Tales of the Southern Kingdoms (One Volume Edition) by Barbara G.Tarn

Author:Barbara G.Tarn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: India and Persia inspired, adult fantasy, sects and assassins, bloodthirsty goddess, courtesan
Publisher: Unicorn Productions
Published: 2016-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

The Dancer

The dancer arrived at Argantael from a faraway northern kingdom. She was almost fluent in the southern language and traveled with her own musician. Her dance-steps were new to the court, and the accompanying music was also different, even if the instrument played was similar to a local one. She made strange figures with her arms, and danced on tiptoes, opening her legs like a contortionist both in the air and on the ground.

Kumar thought not even Aishwarya had impressed him that much. The foreign dancer had normal blue eyes and brown hair, wore a wide gown that flew around her like flower petals, and seemed lost in another world when she danced. Aishwarya had been formally perfect, but soulless – this girl put everything in her dance.

Transfixed, Kumar stared at her figures and imagined her doing them over him instead of the floor. He was aroused simply watching her, and suddenly his wife, Indira, his children – Tarun, little Rani – and the rest of the court (including baby Neha who slept in her cradle outside of the great hall) disappeared around him. He was spellbound by the foreign woman who danced alone.

The music finished and the dancer bowed, a little out of breath. The applause snapped Kumar out of his state, and he glanced at the people around him, jarred by their presence. He needed to talk to that woman, he wanted to hold her, touch her...

He took a deep breath, trying to control himself while conversations resumed around him and the dancer sat in a faraway corner of the great hall with her musician to eat and drink something.

"She's good, isn't she?" Indira asked.

"Yes," he said quickly. "We should keep her as a permanent attraction."

Puzzled, Indira glanced at him, then at the dancer. "She can entertain us for a month or two," she agreed. "But I'd let her leave afterward."

"Sure." He lowered his eyes, hiding his emotions. Suddenly he wanted to leave the palace again to follow the dancer wherever she'd go.

No. He had to be responsible now.

Tarun, who was now five-years-old, nestled against him, finally distracting from his newly-born obsession. Sickly Hayato hadn't survived this far, his premature birth hadn't allowed him to live longer than two years. That was when Rani had been conceived, on the day of little Hayato's death.

Maybe he should just tell the dancer to leave now, before he ruined his family with his own hands. He thought he had found peace and fulfilled his dreams, and now everything was upset again.

Their eyes met for a moment and his heart sank. Maybe it was too late already.

***

"Sometimes I miss our fermented apple juice," Bella said after a long sip of water. "And the snowy winters."

"I'm surprised you can dance at all in this heat," Matteo smiled. "My lute is rotting. Are you sure you want to reach the extreme south?"

"Yes," she answered, grabbing a piece of meat and nibbling at it. "If only they didn't make everything so spicy!" she sighed.

"He can't take his eyes off you," Matteo warned, staring at someone beyond her.

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