“With luck,” said the Attolian, “we will be well ahead of any pursuit. They will be slow to track us overland, and we will be moving fast once we are on the road.”

For the time being, our waterskins were full and we each carried a set of the Namreen’s saddlebags stuffed with their extra clothes and a blanket apiece. Their distinctive vests and our own blood-covered shirts we had left in the lion’s den.

Even in my best health, I did not think I could have matched the Attolian for traveling strength, and I watched him closely for signs of impatience as I picked my way slowly behind him.

Encouraged when I saw none, I asked, “When we get to Traba, what then?”

“I have a little coin left from your purse and more from the Namreen,” he said over his shoulder. “If I have not found a means to make the money to pay for lodging and better food than rodents, we are going to have to find a way to sell that necklace.”

As the moonlight was disappearing, the Attolian picked a spot to rest. We couldn’t afford a fire, so we just sat in awkward silence until the Attolian said, “So, you don’t like Senabid jokes.”

The jokes about Senabid and his master are not the sort of thing a slave tells to a free man, and I was an idiot for mentioning them in the first place. I blame it on the fever.

“What about a story from Attolia?” I asked.

“No, I’m no storyteller. Can you tell me more about Immakuk and Ennikar?”

“If you like. First, tell me—how did you come to Ianna-Ir?”

He misunderstood. With a tilt of his head and a wince, he said, “I punched the king in the face.”

Aghast, I had no idea how to respond. That wasn’t what I had been asking about at all. I’d only been trying to decide which story to tell him. I assumed this meant the Attolian was no favorite after all and the king had tasked him with my theft as punishment.

“He was more kind to me than I deserved and he forgave me,” the Attolian said.

Gods above and below. People died—gruesomely—for even thinking of harm to the emperor. Certainly he would never forgive such an offense. I couldn’t imagine why the Attolian king would do so.

But the Attolian hadn’t finished. “Because he was so kind, people thought I was a favorite, and because of that, he thought it safer to send me here.”

At this point, I should have chalked it all up to foreign customs I couldn’t possibly understand, but I was intensely curious. If the king had forgiven him for assault, then he was a favorite, wasn’t he? What greater favor could the king have shown him? Why was his life in danger?

“How safer?” I asked.

“Well, the Namreen aren’t dropping roof tiles on my head or trying to stab me in the back.”

That I understood. It was what came of having a weak king. If the Thief was going to let people get away with punching him in the face, it was no wonder he had no control of his court. He couldn’t keep his favorite safe and had to send him away. I understood, but I wasn’t sure if the Attolian did, because he seemed chagrined for himself, not his king.

I cleared my throat. “I—I was actually asking what route you took to Ianna-Ir. Did you come from Zabrisa to Menle and down the river?”

“Oh,” he said. “No. We sailed to Hylas and went overland on the Three Cities trade road to the Southern Ocean. Then took a ship to the delta and another one upriver to the capital.”

“So, you crossed the Isthmus,” I said. “You know—the narrow stretch of land between the Southern Ocean and the Middle Sea where the Three Cities lie.” This was everyday geography—any child in the empire would know it. His eyebrows dropped, and I was afraid I had offended him. Hastily I said, “I was going to tell you the story of Unse-Sek, the monster of the Isthmus.” I tapped my lip and began.

Narrow is the bridge between the lands of grain

and the lands of sand

the Isthmus evil stalked it

Terrifying Unse-Sek son of the Queen of the Night

tower tall

sword clawed

teeth blood red needle sharp

bat head and great bat wings

barbed at their joints

Unse-Sek stalked the Isthmus in the night

eyes gleaming

gleaming like the copper domes

of Ianna-Ir in the sunlight

In the dark gleamed Unse-Sek’s eyes

as he hunted men

waited until they slept

lurked and leapt

Then he devoured them greedy Unse-Sek

slurped their marrow

left their bones and gobbets of their flesh

scattered on the land

for their friends to find and grieve over

for their friends to weep over

So was the prince of Hylas lost

So did his father and mother grieve

and cry out for deliverance from

the demon saying who will slay the savage Unse-Sek

and make his name greatest

in the lands of grain and the lands of sand?

Glorified before the gods and potent will be his name

if he slays the savage Unse-Sek!

Came the news to Noble Immakuk and Brave Ennikar

Wise Immakuk Strong Ennikar

answered the grieving friends of the prince

the grieving mother grieving father

swore death to Unse-Sek

They went out across the Isthmus

wandered there stalking

the stalker

Lay in wait as he lay in wait

lurked as the demon lurked until he pounced

Foolish Unse-Sek seizing Ennikar

every hand with three talons

every talon a sword he seized Ennikar

was stung

stung by Immakuk’s blade

Snapped with his needle teeth at Immakuk

and missed

Strong Ennikar broke free

swung his sword and lopped Unse-Sek’s sword claws

lopped one hand and its sword claws

Howling for his mother Unse-Sek fled

chased

by Immakuk

and by Ennikar

He flew they followed

He turned and fought and was stung

fought for days

First Immakuk

Then Ennikar

drove the monster

wearied him until Unse-Sek turned

seized Immakuk in his teeth

his bloodred teeth knife sharp

shook him as a cat shakes

a mouse a mouse was Immakuk

Unse-Sek howled with victory snapped again

savage Unse-Sek seized again with sword claws

battered Immakuk with his wings

His barbed wings

pierced Immakuk’s eye with his claws

opened his eye bled out its life

dimmed its light forever

Immakuk raged

could not escape Unse-Sek

Ennikar Strong Ennikar rescued Immakuk

lopped the claws lopped the hand a second time

cut off Unse-Sek’s hand a second time

freed Immakuk

sliced Unse-Sek’s bat wings

so he could fly no more

lopped off his sword claws

Unse-Sek who could not fly could not crawl

he cried out for his mother

the Queen of the Night

cried out

died

Brave Immakuk and Noble Ennikar took his head

brought it to Hylas

hung it there above the gate

eyes still gleaming

When I was done, the Attolian thanked me.

“Very impressive, that Ennikar,” he said.

“So, so, so,” I said, and he smiled at the Attolian slang.