One Thousand Nights (9 page)

“It all sounds quite marvelous,” I said honestly, for, as my brother liked to say, I had yet to meet a field of study that did not result in me burying my nose in a book until I felt I was sufficiently acquainted with a topic that I could converse on the subject without appearing ignorant.

“I am glad you find it interesting. In fact,” Besh added, as he regarded me with a sharpened gaze, “perhaps you would like to see how some of it works firsthand? I could show you the observatory tonight, after we have finished our meal.”

It was all I could do to prevent myself from clapping my hands together like a small child promised a particularly special treat. “That would be lovely, my lord. I think I would very much enjoy that.”

He smiled and nodded, and we returned to our neglected food after that. It was much the same as the night before, only this time we had been provided with a sort of nutty-tasting flatbread with which to wrap up the highly seasoned meat. Although unfamiliar, it tasted very good, and I found myself eating with a light heart, glad that I had discovered a way to ingratiate myself with my new husband.

Then I glanced up, and saw the chancellor, Azeer Tel-Karinoor, watching me with narrowed eyes and a pinched set to his already thin lips. As soon as he met my gaze, however, he glanced away. For a second or two I continued to regard him in puzzlement, wondering why he should have been wearing such a look of disapproval on his face. Had I committed some breach of protocol? I could not think of what it might be, as Besh and I had merely been conversing in quiet tones, our voices pitched low enough that I doubted we could have been overheard. And in that moment I told myself I must be imagining hostility where there was none, and to pay it no more mind.

After all, I had far more pleasant things to occupy my thoughts, now that I had an assignation planned with my husband.

T
he observatory was
, like all the buildings I had yet seen on the palace grounds, meticulously finished down to the smallest detail. Once again there were floors of patterned marble, this time in the shapes of stylized stars and moons and suns, and the walls were painted with frescoes that seemed to depict the various legends associated with the heavenly bodies. Oil lamps in brass sconces flickered along the walls. In the midst of all this were a great many complex instruments I could barely begin to describe, some with sheets of paper lying next to them covered in what looked like strings of numbers and symbols. The numbers at least I recognized, as Sirlende had adopted the far more convenient Keshiaari notations centuries before.

Besh passed by all those instruments, however, going instead to what looked like a long tube of silvery metal, perhaps tin, sitting upon a great framework with cunning little wheels so that it might be moved about the chamber as needed. As with all things in Keshiaar, the tin tube was not left plain, but engraved with complex designs, and the fittings were of chased brass.

“Is it a spy glass?” I asked somewhat hesitantly. I had seen Captain Talaver use such a thing on the ship, but this instrument was much larger, so large a single man could not have held it comfortably.

“Similar in principle, but a telescope can see things that are much farther away. Come, and I will show you.”

I approached the…telescope…and noted that it had a piece of glass set into the narrower end. “How does it work?”

“Put your eye up to the glass. Here,” and he came behind me, took me by the arms, and guided me gently into position.

His fingers felt very warm through the thin silk of my tunic. And oh, what a delicious sensation, to have him so close to me, his body almost touching mine as he made sure I was standing in the correct spot. I hardly dared to breathe, for I feared one accidental movement would have me brushing against him in a most intimate fashion, and that would cause him to startle and move away.

“Very good,” he said, his voice sounding so close that it sent another shiver through me. “Now stay there while I extinguish the lights.”

To my disappointment, he stepped away and made a circuit of the chamber, blowing out the oil lamps one by one. By then it was full dark, and so when the last lamp was snuffed, the interior of the observatory became so black that I doubted I could see my hand in front of my face. I waited, and heard his footsteps returning to me.

“Can you see in the dark, like a cat?” I inquired.

Another of those delicious-sounding chuckles. “No, my lady. It is only that I have spent many a dark night in here, and I know the positions of the furniture and instruments so well that no doubt I could move amongst them blindfolded if necessary. But now, put your eye to the glass, and tell me what you see.”

In silence I did as he bade me, leaning my head forward so my eyelashes almost brushed against the chased brass housing for the lens. I blinked, and suddenly I saw — a reddish-orange sphere, mottled here and there with lighter streaks of pale gold. And around the sphere I thought I could make out faint bands, or rings.

