She Who Has No Name tlt-2

by Michael Foster

  ‘Isn’t she worried the servants will steal something?’

  ‘Why would they steal what is already theirs?’ Utik’cah replied,with genuine curiosity.

  They came shortly to an open courtyard. There were several young ladies sitting around a pond that wasteemingwith golden fish but,when they saw the two men approach,they deftly shuffled away, keeping their eyes to the ground.

  Utik’cah settled himself on a stone banister and pulled one booted foot up beside his rump to be comfortable, so he was hugging his knee. ‘So what do you want to ask me, Lord Samuel of Cintar?’

  Samuel sat on the same length of stone, curved around the pond. ‘I am curious more than anything, about your Queen. Did she really create this city?’

  ‘So they say. No one alive now was alive then to see it, save for her.’

  ‘How can it be that she is so old? She looks only several years younger than you.’

  ‘I do not question such things, Lord Samuel. This is one of the mysteries that we do not question. We are only thankful to have her.’

  ‘But she seems to relish the misery of others? How can your people love her when she is such a tyrant?’

  ‘Strong leaders are appreciated in the desert. If she were any less, she would never have survived; she would never have the respect of the people. She rules with an iron fist but she also has infinite compassion. Perhaps it is because she is a woman that you question her actions? I have heard your Emperor was an ever greater tyrant and his slaughter knew no bounds.’

  ‘Perhaps that is true,’ Samuel mused. ‘Then I killed him.’

  ‘You seem a reckless people. We are much more resilient than you.’

  ‘Perhaps that is so. I want to ask you one more thing. Do you know where the Queen found her ring?’

  ‘I do not,’ came the answer. ‘She has many jewels and trinkets and I am not interested in such things.’

  ‘Have you ever seen her use her magic?’

  ‘Her magic is vast and wonderful, but I think we delve into questions I would rather not answer, Lord Samuel. Alahativa has not told me to hide anything from you, but I fear my answers would not be the ones you seek. I will go now. I have our armies to tend to. Enjoy your walk. I will arrange for your meals to be brought to your room.’

  With that, he stood and strode away around past the pond. Samuel sat in silence for several minutes, before calling out to the magician hiding in the shadows. ‘Come out. I am alone.’

  A tall figure, draped in black, stepped from amongst the leafy plants in the corner of the courtyard. He came over briskly and pulled the cloth from his hidden face. Spells of concealment dropped away as he came.

  ‘Samuel,’ he greeted, for it was Lomar who had been hiding amongst the bushes, ‘how did you know it was me? Oh, I forget. How foolish of me to underestimate you.’

  ‘Should we go somewhere else?’ Samuel asked, looking nervously to the arched entrances around them.

  ‘Not necessary. In these clothes, with my face partially covered, I look just like one of them. I can get past the odd servant or two. It is only if we meet any wizards that I will need to scurry. I have found a hole in their defences, so I was able to enter the palace this time. I am not sure how long it will remain, for the wizards keep watch on the walls and sentry-towers around the palace day and night.’

  ‘We need to find the others and free them, but I must find Balten first. He has my ring.’

  ‘I know where he will be, but that will not help much. You are a curiosity to the Queen, but I doubt they will risk anything with him. They will have Balten in the deepest,darkest part of the mountain they can find. I’ve heard he is well-known to the Paatin and they will not risk letting him escape. The problem is, once inside the mountain no spells can be cast. If we want to go in, we will need to cast our spells first and carry them in with us. Then, we will need to makeitpast the guards and search for him. Rumour has it the mountain is riddled with holes;it isa maze of endless tunnels, all designed to lose any strangers to its depths. It could take a long time to find him.’

  ‘So what can we do?’

  ‘Delveinto the mountain and search for him. I will leave now, before I give myself away. If they find me once, they will hunt for me relentlessly and you will lose any privileges you seem to have acquired. You may be able to sneak into the catacombs for a short time each day and search for him. I have heard there are many smaller hidden entrances. You will need to find the others, as well. We cannot act until they are free, or we risk having them executed.’

