Michael Foster - She Who Has No Name

‘I don’t think it’s rained here in a thousand years,’ Eric noted.

Samuel observed the skies. There was not a drop of moisture to be felt and he wondered if he could change the weather here, even with the power of his ring. He doubted it.

The desert soon became great waves and hills of sand, utterly devoid of life. They rode the crests of these dunes when they could, and dipped down into them when required, mindful of all the warnings that Balten recited for them on each occasion.

‘Do you remember what I told you in the mountains, Samuel,’ Balten remarked, ‘that we would miss the cold of the mountains once we entered the desert?’

Samuel smacked his parched lips. ‘Unfortunately, I do and,unfortunately, you were right.’ He rodeonin silence before posing a difficult question to the man riding beside him. ‘How long have you known that I have no power-that I am dependent on the ring?’

‘I am not blind, Samuel. When you first told me the Argum Stone had been destroyed in the battle with Ash, I had no reason to disbelieve you, but I am also not a fool. I can sense the ring in your pocket and I can see it on your finger when you cast your spells. It is not such a feat to work out what is happening.’

‘Then perhaps there are others who know about this?’

‘Perhaps, Samuel, but I would not worry about it if I were you.’

‘Oh?’

‘You are amongst friends here-mostly-and after,our task has been completed,the ring will be destroyed. Perhaps you will have no power when that is done, butultimately,you will have little choice in the matter. We cannot let you keep your power if it costs the lives of the world.’

Samuel knew the words were true, but still they worried him. He could not imagine living without his magic and found himself contemplating his actions if that moment truly arrived. He was not sure that he could face living as a common man. If he was calleduponto destroy his ring for the sake of humanity, he only hoped he would have thecourageto do it.

They passed the days without anyuntowardevent or sign of another soul, until one morning at dawn, as they were just preparing to find shelter, a dark wave began to approach from the east. Balten held his hand over his eyes and peered into the distance. He pulled his scarves tightly around his face and the others mirrored him, ensuring their features were hidden.

‘What shall we do?’ Eric asked.

‘Ride straight past them,’ Balten commanded. ‘Do nothing. They have no wizard.’

The host of black-robed men, all on foot,approached.They marched thirty abreast and five hundred deep. They did not waste energy marching in the regulated manner of the Empire, but sauntered casually beside each other, walking lightly on the shifting sands. True to his word, the entire host of men passed them by as if they did not exist.

Looking back at them, Canyon asked, ‘Are they magicians?’

‘No,’ Balten replied. ‘Black is the colour of the Aalatan,one of the larger tribes. The desert people’s only weakness is that their tribes have always been enemies. But their queen has united them now, and they have reluctantly banded together in vast numbers. They all fight for her.’

‘Where do all these people come from?’ the Emperor asked. ‘How can a land so empty produce so many soldiers?’

‘There are clusters of settlements here and there, but this desert is bigger than ten empires. Moreover, the Paatin are fanatical towards their queen, even more so than the Koians and their god.’

‘And what of their magicians…these wizards. Is all their magic so tainted and strange?’

‘Not at all,’ Balten returned. ‘Their wizards have always had magic akin to our own, but it is Om-rah who has tainted them of late. He has delved into magic of transformation and changed himself piece by piece until he is little more than a monster. I suspect he has found some snippets of the Ancient Lick, for his spells stink of such perversion. He hascreatedspells that change men into abominations of nature-granting them the aspects of other creatures-but the toll on them is high. They only live for minutes once the spell has done its work;then they die. Unfortunately, with the Paatin being more than willing to sacrifice themselves for their queen, he hasunlimitedsubjects willing to give themselves for his rank experiments.’

Samuel nodded in understanding and,as he rode on the back of the heaving animal, he considered ways to combat such a fiend. Slowly, they trod their way across the sands, leaving nothing but footsteps to mark their passing.

Far ahead, they saw something glittering between the dunes. At first, they thought it was just another mirage but,as they came closer,it became evident that, almost unbelievably, there was watervisibleamongst the sands.

‘Well,look at that!’ the Emperor exclaimed and,as they neared,they could see that it was,indeed,a lake in the middle of the desert.

It was only ankle-deep, but they could scarcely see the other side, and they ran and splashed in its shallows, enjoying the coolness on their skin. Even the Koian woman trod in and pumped her feet up and down in the mud, looking intrigued at the feeling of it between her toes.

The water seemed to pool into a great basin here, running in from the northwest. All around it,the hot sands blew and the dunes clung to its banks.

‘Incredible,’ Canyon said with awe, breaking his long silence. ‘Here, the desert swallows everything. Even rivers disappear into its infinite belly.’

‘You are correct,’ Balten responded. ‘As the rocks are porous, the river drains underground here, and does not emerge until far to the south, nearer Kabush.’

They began following it upstream, letting their feet splash along its edge and,with each step,the river grew deeper and narrower, until they could actually see the water in motion, flowing down towards the vast flat where it spread out and sank into the earth. At the same time, the dunes around it grew firmer and flatter, with the odd clump of yellow reed nestled along the banks.

‘What is this?’ Samuel asked.

‘This is the River Edij,’ Balten revealed. ‘They say the Desert Queen summoned the waters from the barren stone of Mount Karthma and her city was built upon its source. In reality, I doubt the story is true, for it seems the river has been here for all time. She simply may have organised some proper farming and constructed some dams further upstream so that the flow could be managed. It allowed the population to multiply a thousandfold and settle in one place. Still, the river is prone to drought and has been dwindling in recent years. The people are worried that this is the time of Ajaspah, when the sands return to engulf the city.’

‘You seem to know a lot about the Queen’s affairs,’ the Emperor noted.

‘Cang keeps his eye on everyone and everything, especially here, so near to his home. He has often sent me to scout these parts and that is when I first encountered Om-rah, her servant. I suspect Cang may even have had a hand in spinning the rumours of Ajaspah, sowing the seeds of discontent amongst her people to fuel her war. And that blasted comet does not help. It does nothing but further the idea.’

‘Perhaps she is right. It does seem quite a coincidence,’ Canyon said, but Balten only scowled back in response, for he was anything but superstitious.

Wondrously, they soon spied green fields: crops of corn, wheat and vegetables, growing on both sides the river. Workers in wide-brimmed,woven,reed hats-Paatin men with their chests bare and women in rolled-high skirts-were tending them. Others were standinginflat-bottomed boats and scooping into the river with long-handled nets. They passed pastures of grazing animals: goats, cows, pigs,clusters of ducks, chickens and all manner of fowls. Peacocks wandered and called freely, flying up and gathering on the many small pavilions dotting the landscape,which seemed to mark rest areas to escape from the sun.