“Your Majesty, the Spear Dance is the art of transcending oneself. The mind becomes as clear as water and the body moves of its own accord, as it has been drilled to do. Once I face the hyohlu, any enmity I might feel won’t matter, because one can’t cross spears with another unless one seeks to defeat him. The hyohlu will only be watching to see if I can reach a state of true nothingness and perform the dance well.”
Yuguro felt almost no anxiety. He was confident that his skill was equal to the Spear Dance, and when his brother had taught him the dance on that overgrown riverbank in the mountains, there really had been no time to think. Besides, everyone has some evil in his heart, he reassured himself. He could not believe that all those who had met the hyohlu before had harbored no trace of fear, hate, or desire for luisha. Yet there had never been a ceremony in which they had not received the precious gem.
I don’t care how many cowards the hyohlu kill, he thought. As long as I succeed in the Spear Dance, the rest will fall into place. The Yonsa Elder, Laloog, had told him what the hyohlu were. The information had made him shudder, and that was precisely why he had decided that none of the others should be told. If the warriors knew the true nature of the hyohlu, or why they could read the minds of men, some would be sure to waver in their resolution. That was what Yuguro feared.
He laughed to himself, thinking of those he might face. I deceived you once before and I’ll deceive you again. I’ll put you to rest once and for all. Open the door to me, and vanish into the bottom of the Darkness.
He moved closer to the king. “Your Majesty, your father, King Rogsam, commanded me to protect you. Therefore I must warn you never to show this kind of doubt until the ceremony is over.” He held the king’s gaze and said in a low voice, “The hyohlu who live in the Mountain Deep are not the only ones who can read the minds of men. This world is full of such enemies. The instant they sense any weakness in you, they’ll rip out your throat. King Rogsam knew that well.”
He allowed his voice to soften into a more coaxing tone. “But of course, this doesn’t mean that men never feel any fear. My lord, if ever you are afraid, look to me. I will stand by your side to the end. I am your Spear.”
The king blinked and nodded. Yuguro was not lying. He had protected and trained the king for the last ten years, since Radalle ascended the throne at the age of fifteen. And, just as Yuguro had intended, the king remained a puppet in his hands. King Rogsam had been rotten to the core, but his ability to see what was coming and utilize it to his advantage was brilliant. Radalle was his only son, born late into his marriage, and he had doted on him. Yet he had no illusions: Radalle was weak-willed, and, without support, he would be ousted from the throne by Rogsam’s brothers. When Rogsam realized that he was dying, he immediately took steps to ensure Radalle’s reign.
Rogsam summoned Yuguro to the throne room, where they met alone. Yuguro remembered every moment of that meeting. Eight gold rings and a dagger rested on the table in front of the king, and with a laugh, he had given Yuguro a choice — to become a hero or to be slain on the spot as a rebel. He could, he claimed, create as many reasons to brand Yuguro a traitor as there were stars in the sky; and to underscore the point, he casually described the plot by which he himself had become king. He knew only too well that there was nothing Yuguro could do about it now, even if he wanted to; he would never be able to prove Jiguro’s innocence.
Thus he laid out his proposal. Yuguro would travel to New Yogo, find Jiguro, and wrest the spear ring from him. He would return to Kanbal a hero, bearing all nine rings, and assume the role of Radalle’s chief Spear. Then Rogsam’s line would live on in the kings of Kanbal, and Yuguro would achieve all the prominence for which he’d hoped.
To Yuguro, Rogsam’s proposal was like a dream come true. He felt no compunction whatsoever about deceiving his brother or becoming a hero by falsely claiming he had killed him. Thanks to Jiguro, he had spent much of his life hiding in the shadows, trying to avoid the contempt of the court. To use him as a stepping-stone into the light was a fitting revenge. Rogsam’s and Yuguro’s interests were thus perfectly aligned.
Again, the fact that Radalle was so easily manipulated and timid proved fortunate for Rogsam. If he had been strong-willed, at some point he and Yuguro must inevitably have clashed, and then Yuguro might have allied himself with a different, more manageable prince. But Radalle would likely live out his days resting comfortably in the palm of Yuguro’s hand, and die without questioning the machinations that held him there. Rogsam was sure Yuguro would protect his son in order to maintain his own position as a hero. What better plot than this?
But even Rogsam failed to foresee that Yuguro’s ambitions would far exceed what he imagined. While Jiguro was teaching him the Spear Dance, Yuguro had a sudden revelation: None of those who had experienced the last Giving Ceremony would be the right age to participate in the next one. He had hurried back to Kanbal, his heart dancing with a new vision that expanded in front of him — a vast and untouched plain just waiting for his hand to change it. All the young heroes who had shone as Spears by preserving the ancient traditions were dead. If he could consolidate his power and win the trust of the young warriors before the next ceremony, he should be able to develop enough military might to overthrow the Mountain King. Those who were too steeped in tradition to change, who stood in awe of the Mountain King, would by that time be too old to interfere. If he could gain free access to luisha, fulfilling the dream of every Kanbalese, his name would never be forgotten. This was the road by which he would become a true hero.
He smiled at the young king. “Tomorrow we’ll set out to create a new history for Kanbal.”
Sootee Lan glided swiftly and effortlessly along the underground waterway. Kassa feared he would fall off at first, but he soon relaxed and then stared around him in wonder. What surprised him most was the fact that the caves were teeming with life. At first glance the ice-cold water appeared empty, but many fish and water insects swam within it, their transparent bodies glittering. Countless holes dotted the lyokuhaku and hakuma walls, and here and there Kassa caught glimpses of movement inside. A beautiful, flutelike sound echoed off the stone and down the branch tunnels, creating a complex melody before fading away again.
At first Kassa was so absorbed in this strange new underground world that he had no time to feel bored, but as time passed, he became increasingly uncomfortable. The worst thing was not being able to see the light of day. Although togal gave him the ability to see, he desperately missed the gentle touch of sunlight soaking into his body.
At noon on the first day, Yoyo left them in the care of another Herder, who was waiting for them on a rock ledge in Yonsa territory. Kassa felt somewhat forlorn when Yoyo disappeared from sight, as though his last connection to the Musa land had dissolved with his friend. Their new guide was darkly tanned and looked to be in his late thirties. He grinned when he saw Balsa.