Lila shot out from under my hood. “Why are you being nice? First your little red assholes attack us, then you make it so we can’t leave, and now this, acting like we are friends? You are not fooling me!”
Mamitu pressed her palms together and bent over them. “I admit, perhaps how I brought you here was not the best of ways, but I have little ability to affect the world around us. Not like I once did. And the eyes of others watch me closely. I must follow their rules. Here, though, he cannot see me. I had to make it look like I was taking you to harm you, for fear of bringing down his wrath.”
“You mean this Asag you mentioned?” Maks asked.
She gave a terse nod. “Yes. He is why I am here. He is why I must bring travelers to my keep. Once inside these walls, though, his eyes cannot pierce the stone.”
Maks and I shared a quick look behind her back as she led the way. This Asag sounded like a major dick. Already I knew in my gut that he would be the one we had to deal with, and no doubt was the Beast from the East the hyena shifter had spoken of. But was he the one with the hatchlings?
“You said you were desert born, desert cursed. So are you Jinn? Or a shifter?” We found ourselves following her deeper into the stunning courtyard. I was mesmerized by the beauty, smells, and feeling of utter serenity that flowed through as clearly as the water in the creek, all of which made me seriously suspicious. Trees covered in fruit and flowering blooms littered the place, giving shade, and the air was cool and refreshing.
I did not believe she was a Jinn or a shifter or some combination of the two; she didn’t smell like either. I just wanted to see what she answered.
Mamitu lowered herself to a wooden carved seat by a bend in the flow of water, a smoothly planed table beside her where she rested one arm. “I am desert born, a goddess of sorts, not unlike your Ishtar.”
All the good feelings, all the serenity fled in a flush of anger and residual pain that came with that name. All the lies, all the love that was destroyed for Ishtar’s quest to rule, to have all the power once more.
Maks cleared his throat. “That name will not endear you to any of us, but most especially not to Zam.”
She waved a hand. “I mean only that I have the power of this desert in my veins, and was born many, many years ago. Goddess is a term that is used far more lightly here than in the west. Perhaps mage would be better. I have abilities that make me strong, and they are tied to the desert.”
“You mean like Merlin?” Lila queried. “That comparison will not help you either.”
Mamitu sighed. “Many with power are foolish and dangerous with it. I will agree with you on that count. Merlin was one of the worst. Like a spoiled child whose parents had too much money and not enough sense to bless him with a work ethic and understanding that with so much power there should be a heavy burden of responsibility.”
My lips twitched at the analogy. I did not want to like her. “Why are you forcing us here then? If you aren’t like them?”
Her smile was not quite as soft as before. “You wish to cross my eastern mountains in search of the hatchlings, yes?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Then you need my permission and my mark. Any who try to cross without those, die. The rhuks of the mountains tear them apart before they can pass. Of course, if the western deserts hadn’t cut themselves off from the rest of us, you would know these things.” Mamitu spread her hands on her skirts, smoothing the material. “Before you ask, let me explain fully. I do not like to half-ass things.”
Yeah, I liked her a little better now that she’d cussed. Stupid, but it was the truth.
“The eastern portion of our piece of this world is ruled by Asag, whose name you have heard now. He is in the center of the east if you must know, and where the hatchlings are taken. But you will not reach him until you go through my land, and through the land of Pazuzu. Asag has bound us to protect him, clever demon that he is.”
“Demon?” Lila blurted out. “What do you mean, demon?”
“Hush, little one,” Mamitu cooed. “He is a demon of the underworld, like any other demon. Only he has found ways to gain power—like Ishtar. Like Merlin.”
My heart started beating all too hard in my chest. “You mean he found the stones of power?”
“No, those you dealt with and they will remain as they are for centuries to come.” She waved a hand. “But there are other ways to gain power. Stealing the hatchlings is one. Stealing the magic of others is another.” Her eyes rested on each of us. She knew then that we’d been stripped of our abilities. “And the last is his army.”
“So, he’s a thief,” Maks said.
“Yes.” Mamitu gave a brief nod. “And I believe it will take a thief to stop him. All who have come before you have great powers, great size, muscles and weapons bristling upon their bodies. They come in a force that they believe is great enough to stop Asag. But perhaps it would take one not so large to find their way to the center of his holdings.” Her eyes swept to me again and I grimaced but kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t going to throw myself on the sword if I didn’t have to. “I knew Lila would be the marker by which to be certain I brought the right rider into my home. That is why the ghouls trapped her first. A small dragon is not common.”
We were there to rescue the hatchlings, a promise I’d made what seemed a lifetime ago to the mothers distraught at the loss of their children.
I had not banked on there being a battle of armies and demons involved.
Mamitu bobbed her head several times. “Yes, I believe that you might be able to do what others could not, Zamira. Then again, the three of you might die on the first of this journey. Both paths are possible. I have seen them in vision and dreams. Many paths, many choices.”
Lila gripped my shoulder hard. “So to save the hatchlings, we must take down this Asag demon?”
Our hostess nodded. “Yes, and by the rules of the land that Asag has tied me to, you must first gain permission to pass through my lands.”
That seemed easy enough. “May we have your permission to cross your lands?” I asked.
Mamitu smiled, sad but still smiling. “You may ask, and when the task given to you has been completed, my mark of safety you will wear. Then you shall pass by the winged rhuk unnoticed.”
I closed my eyes, already knowing this was part of the game. “A task. Has anyone completed it before?”
Sure, I already knew the answer, too, because that was how my life went. Desert born, desert cursed.
“No one has ever completed the task I would lay before you,” she said softly. “This is the riddle that Asag has created to keep himself safe. To keep his armies growing and all of us underfoot. He is clever and he is deadly, and unlike many demons, he is patient.”
“He wants to take over the world?” Maks asked. “Like the Emperor and Merlin?”
Mamitu shook a finger and her head at the same time. “No, he is rather lazy, also a demonic trait. Ruling the world would be too much for him. But in that laziness, he is vicious about protecting what he perceives as his. And now that the Emperor, Ishtar, and Merlin are no longer in play, he will expand his reach, putting another caretaker in place that would protect him on his throne. He will create another layer of protection to keep the lands that are his safe.”