Chapter 15
Traitor to the Crown
Mah na Hal'ha, Ral'gha Territory
In the tradition of the ancestors, justice was swift in the Ral'gha Tribe. A transgressor was made to pay for his transgressions the moment guilt was judged to him. The concept of imprisonment was peculiar to the Tall Apes and were it not for their influence, the Ral'gha would have no use for these pits that were dug on the outskirts of the village to hold transgressors for whom judgment would not come so swiftly.
The Ah ih Khul na G'hih was not opposed to the innovations of the Tall Apes when it served the Tribe, but there was something about these pits he did not like. Perhaps it was because it made him think of what their people were subjected to at the hands of the Tall Apes beyond the River. And because his paws were not clean on that matter, he did not like to think about that much.
Speaking of the Tall Apes, their nimble fingers and inventiveness were essential for this kind of work. They were the ones who crafted the chains and used all the various implements of pain. There were things you could not do to a body with claws and fangs alone, after all. Some Tall Apes were very good at what they did. The Ah ih Khul was sure to get one of the best for this particular task, but even he had his limits, it would seem.
That J'baht female kept by the Khul na Ty'ha was chained to the walls. Her fingers were still wet with blood from where her claws had been pulled out. All ten claws and not a single answer to his questions.
Losing his patience, the Ah ih Khul snapped, "Tell me where the Khul na Ty'ha has gone, damn you!"
The J'baht said nothing. The Ah ih Khul drew back his forepaw to give her a good smack across the jowls, but before he could hit her, the G'hah ih Sh'ach's spear was thrust between them.
"She is no good to us dead," the G'hah ih Sh'ach said.
"Uncle, I—"
"You do not have so much control over yourself as you might think, Naghi. One hit from you will kill her."
"She does not talk," the Ah ih Khul grumbled.
"Leave the Tall Ape to his work."
The Tall Ape bowed low, saying, "Forgive me, master, but some are not as easy to bend. It will take time and even then..."
"We do not have time," the Ah ih Khul said. "And the other one is not talking either."
"Perhaps we will learn nothing from either one," the G'hah ih Sh'ach said. "This one is loyal to the Khul na Ty'ha, to the death perhaps. Even for a wretched J'baht, I will credit her for that. The other one is like an empty shell, like one that is already dead. We may well be wasting our time."
"Use your powers, Uncle," the Ah ih Khul said impatiently. "See beyond what can be seen."
"The spirits are not slaves to wait upon our beck and call, Naghi," the G'hah ih Sh'ach replied.
"Then what good are they!?"
"Careful, Naghi," the G'hah ih Sh'ach warned him. "You would do well not to anger the spirits. They are easy to offend."
The Ah ih Khul growled in frustration before saying, "If this one will not tell us anything, let us kill her and be done with it. The other one as well."
"No," the G'hah ih Sh'ach said. "She and the other one still have a use."
"What do you mean?"
"If someone is dead, all you can do is mourn them or avenge them, but if they are alive, there is much you can be made to do to keep them alive."
The Ah ih Khul did not understand.
"It is a bit of Tall Ape trickery," the G'hah ih Sh'ach explained. "It is called taking a hostage."
He still did not understand. The G'hah ih Sh'ach sighed.
"When we find the Khul na Ty'ha, he will surrender himself without a fight to save these two."
No wonder the Ah ih Khul did not understand. It was nonsense.
"No Ral'gha warrior would do such a thing. Not even the Khul na Ty'ha has fallen that far."
"The Khul na Ty'ha will do just that," the G'hah ih Sh'ach replied. "His heart is soft. He is weak, corrupt. That is why he has deserted his post to go searching for the young ones that were sold to the Tall Apes."
Though she said nothing, the J'baht female's look of surprise betrayed her. Even the Ah ih Khul could not help but see it.
"That is what this is about?" the Ah ih Khul asked, unbelieving. "You knew?"
"I supposed it so," the G'hah ih Sh'ach said, "and the female has now confirmed it. There are many way to get one to talk, Naghi, and it need not be told in words."
The J'baht female hung her head, realizing her endurance of the Tall Ape's torture had been for naught.
"Come, Naghi," the G'hah ih Sh'ach said. "The Hal'ha awaits."
* * *
In the throne chamber, the Okh na Ty'ha and the lesser elders of their clan had been assembled at the Hal'ha's decree. Now that the G'hah ih Sh'ach had arrived, they would expose the extent of the Khul na Ty'ha's treason.
The Hal'ha looked to the G'hah ih Sh'ach and asked him, "What have you learned?"
"Clan Ty'ha has betrayed you," he said. "It has betrayed us all."
This shook the Ty'ha elders, prompting the Okh na Ty'ha to cry, "No, my king! It is not true!"
"Do you say that I am false?" the G'hah ih Sh'ach asked pointedly.
The Okh na Ty'ha could say nothing. He dare not speak against the G'hah ih Sh'ach, but he could not let the charge go unchallenged either. Of course, driving him to desperation was all part of the plan.
"They are traitors, every one of them!" the Ah ih Khul shouted. "And they should have a traitor's reward! Purge them from the Tribe! Let us line our tents with their filthy striped hides!"
