Obey my conditions and you shall have the Left Eye and your life. Disobey and die.
Hower, King of Ilan
Next morning, two ships sailed forth. One carried my letter, the other the steel egg. They were scarcely out of sight when word came that Kathis had been found, weak as a kitten and so pale I doubt he had a cup of blood in his veins. He was not able to give a coherent account of the disaster. Thus there is no knowing whether it was Pyre or another who took the Right Eye.
When the first ship returned, her captain reported that Ekron read my words and sweated greatly though it was a cool day. He was in haste to obey my instructions.
The second ship did not return. Neither did the fishing vessel which carried my daughter. It is as if the ocean has swallowed her, the two ships and the treasure.
*
King Hower finished his narrative and sat staring at the floor. Sad eyed, he looked up at Tiana.
“My daugher is lost at sea and lost in a black maze of witchcraft. There are many I could order or beg to hunt her, but I fear they would die to no purpose. You, Tiana, are both a wizard-slayer and a sea warrior. You are my only hope.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Moved by the king’s plea, Tiana said, “Your Majesty, I am a loyal subject and will gladly do what I can. I ask only fair payment.”
Relief showed strongly in his face. “If you succeed, the nation will owe you a debt beyond recompense. As to that payment. First there are the Jewels of Ullatara. Whoever has my daughter must also have them. I propose that these should be yours free and clear without the usual shares to the harbor master, the Duke and the Throne. Further, such operating capital, supplies, men and aught else you need, is yours for the asking. Bearing in mind that my treasury is depleted, do you require more than this?”
“Yes, much more. I require justice.”
The king frowned before her level gaze. “I don’t understand.”
Duke Holonbad remained silent while his face showed his discomfort.
“While it is true that pirate captains are safe in Reme, the common seamen do badly. There’s a gang of grubs who rob and murder them. The King’s Own Guard does nothing because the grubs divide the loot with milord Duke. When I return with Princess Jiltha, I want to see the heads of the entire gang decorating posts in the harbor. Further, before I leave I shall prepare a list; the name of every tavern and innkeeper who robs sailors with drugged wine or crooked gambling games. I want these dogs flogged and banished and their businesses given to honest men.”
The duke opened his mouth to protest but under the king’s angry eyes he wilted. Hower said, “These things shall be done. This is no payment, but my clear duty as sovereign.”
Holonbad still sat silent and motionless. Though his share of the dishonest gambling was a large part of his income, in the king’s present mood it would cost the duke his head to offer a protest. There was, however, one thing he could say. It would not recover any of his losses but it would hurt Tiana.
“Gracious Majesty, if you are to trust this woman with the princess, you must have some guarantee. I suggest Caranga remain as our guest.”
Tiana had no illusions as to her father’s well-being as the duke’s prisoner. Fear tinged her voice. “That’s absurd. My lord King can trust me without guarantees because I’m a perfectly moral person.”
The duke snorted. “You’re a pirate. You make your living by robbery and murder.”
“Yes, but I only rob and murder people I don’t like.”
When the laughter subsided, Caranga said, “It is true that my daughter is loyal. Forcing me to stay behind would be like locking up half the army to make the other half fight better. The best hope your daughter has is to send the strongest possible rescue force, us. And, since Your Highness thinks well of him, Kathis. We would command Vixen and her crew, while he could command a picked company of soldiers.”
“That,” the duke snarled, “is hardly a proper guarantee.”
“It’s a guarantee adequate to the trust,” Caranga said calmly. “Your Highness is not trusting us with his daughter, or her ransom, or even the secret of her location. In truth my lord King has very little with which he can trust us. Now that’s the important question. Have your sweet spies found no clue?”
Hower looked unhappy. “We were hoping you could tell us.”
“I fail to understand Your Highness.”
“Captain Despan reported that when he tried to ah, fetch you two in the Wayfarer Tavern, he found two dead bodies inside and a third in the alley. The last body was that of a cutpurse whose throat had been cut. Yet there was no blood. That news disturbed me — men died in that manner in the disaster of the second excavation! One of the bodies inside the tavern was a beggar, while the other was one of my spies. He returned to Reme three days ago, saying he had found a clue which led here. Before he died, did he say anything to you; give you anything?”
Tiana made an unpleasant face. “Not before, but after.”
“What?”
“It’s true. He walked into the tavern and gave me what he said was some sort of map. At that time he had been dead several hours.”
“Theba protect us.” The king made the sign for protection against evil. Then hope conquered his fear. “This map … it may be a clue to my daughter’s whereabouts.”
“I fear not, lord King.” Tiana spread the scroll on a small table. “See, it’s completely blank.”
All this time, the cat had sat motionless, listening. Now it moved, pouncing soundlessly into an empty chair and thence to the top of a massive oaken cabinet. From this vantage point it peered down at the blank scroll.
The king’s voice was hard. “The gods are cruel. First they light a beacon of hope, then when I approach they plunge me into blind darkness.”
Tiana snapped her lingers. “Blind! That could be it!” She shut her eyes and ran her fingers over the map. “Yes, by the Cud, it’s a blind map!”
King Hower moved closer, staring. “Explain.”
“When I saw the map was blank, I thought of invisible writing, but that made no sense. People write so that others may read. Since I know no secrets to make such writing visible, why would anyone send me a letter in invisible writing? Now I know why, and I think I can make it visible.”
She hurried to a fireplace in which no fire burned. Three men and a cat watched her intently. Reaching up the chimney, she drew back her hand black with soot. She rubbed the scroll carefully, slowly coating it. While they watched, white lines and writing appeared.
“Whoever drew the map was either blind or working in complete darkness,” Tiana explained. “Since he could not see what he was doing, he drew with something he could feel — either white wax or soap.” She finished developing the map and looked at the two noblemen. The king was extremely worried about his daughter and demanded that others share this worry; the duke would not dare mention a less important subject. Accordingly, Tiana turned and wiped her dirty hand on Holonbad’s silken, cloth-of-gold-bordered drapes. As this failed to cleanse her hand satisfactorily, she picked up the half-finished bottle of vintage wine, poured it over her hands, and meticulously wiped her fingers on the wet drape.
My lord Duke watched this gross act in silence, and with no small amount of pain marring his meaty face.
Tiana spread the map before the king. “Lord King, this appears to be the Kroll Isles. Here is the castle of Storgavar.”
“The so-called King of the Kroll pirates?” Hower asked.
“Almost. As I am so-called Pirate Queen. The Krollers are far too lawless to recognize a king or any other authority. They do respect Storgavar and take his advice because he’s a powerful and cunning leader. Besides, he kills anyone who disagrees with him. Ah, now this is very interesting. These markings, Your Highness, indicate the tides and currents — and, by the Cud, these markings are their lookout posts!”
“This writing at the bottom of the map — can you read it? It contains my daughter’s name!” King Hower trembled
with excitement.
“Father, this is Simdan, and you never taught me to read your native language.”
Caranga leaned in. “That’s because I read it so poorly myself. Reading is a thing I learned only after I came to civilization. Still, it may be I can make this out. Hmm … ‘Chieftain Tiana, I send you on a — ’ well literally this means ‘hunt for thornbush berries.’ Young men of my tribe gather such berries as part of their wedding ceremony. Perhaps it means to send you on a sacred quest. ‘The Kroll pirates came upon a Narokan fishing vessel and an Ilani war galley. Having attacked and overwhelmed both crews, they thus had captured the Princess Jiltha and the shining stones of Ullatara. I send you a guide to this rich plunder, but you must, ‘walk naked among tigers.’ That means, uh, accept danger. ‘You may do as you please with the Princess Jiltha and most of the shining stones of Ullatara, but there is an egg of a steel bird. Fools say it contains an extremely valuable diamond. In truth it holds the last treasure which once gained may never be taken from a man. It holds death. You must take the egg to Sulun Tha. He may be able — ’ I can’t read this part, daughter. It’s blurred. ‘Beware, the Right Eye of Sarsis is free and — ’ I’m sorry, the rest is illegible.”