  ‘But I have no spells.’

  ‘You don’t need them, Samuel. Remember, none of the wizards can sense you. You are as good as invisible to them. There are also spells of detection that cover the entrances. Only you can slip through them unnoticed. Now, I must go. I don’t know when I can return again. Find the others. Find Balten.’

  ‘I will do my best.’

  ‘Samuel, there is one more thing. I don’t know if it is worth raising, but perhaps it is worth you knowing.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘They say there is something that lives under the mountain.’

  ‘What kind of something?’ Samuel asked.

  ‘I don’t know, but all the Paatin are terrified of it. No one has seen it, but they all fear it. Some think it is a ghost,others a beast. They only find the remains of its victims. They say it patrols the deepest and darkest of tunnels and that it takes anyone it stumbles across who is alone. The guards are afraid, but they have found a way to make use of the thing. Any prisoner they wish to remove, they just extinguish the lights, and when they come back, there is not much left.’

  ‘Are you trying to scare me?’

  ‘No, but I just advise you to take care. Whatever haunts those tunnels, keeps the Paatin who know about it terrified. You may even be able to use that fear against them.’

  ‘Very well.’

  With that, he dashed away and darted over the wall in a single,lithe motion. It was only a few moments later that Samuel felt a Paatin spell slipping over him, scanning the courtyard. Perhaps the wizards had felt something unusual and had come to investigate, for the spell continued intensely. When it was done, and without finding anything, the spell moved away, leaving Samuel with nothing to do but return to his room.

  As the sun melted into the west, casting shadows across the distant pasture lands, Utik’cah once again came to Samuel’s door.

  ‘Alahativa has reconsidered your request to release your friends.’ At this, Samuel’s heart leapt. ‘As a measure of her goodwill to you, and in hope that you will do your best to entertain her in the arena, she has released one of them. You will find your friend next door. If you like, your dinners can be served together. I will arrange for both meals to be brought there.’

  Samuel agreed and,as soon as Utik’cah was gone,he stepped out into the corridor and turned to his right. There was only one other door in this stretch of hall and so he hurried over to it expectantly. He could hear the excited voices of Paatin women inside and wondered what could be happening. Opening the door, he hoped to find Eric or Balten or perhaps even the Emperor waiting inside, but when he saw it was the Koian woman who had been released, he could not help but feel bitterly disappointed.

  She was wrapped in a thick blanket and she held it about her tightly. Three dark-skinned Paatin women stood around her and she was swatting at them as they laughed and tried to pluck the blanket from her shoulders. They wore thin, revealing clothes of pink, blue and violet and seemed to be enjoying whatever game they were playing with their guest.

  ‘You scared me!’ the Koian woman called out on noticing Samuel hovering in the doorway. ‘What are you doing in here, Magician? No one has called for you.’

  He tried to hide his dashed hopes and walked nearer, causing the attendant girls to scatter aside. ‘I see you are well. It’s good the Queen has released you.’

  ‘Released! How is this released? Even my cell was preferable to this. At least there, I was da
rk and invisible. Now I am in the open for all to stare at and ridicule.’ She briefly opened her blanket, revealing her clothes underneath, a red version of the same scanty apparel as her attendants, baring more skin than Samuel had ever seen from the irate woman. ‘How can I go out like this? I am not some whore for these filthy brutes to ogle! I demanded appropriate clothes, but these fiends only laugh at me! I will kill them!’

  ‘You will get used to it,’ Samuel said, trying to placate her.

  ‘I don’twantto get used to it! I am a god!’

  Samuel was fed up with her pretentious attitude already. ‘Then perhaps it’s time you realised that you are not a god. Gods do not exist. This is a world of logic and reason. Even magicians are governed by such laws. You are nothing but a spoilt and unreasonable child.’

  The three girls, each gloriously beautiful, lowered their faces at the tone of his voice and the Koian woman stood stunned. He thought she would shout or retort, but she did not. She hopped down from the bed and started for the door, gripping her blanket around her tightly. When Samuel realised she was heading for the exit,he dashed in front of her to bar her way.

