Iris Johansen - The Treasure

“I’ve been thinking about Balkir. He’s always with Nasim.”

“I believe I’ve found a way to rid myself of him. We’ll see, tomorrow.”

Speculation. All of it was too frighteningly uncertain. She could feel the muscles of her stomach tighten at the thought. Don’t think of it. Not yet.

She stopped as they reached an outcropping of the mountain to look down at the ruins below. “Tarik says there are people, a whole city buried beneath all that stone.” She shivered. “One night they were alive and happy and the next they were buried. All their plans, all their worries and joys gone.”

“Stop brooding. Their situation was nothing like ours. Disasters like that happen once in a thousand years. No volcano is going to rush down and destroy us. We’re controlling our fate.”

“I know.” But she still felt a heavy melancholy as she looked down at the ruins. “But it must have been terrible. Tarik said he heard the sky was black for days.”

“I doubt if he heard it secondhand.”

Her gaze flew to his face. “Why do you say that?”

He didn’t look at her. “He was quite probably here or nearby.”

“What?” she whispered. “But that was centuries ago.”

“Yes.”

“What are you saying?”

“Ask Tarik.” He pulled her close. “But not now. I want to hold you.”

Centuries, she thought incredulously. “It’s not possible. I thought a few decades.”

“So did I.”

“And Layla?”

“The same.” He paused. “I knew it would frighten you, but it was important for you to know. No one should have to make a choice without the full truth.”

“It’s more unbelievable than ever now.”

“Not when you talk to them.”

“I don’t want to talk to them about this.” She stiffened. “What choice?”

“Not now. You’re feeling a little desperate, and it wouldn’t be fair.”

“I want to know.”

He shook his head.

Her hands tightened on his arms. She had a chilling idea what choice was to be offered. “Then tell me what choice you’re going to make.”

“I have no choice.”

His words struck her like a blow. “I don’t understand.”

He put his fingers on her lips. “Shh, no more. Not tonight. I cursed Tarik for doing the same thing, but he was right to go slowly. I just wanted to prepare you.”

“You’re as bad as they are. I don’t have enough to worry about with you going to Nasim tomorrow. You have to boggle my mind with this.”

He smiled. “Better to split the worry. You were too somber. You’d have brooded all night about Nasim.”

“And you’d rather I brooded over some idiotic choice. Well, I’ll not do it. I won’t think of you at all.” She whirled and strode away from him. “Idiot.”

“Does that mean you won’t sleep with me tonight?” he called after her.

“Of course I’ll sleep with you. Do you think I want to live with guilt if you get your stupid head chopped off? Just stay away from me until I can bear to look at you without wanting to slap you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said meekly. “Fortunately, Vaden isn’t so disdainful of my company. He wants to go over the plan this evening.”

She didn’t answer as her pace quickened. A few minutes later she was inside the tent Kadar had indicated. Imbecile. What made him think introducing a new hazard weakened the impact of the first? It was just like a man to think that a woman could not hold two thoughts in her head at the same time.

Nasim.

I have no choice.

Panic was rising, and she had to remain calm if she was to get through tomorrow. How could she be calm when she was whirling in the dark?

She strode out of the tent and went in search of Layla.

“You’re upset,” Layla said warily as Selene strode into her tent. “Did you argue with Kadar?”

“No, he was too busy mumbling idiocies about choices and Pompeii and Tarik and you living for centuries.”

“Oh.”

“Well, talk to me.” Selene plopped down on the cushions. “And don’t tell me to go slowly or that I’m not ready or I’ll throw a pitcher at you.”

“I wouldn’t want that.” Layla smiled. “There’s going to be enough violence tomorrow. What did he tell you?”

“Nothing. He’s being as cautious and annoying as the rest of you.” She bit her lower lip. “He told me he had no choice. What did he mean?”

“It seems he was very clumsy.”

“What did he mean?”

Layla dropped down on the cushions across from her. “Shall I start at the beginning?”

“If you don’t, I’ll strangle you.”

“Another threat?” Layla clucked reprovingly. “Since all this is clearly Kadar’s fault, I really think he should get the brunt of this.” She held up her hand to stem Selene’s words. “Very well, I’ll tell you all that Kadar knows.”

The tent was silent for a long time before Selene whispered, “A thousand years…”

Layla nodded. “It sounds like a long time, but it passes more quickly than you would think.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me that Kadar had already taken Eshe?”

“Did you really want to know?” Layla asked. “Kadar said you could think only of Nasim.”

She supposed that was true. If she had not been so obsessed, she would have suspected Kadar was keeping something from her. “And I’m the one who gave Kadar the potion.”

“You didn’t know what it was.”

“Tarik did.”

“And it saved Kadar’s life. Would you have him dead?”

“No.” She remembered saying that she didn’t care if it was sorcery as long as it cured Kadar. “I’d give it to him again tomorrow if it meant keeping him alive.”

“Well, it will keep him alive for a long, long time.” Layla paused. “He did not ask you to take it too?”

“No. I don’t think he will. I told him-it frightens me.”

“More than seeing yourself grow weak and old while Kadar remains young and strong? More than leaving him alone when he needs you?”

“You want me to do it?”

“I’m saying it’s a decision with which you have to come to terms. You can’t hide your head in the ground and ignore the facts.”

“I don’t even know if they are facts or if it’s some outrageous myth. I don’t know anything about Eshe.”

“Neither do we. We can’t give it to enough people to gather a full picture.”

“So you pick and choose?”

She nodded. “What else can we do?”

“On what basis?”

“Do you want me to say we have rules? We don’t. Sometimes it’s someone who is brilliant and has much still to give to the world. Sometimes it’s only someone whom we cannot bear to lose.”

“No rules?”

“Choice. They have to agree.”

“And what of their families?”

“We aren’t monsters, but the quantities are scarce. Each person we choose to receive Eshe is allowed five vials of their own. No more.”

“And they have to choose who in their family is to live, who is to die?”

“I never said we were perfect. We do what we can.”

“I couldn’t do it.”

“You could do it. I did.”

“You didn’t do it. You had no children.” She stiffened as the thought sank home. “Children-is the reason you have no children because of Eshe?”

“At first I thought it was, but there have been other women given Eshe who later conceived and gave birth.” Her lips twisted. “So I cannot blame it on the potion. I’m just barren.”

“And what of the children? Are they frozen in time like you and Tarik?”

“You mean, do they never grow up? Eshe doesn’t work like that. Growth takes place the way God intended. When the growth ends, the aging stops.”