Interlude 14. Somewhere In The Sultanate…

Interlude 14. Somewhere In The Sultanate...

Aisha huffed. Darn husk just wouldn't move! That narrow passage between the two houses was the most convenient way to the well, and the husk just would not step out of it. She knew better than try to manhandle the dead body chock-full of magical bees, but nothing else she tried registered with the darn thing. As it was, she was forced to circle around the whole quarter, adding more than twice over to her overall path. Which, while you were unladen, was not that much of a deal, but mattered a whole lot when you were walking back with a heavy clay jug of water on your head!

She snorted and turned away from the annoyance resolutely. The fear she used to have when the curse descended had long ago abated into a dull apathy. The rules were simple. So long as you did not grasp a weapon or a flower, dead would leave you be. Mostly. As the third son of Ahmed-bey Masoud had amply demonstrated, simply being up to no good is also a no-no. Thinking it up is fine, acting on it? Well. Right until the moment you raise your hand to someone else, then it's bees. Cadavers allowed a certain leeway, while at that - facsimile casting was permitted, for all the good that drawn or folded flowers could do. Using knives for cooking or craft was also permissible, so long as you left the knife where you were working with it or packed it up with other tools before going anywhere.ptying the full jug into the basin in the middle of the yard, Aisha sighed. It would take a lot more trips before she could honestly say there is enough for the needs of the household. A lot more. In a fit of pique, she grabbed the other jug and as she passed by the husk blocking the passage, she thrust the jug into its hands, snapping - "'ajaeal nafsak mfydana, ealaa alaql!2 [Make yourself useful, at least!] " It grasped the jug, making those weird slurping-buzzing noise the husks usually emitted. Then, much to her surprise and alarm, it began following her. Blinking, Aisha turned back to the yard, circled around the basin and... YES. The thing followed her! Fine then. Using the freed passage, she ran towards the well, filled her jug and trotted back as quickly as she could before the mindless thing could change its absent mind and block the passage again. Much to her flabbergasted surprise, it actually brought in the full jug and emptied it into the basin right after her. Intrigued, Aisha set the jug aside and stood aside to watch. And it was worth watching, alright! The husk would shamble over to the well, shamble back in and empty the jug into the basin, then immediately depart for the next portion.

"Ya lilfurh. Alan ealay 'an 'ashrah hdha bitariqat ma.3 [Oh joy. Now I have to explain this somehow.] " - she muttered, considering the suddenly helpful husk with a baleful eye. On one hand, it was unusual, and therefore possibly dangerous. On other... The possibilities. Now it all hinged on if she could dupe the husks into fulfilling some of the other menial chores...