The City of Pillars

by Joshua P. Simon

  Ironically, they buried it in the hole the djinn had once called its home. The villagers worked in shifts, filling the lair with dirt and rock. They’d stop only when both the front and back entrances looked no different than the land around it.

  Andrasta turned at the sound of branches being cast aside. Fikri emerged from the date palms and lilacs. He walked over.

  “Do you ever sleep?” he asked.

  She started to cover her face, then stopped. After the battle with the djinn, she had even ceased following the local customs of how a woman should conduct herself in public. No one seemed to care what she did. She assumed it was their appreciation for ridding them of an evil no one else had been able to.

  “When I need to,” she answered. As he got closer, she added. “You’re up late as well.”

  “Too many things on my mind.”

  “I’d thought you’d be relaxed with the djinn captured.”

  Fikri eased himself down, sitting on the edge of the boat next to her. “I’ll feel better when the burial is completed and I know we didn’t somehow damage the container in doing so. You will stay through then, yes?”

  “We didn’t do anything special.”

  Fikri chuckled. “You captured one of the most powerful djinn I’ve heard of, one that others have failed to capture for hundreds of years. I’d say that’s pretty special.”

  She shrugged. “We got lucky. If that last container had also broken, we’d be dead. That’s just one of a hundred things that could have also gone wrong.”

  “But they didn’t. And you succeeded. I don’t doubt you’d do so again.” He paused. “There is something about the two of you that is special.”

  Andrasta shook her head. Fikri had already made up his mind about her and Rondel. Nothing she’d say would change his opinion so she didn’t bother wasting her breath.

  “We’ll stay until Rondel is safe to travel again.”

  Fikri sighed. “Then that will have to be good enough. I’ll see if I can’t increase the pace of the work.” He stood. “Especially since Shadya is such a gifted healer. As quickly as Rondel is recovering, we may only have another day or two.” His voice brightened as he added. “I’m ashamed to say that I had to stop myself from staring when I caught a glimpse of her without her veil. I now see why Rondel was willing to risk his life for her. Quite the woman.”

  “Something like that.”

  “The man’s a fool if he doesn’t marry her,” he said, walking off.

  She muttered under her breath. “No. He’d be a fool if he did.”

  * * *

  A cold draft on Rondel’s left side woke him with a start. He opened his eyes to blackness, panicked, then remembered the warded bandages over his eyes. He felt around for Shadya, not wanting to call her name and possibly wake someone else in the house. He found nothing but an empty depression. The fading heat on the cushions beside him brought sadness.

  It might have been the first time in his entire life he had ever slept next to a woman without having sex with her. Despite his injuries, he couldn’t recall the last time he had slept so soundly.

  Who would have thought?

  Despite her saying the three words he had never uttered to anyone other than his mother, he still couldn’t believe that Shadya found anything appealing about him.

  She called me her hero. She’s just caught up in some silly fairy tale. The kind I used to sing about. Only this one won’t end with a happily ever after. Give her a few days, maybe a week, and she’ll realize how ridiculous the idea of us together is.

  Even still, Rondel couldn’t help but think about a future together with her. Selfishly, he hoped she never came to her senses.

  A pain in his bladder jarred him.

  “Shadya?” he whispered. No longer caring about waking someone else up, he needed a hand to direct him to the chamber pot.

  No answer came.

  “Shadya!” he said louder.

  “She went outside to help Fikri’s wife with the morning meal,” said Andrasta from the direction of what Rondel assumed was the door.

  He reddened slightly. “Can you give me a hand? I need to get to the chamber pot.”

  Rondel heard no footsteps, but a moment later the woman’s hands were on his arms and shoulders, helping him out of bed. Rondel moved the sheets away, shivering in the cool morning air with only his underclothes on. He winced with each step, partly because of the stiffness in his limbs, and partly because of a full bladder.

  “Here,” said Andrasta, taking his hand and using it to touch the wall. “Straight down,” she added.

  “Thanks. Um, you mind if I have some privacy?” he asked, fumbling with his underclothes.

  “I’m not looking.”

  “Yeah but—”

  “We’ve shared campsites and rooms for over a year now. And unintentional or not, we’ve both seen each other in less than flattering positions. So, just go. I’m not leaving you alone while you’re still so unsteady on your feet.”

  Rondel started to open his mouth, but stopped and smiled instead at her act of kindness. Andrasta was right about what they had seen of each other and he did realize he was swaying. He began to relieve himself, hoping his aim wasn’t as bad as it sounded.

  When finished, he stood taller. Andrasta helped him back to the bed. He sat rather than lay on the cushions.

  “You look cold. Here,” she said.

  Rondel felt his shirt jammed into his hands. “Thanks.” He put it on then used a blanket to wrap his shoulders. “So, we did it.”

  “We did.”

  “Pretty crazy, huh?”

  “And stupid the way you jumped on that thing’s back.”

  “I couldn’t think of anything else and it was going to kill you.”

  “Still stupid.”

  “Shadya said you carried me the entire way back here. Let’s call it even.”

  She grunted.

