“I guess,” I replied, stabbing whatever meat it was in the bowl in front of me.
“I think he’s even a bit more handsome than his father,” my mother added, laughing at my response at being caught looking at Seth.
“You knew his father?” I asked, thankful to be able to turn my attention to her and not Seth being drooled over by the women.
“Everyone knows his father,” my mother replied. “General Paramessu is one of the best military leaders to come to Egypt in centuries. Any king out there has tried to bribe the general at one point to join their side. Everyone wants a piece of that man. He is good at what he does. They say his son will follow in his footsteps, and by what I’ve seen the past few months, I have no doubt the young man will be even better than his father.”
There was something behind my mother’s explanation. She knew too much about General Paramessu that I suspected that my father must have been more than just another soldier. I really wanted to know what she was hiding, but it wasn’t the place to try to get more out of her. All around us people were casually chatting, but they were no doubt listening to us talk. We were caught in a game at the palace. No one could really say what they thought, and no one could do what they really wanted to do. This wasn’t a time I wanted to be a part of, but somehow I was strangely connected to it. My mother smiled as another man came over and sat beside her, introducing himself. The line of possible suitors had not dwindled yet.
When our table was finally free of guests, Seth made a beeline for us. I tried not to acknowledge him, as all eyes were upon me, but I failed miserably. Hopefully they would all think it was just a little crush like the rest of the women in the room seemed to have on him, even if it wasn’t the truth. In reality, I needed to tell Seth it would be fine, the lines were fully recharged. I needed to tell him I was sorry for running off without him, but all I received was an angry stare. I was beginning to wonder if Logan did stop by and talk with Seth and Dee.
“Lady Hepa, let me be one among many to congratulate you on your upcoming marriage,” Seth spoke to my mother, completely ignoring me now that he was closer. Even when he was angry he looked good. I knew why every woman in the room was drooling over him. “As congratulations, my father has authorized me to lend you Nadim, a faithful servant.”
Dee was standing behind Seth with his head bowed. I kept my mouth from dropping at Seth’s words. Dee wasn’t a servant. He was a free man back in Egypt, and came from a prestigious family. What game were the guys playing now? Could his charioteer even be lent out as a servant? That didn’t seem reasonable to me, and they never discussed this as a plan in my presence.
“Travel between countries can be wrought with danger. We vowed that when we found you that we would protect you. Please accept my gift,” Seth bowed his head to my mother. “He is well trained to protect you, and will ensure that you arrive in Anatolia unharmed.”
“Oh, I can’t,” my mother began, but I stopped her. If Seth was lending out Dee, it was for a reason.
“Mother, you must think of your safety. He looks like an able warrior to protect you,” I added. I couldn’t give away who they were to me, but I had to get my mother to agree.
“That won’t be necessary,” Prince Saru said as he joined our table. I didn’t even see him approach. “Thank you for the offer, General Seti, but we can aptly protect her.”
“Didn’t she get hurt the last time she was promised to someone, before she ever even left the palace here?” I asked.
My mother grabbed my hand and tried to cover my mouth. It was out of place for me to be talking, and she hoped that I wouldn’t get in trouble. They didn’t have much tolerance around here for differing opinions. I only knew the tale second hand, and I would have said more, but I said enough for Prince Saru to pause. He couldn’t deny that detail.
“That’s why we hope she will accept our gift,” Seth added. “When we found her alone in the desert, we promised her safety. We are only trying to keep our promise.”
Prince Saru assessed Seth for his honesty before nodding and walking away. At least that battle seemed to be won. I wanted to know more of their plan, but kept my mouth shut. I was sure once alone, Dee would tell us.
“Would you please join us for a little bit of our meal?” my mother asked Seth and Dee.
“I regretfully must decline,” Seth replied graciously. “We are heading back to Egypt as soon as we can. I must go back and be with my men, and make sure everything is ready.”
My mother stood and walked a ways with Seth as he was leaving. I could only hear her thank Seth’s father for bringing her home, and then Seth was gone. My heart broke as he walked out of my view. He didn’t even look back at me once. I tried to hide my disappointment. I had really pissed him off. That wasn’t my intention, and something was lost along the way. More than likely it was Logan, but since he was still helping me, I couldn’t yell at him yet. My mother returned to our table and sat beside me.
“He told me to tell you that there was once a woman he loved more than life itself. He trusted her to do the right thing, and he was never disappointed in her. He just wished she would let him in on her plans so that he didn’t have to worry all the time about her,” my mother told me. I was unsure if she knew Seth was speaking to me or not. “That is sound marriage advice.” She winked. Yes, she knew what he meant.
I went back to looking only at my meal. It was the best way to ignore all the stares. The men in the room were eyeing me over for marriage, and the women were giving me hate stares like I had personally made Seth leave the party. I felt like an animal on display, and it wasn’t fun. Anyone comfortable walking into a college party and being the center of attention, well, anyone but me, would feel as awkward as I did now. Half these men were old enough to be my father, and several even brought their wives with. I wasn’t enjoying the dinner in the least, but there was nothing I could do at the moment. I couldn’t wait to get away from it all. My chalcedony were recharged, but I couldn’t just disappear from the dinner.
