Uncertainty wormed its way inside him. He knew Yorath’s handwriting, and this wasn’t it. These words did look like they’d been written by someone educated, though, even though the crude materials made them look messier than they might have.
He examined the signature at the bottom. Someone had put a thumb print over it, but he thought he could guess at it. .
The feeling of uncertainty twisted and became cold.
He looked at the signature again, and felt the coldness spread over his entire body.
The piece of cloth crumpled in Arenadd’s hand. “I wrote this,” he whispered.
But why? And to who?
24
The next day came, and Laela’s new necklace came with it. The jeweller was shown in just after she’d finished breakfast and presented his latest piece of work with a bow and a proud smile.
Laela took it eagerly and examined it with wonder. It was all in silver, as she’d asked. The stone had been set into a magnificent amulet in the shape of three snakes, their bodies all entwined and their heads pointing outward to form a rough triangle. Even the little loop that attached the whole thing to the chain was a small snake.
The stone glittered, seeming smaller but somehow more precious in its new home.
Laela took off the heavy golden creation Inva had brought her that morning, and replaced it with the amulet. It felt wonderfully cool against her skin, and she grinned and touched it. “It’s beautiful.”
The jeweller looked very pleased at that, and even more so after Inva had given him his payment, which Laela thought looked like a lot of money. She didn’t care.
Even Oeka looked impressed when she came out and saw the snake amulet. “A very fine thing indeed,” she remarked. “The human did fine work.” She sat on her haunches and idly groomed her tail-feathers. “So tell me. It is our third day of doing what we please. What did you think we should do today?”
“Dunno,” said Laela. “We’ve seen the marketplace an’ the palace”-she doubted she’d ever see that much gold again for the rest of her life-“I ain’t sure what we’d want t’see next.”
“We have not yet seen the great Sun Temple,” said Oeka. “It is said to be a magnificent sight.”
“Oh!” Laela fiddled with the amulet. “Of course! I’d forgotten. I’ve got t’see it before we go. What about you, then? Are yeh up for it?”
“I would be very interested to see it,” said Oeka.
“Well then, that’s where we’ll go,” said Laela. “Inva, we’ve decided we’d like t’go see the Sun Temple today. That okay?”
Inva smiled slightly and bowed. “I would be glad to show you the pride of this city, my lady. When would you like to go?”
“Now, of course,” said Laela. “Before it’s too hot out there. C’mon, let’s get goin’!”
“Certainly, my lady.”
Laela followed Oeka out of their lodgings, with Inva close behind. The slave looked cheerful today, and Laela had to ignore the urge to try to make conversation with her-it never worked. Even so, she’d decided that she rather liked her reserved attendant.
Outside, the city was bustling, as always. By now, Laela was used to people staring at her, and she ignored them.
Inva had brought a small portable shade-cloth with her, and as they left the shelter of the marketplace, she moved closer to Laela, holding it over her head. The long tassels that hung from it helped keep away the flies, and Laela made sure to keep pace with it, grateful for the shade.
The city was built on a hill, but while in the North important buildings were usually built on high ground, in Amoran, they were lower and closer to the river-where it was cooler. But the great Sun Temple of Instabahn was on the highest ground in the city-the closest to the sun. Laela saw it well before they reached it-a weird, irregular shape against the wide-open desert sky. It didn’t look like a building at all. In fact, it looked like something else she knew.
She halted. “Is that. . wait, that’s a. .” She rubbed her eyes. “That’s a giant. .
“It is a statue, my lady,” said Inva. “Made in the likeness of the great god Xanathus. It’s said to have taken a hundred years to build.”
Laela only just heard her. As she walked on up the hill, the sheer size of what she was seeing slowly stripped away all sense of reality. There was no way it could be real. Human beings couldn’t make something like this. . no. It was impossible.
The statue wasn’t really a full representation of the great sun god-only his chest, shoulders and head, thrusting upward out of the ground as if the rest of him were somewhere under the earth. The huge hands, shaped to include elegant, tapering fingers, were cupped outward, holding the entrance to the Temple between them like an offering. The arms were part of the front wall, and the shoulders made the roof. The colossal head reared into the sky, as high as the Council Tower at Malvern. It was bald, made from smooth, sand-yellow stone. The features were wide and benign; the lips set into a haunting smile. The eyes-too big for the face-were two enormous blue gems that glowed in the sunlight.
Laela, staring up at it, was struck by a sudden, irrational fear. Accepting that something this huge could exist was almost too much, and for a moment she fought the urge to run away, or to bow her head rather than look at it any more.
“This,” said Inva, from somewhere far away, “is the great god Xanathus. The Lord and Father of Amoran and all its people.”
Laela breathed deeply. “Xanathus. .”
“He has another name in your land, my Lady,” said Inva.
“Yes,” Laela said, very quietly. “He does.”
Beside her, Oeka had lain down on her belly. “By the sky,” she breathed. “What magic is this?”
“Gryphus’ magic,” Laela told her, without thinking. But inside she believed it. She looked at the entrance, and then at Inva. “Can I go inside?”
Inva averted her eyes from the massive stone face. “You can, my lady, provided that your griffin goes with you. I will wait outside.”
Laela paused. “What, you ain’t comin’ with us?”
“It is forbidden, my lady,” said Inva. “Slaves may not go in.”
Laela frowned. “Wait here, then.”
There was no door on the arched entrance to the Temple. Instead, heavy yellow drapes had been tied back to reveal the dark space beyond. Laela hesitated for a moment, but Oeka had already gone in. Laela followed.
Beyond the drapes, a short passage led to the single chamber that made up the inside of the Temple. It was huge inside, made all in the same yellow stone as the outside. But it was full of gold as well. Gold discs, representing suns, had been placed at intervals along the walls, and more gold had been inlaid into the elaborate friezes that were carved everywhere. There were no seats; only brightly woven mats on the floor, and an altar at the far end. Light shone down in two beams from the ceiling and bathed the golden statue that stood there. It was a smaller version of the giant impossibility that made up the Temple-a slender, smiling man, holding a large copper dish in his outstretched hands, just above the altar. Pale flames flickered inside it.
Laela walked toward it as if in a dream, ignoring Oeka completely. The statue seemed to be waiting for her, its shining face locked in that distant, enigmatic smile.
