The Hidden Relic (The Evermen Saga, Book Two) (23 page)

"It was in Petrya that I last saw him," she said.

Suddenly Ella craved the warmth of a man with a savage intensity. She imagined Killian's strong arms and his lean body, her hands running through the fiery hair that curled down to his neck.

"And this desert prince, Ilathor. You still don't know why he summoned you?"

Ella remembered another night. Another man. She remembered a night in the desert when Prince Ilathor Shanti of Tarn Teharan, now leader of the army of the desert tribes, had declared his love for her.

A love she had spurned, the very last time she and Ilathor had spoken, before Ella stole Jehral's horse and left.

~

"
S
TOP
," Shani said. "Don't move. We're being watched."

Ella reined in her horse; soon all three riders had drawn to a halt. She looked with concern at Jehral. He couldn't survive a battle.

"How do you know?"

"There are men in those trees there. It was only for the shortest instant, but I saw them. In fact, I don't think those trees are even real. I know the trees that grow in my land."

"They aren't Petryans, then," Ella said. She called out, projecting her voice, "Warriors of Raj Hazara, what tarn are you?"

The copse of trees wavered, and in its place there was suddenly a band of mounted warriors, their black clothing and scimitars betraying their origin. Their leader kicked his horse forward, his men following suit.

They halted some distance away. "I am Ashnar of Tarn Bohta," the leader called. "We know what the woman in red is capable of. Tell her to remove her robe and the red devices at her wrists and surrender herself to us."

Shani bristled. "There is no way I will…"

Ella hushed her before turning back to the desert men. "She is an ally of Raj Hazara, as am I. We have one of your warriors with us. He is wounded and needs the attention of a healer."

"How is it you ride horses?" Ashnar called.

Jehral rose in his saddle and called out; it must have taken him a great effort of will. "Salute, Ashnar. I am Prince Ilathor's man, Jehral of Tarn Teharan. These people are friends. You must take us to him." He slumped back down.

Ashnar conferred quickly with his men. "We will take you to the prince."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Shani muttered. Ella silenced her with a glare.

With a wary eye on the elementalist, the Hazarans formed up around them, gesturing for them to follow. "Where are you taking us?" Ella asked. "How far is it? Our friend needs help."

"Hush, woman," Ashnar said. "No one asked you to speak."

Shani opened her mouth to say something, but Ella shook her head. "Just answer me," Ella said.

"It is not a long journey," Ashnar said. "Even at the pace you are able to travel. Prince Ilathor is with his men, perhaps a day's ride from here."

"Where?" Shani said in exasperation. "We've just come from the desert."

"Why, Torlac, of course," Ashnar said. "We control almost all of Petrya. The prince has based himself in the town closest to the lake. Soon we will take Tlaxor, the tiered city, and all Petrya will be ours."

"And then?" Ella asked, paying close attention to forestall any rash actions from Shani.

"And then, woman, we will continue fighting until the world is at our feet."

~

T
HEY
encountered more of the prince's patrols as their journey took them closer to the trade town of Torlac.

From her last time in Petrya Ella knew that they were already on the slopes of Mount Halapusa, the mighty mountain that had erupted long ago, leaving behind a sky-blue volcanic lake with an island in the middle.

Up ahead she could see the crater's rim, the opposite side forming a long, curving escarpment, and the near side where the ground dropped away in a steep cliff in front of them. She still wasn't close enough to see the lake at the crater's base.

Torlac had sprouted at a cleft in the rim. It was a town that wagons could pass through on their way to the Halapusa Ferry, or where the goods of far-off merchants could be purchased and taken down to the tiered city by Petryans, allowing the foreign merchants to return home.

Torlac was now in the possession of Raj Hazara.

The signs of the great battle that must have been fought for its possession were everywhere, visible long before the walls of the town itself. The red earth was scorched and blackened by fire, and wooden boards covered ditches that were lined with spikes. The dead had been taken away, either to be burned or buried, but Ella still caught a terrible stench on the wind, the kind of smell that took an eternity to be dispelled.

