A wind blew through
the trees and leaves rustled. It seemed like the phrase: Follow me.
9001 waited, unsure.
The other woman held out her left hand as an offering. 9001 knew that back of
the hand from somewhere. Something seemed trustworthy about the woman, so 9001
took the offered hand with her right and they scuttled around a corner and up a
dark alley. It was very dark in the narrow street and it was nearly impossible
to see with her head covering. However, the stranger never seemed to waver,
even with that impossibly impractical veil.
They followed the
street for a few tens of metres, then the stranger pulled 9001 left towards a
low entrance, down some stairs. They entered the basement of a house or part of
a cave entrance. 9001 felt the stranger move away and let go of her hand. Panic
started to rise in her core as she stood in the darkness. Once, twice, three
times sparks flew through the air and then a small flame sputtered in a niche
near the wall. The Masked One lifted her veil to blow on the flame and 9001
came closer to look, but the woman was too fast and dropped her veil.
She took two candles
and lit them from the kindling fire, then let it die out. She handed one candle
to 9001.
9001 asked: What is
this place?
The Masked One said:
It is a _kariz_. This is an underground tunnel that brings water to the plains
outside the walls. This entrance is an air shaft for this building that cools
the house. Hot air spirits rise up to the top of the high ceilings above the
sleeping areas and pull in the cooler air and water spirits from the _kariz_.
All the houses along the access shafts use the _kariz_ for water and cooling in
the summer. In fact, this house stores ice below us, brought down from the
mountain in the winter.
As an afterthought,
the Masked One offered 9001 her father’s blade. She had stolen it some time
when they were in the dark. 9001 took the rondel back sheepishly.
The Masked One said,
do not be embarrassed. Your father was very skilled but the blade is false. I
saw the attack but I was keeping watch on the other side of the house. We knew
you were coming. A Miner sent a messenger two days ago. He told us he would
take your blades and switch them with lesser metals. The blade I handed you is
merely some slag and muck. It looks and feels like _seric_ but it is not. I
have seen real Damascus blades. That blade is just flint for lighting fires.
Look, it is broken.
9001 looked closely at
the blade and realised it was indeed shorter by several centimetres.
She continued: Your
blade seems to be real. My father was killed by two strikes to the groin. We
anticipated false blades, so my father wore precious stone jewellery in
necklaces, bracelets, and studded on his clothes. We did not anticipate your
attacks and blade.
9001 held her father’s
blade forward in the bridge seeking position. She said: How can I trust you,
then? I should send you to Ahriman now to be healed like your father.
The stranger did not
flinch. She said: I could have defeated you already outside. I could have
killed you inside the house or before the wall if you did not run so quickly. I
could easily kill you with your own weapon and bring you back to the guards.
But I have a secret motive. My father was not willing to let me rule. He was a controlling
man and I am seeing a beneficial outcome from his death. So I am not angry and
I can see something special in you that you cannot see. Please put down your
weapon and I will show you how to escape.
2711 said: Go with
her.
9001 wheeled around.
The strange woman said: What is it?
9001 asked: Did you
hear it?
The Masked One cocked
her head inquisitively. She said in hushed tones: Perhaps it is the guards. We
must move.
The stranger pointed
at a carved and steep passage that led further down.
9001 objected: How do
I know you will not lead me down and kill me if I go first? Then you will let
me float out the tunnel to meet Ahura.
The other woman
laughed and her veil danced and flapped. She said: I would not poison my
people’s drinking water and block up the _kariz_ with your body. We do not have
much time. The shaft to the tunnel is narrow and there is no room to turn
around or travel in pairs. You will have to go ahead and I will give you
directions at the bottom. Then I must come back up.
9001 relented and
entered the steep tunnel. The tunnel was uneven in its steepness and varied in
height. In some places, it was so narrow she had to turn sideways. And in
others, it was so short that she needed to nearly crawl, which was very
difficult with a candle. As she travelled about 20 metres, she could feel the
cool breeze of air spirits moving against her up the shaft. She could also hear
the dripping and burbling of a stream ahead.
Finally, she felt cool
moisture in the ground and stepped into the edge of an underground river that
flowed downhill. She turned around to face the Masked One.
The stranger said: Go
with the water. It will guide you out to a reservoir at a farm past the wall.
It is about 300 metres. You cannot fail or get lost. There is only one passable
way to go. You must move quickly though, for it will be light soon.
She abruptly turned
and left. 9001 walked along the tunnel, scrabbling along the wall with her free
hand. The _kariz_ tunnel was larger than the shafts that led to it at regular
intervals. 9001 could count her progress as she passed each shaft. Soon, the
tunnel levelled out even more than the gentle slope higher up. She suddenly
found herself wading out into a pond. She gasped when she recognised the very
farmer hut her father and she had left that morning.
Exhausted, she made
her way to the pens where some goats lived. She covered herself in some hay and
slept.
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