Mengmoshu took Kati to meet Shanji's people only two months after her sixteenth birthday. For a week and a half, they were constantly together, and he grew close to her as a father to a daughter.
She was in the hands of First Mother, and her education and social training were the privilege of Huomeng, Lady Weimeng, and Sheyue. His only participation in her upbringing had been those few precious times she'd come to his mind with a sorrow, concern or question, and he'd done what he could for her.
It was not enough. He wanted to do more. He was her father, watching others do for her what he should be doing. She did not even know who he was. And during the last few years, she had become a beautiful young woman without his fatherly presence beside her.
He had agreed with First Mother's decision not to tell the Moshuguang about his relationship to Kati, but taking her to Wanchou was a logical act for the Chancellor of the Moshuguang.
It was early morning when he met Kati at the monorail station by the landing field. She was sitting on a bench and stood up as he stepped from the car, a small valise at her feet. Her eyes changed from brown to amber when she saw him and smiled.
His own carrying case was heavy; within it his own change of clothes, recording devices, and the robe he would have her wear for the people. He plopped the case heavily before her. "How are you?" he asked.
"Excited. I thought we were never going to do this."
Her presence was striking: the long, chiseled face, finely arched nose, the magical eyes that seemed to be constantly changing color. A guard came to carry their luggage and they followed him through the gate to the mag-rail car awaiting them.
Mengmoshu punched in the second exit within the workers' city as their destination and put the car on auto-control as they entered the tunnel. Kati wanted to know the operation of the car, the route they were taking, the stops, everything. She was nervous, and apprehensive. Mengmoshu put an arm around her shoulders, squeezed gently, and that seemed to calm her. To use mental control on her was a waste of effort. They came to the smells and din of the workers' village, and took the first exit left. "Can we look in the shops on the way back?" asked Kati.
"Yes," said Mengmoshu, knowing that after her time in Wanchou the things she saw in those shops would clearly show her the relative ease of life for those who worked within the mountain.
The tracks looped towards the right, but they turned left to a platform with cutouts for parking. Two armed guards, escorts, were waiting there, a flight of stairs behind them brightly lit.
As they stepped from the car, the guards bowed stiffly to them, took their luggage and preceded them up the stairs to a long, empty hallway. They walked its length to the doors of an elevator which opened as they arrived. The guards entered with them and the elevator descended for several seconds before the doors opened again. Kati looked at him, her eyes now red; he felt the anxiety building within her.
The doors opened to a lavish suite with bare, red walls and thick carpet, bronze chandeliers, and a huge black table in the center. The guards went to two closed doors on one wall, beyond which were bedrooms. They placed Kati's valise in one, Mengmoshu's in the other, then returned silently to stand by the elevator. "We will change clothes here," he said, for Kati was looking horribly confused by this stop.
"Change?"
"I have something for you to wear, Kati. This visit to Wanchou is a formal thing and we have to dress for it." He went into his room to open his carrying case, and Kati followed him inside. "I thought we were just going to travel around and see how the people live."
"We are, but not just to look. You'll be meeting people and talking to them. Our guides are people of influence in Wanchou and they feel honored by this visit. They are entertaining the emissary of First Mother, something that has never happened before now."
"They know about me?"
"They know an emissary comes. I want you to wear this. You may wear your hair long, or in buns if you like." He withdrew a robe in deep purple from his case and handed it over to Kati.
"It's beautiful," she said, fondling the heavy cloth.
"The color is symbolic of the gong-shi-jie, where only you and First Mother travel. You are Her emissary and you must act the part for the people to see it."
She seemed to accept that, and nodded. "It will take me a while," she said, then left the room talking to herself under her breath, her mind masked from him.
Mengmoshu changed from his black robe into full, military armor, without sidearm, the red shizi emblem over his heart. He closed up his case and found it mercifully lighter, then carried it back to the elevator and waited there with the guards.
And waited. Time passed, and the guards began to shift uneasily from foot to foot. It seemed forever before Kati finally appeared at the doorway.
Even Mengmoshu was struck dumb by the sight of her. One guard rushed to take the valise from her hand before she could even take a step. She followed him back as if floating.
She had formed her hair into two tails held together by gold rings near the head, and they fell across her breasts, nearly to the waist. Lips rouged red, she'd also added a blush to cheekbones normally prominent, giving her face a triangular shape, and there were traces of purple sparkles around her eyes. She was happy about her appearance, for her always changing eyes were nearly leaf-green now, and she had enhanced the thickness of her long lashes. She carried a small gold fan in one hand, and when she reached him she snapped it open to cool herself delicately with it while coyly lowering her eyelashes.
"Well? Will I make an impression?"
Mengmoshu could not restrain a chuckle. "You are the vision of an Empress, Madam, and I'm honored as your escort. Please."
