"Of course," Ji replied. She looked at Ravishan. "Ushiri Ravishan, is it your intention to join the Fai’daum?"
Ravishan straightened. He watched Giryyn and Ji with an expression of defiance.
"Yes," Ravishan said. "I have skills that you could use to defeat the Payshmura."
"That’s true enough," Ji replied. "But do you have the loyalty that we require?"
John frowned at Ji. He had expected her to simply agree to take Ravishan in. She had said that she owed him as much.
"Do you want a blood oath?" Ravishan’s tone was almost that of a dare. Giryyn’s expression lit up at the suggestion.
"No," Ji said flatly, "we are not the Payshmura and we do not use sorcery to enslave those who fight for us. I simply want your word that you will serve the Fai’daum."
John caught Ravishan’s brief, rebellious glower. John knew that it grated against Ravishan’s entire upbringing to swear allegiance with the Fai’daum.
"I will serve the Fai’daum faithfully," Ravishan said, "so long as I and mine are treated in good faith. I will not tolerate any harm done to Jahn."
"We have no desire to harm Jahn," Ji said. "Those who did have been punished, as you just saw. You will both be treated with respect and good faith. So, will you give us your oath?"
Ravishan said, "I swear on my bones and before Parfir that I will serve the Fai’daum faithfully."
"Good." Giryyn broke into a wide, almost luminous smile.
John found the way Giryyn watched Ravishan disturbing. He’d seen men gaze at guns and fast cars the same way. It was a look of greed for a powerful machine.
"I would be happy to sponsor Ravishan into the Fai’daum," Giryyn said quickly.
Ji’s eyes narrowed briefly. Then she shook her head. "I respect your intentions, Giryyn, but it might worry the common Fai’daum if a priest sponsors an ushiri into the fold. They might fear that old allegiances were arising."
"Who would dare to insult my loyalty?" Giryyn demanded.
"No one. But they might wonder about Ravishan. They might worry that he had used his Payshmura rank to influence you." Ji flicked her ears again and then went on in a soothing tone. "It’s all rubbish, I know, but it would give Ravishan a terrible start among us. You know how people are in the Warren, especially in the winter. They have nothing to do but gossip and gripe. We’ve already seen how badly that went for Jahn this afternoon."
"Ushiri Ravishan could hardly be threatened by curs like the men we sentenced today," Giryyn replied.
John couldn’t believe Giryyn’s awe of Ravishan could so completely overshadow the fact that Ravishan was still a human being. Of course common men and women could harm him.
Before John could comment, Ji replied, "That may be, but wouldn’t it be better if we avoided the conflict altogether?"
"What would you suggest?"
"Lafi’shir or I should sponsor Ravishan," Ji said.
Giryyn scowled at the suggestion but obviously couldn’t think of an objection.
"Either way he will be one of us," Ji said. "Really the only difference it will make is where he is housed, isn’t it?"
Giryyn didn’t answer. He studied Ravishan almost possessively. John frowned at him but Giryyn didn’t notice.
"Ushiri Ravishan would be most comfortable in the Chapel District," Giryyn said.
Ji laughed and Giryyn seemed genuinely surprised.
"I think he would be most comfortable with his lover, Jahn. Don’t you?" Ji asked.
Giryyn looked sick. He didn’t seem able to form a reply.
"I won’t be separated from Jahn," Ravishan pronounced. "Our union has been blessed by Parfir. It is more holy to me than any chapel could be."
Outrage flashed across Giryyn’s features and he shot John a look murderous enough to have done Dayyid proud. For a split second John thought the priest might actually attack him and he tensed, but then Giryyn blew out a long sigh and turned his attention to the statue of Parfir.
"He blesses even those worms that lie amidst the foulest filth, for he welcomes all who come to him in humble worship." Giryyn quoted the prayer quietly, perhaps just to himself.
"Don’t worry about it, Giryyn. I’ll sponsor him." Ji stood. "Come, Ravishan. Jahn and I will show you the Warren."
Chapter Eighty-Five
They walked through the pale green light of the Warren. People glanced at them curiously. A young woman from the kitchen offered John a sign of greeting. He returned it with a smile.
"Who is she?" Ravishan asked in a low whisper.
"One of the cooks. I don’t know her name, but she’s nice."
Ravishan studied the young woman briefly before seeming to dismiss her. John leaned close to Ravishan.
"You could definitely take her in a fight," John teased him.
"If it came to that I would," Ravishan replied easily.
John almost laughed out loud.
As they walked down the wide main corridor, John noticed more and more people stopping to watch them pass by. He saw an older man make the sign of Lyyn’s name along with a flurry of other hand signs. Ji was right, John realized. Gossip traveled fast in the Warren.
"It seems that you’ve started a little debate in the Warren," Ji commented to John.
"A debate?" John asked. He tried to read the hand signs that flashed between the men and women in the Warren, but all he caught were tiny phrases. One man glared at John, but the woman next to him waved.
"Lyyn had his friends and his detractors," Ji replied as if that explained it all. Then she asked, "Are you hungry, Ravishan?"
"I ate in Nurjima a few hours ago," Ravishan replied. "But I could use a bath and some yellowpetal salve, if you have it."
"You’re injured?" Ji asked.
"Just a few scratches." Ravishan indicated the thin cut that ran across his cheek. "I’d like to clean them up."
John frowned. Yellowpetal had some antiseptic properties, but John knew from working with Hann’yu that it was mainly used as a strong painkiller. Ji didn’t comment but just nodded.
"The baths are this way." Ji led them south through the wide central tunnel. As they walked, Ravishan studied the carved walls and doorways.
"This was all carved by hand?" Ravishan asked.
"Some of the caverns were natural. We expanded them," Ji said.
"It must have taken years."
"The first tunnels were dug out sixty years ago. They were used to hide grain stores from the Payshmura tithe collectors. Then Fai’daum dissidents started regrouping here and storing weapons. Over the last twenty years it’s almost become a city."
John guessed that the Warren’s population was about half that of Amura’taye. On the whole they were much better fed, clothed, and employed. And even the kitchen girls were trained to fight.
"There are wards carved in some of the walls," Ravishan commented.
Ji nodded and flashed her teeth.
"Your work?" Ravishan asked.
"Mostly mine," Ji said. "Why do you ask?"
"They feel like Payshmura wards." Ravishan studied the crowds of men and women. John guessed that he was trying to read their hand signs.
"I picked up a few tricks while I was in Umbhra’ibaye," Ji said.
Surprise flashed through Ravishan’s expression but he asked nothing more and Ji offered no further explanation.
As they passed close to the kitchens, the tunnels filled with more people. Many of them carried grain sacks or baskets loaded with root vegetables. A group of young boys herded a cluster of black milking goats past them.
"All these people," Ravishan whispered. "They’re all Fai’daum?"
"All of them," Ji said.
It could have been an effect of the green light or just exhaustion at last catching up with him, but Ravishan looked suddenly ill. John stepped closer to offer support if Ravishan needed it.
"There are so many," Ravishan said quietly. "Here and in Nurjima."
"There are just as many in the south," Ji said. "And now there will be a lot more."
"What do you mean?" Ravishan asked.
"You’ll find out soon enough." Ji led them through a narrow hallway. At last she stopped at the painted doors of the Witches District’s private baths.