Lloyd Alexander by The First Two Lives Of Lukas-Kasha

Author:The First Two Lives Of Lukas-Kasha [Lukas-Kasha, The First Two Lives Of]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Published: 2012-06-04T15:04:32+00:00

Packing up the horse trader’s abandoned gear and shouldering the bundles, they set out for the nearest city, Hamaveran. There, Lukas ventured to tell some of the tales that once had made Nur-Jehan laugh; but they met with little more success than Hakim Luti and the camel. For the next several weeks, they pressed on, making their way from one town to the other, hoping to mend their fortunes. In one village, they traded their tales and juggling for sheepskin jackets and two pairs of boots; in another, they were lucky to scrape a meager dinner.

The versifier had given up shaving his head and the vanity of curling his moustache, which had regrown to impressive length. It sprawled under his nose, spread across his face, and nearly lost itself in a thicket of tangled hair.

If the versifier hardly resembled his former self, Lukas was equally changed. Afraid to use his own name, he now called himself “al-Ukash.” Uncomfortable at first, he grew accustomed to it, and to his own appearance. The skin of his cheeks and brow had blistered, shredded away, and come back tougher, to be further coarsened by dust and grit. His eyes were red-rimmed from the wind, his face more sun-blackened than Nur-Jehan’s. He doubted the girl would recognize him.

In the bazaar at Khana-Kazra, they heard the news: King Kasha was dead; Shugdad had proclaimed himself ruler of Abadan.

“He was bound to do it.” Lukas gave a dry laugh. “Dead—it gives me an odd feeling. Does he really believe it? I hope so. At least he won’t be looking for us. Or is it deliberate eyewash? In any case, for a dead man I maintain a remarkable appetite.”

To his satisfaction, the townsfolk greeted the news without celebration. An air of bitterness sharpened at a further decree. All able-bodied men were commanded to join the Royal Armies. Those who disobeyed would be taken up by the King’s Officers and sent in fetters to penal companies.

“You’d better come down with a limp,” muttered Kayim. “And the limper the better.”

“Easily done,” said Lukas. “I’m footsore already. What’s your ailment to be?”

“How’s that again?” The versifier cupped an ear. “I can’t hear a word you say.”

With the King’s Officers abroad, Lukas and the versifier dared stay no longer than a day in each town. They had, this while, been drifting generally westward. Kayim now suggested veering north along the Harami foothills, where the outlying towns might be too isolated to draw the Officers’ scrutiny.

“Wherever you want,” Lukas wearily agreed. “One place or another, it makes no difference. Stay, move on, it’s pointless either way.”

“That never troubled you in Zara-Petra, from what you’ve told me.”

“It’s different, somehow,” said Lukas. “I was an idler because I wanted to be one, not because I had to. I cared for nothing; now I have nothing to care for.”

By week’s end they came to Bayaz, more village than city, drowsing in the shelter of a narrow valley. The white, flat-roofed buildings stood unwalled, and they entered without being questioned or challenged.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.