Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Ben and I stood, and Qita hopped to the ground as we followed our ‘host' into the third cave. A set of stone steps carved into the floor led into its subterranean depths. The light from the sun shone only about ten feet downward before the overhang hid the rest. That was where the torch came in which Dakin took up from the wall on our right. He held aloft the flame and revealed a small round hall of sorts where a simple plank bed and table stood. A large wardrobe with two doors stood against the rear wall, and the last bit of furniture was a spice rack that hung over the head of the bed. Our host plopped himself on the bed and set the torch in a holder that hung close by the head.

Dakin gestured to the table with its few chairs. "Have a seat and let's talk about what you want."

Ben drew out one of the chairs for me and took a seat in the other. Qita hopped onto the table and the legs gave a little rock underneath his weight. He stiffened and scowled down at the top. "Pathetic furniture."

I grinned at him. "Or someone needs to lose weight."

He turned his ire on me and lifted his chin. "I'll have you know I am as lean as can be." He plopped his butt down and the table again rattled. "And this table needs a fifth leg."

"Stop yer yapping and say your piece," Dakin interrupted us as he leaned back with a groan. "I don't have all the time in the world like you kids."

"Since you know of Jania's location, then you probably know her purpose in being at the house of Sharif," Ben started.

Dakin nodded. "I do, and it's a might messy affair. It's struck the young girl in the house, hasn't it?"

"Lila, yes. She's only eight."

Our host pursed his lips. "Damn. What are the symptoms?"

"Unexplained fatigue and as pale as a ghost," Ben told him. "No medical doctor has been able to find a cause, but Jania's magic appears to be stopping her condition from worsening."

Our host pursed his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And nobody else has it?"

"I did notice that her father appeared gaunter himself, and it's through his line that she would have acquired any magic intuition that would make her more susceptible," Ben added.

I studied Dakin with a curious look. "Then you weren't the one to put the curse on her?"

Dakin scowled at me. "I don't go in for that shit, miss. Jania sent you to me because my old man did some pretty bad stuff." He brushed the back of one finger against his eye. "This is what I got for stopping him before he did any more of it. Now people come to me to get the worst of the worst off of ‘em, and that must be what Jania thinks this is or she wouldn't have sent you here."

"Then could you point us to someone capable of doing such a thing?" Ben asked him.

Dakin cupped his chin in one gnarled hand and furrowed his brow. "I couldn't say who's done it with that little bit of information, but I might be able to point you to the cure. That's something of my specialty." He dropped his hand into his lap and his eye twinkled. "That, and cooking a good piece of meat over a spit."

Qita wrinkled his whiskers. "That is a gross overstatement. . ."

Ben cast a look of warning at our feline before he smiled at our host. "It was quite a delicious meal. Might I ask if you have any other skills?"

Dakin lifted his chin slightly and turned his head to stare at us with his dead eye. "You want to know about the Thaqiba mess, too, don't ya."

Ben lifted an eyebrow. "You have a very keen sight."

Dakin grinned and tapped the side of his face near his blind eye. "Don't let this fool you, boy. I've got more sight behind this fog than most people have with two. Unfortunately, I can't help you there. That's a trouble outside my skills."

"We would be grateful for any help you might give for any of our troubles," Ben assured him.

Our host tapped a gnarled finger against his knee as he stared ahead with a furtive expression. "Now lemme see. Ya might start by getting her strength up a bit, and her old man's, too. Strong victims weaken a curse. It has to take more energy from the person controlling it." He sat up with a soft groan and took three bottles from the spice rack which he held out to us. "Give these in their food for a day or two. If they don't work then you can come back and try some others."

Ben stood and strode across the room where he accepted the bottles. My curiosity was piqued and I joined him at his side as he read the labels written in plain hand. "Thyme. Rosemary. Coerulus salt." He lifted an eyebrow at our host. "These are just normal spices."

Dakin leaned back against the wall and grinned up at us. "That's the beauty of it all. Simple stuff doesn't get the credit it deserves for keeping us in good spirits. Just sprinkle that on their food and mind you watch which ones do the best job. That'll help us figure out what kind of curse it is."

Ben pocketed the goods but kept his soft gaze on our host. "How can we thank you for your help?"

The older gentleman patted his pocket. "You've paid in advance here, but if things turn out well I'd like to meet the girl you think so highly of that you'd wander in here looking for me. Gives a bit of a bright spot for the place having someone that special around, too."

I smiled and leaned down to peck a kiss on his damaged cheek. Dakin sported a pair of wide eyes as I drew away. "I think things around here are pretty special right now."

Dakin shook off his shock, but a slight blush remained on his cheeks as he cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, that's not a bad thanks, either."

Ben bowed his head. "We'll be sure to have you meet her, as well, and thank you again."

Dakin wrinkled his nose and waved a hand at the stairs. "Take yer thanks and get back to that lass. And tell Jania I owe her a drink."

I lifted an eyebrow. "For what?"

He cupped his gnarled cheek in one hand and grinned up at me. "For thanks I wasn't expecting to get. Now get out of here."

"Gladly," Qita mumbled as he hopped off the table and sauntered up the stairs.

We followed our furry friend out of the hole and into the warm sunshine of the early afternoon. Ben paused on the threshold in front of the open-air camp and lifted his eyes to the city skyline of mud-dried houses and maze-like streets. There was an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry we can't take a trip through the city."

I snorted and looped my arms around one of his limbs. "Don't worry about it. Our adventures usually take us to the more interesting spots, anyway, like race tracks and cemeteries."

He grinned down at me. "I could show you one of those on the way to the Thaqiba."

My face drooped. "Is it a required viewing?"

"The cemetery is along the road, but we needn't stop."

I sighed. "Well, let's get going then before Tully notices we're gone."

"We'll have to rent a wagon," Ben mused as he led me toward the narrow road to the busier sections of the city. "Otherwise it's quite a walk."

I recalled the view of the Thaqiba from the top of the palace steps and my face drooped. "It did look pretty far away."

"They're placed in the very center of the island," Ben explained as he slipped in front of me to take the lead up the rubble-strewn alley street. "That ensures that should they fail there's a chance to revive their magic before a storm strikes them."

"So who thought up a pair of towers to create a big barrier, anyway?" I wondered as Ben helped me over a large stone.

"Three sages from the three great houses," Ben told me as we continued on our way. "They gave up all their magic, and their lives, to create the columns."

I winced. "That sounds desperate."

Ben pursed his lips. "Legends say that half the population of the island was wiped out in the terrible storm that struck, sinking all of the capital city and many of the surrounding villages. The population still hasn't quite recovered."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Even after a thousand years?"

"Yes."

"Do those kinds of storms happen often?"

"Not at all. That's the only one on record with such strength."

I turned my head to and fro. "You don't think one of those storms is waiting for the Thaqiba to collapse, do you?"

Ben sighed as he stared ahead. "I hope not."