“I never thought of it that way.”
“Much like you cannot think of Noraldeen’s death in any other way than through your grief, see? Now, to answer your question, in the magic of Baal, there is this place they call the Spell World. It is a dark and disturbing realm where the Temple uses conjurations to know when someone utters important names. The one I want you to meet in Salem has a special name, one of those names Baal watches in the Spell World.”
“So if you pronounce his name here, they will hear it and will know about my plan to go and see him?”
“It is a bit more complicated than that, but yes, they will know a lot more about your plans and whereabouts than you might like them to.”
“Do you think I can reach the Island of Salem without being caught by the Temple?”
Habael looked at Ahiram with a sly smile. “You killed a béghôm and slayed an urkuun. It won’t be easy, but yes, you can. Remember who you are: a Silent and a Solitary. In time, you will learn all you need to know about the tile. As long you do not forget the fragrance of mint and the flavor of thyme, all will be well.”
Ahiram breathed deeply. “Fine. I will search for Hoda. If she is dead, I will avenge her death and the destruction of Baher-Ghafé. Then I will go to Salem, and I will find out what this tile is all about.”
“What will you do once you discover what this title is for?”
“I don’t know. I’ll figure something out once I’m there.”
The old man chuckled. Ahiram placed a tentative arm on Habael’s shoulder. “Thank you, Master Habael, for everything. I won’t forget the mint and thyme. I can promise you this much.”
Habael smiled. If you only know the true depth of your promise, Ahiram, he thought. It is not you who should thank me, but I who should thank you for what is to come.
Evening came and the campsite glowed within a circle of torches. Enryl’s men had set the torches around a gaping hole in the damaged Fortress of Hardeen. An emissary of Baal had arrived by boat and negotiations were underway between him and Lord Orgond inside a tent set up for the occasion. Meanwhile, the people of Tanniin strolled quietly, enjoying their recovered freedom. The terror of the night had passed. Tanios walked thoughtfully with Master Habael.
“What have you decided?” asked Habael.
“That is not so easy. It would not be just to have Bahiya stand trial before Baal when I do not believe in its justice. Yet I cannot, in good conscience, let these crimes, sacrifices as she calls them, go unpunished. However, if this becomes a public concern, I fear it may risk the diplomatic discussion Uziguzi has agreed to undertake with Baal on behalf of Lord Orgond. I am weighing the issues.”
“And Bahiya, what is her position?”
“She is resigned to whatever decision I make. She gave me her word. I must say that I find it difficult to bring her before a court when at last I find her to be so peaceful and content. The emissary has asked her to remain in Tanniin a while longer. The politics of the Temple is complicated, but the urkuun’s death relieved the emissary.”
“Would you accept a tribunal of my own?”
“You, Master Habael, providing a tribunal?”
“Yes,” he replied with his usual smile. “An unusual tribunal. You and she would have to travel with me to the Forbidden Forest.”
“Hmm … I have wondered what is in that forest.” He looked at his friend. “Why not? I am willing to return there with you, and I will decide then if your tribunal is to my satisfaction.”
“Very well, when the time is right, we will head to Magdala. It might take longer than your forbearance allows, but it will come to pass.” Habael looked at Tanios and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “What about the lad?”
“What about him?” asked Tanios knowing what was coming.
“Are you going to tell him?”
“That he is my son?” asked Tanios. The commander had confided Bahiya’s words with his old friend. “There is nothing I want more. I am very proud of him.”
“So, you will tell him then?”
“No,” replied Tanios in a low voice. “I cannot. Ahiram put his life on the line before the urkuun. He competed in the Games to be free. His parents may be dead and he has just lost Noraldeen. Shall I now take his childhood dream away by telling him his true mother, the woman he believes has tried to kill him, switched him at birth instead of running away with him?”
“Did you know they were dead when the Games started?”
Tanios shook his head. “No, I did not. Bahiya told me shortly before Ahiram interrupted the council in Amsheet,” He sighed.
“What will you do next?”
