Pendant of Fortune (52 page)

Volle nodded. “But no, we’re going to visit Ilyana.” He hesitated. A year ago, he would have cheerfully told Helfer all the details of his intended visit and they would have chuckled ruefully together over the necessity of sleeping with females. But with Streak involved, Volle felt as though he’d be betraying a confidence by telling Helfer, or at least diminishing the intimacy of Streak’s participation. He glanced at Streak, and kept quiet.

“
Oh? Invite her back for dinner. I’d like to spend more time with your son.”

“
You’ll see him enough once we’re at the castle.”

“
If
you win your hearing.”

“
With Dereath in prison, I think my chances are pretty good.”

“
Yeah, I still can’t believe that. I mean, I knew that little prick was annoying, but I never thought he’d actually have the guts to kill someone. Did you?”

Volle shrugged, but Streak spoke up. “I guess you never really know if someone could be a killer unless they have a really good reason.”

“
Good point. Me, I don’t think I could ever do it. I hate the smell of blood.”

“
Doesn’t everyone?” Volle tapped a paw on his knee. “It makes me ill.”

“
I guess so,” Helfer said. “Did you get sick when you found the guard?”

“
Almost.” Volle tried to remember. It seemed so long ago. “My mind was on other things.”

“
Yeah.” Helfer drew his knees up onto the seat and sat against the wall of the buggy. “It’s certainly been an interesting retreat.”

“
It’s not over yet.” Volle watched the terrain go past the window as they rolled down the road. A few minutes later, he saw the house that he’d come to recognize as the first sign that they were entering town, a small cottage with a tile roof that had partially fallen in. He was looking forward to services again, looking forward to the singing and the slow, measured recital of the books. He was looking forward, too, to sharing the experience with Streak.

When they arrived in the queue of carriages outside the cathedral, they could hear the bells that signaled the start of services. Helfer opened the door and called out to the young weasel driving the buggy, “We’ll walk from here.”

Forrin hopped down and helped them out of the buggy, then walked in front of them the two blocks to the cathedral. Several others, hearing the bells, had made the same decision, so there was a small crowd at the doors and it took them a little while to get through. Helfer waved as the other three headed for the Canid section and found seats in the back. Tish, Tika, Dewanne, and Delia were already there, sitting in the front. Volle couldn’t see Volyan at first, then saw a pair of ears bobbing between Tika and Delia and smiled as he sat down.

The Cantor was walking past the pews and nodded as he came to theirs, acknowledging them. “We are joined in a silent prayer for the souls of those who have left us over the past week,” he said softly. “I will begin in another minute. There may be some late arrivals.”

Volle, who was furthest from the Cantor, saw Forrin and Streak’s heads dip in prayer. Forrin’s ears went down as well, and Volle knew he was thinking about his friend who’d been killed. Streak’s whiskers were moving slowly, making Volle wonder what he was thinking about. Volle dropped his own muzzle and closed his eyes, and prayed that Felis and Rodenta would take care of the souls of the two that had been slain in the last two weeks.

He felt motion in the pew and smelled the distinctive scent of Captain Nero. Glancing to his left, he saw the large wolf settling himself in the seat. Nero looked over at him and nodded briefly before bowing his head in prayer.

“
Welcome all children of Gaia, children of Canis,” the Cantor said some five minutes later, and everybody’s muzzle rose. “Let us sing the Joy of Canis.”

It was a different prayer than he’d begun with last week, but it was one of Volle’s favorites. He hadn’t heard it often in Divalia, because in the large echoing chambers of the Grand Cathedral, the extended notes of the song that were almost howls tended to annoy the other Houses. Here, the sound was slightly more muted, but he still felt the joy in the song, even if he couldn’t quite howl. Streak and Forrin’s voices complemented each other’s nicely, he noticed. Whereas he and Streak were both baritones, Forrin was definitely in a lower register.

“
Thank you,” the Cantor said, and Volle could see his tail wagging behind the lectern. “That prayer introduces one of my favorite stories, which I will share with you today: the story of the First Pack.

“
When the world was new, and there were only the Six, they remained together for a time, out of habit. Rodenta and Herbivora began to build, and Mustela agreed to help them, for He had always loved his older sisters. But Canis, Felis, and Ursa felt the urge to wander and discover. They agreed to wander for one year and then return to tell the others what They had found.

“
Felis had loved to play with His Mother’s hair, and Her hair had become a thick, lush jungle, and so Felis went south to the jungles. Ursa had loved to climb on Her Mother’s knees, and Her knees had become the great mountains to the north, and so Ursa went north to the mountains.

“
Canis had loved most of all to curl up on His Mother’s stomach, and Her stomach had become the great plains of the west, and so Canis went west to the plains. He traveled for ten paws of days and nights until He reached a place where the river sang, the grass grew tall, and the stars dipped close to the earth at night. And when He reached this place, a great peace filled His heart and He howled His pleasure to the moon and stars.

“
But the Darkness heard His howls and was jealous. He knew that the children of Gaia together were strong, but here was Canis alone. He wanted Canis to create more life so that He could twist it to His own ends, for the Darkness could not create life without the essence of Gaia, which Canis possessed and He did not. So the Darkness quenched the other noises of the night, so that Canis became lonely. And the Darkness sent a breeze to bring the scent of red clay to His nostrils, clay from the riverbed. And Canis stirred there in that Dark night and decided that He would make a companion.

“
On the first night, He worked at the red clay and fashioned a companion. But the clay was insufficient to make His companion as large as He was; the wet clay all ran down to the tail so that it became large and long. And He lay with her that night and when she took His divine essence, she opened her eyes in light. And she was the first Fox.

