The Center of the World - 9. Shiluntam

Pireno and Saghir found the giants camped by a river that wound through high rolling hills, not far from a town. On watch they found Nadzaimir, a beardless giant not much taller than Saghir. Nadzaimir greeted them and went to bring Ulukhar.

“Master, does Nadzaimir fight as a warrior? He looks so young.”

“Nadzaimir not young. And Nadzaimir not he. Nadzaimir giantess. Nadzaimir good warrior.”

“Oh. All this time I thought he was just a very young man. Giant, rather. But she’s a giantess.”

“He live giant now. He fight good.”

Pireno wondered if the giants’ use of “he” and “she” was as random as he at first assumed.

Ulukhar arrived with Nadzaimir. “Saghir,” he said, and only slightly grudgingly, “Bilinu.”

“Daigitsa Ulukhar,” Saghir greeted him.

“Dalalam tughan-ik gurma-itsa khimanbili-kan?” (“Have you gone to the home of the giants?”)

“Khimanbili.” (“I have gone.”)

“Balandakam tughan-ik gurma-itsa khimanbili, bitsibili mu-kan?” (“Has your human gone to the home of the giants by his own effort and come here?”)

“Khimanbili, bitsibili.” (“He has gone, he has come.”)

“Finlalik muan Izaliz-am liaghandak-ush khitibili-kan?” (Did Finlar’s wife hear what you had to say?”)

“Khitibili.” (“She heard.”)

“Kua fidaig-ush dalalitsa zhinbili-kan?” (“And did she give you four strands of hair?”)

“Zhinbili.” (“She gave.”)

“Khitagif.” (“Show me.”)

Saghir showed Ulukhar the small wooden spindle on which he had wrapped the four hairs Izalis had given him. Ulukhar nodded.

Saghir added, “Damu, Luzig-ik shiluntam-am zhinbili baishiskuliagh-ush saimanbili.” (“I also bring a proposal for a treaty from the council of Luzig.”) He handed Ulukhar a document the council had given him.

Ulukhar took the document and nodded. “Shiluntam-ush duimani.” (“I will summon the assembly.”)

As word of the assembly spread, Yalitikar came to greet Saghir. At his side was a young man, wearing the familiar tag of a slave. He looked a lot like Pireno.

“Saghir!” Yalitikar said. “Dalalitsa naikla-bik Kubir khitagi.” (“Meet [I show you] my slave Kubir.”)

“Dalarfar daiskun-biki.” (“Congratulations” or “I am happy for you.”) To Pireno, Saghir added quietly, “You see, word by I straight. Was, he want fuck you.”

“Kubir! Bilinu,” Yalitikar said, pointing to Pireno.

The two young men nodded to each other.

“Bilinu, I ask you say word with Kubir.” Yalitikar put his arm around Saghir’s shoulder and they went off to talk, leaving Pireno with the young man.

“How close did they get to your real name?”

“It’s Kopel, actually.”

“You’ll get used to it. My name used to be Pireno. They have trouble with p’s. And e’s, and o’s. And l’s at the end of a word. Where are you from?”

“A village west of here. Not far. Listen, what does he expect from me?”

“I don’t know. What has he asked you to do?”

“Just little things, fetching and carrying and cleaning. He hasn’t been mean. He gives orders but he treats me pretty well. But I think he’s expecting sex.”

“Did you ever have sex with a man?”

Kubir hesitated. “Well, yeah. And that didn’t go over big in the village, or with my father. Especially my father. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay there anyway. But, sex with a giant, I don’t see how-- Do you--?”

“I have sex with Saghir. It wasn’t easy at first. But I like him a lot. I love him. That makes all the difference. I love the sex now. Do you like Yalitikar?”

“Yes, I do. He seems to be a great guy.”

“That was my impression, too.”

“And he is handsome. I mean, if he were a man I would think so.”

Pireno smiled and nodded. “So you are attracted to him. I think you should at least give it a try. He won’t force you or hurt you. But one thing that might help: just the first time, ask for a cup or two of giants’ wine. I think it will get you over the initial ... difficulty. You won’t need it after that.”

“All right, I will.” Kubir seemed relieved.

“You’re going to have to decide if this is what you want. You’ll run into people who will despise you for this. You have to be ready to tell them to go to hell. Either do this with your whole heart or don’t do it at all. Yalitikar will understand either way. He’s a good guy. Good guys are hard to find. He has a heart, too. Don’t break it.”

