Profane rites, p.9
Profane Rites, page 9
“May Devi bless you, my child. My name is Sister Honorata. This is my companion, Yonas. A member of the Order of Edessa. He accompanies me for my protection in these remote places.” Manjit’s eyes narrowed as he first examined Yonas, and then examined his tulwar. “In fact, I am here to speak to Partho Nasrin. I would be pleased if you would be so kind as to take me to him, Manjit.”
He gestured for them to follow, and they fell into line behind him. They were led through the courtyard and towards the great circular building at the fort’s heart. At its base was a wide, stone ramp leading up to a narrow wooden door reinforced with iron bands. Here there was a guard posted, a brawny man with a heavy tulwar sheathed at his waist. He gave Manjit a nod as they passed. Inside the door was an open space, interrupted by stout wooden pillars holding up the stone roof high above. It seemed to be used mostly for storage, crates stacked upon crates, sacks and baskets littered throughout. A few men worked amongst the clutter, ignoring the appearance of Honorata and Yonas. A wide staircase hugged the exterior wall, leading up to the higher levels of the building.
Manjit led them up those stairs. “As you can see, Sister, we’re pretty settled here. Who knows when this place was built, but it’s stood for longer than I’ve been alive and I don’t think even a herd of elephants could pull it down,” said Manjit. “And I tell you what, I’m not bothered in the slightest that the fighting has moved on because we’re nice and comfortable here for the moment.”
“Has there been any fighting recently?” asked Honorata.
“Not for weeks now. We had a scrap with Brewer’s men but that was just a skirmish. Barely even worth speaking about in the scheme of things.”
“And what of Captain Brewer? What do you make of him?”
Manjit glanced at her in response to the question. “He’s a coward. Him and his men dug into that little stockade they’ve got in the hills. He’s too scared to pose a threat to us so that’s where he’ll stay, I reckon. Makes things easy for us. We can sit tight and enjoy a bit of rest while the rebellion goes on. Eventually they’ll come back this way and we’ll be able to flush Brewer out for good, and that’ll be the end of that.”
They reached the next level and again the interior of the building opened, with only the pillars at regular intervals breaking up the space. Windows circled the room at this level, allowing a generous amount of light to fill the place. To their left as they entered was a makeshift armoury. Two weapon stands contained an array of polearms, blades and cudgels. To their right was a series of cots. And before them, across the room was three men, sitting on the floor speaking amongst themselves. Honorata thought she could identify Partho immediately—he was a huge man, his hair long and white, flowing freely over his shoulders. He wore his beard long as well; it grew halfway down his torso. He was the first man Honorata had seen without the black kurta, which seemed to mark the rebel soldiers. Instead, he wore a dark green tunic, cut off at the shoulders, with red trousers and heavy, leather boots. Despite the colour of his hair announcing his age, to Honorata he looked a strong man, his shoulders and arms powerful and well-muscled. Evidently, he was relaxed in these surrounds, the only visible weapon a long wooden staff which rested across his lap.
One of the men with him looked about the same age, although his hair betrayed only glimpses of silver. He wore his hair short and was clean-shaven, a thick scar across his chin. Dark but intense eyes tracked Honorata from across the room. The other man looked about half the age of the other two, honest eyes with a quick smile. He laughed with the big man as Manjit led Honorata and Yonas to them.
“Partho, here’s the priestess and her man as you wanted,” said Manjit, speaking far more formally than Honorata had heard earlier. Partho stood to meet them.
“Thank you, Manjit. Leave us,” said Partho, summarily dismissing the youth. Manjit nodded his head and left down the stairs. Partho turned to Honorata.
“Why are you here?”
Honorata was taken aback by the bluntness of the question, although she attempted to not let it show. “May Devi bless you. You are Partho Nasrin, I presume?”
Partho remained mute. An uncomfortable silence dragged before Honorata continued.
“My name is Sister Honorata. This is Yonas, my bodyguard. We have come from Aluia to beg your assistance.”
