Narinda remained rooted to the spot, staring at me and I was about to mouth something to her before I heard Lahn bark and my body started. I started paying attention to my immediate surroundings and saw The Eunuch was close and clearly had been there awhile, he had something to say too and he was biding his time to speak.

But his eyes dashed to me twice in the brief time mine rested on him and something about that struck me as wrong.

Before I could put a finger on it, he spoke and Diandra translated. “The Daxshee is nearly dismantled, King Lahn, we ride in an hour.”

“Dohno,” Lahn muttered on a jerk of his chin, The Eunuch inclined his head and his eyes darted to me yet again before he turned and moved quickly away. I lost sight of him when Lahn curved me into his front again, both arms around me and I looked up to him as he spoke and Diandra interpreted. “We ride soon under a sun that still holds heat. Will you be all right on Zephyr or do you need cover?”

“Zephyr,” I replied instantly, ignoring the fact that he was being solicitous and therefore sweet.

Lahn went on after a squeeze of his arms. “My tigress, the pink in your skin has turned to honey but the sun will beat for four to five hours yet before losing its strength. I do not wish you to have another turn.”

“I’ll be fine,” I assured him and I would. Late afternoon sunshine was a lot different than sitting in it all day, I now had an enforced base tan and anyway, I had to do something about these whacked out tan lines. I hadn’t seen myself but I had to look like a freak.

“This is a promise?” he pushed and I locked eyes with him.

“It is a promise, my king, I will be fine,” I stated and his jaw clenched.

Then he muttered, “Nahna Dax.”

Your king. Not just Lahn.

He didn’t like that, I could tell.

Whatever.

I held his eyes as I waited. He held my eyes as something worked behind his.

Then he gave me a squeeze and muttered, “Okay, Circe. Veeyoo…” then a bunch more stuff that Diandra translated as “I will see you as we ride.”

I nodded, he gave me another squeeze with another sigh, he looked over my shoulder and jerked his chin up and I looked too to see a warrior nod and move our way.

My guard.

Then he let me go.

I moved away quickly, closing the box and shoving it under my arm and Diandra was instantly at my side.

Before she could say a word, I spoke.

“Are you okay?” I asked and she blinked.

“Pardon, my dear?”

“Did your husband take a hand to you last night?” I clarified.

“No!” she exclaimed. “Of course not.”

“He was angry,” I reminded her.

“He was, Circe, but he just yelled at me, I yelled back because, you were right, neither of us knew we were doing anything wrong. It was all innocent. It took awhile for me to calm him down, get him to hear me but I did and he realized it was an innocent mistake and all was well.”

“So he doesn’t hit you?” I asked and she eyed me.

Then she answered quietly, “Not anymore, my dear,” then quickly, “and not for some time.”

“Right,” I muttered.

“My goodness!” We heard and both our heads swung to Narinda who was standing in front of us and we would have bowled her over if we didn’t stop. She lifted a shaking hand toward my cheekbone then she dropped it, grasped my hand and tugged me close. “Oh Circe,” she whispered. “What on earth happened?”

“I displeased my husband last night,” I told her shortly, Narinda reared back in shock, her face paling instantly and Diandra sucked in breath.

I turned to her and she had her mouth open to speak.

And I knew what was coming so I lost it.

“Don’t,” I whispered on a hiss, shaking my head at the same time tears sprang to my eyes.. “Don’t. Do not tell me more of how this place and these people work, what they do, what are their ways. No more explanations of who they are and why they behave the way they do.” She blinked with obvious hurt, I let Narinda go, turned fully to Diandra and grabbed her hand, squeezing hard. “I adore you, my friend, you already own a piece of my heart but you and I know there is no excuse for what he did last night, there is no Korwahk explanation that enlightens me to the ways of him and his people that would justify him unleashing his fury on me the way he did. You cannot look at my face, see his mark and know the woman I am and think I could ever do, no matter the wrong he perceives, anything to make him strike me the way he struck me and that would be in any way okay. You know it, Diandra,” I squeezed and shook her hand sharply. “You know it.”

“Circe,” she whispered, squeezing my hand back, “please listen to me. There are things you don’t know. Things you have yet to learn. Things Lahn knows and Seerim told me last night he was wild with worry –”

I shook my head hard, let her go and took a step back. “No. No, I won’t listen to you now. Maybe later when I don’t feel the ache of the back of his hand smashing into my face but not now.”

Then as quickly as I could, before she could say another word and without a glance at either of them, I hurried back toward where my cham used to be.

My guard followed.

* * * * *

I stared at the stars overhead and there were a lot of them. They blanketed the dark sky in a twinkle of lights that was breathtaking. I’d never seen anything like it. Not in my life.

Then I moved my legs and my entire body protested.

We’d ridden from afternoon into the night. It had been years since I’d been on a horse and my body wasn’t used to it. I forgot how much it took out of you physically, riding. Now I remembered.

We didn’t make camp. Once we stopped, I dismounted from Zephyr, a strapping young boy was instantly there to take her away and then Teetru was there, grabbing my hand. My girls gave me water to wash my hands and face, served me a simple meal of dried meat, cheese, flatbread and dried fruit with a cup of water and a chalice of wine. This was cleared away and I was led in the clothes I wore that day to a stack of hides that I took to be my bed. They were out in the open, as everyone else appeared to be bedding, though somewhat removed from the others.

I wasn’t keen on camping though I was an experienced camper. I was the only child of a man who was a man and he liked fishing, hiking and shit like that. So he took me with him. But I’d never slept under the stars and was uncertain I wanted to. I wasn’t in Rome, but I was in Korwahk and therefore had to do what the Korwahks did. So bed under the stars it was.