know of the Shadowmen?”
“Rez told me you don’t like that name.”
“True enough. But the true name of my people would give you difficulty.”
“Try me.”
Sanook said a word. It was a long word, made up of unfamiliar sounds and guttural intonations. It began with what might have been a “sh” sound, but after that Shel gave up. There was no way she could have repeated it correctly.
“Okay,” she relented. “You're right. What does it mean?”
“It is the name of my people,” Sanook told her, spreading his hands as if to say what else?
“Yes, but it has to mean something.” Shel frowned, leaning forward in her chair. Her uneasiness was forgotten. “I mean, look. I'm a thief. That’s a word that describes me, but it means someone who steals. I'm also a girl. It’s a name for what I am, but it means…well, you know what it means.”
Shel trailed off. She didn’t think she was making her point very well. There had to be a way to explain what she meant.
“I take your point,” said Sanook with another brief laugh. Then he said that long, impossible word again. “It means the People Who Swallow the Souls of the Dead.”
Shel blinked. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but that wasn’t it. Seeing her expression, Sanook laughed again.
“Sinister, isn’t it?” he asked. “But to my people, it isn’t. It is natural. It is the way of things. This life is a dream. When the dream ends and the body dies, there is a force within us which goes on. Death is another dream, where this force continues without the physical form. You call that force the soul. In the empire, these souls are bartered and sold like common goods. To my people, the soul is the sacred essence of life. We wouldn’t allow another possession of our soul, even if it were possible for us. You see, my soul cannot leave my body while my body lives. But when the body dies…”
He spread his hands again.
“Your soul passes on,” Shel said slowly. “Another of your people…swallows it?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Sanook leaned forward. She couldn’t see his face, but she imagined he wore an earnest expression. “You have met one of my people before.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You have,” Sanook insisted. “In the dungeons. His name was Aemond.”
The dying man, broken and beaten and bloodied, hanging by leather straps around his wrists. A man who had seized her and whispered strange words…Aemond, she’d heard that name before.
“Aemond passed to her,” Rez had said. Maul had reacted as if he’d been punched in the gut.
The dying man in the dungeon torture chamber had been…a Shadowman.
“He gave me his soul,” whispered Shel, scarcely able to believe it. It had to be some kind of trick. A lie. Something.
“I believe he did,” confirmed Sanook. “Rez is certainly convinced. He sent me here to talk with you about it.”
“I don’t…” Shel swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat. Her mouth opened and closed but no more words came out. She didn’t have any words. She didn’t know what to even think. “I don’t understand.”
“That is why I'm here,” Sanook told her gently. “The passing of souls carries a heavy responsibility. For my people, it isn’t the tawdry thing found in the empire. We don’t collect souls for power and profit. When a soul is swallowed, it is taken within and mixed with that which is there already. My own soul has grown many times, but still I have only the one. Do you see?”
“I think so.”
“Good.” Sanook sat back in his chair, folding his hands together before him and regarding Shel over the tops of his intertwined fingers. “Aemond’s soul was very large. Now it resides in you.”
“But how can you be sure?” She still couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it. “I don’t feel any different.”
“No?” Sanook cocked his head to one side and shrugged one shoulder. “Perhaps not. You have never gained
“Rez told me you don’t like that name.”
“True enough. But the true name of my people would give you difficulty.”
“Try me.”
Sanook said a word. It was a long word, made up of unfamiliar sounds and guttural intonations. It began with what might have been a “sh” sound, but after that Shel gave up. There was no way she could have repeated it correctly.
“Okay,” she relented. “You're right. What does it mean?”
“It is the name of my people,” Sanook told her, spreading his hands as if to say what else?
“Yes, but it has to mean something.” Shel frowned, leaning forward in her chair. Her uneasiness was forgotten. “I mean, look. I'm a thief. That’s a word that describes me, but it means someone who steals. I'm also a girl. It’s a name for what I am, but it means…well, you know what it means.”
Shel trailed off. She didn’t think she was making her point very well. There had to be a way to explain what she meant.
“I take your point,” said Sanook with another brief laugh. Then he said that long, impossible word again. “It means the People Who Swallow the Souls of the Dead.”
Shel blinked. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but that wasn’t it. Seeing her expression, Sanook laughed again.
“Sinister, isn’t it?” he asked. “But to my people, it isn’t. It is natural. It is the way of things. This life is a dream. When the dream ends and the body dies, there is a force within us which goes on. Death is another dream, where this force continues without the physical form. You call that force the soul. In the empire, these souls are bartered and sold like common goods. To my people, the soul is the sacred essence of life. We wouldn’t allow another possession of our soul, even if it were possible for us. You see, my soul cannot leave my body while my body lives. But when the body dies…”
He spread his hands again.
“Your soul passes on,” Shel said slowly. “Another of your people…swallows it?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Sanook leaned forward. She couldn’t see his face, but she imagined he wore an earnest expression. “You have met one of my people before.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You have,” Sanook insisted. “In the dungeons. His name was Aemond.”
The dying man, broken and beaten and bloodied, hanging by leather straps around his wrists. A man who had seized her and whispered strange words…Aemond, she’d heard that name before.
“Aemond passed to her,” Rez had said. Maul had reacted as if he’d been punched in the gut.
The dying man in the dungeon torture chamber had been…a Shadowman.
“He gave me his soul,” whispered Shel, scarcely able to believe it. It had to be some kind of trick. A lie. Something.
“I believe he did,” confirmed Sanook. “Rez is certainly convinced. He sent me here to talk with you about it.”
“I don’t…” Shel swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat. Her mouth opened and closed but no more words came out. She didn’t have any words. She didn’t know what to even think. “I don’t understand.”
“That is why I'm here,” Sanook told her gently. “The passing of souls carries a heavy responsibility. For my people, it isn’t the tawdry thing found in the empire. We don’t collect souls for power and profit. When a soul is swallowed, it is taken within and mixed with that which is there already. My own soul has grown many times, but still I have only the one. Do you see?”
“I think so.”
“Good.” Sanook sat back in his chair, folding his hands together before him and regarding Shel over the tops of his intertwined fingers. “Aemond’s soul was very large. Now it resides in you.”
“But how can you be sure?” She still couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it. “I don’t feel any different.”
“No?” Sanook cocked his head to one side and shrugged one shoulder. “Perhaps not. You have never gained
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