“There is a war going on, Sister. And while you serve the Queen, you are my enemy.” He glared at her. “In Devi’s name, why would I help you?”
“I do not serve the Queen, I am dedicated to the Church!”
“Yes, but all know that the Church bows to the Queen. You claim independence, you claim to be neutral, but your Song sustains our enemy.”
Honorata thought back to the Queen’s many processions. Partho was right in some respects. The ritual, which gave life to the Queen, which gave life to Pala, was a sacred part of her duties. She had always thought it a privilege, a rare moment of connection between her and a legendary figure. But that did not mean that she served the Empire!
“You are correct, Partho.” The man frowned at that. “I have done much to assist the Queen over the years. I expect that I will again in the future. I have sworn an oath to sing with the Song of Devi to assist those in need. And by prolonging the Queen’s life, the Church serves all of Pala. She is the lifeblood of the Empire, and without her much bloodshed would occur.”
Partho laughed. “Well, I must thank you for your honesty. A refreshing change, but it is a shame that you came all this way just to be turned around.”
“But my devotion to the Church and the work we do for the Queen does not make me your enemy. That is but one of my many allegiances.” She took up her holy symbol to emphasise her words. “I serve the people of Pala. I travel the Empire healing and blessing the needy. The Queen’s fight is not my fight. And your war is not with the Church. They say that the rebellion began because the farmers were unwilling to pay the Queen’s taxes. That all the Queen cared about was Rampura. Yet here I am, sent by the Church to help the people of Aluia.”
“Sister, I am sorry, but nothing you can say will make me risk my men’s lives in the service of your Queen. Duty compels me to stay here, and I would be betraying my men if I sent them out on some fool’s errand in Aluia on the word of a woman loyal to my enemy.”
His obstinance grated on her and Honorata found herself raising her voice as she spoke. “The truth is that I could not care less about this pointless rebellion. There are far greater things at play than a petty war, which will do nothing but buy some fame at the price of some other man’s blood. There are monsters in the jungle!” She was practically yelling by this time. “A heretic, not far from here. On the loose and sowing evil at your doorstep. And you do not want to know about it. And even worse, a monstrous ghoul terrorising the people of Aluia. A horrible beast. We have seen it with our own eyes. It is not the stuff of rumour or gossip; it is a truly vile thing. You betray your people every single day that you do nothing about this!”
Partho raised an eyebrow at Honorata. The silence dragged on between them, before Partho finally spoke. “Come with me. You alone, Sister. Your man will remain here.” He turned and walked towards the stairs. Honorata and Yonas shared a concerned glance before she hurried after him. Partho did not wait for her, his long strides taking him towards the staircase and then up them, two at a time. She did her best to keep up but inevitably fell behind.
By the time that she laboured her way to the top, Partho was standing at the edge of the great circular rooftop. She made her way to his side and joined him as he surveyed the jungle spread out before them. The lazy loop of the river ran all the way from the fort to Aluia, where she saw gentle plumes of smoke. The space in between appeared to be nothing but thick, green jungle. It looked impenetrable from this height, although Honorata was all too familiar with the winding paths that threaded the wilds. Mountains, topped with snow and grasping clouds, provided a serene backdrop. A flock of dark birds flew across the scattered pink of the water lilies, their call barely reaching her ear.
“We have risked so much for this rebellion,” said Partho. He did not look at Honorata as he spoke. Instead his gaze rested on the wilderness before them. “You’re right that it was all about taxes to begin with. The Queen squeezing every last drop out of us. And what did we get in return? Look around. There’s more here from the ancients than what the Queen has given us. Even Aluia is built on the ruins of a long-dead town.”
Honorata deliberately let the silence linger. She had said her piece downstairs and she suspected that Partho was on the verge of tempering his hostility to her. He would fill the silence in time if she just let his mind work.
