The Azimar Archives Book One- The Book of Death

Hasani

Hasani woke up to a gentle shoving and Silvana's voice. "Come on, time to get up."

Hasani shied away from her, grumbling under his breath.

Silvana slapped him sharply on his rear, making him grunt in surprise. "I'm sure there are some things you should probably be doing right now besides sleeping, Hasani."

"Not quite yet. I'm still sleeping," he mumbled into his pillow. He heard Silvana sigh, roll out of bed, and walk away. He started drifting away, nearly asleep again.

"Hasani." Silvana's voice was sharp.

"Not quite yet," he mumbled again, pulling the covers over his ears. Great Ones preserve me, I'm exhausted.

"Hasani, come look at this. Now." Her voice was high and tinny, and the fear in her words instantly awoke him.

Hasani rolled out of bed, shuffling his way towards her as fast as his tired legs could carry him.

Silvana stood rooted to the center of the room, one hand pressed against the small bump of her pregnant belly, staring off at some unseen spot on the wall. "Look, the mirror."

On the mantle above the fireplace sat a rather large mirror, a gift he had bought Silvana shortly after they married. The surface of the mirror was foggy, as if someone had breathed heavily on it. And written on the surface was a simple warning.

Leave.

While you still can.

"It's Areanath's handwriting." Hasani pulled the mirror down from the mantle for a closer inspection.

"Areanath? But he's out hunting. How did his handwriting end up on our mirror?"

"I have no idea." With a corner of his tunic, Hasani wiped the surface of the mirror, trying to clear the words away. But they weren't erased. He rubbed the mirror again, a little harder. Still the words remained. "It's not going away."

There was a knock at the door, and Silvana and Hasani both jumped at the noise. Hasani called out apprehensively, "Yes? Who is it?"

"It's me. Mind if I come in?" Ajax sounded anxious, much as Silvana had.

Both Hasani and Silvana breathed a sigh of relief, and Silvana opened to door to let him in.

"Have you seen Nevina?" Ajax asked after a quick kiss on Silvana's cheek.

"The Matriarch? No, of course not. Why?"

"I think she's missing. She mentioned that the would be leaving today to return to the Coven. I stopped by to see if she wanted some company on the way out of time, but no one was there."

Silvana bit her lip. "Could she had left early in the morning?"

"The door was open, and their belongings were still inside."

Hasani rubbed tiredly at his unshaven chin. "I'd bet she was warned to leave as soon as possible."

"Warned?"

Hasani held the mirror up for Ajax to read, casting a glance at his wife. Silvana looked anxiously between the two men, one hand rubbing absently at her belly.

"While you still can?" Ajax asked, brows furrowed. "What is this?"

"Look." Hasani rubbed the sleeve of his tunic over the surface roughly and handed the mirror over to Ajax. "It won't go away."

"Magic," Ajax grumbled. "Who wrote it?"

"I don't understand how, but it looks like Areanath's writing."

"You've got to be mistaken. Areanath is on the Last Hunt. And he doesn't use magic." Ajax shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm sure it Areanath's handwriting." Hasani hurried across the room to the chair sitting at his desk. Across the back lay the vest he had worn the day before. Reaching inside, he pulled out the little book Areanath had given him. He flipped the cover open, holding it for Ajax to see. "Look here, see the E and A, in 'sea' and 'leave'. And the W in 'wings' and 'while'. And --"

"Wait, what the hell is this?" Ajax motioned towards the book.

"This?" Hasani closed the book, turning it over in his hands. "It's a book Areanath gave me to look after. Most of it is blank, but what he did write is fairly cryptic. And a bit poor in quality." Hasani would have chuckled if his nerves weren't so frayed.

"Let's see that first page again." Ajax gently set the mirror aside and motioned for the other two to join him in front of the fireplace.

Hasani obliged, opening the book again and offering it out for Ajax and Silvana to see.

Ajax read aloud:

"To destroy the Evil

The King's death brings.

Seek out the Beast with

Deep Sea Wings."

After a moment, Ajax sighed. "I have no idea."

Hasani snorted. "I told you, he's cryptic. It makes no sense. What 'beasts' is he talking about?"

"Not to mention, there are only so many kings. The elven King, the dwarven King, and Areanath himself. And last I heard, none of them have died recently." Ajax shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps it's just another bad troubadour attempt on Areanath's part."

Hasani shook his head, frowning, "There's more to it than that. I just need some time to puzzle it all out."

"Puzzles and warnings... I don't know what Areanath is thinking, but I'll be glad when he returns and begins to settle back down again. I'm starting to miss the quiet days the summer months usually bring us." Ajax ran a hand through his red hair, glowering.

"When Areanath returns, we'll get to the bottom of this," Hasani said, nodding.

"So we aren't leaving?" Silvana asked warily, casting a glance back at the mirror.

"No," Hasani said. "We stay. And we figure out what this is all supposed to mean."