“What is it?” I asked, my voice shaky. “Is it a star?”

“No, Lyarris. It is a world like ours, but many thousands upon thousands of leagues away.”

“‘A world like ours’?” I repeated, puzzled, although I was also thrilled to have heard him say my name. How lovely and exotic it sounded in that delicious accent of his. “How can there be more than one world?”

“We believe there are many, although so far we have only charted six. That one is closest to us, and is called Balasir.”

Mind churning with this new information, I stared through the glass eyepiece once more. The tiny sphere seemed to shimmer as I looked at it, but I guessed this had something to do with the glass through which I looked, and not the actual movement of that faraway world. Finally I asked, “Do people live there, too?”

“That we do not know, my lady, but our thought is that they probably do not — or if they do, they must be very different from us. You can see from the color that there are no oceans on that world, no water at all. Nothing can survive without water.”

No
, I thought,
for even here in dry, dusty Keshiaar there are rivers, and ice on the high mountaintops, and springs hidden in the depths of the desert.
“It is still very beautiful, though,” I told him.

I felt rather than saw him nod, for it was very dark in there. “I am glad you think so. There are many beauties in the night sky, and Balasir is just one of them.”

“I would like to see more,” I said impulsively.

“And so you shall. But for now, though, it grows late, and I should return you to your quarters.”

I wanted to protest that I was not weary at all, but I held my tongue. Besh had promised that he would show me more of these heretofore unknown splendors in the sky, and I must content myself with that. It was perfect, really, for here in the observatory we were as alone as we could ever be, since the guards had taken up their positions at the entrance to the building, letting us enter unaccompanied. Returning here night after night would only give Besh and me more opportunities to be alone with one another, which must aid in breaking down the barriers between us.

So I nodded, feeling him step away from me, then heard the soft but heavy tread of his booted feet on the marble floor. A few heartbeats later, a tiny flame flared as he lit a match and touched it to the wick of the nearest lamp. He did not appear concerned with lighting any of the others, as that single lamp gave us enough illumination to find our way to the exit.

We emerged into the warm night air, and once again he guided me back to my quarters. Now that I knew he did not intend to accompany me inside, I was somewhat more in possession of myself. I was able to say calmly, “Thank you again for showing me your observatory, my lord. You have made my world so very much larger, in only a single evening.”

Those extraordinary amber-brown eyes seemed to light up, and he replied, “It pleases me very well to hear this from you, Lyarris.”

Again a thrill went through me at the sound of my name on his lips. “I am glad of it, my lord.”

“And it also pleases me that you have a quick and inquisitive mind, one that is not afraid to learn new things. I cannot say the same for — ”

But then he clamped his lips shut, and the glow in his eyes quite died away. I could not be sure, but I sensed that perhaps he had begun to speak of his late wife, and then had stopped himself. So, had she not been a lover of learning? Or perhaps she had been jealous of the time he spent away from her in his observatory, and so sought comfort in the arms of another?

I would never ask him those questions, of course. Even if that was truly what had happened, I could not find much sympathy in my heart for this Hezia, for surely she must have known that the ruler of a vast and powerful empire had many claims on his time. Was she so petty as to begrudge him a few hours indulging in a pastime that clearly meant a great deal to him?

Hastening to fill the strained silence, I said, “Oh, that mind is something my brother often teased me about, saying if I did not pull my nose out of a book from time to time, I would develop a dreadful squint, and who would want a princess with a squint?”

Besh chuckled then, although it sounded strained, lacking the easy, throaty quality I had noted earlier in the evening. “No, my lady, you most definitely do not have a squint. Your eyes are…quite beautiful.”

A tremor went through me as our gazes locked. Could he see into those eyes of mine, see how much I wanted this delicate beginning between us to grow into something stronger, more intimate?

But then he looked away, saying, “And it is late, so I shall take my leave of you. Good night, my lady.”