He offered an arm and she put her hand on it as they entered the elevator, the guards stumbling around with the luggage, trying hard not to look at her. "I tried to look like the image Mandughai shows me in the gong-shi-jie and it took me awhile to get it," she said. "I'm glad you like it."
She squeezed his arm and smiled, and Mengmoshu masked fiercely so she would not see the pride and love in him, or know why it was there.
They rode the elevator down for several seconds and stepped out into cool morning air within a cavern opening to the outside. A man in white uniform was there beside a small, windowed car hanging on two cables going out of the cavern opening, and down from it. The man took one look at Kati and bowed deeply to her, ignoring Mengmoshu.
"We will take two cable cars to Wanchou. This is the first, which goes to a checkpoint. There is heavy security on the mountain," he said, and helped her into the car.
"Huomeng told me. The people are not allowed to see what's here." Kati's eyes were now amber.
The car moved out and down at a forty-five degree angle along the rocky face of the mountain. Above them, the workers' village sprouted from rock, but Kati looked downwards to the sprawl of Wanchou far below. Soon, a road was drawing near, cut horizontally across the mountain with regularly spaced stone huts behind a high fence of wire, and armed troopers were pacing the road, watching their descent. They came to a platform with a large hut, and their luggage was taken without inspection to a gate, beyond which a second car awaited them. They followed, past guards stiffly at attention, whose eyes shifted slightly to follow Kati's passage past them.
The nearness of Wanchou was an illusion of size and they were on the second car half an hour before reaching the final cable towers and another compound swarming with troopers. The nearest buildings of Wanchou loomed beyond a high fence, and there was a paved road leading into a tunnel beneath it. A simple, unadorned spring wagon pulled by two horses sat there, surrounded by an escort of eight guards on horseback. Mengmoshu offered an arm to Kati, led her stately to the wagon and held her hand as she stepped into it. More ceremony. You're doing fine.
Mengmoshu took the reins and drove the wagon through the tunnel, guards on both sides. Remember who you are, and rely on your instincts. They came out in a garden of short trees, bushes with flowers, and butterflies. A hemisphere of wire mesh covered the whole thing and there was still another gate, with a guardhouse. All around them, faces were pressed to the wire from the outside, hundreds of them, young and old, even children. He stopped the wagon at the guardhouse. Troopers scurried to take their luggage through the gate as he helped Kati down. "Go to the gate," he whispered. "I will walk behind you for a moment."
Kati nodded, eyes amber, and she walked slowly ahead of him. The crowds outside were shuffling around, pressing towards the gate, but several guards were there to press them back with their rifles. A small thin man awaited them, dressed in brown canvas. He bowed deeply as Kati came out of the gate, her eyes apparently on him. She seemed oblivious to the crowd straining to get a look at her. "I am Jin-yao," said the man. "Welcome to our city." His voice shook nervously.
Kati extended her hand. Jin-yao seemed surprised, but shook her hand gently and bowed again.
"I am Mengnu. I bring you greetings from First Mother, and fulfill her desire that I visit Her people."
"We are honored, Lady Mengnu," said Jin-yao.
They went to another wagon of polished wood, two seats, drawn by two horses with well brushed manes and tails. Kati put out her hand to Jin-yao for balance as she climbed up, and stood until Mengmoshu was seated. The crowd was murmuring, pressing in tighter for a closer look, but suddenly the sound of shuffling feet stopped, and there was silence.
Kati was turning slowly, looking in all directions, her left hand out as if pointing to something near the wagon. The perceived power of her thought was huge for Mengmoshu, though he doubted the people could consciously sense it.
Peace. First Mother is always with you.
It could only be the sight, not the thought, that made the silence, for when Kati turned to face him he saw that her eyes were emerald green.
* * *
She sat down beside Mengmoshu. Jin-yao took the reins, sitting on a seat in front of them and the crowd parted as the wagon moved. Mengmoshu was amazed. There were no shouts, no cheers, only silence, thousands of faces looking up at the emerald eyes. Kati looked from side to side, repeating her mental greeting over and over. A focus to keep the color of her eyes? Or were the people hearing it?
They hear me. You don't need to think up a new test to prove it.
Mengmoshu chuckled, then spoke aloud. "Jin-yao is the Comptroller for Wanchou, My Lady. He's responsible for all commerce within the city limits, but also deals with the flow of goods from factories and farms."
"A great responsibility," said Kati.
"I'm not worthy of the position," said Jin-yao, "but I work very hard."
