Descendants of the Scythians - Страница 63

After Dmitro Borisovich translated this for Artem, he added from himself, seeing how downcast the young man looked: “That should really keep them safe for the time being.”

“Hope they remain the property of the gods until we find the way to free them,” Artem said.

When Ronis heard the translation of Artem’s words, he said:

“Yes, it is safe enough… until… the moment Dorbatay decides to use this ‘property’ for his own purposes. But it may turn out he’ll have no time for that.”

“Why?” Dmitro Borisovich asked.

“Because, something is going to happen in the near future that will come as a shock to Dorbatay,” Ronis said, casting a meaningful glance at Varkan, who was also sitting by the fire making arrows. Without putting down the shaft and the knife he was holding in his hands, he said:

“All right, Ronis, tell them everything. Fate has brought us together in our struggle against our common enemy, Dorbatay and his henchmen. And Fate has also brought us close to the strangers who have become our friends. Go ahead, Ronis, tell our friends everything!”

“All right, Varkan, I will. They should know and should choose sides,” Ronis agreed.

The archeologist’s curiosity was piqued; as he translated, his eagerness to hear the secret grew. Varkan’s distinctive position among the Scythians made him popular among the warriors and hunters and earned him quite pronounced animosity from the elders, nobles and priests, Dorbatay in particular. But what made Varkan different had remained a secret to the explorers.

“All right, listen to this story, my friends,” Ronis said. “A revolt has been brewing among the slaves for a long time. But it must be well prepared to be a success. We’ve already seen the results of an ill-timed action. I gave ample warning that it would miscarry unless properly prepared. Varkan shared this view, too, but there were some hotheads who could not wait any longer and instigated the revolt. And, consequently, it all ended miserably, with many slaves loosing their lives in battle and under torture…”

Ronis heaved a sigh, and then continued:

“It grieves me to think about this… especially knowing I warned them against making any rash moves… The most important Scythians, Dorbatay in particular, and the other nobles would never let the slaves go free without putting up a fight. A major uprising was necessary to bring about the release of the slaves, but we were not quite sure which side the hunters and herdsmen would take. It was a matter of extreme importance for us… The rich nobles and elders own big herds of horses and many slaves. But they aren’t satisfied with what they have and try to get more by driving hard the hunters and herdsmen who have no possessions and have to work for the rich. The priests introduced a law that the hunters must give a part of their game-bag to the gods, in other words to the priests. There’s another law which requires the herdsmen to give the priests something, too. So, as you see, the rich elders and nobles make life very hard for the average Scythians. And no one can do anything about it. Dorbatay and his priests made sure no one could say a word against them, because anyone who did was denounced as an infidel and severely punished for breaking the sacred law.”

“In fact, Dorbatay could strip anyone of all his possessions, declaring them ‘the property of the gods,’” Varkan said bitterly.

“Yes, such things have happened,” Ronis said. “The Scythians have learned to fear the priests and the rich. They cower and grumble in secret, but they’re careful not to let the elders and priests hear about their grumbling to avoid trouble. That’s how it was, but then discontent began to grow among the Scythians. It is more widespread among young warriors, hunters, and herdsmen. The discontented Scythians have resolved to unite against the elders, nobles and priests. The leader of the discontented warriors was and is…”

“Varkan!” Dmitro Borisovich exclaimed. “Of course it’s Varkan! Who else could it be?”

“Who else indeed?” Artem said to himself with conviction.

“Yes, it’s Varkan. It is he who has made all the preparations for a major uprising against the priests and nobles. I was responsible for getting everything ready for the revolt. We went our separate ways until Varkan and I began to see eye to eye. We realized that our ultimate goals were the same and that we should unite. We were about to give the signal to start the uprising, but the situation changed abruptly… As a matter of fact, it was your appearance that was responsible for the change. If not for you, Dorbatay would have behaved differently; he would not have been in such a hurry to get rid of Skolot. But after his defeat at the altar… I think I’ve told you about that… So, Dorbatay poisoned Skolot, having secured the support of the nobles beforehand. Incidentally, he planned to seize not only you but also Varkan and his friends whom he suspected of plotting against him. But things did not go the way he planned. Varkan managed to escape, and by the way, it was extremely dangerous for him to return as he did, to rescue you. Now his friends have begun to join him here, one by one. Some have stayed behind to gain the support of other warriors and hunters. Dorbatay and his henchmen do not suspect that I incited the slaves to revolt. I’m sure that if he learnt about it, he’d rather lose the gold I bring to him and have me killed…”

