Katal was angry. Don't speak to my friend like that! Safar only receives what I beg him to take. He is a friend and he possesses one of the finest young minds I've met in many a day.'
Safar intervened. He's right, Katal. You are too generous. I'll wager you haven't raised the prices since you opened the Foolsmire forty years ago. That's why we all come here. You have a right to a decent profit, my friend. And at your age you deserve to live a life of ease.'
Zeman pushed in. I'll thank you to let me defend myself to my own grandfather, he said to Safar. As if I need defending. I'm only being sensible, not mean.'
'Both of you speak with the arrogance of youth, Katal said. Neither has the faintest notion of why I live my life as I do.'
He pointed at the faded sign hanging from a rusty iron post over the door of bookshop. The name speaks it for all to see'Foolsmire. I was a young man when I hung that sign. I planted that tree at the same time. It was just a stick with a few leaves then. Now it shades us with its mighty boughs. His old eyes gleamed in memory. I was a bright young fellow, he said. Although probably not as bright as I thought. Still, I had a mind agile enough to compete at the university. But I had no money or influence to gain entrance. Yet I loved books and knowledge above all else. And so I sought a fool's paradise and became a seller of books. I wanted the company of the most intelligent students to discuss the ideas the books contained. I created a place to attract such people, offering my wares at the lowest prices possible. You see before you a poor man, a foolish man, but a happy man. For I have achieved my dreams at the Foolsmire.'
Safar laughed and nodded in understanding. Zeman frowned, more unhappy than before. What of me, Grandfather? he protested. I didn't ask for this life. I didn't ask for the plague that killed my parents. My motheryour daughterwas comely enough to attract a man with prospects for a husband. But he died before he could prosper and see that I had a chance to prosper as well.'
'I gave you a home, Katal said. What more could I do? Your grandmother died in the same plague, so I lost my whole family, except for you.'
'I know that, Grandfather, Zeman said. And I appreciate the sacrifices you've made. I'm only asking that you try a little harder. Don't give so much away. And when I inherit this place someday you can go to your grave in peace, knowing I've been cared for. Zeman glanced about, noting the shabbiness of his inheritance. It does have a good location, after all. Right in the heart of the student quarter. It should fetch me a decent sum.'
Safar had to fight his temper. In Kyrania it was unheard of for a lad to speak so coldly and rudely to his grandfather. But to leave Zeman's comments completely unanswered would bedevil his dreams.
'If it were me, he said, I could never sell all these books. To misquote the poetWhat could you possibly buy that was half so precious as what you sell.'
'A brothel, for one, Zeman said. With a well-planned gaming parlor attached. He gave the table an angry swipe and stalked off.
'You shouldn't let him get away with that, Safar said, hotly. He shows no respect.'
'Never mind him, Katal said. Zeman is what he is. There's nothing to be done about it. It's Safar Timura I'm worried about just now.'
'There's nothing to be done about that either, Safar said.
'What possessed you to take such a chance with Umurhan? Katal asked, giving his beard a tug of frustration.
Safar lowered his eyes. You know, he said.
Katal's eyes narrowed. Hadin, again?'
'Yes.'
'Why are you so obsessed with a place on the other side of the world? Katal said. A place we're not even certain exists. The Land of the Fires, it's called. For all we know it might really be The Frozen Lands. Or The Lands of the Swamps.
'I know what I saw in the vision, Safar said. And I know deep in my bones it's vital that someone find out what happened.'
'I gather you think the trail leads into Umurhan's private library, Katal said, dryly. Among his forbidden books.'
Safar nodded, then leaned closer. I've run across a name, he said, low. He gestured in the direction of the book shop. It's repeated many times in some of your oldest scrolls. Scholars refer to an ancient they call Lord Asper. A great magician and philosopher. He measured the world and also the distance from Esmir to the moon. He made many predictions that came true, including the rise of Alisarrian and the collapse of his empire.'
Katal looked interested. I've never heard of such a man, he said.
'I don't think Asper was a man, Safar answered.
'What else could he be?'
'A demon, Safar answered.
Katal was so startled he nearly came to his feet. A demon? he cried. What madness is this? The demons have nothing to teach us but evil! I don't care how wise this Asper was, he was most certainly wicked. All demons are. That's why there's a barrier between our species. The curse of the Forbidden Desert.'
'Oh, that, Safar said. It's nothing.'
'How can you call the greatest spell ever cast in history nothing? Katal said, aghast. The finest mindsand, yes, some were demon minds,composed that spell. It's unbreakable.'
Safar shrugged. Actually, I suspect it can be broken quite easily, he said. I really wasn't looking for the details, but I do know the curse is based on Asper's work. He had many enemies, many rivals, and to protect his most powerful magic it's said he created a spell of complexity. It made the most simple bit of sorcery appear so tangled and difficult that it would confound even the greatest wizard. If I wanted to break the curse I'd attack the spell of complexity, not the curse itself. I don't think that would take much effort to solve. I'm sure I'd find the key if I could lay my hands on one of his books. Which is exactly what I was looking for when Umurhan surprised me.'
'Would you really do such a thing, Safar? Katal asked, shocked. Would you really try to lift the curse?'
'Of course not, Safar said, to Katal's vast relief. What purpose would that serve, except to endanger us all? I have no greater opinion of demons than you.'
As he'd promised Coralean, Safar had never mentioned his own experience with demons to anyone, even Katal. So he didn't add he had even more reason to fear the creatures than the old book seller could imagine. And it had occurred to him more than once that despite Coralean's rationalizations, the demon raiders might have found a way to cross the Forbidden Desert. If so, it was his frequent prayer the knowledge had died with them in the avalanche.
He said nothing of this to Katal. Instead, he said, I'm only interested in what Asper had to say about Hadin. I think it goes to the origins of our world. And all of us. Humans and demons alike.'
'This is all very intriguing, Safar, Katal said. But merely for intellectual discussion among, I might add, the most select few. For it's dangerous talk. Please, for your sake and your family's sake, let it go. Forget Asper. Forget Hadin. Study hard and pass the exam. Umurhan will relent, I'm sure of it. You are capable of great things, my young friend. Don't stumble now. Look ahead to the future.'
'I am, Katal, Safar said passionately. Can't you see it? In my vision… he let the rest trail off. He'd been over this ground with Katal many times. I never wanted to come to Walaria in the first place, he said. My family insisted I take advantage of Coralean's generous offer. Safar had told various vague tales of why the caravan master felt beholden to him. Katal, realizing it was a sensitive area, had always avoided pressing him for the details. Old Gubadan wept when I first refused. It was as if I were robbing him of his pride.'
'I can see that, Katal said. You were his prize student, after all. Not many young people like yourself come before a teacher, Safar. It's an experience to be treasured.'
'Still, that's not what shook me from my resolve, Safar said. I love Kyrania. I never wanted to leave it. I loved my father's work. And yet I haven't touched a bit of wet clay in nearly three years. But I was haunted by the vision of Hadin. I couldn't sleep. I could barely eat. The more I thought about it, the more ignorant I felt. And the only way to relieve that was to go to the university and study. So it was Hadin that drove me from my valley, Katal. And Hadin that drives me now.'
Safar's blue eyes were alight with the holy zeal of the very young. Katal sighed to himself, only dimly remembering his own days of such single-mindedness. It seemed likely to him, however, that Safar's tale was much more complex than the one he told. There were other forces at work, here. A bitter experience. Perhaps even a
