"I? I have done little to them, Radiant Jewel. For now they simply leave us in peace, to talk unfettered by conventions. You could be so much more than you ever thought possible. It could be you on the sultan's throne, you having the power, you being the one giving the orders. I have come to find those worthy of the Burning Thrones, and if you pass the tests given to you, it will be you who rules this city before long. Will you care to seize the power that is yours by birthright?" Mansur says easily, a sly smile on his lips. He seems utterly unaffected by Samira's warning.Samira said:
~~~
"To take the throne, you simply have to prove yourself. Come with me, and you will be able to test yourself before the other heirs, to determine who and how you will rule. I will even be able to reunite you with those you had thought lost," Wajih says slyly.Shalah said:
~~~
*Aliyy continues to sleep soundly in Tariq's pack, unaffected by whatever momentous events going on around her. They cannot possibly be as important as a nap is right now.*Tariq said:
*Hamzah takes Tariq's hand in an iron grip, and the world suddenly swirls around them like kava in a mug, disorienting and cold. With a wrench, all sets to rights again. Tariq is standing on pure white sand next to a lush oasis. Around it, white marble buildings carved so fine as to look as if they had been woven rose into the night sky, illuminated within by the warm glow of fire. The scent of incense was in the air, and the soothing bubble of water was all that could be heard.*
"Rest here tonight, the others will be along." And with that, Hamzah folded away like a trick of moonlight. Behind himself, Tariq found a fine, broad pavilion scattered with hundred of pillows, looking very inviting to sleep on.
~~~
"It is very large, I assure you," Rayhan says, still with the same odd smile. Mother and child bid a fond and thankful farewell to their healer, calling upon the spirits of fate to wish her luck. Taking her faithful pony and hound with her, she finds that Rayhan was not exaggerating about the size of the carpet, as it was nearly as large as a festival tent, and contained practically enough room to run around on.Nafeesa said:
*The carpet rising from the ground swiftly, the undulating calls of the Nessarine fading behind her swiftly. The speed is fantastic, faster than any bird Nafeesa has ever seen, racing over the sands of Keldev like the sky spirits were supposed to be able to. As she traveled, she noted that they seemed to be traveling in shade, even though the sun was directly overhead, and the wind from their passing was no more than a pleasent zepher instead of the malestrom it should be.*
*Suddenly, between one blink of her eyes and the next, the day shifts from sunlight to moonlight, and the magic carpet is alighting by an oasis, next to white marble buildings of astounding complexity. A pavilion lies to one side, pleasingly lit with lanterns and scattered with comfortable-looking pillars. Rayhan ushers you off the carpet and points to the pavilion.*
"Rest and refresh yourself, I will be back shortly," he says briefly, flying off into the sky so swiftly the wind itself would envy him. It looks like there's a low table inside the pavilion laden with food and drink. And it seems there's already someone here, a man.
~~~
"It has all be arranged, I assure you, your responsibilities will not go wanting for your absence," Badra says, and then leans forward and grasps his hand. With a sensation of falling through infinite space, then landing, Jibril suddenly finds himself alone beside a white sand oasis, at night, in a strange place with white marble buildings he had never seen before. Behind him a lighted pavilion stood, filled with cushions, light, and food, as well as a man, a woman, a hound, and a pony.Jibril said:
~~~
"Quick to decide, and polite as well. You'll do well, well indeed," Nu'man says, stepping forward and clasping Abdul's hand. With a sudden shifting of the landscape, a feeling that the world just collapses and reformed around them, Abdul finds himself next to a white sand oasis. Beautiful white buildings surround him, and a lighted pavilion is at his back. A man wearing the desert garb of the Windwalker scouts is also by the oasis, while a man, a woman, and a few beasts are in the pavilion.Abdul-Hadid said:
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