lifted her so easily into his arms, then walked
out of the sauna into the changing area, then opened the door and went outside into the freezing air. she gasped as the cold hit her and hung on as he scooped up some snow and rubbed it over her, making her flesh tingle and burn but not painfully. in seconds she was glowing within and without. it had taken her a whole winter to get used to the snow bath after the heat. now, without it, the sauna was incomplete. quickly she did the same for him, then rushed happily back into the warm again, leaving him to roll and thrash in the snow for a few seconds. he did not notice the group of men and the mullah standing in a shocked group up the rise, half hidden under the trees beside the path, fifty yards away. just as he was closing the door he saw them. fury rushed through him. he slammed the door.
"some villagers are out there. they must have been watching us. everyone knows this is off limits!" she was equally enraged and they dressed hurriedly. he pulled on his fur boots and heavy sweater and pants and grabbed the huge ax and rushed out. the men were still there and he charged them with a roar, his ax on high. they scattered as he whirled at them, then one of them raised the machine gun and let off a burst into the air that echoed off the mountainside. erikki skidded to a halt, his rage obliterated. never before had he been threatened with guns, or had one levered at his stomach.
"put ax down," the man said in halting english, "or i kill you."
erikki hesitated. at that moment azadeh came charging between them and knocked the gun away and began shouting in turkish: "how dare you come here! how dare you have guns what are you, bandits? this is our land get off our land or i'll have you put in jail!" she had wrapped her heavy fur coat over her dress but was shaking with rage.
"this is the land of the people," the mullah said sullenly, keeping out of range. "cover your hair, woman, cover y "
"who're you, mullah? you're not of my village! who are you?"
"i'm mahmud, mullah of the hajsta mosque in tabriz. i'm not one of your lackeys," he said angrily and jumped aside as erikki lunged at him. the man with the gun was off balance but another man, safely away, cocked his rifle: "by god and the prophet, stop the foreign pig or i'll blow you both to the hell you deserve!"
"erikki, wait! leave these dogs to me!" azadeh called out in english, then shouted at them, "what do you want here? this is our land, the land of my father abdollah khan, khan of the gorgons, kin to the qajars who've ruled here for centuries." her eyes had adjusted to the darkness now and she peered at them. there were ten of them, all young men, all armed, all strangers, all except one, the kalarldar chief of their village. "kalandar, how dare you come here!"
"i'm sorry, highness," he said apologetically, "but the mullah said i was to
lead him here by this trail and not by the main path and so "
"what do you want, parasite?" she said, turning on the mullah.
"show respect, woman," the mullah said even more angrily. "soon we'll be in command. the koran has laws for nakedness and loose living: stoning and the lash."
"the koran has laws for trespass and bandits and threatening peaceful people, and rebellion against their chiefs and liege lords. i'm not one of your frightened illiterates! i know you for what you are and what you've always been, the parasites of the villages and the people. what do you want?"
from the base, people were hurrying up with flashlights. at their head were the two bleary-eyed mechanics, dibble and arberry, with ali dayati carefully in tow. all were sleep ruffled, hastily dressed, and anxious. "what's going on?" dayati demanded, thick glasses on his nose, peering at them. his family had been protected by and had served the gorgon khans for years.
"these dogs," azadeh began hotly, "came out
out of the sauna into the changing area, then opened the door and went outside into the freezing air. she gasped as the cold hit her and hung on as he scooped up some snow and rubbed it over her, making her flesh tingle and burn but not painfully. in seconds she was glowing within and without. it had taken her a whole winter to get used to the snow bath after the heat. now, without it, the sauna was incomplete. quickly she did the same for him, then rushed happily back into the warm again, leaving him to roll and thrash in the snow for a few seconds. he did not notice the group of men and the mullah standing in a shocked group up the rise, half hidden under the trees beside the path, fifty yards away. just as he was closing the door he saw them. fury rushed through him. he slammed the door.
"some villagers are out there. they must have been watching us. everyone knows this is off limits!" she was equally enraged and they dressed hurriedly. he pulled on his fur boots and heavy sweater and pants and grabbed the huge ax and rushed out. the men were still there and he charged them with a roar, his ax on high. they scattered as he whirled at them, then one of them raised the machine gun and let off a burst into the air that echoed off the mountainside. erikki skidded to a halt, his rage obliterated. never before had he been threatened with guns, or had one levered at his stomach.
"put ax down," the man said in halting english, "or i kill you."
erikki hesitated. at that moment azadeh came charging between them and knocked the gun away and began shouting in turkish: "how dare you come here! how dare you have guns what are you, bandits? this is our land get off our land or i'll have you put in jail!" she had wrapped her heavy fur coat over her dress but was shaking with rage.
"this is the land of the people," the mullah said sullenly, keeping out of range. "cover your hair, woman, cover y "
"who're you, mullah? you're not of my village! who are you?"
"i'm mahmud, mullah of the hajsta mosque in tabriz. i'm not one of your lackeys," he said angrily and jumped aside as erikki lunged at him. the man with the gun was off balance but another man, safely away, cocked his rifle: "by god and the prophet, stop the foreign pig or i'll blow you both to the hell you deserve!"
"erikki, wait! leave these dogs to me!" azadeh called out in english, then shouted at them, "what do you want here? this is our land, the land of my father abdollah khan, khan of the gorgons, kin to the qajars who've ruled here for centuries." her eyes had adjusted to the darkness now and she peered at them. there were ten of them, all young men, all armed, all strangers, all except one, the kalarldar chief of their village. "kalandar, how dare you come here!"
"i'm sorry, highness," he said apologetically, "but the mullah said i was to
lead him here by this trail and not by the main path and so "
"what do you want, parasite?" she said, turning on the mullah.
"show respect, woman," the mullah said even more angrily. "soon we'll be in command. the koran has laws for nakedness and loose living: stoning and the lash."
"the koran has laws for trespass and bandits and threatening peaceful people, and rebellion against their chiefs and liege lords. i'm not one of your frightened illiterates! i know you for what you are and what you've always been, the parasites of the villages and the people. what do you want?"
from the base, people were hurrying up with flashlights. at their head were the two bleary-eyed mechanics, dibble and arberry, with ali dayati carefully in tow. all were sleep ruffled, hastily dressed, and anxious. "what's going on?" dayati demanded, thick glasses on his nose, peering at them. his family had been protected by and had served the gorgon khans for years.
"these dogs," azadeh began hotly, "came out
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