She Who Has No Name (The Legacy Trilogy) (59 page)

‘Are you trying to scare me?’

‘No, but I just advise you to take care.  Whatever haunts those tunnels, keeps the Paatin who know about it terrified.  You may even be able to use that fear against them.’

‘Very well.’

With that, he dashed away and darted over the wall in a single
,
lithe motion.  It was only a few moments later that Samuel felt a Paatin spell slipping over him, scanning the courtyard.  Perhaps the wizards had felt something unusual and had come to investigate, for the spell continued intensely.  When it was done, and without finding anything, the spell moved away, leaving Samuel with nothing to do but return to his room.

As the sun melted into the west, casting shadows across the distant pasture lands, Utik’cah once again came to Samuel’s door.

‘Alahativa has reconsidered your request to release your friends.’  At this, Samuel’s heart leapt.  ‘As a measure of her goodwill to you, and in hope that you will do your best to entertain her in the arena, she has released one of them.  You will find your friend next door.  If you like, your dinners can be served together.  I will arrange for both meals to be brought there.’

Samuel agreed and
,
as soon as Utik’cah was gone
,
he stepped out into the corridor and turned to his right.  There was only one other door in this stretch of hall and so he hurried over to it expectantly.  He could hear the excited voices of Paatin women inside and wondered what could be happening.  Opening the door, he hoped to find Eric or Balten or perhaps even the Emperor waiting inside, but when he saw it was the Koian woman who had been released, he could not help but feel bitterly disappointed. 

She was wrapped in a thick blanket and she held it about her tightly.  Three dark-skinned Paatin women stood around her and she was swatting at them as they laughed and tried to pluck the blanket from her shoulders.  They wore thin, revealing clothes of pink, blue and violet and seemed to be enjoying whatever game they were playing with their guest.

‘You scared me!’ the Koian woman called out on noticing Samuel hovering in the doorway.  ‘What are you doing in here, Magician?  No one has called for you.’ 

He tried to hide his dashed hopes and walked nearer, causing the attendant girls to scatter aside.  ‘I see you are well.  It’s good the Queen has released you.’

‘Released!  How is this released?  Even my cell was preferable to this.  At least there, I was dark and invisible.  Now I am in the open for all to stare at and ridicule.’ She briefly opened her blanket, revealing her clothes underneath, a red version of the same scanty apparel as her attendants, baring more skin than Samuel had ever seen from the irate woman.  ‘How can I go out like this?  I am not some whore for these filthy brutes to ogle!  I demanded appropriate clothes, but these fiends only laugh at me!  I will kill them!’

‘You will get used to it,’ Samuel said, trying to placate her.

‘I don’t
want
to get used to it!  I am a god!’

Samuel was fed up with her pretentious attitude already.  ‘Then perhaps it’s time you realised that you are not a god.  Gods do not exist.  This is a world of logic and reason.  Even magicians are governed by such laws.  You are nothing but a spoilt and unreasonable child.’

The three girls, each gloriously beautiful, lowered their faces at the tone of his voice and the Koian woman stood stunned.  He thought she would shout or retort, but she did not.  She hopped down from the bed and started for the door, gripping her blanket around her tightly.  When Samuel realised she was heading for the exit
,
he dashed in front of her to bar her way.

‘Where are you going?’ he demanded.  Again, she would not answer.  She reached out one arm and attempted to pull him away, but he shrugged off her efforts easily.  She tried several times, becoming more and more infuriated.

‘Get out of my way!’ she commanded, but Samuel stood resolute.

‘Whether you like it or not, you are here to stay until we find the others.  It was your decision to come with us, so until we all leave together, none of us leave.’

‘I will
not
stay here,’ she stated.

‘If you leave, they will kill the others.’

‘That’s not my concern.  Turians and Paatin all deserve to die.  I hate everyone in this stupid land.’

‘You really are a heartless witch,’ Samuel told her.

‘And your mother was a whore!’ she said, spitting the words into his face.

Samuel’s hand had struck out before the words had finished leaving her lips and she crumpled to the floor.  Samuel could feel his hot blood in his cheeks.  It had felt wonderful to hit her and he momentarily visualised blasting her to dust with one of his spells—if only he had magic to use.  The three attendants stood like statues, refusing to look at the scene. 

The Koian woman sat still, with her hair fallen around her face.  It would have been some satisfaction for Samuel if she had started whimpering, but her emotionless voice returned, breaking into crackles of the old hag she had been once before.

‘My land is lost and broken
,
all my people are dead and I have been dragged to this hellish place by a traitor; yet, of all people
,
he is the only thing I have left of my home.  What a sorry life this is.  I will be glad when this Demon King returns and turns this whole world to ashes.  Then...I will be laughing at you all.’ 

The malign
ant
sound of her voice made his hair stand up on the back of his neck, and Samuel could not remain in the room with her lest he lost his temper once again.  He slammed the door shut behind him and swore aloud.  He hoped she
would
not leave the palace, but he had no way to prevent it.  If he was lucky, perhaps the guards would spear her on sight.

‘Utik’cah!’ he yelled along the empty hall, stomping up and down impatiently.  ‘Bring me Utik’cah!’

He only had to wait a few minutes, until the white-robed man came hurrying along towards him.

