“But I’m not …” I began again.
Abü continued. “Everything you’ve been through since you got to the shores of Alkebulan has been foretold. The legend says you will be stolen, treated like trash, but that you will be a diamond in the rough, a champion of the people, and a fierce warrior, defeating many great beasts …”
At this, Khepri said, “The manticore. The basilisk. The chimera.”
“Oh, hey now,” I said in protest. “I will give you the manticore, even though I had help, but I did not defeat the basilisk and I certainly didn’t defeat the chimera.” At this, I reached over and hugged Kym. “More like made friends with a chimera, to be honest.”
“The legends use archaic language, it can be read as ‘defeat’ or it can be read as ‘tame’, so you see, it all fits.” Khepri smiled.
“The legends also describe you as befriending a great beast, which I think refers to you and Kym,” said Abü. “And it also mentions you astride a massive black horse, which certainly describes your horse Shêtân.”
“I don’t know, I really think this is a stretch, honestly,” I said in protest.
“Charlotte, why have you come here, to my caliphate?” Abü asked.
“Well,” I took a deep breath. “We were going to lay low for a few days, and hopefully resupply, and hire some mercenaries and horses to join our troupe.”
“For what purpose, may I ask?” asked Abü.
I took a breath and blew it out slowly, trying to buy time. Finally, I spoke. “To mount a raid on the compound of caliphate Abdü and rescue a boy named Akim, and Tupu’s cousins Tikiko and Pala.” I held my breath and waited. I did not know how Abü would react to this news.
She stared at me, and waited as well.
Oh.
“The prophecy of me being a ‘champion of the people’ – now listen, rescuing three people does not make me any kind of champion, even by a stretch of the imagination,” I said.
“Have you noticed how you’ve been pursued since you landed on Alkebulan?” Abü asked. “At first by Prince Phillippe, then the slavers, then the sheikh of Abdü, then the ghosts of Aoudaghost, then even me?”
I blinked.
“Well, when you put it that way …,” I said.
“From the moment you landed on the shores of this continent, the magicians have been giving omens.” Abü spoke quietly, but forcefully, rising higher and higher until she was standing over us. “The very stars have been screaming messages in their positions. Your presence was foretold in prophecy for nearly 500 years, and just now, just this spring, everything suddenly comes together and all omens converge on one person,” she looked into my eyes. “You. You, Charlotte.” She reached for a scroll Kadeem had been holding, and unrolled it, and began reading in a singsong voice. “A northern lady with golden hair and eyes of emerald, possessing of a sharp tongue and an even sharper blade, shall be the only one with the ability to hold the Key of Azurethene and open the Tomb of Ancients.” She finished with a flourish and a finality that could not be questioned, and sat back down heavily, thumping her hand on the table.
“It’s you,” she said, holding up a box of ebony inlaid with silver swirls and runes.
The box was the size of Kym’s arm, which was to say, not very big, but big enough. The carvings reminded me of a raven’s feathers. Abü turned a gear on the end, and the top flipped open as if on a spring. Inside, on a bed of purple silk, lay a key.
“Pick it up,” Abü said to Kym.
Kym reached in and grabbed the key, but as she drew it out of the box, it vanished and reappeared back on the silk.
What?
I stared.
“Now, you try,” Abü said to Caroline.
Caroline carefully reached in, picked up the key and pulled her hand out of the box. Again, as with Kym, the key vanished as soon as it passed beyond the edge of the box, and reappeared back on the silk cushion.
They each on turn were bidden to try and take the key from the box. In each case, the key vanished, only to reappear back on the silken bed.
“Kadeem,” Abü bade, “you try.”
Kadeem put his hand in the box and grasped the key, and stopped. “I feel it, in my hand. It is cool, hard metal, smooth, and heavy in my palm,” he said.
“Now lift it out,” said Abü.
Kadeem slowly lifted his hand.
The key dissolved.
“It felt as if the metal changed into smoke,” he said, mystified.
I looked. The key was back in the box.
Abü took a deep breath. “This is the moment of truth. This is how we will finally know.” She extended the open box toward me. “Charlotte, please try to lift the key out.”
I swallowed with anticipation. Something inside my head said, Do you really want to do this? You could ride back to Tambibo market, charter a ship in Moonlit Bay, and sail back to Swerighe, back home to your kingdom, back home to your study, to your bed, to your room, to your pets, to every familiar and beloved thing you know. You don’t need to become a part of their prophecies, you don’t need to even be in this land. You deserve to go back home, back to safety. Do not pick up the key.
I hated being told what to do. It was my biggest failing. Plus, that little voice in my head was really, really stupid.
I reached in the ebony box and grabbed the key.
It felt cool in my hand, like iron. The surface was smooth, liked forged metal. It was nearly black, I could see., and felt very solid.
I slowly lifted my hand until it was flush with the top of the box, then paused, took a deep breath, and lifted my hand completely out of the box.
I heard Abü and Kadeem gasp, but did not take my eyes off the key.
I didn’t even blink.
