Epic Of Ahiram (Book 1) (28 page)

Outside the mines, the crowd, twice as numerous as the day before, exploded in cheers, ululations, and applause. The judges came forward and asked him for the shoes of bronze and belt of silver. Ahiram handed them both. They inspected them and declared him the winner of the second Game. Four men carried him on their shoulders in jubilation through the cheering crowds toward the King’s castle. Ahiram would have preferred to walk alone on the slave’s dirt path, but this was not possible.

Once inside the main gate, he went through the garden of the officers to reach the garden of the servants and climb up to the second floor. Having forgotten that Commander Tanios wanted him in the Silent’s quarters, he headed straight back to his room.

He opened the door and saw someone lying in his bed. He raised his fist, about to strike, when the young man turned and stretched.

“Your mat is far more comfortable than mine. Can I buy it from you?”

“Jedarc,” said Ahiram with tired smile, “What are you doing here?”

“Wrong question,” replied his friend standing up. “What are
you
doing here?”

“Me?” replied Ahiram confused. “This is my room.”

“Really?”

Jedarc slapped Ahiram on his shoulder and winced. “I win,” shouted his friend, while rubbing his hand. “Do you eat stones for breakfast?” he asked. “I win.”

“Jedarc, what are you talking about?”

“I made a bet with Banimelek. I told him that by the end of the day you would have forgotten Commander Tanios’ order, and he said that you wouldn’t. You didn’t remember, so I won the bet.”

“That’s true, I wasn’t supposed to be here. Alright, Jedarc, you win. What is the object of the bet?”

“A song,” replied Jedarc, grinning.

“A song? What song?” asked Ahiram, feeling sorry for Banimelek.

“A wedding song. If I lost I would have to sing a song at Banimelek’s wedding, but thanks to you, he will have to sing a song at
my
wedding.”

“What song?”

Instantly, Ahiram regretted asking, for Jedarc took his question as a cue to begin singing:

Across the vast, empty plain,

In the summer, under the rain,

Through snowy mountain roads,

I sing ballades, love songs, and odes.

I am a lonesome bard

Atop his lonely donkey.

Your joy is my reward

With a dish of meat and barley.

“Stop singing!” yelled Ahiram.

“What?” said Jedarc, puzzled. “You don’t like my singing?”

Before Ahiram could answer, his door was flung open by a band of frenzied slaves who thought someone had died, and a band of wailing women had been hired for the funeral.

“Well,” said Jedarc, offended after Ahiram had managed to reassure everyone, “your friends cannot appreciate refined singing.”

“That’s it,” said Ahiram, “you got it. Now that I am
fully
awake, let’s be on our way before my
friends
—as you call them—change their minds and come back for the kill.”

“I am a lonesome bard, atop his lonely donkey,” whispered Jedarc. Ahiram elbowed him.

“You are cruel,” groaned Jedarc.

“I can be when needed,” replied Ahiram sharply. They walked the rest of the way in silence. As he was about to enter his room, their way to the Silent’s quarters, “but tell me, what’s the point of that bet? Neither of you are going to get married any time soon.”

“We shall see about that,” replied Jedarc as he spun and bowed. “That, we shall see.”

Ahiram shook his head. “What’s for dinner?” he asked.

“The usual,” said Jedarc eyeing him closely. “Cold chicken, bread, salad, water, and apples.”

“I hate cold chicken,” muttered Ahiram.

He went to his assigned room and closed the door without another word. Exhausted, he threw himself on his bed and fell into a deep sleep. He dreamed that he stood before the ruins of a tower. Suddenly, an earthquake shook the ground and volcanoes erupted on all sides, threatening to engulf him. A large hole opened before him. Inside, he saw a shark, a bull, a dragon, a jaguar, and a host of unknown creatures dancing amid flames that were growing brighter by the minute. He wept, but he did not know why. He looked up and saw a lady of ravishing beauty. She smiled at him, and he felt at peace.

Tanios woke him abruptly.

“Get up. The evening ceremony is about to start.”

Ahiram looked around him in a daze. It was dark. He must have been asleep for a while. “Ceremony?”

“Yes, you won, remember? Hiyam came in third, and one of the team of Quibanxe, second. Olothe has left the Games. Apparently, he sustained a rather serious injury as he was coming down the stairs. Good riddance.”

“Commander,” interrupted Ahiram as he was getting dressed.

“What?”

“The prince. He did not fall. That is I, I…”

“You what?” asked Tanios. “You what?” His voice was hard.

“I lost my temper. I beat him badly.”

“How badly?”

“He will not walk again, and he will not be able to use his arms.”

“You left him paralyzed?” Tanios was scandalized. “One of his men is dead, and you are the prime suspect. I had to plead with the King to keep you out of jail, and you lose your temper and beat Prince Olothe to a pulp? You left him paralyzed? What will it take before you curb that temper of yours? Don’t you know what this means? He will be treated worse than a slave. He is now unclean, and will be shunned by his family.”

“I am sorry, Commander Tanios, so sorry…”

There was a moment of silence. Tanios sighed. “You are in deep trouble. The Temple of Baal will not tolerate the slightest insurrection. You have become a symbol of freedom for Tannin. Expect the next Game to be a lot harder and far more dangerous than this one.” He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Did he insult you again?”

“No,” whispered Ahiram.

“Did he insult your father?”

“He said I was a slave, son of a slave, a dog, son of a dog.”