Kati questioned him all the way to the first buildings of Wanchou, wanting to know who he dealt with: factory and store managers, city planners, transportation officials, all in the employ of the nobles. Jin-yao answered happily, pleased by her interest. There was little traffic on the road leading to the base of the mountain, few people to stare as they passed by, but as they reached the first buildings, the cobblestone street was suddenly packed with little carts drawn by animals and people, and others walking, stooped over beneath heavy burdens. Tengri-Khan was blocked out by tall buildings a step from either side of the street, buildings forty stories high, hundreds of windows with awnings and racks from which clothing was hanging in open air. The buildings were constructed of inferior, brownish concrete; absorbed water had created a myriad of cracks and peeling slabs of faded green, grey and yellow paint.
The stench of urine and animal droppings made their eyes water, but it was soon overpowered by something even worse.
The crowd parted for them, people scurrying to get out of the way, and Kati's greeting was again booming in his head. I come from First Mother, and bring you Her greetings.
The people who gawked at her had weathered and wrinkled faces burned brown by sunlight. All were slender, their clothes clean but worn-looking. The people stared, made way for them, and finally they stopped before a building like all the others. Jin-yao got out of the cart. "There will be a reception for you, Lady Mengnu, but I wish to show you a dwelling for our people if you're willing to climb a flight of stairs."
"Of course," said Kati. What is that horrible odor?
Raw sewage. It runs in conduits just beneath the street to settling ponds outside the city. A million forms of bacteria are breeding right beneath us.
They went into the building and up a flight of stairs. There were no elevators to be seen, and no lighting. Jin-yao knocked on a door and a tiny Hansui woman opened it, beaming at them and bowing, over and over again.
Jin-yao showed them two rooms while the woman and five children, two boys and three girls ranging in age from five to fifteen, stood shyly to one side. The total floor space in their dwelling might be forty square meters, thought Mengmoshu. One window, family pictures on one wall, children's drawings displayed on the other, the rooms were dimly lit by two small ceiling panels turned on in their honor. The only furniture was a table and six chairs in one room, a few cushions lining the edges of the wooden floor in the other. A small, alcohol-fueled stove was near the table.
"I'm honored to have such an apartment," said Jin-yao. And then he introduced them to his family. Kati's eyes were now amber. The woman and children hesitated to shake her hand when it was offered, but did so, and Kati held each hand a little longer than necessary. "Greetings from First Mother," she said, each time.
The woman and children did not speak, but suddenly the woman held up a greenstone amulet, pointing to herself and smiling brightly. The gesture seemed to embarrass Jin-yao. He scowled at his wife, and quickly hurried his guests from the rooms without a word. An old woman came up the stairs and passed by them without looking up, hunched over beneath a heavy pack on her back, continuing her upward climb and breathing hard.
"She is a widow, and cannot work," explained Jin-yao, "so she has a single, small room on the forty-second floor. There is a special store for those who cannot work, and she receives her food there.
Kati's eyes blazed red.
Seven people in that tiny place! My bedroom is larger!
It is the best they have, Kati.
And that stench is everywhere!
She struggled briefly to renew her serene smile, eyes quickly amber again.
They got back into the cart and drove three blocks to a low, white building, Kati's fan in constant motion as they went. Four men met them in a white room with bare walls, a table, and chairs. The windows were opaque from dust and soot. Jin-yao introduced the men as ministers: Li-ban, the mayor, Ling-de, of transportation, Lan-tsui, of housing, and Huan-bei, a secretary to Li-ban. For half an hour they talked informally of the weather, population, the growing concern about the breeding habits of the people. Kati listened silently, nodding her head at appropriate times.
When they sat down at the table, Mengmoshu was on Kati's right, the mayor on her left. All others sat across the table from them. All wore the suits of brown canvas, like many people in the streets. They were served tea by one woman, followed by a bowl of rice with some vegetables sprinkled with tiny pieces of beef.
It is a lavish meal. What little beef they produce here is sent to the nobles for their consumption.
Kati ate with the delicacy and elegance of the court, but when she put down her sticks, Mengmoshu held his breath, for her eyes were now the yellow of Tengri-Khan. Perhaps she'd seen what he'd seen in the minds of the men around her. All thought she was a spy from the Emperor's court.
She began to quiz those who sat across from her. She asked about production and transport rates in per-capita terms, and they refereed her to managers in the field. She asked about per-capita protein consumption, and again they could not answer. They fidgeted uneasily in their chairs.
Careful! We're not here to threaten, but to learn.
These people are functionaries! They know nothing! Huomeng has taught me more in a year than they've learned in a lifetime!
Yes, but do not show the impatience of your teacher. You will meet the people who can answer your questions soon enough.
Kati sighed, and changed the subject, asking about the lengths of their working weeks, the size of their staffs. The hours were long, staff inadequate, but all men were dedicated to their work and humbly honored by their positions. They relaxed again.
