City of the Plague God
Page 26
“Someone with more money than sense.” She held out a rustic-looking wooden box. “Here. I brought you a deli-warming present from Gilgamesh.”
I took it. The box was long but not heavy, and there was a whiff of perfume coming from it. “He couldn’t bring it himself?”
She shook her head. “He wants his privacy, Sik. You can’t blame him for that.”
“I guess not,” I said. “And how have you been feeling these days?” She’d had a dose of Mo’s Promise after all.
“See for yourself.” She sighed and pulled up her sleeve, revealing a long scar from wrist to elbow.
“Oh. I was getting used to the idea you might be…you know…”
“You were changed by the flower itself—I wasn’t. Daoud’s perfume contained impurities, so the effects were never going to be the same. Just think about it,” she said as she rolled her sleeve back down. “If it had been as powerful, we’d now be living in a city with eight million immortals.”
Ugh. That didn’t sound appealing at all. But Belet living forever was a different matter. “You disappointed?”
“Just open the box, Sik.”
I obeyed and found several tall green stalks ending in white velvety petals, narrow and pointed like swords, and flecked with gold. Their scent reminded me of my favorite dreams. “Shukran.”
Belet smiled. “Gilgamesh calls it Ishtar’s Heart.”
Something lay among the stems. Something gold. “He gave me his royal seal?” I asked, picking up the ring. The sunlight glinted off the engraved images of the king and his lion.
Belet nodded. “You never know when you might need it.”
“No, I guess not.” I gestured to the doorway. “You want to come inside while I get a vase? Say hi to Sargon?”
“How’s he doing?” she asked.
“Settled in with Daoud. Got a cushion all to himself by the window. Come on and tickle his chin.”
Belet shook her head. “I can’t stay, Sik.”
“Why not?”
“I’m off to rescue my mother from Kurnugi.”
Of course she was. “You have any idea how you’re going to get in? And then out again?”
“Mother has friends around the globe. One of them will know the routes into the netherworld.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I said. “Let me go upstairs and get my passport. I have one somewhere.…”
“And leave Manhattan?” she said, gasping mockingly. “How will you manage?”
“But I promised Ishtar.…I should come with—”
“No,” Belet said firmly. “Your place is here for now. With your family.”
I glanced toward the kitchen, where Mama and Baba were busy cooking. So many times I had wanted to leave, to go on exciting trips with Mo. Now I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.
But as strange as it felt to admit, I would miss Belet. “You swear you’ll come back?” I asked.
“Mother would never want to skip New York Fashion Week, would she?”
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. “There’s just one more favor I need before you go.”
She arched her eyebrow. “Yes?”
“You’ve got to try my new sauce. We’re calling it the Manhattan. It’s full of surprises.”
She grinned even as she shook her head. “I’m going to regret this, I know it.”
I grinned back. “Hey, where’s your sense of adventure?”
The deli isn’t big. You’d hardly notice it if you were in a rush, and everyone in Manhattan is always in a rush. It isn’t going to win any awards, but it has a lot going for it.
The windows let in the morning sun, so you can spend a while sitting and watching the world. The tables are big enough for you and your friends, gathered around to share a plate of meze. Mama believes in big portions, so you won’t go away hungry, and you’ll leave with change from a ten. There is a steady buzz. People chat, and they crowd around the counter, but they know how to wait their turn. Patience is essential if you want good food. The flavors are fresh, and they are spicy. The pitas are warm, cooked on the grill, right at the front. The coffee is strong and the sweets sticky.
You’ll want to come back, and that’s the best praise any deli can receive.
Yeah, it may never appear in the Michelin Guide. But if you ask for it by name, anyone in the neighborhood will point you in the right direction.
Mo’s.
Home.
I WROTE CITY OF THE PLAGUE GOD IN 2018, WHEN THE world was a very different place and the concept of a disease threatening us all was the stuff of pure fantasy.
The circumstances described in this book are, of course, radically different from our own reality, but there have been some similarities. We have been reminded that the only thing that truly matters is keeping our loved ones safe, and that our heroes are often society’s underdogs.
That is Sik’s story in a nutshell. He wants to save the people he cares about and is willing to fight an enemy far, far greater than him to do it.
As of this writing, all of us are living that same story.
Sik’s just a kid. He wants to be better than he is, he wants the best for his loved ones, and he wants those same loved ones to be proud of him. That is his jihad, his noble struggle. He’s been raised to believe in Allah as the one and only god, and yet he has breakfast with Ishtar, an ancient goddess. It was an interesting challenge to merge existing religion with what is now called mythology, to appreciate the similarities and yet keep them clearly distinct. For Sik there are super-human beings referred to historically as gods, and then there is the truly divine.
Which brings me to why it has taken me twelve years and eleven books to get around to writing a Muslim tale.