Ronis fell silent, and the others were silent, too, their heads bent low in thought. They were sitting by the fire in the glade. Varkan went on working quietly at the arrow shafts with his knife as though the story did not concern him at all. But he glanced at them occasionally to see whether they were listening attentively enough then bent low over the arrow he was working at.

Dmitro Borisovich was all ears but didn’t forget to translate Ronis’s story for Artem, who was no less excited to hear it. This ancient world had been opening up before the archeologist in greater detail than could possibly be glimpsed in even the most meticulous accounts of the ancient historians or from any amount of artifacts unearthed in archeological excavations. Everything Dmitro Borisovich had observed threw additional light on the life of a Scythian tribe.

The representations of the Scythians that Dmitro Borisovich had seen earlier on the ancient jugs, vases, basreliefs, and jewelry, had now come to life before his very eyes. Could anything else give greater pleasure to an enthusiastic archeologist who had devoted his entire life to the history of the ancient tribes that had roamed the vast territories to the north of the Black Sea?

Artem was also excited to hear all this, but he was occupied with other problems.

The fate of his friends put everything else into the background. They were in the hands of Dorbatay and Hartak — or rather it was Dorbatay alone who was to be reckoned with, because Hartak could be easily dismissed as a nonentity. But on the other hand, Hartak wanted to marry Lida, and Dorbatay would be only too glad to oblige. This thought made Artem clench his fists. Though he loathed the very thought, he could not just ignore it. There was one thing that eased his mind somewhat: if Hartak intended to marry Lida, Dorbatay would not do her any harm, at least for the time being. As far as Ivan Semenovich was concerned, his only hope was Dorbatay’s fear of retribution from Artem and Dmitro Borisovich, should he come to any harm. That is, of course, if Ronis’s words were to be trusted. There was nothing else to hope for at the moment, and Artem knew it.

But there was something else that should be taken into consideration: according to Ronis, the Scythian community was about to explode in civil strife; Artem shared the views of Ronis and Varkan, and regarded the deep discontent of many Scythians as justified. It was only natural that the honest and courageous Varkan was the leader of the downtrodden hunters and herdsmen. Artem felt even more respect for his blood brother after learning of VarkanV role in the forthcoming revolt. It was also good to know that Ronis, a determined and resolute person, was the leader of the slaves who were preparing an uprising. That he was a man of exceptionally strong will could be easily seen from the story of the tortures he had been subjected to by Dorbatay. Ronis was definitely a man of mettle! He would be able to withstand any trials and carry into life all of his plans!

Thus the ways of the strangers and the leaders of the forthcoming uprising unexpectedly converged. Varkan was right in saying that all available forces should be united in the uprising. But could Artem and Dmitro Borisovich contribute anything? Weren’t they just two men seeking to free their friends? Artem thought he and Dmitro Borisovich should do all they could to help the uprising. It was a just cause, and they could not ignore it. They would join them against the priests and the nobles in their attempt to bring about justice. And if it coincided with the attempt to rescue Lida and Ivan Semenovich, so much the better!

* * $

In the long silence that ensued the only distinct sounds were the rustling of leaves and the crackling of the fire. Diana was lying beside Artem, her head resting on her outstretched forelegs; from time to time she would prick up her ears, listening to some indistinct, muffled sounds coming from the depths of the forest. The tethered horses were standing nearby; several Scythians were resting beside the horses: they were obediently fulfilling the orders of Varkan.

Ronis looked up abruptly.

“What will you tell me, strangers?” he asked Dmitro Borisovich. “I’ve told you everything there was to tell, and now Varkan and I want to hear whose side you’ll be on? Which way will you choose?”