“There is,” Cahloon explained, “but it is a very difficult technique to master. I am afraid there is no time to teach it to your daughter.”
“So, what do we do if she cannot locate the pin?”
“There is perhaps another way, but not one without danger.”
“Do we have a choice?” Corintus asked.
Cahloon shook her head. “A shemmet seldom works alone. They come in packs. No doubt this one is a scout and soon others will join it. Without my pin, I won’t be able to resist their attack for very long.”
“But how could the shemmet hurt you here?” Aquilina asked. “I don’t understand.”
“This place is very cleverly constructed,” Cahloon explained. “A portion of it exists where you met the shemmet,” she said, eyeing Aquilina. “The shemmet has access to it.”
A part of this maze is in Tyrulan? Aquilina wondered. “And you can bring other people in here?” she asked.
“That’s the idea,” Cahloon said.
Aquilina did not understand what Cahloon meant, but she was beginning to see that there was more to Tyrulan than she first imagined.
“Let’s hear your plan then,” Corintus said.
“Your daughter must hear my pin, while evading the shemmets. The trick then is for her to be in a safe place, a spot where the shemmets cannot easily get to.”
“Is there such a place, and can she get to it from here?” Corintus asked.
“There is such a place in this maze.”
“Great, let’s go find it.”
“Easier said than done. It’s a hidden promontory overlooking the world your daughter is familiar with. This elevation acts like a bridge between her world and this one. The problem is that I don’t know where it’s location is.”
“Then who can get my daughter there?” Corintus asked.
“I think the person who built this lookout must be hiding in the lower levels of the maze. Just before I fell into the trap, I sent out a signal and I am certain this person heard it.”
“Wait, I’m confused,” Slippery Slued said. “Why isn’t this someone helping you find the pin?”
“That’s what I couldn’t understand, but now that I know a shemmet is involved, it makes sense. Neither of us can go where Princess Aquilina can, but my friend could lead her to the promontory, which will allow her to see the shemmets without being detected.”
“Who is your friend hiding from?” Quiet Surata said.
“Hiding is the wrong term. My friend doesn’t wish to be seen by you. This is for your protection and the protection of another party.”
“It’s complicated,” Quiet Surata grumbled.
“Always,” Cahloon said.
“And if your friend is not down there?” Amaréya asked.
“If your daughter reaches the lowest level without meeting my friend, she will have to take her chances with the shemmet. As for us, we will most certainly die.”
“I will do it,” said Aquilina without hesitation. “I will jump down below and seek your friend.”
“You’ll hurtle to your death!” Krom protested. “This is madness.”
“No,” Aquilina said. “This world is different. I felt it when I landed here. I will jump and I will fall very slowly. There is no danger.”
“She is correct,” Cahloon said. “As long as I am in control of this maze, she will move slowly.”
“Aquilina,” Corintus said, holding her by the shoulders, “listen to me. If you reach the lowest level and there’s no one, I want you to get out and I don’t want you to come back.”
“But, Father—”
“Do not come back,” he repeated forcefully. “Find Hoda and Karadon and tell them to take you to Salem. Do not disobey me! Your mother and I will be fine.”
“Do not worry,” Aquilina said addressing her parents. “I will find the pin. I will be back.”
She ran toward the maze’s edge and jumped, and as she began her descent, she turned around and waved bravely to her parents.
“Amazing,” Slippery Slued said. “Amazing and scary.”
As she had predicted, her descent was slow and deliberate. Levels succeeded levels in sheer monotony with no interruption and no change. She glanced below and could see a darker patch getting closer. It must be the lowest level, she thought, and still she kept falling without seeing any sign of Cahloon’s friend.
Just as she was about to reach the last level, a heavy mass crashed into her and they both tumbled on the rough surface of the maze behind her. She slammed against a wall, let out a low moan, and slowly got back up on her feet. She rubbed her back and then froze in a startle. A black dog, larger than a wolf, sat on his hind legs and eyed her calmly, his tongue sticking out of a formidable snout.
