BRIDE OF JERU

Whatever happens

∆~∆ Naamah's POV ∆~∆

"Remove the blindfold."

The cloth fell away, and light hit my eyes. I squeezed them shut, tears streaming down my cheeks. When I finally opened them, everything was blurry.

Slowly, shapes came into focus. First, it was pillars and carved walls. Then torches hanging on the pillars. Where am I?

A woman sat on a throne carved with gold and decorated with ivory. Her robe glowed with gold thread. Her face was calm but calculating.

"So," she said, her voice smooth, "this is the princess of Jeru."

She studied me for a moment, then smiled. "You may speak. I am Queen Ishtar, mother of King Ashur."

I pressed my lips together and said nothing. I didn't feel comfortable with her, and she just dragged me here with a knife held to my throat, so I have every right to be scared.

"Tell me, child," she continued, sounding almost kind, "how has life been in Babel? Do you feel trapped here? Or have you found it pleasant?"

Still, I kept quiet. I refuse to give her whatever she was seeking. Suddenly, one of the guards stepped forward with his sword raised at me.

"The queen asked you a question."

Raising her hands, she said gently, "Let her be," still watching me. "Perhaps she needs time."

Her smile widened, it felt pleasant, but I could sense the danger in that smile. "Babel can be dangerous, Princess. There are people who want to hurt you, and not all of them carry weapons. You need someone to protect you. I can be that person."

Still, I didn't say a word. Silence is the best way to survive at this moment because if I say what's on my mind, I might likely die faster not that I am scared of that.

"Babel is dangerous, princess Naamah. More dangerous than Jeru ever was. You're alone here. A foreign girl in a kingdom that eats the weak." She paused, letting her words sink in.

"You need protection. A friend and I can bring and be that friend."

"I have friends," I said quietly.

"Do you?" She tilted her head. "That little maid who follows you around? She can't even protect herself."

The queen stood, her silk robes whispering as she moved down the steps toward me. "But I can protect you. I have power in this palace. Power, my son doesn't even know about."

Her voice softened. "All I ask is that you tell me what happens around my son. A mother worries, you understand right? The court is full of traitors who plot against him. If you tell me what he says, what he does, you would be helping him stay safe."

Her words sounded sweet like a mother worried about her child but I know better. After all, in Jeru, if you are naive in the palace you end up as meat for the vulture ministers.

I met her eyes. " Thank you, your majesty, but I can take care of myself."

Something flickered in her face, then it was gone. "Of course," she said smoothly. "You are strong. But strength can be lonely. Think about what I've said, Princess. I would hate to see harm come to someone so valuable."

She stood and waved to the guards. "Take her back. Let her rest."

The men bowed and led me toward the door. My heart was beating fast, although I kept my face calm.

Outside, the air was cooler. Shira was waiting, her wrists bound, her eyes full of worry.

"My lady!" She pulled free from the guard and rushed to me. "Are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Let's go."

The guards stepped aside without a word. I quickly untied her wrists and led her by the arm. We walked down the hallway. Neither of us spoke as we walked back.

As we turned a corner, a man walked past. His shoulder bumped into mine, hard enough that I stumbled slightly. He smelled of cedar and heavy smoke, which I recognized as something the Babel nobles like to smoke.

"Watch where you're going," I hissed out, frustrated by the events of the evening.

He stopped and looked back at me. His eyes were dark. He didn't apologize. He didn't bow. He just looked at me for a long moment, then walked away.

I frowned. "Rude, human," I murmured. Shira glanced after him but said nothing.

We kept walking until the queen's palace was far behind us. My heart still beat strangely fast.

"My lady," Shira whispered, "what did the queen want?"

"She wants me to spy on the king. To tell her everything he does."

Shira's eyes widened. "Will you?"

"I don't know." I felt tired suddenly. "The king is cruel, but his mother is something else.

"How" Shira asked.

"At least Ashur shows you what he is. She hides it." I replied.

"What will you do?"

"I don't know," I said again.

The queen wanted me to spy on Ashur. To betray him. Ashur was my enemy too. He'd threatened Shira's life. He'd made me dance like a trained courtesan. Plus, I hated how he looked at me like I was his meat.

But the queen... something about her was worse. At least Ashur was honest about his cruelty. The queen wrapped hers in silk and smiled.

"Truly," I said, more to myself than to Shira, "Babel is a very dangerous place."

"Should we tell the king?" Shira asked. "About his mother?"

"No." The word came out too fast. "No, we tell no one."

Because I didn't know which snake was more deadly. The one who showed his fangs, or the one who hid them behind a smile.

And I was trapped between them both.

We walked back through the dark hallways toward my chambers. Every corner looked like it might hold another threat and I couldn't help but be jumpy.

When we finally reached my door, I stopped and looked at Shira.

"Whatever happens," I said, "don't trust anyone in this palace. Not the even servants. Not the guards. And especially not the queen."

"What about the king?"

I thought of Ashur's hands on me. His threats. His behavior and I couldn't help but shiver.

"Especially not the king. He is the more dangerous one among them."

I closed the door and leaned against it. My hands were shaking. For the first time since coming to Babel, I understood something clearly.

I wasn't just a prisoner here. I was a pawn in the games of the court.

But the question was: which one would kill me first?