Читать книгу ALL ARE MORTAL - Greg Pius - Страница 4

In the private guardian that was reserved for the sole use of Sarai's mother, the two women spoke of many things. The loss of a husband is not forgotten easily. There were words of motherly comfort as well as advice on how to manage the dark hours of the night. But soon the talk move to more recent changes in Sarai's life. Her mother now adopted a playful tone when she asked,

"Wherever did you find those new bodyguards?"

Blushing with embarrassment Sarai replied,

"They were the gravediggers at the funeral. At least they were the biggest ones there when the hole was filled over."

Sensing that her daughter was attempting to hide something from her, Sarai's mother said,

"So you decided you needed more protection now that your husband is dead. That makes sense. His men will now return to their own tribal land. Your household has lost many swords. These two look very handy. But are they enough for what is to come I wonder?"

Confused by these cryptic words, Sarai realised that she was not the only one holding back something in this conversation. Being much younger, she was more direct than her mother so blurted out at once this question,

"What is it Mother? Do you foresee trouble?"

Now the smile that played on her mother's lip had no humor behind it. It was a smile of reservation. She said words of comfort to her daughter, but did not believe them even as she uttered them in all sincerity. Then she added this more honest statement,

"I always foresee trouble Sarai. It is my curse to have this gift that only allows me to see the dark possibilities of future events. Pray my child that you are never cursed with this affliction. In my dreams I see great danger for our family. Your uncle is plotting something that involves your father's younger wife. I can see no more than that but it is enough for me to warn you to seek more protection. "

Concerned at these words Sarai replied,

"Could he be after the jewel?"

A chill went down her mother's spine. She grasped her daughter's right hand. In a voice of doom she said,

"That's it! Now my dreams make sense. I dreamt of a Gin that gave power. It left my husband's side. Horses rode to capture it. A feeling of evil pervaded the intent in the faces of those horses...Alas that is when I wake up screaming. Luckily it is on the nights your father visit with his other wife. Sarai you always were the most intelligent of my children. I see now what I must do."

Still trying to take in all that her mother had said, Sarai sat there in the garden rubbing her mother's hand. Then she felt a prickling in her thumbs. All her life, this was a warning of evil. At that exact moment she heard the loud voice of her uncle's chief guard. Alerted in time, she placed a finger on her mother's lips stopping her from saying anything more. The two of them eavesdropped on the words being spoken just beyond the thin garden wall.

Those words were being uttered by a large man. He said,

"You there, are you the one called Abram?"

Looking into eyes of pure evil, Abram said without flinching,

"No I am called Lot. Abram is on guard at the other entrance to this garden."

The big gurad then said,

"Go and tell him to report to the uncle of your mistress. He has questions that must be answered."

Seeing the wicked smile on this man's face, Abram said.

"At once excellency."

Racing off to get to Lot before any more guards turned up. Abram came upon his nephew gazing at the flower picking girls of the palace. He said quietly.

"Nephew I just told an ugly guard that your name was Abram. You have to go to the uncle of our mistress to answer some questions. Use you 'dumb desert wanderer' routine on him. Azur is inside the garden watching over the two women. They should be safe but I will wait here to protect them from any surprise visitors."

Quickly sensing the seriousness of the situation by these final words, Lot raced off to do his uncle's bidding. Abram called out to the flower picking maidens these fake words,

"Your mistress commands your presence. You are to bring to her all the flowers you have gathered."

As skirted young females raced to their mistress, Abram drew out his large sword. He planted it in front of his large body. Now the back entrance to the private garden was guarded from any evil attack.

After Lot got back from his harrowing experience, he told Abram that the uncle tried to buy him off after pounding him with questions about the number of guards in their mistress's household. Always quick witted, Lot had replied that there were still many guards, as the men of the dead husband's retinue had not as yet left for their home. As he suspected, this answer did not please his inquisitor. It was then that he was offered a bribe to be the eyes and ears of this wicked man. Lot pretended to go along with the deal, but was not convinced that his mistress was not any safer from his deceptions.