  ‘Where are you going?’ he demanded. Again, she would not answer. She reached out one arm and attempted to pull him away, but he shrugged off her efforts easily. She tried several times, becoming more and more infuriated.

  ‘Get out of my way!’ she commanded, but Samuel stood resolute.

  ‘Whether you like it or not, you are here to stay until we find the others. It was your decision to come with us, so until we all leave together, none of us leave.’

  ‘I willnotstay here,’ she stated.

  ‘If you leave, they will kill the others.’

  ‘That’s not my concern. Turians and Paatin all deserve to die. I hate everyone in this stupid land.’

  ‘You really are a heartless witch,’ Samuel told her.

  ‘And your mother was a whore!’ she said, spitting the words into his face.

  Samuel’s hand had struck out before the words had finished leaving her lips and she crumpled to the floor. Samuel could feel his hot blood in his cheeks. It had felt wonderful to hit her and he momentarily visualised blasting her to dust with one of his spells-if only he had magic to use. The three attendants stood like statues, refusing to look at the scene.

  The Koian woman sat still, with her hair fallen around her face. It would have been some satisfaction for Samuel if she had started whimpering, but her emotionless voice returned, breaking into crackles of the old hag she had been once before.

  ‘My land is lost and broken,all my people are dead and I have been dragged to this hellish place by a traitor; yet, of all people,he is the only thing I have left of my home. What a sorry life this is. I will be glad when this Demon King returns and turns this whole world to ashes. Then…I will be laughing at you all.’

  The malignantsound of her voice made his hair stand up on the back of his neck, and Samuel could not remain in the room with her lest he lost his temper once again. He slammed the door shut behind him and swore aloud. He hoped shewouldnot leave the palace, but he had no way to prevent it. If he was lucky, perhaps the guards would spear her on sight.

  ‘Utik’cah!’ he yelled along the empty hall, stomping up and down impatiently. ‘Bring me Utik’cah!’

  He only had to wait a few minutes, until the white-robed man came hurrying along towards him.

  ‘Take me to the Queen,’ Samuel commanded, and Utik’cah took notice of Samuel’s enraged expression.

  ‘Follow me,’ he stated and led the way, while Samuel stalked behind.

  The Desert Queen was reclined in her cushioned chair as usual, and beckoned for Samuel to come nearer after he had swept into her room. He refused her request to sit at the base of her stairs and instead stood with arms folded.

  ‘Why did you release that Koian woman?’ he demanded from her, but her lips only curved into a precious smile.

  She continued toreclineandevenarched her back as if stretching, recently awoken. Even in his enraged state, he had to admit to himself that the Paatin woman was incredibly beguiling. He had never seen or even imagined such a seductive beauty. Her flesh was visible through the material of her flimsy clothes as she stretched her arms and pointed her toes. When she was done, she rolled her head to face him and granted him an alluring smile.

  ‘How intriguing. I have never seen a magician so upset. My wizards certainly cannot muster the effort. What has you in such a state, Samuel of Cintar? You asked me to release your companions and I have done it-as much as I can allow. Why does this now disturb you so?’

  ‘This woman is intolerable. She does not care about anything. She is probably on her way out of the palace already and we should not be held accountable for her foolishness.’

  The Paatin Queen lost her capricious smile and regarded Samuel grimly. ‘I am not interested in your arguments, boy.’ And,with the words, Samuel’s rage fell away, for he could feelheryears of experience bearing down on him. ‘Your companions are your own business. I am a Queen with anEmpire to rule. My orders stand. If any one of your party leaves the palace, the others will be punished. I will not capitulate or make concessions. I understand this nameless woman claims to be a god, so let her help you if she can; although, I have looked upon her and I find her attributes…lacking. She is plain in every way. Now, I think my patience in this matter has been considerable, but I recommend you leave before it is tested any further.’

  With that, her tempestuous look dropped away and she sighed and looked up to the ceiling. A great fan waswaftingto and fro, maintained by her servants beside the wall, and it drenched her in a cooling breeze.