Mengmoshu was grateful when the meal was over, and they were ready to leave. Kati shook each hand, and said, "I will tell First Mother about your hardships, and the vigor with which you pursue your responsibilities."
All hosts were smiling when the meeting ended.
They are puppets of the nobles. Is Jin-yao this inept?
He coordinates them as best he can. You see what he has to work with. The nobles choose their ministers without consulting him, and prefer intellects that will not be too independent.
Puppets!
Kati's mental murmurings continued for the next few minutes, but outwardly she was calm and somehow kept her eyes amber. They toured shops where staples of flour and rice were dispensed to long lines of women and children in exchange for chits given to their men for labor. There was no hard currency in copper, silver or gold, only the chits for exchange in the stores of the nobles. Outwardly, the people seemed fed, and their simple clothing of brown canvas was not tattered. They did not have the look of people who owned nothing of their own.
As evening drew near there was another place Mengmoshu had to show her, a place unknown to the nobles. Their puppet ministers knew about it, but said nothing to their absentee masters and so Jin-yao took them there, an unmarked building without windows on a dark side street in the center of the city.
Kati was tired from the day and stifled a yawn as he whispered, "This will not be pleasant for you."
It was a hospital.
The place had been a warehouse, but now the floor was covered with beds of straw in many rows, a sea of beds dimly lit by rows of lanterns beneath a high ceiling with wooden rafters. The stench of burning oil, alcohol, and diseased flesh struck like a hammer as the door closed behind them. Mengmoshu breathed through his mouth.
Kati's composure wavered. She gasped at the sight, eyes wide, and hid a retching cough with her fan.
This is one of three hospitals in the city, and there are several smaller clinics for lesser problems. None of them are sanctioned by the nobles or the Emperor, and the physicians here could be imprisoned for their work.
There are Moshuguang here!
Several white-frocked doctors walked the isles, checking on their patients. All were Moshuguang, with high-domed foreheads.
They are the only doctors we have so far, but there will be more. We train city people first as nurses, then as doctors. It is a slow process, because the people are not prepared.
Was she listening? Kati started down one isle, looking right and left, pausing at each bed. What was she seeing? The sight of auras was a power of First Mother, a gift passed only to Tumatsin women and not through the lineage of her second son, from whom the Moshuguang had come. Kati had tried to explain it to him once, but he could only imagine a pattern of colors in the human energy field, a pattern that changed with mood, or physical condition. She was looking at that pattern now, at every bed.
Disorders of the stomach and bowels, and I see many skin infections here. You have medicines to cure these conditions.
Yes, but not enough. Our pharmaceutical production is higher than we report to the Emperor and much of it is used here, but it is still inadequate. We cannot keep up with the population growth.
A young woman lay on a bed, eyes closed, and Kati knelt down, passing a hand over the woman's groin. She has a tumor, and it's growing rapidly.
We only have two surgeons. She will have to wait.
She cannot wait. She could die within days.
A doctor was walking towards Kati, looking concerned, but Mengmoshu stopped him with a wave of his hand. She comes from First Mother, and brings Her power to us. Do not interfere.
Kati looked at him, and her eyes were emerald green. I can shrink it now, but the residual must be removed as soon as possible if we don't return here.
Then do what you can now.
Kati moved her hand over the woman's groin, not touching it, a circular motion, then rising, falling again and finally touching. The woman's eyes snapped open, and she gasped, her hands reaching to Kati's, then sliding away. She looked at Kati's face, and lay there staring while the hand pressed firmly on her groin for several minutes. Kati's mind was totally masked from him, in a place he could not go, her eyes closed.
Finally, Kati raised her hand, and opened her eyes. For an instant, there was a flash of green light that illuminated the sickened woman on her bed. The woman gasped again, and rubbed her groin tenderly, as if knowing that something important had just happened there.
Kati smiled beautifully. I have drawn upon the gong-shi-jie. The tumor is shriveled, but I need two more treatments to kill it. She should have surgery within a month.
The doctor nodded, then shook his head in wonderment. Kati put her hand on the woman's forehead. You will be well again.
The woman closed her eyes, and slept.
There was no meal for any of them that evening. Kati refused to leave, despite his protests which diminished as he saw what she did for the people. Her eyes remained emerald green the entire time she was with the ill, and he suddenly realized that the color was a manifestation of the love and compassion within her. As he watched her work, tears came to his eyes. He could not dare a prayer to First Mother, for Kati would hear it.
Why must I continue to hide from my own daughter?
What were her limits? She had already surpassed the powers of First Mother. Had he fathered The One: Mei-lai-gong, the Goddess of Light they had sought to breed for over a thousand years?
