nestlings to protect.
This is the first cycle in centuries
that this thunder has seen the birth of a dragon. And they were blessed enough
to have two females carry to term. I do not know what caused the sudden spike
in fertility, and I didn’t really care before, but now, it seems like odd
timing at best, and the result of sinister workings at worst.
I walk through the forest
briskly. They must know I’m here. Surely one of them will come to greet me
soon.
But none show. And when I’m two
hundred paces from their caves, a wave of panic quickens my steps.
I roar. Long and low, I roar.
In answer, I hear a high-pitched
rumble. The nestlings.
But no answering roar.
I run.
XVII. THE KING
Silvia can no longer sit up, since her muscles have atrophied so.
It’s been two weeks since she lifted her head. Perhaps I will not have to
poison her. Maybe the gods have finally had enough fun.
I gently roll her to her left
side, careful to keep the pillow away from her mouth and nose. I examine her
now-exposed right side, and sigh at the sight of her weeping bedsores. Dear Silvia,
the torture never ends, does it?
Let the healers attend to her
wounds. I will attend to her soul.
I take a seat on the edge of her
bed and open The Book of the Dying .
It’s the first time I’ve ever
cracked this book. Never felt the need before.
I read from a random page. “And
Parvati bathes his brow, and wipes the spittle from his lips, and whispers in
his ear: ‘You are of the earth and return to the earth. Your sins have been
tallied. They will not be forgotten, nor should they be. For in the next life,
all can be remedied. Every wrong can be made right. Note the station to which
you are reborn, and know that this is where you belong. It is all in your
hands. Karma is but the result of every choice you made.’
“But the dying man has no wish to
face his sins, and knows well all the wrongs he committed, and thus thrashes
against death. Parvati is merciful, though. She pries the man’s jaw open with
one strong hand and thrusts the other fist down his throat. She rips his soul
from his body and flings it into the heavens.”
I pause to catch my breath. I
never anticipated that The Book of the
Dying would be so violent.
Silvia stares at the wall with
unblinking eyes.
Parvati, where are you? I think. Why have
you not come here, to fling my beloved’s soul into the heavens? She started her
life as a noble and made herself into a queen. Surely she has not far to go to
be reunited with the One.
Parvati doesn’t answer.
My head pounds.
I call for some herbal tea, just
enough to help me to sleep.
I slumber, dreaming of the many
sins I committed in this life and wondering which shack in Dabani I will be
reborn in.
XVIII. PRINCE KAI
I meet up with Manoj and Faaris at the inn stables. I ordered them to
unsaddle the horses and retire for the afternoon, but they are still saddled
up, arguing.
“Do the two of you ever listen to
me?” I say.
They ignore me.
“If he marries her,” Manoj is
saying, “the veil must stay on. In public and private. It is a small
compromise.”
“The villagers all know her,” Faaris
says. “Word will get out, eventually to the entire kingdom. I say we use her
status. Play it up. It will strengthen his popularity among the common people.”
“The common people are not the
ones with the power,” Manoj says.
“Have you never seen ants overwhelm
a rat? I have. The rat could crush them with a paw, but given enough ants with
the same purpose, the rat doesn’t stand a chance.”
Manoj just shakes his head. “And
you,” he says, pointing a finger at me. “You actually bantered about bedding
the girl. Have you no decency?”
“What bothers you so much about
her?” Faaris says. “Is it her status, or simply her hideous appearance?”
“Both!” he says with a shudder.
“You are royalty, Kai. I do not care how dire the circumstances, you must
remember that.”
“So he cannot bed his
This is the first cycle in centuries
that this thunder has seen the birth of a dragon. And they were blessed enough
to have two females carry to term. I do not know what caused the sudden spike
in fertility, and I didn’t really care before, but now, it seems like odd
timing at best, and the result of sinister workings at worst.
I walk through the forest
briskly. They must know I’m here. Surely one of them will come to greet me
soon.
But none show. And when I’m two
hundred paces from their caves, a wave of panic quickens my steps.
I roar. Long and low, I roar.
In answer, I hear a high-pitched
rumble. The nestlings.
But no answering roar.
I run.
XVII. THE KING
Silvia can no longer sit up, since her muscles have atrophied so.
It’s been two weeks since she lifted her head. Perhaps I will not have to
poison her. Maybe the gods have finally had enough fun.
I gently roll her to her left
side, careful to keep the pillow away from her mouth and nose. I examine her
now-exposed right side, and sigh at the sight of her weeping bedsores. Dear Silvia,
the torture never ends, does it?
Let the healers attend to her
wounds. I will attend to her soul.
I take a seat on the edge of her
bed and open The Book of the Dying .
It’s the first time I’ve ever
cracked this book. Never felt the need before.
I read from a random page. “And
Parvati bathes his brow, and wipes the spittle from his lips, and whispers in
his ear: ‘You are of the earth and return to the earth. Your sins have been
tallied. They will not be forgotten, nor should they be. For in the next life,
all can be remedied. Every wrong can be made right. Note the station to which
you are reborn, and know that this is where you belong. It is all in your
hands. Karma is but the result of every choice you made.’
“But the dying man has no wish to
face his sins, and knows well all the wrongs he committed, and thus thrashes
against death. Parvati is merciful, though. She pries the man’s jaw open with
one strong hand and thrusts the other fist down his throat. She rips his soul
from his body and flings it into the heavens.”
I pause to catch my breath. I
never anticipated that The Book of the
Dying would be so violent.
Silvia stares at the wall with
unblinking eyes.
Parvati, where are you? I think. Why have
you not come here, to fling my beloved’s soul into the heavens? She started her
life as a noble and made herself into a queen. Surely she has not far to go to
be reunited with the One.
Parvati doesn’t answer.
My head pounds.
I call for some herbal tea, just
enough to help me to sleep.
I slumber, dreaming of the many
sins I committed in this life and wondering which shack in Dabani I will be
reborn in.
XVIII. PRINCE KAI
I meet up with Manoj and Faaris at the inn stables. I ordered them to
unsaddle the horses and retire for the afternoon, but they are still saddled
up, arguing.
“Do the two of you ever listen to
me?” I say.
They ignore me.
“If he marries her,” Manoj is
saying, “the veil must stay on. In public and private. It is a small
compromise.”
“The villagers all know her,” Faaris
says. “Word will get out, eventually to the entire kingdom. I say we use her
status. Play it up. It will strengthen his popularity among the common people.”
“The common people are not the
ones with the power,” Manoj says.
“Have you never seen ants overwhelm
a rat? I have. The rat could crush them with a paw, but given enough ants with
the same purpose, the rat doesn’t stand a chance.”
Manoj just shakes his head. “And
you,” he says, pointing a finger at me. “You actually bantered about bedding
the girl. Have you no decency?”
“What bothers you so much about
her?” Faaris says. “Is it her status, or simply her hideous appearance?”
“Both!” he says with a shudder.
“You are royalty, Kai. I do not care how dire the circumstances, you must
remember that.”
“So he cannot bed his
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