Page 88 of The King of Koraha
Xerxes must have sensed their reluctance. “Little One is our greatest asset. Nothing is to happen to her, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.
“The monks are excellent fighters or I would have assigned a dozen to guard her. Use the monks if there’s trouble.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
Little One walked with Zahoor while the other two remained a step behind. They climbed to the surface. After spending the last nineteen sun jumps underground, she welcomed the sun. The heat wrapped around her like a fur, chasing away the chill that had settled in her bones.
She spotted the monks on patrol before the others and soon they were underground again. Egan was consulted.
“Neda will know the monk most familiar with the collection,” Egan said. “In the meantime, you can have your pick of rooms in the guest wing. I’ll send the monk to you. Do you need anything else?”
“Since I’m going to be spending all my time in the rooms, can you have someone bring water and meals for me and my companions?”
“Of course.” Egan hurried away.
Little One, Kamila, and Fareed picked three rooms in a row. By the time she unpacked, Neda had arrived.
The ex-leader panted. She must have run to the guest wing.
Deep lines etched Neda’s face and she appeared to have aged ten circuits. Little One lowered her shield to read the monk. Neda’s emotions swirled and her internal conflict was clear. She both hated Little One and hoped the girl would break the curse.
Curse? That didn’t sound good. After a little more digging she discovered what Neda meant. The monk thought the compulsion the girl had put on all of them to obey that idiot Egan was a curse. They couldn’t refuse his orders. It was degrading, humiliating, and perverted. They were quite aware of what was going on but unable to stop or say anything against him. Torture.
Little One rocked back on her heels. That wasn’t how it was supposed to work. They needed to be at peace and content to do the goddess’s bidding. She needed to send a message to Xerxes that the conversions with The Eyes had gone wrong. She stormed into Kamila’s room.
“Something the matter?” Kamila asked.
“Yes.” She explained the problem.
“Is there a chance they can break the compulsion?” Kamila asked.
“No, but we need to fix it,” she said. And also for the Water Prince and all his guards!
“Why? It’s working. And you need to do your research for the commander,” she said. “He will be upset if you don’t find anything.”
Although she fought it as long as possible, the desire to please Xerxes soon overruled all other thoughts. She returned to her room and asked Neda about the Rooms of Knowledge.
“I can help you,” Neda said. “I’ve spent the most time in them.”
Little One explained what information she sought.
“We should start in the Fourth Room,” Neda said. At least the monk was happy to be helping.
They went down to the southeast corner of level twenty. Two oversized stained-glass doors blocked the entrance to the Fourth Room of Knowledge. The colored panels depicted the two sky pillars. Except they extended all the way to the sky and supported a dais for the Sun Goddess’s throne. The deity sat on a beautiful plush cushion of red and gold. Little One studied the goddess’s expression. She appeared very disappointed.
The two monks on guard unlocked the doors and allowed them inside. Fareed had remained behind. He and Kamila would take turns staying with her. The stacks of shelves and piles of scrolls filled most of the space. There were many small rooms scattered throughout with study tables and cushions. Also plenty of druks. Basically the place was a maze, which could be said for all the Rooms of Knowledge.
Neda moved with confidence. She collected a number of scrolls and tablets and placed them into a pile on one of the tables.
“This is my favorite reading nook,” Neda said, gathering a couple more druks to brighten the space. Once the documents filled the table, she stopped. “That should be enough for now.”
Little One and Neda sat down to read while Kamila stood nearby. Taking one of the scrolls from the pile, Little One held it for a moment. The smell of dried velbloud skin and dust awoke a dozen memories. She inhaled and took a moment to savor the true contentment of being somewhere that she loved.
The sun jumps piled up as they worked. While Little One learned a number of interesting facts about the kings of Koraha and how they found their successors, she didn’t discover anything related to their magical abilities. She wondered if this particular information would only be found at the King’s castle. Was there a Room of Knowledge somewhere inside? Or perhaps it was kept at the closest monastery with the Monks of Quirin.
