Daughters of Jared, page 10
But I knew how dangerous it would be if I were to ask him. The punishment for speaking to Lib would seem like child’s play.
Levi’s scent was strong, earthy, just as I remembered. I didn’t need to look at him to remember the color of his eyes, the set of his strong jaw, or the disapproval in his expression. Had he believed Akish’s story of my father’s death?
I turned toward Levi, and his hand dropped. His eyes met mine, and for an instant, he looked like his brother, the darkness turning his eyes black. A chill ran through me. They are nothing alike, I told myself.
Levi leaned down and whispered, “I need to speak with you.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say, not knowing what I could say when the chanting filled every corner of the courtyard and we stood surrounded by people. We had no privacy here, and it was too easy for someone to see me with Levi.
“I’ll find you,” Levi whispered then straightened, reestablishing the space between us. A coolness settled around me as he moved away and blended into the crowd of mourners. The high priest had finished and was now sprinkling oil on my father’s corpse.
Ash turned toward Akish, wrapping her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder. One arm encircled her, but Akish’s gaze didn’t change. It was a demonstration for the public so they would know the royal family was united. Another reason I’d been brought home. But Ash and I knew we had an enemy among us.
The next morning, Levi found me in the herbs cellar. I was going through the hanging herbs to replenish my dye collection when he entered. He stooped to get through the entrance of the small drying room. Thankfully his green eyes held nothing of the blackness of the night before.
“Is it true?” he demanded.
“What?” Here it is, I thought. He’d demand answers about my father’s death, and I wouldn’t be able to give them to him. I had promised—upon my life—not to reveal anything my sister had told me.
In two strides, Levi crossed to me, standing close enough that I felt the heat radiating off his skin. His torso was bare, his face and chest glistening with light perspiration, as if he’d been working in a field or other such labor. Perhaps he’d agreed to train the soldiers after all.
He grasped my arms and turned one then the other over, examining them, running his fingers from my wrist to my elbows. Then I understood. He knew I’d been to the temple.
“They didn’t mark you?” His voice was quieter, calmer.
“No. They don’t do the formal initiation until eighteen.” My heart pounded at his nearness.
“My brother will hear about this.” He released my arms as if he’d been burned. “Was it your father who sent you or your sister?”
I lifted my chin to meet his gaze. “Your brother convinced my father that I was a traitor and that I should be sent to the temple.”
Levi’s brows arched above those captivating eyes—eyes that I decided not to get caught up in. This man is the brother of a murderer. Who knows what he is capable of?
“Why would Akish send you to the temple?” But it wasn’t a question to me. Levi turned away, his hand rubbing his neck.
I wanted to know what Levi thought of his brother, if he suspected foul play, but I hesitated. A servant could walk in at any moment, and what was to prevent someone from overhearing our conversation here?
Besides, I was afraid Levi might be involved in my father’s death somehow, despite his earlier claims to not support his brother’s beliefs.
He turned to face me again, his expression unreadable, his brilliant eyes now muddy. “I’m sorry about your father.”
Before I could respond, he left the room without so much as a good-bye, leaving his earthy scent in his wake.
I gathered up the roots and herbs, careful to take only what I needed. Then I left the room, thankful to get out of its stuffiness. I passed through the cooking room, and Sara lowered her eyes. Other servants avoided my gaze as I passed through the corridors. Since my return from the temple, everyone seemed to avoid me, or maybe they were avoiding everyone in the royal family.
One king had fled. Another king was dead. I had come out of punishment. Things were uncertain. The fear was tangible.
I passed Lib in the hallway. He hardly gave me a glance; his face was pale as if he were afraid to even be near me. I wanted to stop him, to apologize again, to ask how he was doing, but it seemed the very walls breathed—seeing and hearing everything.
When I reached my chamber, I locked the door, wishing I could lock more than just that. I spent the next hour mixing dyes then the rest of the morning painting my sister sitting on a throne and wearing the headdress of a queen. It would be a gift that would bring a smile to her face.
I sat back, surveying the painting. Ash’s eyes were wide and dark, beautiful, and her skin luminous with the use of safflower seed to make the copper-colored dye. Her hair fell like a rushing waterfall over her shoulders, adding to her mystical beauty. Her lips were set firm but full, and as only an artist could do, I had rounded her belly so that no one but the most discerning would notice that she was with child.
The afternoon light streamed across the painting, warming the colors and, in turn, warming my heart. My sister would be queen. After all that had happened, she would finally take her place among the great rulers and command men and armies.
The thought had just begun to fill me with satisfaction when a high-pitched scream rent the air.
I RAN DOWN THE HALLWAY toward my sister’s chamber, not caring that my hands were stained with dye, my appearance in disarray. I knew my sister’s cry anywhere, and no one could comfort her like me—no matter what had happened.
The door stood open a sliver, and I first noticed the back of a man standing near the bed. If Akish was hurting her, he’d have to contend with the both of us.
The scream came again, sending a jolt through my heart.
I burst into the room, and the man turned. It was the shaman. It took a moment to understand that it wasn’t Akish and I wouldn’t be throwing myself at him like a crazed beast. My eyes went to the bed and my sister on it. Her bedding was soaked in blood.
