Page 83 of The King of Koraha
Little One watched the fierce glower fade from the captain’s eyes as he stared at the black jewel. It was replaced by a rapt expression. Xerxes told him the same thing he told her. She experienced a tug of jealousy. Xerxes washers.
Xerxes tucked the pendant underneath the captain’s tunic. “Keep this close.”
“Yes, sir,” he said.
“Very good…” Xerxes looked at her. “What shall we call him?” But he didn’t wait for a reply. “I liked when you called him a big brute.” He focused on Big Brute. “Go with my men, Big Brute. They will show you what’s expected of one of my soldiers. I’ll give you a few sun jumps to get settled before you’re included on missions.”
“Yes, sir,” Big Brute snapped and followed the others from the apartment.
A strange hollowness pulsed inside her when he was gone.
“You did well, Little One.” Xerxes clapped her on the shoulder. “Big Brute will be a wonderful addition to my team. From what I’ve heard about his skills and intelligence, he may soon work his way into my inner circle.” Then he turned serious. “When you didn’t return from Qulsary, I assumed you’d told the King everything you learned in Nintri. Am I right?”
“Yes, sir.”
His gaze grew distant for a few moments. “I’m not overly worried about the King, but he might surprise me with unexpected resources. Can you convert him to our cause?”
“No, sir.”
“Why not?”
“He’s protected from The Eyes.”
“But not from your magic?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t try to manipulate him.”
“What about his power over water? Can you prevent him from using it?”
“I don’t know.”
Xerxes drummed his fingers on his thigh as he thought. “How can you find out?”
“I can visit the King and try.”
“No. I mean, who else might have this information?”
“Oh. Najib might know. And perhaps there is a record of it in one of the Rooms of Knowledge.”
“Which room? There are dozens of them throughout Koraha.”
“Most of the Rooms of Knowledge hold the same information. The monks have copied historical documents to distribute to all monasteries. Of course there are always those documents that are overlooked as not important and are not copied. I’d expect the Monks of Quirin would have the best information since they’re closest to the castle. Also many of the monks keep journals, which are added to the rooms when they join the Sun Goddess.”
“What about the rooms in Lyons?”
“They may have the information you seek. Monks do move to other monasteries and bring their records with them.”
“Good to know.” He glanced at the sand clock. It read angle three forty-five. “Are you tired? We can visit the prince the next sun jump. I want you at full strength.”
“I’m…” She touched the back of her head. Pain pulsed. “Still recovering.”
“All right. I’ll give you a few more sun jumps. Go back to sleep, Little One.”
Four sun jumps later, Xerxes led their small parade down to the Water Prince’s level. Unlike the rulers of most of the other cities, Apanji’s leader did not live at the bottom of the city. Instead, he resided in the levels below where the water gushed out into the shaft. And he occupied the next eight levels down. His suite of rooms went deep instead of wide.
The entrance to this unique residence was on level fifty-eight. Similar to Nintri, there was an outer receiving room open to the public and a well-guarded inner door. Every single soldier tensed when they spotted their party, which included Xerxes, Vilma, Zahoor, and Little One. She hadn’t seen Big Brute since he’d been converted, and it ached like a loss even when Xerxes’ praise gave her such joy. Strange.
The receptionist was a thin man with a long black goatee, thick eyebrows, and a high forehead. He scowled at them.
