A Hero's throne

he knew what he meant. Do I have a concussion? Daniel wondered. Well, what could be done about it if I do?

Argument nodded. “Then come. We will take you east and east by northeast, through an untravelled and unwatched route out of the city and into the wild caves beyond.”

“What then?” Daniel asked.

“Then we look for Godmund and the other resisters,” a leafleas behind Argument said.

Daniel laughed. “Of course.”

“Shh! More quiet, please. It is funny?”

“No, not really. I think I’ve just worked it out.”

“You know where Godmund and his band are?”

“Hah, no. That’s still. . sort of. . purple. No, I just-never mind. Go ahead and get me out of here.”

Daniel followed them, a smile tugging at the right side of his face. They wound through dark corridors, and he was amazed at how calm and relaxed he felt, despite the situation. He felt he had a secret weapon, an advantage- the knowledge of what was really going on.

They came out through a cavern near a wide pool of water. Daniel wondered if there were fish in it, and if those fish had eyes. Maybe, maybe not, he thought and then stumbled slightly.

“Try to be quiet. Each sound we make may draw suspicion.”

Annoyed, Daniel was going to tell the yfelgop-leafleas, whatever-that he should worry about his own feet and not his, but had trouble framing the sentence, and then the moment passed. It’s still the right length, he told himself, and anyway, he had his pocket-his secret in his pocket-and that put him at ease again. But there was another thought floating around his head: Length, sticky, pocket? Who talks like that? There was something going on in him that didn’t make objective sense. Well, there was nothing to do for it now-he just had to stay the course. Push through, even if it was only by sheer bloody- mindedness.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, they came to a group of yfelgopes seated around five Ni?ergeard lamps with shutters on them, letting out only the dimmest light.

“Who approaches, and from what direction?” one of the yfelgopes from the other group challenged.

“It is Argument. I approach from the south: one hundred and twenty-nine steps north, one hundred and thirty-three steps east. How long have you waited?”

“We have stayed this ground one hundred and thirty-nine minutes. How long did your journey take?”

Argument began a response. “What’re they doing?” Daniel asked the leafleas next to him.

“It is our way of identifying members of our group. Those numbers hold significance.”

“Doesn’t he recognise him? Like, by his face or length?”

“Yes, but it is well to make sure.”

Daniel nodded and listened to a few more exchanges.

“Is this he?” asked the interrogative yfelgop, finally satisfied with the responses.

“Indeed,” said Argument, with a good measure of selfsatisfaction.

“Hi, Daniel Tully. Pleased to meetcha!” Daniel said, extending a hand and grinning carelessly.

The yfelgop standing in front of Daniel looked at his hand expressionlessly.

“This is Certain Doubt,” said Argument, behind him. “He is the most senior of us.”

“I used to be called Eddik,” Certain Doubt said peevishly. “It is time we left. We should not have stayed so long.”

“I don’t suppose anyone managed to pocket my things?” Daniel asked.

“We did not,” said Certain Doubt. “Your items would have been noticed missing before you were. We did, however, bring you this sword.” He signalled to one of the other yfelgopes, who stepped forward, carrying a large bundle. Daniel took the sword that was resting on top of it. “It is not yours, but it is of the nearest dimensions we could find at the time. Also, here are clothes, to keep you as warm and dry as possible.”

Daniel had been counting, and there looked to be about twenty-five of them altogether. He pulled the sword partway out of its scabbard to inspect it and then pushed it back in with a snap.

“Are you tired? Do you need rest?”

Daniel’s head bobbed upward. “What? Sorry, what?”

“Sleep! Are you tired-do you need rest? It is of the utmost importance that we move swiftly, but if you need to rest, then we will stop here for a moment.”

“No, no, I should be fine,” Daniel said, fitting the sword belt around his waist and shaking out the travelling cloak he’d been given. It didn’t seem to have a pocket. “Ready when you are, captain. Stretch on.”

“I am ready. We all are ready. I am no captain.”

Daniel nodded, with an apologetic expression that he then wished no one had seen. He had to be careful. He couldn’t stretch it, or they’d tumble that he was on to them. He couldn’t stretch it. It had to stay the right length. Otherwise it wouldn’t stick.

Stick. Sticky. Stretch. Stick.

“Well, come if you’re coming,” Certain Doubt growled.

Daniel shook himself. He had to stay awake. Stay focused. He had to figure out this new situation he was in. He had to find the answer.

“You must be understanding of him and allow some exception if you are able. There is much in these events that press on him,” Argument said as he tugged Daniel along by his arm.

“I’ll just bet there is,” said Daniel.

They carried on, northward, Daniel was told, but he had no bearings. Ni?ergeard was more or less behind him, that’s all he knew. The yfelgopes-the leafleas-were apparently orienting themselves by the alignment and distance between certain lights they could make out, but Daniel was not familiar enough with the city to know which side of it they were viewing. He didn’t know where they were taking him.

He found the leafleas strange. He had never accredited the yfelgopes with much intelligence-he had almost always known them to be half-crazed, animalistic savages. But here, he was surprised to find they actually had a human-like intelligence. They loved to argue and debate over any little thing that could be found. Where they were, which direction they were walking, how much more in weight one was carrying than the other and for how long, and-more than anything-how far they had walked.

“I’ve got two thousand and five hundred,” one of them-Daniel had picked up that he was called Judicious Speculation-announced. “How about the rest of you?”

There came a cascading report of numbers from the others: two thousand three hundred and seventy-one, two thousand four hundred and eight, two thousand two hundred and ten, one thousand nine hundred and eighty- three. .

“Your knee’s deformed, Informed Dissent; that’s why your steps are so close.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my knees, you insipid old fool. It’s your gangly bowlegs that are irregular.”

“Is there an accord for an average?”

There was an accord, and then a silence as arithmetic was applied to the situation.

“I make it two thousand three hundred and seventeen.”

“I concur.”

“I also agree.”

“Very well. Replace your original estimate with the agreed total and add that to the number of steps that have been taken since the estimate was last called into question.”

There were grunts of assent and another moment’s silence as this was done, and then they continued as before.

Daniel suddenly felt a lurching forward, like he was falling. His eyes snapped open and his legs locked. He had actually started to fall asleep while walking. He pinched the side of his thigh to wake himself up. He had to keep it together. “So where do you guys come from?”

“Where?” asked one of the yfelgopes walking next to him.

“Yeah, there are so many of you. What’s. . uh, what’s the story?”

“Our kind enjoys debate and disagreement, but some of us came to realise that our courses of dispute ran in unique channels. Approaches were made-at great cost-and then names were shared. More were-”

“No, I mean, where were you born? Where did you grow up? Why are there so stretching many of you?”