She stared at the ceiling, her hair wet and tangled. Had she been stabbed? Was she Akish’s second victim?
“Ash,” I cried out, stumbling to her bedside. Her wild gaze found mine, and her trembling hands reached for me.
“The baby,” she gasped. “I’ve lost my baby.”
Understanding seared through me, and I took her in my arms.
“The baby was my hope,” she cried. “My salvation. He’s left. He says I’ve betrayed him.”
It took me a moment to comprehend she was now talking about Akish. “These things can’t be helped,” I said. “Many women lose babies.”
She shuddered in my arms. “He says I must have been unfaithful for such a curse to come upon me,” Ash said.
I shuddered too but for an entirely different reason. We should be cursed for plotting to overthrow our grandfather. Or cursed because we were letting Akish go unpunished. Not cursed by Ix Chel, the fertility goddess. My sister knew no man but her husband.
“Akish is just upset,” I said. “You’re young and healthy; there will be many children.”
She sagged against me. After a moment, I asked the shaman to call for Sara to help with the cleanup. Sara was one of the servants I trusted to keep things private.
Ash said nothing as we made her comfortable and changed all of her bedding. When Sara left, I helped my sister to a set of cushions by the window. I kept hold of her hand as I sat with her.
“I miss Father,” she whispered.
I nodded, my heart clenching with new pain. I missed our father as well but not in the way she did. I missed him because a child wasn’t supposed to lose both of her parents so soon.
“What if Akish doesn’t come back?” Her voice was riddled with a fresh wave of pain.
“He wouldn’t miss the coronation,” I said.
Her face brightened for an instant. “I guess not. A king doesn’t miss his own crowning.”
I nodded. “He’s just as devastated as you about the child. He’ll return as soon as he realizes you need him.” I didn’t know why I was defending him, but it brought comfort to my sister. I just hoped what I said would come to pass.
“What will you wear for the coronation?” I said, hoping to distract her and thinking of my painting.
Ash waved a hand, and I looked in the corner of the room. A dozen bolts of cloth were piled haphazardly. I released her hand and rose. I examined the various selections of cloth, relishing the smoothness of the material in my fingers. It was a luxury we hadn’t enjoyed for a long time. A shiver traveled the length of my arms as I thought of my sister being crowned as queen.
I turned to her. Her face was flushed, as if she were thinking the same thing, despite her sorrow over her child.
Then I realized someone stood in the doorway. Akish strode into the room without a glance at me and knelt in front of Ash. He took her hands and kissed them. She threw herself into his arms, sobbing.
I left the room without a sound, tears in my own eyes. I was torn between hating my brother-in-law and knowing my sister needed him.
The throne room glowed brightly, lit with a thousand oil lamps. Akish and my sister were radiant as they stood together before the room packed with people. Ash’s gold tunic shone lustrously, and her robe emanated a deep indigo. The combination flattered her skin color.
I had not seen Levi since the day he found me in the herb room, but he now stood across the room, surrounded by the men of the court—all the important and influential men. As brother to the new king, Levi was certainly someone to contend with now. People would press him for favors, hoping to gain audience with the king. I wondered if Levi had questioned his brother about sending me to the temple and, if so, what he’d discovered. And whether the discovery pleased or upset him.
His face bore little emotion, and I couldn’t tell whether he was satisfied with the turn of events. Was he a man who sought power like his brother? An envious man? A man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted? He didn’t seem to be, but I’d learned in a short time that there were few to be trusted, and perhaps no one.
The court quieted as the head priest of the Sun Temple began to recite the long history of kings, beginning with Jared and his brother and those who had originally settled this land. I stood at attention as the list of names was recited, the room growing very warm, while the people remained ever so quiet. It seemed I had heard this speech all too recently, at my own father’s coronation. The head priest had become a regular fixture at our palace. Perhaps he’d have his own chamber established here soon.
I watched my sister and studied the pallor of her skin. She glowed in her finery, her hair carefully arranged beneath her massive headdress. Her lips were painted bright scarlet, making up for the unusual paleness of her face and darkness beneath her eyes. No one but those closest to her knew about the lost child. I marveled at her stamina and strength to stand for so long, and I thought she must be using every bit of control to keep up her pretense of good health.
The head priest at last finished his recitation, and my sister was crowned queen and her husband crowned king.
The music began right away, and the court burst into lively conversation, laughter, dancing, and feasting. The sorrows of the past week were forgotten. Nothing could touch the young, beautiful royal couple. Their future was dazzling to comprehend and their prospects vast. I could see it in the eyes of the court as Akish and my sister accepted congratulations and honors one by one from the people.
I milled about, speaking to a few women here and there. For the most part, the conversations were of the food, what my sister wore, what Akish wore. No one mentioned my father or the mystery surrounding his death. No one wanted to think of past sorrows; they wanted to begin anew by ushering in a new era.
My sister called for me above the din of the crowd, her jeweled hand extended toward me, and I went to her. I stood beside her and her husband and became surrounded by the well-wishes. Gifts of shell necklaces and jeweled bracelets were pressed into my hands. Kisses bestowed on my cheeks. Blessings of prosperity and health conferred upon my head. I was given as much credence as the new king and queen, and I spent the rest of the evening with them, my mind caught up in the extravagant attentions but my heart grieving.
