Demon Child Ch. 19

The older man hesitated and looked long at Jhardron. "And I have to admit, I did not take into consideration how this news may impact you. All I saw was the opportunity for the Twisted Dagger." His voice hardened and came louder, "But, my boy, I promise you this. I promise you that no matter what comes to pass, you were and will continue to be Twisted Dagger. Your sons will be Twisted Dagger. I will put the entire weight of the House behind you." He calmed and smiled, "Even if it means we all must pack up and move to the northern plains." He chuckled, "But that possibility is unlikely. Come we have spent the night in talk, you must rest and this old man must ready himself for a long ride in the rain back to the city of our mother."

Jhardron nodded, "Yes, I must go back."

Jha'hamatla chuckled, "My nephew, the entire house, each and every warrior that can still mount a horse, must return. A great procession will arrive in the city with you at its head. The House Twisted Dagger brings a great prize to the Bak people; they bring the last surviving son of the Aga Khan."

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A sleepy eyed servant led Aylanna down a hall and into the women's quarters. Another woman, older and barely awake, grumbled softly to herself, "Our father is oblivious to the fact that there is not a bed to spare in this house. Our quarters are filled to bursting and yet he bids me to find lodging with no warning." She pointed at an unmade bed. "It is the best I can offer and still warm from my own body. I apologize that I do not have better to offer." Her words may have been brusque but Aylanna sensed nothing beyond a mild irritation at an unexpected development.

"I am sorry if my arrival has caused you inconvenience."

The older woman waved her hand, "It is of little manner. I will find something more suiting for tonight."

As Aylanna pulled her dress off and quickly slipped into the still warm bed, she could not help but think that she was most likely not going to be here then. But the fatigue of her trip kept her from speaking and she was asleep almost as soon as her head touched the covers.

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"...shhhh. Momma said not to wake her."

"Is she really a courtesan?"

"That's what Momma said."

"From the city of our mother? A courtesan from the court?"

"If Momma catches us here she will have us sorting beans for a week."

Aylanna clenched her eyes tighter closed, turning and pulling the coverlet up and over her head in a vain attempt to screen out the light of day and the sounds of the busy house. Somewhere a child shouted and another laughed. There was a buzz of constant conversation and then the yowl of a hungry baby rose up. There was the rustle of movement nearby and more whispering.

"I have never seen a courtesan. It is said they are the most beautiful in the land and that they adept in the ways of the goddess. I heard they are taught secret sexual arts." Someone giggled.

Aylanna's whole body ached. Her whole being felt stretched and worn. It had been days, even weeks since she had truly slept. Even before being summoned to attend the Aga Khan, she had spent more hours of the night reading, writing or wandering in spirit form than she had devoted to sleep.

One of the young female voices blurted out, "I wish I could have been a courtesan. It is so boring here."

"Simi, that is bad to say. We have a husband."

Aylanna spoke through the blanket, "It is just as boring in the courtesan's quarters as it must be here."

There was sudden squeak and rustle of movement as she sat up and pulled the covers from her face. Two young women, not far in age from her looked back at her in open curiosity from the open doorway. One narrowed her eyes and clearly the braver of the two, spoke up, "Do all courtesans look like you do?"

Tired and irritated, Aylanna shook her head, brushing her wayward curls from her face. "No, no one looks like me. The courtesans of court look a lot like you, pretty, young, empty headed and bored."

"Empty headed?" There was courage and stubbornness in the tone.

Aylanna could not help but smile at the girl's defiant spirit. "Well, perhaps not empty headed, but there is little to do, little to occupy their time or to think about." She climbed from the bed, reaching for her dress, "Please be so kind as to show me the way to the latrines and I will tell you about the life of a courtesan."

Both girls whispered urgently to each other and the brave one spoke up, intensely proud, "I am Similandra second wife to Jhardron Khan Bak Tai Twisted dagger. This is Annalla third wife to Jhardron Khan Bak Tai Twisted Dagger." She paused, clearly waiting for Aylanna to formally introduce herself, waiting to hear exactly what her rank was in this world of titles and duty.

Aylanna paused and looked at the two young women with measuring eyes. "I am Aylanna, formerly ha'akh Bak Tai Twisted Dagger; formerly courtesan to the court of the Aga Khan and now, who or what I will become is up the fates."

Annalla whispered furiously into Similandra's ear and the apparent, self appointed spokesperson for the two turned and gave Aylanna an appraising look. "Of course, I should have realized. You are the demon. I had heard that you had an outlandish appearance."

Aylanna pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to snap at the self important young woman. "Please if you cannot take me to the latrine, perhaps you could at least tell me how to get there."

Annalla choked down a gasp and then a nervous giggle. She poked Similandra in the ribs and muttered almost inaudibly, "Come on, it is just down this way. I will show you." And as they walked she spoke shyly, "You said you would tell us about the life of a courtesan?"

"Well, to tell you the honest truth, I was only a courtesan a short while. And just as honestly, I can tell you I hated it with every fiber of my being."

Annalla's voice was shocked, "But why, why? I would think to live at the court would be so exciting, so romantic."

