"What business do you have outside of the Golden Temple?" He growled. The priest laughed dismissively.
"How archaic and amusing. Things change my friend. We do not worship under hollow, sandblasted yaryebu bones, either. So why would our ways remain the same? Where ever my business takes me, there it is my business to be."
"Such as those who deal in Black Alchemy? Are not all these illegal dealings against your Law?"
"We follow the Law. All the sacrifices and prayers and gifts I give absolve me from anything untoward in my business."
"I hate you and all your people and what you stand for! Curse you and may you be struck with a leprous plague and die like a dog in the street!" The priest stopped grinning and his eyes narrowed.
"You feel empowered to insult one who is far above your station, do you?"
"No man is above my station. Whatever the dark fires that is. I am a free man!" Rhajit spat in a fury, but he knew this was foolish talk. The man stroked his beard, looking him up and down.
"You are no longer a free man. And all places and men have a station. I will say this to you. Please try to follow me. I am having a great feast in honor of a few friends tonight. There will be all sorts of delicacies and delights imaginable. Honeyed roast pheasants from far away, even quail. Date sweetened chickens, pig heart pies, sugared melons and the Egian delight - ambrosia cakes, just to name a tiny few. There will be dancing, music, gaming. Prominent positions to be given, ladre, good gifts. You have been chosen because of your valor and strength. A change is coming in the land, a change of power. Position yourself on the right side and you will be richly rewarded. Ignore it and you will simply be tossed in the winds of change like all other people. Join me and be my servant and messenger and work for the temple or die here in prison."
"You cannot keep me here! I have done nothing! Why do you hold me?" The man sneered again.
"You have no family to speak of. Who will send for you? Or look for you? Who cares? Like I said, you are not a free man. No one without position or power in this world is free. I can do what I will with a lowborn man like you. It has always been this way. Every man knows the natural order of things, or have you been out in the desert, away from civilization?" Rhajit felt desperate. To die in this place, and for nothing! He glanced up at the men. He really would be left to die in here, all on the whim of a rich and powerful man. An Ainash priest!
"Come now, Rhajit. I am no fool. I see your worth and it is great. Give me your word and your oath and you will be taken into my employ. Or you can refuse. Refuse and tonight I shall have you beheaded and your head will be sent to me on a platter, as a center piece for the feasting table. The giant here will do it." He pointed to the silent giant.
"It is that simple. I set before you life or death." Rhajit had never been so furious in all his life but there was no other choice. He was beaten and he was not about to die, not in here and not by this man's hand. What a turn of events! The three men stared, waiting for his answer. Rhajit wiped his face absently.
"As you say. I will join your men. I am Rhajit Ka Mahaj. I will be one of your Hatchet Men." He said, but inwardly his mind was racing.
"They are no longer called by that name. They are respectable temple and city guards now. And I assure you, this was a wise decision. Think of it in a new light. You saved my life fifteen years ago. I shall now repay the favor to you, Rhajit." He turned to the gaoler.
"Oh, and before I forget, Rhajit, do you know how to read?"
"Only in Alhar. Not very well." Said Rhajit. The giant man's head shifted ever so slightly at this and his eyes widened just a fraction.
"That is well enough. Follow me. My litter is waiting outside. The guests await." Rhajit felt as if he was in a dream, floating. Shishak the dog, Shishak the killer, the rat! He had planned long ago to kill the men responsible for the travesty that happened years ago but fell down on his personal oath after the great fires. He had only gotten one. But now he thought on Divine Purpose and he laughed to himself. He felt alive with a brief sort of insanity and elation, suddenly. Divine Purpose. Shishak, the man he wanted to kill had found him out, sought him, no, demanded him to be brought into his own bosom. At some point he would have his chance. No one knew what really happened to Teman and he would never tell. Or perhaps it was just luck. But now his purpose and oath was renewed. Except he did not deign to think of it as divine. Rhajit had his own life and his own will and his own purpose.
