The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction JanuaryFebruary 2019 (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Book 136) by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Spilogale Inc.
Published: 2019-03-11T23:00:00+00:00

Beyond the edge of the Western sands,

A palace in the city of Haven stands,

An ancient place, from the dawn of time,

With a King and a Queen still in their prime,

In spite of the years that have marked their crime.

"Oho, a new version," said one of the Fannens. "I didn't know the city had a name."

"Well, it's my name for it," said Alaric. "I never heard another."

"And I'm sure I heard that the Queen has been dead for years," said another Fannen.

"Not in the song," said Alaric. "A King needs a Queen, after all."

"And the crime?" said Piros.

"Oh, we all know the crime. It's our crime, too, and we left it behind in the city, in many tightly sealed boxes. Perhaps, in the song, it keeps the King and Queen young, and they award it only to the people who please them most. Wouldn't that be a fine purpose for the Powder?"

Piros shook his head. "So your song will be full of lies."

Alaric smiled. "I haven't heard a version of the song yet that wasn't full of lies. Why should this one be different?" He plucked a chord on the lute. "I think you'll hear another piece of it every night we travel, and perhaps it will be finished by the time we see the other side of the desert."

There were calls then for another song or three before Alaric was too tired to sing and everyone else too tired to listen.

The next day, after both camels and men had drunk their fill at the pool of good water, the caravan moved eastward, and only Alaric and Piros looked back to see the ancient tower fade slowly into the West behind them. When it was almost vanished, Alaric could not help calling silently to the servant in the tower, but he was not surprised when there was no answer, not even for the King of the lost city.

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