I held my hand up. In it was the key, solid and smooth and heavy. I held the key up for all to see.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Decisions
I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Clutched in my hand was the box holding the key. Abü had insisted I keep it while I decided if I would accept the quest to open the Tomb of Ancients.
I tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. The beds Abü had offered us were comfortable, maybe too comfortable. After months of sleeping on my bedroll, laid out on sand, it was hard to fall asleep on the linen sheets spread over the straw mattress.
“Charlotte,” Christianne whispered next to me.
“What?” I whispered back, quieter.
“You can’t sleep?” she asked.
“No,” I answered.
“Neither can I.” She fidgeted a minute. Then: “It was amazing when you pulled that key out of the box without it disappearing.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“Are you going to accept the quest?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Christianne.”
She fell silent for a few minutes. I thought she’d fallen back to sleep.
It was silent for a bit.
Then she spoke again.
“Charlotte?”
“What?” I answered.
“It …” Christianne fell silent.
I waited.
“I don’t know,” she finally said.
I didn’t answer.
A few minutes passed.
“Hey,” said Kym on my other side.
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“What, Kym?” I asked.
“Are you guys awake?”
“No.”
I heard Christianne giggle.
Sigh.
“Listen, you two, we need to sleep now,” I said, trying to sound firm.
Christianne breathed out loudly.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s just that,” she paused.
“Christianne, do you think Charlotte should accept the quest?” Kym whispered.
“I do,” Christianne said, sitting up in her bed. Kym sat up as well, and they began to talk over my prone form.
“It sounds so incredible!” Kym whispered
.
“I know, I can’t even sleep, I’m so excited!” Christianne answered, leaning forward over me.
“I can’t wait to get started, and see the tomb,” said Kym.
I sighed. “Girls, I really need to sleep, could you try to sleep, too?”
They fell silent. For about a minute.
“Charlotte, how can you not accept the quest? It sounds so incredible,” Christianne whispered.
SIGH.
I sat up. Christianne and Kym both sat up, too.
I took a deep breath.
“Listen, it’s not as simple as just ‘going on an exciting quest’ – there are a lot of factors involved in this decision,” I began.
Kym and Christianne leaned in closer, eager to listen.
“First of all,” I began, “I think we should be rescuing Akim, and Pala and Tikiko from the Abdü compound, the longer we wait, the more chance some ill mischief will befall them.”
“Then there’s Abü. What if she has an ulterior motive for urging me on this quest? As far as I can see, the main reason people want to enter this tomb is greed.” I sat back, thinking.
“I wonder if Abü wishes for you to bring her back the treasure?” Christianne whispered, sounding awestruck. She had been very impressed by the sight of Abü and had hung on to her every word. “Surely she has a nobler reason for wanting you to go?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “It is hard to know what is in another’s heart. After all, we just met her, we don’t really know her.”
Kym had been silent all this time, just listening and soaking in our words. Now she spoke. “Abü seems to already have riches. I mean, look around you,” she fell silent.
This was very true. The Abü caliphate was very obviously the wealthiest and most successful territory in this area of northern Alkebulan. And Abü did not appear the greedy type. She could have invaded the neighboring sheikhdoms and demanded tribute from them, but she had signed treaties with them instead. She seemed most intrigued with the legends about the tomb, about the key, and about me. Still, I thought, you never really knew about someone’s true motives.
Christianne was fidgeting, then spoke. “I think,” she said slowly, “that we should make a bargain with Abü. She supplies us with the mercenaries, horses, and supplies to rescue Akim, Tikiko, and Pala, and in return, we do the quest and retrieve the treasure from the tomb for her.” She thought a moment. “After keeping a certain percentage for ourselves, of course. Finder’s fees, that sort of thing.”
I just stared at her.
“That sounds like a good plan,” Kym said, excitedly. She was practically bouncing up and down on her bed.
I found my voice. “When, pray tell, did ‘my quest’ become ‘our quest’?” I raised my eyebrows and stared at Christianne.
“Oh, Charlotte,” said Kym. “You cannot be serious.”
“Charlotte, I thought we were a troupe. A team. I thought we approached everything together?” Christianne said. “ ‘We are strong together,’ didn’t you say?”
Dammit.
“This tomb of ancients sounds very dangerous,” I said. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“All the more reason you’ll need backup,” Khepri said from the shadows.
“Yeah, Charlotte,” said Tupu. “You need us.”
Oh, great.
“I …” I fell silent, not knowing what to say.
“Good. Then it’s settled,” Caroline whispered from her bed. “Tomorrow we bargain with Abü, then set out to the rescue operation, and then on to the Tomb of Ancients with this weird key only you can hold, Miss.”
I lay in bed for a long while after everyone had settled down and fallen asleep.
I was worried about my friends getting hurt. So far, our adventures had been geared expressly toward getting away from danger. Now we seemed to be going toward it.
The rescue of Akim and the others seemed the right thing to do, but I still had strong reservations about this Tomb of Ancients.
