The Golden Lotus by L. E. Bryce

Author:L. E. Bryce
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Phaze

Chapter Three

Once he learned enough of the language to communicate his basic needs and engage in conversation, Tamet found Tajhaan a pleasant enough place. Large and lavishly appointed, the palace boasted gardens and an artificial lake not unlike the one beside which Senesret had his house, while the bazaar that occupied the plaza in the outermost court catered to refined tastes seeking silks, perfume, jewels and even exotic pets. The royal pleasure slaves, otherwise confined to their quarters, were permitted chaperoned excursions to the bazaar to purchase luxuries for themselves, but as a hostage Tamet was not allowed this privilege. Anything he needed, the harem eunuchs provided.

The three young men with whom he shared the akeshi quarters took his confinement as a sign of royal displeasure. “He hardly calls you to his bed,” said one, a youth with a deceptively sweet face. “It is no wonder. With your shorn head, you are not even pretty."

Hunero chastised the akeshi for their lack of manners. “Tanariq is a royal hostage, not a plaything. Mind your tongues, all of you, lest I inform the High Prince that you are being troublesome and not fit for his bed."

Tamet rarely spoke in his own defense. Although he had been Senesret's only bed slave, everyone knew that concubines and even wives died through rivalries and harem intrigues. Following such advice as his tutors gave seemed all the more prudent here in a foreign land.

"Pay the others no mind,” said Hunero, when they were alone. “They are jealous because you do not have to work for the comforts you receive. They are ignorant of what goes on outside these walls, and even here they are not as wise as they ought to be."

"It would have been nice to be able to walk in the gardens, or sail on the lake,” said Tamet. As the spring days lengthened and grew warmer, he would have accompanied Senesret as the prince went duck hunting in the marshlands near Kebet, hosted parties in his modest house, or sailed on the barge he often borrowed from his father. In Juva, a prince's concubines were not as sequestered as they were in Tajhaan, and Tamet had been able to come and go as he pleased.

With fair weather beckoning, Tamet felt as stifled by the confines of the akeshi quarters as by the stagnant desert air.

What is Senesret doing now? Does he ever think of me? he wondered, gazing at the latticed screens through which daylight streamed. Having few other pastimes, Tamet often spent his afternoons daydreaming of his life in Juva, clinging to his memories and hopes for an early release. Surely it would not be long before Senesret sent for him.

In his mind, he played out scenarios that made him smile. Senesret would embrace and kiss him, whispering endearments to make up for the rough language and caresses Tamet had endured in the High Prince's bed. There would be gifts and flowers, feasts and praise, and for all eternity he would be remembered as the devoted concubine who saved his master from disgrace at the hands of the enemy.

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