Overriding the scent of corruption, the burnt odour of blackened wood and smouldering earth came through strongest. Ella looked with concern at Shani; her friend's eyes were red, but whether from emotion or the smoke, Ella wasn't certain.

"What are you thinking?" Ella asked. "Are you all right?"

Shani turned her head. "To be honest? I don't know. I want to see my people freed, not conquered. I am no traitor."

Ashnar looked at Shani curiously.

"We'll speak to the prince," Ella said.

She thought again about the time she'd seen Ilathor lead an attack against a rival tribe, Tarn Fasala. When Ilathor led his men to victory, and his enemy surrendered, he hadn't given them quarter. He'd butchered them to a man.

"I'm sure he wants them to be free also." Ella said, nodding, but inwardly she wondered. How sure was she, really?

The road descended and then levelled out. Desert warriors riding past gazed at their strange party with curiosity. Jehral moaned, and Ella prayed he would get the attention of a healer soon.

The walls of Torlac loomed ahead. As they approached, Ella saw that the once-formidable gate was in splinters, their escort barely giving the gate a glance as the desert men took them through.

The streets of Torlac were arranged in a neat grid, with the central street from the main gate built wide to allow wagons to pass in both directions. The town had escaped the battle mostly unscathed, leading Ella to believe the Hazarans' plan of attack must have relied largely on stealth. With their rediscovered lore enabling them to confuse the eyes, Ella's intuition told her the theory was probably correct.

With their swarthy skin, drab clothing and red, flat-topped hats, the Petryans were easily distinguishable from the darker Hazarans. Ella saw a Petryan carrying a broom shy away when a rider's path took the rider close to him. Ella hoped the Hazarans were being held in check and wondered what the prince's plans were. She hadn't seen a single woman among the desert warriors who guarded the gates and patrolled the streets — the Hazarans certainly didn't look like they were here to stay.

Still, the Petryan common-folk who walked the streets seemed to have recovered somewhat from the battle — either that, or they were still in shock. Ella was heartened to see some old Petryans smoking redleaf from long-stemmed pipes and veiled local women buying fruit and vegetables from one of the numerous markets. Whatever the tides of war, life went on.

Ella again looked at Shani, but her friend's expression was inscrutable.

Ashnar and his men led the three travellers from the market district through several wide streets to an expansive square. In the centre of the square, a great marble statue of a man had been toppled down. Ella raised an inquiring eyebrow at Shani.

"High Lord Haptut Alwar," Shani said.

Jehral moaned and shifted in his saddle, Ella again reached out to steady him. "He needs help," Ella said, frowning at Ashnar.

"No!" Jehral said, although his words were obviously an effort. "I need to see the prince."

A square, red-brick building opened its gates onto the square. From somewhere within the brick walls, a tall tower rose high above to dominate the square and the rest of the town. A dozen Hazarans stood guard, casually leaning on their scimitars.

"It's the old barracks — the biggest building in Torlac," Ashnar said, almost apologetically, looking at Jehral.

White-faced, Jehral straightened in his saddle, looking at Ashnar but not replying.

As they pulled up outside the gates Ella looked down at the guards from the height of her horse. Her eyes widened as she recognised a Hazaran: one of Prince Ilathor's men, a thick-set warrior who had taken an instant disliking to her.

"Rashine," Ashnar said, "look who it is."

Rashine looked them over, his eyes catching on Jehral. "Jehral!" He then saw Ella and frowned, before returning to Jehral. "What are you doing here?"

Jehral smiled weakly. "Salute, Rashine. Take us to Prince Ilathor. Please."

Rashine looked at Ella and Shani, finally tilting his head at Ashnar, who nodded.

"Jehral of Tarn Teharan, I will leave you here," said Ashnar.

"Thank you, Ashnar of Tarn Bohta," Jehral said.

Ella looked on with consternation as Jehral kicked his feet out of the stirrups, slipping off the side of his horse and wincing as he hit the ground.

"This is madness, Jehral," Shani said.

"Come on," Jehral said.

"You heard him," Rashine growled. He prodded Ella in the back as he and three other guards formed a barrier around them. Ella glared at him.

