Page 38 of Dark Destiny: A New Thread in the Tapestry

"I apologize for monopolizing his time." She turned to look at him, and her eyes were steady and not at all remorseful. "I have been keeping Khiann to myself while you were anxious to see your old friend."

Esag felt his ears go hot.

The Clan Mother shouldn't apologize to him. It was not right. He was a nobody, taking advantage of her hospitality and living in her village as if he were a member of her clan.

"There is nothing to apologize for," he said. "If his time had been mine to keep, I would have kept it too."

Annani looked at him a moment longer, then nodded toward the row of beds.

"Go and look at the others until he wakes up," she said. "Perhaps up close you'll be able to tell who they are."

Esag walked over to the far end of the row and stopped by the first bed. The male was asleep, like the one next to him, so it was a good opportunity to get a closer look without freaking him out.

His head was nearly bald, with a shadow of dark fuzz starting to grow, and along the jaw, there was sparse stubble. The face was thin, with the cheekbones standing out, and the nose was unremarkable. No bells rang in Esag's head, and he was ready to move to the next bed when the male opened his eyes.

They were dark brown, nearly black, and he was looking at Esag but didn't look frightened. Puzzled was a better description, and then he frowned, and a thread of memory began to form in Esag's mind.

It was not recognition, but there was something about that frown and the way his head was slightly tilted that seemed familiar.

"Good day," Esag said in the old tongue. "My name is Esag. I was squire to Khiann, son of Yaeni and Navohn, but that seems to mean nothing to you."

The male's gaze did not shift. His eyes were glued to Esag's face as if he was trying to place him as well.

"Perhaps we met in Ninkasi's temple. Khiann and I used to visit the tavern often."

The male's frown deepened, and that thread that had begun to form in Esag's mind grew more substantial. He pictured the male with a beard, a bushy, dark one, and a head of close-cropped black curls.

A name slithered down the thread and then fell into Esag's mouth.

"Adaluh?"

The male's frown extended to his lips, turning the corners down, but there was no spark of recognition in his eyes.

"No?" Esag asked. "Doesn't ring a bell? Oh, well. It was worth a try."

He smiled at the male to reassure him that he had done nothing to displease him. "Five thousand years is a long time, and I've forgotten many faces and names. If your name is indeed Adaluh, I'll be surprised. Happily surprised."

The male blinked.

"Farewell to you, my nameless friend."

Esag moved on to the second bed.

This male was bigger, broader across the shoulders, even though they were still missing the flesh that would make them substantial. He was asleep, his mouth slightly open, and Esag looked at him for a long time, waiting for some spark of recognition or the tip of a thread.

There was nothing.

He walked over to Khiann's other side and started at the far end.

The third and fourth were as unfamiliar as the second, but Esag's mind began to act up, offering him half-remembered scenes from the barracks where the guards had lived and trained.

He returned to Annani's rocking chair and wasn't sure whether he should bow again or not.

"Anything?" she asked.

"One," he said. "Maybe. The one at that end. A name came to me, but I don't trust the memory, and he didn't respond to it."

"What is the name?"