The wise Sage of Aran clasped Homer’s shoulder. “And I know that the Prince would be proud of this moment,” he told the youth. “It is both good and right that you are among us today. There is much we can all learn from you.” Then turning from the tearful lad, he looked to the haj. “And what of you, my friend? Shall you remain to become a part of the new Speca as well?”
Burlu smiled wistfully and hesitated in his reply. “Would that it were possible!” he told them all. “Alas, I cannot. I have too many duties that must be attended to at home. My family awaits my return, and I must hasten back to Kalimar as soon as possible. I leave today on board Captain Osari’s ship. My sons-in-law by now have me ruined, no doubt, and my grandchildren will have missed me sorely. But know this: these past months have given an old man such adventures as I never dreamed of. I am more than gratified to have lived them and done my own small part in freeing this fair land. Now I must take my leave.”
Old Man nodded his head slowly. “You shall be missed, good haj. Speca shall never forget your courage…”
The haj turned away to hide his tears, thinking that staying would have been a pleasure for him; he could have spent his last years in true peace, close to Mariana and Ramagar, perhaps living long enough to see his granddaughter’s children raise families of their own. But those at home could not be denied, either, and back to his herds he must go, as surely as the moon follows the sun.
At length both Old Man and the Sage looked to Ramagar. “And what shall be your future?” Old Man wanted to know. “You have journeyed half a world to be upon these shores. I don’t have to tell you that you and Mariana hold special and honored places among us. You may ask anything of what we have and it shall be granted…”
Ramagar thanked him; sighing, he folded his arms and gazed up at the cloudless blue sky, exulting in the mild breeze blowing in from the sea. Events and adventures had happened so fast these past days, that in truth he and Mariana had not spent a single moment discussing what they would do. The storms were at last over, though, and now the time for choice was at hand. Their home could be almost anywhere they decided, with a golden rainbow waiting should that choice be Speca.
“What do you say, my love?” he asked, looking sharply at the dark-haired girl whose eyes still glowed with tiny fires.
“Stay here with us, Mariana,” said Thorhall in hopeful offering. “You’ll never regret it, I promise. We are all your friends. We want you and we need you. It was you more than any of us who saved this land from its doom, and I think you’ll find Speca more than grateful.”
“Yes, Mariana,” chimed in Homer. “Do stay with us. The Prince would ask as much were he here today.”
A single tear rolled down her soft cheek and Mariana closed her dark lashes over her eyes. Speca was a wonderful land. A marvelous land with new wonders waiting to be found every day. Yet it wasn’t home. “I … I do want to stay,” she said truthfully, trying not to cry. “Truly, I do …” But her thoughts carried her back to her dreams; her dreams of golden sands and deserts, of palm trees swaying in an Eastern sun, of darkly tanned children playing along green, flowered hills. She reached out and took Ramagar by the hand, her bright eyes smiling. “What is your wish, dearest?” she asked. “Do you want to stay?”
Ramagar kissed her gently. “My happiness is where yours can be found. You choose, Mariana. Choose and I’ll follow.”
The dancing girl sniffed and smiled. “I think,” she said to everyone, “that the rainbow awaiting both of us can only be found at home …”
“Home?” sputtered Captain Osari, startled. “But you can’t! You can never return to Kalimar! Have you forgotten that Ramagar is still a fugitive from justice? The moment you come back he’ll be charged as a murderer and sent to the gallows!”
Ramagar sighed deeply. “He’s right, you know,” he said to Mariana. “As much as I also would like to see the East again, it cannot be. The thief of Kalimar can never return…”
“But the thief of Kalimar is dead!” interrupted the haj.
Ramagar looked at Burlu curiously. “What are you talking about, man? I’m as alive as you are!”
The haj smiled slyly and then laughed. “Ah, but that is not so, I assure you.” He looked at Mariana and winked. “The thief was killed—months ago aboard the Vulture while leading an abortive mutiny. I, Burlu the Swineherd, haj of the Mountain Lands, shall swear as much to the authorities upon my return …”
“And so shall I!” chimed in the grinning captain in dawning comprehension of the ploy before him. “The ship’s diary will give added weight. Ramagar the thief is dead. The man who returns to Kalimar is the husband of haj Burlu’s granddaughter.”
“Come back with me, my children,” pleaded the haj, taking them both by the hand. “All that is mine shall be yours. Return with me this day, to our true home, and there you shall find the rainbow of happiness you’ve been seeking for so long.”
Ramagar lowered his gaze and nodded with emotion. Mariana clung to him tightly and smiled.
“Then you have decided,” Old Man said regretfully.
“It’s what was meant to be,” whispered the girl.
“We are sorry to see you go,” Thorhall said truthfully. “But if this is what you want, then do it with all our blessings. But never forget that a home among us is always waiting for you. You both have secured a special place in our hearts.”
Homer swallowed to push down his own emotion. “And we’ll be expecting you to come and visit, with your children …”
“Thank you,” replied Mariana, bursting into tears; she threw her arms around the youth, hugging him with all her strength. “Take good care of yourself,” she wept, “all of you, dear friends. Ramagar and I shall never forget…”
“And we will come back,” promised the thief. “To see Speca as she prospers …”
“The Vulture is at your command,” said Osari, himself almost in tears at the parting. “Any time, any day. You always know where to find me.”
Mariana kissed each and every one in turn, smiling as stoic Argyle tried not to cry. Then, her brief goodbyes complete, she returned to Ramagar’s side. “Well?” she sniffed. “Hadn’t we better gather our belongings? The Vulture won’t wait…”
“And look for our rainbow within the tents of the haj?” asked the thief. “Where, perhaps, it has always been waiting?”
Mariana grinned. “You have doubts?”
Ramagar laughed and looked deeply into her wet, luminous eyes. “You really believe it, don’t you? You really believe it’s waiting?”
Tall and proud, Mariana threw back her hair and smiled. “My dear, dear husband,” she chided, “haven’t you learned by now? Anything in life is possible. Anything at all—if you believe.”
Graham Diamond began writing as a fantasy and science fiction author. He was born in Manchester, England, after World War II, and his family moved to the United States when he was a young child. He was raised in New York City, on the Upper West Side, and graduated from the High School of Music and Art. He attended CCNY in NY, and the Art Students League of New York.
A Fine Art major, Diamond turned to professional writing in his late twenties and is now best known for books such as The Haven (Playboy Press), Lady of the Haven (Playboy Press), The Thief of Kalimar (Fawcett Books), Black Midnight (Zebra) and Forest Wars (Lion), Marrakesh (Fawcett), Samarkand, Samarkand Dawn, (Playboy). He soon turned to other genres; including historical fiction, thrillers, and later a true story of a Holocaust survivor’s family during World War II, Maybe You Will Survive (Holocaust Press, 1991). Several of his books were published in the UK by Methuen. Under the pen name Rochelle Leslie (the names of his two daughters), he authored Tears of Passion, Tears of Shame, a novel of South Africa set during the Zulu War of 1879 (Berkeley/Jove) which was subsequently published in Italy, titled, Venuto De Lontano, (To Come From Far Away) by Mondadori. He also has had various short stories published in anthologies. In addition to his numerous novels and non fiction books, he
was employed as an editorial artist by the New York Times for many years, and has also taught creative writing in both New York and California. He regularly volunteers and lectures at public libraries and schools across the United States. “So much of my youth was spent studying in libraries,” he says, “they became almost a second home.”
His varied hobbies include painting, reading, and volunteer work for numerous charities.
Diamond currently divides his time between California and New York. He is also working on another novel.
THE THIEF OF KALIMAR (Graham Diamond's Arabian Nights Adventures) Page 45