“Well, the situation in Tanniin is dangerous still. Lord Orgond will have to negotiate with Baal, normalize Tanniin’s relations with the Empyreans, assure himself of Togofalk’s intentions, and figure out what to do with Thermodon.”
“Thermodon?”
“The Thermodonians are in league with the Bartanickians. Lord Orgond is concerned it may involve Tanniin. We have dispatched four Silent to learn more. Then, there is Soloron, the self-styled king in Taniir-The-Strong. Did you know that he is Frajil’s brother?”
“No, I did not,” replied Master Habael in a chuckle.
“In any event, we need to find out what his intentions are and then determine what to do with the garrisons that Baal keeps in the south. As you can see, there is plenty for my Silent and me to do in order to defend the kingdom.”
Habael nodded. “How are you feeling, my friend?”
“I live now as if I had wasted twenty years of my life. Had I been willing to reconsider and listen to Bahiya’s pleas back then, I could have been with her when she was pregnant with Ahiram. Had I been less haughty and proud, this all may never have happened. Discovering that I am Ahiram’s father and now having to let him go without telling him is the greatest sacrifice of my life. Yet this is how it must be.”
“So.” said Jedarc.
“So?” replied Hiyam.
“Are you leaving?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“I thought you would be leaving soon for Baalbek.”
“Well, my mother has decided to stay. She is stepping down from her position as the high priestess of Baalbek.”
“Will you be replacing her?”
Hiyam smiled. “No. I will never be a priestess of Baal.”
“That’s true, you’ve told me that already. So, what will you do?”
“For now I am staying here.”
“You are?”
“Yes. Lord Orgond has asked me to be part of the delegation that will meet with the ambassador of Baal, and I have accepted. We will be signing the peace treaty at Taniir-the-Strong Castle.”
“You will need an escort as you move back to Taniir-the-Strong. The roads are dangerous, you know.”
“My mother has prepared everything.”
“Oh, and who is escorting you?”
“Well, Master Habael suggested the trip could be profitable to Banimelek. He has not been himself lately.”
“Of course it would be profitable for Banimelek, but can he protect you? I mean, the roads are really dangerous.”
Hiyam glanced at Jedarc and laughed, unable to keep a straight face. He lifted her up and twirled her. Slowly, he brought her down, and they held the embrace.
“You know,” whispered Jedarc, “if you keep me company long enough, something wonderful may happen.”
“What?” whispered Hiyam.
“I may marry you.”
“That is a risk I am prepared to take.”
They both laughed.
“I wonder if this is all right,” said Hiyam.
“What?”
“To feel so joyful when …”
“When Noraldeen’s death is still so close? Every time I think of her death, tears well in my eyes. I can’t help it. I feel the separation bitterly. Then I think about what she has done. She gave her life so that we may live fully.” He held Hiyam’s hand. “I say
to myself that by defending those I love, I am honoring her memory. So, I rejoice in this victory. I force myself to do what is right because I want to honor her. We can’t yet share our joy with others, but we can prepare the future.”
“I agree,” said Banimelek who joined them.
The three friends sat silently, Hiyam between the two. Banimelek moved over, leaving an empty spot between them. “We’ll never forget her.” he said, “She’ll always be will us.”
“Noraldeen,” said Jedarc. “I miss you.” There was nothing more to say.
The following day, the camp came together for Noraldeen’s funeral. The Silent carried her coffin, while a mournful crowd showered it with white roses. The Silent laid her on a raised pyre and four Empyreans placed a wreath at the foot of her coffin. Princess Gaëla Meïr Pen gave a pledge of peace to the Kingdom of Tanniin in honor of Noraldeen and told Lord Orgond that a statue of his daughter would grace their pantheon. This was the highest honor Empyreans could give anyone.
Lord Orgond asked Frajil to come forward. The giant of a man wanted to know where the chicken was but for once controlled himself.
