Beneath Ceaseless Skies #74, July 28, 2011
“In the Garden of the Night” by Siobhan Carroll
“Ink and Blood” by Marko Kloos
Reviewed by Sherry Decker
“In the Garden of the Night” by Siobhan Carroll
Written in first person, Ayla tells of palace life as a concubine, and of the intrigues and scheming ambitions of those owned and controlled by the beloved Prince. First off, the writing is wonderful. It’s poetic and melodious and I was drawn in from the first word.
Nakshedil is a beautiful, sixteen-year-old favorite of the Prince. Nakshedil means embroidered on the sleeve, but from the shadows, the other, jealous concubines call her the Great Whore or the Viper. They are afraid she will do what a previous favorite did years ago — have all other concubines killed. They whisper insults as Nakshedil dances for their beloved Prince before the court. “She looks like a fishbone,” one remarks, noting Nakshedil’s visible ribs.
Ayla is known as a witch. She was once a favorite, but now she worries about her own ten-year-old daughter, sitting with the other slaves. Ayla’s goal is to protect her daughter from the evils of the court. She doesn’t want her daughter to be a concubine. As a wife, her daughter would have more security and prestige.
Everyone has secrets. The General imagines himself taking over if the Prince should die. He knows Nakshedil whispers ideas into the Prince’s ear, and the Prince listens. The General hires Ayla to poison Nakshedil. Ayla, knowing there is extreme danger in agreeing to do this, or in saying no, demands four things as payment – a jug of whitewater disguised as wine, her daughter’s marriage to the General’s youngest son, to take place in an open place, a demon stone, and the honored skull of the General’s greatest ancestor.
The last item was a clever diversion. Ayla knows the General will refuse to give her the skull of an ancestor. In truth, she doesn’t need it. The General agrees to the first three items and Ayla sets in motion the murderous plan. She is not allowed to see her daughter’s wedding to the General’s son.
There is always a price to pay for murder and Ayla has known since first arriving at the palace as a girl, this day would come. She has schooled her daughter as well as she could in the rare, secretive moments they’ve had together. And now Ayla uses her wisdom and skills as a witch to perform her greatest feat.
This story deserves to be read more than once. This story has such beautiful writing, it could become a classic.
“Ink and Blood” by Marko Kloos
Young Wilhelm is a chubby fifteen-year-old boy who works in his father’s paper and ink shop. It is against the law to sell paper and ink to a Wealdling. Wealdlings are sorcerers and they live a day’s walk outside of town. The Wealdlings are easy to identify because they dress as if only knowing the proper way of dressing from vague descriptions.
A pretty Wealdling Wilhelm’s age enters and he is smitten. He sells her the forbidden ink, paper and two pens. She almost pays too much, using valuable gold coins, but Wilhelm gives her the correct change. He wraps her purchases with sturdy paper and purple ribbon, since she favored the purple ink. He is sorry to see her leave.
At lunch Wilhelm spots the girl again down the street and follows her. She is accompanied by an old man, also dressed in odd clothing. Wilhelm returns to the paper and ink shop with reluctance, but at closing time he sees flashing lights and hears explosions and spots the old Wealdling casting spells in the middle of town, using squares of paper Wilhelm sold the girl earlier in the day. Wilhelm knows it’s a matter of time before he is accused of the crime.
The old Wealdling is shot and killed and Wilhelm rescues the terrified girl. He hides her inside the paper and ink shop all night. In the morning she is gone, although the doors and windows are all locked tight. She has left a whole sack of the gold coins for him, and it is a fortune.
The ending is also as a beginning. This story reads like the first chapter of a fantasy novel. It is sweet, well written and enjoyable.