Her King Of Shadows

Chapter XXI.

Half an hour later, five guards entered the room ready to hold down its leader. Asher refused to have him tied up. He was a leader. And if he did such a thing, he would be executed on the spot. So each guard came to hold him by his hands and feet. Shana was preparing a small fire in the steel bucket with herbs and melted gold. It had to be hot. It had to be powerful enough to burn the poison from him. She had never done this before but her father had told her how to do it. Before it was done with dragon's breath. It was the only cure for the poison of the darkness.

She took a spoon of the melted gold, holding it carefully not to burn herself. There was fire on the tip of it. On the other hand, she was holding a bottle of the purest alcohol they had. She was about to burn him. And a really bad burn.

-Hold him now and don’t let go of him. I don’t want him to move and all this to go to the wrong place.-she warned them. Asher gave them a sign and everybody stood in their place. Shana wished to feel more confident but this was the best she could do. Make it fast. Don’t waste time. Rishon was still sleeping. He was on the edge of not coming back to them. When she poured the metal there was a smell of burned flesh attacking them. Immediately, he started fighting them to let go. It was painful. It burned him so much. After the gold touched his skin, she poured alcohol to seal the wound. To close it. There were actual flames now going as high as her face. Burning his skin. Making the wound close. Her hands were shaking while doing everything but she managed somehow. Alcohol evaporated from the flame. The fire was gone. Rishon stopped trashing. His eyes opened. He looked at her standing above him. She didn’t know what he was thinking. She had no clue what he was expecting to see.

-Kill her.-he whispered to Asher. Her heart stopped beating. One of the guards was already pulling out his sword. Leader's command was to be followed, no matter the cost. Was this going to be the death of her? There was a cruel smile on Ashers' face.

-I see you are feeling better already.-he noticed. Rishon blinked a couple of times as if wanting to wake up from a dream he had. Still looking at Shana hovering over him. Wondering if she was going to die.

-What happened to your face?-he asked, looking at the bruise forming on her cheek. She wasn’t expecting such a question.

-I fell.-she whispered. He knew she was lying. Asher got closer to his friend.

-Should I stab her or cut off her head?-he asked, as if he was taking a breakafast order. Rishon finally looked at him. It seemed a whole eternity before he shook his head.

-Let her live for now.-he said.

-Are you feeling better?-Asher wanted to know. Shana took a step back trying to exit the room before anybody, noticing her again. Rishon was trying to sit up in bed.

-Give me water.-he ordered the guard in a deep voice. He drank the whole glass looking her coming closer to the door. She was only a step away from leaving. And something in him didn’t want to let her go that night. She saved his life. She didn’t have to do it. Nobody expected her to heal him. She could have pretended to not knowing how to help him. And it bothered him that she did it. She of all people in the desert. One person he would never expect to stand by him.

-Lady Alexandra.-he called her mockingly. Her back was turned to them but she stopped. Taking a deep breath, she turned around. Looked at his blue eyes. Eyes of her enemy. She remembered how he treated her before. How his enemies treated her. And the glass he was holding and the sheets he was lying on were washed by her. She stood silent waiting for his next words.

-Leave is.-he ordered the guard and Asher. They exited without another word. -You look different.-he noticed. And he was right. There was less determination in her eyes. And more fear. More anticipation. More instinct to protect herself. He had not seen her for almost six months. He had been out of the desert and avoiding being close to her. Shana tried to look above his head. She couldn’t look into his eyes. He would see the truth in her. He would see how scared she was of his home and his men. He could see all the cuts and bruises on her body. He would notice how hungry and thirsty she was all the time. And she didn’t want him to see all that. She was a leader's daughter. She was not supposed to have this kind of life.

-Maybe it will hurt you for a day or two. But then you will feel better. I'm sure you will be able to recover by the end of the week.-her voice was calm and respectful. But that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

-I can see the desert is making its impression on you.-he concluded. She wanted to tell him that the desert was a beautiful place. But his warriors were people who she couldn’t defend herself from. He noticed how skinny she looked. Even in that shabby black dress. She bowed her head, not giving him an answer. What more could she say?

-Maybe I just need a longer time to adjust.-she commented. There was a bitter smile on his face.

-You need to walk more carefully. You don’t want to fall down on your face again. It would be a shame if something happen to you in the dark.-he reminded you cruelly. Shana nodded her head. There was nothing else she could do.

-If you don’t need me anymore I would like to go back to my duties.-she was brave enough to want to leave him. Blue eyes kept looking at her. Did he really want her to stay? She belonged to another warrior. A warrior who didn’t even care to look for her. He had not heard anyone coming to the port city looking for a missing woman. Was nobody missing her?

-You may go.-he whispered. She bowed her head once more and left him, carefully closing the door. Before she ran out of the fort, she met Ashers' black eyes, giving her another warning to keep her mouth closed.