The commander winced. He could only begin to imagine the fury Ahiram had unleashed on the unsuspecting prince. Guilt surfaced once more, and he wondered if he had failed this pupil. Six years of harsh training would have tamed a tiger, but not Ahiram’s temper.
What went wrong?
he wondered.

“Olothe should not have treated you contemptuously. With his arrogance and stupidity, he was looking for trouble, but it does not excuse your behavior. Your actions were reprehensible. You were reckless, and consequently, you will be demoted from the rank of Solitary. Now come, His Majesty the King is waiting.”

Commander Tanios left the room and closed the door behind him. Ahiram shook his head and looked at his hands as if he were seeing them for the first time.
Are these the hands of a murderer? Is this what I have become? I could have killed Prince Olothe today. When I became a Silent, I took an oath not to kill unless my life is in grave danger. But at the first occasion, at the first test…

He flopped back on the bed and gazed at the ceiling. Remorse and grief filled his heart.
I was prepared to lose everything in order to gain my freedom, including my rank as a Silent; but was I prepared to take a life to be set free? What will Hoda do when I tell her what I have done? What will she do?

Slowly, he rose from his bed, put on his clothes, left his room and walked down a deserted corridor; as his footsteps echoed softly on the marble floor,

Ahiram felt alone like never before. Before, alone meant being bereft of his sister and parents; over the years, it came to mean being separated from his friends. But now, being alone, meant being ashamed to be in their presence.

“I will always be alone,” he whispered.

He heard a popping sound and a voice whispered back: “You are not alone; I am with you.”

“Throughout my years of service to the Empress, I have met many remarkable men—some I have admired, some I have loathed. None have won my respect as much as Commander Tanios, for he gave us a measure of courage and integrity that is truly exceptional.”

–
Diplomatic Notes of Uziguzi, First Adviser to Her Majesty Aylul Meïr Pen, Empress of the Empyreans

“To prevent anyone from reopening the Pit of the Abyss, the Temple will curse anything that reeks of magic. Some priests have been accused of larceny, embezzlement, or profiteering. Others have been guilty of racketeering, threatening to curse the innocent unless hefty payments were made. The Temple is aware of all this and never fails to punish the guilty. Yet, this evil is nothing next to the opening of the Pit.”

–
Teachings of Oreg, High Priest of Baal

“You told him what?”

Bahiya was beside herself. Her daughter took two steps back, her hand lifted before her face in a sign of protection. She had seldom seen her mother so angry. The high priestess’ features were drawn, and her eyes betrayed extreme fatigue.

“How could you be so irresponsible?” she snapped. “Don’t you understand what that means?”

“I thought he would not make it out of the mines alive.”

“You
thought
?” yelled Bahiya. “I didn’t bring you here to
think.
I gave you direct orders and expected you to follow them. It is a miracle that you survived. If the commander did not remove that poisonous dart, you would be dead by now, do you understand?”

“I thought he was bluffing,” said Hiyam. She bit her lower lip, wishing she had not spoken.

“Bluffing?” said Bahiya, grabbing her daughter’s wrist and twisting it sideways. Hiyam winced under the pain. For a woman with a slender frame, her mother was unusually strong.

“You threaten to kill a Solitary who can handily take on the best of the High Riders, and you expect him to use a cheap trick? Haven’t you learned
anything
about them? Will I have to flog that worthless tutor of yours to teach him not to waste the Temple’s funds?”

“But Mother—”

Bahiya pushed her daughter against the wall. “I do not want you to think. I want you to execute my orders as I give them to you, when I give them to you, and how I give them to you. Do you understand? I had specifically ordered you not to lay claim to his life, and you have disobeyed me. Fail me one more time and your chances of becoming a priestess, much less a high priestess, will vanish.”

Hiyam lowered her head. “Yes Mother.” Bahiya let go of her and moved back.

“What would you do if the slave were to tell Commander Tanios that I used magic, Mother?” Hiyam questioned.

“Nothing. Nothing at all. The commander knows that I would accuse the slave of lying, exile him to a remote island, then wait for these fools to forget about the entire affair, and sentence him to death.”

“But if he wins, he would be speaking as a free man.”

“Are you trying to infuriate me?” snapped her mother. “That worthless Olothe failed like the miserable worm that he is, and now
you
? And to think I wanted him to marry you. Good riddance.”

“Well, it is not that easy. This slave is—”

“What? Are you telling me that he can withstand a well-trained team of Baal that enjoys the full support of the god of gods? Is this what you are trying to say?”

“Not exactly, but there is something strange about him that I cannot explain. I feel as if someone is watching over him.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I think he is…” Hiyam shrugged her shoulders with exasperation and blurted out, “I mean I think he is protected.”

“Protected? Protected by whom? Explain yourself.”

“I cannot explain it. It is nothing tangible…for instance, when he threw his dart. It was a perfect throw.”

“He is a Silent. What did you expect?”

“Well, I know, but—”

“But what?”

“Mother, calm down. Do you think this is easy? Don’t you know that I am more distressed about this whole matter than you? I am losing this Game, Olothe is gone, a slave is besting me, and you…”

The priestess sighed and stopped pacing. She sat on a chair and looked at her daughter who was still standing against the wall.

“Tanios may be right after all.”

“What do you mean?” asked Hiyam.

“I may be pushing you too much, asking too much from you.”