“By now, you all know Frajil. His bravery on the battlefield is unequaled and I am grateful he fought at our side. Frajil fought selflessly and with all his heart. I would like to commend you for what you have done and I want you to know you are always welcome in northern Tanniin. By the power given me, you have my word that you will no longer hunger. No matter where you go, or where you stay in Tanniin, you will always have a warm dish and a roof over your head.”
Warm dish and roof over head was all that Frajil understood, but it was all he needed to hear. He wanted to hug Lord Orgond, but Princess Gaëla’s expression told him it wasn’t a good idea. He wanted to shake someone’s hand, but there was no hand to shake. He would have liked to get into a scuffle of some sort, but no one wanted to fight, so Frajil cried for joy. Everyone thought he was mourning Noraldeen.
After Enryl managed to guide Frajil down from the elevated platform, Lord Orgond spoke of his daughter and the meaning of her actions. He told the crowd what he had told Ahiram: Noraldeen knew well the risk she was taking. As a half-Empyrean, she knew the meaning of sacrifice and embraced it. She acted out of love, and that love allowed all of them to be alive this day. “If you wish to honor Noraldeen’s memory, if you believe in what she did, then you must do as she did. Like El-Windiir and Layaleen before her, my daughter loved this kingdom with all her strength. As I speak, I am convinced she stands radiant among my ancestors, in whose company she is proud to be.”
The morespherini came forward, bowed before the dead princess, then sang a dirge in her honor:
“Night fell over the Plain of Iliand when you fell, my princess,
Pure lily of early dawn whose fragrance will never cease.
Starry light, shine upon us with an everlasting brightness,
Be our beacon of hope, our steadfast guide to peace.”
Ahiram and the Silent sat transfixed. The woman had a haunting voice; deep, velvety, pure, and able to soar like eagles over eternal snow. The melody mourned Noraldeen but remained hopeful, like a cheerful smile can sometimes soften the face of a widow.
“O fearless one, you defeated a heartless tyranny.
Your selfless, loving sacrifice broke my heart.
Your courage shaped our lives, our fate, our destiny.
Must you then, my beautiful princess, leave us and depart?”
Ahiram heard his friends of the Silent Corps sob softly. His tears flowed freely, as if the woman had read his innermost thoughts and put them to song. “Must you then, my beautiful princess, leave us and depart?” This verse, he knew was etched indelibly in his own heart.
“Night has fallen over the mighty plain of Iliand.
I weep now for our children, the fallen, the brave,
Those who left us and went to the everlasting highland
Shining like glorious stars beyond the power of the grave.
They are gone, never shall we see their faces again,
Never to hear their voices echoing in the merry night,
Never to watch them dance when spring colors our plain,
Or see them fall in love in the fullness of light.
They walk on the final path that takes them away.
Away from us they go to everlasting shores
Where darkness never overtakes the light of day,
Where they rest at last beyond the pain of wars.”
The verses were sobering for Ahiram. I’ve been so taken by Noraldeen that I forgot the many other losses. He surveyed the crowd. That young woman over there, she may have lost her husband or her brother. For the first time, Ahiram considered what would have happened if Noraldeen had not intervened. Many would be dead, and many more would be dying still.
“Say, my love, who it is that walks ahead of them.
Who is this beautiful woman, this young maiden of eighteen?
More precious than the dwarf’s treasures and their lonely gem,
Orgond’s beloved daughter, she is Princess Noraldeen.”
Ahiram instantly memorized this stanza. He knew he would never forget it. He wished the woman had used it as a refrain for her elegy. Slowly, he realized the singer had stopped and a deafening applause filled the camp. Spontaneously, the crowd began chanting the name of Noraldeen. “Noraldeen, we love you, Noraldeen, we miss you,” and “Princess Noraldeen, we thank you,” were some of the expressions Ahiram heard, and he struggled to stay afloat on the waves of maddening sadness toying with his heart.
Gradually, silence fell once more, and all eyes were on him. Slowly, he got up and faced the crowd. He was shocked to see many of the same faces he had seen at the start of the Games of the Mines. How much has changed in such a short time.
