“And what else?”
“Nothing!”
Fallon managed to sit up. “Forget it, Marilius. Tell him and let him be on his way.”
“Tell me,” I demanded. “I need to know.”
“I’m tired,” Fallon whined. He stuck his nose into the powder again, but before he could take a sniff I bent over and wiped it off the table. I took hold of his robe and lifted him from the chair.
“You can smell your cow manure later,” I said. “Tell me about the demon!”
Marilius grabbed my arm. “Let him go, Lukien.”
So I dropped Fallon into his chair and grabbed Marilius instead, pulling him right into my face. “You brought me here to fight that monster, but you didn’t care for a second that I might have been killed. You let me go in there blind!”
Marilius grit his teeth. “I saved your life. Twice! You couldn’t wait to go after the monster. Just like you went after Wrestler. Without even thinking!”
I let go of him, but I wasn’t leaving without an answer. “What is it?” I pressed. “How’d it get here?”
Marilius smoothed down his tunic. Fallon pointed at his tattoo. “See this? I know you have. I’ve caught you staring. It’s the mark of that beast, whatever it is. This mark came right after I let the beast loose. My beautiful face, ruined. .”
“So you did let it out. From where? How?” I took a good look at Fallon. “Are you some sort of wizard? I’ve heard about Zurans. .”
Fallon scoffed. “Show me a wizard who lives like I do. I’m a merchant. I do whatever profit requires. Spices, Lukien. People pay a lot of money for spices.” He ran his finger through the dust left by the purple stuff. “I didn’t lie to you about Diriel. He does want me dead.”
“The monster, Fallon. How’d it get here?”
“An accident. Have you ever heard of mummia?”
I was sure I hadn’t. “Another spice?”
“Sometimes it’s called mummy powder,” Fallon said. “Very rare. And expensive. Only a king could afford it. And I’m the only man in this part of the world who can get it.”
“What’s it do?”
Fallon peered toward the door, making sure no one but the three of us could hear. “Your sword isn’t the only way to make a man immortal, Lukien. That’s what mummy powder does. That’s what Diriel wanted.”
Finally I had a piece of the puzzle. “The Legion of the Lost. Diriel’s army. .”
“He contracted for the mummia. Paid a fortune for it. It wasn’t easy, but I found it. Not the useless tree resin some people peddle but the real thing, from the old tombs of Zura. That’s what mummy powder is-dried mummy flesh. But you have to know how to use it. I never thought Diriel would be able to.”
“So they weren’t just stories,” I said. “Soulless soldiers. . You really did it.”
“Not me.” Fallon put up his ringed hands. “I just sell spices.”
“Sure, you’re innocent. What did you think he’d use it for? To sprinkle on his eggs?”
“How could I know he had the magic to use it? Diriel’s a fool! Everyone who’s met him says so.”
“But an indestructible army would make things nice and simple for Diriel, wouldn’t it? No problem taking over a nearby country, just march your soldiers right on in. Did you ever once stop to think about what Diriel would do with the mummia?”
“Do to his men? They’re soldiers! Like you, Lukien. I just sold them a better weapon.”
It was a giant insult. Marilius couldn’t even look at me.
“Marilius? This is the man you came back for?” I said. “You’re risking your life for him?”
Marilius shrugged. “We’re trying to fix things.”
“What about the monster?” I asked again. “You said you let it loose. How?”
Fallon tilted his head back, struggling to stay awake. “That was after,” he said. “Once Diriel took over Kasse he wanted more mummia. Quickly. You can’t just lay your hands on mummy powder. There’s tomb raiders to pay, bribes. . and it takes time. I wasn’t even sure I could get more. Diriel didn’t care about any of that. He had the crown jewels and gold from Kasse and was willing to pay.”
“You’re a snake, Fallon. What did you sell him? Not mummy powder. Not real mummy powder.”
“It’s ground up mummies! That’s it! That’s what he paid for, and that’s what I gave him. No middle-men this time. I did the work myself.” Fallon closed his eyes and made a sound like he was tasting something sweet. “Oh, the money. He had so much of it, like it didn’t matter to him. All he wanted was the mummia.”
“So?” I pressed. “Where’d it come from?”
“The Valley of Lords,” said Fallon. “That dell you saw with Marilius. That’s where the old kings of Akyre are buried.”
“You sold him the remains of his own ancestors?” Disgusted, I turned toward Marilius. “That’s why you didn’t want us going into the dell-so I wouldn’t see the tombs.”
“That’s where it came from,” said Marilius, “though I didn’t see it for myself.”
“I went alone,” said Fallon. “Marilius didn’t know until later, when I needed his help. Now the three of us know.”
“No one else?”
Fallon shook his head. “When I went into the tombs, I found a burial stone marked with this.” He pointed to the tattoo on his forehead. “I didn’t know what it meant. I still don’t.”
I took a closer look at the tattoo. “Looks like a symbol. But of what?”
“Some ancient Akyren language maybe,” said Marilius. “Perhaps the mark of the monster.”
“The Akyrens never buried anything valuable with their dead kings,” Fallon went on. “Statues mostly. Worthless to me. I only found one mummy there, under the burial stone.”
“Just one?” I asked.
“I only needed the one,” said Fallon. “I dragged it out, threw it over a horse and rode away.”
“By yourself?”
“A dried-out corpse is lighter than you might think. When I found a private spot I burned it. Not too hot-just enough to get the powder I needed. But when I got back to the palace and saw myself in the mirror,” Fallon tapped the tattoo, “this was here.”
“The monster came the following night,” said Marilius. “At first it prowled around outside the palace. Like it was waiting for Anton. Then it started killing people from the town.”
“Trying to lure me into a fight!” said Fallon.
“No chance of that, right? You’re a ghoul, Fallon. A grave robber. Not to mention a coward. And you. .” I turned to Marilius. “You were right to leave him. You should have kept on going. Instead you dragged me into this.”
“I’m sorry,” Marilius said. “But what now? It isn’t just the monster. Diriel’s after Anton, too. He wants that mummia, and he wants his payment back.”
“So? Give it to him.”
“I can’t,” Fallon confessed. “I spent it.”
“Spent it? On what?”
Fallon pointed toward the doors. “On all those men out there. To protect me! Don’t you see? As long as that monster is out there I can’t move. My routes are shut down, my contacts, everything. I’m a prisoner. I have to get that creature off my back!”
He looked so panicked and pathetic I laughed. “You created the beast that’s eating you, Fallon. Good! You deserve it. Once that demon gets what it wants it’ll leave everyone else alone.”
Fallon staggered to his feet. “What about Diriel? Do you think he’s going to leave everyone alone? Even if I’m dead he’ll march his legions in here.”
“They’ll kill everyone, Lukien,” said Marilius. “That’s what they did in Kasse. Diriel’s a madman. His mind is gone. He doesn’t care what he orders his army to do. Remember that boy we saw on the road?”
I remembered. I’d always remember. “Have you ever seen Diriel?” I asked.
“No,” said Fallon. “Wrestler speaks for him.”
“Wrestler’s the one who delivered the payments,” Marilius explained. “But the stories about Diriel are true. They say his throne is made of skulls.”
Fallon turned white, gripping the edge of the table. “He wants me killed. He wants my trade routes, and he wants me out of the way.” His breathing grew shallow. “I’m a dead man.”
Really, it was hard to argue with him. He had a demon on his tail and a half-dead army practically knocking at his door. But I couldn’t feel sorry for him.