CHAPTER 18Heraj opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.
He had the grandfather of all headaches. He attempted to recall the spell against headaches, but it eluded him. He tried several others, but none of them would come out right. Evidently the blow at the base of his skull had somewhat addled his memory. He closed his eyes and resignedly waited for the thumping ache to pass.
He heard shouts of fear in other rooms, and then after a minute or two Pepi’s voice nearby said plaintively, “Don’t you think you might remove that blade now?”
Pepi was Heraj’s favorite brother. He seemed to be in trouble. Heraj made a valiant effort and rolled his head, ache and all, to one side, opening his eyes as he did so. He saw the soles of Mufaddal’s cheap shoes, in the left one of which was a large hol