Nodding,Abram told Lot to draw his sword then stand guard in his place. Abram then risked his mistress's displeasure by entering the garden. Azur came up to him to demand to know why he had left his post. But Sarai said in a calming tone,

"I am sure Abram had a good reason for deserting his assigned place. Don't you Abram? You are still loyal, I hope?"

Bowing his head to acknowledge his agreement, Abram said boldly,

"Mistress there has been an attempt to bribe one of your guards. Your uncle has also asked him many questions about the number of swords protecting your household."

Nodding, Sarai said,

"So, now we see my uncle's intent. He plans to seize me to marry off to one of his own people. That would mean great loss of face for my father. My uncle may even try to use me as a hostage to force my father to abdicate."

Sarai's mother nodded all the way through this surmise by her highly intelligent daughter. She said,

"The army will only follow the one who possesses the jewel of power given to our ancestors by our most important God."

Now Sarai was also nodding. Both women were so lost in their own thoughts that they were surprised when Abram said innocently,

"Why then don't you steal it first mistress?"

Azur scowled as Sarai's mother looked horrified at this sacrilege. But Sarai said this to placate her fears,

"Mother in this Abram is right. We must pretend to steal the jewel then secretly return it to you. My uncle will race off hunting down the jewel but leave father in peace. It is the only way to stop his evil plan."

Wanting to argue against a course of action that could only place her daughter in great danger, but knowing from her gift that this was their only chance, Sarai's mother said sadly,

"I know he is right, but if I were to lose you then I could not live on this earth."

Abram now spoke up to show his great promise,

"Until the day I die mistress, no harm shall come to you."

At this point Azur realized that Abram loved his mistress as much as he did so he added his own promise,

"Little Sarai, I watched you grow year by year. No one will harm you as long as I breath. The two of us will protect you from your uncle."

Smiling her gratitude Sarai said,

"I thank you both. With your protection and a little cunning we will thwart my uncle's ambitions. Now mother, you must get the jewel and place it in your moon festival offering box. I will carry it out of the palace right under the nose of my corrupted uncle. And I will smile sweetly into his eyes when I leave his sight."

Laughing mirthlessly, her mother said,

"I will send my personal guard to secretly follow you home. If your uncle tries to send men to kidnap, you they will be in for a big shock.

As Sarai left the palace she waved back to her mother and father. Fate is cruel but hidden. Sarai was not to know that she would never lay eyes on her father again. The jewel of power was now hers to protect. To do that she would have to avoid all the other dangers that destiny had in store for this proud woman.

Abram strode on one side of Sarai watching the alleyways. Azur walked in front of his mistress daring anyone to try to do her harm. Lot brought up the rear often walking backwards to prevent any attack from the rear. Still when it came, not one of them saw the direction from which the attack was made. Suddenly they were surrounded by many knives. For now the three large swords kept these attackers at bay, but it was only a matter of time before fatigue made their arms drop.

Things looked very dark as the swords got heavy in the hands of the three bodyguards. The leader of the attack saw his chance so he gave the signal for an all out attack. Just as the blades came flashing in to kill, screams rent the air. The attackers were being attacked. As palace guards ripped apart their bodies, knives fell harmlessly to the ground. None were spared. Soon weary bodyguards were sheathing their swords as Sarai thanked her mother's personal guard. They all left the scene before any more attacks could be launched.

Back in her city house, Sarai had Azur check on the security measures he had installed to keep her safe. Calling Abram and Lot into her library, she had a brainstorming session on their next course of action. Finally Sarai decided on her only viable option. She said in a commanding tone,

"We will all go to my mother's section of the palace. That attack came from my uncle. Unfortunately father does not see how evil his brother has become due to his lust for power. But my uncle is scared of my mother. We saw today how efficient her guards were in that alley. Besides, the gem of power is no longer safe here. I would not put it past my uncle to burn this house down then claim it was our street attackers exacting vengeance. Of course, his people would be here first to find the gem next to our charred bodies. I will call Azur, then we will all leave. Get some more weapons. We may have to fight our way through the streets. But no shortcuts this time. We travel down the main street going to the palace. I grew up there so I know every secret entrance."

Abram and Lot went off to grab as many weapons as they could carry. Then Lot got an idea. He said to his uncle,

"Let's load up the household colt with the heavier weapons. That way we can carry even more concealed weapons. No need advertising all our lethal assets."