************

At shiluntam, the giants greeted Saghir and congratulated him on his return. Saghir gave an account of his journey to see Finlar’s wife and explained the proposal he brought from Luzig: that a permanent trading establishment should be built on the Island of Pieces of the Sky; that it would be built by both men and giants, in a set ratio, which the Luzig council had proposed as four men to one giant; that ownership of the island would be joint, with men and giants both having the right to travel there freely, but not to bear weapons.

Ulukhar set forth the decisions to be made: Should the Luzig proposal for a trading house be considered, and if so, accepted, or modified with a counter-proposal? And should joint ownership of the island be accepted? And where were Saghir and Bilinu to live? If the proposal were not considered, should Saghir be accepted back into the roving company of giants, and Bilinu with him?

Saghir spoke eloquently to the assembly. He argued against the current stalemate in Luzig, which slowed trade to a trickle and benefited neither men nor giants. He said that men and giants can meet for the good of both.

He spoke of how close he came to death when separated from Bilinu, and how Bilinu had nursed him back to health after the giants’ departure. Then he asked permission to let Bilinu speak.

This caused quite a turmoil among the giants. No slave had ever spoken in shiluntam. It came to a vote, with Ulukhar abstaining and Saghir ineligible. When the black and white pebbles were counted, it was a tie. It was up to Ulukhar to cast the deciding vote.

Ulukhar looked thoughtfully at Pireno, ground his teeth, shook his head, and sighed. Finally he said to him, “You bring Saghir live. For this, you say word in shiluntam.” And he cast his vote in Pireno’s favor.

Pireno stood and said in Giantish, as he had rehearsed with Saghir:

“My master Saghir is a master builder, of buildings and of trust.

“When I first served my master, I did not understand his heart, and I did not reveal my mind to him. I lied to him. This is a foundation of sand, a foundation of mud. Nothing lasting could be built on it.

“But my master Saghir was able to rebuild my service to him on a solid foundation: to say what is true, and to do what we say we will do.

“Men and giants have met for many years, in war and in trade, near Luzig. Both sides have many wrongs to count.

“My master Saghir built a trading house in Luzig for the man Galipo. To do this, he also needed the trust of the men he worked with. At first they were afraid of him. But in time, they saw that he said what was true and he did what he said he would do.

“The humans of the city council of Luzig were also afraid of my master at first. But then they saw that what he said was true, and the man Galipo told them that my master does what he says he will do. And trust began.

“Now this council can choose, if it wishes, to build trust with the humans of Luzig, and build a trading house on the Island. It will need a solid foundation of free choice by both humans and giants.

“My master gave me a chance to prove myself trustworthy.

“I hope you will give the men of Luzig a chance to prove themselves trustworthy.

“I am honored to have been allowed to speak in shiluntam.”

Pireno sat. A murmur of approval swept across the assembly.

In the end, the assembly voted for a counter-proposal: that the trading house would be built and the island would be occupied by men and giants in a ratio of two to one, and that Saghir and Pireno would live there permanently and not count in the ratio; and that men must never ascend to the stone circle at the summit of the peak; and that Saghir would be the giants’ permanent representative to the council of Luzig. They voted to allow Saghir back into the roving company of giants, but not to allow Pireno. But this meant that Saghir would never rejoin them.

Discussion of the ownership of the island turned to a discussion of the nature of ownership, and of how absolute are the rights of the owner. They decided that a future shiluntam would be devoted to the question of the rights of slaves and animals to decent treatment, and the responsibilities of owners, and what recourse could be had in cases of abuse.

They also accepted these slight changes to their counter-proposal, advanced by Saghir: that a human slave of a giant could visit the stone circle if accompanied by his master; and any person who was half-giant and half-human could live on the island permanently, and not be counted in the ratio. Pireno had not asked him for this. This, he thought, was love.

************

“Master, thank you! Does it mean that you agree to us taking Juna to the island?”

“Not. Not agree. I not say Juna go island. I say, not not can go.”

“What?”

“Not not can.”

“Oh, I see. It is not im-possible.”

“Ya. I say this same. If I not say this now in shiluntam, not easy change after. If we choose Juna go island. If bring man with giant same mind. If.”

“I guess there’s still a lot of negotiating to do.”

“Ya. Now we go Luzig back again. And,” Saghir cleared his throat, “we go village by you back again. We see Juna, we think again, we say word on Juna.”

Pireno tried to suppress a grin of triumph.