Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Ben took advantage of the situation by picking up Amin and throwing him into his compatriots. That took out everyone but Diana. She was mine.

I grabbed her hair with both hands and pulled. She jerked her head back and let out a terrible cry before I flung her into her precious Kneeling Stone hole and Ben snatched my hand. We fled down the stairs and into the gap with Ben pushing me in first.

We clambered over the rocks and into the tight tunnel. I'd dropped the torch and now could only fumble down the corridor toward the faraway flickering lights. We reached the first intersection and a hulking shadow lumbered out of the darkness in the direction of the entrance.

I skidded to a stop and screamed. The creature screamed in reply. That's when I recognized the cry of the dakhma.

Ben drew me past our friend and down the tunnel toward the exit. I twisted around and watched the creature turn around. "Hurry!" I shouted as we raced down the passage. "Come on!"

The creature gave the cry that had so frightened our foes and loped after us. It was faster than it looked and even Ben's long, quick stride was no match for the beast. The dakhma soon caught up to us and dipped its head down. I was scooped up and then Ben. The ceiling was low enough that we had to duck close to its back, but otherwise the ride was soft and smooth.

We emerged from the depths of those terrible ruins and out into the waning night. The dakhma was even faster over open ground and we sped across the sands toward the oasis it called home. I breathed easy only when we reached the shadows of those trees.

Ben slid down from the creature and helped me off its back. He turned to our friend and stroked its back while a smile played across his lips. "You did us quite a favor, friend. We'll have to repay you someday."

The dakhma lifted its nose and gave a cute little squawking noise. I laughed and petted its head. "Thank you."

We regretfully left our new friend and spread Ben's wings. The dakhma watched us leave with another roar and I waved furiously until his little speck disappeared among the shadowed greenery.

A heavy sigh escaped me as I returned my attention to the city. "That was quite the adventure. I only wish I knew what the hell was going on."

Ben's good humor faded as he pursed his lips. "Indeed. It appears the magikologists are working for both the king and the priestess."

I winced. "And we led them right to where they wanted to be."

"Our folly may not be as severe as you fear," Ben assured me. "Diana didn't know what to expect with what they found and that may give us time to figure out their intentions."

"What can we do? Go ask the priestess why she wanted them to slither their way into those holes and find that temple?"

Ben's expression darkened. "What worries me is the temple being located beneath the Thaqiba and the placement of the Kneeling Stone."

I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. "And that black stone. There's something wrong there."

He dropped his gaze to me and studied my face. "Do you still feel that chill?"

I grinned up at him. "I'm fine and your arms are helping me forget it. Now then-" I snuggled a little deeper into his gentle grip, "-where do we go from here?"

Ben returned his focus to the city that grew larger on the horizon. "We can't go to Salah's house, so there's only one place that's safe for us."

Ben flew in low and landed us on one of the roofs of the first houses. He set me down and hid his wings, and together we hurried across the rooftops. The eastern horizon had begun to lighten as we dropped down into the narrow alley that led to the cave homes. In a few minutes, we found ourselves tiptoeing through the empty fire pit area. We stopped in front of Dakin's curtain and Ben reached out to grab the cloth.

"Get in here," Dakin's voice muttered.

We stepped inside just in time to watch Dakin light a candle on his nightstand. His hair was frumpled and there were dark shadows under his eyes. He sat on the edge of his bed and glared up at us.

"Don't you two ever think about an old man's sleep?" he growled.

Ben smiled at our friend. "Our apologies, but we find ourselves lacking in a safe bed."

Dakin gave a heavy sigh and pursed his lips. "Fine." He stood and strode over to the wardrobe. He opened one of the doors wide enough so he could lean in. Our host drew out an armful of blankets which he tossed to Ben. He shut the door and returned to his bed. "The bed's mine, but there's plenty of floor for you."

Ben had a bemused look on his face as he turned to me. "Which part of the floor do you want?"

I nodded at the wardrobe. "I call dibs on the part farthest from the drafty door."

Ben made to drop the blankets, but Dakin interrupted him. "What happened with that water you fetched from the ghasl?"

Ben sighed. "That proved to be useless, but the water you gave us proved to be rather more useful. How did you come to have a clean supply from the ghasl?"

Dakin shook his head. "It's nothing that fancy. Just some stuff I picked up and put in my own personal stock. Speaking of that." He took the flask from his hip and held it out to me. "That family of his should have a taste of it. It's stronger than the spice and should heal them up even better."

I accepted the flask but lifted an eyebrow. "If that stuff's better then why didn't you give that to us at the beginning?"

"You don't give a weak patient strong medicine," he told me. "Doing that might be too much of a shock to their body. That's why you start out slow."

"Will this help us find the culprit?" Ben asked him.

Dakin folded his arms over his broad chest and furrowed his brow. "Now that I don't know. If the magician is powerful enough then they might not show any effects from these counter prescriptions, but if they're using their magic on something else then the strain might get them to show their weakness."

"So what are we even looking for?" I wondered.

He shrugged. "There's a lot of things to look for. Sweating skin. Shortness of breath."

I snorted. "That sounds like me after a hard run."

"There'll be other signs, too," Dakin added as he gave me a sharp look. "A funny look in their eyes, like the color is shifting about, and they'll give off a strange light every now and again as their magic is sapped from them to keep the curse up."

I tried to reply but was interrupted by a yawn. Ben smiled at me and held up the linen in his arms. "I think it's time to use these."

Ben dropped the blankets onto the floor and it was as if it was a signal. Something shot under the curtain and landed on top of the pile of blankets. I nearly had a heart attack before I recognized the hairy figure of Qita. Even then, my heart still pounded at the sight of the cat.

His soft, well-kept fur stuck out at all angles and a few patches were missing on his back. He had all his claws splayed out and his eyes were as large as saucers. His stomach moved up and down with such rapidity that I worried he was going to explode.

Dakin slapped his knee before he stood. "This isn't a hotel!"

Qita whipped his head between Ben and me. "They've taken them!"

Ben's eyebrows crashed down. "Who's taken who?"

"The soldiers from the palace have taken my family!" Qita snapped as he hopped around to face us with his back still arched. "They have orders from the king to round up everyone with magic and take them to the Thaqiba!"

My heart skipped a beat as I grasped my balled hands against my chest. "My God. They're going to steal their powers."

Ben stiffened his jaw. "When were they taken?"

"Just now. I ran all the way here-"

"This way!"

The shout came from outside. Dakin leapt to his feet and strode to the curtain. He flung it aside and stuck his head out for a moment before he jerked back.

Our host whipped his head around and glared at the feline. "And you've brought them with you, you fool!"