GriffinSinger

1. Seer, Sand, and Secrets-7

The sleeping room Irenya shared was hot and stuffy and some of the women snored—loudly. She wanted to go outside, but didn’t fancy what she might step into or blunder against in the dark—the animals were herded into the ground floor at night. The combined pungency of goats, piss, and manure wafted up the uneven stairs, adding to the already smelly air of the room. Later, as she lay on her unsympathetic mat unable to sleep, cold desert air spilled over the open sills and funnelled down the tall chimneys. On the fifth floor, the chieftain slept—alone, if he wished—where the breeze was stronger and the smell weaker.

Rani and another woman came in late, about the time Irenya’s eyelids were beginning to droop. They were tittering, explosive little sounds between whispered words. Women and children stirred and a crone rapped a querulous order that quietened everyone. Rani settled on her mat next to Irenya. A faint, rhythmic rustling of the girl’s bedclothes ended in several tiny gasps and a quivering sigh. Rani lay still.

Irenya rearranged her limbs, trying to find a comfortable position. Again, she heard Leachim’s voice in her head. ‘He has just accepted Ulei as a companion for the night. A chieftain’s daughter deflowered by the archprince is a great honour and will increase her chances of a good marriage.’

According to Leachim, if she bore Elaaron’s child, the Sildahnis would raise it for the first few summers. Then they would deliver the child to Ilkyrie, where it would be welcomed as Elaaron’s offspring. ‘If the child is a boy, he may well become archprince one day. Imagine where that places Kidu in his family’s claim for royal status, and a princedom for the Sildahni people. Yes, heartling, you should be cynical.’