On Fire's Wings - Christie Golden [85]
She shook her head, the looseness of the gesture revealing that she had indeed drunk too much tonight.
“No,” Shali said, “from all sides. Our scouts have returned with rumors of war from other lands. Lands on the other side of the mountains.”
Jashemi was completely alert. He had never even given any thought as to what lay beyond the mountain range. Arukan was all he knew, was all he thought there was. There were other people, other lands? The mountains and of course the Great Dragon had kept them safe until now.
Casually, he inquired, “What lands? I have not heard of this.”
She smiled proudly. “When you have to fight as often as we do, you learn where your enemies will come from. I don’t know the names of the places, but people have been coming from the mountains and killing some of those who live too close to the Northern range.”
Shali yawned and stretched, then got up and went on her hands and knees to him. She settled her head in his lap.
“My husband,” she murmured, the words beginning to slur, “will you not make love to me tonight?”
Jashemi closed his eyes and stroked her hair softly. “No, my wife,” he said, very gently. “But I will take you to bed and tuck the covers around you and sing you to sleep, if you like.”
She smiled sleepily. “That sounds pleasant,” she said.
He picked her up in his strong arms and did as he promised her, singing children’s songs in a soft voice. He watched her sleep for a few long moments. He wished he could love her, or at least make love to her, but to do so would be to court thoughts that he knew were forbidden.
Sighing, he rolled over and soon went to sleep himself.
Again, he dreamed of the sad, elegant woman with whom he regarded the Shadow that lurked on the edge of the world. If only he knew what it meant. An image flashed into his mind, like a memory; an image of a boy just into manhood, lying dead on a stone street.
Jashemi had never met this youth, but he knew him. Knew of him. Why? Who was he?
He saw the laughing horse creature, the elegant hound with claws and wings, and another being unlike any he had ever seen. He could not even properly describe it. A horn and cloven feet like a liah, scales like a snake, beard like a goat—it ought to be ugly, hideous, a monstrous thing. Instead it struck him as exquisite, and his heart ached to behold it.
There was a thin golden chain around its slim neck, a chain that trailed off into shadow. And despite the creature’s apparent delicacy and great beauty, he knew that it was a harbinger of terrible danger.
He awoke covered in sweat, his throat so tight that he knew he could not possibly have cried out. Anger replaced fear as he wished desperately he could make sense of these dreams. He was suddenly unable to bear sleeping next to Shali, a woman he could not love, could not confide in. It was not her fault; she was a good person and tried so hard to comply with his desires. He took the pillow and stretched out on the cold stone floor.
Kevla. Oh, Kevla, I wish I could talk to you about this.
He had no more dreams that night.
Unto the Great Khashim,
I am sorry to hear that you were not able to come to better terms with the Shining Clan. It is unfortunate that we seem to be the only ones who prefer peace to war.
I have heard news that might interest you. It seems that not only must my wife’s clan defend themselves against attack from other clans, but there is a new enemy to be wary of as well. I am now in a position to command informants, and they have corroborated the rumors.
Arukan is no longer alone. It appears that there are lands on the other side of the mountains that have thus far protected Arukan so well. I have not seen this with my own eyes, but the stories keep coming of attacks on those who live too close to the Northern range.
Have you heard of such things? I am certain that you keep at least as informed as I. We have long desired to unite the clans, in order to bring about prosperity and peace for all. Now I wonder if we ought to try to unite them so that we present a strong force to this mysterious