Now she walked as if floating between the beds, kneeling, healing, a cluster of doctors and nurses following her. She burst boils, healed burned flesh and removed a constriction in a bowel with a few short waves of her hand, and always there was a hand on the forehead of the patient. You will be well again.
It was well after midnight when she was finally finished. Kati was delighted, her face radiant when she came to him, this sixteen-year-old who could pass for thirty, and they went outside to awaken Jin-yao, who was sleeping in the wagon. Jin-yao drove a few blocks to a building where a room had been prepared for them, and carried their luggage inside before hurrying home, for he would pick them up again early the next day.
There were two beds with thick mattresses of straw, a screen behind which they changed clothes for sleeping. A bowl of fruit left on a table for them was quickly consumed. As he was ready for bed and about to collapse into it, Kati came up to him, eyes green, and said, "Now I know what Mandughai wants me to do. I have never felt so content or satisfied in all my life. Oh, Mengmoshu, thank you for bringing me here!"
She threw her arms around him, her cheek against his chest, and he hugged her to him for a long time.
"What you did tonight is a marvel, but there is much more to see, and perhaps First Mother has even greater tasks for you."
"What could be greater than healing?" she asked, looking at him.
Mengmoshu smiled. "We shall see." He released her then, and crawled into bed. And as sleep neared, he was aware of Kati still pacing the room in excitement, thinking she had discovered the purpose of her life at last.
There were three more days and nights for them in Wanchou. There were visits to countless stores, where Kati's questions were answered frankly and honestly by those who faced the people each day, those who took the brunt of their anger during the frequent shortages. It was not a problem of production, but transportation and accounting, they told her.
Two more hospitals hosted them, but Mengmoshu made sure the visits were scheduled after a meal, for once inside Kati would not leave until she'd done what she could for everyone. She healed, and diagnosed, the doctors following her everywhere, wondering at her and often feeling helpless. But even Kati could not bring back life. The internal bleeding of a child had proceeded too far before Kati reached her, and the child, aged three, died in her arms. Her grief was horrible for Mengmoshu and the other Moshuguang present, for she held nothing back, crying, rocking the child's dead body until a doctor took it from her. Mengmoshu wanted her to sleep, but she would not, and they had an appointment with a Moshuguang social worker named Xie. When they met him outside the hospital, the workers had gone home to their families and the streets were dark, but people were there, quiet, shadowy creatures who looked fearfully at them as they passed by. Some scrubbed the streets clean of garbage and dung with stiff brooms, while others searched refuse containers for something of use.
"The night people," explained Xie. "Many have come in from the countryside after layoffs in the factories. Most are unskilled, some physically or mentally ill. All the human refuse of Shanji comes here. I try to find them a room and give them chits for food, but they sicken and starve faster than I can get to them."
They followed Xie on his rounds, down cobblestone side streets, alleys rank with garbage and open sewers to visit the basement warrens of the city, rooms with up to twenty people, beds stacked like cordwood, no stoves, no heat. Many were small children with huge, staring eyes, faces emaciated. Xie gave the adults chits for food, and the names of doctors to see, and the people stared only at Kati. Her eyes glowed green as she went from person to person with a word, a touch, a caress of a tiny face, a child's hands grabbing softly at her robe.
Mengmoshu bit his lip to hold back the tears, for he felt his daughter's loving compassion at the sight of such misery. "How many like these?" Kati croaked.
"Perhaps a million," said Xie, giving his last chit to a father of two. "They come in faster than I can find them."
In two hours the chits were gone, and they were mercifully back on the streets, but people followed them, begging for food, chits, anything, and they had nothing to give except Kati's warm touch and the sight of her glowing eyes, which amazed them to the point of reverence.
When Mengmoshu finally got her to bed, Kati was exhausted and stricken with sorrow. He tried to comfort her, reminding her she was not a God, but an exceptional person who could not magically change a world of such misery without the help of many who shared her compassion. That night, she sobbed in her sleep.
The final day in Wanchou lightened Kati's mood, but only a little. All of it was spent touring three of the schools established secretly by the Moshuguang, the students chosen for their intelligence and drive through a slow and exhausting interview process run by the young apprentices in charge. It was then that Mengmoshu told her about Huomeng, and what he'd accomplished in the city.
"Huomeng started this school a year ago for the select few who had progressed far enough to learn mathematics and physics. Now he teaches them mechanical engineering during the winter months."
"Huomeng? He's been here?" asked Kati.
The room was small, and smelled like sewage. A young Moshuguang instructor had used chalk to fill a blackboard with equations and was pointing to them as he talked. Behind a long table sat six students, all males in their late teens. Each had a small computer before him, scrolling through a lesson as the instructor talked.
"Many months, and even more hours," said Mengmoshu. "He set up all the advanced classes here, and a class in reading for gifted young children. He's quite dedicated to the people."
