Chapter 3
The desert may not have been as hot as I was expecting, but the brightness far exceeded anything I could have dreamt of. Sunrise dawned cold and clear, and a million tiny grains of sand blazed to life, dancing with luminescence. It was impossible to sleep any longer. The men too were awake and preparing the horses for our trip across the desert to Niacinth.
I thought wistfully about little Nevella, the mare who had carried me this far. I'd grown rather fond of the horse, who after all could not be blamed or held responsible for my current situation. Once we reached the palace, I'd probably never see her again, and she was the closest to a friend I had now. I approached her and stroked her nose.
As if he could sense my thoughts, Tuluk stepped behind me. "Soon you won't be riding the horse anymore. You'll be riding the king's cock and begging for more, just like your whore of a mother." I whirled to face him, hate seething through me.
"You're a monster, just like your brother. I'd lay with the king a hundred times if it meant I could convince him to punish the two of you for her death." It was a lie, of course. Secretly, I was terrified Tuluk was right, and my body would betray me by enjoying the king's ministrations. I could not bear the thought of voluntarily subjecting myself to it, even for vengeance for my mother's death.
Tuluk's face twisted in rage. "You little bitch, I should finish you off here. I'll give you something to put in your pretty little mouth first, so you won't be able to talk." He grabbed his groin suggestively, and I recoiled, pressing my back against Nevella as if the horse could protect me.
We were interrupted by one of the soldiers, Danin. "Laurent has asked me to get the seer onto her horse," he said, and knelt before me, cupping his hands for me to use as a step. Though Nevella was not as tall as the other horses, she was still a good way off the ground, and I had not yet mastered the knack of swinging a leg over on my own, encumbered by my skirts as I was. I clambered aboard and looked at Tuluk, almost eye to eye now, before I turned Nevella toward Captain Laurent. Ironic that the man in charge of my capture had now become my protector. I briefly toyed with the idea of making a final escape attempt.
"Don't even think about it," said Laurent, as I gazed back behind us. "If you try and run off now, I will tie your hands and feet, throw you over my horse, and carry you into the oasis like a sack of grain. You know it's futile anyway."
I did know. I hoped once we reached the palace, the confusion of people and general clamor might offer me a better attempt. "I was only looking at the scenery one last time," I said, and it was not a complete lie, for though the foliage here consisted mostly of scrub brush and a few oddly spiky trees, the scenery before us was sand, and more sand, with only gentle dunes to break it up. It was strange to see the whole landscape in one endless sea of brown.
"You should cover yourself," said Laurent, and pulled my blanket free of the saddle. "Put it over your head and keep as much of your body covered as possible. The sun will burn you."
Reluctant though I was to follow his advice, I took the blanket and draped it over my head, holding it clasped in front of me with one hand. It felt odd to be so covered when the weather was perfectly clear and warm, but I'd had enough sunburns as a girl to appreciate the very real threat they presented. The day was heating quickly, and the sun was already beating off the sand. Nevella seemed to know we were close to home, for she was antsy and anxious to be off.
Once the last soldier was astride, Laurent gave the order and we were off, riding through the desert, riding to my final humiliation and loss of freedom. I would escape, I vowed, as the horses skimmed over the sand. I will escape and be free again, if it takes the rest of my life.
**
At long last, Niacinth appeared on the horizon.
"If she was any further away, we would have had to ride camels. Have you ever seen a camel?" asked Alvidus, from his usual riding position next to me. I shook my head. "They are like great tall horses with an enormous hump on their back," he explained. "And very smelly." I couldn't help a small grin at his description. Under other circumstances, how exciting this would have been! To ride to a new location, see new people, new animals, and experience a new culture. How much would I see as the king's satiety prophet? Would I be kept imprisoned constantly, only to be brought out when the king had need of me?
