Shadows, стр. 18
“And well led?”
Zeesar couldn’t hide a brief smile. “Of course. The F’ahdn considers the villages within this region under his personal dominion and would never risk angering one without strong provocation. He would have to ensure that such an act was justified before the people. Attacking the village and kidnapping their healer discredits me.”
Now it made sense to Yukannak; it had the ring of truth. He’d been caught in an ongoing power play that had nothing to do with him, except as the silci of the satrap. That was bad enough. It also meant he was in personal physical danger, and the guards blocking the alley might turn and cut him down at any moment. But, assuming they didn’t, it gave him a brief window to flee Imsurmik for…somewhere else.
“If I am threatened, as it appears that I am, then you have my support. Take me with you to your village. Let us leave now.”
“I cannot do that, Silci. Alone, I can slip away unseen, but with you I cannot. Instead, I suggest you find the archive and get word to your satrap. I don’t know what it contains, but for the F’ahdn to keep it so secret, the contents must be very valuable.
“Perhaps you may find a way to bargain,” Zeesar continued, “should that become necessary. Beware Subitorni, though. If I’m right, he is only waiting on the F’ahdn’s disease to consume him. He is a dangerous and ambitious man.”
“Without your help, I cannot hope to find the archive.”
“Do you know of the passage through the rock to the cache area?”
“Of course. That’s the main reason I am here, to oversee the collection for the Harvesters.”
“And the tunnels up to the plateau?”
“Yes.” Irritation crept into his tone, despite believing Zeesar was an ally.
“One of them leads west, to the entrance hidden by the trap door through which we entered the city. I believe the archive to be near there, probably down one of the branch tunnels. You might also take the main tunnel until it ends, and it will lead you to the entrance we used. But that way is always watched and guarded, and now I know why.”
Yukannak’s suspicions flared again. “I find it increasingly hard to believe that you were unaware such a place existed?”
“In the satrap’s palace, do you know where the servants keep their brooms? It is the same in this case: I knew that area was where they worked on vehicles, nothing more. I have had other priorities.”
“Perhaps you are not as clever as I first imagined. You were not aware of such a ramp being dug to the surface, and that could not have been a small project.”
“No, it could not, and you are correct; the morning you arrived was my first hint that something was wrong. It is not a thing that could be built quickly or be completed without my knowing, unless someone went to much trouble to keep me from finding out. That someone would be Subitorni. But although I am the yuzbazzi, I have spent very little time in the city during the past two years. I see now that was foolish, for there are now two secrets the F’ahdn kept from me, and maybe others, too. Yet if he kept them from me, what else might he be keeping secret from you?”
“The archive.”
“And perhaps other things as well. A ramp to the surface that leads nowhere, that is wide enough and high enough for powered vehicles to navigate the slope in either direction, is an impressive feat of building, but to what purpose?”
“You’ve made your point, Zeesar. It could be used to transport medicinals away from the place they are being gathered now.”
“And doing it in secret. It could also be used to transport an army. Think about it, Yukannak; the F’ahdn should be proud of such a building project, yet he said nothing to you. Why would the F’ahdn not reveal a secret entrance to you unless he planned to hide other things from you?”
“This woman you spoke of. She is reliable?”
“She is. In addition to her masking duties, she cleans the F’ahdn’s dirty robes and has done so for many years. If I didn’t believe her, I would not have brought this to your attention.”
“I may have met her. Nomi; is that her name?”
“It is, yes. The F’ahdn asked her to get something from a storage chamber. You’ve been farther down the main tunnel, where the intersecting tunnel turns east to the cache site?”
“Yes, yes. I already told you I have.”
“There are doors on both sides, beyond which are rooms for storing food, the supply of medicinals put aside for Imsurmik, emergency water barrels, and other vital supplies. I have seen these, too. As yuzbazzi, I controlled their gathering and dispersal, and I believed that I knew everything. But now I think there is much more that both Subitorni and the F’ahdn kept secret from me. Did you know there are escape tunnels cut deep underground? The fourth door in the long tunnel leads down to this escape route, as do others.”
“Get on with it, Zeesar. What does this have to do with the archive?”
“Patience, Yukannak, you must understand all to understand some.”
“You are the one who said you must hurry.”
“The woman saw five or six men enter the tunnel through a hidden door she had never seen before. They had someone wrapped in a blanket. Bare feet sticking out from the end appeared to be those of a woman, and she was kicking and fighting, so she still lived. They took their captive through the door to the escape tunnel, and that was the