"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:She speaks loudly enough for the sultan and others to hear, “Your homeland sounds simply amazing my prince.” Her exquisite face turns dreamy, “far to fantastic for this simple harem girl to comprehend.”
* Samira quickly forgets her daydream as Mansur’s hand delicately lifts her almost subconsciously from her cushion. Samira’s expression turns from slight worry to confusion as Ala’Kamal fails to react to Mansur’s breach of etiquette. Her braided hair whips around as she glances about looking for someone to react to the screen. *
“What did you do to them? Why don’t they respond to our actions?”
* Not waiting for his reply Samira turns back towards Mansur, her confusion replaced with determination as she prepares to reach for her featherblades. *
Samira’s tone is hushed but her words are harsh as she replies coolly, “I don’t claim to know my heritage, I honestly know little of it, and though I find myself wanting to believe your words I ‘m skeptical in the end. Explain yourself and we will see if I agree to help. Though your display of power is considerable, stay where you are, as I will defend myself.”
~~~
"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:*Shalah smiles in superiority, as susceptable to praise as any beautiful woman.* "What you say is indeed mostly correct - though I am not the only individual in this illusionary room who has the blood of genies in my ancestory." As my dear Twice-Cursed informs me.
*Pursing her lips in thought, she selects a ripe piece of fruit from one of the bowls on the table.* I should humor him, I suppose....
"How would I attain such a rule, then? I hardly think demanding the throne would suffice." *She smiles at Wajih and takes a bite of the fruit.*
~~~
*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:*For a moment, Tariq regarded the stranger, undecided. The stranger spoke of genies, and tests, which made him curious. He also spoke of rewards, which certainly was a temptation. But he was still a stranger, and Tariq wondered how he had come to know so much about him. It was daring that brought rewards, and with that thought in mind, he checked briefly to make sure Aliyy was still sleeping in his pack, before reaching out to take the stranger’s hand.*
*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:“I do hope your enchanted carpet is indeed large as I have a wonderful pony and my dear dog that go everywhere with me. If this will not be any trouble I will gather my belonging, make one last call upon the new mother and baby, and say my goodbyes.”
*With that she turns lightly on her heels heading back to the heart of the camp where the tent she had been occupying was picked. *
*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:“It will take but a few moments to inform one of my brethren of my need to depart for a time,” Jibril offered by way of explanation. “If you know me as well as you say you do, you know that I take my responsibilities quite seriously. Hence, I cannot simply disappear and cause trouble for Windwalkers. They wouldn’t want that from me, and with the same reasoning, I will not abandon the heirs you speak of as well.”
Jibril then turned to look toward one of his brethren, hoping to call out to them and explain that he would be gone on a pilgrimage for a time. He was part of the Windwalkers and would not betray their trust again. He had no one else to tell, and even those he might be interested in telling, would not be interested in knowing.
Once that was accomplished, Jibril took the offered hand.
~~~
"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:"It seems, I must take your word, honourable one. Please, lead on." Abdul says with a bow.
Last edited: