Black Halo

‘Mad.’ Togu may have whispered; the king’s voice was deep enough that such an effort was futile. His head trembled back and forth, as though refusing to acknowledge what he saw. ‘You’re … you … ’

‘He’s fine.’

Her hand was warm on his shoulder; that should not be. But it was, and strong, effortlessly pushing him past. Not past, he recognised, but behind. She stepped in front of him; he could not see the hardness in her eyes, but in her body, it was undeniable. She was tense, her spine rigid under her skin, muscles glistening with sweat, feet planting themselves solidly on the ground, neck rigid and eyes staring forward.

‘Just stressed.’

‘But he-’

‘Stressed.’

Her canines flashed ivory white in the sunlight, her lip curling back to bare them menacingly. The meaning behind their sudden appearance, the inarguable fact that there would be no more discussion on the matter, was received by Togu and displayed in the slow and subtle tilt of his head.

‘These times are stressful, yes,’ the king muttered, nodding. ‘It is understandable that … people are on edge.’

‘It is,’ she said with an air of finality. ‘Now, then, about our request?’

‘A boat is no particular problem,’ Togu replied. ‘We had many before and the Gonwa only brought more. But-’

‘But what?’

‘I still dislike to waste one. What can you do with a boat? Sail out and hope for the best?’ He tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. ‘Not that we are not so very pleased that you managed to find your way, but … how was it you managed to arrive on Teji again?’

Her body rippled slightly with swallowed ire, Lenk noticed, and undoubtedly Togu did as well. She was not a creature of subtlety. She must have known this as well as he did.

So why did she step in? A resolve, fragile as glass, welled up meekly inside him. I should be the one to do this, the one to … And that resolve threatened to crack as he took a step forward.

‘Well, we wouldn’t be asking if our information was correct in the first place,’ she growled. ‘We were told this was a trading post, not a lizard den.’

Snideness, Lenk thought. Lovely. How long until the threats?

‘Trade implies something that is not me giving you a boat that you may or may not destroy with nothing more than goodwill and a kiss on the cheek, cousin,’ Togu said.

‘No one’s denying that you will get something in return,’ she replied, eyes narrowing, ‘and, in this case, what you are getting is whatever won’t be happening with regards to your cheek.’

That took a bit longer than I’d have thought.

‘Beyond the potential hazards of this trade, both before and after you hypothetically launch your boat,’ Togu said, ‘there is the matter of expenses.’

‘Expenses?’

‘Supplies? Food? Charts? These things we are in no certain supply of.’ He shrugged, taking a long puff of his pipe. ‘A difficult thing to ask.’

‘Ah, of course,’ Kataria said, folding her arms. ‘Forgive me, I should have asked the other king lizard with a house full of garbage.’

‘These,’ the king said, sweeping an arm about his collection, ‘are investments for when the humans return.’

‘So … this was a trading post.’

‘Was, yes,’ Togu said, nodding. ‘Not so long ago, in fact, which would account for your information.’ He eased back as far as he could without tipping over, groaning a smoky sigh. ‘They came from Toha, seeking trading routes. They had not expected to find partners, and we had not expected that we would enjoy their company. But, like all trade, this was driven by necessity.’

‘You seem to have everything you need,’ Kataria said, glancing over the crowding collection, ‘and more.’

‘I have many things, but nothing I need, no. The humans came with food, food we desperately needed. We found you in Teji’s jungles, yes? You saw.’

Lenk furrowed his brow at that. He had seen Teji’s jungles, and even through the fever that had swept over him, he could see things growing: greenery, leaves, wildlife. There looked to be no shortage of food. The moment he began to say this, however, Kataria spoke.

‘It’s a barren forest,’ she said, ‘lots of trees, but no fruit.’

‘No nothing,’ Togu replied. ‘Nothing but roots and tubers. Food for the moment, but not for the people.’ He shrugged. ‘Thus, when the humans came with fruits, meats, wines, grain to make the gohmns larger and more hardy … we traded. From there, we continued to trade. Our needs sated, we could take things we wanted: brandy, tobacco …’

And yet no one thought to trade for pants, Lenk thought sourly.

‘Don’t mistake me for a fool, my people for simpletons,’ Togu said. ‘I was not made leader because they didn’t know any better. I looked out for them, I learned the human language, the human ways.’ His face seemed to melt with the heat of his frown. ‘I learned they move on.

‘And, as I said, I am no fool. I knew you would have to leave, eventually, and I suppose my people did, too.’ He tried to offer a smile, but it was an expression with fragile legs, trembling under the weight that stood upon him. ‘But we wanted you to stay … if only so we could remember those times again.’

Lenk regarded the creature thoughtfully. He tried his hardest not to be suspicious, and indeed, Togu’s story gave him no ready cause to be distrusted. And yet …

Something in the creature’s eyes, perhaps: a little too intent to be reminiscent. Or maybe the long, slow pause that followed: a moment intended to reflect the severity of the memory, or a moment to gauge their reactions? He distrusted the lizard, but, for the life of him, he couldn’t really think why.

‘He’s a liar.’

Oh, right … that’s why.

Lenk wasn’t sure if the voice did have moods, but he suspected that none of them were of the kind to humour him. And so, he felt the cold creep over him with greater vigour, greater ferocity.

‘Surrounded by liars. Everywhere. He lies. They lie. You lie.’

Me, he tried to think through the freezing throb of his head, what do you-?

‘Listen. Listen to nothing else. Only to us. Only to ourselves. Realise.’

No, no more listening. This is supposed to be over. This is supposed to be-

‘THROUGH the lies! Do not be tricked! We cannot afford it! We need to stay! Need to fight! Need our sword! See through them! Do not listen! Do not trust!’

‘Not trust …’ he whispered, finding the words less reprehensible on his lips.

‘Something the matter, cousin?’ Togu asked.

‘What happened to them, King?’ The question sprang to Lenk’s lips easily, instinctually. ‘Where are they?’

‘What?’ Togu’s smile was crushed under his sudden frown. ‘Who?’

‘Lenk …’ Kataria placed a hand on his shoulder, but he could not feel it.

‘The humans,’ he said, ‘where are they now? Where did they go?’

‘They are’ — Togu’s lips trembled, searching for the words — ‘not here. They …’ He swallowed hard, a sudden fear in his eyes. ‘They are …’

‘Shi-i ah-ne-tange, Togu!’

The voice rang out through the hut like a thrown spear, its speaker following shortly through the front door. While it was impossible to slam a leather flap, the Gonwa that emerged, tall and limber with the ridges on his head flaring, certainly gave it his all.