The Wordsmiths and the Warguild (8 page)

       
"Shola - "

       
Later, boy. You'll have
plenty of time to memorise it before we send you seeking."

       
The Brother's words gave
Togura something of a shock. They gave him a hint of what was in store for him.
He thought of protesting, but held his tongue. As the old saying goes, it's
best to hear out the bargain before you break it.

       
"Thanks to the
wizard of Drum," said the Brother, "we know where to find these
boxes. The nearest is at the bottom of the green bottle in Prince Comedo's
Castle Vaunting, in Estar. A monster protects the bottle from those who would
acquire it. The box itself lies at the very bottom of the bottle and is
Guarded."

   
    
"Guarded?"

       
"I don't know what
is meant by that, and neither did the wizard of Drum. However, his Catalogue
says it, emphatically, which means there's death waiting nearby."

       
"Charming,"
mutttered Togura.

       
"What's that?"
said the Brother.

       
"I said, that would
be a real challenge. Something I could get my teeth into."

       
"Yes - or something
which could get its teeth into you. Anyway, to continue. There's also a box in
the Secret Store in Tormstarj Castle in the Ironband Mountains. That's south of
Estar, as you know."

       
"Yes," said
Togura, who didn't, but didn't like to say.

       
"There may possibly
be a third box in the Castle of Controlling Power. There is definitely one in
the possession of the Silver Emperor in Dalar ken Halvar. But that, of course,
is a step and a way."

       
"Yes," said
Togura, from habit.

       
"Galsh Ebrek may
hold another box."

       
"Who?"

       
"It is not a who,
it's a where. It's the High City in Yestron. You know where Yestron is, of
course."

       
"Yes," said
Togura. "It's west of here."

       
"No! East! Beyond
Argan. Beyond Ashmolea. Beyond Quilth. The west has nothing of interest, not to
us. Unless there's a box in Chi'ash-lan, which is problematical. You know where
Chi'ash-lan is, I hope."

       
"Yes," said
Togura, who had a vague inkling.

       
He feared he had
disappointed Brother Troop already, and that he would shortly have to
disappoint the wordmaster again. For he suspected that he was about to be offered
a job fit for a hero, and he had no intention whatsoever of accepting. He would
rather stay alive.

       
"Well, boy,"
said Brother Troop, beaming. "I expect you know by now precisely what we
want of you."

       
"Yes," said
Togura. "You want me to go to Estar to get the bottle which holds the box
which holds the index."

       
"Excellent!"
said Brother Troop, slapping him on the back. "I thought you'd accept.
Let's celebrate with some bread and wine, hey?"

       
"Tai-ho!" said
Togura, using a local idiom which meant something similar to "whoa!"
or "wait" or "stop."

       
"What is it?"
said Brother Troop. "You're not going to decline the honour of questing
for the index, are you?"

       
Togura hesitated. He
meant to say "yes," but did not want to leave without indulging in
the bread and wine that he had been offered. With a swiftly-developing
survivor's cunning, he equivocated:

       
"The question of
payment arises."

       
"Payment? But, my
boy - the glory! Isn't that enough? No? If not ... no, this is neither the time
nor the place. Come, let us eat and drink. The dinner table, my lad, is the
civilised place for prolonged discussion."

       
Togura was gratified by
the success of his stratagem. Over their meal, he rewarded Brother Troop for
his hospitality by showing an eager interest in the odex, the index and related
matters.

       
Precisely what markings
identified the box which held the index? Brother Troop sketched the heart and
the hand for him.

       
What was the Word which
opened the box? Brother Troop gave him the Word once again, and he memorised
it: Sholabarakosh.

       
What did the index
inside look like?

       
"Ahaha," said
Brother Troop. "An astute question, truly. When you open the box, you'll
know. Remember, it speaks the Universal Language."

       
"Whatever that
is."

       
"Yes," said
Brother Troop, with an unfamiliar hint of sadness and defeat in his voice.
"Whatever that is." Then, brightening: "Ah, the chicken! They've
brought us the chicken! Beautiful. Come on, eat, eat. You're not full already,
are you?"

       
"No," said
Togura, who was, but thought it wise to stock up a little. He started on a
chicken wing. "What," he said, "happened to everyone else who
went questing for the odex?"

       
"An intersting
question."

       
"Interesting
indeed, as the chicken said to the chopper. Come on, I'll know the truth sooner
or later. It might as well be now."

       
"Then, young man,
since you insist, I must tell you that the truth is that we don't know. Five
have been sent out so far. None have returned."

       
"Hmmm," said
Togura, thinking.

       
He was trying to
calculate how many more meals he could get out of the Wordmiths before they
forced him to make a decision to commit himself.

   
    
"I see the quest
takes your fancy, hey?" said Brother Troop. "Your young blood boils
with hot excitement! Horizons call you! Oh, you'll be a hit with the girls when
you come back, young man. Every damsel loves a hero."

       
"Give me a day to
think it over," said Togura.

       
And, after some further
discussion, the good Brother did.

