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  “You speak as though you know.” She refused to turn away and shy from his close proximity.

  “We were not always as rich as we are now,” he commented. He straightened back to his full height. “Fortunately, it is only the now you should concern yourself with. Come. You have hardly eaten and I will not have such beauty wilt from self-neglect.”

  Azel averted her eyes and followed his lead in silence. It was strange but she felt pity for him. He was obviously hiding a past full of hardships. She remembered her father saying that nothing breaks a man’s will to live like poverty. He had been careful that those without means were cared for or given work so that they might at least have a meal in their stomach. She glanced up at his face as they walked; its hard lines and cold features depicted an understanding of adversity.

  Strange that she should met a ruler who understood loss and suffering when she had so recently been subjected to the same. How quickly it seemed that life could change, that those she loved could be cut down and taken from her. She reached into her pocket and touched the earring that her mother had given to her for her wedding, her thumb passing over the jewels and engravings as she pictured her mother’s face in her mind.

  They passed through the first set of doors and down a set of steps that led to the dining area of the great ship. When it had landed by the crash she had not realized how large it was by comparison, and knew if she did try to escape she would likely be lost in its massive size. Men bowed as The Liege passed by, guards, crewmen and those in attendance all bent down. She was steps behind him and he kept her close, likely because he was certain she would try to escape.

  The last set of doors opened and Azel was surprised at the pomp of the dining area. Until now she had been eating in the private chambers provided to her, usually used by the Liege’s concubines. Many other women in his attendance were careful not to be openly unkind to her but she knew they were not pleased with what they perceived as competition. Her only desire was to return to Momby and perform the duty her father bestowed upon her.

  She sat upon the sitting pillow to his right. There were had beads and tassels sewn into the pillow’s edgings, as fine as her wedding veil. The pillows were circular and Azel had to bend her legs to the side instead of crossing them because they were higher than the ones she was accustomed to. The food was brought before them as the Liege sat to her left and discussed something with his advisor.

  She carefully took a bite of the strange meat in front of her, as though it may scorch her tongue if she moved too quickly. The sauce was sweet and it spread across her tongue as she chewed and then swallowed. Azel carefully took another bite, unsure if the first accurately assessed the strange sweetness of the meat.

  “I will not have him set free on the insistence of my advisors,” the Liege was saying. “The only way he will go free is if he is found innocent of the allegations against him.” I will hear no more of your objections.”

  “Should he not be presumed innocent, and the burden of proving his guilt fall to you?” Azel said. She watched as his eyes and those of his advisor slowly turned to her.

  “It is not customary to interrupt me or challenge my authority when you have overheard a conversation not for your ears,” he told her. His voice was chilled.

  “Then you should not have sat me directly to your left and spoken so loudly,” Azel stated. She took a sip of the water before her.

  “You would do well to hold your tongue on subjects you know nothing about.” He was seething; she could see the anger in his eyes. Part of her knew she should care or be afraid but she couldn’t seem to produce any emotions.

  He stood and pulled her to her feet. She almost dropped the glass of water but managed to splash it in his face instead. “Unhand me,” she spat. “A true Liege would never treat his captive with such force, but listen to their words, for it may have some merit.”

  Everyone in the room went still. Some still had food in their mouth as their jaws dropped open in complete shock. He was utterly stunned as she stood before him, his arm still holding onto her arm. She had to be half on her tiptoes in order to stand on her own. His surprise quickly passed, and she saw something change in him as she met his stare.

  “Everyone leave.” His voice so deep and commanding that the crowd moved from the room, shooting her glances of pity. She hardly noticed them as she watched the water drip down his face and kept a hateful look on her face.

  They continued to stare one another down until the door closed and the last of the people left. He slowly used the back of his long sleeve of his robe to wipe the water from his face. His bangs were dripping and some of the front of his clothes was wet as well.

  “Sit.” He released her arm.

  Azel sunk back down into the pillow but she refused to take her eyes from him, for fear of what he might do if she turned away. He slowly pulled the soaked robe off and the thin fabric of his underclothes did little to hide the well-toned shape of his body. Her eyes waivered on his chest for an instant before returning to his face. She watched him for any indication of what he might do to her.

  “You are lucky that I understand loss,” he said, sitting back down. “How helplessness can make you reckless.”

