Chapter Four
Arrival in Ashraf
I awoke the next morning with a pounding headache. It took me a moment to realize that the sound, which had awakened me, was a rather loud knock on the door. The noise was obnoxious and only served to intensify my headache. I glanced around the room in exhausted irritation. At first I was not even certain of where I was, but my traveling companion's voice soon brought back a bit of memory to my foggy mind.
"Erik, may I come in," Nadir asked through the wooden structure.
Before replying, I raised one hand and felt cautiously to make certain that my mask was intact. To my relief, the façade had not moved.
"Yes, come in, come in," I called impatiently. I sat up rather stiffly and placed a hand on my throbbing head in a futile attempt to quell the pain.
The Daroga entered, immediately lowering his gaze in a contrite manner.
"I am sorry, Erik. I did not mean to wake you. I assumed that you would be up by now," the Persian said. Apparently the sight of me sitting on the edge of my bed staring at him blearily gave away the fact that he had disturbed my slumber. "It was a foolish assumption," he went on, shaking his head apologetically. "I should have known better. You had quite a lot to drink last night. Oh, here." Striding toward my resting place, Nadir pulled something from behind his back. I squinted my eyes in an effort to clear my vision. When the Persian stood quite near to me, he handed me a small object, which I could now identify as a bag of ice. A bit of a smile appeared on his face. "I thought that you could use this," he said in a surprisingly lighthearted tone.
"Thank you," I replied still a bit testily, taking the ice from him. "Turn around Daroga. I am removing my mask, and I do not wish to trouble you at the sight of my face." The man looked as if he were about to speak, but apparently thought better of it and merely followed my instructions. When he had obeyed, I removed my mask and held the bag to my forehead. Nothing could have felt better at the moment than that cool, damp cloth against my throbbing head. I sighed at the relief that it brought, then closed my eyes and reclined lazily on the comfortable bed.
"Exactly how much did I have to drink last evening?" I questioned lethargically.
"The whole bottle," came his somber reply.
I only groaned in response. I could make no excuses for my behavior. I could only berate myself silently for my lack of wisdom and self-restraint. When would I learn not to let women effect me in such a way? I simply had to accept the fact that I would always bring them fear. Nothing would alter that fact, and I could not spend all of my days mourning for things that could not be changed.
The Daroga's next comment startled my mind back into the present.
"You needn't hide your face, Erik," he interjected simply. "I have seen it already."
"What!" My eyes flew open at once. I could feel the blood rushing through my ears, my breathing becoming heavy, my mind a bit unstable. I knew this feeling all too well. This was the feeling that always preceded my fits of irrepressible rage; in a moment I would loose control. Everything in the room seemed to take on a crimson glow as I was enveloped in a familiar blanket of wrath. I dashed at him madly, encircling my hands about his throat in an iron grip. "How dare you, Daroga!" I screamed. "How dare you take advantage of the state that I was in last night! How dare you look at my face! You know the rules, don't you? Now that I am free from that filthy carnival, any man who sees my face dies! You have broken the rules, Daroga!" My chest burned with a feeling of rage that was almost physical. I was certainly angry enough to kill the impudent fool right then and there. I began to shake the Persian with all of my might. It would not be long before he either passed out or expired completely.
"Er-Erik stop!" my frantic victim choked out. "I di-I did not remove… your mask! It was… that… wa-waitress!"
The scarlet haze slowly melted from my sight, and I gradually regained control over my senses. In a moment I released my hold on him, wearily lowering my thin body to sit the bed. My long fingers covered my entire face with habitual ease. "Tell me what happened," I muttered through the makeshift mask of my hands. There was a pause, and I used it to retrieve the bag of ice from the floor, swiftly placing the cool object on my head again. Although the Daroga had now seen my face twice, I was careful to keep it hidden with both hands.