6 MONTHS LATER
ASH SPOILED ME THE DAY I turned eighteen. For six months we’d lived an enchanted existence. Akish made his adoration for his queen no secret. He sent her flowers and gifts each day, which she received with relish.
He was nothing but courteous toward me. Although he was still too affectionate for my taste, I had grown used to his casual touch and kisses on the cheek and decided it was who he was and would always be. With the death of my father, Tirzah the storyteller hadn’t been invited back to court. Perhaps Tirzah was too much of a reminder of Akish’s guilt.
Yet, despite the attention he lavished on Ash, there were plenty of times he was away during the night. I never questioned Ash on what he was doing; I decided she’d tell me if she needed to.
Ash knocked on my door before the morning meal was served. “We have it all set up in the garden. A full meal, musicians, and a merchant here to show us his exotic goods from the hills of Shim.”
I practically leapt out of bed and dressed, with Ash laughing at my eagerness. She forced me to sit while she combed my hair. A rare interchange, for it was I who usually took care of her. She spoke to me in her melodic voice. “Akish has invited one hundred guests tonight to honor your birth date.”
I gasped. “Where will they all sit?”
Her face flushed with pleasure. “We’ll set up a feast in the outer courtyard and light torches so we may eat beneath the light of the moon.”
The image that came to my mind was beautiful and incredible. I grinned, imagining myself the center of attention for one evening.
“Come on,” Ash said, putting the comb down. “They’re waiting for us.”
The rest of the day was a whirlwind. Apparently, the one hundred guests weren’t to wait until the sun set to arrive. Every hour more people came, bringing gifts for me and the king and queen. I had nowhere to put them all.
Akish had had a roof of palm fronds made and erected in the garden, providing shade for me to greet and thank the guests one by one. With each approaching guest, I wondered if the next would be Levi. I had only caught glimpses of him over the past months, but mostly he stayed away from the palace. Ash told me he was training soldiers near the border of the city. Each time I saw him, he looked tanner and stronger, his eyes an even deeper green. But there had been no conversation shared between us.
As the sun turned orange and sank against the horizon, Ash escorted me to her chambers. She shut the door, a secretive smile on her face. “Wait until you see your final gift.”
“You’ve done too much already,” I protested but couldn’t contain my excitement.
Ash held up a deep indigo-colored tunic with silver embroidery at the bodice and hem.
“It’s beautiful,” I said.
Then she lifted up a scarf of a lighter blue but with similar embroidery. “You’ll be the envy of every woman and have the attention of every man.”
I touched the soft cloth and shook my head. “I could never outshine the queen.”
My sister laughed, her voice tinkling a melody. “Tonight you shall.” She held up her final gift, a miniature statue of the goddess Asherah, made of pure gold. The tiny goddess hung from a heavy chain.
I took the necklace and turned it over. My eyes pricked with tears because of the beauty of the gift and because of the commitment I had made to worship this silent goddess of my sister’s. My fortune only seemed to increase with time, so perhaps I had made the right choice after all.
“Thank you. This is beautiful. Fit for a queen,” I said. Here was payment and confirmation enough that I’d made the right choice to return to the palace. We embraced, and I was careful of her protruding stomach, for she was with child again.
I dressed, luxuriating in the fine clothing. Ash called Sara in to oil my body and perfume and comb my hair until it hung in glossy waves down my back. When she was nearly finished, Sara said, “Perhaps tonight you’ll find a husband.”
I flushed, having wondered about that very thing. Strangely, Ash didn’t comment. I wondered if she and Akish had discussed my marriage prospects. After all, I was the sister to the royal couple and would certainly be matched with an aristocrat.
“That will be all, Sara,” Ash said, rather sharply.
Sara didn’t seem to mind but simply replaced the comb, bowed, and left the room.
By the time Ash and I reached the courtyard, the entire place had been transformed. Dozens of torches were staked along the walls and next to the tables piled with food. The merry glow of the flames contrasted nicely with the falling darkness. Everyone greeted me by name. Everyone complimented me on my appearance and my fine necklace. A few men proposed; their wives swatted their arms. Envious eyes followed me throughout the evening, and I realized my sister had been right. Today, I outshone even the queen.
The great feast began. Akish stood, a wine goblet in hand, calling everyone to attention. “Tonight we celebrate the birth of my dear sister-in-law. To Naiva!”
The crowd tapped their goblets and called out well-wishes. I smiled my best smile and raised my own goblet. It was then I saw Levi toward the back of the courtyard, separated from the main crowd. He had no platter or goblet in hand but simply watched, his gaze steady. My face heated again, and I looked quickly away. It was mere seconds though before my eyes were drawn back in his direction. But he had disappeared.
My heart pounded at the thought of him watching me unaware all evening. Why had he not joined his brother at the front? Or at least used good manners and greeted me?
I set my goblet down, and Sara immediately refilled it. She leaned down and patted my shoulder. “Birth date greetings,” she said.