My mother took all the stares in stride. It didn’t even seem to register to her that we were the center of attention. I wish I could be as strong, or maybe as ignorant as her, but I could not. The longer we sat, the more I wanted to go home. This world wasn’t where I wanted to be, at least not without Seth. He made everything all better, and the past more tolerable.
I felt all alone at the party with Seth gone, but the tingles in my arm let me know he hadn’t actually left the palace. He was still around. I didn’t know where, but I knew. Dee stood behind my mother and watched over her like a dutiful soldier. He didn’t give away that Seth was around, though he had to know. As the meal progressed and people continued to mingle, Seth was watching and waiting, and it made all the difference. I didn’t feel quite as alone any more. I didn’t know if Logan had told him his plan, but I was sure he was waiting for me now. No matter how mad he was, he still cared.
I needed to find time to talk to him, but I had to sit through the dinner first. I was obligated to play the part of a girl waiting to be married off. Looking around the crowded room, I saw that many people were dressed like my mother and I, but quite a few others were not. They had to be from different countries, yet I didn’t know enough to know who was who. In reality, the only ones I could pick out were the Egyptians as Dee, in his half-dressed garb, gave it away easily. As I looked from face to face of all these different people, I could tell that not all of them were friendly. Seth might have been completely correct to leave Dee behind. I wasn’t sure of the safety of even the party right now. Prince Saru didn’t seem to care or mind, but I saw it in the eyes of many there. Not everyone at this party was friends.
When Prince Saru had declared the feast a success, music and entertainment came out. Costume-clad women danced as men drank more. Many of the men were close to being, or already were, drunk. It was worse than a frat party. At least there the guys were young and stupid. These were all grown men who would sorely regret their night the next
day. My mother noticed the rowdiness increasing, and she nodded to me to stand. I followed her as she led me to the doorway. We were not the only women calling it quits for the night. In fact, most of them were excusing themselves from their tables. I didn’t blame any of them. I wasn’t sure I would have wanted to stay around the crowd, and was glad my mother was leading me away. Before we could leave, Lady Saska blocked our exit route.
“Lady Hepa,” Lady Saska said with a little drawl to her voice, her words a little slurred. She had obviously had too much to drink. “Prince Saru would like to speak to you.”
Lady Saska pointed across the dinner hall to her visibly drunk husband. I highly doubted he wanted to speak to anyone, but I had to keep my mouth shut. I had already got enough stares tonight from my mother for not talking properly. My mother looked to me briefly, and then to the Prince. She nodded to Lady Saska and walked quickly back through the crowd. Dee hesitated on what to do.
“Little Egyptian soldier,” Lady Saska said to Dee. There was nothing little about Dee. He may be thin, but he stood almost a head taller than the other men in the room. “You better follow her close. You never know when she might need protecting.”
I discreetly nodded to Dee, and he turned and followed my mother. He wasn’t sent just to protect my mother, and as my friend he was worried about me. As soon as they were both far enough away, Lady Saska waved a man over to stand beside her.
“Lord Enil has just been dying to spend some time with you to get to know you,” Lady Saska explained with a giddy happiness in her eyes. A short, pudgy man that looked twice as old as my mother was standing next to Lady Saska, ruddy-faced.
“My beautiful little princess,” the man said, he grabbed my hand and kissed it—or more like licked it.
I pulled my hand back, and he laughed. He was disgusting with bits of food still stuck in his beard, and he was old and smelly. I didn’t plan to stand around being licked by some drunk man, no matter who he was.
“She is a shy one,” the man said to Lady Saska. I wasn’t shy. I just knew enough that the man had more intentions than just kissing my hand. “I like them that way. Much more fun in bed.”
I cringed at his brashness. He had to be crazy, too. There was no way I was going to any bed with that man.
“He would like to walk you back to the women’s wing,” Lady Saska explained. She leaned in closer to me and added. “He is important. He gets whatever he wants. Make sure you don’t offend him or disappoint him, if you get what I mean. We need his trade to continue protecting the city and to guarantee protection of your mother on her way north. If you fail to do just as he pleases, that Egyptian soldier won’t be enough to guard her. “
My mouth fell open at her boldness and insinuation of what would happen if I didn’t sleep with the drunken old guy next to her. She pushed my mouth shut with the tip of her decorated fingers and grinned. She was doing just as she wanted from the beginning. Lady Saska was truly a wicked woman.
“I have been trying to get to your mother since the day she returned. She had always acted like she’s better than the rest of us. Well guess what? She’s not. When she finds you sleeping with this man it will finally break her. Please enjoy his company. I hear he likes it really rough,” Lady Saska added. She smiled evilly and pushed the old man my way.
Lord Enil snaked his arm around my waist and grabbed my butt as he pushed me forward and out of the room. Seth had to be nearby, and I hoped that he was close. I knew how Seth would react. Outside the room the old man, who was stronger than I expected, pushed me back against one of the pillars that lined the corridor. Using his weight, he pressed his old flabby body into me. People passed by going into and out of the dining hall. No one stopped him.
