‘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 andtoher. 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.
Finally, shaken from his stupor, he pushed his way to the front as one of the attendants sobbed and turned away from the scene. Looking down,he sawthe Koian god-woman sprawled outon the stony courtyard far below, with scarlet rivulets running out from beneath her, each following the tessellated tracts between the paving stones. One arm and one leg were twisted into unnatural positions and her hair was a mattedandbloody mess.
‘I did not expect that,’ Samuel stated, as Utik’cah stepped away from the window and back into the room.
The Paatin’s face had drained pale white. ‘My Queen will be very disappointed,’ he said, taking hollow steps towards the bed. ‘I have never failed her like this. She was not supposed to die.’
A shout of excitement brought their attention, and one of the attendant women started calling excitedly for Utik’cah, pointing down towards the fallen woman. Utik’cah rushed over and Samuel again pressed his head out to see. He was astounded, for one of the Koian woman’s legs was moving, flopping from side to side as if it was trying to plop itself back into place.
‘How can she be alive?’ Samuel asked, but Utik’cah was too busy calling out from the window to reply. White-clothed guards came bounding into the courtyard below and they in turn began calling others in their desert tongue, on sight of the broken woman. Some knelt at her side and one shouted up towards the expectant Utik’cah.
‘She is alive!’ Utik’cah said exuberantly.
‘But how?’ Samuel asked. ‘No one could survive such a fall.’
‘Just luck, my friend. I have called for the healers. If she lives, it will save all our heads.’ And the hopeful man turned once more from the window and began hurrying out the door. It was the first time Samuel had seen his Paatin host so animated, and he boundedafter the man, struggling to keep up.
The god-woman’s body had been turned over and her limbs put into place, by the time Samuel and Utik’cah arrived. A cushion had been placed under her head, but her face was an unrecognisable red mess. Samuel had no way to tell if she was alive or dead, for she had no energy at all for him to perceive; although he noted her chest rising in rapid, although shallow movements, and,when she coughed several times, sending up sprays of blood, he knew she was truly alive.
‘The heavens bless us!’ Utik’cah stated.
Three brown-cloaked figures came scampering in and set immediately to work with their spells. They were magicians of a sort, and their healing spells were wellformed. They chattered back and forth to Utik’cah as they worked, each looking worried.
Unbelievably, one of them seemed to be a woman and Samuel’s eyes widened with dismay as she summoned and cast magic to match her fellows.
‘They are having difficulty,’ Utik’cah stated, mistaking Samuel’s expression. ‘For some reason they cannot feel the woman’s life and must work unguided.’
Samuel recovered his wits and nodded dumbly. ‘She is a rarity. She has no magical presence for your magicians to focus upon. All things have an energy that can be seen, or felt by other magicians, but occasionally, for some reason we cannot fathom, some are born without it. It will be difficult work for your wizards.’ And Samuel could imagine what it had been like for Grand Master Anthem and the others when they had been trying to heal him in the past. They could delve their senses into the meat and bone, but actual life energies were vital signs as to the nature and seriousness of any injury.
Utik’cah shook his head. ‘These are not wizards. They are only healers. They only learn the ways of healing and complement their spells with herbs and medicines. Our wizards deal with warexclusively.’
Samuel gestured towards the female healer. ‘And that one, the woman-is she normal?’
‘What do you mean? She is a healer, like the others.’
‘I cannot understand it. Women cannot use magic. At least, that is what we have believed until now. But I am seeing this with my own eyes. I would be interested to learn how your people have accomplished this. It seems beyond belief.’
‘I have no knowledge of such things, Lord Samuel. As far as I know, wizards and healers can be of either gender. Traditionally, they are sterilised once they begin studying their art and that has long been a custom of the Paatin; although, I understand you are not.’
Samuel found the thought disturbing. ‘We are not.’
The Koian woman coughed and then she made a gurgling scream and Samuel and Utik’cah leapt back in surprise as the healers rushed about her. She dug at the stones beneath her and hammered out with her hands as the healers attempted to hold her down. The female healer then cast a calming spell and the Koian fell limp again and did not move any more. After some time, the healers slowed their work and spoke again to Utik’cah.
‘She can be moved,’ Utik’cah revealed. ‘We will take her to her room. The healers believe she will live, although why she did such a thing, I cannot guess. Such madness! I will arrange for the window to be closed and a guard put on the door for now.’
They carried her on a stretcher held between four of the stout guards and Samuel followed them back to her room. He left them to their work, frustrated that he could do nothing to help without his magic, and returned to his room to rest and deliberateonthe day’s events.
Late into the night, one of the healers came knocking at his door, gesturing that he was needed.
The Koian woman had now been cleaned and was awake when he came to her side, but her face was black and swollen almost beyond recognition. She was in pain, and could barely move her eyes to look at him, peering out from her puffy sockets.
‘Damn you, Magician,’ she croaked. She was not so much using her hag voice as struggling to speak.
He had come prepared to forgive her for her outrageous actions, but even now she was intolerable. ‘Don’t blame me for your failed effort,’ he told her grimly.
She looked away. ‘That’s not what I meant. I damn you for not even trying. Why didn’t you stop me?’
‘How could I? You leapt away so quickly.’
She turned her bloodfilled eyes back towards him. ‘Are you not a magician? Are you not even a man? What kind of fool allows a woman to fall to her death?’
Samuel did not answer. He could not begin to fathom how she could dive from such a height and then dare to blame him for it. Instead, he turned to view the room, where the three Paatin women were just finishing re- arranging the pots and furniture. Everything broken had been cleaned and replaced.
‘You nearly died,’ he told her. ‘I’ve never seen such a stupid act. Haven’t you been paying attention? Without my ring I don’t have any magic.’
‘How was I to know? I don’t listen to your tired conversations and no one tells me anything. Anyway, I told you, Magician,I am not easily killed. It was a much further drop than I thought, but it would take more than that to kill me. I am a god, remember?’
That only incensed him more. ‘You did this on purpose? For what? To gain our sympathy? I really cannot understand you. Here we are, trying to save our friends and the very world, and you are only concerned with yourself. I’ve never met such a selfish soul.’
