by Victor Poole
Delmar had cleaned up a little; he had smoothed his hair back, and put on clean clothes. His eyes did not look so vague, and his chin was not dropping open. He looked significantly different than he had done. Delmar went to the extreme end of the couch that Ajalia was sitting on, and sat down as far as possible from her. He studied the papers that were in her hand.
"Hm?" Ajalia asked, without looking up.
"A boy said you wanted to see if I was dead," Delmar said.
Ajalia looked up.
"What are you doing here?" she asked blankly.
"The boy," Delmar said. "He came and found me."
Ajalia stared at Delmar. She took note of the changes in his appearance, but her eyes were neutral.
"I saw your father," she said. Delmar nodded.
"Would you liked to go for a walk with me?" Delmar asked.
Ajalia looked down at her papers. She did not say anything for a while. Delmar waited.
"I've got to go meet these people," she said.
"I could go with you," Delmar suggested. Ajalia opened her mouth to say no, and he pushed in. "I know where they live," he said. "I can show you all these houses." He inched closer to her on the couch, and touched his finger to the page that listed the houses. "Some of these are hard to find."
Ajalia looked at him, and thought about Philas. She tried to decide how she felt, and couldn't. "I suppose my boy found you, instead of Chad," Ajalia said.
"Who's Chad?" Delmar asked.
"Malkos," Ajalia said.
"Will you give me a new name?" Delmar asked.
"No," Ajalia said at once. Delmar looked crestfallen.
"Why does he get a new name?" he asked.
"Because his real name is stupid," she said, without thinking.
"Is mine stupid?" Delmar asked. He had inched closer again; his fingers were close to Ajalia's. She tried not to notice this. She was determined to be her old self for all time, and never again to kiss a man.
"No, I think Delmar is nice," Ajalia said.
"Oh," Delmar said. He had inched closer again, and his thigh was touching her thigh. Ajalia was doing an excellent job of not noticing this at all. What she had also failed to notice was that her own face had turned towards Delmar, and she was leaning towards him quite as much as he was leaning towards her.
Delmar, by contrast, had noticed all of these things. "Can I come with you?" he asked. His mouth was far too close to Ajalia's mouth; she noticed this, finally, and stood up. Her face was on fire. She wanted to apologize, but did not know what words to use.
"My life is very strange lately," she said. She gathered up her papers, and put them into her robe. Delmar stood up.
"Let's go," he urged. Ajalia saw his eyes flick towards the door; she thought that he was afraid Philas would appear.
"What do you think of Philas?" she asked. She was expecting him to ask her which slave Philas was, but he did not do this. She opened the door, and went out, and he followed her. He was too quick to come and stand by her side, and she smiled. She thought to herself that he did not have enough dignity, but forgot to remember that a man who stood near her was perhaps not a foolish man by dint of wanting to stand near her. She still did not think of herself as a woman.
"He seems okay," Delmar said. They walked down the street, and Delmar did not ask her where she was going. She wanted to go and find out what had happened to Chad. She was sure that he would have failed in his mission to convince Gevad to marry Eccsa, and she fully expected to find Chad quivering in an alleyway somewhere with a black eye.
"I'm going to find Gevad," she told Delmar. She almost never told people what she was planning to do, and she felt suddenly as though she were too exposed. She glanced at Delmar's face, and tried to see what he thought of what she had said. She couldn't tell if he was angry, or sad, or bored. He was looking straight ahead, and the sun was filling up his eyes with blue sparks. She thought that Delmar's eyes were quite the most fascinating things she had ever encountered. Looking at Delmar made fuzzy sparks go snap inside of her middle.
"I don't like Gevad," Delmar said.
"Does everyone know Gevad here?" Ajalia asked. The city of Slavithe was quite large, and she was surprised that everyone seemed to react when she said the house agent's name. Delmar shrugged.
"He's involved with a lot of the people I know," Delmar said.
"Who are the people you know?" Ajalia asked.
Delmar shrugged again, as if he didn't know, or couldn't remember. "Just everyone," he said.
"I don't like it when you're vague," Ajalia said.