"Alright," Nadir said at length, gingerly rubbing his neck where I had nearly strangled him. Abrasions were already beginning to form on his throat. "Well, I noticed that you seemed a bit upset after the waitress gave you the alcohol," he began. I rolled my eyes, a gesture which he did not see, as my face was still completely hidden. "You poured yourself a glass and consumed it in a single gulp. Then you sat the glass down and filled it again. You took another long drink and then made some comment about the inferiority of the drink in comparison to French wine. That did not seem to bother you in the slightest, because in another moment you had downed another glass. I tried to get you interested in the food instead, but you were quite preoccupied with the bottle of arrack. With extensive coaxing you ate a bit more, but after your fourth glass all you would do was drink. Before long, you had finished off the contents of the bottle. You murmured something in French and then laid your head down on the table. Now, I speak very little French, and with your slurred words I couldn't understand a thing that you said."
"It's probably just as well," I smirked.
The man glared at me, obviously not amused by my comment. After a brief pause, he went on, "I tried to speak to you, but you did not seem to hear me. Truthfully I was worried about you, Erik. In a short time, the servant girl came back to see that everything was to our liking. I must confess she captured my attention for a time." A smile crossed his lips, a smile that irked me. "She was really quite a lovely little thing."
"I saw her, Daroga," I retorted bitterly. "Even I am not immune to the fairer sex. I am not blind. My face has deprived me of all fulfillment of the desires of the flesh, but that does not mean that I do not possess the same cravings as any other man."
There was a long silence in which I slowly lowered my hands from their grasp upon my head. 'Perhaps,' I thought, 'another look at my horrid visage will convince him to go no further on the subject of the girl. He had better take a hint. My temper may not be calmed so easily this time.' I stared pensively at my long fingers, entwining and relaxing them repeatedly. In time the Daroga cleared his throat. I raised my gaze to meet his as he began once more:
"I am sorry, Erik. I did not mean to offend you; you must know that. Shall I continue?"
I nodded my silent acquiescence.
"Well, the girl was treating me in a rather flirtatious manner. She-"
"Get on with it, Daroga," I interrupted, my words coming out in a low growl. I rolled my eyes again, clasping both hands tightly over my face. This man was far more unintelligent than I had ever dreamed. Enough was enough. "She flirted with you," I murmured through my fingers. "You are an attractive man. She is an attentive young lady. Why should she not? Now, continue your narrative. What happened next?"
Nadir could see that I was getting annoyed. I was in no mood to discuss the waitress and her pert ways with him, and thankfully he now seemed intelligent enough to take a not-so-subtle insinuation. He was wise enough to go on with the story, so as not to arouse my anger again.
"After a few minutes you stood with some difficulty and stepped a few paces back from the table," the Daroga recalled aloud. "Then the strangest thing happened. Your eyes took on a sort of yellow glow, and you started singing again in French. Your voice was soft and strangely compelling. I have never heard anything like it in all of my life. The girl stood transfixed, her arms hanging limply at her sides. Her head turned gradually towards you, and then she smiled. She began walking towards you slowly, as though she was in some sort of a trance. I must have been in one as well, because could not seem to move a muscle. We both seemed to be held in the power of your voice, as thought you had us in some kind of a spell. I have noticed a certain strange, unearthly quality to your speaking voice, but when you sing..."
His voice trailed off, and I nodded meditatively.
"Yes, I have often been told that," I muttered, more to myself then to my guide. "An angel's voice with a devil's face." I shook my head in order to clear it of thoughts of all the past, still covering my face. "I am sorry for interrupting, Daroga. What else happened?"
"Well, you kept on singing," Nadir told me, "and she came closer to you, still in that slow, trance-like walk. When you two stood only a few inches apart, you wrapped your arms around her waist. The girl clung to you, mindlessly running her fingers through your hair, as you continued to sing to her. She began to caress your mask. At that point, you stopped singing and leaned in as if you were about to kiss her. Then, before I knew what was happening, your mask was in her hand. The girl dropped the mask and backed away with a look of utter terror on her face. In an instant the glow faded from your eyes, and they took on a look of absolutely murderous rage. You ran at her and tried to strangle her, just as you did to me a few moments ago. It took myself and three other men to loosen your grip on her." The Persian looked absolutely bewildered. "I have never seen anyone with such incredible strength. No one would think it to look at you."