“Good night, my lord,” I replied formally, adopting his tone. Somehow I knew I must take his lead in this, for if I pressed the issue, he might find a reason to back away, to erect yet another barrier between us.

He bowed to me and moved off, flanked by his guards. Once again Miram opened the door for me, and I went to my lonely bed.

I
t seemed
I had not frightened him off, for the next night Besh took me back to his observatory, this time to show me the contours and odd, craggy landscapes of our world’s attendant moons. The night after that it was al-Adin, a tiny pale world that evoked images of ice and snow to me, although of course I could see nothing of it save mottled areas of darker gray against its overall chalky surface.

And so it went, each time with him having something new and wondrous to reveal to me. During each of these meetings, I was careful to show my enthusiasm, but I also made sure that I remained polite and circumspect. There were moments when I wished I had the sort of forward temperament Ashara’s good friend Gabrinne possessed. I had no doubt that good lady, if put in my position, would have found a way to fling her arms around Besh and kiss him soundly, and tell him that his diffidence was silly, for were we not husband and wife?

I, however, did not have that sort of courage, or daring. All I could do was show Besh that I was very different from the wayward Hezia, and that I only wanted to be a good wife to him. Doing so by sharing his interests seemed the safest route. The rest would come in time…or so I prayed, for every passing moment I spent with him, I found myself longing for him more — the sound of his voice, the light in those beautiful eyes of his, the brief touches of those long, sensitive fingers against mine.

It did seem my strategy was working, for a ten-day after our wedding, Besh informed me that there would be a great conjunction in the skies above the desert, and that he planned an expedition to view it properly, as apparently the lights from Tir el-Alisaad would disturb his observations.

“And I would like you to come with me, if you do not mind rough living for a few days,” he said as we walked back from the observatory that night.

“I do not mind at all,” I said at once. Truthfully, I would have agreed to sleep on the ground, if it meant some time away from the stifling palace and the eyes which seemed to be on me at all times. I had tried to ignore them as best I could, for it was a simple fact of life that the consort of a great ruler cannot call her life her own, but I could not deny that a change of scenery would be very welcome.

“Excellent. We will be setting out three days from now, so that we may reach the oasis of Tir-Kamar in time. You may bring two attendants, but I do not think our party can accommodate any more than that, as we will be traveling swiftly.”

I wanted to laugh, to say that I’d happily make do with only one attendant. However, as I had not yet broached the subject of my unwieldy personal staff, I merely nodded and said I thought I could manage.

Indeed, his invitation put me in such good spirits that I sat down to write a long-overdue letter to my brother. As I knew it would most likely be read by more than one pair of eyes before it reached Torric, I did not give the real truth of my situation, but set down such things as would not raise anyone’s suspicions.

D
earest Torric
,

I hope this letter finds you well, and Ashara, too. I daresay she must be close to childbed by now, and perhaps by the time you write back to me, I will already have a nephew or niece. As for myself, I am doing very well, and enjoying my new home a great deal. His Most High Majesty is the most considerate of husbands, and it is beautiful here, far more beautiful than I could have imagined. Yes, it is quite hot, but I am finding that as time goes on, I do not notice it as much, which I suppose is the way these things generally work.

The Hierarch is teaching me about the stars, and has an observatory where he goes to view the heavens. It is all quite fascinating, and something I had never had a chance to explore back home. So that is yet another blessing this marriage has brought me. In fact, we shall be traveling to the desert soon to make some important observations, and I shall have the opportunity to see more of this land I now call home.

I miss you and Ashara and everyone else, but I am happy. I have made the right choice.

Your loving sister,

Lyarris Kel-Alisaad

W
hether he would be
able to see past the various exaggerations and prevarications in that missive, I did not know, but certainly there was nothing in it that could be deemed exceptional, and so I thought it should not rouse any suspicions. And, at the very least, it would tell my brother that I was alive and well enough, things he might not have known for certain. Then again, even though he did not speak of such matters openly, I guessed he had spies of some sort in Keshiaar, and so perhaps he already knew more than I thought he did. Ah, well, that could be, but my letter would serve as a counterpoint to their own observations, and Torric could make of it what he liked.