Abram agreed, so they fetched the colt and put a carry saddle on its back. A strong colt, it handled the heavy weapons' weight easily.

Suddenly they heard a wail from the library. Rushing back to their mistress, they saw Azur on his knees crying as a palace slave girl spoke. Only able to catch the unfinished part of this slave's message, they only heard these words from her mouth,

"........Sorry esteemed lady but there was nothing we could do to stop them. Your uncle must have seen my mistress's guards leave the palace. By the time they got back, he had already killed his brother then surrounded our section of the palace. We were trapped inside, then we heard a loud battle going on just outside. That was when the mistress sent me out by her secret tunnel. I was to race here to warn you. But the streets are filled with gangs looting. I had to scurry via my old neighborhood. There I got the information about where the gangs were worse so I went the long way around to your house...."

Sarai tried to overcome the sorrow of losing her beloved father. She had to concentrate on the living. Time later to get her revenge on her uncle. So she said to the slave girl,

"But what news of my mother? Is she safe with her guards? I must know the whole truth of this evil deed."

Not short of bravery, the slave girl said,

"If you order it I will go back the sneaky way I came then get in via the hidden tunnel. If that is your will mistress."

Sarai thought only for a second before saying ,

"It is my will. Now I remember your name. You are called Yamin. We played together as children. Sorry I did not recognize you at once, but you have grown into a beautiful woman. Be careful not to let my uncle's men see you. Now go with my grateful thanks..."

"That would be futile" said Abram. "better she stay here or better yet she comes with us. She cannot return to the palace alive. Not now that your uncle is the new ruler."

Shocked that a slave should question her orders, Sarai was about to blast Abram with invective when she saw Azur grab a struggling Yamin. When she looked at him he went red with embarrassment, but still said in a sad voice,

"For once I agree with the gravedigger. Think mistress, your house is most certainly being watched by your uncle's spies. Already he would know that this slave girl has visited your house. If she tries to leave alone they will capture her then torture the truth out of her frail body. Mistress do not send her back. We must flee the city at once..Ouch. Stop doing that you daughter of hell."

Yamin was kicking Azur in the shin. She tried to raise her knee too but he was too tall for her short legs. Struggling violently, she broke free then ran for the door but only made it straight into Lot's waiting arms. In a calming tone Lot said,

"Wait my beautiful one, your mistress may have changed her mind. Rest here with me for just a few moments. We will hear and obey her will when she speaks."

Wether, Yamin was assured of the need to wait on her mistress's final decision, or, she found Lot's arm an exciting place to wait was not clear from her body language. Only her hooded eyes seemed to suggest that it was the handsome stranger holding her tight that convinced Yamin to cease struggling. Then Sarai spoke to break the spell of horror all four of them had felt. She talked in an agitated but resigned tone,

"You are right Azur. I almost got us all killed. Yamin I apologize to you for placing your life in such peril. Please wait with Lot whilst I go with my two other bodyguards. We must secure the other servants. I now only trust the people in this room. Come we will round the rest up, then lock them away in the slave section of my house. Lot, can you take Yamin to my food storage room. We will need food for five people for about four days."

After they had corralled the other servants, the three of them sought to view the area around the house. It was Azur who detected the first spy. He whispered,

"There the ugly one pretending to enjoy Karmac's wine. He must be a spy. We all know how bad that wine truly is and how watered down. No one could sit there smiling whilst drinking that swill."

Abram also spotted another one. He whispered even softer,

"The one trying to hold that camel over by the lamp stall. If he is really a camel rider I will eat my sandals. If he is not careful that camel will spit him in the eye before it tramples him. He must be a spy."

Finally Sarai spotted two more. She said in a slightly louder voice,

"If those two old hags over their are prostitutes as they are pretending to be then I do not know the men of this city. They are twice my age. So that's four spies we can see from this vantage point. You were right to warn me Azur. Lovely Yamin would not have got to the next street let alone the palace."

Abram now concentrated on their most urgent problem. He asked,

"Then how do we get out of here without suffering the same fate?"

Azur now chipped in his thoughts.