Shadow Hunted Read online

  “They were scared is all. They were afraid you had angered the gods.”

  “So let them be scared,” Karliss said, turning his face away. “Let them be however they want. I’m done.”

  “You’d leave your own family without a tlacti?”

  “Weren’t you paying attention? They don’t need a tlacti. There are no gods to keep happy.”

  “There are other dangers.”

  “Which they can handle without me.”

  “Hey, guys?” Batu cut in. “Can we talk about this later? We’re going really fast now, and I’m kind of freaking out a little.”

  Without Karliss realizing it, the aranti had increased their speed significantly while he argued with Hulagu. He slowed them down.

  “I’m sorry,” Hulagu said. “It should be your choice.”

  “Yes, it should,” Karliss replied, not yet mollified.

  They traveled for a time in silence. The forest beneath them grew thinner, the land flatter. More farms appeared, roads connecting them. Then, in the distance, they saw a cluster of buildings, a high, wooden wall around them.

  “Is that a city?” Batu asked. “I think that’s a city.”

  Karliss thought of how big Kasai’s city was. This place would fit into that a hundred times. “It’s not a city.”

  “Are you sure? Because it looks like a city.”

  “What would you know about cities?”

  “Firehair talked about them. He said thousands of people live in them.”

  Karliss flew them closer. There were probably forty or fifty buildings in the village altogether, most only one story tall. Fields surrounded the village.

  “Does it look to you like thousands of people live there?” Karliss asked Batu.

  “No.” Batu looked around. At most he could see a few score people on the streets, along with more working in the fields. “They could all be inside.”

  “Doing what?” Hulagu asked. “Why would all those people be inside?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe they’re sleeping.”

  “During the day?” The sun was nearing the horizon.

  “I don’t know what city people do!”

  “Even if they were, there aren’t that many buildings. They’d have to be packed in pretty tight,” Hulagu said.

  “Firehair said cities are crowded.”

  “I think it’s a village,” Hulagu said.

  “Me too,” Karliss added.

  “Does it really matter?” Batu asked.

  “No, it doesn’t,” Karliss said, slowing them and taking them lower.

  “What are you doing?” Hulagu asked.

  “We’re going into that village. I want to land before they see us.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want anyone threatening us with axes,” Karliss said.

  “No, I mean why are we going into this village?”

  “For food.”

  “I told you we can get all we need by hunting. We don’t need to risk something bad happening by going into this village. Remember the farmer.”

  “Then maybe I just want to go for fun,” Karliss said, setting them down in a patch of woods. He released the aranti and straightened his clothes. “You remember fun, don’t you?”

  “Is there really time for this? We have important things to do. We’re not here to have fun.”

  “There’s always time for fun,” Karliss said with mock severity, a twinkle in his eye giving him away. He turned to Batu. “Don’t you think so?” Hulagu turned to Batu also.

  Batu put up his hands. “Don’t look at me like that, Hulagu. I’ve never been in a city or a village. I want to go.”

  “What about the war? Shouldn’t we be focusing on that?” Hulagu asked, his hands on his hips.

  “You know what my problem has been lately?” Karliss asked.

  “A monster kept attacking you and your clan?”

  “Well, that too. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’ve been too serious. That’s my problem. I forgot how to have fun.”

  “Sometimes fun has to wait.”

  “Not this time,” Karliss said lightly. “You can stay here if you like. I’m going into the village and look around.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Batu said. “I hope I made that clear to everyone.”

  Hulagu was still standing there with a grim look on his face. “What about you, Hulagu?” Karliss asked.

  Hulagu sighed. “I’m coming. Someone has to keep you two out of trouble.”

  “He could be duller, but it would be hard,” Karliss said to Batu.

  The three friends left the trees and made their way out onto the road. The fields around the village all had people working in them. This late in the season, the plants were thick with produce. Karliss didn’t see a single plant that he recognized, but he saw plenty of things that looked like they’d probably be good to eat.

  “What do you think those are?” Batu asked, staring at one field as they walked by it. The field was thick with yellow squash about the size of a person’s head.

  “I have no idea,” Hulagu replied.

  “They’re so big. That’s a lot of food,” Batu said.

  “Who cares?” Karliss said. “Let’s get to the village. That’s what I want to see.”

  The village had a high, wooden palisade around it. The ends of the logs had been sharpened. The road led to a heavy, wooden gate that was open.

  “They must have a lot of problems with raiders here,” Hulagu said, eying the wall.

  There was a man on guard at the gate, sitting on a stool in the shade. He was older, mostly bald and stooped over. But his shoulders were broad, his hands thick, and his forearms corded with muscle. He wore a short sword on one hip and club on the other. He gave them a long look as they approached, then stood and held up his hand to stop them before they could enter.

  He strolled over and looked them up and down, taking in their unusual clothing, their packs, and most especially, their weapons. Pinned to his shirt was a metal emblem, a circle with a sword across it. “You boys aren’t from around here.”

  “No, we’re from…up north,” Karliss said.

  The man crossed his arms. “What’s your business here?”