Kati seemed surprised. "He showed me where his office is. I thought his dream was to fly in space."
"It is," he said, "but he also makes the time for this. He has dreams, Kati, but spends most of his time helping others to make their lives better. When you see past his impatient mind there is an honorable and unselfish person there."
Kati nodded. "Now I understand the passion in his voice when he talks about the people. He has lived with them."
"Yes. Come, now, it's time to leave."
They slipped unobtrusively out the door to where Jin-yao waited with his wagon, but found a crowd silently surrounding it. There were a few men, but mostly women and children. The jostling crowd made a path for them to the wagon, some bowing, a few kneeling and reaching out to touch Kati's robe. People murmured as Kati got into the wagon, and around her many hands were raised to show small, green stones dangling from leather thongs.
"They know you are leaving. The stones are a sign of belief in First Mother. The few who believe are mostly women," said Jin-yao.
The silence was broken by a woman pressing through the crowd, shouting, holding a crying baby over her head.
"We should leave," said Jin-yao.
"No! Wait a moment!"
The woman reached the wagon, and held up her child. "He is sick, with a fever. Please, Lady; heal my son."
The child screamed, drawing up his knees when Kati took him. She held him close, passed a hand over his face and body, and the screams instantly stopped. She handed the baby back to his mother, and said, "He is well, with the blessings of First Mother. Take him home, and feed him milk fresh from the stores."
There were smiles now, and tearful faces in the crowd, amulets waving. The wagon moved, and the people followed them, some crying out, and falling down prostrate. Kati waved serenely, but nervously, then turned to Mengmoshu.
She fed him spoiled milk! He was cramped!
There is no refrigeration. Food poisoning is common here.
"How did she know to come to me?"
Jin-yao turned around. "Relatives of those in the hospitals. Word travels fast here." He paused, then said, "My Lady, you heal in the name of First Mother."
"Yes. All that I do comes from Her."
"The word in the streets is different, My Lady. The unbelievers call you a magician, but the others—the believers—they say that First Mother has come to them in person. They say you are First Mother."
I didn't intend this!
"I only represent her, Jin-yao. You must tell them that."
"I will, My Lady." He slapped the horses with the reins, and the cart jerked forward.
What will She think?
Don't worry. I've never seen those amulets displayed so openly before now, and I think there will be many new believers within the city because of the time you've spent here. She will be pleased.
They thought I performed miracles?
The people hope a Goddess will come to ease their lives, but they are wrong. Change will come when a new person sits on the throne of Shanji.
Shan-lan?
No.
Who, then?
We shall see—and don't probe me so hard. There's nothing more I can tell you at this point. Stop trying!
She didn't, but he resisted her efforts, and she finally gave up when they reached the edge of the city and saw the men and horses waiting there to take them to the factories.
They traveled four days in order to spend two with the people. Along the way they saw many travelers, hand carts loaded with families and meager possessions, headed towards an uncertain future in the city. Kati was now cautious about her actions and asked not to visit the small clinic in the unnamed town built around the smelting plants. Being thought of as First Mother had shaken and confused her badly. Her serene smile had disappeared, and there was now a stern expression when she asked her questions. The plant managers saw her as a spy for the nobles. But they were quick to learn how to judge her reactions to their answers by noting the color of her eyes, and after a few false starts were honest with her.
Production was erratic and inefficient, workers often idle, or laid off, the furnaces continually turned off and on again because of unpredictable delivery schedules of ores from the mines in the north only two hundred kilometers distant. She wanted to visit the mines, but it was not on their itinerary, and Mengmoshu personally felt her anger for that.
Hydroelectric power production by the river called Dahe was enormous, enough to power the plants, the town, Wanchou and more. She asked why a line hadn't been run to Wanchou, and was told the nobles had decided it was unnecessary.
She asked why the workers' apartments had lighting and electric stoves, but no heating or cooling systems.
The nobles had decided it was unnecessary.
Electric vehicles? Mag-rails?
Unnecessary, and expensive. Horse and cart were sufficient for the needs of Shanji and kept the people busy. Only the sick and the very old were unemployed, and they were cared for by the system. Kati saw their lies. She asked why ingots of copper, zinc, tin, lead and all manner of steels were piling up in several warehouses around the plants.
The nobles had no immediate use for them, but you never could tell when there might be a need.
Kati was frustrated, tired, and discouraged. Their last evening within sight of the tall stacks belching steam was spent briefly on the bank of the river Dahe, Shanji's largest. Water crashed past them over rocks and sprayed them with mist as they sat on a carpet of moss, momentarily mesmerized by sound.
This is impossible. The nobles control everything and do nothing to make improvements. First Mother says there will be a new Emperor, and you say it is not Shan-lan. I say whoever it is makes no difference. What we need is not a new Emperor, but a new system, a new way of doing things.
