Opener of the Sky by Mary R Woldering

Author:Mary R Woldering [Woldering, Mary R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781537439433
Published: 2016-10-08T23:00:00+00:00

The guards hustled Ariennu and Naibe into the shaded opening of their tent, then tied up the side walls so the women could see everything that was about to take place.

Ari leaned toward Naibe when they saw Deka walk out beside the prince with her head held high. The elder woman’s eyes filled with disdain.

“There they go… and look at her acting like a make-believe queen.”

Maatkare settled with the Ta-Seti woman in one of the two chairs set on his audience dais. A light wind rustled through the brightly striped canopy over their heads.

“Doesn’t he look like he just came down from the sun? Pretty man. Wretched though,” Ariennu snorted quietly. “I might still take him from that proud kuna. All I have to do is try.” She studied Maatkare’s crisp indigo and white striped nemes; the gold banding of a prince pressing it onto his brow. His thin day coat illuminated every part of his finely chiseled body. A table in front of their chairs held a light meal of fruit and bread, as if they sat for a regal luncheon instead of a prisoner review.

Still excellent with a woman’s body though. Makes the thunder turn you inside out all night long and when you think you’re done, there’s more… Mmmm, Ari’s thoughts distracted her for a moment. She saw herself in Deka’s place, being fed pickled melon rind.

“There,” Naibe tugged Ari’s arm to get her attention. She pointed to a mat stretched out on one side of the dais, on which lay a collection of bronze and leather instruments of torture. A brazier was near the mat so these things could be heated.

“Uh, yeah I see them, Babe… the tools.” She put her hand over Naibe’s face and thought about the old days with N’ahab’s gang of thieves. Before, when N’ahab would hurt someone, Little One never had to watch. She always stayed in the hut. She was so simple then, I don’t think she would have even understood someone was getting hurt. The Children of Stone had un-muddied her thoughts, but she was still so innocent in her that Ari felt she needed to explain.

“He wants us to look, the bastard. It’s a test for Deka to see if she can take it, too. That’s what he’s doing to us. If you don’t want to see it, just go away in your thoughts. As for speaking thoughts the way we do, you already know he can hear and read them, so just be careful. Maybe he’ll be so wrapped up in what he’s doing, that he won’t notice.”

“I’m not as weak as you think, MaMa. I just know something’s not right about any of this,” Naibe grew silent and watchful, then made another surprised whimper.

Ari looked out of the tent to see the taller of the guards, whipping and marching a bedraggled group of young men out of the dusty field beyond the camp. Some were wounded and bloodstained. Every face reflected stoniness and horror of men who knew they were about to die.

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