Read Online The Empty Kingdom by Elizabeth Wein - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elizabeth Wein
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He could no longer lift her with one arm, or not for long, anyway. “Aren’t you a walking girl?” She seemed so grown up.
“She doesn’t walk,” Muna said quietly.
“You carry me, boy. Carry Tena’s belt.” Athena scurried on hands and feet, agile and lionlike, to one of the cedarwood chests. She banged on it with her fists. “Fetch Athena’s belt, Rasha,” she commanded imperiously.
Muna’s haughty attendant obeyed this command in silence. She opened the chest and took out the child’s harness that Medraut had made for Telemakos so that he could carry Athena on his hip without having to get help from anyone. Rasha crossed the room and gave the saddle to Telemakos. No one had oiled it, or even touched it, in all the months of Telemakos’s confinement. Telemakos kneaded the stiff leather, stretching out the seams and pockets. When he checked between the folds of the pouch within the seat, the one Athena could not get at herself, his fingers touched paper and silver. There were half a dozen vials and sachets of opium still hidden there.
I must get rid of this, Telemakos thought. She will soon be clever enough to pull things out of here.
“ It is he !” Malika cried. The queen of Sheba was standing in the door to the nursery, her gown back-to-front. She must have put it on herself, a wonder indeed, in her hurry to be first with the news.
She called delightedly over her shoulder to the other Scions, “It is, it is the Aksumite prince, the Morningstar is back among us!” Then she threw herself down on the carpet at his side and rattled her fingers through the silver charms he wore.
“Peace to you, Morningstar, peace and greetings and hurrah! I heard your little bells and I knew you were in here—it sounded so much closer than when you pass in the corridor. Pretty, aren’t these? Look, little Tena, you can make these bells ring.”
Malika held him still with one friendly hand on his shoulder. She rubbed noses with him as she rattled the silver charms.
“This is so lovely ! You lucky thing. The najashi has never given me such a pretty bauble.”
Inas and Shadi came in now, laughing and exclaiming in outrage. “Liar! What about your onyx box of facepaints—”
“—Your cameos, your carnelian earrings? Good morning and good fortune to you, Morningstar!”
Telemakos knelt, hugging Athena against him, rather stunned, as the nursery filled with Abreha’s fourteen foster children, all clamoring around him in high-spirited welcome. He almost thought they must be teasing him.
“Look at your brother’s bracelet, Athena bird girl, it’s like yours! You can match now. Rasha, where’s the baby’s silver bracelet? Let her wear it so they can both have one.”
“Have you heard all your sister’s exploits, how she poured a jar of indigo dye all over the cushions by the window—”
“And of the time she set free the whole great cage of Indian parrots—”
“And an owl was eating them, it had taken three that were perching in the walled almond garden, and Shadi caught it with his new bird?”
The thin, dark boy king gave a proud and quiet smile. “My sparrowhawk, she means. And on another day, Athena pulled two of the strings out of Muna’s lyre and cut her hands on them. And on another day, she tipped two lamp stands over the terrace wall, all ablaze—”
“My Athena!” Telemakos exclaimed, and kissed her springing bronze hair. “How can so small a girl commit such enormous knavery?”
“Trees and flowers on fire,” she said proudly. “Birds flying away.” She let Rasha fasten her silver seabird bracelet about her wrist and gave it a shake. “Flying birds!” She gripped Telemakos by the hair with one hand on either side of his head and gazed into his face anxiously. “Stay with Athena.”
“Yes, stay with us awhile,” said Inas. “Or have you some prince’s duty you must attend to straight away?”
“Javelin practice.”
“We’ll come with you,” said Malika. “We
“She doesn’t walk,” Muna said quietly.
“You carry me, boy. Carry Tena’s belt.” Athena scurried on hands and feet, agile and lionlike, to one of the cedarwood chests. She banged on it with her fists. “Fetch Athena’s belt, Rasha,” she commanded imperiously.
Muna’s haughty attendant obeyed this command in silence. She opened the chest and took out the child’s harness that Medraut had made for Telemakos so that he could carry Athena on his hip without having to get help from anyone. Rasha crossed the room and gave the saddle to Telemakos. No one had oiled it, or even touched it, in all the months of Telemakos’s confinement. Telemakos kneaded the stiff leather, stretching out the seams and pockets. When he checked between the folds of the pouch within the seat, the one Athena could not get at herself, his fingers touched paper and silver. There were half a dozen vials and sachets of opium still hidden there.
I must get rid of this, Telemakos thought. She will soon be clever enough to pull things out of here.
“ It is he !” Malika cried. The queen of Sheba was standing in the door to the nursery, her gown back-to-front. She must have put it on herself, a wonder indeed, in her hurry to be first with the news.
She called delightedly over her shoulder to the other Scions, “It is, it is the Aksumite prince, the Morningstar is back among us!” Then she threw herself down on the carpet at his side and rattled her fingers through the silver charms he wore.
“Peace to you, Morningstar, peace and greetings and hurrah! I heard your little bells and I knew you were in here—it sounded so much closer than when you pass in the corridor. Pretty, aren’t these? Look, little Tena, you can make these bells ring.”
Malika held him still with one friendly hand on his shoulder. She rubbed noses with him as she rattled the silver charms.
“This is so lovely ! You lucky thing. The najashi has never given me such a pretty bauble.”
Inas and Shadi came in now, laughing and exclaiming in outrage. “Liar! What about your onyx box of facepaints—”
“—Your cameos, your carnelian earrings? Good morning and good fortune to you, Morningstar!”
Telemakos knelt, hugging Athena against him, rather stunned, as the nursery filled with Abreha’s fourteen foster children, all clamoring around him in high-spirited welcome. He almost thought they must be teasing him.
“Look at your brother’s bracelet, Athena bird girl, it’s like yours! You can match now. Rasha, where’s the baby’s silver bracelet? Let her wear it so they can both have one.”
“Have you heard all your sister’s exploits, how she poured a jar of indigo dye all over the cushions by the window—”
“And of the time she set free the whole great cage of Indian parrots—”
“And an owl was eating them, it had taken three that were perching in the walled almond garden, and Shadi caught it with his new bird?”
The thin, dark boy king gave a proud and quiet smile. “My sparrowhawk, she means. And on another day, Athena pulled two of the strings out of Muna’s lyre and cut her hands on them. And on another day, she tipped two lamp stands over the terrace wall, all ablaze—”
“My Athena!” Telemakos exclaimed, and kissed her springing bronze hair. “How can so small a girl commit such enormous knavery?”
“Trees and flowers on fire,” she said proudly. “Birds flying away.” She let Rasha fasten her silver seabird bracelet about her wrist and gave it a shake. “Flying birds!” She gripped Telemakos by the hair with one hand on either side of his head and gazed into his face anxiously. “Stay with Athena.”
“Yes, stay with us awhile,” said Inas. “Or have you some prince’s duty you must attend to straight away?”
“Javelin practice.”
“We’ll come with you,” said Malika. “We