It was her first birthday in the desert. And it has marked more than a year of her captivity in this strange place with cruel people. Nobody congratulated her. Nobody even knew. She finished her work in the fort later than she expected. She helped the cooks in cleaning the kitchen and brought fresh water for the morning shift. By the time she went outside, it was already dark and cold. The wind was picking up playing with the lighted torches. Some of them were dead and the guards didn’t bother lighting them again. She put a scarf over her head to stop the sand from coming into her hair. She didn’t have the luxury of clean water every night. Her bath time was rationed and shared with other people in the servants' quarters. Usually it would be way past midnight by the time she could get a chance to clean up. She started walking towards her room. To get there she needed to pass by the guard station and that was the thing she hated the most.

They would always shout after her. A couple of them would even try to grab her as she was passing. It wouldn’t happen every time but it happened often enough for her to expect it. Especially during the nights such as these, when most of the people were hiding inside already. She bowed her head trying to walk past them. Knowing that they can already smell her coming by. There was no other way she could go. And she recognized the guard that brought her to the fort. He was standing at the entrance of the post. As if waiting for her. She knew how much he hated to be pushed by Asher because of her. And he blamed her for it. She tried not to look at him.

-Isnt this our little healer?-he showed her to his friends. None of them said a word. They already knew she would pass by every single night. Shana was just about to pass. Her back was already turned to them when suddenly she felt a hand pulling her hair back. Her scarf was knocked down and she almost fell to the ground from the force of his hand. -Don’t you want to say hi, little one?-his voice was deep. She didn’t dare to look at him because she knew what she would see. He was coming towards her. In just a few seconds, he was already towering over her.

-Are you too good to talk to us? It didn’t seem like that when they called you to the fort in the middle of the night. You were happy to go.-he mocked her. His friends started laughing.

-We never knew this about you sweetheart. Who was it to call you to his bed? Asher dog?-one of the guards joined in the fun. They were all laughing now. She felt his hand on her shoulder. He was trying to pull her back. And she knew she couldn’t let him do that.

-Come give us a taste.-he was pulling her to him. Before he knew it, she slapped him hard on the face. She used all her force. But he barely moved. All the other guards started laughing even harder than before. Shana knew she would pay for her mistake. She humiliated him. Nobody hits Rishon's guards. Before she knew it, he hit her on the jaw. The power of it sent her to her knees. She hoped that was the worst of it. But she hoped in vain. He kicked her with his foot like she was a dog.

Now she was on the ground. Trying to get into a fetal position to protect her head. Another kick to her ribs. The same place as before. And after that, another one. She heard something inside her crack. The pain was more than she could indure. There was a taste of blood in her mouth. Her lungs struggled to get fresh air. Seconds turned into hours. She tried to get back on the feer. Try to pull away from them. Knowing there was so little she could do. Happy Birthday Shana, she heard a small voice in her head. And what a birthday it was. Maybe it was enough for him. Because the kicking had stopped. She dared to see what was happening. Expecting to hear more laughter and jokes. Knowing that they would demand her to apologize as she always had to do when they would bully her. She lifted herself with a wince and pain in her face. Long hair was hiding her bruises and a broken lip. Rishon and Asher were standing between her and the guards. Asher was holding the one that was kicking her. That was why he had to stop. She didn’t know what was in them to behave in such a way. Why were all of them so violent? Why were they always trying to hurt other people they were supposed to protect? Or did they just attack whoever was weak? Rishon noticed her standing up. He saw what happened. He had doubts that she wasn’t treated nicely by his own guards. But she never complained. She never said a word to anyone. And this has happened before. It will probably happen again.

-Lady Alexandra. I can see you enjoy the attention.- he spoke to her mockingly. She held her right side still hurting badly. She could barely move. If she tried to take a step she had to stop breathing how painful it was. Shana wasn’t in the mood for his insults. He had helped her. She admitted it. But he didn’t have control over his own people.

-It is all part of the experience living in your home.-she succeeded in saying through clenched teeth. The pain was still there. -Now if you excuse me. I will be on my way. I'm not in a position to enjoy a longer conversation.-she wanted to go. Return to her small room and asses her injuries. Maybe drink some hot tea. A hot bath would be wonderful but she could only dream about it.

Rishon watched as she slowly started walking. Small deliberate steps. Clutching the right side of her body. Bowing her head and trying to stay on her feet. He silently looked at Ashton. They both knew that the guards hurt her too much. They saw the kicks. Even a warrior would feel pain and not a young girl like her.

-Take them all to the dungeons.-he ordered him. Asher didn’t need back up to do it. They walked before him just because he was there. Rishon followed her slowly to the servants' quarters. He saw her when she entered her small room. He had no idea where she lived or how she spent her time. Shana fell on the ground totally exhausted. She didn’t have the power to drink a glass of water even if her throat was burning. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to relax. Trying to take a deep breath, but it was hurting her too much. She touched her right side and almost screamed from pain. Her ribs were broken. Maybe only two of them. But it still worried her. There was nothing she could do. Either she would heal by herself or not. There was no help coming. She didn’t have anybody to hope for. This was it. She put her head down on the floor and just tried to relax in any position she could. Waiting for the time when she will have to get up and go on with her duties.