By evening they had covered more than half the distance to Alexandria,
and Godwin was persuaded to halt for a few hours of rest, the horses
being weary with plunging through sand for such a long spell. "We'll
ride again with the moon's zenith," said Godwin, as he went about
picketing the horses. "Perhaps we can make the city by midday
tomorrow."
Ramizail went off and stood by herself. "Mihrjan," she said softly.
"I am here, Beloved of Allah."
"Mihrjan, I'm sick of the same dreary food day after day. Godwin
maintains that gentlemen rovers should fare roughly, to toughen their
bodies. But I'm not a gentleman."
"Assuredly thou art not," said the invisible djinni, respect and male
admiration nicely blended in his great voice.
"Then spread me a real feast! I want _couscous_, with almond stuffing,
and wild rice, and some lemon juice, and certainly some white bread."
"Thy will is sweet, Mistress."
"Then oranges, and _asida_, and sugar. And about three gallons of
sherbet. And Mihrjan, do you remember the time you brought me that
confection out of a far time? The one you called silk chocolate?"
"Milk chocolate, O Daughter of All Delights."
"Bring me some of that, too. Put the meal on a damask cloth, with blue
gauze to wipe the mouth, and the vessels must all be of purest crystal
with gold rims."
"To hear is to obey, Little Queen of My Tribe."
"Be sure there's plenty for all of us, with a bowl of mice for Godwin's
falcon Yellow-eyes, and remember that my lord and master eats like
two-thirds of a regiment."
"Give me but four minutes, Mistress, and you shall see it spread
beneath the trees of this oasis, beside the clear spring that bubbles
through the sand."
She strolled back to her uncle and her betrothed, a secret smile on her
lips. In the specified four minutes a banquet popped into sight just
beside them. Godwin jumped.
"What the devil!"
"I'm hungry," said Ramizail, at once on the defensive.
"Mihrjan!" said Godwin, glaring at her. "You had him do this. How often
must I tell you my sentiments concerning all this magic, witch-wench?"
"Never again, Godwin dear, for I know them by heart."
"Ramizail," he said angrily, his eyes sparkling blue, "this is going
to stop here and now. When you gave me the ring, and thus shared your
power over the djinn with me, you promised not to command Mihrjan to do
anything I didn't approve of."
"Oh, well," grumbled the girl, "I'm hungry for real food!"
"Ramizail, give me the sigil!"
Her eyes blazed back at his. "Come and take it, you big oaf!"
El Sareuk leaned against a date palm and smiled to himself. It was
always a toss-up as to which of these iron-willed people would win an
argument. Godwin strode over to the girl, upsetting a goblet of pale
pink sherbet with his foot, and took her by the shoulders. She hit him
on the nose. He turned her over and smacked her on her lightly-clad
bottom. She screeched and bit his leg. He dropped her on the sand and
sat on her.
Mihrjan, invisible but no more than three feet from them, laughed
deeply.
El Sareuk said to Yellow-eyes, the old peregrine falcon, who was
sitting on his shoulder watching the brawl, "Thy master has met, if not
his match, at least a very worthy foe!"
* * * * *
Godwin, after a great deal of fumbling, got hold of the sigil where it
hung on a chain round her neck, and opened the clasp and took it off.
"Bully!" shrieked Ramizail. "Swaggering, bragging, girl-defeating
bully! Give me that back!"
"Not a chance," said Godwin equably. He moved over and sat in the small
of her back. He locked the sigil into the ring he wore on his little
finger, and the designs of each caught the other and made a single lump
of gold. "Now," he said, "I control the djinn."
"Have them transport me to the Isles of the Western Sea," said the girl
savagely, "or by the Crescent and Cross, Godwin, I'll murder you when I
get up!"
"Nothing so drastic. Mihrjan!"
"Yes, Lord?"
"I control you now absolutely, don't I?"
"Yes, Lord."
"You follow us for love, I know, but we can't really command you unless
one of us holds both these baubles, isn't that so?"
"'Tis so, one of a Hundred Monarchs, though thou knowest I would
answer any summons thou or my mistress made, Solomon's Seal or no. But
the sigil and ring are life's and death's powers over me."
"Well, Mihrjan, you know my sentiments about the whole business, and
by the mass, I'm growing weary of these tricks of hers. She's always
having you save me when there's no need, and stepping in when I have a
chance at a fight, and making banquets, and showing off your magic as
if it were her own. So I want you to go away, Mihrjan."
"Lord?" said the djinn, disturbed and bewildered.
"Well, look, hang it all, I like you, I think you're a splendid chap,
really, but this magic gets on my nerves. Now go on away, go besiege a
castle, or throw an oyster fry, or take a wife, or something. We have
the sigil and ring if we really need you, old fellow, but meantime
please do go home. I'm sick of this soft living Ramizail forces on me
by your thaumaturgy."
The djinni chuckled. "I see thy point, O King. I go. Remember that the
Seal calls me to you in an eye's winking if need arises."
"It'll probably arise, if I know my luck, but I hope it won't.
Good-bye, old fellow."
"Farewell, Master. Fare thee well, Moon of Incredible Beauty." There
was a swishing noise, a faint scent of attar touched their nostrils,
and the air rushed into a sudden-made vacuum beside them. The Moon of
Incredible Beauty said ferociously, "If you don't let me up, you son of
a jackal, I'll bite you in a vulnerable spot and you won't sit down for
a week."
Godwin stood up. Ramizail rolled over and eyed him. There was malice in
the gaze, but Godwin only laughed. He tossed her the sigil. She hung it
round her neck.
"I'll hide the ring, kitten, so you can't steal it when I'm asleep. Now
you're a plain woman, and by our lady, you'll stay that way!"
"What about the banquet?" said she. "I'm surprised you didn't have him
take it back."
"Ah well, a man does now and again grow tired of figs and biscuits and
water. We'll eat it. Just this once."
They all sat down, El Sareuk gave thanks to Allah and Godwin to his
deity for the sumptuous repast, and they fell to. Yellow-eyes dipped
her scarred, notched beak into her bowl of plump mice, and emitted a
cry of pleasure. Everybody ate until four bellies well nigh burst with
good food. Then they rolled up in their rugs and went to sleep.