Egyptian #04 - The Quest by Wilbur Smith

Author:Wilbur Smith [Smith, Wilbur]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Fiction, Historical, Action & Adventure, Egypt, Ancient
ISBN: 9780330412728
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2007-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

The Quest

Grooms were waiting to take the horses, and red-robed functionaries led them through pillared halls until they reached a small door in a loggia and went through it into an antechamber. Refreshments had been set out on the long table, bowls of fruit, cakes and jugs of red wine, but first they went into the adjoining rooms to freshen themselves after their journey. Everything had been arranged with consideration for their comfort.

When they had eaten a light meal, the council usher came to lead them into the audience chamber. It was warmed by charcoal braziers and padded mats lay on the stone floor. He asked them to seat themselves and pointed out the positions they should occupy. He placed Taita at the head of the group, with Meren and Hilto behind him. He sent Fenn to the rear rank with the others, and Taita was relieved that he had shown no special interest in her. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she sat demurely beside Imbali and saw that she was restraining her aura to match that of the tall woman.

Taita returned his attention to the layout and furnishings of the chamber. It was a large room of agreeable proportions. In front of where he sat, there was a raised stone platform on which stood three stools.

They were of a design he had seen in the palaces of Babylon, but they were not inlaid with ivory and semi-precious stones. The wall behind them was covered with a painted leather screen, which hung from the high ceiling to the stone paving and was adorned with patterns in earthy colours. When Taita studied them he saw that they were not esoteric or arcane symbols but merely decorative.

There was the sound of hobnailed sandals on the stone floor. A file of armed guards entered from a side door and arranged themselves at the base of the platform, grounding the butts of their spears. The robed usher returned and addressed the company in sonorous tones: 'Pray show respect for the noble lords of the Supreme Council.' All followed Taita's example and leant forward to touch the ground with their foreheads.

Three men came from behind the leather screen. There could be no doubt that they were the oligarchs. They wore tunics of yellow, scarlet and pale blue, and plain silver crowns on their heads. Their manner was stately and dignified. Taita scried their auras and found them diverse and complex. They were men of force and character, but the most impressive was the man in the blue robe who took the central stool. There were depths and nuances to his character, some of which Taita found puzzling and disturbing.

The man made a gesture for them to relax, and Taita straightened.

'Greetings, Magus Taita of Gallala. We welcome you to Jarri, the land of the Mountains of the Moon,' said the blue-robed leader.

'Greetings, Oligarch Lord Aquer of the Supreme Council,' Taita replied.

Aquer blinked and inclined his head. 'You know me?'

'I knew your grandfather well,' Taita explained.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.