"What?" Asked Shishak, looking at him, bemused. Rhajit nodded.
"Nothing. It is just that how this happened after I was about to lose my life seems fortuitous."
"Perhaps it is," he raised his hands and rolled his eyes, "the gods." Shishak said smugly. Rhajit hated him even more, longing to rip the smugness off his face. But his elation was greater than his hatred, for now.
"Maybe. Or perhaps it was just blind luck."
. . .
Shishak, as it turned out had more than one residence. This new one was acquired through a new business venture he was involved in with an alchemist in Egi, illegal activity as far as Rhajit could tell, which had gained him rich rewards. Rhajit normally did not judge such things if they did not seem to harm anyone for he had his own share of unsavory deeds in his past and things had not changed on that front. However, the four-armed man greatly disturbed him. Such a man should not even live, but he dared not say anything. He was fascinated and repulsed, for Black Alchemy and the things made from it were an abomination. He had learned this at his father's knee many years ago. This was one of the very few times he felt intimidated by another man. He wondered what Shishak meant when he said that things from Egi were coming to Hybron. Wasn't that always the way? Since when did any thing good come out of Egi, except grain? This new house, while not a palace was fit for a wealthy man. It was three stories high with two courtyards and well-watered gardens with a small grove of olive trees in the second courtyard. It sat right off of the main road to the city's vaulted center where the most hallowed schools and shrines were located. He was given a bath - Shishak had his own bath house and steam room - and he was dressed in finer clothes than he'd ever possessed. Rhajit was still fit and well-muscled. He took some pride in that he had not gone to fat yet; he was only just reaching his prime. He was still handsome in form. He decided to go bare-chested and just wore a loose fitting, untied robe over his chest and a kilt cinched by a belt of blue silk. Rhajit felt like a king. Who could afford to wear blue but the richest men?
He was seated as a guest at the table, his face still partially swollen but his lacerations cleaned and soothed with ointment. He was a man of the desert. Wounds and bruises did not last long on him. He looked at the center piece on the feasting table and was glad his head was not on it. Sitting there instead was a roasted leukos peacock with its beautiful, snow white feathers reapplied. Rich indeed. Peafowls were not native to Hybron or Egi. They were imported and bred occasionally in Zapulia. The giant stared at him silently from the other end of the table. Rhajit felt uncomfortable under the unblinking gaze. He reminded him of a jinn in the legends. No one seemed to mind the freakish man sitting there. The guests were half drunk, laughing, singing and eating. Tambourines and lyres were playing pleasant music. Rhajit took up a sugared beetle, a treat popular in Rhuctium which were black beetles boiled and dipped in palm sugar syrup flavored with anise and black pepper and then rolled in shredded ginger root. He crunched down, enjoying this sweet delicacy. But all through his mind he wondered what would happen now to the boy, to Zigal and how, exactly, would he get to Shishak? He drank date beer, wines from Zapulia and Gamina, there was pig heart stew, soft eggs in pepper stew and blood, cured, raw lamb with onions, roast pheasant, flat breads with roasted onions, cheese and dates, nuts, the finest olive oil, ram's head, oranges, sugared lemons, honeyed locusts, raisin cakes and even a turtle pie and a pastry with lemon curd. Rhajit did not know when he had eaten so well. Though he could not understand why a dish filled with blood would be on the table of an Ainash pries
t. Weren't they suppose to abstain from blood? Even pig flesh? Hikra! He would get his fill and get the most out of this while he plotted to kill Shishak. He thought about all the horrible ways he would die after doing so and steeled himself to the secret task. Shishak had to die.
Shishak came in, dressed in finery - finery of yellow and pale orange robes and tunic. He also wore a huge chain necklace of large gold links and agate and carnelian stones. Such wealth and so many go without. Rhajit thought. Still, Shishak was offering him a good position. He did not want to move too soon. Perhaps he might even attain the level he did at the Victor's House.