I resisted writing one because I was afraid any celebration of my heritage would be seen as something scary or sinister. Phrases like jihad or Allahu Akbar are so horribly misunderstood nowadays. But then, everything writers do can elicit strong feelings. Simply putting our thoughts, beliefs, and hopes on paper and sending them out into the world is a provocative act.
Then came Rick Riordan. Alhamdulillah!
I’ve followed Rick’s mythic work from the beginning, and as much as I enjoyed all the escapades, what I admired most was his stance. He, like his characters, does not hide from the fight, and while everyone else just talks about diversity, he has acted. In doing so he has given a generation of kids new heroes that are like them.
Thus being invited to be part of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint was an unbelievable honor, and a huge challenge. I hesitated, but not for long. It was time to measure up to the standard Rick has set. To bring kids the types of heroes still sorely lacking in children’s fiction, and provoke a reaction. If you’re reading this, you must have found something engaging enough to get you to the end. Thank you for sticking with Sik!
So, huge thanks to the one and only Rick for bringing Sik, Belet, and Daoud into the RRP family of heroes. The guy is one himself through and through. I have enjoyed getting to know Kwame Mbalia, Jennifer Cervantes, Carlos Hernandez, and the others at RRP, and I envy their talent more than they can possibly suspect. Many thanks to my editor, Stephanie Lurie, who is the power behind the throne. As ever, I am grateful to my agent, Sarah Davies, who made sure I didn’t succumb to total panic. To make Plague God happen and to make the most of Sik’s complex heritage, I could not have managed without the help of Saadia Faruqi and Moe Shalabi. It is no exaggeration to say everything I know about Mesopotamia I learned from Stephanie Dalley, Fellow of the Oriental Institute at Oxford University. Read her amazing books. The cuneiform you found throughout was kindly provided by Megan Lewis and Dr. Joshua Brown of Digital Hammurabi, taken from the original translation by Andrew George, which is given below. All that is good and splendid is due to them, any errors are down to me.
Finally, my biggest thanks goes to my family, the reason behind every word I write. My wife and girls back me up, challenge me, and remind me of what truly matters. I love you.
I thought a glossary might be helpful, given that the story includes a wide variety of terms that may be unfamiliar, some taken from languages that haven’t been spoken for thousands of years. Each term is either Arabic (A), Islamic (I), or Mesopotamian (M). While all the Islamic terms are Arabic, not all the Arabic terms are Islamic. I hope that’s clear!
Abubu M Supernatural weapon
Alhamdulillah I God be praised
Allah A Arabic word for God
Allahu Akbar I God Is Greater
Baba A Father
Basmu M Gigantic serpent with multiple mouths
Bismillah I In the name of God, often used before taking action, commonly said before mealtimes
Dua I A prayer
Inshallah I God willing
Jihad I A righteous struggle
Jummah A Friday. The main weekly prayers are held on Friday.
Kasusu M Supernatural weapon
Kurnugi M The netherworld, ruled by Erishkigal and Nergal
La A No
Lamassu M Winged bull or lion. Guardians against evil.
Mabrook A Congratulations
Mama A Mother
Mashallah I God has willed it. Often used as “well done.”
Masjid I Islamic place of worship. Also called a mosque.
Salaamu alaikum I Traditional greeting
Salat I An obligatory prayer
Shukran A Thanks
Sura I A chapter from the Quran, the Muslim holy book
Takbir I The religious phrase Allahu Akbar. Often found on display in Muslim stores and homes.
Ugallu M Lion man
Ya Allah! A Oh God!
Ya salam! A Oh wow!
Yakhi A My brother
Yallah A Hurry up, get a move on
SARWAT CHADDA, a first-generation Muslim immigrant, has spent a lifetime integrating the best of his family’s heritage with the country of his birth. There have been tensions as well as celebrations, but he wouldn’t wish it any other way. As a lifelong gamer, he decided to embrace his passion for over-the-top adventure stories by swapping a career in engineering for a new one as a writer. That resulted in his first novel, Devil’s Kiss, back in 2009. Since then he has been published in a dozen languages, writing comic books, TV shows, and novels such as the award-winning Indian mythology–inspired Ash Mistry series and the epic high-fantasy Shadow Magic trilogy (as Joshua Khan). While he’s traveled far and wide, including to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, he’s most at home in London, where he lives with his wife, two more-or-less grown-up daughters, and an aloof cat. Feel free to drop him a line @sarwatchadda.
RICK RIORDAN, dubbed “storyteller of the gods” by Publishers Weekly, is the author of five New York Times #1 best-selling series, including Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which brings Greek mythology to life for contemporary readers. Millions of fans across the globe have enjoyed his fast-paced and funny quest adventures. The goal of Rick Riordan Presents is to publish highly entertaining books by authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to allow them to tell their own stories inspired by the mythology, folklore, and culture of their heritage. Rick’s Twitter handle is @RickRiordan.