T
he expedition threw
the palace into turmoil, as such things usually did, but three days hence we were heading out into the heat and the white, scorching sunlight, moving almost due east, away from the coast. I brought Lila and one of the other Keshiaari maids, Marsali, as Miram had said she thought the journey would be too much for any of the serving women I had brought with me from Sirlende. Her tone seemed to indicate she thought the journey would be too much for me as well, but since my presence on the expedition had the Hierarch’s blessing, there was not much she could do about it.

To be sure, I worried about the heat somewhat as well. Ever since I had come to Keshiaar, I had taken a brief walk in the gardens early in the morning before it was barely light, then huddled in the palace during the rest of the day, and had not ventured forth until the sun was low on the horizon. But I would not let my fear keep me confined, especially when my staying back at the palace would surely disappoint Besh. I wanted to show him that I could survive the worst of whatever his harsh homeland might throw my way.

When we did finally ride forth, early in the morning, I found the conditions better than I had feared. Yes, the sun was not fully up yet, but even as it rose and the heat of the day soared with it, I realized that the brisk canter of the horses we rode kept our own breeze flowing over us, helping to cool us somewhat. My mount was of the pure Keshiaari breed, fleet of foot, more delicate than the horses of Sirlende, but bred to survive the desert nonetheless.

Out here was a different kind of sea, one of sand everywhere, an unending dun-colored plain that seemed to stretch in all directions. Behind us trailed a great smoke-like plume, from the dust kicked up by our horses’ hooves. The party was small by royal standards; we numbered fifty altogether, enough to ensure the safety of His Most High Majesty, but not so great a contingent that we could not ride hard, and fast.

Back home I had enjoyed riding, even if I had had no stomach for the hunts that were such a part of court life. Here, despite the heat, it felt good to be on horseback again, especially to be riding such a beautiful animal. Her name was Selkar, and she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely as we pounded across the Keshiaari wastes, her pale coat shining in the merciless sun.

Even those wastes were not entirely empty; that first night we made camp in an incongruous island of life in the middle of that unending sea of sand, a place where freshwater springs bubbled up from deep underground, and tall slender trees Besh called palms grew there as well, drinking deeply of the precious water. The guards pitched a series of tents in that unexpected haven, and we passed the night under the stars, the hot winds finally cooling to a tolerable level so that we might sleep in peace.

So went the next day, and then on the third day, we approached another one of those areas of green, which Besh said was called an oasis, only this one was as large as the first two combined. Once again the guards pitched our tents, and we waited for the sun to be quite down so we could get a clear look at the stars.

The ruddy glow seemed to linger on the horizon for a long while. The group of us eating in the royal tent was quite small, for Besh had only brought with him a young man named Nezhaam, apparently his best and oldest friend, and also a cousin of some sort, and an older man called Alim, who was my husband’s former tutor. I had listened to them banter the previous two nights, and knew that Nezhaam had come along mainly for the sheer adventure of the outing, while Alim was the one who had first instilled a love of the stars in his former pupil, and who still provided counsel when needed.

Lila and Marsali and I were the only women in the company, and of course they took their meals separately from the royal party. At first it had felt odd to sit down on the clever folding chairs of heavy canvas and wood, and eat and drink with no mention of having to stay separate from the men, but I enjoyed it, once I got past the novelty. Being with them in such an informal setting gave me a much better opportunity to see my husband relaxed and in his element, away from the rigid etiquette of court.

I drank some of my water, and listened to Besh and Nezhaam trading barbs. “You would not know Balasir from Kalawar, Nezhaam, so do not try to convince me that you are here out of any scholarly fervor. No, I will hazard a guess that it is more a wish to avoid your mother’s matchmaking efforts. Truly, I must applaud you for managing to stay unattached for so long.”

Nezhaam, a handsome young man a year or two younger than my husband, and therefore far past an age to be married, put a hand to his breast and exclaimed, “Majesty, you wound me! I assure you, I am motivated by a keen interest in science!”

“And not being married off to Jesair Sel-Malantar’s cross-eyed daughter, I think,” Besh put in.

