فصل 29

CHAPTER 29

URGENT NEWS

IN A HUGE, DOMED CHAMBER decorated with golden drapes, King Zarboff was soaking in a gleaming copper bathtub big enough to hold a horse. Zarboff, a substantial man who filled most of the tub, sloshed the foaming water over the edge when he moved. Four servant boys, including Slightly, stood by with jugs of hot water to keep the temperature exactly to the king’s liking. From time to time the boys glanced nervously toward a large straw basket at the foot of the tub; inside it was Kundalini, the king’s pet snake. The boys were all thinking of the time when one of the servants had poured a bit too much hot water into the king’s bath.…

The bath-chamber door opened. A guard entered.

“Your Highness King Zarboff the Third!” he said, giving the three-finger salute.

“How dare you disturb my bath?” Zarboff snapped.

“There’s a visitor to see you,” said the guard, his voice quavering, eyes darting to Kundalini’s wicker basket. “He claims to carry urgent news from the port of Ashmar.”

“It had better be urgent,” growled Zarboff. “Send him in.” He waved his hand at the young servants, dismissing them.

The boys followed the guard out. Slightly was last in line—but he didn’t leave the chamber. At the door, he glanced around quickly to make sure the king wasn’t looking, then ducked behind one of the enormous golden drapes.

A few moments later the guard returned, followed by a man who showed signs of having ridden hard across the desert—his clothes full of sand and dust, his turban discolored by sweat and dirt.

“Your Highness King Zarboff the Third!” he said, saluting. “My name is Jibran. I am the son of…”

“I don’t care who you are,” said Zarboff, lathering his left foot. “What is your urgent news?”

“A ship,” said Jibran. “It arrived in Ashmar this day.”

“Many ships arrive in Ashmar.”

“This ship carried Englishmen.”

Zarboff paused while washing his toes and looked at Jibran. “How do you know this?”

“I saw the ship, Your Excellency. I was there, in Ashmar. I have ridden here to bring you this news.”

“What else?”

“An Englishman disguised himself and left the ship, where he joined another—a man I recognized. His name is Bakari.”

Zarboff’s foot splashed back into the tub. “Bakari? You are certain?

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And where are they now, these men?”

Jibran shifted nervously, swallowed, then said, “Your Highness, it is my understanding that this information is quite valuable. And as I am a poor man and have risked much to bring this news to Your Highness, I was wondering if there might be, that is, if Your Highness could possibly…”

“You seek a reward,” interrupted Zarboff, his voice unusually soft.

Emboldened by that softness, Jibran said, “It seems only right, Your Highness.”

Zarboff stared at Jibran for several seconds. Then he smiled. This was also unusual.

“All right, then,” he said. “You shall have your reward.” He gripped the sides of the tub and began to lift himself, shouting, “Towels!”

Instantly, the servant boys, who had been waiting outside, scurried in carrying huge swatches of gold-dyed cotton. As they passed, Slightly ducked out from behind the drapes and joined them. They wrapped Zarboff in the towels and helped him fit his large, hairy feet into gold-embroidered slippers.

“Guard!” bellowed Zarboff.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Fetch Lord Ombra,” said Zarboff.

The guard went pale. “Yes, Your Highness,” he said. He turned and trotted from the chamber.

Zarboff turned back to Jibran. “When Lord Ombra arrives, you will tell us all you know.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” said Jibran. “And…the reward?”

“Oh yes,” said Zarboff, smiling again. “You will get exactly what you deserve.”