surprised.
'You and I know how sweetly deceiving Ciredor can be,' she had reminded Tazi.
Though she had been loath to admit it, Tazi recalled how infatuated she had been when her mother had first introduced her to the dark mage.
'There is something compelling about him,' she grudgingly acknowledged. When she saw Steorf's stern glance, she hastily added, 'Even though he is a monster.'
Fannah had brought them to the Festhall of Eternal Delight, despite their blushing protests.
'This is the only place to rest in seclusion,' Fannah had informed them, 'for a number of reasons.'
Tazi noticed that her Calishite friend hadn't used the word 'hide.'
'Since he is a minion of Shar, this temple of Sharess is our only choice,' she had told them. 'Shar's influence can not reach us here and we can fully prepare for the coming storm.'
Fannah had spoken to an old acquaintance and secured rooms for them all. Steorf mumbled something about Fannah's old friends and traps, but Tazi sharply reminded him that Fannah had only said she knew of the Children of Ibrandul; she had never claimed any allegiance with them as she did the priestesses of Sharess. Tazi was content to trust her sightless friend once more.
With most of their gear, including the sacred book, safely stowed in their rooms, Fannah led Tazi through many halls of debauchery to a special room down in a lower level. Steorf adamantly refused to leave Tazi's side any longer and followed along, though the sights in the halls brought a rosy flush to his face. When they reached the door, however, Fannah placed her hand on his broad chest and told him he could go no farther.
'I am sorry,' she explained at his shocked question, 'but this is a place only for women. You can not enter.'
She crossed her arms firmly. It was the first time Tazi had ever seen Fannah take a stand on an issue. She could see that her friend was resolute in her statement.
'Steorf,' Tazi said as she pulled him aside slightly, 'I will be safe here with Fannah. If you're not allowed, then you can not break their customs.'
Steorf shifted his weight from one foot to the other but was as steadfast as Fannah. Tazi tried something else.
She pulled out of her satchel the scrolls she had stolen from Ciredor all those many months before-what felt to Tazi like a lifetime ago-and with a certain amount of gravity, placed the scrolls in Steorf's hands.
'I'm not exactly sure what Fannah has in mind for us two,' she explained, 'but we can't afford to waste any time. While I am involved in this-' and she motioned to the closed door-'I need you to decipher Ciredor's writings. I'm certain that what we need to stop him is in those scrolls and that false book of his.'
Steorf tucked the scrolls into a fold of his cloak and stared at Tazi. She could see that he reluctantly agreed with her logic. She took a step closer and leaned up to whisper in his ear.
'There is absolutely no one else I would trust more with this task than you.'
She stepped back to look him firmly in the eye.
'I won't disappoint you,' he replied.
With a quick look at Fannah and the forbidden chamber, he turned back to their rooms.
'I'm ready,' Tazi told Fannah after Steorf was gone from sight.
'No, you aren't,' Fannah informed her gently, 'but you will be.'
With that enigmatic statement, Fannah opened the door to the chamber and stepped inside. Tazi followed suit.
The chamber was spacious and steamy. The entire floor and walls were covered with tiny tiles that formed incredible mosaics. Tazi had heard that parts of Calimport were decorated with this form of art, and she had caught glimpses of some of the famed Calishite talent during their first, rapid pass through the city, but nothing compared to this.
The tiles were fine, and Tazi marveled at their number. It must have taken years, a lifetime for this room to be so adorned, she thought.
Almost reverently, she traced her hand along the surprisingly cool tiles and admired the exquisite designs. There were writings-Tazi could only guess at the language-and fantastical creatures done in incredible detail. No windows broke the patterns along the walls, but Tazi did notice several discreet vents placed strategically in the room. Running alongside the walls were benches tiled in the same style and gleaming brass fixtures next to them. The majority of the room was taken up by a large pool of steaming water.
'Please,' Fannah said, motioning to one of the benches.
Fannah sat down herself, and Tazi took her cue from the blind Calishite. When Fannah began to disrobe, carefully folding her clothes in a neat pile beside the decorated bench, Tazi did the same with her leathers. She noticed that beside every bench was a small pail filled with soapy water. She saw Fannah reach for a similar bucket and a piece of cloth. Using the rag, Fannah started to scrub the filth of the past few days from her body.
Tazi did the same and noticed that the water had a tangy smell of spice and the ocean. She inhaled deeply of the aroma. Everywhere she scrubbed, Tazi felt her skin tingle, and she was glad to be free of the dust and blood of the Muzad.
After a suitable period of cleansing, Tazi watched as Fannah took a second pail of water and poured the contents over her head, rinsing away the last vestiges of dirt.
While Tazi sluiced off the grime, Fannah moved to stand near a special niche in the wall. She removed a small basket filled with dried herbs and walked deftly over to the edge of the pool.
'Tazi,' she said softly, 'it is time for you to enter the sacred waters of Sharess.'
Tazi padded slowly over to the pool and saw that there was a series of steps into the water. She slowly entered, gasping at the intense heat of the water. She could feel her face flush because of the overwhelming warmth, and it was nearly too much for her, but she realized that this was significant to Fannah and forced herself to stand on the bottom of the pool. The water covered her to her shoulders, and the room was shrouded in the tangy steam.
Tazi wasn't sure if Fannah was speaking or chanting because her melodic voice was so low. She didn't recognize the language though she believed it to be Alzhedo.
Tazi watched as Fannah started to throw handfuls of the herbs into the water between breaks in her chant. Tazi merely stood in the water and slowly swirled her arms back and forth, finally starting to relax her limbs in the intense heat, waiting for whatever came next. When her basket was empty, Fannah set it back in the niche and entered the water as well.
When she was only a few feet from Tazi, Fannah stared hard at her with her ice-white eyes.
Finally, she said, 'You are about to face your greatest evil. If you are to succeed, you must be purified for the coming battle. You must come to understand the various faces you have worn in your life. You must unite all of your selves and become whole if you are to defeat him and emerge triumphant.'
With that, Fannah fell silent.
Tazi wasn't quiet sure what Fannah expected her to do. She noticed that the steam was growing and Tazi wasn't even able to see Fannah anymore through the heavy vapors. Tazi knew her friend was within arm's reach but the entire chamber was clouded by great billows of steam. Sweat started to pour into her eyes, and she blinked at its salty sting. The more she blinked, however, the more Tazi thought that the warm haze was lifting somewhat. She was even able to make out Fannah's outline again in the mist. As Fannah's shape grew sharper, Tazi jerked back in surprise.
The face in the mist was not that of her friend, but her own staring back at her.
It was not entirely a mirror image, it was the face she had worn at the age of six. There was a glint in her younger self's eye that the older Tazi recognized. It meant she had just pilfered something and was immensely pleased with herself, with her jet black hair in soft curls, tongue peaking out, and her young face screwed up with determination. The older Tazi felt like giggling at the sight before her, but she wasn't sure if the giggles she felt welling within her were because of the vision her younger self presented, or because that was how she had felt at that precise moment in her young life.
'I'm going to make you pay for that, you little rat,' a voice threatened the girl-child.
The older Tazi suddenly found herself standing in the same hallway as the girl and she turned just like her younger self at the sound of the voice. The older Tazi recognized the owner of that voice. It belonged to her older brother, Tamlin, and she could see him storming down the hallway. Obviously, her younger self had done something