I had no idea what dangers the tomb would hold, and whether or not we could expect to get back out unscathed. And if we went in after the Abdü rescue operation, would we bring the three with us, or deliver them into safe hands and then go in with just the troupe?
I was very curious about the cave, I’ll admit. But just as strong was my protective feelings toward the others.
I didn’t know what to do.
And if I decided to just go in alone, would they even listen to me? It sounded as if their minds were made up. I don’t think I could stop them from coming along, I thought.
Well, maybe once we got into the cave, I’d be so occupied I wouldn’t have time to worry.
And we were becoming more and more skilled at fighting, I thought.
We meshed well together. Christianne was right, we were a team. And we were becoming a formidable force.
I hoped I was right.
I lay there, curled around the box containing the key. It became warm from my body warmth.
My stomach slowly unclenched, and I finally fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Preparations
“Charlotte, look!” Kym was patting my shoulder, trying to wake me.
“Mmmrgbbbl …”
Kym giggled. “No, really Charlotte, look!”
I had been having the loveliest dream, though. We had been down by the water at Moonlit Bay, near Tambibo market, looking out onto the sea. That sailor was there. What was his name again? Oh, yeah, Tam…
“Charlotte. Wake up.” This was Caroline’s voice. She sounded serious.
My eyes popped open.
“Look,” Caroline pointed.
It was the box, the box with the key. My body was curled around it, cradling it. My uppers legs were against it, my torso curved around it, my arms holding it. It was warm to the touch.
And it was glowing. Strange runes were glowing on the box, all over it, on all six sides. They were glowing with a faint purple light.
“What in the …?” I sat up, holding out the box. The runes faded slowly, until it was just a plain black box once again.
“That was weird,” I said, blinking the sleep out of my eyes.
“Oh, man. We should ask Abü about that.” My stomach grumbled.
Ugh.
Kym giggled.
“Okay, okay, well, let’s get down to breakfast. Might as well get on this as soon as possible,” I grumbled, trying not to smile.
“Okay, then it’s settled,” said Abü. “I will supply mercenaries to you so you can mount a will-not-fail rescue for your friends, and in return, you will investigate the Tomb of Ancients for me, and any treasure you are able to bring out, we will split 50-50. Deal?”
I stared at her for a minute while I finished chewing the date I was eating. My mouth moved slowly, buying time.
The others remained quiet. We’d agreed ahead of time that I was to be the troupe spokesperson, or negotiations would descend into chaos. We had to control this operation, so that we’d get what we wanted.
My mind rolled over the deal, examining it from all angles. Finally, swallowing the tiny remnants of the overly chewed date, I spoke.
“And Akim can stay safely here while we investigate the cave.”
Abü nodded.
“And Tikiko and Pala will get armed escort back to their village.”
Abü nodded again.
I could think of nothing else to delay the seeming inevitability of things, so I nodded and stuck my hand out. “Deal.”
Abü shook my hand, smiling.
Kym made a woop! sound, her fist raised in triumph, happiest of all.
I shook my head, a small smile on my face.
Things progressed very quickly then.
There were supplies to be packed, strategies to be planned, and mercenaries to be selected.
As it turned out, Abü had a huge number of fighters in her compound. Several hundred approached when she called for volunteers. The warriors seemed eager for a
ction.
“They’ve been training here at the compound for over a month, preparing for battle,” the old matriarch said. “They are the best Alkebulan has to offer.”
I surveyed the troops lined up before me.
There were two distinct groups. On the left, the fighters wore blue, their leather armor and boots a deep peacock blue. Their scimitars were made of folded steel, a wriggled pattern on the blade.
“We’ve traded for the forged steel from the far east, and our smiths had begun to perfect the process themselves, although we’ve yet to create fire hot enough to produced blades as fine as these.” Abü held out the scimitar from the warrior closest to us, and I saw the iridescent patterns of the folded steal. Amazing.
“The blades will never dull. It’s the latest advance in weaponry,” Abü said proudly, carefully handing the blade back to the warrior. She took it and sheathed it, then locked her hands behind her back again, in the manner of her fellow mercenaries. They looked like a formidable force.
“Now these fighters,” Abü led me to the other side of the compound square where a second sizeable group stood at attention. “They are trained in the mounted arts.”
These soldiers were all outfitted in a deep green, their leather armor and boots almost black. They held wicked looking halberds, and above the ax, the top blades were curved, almost looking like scythes.
“These weapons are made to hack and pierce, but also to scoop and lift up an enemy, hold him aloft, disembowel him, and finally, toss him behind. These mercenaries follow the creed ‘feed your oppressors to the land’ and in the last battle they took part in, the ground ran red with the blood of the losing side.” Abü turned to me. “That side was not our side,” she smirked.
A disconcerting look in an old woman, I thought. This sheikha was deadly, I realized. I vowed never to get on her bad side, if I could help it.
She looked deeply into my eyes, almost as if she could read my thoughts.
“I am very old, but I have led the Abü caliphate for nearly eighty years,” her eyes were piercing as they gazed into mine. “There is a reason I am still standing.”
I understand.
The Pirates of Moonlit Bay Page 17
