned slayer of flies till the rooms were quiet again.

A girl brought me a Masrian breakfast, fruit stewed in honey, sugarbread, and similar stuff. She did not seem afraid of me as my male guard had been; perhaps she did not know who I was. Then, as she set down the silver platters, she saw the corpses of the flies and cried out.

"What is it?" I said. I felt sorry for her; I seemed to see only decaying bones where she stood, emblem of approaching death. The whole city had such a look for me that day.

"The flies-" she said, "everywhere. In the Horse Market the herds are mad with flies. One woke me at sunrise, crawling hi my ear."

"The summer heat, no doubt," I said, but she put her hand to her lips and said, "The blind priest who begs by Winged Horse Gate-he said it is the god of the Hessek slaves, the dark one they call Shepherd of Swarms. His vengeance-a plague of flies."

"Well, there could be worse things," I said. "See, I've killed them."

I could eat nothing when she had gone.

The bells were ringing in the Palm Quarter. The sun shone bright as a dagger on this day of coronation.

An hour later they brought my ceremonial robes, creamcolored linen embroidered with gold and silver, the kilt diagonally fringed with indigo, the boots of white bull hide studded with red bronze. There was a heavy collar of gold and alcum set with blue gems, and the border of the looped cloak of scarlet silk depicted a whole boar hunt, done in silver, green, and blue thread. Nothing had been omitted, even the theatrical sword with its soft golden blade and hilt warted with pearls. I was to be shown favor before the people, Sorem's brother, the sorcerer. He did not lack cunning in his own way. What tale did he mean to give them to account for my abrupt departure tonight? Not that he would need to give it. Not now.

The invisible sword above the city would fall today.

I felt as sickly numb and as deadly indifferent as only a man can who is going to his execution.

Bales of crimson silk had been set down all along the tracks and the roads that led to the great southern Masrimas Temple. They bloomed like a river of poppies before us; after we had passed they were in rags from the booted feet, the wheels, and the trampling of horses, but still the people ran to them, and ripped the rags into smaller rags, and bore them away as trophies of this imperial moment. Even before we got outside the gate, I could hear the cheering and cries of the crowd.

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