The Princess Who Tamed Demons (16 page)

"Now the woman's daughters were all
extraordinarily intelligent, beautiful, and well-respected in the
town. The three powerful elders coveted the idea of assuring their
eldest sons such fine wives.

"So the woman approached the elders again, and
she pleaded, her voice raw with emotion, 'Will you please listen to
me and let the trees recover, so that our town can be prosperous
for our children's children and beyond?' By a narrow vote the
elders approved the woman's request. They forced the people to
build homes out of mud-clay, even though the people preferred wood.
They found other fuel to burn and keep the people warm at night,
even though the stench was awful. They protected the last few trees
on the hilltop, and they let the woman oversee the planting of new
trees all around the outskirts of the town. In time the trees grew
everywhere in great abundance. The elders were pleased with the
matches their eldest sons had made, and the woman was pleased that
her town would have a future."

I stared at the staff, peering at the wood
more closely as if it would reveal the ending before Linn
could.

"In the end the woman died, and she had her
children bury her at the foot of the oldest tree on the hilltop,
where the last bastion of the trees had been. Some people later
claimed that her soul fused with that ancient tree to form a
special bond. Many years later a master wood-crafter was said to
have created a staff using the wood from that ancient tree. The
wood-crafter named that staff 'Ironskin.'"

Linn's voice died away, and I just looked in
awe at the staff. Linn was clearly toying with my building
anticipation. When he said no more I growled at him.

"You can't be serious. You're saying that
this
is that staff? What does it do? Why is it called
Ironskin?"

He leaned forward, whispering the weapon's
secret. I tried to absorb what he'd said, and already he was
tugging at my elbow. It was time to leave. We had a date with the
howling winds of the desert and the village of Asmyra, where
hopefully if we hurried we'd find some answers. Time stopped for no
man or woman. Not even a Queen.

~*****~

Chapter 11

Day Thirteen

The shifting sands were endless, every bit as
intimidating as a storm-tossed ocean. Just as vast too, and as I
felt my buttocks protest with each lurch of the camel, I cursed
myself for agreeing to Linn's plan. Our train of beasts included
twelve pack mules and eight camels. We had more supplies than we
needed, and given the relentless sun scorching us like a phoenix, I
was glad of it. The wide-brimmed hat of Minoban fleece kept my face
shadowed, but the scale-mail baked like an oven and the camel's
gait was very different from what I was used to riding a
horse.

The animal's droopy lips and impossibly large
eyes reminded me a little of Linn, though I didn't dare voice the
comparison. We trundled from one line of dunes to the next, the
wind's constant shriek almost the only thing we had to keep us
company. For several days we continued this numbing pattern, my
backside sorer by the day, until finally like a mirage I saw the
speck in the distance which had to be the village of
Asmyra.

Linn had been lagging behind, but now he rode
up beside me.

"Are you sure about this plan?" I
said.

"Sure as any man can be in a world without
perfect knowledge, and distasteful as guesswork may be."

"Good, because I'm game if you are. For the
record though, if we die, I'm blaming
you
." I reached up,
fingering my new amulet. It was the second gift Linn had given me,
besides the eerily glowing Ironskin, now wrapped up and fitted with
a strap so that I could sling it over my back inconspicuously. Of
the two gifts, this simple-looking amulet was probably the more
deadly.

I waved my hand, calling for Sir Brel to stop.
The other knights pulled on their reins, one of the camels snorting
in protest. Brel rode up alongside us.

"What is it, my Queen? Now that we are nearing
our chosen destination, would you care to explain our reason for
being here?"

"I've already told you what I can. We are here
to meet with Fasima al-Sham, wife to the deceased Vizier. I wish to
express my condolences regarding the loss of her
husband."

Sir Brel looked at me oddly, as if I was an
aberration he couldn't quite place.

"That is unusually magnanimous of you, my
Queen, particularly since her husband was largely responsible for
the attempt on your life." The doubtful tone of his voice hinted
that he knew I was up to something.

"Yes, sometimes forgiveness needs to happen so
that we can move on," I said blandly. I pointed to Sir Yulrith.
"Have Sir Yulrith hurry on ahead and inform several of the
villagers near the town square of our impending arrival. He should
tell the villagers to pass the information on to Fasima al-Sham.
You will wait here with your men for three turns of the hour glass
and Yulrith will come back immediately to rejoin you once he's
delivered the message. If Linn and I don't return within three
turns of the hourglass, you'll make your way to Fasima's home and
join us there. Any questions?"

"No, my Queen. If this is what you wish, we
will carry out your orders." He managed to keep the consternation
out of his voice, but his face couldn't hide it.

"I assure you, it is."

I watched the perplexed Brel ride back to the
knights and give Yulrith his orders.

"This better work. For an investigator, you're
awfully keen on suppositions."

Linn gave me a sly look. "There are
suppositions and then there are
highly educated
suppositions. Do not confuse the two."

Soon we were watching as Yulrith vanished over
the next ridge, a speck among the sands. My hand reached back,
slipping inside the loosely bound wrappings to caress the fine wood
grains of my Ironskin staff. Ironskin was a perfect name for my new
weapon, especially given one of its unique abilities. The staff
didn't glow all that impressively except in dim light or when it
was pitch black, but its remarkable appearance had still left the
men muttering with questions. I could tell from their stares that
they were very curious where I had acquired it, and I asked Linn
where he had found it.

"Oh, some farmer ran across it while digging a
new well. I forget where exactly." I sincerely doubted that, but
the mercurial librarian could keep his secrets.

"Do most people know that the Library is about
much more than books?" The more my mind strayed to wondering what
else might have been in that underground vault, the more I had to
ask.