‘Take me to the Queen,’ Samuel commanded, and Utik’cah took notice of Samuel’s enraged expression.

‘Follow me,’ he stated and led the way, while Samuel stalked behind.

The Desert Queen was reclined in her cushioned chair as usual, and beckoned for Samuel to come nearer after he had swept into her room.  He refused her request to sit at the base of her stairs and instead stood with arms folded.

‘Why did you release that Koian woman?’ he demanded from her, but her lips only curved into a precious smile. 

She continued to
recline
and
even
arched her back as if stretching, recently awoken.  Even in his enraged state, he had to admit to himself that the Paatin woman was incredibly beguiling.  He had never seen or even imagined such a seductive beauty.  Her flesh was visible through the material of her flimsy clothes as she stretched her arms and pointed her toes.  When she was done, she rolled her head to face him and granted him an alluring smile.

‘How intriguing.  I have never seen a magician so upset.  My wizards certainly cannot muster the effort.  What has you in such a state, Samuel of Cintar?  You asked me to release your companions and I have done it—as much as I can allow.  Why does this now disturb you so?’

‘This woman is intolerable.  She does not care about anything.  She is probably on her way out of the palace already and we should not be held accountable for her foolishness.’

The Paatin Queen lost her capricious smile and regarded Samuel grimly.  ‘I am not interested in your arguments, boy.’  And
,
with the words, Samuel’s rage fell away, for he could feel
her
years of experience bearing down on him.  ‘Your companions are your own business.  I am a Queen with an
E
mpire to rule.  My orders stand.  If any one of your party leaves the palace, the others will be punished.  I will not capitulate or make concessions.  I understand this nameless woman claims to be a god, so let her help you if she can; although, I have looked upon her and I find her attributes...lacking.  She is plain in every way.  Now, I think my patience in this matter has been considerable, but I recommend you leave before it is tested any further.’

With that, her tempestuous look dropped away and she sighed and looked up to the ceiling.  A great fan was
wafting
to and fro, maintained by her servants beside the wall, and it drenched her in a cooling breeze. 

Samuel had no choice but to concede, backing away from her with his tail between his legs. 

On the way back to his room, Utik’cah spoke softly.  ‘A word of warning, Lord Samuel.  I have served my Queen all my life and I like to think, of all our people, I know her idiosyncrasies well.  While you amuse her, she will continue to tolerate you, but she loses interest in small things quickly.  The next time you demand to be taken to her, or the next time you stand in her presence in anger or even speak impolitely, or for any reason at all, you may find yourself lacking your head.’  Samuel threw the desert-man a questioning look.  ‘This is only to warn you.  I have no interest in whether you live or die at all, but I would not like to see anyone suffer from their own foolishness.’

Shouts and screams from the Koian woman’s room had Samuel running ahead of his escort and he entered her room to find her standing defiantly on her bed, clutching a jug and a bowl.  At first, he thought she may have somehow come through with her promise to kill her attendants, but he saw she was the only one doing the screaming.  A floor of broken, scattered debris lay between her and the other side of the room, where the three Paatin women were hiding behind three straight-backed chairs. 

She looked at Samuel with rage and sent the jug flying towards him, crashing into the wall beside him.  She had lost her blanket and was standing in her revealing Paatin clothes, spread-legged with her toes dug into the bed to keep her balance, making her look ridiculous.

‘They won’t leave me!’ she screamed.  ‘How can I make them go?’

‘They don’t understand your language,’ he told her.  ‘Calm now and I will ask Utik’cah to instruct them for you.’

Utik’cah came in, gawking timorously at the mess, but no matter how Samuel asked him
,
he would not tell the women to leave.  ‘She must have her attendants,’ he informed Samuel.  ‘It is not acceptable for a guest to be without them.’

Samuel thought for a moment.  ‘You never offered me servants like this,’ he stated.

‘You are a magician, Lord Samuel.  We would not insult your dignity with the presence of such women.  I have studied the ways of magicians well, and I know that such things are not of interest to you.’

Samuel sighed.  ‘Perhaps in this case, she can also be allowed to remain alone,’ Samuel told the man.

But Utik’cah only shrugged.  ‘She is our guest now and must be cared for as is fit.  A lady of merit will not sleep in her room alone.  It would be an insult to us and
to
her.  That is our way.’

The man was adamant and Samuel could only try to explain to the Koian woman as best he could.

‘Tell them to get out!’ she screeched, hoarse of voice, but Samuel’s explanations only fuelled her anger.  He thought he would have been glad to see her shed her emotionless shell and show some feeling, but he now realised that he much preferred her subdued self to this.

‘Just calm down,’ Samuel told her, in an effort to placate.

She leapt past him, down from the bed and to the window.  ‘To hell with you all!’ she cursed at them.  ‘Let’s see how well these savages treat me when I am dead,’ and
,
without a pause
,
she leaned her waist out the window and toppled over the handrail.  The trio of Paatin women screamed in unison and ran from their hiding spot to stop her.  Even the level-headed Utik’cah made a sudden
,
lurching attempt to reach her, vaulting from his place with his hands outstretched; but Samuel, closest to her of all, was left dumbfounded and flat-footed as she disappeared out the window.