  “Shadya also said you wouldn’t let her heal you.”

  “No.”

  “Do you truly hate her that much?”

  “I don’t trust her.”

  “How can you say that when she’s helped us so much?”

  “Something about her doesn’t feel right.”

  “Like what.”

  “There isn’t just one instance. None of it feels right. It never has.”

  “I need something more than that. Give me an example.”

  “Have you asked her yet what she was doing off on her own after we left Fikri’s shop?”

  “No.”

  “That should have been the first thought you had when you woke up. You just don’t seem yourself around her.”

  He was surprised at the slight anger he felt at her accusation even though he too had similar thoughts before. “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t think as clearly. You lose all sense of caution like when you wanted to just swim across the river after the djinn.”

  Not thinking clearly. Not acting normal. I think that’s called being in love.

  Rondel snorted, astonished at the ease in which he came to that conclusion. He let that sink in for a moment. “I think I have feelings for her. Serious feelings.”

  “I know. I saw you two in bed together.”

  “I didn’t realize that it would upset you.”

  “I never said that. It’s your life.”

  Rondel frowned, not sure what to make out of his partner’s behavior.

  Is she jealous?

  “Well, did you ask her why she went off behind those buildings when the djinn captured her?” he asked, hoping to turn the conversation in his favor.

  “Yeah. Said she heard a child asking for help and when she got there the djinn grabbed her.”

  “Sounds believable. She has a kind soul.

  “I think it sounds like a lazy excuse personally.”

  Rondel tried to change subjects “Shadya said I should be able to travel in the next few days. We can get back to tracking Hubul’s Host and retrieve the m
ask.”

  “And when we’re done?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “After we have the mask, then what?”

  “You know what. The Jewel of Bashan.”

  “So you plan to just leave Shadya behind? That doesn’t sound like something someone with strong feelings would do.”

  He pursed his lips. “I . . . I honestly didn’t give it much thought.”

  “Like I said. That’s unlike you.”

  “Maybe she can come with us.” He paused. “Can she?”

  “Perhaps you should ask her what she wants to do first. I have a feeling that leaving Erba to steal a jewel is not one of her top priorities.” She paused. “And if she says no, then what will you do?”

  Rondel opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He hadn’t thought about that either.

  Before anything intelligible came forth, Andrasta slid to the door, calling out over her shoulder as she left. “I’ll go see about the morning meal.”

  CHAPTER 11

  At Melek’s orders, Lieutenant Omar organized three groups of three men. Sorcerers selected by Khalil accompanied each group. Melek sent each team in different directions with a specific task. One group followed the woman and her two companions at a safe distance, observing without engaging. Another traveled to Zafar to learn all they could about the two foreigners. The last group left for the center of The Empty-Hand Desert. Their task was to look for increased activity among the supernatural creatures that inhabited the area.

  The sorcerers communed with Khalil through divining.

  The old man took a seat across from Melek after receiving the latest reports.

  Seeing Khalil’s fatigue from the communication, Melek poured him a cup of water and passed a plate of olives.

  “Thank you, Captain,” said Khalil, guzzling the water first, then popping an olive into his mouth.

  “Tell me. Afeef’s squad first.”

  Khalil cleared his throat. “The Empty-Hand Desert is as active as we would expect at this time. Afeef’s men have already encountered several anomalies.”

  “Such as?”

  “A small pack of ghuls.”

  “A pack? Ghuls don’t travel in packs.”

  “These did. They were weak. None like the one we sent to Zafar. Yet, they still seemed determined to keep Afeef’s men away from the desert’s center.”

  “Is everyone all right?”

  “A few cuts. Nothing serious. They killed all but one of the ghuls. The problem came when they ran into a djinn the next day.”

  “Out in the open?”

  “According to Afeef, it was obvious this one hadn’t fed in some time. It was also weak, and not very bright. He managed to trick the abomination into giving its name. But before that it burned Emin badly.”

  Melek swore. “Anything else?”

  “Not from Afeef.” Khalil spat out a pit and threw another olive in his mouth. “Bassam learned that the woman is calling herself Shadya. The two with her managed to capture a majun. The one that’s been terrorizing Hegra for centuries. The two people call themselves Rondel and Andrasta and they’re recuperating from their encounter. They had to save her from the majun.”

  Melek blinked. A majun? “Wait. Start over. And tell me every detail.”

  Melek listened quietly as Khalil went over the details from Hegra. His interest in the two foreigners only grew with Djonda’s report from Zafar.

  Shadya was one thing. I knew roughly what to expect from her, but Rondel and Andrasta are something else entirely.

  Djonda didn’t believe half of the things they pinned on the group after a museum break-in, but even the less outrageous stories spoke of great skill.

  And then there’s this whisper of what they did in Iget.

  Khalil sat patiently across from Melek. The man knew better than to interrupt Melek while he weighed new information.

  “We can’t wait for them to come to us.”

  The sorcerer raised an eyebrow. “So, you wish to attack?”

  “Not with the entire host. I’m still concerned about the risks involved, especially if she is getting stronger.”

