Return to Went

Chapter 8

Chapter Four

JOURNEYMAN

Daric Enna slipped into an unobtrusive corner and settled on a padded chair, thankful to be sidelined for the moment. Even during the previous night’s get-together he’d managed to keep to himself. Confronted by a crowd of strangers his first instinct was to screen himself to invisibility, and it was hard to let old habits go.

Sensing his moment of anxiety, Casco flashed him a glance. Daric laughed at himself. Their situation was quite a reversal. It was usually him being supportive, especially here on Giahn where half-breeds were despised. But for the Uri’madu Casco’s ancestry simply wasn’t an issue: Daric was glad. During their travels together, every time his friend had been disrespected Daric had felt the honor of the Realm slip just a little more.

Tam offered Casco more kosh. Daric tuned in to their conversation.

“So, Casco,” Tam asked, “you didn’t seem surprised about the Eyes.”

Gento moved closer, interested to hear his answer.

Casco’s nod was a shade guilty. “After we got back from Went, Duvät Gok stayed with me for a short time.” He raised his hands. “I know, I know, but by that time he was in pretty bad shape.”

For a fraction of a second Tam’s gaze narrowed. “In your house?” He winced. “I don’t care how tragic he was, you’ve a kinder soul than mine!”

“Breath knows I was pleased to see the back of him when he left.” Casco said. “So, what do you think of the goranda? Should be a nice base for stews and the like. I was told it stores well if prepared properly.”

“It does, but we’ll still have to use it within the first quarter. Is it on the resupply list?”

As the discussion turned to food, Gento joined in conversation with Andel, and Daric relaxed. However it wasn’t long before the cook noticed him alone in the background and came to talk.

“Daric Enna.” Tam smiled at him. “I hope you don’t feel left out?”

“Not at all,” he said. “Still feeling my way.”

“You’ll get to know us all too well soon enough.”

“No doubt!” He smiled politely in return.

“And this business with Duvät Gok? The eyes?” Tam went on. “Terrible! Not the usual sort of thing we Uri’madu have to deal with.”

“Ghastly!” Daric agreed. “And I don’t doubt it. Astonishing what people will do for coin. And you? How do you feel about it? The Faythans, the mines, and new team members proliferating like zilla?”

Tam grinned. “It’s a challenge, to be sure.” He looked Daric up and down in a not unkindly way. “Have you ever been to a wild planet?”

Daric shook his head.

“Amazing experience,” Tam said. “Especially the first time. I suppose it’s the silence that’s hardest for beginners to come to grips with.” He circled his finger in the air. “No buzz. Nothing. Takes some getting used to. Joumelät Enna struggled for a bit when she first signed up.”

“Silence? I think I’ll welcome that most … But that’s not what killed her.”

Tam blinked. Clearly this was not the comment he’d expected. There was a slight pause. “No,” he answered more slowly. “It was complacency – or Tiamäti arrogance, maybe. She didn’t scan for predators and one got her.”

Daric tipped his head. So, the cook had teeth. Tam looked at him expectantly. This was an opportunity to be likeable, but what should he say?

“I’m sorry, Tam. I’ll admit, I’m a tad overwhelmed,” he said at last. “I’m hoping that if I just sit quiet and listen, I’ll learn some things and not make a fool of myself.” He gave a rueful smile and was pleased to see the cook warm to him.

“You’ll be fine,” Tam said. “An attitude like that is a relief, to be sure, especially from one of your lot. We’ve had others – so full of their own song they’re deaf to anything else. They’re the ones who find it toughest.” His direct smile, innocent as a child’s, touched Daric unexpectedly. “Just ask,” he continued, “that would be my advice. If you don’t know how to do something or feel unsure, we Uri’madu are a team and that’s how we operate.”

Daric nodded. “Thanks, Tam. Casco has told me a lot about you. Says you’ve been a good friend to him.”

“We’re all friends!” Tam laughed. “No ceremony here. You’ll get used to it.”

Casco joined them. “Just don’t knock his cooking,” he said. “Then you’ll see how far the friendship goes.”

“I’ll remember that.” Daric held out his hands as if to tick an imaginary list. “Cook must get his daily dose of adoration.”

“You’ll do well!” said Tam. “I like you already.”

Daric was surprised to sense it was true. Casco liked him, of course, but he worked hard to be sure that remained the case – teaching him, supporting him … not that it was a chore. Casco soaked up all he had to offer with disarming ease. He’d never had a friend before, not one who was just a friend, and he found he liked it very much. There was Mirashael, of course … Mirashael claimed he was like a son to him, but if you stripped away the business considerations, would the love remain?

The usher arrived with water for tea and a few plates of nibbles.

“Just time for a quick dose of Guild-food before the new lot get here,” Tam said sourly. “Cheese on little sticks again?”

The usher turned and walked away.

Nachiel gave an ostentatious eye roll. “How many years now?”

“I hate to think,” Tam replied.

“Well, that’s the truth,” Nachiel said archly. “Leave thinking to likes of our Huldar here!”

Tam gave a soft snort and continued to set the cups in order. Galano twigs rattled into a round-bodied mug with the rune of Trianog on its side.

“Well, just so long as we’ve got some of that gorgeous pink paste they had last time,” Nachiel said.

“Pink?” Tam glanced up at him.

“Well, pinky red then.” Nachiel shrugged. “Who cares? It’s divine. You should get the recipe.” He sidled closer to Daric. “A word to the wise, Daric Enna: you’ll be sick of the sight of little attar by the time we get back!”

Daric winked. “I introduced Casco to some new contacts, and I think you’ll find that for this rotation, a few more of our excellent cook’s desires have been met.”

“Ooh!” Nachiel said. “I love surprises.”

“Excellent cook?” Tam repeated. “Learns fast!”

Casco glanced toward the outside corridor. “Here come the new team members,” he said. “Lord Pieru’s with them.”

“The Guild-Lord?” said Sari. She looked for somewhere to put down her tea and quickly straightened her outfit.

There was a clatter as Tam put out extra cups.

Huldar moved to the center of the floor and the Uri’madu gathered behind him, veils tuned to polite neutrality. Moments later the door swung open and Pieru entered, followed by two archangels and three angels. All appeared Lethian bar one doughty Rukh. Daric eyed her discreetly. When things got sticky would she be loyal to the Imperium or the Uri’madu?

Pieru stopped Huldar from bowing. “Please, there’s no need.”

Casco gave a subtle nod and Daric c****d his head. The Uri’madu’s regard for their leader ran strong, but to Casco he was more like a brother – or had been.

Daric listened with half an ear to the Guild-Lord’s preamble, a reiteration of the troubling task before them, the pressure to do the right thing, etc. etc. He knew, perhaps better than any, exactly who they were dealing with and what lay ahead. He bowed as expected when Lord Pieru spoke about him, and looked thoughtful when Lind’s death was mentioned, but it was more enlightening, as usual, to watch those around him.

Gento and Cobar glanced at each other then back to Rosheen, the new Rukh – an alpine survival specialist and clearly not one to be trifled with. Maybe it was a Rukh thing.

One of the archangels, Calen of Leth, seemed to be studying the woodwork of the walls, but he could sense her covert study of Huldar’s face.

Daric felt a tingle of shock when she turned to look directly at him. He smiled pleasantly and made a mental note to be more careful.

The other new archangel’s spiky haze kept others from crowding him. He was nuggety and tough with brown hair and a bit of a scowl, but Daric knew Shamkarun Ariben of Leth to be one of the finest substrate specialists in the Realm. The Mark on his face was not extensive but conferred status just the same.

He detected tones of farewell in the Guild-Lord’s speech and returned his attention to the front.“… an excellent leader, and he’ll look after you all,” Shamkarun Pieru was saying, “but the dangers of Went are poorly understood as yet, so please, be extremely careful. As yet, no additional healers have been assigned to the Host, so Alis and Ubaid will have their work cut out for them. I’ll say it again: there will be no contact with the outer Realm until the quarterly navigational link. The second phase of the Host will arrive with the first of those visits. At that time, you may send letters and requests for extra kit and the like. Beyond that there’ll be no opportunity for communication until the summer solstice, as you already know. So, I’ll leave you with that sobering thought. Do the best you can and stay safe.” He bowed to them all. “Breath blow good fortune.”

They watched him depart.

Nachiel held out a tray to the newcomers. “Cheese on a stick, anyone? The pink paste is lovely.” He gave the remains of their seafood a guilty glance.

Ariben of Leth held up his hand. “I have a question, Shamkarun Huldar.”

“Please, it is our custom to use familiar names, at least among ourselves,” Huldar said. “From now until we return to Giahn, we are the Uri’madu, our own entity, and we make no such distinctions.”

“Refreshing,” one of the newcomers remarked. Her name was Van– a Lethian of unremarkable build and height, but her speaking voice was pleasant to listen to and her eyes showed intelligence.

Ariben shuffled impatiently. “What’s prompted the Imperial high and mighty to go against a hundred thousand years of protocol?” he continued. “Have El’s tenets ceased to have meaning?”

As Huldar began his reply, Daric dipped his cheese-on-a-stick into the bowl of pink paste and settled down to enjoy. Tam grinned at him and he found himself grinning back. Already the social protocols were slipping, and no doubt they would slip even more as everyday life in the Realm became a thing of the past.

He made another note to himself. Be careful not to mistake temporary interdependence for genuine affection.