Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

We returned to the house of Sharif and found the parents seated at the dining table. Salah stood at our coming while Fadila had reluctant hope in her face.

Ben offered the pair a smile and the three jars of herbs. "Sprinkle these spices in your food each at different meals and in great quantities, and see if there isn't an improvement."

Salah took the jars and read the labels. He lifted his questioning face to us. "But these are normal spices, are they not?"

"They may still be your best hope for returning Lila to her ordinary strength," Ben insisted as he studied his cousin. "And you should take it, as well. Both of you."

Salah nodded. "I will have it done immediately. If you will excuse me." He hardly waited for Ben to nod before he rushed out of the room.

Fadila smiled up at us as she gestured to the empty cushions. "Please, have a seat."

"Gladly," Qita spoke up as he marched over to one of the pillows and plopped himself down. He began to groom one of his paws. "Those horrible alleyways were full of the driest sand I have ever had the displeasure of knowing."

Ben and I took up two other spots and Fadila pushed the platters of sliced meat and salads toward us. "I am guessing you found someone who may know how to lift the curse?"

"He has an idea," Ben told her as he plucked some meat from the platter. "But the first step is identifying the curse. That's what the spices will help us do."

She pursed her lips and shook her head. "I cannot see how they will discover such evil."

Ben set his empty hand atop one of hers and lightly squeezed her fingers. "As he told us, the best remedies are the simplest. Have faith, Fadila."

She closed her eyes and nodded. We dug into the grub and were deep into eating when Salah returned. He carried a bowl of rice in his hands which he set down on the table before taking his seat. "This is the meal with the Coerulus. I hope the quantity of the seasoning will suffice."

Ben used a piece of unleavened bread and dipped it into the rice. He came up with a small scoop which he bit into. His eyes widened and he choked hard enough to set down his bread and take up a glass of water.

I watched in a mixture of concern and amusement as he washed the food down. "Is it good?"

Ben swallowed and nodded. "Quite good, but I have to admit I've never had that much salt in one bite."

Curiosity overcame me, and I had to take a scoop of the rice for myself. My first bite into the soft fluff made me choke as Ben had done as all the moisture was sucked out of my mouth.

I raced for the water even as Fadila looked doubtfully at the bowl before she turned her attention to her husband. "Is this safe for Lila?"

Salah sighed. "I gave her some myself and she had the same reaction as our guests, but she did manage to eat quite a bit before she asked for sleep."

Ben eyed our host with a teasingly accusing look. "You knew the dryness of the rice?"

Salah gave him a sheepish smile and bowed his head. "You must forgive me, cousin, but I had to know if others would have the same experience as Lila."

I downed the entirety of my glass and wiped away a few droplets of water from the corners of my mouth. "Don't give it to too many people or this place will be drained of water."

Ben's eyes twinkled as he slid the bowl closer to his cousin. "It is rather good salt. Will you not try some?"

Salah laughed and took up a slice of flatbread. "It seems I have no choice, and you did advise that I also partake of the herbs."

Our host dipped his bread into the bowl and came up with a small mound. He took a deep breath before he swallowed the whole thing. His eyes widened and he choked as we had all done before rushing for the water. Fadila looked doubtfully at each of us but did the same, and the level of the water pitcher was again lowered.

Salah rubbed his wife's back as she recovered from her self-imposed shock. "Our dinners will certainly be more interesting for the time being."

Fadila's face fell and she turned to Ben. "How much time?"

He smiled at her and shook his head. "There's no need to worry. Our contact told us we should learn more about the curse within a day or two."

"Providing these spices help her?" she added.

He nodded. "That's correct, but our friend appeared to be very knowledgeable and he had a keen eye even for us."

Our host let out a heavy sigh as he grasped his wife's shoulders. He studied her careworn face before he turned to us. "Here we are burdening you with our troubles when you have your own. We could not blame you were you to venture out to the Thaqiba in search of your own answers."

"Well, we do have time before the spice to work their miracles," Ben pointed out as he turned to me. "And Millie hasn't seen too much of your interesting island."

"The Thaqiba first," I requested.

He smiled. "Of course."

We finished our meal and said goodbye to our hosts before we set off on the journey. The mid-afternoon crowd was slack compared to the earlier hours and we discovered many resting their sun-baked bodies under eaves and the roofs of their stalls.

"So people take a break from the heat and business?" I guessed as we strolled down one of the business streets.

Ben nodded. "It's dangerous to work too much in the heat of the sun, but fortunately for us sightseeing isn't as strenuous an activity."

We turned rightward and I furrowed my brow. "Is this the fastest way to the Thaqiba? I thought it was north of the city."

"It is, but there's something I wanted to ask an old friend," Ben revealed.

I lifted an eyebrow. "About what?"

"About our ‘visit' here and Salah's troubles."

"Why didn't we go to them first if it's about both?"

"My friend's price is slighter higher than what pleased Dakin."

"How high?"

His eyes sparkled with mischief, but there was a faint glimmer of worry in their depths, too. "You'll see."

I pursed my lips, but let him lead me on through the maze of streets and alleys. We eventually found our way down a dead-end street that ended in a small courtyard. A few steps led down into the sunken circle. A half dozen houses faced the courtyard and shared walls with each another and created a seamless line of mud-dried walls, but on the opposite side of where we stood was a small shop. The door stood open and a small rack outside on the cobblestones featured a variety of handmade rugs and blankets.

Ben led me across the courtyard and into that tiny shop. More rugs and blankets covered the walls and a stand in the center of the small room showed off some optional fabrics. The proprietor sat behind a low counter with their arms folded over the top and their head cozily resting atop their limbs. His back moved up and down in a slow, steady rhythm.

I opened my mouth to alert him to our presence, but Ben pressed a finger to my lips. He smiled down at me and shook his head before he pointed at a door set in the wall in the far right corner of the room. I lifted an eyebrow but let him guide me to the door. He opened it and revealed a set of narrow and steep stairs that led down into the solid rock that was the earth.

Ben took up a small lantern that hung on the wall and used a match from a nearby box to light it. Armed with the weak, flickering light, we made our way down into the basement. The air in the dark earth wasn't as dry as above ground, but there was a staleness that made me gasp for breath.

Ben stopped and took my hand as he studied me with an anxious look. "Are you alright?"

I managed a shaky smile. "Yeah, but this place is as dry as those catacombs in Validen."

"Fortunately, there aren't any bodies down here," he assured me.

Ben kept a hold of my hand and guided me to the bottom where we found ourselves among piles of crates. They were stacked in a haphazard fashion and many of them had inches of dust on their tops. The same dirt covered the floor, but I just made out a sort of path through the fallen earth that led to the rear wall of the room.

My heart began to pound in my chest as we neared the wall. Ben stopped a few feet from the barrier and held aloft the lantern. The frail light revealed a squat black stone with bushy stone eyebrows and thick stone lips.

I blinked at the creature. "Pazari?"