Read Online The King's Horse (Shioni of Sheba Book 2) by Marc Secchia - Free Book Online
Authors: Marc Secchia
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treasury, the King said. But I will write to ask.”
“ We’s got no proof neither,” said Mama. “We’d look right fools, scared of our own shadows.”
“Focus warriors on the works here, or out there?” General Getu was scratching his chin so hard now, he drew blood. He dabbed the cut thoughtfully. “Right, let me sleep on this, my friends. And thank you for your counsel.”
“One more thing,” Shioni blurted out . But as every eye turned to her, the words became stuck in her throat. How might Talaku respond?
“What’s that, honey?” said Mama. “You looks like a rabbit in a leopard’s mouth.”
“Oh,” Azurelle realised. She said, “It’s about Talaku–isn’t it, Shioni?”
“Me? ” Talaku stirred like a mountain shifting on its roots. “What’d I do?”
“We saw you at the river yesterday before dawn,” said Azurelle. “Do you even remember?”
“No .”
But Shioni thought she saw something flicker in his eyes –fear, perhaps? Or an inkling of what he had done? Zi was forging ahead, unheeding. “You were covered in blood, Talaku. You didn’t even recognise Shioni. And it looked like you’d devoured an animal–like a lion upon its kill.”
There was a silence as raw as her words. Then Talaku pushed out of his corner, stormed out of the door, and slammed it so hard behind him that he cracked one of the wooden panels and made dust shower from the ceiling of the room.
Getu slumped back on his bed , making a sound as though he had been winded by a punch to his stomach. “Mama, go see what you can do for him. Heavens above! Better I lock you in the finest room in my dungeon, girl!”
“ Humph!” Mama grunted.
“Well, she attracts trouble like… like flies to rotting meat!”
“So you’s calling my girl rotten meat?”
General Getu made a pacifying gesture with his hand. “Woman, if I had a hundred warriors who could fight with words like you, I’d rule this land from the Red Sea to the rivers of Kush.”
“ Don’t you pick no fight with Mama Nomuula,” she smiled thinly, “or I’ll beat some sense into your thick warrior skull with my rolling-pin, I will.”
“Not before I’ve put you over my knee and paddled your behind,” the General shot back, not to be outdone.
“That’ ll be the day the Red Sea freezes over!” And with that, Mama Nomuula flounced out of the room, giving the said behind an extra waggle or two for emphasis.
Annakiya raised her eyebrows at Shioni. She winked back. Mama and the General, eh? She was right! The sparks were definitely flying between them!
But what of Talaku’s developing madness? His plight seemed to her a fearful dark pit of unknown depths; a place that if she chose to peer into it, filled her with a sense of profound sadness. Quietly, Shioni buried that sadness deep in her heart. Even more quietly, she resolved that if she could help Getu or his son, she would find a way to do so.
Chapter 9 : A Cold Shower
S hioni eased her aching back muscles as she swam across the rocky pool. Annakiya had the afternoon free from lessons, as Hakim Isoke was nursing a head cold and had returned to her bed, red-nosed and full of bitter complaints. Mama had been dosing her with tosign tea, a herbal brew, mixed with honey and lemon.
The Princess had rightly pointed out that Isoke would have been incensed had she learned of their secret conference two nights before . The Hakim was very learned, Shioni thought, and it would serve Sheba well to include her in their discussions. Maybe she could mention to Annakiya? She didn’t like meddling in the Princess’ business.
Maybe she should just enjoy her swim.
Shioni and Annakiya had a favourite pool. It was a short walk downriver from the place the slave-girls usually bathed and collected water. Here the river bent around a wooded bank, before plunging over a series of flattish boulders arranged like a giant’s staircase down into a short ravine that petered out lower in the valley, like a
“ We’s got no proof neither,” said Mama. “We’d look right fools, scared of our own shadows.”
“Focus warriors on the works here, or out there?” General Getu was scratching his chin so hard now, he drew blood. He dabbed the cut thoughtfully. “Right, let me sleep on this, my friends. And thank you for your counsel.”
“One more thing,” Shioni blurted out . But as every eye turned to her, the words became stuck in her throat. How might Talaku respond?
“What’s that, honey?” said Mama. “You looks like a rabbit in a leopard’s mouth.”
“Oh,” Azurelle realised. She said, “It’s about Talaku–isn’t it, Shioni?”
“Me? ” Talaku stirred like a mountain shifting on its roots. “What’d I do?”
“We saw you at the river yesterday before dawn,” said Azurelle. “Do you even remember?”
“No .”
But Shioni thought she saw something flicker in his eyes –fear, perhaps? Or an inkling of what he had done? Zi was forging ahead, unheeding. “You were covered in blood, Talaku. You didn’t even recognise Shioni. And it looked like you’d devoured an animal–like a lion upon its kill.”
There was a silence as raw as her words. Then Talaku pushed out of his corner, stormed out of the door, and slammed it so hard behind him that he cracked one of the wooden panels and made dust shower from the ceiling of the room.
Getu slumped back on his bed , making a sound as though he had been winded by a punch to his stomach. “Mama, go see what you can do for him. Heavens above! Better I lock you in the finest room in my dungeon, girl!”
“ Humph!” Mama grunted.
“Well, she attracts trouble like… like flies to rotting meat!”
“So you’s calling my girl rotten meat?”
General Getu made a pacifying gesture with his hand. “Woman, if I had a hundred warriors who could fight with words like you, I’d rule this land from the Red Sea to the rivers of Kush.”
“ Don’t you pick no fight with Mama Nomuula,” she smiled thinly, “or I’ll beat some sense into your thick warrior skull with my rolling-pin, I will.”
“Not before I’ve put you over my knee and paddled your behind,” the General shot back, not to be outdone.
“That’ ll be the day the Red Sea freezes over!” And with that, Mama Nomuula flounced out of the room, giving the said behind an extra waggle or two for emphasis.
Annakiya raised her eyebrows at Shioni. She winked back. Mama and the General, eh? She was right! The sparks were definitely flying between them!
But what of Talaku’s developing madness? His plight seemed to her a fearful dark pit of unknown depths; a place that if she chose to peer into it, filled her with a sense of profound sadness. Quietly, Shioni buried that sadness deep in her heart. Even more quietly, she resolved that if she could help Getu or his son, she would find a way to do so.
Chapter 9 : A Cold Shower
S hioni eased her aching back muscles as she swam across the rocky pool. Annakiya had the afternoon free from lessons, as Hakim Isoke was nursing a head cold and had returned to her bed, red-nosed and full of bitter complaints. Mama had been dosing her with tosign tea, a herbal brew, mixed with honey and lemon.
The Princess had rightly pointed out that Isoke would have been incensed had she learned of their secret conference two nights before . The Hakim was very learned, Shioni thought, and it would serve Sheba well to include her in their discussions. Maybe she could mention to Annakiya? She didn’t like meddling in the Princess’ business.
Maybe she should just enjoy her swim.
Shioni and Annakiya had a favourite pool. It was a short walk downriver from the place the slave-girls usually bathed and collected water. Here the river bent around a wooded bank, before plunging over a series of flattish boulders arranged like a giant’s staircase down into a short ravine that petered out lower in the valley, like a
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