Careful! I can’t say that she rules over an impoverished mob at the brink of chaos. “…may not wish me to be here, in your country.”
“Ordinarily, I would call that utter nonsense. The people of Arafez, and indeed all of Marrakesh, have nothing but respect and admiration for our cousins across the sea.” Lady Sade gestured vaguely at the veiled window. “We adore the mighty creatures brought back from the New World. For instance, we have several dozen megatheras here in Arafez to power our mills. They’re so much larger and stronger than our native sivatheras. And the young men enjoy riding your nankas. They hold races just outside the city throughout the summer.”
“Nankas?” Qhora asked. “You mean hatun-ankas?” Not even Manco would sell a great eagle to an easterner, or give one as a gift. Only a thief could have brought them back here, and only as eggs or hatchlings. They’re all thieves in this land. “I should very much like to see your races one day. In my country, they are ridden only for war or protection, as befits their noble rank among all beasts and their savage nature as killers.”
“Perhaps we have tamed them,” Sade said. “After all, Marrakesh is a tame land. We have shaped the earth and water to our will. Hills and rivers have become foundations and canals. We have mastered the land, but not ourselves, I’m afraid.”
“Oh?” Qhora leaned forward.
“Well, my dear, for many years our queens have bought peace from the neighboring kingdoms with our machines, but our enemies no longer fear our science. They are building railways in Persia and sailing steamships across the Middle Sea. Soon the skies will be filled with Songhai airships as well. And when we have nothing left to sell, there will no longer be any reason for our enemies to leave us in peace. When they know all our secrets, we will be worthless to them.”
“You fear an invasion?”
“Of course. Marrakesh sits between mountains rich in ore and oceans rich in food. We control the shipping lanes through the Strait. But our ancient allies are weak. Espana, Italia, Numidia. They’re all shadows of what they once were. And we cannot trust anyone else to stand by us without pillaging our resources when our backs are turned. The Bafours and Kel Ahaggar harry our borders already. War is coming, my lady. A terrible war that will be fought with terrible machines.”
Qhora shrugged. “I’m sorry to hear this. I’m rather tired of war, myself. As a child in Cusco, I saw countless civil wars, several of which threatened to destroy my city and my family. As I grew older, the wars moved north and east as the Empire spread across the continent, swallowing up the savage kingdoms on our borders. It was once called the Tawantin Suyu Empire, for its four great nations. Now it is the Jisquntin Suyu Empire.”
“Meaning?”
“Nine nations,” Qhora said with only a hint of smile. “But then, three years ago, the Espani invasion began.”
“Yes, I’ve read of it. But your Empire triumphed, and quickly at that,” Sade said, her gaze fixed on a sliver of light between the waving curtains. “I suppose the Golden Death defeated your enemies for you.”
“Many of them, yes.” Qhora recalled the bloated and bleeding faces of the white soldiers, their skin bulging and oozing. “But there were still many battles. The Espani brought guns and armor on their ironclad ships, and they built little wooden castles by the sea. But their forces were slow and heavy and cautious. Our riders and hunters were swift and light and fearless. You don’t need swords or cannons to kill a man. A sharp thorn and a drop of venom will do just as well. The hatun-ankas are faster than any horse, and many times deadlier. And the Espani had nothing but little dogs to face the kirumichi.”
“Kiru…?” Lady Sade glanced at her, a quizzical look in her raised eyebrow.
“Kirumichi. The Espani call them saber-toothed cats. The same as the cubs we brought for your queen. Have you ever seen an adult, my lady?”
Sade shook her head.
Qhora beamed. “Then I look forward to introducing you to Atoq, my hunter. He is following us along the train tracks and should be here later this evening.”
Sade froze for an almost imperceptible moment, and then shifted her whole body to face the princess squarely and she leaned forward as she said, “You brought a man-eating war-cat to Marrakesh? Through Tingis?”
“Yes.” Qhora’s smiled faded. She’s afraid. “I assure you, he’s perfectly safe and obeys my every command. He would only kill to protect me, as he did today when the Shifrah woman attacked us.”
“I see.” Lady Sade continued to scrutinize her companion for several long moments, her forehead slightly creased and eyes slightly squinted and mouth slightly frowning. But then she blinked and the dark cloud over her vanished. “Lady Qhora, you clearly have a wealth of knowledge about the world. Few women of power have travelled as far and seen as much as you. Your wisdom and experience will no doubt impress Her Highness in Orossa. You must be looking forward to meeting her when you deliver your gifts from Prince Valero.”
“I am.” Qhora relaxed at the sudden change in the older lady’s demeanor. What just happened? Did she decide to befriend me, or not? Perhaps I can test her. “Although, I must confess, I had heard stirring descriptions of the wealth and power of her country, but thus far have not seen the same country that was described to me. The explosion at the train station, the bandits on the highway. You understand, of course.”
“Of course.” Lady Sade nodded knowingly. “These are difficult times, but all transitions are difficult. You must tear down the old to make room for the new. Everything in Marrakesh is changing, and for some people it is changing too rapidly. The cities, the factories, the jobs. It can be a bit overwhelming.” She smiled. “I know just the thing. I will invite several of my friends to supper with us tonight and we will show you the real Marrakesh, the Marrakesh of the future. And then tomorrow I will escort you myself to Orossa to introduce you to Her Highness. You will arrive refreshed as well as enlightened.”
Qhora smiled in return, but not too brightly. Almost too good to be true. She wants to give me everything I want, everything I might have asked for. Have I found a friend or just another sort of thief, another liar, another viper? Well, if so, then at least this viper doesn’t know that my fangs are sharper than hers. Qhora said, “I can’t thank you enough, my lady. You are as thoughtful as you are generous.”
A few minutes later, the coach rumbled to a halt and the driver opened the door to reveal a paved courtyard bordered by thousands of flowers blooming in freshly mulched beds and on blindingly whitewashed trellises. The house itself walled the courtyard on three sides and rose three stories above the street, three stories of pale granite and gleaming windows crowned with arched red roof tiles. Lady Sade led the way into the house and Qhora followed through room after room of marble tiled floors and lush Persian carpets, slender Hellan columns and dark hardwood stairs, enormous stone and iron fireplaces from Espana, stained glass doors and paper-thin screens, and more types of chairs and tables than she could name. The governor of Arafez deposited her guest in small bedroom on the second floor, promised to send refreshments and her hidalgo as soon as he arrived, and left her to stare at the plush upholstery surrounding her.
Qhora sat down on the edge of the bed, noting the five or six layers of blankets, each of a different color and cloth. Her body sank down into the bedding and she lay back and closed her eyes. Well, perhaps some of these people are wealthy after all.
Chapter 18. Syfax
Black slime and green moss covered the bottom half of the high stone walls of the Zemmour Canal. A golden sun hung high in the sky, bleaching the heavens into pastel blues and yellows. And while there was no spray from the ferry’s huge paddle wheel, the smells of salt and dead fish and wet birds were everywhere, sometimes faint but often with burning acuity. Only a handful of the other passengers had left the main cabin to walk about outside between the warm spring sun and the cold sea breeze, including quite a few elderly couples slowly pacing the length of the deck, their bare feet slapping softly on the warm metal deck plates. Syfax leaned forward on the rail and watched the foamy waves sliding past the steamer’s hull.
“So I’ve been wondering,” Syfax said. “Should I snap your wrist and arrest you now, and sit on you until we get to Nahiz, or should I just stand here and act scared of your little toy until we arrive? I’m not a big fan of babysitting.”
“Of course not.” Chaou stared out across the grassy fields beyond the canal walls. “You’ll do your duty, which