The dancers dressed only in veils and necklaces and they twirled and did acrobats for the guests. Rhajit could get used to this. If he killed Shishak too soon he might not have a chance to come up in the world. Perhaps instead of finding the first opportunity he would become an obedient servant for a time. It was a wonder. A man was free until someone in great power pushed him into service. The king had commanded he be the prince of the city and he was ordered to stay and train in the Victor's House all those years ago. Now he was being forced into thuggery for the Golden Temple, the very group he hated more than anything in the world. He would work this out to his own advantage. The accursed hikra was right. What man was really free in this world, unless he lived in the desert? But he no longer wanted the desert life. Sometimes Rhajit did not know what he wanted. He'd thought coming to the city would mean freedom but this was not so. Freedom existed in the laws of man on paper or chiseled in stone but in reality he felt pushed and pulled by men and forces beyond his control. He was loathed to admit it. It made him want to cry out in rage but what could he do? Shishak raised his hands and pointed towards Rhajit, smiling grandly.
"A future captain of our guard." The guests, city merchants, minor officials and a few other priests and scribes smiled and spoke their approval.
"We need more such men." Said another Ainash priest from the local temple. "Snap them all up from the streets, I say. Put them to good use!"
"We especially need them in Jhis. The place has become a cesspool of violence but the holiest of our temples is there." A little blue monkey, one of shishak's pets, jumped up onto the guests' shoulders picking food off their plates to the amusement of all. When he tried to jump upon Rhajit's shoulders, Rhajit impatiently tried to swat him away. The monkey screeched and grabbed a beetle from his plate, overturning it onto his lap, leaping away just out of reach to the laughter of everyone. Except Rhajit. The conversation, the dancers and even the food and drink all became an annoying blur in Rhajit's mind. All the while he felt the giant' eyes boring into him like fire-pokers. After the monkey episode he was more than ready to leave the banquet.
Later, Rhajit was shown to his quarters, a good-sized room with a large feather bed with its own couch and a few tables and chairs for writing. The giant had been sent to make sure he remained and he was in one of the highest rooms of the house. He was a prisoner, still. The door was locked behind him with the giant standing outside. Rhajit, however, had no intention of running away, not when his quarry had actually invited him into his own home! He lay on the bed thinking of all the ways he could eventually dispatch Shishak and he eventually fell to counting the elaborately painted tiles in the ceiling. Far away he heard the call to Night Prayer. Should they not be there? he thought, then scoffed. Why do I keep expecting what is righteous from wicked men? In all this thinking he heard a faint whooshing sound by the door. He sat up and looked. No one was at the door. He saw a piece of paper on the floor. Someone had slid something under the door. Rhajit was now very suspicious. He finally, quietly got up and picked it up. It was a single sheet of paper, folded over:
There is more than one purpose here at work, Rhajit. The priesthood is corrupt but not all. Join with us to rescue a good and righteous man and you may get your revenge upon Shishak later. Or join Shishak and become one of the Hatchet Men. It is your choice, I leave it to you but know that you have allies should you choose to join with us. Speak with the guard outside your door if you make the decision to join us.
-Z
It took him a long time to read through the note as he was not proficient at reading. Now things were getting interesting. The guard outside the door? The strange man with four arms? What is this? Curiosity overtook him. He knocked softly on the door. For some time he heard nothing. Then the door bolt rattled and the door was unlocked.
There he was, the giant, staring down at him. Rhajit's heart pounded but he was not about to humiliate himself now. He held up the letter.
"What does this mean? Did you put this here?" The giant man studied him and then he said:
"Yes, I did. Shall we talk or would you rather work for Shishak?" He said quietly. Rhajit stood for a moment thinking.
"I hate that hikra with all my soul but the man is powerful. I perceive he is even more dangerous than before." Rhajit eyed him with suspicion and lowered his voice. "How do you know I want revenge on him?"