"Well, it isn't any of your business how I say anything," Delmar said.
Ajalia was about to say that it was too her business, but then she realized that it wasn't. She bit down on the inside of her cheek, and put her hands around her neck.
"Why are you doing that?" Delmar asked. He was staring at her.
"What?" Ajalia said quickly, taking her hands down.
"Why are you grabbing your neck like that?" he asked.
Ajalia did not say anything. A sinking feeling, like fear, was in her heart. She didn't want to admit that she felt fear. She grabbed at Delmar's hand.
"What are you doing?" Delmar demanded.
Ajalia took her hand away. Delmar grabbed her hand again. "Well?" he demanded.
"Let go," Ajalia said. Delmar's skin made her flesh fiery; Philas had made her lukewarm, but Delmar's touch was turning her whole inside into a volcano. Delmar wrapped his fingers more firmly around her hand, and pulled Ajalia a little closer. They were still walking to Gevad's house, but slowly.
"I don't want to get there," Delmar said.
"Let go of my hand," Ajalia said. She could not speak very loudly; she felt as though she were about to burst into tears. She wiped angrily at her nose with her free hand, and pummeled at her eyes. "This is ridiculous," she said. "I keep crying when people touch me."
"You mean Philas," Delmar said.
"I don't mean anything," Ajalia cried. They had come to Gevad's door. There was no sign that Chad had been there. Ajalia wondered where he was now. Delmar let go of her hand, and she wanted to scream. She didn't want him to let go of her hand any more. She didn't know what she wanted. Ajalia wiped at her eyes, and sniffed. "I'm not usually like this," she said. "I don't know why this keeps happening."
"I think," Delmar said, knocking at the door, "that Philas sensed that you'd met me, and he moved in to steal your heart. I think he's too much of a coward to make a move on his own."
Ajalia wanted to snap at Delmar for knocking on the door. She felt as though she were losing control of the situation. She couldn't remember what he had just said to her. He had said something about Philas, she thought.
The door opened, and Chad appeared. He was smiling. His face was glowing with success. He had a bunch of flowers tucked behind his ear. Ajalia stared at him. She felt that she had never seen this young man before.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Come on," Chad crowed. "The party's still happening. Come inside and have some food." He moved aside and ushered Ajalia in, and then stepped in front of Delmar. Chad's face twisted into a threatening mask. "You can leave," he hissed at Delmar.
"It's okay," Ajalia said. "He came with me."
Chad looked at Ajalia. Chad narrowed his eyes. "But do you want him here?" he asked.
"Hello to you, Malkos," Delmar said cheerfully. Chad curled his lip at Delmar.
"I don't think she likes you," Chad told Delmar. Delmar slipped past Chad, and wrapped his arm around Ajalia.
"Oh, stop," Ajalia said. She felt tired.
"Yes, stop," Delmar said to Chad.
Chad growled.
"Where's Gevad?" Ajalia asked Chad. She stepped away from Delmar, but Delmar kept one hand around her waist. She did not want to fight him off. She felt a coursing stream of energy and warmth flowing through Delmar's touch; he made her feel safe in a way that Philas had not. She was not thinking of how to stop Delmar from kissing her, because Delmar w
as not trying to kiss her. He was just touching her, and his touch was strangely charged, but not with the threat of intimacy. Delmar was like a personal god of the sun; being near him was like resting within an egg of fire. Ajalia could feel herself breathing more easily when he touched her. She did not feel as though she had to be ready to attack people now that he was here, and she did not mind feeling so relaxed.
Chad was watching Ajalia, and his eyes travelled slowly over the hand that Delmar had left possessively around Ajalia's waist. "Gevad's upstairs," he said. He led the way up the stairs. Ajalia wondered if the old woman was still sitting in that same chair in the little room off the entrance; she wondered how much the old woman was aware of what happened around her. For a moment she imagined herself old, and uncared for, and sitting in some quiet room filled with rotting plants "What happened when you met Gevad?" Ajalia asked Chad.
"He's married," Chad said. Ajalia's eyebrows lifted.
"Really?" she asked.
"You don't have to be so surprised," Chad said. "It wasn't that hard to talk him into it."