  “Business?” Karliss looked to his friends for help but saw none.

  “What I’m saying is, what brings you to Hafin?”

  “Oh, we’re just looking around,” Batu said, trying to look past the man into the village.

  “You’re sure that’s all?”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “This is a quiet place,” the man said. “And the people here pay me to keep it that way. Am I making myself clear?”

  “You mean we should keep our voices down?” Karliss asked, pretending not to understand.

  The man’s gaze moved to Karliss. There was no amusement in his eyes. “I’m of a mind to turn you around and send you on your way.”

  “No,” Batu cried. “I really want to see the village. I’ve never been in one before. We won’t cause any problems. I promise.”

  “Huh,” the man said. His eyes moved to Hulagu. “How about you? You look like the sensible one in this group. Are you planning on keeping that damned big sword sheathed while you’re here?”

  “I will,” Hulagu said. “Unless we are threatened.”

  “If you’re threatened, you talk to me. That’s my job.”

  “We can come in then?”

  “You’ll keep your friends in line?”

  “I will.”

  “Okay.” The man stepped aside. “Welcome to Hafin, gentlemen. I’m Constable Willus. Stay out of trouble.”

  “That was close,” Batu said after they’d made it through the gate. He glanced back over his shoulder. Willus was still staring after them. “I didn’t think he was going to let us in.”

  “We would have gotten in anyway, one way or another,” Karliss said loftily. “You can’t keep the wind out.”

  “You two aren’t going to cause
any problems, are you?” Hulagu asked. “I gave my word.”

  “You worry too much,” Karliss said. “Everything will be fine. You know me.”

  “I do know you. That’s why I’m worried.”

  “We’re only going to have a little fun is all. Look around. See what we see. What could go wrong?”

  Hulagu groaned. “He shouldn’t have let us in.”

  Batu was staring at the buildings, most of which were made of logs like the farmer’s house. “It’s still hard to believe people really live in these things,” he said. “They’re so…solid. The good part is I don’t think they have to worry about a big wind blowing them away.”

  On one corner was a two-story stone building with a green door and a slate roof. A woman was leaning out of one of the upstairs windows, shaking out a rug. She gave them a curious look, then drew back and closed the window.

  “A stone house,” Batu said in awe. “Think how long that took to put up. How do they even move stones that big?”

  A man and a woman approached them. They were both portly and dressed very well, the woman in voluminous skirts of yellow and white, with a bonnet tied down over her hair and a gold necklace, the man in a black coat that reached almost to his ankles and a tall hat with a narrow brim. They both stared at the boys as they drew nearer, the man with narrowed eyes, the woman with a curled lip. They altered their path to stay well away from the boys. The woman whispered something to the man as they passed. She meant to keep what she said private, but Karliss heard the words clearly on the wind.

  “Look at those savages,” she said. “I can’t believe the constable let them in.”

  “It’s an outrage, is what it is. What do we even pay him for? Don’t look at them,” he told her.

  When Karliss heard this, he stopped and turned to look after them.

  “What are you stopping for?” Hulagu asked worriedly.

  “She called us savages,” Karliss said.

  “Who cares?”

  “I do. I’m going to show her what savages we are.”

  “Don’t,” Hulagu warned him. “I promised the constable.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t hurt them.” Karliss raised the wind with a thought.

  A sudden gust lifted the woman’s skirts. They flapped madly around her face like living things. She shrieked, the sound muffled by her skirts.

  The man tried to help her by grabbing at the flapping skirts, but then Karliss directed some of the wind at him. His hat blew off, exposing his shiny bald scalp. He grabbed at it and missed. The hat blew up onto the roof of a nearby house.

  “Stop, Karliss,” Hulagu hissed. “Let the wind go.”

  “All right,” Karliss said, laughing. Batu was laughing too. “I was only having a little fun.” He released the wind. The woman’s skirts stopped flapping around. Her hat had slipped and was partially covering her eyes. She pushed it back, then set about frantically patting her skirts into place. The man’s black coat was covered in dust, and he stared up at the rooftop where his hat sat.

  Hearing the laughter, the two of them looked at the boys. Karliss tried to give them an innocent look, but it was spoiled by recurring giggles from Batu.

  “That wind. It’s really something, isn’t it?” he called out. “You never know what it’s going to do.”

  They glared at him in silence.

  “Let’s go,” Hulagu said, taking Karliss’ arm and pulling him away.

  Karliss and Batu were still chuckling as they walked on down the street.

  “Did you see the look on her face?” Batu said.

  “He’s going to have fun getting his hat back,” Karliss said.

  “I need new friends,” Hulagu said.

  The street they were on led to the middle of town. “What’s going on up there?” Batu asked. Where several streets came together there was a small square filled with people.

  “Let’s go see,” Karliss said.

  “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Hulagu said, but the other two ignored him and hurried forward.

  Shops ringed the square, all of them with their doors and windows open. Many of the shopkeepers had set up their wares on tables out front, some with awnings over them to keep the sun off. In the middle of the square were a number of wooden stalls, simple wooden affairs that looked like they were taken down at the end of the day. A babble of voices arose from the market, buyers and sellers arguing, persuading, laughing.

