He stared at me. I withstood it and kept my peace.
Then he said softly with Diandra interpreting, “I see it, even from here, shining in your eyes.”
I sucked in a breath that I dearly needed and ventured softly, “Linay tela?” See what?
“Your spirit, my warrior queen,” he replied just as softly using my language.
Okay, was that good?
He kept talking softy but reverted to Korwahk with Diandra translating.
“I have passed judgment, my tigress, and it will not be a decision you will like. But I am your king and it is my ruling so it will be done.”
“Wh… what is your decision?” I whispered when he didn’t go on.
“My warriors stood by their queen; they are not to be punished. They have been assigned as your personal guard and were doing what I commanded. They have vowed to take a blade should they need to do so in order to save your life. The situation you placed them in was grave, Dortak’s intention was to end his wife’s life and your intervention meant once he’d used his blade on her, he would have turned that steel on you. In order to keep you safe, they acted on their vows to me. They did what they were expected to do therefore they will not feel my censure.”
Well, that was good.
“Oh… okay.” I whispered.
“You, my Circe, should not have put them in the position to have to choose between their queen and their brother. It was not them but you who made a bad decision.”
Oh shit.
He stared at me again. My mouth went dry.
Then as his gaze stayed locked on mine, I watched as something I didn’t get flashed in his eyes before he murmured, “Kah teenkah rahna tunakanahsa.”
Diandra whispered, “My little golden warrior.”
Okay, I didn’t know. Was that good?
Lahn fell silent. I swallowed.
Then he spoke with Diandra translating. “I ask, in future, my tigress, that if you intend to be a warrior, you think like a warrior and that would mean, before you bare your claws or unsheathe your steel, you… actually… think.”
Okay, he said “in future” which would intimate I had one.
“Lahn,” I whispered.
He spoke over me (as did Diandra). “I must have her life, Circe.”
I blinked.
Then I asked, “What?”
“She took steel to her husband, this is forbidden. I must have her life.”
My lungs contracted.
Then I repeated, softer this time, “What?”
“This is my judgment,” he declared.
He couldn’t be serious.
“You know how he treats her,” I whispered.
“I do.”
“She had no other choice,” I explained.
Lahn nodded. “She didn’t,” he agreed. “And now, neither do I.”
“But you’re king,” I said quietly.
He took a step toward me and I used my hands to scoot back on the bed. His eyes dropped to my body, he stopped then they came to mine.
“I am king,” he said quietly. “And in one week, I face the challenge of Dortak’s blade. But today, I face the responsibility of releasing his wife from the prison he has made of their cham. Dortak will fall. She had to wait one week for release. She decided not to wait that week. She is Korwahk. She knew exactly what she was doing when she took steel to him. She knew if he didn’t end her life, I would. She was asking for this judgment, Circe. She is asking for this release. She knows, I know and you, my tigress, know that her treatment at his hands has broken her spirit. It is dead inside her. It is gone to another realm. She wishes to rejoin it. And you will sit on your throne beside me as I cast this judgment and the sentence is carried out. You will be there as my queen, as is your duty to me and your people. But you will also be there for her. It is your eyes she wishes to see before she moves to the next realm. It is your spirit so close to the surface that will guide her.” I had my eyes glued to him and I was panting as he finished in a gentle voice, “This is my judgment, my golden doe. Prepare yourself for your throne.”
Then he instantly turned and strode out of the tent, all the warriors following him.
I stared at the cham flaps for long moments after they were gone and even after my girls came bustling in.
Then my eyes slid slowly to Diandra.
“Did he just say I was attending that woman’s execution?” I whispered but she was close to the bed, reaching out to me, her manner hurried.
“He did, my dear, and we must not delay. For the sake of that poor girl, we need to end her suffering quickly. Therefore, we need to get you prepared.” She grabbed my hand, tugged me to my knees and automatically I crawled out of bed.
And then, without a word, stuck in a haze of horror, I allowed my girls and Diandra to prepare me to take my throne and witness an execution.
*Translation: “It is the Eunuch.”
**Translation: “Me and my king… [to Eunuch] My Lahn is busy but we are, um, coping well, uh, we are well. Happy.”
***Translation: “Farewell [until later], Tunakan.” [Tunakan: Warrior of Suh Tunak or the Korwahk Horde]
Chapter Twenty
The Execution
Korwahk Queens had execution apparel.
I learned this when my clothes were taken off and new ones put on. A large, square piece of black silk, folded and tied around my breasts, the end dangling down and coming to a point at my navel from which two gold disks were stitched and hung down, one to each point, two more hitting me, cold and heavy, from the tie at my back. A black sarong shot with gold. A black belt made of woven leather with gold chains braided through. A gold choker made of links that covered my neck from base to chin. My gold bands were pushed up to my biceps, long, wide gold loops fixed to my earlobes. Black leather sandals were tied to my feet.
My makeup of the day was gently but swiftly washed off and black kohl went around my eyes, charcoal gray eye shadow, the dusting of gold powder along my cheekbones and temples and deep berry lip tint was painted on my lips.
