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Laylah decribed her visions of the horse and camel fighting, and drew the mark she saw on the man who was watching; the visions of following a caracal in the desert, and seeing a dying man; and the voice that told her to go to Tel Yuli. She also told about her meeting with Ruqayyah, and her discovery of Ayyub in the desert.
The Umar had Ayyub summoned. He was shocked to see the sign Laylah had drawn. At the Umar's prompting, he explained that it was the mark of his family. He had been blamed for the death of his parents, and his uncle Hisham, a powerful Duz of Camel Tribe, had exiled him. Ayyub's own mark had been burned away from his chest at that time. He declined to talk further on the subject. He could tell the Umar nothing about his uncles' intentions, but knows that Hisham hates the peaceful Cat and Lark tribes, and hates the Horse for some unknown reason. The Umar thanked him and offered him refuge with her tribe. He was afraid of inflicting his bad luck on the tribe, but she insisted that he stay among them for a time.
The Umar thanked Laylah, and asked her to send word immediately if she received further visions, or new insights into the ones she had related. She dismissed the party so that she could discuss this news with the other Duz. The Umar's caracal, Razil, accompanied them back to their quarters. (Ruqayyah and Razil took an instant liking to each other.)
Afla joined them later to relay more that she had learned from Ayyub: He had been attacked by bandits, one of which turned into a horse. They left him for dead, but Laylah found him. The Duz think Ayyub must have been near a hidden pass at the edge of the Highmarch plateau; the presence of Horse tribesmen there means that this pass is no longer secret. The Duz were now discussing plans to deal with this threat. The Umar is a pacifist, but some tribes friendly to the Cat are not. As Afla left to return to the discussions, she instructed them to tell Razil if they needed to contact the Duz.
Afla had told them that Ayyub is convinced that he suffers from a curse; the Umar believes there is something to his claim, but is not sure whether any god is involved. That evening, Laylah went to see how he was doing. He was calmer, but still confused. Laylah told him more about her home, the goddess she served and the dream-warnings she had received. While pondering this, an idea occurred to him and he went in search of Razil. They found the caracal on the roof, watching Ruqayyah dancing in a trance state. (Her intent was a prayer, in dance, for the welfare of her friends, her tribe and the other tribes.)
Ayyub spoke rapidly to Razil--and to everyone's surprise, received an answer in human speech! Ayyub explained: The shortest way between the Camel and Horse tribes falls between the Cat and Lark territories, and would use the pass the "bandits" found. Either tribe would need to negotiate with the lizard men for guides across the interior of the Highmarch. Razil had communicated this to his mistress, who had agreed with Ayyub's thinking. After telling the fatigued Ruqayyah to get some rest, Razil took his leave. Laylah told Ayyub his luck seemed to be changing; he was grateful to feel useful again.
19 Highsuntide: In the morning, Razil came to bring the women and Ayyub to the Umar. Ganirit sketched out the Duz's plans: to inform the other tribes of what they had learned; to try to contact the lizard men before the Horse or Camel did; and to post more scouts near the compromised pass.
Laylah asked if she wanted them to stay. That would depend on their wishes--or those of higher powers. Laylah explained that while she felt no call to become a priest, Rashira had told her to learn from her "other children." Ganirit could see the mark of the goddess's blessing in Laylah's aura, and agreed to find someone to give her instruction in the Cat Tribe's beliefs.
Darra stated that their party was likely to stay here another week or so, and that she had a secret to reveal: She was a werehorse and must change at the full moon (the 24th). After an appropriate warning, she demonstrated by shifting to horse form and back. Ayyub was shocked, but the Umar seemed unconcerned--Darra's friends trusted her, and she was not a large bay horse, like most Horse Tribe weres. [This comment enlightened Darra about Fazia.] Darra was concerned that she remembered little about her changes at the full moon, so Ganirit offered to have a Duz watch her from a discrete distance that night.
A warrior came with a message that a man had asked to speak with Naima, and took her to see him. The Umar took her leave of the others soon afterward, asking to speak with Ruqayyah again that evening.
Naima soon returned. Her friend had told her that another of their friends had been killed, and had asked her to seek information on the killer. She asked Ayyub about his uncle's magic, and described the murder. The killer had used a human skull which turned into a ghost-like spirit that slew the victim. Ayyub knew nothing of such magic; his uncle tended to simply call down the power of the sun to blast his enemies. Darra had once seen such a spell used, and recognized it as necromantic magic. The party's limited knowledge of the tribes' theology included no death-gods, which led them to think that the skull was supplied by an outsider. Ayyub would not put such dealings past his uncle if they further one of his schemes.
Darra took Naima aside to ask her more in private. The killer was a Duz of Camel tribe, but not Hisham; she did not know if there was any connection to him. Darra told her that she was hunting a necromancer, and believed this to be his work. She doubts he is in the desert now, but thinks he has some connections there. Naima left to seek out her friend to relay this new information.
Laylah asked Ayyub about his mirror. His tribe uses them for long-distance signalling. Thinking this knowledge might help his new-found home, he left to discuss it with a Duz.
At sundown, Ruqayyah met with the Umar. Ganirit asked why she had left the tribe before finishing her training with Qutaibah. Ruqayyah was curious about the outside world, and wanted to "see everything" before being tied down by the duties of a Duz. She has recently realized that she needs to gain control over her monthly emotional cycle before she can learn to concentrate and be a proper Duz. [She has the Lunacy disadvantage.] Here in the tribe, she was more comfortable in cat form, which had proved a dangerous form of escapism. Ganirit was glad to see the amount of thought she had put into this subject, and sympathized with her situation. The Umar agreed that time away from the tribe might help her: her widened experience would help the tribe; she would grow to appreciate her home more; and she might even find a solution for her problem. She granted Ruqayyah permission to seek her own path, and offered whatever help she could. Ruqayyah returned to her friends greatly relieved that the Umar understood her.
That evening, Alfa and Qutaibah introduced Darra to Harithah, one of the Duz who had seen Laylah speak of her visions. This woman specialized in animal magics, and would set caracals to watch over Darra during the night of the full moon. Another Duz, Huma'i, had a spell that would allow her to avoid the consequences of going without sleep that night.
Qutaibah offered to teach Laylah about Tanduzi (the religion of the desert tribes). He would also be available to help Ruqayyah with her reading and other studies until she left the tribe again. He had spoken with the Umar about her, and was pleased with Ganirit's decision. (This, too, relieved her.)
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This page last revised 2/4/2000. | © 2000 Timothy E. Emrick. | time@neu.edu