The king’s face showed both relief and new concern.
“The Kroll Islands — are they vulnerable? Could the Royal Navy attack and conquer them?”
Tiana shook her head. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but other kings have sent their navies against the Krolls and have been driven back with heavy losses. Storgavar’s castle stands at the center of a maze of islands — a well-guarded maze.”
“But how,” Hower demanded, his voice trembling, “can we rescue my daughter from this shark’s lair?”
“Majesty,” Caranga cautioned, politely raising a hand like a black glove, “we don’t actually know Jiltha is there. Remember this map is merely the promise of one we’ve no reason to trust. ’Twas delivered by a dead messenger and those who use such means are seldom friends to mankind.” Anxiously Hower looked at Tiana.
“My father is, of course, right. Still.” She paused, thinking. “If this map can be confirmed, there’s a chance. Knowing the location of the lookout posts, a fast ship could sneak past and land a raiding party.”
“And what,” her foster father asked, “route would you use?”
The king watched in growing hope while the two pirates planned the raid. Duke Holonbad glanced about angrily. This night had been a total disaster. He had planned to make Tiana work for a small share of the treasure. Instead he was going to receive no share of the treasure and had lost a substantial part of his income. To add insult to injury, she had ruined his finest drapes. His anger needed an outlet, but there were no servants he might beat. He looked up and saw the white cat sitting atop the oak cabinet. Holonbad raised his hand to strike it for no reason save that it was there. He stopped and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He did not allow pets in the castle. What was this pretty beast doing here? He could not help staring into those glowing green eyes. He was only vaguely aware of the brilliant diamond at the cat’s throat. Slowly the diamond’s white fire turned red.
The duke’s eyes dulled even more than usual.
He turned and said, “My lord King, good and trusted friends, this map and the high hope it promises calls for a bottle of my special wine. I have it here.” Holonbad opened the cabinet and drew forth a sealed crystal bottle of amber. Unstoppering it he said, “With all due respect to Your Majesty’s wine cellar I’m sure you never before had wine of such a subtle and marvelous bouquet.” The Duke of Reme filled all four goblets, raised his own, said “To success,” and drank deeply.
Tiana stopped King Hower’s cup at his lips. Caranga raised his glass to his lips, stuck out his tongue so that its tip touched the wine. He dropped his glass and spat repeatedly.
His voice came in a roar: “As I suspected, poison!”
The duke tried to speak but could only stammer. His face had gone pale green. He swayed unsteadily on his feet. Tiana snatched his goblet, dipped a finger in it and touched the fingertip to her tongue.
She too spat. “By the Cud! He’s poisoned himself! Help me, Father.”
Caranga held the duke upright and forced his mouth open. Tiana pulled the duke’s ermine robe off his shoulders and tore it to shreds. She forced a long narrow strip of fur down the duke’s throat. Holonbad promptly discharged the wine and his supper onto the carpet of woven silk.
“If Your Highness will summon the servants,” Tiana said coolly, “there are some things I need to save the duke.”
“Unless you’d prefer not to bother,” Caranga said rather hopefully.
The king did as she asked. In the excitement no one noticed that the white cat hopped on the table, inspected the map carefully, and departed.
After Tiana had, for the fourth time, forced warm water down my lord Holonbad’s throat and made him return it onto the rug, she straightened to stand over him, tall and piratic and competent.
“There’s no poison left in his stomach. Some has doubtless already entered his blood, but nothing can be done about that. We can but put him to bed and see whether he lives or dies.”
When the servants carried off the unfortunate duke, Caranga whispered to Tiana, “Before we leave, shall I set the castle on fire?”
