Part 20 (1/2)

”It says, 'Luck and Happiness to all creatures. May the Serene Ones spreadtheir grace over the world,'” explained Seema. ”The ancient monks filled the stones with their voices, and now the walls are ringing their chants back to us.”

”The walls?” grumbled Yago. ”It sounds like ghosts.”

Seema whirled on the ogre. ”You mustn't say such things,” she said. ”Not here!” Yago's orange cheeks darkened. ”Sorry,” the ogre apologized. ”I didn't know they was listening.”

Atreus led the way down the aisle. The chanting continued to swell, but as theygrew accustomed to it, it became almost calming. They soon found themselvesdroning along, ”Omna lo renege ge suun, song tse ngampo ge lung pa.. . omna lorenege ge suun, song tse ngampo ge lung pa...” The chant seemed to free their minds from all awareness of time and s.p.a.ce, sothey were all taken by surprise when the sparkling stream suddenly narrowed and became a fan-shaped cascade spilling down yet another stone stairway.For a moment, Atreus just stood there, too mesmerized by the hypnotic rhythminside his head to realize what he was seeing. His gaze began to rise, followingthe stream up a long series of steps to the summit of a pyramidal dais.

On top sat a pair of golden yaks, kneeling across from each other and facing a great alabaster altar inlaid with a thousand-spoked wheel of gleaming silver. At oneend of the altar sat three elegant vessels: a bronze brazier with incense smoke stillrising from its heart, a gla.s.s b.u.t.ter lamp with a tiny flame still flickering on its wick,and a jade vase with a single hibiscus blossom still rising from its mouth. At theother end sat three plain objects: a loaf of steaming rice-bread, a tin caster filled with fresh cinnamon, and a sandal-wood lute still resonating from the touch of itslast player.

In the center of the altar, resting on its side between the two groups of sacredobjects, lay what Atreus had come so far to find, a platinum cup rimmed insapphires and rubies, from whose mouth spilled a perpetual stream of glittering silver water.

Ris.h.i.+ clutched Atreus's arm and whispered, ”Good sir, your wisdom and faithare the measure of all men!” The Mar glanced over his shoulder. ”If I may suggest a small precaution, we should see to Seema with every haste.”

Atreus tore his eyes from the altar and scowled down at Ris.h.i.+ and said, ”See to her?”

Ris.h.i.+ winced, then held a finger to his lips. ”Quietly, good sir,” he cautioned. ”I amsure it will only take one scream, and then the Dweller will come running.”

Atreus glanced back at Seema, who was standing at the base of the dais asawestruck as he. ”Why would she do that?” he asked.Ris.h.i.+ raised his brow, genuinely surprised. ”Is it not obvious?” he whispered. ”YourG.o.ddess sent you here to steal the Fountain of Infinite Grace . . . that is how youare to return the s.h.i.+ning water to Erlkazar.”

The Mar's sly logic stunned Atreus. It was an elegant solution to an otherwiseimpossible problem, but for the one detail Ris.h.i.+ had overlooked.

”Sune would never want such a thing.”

”Want what thing?” asked Seema, finally drawn out of her reverie.

Ris.h.i.+ glanced at Yago, then c.o.c.ked his head meaningfully in her direction. Atreusscowled and shook his head. Getting no answer to her question, Seema stepped to Atreus's side and asked, ”What is all this whispering?”

”Nothing for you to worry about,” Atreus replied.

He was careful not to look in the direction of the alabaster altar, but Seema's suspicions were already raised. She glanced at the toppled cup, her eyes lit in understanding, and she grabbed Atreus's arm with surprising strength.

”You would steal Langdarma's beauty?”

”No,” Atreus said, and covered Seema's fingers with his hand. ”Sune would not want me to. The last thing she would want is to spoil a place like Langdarma.”Yago rolled his eyes and quickly looked away, but his skepticism was not lost onRis.h.i.+.

”What do you think, my friend?” asked the Mar. ”Is this Sune not a jealous G.o.ddess,who might very well resent this stream of beauty pouring forth from her ancientrival's temple?”

The ogre gave a grudging shrug. ”She's fickle enough,” he said. ”I wouldn't put anything past her.”

Seema paled, turning to call the Dweller.

Atreus pulled her back, clamping a hand over her mouth. ”You have nothing to worry about,” he a.s.sured her. ”Even if Sune did want the fountain, how could we get it pastthe Dweller? I'm sure it would frown on us stealing the source of its s.h.i.+ning pool.”

”How would it know until it was too late to stop us?” asked Ris.h.i.+, smiling.The Mar bounded up the dais and s.n.a.t.c.hed the cup off the altar, eliciting a m.u.f.fledscream from Seema. ”Put that back!” Atreus ordered.

”Have no worry, I am not stealing the cup,” said Ris.h.i.+. ”I am only demonstrating howsuch a thing might be possible, in case the good sir should in his own judgmentconsider it necessary.”