“I am not one to speak before large crowds,” he started hesitantly. “I don’t know if I could say anything more than what you heard in that beautiful song. Noraldeen is dead,” he said pointing at the pyre, “and so are many of your sons and daughters, husbands and parents. I wish I were the one on the pyre and she were standing here.” He let out a nervous chuckle. “At least she would know what to say. She would have said great and wonderful things about me. You would have believed her because you would not have been able to resist her smile, her warmth, and her joy. That is who Noraldeen is. I say is because I cannot bring myself to say was before you. I don’t know if I will ever will.”
He wiped tears from his face with the back of his hand and struggled to control his emotions. “You know, Nora meant everything to me. I owe her my life twice over.” Ahiram unsheathed his sword and held it high for all to see. “This is El-Windeer’s blade. I slew the urkuun with it, and before that, I slew a béghôm. This blade is magnificent, isn’t it? Wouldn’t you say that Noraldeen is worthy of it? Why is it that she was not the one to bear this sword? She may not be dead if this sword had been in her hands, but this blade answers only to my voice. Why? I don’t know.” He then noticed Sheheluth standing with the crowd and not with the Silent. She was shaking her head. Cut it out Ahiram, stop the whining. This is how Ahiram interpreted her gesture. They want to hear something great from you, not hear you whine.
Ahiram sliced the air with the blade. His movement was swift and powerful. The sword sang, and the crowd gasped when they saw a deep purple halo crown the steel as it cut through the night. “El-Windiir called this sword Layaleen, the name of his beloved. Today I, Ahiram, Urkuun Slayer, I declare before you, I shall no longer call this blade Layaleen. I call you Noraldeen.” Immediately, the halo blazed a clear, bright blue. Ahiram gasped. Nora.
The crowd clapped and cheered.
“Noraldeen has accepted.”
“It is the princess. She said yes, the princess said yes.”
“Noraldeen, Noraldeen!”
Somewhat shaken, Ahiram waited for the crowd to quiet, and moments of silence passed before he spoke again. When he finally lifted his face to the multitude, his posture was
different. He no longer looked haggard and sad. He stood tall and resolute, and his tone became harsher, even dangerous. The crowd stiffened. “The urkuun has masters who did not value your lives, the lives of your children, or the life of Noraldeen. These heartless leaders unleashed this horror on us. I swear by Noraldeen that I will not rest until I have avenged her death. Nothing less than their utter destruction will be enough to pay back the precious blood they drew in Tanniin.”
The crowd erupted in a sustained applause. Why did I say that? he wondered. I didn’t know I was going to say that. Do I wish someone’s utter destruction? I’m so confused.
Keeping his inner turmoil hidden from the crowd, he waited for the applause to quiet down, then sheathed his sword and went to the throne where Lord Orgond was sitting. He knelt before him. Lord Orgond stood, stooped down, and reached for Ahiram, thereby conferring on him the dignity of a prince with all of its privileges.
“Ahiram, you were a slave of Commander Tanios. I, Lord Orgond, declare you now a free man, and raise you to the dignity of a prince of my kingdom.” He stood by the Silent and faced the crowd. “People of the mighty Kingdom of Tanniin, I present to you Prince Ahiram.”
The crowd stood for Ahiram. He bowed deeply. Then, an Empyrean officer walked over.
“Urkuun Slayer,” she said, loud enough for all to hear, “receive this amulet from Her Highness Princess Gaëla Meïr Pen, heiress to the Empress.” The pendant was a clear, brilliant diamond tear, two inches long. “This amulet grants you free passage throughout the entire Empyrean Kingdom. You may come and go as you please, a privilege never accorded to any man since the days of El-Windiir the Great.”
“Do your eyeing eyes behold what my eyeing eyes are beholding?” whispered Zurwott in the crowd.
“Aye, my brotherly brother and brother most brotherly,” replied Orwutt, a quiver in his voice. “A Séréléna Gléna, the goddess’ tear, one of three such incredibly incredible and incredible in the most incredible exquisitely exquisite jewel.”
Wrath of the Urkuun (Epic of Ahiram Book 2) Page 59