"Is he married to Eccsa?" she asked.
"Is that her name?" Chad asked. "I guess," he said.
"What did you do?" Ajalia asked. They were nearing the hall at the top of the stairs, and Ajalia stopped at the head of the hall.
Chad shrugged. "I didn't do a whole lot. I guess I was super convincing," he said.
"Was he married when you got here?" Ajalia asked shrewdly.
"No, he was not!" Chad protested. His cheeks were red. The corners of Ajalia's mouth turned down. She examined Chad with a skeptical look. His forehead turned red, and then his ears. He squirmed.
"I'm going to find out in a minute," Ajalia pointed out, gesturing to the noises of joviality that were emitting from a room down the hall, "and then you're going to feel worse than if you tell me now."
Delmar stood beside Ajalia, his eyes turned benignly on Chad. Delmar seemed to enjoy watching Ajalia speak to Chad; his eyebrows did a little squiggle of satisfaction every time Chad's redness deepened. Delmar did not say anything, but Chad glanced at him.
"Does he have to be here?" Chad whispered at Ajalia.
"Grow up, Chad," Ajalia said. Chad stood straighter, and stopped squirming.
"You have terrible manners," he shot at Ajalia.
"And you're a liar," Ajalia said calmly.
Chad gasped a little, and his arms flew out. "That is a terrible thing to say to anyone!" he said.
"Tell me the truth, and you won't be a liar," Ajalia suggested.
"I haven't lied at all," Chad said hotly. "I came here to see to it that Gevad married that bald woman."
"She isn't bald," Ajalia said.
"She is now," Chad said aggressively. "She shaved off what was left of her hair. I came here, and before I even started attacking Gevad, that woman announced that they were getting married. It came out of nowhere. I think I can take credit for it. Maybe they decided to get married because I showed up."
Delmar let out a chuckle, and Chad growled. "I thought you were with Philas," Chad said petulantly.
"She wasn't," Delmar said.
"So you stayed for the food?" Ajalia asked Chad. Chad didn't say anything. The flower in his hair drooped over his temple. His mouth was turned in a childish pout.
"I'm going to go out and do important things now," Chad said.
"Goodbye," Ajalia replied. Chad stared at her. His eyes were wide and angry. Ajalia could see that he wanted to make her feel badly somehow, and that he couldn't think of anything to say.
"Aren't you going to tell me that I did a good job?" he demanded. "I've done all these things for you, and what has it gotten me? She doesn't even pay me," he complained to Delmar.
"I wouldn't pay you," Delmar said. He was smiling at Chad.
"Well, Delmar's a loser," Chad shot at Ajalia. "I guess that makes you a loser, too!" Chad ran down the stairs, and they heard the door slam behind him as he went into the street.
"I've got to go see these people," Ajalia said, putting her hand into her robe.
"Aren't you going to see Gevad?" Delmar asked.
"I don't want to," she said. "I came to see Chad, and I've seen him."
The door where the party was loudly happening opened, and a flurry of people appeared. Ajalia darted down the stairs, and she heard the people upstairs greeting Delmar loudly. Ajalia went into the small room where the old woman had been, and closed the door.
THE POISON TREE BARK
The room was darkened. Ajalia could see a narrow ribbon of sunlight glimmering around the edge of window; she went to the light, and pulled the curtain to one side.
Sunlight streamed into the room, and revealed the old woman, who was lying down on the narrow bed. The old woman looked dead. Ajalia crept near to the bed, and watched the old woman's sides.
The old woman was wearing a long ragged robe of bright green. The robe dragged down around her feet, and the ends were tangled with dirt and dust. Ajalia could see the old woman's ribs expanding gently with breath.
The room was close and stuffy; the air felt stale, and a little rotten. Ajalia looked about her with her hands on her hips, and shook her head. The room was filthy. Dust and cobwebs stretched in the corners, and from the beams in the ceiling. The top of the room was clustered with old herbs and drying plants, most of which were either coated with dust, or eaten away with fuzzy mold.