Jehral, Ella, and Shani were led into the massive building. It was more functional than beautiful, with sharp angles and bare walls. Dark-skinned men walked by in small groups, heads clustered together and wicked scimitars at their sides, and the sound of crashing steel could be heard echoing through the stone.

They were taken up a wide set of stairs, and Ella's concern grew when she saw how slowly Jehral took each step. Rashine and the other warriors ignored Jehral's plight — the proud man who was the prince's right hand would never accept assistance.

A second, narrower staircase took them higher still, and soon even Ella was feeling exhausted. Finally the staircase opened onto a landing, where two more guards stood outside a heavy wooden door. Ella realised they must be at the top of the tower.

"The prince cannot be disturbed," one of the guards said, holding up his hand.

Jehral sucked in his breath, and then with a bellow that Ella would never have expected him to be capable of, Jehral shouted.

"It's Jehral, Prince Ilathor of Tarn Teharan. You left me with the women at Agira Lahsa, but by the Lord of Fire, you'll see me now."

"Jehral?" the voice came through the door. "Enter and be welcome, my friend."

The desert warriors exchanged crooked smiles and one of the guards opened the door.

Prince Ilathor Shanti, son of the Kalif and war leader of the Hazaran desert tribes, stood looking out the open window of the chamber he'd chosen, high above the streets of Torlac, in the town's tallest structure. Ella followed his gaze, realising he was staring into the distance at the steaming waters of Lake Halapusa and the Petryan capital of Tlaxor centred at its heart. From every turret of the tiered city below, the teardrop and flame
raj hada
of Petrya flew tall and proud. The Petryans were far from conquered.

The prince turned as they approached, his lips curved in the charismatic smile Ella remembered so well.

He had been beardless before, but he had grown a thin beard, sculpted to follow the contours of his face and meeting his upper lip in two lines on either side of his chin. Ella was surprised to find she liked it. Prince Ilathor's near-black hair was very long, past his shoulders, held back with a golden clasp, and his dark skin was smooth and unblemished. He wore an earring of gold and amber in his left ear, and around his neck was a golden chain from which hung a curved turquoise triangle.

The black clothing of the Hazarans sat snugly around the prince's broad shoulders, but it was the yellow sash around his waist that caught Ella's attention. The
raj hada
in its centre was made of moulded yellow gold, the desert rose of Raj Hazara etched into the gold.

Jehral entered first, the two women flanking him on either side. Jehral bowed, somewhat clumsily for the usually graceful warrior. Ella — and Shani, she was surprised to see — followed suit.

"My prince," Jehral said. "I have been to far-off lands, but now I have returned."

"Jehral," Prince Ilathor said warmly, coming forward and clasping the man's left hand between both of his. "I never doubted you."

"Yet you left without me," Jehral said, his eyes accusing.

"I am sorry, my friend. Binding the tribes together is no easy feat. The reconstruction of Agira Lahsa is well underway and we rediscover more of our lore every day. The men were growing restless, and I could wait no longer. In my position, Jehral, would you not do the same?"

Jehral bowed his head. "I do not think to presume, my prince."

The prince smiled. "We missed you at the fight; rest assured of that, my friend."

Ella exchanged glances with Shani, and then, without quite realising she'd done it, she cleared her throat.

"And I see you brought me my desert rose," the prince said, smiling and directing his attention to Ella.

"She…" Jehral said. "She…"

Jehral stumbled, and then, before any of them could react, fell to the floor.

Prince Ilathor looked at Ella for the first time. "What have you done to him?" he demanded, his eyes blazing. "He is wounded. Can you not see?"

Ella felt the colour rise to her cheeks. "Prince Ilathor —" she began.

"Guards!" the prince called. The door to the room opened. "Take Jehral to the infirmary. Give him the best possible care, understood?"

"Yes, at once, my prince," the guard said.

"Then find these two some chambers. Close by. Don't let either of them out of your sight."

"Understood, my prince."

"If he has come to harm," the prince said to Ella, "I will hold you directly responsible."

"I…" Ella tried again.

Ella and Shani were surrounded by guards, and before Ella could say another word, they were led away.

Shani's parting words followed her.

"That went well," her friend said.