Night's Master (Tales from the Flat Earth) by Tanith Lee

Author:Tanith Lee
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Immanion Press
Published: 2013-11-03T22:00:00+00:00

Dawn rose from the desert and turned the river to wine.

Zorayas stood upon the balcony and summoned a shadow from the air which gathered up her store of diamonds and bore them away in a curl of fire.

“Your gifts to me will soon be safe in Zojad, and I must follow them at once,” Zorayas said to Jurim, stroking his hair. “Give me a lock of this gold too to take with me. I shall not want to forget you too quickly.”

“And I cannot bear it if you forget me,” Jurim said. “Stay with me. For one more day, if no longer. Just one day. What is a day to you that means so much to me? One day and one night.” And he embraced her.

“Ah, no,” said Zorayas, “I must return to my city. I fear I have wearied you too long.”

“No, No—” cried Jurim, holding her fast with a look of anguish.

“Yes and yes,” said Zorayas. “Besides, I am unwelcome. Your brother is in a rage and spurns me. He denies you access to his share of the diamonds, and all yours are gone.”

“I will entreat them from him. He will not refuse.”

“Go, then, entreat him, my golden stag. But be hasty.”

Jurim ran to Mirrash’s chamber; he flung himself on his knees before Mirrash.

“Loan me a portion of your store of jewels, my brother, or she will leave me.”

A look of loathing and distaste passed across the face of Mirrash, but he put the look aside.

“She will leave you in any event. Let her go, and thank the gods for her departure. She is a demon.”

“I cannot bear that she should go.”

“She has unmanned you,” Mirrash said. “But, in truth, it is her common practice. You are no worse than the rest, Oh, my brother,” he said, raising Jurim to his feet, “tell her to be gone. The wound will heal. She is slow poison, lady death—”

Jurim said: “You refuse me then? It is your right. Only say.”

“Yes, for your life I refuse you.”

Zorayas only smiled when she heard.

“Well, I have half the prize. If you would see me again, sweet, you must send me all of it. And my kisses will be the dearer for delay.”

She stood upon the parapet and a gilded chariot appeared from behind the sun, drawn by black dogs with wings. The sorceress stepped in the chariot and was borne away, and her entourage after her.

The grief that took Jurim then was terrible to see. He grew, in less than a month, pale and thin, a shrivelled grasshopper, who had been handsome and strong. He could not eat or sleep or rest, but paced about the palace all day and all night, and leaned on the pillars and walls from weakness and wept. He did not reproach Mirrash for withholding his share of their father’s treasure, but Mirrash felt his brother’s despair and illness as though they had been his own, and finally his resolve broke down.

“Come then, my poor brother, take all I have and all the palace has and give it to her, and ask her to come back to you.

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