I tried to sit up, but there was a sort of st.i.tchy feeling in my stomach. Tug"s hands raised my head, propped something behind it and fed me some welcome, warming broth. Then I was lying down again, a blanket tucked under my chin.
"You can sleep now," said Ky-Lin. "No more pain."
"But I don"t want-"
"Yes, you do. In the morning you will feel wonderful. Just breathe deeply and I will give you some Sleepy Dust. . . ."
My mouth and nose were filled with the scent and taste of fresh spring flowers, summer leaves, autumn fires, winter snow. . . . I breathed it all in greedily until I was floating way up, up, up till I could touch the damp edges of the clouds and twist and turn with the screaming swifts. Ghostlike, I flew on silent wings with the owls, hung on the tip of a crescent moon, fell back into a bed of thistledown, a nest lined with the bellyfur of rabbit, a bed with down pillows-a hard pallet with a couple of blankets and someone shaking me awake.
"Hey! You going to sleep all day as well?"
"Oh, p.i.s.s off, d.i.c.kon!" I said irritably. "I was having a wonderful dream. . . ."
"Well, you can"t sleep all day! We"re all hungry, and you"ve got the money. . . ."
And will have to cook it too, I thought. "How long have I slept?"
"You were asleep when I came back yesterday, you"ve snored all night, and it"s around noon now."
Nearly twenty-four hours! Still, it was as Ky-Lin had promised: I felt wonderful, relaxed, happy-and now I came to think about it: very hungry.
"Is it still raining?" A nod. "Well give me a few minutes to get dressed and we"ll go to the eating house. My treat."
It was while I was dressing that I discovered something wrong.
"Ky-Lin," I hissed. "What"s this around my waist?"
"Just something to keep you warm," came the small voice from under my pillow. "Leave it there for the time being, there"s a good girl." He must have sensed my indecision. "Have I ever given you bad advice?"
So I left it where it was. It didn"t discommode me at all, but I was a little disconcerted to find out I had started my monthly flow again, which was annoying after so long without.
It stopped raining on the afternoon of the third day, and with the weak sun came the widow woman, almost crying with joy, the rent money held out for me to take.
"It is as I said," whispered Ky-Lin. "Now, open and shut your mouth as you do in our performances. I have something to tell her. . . ."
And to the openmouthed astonishment of d.i.c.kon, out came a soft stream of words from my lips and, for a moment hidden from all but the woman, Ky-Lin showed himself.
She fell to the floor and gabbled, the tears of joy streaming down her face, then bowed her way out of the door. d.i.c.kon picked the coins up and tucked them in his pouch.
"What was all that gibberish about?"
Luckily Ky-Lin had briefed me.
"It was a prophesy; her grandson will become one of the great sages of the country."
"Still don"t know how you do it," he muttered. "However, a nice way of conning her out of the rent."
I bit back an angry retort. Ky-Lin whispered in my ear.
"Right, everyone," I said. "Time to go. We"ll steal a march on the rest who have stopped over. With the roads empty we can make good time. Oh, d.i.c.kon: leave that money on the stool. Call it a present for the baby. . . ."
We made reasonable progress during the next couple of days, and on the second night, d.i.c.kon having gone out scouting the prospects for a performance, Ky-Lin made me lie down on the bed.
"I want to take the bandage off." He seemed uncharacteristically nervous; he had gone a shaky sort of blue color all over. "Let"s have a look. . . ."
He spoke to Tug, who slowly and carefully unwound the cloth.
"Mmmm . . ."
"What"s the matter?" I tried to sit up; my stomach felt cold.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." His color had returned to normal. "Take a look. . . ."
Sitting up, I gazed down at my stomach; at first I could see nothing and then- "Hey, Summer! We"ve got a performance!"
d.a.m.n and blast and perdition! Hastily pulling my shirt down and my breeches up, I staggered over to the bolted door. d.i.c.kon burst in.
"There"s a rich caravan just pulled in and they were enquiring about entertainment; Arabs and Greeks mostly, so you"ll have to "Magic" some of their language. . . ." He sn.i.g.g.e.red. Little did he know Ky-Lin!
"But it"s full dark; must be near nine at night."
"They"re camping in the square, "cos there"s no other accommodation. Plenty of light, torches, lanterns. They"re being fed now, so we"d better hurry before they decide to kip down for the night."
It was past midnight before we returned to our quarters, but my pouch was full of coins. It had been a treat to have a relatively sophisticated audience, for it was a rich caravan, and they had insisted on us performing twice over. They had travelled from the south, with a special order for the wedding: gold and silver platters, silver-handled daggers and filigree jewelry, and were near two weeks late. Tonight would be their last stop, for with horses and camels they could make the city easily by the next day.
So they were relaxed and generous, and Ky-Lin"s Arabic, Greek and a little Persian was impeccable. When we packed up d.i.c.kon obviously had a yen to go farther afield, so I gave him a generous advance, knowing full well he had also gathered tips on the way from the audience, and he disappeared for a while in search of his own entertainment.
Growch was on a high; one of the objects held up for my "discovery" had been one of his "fluffy b.u.m" pups, and he had nearly let us all down at this point, completely forgetting to concentrate, even running over to the puppy and investigating.
"Keep your mind on the job!" I hissed at him when at last he reached me.
"Thought I "ad-my job. Why I came, an" all. Boy pup: pity."
I was so tired when we returned that all I wanted to do was flop down on my pallet and sleep, but there was one other thing to do: look once more at my stomach. I thought I had seen-but no, it couldn"t be. I lay down, lifted my shirt and peered down, aware out of the corner of my eye that Ky-Lin was watching anxiously. At first nothing, then- What looked like a pearl nestled in my belly b.u.t.ton. I touched it gingerly: it gave a little to my touch. I tried to prize it out- "No! Don"t touch it yet; it hasn"t quite hardened." Ky-Lin had gone quite pale again, and was peering anxiously over my shoulder. "Give it a day or two more. . . ."
"But what is it?" It resembled nothing so much as a jewel one might stick in a belly dancer"s navel. "And how in heaven"s name did it get there?"
"Er . . . I put it there. For safekeeping. Nicely insulated. Warm . . ."
"What is it?"
"Actually-well, it"s quite simple really. It"s a dragon"s egg."
Chapter Thirteen.
"A . . . what?" I was already asleep; I must be.
"Egg. Dragon"s. Not yet set," said Growch succinctly. "Leastways, that"s what I thought "e said." He didn"t seem the least surprised or alarmed-but then it wasn"t happening to him.
I attempted to laugh it off, all the time nursing a horrible feeling it wasn"t a laughing matter. "If this is all a joke, it"s not in very good taste. Now be a good creature and take it away, Ky-Lin, and I"ll forget all about it."
"I can"t "take it away," just like that," said Ky-Lin unhappily. "It"s yours. Yours and-his."
I knew immediately who he meant, but wasn"t going to accept what he said. It was impossible! That sort of thing just didn"t happen; it couldn"t.
"That was what was hurting you, giving you the stomachache. It was ready to come out for the second stage of its development," said Ky-Lin. "Don"t ask me how, or why; I"m no expert in this sort of thing, and indeed I doubt it has ever happened before just like this. Humans don"t mate with dragons. Normally dragons are bis.e.xual: they can reproduce themselves. Theoretically so can Ky-Lins; that"s what my name means: male/female. We never have, though."
I remembered the pain of that embrace by the Place of Stones: the pain and the ecstasy. Had we bypa.s.sed the natural laws, my man-dragon and I? Was this, this tiny pearl, still semisoft and shining, a product of a love that had never been seen before, just because I had kissed a creature and made him man, however temporarily?
I gazed down at my navel and, gently, so gently touched the shining pearl.
Just in case . . .
"But it"s so tiny!"
"Oh, it grows. A fully developed egg, ready to hatch, will be at least as big as a human baby. But, I warn you, this one could take many, many years-longer than you have-to grow and mature. You will never see what it contains. You are just its guardian, for a little while. So, don"t get fond of it. Your job is to keep it warm, give it its first few weeks of incubation." He sighed. "You are very privileged."
I didn"t feel the least bit "privileged": quite the reverse, in fact. I felt confused, hurt, bewildered, used, somehow dirty.
Ky-Lin read part of what I was thinking. "You truly are privileged, dear girl.
You may not realize it now but that egg, however it got there, has been a part of you for a year, you nourished it in your body, and whatever happens to it in the future, you will always be a part of it. Also remember, it was created in love."
I looked down again; right now it was tiny, soft, vulnerable. Anyone could squash it, crush it, snuff the little life that lay inside. . . . Without conscious thought my hands curled protectively over my navel, and emotion took over from instinct, realizing ruefully that once more I had conned myself into caring for yet one more burden. Once before they had all been maimed in their separate ways; this time they were all more or less normal, even if they still had their particular needs-except Ky-Lin, of course, though even he was trying to gain extra points towards his redemption.
"And so we are lucky seven," said Ky-Lin happily. "You and I, Growch and Tug, d.i.c.kon, Bear and the Egg. Just as the Old One foretold."
I shivered and crossed myself; the Good Lord protect us all and bring us to a safe haven. . . .
Two days later we topped a rise and there lay the Golden City beneath us.
They called it golden because the stone used was a warm, yellow sandstone, quarried from goodness knew where, because the surrounding hills and mountains were dark and forbidding. Right now, at midday, the sun made the whole place glow, picking out the various towers and steeples that were gilded with real gold, till the whole scene shimmered with warmth and welcome.
We had a steep descent, but beneath us a wide river curled around the east of the city, a river so wide I could see the boats, like beetles at this distance, scurrying about on the water. To the south the plain widened out, and I could see a wide field, with men drilling and horses being exercised.
It looked like a place full of promise, but it took all of three hours to reach the city gates, the road ahead being crowded to suffocation with caravans, carts, wagons, cattle, horses and travellers on foot like ourselves. Past experience made us head for the side streets once we had pa.s.sed through the west gate; the city would be crowded already, and the best chance of accommodation was out of the mainstream. We were lucky; entertainers were at a premium, and although I had to pay more than I had reckoned, we found two ground- floor rooms with accommodation in a shed for Bear, breakfast and midday meal included.
After a plain but satisfying meal of rice, chicken, and fruit, we left Bear behind and decided to explore the city. By now it was dusk, and evening fires hazed the rooftops. There was already a chill to the air but it made no difference to those who, like us, were determined to make the most of all the city had to offer. The main streets were paved and bordered with fine buildings, but the streets radiating from the main square were full of bustle, crowd, and character.
The stalls were crammed with all the goods in the world, or so it seemed. Over glowing braziers meat, fish, glazed chicken wings, and nuts sizzled and popped and every available s.p.a.ce was filled with beggars, jugglers, fortune- tellers (bones, water, sand, and stones), and pretty ladies plying their charms, which is how we lost d.i.c.kon.
The rest of us found ourselves in the huge main square, deserted now except for a few gawpers like us. Ahead of us lay the palace, a heterogenous ma.s.s of gilded roofs, towers, tilted eaves, and balconies, approached by wide steps guarded by soldiers in green and gold. Flares, torches and lanterns kept the whole facade brightly lit, and through the screened and fretted windows could be glimpsed figures scurrying to and fro.
"This square is where the main celebrations for the wedding will take place,"
said Ky-Lin, who as usual had been listening to everything going on around him. "During the next few days, palace scouts will seek out the best entertainers and they will be invited to perform here in front of the prince and his prospective bride."
" "Ow they goin" to choose us, then?" asked Growch.
"They go around the streets and smaller squares, list those they prefer, then send others for a second opinion."
