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“Have you tried looking for the source of the problem rather than looking for new trouble?” Ben suggested.
The king frowned down at him. “Of course we have, but to no avail. There is nothing that can be done except to take a little portion of the magic of others and siphon that into the Thaqiba.”
Ben focused his attention on the flute as he nodded at me. “Then you have no need of this woman. You have all the magic she held on the table beside you. She herself holds no such ability.”
I whipped my head about and glared at him. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Quiet,” came the soft but cool warning from the king. His dark eyes settled on me as he twitched a finger. One of the men behind him scurried forward. “Bring Taq to me.” The man bowed his head and scurried off as the king adjusted his position in his seat. “We will see how the aqara judges her. If the sands do not react to her then she will be released.”
“And Ben, too,” I insisted as I nodded at my companion. “You’ll let him go, too.”
The king’s lips curled back in a barely repressed sneer. “I warned you before, woman, to remain quiet. I will not repeat my command.”
Ben caught my eye and gave me an unconvincing smile. “I’ll be alright.”
I scowled back at him, but the serious look in the king’s eyes kept my lips shut tight.
Ramaal returned his attention to Ben and set his hand on the staff and ribbon. “The woman with you had this in her possession. The aqara has revealed them to be items of powerful magic, and yet I have never heard of such artifacts. The ribbon is most curious.” He picked up the ribbon and wrapped the cloth around his finger. His appearance transformed into that of a young man of twenty. He removed the ribbon and laid it aside. “A most useful tool for deceit.”
“They’re nothing more than trinkets to us, Your Majesty,” Ben assured him. “We use them to amuse ourselves.”
“Then you will not mind if I retain both of them for my own amusement?” Ramaal wondered.
My heart skipped a beat, but Ben bowed his head. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
We were interrupted by the arrival of the same man Ben and I had met at the mouth of the harbor. He held an engraved wooden box in both hands and scurried up to the side of his king.
Ramaal waved a hand at me. “Test this woman and see if she holds any magic we might use.”
CHAPTERTHREE
Taq bowedand turned to the nearest guard, who stepped forward and accepted the box. The servant opened the lid and drew out the same strange sand ball he had held on our last encounter with him. He clasped the orb in both hands as he stepped off the platform and over to me.
I watched in a mixture of apprehension and fascination as he held up the ball in one palm before me. Silence fell in the throne room and for a moment there was nothing. Ben opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment the grains of sand softly glowed as they had before. I couldn’t tell who was more surprised, Ben or me. The wave of lethargy, however, didn’t come.
Taq turned to his king and bowed his head. “She has the gift, Your Highness.”
Ramaal nodded at Ben. “And the man?”
Taq stepped in front of Ben and held up the ball. The orb glowed, but there was a strange flickering in its light, almost like a light bulb about to go out. Taq furrowed his brow. “The man has magic, Your Highness, but it is of a strange kind.”
The king looked less than pleased as he leaned forward. “Can it not be used?”
Taq stepped backward and studied Ben with his keen eyes. “I believe it can, Your Highness, but the extraction may prove difficult.”
Ramaal’s tense shoulders settled a little and he fell back against his chair. “If that is all the matter then the priests will merely need a warning.”
“I object to this intrusion on our person,” Ben spoke up as he took a step toward the throne. A half dozen soldiers leapt forward and two of them barred his way with their spears. Ben didn’t move an inch as he cooly met the gaze of our ‘host.’ “We are citizens of Validen, and such an intrusion on our person, after having kidnapped us, goes against the treaties between our countries.”
Ramaal closed his eyes and shook his head. “In such times treaties will be ignored for the betterment of my kingdom. However, you need not worry about your safety. The extraction process is painless and takes only a moment.” His dark eyes settled on the guards and he gave a slight nod.
The soldiers grabbed our arms and dragged us away from the throne. Ben thrashed in their hold as he focused his sights on the king. “You would not dare to touch one of the oldest houses of Validen!”
Ramaal settled back in his seat and scoffed. “Many have tried to proclaim protection of the crown before.”
“But I have someone who will vouch for my identity,” Ben protested as he dragged his feet. “Prince Salah Sharif will bear witness to my lineage!”
The king’s eyebrows shot up and he sat up. “A moment, guards.” Our dragging was paused as Ramaal looked Ben over. “Prince Sharif? Do you speak with truth?”