"We'll bring you to the king first. He'll be very pleased that you've made the trip intact." I didn't know whether he meant as a virgin or unharmed, but it didn't really make a difference either way. "Then, once he's seen you, we'll send you to the bathing rooms and let you wash the dirt of travel off." The thought of a bath filled me with longing. I'd done minimal scrubbing of arms and legs in streams a few times on our journey here, but I'd not removed my dress for a proper wash in weeks. Oh, to be clean!
"I expect you'll meet Jaslyn," continued Alvidus, "And she can give you some advice on what to expect. We'll get you dressed and outfitted as properly fits your new station. The king ordered your suite of rooms prepared before we left; though, at the time, we thought it would be your mother coming back." Mother. At least she was spared this indignity. Perhaps I would not be kept under lock and key constantly, after all, if I was to have a suite of rooms all to myself. All the better to plan an escape.
"And then of course, the king will hold a ceremony for your first, ah, prophecy in his court, probably today or tomorrow." For my forcible rape, he meant. I tried to put it from my mind. Better to focus on how to escape before it came to that.
Niacinth loomed ever closer. She was elevated higher than the surrounding desert, and we wound up her wide, curving path to the top. All too soon we had reached her gates. It felt strange to see people after so long on our journey; the soldiers had avoided any contact with others. I felt eyes upon me as we were waved through the gates. It was so much larger than I had imagined - the palace, the city, the oasis, all of it. The buildings were constructed of some kind of stone brick, but it was the lush greenness that was most surprising. After the stark bareness of the desert, the verdant greenery was a sight to behold. My blanket fell away from my head, the better to look around. There were strange trees - tall with a rough bark, and fronds of green sprouting all from the top. There seemed to be several different varieties; some were short and squat, while others had fruit of some kind and still others were massive around, the size of three men standing back-to-back. I could see fields of what looked like grain in the distance.
"She is a sight, is she not, O Seer?" asked Alvidus. I merely nodded, drinking in the view. The palace was visible from the far reaches of the city, a mighty group of towers rising far above the trees. The road we were on seemed to lead directly there. All along the way, I felt the stares of the city's residents. I thought about reaching out, calling to them for help, but they would never dare to do anything with the soldiers surrounding me as they were. Likely I would only get them into trouble. I kept my head high and rode on. Sooner than I would have liked, we were at the palace gates.
"Laurent, you've returned successful!" congratulated one of the gate guards. "The king will see you - all of you, in his throne room." Laurent nodded curtly and we rode to the doors of the palace. Laurent dismounted, then turned to my horse, offering me hand to help me down. I accepted. Already I was the focus of much attention, it would be embarrassing to fall off the horse ungracefully, as was my wont. He did not release my hand, but used it to guide me toward the open doors of the palace. The doorway itself was huge, the doors as tall as two men standing each other's shoulders. We entered a cavernous hallway, the rest of the soldiers and Alvidus close behind. When we reached the far end, a servant opened the door for us and we stepped through.
It was clear this was the throne room. There were a number of people present, milling about and making conversation. Some were seated at a table against the wall, consulting rolls of some kind of paper. In the middle, a man seated on a throne was leaning on his arm, looking utterly bored with the soldier standing before him. He saw us enter and stood up.
"Captain Laurent, you've returned!" He strode across the floor, his pleasure written across his face. "And has your journey been successful?" He inquired. He looked at me. "Surely this is not Leonore."
"No, my king," spoke up Alvidus. "This is Anissa, her daughter. She too has the gift."
"Leonore is dead," said Laurent. "Lost to us by the foolishness of Baram."
"What foolishness is this?" The king's face had lost every ounce of pleasure, replaced by a cold wrath. His eyes were calculating, like a snake's.
"She attacked me, my king," said Baram, stepping forward. His face was partially healed, but he kept his eye covered. It was dead in in its socket; he would never see with it again. "I was only trying to have the reward I was promised, and she found a dagger in the grass and stuck me." He waved a hand at his eye. "I was blinded, oh my king, I only meant to disarm and frighten her."
"He lashed out in anger, my king. He and his brother were upset I would not let them have Anissa, but she is a virgin," Laurent said.