My hair was left as it was, hanging long in twists and curls but the pins and clips adorning it for the day were removed and Teetru slid her fingers through, shaking it and ratting it out a bit so it even felt big.
The golden band of feathers was laced through my hair and tied around my head.
The minute Diandra walked us through the tent flaps, I saw the warriors. Not one, two or four… but ten. As Diandra guided me toward the sea of chams, they fell in, four in front, one on either side, four in the rear.
The Daxshee was eerily silent and as we walked we saw not a single soul. Night had fallen and torchlight lit the vast space. I could see the open space on the rise nearly to the opposite end of the Daxshee was blazing with fire and even from a distance, I saw people gathering there and this was because there were a lot of them.
And I knew that was where we were going.
The air was wrong, as it had been when I woke up to it that morning and all day but now it was worse. It pressed in. It felt thick.
I couldn’t breathe.
“The Dax was tolerant, my dear,” Diandra whispered to me as we walked. She had, as usual, curved my hand around the inside of her elbow, pulled me close and held her other hand over mine. “It is a blessing,” she went on. “He does not punish you or his warriors, he took his time to explain his judgment to you; he did this gently, beautiful Circe. I am astounded. It is a blessing.”
I kept my eyes straight ahead as I whispered back, “I adore you, my sweet friend, but right now, I need to prepare myself for what’s going to happen so can I ask that you please be quiet?”
She removed my hand from her arm but slid hers along my waist and pulled me even closer as she murmured, “Of course, my love.”
I slid my arm around her waist and we walked through the silent, vacant Daxshee. It was a long walk but not long enough for me to prepare myself to witness the execution of a woman whose only crime was to be beautiful enough to capture the attention o
f a Korwahk scout.
Finally, in front of us, through the warrior guards I saw a wall of people, shoulder to shoulder. They saw us and parted slowly so we could pass. When we did, I held onto Diandra tighter, looked straight ahead and avoided all eyes. They thought I’d done wrong, many of them probably thought I should be punished, but that wasn’t why I avoided their eyes. I didn’t think I had it in me to face this and I needed to hold together what I had so I didn’t lose it, not now, not this early. Whatever brought me here, I was their queen. I needed to act like one.
Then we walked into a clearing lit relatively brightly with torches all around and firepits burning on the rise and my eyes immediately went to what was in it.
Dortak, standing, feet planted wide, arms crossed on his chest, bandage around his shoulder, back to us but his neck was twisted so he could watch us arrive.
I barely took him in before my eyes dropped to the stone to see his bride at his feet. She was on her knees, bent fully forward, forehead to her hands which were resting on the stone.
From what I could see, she was wearing a stark white gauze sarong.
My eyes went to the rise where I could see Lahn standing on a platform with our thrones side by side, firepits next to it, torches surrounding it.
He was painted.
I felt something at my side, looked there and saw Seerim was next to Diandra. He had his hand on her but suddenly looked to the rise and I followed his eyes to see Lahn shake his head once. I looked back to Seerim who was nodding. He dropped his hand to take his wife’s and even in the torchlit night I saw the firm squeeze before he moved away and disappeared.
I was to have my friend.
Thank God.
My friend was to have a front row seat at an execution.
She walked tall and her step didn’t falter nor did she leave my side.
As promised.
Damn, but I owed her huge.
I looked back to the rise and noticed that Bain and Zahnin were both standing behind my throne. As we approached, Lahn sat on his. He was in king mode, I knew this the minute his blank, painted eyes left me and he sat on his throne.
I did not dally. The guard peeled off and I walked right to my throne and sat down, Diandra standing at my side.
The drums started pounding, the small ones, but the noise thumped like a giant mallet into the night.
My hands went to the armrests of my chair, my fingers curling around and I squeezed.
Then suddenly the drums stopped and the instant they did, Lahn shouted and Diandra bent to my ear to interpret.
“We are here because the new bride of Dortak took steel to her husband!”
No one said a word. The torchlight danced, the firepits crackled. My fingers tensed into my throne.
Lahn spoke. “Now, she must receive my judgment!”
I swallowed and my eyes dropped to the woman who was still bowed low to her king.
Then a whisper went through the air, I looked up and saw a warrior push through the crowd. He strode into the small clearing that was nowhere near the vast space of the ceremonial clearing of the other encampment and stopped.
It was Bohtan.
He shouted and Diandra translated, “I wish to speak, my king!”
“You will be heard!” Lahn shouted back.
Bohtan didn’t delay. “Our golden warrior queen has championed Dortak’s bride. She has a bond with the wife of Dortak and she has a bond with my wife Nahka. My wife Nahka has felt this bond constrict, linking her through our true golden queen to Dortak’s bride and, should it be your command to spare her life, she wishes to assist our queen in resurrecting the new bride of Dortak’s spirit.”
My lungs seized and my body went solid right along with them.
Another whisper went through the air as Lahn remained silent.
The girl five feet from the base of our thrones didn’t twitch but Dortak’s face twisted with disgust.
Then another warrior pushed into the clearing. My eyes went to him and I saw it was Feetak.
“I wish to speak, my king!” he shouted.
“You will be heard!” Lahn returned.