I gave a shrug of my skeletal shoulders, a sign for him to continue.
"Once she was free, the girl was taken away to another room. The poor thing was in a terrible shock. I bent and picked up your mask, and from the look in your eyes I expected that you would rush at me next. Thankfully, you merely took a few steps and then passed out on the floor." He too shrugged his shoulders. "Then we carried you back to your room."
I gave an exasperated sigh, adjusting the pack of melting ice on my forehead. There was another long pause before I spoke again.
"I regret that I have upset your plans, Daroga," I stated wearily. "I am afraid I have put us behind schedule. The Shah will not be pleased. We really should be on our way. I am sure you are most eager to get home to your son."
I attempted to stand, but the Persian pushed me back down onto the bed with a defiance that threatened to bring on my fury yet again.
"Really Erik, I insist that you have something to eat first," Nadir commanded. "I am not taking a starving magician to meet my son and certainly not to come before the Shah. It is my duty to see that you are well taken care of. The Shah would have my head if-"
"I am not a bit hungry," I objected, cutting off the continuation of his sentence.
"No? You hardly ate a thing last night, and I do not believe you had a bite to eat on the ship either. I saw no one brining food to your cabin. You have not eaten a sizable meal since we began this journey. Honestly, how to you expect to continue like this? Now, you stay right there. I will go and get you some breakfast, and when you have eaten we will be on our way."
He did not wait for a response. The man simply hurried out of the door as if he feared staying a moment longer, with good reason.
"Dim-witted Persian," I murmured to myself in French as he left the room.
I lay back down and made myself as comfortable as possible with my splitting headache. The ice was soothing, but it was rapidly melting, and this was by far the worse hangover that I had ever experienced. Soon Nadir returned with a tray full of various foods. I selected an apple and waved him away.
"You may go now," I said, purposefully taking on the air of a king speaking to one of his servants. "This is all that I will be wanting."
He glowered at me. "I have nowhere to go, so I will just stay here in case you want more," he replied calmly.
Nadir's obvious defiance of my wishes was grating upon my nerves. When I had finished the piece of fruit with no signs of further appetite he pushed the tray into my lap, demanding that I eat more, regardless of my wishes. I took the tray from him with a look of disgust and began devouring its contents. The food was really quite good, but I was far too annoyed to enjoy it in the slightest. After I had eaten a small meal, I scowled up at the Daroga. He looked quite pleased with himself for forcing the food down my throat. His expression of pleasure infuriated me. I thrust the tray into his awaiting hands.
"I am finished," I said, standing to my feet. "You had better leave now, Daroga. I am not in the mood for a chat. I would not advise your upsetting me again. The consequences could prove fatal for you. I promise you that I am much stronger when I have had nourishment."
"Alright," he said with a quick nod. I fancied that I saw a glimmer of fear in his eyes, but it quickly changed to an expression of repartee. "I will return this to the cook and meet you at the stables in five minutes. I trust that that will be sufficient time to cool your temper."
With those slighting words, he left the room. That was enough. I had certainly had it with him. It would have served the Daroga right if I had left him at that very moment. As the door closed, I screamed curses at him in my native tongue and then added a few choice words in his own language. I smiled to myself. It certainly felt good to get that out, although I knew that he likely did not understand the worst of what I had said—his understanding of French was hardly that broad. Letting out a sigh, I turned to prepare for the remainder of our journey.
Within a few minutes, I had my things gathered together and was waiting for my guide at the stables. I was dressed in my usual attire: black from head to toe with a matching black mask covering my face. I soon tiered of waiting for the Persian and made my way into the stables. There I found the servant boy busily feeding the horses. I bowed to him upon entering, and he greeted me with a warm smile. I then made my way to the stall where Moon-dancer was being kept.