“A dog? Here? What are you doing here? Are you lost?” The dog turned around and trotted a short distance away, then stopped and barked. “You want me to follow you?” The dog bent his head then leaped forward. Aquilina followed him. He ran purposefully through the maze, never hesitating whenever the path branched into multiple directions. After a while, the dog stopped in front of an open alcove and barked.
“What? Is this the promontory?”
The dog barked again and led her forward.
“You want me to go there?” she asked. The dog barked urgently and bound ahead. “Fine, I’ll go.”
She stepped into the alcove. It was deeper than she expected, but she walked forward and then saw the familiar filament grow to her right and to her left. Tyrulan. I’m back in Tyrulan? Looking behind her, she could still see the maze. The promontory is an in-between place, she thought. Like a bridge between this strange world and Tyrulan. Seeing filaments growing on either side of the bridge reassured her. It meant the shemmet was not nearby. She touched the ones to the left and heard a shepherd sing. She touched the ones to the right, and froze.
“Now Hoda,” a male voice said, “look at this silver dagger. It has never been used before. I will use it to kill you and will bury it with you. I thought you might appreciate the gesture.”
Hoda! She’s in danger! Aquilina stepped sideways and was back in the normal world, four feet in the air over an altar on which Hoda lay in front of a man about to stab her. From the corner of her eye, Aquilina saw Vily slumped in the back of the room.
He’s going to kill Hoda, and then he’ll kill Vily! Nimbly, she landed in front of the startled man.
“The goddess Tiamat,” he said, looking at her in awe.
She pivoted and delivered a strong sidekick, then she freed Hoda. If I manage to find that pin, Cahloon will be free and she will be able to help Vily. I better tell Hoda where to meet us. “Meet me at Cahloon’s tent tomorrow before noon,” she said. “Do not walk in, no matter what. Stay outside until I come and get you.” I must go back now, she thought, and stepped back inside Tyrulan and onto the bridge. Anxiously, she watched for the shemmet, but the beast did not show up.
The dog behind her barked urgently. She turned around and saw him moving back and forth from the mouth of the alcove to the back wall.
“You don’t want me to stay here, do you?” she said aloud. “This is not the promontory, is it? Somehow, you knew Hoda was in danger and you led me to her. How did you do that?”
She jumped back inside the maze and the dog led her again through a series of bewildering pathways until they reached a small enclosed room. In the center, a circular crystal platform was encased into the rock. The dog sat on his hind legs and wagged his tail. He looked at her.
“So this is the promontory, then,” she said.
Carefully, she walked inside the room and stood on the platform. Immediately, a soft green light started pulsating inside the crystal. Good, said a voice in her head. Close your eyes and listen intently. You should be able to hear the pin.
“Who are you?” Aquilina asked, unnerved. She scanned the room but there was no one else.
Not so loud, the voice protested. Just think, and I will hear you. I am Cahloon’s friend. There
is little time. The shemmets are coming for you. You are under my protection here. They cannot reach you. Ignore them and focus on the pin instead.
How do I know you’re not with them?
I led you to Hoda, didn’t I?
Aquilina closed her eyes and gasped. She was back in Tyrulan.
The shemmets will try to distract you. Ignore them. They cannot reach you. Look for the pin. Quickly now!
Aquilina scanned the familiar landscape, searching for a repeating pattern. She now knew to also look up and down. This part of Tyrulan, devoid of any sound, was reticent and desolate, but in that deep grayness, Aquilina caught sight of a repeating signal. It was faint and far, but steady.
“Dive!” she said.
Instantly, she began to move down at great speed in the direction of the pulsating sound. She glimpsed behind her and her heart skipped a beat. Six shemmets were converging on her.
Keep going, I’m holding them back, the voice in her head insisted. Stay focused on the pin. That’s what counts now.
Aquilina forced herself to ignore the monsters and willed to move as fast as possible, but could feel herself weakening and knew she could not keep the pace much longer. She glanced behind her just in time to see one of the shemmets lunging forward. The beast was a few feet away and was about to swallow her, but suddenly slammed against an invisible barrier and bounced back.