       
However, Togura did not
get the chance to spend that day in rest, relfection and decision-making.
Events were moving swiftly now; unbeknownst to him, he was well and truly
embroiled in the world's turmoil. As he would soon find out.

Chapter 7

       
Disturbed by the
manifestation of the monster which had escaped from the odex, the City Council
of Keep met in an emergency session at noon that very same day, and passed a
Resolution Regarding Care and Confinement Appertainint to Monsters. Subsection
5(c) of Schedule 9 of Annex 5 attached to the Resolution stated that:

Any organisation which does or can or may or might buy breed produce
summon forth unearth uncover tempt call attract or otherwise obtain any demon
fiend bog-crawler crocodile griffin dragon death-lizzard creature of the Swarms
or related being or any similar or unsimilar scarth jinn brute beat or monster
MUST protect the public security by obtaining the services of a suitably
qualified and experienced hero sword-master death-dealer dragon killer or
similar.

       
Aware that the
manifestation of the monster had excited a certain groundswell of public
disfavour, the Wordsmiths sought to comply. They offered Togura the job on a
temporary basis, while he decided whether he would quest for the index. He
accepted, fully aware that only one real monster had emerged from the odex in
more than three decades of operation.

       
The Wordsmiths then
announced that they had recruited the young monster-slaughterer Togura Poulaan,
who had proved himself by killing a monaster for them earlier in the day, in
full view of the public. This announcement was met with derision by the
citizenry, who were by now fully aware that the monster had been killed by
Barak the Battleman, assassin and swordfighter, previously a gladiator in the
murk pits of Chi'ash-lan.

       
"How many people in
Keep know your face?" asked Brother Troops.

       
"A couple of
dozen," said Togura.

       
"Two dozen people
can scarcely overturn the world's belief. From now on, till further notice,
you're Barak the Battleman."

       
"Agreed," said
Togura.

       
Armed with his new name,
he stood taller and felt stronger; he began to walk with something of a
swagger. The Wordsmiths equipped him with a sword, a stabbing knife and a
helmet, and made an announcement correcting the name of their resident hero.

       
Togura, remembering his
encounter earlier in the day with the swordmaster-assassin who had prior claim
to the name of Barak the Battleman, wondered with some trepidation what would
happen if that rough, burly swordsman of middle years heard that his name had
been usurped.

       
The swordsman did hear.

       
And he shrugged, for it
was nothing to him. He should have changed his name leagues ago in any case.
That evening, as he set off east, his business with King Skan Askander
completed, he decided that henceforth he would call himself Genu Vay Chanay. He
would identify himself as a free-lance executioner.

       
Genu Van Chanay gave no
further thought to Keep or to its people or to the theft of his last roadname;
he had plenty of things to worry about without troubling himself over
trivialities like the use and abuse of his former name.

       
That very same evening,
an invitation arrived at the Wordsmiths stronghold for the Governor and the new
monster-slaughterer to attend a Banquet of Celebration to be given by the
Family Suet that very night. This gave Togura an attack of stage fright.

       
As Brother Troop was
attempting to calm his nerves, the calm of the night was interrupted by a roar
from the odex, followed by the manifestation of a dragon's head. Unfortunately,
the head was very much alive. But, fortunately, it was not attached to any
body, and consequently was soon dead.

       
"It's yours,
boy," said Brother Troop. "Proof positive to all the world of your
ability."

       
"I can't claim
it," said Togura. "I cannot tell a lie."

       
That in itself was a
lie, or at least an exaggeration; he could easily tell a small lie, and often
had and did, but he was unable to tell a lie on such an exaggerated scale.

       
"You needn't say
anything about it at all," said Brother Troop. "We'll have it carried
to the Banquet of Celebration. If anyone asks about it, then murmer politely
and say it's beneath your dignity to discuss such trifles."

       
"That's excellent
advice," said Togura, struck by the brilliance of this idea. "It's
very kind of you."

       
"Not at all,"
said Brother Troop, dismissing his thanks with a wave of his hand. "It's
us I'm thinking of. We have to have the confidence of the community we live
amongst. You're a valuable asset to us, boy. Do us proud."

       
So it was that Togura
went to the Banquet of Celebration in triumph, together with the dragon's head,
which took pride of place at the dinner, occupying a table all to itself.

       
Togura was rather miffed
when he discovered that the banquet was not to celebrate his own success at
monster killing. It was, instead, to celebrate the engagement of young Roly
Suet to the king's daughter, Slerma, and to announce the launch of a new
coinage in bronze, gold and silver. The coinage would bear the head of King
Skan Askander but would be backed by the assets of the Family Suet.

       
However, Togura's ego
was boosted by the fuss the young and beautiful Day Suet made of her hero. She
was a little puzzled about his new name. He explained the misunderstanding
which had forced it upon him. And, as he brought proof positive of his
abilities in the form of the dragon's head, she could not doubt his courage.

       
"You're a real
man," she said, breathing admiration.

       
"I'm growing
up," Togura concluded.

       
"Your father was
round here earlier today, real man," she said. "He was talking of
spanking you."

       
"I doubt that he'll
get the chance," said Togura, really cool and collected.