”I won't”

Ris.h.i.+ paid Atreus no attention, began to descend the dais, and said, ”You see?” TheMar stopped two steps above, holding the cup sideways so that the water continued to pour out at an even rate. ”In this manner, we could advance all the way tothe stairs above the Pool of Gems, where we might wait until the Dweller wanderedaway on its business. Or perhaps we would send someone to distract it while theothers fled with the Fountain of Infinite Grace.”

”How do we escape Langdarma before the Sannyasi catches us?” Atreus asked,more to prove the impossibility of Ris.h.i.+'s plan than because he was really interested.Or so he told himself. ”From what little I recall, the Pa.s.sing was something of a challenge.”

Ris.h.i.+'s smile grew confident ”Langdarma is difficult to enter, but easy to leave,” he said. ”Yago and I learned of many exits while we were searching for the fountain.”

Seema's body stiffened. She began to struggle in Atreus's arms, going so faras to bite his palm. He winced, then pointed his chin at the altar.

”Put it back,” Atreus said, feeling Seema's chin grow slick with his blood. ”Sune didn't send me here to steal the fountain or anything else.”

Ris.h.i.+'s eyes hardened and he demanded, ”Do you never think of anyone beyondyourself?” He glanced back toward the alabaster altar. ”I am sure that any two of those treasures would make me the wealthiest bahrana in the Five Kingdoms!””I'm tired of telling you.” Atreus caught Yago's eye, swung his chin toward the Mar,and said, ”Feel free to break an arm if he doesn't give it to you.”Instead of rus.h.i.+ng to obey, the ogre asked, ”You sure about that?” ”What?” Atreus gasped, astonished by Yago's disobedience. ”You can't be with him!”

Yago scowled, clearly insulted. ” 'Course not!” he said. ”I'm just trying to figure outwhy you want to stay ugly for the rest of your life.” The ogre glanced at Ris.h.i.+ andadded, ”He's right about Sune. You know he is. I didn't come all this way to see you go home empty-handed.”

Atreus fell silent, weighing the ogre's opinion and hating himself for it. To evenconsider the possibility that Sune had sent him after the cup was a betrayal of Seema's love, yet the way she continued to struggle in his arms made it clear thatshe believed he had already forsaken her. He glanced down and noticed his blood drops falling into the stream of sparkling water and turning into little beads of gold.Everyone but him, it seemed, knew exactly what the G.o.ddess expected.

”On my heart,” Atreus growled. ”How I wish I could stay.”

”But the Sannyasi will not permit it, and so he deserves what he shall receive.” Ris.h.i.+smirked, then started back up the dais. ”Come along, Yago, and help me retrieve the rest of the treasure.”

”No,” Atreus said, closing his eyes. ”Don't do it.”

Seema stopped struggling, astonished, and Ris.h.i.+ spun on his heel, spraying her andAtreus with a stream of s.h.i.+ning water.

”What?” the Mar demanded.

Atreus opened his eyes again. ”We came to fill the vial.” He pointed his chin towardthe cup. ”Put it back.”

Ris.h.i.+ glared at Seema icily, clearly blaming her for the loss of his fortune. A craftygleam came to his eye.

”You are very clever, good sir. If the water loses its sparkle again, we ca.n.a.lways return for the cup in the morning. But how will you pay me with all your gold lost in the river? Even the clothes on your back are not your own.”

Seema tensed at Ris.h.i.+'s words, but she did not resume her struggle. Though evenAtreus could not say what he would do if the water lost its sparkle again, he sensedthat Seema hoped as much as he that he would not have to make the choice. Heglanced in Yago's direction and nodded.

”Give me that!” Yago's gangling arm lashed out, ripping the cup from Ris.h.i.+'s handsand inadvertently turning it upside down.

It was as though the ogre had punched a hole in the bottom of a lake. A ragingtorrent of water poured from the mouth of the chalice, instantly sweeping the legs out from under Atreus and Ris.h.i.+ and sweeping them down the aisle.

Fearing the Mar would take advantage of the situation, Atreus released Seema andgrabbed Ris.h.i.+ instead. They tumbled a dozen paces down the aisle, before Yagofinally thought to right the cup. The torrent ended as swiftly as it began, depositingAtreus and his captive among the moldy-smelling rugs on a meditation platform.

”There is no need to crush me,” Ris.h.i.+ wheezed. ”You are the ugly one. If you do not want to steal the fountain, then I am as willing as you to leave it behind.”

”I'll believe that when we're back in the Five Kingdoms,” Atreus said.

He glanced up and saw Seema across the aisle, wiping the moldy remnants of acarpet off her cloak. The flood itself had spent its fury was.h.i.+ng onto the meditationplatforms and was slowly draining back into its main channel. Yago stood near the bottom of the dais, holding the cup upright and staring at its gem-studded rim asthough he were clutching a live cobra. In this position, the fountain looked much thesame as any other chalice. There was no water spilling over its rim and only a faintaura s.h.i.+ning up from its interior.

Atreus dragged Ris.h.i.+ over to Yago's side, exchanging the indignant Mar for theplatinum cup.