We had already come across some half-dozen of these smaller squares.
"Do we keep to one or try as many as we can?" I wondered.
"More the better," said Ky-Lin. "That way we reach a wider audience and have a better chance of being noticed. Even if we aren"t picked, we can at least earn some money. There are many very good acts here already, so we need to polish up our performances, make some new costumes, and I will provide some powders to burn that will give you a better light, sprinkled on torches.
Can you walk on your hind legs, dog?"
" "Course I can! Well, sometimes. A bit. I could try. . . ."
His legs were so short and his body so long, I sometimes wondered how his messages got from one end to the other. "That would be very nice," I said enthusiastically. "Worth an extra bone or two."
And he tried, he really did; at the end of two days he could stagger at least two yards. . . .
We made-I made-new costumes, we played the small squares and larger side streets from one end of the city to the other, and at the end of four days both d.i.c.kon and Ky-Lin recognized the same nonpaying faces at our performances.
Ky-Lin nodded his head in satisfaction. "Definitely scouts," he said.
In the meantime we had been making more money than in all our journey so far and I was perplexed as to where to keep it-by now a small sackful-safe. I daren"t leave it in our rooms: quite apart from thieves I couldn"t trust d.i.c.kon"s sticky fingers, and it was Growch who suggested the solution. " "Oo"s the one they"re all scared of? That great bear. "E can guard it daytimes, and when we give performances, "e can "ave it tucked under "is arm or sumfin"."
Which solved the problem.
With only twenty-four hours to go before the grand entertainment we were visited in our lodgings by two palace officials, smartly dressed in gold jackets and green trews, who informed me (through Ky-Lin) that we had been picked to perform in the Palace Square the following evening. It was a great honor, as the acts were limited to thirteen, the Moons of the Year. We were allowed a half-hour only, to give time for all the other acts, so we practiced curtailing Tug and Bear and it made for a crisper performance, which we took round the streets that night, able to boast that we were one of the chosen ones for the following night. Our purse was heavier than ever that day.
Our actual performance seemed to be over before it began. We had to wait through performing ponies, acrobats, contortionists, a magician, and a woman who climbed a ladder of swords and lay on a bed of nails with a man standing on her chest, but eventually the large hourgla.s.s was set down again in the sand and it was our turn. By now I had worked myself into such a lather of expectation that I was trembling in every limb, my mouth was as dry as the sands of the desert and I desperately needed to relieve myself.
Once we started, however, I was as cool as a draught of cold water, even remembering to direct our act towards the balcony where the prince had his seat. They said afterwards that the prince, a sophisticated man, was bored by much he saw, but that his prospective bride, an ingenuous girl, clapped enthusiastically the whole way through. Be that as it may, each performance was rewarded by a bag of silver coins, good, bad or indifferent, and was cheered impartially by the large crowd penned behind rope barriers at the perimeter of the square.
There were many acts after ours, but I fell asleep through exhaustion, tucked up against Bear, and only woke when d.i.c.kon nudged me. The square was emptying, torches guttering and a chill wind blew away the detritus of the evening.
"Bed," said d.i.c.kon. "There are three days till the wedding and after tonight the audiences will pay even better. . . ."
But the morning was to bring a further surprise. Before the first c.o.c.k had even cleared his throat, another official from the palace, this one with gold braid and ta.s.sels, presented us with an invitation to perform that evening within the palace confines themselves. Apparently the prince and his bride- to-be wished a closer look at some of the acts they had enjoyed the night before.
"We"ve cracked it!" exulted d.i.c.kon. "Can"t you just see it? We can advertise ourselves as by royal command!"
It was an attractive idea, but I could see it would only complicate matters. As far as I was concerned I had places to go, people and animals to answer to, and that was enough. I didn"t want more than would carry us to our next destination, but d.i.c.kon wanted it all: gold, prestige, fame.
"Are you coming, then?" asked d.i.c.kon.
"Coming? Where?"