And what is that new system?
I don't know.
That's not helpful, Kati.
I don't know! I've just seen these things.
Then talk it over with Huomeng. Tell him the problems you see. Ask his advice. Share your ideas.
He'll only be critical.
Good! A worthwhile idea must withstand criticism. Work out a reformation plan with him. I will tell Huomeng I've assigned it to you as an exercise.
You won't!
I will. It's done. Now get some sleep. We get up early in the morning.
You sound like a father! I will go to sleep when I'm ready!
She was on her feet, glaring redly at him before he could move. And then she tossed her head angrily, hitched up her robe, and stomped away from him. I am getting tired of dealing with MEN!
Minutes after she was gone, Mengmoshu dared to wonder what it would be like to deal with an Empress who had temper tantrums, especially an Empress with the powers of First Mother.
Their final stop was a farming community east of the factories, and they followed their guide in silence the entire day. The land changed from rock-covered sand to grass, then suddenly there were lines of yar, their prickly branches shading meandering streams from shallow aquifers at higher elevations to the north. Beyond the streams the land was suddenly green with bean fields and rice paddies, and their destination appeared, a circular cluster of huts made from red clay. The roofs were thatched with tied bundles of dried grass, and people were cooking outside over small fires, sitting together in little groups to eat. Mengmoshu smelled meat cooking, and it was wonderful.
Kati was still in her purple robe, a bit soiled and rumpled, and Mengmoshu had changed back to his black one for the occasion. The first time he'd ridden into such a village in full military armor, the people had thrown stones at him, thinking he'd come to take away the land they regarded as theirs. These were independent people and keepers of the land. Their belief in First Mother was devout.
When they saw Kati, her rumpled robe and face glistening with sweat, they arose from where they were sitting, and bowed directly to her as if Mengmoshu were not present.
Two men hurried to help her dismount. A woman came with a basin of water and bathed her face and hands with a moist cloth. Everyone was stoic and silent, until Kati spoke.
"I bring you greetings from First Mother."
"You are welcome here," said the woman who had bathed her. "We have a place ready for you in our circle. This way."
The woman led Kati to a circle of older people. A saddle had been placed there and covered with a blanket. Kati looked expectantly over her shoulder at Mengmoshu.
"Your servant will be fed," said the woman, and Kati smiled.
I love that!
We both play our parts.
"I'd prefer that he sit with me. He's an old, and trusted advisor," Kati said smugly.
The woman motioned to Mengmoshu, and he joined them at the circle, sitting on a square of cowhide to her right while she perched on her throne. Everyone sat down, and another woman served them ayrog in clay mugs. There were no introductions; everyone sat silently, watching Kati.
Her eyes were amber. She took a sip from her mug, and the others did likewise. "Ayrog!" she exclaimed. "I haven't tasted this since I was a child!"
"You're not Hansui," said the woman who'd bathed her, and seemed to be a village elder of some kind.
"No, I'm Tumatsin."
"The hill people. How is it that you come to be in the employ of the Emperor?"
Kati's eyes glowed red in an instant. "I do not come from the Emperor, or the nobles. I've been sent here by First Mother. She chose me as Her servant when I was a child."
Eyes widened around the circle, but the woman who'd questioned her showed no reaction. "Why do you come here?"
"To learn about your lives; to see what can be done to make them better."
The woman shrugged. "First Mother is good to us. We have the land, the rains, and many children. We're never hungry, and have shelter. What more could we want?"
"You have no sickness?"
"Oh yes. Many of our children die, but First Mother sends more. People become ill, and often die, but we isolate them before the disease can spread. There have been no plagues of disease here."
"First Mother would have you all live to an old age. There are medicines for treating many illnesses."
"She has given medicines to the Emperor and his nobles, and the land to us. If that is Her will, we are content with it. Please say our thanks to First Mother for all Her gifts. Maybe She feels our prayers have not been enough."
"I will," said Kati, eyes amber again.
Food was served: beans, and strips of beef over a mound of rice, all in great quantity. Mengmoshu stuffed himself, and even Kati ate more quickly than usual.
They see no problems.
Yes, but disease is rampant here. Only a fourth of their children reach adulthood. All the water is polluted by the human waste they use as fertilizer in the fields, and they don't boil it properly. Their deaths are often horrible.
They ate silently, because Kati was silent. The people would only respond if she said something, yet Mengmoshu knew they chatted constantly among themselves when left alone. They would not even exchange names with people they regarded as strangers.
Kati put down her empty bowl. "Are there any sick people among you now?"
"Only a child. He'll soon be with First Mother."
"Please take me to the child, and I'll show you Her will for him."
