“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 of 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.