  Samuel had no choice but to concede, backing away from her with his tail between his legs.

  On the way back to his room, Utik’cah spoke softly. ‘A word of warning, Lord Samuel. I have served my Queen all my life and I like to think, of all our people, I know her idiosyncrasies well. While you amuse her, she will continue to tolerate you, but she loses interest in small things quickly. The next time you demand to be taken to her, or the next time you stand in her presence in anger or even speak impolitely, or for any reason at all, you may find yourself lacking your head.’ Samuel threw the desert-man a questioning look. ‘This is only to warn you. I have no interest in whether you live or die at all, but I would not like to see anyone suffer from their own foolishness.’

  Shouts and screams from the Koian woman’s room had Samuel running ahead of his escort and he entered her room to find her standing defiantly on her bed, clutching a jug and a bowl. At first, he thought she may have somehow come through with her promise to kill her attendants, but he saw she was the only one doing the screaming. A floor of broken, scattered debris lay between her and the other side of the room, where the three Paatin women were hiding behind three straight-backed chairs.

  She looked at Samuel with rage and sent the jug flying towards him, crashing into the wall beside him. She had lost her blanket and was standing in her revealing Paatin clothes, spread-legged with her toes dug into the bed to keep her balance, making her look ridiculous.

  ‘They won’t leave me!’ she screamed. ‘How can I make them go?’

  ‘They don’t understand your language,’ he told her. ‘Calm now and I will ask Utik’cah to instruct them for you.’

  Utik’cah came in, gawking timorously at the mess, but no matter how Samuel asked him,he would not tell the women to leave. ‘She must have her attendants,’ he informed Samuel. ‘It is not acceptable for a guest to be without them.’

  Samuel thought for a moment. ‘You never offered me servants like this,’ he stated.

  ‘You are a magician, Lord Samuel. We would not insult your dignity with the presence of such women. I have studied the ways of magicians well, and I know that such things are not of interest to you.’

  Samuel sighed. ‘Perhaps in this case, she can also be allowed to remain alone,’ Samuel told the man.

  But Utik’cah only shrugged. ‘She is
our guest now and must be cared for as is fit. A lady of merit will not sleep in her room alone. It would be an insult to us andtoher. That is our way.’

  The man was adamant and Samuel could only try to explain to the Koian woman as best he could.

  ‘Tell them to get out!’ she screeched, hoarse of voice, but Samuel’s explanations only fuelled her anger. He thought he would have been glad to see her shed her emotionless shell and show some feeling, but he now realised that he much preferred her subdued self to this.

  ‘Just calm down,’ Samuel told her, in an effort to placate.

  She leapt past him, down from the bed and to the window. ‘To hell with you all!’ she cursed at them. ‘Let’s see how well these savages treat me when I am dead,’ and,without a pause,she leaned her waist out the window and toppled over the handrail. The trio of Paatin women screamed in unison and ran from their hiding spot to stop her. Even the level-headed Utik’cah made a sudden,lurching attempt to reach her, vaulting from his place with his hands outstretched; but Samuel, closest to her of all, was left dumbfounded and flat-footed as she disappeared out the window.

  Finally, shaken from his stupor, he pushed his way to the front as one of the attendants sobbed and turned away from the scene. Looking down,he sawthe Koian god-woman sprawled outon the stony courtyard far below, with scarlet rivulets running out from beneath her, each following the tessellated tracts between the paving stones. One arm and one leg were twisted into unnatural positions and her hair was a mattedandbloody mess.

  ‘I did not expect that,’ Samuel stated, as Utik’cah stepped away from the window and back into the room.

  The Paatin’s face had drained pale white. ‘My Queen will be very disappointed,’ he said, taking hollow steps towards the bed. ‘I have never failed her like this. She was not supposed to die.’

  A shout of excitement brought their attention, and one of the attendant women started calling excitedly for Utik’cah, pointing down towards the fallen woman. Utik’cah rushed over and Samuel again pressed his head out to see. He was astounded, for one of the Koian woman’s legs was moving, flopping from side to side as if it was trying to plop itself back into place.