Part 15A

After Danica spent an hour sitting on the hard bed reading, Unas returned and apologized for the delay. One of his goats had escaped, forcing him to track it down and round it up. He took Danica to a smaller mud brick building behind his dwelling, bringing out a saddlebag and a purse that Danica immediately recognized as magical. He also handed her a small box containing earrings. Inside the box Danica found a note explaining that the earrings would work as a tongues spell, allowing her to understand and speak the native language of this land when worn.

"I was being told by the Great Master, blessings upon his name, to give these to you. I am now to be guiding you to Beniopolis and pointing out the Great One's palace and a place you may be staying in the great city."

"Thank you, Unas. Is this Beniopolis far?" Danica asked, removing the magical locking enchantments on the bags to examine their contents.

"Oh no, it is being only a short walk, Mistress Danica."

"Just Danica — we can forget the mistress part. I feel old enough as it is, and that makes me feel ancient for some reason." Danica found one bag was filled with spices wrapped in neat bundles. The spices were common, but assumed that they must be rare here. The purse contained bits of precious metals, as well as precious and semi-precious stones.

Unas bowed. "My most humble apologies. We can be leaving whenever you are ready."

Danica showed the contents of the purse to Unas, who blew out a long whistling breath. Danica then asked, "Is this what you use for trade here?"

Unas nodded, his eyes still locked in wonderment upon the contents of the purse. "Gems and gold are being used to trade for goods in the city. Seek you to buy the whole city?"

Danica laughed. "I take it I have a lot to trade with then? Tell me which are more valued, and give me a quick lesson about how trading is conducted in the city."

Danica listened as Unas explained that the local economy traditionally operated through barter. However, enough people of influence now traded in metals and gems for the items to have value anywhere within the nation. Unas' explanation gave Danica the impression that everything possessed about the same value her as in her homeland. Only a couple of stones considered semi-precious in her world commanded higher value in this land. Haggling was considered the polite means to conduct business. Tradition deemed refusal to argue over price a great offense that sometimes even resulted in deadly confrontations.

As Danica contemplated the contents of the purse, she understood Unas' initial remark. Within the pouch Danica had a vast fortune. She knew she wouldn't hurt for money any time soon.

Unas produced a cart for Danica to place her bags on, which he pulled for her, and then set out on a trail parallel to the river. Unas' description of the distance proved accurate, and Danica saw the outline of the city emerging through the haze of heat and humidity rising off the river soon after leaving his dwelling.

Just outside the city, dwellings constructed from a wide range of materials appeared. Danica saw buildings made of mud brick like Unas', small stone structures, and even a few homes constructed from bundles of reeds dotting the side of the trail. Once inside the city proper, the reed houses disappeared. The size and quality of the structures also increased. Danica could easily tell where the high and mighty resided, as the large structures stood out easily. The Palace was, of course, the largest and most magnificent building in the entire city. Unas pointed it out, but Danica had already guessed before he did so.

The city was crowded, the people all dusky-skinned and lightly dressed, similar to Unas. The coloration of the people widely varied, however. After some time, Danica noticed a few people that she could easily mistake for people from her own lands. She even saw a few residents as dark as Tonda's people. The darkest skinned people behaved as though enslaved, which bothered Danica a lot. The lightest skinned people carried themselves with an arrogance that bespoke power.

Even though they did not draw near it, Danica could still hear the loud calls of sellers in the market, barking out the merits of their wares. Danica smiled a crooked smile when she noticed men and women revealing a lot of attractive skin. Many people curiously stared at Danica's clothing, strange to the locals and obviously too hot to wear in the climate. Danica certainly noticed the heat, and planned to acquire native dress as soon as possible.

Unas led her to an area that appeared to straddle the border between the higher quality structures of the nobility and the common area at the edges of the city. They reached a building that likewise bordered between opulence and common, and Unas led Danica toward the door of the structure.

The building appeared constructed of mud brick plastered over to give it a smooth surface. Pictures and the odd writing of the land was etched into the plaster trimming the corners of the building, doors, and windows.

Danica put on her earrings as she approached the building, guessing she would probably need them. The indecipherable background noise of people speaking their native language was beginning to annoy her anyway.

"This is being a place where you will be staying."

Danica chuckled. "You can speak your language. I can understand it now, and it will probably be easier than translating your common."

Unas laughed. "Very well, it is much easier for me as well. I was told to seek out the owners of this house and offer them spices in exchange for allowing you to stay here. The owners only come here during times of great crowding in the capitol, where they normally live. They do not expect to return here for some time. You have free use of the home and the servants."

"You must have been paid well, considering how highly you speak of Zoraster."

Unas smiled. "Rare spices and the magic that makes my home comfortable are treasures beyond my wildest dreams."

Danica reached into her purse and pulled out a pair of gems. "I offer you these for one more simple task. Once I've put my things in the house, walk me through how to bargain in the marketplace. I need clothes more suitable to the climate before I bake in this heat, and I don't want to offend anyone, or pay too much."

Unas' eyes widened at the sight of the gems. "Of course, blessed mistress. It will be my pleasure."

Danica waved her finger at him. "Just Danica — remember? None of this mistress nonsense."

Unas bowed his head in response and then helped Danica take her things into the house. A male servant approached as Danica entered and asked if she required anything. Danica told him she needed nothing at the moment, but that she would like to speak to all the servants once she returned. The man offered a deep bow and formally backed away from her as he took his leave.

Unas led Danica through the maze of the market and the press of people, bargaining for things she wished to purchase, giving Danica examples of how to conduct trade in the market. The exercise also gave her insight into the culture of the region in general. Danica ended up with enough local clothing to last her for a few days, and several pieces of local jewelry. Danica found the designs unique and colorful, and made a mental note to study the pieces to discover how they were made.