  The boys stopped at the edge of the market, awestruck.

  “Look at all that stuff,” Batu said, his head turning as he tried to take it all in. “It’s unbelievable.”

  He walked over to the nearest shop, the others following him. On the table out front were piles of pottery, cups, bowls, plates, jugs. But this was not simple pottery like the Sertithians used, which was mostly simple, sturdy and unadorned. The items for sale were glazed in a variety of colors, greens and reds and blues. Also, the workmanship was much finer. Some had designs carved into them. Others had ornate handles.

  Batu picked up a light blue vase with flowers painted on the side. “What is this even for? It’s too tall to be a mug, and there’s no lid so you couldn’t carry water in it. I don’t think you could use it for cooking.”

  “Put that down before you break it,” Hulagu said.

  Right then the shop keeper emerged. He assessed them with one look, and the corners of his mouth turned down. “Don’t touch anything!” he snapped. “Put that down at once!”

  “I only wanted to know what it is,” Batu said.

  “If you have to ask, then you have no use for it. And from the looks of you, no coin to pay for it either. Now be gone, before I call the constable.”

  “Okay, sorry,” Batu said, setting the vase back down.

  “We’re good friends with the constable, you know,” Karliss told the man.

  “I seriously doubt that. Move along now. You savages are hurting my business.”

  Hulagu all but pushed the two of them away from the shop.

  “Why does everyone keep calling us savages?” Batu asked.

  “Look at how we’re dressed. Then look at them,” Hulagu said. “Why do you think?”

  The boys wore tanned-leather pants and knee-high felt boots. Their coats were coarse hemp, their janus long and colorful. All of them wore their hair tied back in long braids. None of the people around were dressed anything like them, and none of the men had their hair braided. Most didn’t have hair long enough to be braided.

  “Oh, yeah. I guess I didn’t notice,” Batu said.

  “Why did you tell him we were friends with the constable?” Hulagu asked Karliss.

  “I don’t know. I thought he would be nicer if he knew we had important friends.”

  “The constable isn’t our friend. You know that, right?”

  “Are you sure? He seemed pretty glad to see us.”

  Batu was still looking back at the pottery shop. “Whatever it was, it was pretty,” he said. “I bet my mother would like something like that.”

  “Too fragile,” Karliss said. “It would break the first day. Besides, shouldn’t you be thinking of gifts for Sube instead?” Sube was a girl who was sweet on Batu.

  “Maybe,” Batu said. “Probably. She was pretty angry when I left. She didn’t like it that I was going.”

  “All the more reason to get her a gift.”

  The next shop had dozens of bolts of cloth in a rainbow array of colors. “This is nice,” Batu said, fingering some blue cloth. “Sube could make herself a new dress with this. It would cheer her up maybe.”

  “Too bad you don’t have any money to pay for it,” Hulagu said, trying to pull the cloth away from Batu’s clutches.

  “Money?”

  “You know, like everyone else is using?” Hulagu gestured. Batu looked around and saw people handing over coins in exchange for goods.

  “People take little pieces of metal in trade for things?” he wondered. “But that’s crazy. They’re so small. What do they
do with them? They’re way too small to make anything with.”

  “Maybe they use them to make jewelry,” Karliss said.

  “I don’t see anyone using them as jewelry. Maybe they just like how they look.”

  “You might be onto something there,” Hulagu said, still trying to pull Batu’s hand away from the cloth. “Would you let go of this already?”

  “I wonder where you get some of those coins,” Batu said. “It would be nice to buy something for Sube so she’s not so mad.”

  The shopkeeper came bustling out of his shop and rapped Batu hard on the knuckles with his cane. “Take your hands off that,” he snapped.

  “Ouch!” Batu said, jerking his hand back. “What did you do that for?”

  “Because I don’t want your grubby paws on my merchandise, that’s why,” the shopkeeper said. He raised the cane. “Run along before I crack you on the head.”

  Batu started to make an angry reply, but Hulagu grabbed his arm and pulled him away. “Can you try not to touch anything for a little while?” Hulagu asked him. He looked around. “Where did Karliss go?”

  “He’s over there.” Batu pulled away and trotted that way. Karliss was watching a man who was juggling knives. Batu stopped beside him, but it wasn’t long before he forgot all about the juggler. He started sniffing the air. “What is that amazing smell?” he asked. “I have to know where that is coming from.” He hurried off into the throng.

  “Come on,” Hulagu said to Karliss. “Who knows what kind of trouble he’ll get into if we’re not there.”

  They found Batu standing in front of one of the food stalls. A woman with frizzy red hair and thick arms was standing over a skillet filled with hot oil. She had a large bowl filled with batter. She was dunking pieces of chicken in the batter, then dropping them into the oil, where they hissed and spat. She took out a piece that was cooked golden brown and set it on a wire rack to drain.

  “I don’t know what that’s called, but I have to have some,” Batu said. “Nothing else matters.”

  “It does smell good,” Hulagu said.