“Can you blame me? I cannot imagine spending the rest of my life with someone like that. I should not know where to look.”

“Azara Sel-Malantar is a very worthy young woman,” Alim put in severely. “It is not her fault that her eyes are crossed.”

“I never said it was, but that does not mean I wish to spend my time on this earth looking at them.” Nezhaam swallowed the remainder of the wine in his cup and added, “I would much rather be lucky like you, Besh, and be blessed with a wife of surpassing beauty. Tell me, Your Majesty, do you have any sisters back home?”

I could feel my cheeks flush, but as the night was quite dark, with neither of the moons risen yet, I did not think any of them could see me blush. Lightly I replied, “No, my lord, I fear I do not. It was only my brother and myself. You will have to find a wife among your own people, I am afraid.”

“Dashed again,” Nezhaam said, although he appeared in the light of the flickering torches to be anything but dashed.

Besh shook his head. “I think it best that we all attempt to get a few hours of sleep. The conjunction occurs an hour and a half before dawn.”

“I am shivering with anticipation,” Nezhaam quipped.

“You should be,” Alim interjected. “Such an alignment in the heavens will not occur again for another two hundred years.”

“But, as you two keep pointing out, it is just a group of planets creating a singular configuration. At least the astrologers back at court would make sure to say it meant I would be inheriting a great fortune, or blessed with great luck at the gaming tables, or something similarly useful.”

“Yes, they are quite talented at telling people what they wish to hear,” Besh retorted. “Off to bed with you. The guards will burn an hour candle, so they know the precise moment to wake us.” He turned from his friend to face me. “I hope it will not be too much of a hardship for you, my lady, to be awakened thus in the middle of the night.”

I smiled, hoping to reassure him. “Not at all, my lord. I would not want to miss such a sight, even if it meant losing an entire night’s sleep.”

“You have a stout heart, my wife.” He got to his feet and extended a hand to me, so as to help me from my chair. I took it, glad of the feel of his warm fingers wrapped around mine. But as soon as I was on my feet, he released my hand, saying, “The guards will wake you at the appointed time.”

“Very good, my lord,” I replied, my tone calm, showing no sign of the disappointment I felt at his letting go of me so quickly. I nodded at both Nezhaam and Alim, and they bowed in return. Then I slipped out of the tent, going the few feet to the next pavilion, which had been designated as my own.

Lila and Marsali were there, both of them yawning, as they had dutifully attempted to stay awake until I returned. Since I would only be getting up again in a few hours, I chose to remain in the thin linen shirt and billowy trousers I wore beneath my silken tunic, and had Lila pull my hair into a loose braid. After I had cleaned my face and teeth — and murmured a quick thank-you for the supply of fresh water the oasis provided for such tasks — I lay down on my cot and pulled the thin linen covering over me, more because I felt odd sleeping with nothing on top of me than because I really needed another layer of warmth.

Just as I had the previous two nights, I fell asleep more quickly than I had expected, most likely because of the hard day of riding I had put in. My body was exhausted, even if my mind was not. It was a deep, dreamless sleep, one I allowed to consume me, until somewhere at the edges of my consciousness I heard the low rumble of a male voice, followed by Lila’s light hand on my arm.

“My lady,” she said, and my eyes opened then, to a darkness broken only by a single lantern sitting on a camp table a few feet away. “It is time.”

“Thank you, Lila,” I replied, glad that I at least was the sort to wake up quickly, no matter what the hour might be.

She bowed and handed me a cup of water, so I might rinse my mouth, and then she took it away and helped me back into my tunic. Marsali stood by with a hairbrush, removing the braid and then smoothing my hair before pulling it back with a golden clasp. By then I could hear Besh and Alim and Nezhaam moving about outside, so I thanked my two maidservants for assisting me before stepping out of the pavilion and going to join the men.

The campfires had been banked down, and so we were in utter darkness, save for a few lanterns located here and there throughout our encampment. Overhead the stars blazed forth, more brilliant than I had yet seen them, even brighter than they appeared when viewed at Besh’s observatory.