“
On the second night, Canis slept with Fox at His side, and her tail covered Him, but she could not cover His ears and toes. So the Darkness sent a breeze to chill the parts of Canis that were exposed, and Canis woke. He decided to create a larger companion, so He gathered the red clay of the river and coated it with the sand of the shore, so that it would hold its shape better. And He lay with His second companion that night and when she took His divine essence, she opened her eyes in light. And she was the first Coyote.

“
On the third night, Canis slept between Fox and Coyote, and Fox covered Him with her tail, and Coyote slept at His feet. But His ears remained exposed, and again the Darkness sent a breeze to wake Him. And Canis saw that He would have to create a third companion, larger than the others. So He took the red clay of the river, covered it with sand from the shore, and rolled it in the grass of the plains. And He lay with His third companion that night, and when she took His divine essence, she opened her eyes in light. And she was the first Wolf.

“
And Canis taught His companions to love one another, and the children they bore loved each other as well. And when a year had passed, Canis lived with a pack of ten times two paws, and all His children adored Him and loved each other. And He kept the Darkness far from their hearts, as His Mother had taught Him.”

He closed the book, looked out at them, and said, “Blessed be Gaia.”

“
Blessed be Gaia,” Volle and the others murmured in response. He was a little surprised that the Cantor had stopped there. The rest of the story concerned the intrusion of Darkness into the pack and the naming of the first Cantor, who reminded the Pack of Gaia’s message when the Pack became too large for Canis to be with all the time.

Instead, the Cantor looked up at them and smiled. “And the lessons we take from this are many. Most important is that we all long for a pack, we children of Canis.” He spread his paws. “For most of us, our pack is our family. For some of us, our packs are the people we choose to be with. This congregation is a pack, of sorts, though most of us are visitors to this church. The second lesson is that we must always be wary lest the Darkness turn our desires against us. But remember that if Darkness had not spurred Canis’s loneliness, none of His children would have been born. And so thus the third lesson: that sometimes the thing is separate from the cause, and Light can come from Darkness. But also can Darkness come from Light.”

He opened the book again. “So let us begin with a prayer to guard us from the Darkness.”

He had selected three prayers for them to sing, the “Ward Against Darkness,” the “Song of the Pack,” and the “Forest Path,” a prayer Volle had sung often to himself while in prison. It was about being lost in a dark forest and Canis arriving to show the way out. It reminded him of prison, which reminded him of Streak, and as they sang it, he reached out to clasp the wolf’s paw in his own.

They concluded with the “Our Mother,” in unison with the other Houses this time, and were sent to greet the Mustelids. Volle and Streak found Helfer and Laya amidst the sea of weasels, and greeted them appropriately. They stood around talking about the service, and were joined by Tish, Tika, and Volyan, who hugged Volle and then Streak. The wolf seemed surprised, but hugged back.

“
I know all about Darkness,” Volyan said without preamble. “Darkness is like a big black panther except it doesn’t have any scent and it comes up and whispers things to you and runs away before you can see it. And you have to not listen to it.”

“
That’s right,” Volle said. “But black wolves are okay.”

Tish grinned. “Foxes, on the other paw, you want to watch yourself with.”

Volyan put his paws on his hips. “Silly! I
am
a fox!”

“
Of course you are.” Tika patted his head. “And you’re a big young cub, too! Out without your mommy all day!”

The cub’s tail wagged at that, but the wagging slowed. “I miss my mommy,” he said, and Volle was reminded of the first time he’d been sent away from his mother when she came into season. He’d been about the same age, and he hadn’t understood either. And Volyan would be leaving her for good in a couple of days.

“
Maybe you can see her tonight,” he said. After a mating, the scent and moods of her season would fade in a few hours.

The other canids understood the reason for those words, and Tish and Tika gave him encouraging smiles. Tika’s was especially wide, and accompanied by a sudden wagging of her tail. “That would be very nice, for him to be able to see his mommy tonight.”

“
Yes,” Volle said deliberately. “After all, he won’t be seeing her much at the palace.”

Streak was momentarily confused by Tika’s attitude, then Volle saw his ears flick as he understood that they’d figured out what Volle meant. “He will be lonely at the palace,” he said. “Maybe he’ll have a playmate in a bit.”

“
Are there other cubs at the palace?” Volyan asked, and they all laughed.

“
We should be on our way,” Volle said. “Hef, is there a place you’d recommend for lunch? I think we’ll take some over to Ilyana.”

Helfer, who didn’t really understand canid seasons, looked relieved to be discussing something he did understand. “There’s a place on the other side of the square that sells dried and fresh fruit. They’re pretty good.”

Laya chimed in softly. “There’s also a place a little further down that that has good drinks, fruit, and bread. They might be able to make up a lunch basket for you.”

Helfer looked put out by Laya’s contribution, so Volle smiled and said, “We’ll try both places. See you all tonight or tomorrow.”

Both shops offered tasty options, and so they made up a small basket for Ilyana and ate a lunch themselves on the way over to the house, buying lunch for Forrin and their buggy driver as well. The bread was slightly stale, but the fruit must have been picked freshly that morning or the previous evening. Volle and Streak ate as much as they could, and were pleasantly full by the time the buggy pulled up outside the house.

“
Should I wait outside, my Lord?” Forrin asked as they climbed out.

“
Probably,” Volle said. “Do you want to check the house first?” He was starting to understand the way Forrin liked to operate, and he was becoming accustomed to the idea of having a personal guard.