  “She can’t be that strong if a djinn captured her.”

  “Yes, that is strange. Regardless of what Bassam heard of the incident, I won’t take her lightly. We can’t lose the mask again.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Tell Omar to send four men to meet up with Bassam’s squad. Attack her and her companions as soon as the squad is able. I doubt she’s expecting us to do that. If anything she’s probably more concerned with why we aren’t moving toward the Empty-Hand Desert.”

  “I’ll see to it right away.”

  CHAPTER 12

  Two days came and went. Andrasta trained and Rondel rested. She never had a chance to speak with him alone again. Shadya and Rondel had been inseparable.

  She thought about broaching the subject of Rondel’s strange behavior in front of Shadya, damning the woman to her face. However, she could tell it would do no good. It would only widen the growing rift between her and Rondel that much faster. She resigned herself to the knowledge that the retrieval of the mask would likely be their last job together.

  They’ll go off and live their miserable existence. She’ll probably have a dozen of his kids and get fat. Gods, I hope she gets fat. Then he’ll be sitting on his porch and regret ever marrying her. It would serve him right.

  What do I care? I don’t need him to steal the Jewel of Bashan. I know where he hid all the information. And I can track the flute and kill Kamal and Wabu without him. One less person to worry about.

  Master Enzi had been right. Friends make you weak and slow you down.

  That’s what she told herself, but she still struggled to believe it.

  Light laughter drifted on a rare breeze. The sound danced about like a butterfly catching an updraft of air. It was the third time she heard Shadya laughing from inside Fikri’s home as they said their farewells.

  She threw supplies in the back of their wagon, trying to make as much noise as possible to drown the woman’s voice.

  Athar growled in response, shuffling his hooves.

  “Shut up, camel.” Andrasta gestured to three of the creatures off to the right that were owned by citizens of Hegra. “You can be replaced.”

  Athar growled again, low and throaty.

  Andrasta’s eyes narrowed at the ugly beast. Her hand slipped to the dagger at her thigh. She eased it away as Fikri approached.

  “All set?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She fiddled with their supplies.

  The shopkeeper cleared his throat. “I’ve noticed you and your friend are not on the best of terms as of late. That’s not how one should start a journey. You should take a cue from Shadya and start the journey with laughter.”

  Andrasta gave him an eye, but said nothing.

  “I thought that might rub you the wrong way. At first I thought it was because you were jealous of Shadya. But I realized that wasn’t it. You don’t care for him like that.”

  “Is there a point to this?” she asked.

  “Yes. But first, a rider from Zafar came by yesterday. He asked if we knew of a pair of thieves that matched your description and your names.”

  She had feared someone might find them. A quick scan of the area didn’t reveal anyone else from the village waiting in the shadows. “And?”

  “I told them that no one matching that description had come through Hegra.”

  “Why?”

  “That should be obvious. You helped our town greatly. The rider said that a great reward has been placed on each of your heads, more so for the item you apparently stole. They sent quite a few people out into Erba after you. But it sounds like they’re getting desperate. It won’t be long before they give up the search, I think. In the meantime, stay out of sight.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded to the house. “Did you tell Rondel?”

  “I tried. He seemed distracted. That
was my original point for why I brought up the tension between you two. I’ve only known you for a few days but he seems . . . different than when you first came into town.”

  Glad I’m not the only one. “What makes you say that?”

  “It’s weird but—”

  “All right. Let’s get moving,” said Rondel as he came outside followed closely by an unveiled Shadya.

  “We were just finishing a conversation,” said Andrasta.

  Rondel cocked his head. “Was it important?”

  “Well—”

  “The important stuff was already discussed. Andrasta can tell you about that on the road,” said Fikri, blinking rapidly. “The rest was just trivial.”

  Andrasta turned to their host who stared at Shadya with a dumb grin. She acted embarrassed at having forgotten her cover and replaced it quickly.

  “Are you all right?” Andrasta asked him.

  Fikri ignored her, instead focusing on Shadya. “May I help the lady aboard?”

  “I would be honored,” said Shadya with a giggle.

  Andrasta shook her head in frustration and climbed in back. Her conversation with Fikri was obviously over.

  * * *

  The tip of a boot nudged Rondel awake. He opened his eyes to a graying sky and stretched.

  Gods, it’s good to see the world again.

  Even though it had only been a few days, fumbling around like a blind man had bothered him more than the healing of his burns.

  Andrasta hovered. “Time to get up,” she said in a low voice.

  He yawned and sat up. The small blanket he slept under fell away and the cool morning air sent a shiver through his body. He rolled to his feet and rubbed his arms while going off behind a boulder to relieve himself. They had found another of the desert’s small pools to stop for the night.

  He returned to camp, shaking out his limbs, hoping to get his blood moving.

  “Freezing at night. Blistering during the day. What a miserable place to live,” said Rondel, grabbing a skin of water and taking a drink.

  “You haven’t seemed too upset about it until now,” Andrasta muttered.

  Rondel raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that you’ve had a smile affixed to your face for days.”