Her King Of Shadows

Chapter XVIII.

She wasn’t sure how long they had traveled to the enclosure and the oasis. It must have been days but she was weak and sleeping most of the time. When they found her in the sand, she was lost for two days. For two long days she traveled the desert trying to find a safe place. Struggling to escape memories of dead bodies and blood. Knowing that she can't come back and doubting that she will survive. They bound her hands and made her walk. When she fell to the ground begging for water, they bound her feet and just put her on a horse like a dead weight.

She knew they were warriors and they could sense she was a part of their world. That was maybe the only thing saving her from death. They had to bring her to their leader to decide her fate. But she heard the stories. She trespassed. It was punishable by death to enter someone's land without permission. Father would punish others for doing the same all the time. She knew better than to have hope. And the only thing she was looking forward to was dying fast. Without too much pain. Trying to hide whose name she was carrying on her skin. Because she could still see the dark traces on her hand. But the warriors seemed not to notice.

When they had arrived at their destination, she was pushed from the horse to the ground. With her hand bound, her head hit the sharp stone on the floor. Her right temple was bleeding. One of the warriors grabbed her by the collar of her thin shirt and dragged her out of the way. Just left from the gates that they had just passed. She didn’t manage to stand. Her feet were not strong anymore to carry her. So they pushed her to the side like a wounded animal she was. When they were happy with the place she was in, they had tied her neck to the nearest tree with rope. Just like you would tie a dog. Shana leaned her back to the stone fence letting her long hair cover her face. She didn’t cry. She didn’t have any tears. And she didn’t expect anything better than this. Keeping her bound hands in front of her chest, she closed her eyes for a second. At least she had some shade from the strong sun. She touched the rope around her neck, trying to make herself more comfortable. It was too short for her to be able to lie down on the ground. They didn’t want her to be too comfortable. And all the warriors that passed by didn’t even look at her. Didn’t talk to her. Didn’t pay any attention to a little girl sitting on the side of the road not knowing what was going to happen to her.

When night came, the torches were lighted all around. The sun was replaced by a chilly night wind. And the coldness was worse than ever. Even her teeth were shaking. She made herself into a small ball, hiding her cold fingers in the small scarf she had left. She heard the footsteps of one of the warriors. He carried a bucket of water. But instead of letting her drink, they poured the cold water on her face and clothes. Without any kind of expression on his face, he just turned his back to her and left. Shana started shaking from the cold, feeling her clothes sticking to her skin. They did everything possible for her to die. Because the rules prevented them from killing her themselves. But if she died of cold, hunger, or just being weak, it wouldn’t be their fault. She understood it shaking and trying to stay awake. Hoping that the new morning would bring new strength to her broken body.

It was already close to midnight. A guard change was about to happen. She raised her head, trying to see what was happening. A tall warrior in a golden uniform was joining the new guards. Issuing orders. She was too far away to hear what he was saying. She saw one of the guards pointing at her. It seemed he was explaining something. The warrior in the gold turned his head towards her. She met his dark blue eyes which reminded her of two oceans. Distant and deep. His short blond hair was easy to recognize in the dim light. He looked strong and proud. His face didn’t have any expressions when he saw her. It seemed like he would give more attention to a stone. He was listening to his guard who was still saying something. Shana lowered her bound hands to her lap, knowing that fear would not help her now. Warriors were used to fear. They needed it as they needed oxygen. But he would not see her fear. She will not be scared. The only thing they could do to her was to kill her. She didn’t have anything else to lose. She leaned her head on the stone behind her, trying not to move her neck too much. The rope around it was heavy and tough. It hurt her skin, making it bleed.

She watched him coming closer. One step after the other. Like a slow motion, she would blink each time seeing him closer. followed by two guards carrying torches. She tried to take control of her body. Make it stop trembling, but it was too cold. She could barely feel her fingers and toes. She waited to see him stop in front of her. Expecting to get a kick or a hit, she braced herself but nothing would come. Rishon went down to the ground, making it eye level with her. His guards told him of finding a girl in the desert. He was curious. But all he saw in front of him was a child. A scared little girl who tried to be brave. Blue eyes looked at her black. None of them gave out anything. His hands closed around the rope which tied her to the tree. If she was expecting any mercy from him, she came to the wrong place.

-What is your name?-he asked. Shana just looked at him. Not saying anything. His face was perfectly calm. His lips revealed a small smile. It they were anywhere else, he would look like a perfect host. Welcoming her into his home. And what a welcome it was. He pulled the rope towards him, causing her soo much pain. Her head jerked forward and she would fall on her face if his hand didn’t grab her neck. He wasn’t squeezing her. At least not yet. But there was a promise in his eyes. If she didn’t do as he wanted.

-I have asked you a question.-he reminded politely. Of all the names she could give him, something in her knew that he would sense a lie.

-Alexandra.-she whispered, hiding behind her mother's legacy. There was only silence. His hand was holding her neck. Shana was too careful to pull away. Just looking at his blue eyes, immune to all he was trying to see in her. As if being close to Araphel made her stronger. More able to defend herself against other leaders. He couldn’t see what she was hiding. He couldn’t force her to act in the way he wanted. This wasn’t something that happened very often. She was a closed book to him.

-Would you like some water?- he offered. His tone was still polite and perfect. She noticed a smile on the faces of his guards. Telling her that this is some kind of a trap. If she agreed, it would be more than she would be able to handle. She looked back at him. She was thirsty. They all knew it. A tremble went through her body. But he seemed as if he didn’t notice how cold she was. Instead of answering, she silently and carefully waved her head.

-I'm fine thank you.-she said in the same polite way as him. He let go of her neck. Shana pulled away, slowly going back to the stone she was resting on. Rishon stood up wiping his hands on his uniform.

-We will talk again tomorrow if you survive. Alexandra.-he said her name as if trying it. He moved away with his guards. They have left her there for the night.

They had come for her just before dawn. The same guards that were escorting their leader. They took the rope around her neck acting like she was a filthy animal. Cut the bindings on her hands and feet with his long knife.

-You need to clean up before you meet the leader.-one of them said. He grabbed her by her upper hand and made her stand. From sitting for so long she couldn’t walk as fast as he wanted her. So he just pulled her by her hair and dragged her along the way to the closest building. It was a low one-story house with nothing but stone walls and no windows. There was a bucket of water on the ground with an iron sink. It seemed like the place was used for washing clothes but there was no one there at the moment. She was thrown inside her shoulders, hitting the wall. One of the guards threw a black dress in her face.

-Take ten minutes to wash up. We will be back to take you inside.-they said, leaving her alone. She didn’t have a choice. She opened the water in the sink and hurriedly splashed water over her face, hands and feet. Washing all the dust and dry blood. Her wet hand went through her hair with her fingers. She drank a little of the water but it had a strong metallic taste. The coldness of it made her feel a little better. She wasn’t feeling cold anymore. She was feeling hot, which told her she had a fever. Taking off her clothes, her eyes went back to the closed doors. She changed her clothes as fast as she could, hiding her necklace in her long hair. Guards came back sooner than she expected and just dragged her away.