Linn chuckled, sweat dripping below the white
sash which covered his head. He wiped it before it could trickle
into his eyes.

"Most people assume that the Library is purely
for books. Nothing could be further from reality. It is a pity that
only the councilors and the Great Amir himself know of our other
collections. The government worries what people might attempt to
do, had they an inkling of what power was stored in our vault and
elsewhere."

The enormity of Linn's gifts to me from the
vault hit home now, and I felt my mouth go dry. "In that case,
thank you for your trust in me. For giving me Ironskin and this." I
fingered the amulet again, a sickle-shaped silver disc which
perfectly matched the one which Linn now kept in his pocket. "The
secret of your vault and its artifacts is safe with me."

"I'm glad to hear it, Najika. For the sake of
honesty I must admit that it was a spur of the moment decision.
Realizing the danger we were going in, ultimately I didn't feel we
had a choice."

I nodded, grimly curious if this would play
out as we expected.

We spent the last bit of the afternoon under
the beating glare of the sun, stopping frequently to stretch and
water ourselves and the mules while the hardy camels jostled
impatiently and glared back at us accusingly. 'What weaklings' was
the thought that I was almost sure I could read on their droopy
faces. We remounted and rode the rest of the way to Asmyra. I
marveled at how the landscape changed as we neared it. Slender
irrigation canals had forced the desert to retreat. Tall stands of
cypresses and even a few gorgul trees spread giant canopies of
shade which we were only too happy to ride under. A crude dirt
track between the irrigation canals led us to a wide-open square.
Villagers stared open-mouthed at the strange-looking woman in full
battle gear and the knights wearing the dark breastplates and
greaves of the Black Kingdom, the maw of a dragon painted on each
breastplate in a wordless roar.

I glanced at a sprawling mud-brick building
which probably served as Asmyra's meeting hall. We bypassed it and
set a lazy pace, continuing into the hills beyond the village until
we came upon a bend and then a fork in the road. The land dipped
into a shallow valley, and we saw the fields of crops stretching
bountifully along either side of a main path which was lined with
asperi trees, their weeping roots covering the side of the road
like ivy.

Linn and I kept at the head of the column, our
camels picking up speed and sniffing loudly. They spewed soft,
impatient grunts, probably signaling hunger. I couldn't be sure,
and though I usually would have been more concerned, right now I
was beyond caring. I was too preoccupied with what was to
come.

At last we had made it. A long, single-story
building came into view surrounded on three sides by dense tree
cover. Large boulders dotted the front yard. We passed a paddock
with horses and another with camels. Several men in beige turbans
and robes leapt down from their mounts to approach us. One was a
little taller than the rest, with a full beard as black as a
bottomless hole.

He called out to us. "Close enough, friends.
Past this point only Najika comes. Lady Fasima is not yet
presentable to be seen by any male folk."

Linn put up his hands, a disarming smile on
his face. "We understand, but it is very urgent that Najika and I
both speak to her." He produced a blindfold from his pocket. "I
have a simple solution to this dilemma, if you would permit
it."

The leader of the welcoming party nodded
grudgingly. "I will send someone to fetch your escort, show them
where to put their camels, and help them get settled in. I am
Boreth, by the way." Linn bowed deeply in the Tajmari way between
men.

"A pleasure to meet you, Boreth."

The man was already walking away, though,
three of his men coming up behind me as I kept pace with their
leader. Linn hurried to catch up. I had the staff slung over my
shoulder while Linn lugged a canvas pack, its rhythmic thuds
against his leg matching his awkward strides.

"Please, a little slower if you will." Linn
huffed and finally walked evenly next to me. I was tense now that
we were so close, senses on alert. It didn't help that I could see
clusters of men walking toward the house.

When I made a comment about all the activity,
Boreth replied, "We just called the field laborers in for their
afternoon meal. You'll have to forgive how disorganized things are.
If we'd had a little more advance warning of your arrival it might
have been otherwise." Field laborers were usually called in with a
bell or a gong—so why hadn't I heard either?

Boreth led us through the house, through a
small sitting area, and out the back exit into the field behind it.
Two huge gorgul trees stretched out their massive limbs like a
natural roof over the entire area, easily shielding the patch of
land from the sun. I stopped for a moment, turning back just in
time to see one of Boreth's men tie the blindfold firmly around
Linn's head. I came back and took his hand, and together we headed
toward the unknown.

I saw a woman standing and watching two
children playing in the distance. Her features were harsh, her back
stooped from some injury in years past. The woman's sad yet
restless eyes seemed to be weighing me much like a butcher might
consider a cut of meat.

"Welcome to my home. You must be Queen
Najika."

"Please, just call me Najika," I said warmly.
"And this is Linn the librarian, who serves the Great Amir
himself."

Fasima al-Sham motioned toward a few stone
benches in the shade. There were four of them, two sets which sat
across from one another. She sat at one while Linn and I sat across
from her. Linn's hand felt reassuring in mine. Boreth had
disappeared somewhere along the way, but his three men remained,
watchful sentinels—but watching for what? I began to sweat despite
the cooler shade, my gauntleted hands tempted to fidget.

"I'm sorry we arrived with such short notice.
We did send a man ahead to tell the village of our coming," I
said.

"Very considerate of you, Lady Najika." She
peered at me with mixed emotions on her face. It almost looked as
if she was admiring me, except there was something so troubled
behind her eyes. "Needless to say, I was devastated to hear about
my husband's role in your attempted assassination. It has been most
unfortunate for my family, a calamity without equal. I hope you
will accept my profound regret." Every word was the right one, and
they sounded heartfelt. So why didn't I believe her?