Rap had helped the goblin kill the proconsul. Had that been the wickedness that had tipped the balance? Oh, Rap!
Azak was staring. What must he be thinking of her?
“I’m a fool,” she said. “I should not have cried out like that. It was just so sudden, so unexpected.”
“Perfectly natural.”
Perfectly natural for sheltered palace flowers, but that was not how she wished to be judged.
“No, it was unforgivable. I am ashamed.”
“Queen Inosolan,” Azak said softly, his dark gaze unwavering, ”you reacted by shouting for help. Why not? You faced an unexpected danger. You were alone and unarmed. I reacted by charging like a mad bull. That was not rational or forgivable, for I had not taken time to assess the nature of the enemy. And if you fear that I may think the less of you because of what has just happened, then please set your mind completely at rest. Ever since I watched you ride my most ungovernable horse, my lady, I have never doubted your courage, nor shall I ever doubt it. You taught me that a woman could be brave like few men I know, and that was a wonder beyond all my experience and outside the lore of the ancients.”
Huh? Inos gaped. She had never expected to provoke a speech like that from the giant. In fact, she was astonished to discover he was capable of it. She had just found another unexpected facet of his character.
Before she could frame a reply worthy of her Kinvale training, the tent door was darkened by a large bulk. “First Lionslayer, may I enter?”
Azak flashed the women a glance of warning. “Enter and be welcome to my humble abode, Greatness.”
Sheik Elkarath stooped and came in, wheezing softly, massive enough to make the tent seem crowded. He had discarded his many-colored garments before leaving the city and now wore a simple white robe. He sank to his knees, not looking at faces. “May all the Gods respect this house,” he muttered formally to the matting.
Azak gave a ritual response, offering food and water.
“You have troubles, Lionslayer?” The sheik fingered his rings and still did not raise his eyes.
Azak hesitated, then told the story. Swift sunrise brightened the tent. Inos cowered inside her blanket, still trying to control her shivers.
Thinking of Rap.
“And her Majesty knew the man,” Azak concluded. The only item he had not mentioned was that the sheik’s chief guard had been planning to desert and take his companions with him. But there were bundles lying around, and a wily old trader might well be wondering why someone had been packing at so early an hour.
“Majesty?” he murmured, with a glance in the general direction of Inos.
“One of her late father’s stablehands,” Kade explained. “Slain by the imps who pursued us.”
The old man thoughtfully stroked his snowy beard with plump fingers that splattered rainbows. “And what did it say to you?” Inos found her tongue and repeated the wraith’s words as well as she could recall them.
“Ah!” Elkarath nodded. The sunlight flashed crimson from the rubies on his headband, and some jewel among his rings streaked orange fire. “Did the sorceress ever meet this man?”
“Yes!” Inos said excitedly. “Yes, he was in the chamber when she came. It was she who showed me later that he had been killed!”
He chuckled. “Then she is playing tricks on you! Do you see?”
“Of course!” Relief surged through Inos like spring sunshine melting winter snow. “It was a sending from Rasha!” She looked to Azak, who grinned with a ferocious joy.
“Indeed!” he exclaimed. “This is most logical! Mayhap the harlot cannot find us herself, but is capable of sending evil spirits after us. They might take any form! Who knows the limitations of her power? I do think you have solved the mystery, Greatness!”
“I agree!” Inos said. “Aunt?”
Kade nodded, although she still seemed doubtful.
“Then I take it that you will not obey the commands of this abomination? ” Elkarath inquired softly.
“Of course not!” Inos said. “Your wisdom has solved the mystery, your Greatness. We are relieved, and much in your debt.”
“Let us hope that by nightfall we shall be out of her range, then.”
The others exchanged smiles of agreement and relief. The sinister chill of the evil undead had been banished and replaced by indignation at the sorceress’s spite. Feeling much warmer now and rather foolish under her blanket, Inos threw it off and laughed. How stupid to be frightened by an apparition so insubstantial that Azak’s sword had passed right through it!
Rap must still be dead, but she need not worry that he had become a wraith. After all, death came to everyone. Rap’s end had been tragic, but she was beginning to accept it, and her father’s, also. They would both have gone to join the Good, and she would not let Rasha persuade her otherwise.
Elkarath chuckled and started to rise. Azak jumped up to help him. Even Kade was smiling.
There could be no thought now of leaving the sheik’s caravan. Ahead lay the desert and adventure and the road to Ullacarn. The emergency was over.
2
For some minutes, Rap just lay and tried to collect his spilled wits. The impact with the floor had left him winded and shaken, hurting at every protruding bone: knees, elbows, and hips. There had been a man in her tent. Two hard landings in one night were two too many. Counting the one the night before would make three, but a convenient sorcery had cured the effects of the first one. Even so, he ought to take better care of himself. Wouldn’t always have sorcery around to help. His face still throbbed from Bright Water’s first attack, and it was resting on a threadbare rug stinking of age and dust; his nose was dribbling blood on it. A man in her tent?
There were dead leaves all around him. A moment ago they had been casting shadows across the tattered landscape of carpet. Now they weren’t. That meant that the magic mirror was no longer showing Zark; no more dawn sunshine and palms and sand and tents and Inos. He couldn’t hear the camels, either.
No need to hurry, then. There had been a man in her tent. Bright Water was speaking. Then the dwarf. They both laughed. Zinixo must be feeling extremely sure of himself if he could laugh. Perhaps they were laughing at him, idiot stableboy spread out bleeding on the floor. What ever happened to the bold young hero who was going to go to Zark and find Inos because he’d told her he was coming and he wanted to keep his word? A few hard knocks and he shattered like a crystal goblet.
He raised his head, and it didn’t fall off. It was none of his business if Inos had been sharing a tent with a man. The witch was babbling something to Oothiana, calling her by the wrong name. Then she spun around, warbling one of her fragments of song, and somehow arrived on the shiny magic mat. There might be a moral there: Bright Water goes round and round but she gets where she wants to be. With the dragon glowing amber, witch and fire chick faded away and vanished.
Had she bought him from the dwarf or not? Had Zinixo bought Inos? Would Inos heed Rap’s pathetic warning? It had been all he could do, to shout to her like that. He hoped she had understood.
He pushed himself up, but didn’t quite make it to a sitting position. He leaned on his arms instead and blinked to get his eyes working. It couldn’t be any more than a month since Inos left Krasnegar, and probably not as much. His head ached. “Right, Uncle,” the warlock said. “Go and get ‘em!”
The fake goblin stalked over to the magic portal. Rap caught a rank whiff of rancid grease as he went by. Of course Inos had always been popular and could probably make new friends very easily, but a month wasn’t very long to make really close friends. Intimate friends.
“Tell me exactly what I must do, Omnipotence,” Raspnex said.
“Being cautious, Uncle?”
“Nephew, you make anyone cautious.”
The boy laughed, but his mirth had a mean ring to it. “Go north and stay close to the imps when they leave Krasnegar. If you detect power, mark who’s using it. Don’t reveal yourself. Serve my interests as you see them.”
“To the death, of course?”
“Of course. Take the welcome mat with you.”
The older dwarf shrugged and headed over to stand on the shiny rug. He shut his eyes, as if he were concentrating hard. Rap struggled to his knees. The witch had shouted, Inos had come out of the tent, Rap had frightened her, she had screamed, and the man had come out. Big. Young. Can use a sword. Same tent.