Eventually, Partho said, “We can’t win. I know that.” Honorata was surprised to hear the warlord admit that. “How could we possibly win against the might of Rampura? I command fifty men—a drop in the ocean compared to the Queen’s army. The whole rebellion might only have a thousand fighters. The only thing that has kept us from being slaughtered is the fact that we’re so far from Rampura. The Queen’s lack of effort at building us roads is actually the thing that’s kept us safe for now.”
She watched him as he spoke. There was passion, genuine concern for the people of West Pala. Not what she had expected from what Shankar and Brewer had said about the man.
“The way I see it is that we only have a choice as the manner of our surrender. Not everyone agrees with me. Maybe that’s why I’ve got orders to hole up here and keep Brewer from taking the place back.” He shook his head. “Just a matter of when, not if, the Queen defeats us.”
Now he turned to face her. She met his gaze. “Is it true what you say about this monster?”
“Yes, both monsters, in fact. There is a heretic, a man named Shankar Panni. I saw him only last night while we camped in the jungle as we made our way to your fort. He is a powerful sorcerer and someone to be feared. His motives are unclear to me.” It was her turn to pause, deliberately for effect. She wanted Partho to listen closely. She needed to convince him. “The ghoul is another story entirely. It has been harrying the people of Aluia for some time. I was there when the monster ran amok through the village. In fact, it was the heretic who drew the beast there. The man was on the gallows, the noose around his neck when the ghoul stormed into the square. It tore into the villagers, a whirlwind of savage claws and violence. Some died, many were wounded. Yonas and I defeated it, although it fled.”
“The two of you defeated it? Well, what do you need from me then? Sounds like the problem was solved before you even set out to speak to me.”
“We did not kill the beast. Yonas fought it and wounded it. But the vile thing would not die. I used the Song of Devi to drive it from Aluia. An ancient ritual of exorcism.”
“Now, that is an extraordinary story, Sister. I must confess, we had heard whispers of strange things afoot in Aluia, but I had dismissed these ideas as being nothing more than superstition. But you claim to have seen this monster? You say that you fought it? You don’t seem like a lunatic to me, Sister—no offence, of course—so perhaps there’s something in this.”
He rubbed his chin through his thick, white beard, deep in thought before swatting at a mosquito, which was threatening the exposed skin on his face.
“I hope you can accept that I am here for altruistic reasons. I do not want a part in your rebellion. On either side,” Honorata said. “I simply wish to do what I can to help, and it is within your power to do the same.”
“I’m afraid it’s not that easy, Sister. Brewer doesn’t have the men to oust us from this fort, but I don’t have the men to handle him along with any other surprises that the Queen might throw at us. Another company of soldiers could arrive any day now; their resources are as good as never-ending. But no matter how many men they send after us, we can hold this fort for months if necessary.”
“I am sorry, Partho, but I do not care for the tactics of warfare. The people of Aluia are my sole concern.”
“But that’s the thing, Sister. You’re asking for help from a man who needs to worry about the tactics of warfare. I need to live and breathe the stuff if my men are going to live through this.” He folded his thick arms in front of his chest, a stern look on his face. “And we can’t spare the men to hunt down a ghoul or a heretic, or whatever it is causing havoc out there in the jungle. And you say that both of these monsters are a threat, that Aluia couldn’t bring them down. Well, it sounds to me like I’d be sending some men off to die. And I don’t have men to spare.”
Honorata felt crestfallen. Both Brewer and Partho said that they did not have enough fighting men to help the people of Aluia, but the only reason they say that is because they feared the other! If there was ever a demonstration of the correctness of Devi’s teaching about walking the path of pacifism, this was it, thought Honorata.
“What about a truce with Brewer? Just while we deal with these threats. You both say that you are fighting for Aluia. Why not fight together?”
Partho laughed uproariously at that, the sound surprising Honorata. “A truce with the Queen? The only way that woman would allow me any peace and quiet would be after she hung me by the neck until I was dead. No, Sister, there can be no truce. I’m sure that Brewer would tell you much the same. He doesn’t have the power to make that offer and neither of us could properly swear an oath to keep it.”
