The Stone Lions (24 page)

The bird regained his balance and preened his
feathers once more before eyeing the awestruck group.

Ara was the first to gain her tongue.
“Suleiman, you’re…well…you’re beautiful. We’re so happy you’re
safe.”

The majestic bird seemed to fill the window.
He stood as high as he had as a dog, but the spread of his wings
was much wider than either girl was tall.

Tahirah relaxed, relief written across her
face. “Welcome, lord of the heavens, you who fly above the clouds
and rule the sky. Suleiman, we rejoice that you are here.”

The eagle pinned her with his glance.
“Gracious Sitti. I should beg your pardon. The lure of the winds
carried me far until I recalled my true nature and my promise.”

Tahirah cocked her head at his tone. “What
made you remember?”

He ruffled the feathers on his shoulders.
“The lions. I recalled there was a lesson to learn. This one is
freedom and responsibility. I came back.”

He spread his wings and hopped down onto the
floor. He landed in a basin of water, splattering droplets. “We
have a task. Let us see to it. We should be teaching glide
reflection, is that not so?” One more hop and he marched across the
stone floor. His talons scraped with each step. “Here, follow me,”
he rasped. “Look at the pattern my feet make as I walk. Yours will
make the same pattern, a glide reflection.”

Ara slipped off her shoes and walked through
the same basin of water before following Suleiman, peering over her
shoulder at the footprints she left. “It looks like a horizontal
reflection, but the footprints aren’t across from one another.”

“Exactly.” Tahirah said. “It is very similar.
The difference is the glide. This pattern moves by first flipping
over a horizontal line and then makes a second motion in which it
slides—or glides—one position forward.”

Ara looked more closely. “Oh, I see. Two
motions, first flip and then slide, have to happen, not just
one.”

The eagle nodded.

Layla, jubilant that Suleiman had returned in
time, dipped her feet in the water and proceeded to dance around
the room. “I like this symmetry,” she said happily, her feet making
running patterns across the floor.

Ara moved behind Tahirah, who was still
seated near the tiles. “Can we make this symmetry with the tiles
now, as we always do?”

Tahirah moved aside and encouraged Ara to
take her place. “Here, take these and create a glide reflection.”
She pointed to six tiles laid upon the floor.

Layla joined Ara, who then whispered in her
ear. They went to work.

Ara placed three tiles across the row, spaced
apart by the size of a single tile while Layla turned the others,
placing each one down across and offset.

The eagle strode over to look. “Good. Now
explain how you did it.”

Layla gave him her shy smile. “I took my
tiles and flipped them over to get the mirror image of Ara’s. Then
I moved them,
glided
them, until they lay
in the in-between spaces.”

“Excellent. That’s what I was hoping for,”
Tahirah said, then glanced uneasily at the sun’s position in the
sky. “One more symmetry lesson completed. It is still early
morning, but you have so little time. We must hurry. It is
important for us to speak with your father before he comes looking
for us. The wazir can be up to no good.”

She turned to the eagle now staring out the
window. “Suleiman, what are you planning on doing? In your current
form, the girls can’t take you with them.”

He spread his wings slightly. “I need to eat.
I returned to keep my promise, but my body aches with hunger. The
small furry ones are often careless in the morning, and I am fast
and sharp-eyed.”

“Stay out of the wazir’s notice. For your
life, Suleiman,” Tahirah warned. “He is desperate, and his magic
surrounds you in whatever form you take. We must not take any
unnecessary chances.”

He hopped up on the windowsill. His gaze
burrowed into her. “Take care yourself. You are here, grounded,
while I fly free. Use caution, Sufi. Good hunting.” He spread his
huge wings and was gone.

Tahirah looked startled by his counsel. “I’ll
send a servant to find the sultan. We must deal with this the best
we can. It will be noticed that the hound is gone.”

She bit her lip in concern. “You two need to
keep close to the harem. I’ll walk you back on my way to speak with
your father. While this may not be a pleasant conversation with
your father, Abd al-Rahmid may be unable to contain his fury when
he sees his quarry has flown. He will be looking not only for
Suleiman but also for you.”

Chapter 35

As the three entered the Hall of the Kings,
Maryam came rushing to greet them, her hijab flowing. “Layla, Ara,
I am so sorry about yesterday. Nothing we did would dissuade the
wazir. Your father was very exasperated with him.”

Ara looked around at the empty hall. “Where
is my father?”

“He is closeted with his advisors and can’t
be interrupted. Some Christians have been speaking with him since
the last prayer.” She clasped and unclasped her hands. “There is a
crisis in the mountains not far from here. The town of Lindejarras
was torched by renegades. People died, and a caravan traveling
through was ransacked.”

Tahirah jerked in surprise. “How could that
be? I would have heard.”

“It must be so.” Maryam said. “The foreign
men rode hard much of the night to bring him this news. The roads
are not safe. Who knows when the next attack might take place.”

