A white indentation circling Umir's mouth appeared on his face. Pale eyes were icy with anger. "Do you expect this to lift the reward I've placed on you?"
"As I understand it, the reward was for my return—alive. Well, here I am. How about you pay up?"
"Pay you the reward?"
"Call it a delicious irony," I suggested. I traced with two fingers the scuffs in the leather binding. "The Book of Udre-Natha." I turned back the cover, began to riffle pages. "Interesting."
"Don't touch it!" Umir cried. "You'll soil the pages!"
I pinned down a page with a forefinger. "What do you suppose this says?"
"Don't read it!" He glared up at me. "Not that you could. I doubt you can read your own language."
"Just a big, dumb sword-dancer, am I?" I shrugged. "Ah, well. We can't all be born tanzeers."
"Chula," he spat.
I continued turning pages. "Hmmm . . . what do you suppose this means?"
Umir couldn't control himself. "Stop it! Stop it!" Hands reached out. "Give it to me!"
I looked beyond him as I saw movement in the doorway. Nayyib, escorted by Umir's servant, exited the house. His near-black hair was sticking up all over his head as if he'd been rousted from a nap. In fact, his eyes looked a little bleary, too. Had Umir drugged him?
I looked at the tanzeer. "Horse."
"Coming," he retorted.
And so it was, as another servant led the bay around from the stable block. Bridled and saddled, saddlepouches and botas tied on, ready to go.
I glanced at Nayyib. He was in a sad way, blinking woozily out at the sun-washed courtyard. Umir's little joke, to drug the boy. And neither Del nor I could chance giving him a hand, or we'd endanger the entire rescue. "You," I began, "have caused me no small amount of trouble. How about you get up on your horse and head out of here? Now."
Nayyib nodded vaguely, scrubbing vigorously at his stubbled face. But didn't move.
I pointed. "That horse right there."
"Neesha," Del said, still waiting behind me. The tone was a complex combination of relief, concern, and command. And something I couldn't identify.
Umir glared at me. "The book."
"When the boy is mounted and heading out of here."
Nayyib finally bestirred himself to walk haphazardly to his horse and stick a foot in the stirrup. With great effort he pulled himself up. I heard the sound of a burnous seam ripping as he fell into the saddle. I wondered if I'd have any teeth left by the time we exited the courtyard. Already my jaw ached from clenching it.
"Go," Del told him, as Nayyib lifted reins.
The stud, taking a closer look at the bay, suddenly filled the courtyard with a ringing neigh. I winced.
Del's voice again: "Neesha. Go."
Neesha went.
"You too, bascha." I heard retreating hoofs clopping agains the pavers. Then I smiled down at Umir. "Your book."
I thought he might send a servant to take it from me. But Umir came himself, lower lip caught in white teeth as he reached up for it.
"I've locked it closed," I told him, "for safety." I handed over the book. "It may take you a few weeks or years, but eventually you'll figure out how to open it."
Eyes wide with alarm, Umir attempted to undo the latch holding the book closed. "No—no —"
"A little insurance," I remarked, "in case you felt like trying a spell on me when I wasn't looking."
He hugged the book to his chest, staring up at me. "But—how did you do this? It requires a spell to lock it!"
"Let's just say I picked up a few things while visiting an island paradise." I tossed him a jaunty wave as I backed the stud toward the opening in the wall. "Happy reading, Umir."
Outside the walls, I found Del and Nayyib waiting. I motioned them to ride on as I headed past them.
Del's face was white. "I can't believe you did that."
"What—give him the book? Why not? It worked, didn't it? Nayyib-Neesha is now our guest instead of Umir's." I glanced at the boy. "Are you drugged? Did Umir drug you?"
Owl-eyed, he shook his head.
Suspicion stirred. "Drunk?"
His tone was excessively grave. "I believe so, yes."
I swore deeply and decisively.
Del was still stuck on the book. "I thought you said it contains magic spells."
"It contains a number of things, including magic spells. It's a pretty amazing book, actually."
"And you gave it to Umir?"
"Well, I'd read it already." I grinned at her. "What did you think I was doing all day when you were asleep in bed?"
Del was stunned. "You read that whole book in an afternoon?"
"Just a little trick I picked up in Skandi." I took a hard look at Nayyib. "Are you sober enough to stay on your horse?"
"I believe so, yes."
"Do you know where the oasis is from here?"
"I believe so, yes."
"That's where we're going."
Nayyib nodded amiably. "All right." Then a hiccup emerged, attended by a modest belch.
I planted the flat of my palm against my brow. "Gods save me from a sandsick woman and a drunk boy!"
Del scowled at me. "I am not sandsick, and he's not a boy."
"But he's drunk."
Nayyib offered, "I believe so, yes."
"Oh, hoolies," I groaned. "Maybe I should take my sword to him. Or go on ahead and let him find his own way to the oasis. I only might have been killed in there getting him free, and it turns out he's drunk. Drunk!"
"Neesha," Del said gently, "I would be quiet now."
"All right." He gifted her with a luminous smile and a worshipful stare from those melting, honey-brown eyes. "You're so beautiful."
"Oh, hoolies," Del muttered.
TWENTY-SEVEN
WE MANAGED to get the boy to the oasis.
Or rather, Del managed to get the boy to the oasis; I was so disgusted by his condition I refused to have anything to do with him. He managed to stay aboard his horse, which was all that mattered to me, and upon finding a quiet little place at the oasis that we might call our own for an hour or two, I dismounted and led the stud off to the spring. I left Del to deal with the kid. Which maybe wasn't the wisest thing in the world to do, in view of his obvious infatuation, but I wasn't in any mood to put up with either of them. And since I knew Del had no tolerance for drunkenness, I doubted she was any more entranced with Nayyib than I was. The main thing was, he was free of Umir and my debt was repayed. Del and I could now get on about our business.
I was heading back to the trio of palm trees when I met Del leading her gelding and Nayyib's bay. "Did you get him settled all safe in his own little bed?"
Del, pausing, shot me a hard glance."You might have a little sympathy for him."
"I jut risked my life for a drunken kid! Why should I have any sympathy for him?"
"Umir could have killed him."
"Umir wanted his book back too much for that." "Which you gave him."
"In exchange for the boy. The one you were so all-fired determined to rescue. Well, he's rescued. He can stay here and sleep it off, and you and I can get on with our lives."
She seemed startled. "I don't want to leave him here."
"Why not?"
"He's drunk."
"He can sleep it off."
"What if he gets sick?"
"I never died from it." I paused. "Neither did you, when you got drunk on Vashni liquor."
Color flooded her face. "We are not discussing me."
"Maybe we should."
"Why? This has nothing to do with me!"