"Bonjour, mon ami. Commet alles-tu sur ce jour joli?" I said to the stallion as I ran my elongated fingers over his sleek, ebony neck. The horse nickered in response and then craned his neck, playfully nuzzling my shoulder. I chuckled and scratched his ears, glad for the companionship that I receive much more readily from animals than humans.
"There you are, Erik. Are you ready?"
I turned abruptly at the sound of Nadir's voice. "Yes," I replied, hiding the embarrassment that might have come through in my voice. "Shall we be going then?"
"Of course," he responded. Then his attention turned quickly to the lad in the stable. "Boy, will you help this gentleman, and I with our horses. You may help him too, Darius. We are preparing to move on."
With a submissive nod, the boy led the three horses out into the fresh air. Then, with his courteous but unneeded assistance we tacked them up, strapping our packs onto the saddles. In a few moments we had mounted the animals and were on our way.
Our journey had begun once again. We talked very little as we rode along. After we had traveled for several hours the Persian sun was becoming unbearably hot. My black clothing did not help matters any, but I kept my intense discomfort to myself. I was grateful, however, when my traveling companion informed me that the horses needed to be watered. He said that there was a spring just ahead, and true to his word we soon arrived at the small body of water.
When we reached the spring, we three dismounted and lead our horses to the cool water. After filling my canteen, I left my horse at the water's edge, allowing his reigns to fall loosely into the sand as I took a seat under the shadow of a nearby tree. I knew that the stallion would never wander far from me. Even the bridle was quite unnecessary to control him; he obeyed me of his own free will. I could not help but smile as I watched the beautiful creature enjoying the cool stream. It was most refreshing to remove my black fedora and use the hat as a fan, as I enjoyed the water myself unreservedly. Although I did my best not to show it, the heat had made my headache nearly intolerable. The ice bag long since gone, I held my canteen up to my head, hoping that the cool water inside would ease the throbbing pain. It brought some relief, and for that I was thankful. The water was cold and comforting to my aching head. A soft sigh passed from my lips as I sunk down upon the sand lying flat on my back, taking comfort in the shade of that tree. I lay there for some time, intermittently sipping from the canteen, and then placing it back upon my head.
After I had rested for a few minutes, I joined my traveling companions at the brim of the spring. The Daroga looked up from where he sat beside his servant and the horses, and he smiled at me. I returned his smile, a rare gesture for me, and then knelt beside the water's edge. I filled my canteen once more, for I had nearly drained it. As the throbbing began again, I held the object to my head, just above the top of my mask. Nadir gave a nod of sympathy, whispered something to Daruis, and allowed me a few more minutes of rest in that blissful silence before we moved on.
A few minutes later, we had mounted our horses and headed toward Nadir's house. The journey seemed to take ages. I was beginning to wonder if we would get there before nightfall, although quite some time back the Daroga had told me that we should be there in three hours if our horses made good time. 'Surely at least four hours have passed,' I thought wearily. 'It will be dark soon.' That thought brought me some small consolation. At least we would not have to deal with this unbearable heat for many more hours. I rolled my eyes as I caught site of the steep hill that loomed before us. I was so exhausted that I could have sworn that I would to fall off my horse before we reached the top, but I did not. As we arrived at the peak, Nadir pointed to something in the distance.
"That's it!" he exclaimed. "That is the city of Ashraf. And that white building surrounded by those trees is my home. We are almost there." He looked from Darius to me excitedly, clearly eager to be at home. "Erik, do you think we could go a bit faster?"
I gave him a weary smile. "I am sure we can," I said, knowing that he only wished to be with his son. I gathered my strength and sat up straight. Then I urged my horse on to a gallop. Nadir and his servant joined me, and in a few moments their horses were running beside mine.