seriously I said: “Are they both well?”
“As far as I know. You know them, then?”
“I do. Deb-Lu-Quienyin is at the moment somewhere in Vallia. You’ve heard of Vallia?”
Again that little touch of arrogant contempt. “Of course.”
“Well, if he’s too far away, you’ll have to reach Khe-Hi or Ling-Li.” I reconsidered. “Better make it Khe-Hi. If Ling-Li’s heavily involved with reproduction at the moment she won’t want a fambly like you breaking in.”
Icily, he said: “They have twins, a boy and a girl.”
“My Val!” I felt the pleasure. “I have been out of circulation.”
“I told you. I don’t do lupu very well.” He was verging on the petulant. “Anyway, even if I was as good as Khe-Hi-Bjanching, I told you, I’ve given up being a wizard. Thaumaturgy and I have parted company. I’m going for a Bowman of Loh.”
“I’ll break your damn bow over your head, you ingrate! Didn’t I fish you out of a watery grave?”
And he laughed.
And I laughed with him.
“Well, now,” I said, presently. “Come on, Ra-Lu-Quonling. It’s vitally important I get a message through.”
“We-ell, I suppose I could try. You know, I heard the stories concerning the mages of whom you speak. I know what they do these days.”
“Oh?”
“They are among the most successful. They have as clients the royal and imperial house of Vallia.”
That was the way a Wizard of Loh would see the relationship, and, as I never forgot, it was the correct way. Khe-Hi and Deb-Lu were true comrades, that is so; but they remained Wizards of Loh.
“So I believe,” I said, casually.
“As I said, we are well-educated in Whonban. Even if I skipped some lessons, I never skipped current history. And I read widely.”
“Good for you, Ra-Lu. Now, you did say you would try—?”
“Yes. I will try to contact Khe-Hi-Bjanching. What message would you like me to give him, Dray Prescot?”
Chapter six
“Ouch!” I said. Then: “My name is Drajak ti Zamran, known as Drajak the Sudden. I would esteem it a favor if you could remember that. Anything else could prove embarrassing.” I added, menacingly: “For those who found out.”
“Very well. If you remember that I am Nath the Ready.”
“Oh, come on! Find a better name than that.”
“Well, yes, perhaps.”
“As to the message, ask Khe-Hi to contact Deb-Lu and arrange to send a voller — an airboat — down here. Send two so the pilot of the one I use can fly home. Have you got that?”
“Airboats,” he said, and the disgust dripped.
“You’d better also recommend that they don’t tell anyone apart from the Lord Farris. Otherwise we’ll have an invasion down here.”
“I don’t quite—”
“Never mind. Now, my lad, do your stuff — and you have my thanks.”
“I shall need a little more room.”
“Of course.” The clean crisp air of Kregen, only partially sullied by the smells of the river, whiffled up my nostrils most beautifully as we came up on deck. I breathed in. By Vox! This young feller-me-lad of a Wizard of Loh was going to fix my ticket, was going to arrange passage back to Tsungfaril, Mevancy, Llodi and all the others, back to intrigue and danger and death. Now he had committed himself he was spry about it.
We found a clear space at the rear of a ramshackle godown where the mud was not too thick. No one was about or could spy on us without being detected. Ra-Lu-Quonling squeezed his eyes shut, opened them wide, flexed his fingers, took three deep lungfuls of air, said: “Right.”
He squatted down and lifted his hands to his eyes, threw his head back, remained silent and unmoving. I watched him gravely. He began to tremble, his lithe young body vibrating under the yellow tunic. Slowly he drew his hands down his face. His eyeballs were completely rolled up so that his eyes were mere white blots in that tanned young face. His breathing slackened. Quietly I waited for the next stage in this process. With a strangled cry, a
“As far as I know. You know them, then?”
“I do. Deb-Lu-Quienyin is at the moment somewhere in Vallia. You’ve heard of Vallia?”
Again that little touch of arrogant contempt. “Of course.”
“Well, if he’s too far away, you’ll have to reach Khe-Hi or Ling-Li.” I reconsidered. “Better make it Khe-Hi. If Ling-Li’s heavily involved with reproduction at the moment she won’t want a fambly like you breaking in.”
Icily, he said: “They have twins, a boy and a girl.”
“My Val!” I felt the pleasure. “I have been out of circulation.”
“I told you. I don’t do lupu very well.” He was verging on the petulant. “Anyway, even if I was as good as Khe-Hi-Bjanching, I told you, I’ve given up being a wizard. Thaumaturgy and I have parted company. I’m going for a Bowman of Loh.”
“I’ll break your damn bow over your head, you ingrate! Didn’t I fish you out of a watery grave?”
And he laughed.
And I laughed with him.
“Well, now,” I said, presently. “Come on, Ra-Lu-Quonling. It’s vitally important I get a message through.”
“We-ell, I suppose I could try. You know, I heard the stories concerning the mages of whom you speak. I know what they do these days.”
“Oh?”
“They are among the most successful. They have as clients the royal and imperial house of Vallia.”
That was the way a Wizard of Loh would see the relationship, and, as I never forgot, it was the correct way. Khe-Hi and Deb-Lu were true comrades, that is so; but they remained Wizards of Loh.
“So I believe,” I said, casually.
“As I said, we are well-educated in Whonban. Even if I skipped some lessons, I never skipped current history. And I read widely.”
“Good for you, Ra-Lu. Now, you did say you would try—?”
“Yes. I will try to contact Khe-Hi-Bjanching. What message would you like me to give him, Dray Prescot?”
Chapter six
“Ouch!” I said. Then: “My name is Drajak ti Zamran, known as Drajak the Sudden. I would esteem it a favor if you could remember that. Anything else could prove embarrassing.” I added, menacingly: “For those who found out.”
“Very well. If you remember that I am Nath the Ready.”
“Oh, come on! Find a better name than that.”
“Well, yes, perhaps.”
“As to the message, ask Khe-Hi to contact Deb-Lu and arrange to send a voller — an airboat — down here. Send two so the pilot of the one I use can fly home. Have you got that?”
“Airboats,” he said, and the disgust dripped.
“You’d better also recommend that they don’t tell anyone apart from the Lord Farris. Otherwise we’ll have an invasion down here.”
“I don’t quite—”
“Never mind. Now, my lad, do your stuff — and you have my thanks.”
“I shall need a little more room.”
“Of course.” The clean crisp air of Kregen, only partially sullied by the smells of the river, whiffled up my nostrils most beautifully as we came up on deck. I breathed in. By Vox! This young feller-me-lad of a Wizard of Loh was going to fix my ticket, was going to arrange passage back to Tsungfaril, Mevancy, Llodi and all the others, back to intrigue and danger and death. Now he had committed himself he was spry about it.
We found a clear space at the rear of a ramshackle godown where the mud was not too thick. No one was about or could spy on us without being detected. Ra-Lu-Quonling squeezed his eyes shut, opened them wide, flexed his fingers, took three deep lungfuls of air, said: “Right.”
He squatted down and lifted his hands to his eyes, threw his head back, remained silent and unmoving. I watched him gravely. He began to tremble, his lithe young body vibrating under the yellow tunic. Slowly he drew his hands down his face. His eyeballs were completely rolled up so that his eyes were mere white blots in that tanned young face. His breathing slackened. Quietly I waited for the next stage in this process. With a strangled cry, a
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