He was serious by now, his earlier mirth forgotten. “I truly am sorry, Sister. There is nothing that I can do to help.”
Chapter Ten
Aluia was a welcome sight to Honorata’s eyes. It was the culmination of days spent trekking through the treacherous muddy paths of the jungle, with nothing to show for her efforts but the disappointment of having met Partho Nasrin. For a warlord, he was not particularly keen to do any fighting, thought Honorata bitterly.
Yonas seemed happy enough with the futility of their journey. He said that he was a happy man as long as he did not need to draw his sword, and dealing with the heat and humidity of the wilderness was a welcome challenge by comparison. She supposed that there was something to what he said. After the terror of the battle with the ghoul, the unsettling dealings with Shankar and the frustration of failing to convince Partho to act, she could understand why someone might think it a relief to have a persistent mosquito as your most dangerous enemy.
As they entered the walls of Aluia, Honorata sensed the buzz of activity. It was almost dark by this time, but the villagers were not going about their usual business of returning home from their daily labour and preparing their evening meal. Instead, Honorata saw that a group of about twenty men had gathered in the village square. She could hear the commotion they raised, yells and cheers. The sound of a boisterous crowd, a very different thing to the baying of a mob or the screams of a crowd running from a threat. The sound demonstrated confidence, perhaps even excitement.
Honorata and Yonas, despite their long hours walking that day, made their way to the square. They drew glances from the youths and women who went about their business, but the expressions on these faces carried optimism. As they entered the open space where the fight with the ghoul had taken place just days earlier, Honorata saw that the platform of the gallows remained. The crowd had assembled before it and Mihir stood on the platform above them. He was yelling to the crowd, raising his fist, and punching the air, to the delight of those gathered to listen to him.
“. . . and we will track that beast to its lair and finish this threat once and for all!” A cheer rose up in response to each proclamation. “We will do it for the dead! We will do it for the maimed! We will do it for the children, who deserve a future without fear in Aluia!”
Mihir saw Honorata and Yonas and excitedly gestured for them to come forward. Honorata frowned, wary of whatever this situation was. It did not seem like the type of thing that she would involve herself with if she had a choice, she thought. Mihir jumped down and ran over to meet them. The crowd gathered around eagerly, listening as Mihir spoke to them.
“We have tracked the ghoul down! Two boys stumbled upon the lair where the monster must rest! It’s not far from here. We are going to hunt it down immediately. No longer will we live in fear!”
Honorata was troubled by this. Had they not learned the danger of the ghoul during their last confrontation with it? This seemed reckless, if not outright suicidal, she thought.
“Mihir, I return from speaking to the warlord Partho Nasrin. He will not be sending his men to your aid. Captain Brewer has already refused. How do you intend to defeat the ghoul?”
Mihir laughed, almost an unhinged sound, caught up in the passion of a crowd. “We have plenty of fighting men! Just look around, Sister. You are surrounded by them!” Another cheer went up. “And we have you and Yonas, of course. Your timing could not have been better, Sister! We respectfully ask that you lead this expedition. With Devi’s blessing and your words of prayer, surely we will prevail over this monster!”
What had come over the man, thought Honorata. Something was amiss in all of this. The last she had seen Mihir, he was downcast and depressed in the wake of the attack in the square. It just was not right that he could be so willing to throw himself into danger like this. Instinctively, she reached out, grasping for the aura of corruption that she now came to expect when something unusual was happening. Nothing. Wait, was that a glimmer of that alien feeling? It was gone as soon as she felt it, elusive and ethereal. Perhaps it was her imagination. There certainly had been enough odd events in recent days to fuel unfounded fears.
Honorata pulled Yonas to one side, while Mihir continued to exhort the crowd. “Something is not right with Mihir. What do you make of this?”
Yonas nodded, watching Mihir gesticulate enthusiastically to the willing villagers. “Yes, Sister. Definitely odd. But what do you want to do? I think they are going to go on this hunt whether we help or not.”