The floor had once been carpeted with a neat covering of woven plants, but the covering had been down on the floor for so long, and had been walked upon so often, that the stone beneath was showing through in long ragged patches. The walls were of the same pinkish-white stone that Ajalia had seen within the room in the little house, but here the stone was smeared with age and neglect.
The furniture was sparse and decrepit. In addition to the narrow bed where the old woman lay, the room held the rickety chair that Ajalia had seen the old woman in before, and a series of small tables against one wall. These tables were cluttered with bottles, and bags, and scraps of paper; the part of the room where they lay looked like an abandoned workshop. Strange pieces of metal, in shapes like crescent moons, hung against the wall on hooks, and they were coated with a thick layer of white dust. Ajalia touched her fingers to one of these, and her hand came away sticky with the stuff.
Ajalia looked around the room until she found a basket that was half full of scraps of mending. She dumped out the cloth and began to take the rotten vegetables down from the rafters. When she touched the bodies of the plants, they emitted a horrible stink, and she coughed.
Ajalia filled the basket with old vegetables, and piled crinkling, crumbling herbs on top. She put the basket next to the door, and opened it just a little. The hallway outside was empty; she could not see anyone on the stairs.
Ajalia crept out of the room, leaving the door ajar, and went up the stairs until she came in sight of the old stone hallway that led into the rest of the rooms. She watched the hall for a moment; no one was there. She could hear no sound coming from the room where the party had been. She had not heard anyone leave the house, and she thought that perhaps the guests had snuck out quietly.
Ajalia stepped into the hall, and went towards the door. Many of the doors to the other rooms stood open, and Ajalia glanced inside. These rooms had furniture in them now; Ajalia thought that Lasa must have opened up the storage space in the top of the house, and brought her mother's things into the rooms. The furniture was beautiful and old; it was in good condition, not at all like the sticks and shards of furniture in the old woman's room.
Some of the chairs and couches were upholstered in brilliant colors, and the tables were painted shimmering green. Ajalia saw one table that had a set of twisting legs that were painted with a series of colorful leaves.
She came to the door where the noises had come out, and stood quietly, listening. She could hear just the barest murmur of voices inside. She could not tell if Delmar was in there or not. The doors here were fitted well into
the doorways, and there was no seam open at the bottom of the door where she could look inside. Ajalia raised her hand, and knocked. Her heart made a sound that felt like thunder in her ears; she hoped that the room was empty, and that everyone was gone.
The quiet murmur ceased, and the door opened. Delmar was there, his face filling the space where the door had opened. Ajalia felt a sort of rush of relief at the sight of his blue eyes. She had forgotten how his nose lay in his face, and she found herself staring at him now, as at a stranger.
"Where'd you go?" Delmar asked.
"I got nervous," Ajalia said.
"Come on," Delmar said.
"I'm cleaning," Ajalia said. "I don't know where I can put garbage."
"Lasa," Delmar said, and went back into the room. In a moment, Lasa appeared. She looked like a different woman. Her hair had been cut close against the scalp, making a thin fuzz over her head, and she had tied a long green scarf around her temples. The scarf was made of silk.
"Where did you get that?" Ajalia asked.
"I bought it from one of your slaves yesterday," Lasa said.
Ajalia wanted to ask, where did you get the money, but she refrained.
"I learned a lot from watching you," Lasa said, as though she had known Ajalia six months ago and was catching up on good times. "I made Gevad promise to marry me, and then I went out, and took his cash reserves."
"Good for you," Ajalia said automatically. She was thrown off by Lasa's strangely cunning smile; she did not know what Lasa was getting at. "I want to throw some stuff away," Ajalia said. She did not add that it was Lasa's stuff, and that she was throwing it out without asking. "Where can I throw stuff away?"
Lasa took Ajalia down the stairs, and into a closet that led into the back of the house. Ajalia did not ask why there was a closet with a secret passage. She took it for granted that Gevad wanted to have secrets, and had installed the passage himself.
Beyond the closet was a wider hallway, and an open, airy suite of rooms. This part of the house was far more attractive than the first part Ajalia had seen; the windows had coverings, and light poured in through elegant doors that opened out onto a series of narrow patios.