Samuel understood. ‘Very well. It will do me good to get out of this room and clear my head. Will you walk with me?’
The Paatin man seemed genuinely surprised by Samuel’s offer, but it took him only a moment to return to his sober state. ‘If you wish.’
Samuel stepped out past him, half-expecting a hoard of bare-chested warriors to fall upon him with their swords, but the corridor was empty and welcoming. ‘Lead me then. Take me somewhere you would go in my place.’
Utik’cah smiled somewhat. ‘I am not in your place, but I understand. Follow me.’
The white-robed Paatin led Samuel through the halls of the splendid palace. Every mote of space was somehow lavish, beyond even the splendid decor of the palace in Cintar.
‘How did the Queen assemble such riches?’ Samuel asked of his guide. ‘I have never seen such wealth in one place.’
‘What you see around the palace are gifts from her people and the wealthy leaders of the clans. Everything she receives belongs to the people, so she has no need ofcoffersor troves in which to secret away her gold. Everything is laid out to be seen and appreciated.’
‘Isn’t she worried the servants will steal something?’
‘Why would they steal what is already theirs?’ Utik’cah replied,with genuine curiosity.
They came shortly to an open courtyard. There were several young ladies sitting around a pond that wasteemingwith golden fish but,when they saw the two men approach,they deftly shuffled away, keeping their eyes to the ground.
Utik’cah settled himself on a stone banister and pulled one booted foot up beside his rump to be comfortable, so he was hugging his knee. ‘So what do you want to ask me, Lord Samuel of Cintar?’
Samuel sat on the same length of stone, curved around the pond. ‘I am curious more than anything, about your Queen. Did she really create this city?’
‘So they say. No one alive now was alive then to see it, save for her.’
‘How can it be that she is so old? She looks only several years younger than you.’
‘I do not question such things, Lord Samuel. This is one of the mysteries that we do not question. We are only thankful to have her.’
‘But she seems to relish the misery of others? How can your people love her when she is such a tyrant?’
‘Strong leaders are appreciated in the desert. If she were any less, she would never have survived; she would never have the respect of the people. She rules with an iron fist but she also has infinite compassion. Perhaps it is because she is a woman that you question her actions? I have heard your Emperor was an ever greater tyrant and his slaughter knew no bounds.’
‘Perhaps that is true,’ Samuel mused. ‘Then I killed him.’
‘You seem a reckless people. We are much more resilient than you.’
‘Perhaps that is so. I want to ask you one more thing. Do you know where the Queen found her ring?’
‘I do not,’ came the answer. ‘She has many jewels and trinkets and I am not interested in such things.’
‘Have you ever seen her use her magic?’
‘Her magic is vast and wonderful, but I think we delve into questions I would rather not answer, Lord Samuel. Alahativa has not told me to hide anything from you, but I fear my answers would not be the ones you seek. I will go now. I have our armies to tend to. Enjoy your walk. I will arrange for your meals to be brought to your room.’
With that, he stood and strode away around past the pond. Samuel sat in silence for several minutes, before calling out to the magician hiding in the shadows. ‘Come out. I am alone.’
A tall figure, draped in black, stepped from amongst the leafy plants in the corner of the courtyard. He came over briskly and pulled the cloth from his hidden face. Spells of concealment dropped away as he came.
‘Samuel,’ he greeted, for it was Lomar who had been hiding amongst the bushes, ‘how did you know it was me? Oh, I forget. How foolish of me to underestimate you.’
‘Should we go somewhere else?’ Samuel asked, looking nervously to the arched entrances around them.
‘Not necessary. In these clothes, with my face partially covered, I look just like one of them. I can get past the odd servant or two. It is only if we meet any wizards that I will need to scurry. I have found a hole in their defences, so I was able to enter the palace this time. I am not sure how long it will remain, for the wizards keep watch on the walls and sentry-towers around the palace day and night.’
‘We need to find the others and free them, but I must find Balten first. He has my ring.’
‘I know where he will be, but that will not help much. You are a curiosity to the Queen, but I doubt they will risk anything with him. They will have Balten in the deepest,darkest part of the mountain they can find. I’ve heard he is well-known to the Paatin and they will not risk letting him escape. The problem is, once inside the mountain no spells can be cast. If we want to go in, we will need to cast our spells first and carry them in with us. Then, we will need to makeitpast the guards and search for him. Rumour has it the mountain is riddled with holes;it isa maze of endless tunnels, all designed to lose any strangers to its depths. It could take a long time to find him.’
‘So what can we do?’
‘Delveinto the mountain and search for him. I will leave now, before I give myself away. If they find me once, they will hunt for me relentlessly and you will lose any privileges you seem to have acquired. You may be able to sneak into the catacombs for a short time each day and search for him. I have heard there are many smaller hidden entrances. You will need to find the others, as well. We cannot act until they are free, or we risk having them executed.’
‘But I have no spells.’
‘You don’t need them, Samuel. Remember, none of the wizards can sense you. You are as good as invisible to them. There are also spells of detection that cover the entrances. Only you can slip through them unnoticed. Now, I must go. I don’t know when I can return again. Find the others. Find Balten.’
‘I will do my best.’
‘Samuel, there is one more thing. I don’t know if it is worth raising, but perhaps it is worth you knowing.’
‘What is it?’
‘They say there is something that lives under the mountain.’
‘What kind of something?’ Samuel asked.
‘I don’t know, but all the Paatin are terrified of it. No one has seen it, but they all fear it. Some think it is a ghost,others a beast. They only find the remains of its victims. They say it patrols the deepest and darkest of tunnels and that it takes anyone it stumbles across who is alone. The guards are afraid, but they have found a way to make use of the thing. Any prisoner they wish to remove, they just extinguish the lights, and when they come back, there is not much left.’
‘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