Go faster, the voice in her head urged. You’re almost there.
In one final burst of energy, the young girl sped ahead of the deadly pack. The six beasts coordinated their attacks and rammed the protective barrier with increasing violence until they broke through, just as Aquilina reached the pulsating filament. She touched it and heard the name “Cahloon,” and immediately stepped out of Tyrulan. She fell inside an abysmal pit, and after a dizzying fall, landed in a pool of green muddy substance. Aquilina had fallen inside the Arayat, though she did not know it. She stood up and saw a pin floating below the surface of the green oozing substance, a pin about ten inches long and shaped like a nail. Aquilina grabbed it and an oval mirror appeared on the wall before her. She saw an expansive room where a beautiful woman stood with her back turned to her.
“So, my dear Cahloon, you found your pin, I see. I am thoroughly disappointed. But I trust this little demonstration of my powers will make you consider my offer seriously and will teach you not to mock Sarand the Soloist.”
Do not let her see you, the voice in Aquilina’s head shouted. Go back to your parents, now!
Aquilina did as she was told and vanished just as Sarand turned around. The portal—an oval shaped mirror—showed Sarand the location of the Arayat where she had hidden Cahloon’s pin. She walked over and inspected the bottom of the pit.
“It is as I feared. Cahloon is stronger than Sharr suspected. Maybe I’m being too cautious here, but if the blast that destroyed the urkuun occurred after the death of Orgond’s daughter, then Cahloon must be eliminated.”
She chafed at the high priest who ignored her concerns and would not listen to her. “He thinks the male Seer is a grave danger, but he can do nothing without his female counterpart. She’s the one who must be eliminated, and my heart is restless. I do not believe the Princess of Tanniin was the female Seer. Once the Kerta priest captures the male Seer, I will know with certainty whether the female Seer yet lives.”
She turned around and left the room.
In leaving the deep Arayatian well, Aquilina knew she could not reach her parents without jumping back into Tyrulan, and she had only seconds to decide where to go. Instinctively, she jumped inside the lake of fire that was Tirkalanzibar. Her ability to select the spot where she wished to land in Tyrulan was a newfound skill, nonetheless, it came naturally to her now, and she did not give it a second thought. She hoped the deafening noise of Tirka would prevent the shemmet from detecting her presence, just as it had when she had drawn close to him the first time. And her hope came true for there were no shemmets in the immediate vicinity. Carefully, she moved toward the hole she had jumped through the first time and peeked inside. The screams and the yelling from Tirkalanzibar were intolerable this time around, and she could barely suffer the noise. She inspected the hole, looking for the beasts. Finding none, she jumped in. She flew through the Tyrulian expanse as fast as she could muster until she saw the repeating pattern of her father’s sentence. She reached it, stepped sideways and landed next to her father.
“Aquilina!” Corintus cried out. “Quick, throw the pin to Cahloon!”
She had returned to mayhem. The maze was crumbling. Blocks of stones the size of her room were being hurled at them. They were huddled around Cahloon on a platform which was all that was left of the strange woman’s defenses.
Aquilina threw the pin. It flew straight and true and landed in Cahloon’s hand. With one powerful thrust, Cahloon drove the pin into the ground then flicked the head with her fingers. Immediately, high pitched waves pulsed through the entire space. Aquilina closed her eyes and shielded her ears with her hands to protect them from the shrill.
“Aquilina, open your eyes,” Amaréya said gently.
Slowly, Aquilina opened her eyes and gasped. She was lying on the floor of a large tent, in front of a long counter filled with exotic objects. Her mother helped her back to her feet. Behind the counter, a short, tanned, bespectacled woman with long curly hair was gazing at her. Their eyes met and the woman gave a warm and welcoming smile.
“Hello, Aquilina,” she said, “welcome to my tent. To Cahloon’s tent.”
Aquilina looked up and saw a gold pin holding the woman’s hair in a long ponytail. “Hello, Lady Cahloon. Nice to meet you once more.” She suddenly felt dizzy and faint.
