am Duprey of the Horse Seagani. It is an honour to make your acquaintance,' replied the man. He stood up and came forward. He had a very bad limp. He was wearing native garb, including the boiled leather tunic that counted for armour among them. His face, however, was not marked by tattoos or tribal marks and he was clean-shaven. He wore his hair shorter than most natives and he was taller too.
Half-breed, thought Ezratah distastefully, for the mongrel mixing of Mirayan and native bloodlines resulted in weaklings and sycophants. That would probably explain the limp too. Though he might have got it in battle, it was the Mirayan practice to cripple convicted thieves in just such a way.
'It is unusual to see one of the Tari,' Duprey said. 'I must count it lucky.'
'I thank you,' Yani said, shaking the man's outstretched hand. Duprey held the Tari's hand for a moment longer than necessary, looking at his face almost as if he recognised him.
Was this Yani some kind of religious leader? When the girl came back with the food, she brought two other women: her middle-aged mother and a thirteen-year-old girl. They asked him to bless them, which he did, saying, 'May the Circle of Life enfold and bless you.' He even blessed the woman's unborn child, putting his hand on her swelling belly to do so.
Though Ezratah thought he had become used to the easy intimacy between native men and women, he could not help being shocked to see how readily the woman let a strange man touch her belly. She seemed to trust the Tari as completely as a child trusts its father. He must be some kind of religious leader.
'He will be a fine son,' Yani said in Seagani. 'Be firm but kind with him and he will be your joy and support for many years.'
'How do you know it is a son?' Ezratah asked after the women had left. 'Or did you just guess?'
Yani looked surprised.
'This close to its birth, I can feel the child's sex in its life spirit. A strong, healthy child.'
'Life spirit?' Ezratah asked.
'Yes, the spirit that flows through everything living and non-living. It binds the world together. Surely you Mirayans must know about life spirit? Even those Archipelagans who believe in other gods know its strength.'
Ezratah was taken aback. 'All life comes from Mir.'
'Is he one of your gods?'
'Mir is the only God. The one true God.'
'But what about this Kerum I've heard talk of?'
'Kerum was his messenger. His son. The priests say he is not separate from Mir but part of him.'
Ezratah was not sure he should discuss such an inflammatory subject as religion among so many strange folk. He sought to change the subject. 'In truth, if you want to know the way our religion works, you should speak with a priest. I am a mage and no expert on religion.'
For some reason this seemed to astonish Yani. The native man obviously understood why, for he shot Ezratah an impertinent, cynical look before returning to silently eating his soup.
There would probably be no harm in trying to find out what the native believed, Ezratah thought. Native superstitions were fascinating and often myths hid an element of fact.
'So this life spirit, does it have a name?' he asked
'No, of course not,' Yani said. 'It's not a person. Though it is conscious in a way of its own. Occasionally it does take on human shape to talk to us.'
'So it's a god?' Ezratah asked.
Yani frowned at him.
'I believe the life spirit is a kind of god,' Duprey said, looking warningly at Yani. The man obviously took Ezratah for a priest, who would be outraged by talk of spirits.
'But it isn't,' Yani said, ignoring Duprey's hint. 'Surely a god would be a separate being from us. The life spirit is part of us all. And I feel it - we Tari feel it always as part of us, making us one with the whole world. When I die the life spirit that animates me will return to the great Circle of Life and become part of the life which animates the world. I shall live again in the life spirit of others who are born after I die.'
'We Seagani also believe in the life spirit and we believe the Tari to have a special closeness to the elements of the universe and the Circle of Life,' Duprey said. 'It is a religious duty to treat them with care and respect.'
'I see,' Ezratah said. 'Are the Tari gods, then?' He could imagine what the priests would make of all this strange talk.
'No no,' Duprey said quickly. 'Just human. But they seek to promote harmony in the world and that is a valuable thing.'
'Harmony?' Ezratah asked, looking questioningly at Yani. Some kind of ritual no doubt.
'When the world is in harmony there is balance and the life spirit can be felt most easily,' Yani said. 'All the actions of a Tari's life should show this concern for harmony.'
It all sounded very cold and intellectual. 'What do ignorant people like peasants pray to when they need consolation with their lot?' Ezratah asked.
'We all commune with the life spirit,' Yani replied. 'We withdraw from the world and listen to it.'
'But is it not true. There is a place in Ermora where a person can experience being part of the great Circle of Life while still being alive,' Duprey said. 'I have heard that there the voice of destiny speaks to the Tari.'
'It is called the Spirit Cave,' Yani said carefully. 'And it exists because the elements that make up the life spirit are strongest and the most in balance in Ermora. There, your outer self becomes invisible and you become only life spirit.'
'Ah,' Ezratah said. Now he felt himself to be on more solid ground. They did have sacred places and gods, just like any other native religion.
'So tell me, Highness,' Duprey said, suddenly speaking directly to Ezratah. 'Are you going to Olbia for the Feast of St Stefan?'
'I am,' Ezratah said.
'So am I.'
'Will you fight there?' Ezratah said in a tone cool enough to discourage the fellow from being too familiar. This Yani was bad enough.
Duprey smiled. 'No. I am somewhat limited in my fighting. But my cousin will fight at St Stefan's. Do you also go to the tournament, lord? And will you fight there?'
'Very probably. But I am going to Olbia in search of my sister, Elena. She was wife to Eldene Mori and taken prisoner at Fleurforet. Perhaps you have heard of her? There is a child too, called Alyx.'
The hair stood up on the back of Ezratah's neck. He suddenly wished he had never come here with this Yani. The fellow had cause to hate Mirayans if he had some alliance with those pestilential Mori.
'The Mirayans hold one of your people captive!' Duprey cried incredulously. He shot a look at Ezratah. 'I'm surprised to see you travelling with a Mirayan if that's so.'
'He stood up for me against his own countrymen,' Yani said. 'So mage, you don't personally have my sister captive, do you?'
'No. Of course not,' Ezratah said, flustered.
'You see,' Yani said. 'There's no reason I should not be harmonious with this particular Mirayan.'
'You should ask him if he was - ' Duprey began.
'And I wasn't at Fleurforet either,' Ezratah snapped. 'The Mori were making raids on Duke Wolf's land and, after warning them, he attacked them. He cannot be blamed for his response after such provocation.'
'I see,' Yani said coolly. 'But did the duke not take land from the Mori in the first place?'
'They weren't using it,' Ezratah protested. 'They were letting it grow wild, making a refuge for wild beasts and outlaws that preyed on his lands.'
'Just because the Mori do not use the land as the Mirayans do is not reason to believe they are not using it at all,' Yani said gently. 'The Mori are hunters, not farmers. A wild forest is like a farm to them.'
Ezratah