Free Longing's Levant by Charlotte Boyett-Compo Page A

the old man would need a massage before turning in that night for the bones of a man in his tenth decade often pained him.
    “Keep close watch,” Jabali said over his shoulder as he climbed the steps to Kaibyn’s burial chamber. “We want no Kebullians to impede our mission.”
    Tashobi watched as his mentor stopped at the entrance of the necropolis to light a fat candle he had pulled from his satchel.
    There was only a slight difference in temperatures as Jabali descended the steps into the burial chamber where Kaibyn lay…now quiet though his spirit was seething still with fury. The mage once more wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his robe, finding it hard to breathe in the stifling heat. His joints ached as he walked and he longed for the warm waters of the bathing pool at the temple in Sha lda.
    There will be time for that when you free me!
    Jabali winced, holding his candle higher to view the room around him. “Patience, Lord Kaibyn,” he said. “Patience.”
    There was a muted growl that reverberated through the Mage’s head but no more shouted words.
    The coffin containing Kaibyn’s body sat off to itself in the burial chamber, partially hidden behind other cheap coffins that held the remains of former servants. The lid was slick with the special oil the Lady Dakhla had spread on the rim and lock to prevent him from freeing himself.
    Setting down his satchel, placing the candle on a ledge of rock, Jabali opened the satchel and removed a fleece cloth. He used the soft material to wipe away the oil. When there was hardly any residue left of the magic potion, he lifted the coffin’s lid, staggering as a strong wind blasted out of the box, extinguishing the candle.
    “What took you so long, Mage?” Lord Kaibyn roared, his loud words echoing off the walls of the burial chamber.
    Jabali closed the coffin after one look at the empty shrouds lying within its confines. Before he answered the demon lurking behind him, he bent over…grunting with the effort…and removed a vial of the same kind of oil the Lady Dakhla had used to seal Kaibyn in.
    “There were others who needed our help, Lord Kaibyn,” Jabali explained as he smeared the oil on the coffin’s rim.
    “And who is more important that I?”
    The Mage dared not tell the demon that a simple Dabiyan warrior had been raised from death first. “Lord Riel Evann-Sin of Nonika, Your Grace,” he replied instead. “We found him lashed to the…”
    “An Akkadian barbarian?” Kaibyn exploded, the fury of his shock making the walls of the necropolis tremble. “You think that jackal more important than I?”
    Gathering his courage, Jabali turned to face the demon. He lifted his head, allowing him to take in the face of the tall form in front of him. “No, Your Grace. He is not more important than you, but our freeing him had to be accomplished in order for him to help you.”
    Kaibyn narrowed his eyes, the color of a winter sky. “Help me in what way, Mage?” Though the words were not as forceful or loud, they sounded like a warning to Jabali.
    “There is great evil afoot, milord,” Jabali said, “and the Council of Elders dispatched me to come to your aid as well as one other whose life was terminated before the Gatherer sanctioned it.”
    The Rysalian demon folded his arms and glared at the Mage. “What other foul fiend?”
    Hearing Lord Kaibyn call another being a fiend might well have made Jabali laugh under safer circumstances, but while standing in the presence of an angry demon was not the time for levity.
    “You are the strategist behind the coalition the Council bid me form. Lord Evann-Sin is the brawn—his sword hand will set things to right. The third arm of the Triad will be the eyes and ears.”
    “What is this third lord’s name?”Kaibyn demanded . “Do I know him?”
    Jabali swallowed hard before answering. “I think not, milord. He is but a simple peasant but one who will aid the project well.”
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