Unas pulled her purchases behind him in the cart, and helped her take them inside to the room she had chosen near the front door. He then took his leave and Danica went in search of the servant she had spoken with earlier.

She spoke with the servants once they gathered, and Danica was disturbed to discover that most of the servants were slaves. Only the man to whom she had first spoken and a pair of other paid servants were freemen. Danica told the servants that she could take care of herself, and that they should concentrate on their duties as if the house were empty.

The first servant Danica had met, Rekhmire, piqued Danica's interest when she noticed a rather sizeable bulge in the front of his kilt. One of the slave women, Hathortari, was stunningly beautiful and made Danica quiver as well. Rekhmire said he knew who to contact about permission to build in the city, and would take Danica there whenever she wished.

Danica decided to settle in and go tomorrow. Hathortari's duties included washing clothing and bathing, so Danica asked about a tub. Even with suitable native clothing, Danica knew she was soon going to miss her tub. Hathortari said she might be able to provide a way for Danica to have at least the semblance of a bath. Danica thanked her, and then told the servants to take their leisure or go to their duties, as they saw fit.

Danica went to the room she had chosen, and almost immediately cast a cooling comfort spell. She felt much better, but knew she would not feel good without a bath. She was determined to find some way to bathe here — and soon. Danica put her things away and set up a study area so she would have something to do while she was here.

As the sun set outside, Danica dismissed her cooling comfort spell. She knew the temperature extremes of the desert, and knew it would grow cold soon. Danica sat down in her work area to read a text she had brought with her. The book had seemed innocuous to Danica at first, but as she thumbed through it in the library, she discovered dozens of little spells scattered through it. The incantations were all useful everyday spells of little power, but great convenience. The spells were simple, and Danica felt her blood warm to indicate she had learned the first spell only a few minutes after choosing a spell.

The spell created fog from the fingertip that the caster could direct, even into cracks in walls and behind objects. The mist was deadly to many of the common insect pests.

The next spell in the book was similar. The second spell created a sound that the human ear could not hear, which proved such an irritant to rodents that the vermin could not bear it. After a few minutes of studying the spell, Danica found she couldn't concentrate on it. She had removed the cooling comfort spell too late, not letting enough of the day's warmth seep into the walls. As a result, her room was rapidly growing cold.

Danica wished she had taken time to learn the reverse of the cooling comfort spell, to bring a little heat into the room. She decided to make that her next line of study. First, she needed to warm the room so she could concentrate.

Danica decided to practice spell weaving, something she'd meant to focus on before distractions pushed the study from her mind. Slipping into the second sight, Danica looked at the natural lines of power emanating from the world at all times.

Seeing a strand of power she knew would produce heat, Danica reached out to grasp it and pull it toward her. Another identical strand snaked at the edge of her vision, and Danica snatched it up as well. She smiled when grasping the strands required little effort.

Guiding the strands to encircle the room, Danica opened the pathways of power and felt the air in the room warm. After a few moments, she pulled in another strand, and the room finally reached a comfortable temperature.

Something then occurred to Danica, and she grasped more strands of power. First, she anchored the strands to the room, and then pulled in other lines of power, weaving them into the heating strands. When she finished, the heating strands would remain to release their power whenever the room grew cold.

Danica still didn't need to use much effort to manipulate the strands, so she decided to try a weave more complex than she had ever attempted. Pulling in strands of cool power, she added them to her web of glowing magic around the room. The threads joined her magical tapestry, and would now cool the room when it grew too warm. She drew in more of the strings of power, the purpose of these to ensure the humidity of the room remained at comfortable levels as well.

Danica smiled when she saw her weave remained stable — and looked quite beautiful. She had unconsciously woven the glowing strands into multicolored bands very similar to the native jewelry of this land. She felt no strain from her accomplishment, the most difficult task she had ever attempted with this new discipline of magic.

Danica let her vision shift out of the second sight. The strands of power vanished, but Danica could still feel them. She grew more sensitive to the threads of power every time she practiced this new form of magic.

Only then did Danica noticed Hathortari standing in the doorway with a perplexed expression, staring in Danica's direction.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice you come in."

"I will show you to where I wash the clothing if you wish. It is not a bathing vessel, but it may serve."

"Thank you Hathortari," Danica said, struggling with the unfamiliar name.

"You may call me Tari, if it pleases you."

Danica smiled. "Thank you, Tari. That is much easier. Please show me where you wash the clothes. If nothing else, I can wash a little."

Tari bowed her head and led Danica through the house and out a rear door into a small, walled courtyard. Tari then beckoned Danica toward a mud brick structure near the far wall of the courtyard.

When they entered, Danica smiled upon seeing where Tari washed the clothing. Within a depression in the stone floor rested an earthenware basin. Though only about four inches deep at its deepest point, and not long enough for her to stretch out in, the basin would allow her to have a decent bath.

"Oh, thank you. I'm used to bathing daily, and I was beside myself thinking I wasn't going to be able to. This will be fine. Thank you again."

Tari smiled and Danica felt a tingle run through her body. Tari had an exotic beauty, and her eyes were deep, sensual pools of mystery. The woman was lithe, with a good figure, and the smile she offered Danica lit up the entire room.

Danica realized she was staring and turned her gaze away, although Tari didn't appear to notice. Danica saw a bed through a doorway behind the work area where she stood. The fine bed, better than most within the main home, seemed out of place in this rude structure. Danica also noticed clothing hanging on a peg near the bed that could only belong to Tari, because it would have fit none of the other servants.

"This is where you live, then?"

Tari nodded in response.

"Your bed looks very comfortable. You must serve well to be given such a comfortable place to sleep," Danica said while looking around for the means to fill her makeshift tub.