'Where's that Sky Warrior?'
'Just coming, Majesty.'
The girls adjusted his clothing and propelled him down a corridor. Steam billowed from a doorway at the far end. He went towards it and poked his head through the opening. The air, inside, was hot and humid. He wiped his eyes and saw the queen. She was sitting on a wooden bench with her legs in a tub of hot water. Braziers of glowing coals stood on either side.
He went through a series of respectful gestures: throwing out his clock and touching his forehead. He had no problem with the tribal rituals. The old woman was worthy of respect. She was in poor health but invincible. There were times when he saw the young woman she had once been.
Or, was it the goddess within her?
Whatever it was he saw it now. A young girl stared at him through the steam and grew into an adult before his eyes. One moment her face was gentle, the next fierce. It was never frivolous. Changing all the time. He blinked and saw her as she now was. The limbs that had been young and vital were racked with pain.
She held up her swollen arthritic hands.
'Do the people of your former realm have a cure for old age?'
Tom inclined his head. 'They do not have a cure but they have remedies that can greatly relieve its afflictions.'
'Then you have truly left a blessed place,' she coughed. 'I often wonder why you came here.'
'Let us say the Holy Mother brought us here ... me and my young companion.'
'Hgh.' the old woman grunted. 'Let us hope that the Holy Lady has a place in her Great Plan for your young companion and my poor son, Fury. They have fled into the marshes and found sanctuary with the witch, Miralda.'
'So I understand, Majesty.' Tom nodded. 'I am informed that they are in possession of Balduur's head. The Princess Adrina sent them on a mission.'
'So it would seem, Sky Warrior.'
She picked up an earthenware bottle and poured a liberal quantity of oil into a tub of hot water. The room was filled with pungent fumes. Perspiration ran down Tom's forehead and he slipped off his cloak. He was wondering how much more clothing he could discard when the queen reached for a linen cloth.
'What news do you have of my daughter?'
'I am told that the princess has been seen amongst your own warriors, dressed as a boy, Majesty. There are reports of her being with Morgon's men disguised as a stable lad and yet others of her being with King Pius in her usual clothes.'