“You must be hungry,” Cahloon said. “Why don’t you sit down while I fetch you something to eat.”
The following day, shortly before noon, a pair of travelers entered Tirkalanzibar. With their black silk trousers and white tunics, and with their black and white turbans, folks would identify them as southern Kemetians, most likely from the oasis city of Anpep. One of them carried the traditional tall wicker basket the Kemetians used to carry their famed goat cheese alongside small urns of their high-prized dessert-frozen grape wine. The basket was narrower at the base than at the mouth, and its contents was protected by a brown leather cover. An attentive observer might find two Kemetians walking through the gates of Tirkalanzibar suspicious. After all, Kemetians were highly sociable people who traveled in large bands. But in the daily hustle and bustle of Tirka, no one paid attention to them.
They walked purposefully, carefully avoiding narrow passages and staying on the widest paths. They avoided eye contact with the folks around them and kept meandering through the Tirkalanzibarian maze with the determination of two ants trying to cross a field of scattered stones that lay between them and their nest. After a few hours of persistent effort, they managed to reach Cahloon’s tent. They did not enter but preferred to stand in the shadows nearby. People went in and came out every few minutes. After some time, a young girl with straight blond hair walked out from the tent and looked around.
“Aquilina,” Hoda whispered. “We’re here.”
Aquilina whirled around, smiled, and clapped. “A basket? You’ve been carrying Vily in a basket? I want a tour too,” she said excitedly. “Now come on, Cahloon is waiting for you.”
They followed the young girl inside the tent and were instantly overwhelmed by the silence. The walls of the tent were covered with dark brown Safadian carpets, recognizable from their intricate patterns of laurels, ferns, and roses. The floor was paneled with laminated oak lattices, topped with pastel green carpets. Fruit trees stood in huge marble pots, and lush greenery ran along the top of the tent twenty feet overhead. Bamboo dividers turned the inside of the tent into a well-organized, high-end market where gold, jewelry, musical instruments, carpets, sculptures, mummies, exotic birds, and a host of other high-priced items were all on display. On either side of the shops, well-insulated meeting rooms allow
ed those who required privacy to transact in peace. Aquilina stepped into the tent with the assured stance of a princess strolling into her very own palace hall.
“Time to let Vily out of the basket,” Karadon said.
“Not yet,” Aquilina replied. “Not until we reach Cahloon’s apartments. She doesn’t want us to attract unnecessary attention.”
Midway through the vast tent, Aquilina veered left and led them up a set of stairs to a mezzanine. She knocked on a tall wooden double door that boasted the intricate carving of a single gold pin. The handle was shaped like the tail of a dragon, and Karadon remembered what Ashod had taught him about cursed handles and doors: “Those shaped in dragon tails or heads were meant as a warning to everyone not to open the door, or else risk being cursed.”
The door opened silently and they walked into an antechamber where two maids welcomed them.
“You can let her come out now,” Aquilina said after the door closed behind them of its own accord. While Karadon carefully set the basket down on the ground, Aquilina walked over to Hoda and closely inspected the young woman’s face.
“What, Aquilina?” Hoda was smiling. “What is it?”
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” she said, running a finger down Hoda’s left cheek.
“No, I’m not hurt,” Hoda replied. “Thanks to you.”
“Miss Hoda, please don’t tell my parents.”
“Tell them what?”
“That I saw how he impaled himself. Don’t tell them I did. My father is too sensitive. He’ll be upset.”
Hoda glanced at her with a pained expression. “So you saw it, then. I hoped you hadn’t. I’m sorry.”
Aquilina shrugged her shoulders. “He deserved it,” she said with a finality that shocked Hoda. “Besides, if he weren’t dead, I’d have to worry about what he’d do to you. Vily!” she called out, seeing her friend emerge from the basket. “I missed you so much!” She ran over and held her Vily tightly. Then she spoke to her as if Vily was aware of her presence, as if the young orphan did not stare blankly in front of her.
The Wretched Race (Epic of Ahiram Book 3) Page 12