LITMIR.BIZ

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Marrok said, “That’s Council Hall where the Sitian government has its offices and conducts meetings.”

      The building had long steps that stretched the entire length beneath the first floor and led up to a grand entrance. Jade colored columns bracketed the doorway. A group of people huddled in the Hall’s shadow. They approached us as we walked past. A strong odor of urine emanated from them. Filth matted their hair and covered their tattered attire.

      One man reached out with a soot blackened hand. “Please, sir, spare a coin?”

      Cahil’s men ignored them and kept walking. The group followed along, determined.

      “Who are …?” I started to ask, but Marrok didn’t slow. I tried to catch up, but a small boy pulled on my arm. His brown eyes were rimmed with sores and streaks of dirt lined his cheeks.

      “Lovely lady, please. I’m hungry,” the boy said. “Spare a copper?”

      I glanced around for Marrok. He was half a block away. I couldn’t understand why this boy needed money, but I couldn’t refuse those eyes. I dug into my pack and pulled out the Sitian coins Esau had given me. I dumped all of them into his palm.

      Kneeling down to his level, I said, “Share these with your friends. And take a bath. Okay?”

      A joyful expression lit his face. “Thank—”

      Before he could finish we were engulfed by a strong stench as the others surrounded us. They grabbed my arms, pulled at my clothes and yanked on my backpack. I saw the boy pocket the coins and slid out of the melee between the others’ legs. The putrid smell of so many unwashed bodies made me gag.

      “Lovely lady. Lovely lady,” filled my ears until their words were cut off by the clatter of hooves on the cobblestones.

      “Get away from her,” Cahil yelled. He brandished his sword in the air. “Go. Or I’ll cut you in half.”

      In a heartbeat, the crowd disappeared.

      “Are you all right?” Cahil asked.

      “Yes.” I smoothed my hair and reshouldered my pack. “What was that about?”

      “Beggars. Filthy street rats.” A look of disgust darkened his face. “It was your fault. If you hadn’t given them money, they would have left you alone.”

      “Beggars?”

      My confusion seemed to amaze Cahil. “Surely you know what beggars are?” When I didn’t answer, he continued, “They don’t work. They live on the streets. They beg for money for food. You had to see them in Ixia,” he said with frustration.

      “No. Everyone in Ixia has a job. Basic necessities are provided to all by the Commander’s military.”

      “How does he pay for it?”

      Before I could answer, Cahil’s shoulders drooped. “With my uncle’s money. He has probably drained the treasury dry.”

      I bit back my reply. As far as I was concerned, better to have the money helping people than covering the floor of some treasury.

      “Come on.” Cahil took his foot out of the stirrup, reached down, and held out his hand. “We need to catch up to the others.”

      “On the horse?” I asked.

      “Don’t tell me they don’t have horses in the north.”

      “Not for me,” I said as I placed my foot in the stirrup and grabbed his arm. He pulled me into the saddle. I sat behind him, not sure what to do with my arms.

      Cahil turned slightly. “For who then?”

      “The Commander, Generals and high-ranking officers.”

      “Cavalry?” Cahil asked.

      He was fishing for information. I suppressed a sigh. “Not that I saw.” The truth, but I ceased to care if he believed me or not.

      Cahil craned his head around and studied my face. A wave of heat enveloped me; I suddenly felt too close to him. His eyes sparked a bluish-green color like the water in the sunlight. And I found myself wondering why he wore a beard in such a hot climate. I imagined Cahil without his beard. He would look younger, and it would be easier to see his smooth, tanned skin and hawklike nose.

      When he turned back, I shook my head. I wanted nothing more to do with him.

      “Hold on,” he said. Then he clicked his tongue.

      The horse began to move. I clutched Cahil’s waist as I bounced in the saddle. The ground seemed so far down and looked so hard. I fought to keep my balance as we caught up to his men. When we passed them, I relaxed, assuming he would stop and let me off. But we kept going, and the men ran behind.

      As we wound our way through the Citadel, I focused on the horse beneath me, trying to find a rhythm for my body to match the horse’s like Cahil seemed to be doing. He crouched above the saddle, while my legs pounded the leather. I concentrated on the horse’s movement and suddenly found myself looking out of the horse’s eyes.

      The road wrapped around like I was inside a bubble. I could see far forward as well as to each side, and almost all the way behind. The horse was hot and tired, and he wondered why there were two people on his back. Peppermint Man was the only one who usually rode him. But sometimes Straw Boy took him out for exercise back home. He longed for his cool quiet stall filled with hay and a bucket of water.

      Water soon, I thought to the horse. I hoped. What’s your name? I asked.

       Topaz.

      I marveled at our communication. Contact with other animals had only given me a glimpse through their eyes and a hint of their desires. I never had an actual conversation with an animal before.

      My back began to ache. Smoother? I asked. Topaz changed his gait. Cahil grunted in surprise, but I exhaled with relief. It was as if I rode on a sled down a snow-covered hill.

      With the new gait, we moved faster, and the men fell farther behind us. Cahil tried to slow Topaz down, but the horse was determined to get his water.

      We reached the base of a tall tower and stopped in the shade. Cahil jumped down from the horse and inspected Topaz’s legs.

      “I’ve never seen him do that before,” Cahil said.

      “Do what?”

      “He’s a three-gaited horse.”

      “Meaning?”

      “Meaning he knows how to trot, canter and gallop.”

      “So?”

      “So that wasn’t one of his gaits. Some horses can do up to five, but I’m not even sure what that was.”

      “It was smooth and fast. I liked it,” I said.

      Cahil looked at me with suspicion.

      “How do I get down?” I asked.

      “Left foot in the stirrup. Swing your right leg back around to the left, then hop off.”

      I landed on wobbly legs. Topaz swung his head and looked at me. He wanted water. I took one of Topaz’s water bags off the saddle and held it open for him. Cahil narrowed his eyes at me, then at his horse.

      “Is this Magician’s Keep?” I asked to distract Cahil.

      “Yes. The entrance is around the corner. We’ll wait for my men, then go in.”

      It didn’t take long for his men to catch up. We walked to the Keep’s entrance, where high scalloped arches framed the massive marble doors. Pink columns supported the arches that spanned two stories. The gates stood open, and we entered without any resistance from the guards.

      Inside was a courtyard and beyond that was a collection of buildings. Another city within the city. I couldn’t believe the sizes and colors. A patchwork of different-colored

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