That's a big risk, Kati!
I have to do something! The people are too accepting about their lives! They think everything is the will of Mandughai! They live blindly!
Tengri-Khan was touching the horizon when the woman took them to a hut where a lantern had been lit. The clay walls were bare, the floor earthen. The room was five paces on a side, without furniture, some shelves of wood separated by stones holding a few meager possessions of clothing and hand-tools. Two straw mattresses were on the floor; a boy, perhaps four years old, lay on one of them, eyes closed. In the dim light, his face was ashen. A woman sat beside him, holding his hand, her face a mask of sorrow and resignation.
Kati knelt by the boy and moved her hands over him. She turned him on one side, and explored his back, looking at that thing Mengmoshu could not see.
Pneumonia, and a weak immunogenic system. No fever. His lungs are filling up.
The elderwoman winced when Kati looked at her with blazing green eyes, and said, "It's First Mother's will that this child should live. Do you have a shrine here?"
"Of course," said the woman.
"Please take me there."
The shrine was an altar of field stones in a neighboring hut. A single, fist-sized greenstone sat on the altar, surrounded by six flickering candles. Mengmoshu and the elderwoman stood in the door as Kati went to the altar, bowed, and stood silently for several seconds, eyes closed. Then she stretched out her hands towards the altar, raising them slowly, the candle flames lengthening in response, and in seconds the candles were puddles on stone.
The elderwoman put a hand to her mouth, and stared.
How am I doing?
Just fine. She's impressed.
They went back to the boy in the hut, and Kati knelt again, touching his mother's hand, and taking it from the boy's. "Don't be afraid. This will be difficult for him, but he will be healed."
Kati moved her hands over him, pressed down on his back and closed her eyes. In an instant, her eyelids seemed to glow green. The boy stirred, mumbled something and tried to roll away, but Kati held him firmly by his back. Sweat burst from the child's face, and he cried out as his mother covered her face with her hands, sobbing. The mattress was soon drenched with sweat coming from every pore in the boy's body, and he writhed frantically to escape Kati's grip. A sound came from him, a horrible gurgling sound, and Kati jerked him upright, bending him forward and pressing on his back. There was a bright green flash as her eyes opened, and she said, "Cough! Cough it up!"
The boy made a sound like gravel sprinkled on metal, and coughed up a horrible mess of mucus and blood all over himself, Kati, and the mattress. It went on for minutes, retching after retching, until finally the child took a deep, clear breath, and opened his eyes, his face flushed red.
"Ma?" he asked, and the woman who was his mother burst into tears.
Kati stood up, and came to the elderwoman, and it seemed her eyes still glowed, though faintly. "This is the will of First Mother," she said, and the elderwoman bowed deeply before her.
The villagers agreed to accept the services of any doctors sent to them in the name of First Mother, but Kati felt it was her only accomplishment with them. The people had no problem with the stores of grain and beans rotting in their bins. They met their production quotas, and if it wasn't picked up, well, that was someone else's problem. Yes, they could raise more beef on the neighboring grasslands, but if the nobles saw no need for additional animals, the land was better off in its natural state. Besides, there was plenty of meat in the village.
They had traveled two days by horse and cart to return from the village, but Kati was now awake and alert. Mengmoshu was exhausted and drowsy as the cable car came down for them. Jin-yao had brought them through Wanchou before dawn, when the streets were empty, and Kati had slept with her head on Mengmoshu's shoulder the whole way. He wondered if she'd felt his kiss on her head as he held her.
They were back in white uniforms. The beautiful purple robe had been burned along the way for security reasons, and also because there was no way to clean up the mess that had saturated it. Mengmoshu's black robe was too hot, and he had changed clothes out of sight of the village.
The car arrived, guards loaded their luggage and Kati settled herself in a seat opposite him, seemingly lost in thought. Half-way up the mountain, she suddenly said, "Land."
"What?"
"Land! All lands are the property of the Emperor, and he favors the nobles by allowing their use of it."
"Yes. That is the system," he said.
"The more favor they receive, the richer they become."
"This is true," he said sleepily, stifling a yawn.
"But only a single percent of the land is occupied, or used! If we expand, especially to the northeast, there are many resources to exploit there. More land for favor and profit."
"And?" Now he was barely awake.
"Build new population centers, and expand. Use land as favors that must be paid for by investments in the system: transportation systems, a power network, medical care, training, better housing conditions, all the problems we've seen. The Emperor gives them new lands according to their investments, and each worker is given a piece to call his own." Kati's eyes were again bright with excitement.
"Hmmm. You might try expanding on that idea with Huomeng," he mumbled.
"I will," she said.
And she did, quite soon, because Huomeng was waiting for them at the cable car station, and he seemed particularly happy to see Kati again.