For once, the Ah ih Khul's angry shouting actually served a useful purpose. The Ty'ha elders were practically falling over themselves to plead their innocence.
"No, my king! Will the hale be culled along with the lame? We are your faithful servants! Our warriors are the very claws of the Ral'gha!"
And so they were right where the G'hah ih Sh'ach wanted them. He had already discussed the plan with the Hal'ha, so he did not need to say anything. Let the King be king.
"If what you say is true," the Hal'ha said, "then you will hand over all the Khul na Ty'ha's house—male and female, young and old—to the second degree, along with all of their possessions."
"Of course, my king," the Okh na Ty'ha said. "It shall be done, all that you command."
"So be it," the Hal'ha said. "Prove your faithfulness in this and your clan will be spared. Now go."
The elders all bowed low as the Okh said, "Yes, my king. The King abounds in wisdom and mercy. May he reign a hundred winters and all his hunts be blessed."
Once they had withdrawn, the G'hah ih Sh'ach said, "A wise judgment."
"Is it wisdom when I only do as you say?" the Hal'ha asked.
"Indeed it is wisdom to heed good counsel."
"I wonder," the Hal'ha said, stroking his beard. "Such a waste. Perhaps I should have lent an ear when the Khul na Ty'ha appealed to me."
"The Khul na Ty'ha abandoned his duty and his honor to chase after the foolishness of wailing females. There is weakness in his blood and if we do not cull that weakness, the entire clan will fall to ruin. Those elders should have seen it before it came to this. This will serve as an example to the other clans."
"But why bring the Khul na Ty'ha's house here? Why not let them die in their own lands, at the claws of their own clan? Is it not the duty of each clan to cull the unfit?"
"We need a proper accounting of them, so that there is no deception."
"You think they would try to deceive us after all that groveling?"
"I would especially expect it after all that groveling," the G'hah ih Sh'ach said pointedly. "Cravenness and deceit are brothers. If we are lax, they will not hesitate to deceive us for their benefit. We must make deceit more costly than honesty if we are to keep them honest."
"Whatever happened to honor?"
"Honor is a luxury for the strong and even the strong, like as not, will abandon honor if it means saving their own hide."
"The world takes on an ugly shape in your telling, old one."
"You are no cub. You should see the world as it is."
The Hal'ha sighed and shook his head.
"Yes, I suppose I should. Enough for today. For the rest of this matter, I leave to you, Ah ih Khul."
"Yes, my king," the Ah ih Khul replied, bowing his head.
And with that, the Hal'ha rose up from his throne and exited the throne chamber. Once he was gone, the Ah ih Khul approached the G'hah ih Sh'ach and asked him, "Will this be enough, Uncle?"
"If the Ty'ha mean to rebel, they must either act now or weaken themselves by sacrificing the Khul na Ty'ha's house. Either way, we have the advantage. And if they are not party to his treason, the divisions will weaken the clan so that they are less of a threat in the future, should their loyalty ever begin to wane. No matter the course of events, we will be the victor."
"How is it that you can design such a victory?"
"The clever find a path to victory, Naghi. The wise find victory in all paths."
"Perhaps so," the Ah ih Khul said uncertainly, "but we cannot continue like this. Another will rise up as the Khul na Ty'ha did."
"Then we will destroy him and his entire house, bring his clan to its knees. If there are any who have forgotten that it is we who rule the Ral'gha, we will remind them."
"Then you will still go forward," the Ah ih Khul said, tightening his jaw as he said the words. He may have been valiant in battle, but his courage did not avail him so well in such matters as these.
"The time draws near for us to lay waste to our enemies," the G'hah ih Sh'ach replied, "to claim the power beyond all understanding. The Tall Apes have been foolish enough to put it right in our paws."
"Does this power truly exist?"
"I have touched it before," the G'hah ih Sh'ach said, "and soon I will approach it again. The Tall Apes have said that they have acquired the key to unlocking the fulness of this power. When the time comes, I will take it and all the lands south of the River will be ours."
He made a sweeping gesture with his spear to represent the breadth of their new domain.
"Imagine all the Tall Apes, toiling away in their cities of stone to serve us. That is our future."
The Ah ih Khul shook his head.
"None but you could imagine such a thing, Uncle."
The G'hah ih Sh'ach mouth twisted into a crooked grin as he struck the ground with his spear.
"And that is why the spirits have chosen me to bring this new age. Now, come. We must make preparations for our new guests."
The Ah ih Khul cocked his head curiously.
"Our... guests?"
"The Khul na Ty'ha's house, you fool."
"We are not just going to kill them?"
"Of course not. They still have a use."
"More of these... hostages, you mean."
The G'hah ih Sh'ach nodded.
"You are learning, Naghi, but you will have to learn faster if you ever hope to succeed me."
The Ah ih Khul said nothing. In truth, the G'hah ih Sh'ach knew he would have to look elsewhere for a successor. While the Ah ih Khul was unrivaled in strength, it would take a far cleverer mind to take on the work he had begun, but that was a task that could wait until after the fulfillment of his ambitions.