"It is a hollow life. Day in and day out, they practice deceit, how to feign interest, to simulate affection, to pretend passion." Aylanna made no effort to hide the bitterness in her tone, "How to tip your head, to flutter your eyelashes, the exact moment to lick your lips; whole days were spent learning the sounds to make while being ridden, when to sigh, when to moan... each sound, each movement given a name to memorize. It is all a dance, an empty set of movements and sounds meaning nothing. It is all conceived to inflame the male with no respect for the goddess. They even tried to teach me the art of simulating the rapture of the goddess, to lie about the blessing. It disgusted me."

Annalla stared at her in open mouthed shock and Similandra broke in, "Is that why you left?"

Aylanna hesitated and shook her head in confusion, "I don't know. I left because I had a sense of a destiny beyond that. And for other reasons I cannot speak of now." Impulsively she reached out and touched Annalla's hand. "I am sorry if my words disappointed. I never was sent to serve any men while I was at the court. I was still a novice, not completely trained in their deceitful ways and as you can probably guess, I was a difficult student." She paused, gripped the girl's hand tighter and tipping her head to one side, she smiled and commented softly, "It is a boy child."

Annalla's hand quivered and jerked, "What?"

"Your baby, it will be a son."

Annalla jerked her hand back. "Baby? I have said nothing, told no one. I wasn't even sure yet. Only Simi knows that I even suspected and she disbelieved. How... how... did you know?"

Aylanna yawned. "It is a demon thing. I am sorry if I spoiled your secret. Now, I have not had enough sleep in more days than I choose to contemplate. With your leave, I will return to the bed that was so graciously given to me for my use. Hopefully I can steal a few more hours before I am summoned."

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It was late afternoon when the old woman shook her awake. "Waken stranger, you are to leave with the regiment within the hour."

Jhardron refuse to allow her to ride Xin'sha back to the city. "The mare is still exhausted from her journey here. When it is determined where we will be, you can send for her." She rode near the back of the column, shrouded in her habitual rain cloak.

The long column moved quickly, traveling through the night and into the next morning with few breaks. When Aylanna began to sag in the saddle, she was put behind a warrior, an old familiar face from the previous season's campaign and she gratefully wrapped her arms around him; snatching what moments of rest she could as they continued their trip.

About half way to the city they met a lone horseman traveling at top speed. He rode directly up to Jha'hamatla, calling of an urgent message from Jhar'granda. But what his words did not carry to Aylanna where she sat. But she could tell that whatever he said, it carried great importance.

Jhardron dropped back, riding beside for a distance. His words were short, "There is no word of the death of the Aga Khan. But a great council has been called. All head of house have been summoned. Only the Aga Khan or the high priestess can call for a grand council. The last time one was called was when the Aga Khan declared the kingdom of Ramaldi forfeit."

They stopped only for a few hours one night and she slept alone, cocooned in her bedroll, oblivious to the world around her. Near the outskirts of Bak Pan Amara another contingent of Twisted Dagger warriors joined the procession and Aylanna smiled widely and could not help but raise her hand in greeting when she saw both Tim'kah and Kwal'kek riding tall and proud in their saddles. Jhar'granda took his place beside Jhardron and Jha'hamatla, talking rapidly with his uncle, sending strangely mixed looks toward his younger brother as if not quite sure of how to greet him.

It was late afternoon when they entered into the city, riding three abreast down a wide avenue. Aylanna rode right behind Jhardron, in the second row of riders, Jhu'kresh at her right and another younger brother that she had not met before, to her left. And as the entire assembled Twisted Dagger rode west, toward the center of the city, the rain, the endless, ever-present rain eased and softened and then, to Aylanna's wonder, stopped completely. And as she slipped her hood from her head, the clouds parted and for the first time in months, the sun shone through, a beam of golden light illuminating the Twisted Dagger, gilding the wet street before them in fire. Many of the warriors exclaimed at the miracle.

The rift in the clouds only grew wider and soon the beam of golden light seemed to pour down upon the center of the city. And Aylanna gasped in wonder as what looked like a blood red mountain appeared before them. For many seconds she stared in wonder before her bemused senses finally registered that this was not a natural feature; that the peak that loomed taller and taller as they approached was in reality a vast tiered pyramid that glowed in the dazzling light.

And as if the sunshine held its own magic, the power to pull the people from their homes, the entire populace of the city seemed to ooze out of open doors and out into the light. All around there were hushed cries of wonder and joy. And then, as one, the mass of humanity began to move toward the pyramid, and as they flowed toward the center of the world, a soft, melodious chant rose up.

She turned to Jhu'kresh with a question on her face and he, as awestruck as her, answered, "Our mother calls her children to the temple."

She looked back. So that was the temple of the Goddess Panshasham, the mother of the Bak. And it did seem true that the very light of the sun was guiding their feet.

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Thank you for taking the time to read this story. Please take the time to rate it and if the spirit moves you, leave me some feedback. I know I am being frustratingly slow in writing and posting more chapters. I too love this story and have every intention of finishing it. Unfortunately I love all the other projects I am working on and I so sadly lack focus.

I am between editors so if you find any errors; spelling, grammatical or mechanical... bear with me. I do my best but I really don't have an editor's eye for my own writing. If you find you cannot resist letting me know about my errors, be ready for me to respond to your criticism by asking you to help me edit.