Feetak didn’t delay. “My new bride Narinda also shares a bond with our queen. She tells me she too wishes to assist our queen in resurrecting the wife of Dortak’s spirit.”
I felt Diandra’s hand curl tight into my shoulder indicating she was gravely surprised at these proceedings and I was too, especially considering Narinda didn’t have near enough command of the Korwahk language to inform Feetak of this but somehow she’d either managed it or he’d assumed it and for her, or simply because he was a good man, he stepped forward.
I held tight to my throne as I stared and tried to control my rapid breaths.
Another warrior pushed forward. “I wish to speak, my king!”
And another, “I wish to speak, my king!”
I shiver slid over my skin.
Oh my God!
Diandra’s fingers squeezed so hard, they caused pain.
And then came another, “I wish to speak, my king!”
And another, “I wish to speak, my king!”
Three more came in simultaneously from three different sides. “I wish to speak, my king!”
Dortak’s arms dropped, he took a step back and his head swung around to take in his brothers, his face now distorted with rage.
His bride didn’t twitch.
More warriors came forward and shouted the same words.
“Enough!” Lahn boomed, I looked to him and saw he had his hand up.
He did not look at me.
I turned back to the clearing to see it now nearly filled with warriors, Dortak and his bowing bride in white.
The air pressed in as I and the silent crowd held our breath.
Finally, Lahn spoke. “Bride of Dortak, give your king your eyes.”
She didn’t hesitate to push up to sitting on her calves and her eyes lifted to Lahn. She was wearing a wide strip of gauze around her breasts and a thin one was wrapped around the cut on her throat. Her face had been cleaned but her left eye was nearly swollen shut, purple and bruising.
I swallowed again.
“The warriors of Suh Tunak speak for you,” Lahn told her.
She lifted her chin.
“Their wives speak for you,” Lahn went on.
She lifted her chin again.
“Is it your wish for my queen and her women to resurrect your spirit?” Lahn asked and I held onto my throne as Diandra’s fingers clenched into my shoulder.
He was giving her an out!
She shook her head.
No!
I tensed to shoot out of my chair but Diandra’s hand held me down.
“You understand that judgment has been passed?” Lahn asked.
She lifted her chin.
“And you accept that judgment,” Lahn stated.
She lifted her chin again.
No!
I felt my lips tremble as my body shuddered with the effort to stay seated and unmoving.
I wanted to reach out to Lahn. I wanted him to tell her that it was his decision that she must allow me and the wives of Suh Tunak to resurrect her spirit. I sent this thought into the night and hoped it found his mind.
It didn’t.
I knew it when he said quietly, “Very well, my sister.”
My head snapped to the side and I saw his head turned away and he was lifting his chin at something. My eyes flew there and I saw The Eunuch come forward with a long, thin blade.
Lahn turned back to the woman and I did too, seeing her sitting on her calves, apparently calm. I looked at Dortak to see him smiling.
God, God, God but I fucking hated that man.
My fingers tightened so deeply into the horns I feared they’d break through as The Eunuch positioned behind her, bent forward, cupped her, what appeared to be strangely tenderly, under her jaw and held the blade to her throat.
Then he lifted his eyes to his king.
“Do y
ou have words, sister?” Lahn asked softly.
The woman in white stared at him. Then, slowly, her eyes slid to me.
Then a small, tragic smile drifted across her mouth and she said one word.
“Rainbow.”
And then so fast it was almost as if I didn’t see it, her hands shot up, she grasped the knife, tearing it away from The Eunuch who shouted in surprise. She took it by the hilt, pointed it to her belly, shoved it in and drew it up.
Blood spewed from the wound, loud gasps, cries and exclamations could be heard all around but I shot to standing, my arms straight down, my head tilted back and I shrieked to the heavens.
“No!”
At the exact same time I cried, lightning rent the sky, a crack of thunder filled the air, the heavens opened and rain poured down.
“End her misery!” Lahn shouted.
Somehow I knew he was now standing but I didn’t look. My head tipped down to see she had fallen forward.
The Eunuch didn’t delay, he dropped to his knees, his hands went to Dortak’s bride, he pulled her back across his thighs and he tore the blade from her belly. Her pained eyes captured mine and I held them as he swiftly drew the blade across her throat, blood surged out, wetting the stone and I watched, my eyes locked to hers for the terrible, brief seconds it took the life to drain from her eyes.
The rain came down in sheets, already washing her blood in a dark river across the light stone.
“No,” I whispered as the tears filled my eyes, the rain beat against my skin, my hair, my clothing, all of it soaked within seconds.
Dortak roared in triumph, my eyes went to him and he pounded a fist in his chest then punched it in the air, turned and pushed his way roughly through the crowd.
Then I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Two men and four women. The men were carrying something and one of the women had a huge wad of white material in her hands. They made it to the fallen woman and the women arranged the material flat on the wet stone as the men lifted her with care and then set her at one end. They moved away as the women gently rolled her lifeless body, wrapping her tight in her wet, white gauze shroud; the blood still seeping from her wounds staining it red.
Once she was wrapped, the men came forward, lifted her onto a stretcher and swiftly all of them moved out of the clearing.