“Such a pretty little toy,” the man said, his breath was hot on my face and stunk of booze.
Lord Enil moved in to kiss me, and I couldn’t help but react. My knee flew up between his legs, and he dropped to the ground howling. I backed away as people started to come over to see what was wrong with him. My mother and Dee exited the dining hall at that exact moment, and Dee didn’t even look twice at the man on the floor.
“This way,” Dee directed me as he pulled my mother from the scene.
“No,” my mother said as she chose a different direction. “We can’t go that way. They will expect Mari to head back to the women’s quarters to hide. All the women are like that. They never expect us to have brains.”
I followed behind as my mother led. We were getting further away from Seth. The palace was a maze of hallways to me, but my mother knew what she was doing. She led us through halls and courtyards as we avoided all people and wove our way between dangers. She picked a route that wasn’t direct, and I was getting confused to where we were. Nevertheless, we stayed hidden and safe. When we finally stopped, she looked to me.
“Are you all right?” she asked, pulling me into the moonlight in the small, unfurnished room.
“Yes, Mom,” I replied with an eye roll. “I can take care of myself.”
My mother pulled me to the corner of the room and made me sit down.
“Go get Paramessu’s son,” my mother told Dee. Even my mother knew Seth had stayed around. That worried me a bit. How many others knew he was around also?
“Is it safe to stay here for a little bit?” Dee asked my mother. She nodded. “I’ll go get Seti and return here with him. Don’t go far, but if you do, we will find you.” My mother nodded.
Dee disappeared into a dark hallway, and we huddled down in our hiding spot. Their agreement to keep her safe was more than either my mother or Seth told me. It wasn’t optimal to be running off in the night, but we would be fine once the boys were both back. Logan would come and help us, and we could go home. We were almost there, and we needed to leave soon.
“Mari?” my mother asked as darkness surrounded us and we waited for Dee and Seth to return.
“Yes Mom?” I replied.
“You love Paramessu’s son, don’t you,” she asked. Gosh, I hope I wasn’t that obvious.
I was glad it was dark, and she couldn’t see me blush. I had just told him that a day ago. It was kind of strange to be talking to anyone, especially my mother, about it. We were hiding out to save my life, and she was wondering about my love life. That was my mother; she always did have strange priorities.
“Why would you say that?” I replied.
“I saw how you looked at him, and he at you,” my mom answered. “Most of the people in that room would have never noticed, but I’ve been in love before. I know what it looks like.”
“Yes, Mom. I love Seth,” I replied, wondering why we were even having this conversation, but glad to be able to tell her.
“It’s strange how love can work. You’ve only just come here. By the way, I thought you came with Sangre’s son,” my mom answered. Yes, she needed to get all the details while we hid out.
“I came with Logan, but I love Seth,” I replied.
“How can that be?” she asked, looking for more information from me.
“I met him at college months ago. He was the football quarterback. Yes, the one who saved me in the fall from those guys that were attacking college girls. I tutored him and his brothers, Dee and Ty. They were all from the past,” I explained, giving her the shortened version of everything. “He was the reason I went back into the past at Thanksgiving. I went back to find him.”
“Now that makes more sense. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why you went back. I thought maybe it was an accident or that you were looking for your father.” My mom put her arm around me.
“Nope, not an accident,” I replied. “The goddess took Seth and his brothers back to the past. I didn’t want to be without them, and didn’t think before just going off to be with him.”
“Love is always like that. You never imagine doing certain things, but you will for love. You know it’s going to be complicated,” she added.
“I know, Mom. I’m sitting in the past, hiding out to
get back to the future with my family. It’s all really complicated,” I replied, and we both laughed. “This whole world is complicated.”
“And that’s why you have to listen to me. Mari, you need to get out of here. I don’t know what they will do to you, and I can’t protect you. I’m as good as gone. Even if we stay, they are sending me away in the morning. And it would be my word against Lady Saska’s. Lord Enil is a powerful man. Prince Saru knows that, and will want to make him happy…” my mom started.
“I didn’t mean to, Mom. It was just an automatic reaction. Lady Saska basically told him he could have his way with me, and I was to obey. I just couldn’t do that. When he tried to kiss me, I just reacted,” I interrupted her quickly. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to complicate things for you.”
“And I’m glad about that. I raised you to be as strong as your father. But that doesn’t work here in this world. Women are tools in this country. We are not people. I can’t have you stay here, you need to go home.” My mom hugged me like it was a last goodbye.
“I’m not leaving you here. They plan to send you north and marry you off. You deserve to go find Dad,” I replied. “You can’t do that if you’re bartered off. Let me take you home and from there we can make plans to find dad. If you guys loved each other like Seth and I do, I know he will remember you and will be thinking of you. I’m learning how to control this time travel stuff. I know we can get you to him. You can be with him and be happy.”
My mom hugged me. “You grew up too fast. I’m here trying to protect you, and all you want to do is protect me. When did that happen? You used to be my little girl, and now you’re running around saving me and falling in love. When did I get so old?”
“You’re not old, Mom. I’ll take you back to Dad. You can be happy,” I answered.