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“Overnight offerings to Tijari could be deposited there,” Ben told me as he took my hand in a lighter grip.
The gravelly voice of Tijari came from the darkness. “Back when offerings could be found for a poor creature such as I.”
“We’ve brought our end of the bargain,” Ben called out as he guided me through the mess to the back wall.
Tijari’s eyes glowed a soft yellow color in the dark as we approached. “Excellent! Pour it on me!”
Ben stopped us before the stone and drew out the vial. “There is a little bit of a problem.”
“Never mind the details, just pour it on!” she insisted.
Ben shrugged and uncorked the bottle. He poured the contents over the top of the stone and the water ran down into every crack. Tijari let out a long, deep sigh.
And then she started screaming.
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
“What have you done to me!”Tijari screamed as her whole stiff body trembled. Cracks began to form all over her surface and smoke shot out of the thin lines. “It burns! My God, does it burn!”
“The other vial!” I shouted at Ben, but he was one step ahead of me.
He’d already drawn out the glass given to him by Dakin and tossed the contents over the stone. The water sank into the cracks and doused the smoke. My mouth dropped open as I watched those same cracks seal over. The dirt fell off the rest of the surface like a brown waterfall and in a moment an entirely different statue stood before us. Her body was perfectly clean and lacking in any cracks.
Tijari’s eyes rolled around inspecting her body. “You. . .you did it! You purified me!”
I turned to Ben and shrugged. “Second time’s a charm?”
He frowned at the empty vial that had held the waters of the ghasl. “So it would seem.”
“Wonderful! Fantastic!” she cooed as she wiggled her body. “I feel as young as the day I was carved from the stone and given life!”
“So you’ll tell us what we want to know?” I asked her.
Tijari narrowed her eyes at me. “What? Of course not! You were insolent enough to throw impure water at me! For that insult, I will tell you nothing!”
Ben drew out another vial which he kept his hand closely wrapped around and gave it a shake in front of her. “I kept back another stained vial in case you said that. Would you like to experience that again?”
Tijari’s mouth fell open. “You wouldn’t dare!” Ben grinned and popped the cork. “Wait! Wait a moment!”
Ben paused and met the stone’s gaze with his own steely one. “Then you’ll tell us what we want to know?”
“Yes, yes! Now put that away!”
Ben tucked the vial back into his jacket and smiled at our business partner. “Then what do you know about the Thaqiba?”
“One of your own came to me some months back wishing to know something of the ruins on the island,” Tijari revealed as the stone furrowed her brow. “This client desired to know the origin of black market historical items being traded.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “What does that have to do with the Thaqiba?”
Tijari glared at me. “Patience, mortal.” The stone cleared its throat and continued. “I couldn’t divulge my previous client, but I told this new mortal there was a hidden ruin near the Thaqiba where the treasures had been found.”
“The ruins of what?” Ben asked the stone.
Tijari shook her head as much as she could manage. “That I do not know, but I do know that the treasurers were very great. Sculptures and diamonds, and the statues in the shape of serpents.”
“Where might we find the entrance to these ruins?” Ben questioned her.
“To the east of the Thaqiba halfway between those towering spires and the hills that hide the ghasl.”
