Sabit found the house of Rayshabu’s father easily enough. Even though she did not recall the steps, it was the grandest, most detailed building in the city. The rest of the city stood like bland and indistinct like fragments of half-remembered dreams.
Two guards flanked the gate, drawing their swords as she approached. Sabit had no weapon, but did not slow her pace.
The guards attacked. They struck with every bit of grace and grandeur that might catch the eye of an impressionable young noblewoman who had no concept of fighting. As stunning as they looked, the guard’s swordplay was as threatening as the stick-work of a puppet show.
Sabit left them beaten and bloody on the doorstep and strode into the house. In the courtyard, Rayshabu lay upon a sumptuous couch of cedar and linen. Two handsome suitors kissed her fingertips while a third worshipped the hollow of her throat. The girl let out airy sighs of delight.
“Cease this foolishness, girl!” Sabit said. “You have greater tasks than languishing in dreams.”
Rayshabu’s eyes snapped open. Startled, she pushed away her suitors and rose from the couch. “You? But how? Heguir hates you. He would never reward you with a trip to paradise.”
Sabit grinned. “I left him little choice. He had to either send me here or watch me destroy his precious fortune of saffron.”
“But why?” Rayshabu said. “You hate the pleasures that paradise has to offer.”
“Yes, and so should you, foolish girl. This dream is a chain he has upon you. He doesn’t need a collar of bronze around your throat, when he has the hook of this dream in your heart. You will crawl to him of your own accord. Don’t you want to be more than his lapdog?”
“How can I be more?” Rayshabu said, a tear glistening in the corner of her eye. “He will never let me go. My father’s enemies pay Heguir ransom to keep me prisoner. They delight to see my proud father stooping before them and doing their bidding like a slave. My only solace is this place of dreams—this paradise that you ruin with your every footfall.”
Sabit considered the girl’s words. “I see now. You are a hosage like Qaansoole. She and I will end Heguir’s hold on you. But we need your help. Help us, Rayshabu. Help all of us slip free of our leashes. Help us free your father from the hold of your enemies.”
“I can’t,” the girl said, turning her eyes downward. “The fear is too powerful. I’m not strong enough.”
“You need not be strong. Qaansoole and I are strong enough to face his sorcerous fear. Your skill is in mildness. While he forces the two of us to tremble in terror, he will never suspect that you could end his power over us all.”
“Without Heguir, I could never return to the dream world. I would never again see the loving eye of the men who ignored me in the flesh.” Rayshabu raised her arms as though to embrace the entire city.
“Think not of their dream eyes,” Sabit said. “Think on your father’s true eye. The relief to know his daughter is safe. His pride at being able to stand up to his enemies. His pride in you when you bring it about with your own hands.”
The girl trembled, worrying her lip between her teeth. She looked from Sabit to the doorway that led to the main house. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood there, his features cloaked in shadow.
Swallowing, the young woman lifted her chin. “I am Rayshabu, daughter of Bouhen, of the founding house of Bahteel. I shall aid you. Show me what I must do.”
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Wayfarings of Sabit: Chains is copyright (c) 2018 by Michael S. Miller. All rights reserved. New chapters post every Thursday (and the occasional Monday). You can support this and other stories on Patreon: https://patreon.com/michaelsmiller Find more sword and sorcery fiction at http://ipressgames.com/fiction/.