The Thin Executioner

“Gods!” Hubaira snorted. “There are men and animals, nothing more. Only fools worship make-believe gods.”

Jebel flushed. In Abu Aineh this girl would be executed for saying that. He wanted to slap her, but there might be other Um Siq in the hills, waiting for an excuse to cut him down. Better to hold his peace for now.

Hubaira circled the man and the boy, studying them. She paused behind Tel Hesani and ran a finger over some of the scars on his back. Her fingernails were long and sharp, and the Um Kheshabah shivered at her touch.

“You must be a great warrior,” Hubaira said.

“Some are from fights,” Tel Hesani said. “But most came from those who have owned and traded me.”

Hubaira paused. “You’re a slave?”

“Yes.”

She stepped forward, expression grim, and pointed at Jebel with her staff, her free hand going to the dagger by her side. “Are the whip marks his dirty work?”

“He is my current master,” Tel Hesani said. “But I chose to travel with him, and he has never struck me.”

“Are you telling the truth?” Hubaira’s eyes were hard. “He cannot harm you here. The Um Siq despise slavers. If you like, I can kill him, and freedom will be yours.”

Jebel went cold. He had a vision of dying at the hands of a girl — a girl! The disgrace would be unendurable. If word ever reached his father and brothers, they would probably take their own lives rather than live with the shame.

But Tel Hesani smiled ruefully and shook his head. “I’d rather you not harm my young master. I travel with him for reasons of my own. He is important to me.”

“As you wish.” Hubaira lowered her staff and smiled. “It’s lucky you’re Um Kheshabah. One of your people came to Abu Siq in my grandfather’s time and spent several years with us. He was a healer and saved the lives of some of our people. If you were of any other race, I’d have run you off or killed you.”

“That is indeed good fortune,” Tel Hesani said, then asked if they could lower their hands and collect their weapons.

“Yes.” Hubaira watched as they rearmed themselves, keeping a close eye on Jebel. When they’d finished, she pointed to the rock towards which they had been headed. “That’s what you’ve been looking for — the entrance to the siq. I’ve followed you for the last few hours. At first I thought you might be prospectors.”

“No,” Tel Hesani said. “We are questers, interested only in progressing through the siq before the snows fall.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Hubaira said. “There won’t be any snow for at least a week. But I’m not sure I can let you pass. I don’t yet have a vote. That’s why I’m here — to become an adult, one of the tests is to spend a month outside Abu Siq armed with only a dagger and staff. I’ve survived that month and am now returning home, but this is only one test of many. It will be a long time before I can have any say on an issue like this.”

“But if we were to travel with you to your city,” Tel Hesani pressed, “and you were to make a plea to your elders on our behalf…”

“They might respect my wishes,” Hubaira said. “But I can make no guarantees. If you travel with me, that doesn’t mean you’ll be granted safe passage. The elders may decide to kill you.”

“If you’ll share the path with us, we will take that risk,” Tel Hesani said.

Hubaira thought about it, then nodded. “Very well. I’ll present you to the elders and let them decide — but only because you’re Um Kheshabah.” She shot Jebel a dark look, then strode to the rock. She walked with long steps, almost bounding. Jebel and Tel Hesani had to half-jog to keep up.

“I’m not sure I trust her,” whispered Jebel.

“Um Siq are honorable,” Tel Hesani replied. “She won’t betray us.”

There was a wide crack in the hill behind the rock. They squeezed through on their stomachs, Hubaira first, Jebel next, Tel Hesani bringing up the rear. After a short crawl, it opened up into a tunnel, and they were able to stand. The tunnel ran a long way. The walls of the rock were pitted with sharp, spikelike outcrops. Jebel caught his shoulder on one and cursed. He was in a foul mood when he stepped out of the tunnel, and started to complain to Hubaira. But the words died on his lips as his eyes soaked up the sight ahead.

They were at the lip of a narrow canyon that dropped away sharply underfoot. The base of the canyon lay far beneath, shrouded by shadows. Even though the evening light was weak, Jebel could detect an incredible variety of colors in the walls — reds, yellows, blues, greens, and many others, including some he had never seen before, various shades and shapes. Some swipes of color appeared to have been painted on. Others were arranged in a series of circles, spreading out like ripples after a stone has been dropped into water. Certain colors caught the dying rays of the sun and sparkled, while others absorbed the rays and seemed to pulse.

Jebel and Tel Hesani stood at the mouth of the siq, wordlessly studying the floor and walls. Then their gaze wandered ahead to where the siq stretched far in front of them. Neither had seen anything like it before. It was beyond beauty, the work of some higher power, far more glorious than any human construct.

Hubaira spat and grunted. “Don’t worry,” she said. “This is the dull bit. It gets prettier farther in.”

With that, she led them forward on a descent into wonder.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The base of the siq was gloomy, drowning in shadows, the colors of the walls obscured. The ground was dusty underfoot, a very thin path the only testament to thousands of years of human occupancy. As the sun set, the shadows deepened, and it was night in the siq long before it was dark in the hills above.

Tel Hesani would have stopped when night fell, but Hubaira’s pace didn’t falter. Since this was her territory, he followed without question.

Within an hour, Jebel had fallen behind. His eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness. As he paused to drink some water, he noticed a small, sparkling light far overhead. He thought it was a star, but then he realized it was too low. Glancing around, he saw more lights flickering into life, as if a ghost was lighting candles and they were spreading.

“Tel Hesani! Hubaira!” he shouted.

Tel Hesani stared uncertainly at the lights, but the girl only laughed. “You don’t know about fireflits?” When the man and boy shook their heads, she squatted down. “Then we’ll rest here a moment.”

Jebel hurried over to where Hubaira was crouching. As they watched, the lights increased and crept towards them. It was an eerie sensation, seeing lights drift across the walls as if blown by a soft wind. As the lights drew closer, Jebel heard a faint buzzing noise. It wasn’t unlike the buzzing sound made by the insects of the swamp they had passed through not so long ago.

Hubaira whispered, “Don’t move. Keep watching. Look for the flowers.”

It took Jebel several seconds to see them. Then, in the glow from above, he saw that the walls of the siq were imbedded with dainty grey flowers. Each had a single head and several large petals. Jebel spotted an insect hovering at the head of one flower. It was like a locust, but smaller and brightly colored. Its wings beat rapidly, blurring with speed. When they touched together overhead, they produced tiny sparks.

As the fireflit extracted pollen, a spark from its wings hit one of the petals, and it caught fire. The flames consumed the other petals, then the head and stem. The fireflit zipped to another flower, leaving the first to burn to its roots.

“They do that all night,” Hubaira said softly. “Fly from one flower to the next, collect pollen, return to their nests near the top of the siq, then come back for more. The ash feeds the soil, and new flowers will grow in their place tomorrow, ready for a return visit within two or three days.”

“I’ve never heard of such creatures,” Tel Hesani said admiringly.

“Perhaps they’re only found in Abu Siq.” Hubaira shrugged. “We don’t take much notice of them. They’re of no