Tahirah closed her eyes. “I have friends
there. I pray to Allah they were not harmed.”

“The wazir claims this was inevitable, what
with the small number of troops guarding the mountain passes. It is
odd, is it not?”

Layla’s mother glanced at Ara. “Your father
said he must be off immediately. The decision about the dog will
have to wait until he returns.”

Tahirah frowned. “The sultan is leaving today
for the mountains?”

Maryam nodded. “He’s preparing to leave now.
He wishes to inspect the damage for himself. Even though the
mercenaries are gone, he needs to meet with the local officials to
aid them in refortifying the town and securing the pass. The
caravan carried much needed supplies, wool and dates from Morocco.
He wants to see how he can help, how it happened.”

Tahirah looked away before casually asking,
“Is the wazir going with him?”

Layla’s mother shifted. “No, and I’m glad. He
apologized to the
shaykh
, right before the
messengers arrived. Still, yesterday’s incident was unfortunate.”
She scanned the room before saying quietly, “I don’t adhere to
spreading fear and rumor, but as you know”—she looked directly in
Tahirah’s eyes— “Suleiman is missing. And strange and discomforting
things seem to happen when the wazir is near. I worry for your
safety,” she said in a rush. “He is an ambitious man, and there are
things in his past…”

Tahirah moved forward to take Maryam’s hand.
“You are right to be concerned, but take comfort that I have
resources of my own. Be assured that I will be safe.”

A small shudder ran through Maryam. “I
shouldn’t have spoken. The wazir overreacted, that’s all. He’s been
agitated lately. He apologized, so it is over. Nonetheless, I’m
glad he’s off hunting today.”

“Hunting?” Tahirah asked in her mildest
voice.

“Yes, raptors. It seems an eagle has been
carrying off young livestock.”

Layla drew in a sharp breath as her mother
continued. “He took his bow and arrows and went off with a few
soldiers. The two foreigners joined him. Odd, after traveling for
so long.” She looked thoughtful. “Perhaps it will do some good for
the wazir to be away.”

“Hunting an eagle?” Ara asked.

Maryam nodded. “I must get back now. Is there
anything I can do for you? Would you like to see the dog now? I
could try to arrange for you to visit.”

Layla eyes widened in panic, while Ara
improvised, “I think we shouldn’t disturb him. We’ll wait until
Father gets back.”

“Well, if there’s nothing more I can do, I’ll
take my leave of you.”

Once Layla’s mother disappeared into the
palace, Ara turned to Tahirah. “He’s trying to kill Suleiman, isn’t
he?”

The mathemagician looked off toward the
mountains before nodding. “I’m afraid so. Somehow the wazir knows
Suleiman has become an eagle. There is no eagle killing livestock.
It’s an excuse. The Alhambra’s magic is tied to Suleiman, and time
is running out for the wazir.”

Ara stared off to the mountains, panicked.
Layla looked down, trying to hide her tears.

“One problem resolved, and another created.”
Tahirah shook her head. “But we must not give in to despair. Even
should he find Suleiman, eagles soar very high, higher than most
can shoot.” She gave the girls an encouraging pat. “Quickly now,
you must search for the glide reflections. I will attempt to locate
Suleiman by my magic and call him back. I don’t know how successful
I will be in contacting an eagle, but I must try.” She shook her
head again. “Evil mathemagics wastes so much time and energy. So
great a misuse of Allah’s wisdom.” She turned to leave, enveloped
in her cloak. “Come to my rooms if you need me before you find the
broken glide reflection. May Suleiman return soon,
inshallah
. Remember,” she looked at them sharply. “Stay
away from the wazir!”

Ara tried to concentrate on where best to
start. But visions of an eagle, wounded, lying crumpled on the
ground, kept flitting in. Layla stood, looking back in the
direction of her mother’s leave-taking.

“I should tell her,” she murmured to her
cousin. “But she would worry so.”

Ara looked toward the palace. “Tomorrow.
Tomorrow we tell her and my father everything. He will be back,
Suleiman will be human again, and the wazir…” She hesitated.
“Father
must
return by tomorrow,” she
hissed, rubbing her forehead. “Let’s get started.” She turned one
last time to search the sky for Suleiman before going inside.

Their time in the Hall of the Kings yielded
nothing. Ara noticed tiny cracks in the ceilings that were hidden
within the drawings that adorned the room. She shivered,
afraid.

They rushed through the Court of the Lions
and passed the great carved doors of the Hall of the Abencerrajes.
Sunlight poured into the room through the star-cut ceiling. They
walked slowly around the low fountain and looked at every row of
tiles, hoping a glide reflection design would leap out. Ara chose
the north wall, while Layla focused on the south end of the
room.

Ara found herself unable to focus. The wazir
is going to kill Suleiman, she thought. Suleiman is busy searching
for food, and he doesn’t know the wazir is hunting him. What if
Suleiman becomes lost and doesn’t return?