“Father! Why should I want to do such a terrible thing?”
“Well, you’ve ruined the gold-bordered drapes, the ermine robe, and the silk rugs. I thought you might want to make a clean sweep.”
“Father, ” Her eyes danced. “No . Besides, the ermine robe isn’t completely ruined. There’s still enough left to make a fur trim for my cloak.”
The king returned from seeing the duke to bed. “What could this event mean?”
“Well, the logical explanation would be that someone poisoned a bottle of the duke’s wine and we happened to be with him when he opened it. I don’t believe that. Truly fine wine needs the protection of storage in a good cellar. Both my father and I were suspicious when we saw the ‘special bottle’ was stored in a cabinet in this chamber. That’s a foolish thing to do with good vintage, and such men as the duke often keep a bottle of poisoned wine handy.”
“Are you saying my lord Duke Holonbad deliberately poisoned himself in order to poison us too?”
“No, lord King, I doubt he had any idea what he was doing. What this event proves is that we’ve an enemy — unknown, unseen, and passing deadly. Whoever or whatever this foe is, it clearly is seeking to stop us from saving your daughter and gaining the treasure.”
“What can we do?” Hower asked, his voice heavy with fear.
“It all depends on the map,” Caranga said. “Until we know whether ’twas sent by friend or dire foe, I see naught we dare do.”
“But my daughter … ” Hower began, and his voice trailed away. He looked at Tiana imploringly.
In the silence Tiana felt as if the world awaited her decision.
“By the Cud,” she swore, “you two have a talent for making simple things difficult. How far do you think a dead man can walk? Especially one with a broken back!”
Caranga nodded slowly. “By Susha’s … lips, yes! Since this mysterious map-sender has to be somewhere here in Reme, we need only find him to know if his sweet map is to be trusted.”
“Which we will do tonight if we have to turn the city upside down!” Tiana turned to King Hower. “Your Highness, if you would help, free my men and give Bardon — he’s our second mate — whatever he needs. I want Vixen ready to sail with the morning tide.”
Before Hower could reply, the duke’s butler interrupted, “Majesty, forgive me, but I must speak to someone in authority. What shall I do about this disaster?”
King Hower replied brusquely. “Carry on as usual. Surely your master has been ill before.”
“No Your Majesty, not that disaster; the kitchen disaster.”
“What’s happened in the kitchen?”
“The cook asked one of the maids t
o get him a chicken. He planned to kill it for my lord duke’s breakfast. Later I was surprised to find the chicken walking down the hallway. I caught it and took it back to the kitchen. There I found the cook, sitting motionless and staring straight ahead. Nothing I could do would make him move or speak. In his hand he still held his knife, red with fresh blood. He’s a neat worker. When he kills an animal, he never makes a mess. He slits the throat and catches the blood in a pan. I found the maid’s body on the floor. Her throat had been cut and she had bled to death, but the pan was empty, as clean as if it had just been washed. Save for the blood on the knife, the kitchen and everything in it were clean.”
Tiana stared at the servant while Hower and Caranga stared at her.
CHAPTER FIVE
The House of Seven Delights employed a unique means to attract patrons. A set of large gilded cages was suspended above the street, before the House. From these cages precariously “clad” girls called provocative taunts and promises to passers-by.
Just now they stared down at a flame-haired woman with a form as good as any of theirs, but none showed any particular interest.
“You up there,” she called. “Who dangled there during the Hour of the Rat?”
They continued to stare down at her. A large silver coin gleamed enticingly in her left hand, while her right fist held a dagger. Her meaning was clear enough; useful information would gain the one, insults the other.
Misnavella decided to answer. “No one at that hour, except Irinda. And you can’t see her.”
“What? And why not?” The shapely redhead’s green eyes flashed. What was she doing with that considerably older black man, for Theba’s sake?
The Eyes of Sarsis Page 4