Gilgamesh and the Golden Palace of Za-Hadrash - Introduction - Part Seven

 Previous installments:

• Introduction - Part One
• Introduction - Part Two
• Introduction - Part Three
• Introduction - Part Four
• Introduction - Part Five
• Introduction - Part Six

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A clearing came into view, lit by twinkling lights of varying hues that seemed to be emitted by glowing fireflies that moved in swarms through the trees. There were several firepits, also, arranged around a central mound with a flattish top. Around the summit of the mound, was a ring of colourful toadstools. Three naked young women, all very beautiful, with hair like tangles of vines and greenish-hued skin were dancing wildly within this circle to music that was being played by a number of musicians sat around one of the fires. One of them was a harpist with copper-coloured hair who looked almost human aside from his pointed ears and somewhat angular features, and eyebrows that rose up at the corners. Though they did not inhabit his lands, Gilgamesh was well traveled enough to recognize an elf. There was also a man with goat’s legs and horns who pranced about as he played on a set of reed pipes. A goblin drummer. A startlingly fetching girl with an elfin face framed by masses of dark curls, wearing a pearl-studded bodice and boots, who plucked on the strings of a mandolin with amazing skill as she danced about. Some tiny half-human, half-cricket creatures played on fiddles, flying overhead. Their audience was a motley gathering of other folk of all different shapes and sizes, some with wings that flitted about, sometimes appearing and disappearing out of nowhere, playfully conjuring dancing lights or faerie fire’ing each other. There were two large humanoids that might have been ogres, or half-ogres, which were familiar beings to the folk of Uruk though almost universally regarded as a dangerous menace. A few half-horse, half-human creatures pranced about in the firelight, whooping savagely. Many of these strange folk were dancing around the firepits or the sides of the mound. There was an infectious quality to the music, and the listening expedition from Uruk found themselves gently compelled to join in; it took an effort of will to resist. Ur-Zababa came close to failing that test, but managed to pull himself together and maintain his warrior discipline.

A very handsome brunette woman paced about, talking with someone here, dancing playfully with someone else there as she made her rounds, flighty and yet with something of an air of graceful leadership about her. She might almost have been taken to be the woman they sought, but she did not fit the profile. She had an extremely large bear, of dire aspect, as a companion, lumbering along beside her. The trees seemed almost to bow slightly to her as she passed them, and she nodded her respects in turn.

None of this seemed to quite gel with the ideas they had had in their minds about the subjects or followers of the so-called “King of the Sea People”.

“Perhaps this matchmaker dwells far away from him, after all. Still, she will be a useful hostage and source of information.” whispered Gilgamesh.

“I am not detecting significant signs of evil in the hearts of these creatures, my King” said Ur-Zababa. “One or two have slightly malign auras but probably no worse than commonplace meanness of spirit or bullying natures. And those are much the minority of them.”

“There are ways to hide such things, though” whispered Sumu-Abum.

A flitting shape appeared hovering just beneath their party, a small waifish girl with dragonfly wings and long red hair. She laughed, and uttered some words that Gilgamesh understood:

“I know you’re up there, silly. Come down, don’t be shy.” And they all of them felt the intrusion of her mind-reading gaze sweep over them…

“Fall back, everyone! Fall back!” the King ordered. And they beat a hasty retreat with all swiftness.
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Sumu was apologetic. “I fear my thought detection was itself detected.”

“Did you learn aught of use to us?”

“I…don’t think that little flying girl has laid bare the secrecy of our mission. It is almost as if she were entirely unsurprised that there are invisible beings around. We were not being scanned by her long enough for her to have picked up our thoughts in detail.

“I could not read all of the creatures down there. Some are resistant to magic, others strong willed. They are undisciplined and fearless, in a convivial mood. Many are intoxicated, and they were thus easier to read, though less coherent. There is much mischief in some minds. But no-one that I read had any thoughts about this fishy King Sunaeco, or your sweetheart Mishari Al-Khalifa, or anything about Uruk, or the Palace of Za-Hadrash. Many were feeling a mood of anticipation, however, and I picked up thoughts of excitement concerning a golden-haired dancer, just as the matchmaker was described, and yes, I picked up the name ‘Serise’. No, more than just excitement – reverence, she is their idol. I think she is expected to make an appearance very soon.”

“Hmmm. The woman with the bear?”

“She is greatly respected by all who had any thoughts about her that I could detect. An authority figure. As for her, she batted my Detect Thoughts aside. With a brief glance of admonishment my way, unless I imagined it. But she wasn’t perturbed, it is as if she expects it.”

Gilgamesh frowned in mild consternation. “None of this is quite as expected. We know from our divinations that the last creature to have seen this King Sunaeco, is in the lands of Uruk, or was at the time we left, which incriminates him. The woman Serise, we know is here somewhere, and will make an appearance soon. These folk have no wicked intent, though for all we know, she might. By her association with the villainous Sunaeco, she may simply have a mercenary nature. Both worked to further the goals of Elysium, but again perhaps merely mercenaries paid a share of the spoils. Serise of the golden hair is most likely here as a paid entertainer for this motley bunch, who mean nothing to the King of the Sea Folk. The goal must remain, to find his stronghold that we may counter-threaten him.”

Sumu-Abum coughed. “Might we try a diplomatic approach, sire?”

“Ever the peacemaker, Sumu. Much as I would like to do that, here is the problem: what if we walk up to this woman and say hello, and she realizes who we are and takes flight at the first sight of us?! Where will that leave us? This is no stronghold, it is just a gap in the woods; it has no value, and if she is only here to dance for these people, she won’t care about them. We will have no leverage and she will just run. We can’t track her with divinations, we know that. The ‘last creature to see her’ trick won’t work again, not in time for our purposes anyway; the oracular shedu Lidunnamu can only use his power of Discern Location once a sevenday. We’ll have come all this way for nothing. No, it is too risky. We must use the element of surprise and seize her, carry her off as hostage. Then we will interrogate her, and if she can prove she is innocent of wrongdoing and gives us the information we require about her man Sunaeco, we’ll set her free and I’ll compensate her for her trouble.”

“Very wise as always, O my King” replied Sumu.

“And Ur-Zababa, how about we make a grab for bear-lady while we are about it, too, she looks quite the prize! She would make you a fine bride. If I were not already pursuing this Janni princess I could settle for her myself. And maybe that gorgeous little mandolin player for you, Sumu. Another I could go for, but a bit too small for my manly dimensions.”

Ed-Wyna groaned. “Here we go again…”