"I could tell in the prison cell there was a particular quality to your rage. And I know of the incident at the grand arena. I despise him as well but I know others who work against the priesthood. My work for Shishak is a cover for my true master. What do you say? If you are not interested I shall bother you no more and leave this place forever. If you are interested I shall come in and discuss with you what my true master has instructed me."
"Come in. I would hear what your real master says for I hate Shishak and wish him dead."
"You are not the only one, my friend." The giant ducked his head down to come into the room and he closed the door quietly behind him. For such a large man he was surprisingly nimble and quiet on his feet. He sat down on a wooden and stone chair and folded his upper pair of arms against his broad chest and let the two lower arms rest along his thighs. Rhajit merely stared.
"Why are you that way? I do not understand? What are you?" He finally blurted out.
"I am one of the the dakhmin. The Changed Men. Long ago when I was young I set about traveling the world to see what I could see. I left my mother and father in Gorokjebu, a village just west of Egi. Though we speak Egian we are seen by them as foreigners. Many things happened that I shall not tire you with. Eventually I found myself in a tavern drinking and the next day I awoke chained up in a prison hole. I had done nothing to deserve my imprisonment but someone wanted me for my size and strength. My beer had been drugged. So because I was foreign and had no family ties in Egi, no one could or would send for my family nor would anyone speak for me. I was given two choices, die like a dog or work for a powerful man as his guard. Little did I know that this was a lie. This man wanted a human specimen for his dark alchemical work and I was chosen. I will not go into it. It was a horrible and terrifying trial, to say the least but I survived his experiments and was eventually sold as a slave and bought by Shishak. I became his personal guard. I learned through the alchemist that it was Shishak himself who had wanted a freakishly strong bodyguard in the first place. However, later I met a priest who is rising up in rebellion against the prevailing order, like another one long ago. A man named Ilim."
"The desert prophet?"
"That is the one."
"Tell me, what tribe do you descend from?"
"I am Gilphaen by family origin but my family are village dwellers. It was long ago when they settled. Most herd sheep and goats but we still stay close to the Gilphaens near Gorokjebu. "
"This man whom you say is your real master. Who is he?"
"That, I cannot tell. You will meet him if you agree to join with us. This prophet, great he is and I have seen him perform powerful works by the First Pillar. Gilphaeans worship Hunatep the god of cattle and hunting and Tani, his consort but now I worship Airend-Ur." The giant paused. "It is strange. No matter what he says, no matter the prophecies seen or signs performed most of the Ainash do not accept or believe it will happen. The prophet has been captured by the queen. There are a sizable group of us temple guards along with a few rebel pries
ts who are planning to help him escape. Even if you do not believe, Rhajit, help us spring this man from the bonds of the evil one. She is filling the land with darkness."
"He has been captured? It does not say much about his god." Said Rhajit dryly.
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Will you help us or not?"
"If it means I can get my revenge upon Shishak, I will help."
"Good. You have been observed for a little while. I perceive that you are good with a sword?"
"I am. Axes too. I once killed two lions in the arena games."
"I know. It was an impressive feat, Rhajit the Ram. I like the sound of that name and we will have need of a man with your skills on this mission."
"What is your name?"
"I am called Injol by the Egians and the Hybronians."
"What do your people call you?"
"When we have gotten to know each other and I can call you a true friend, then I shall give you my true family name. For names are a powerful thing. After all, I do not know you."
"Fair enough. When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow night. We will reach Jhis in six days. There, when it is safe, you shall meet my master." Rhajit smiled broadly. Then he had a dark thought. The guard rose.
"Wait!" The guard turned toward him. "In the prison hole. Would you really have taken my head?" The giant stared at him for a long moment before answering.
"It would have been regrettable to me, but yes. Had you said no, you would have left me with no other choice. The wrong answer would have tempted me to disobey and kill him and the gaoler and all the other prison guards, which would ruin my true master's ultimate plan. As you can see, I stand out among men. There would be nowhere for us to hide after such an incident. Be glad you said yes. I am." He strode out of the room and locked the door behind him.
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