  She shifted her eyes as she felt the pain of loss in her chest but turned herself back to face him fully. Azel refused to betray herself further as she responded. “Reckless or not, you should not speak of execution so lightly. They will become someone else’s loss.”

  “Who are you to know of executions and the carrying out of justice?” He asked. He looked suspicious of how she had addressed him. She could feel his eyes studying her face, searching for a hint of betrayal.

  “I am the daughter of a man who understood the importance of a justice system.” It gave little away before she stood up abruptly. “I am returning to my chambers.”

  She nearly made it to the door when she felt him grab her and turn her around. Her head hit the wall and she saw stars as she nearly slumped to the ground. He caught her and pressed his lips against hers. His desire for her burned her lips and for a moment she was transfixed.

  She had been so unprepared for the feeling of a man’s passion that for a moment her mind went blank. In all her years she had never been kissed by a man, and to her own shame she felt her limbs melt. She pushed at him, squirming to pull herself from his hold but he did not stop until she bit his lip. She bit down just enough so the taste of copper touched the tip of her tongue and made him pull off of her. She tried to slap him but his hold on her arms prevented her from reaching his face.

  His tongue rolled out over the cut on his lip. “If you think this will stop me, you are mistaken, little bird.”

  “I will bite my own tongue off and bleed to death rather than be forced to copulate with you,” she hissed at him as she tried to calm her beating heart and the sharp rise and fall of her chest.

  He picked her up and set her down by the door. “Go.”

  She was stunned. He growled at her, “go. Before my need to take you overcomes the remaining decency that I have.”

  Azel didn’t have to be told a third time – she threw open the doors and ran down the hall towards the safety of her chambers. When she reached the room she started piling things up in front of the door that connected their two rooms. She pushed the wooden chest full of throw pillows against the door before using the curtains ropes to tie off the room. She placed a knife she had stolen from the dining room under her pillow as she crawled into bed and soon she fell asleep.

  Chapter 6

  “On Enemy Ground”

  No one she knew had ever seen any of the cities that the Liege Aleron Corvinus controlled and survived. Only the outer city of Burtanian was considered a neutral zone for merchants. The neutral zone had been established many centuries before and neither side had made any attempts to alter its current state. This was partially due to the fact that Burtanian was one of the largest cities on the planet and if either side attacked the well-defended city and failed, the citizens of Burtanian would side with the enemy.

  Beyond Burtanian there were four smaller colonies, and two large cities that the Liege Aleron ruled and resided at. They were soon to arrive at the larger of his two homes. This one had been renamed Sol; it was so named because one day all of the cities of the world would place Sol at its center. It had once been the home to her ancestor, the Vandi. Azel listened with hidden interest as the women who had bathed and dressed her talked of their return home, and told her of its beauty and many riches.

  She had remained within her room the whole of the day, and as night approached they would be arriving within the hour. The Liege had not seen to her at all, and it was a relief that she would soon be placed in a room far from his. She lay upon the large bed; it made her look like a small child curled upon its mass. The clothes he gave her were of the finest quality and he provided her with four of her own personal companions.

  One of them was a snarky woman by the name of Scarlet, who considered her competition for the Liege’s attention. She was from Undel, and the daughter of a rich merchant that had been offered as tribute so that the Liege may bear a child from her. The entire concept of multiple wives and a small army of concubines had always been a strange idea to Azel. Being a more remote city, Undel entertained only a few young concubines that remained within the palace walls. Their only purpose was the continuation of the royal line and only those with a direct connection to the Bloodline were allowed in.

  A single woman was chosen to become Queen and only her children had the ability to rule. It took a certain combination of power to produce children with a strong enough connection to the Bloodline. Otherwise their powers would not manifest or they would have such a weak connection that they could hardly affect anything. Her mother
was a direct descendant of the Lin family and had roots in the Vandi family, which allowed her a certain status.

  Like the Julius family, most of the offspring of the Vandi family had been casualties of war. There were very few that could connect their ancestry to a Vandi, and even fewer that could claim to be able to have power over flesh. Her father had been careful to point out their family connection to four of the seven Bloodlines —three of which were strong—as well as their weak association with the Byden Bloodline.

  Her father was no fool; he had not told her future husband about her strong ability to bend men to her will. He insisted that she could heal small areas of injury but that her powers beyond that were limited. Any power of Vandi was coveted, which was why she had fetched such a high price. Unlike the revered Vandi Bloodline, children of the Julius family were ostracized and feared.

  If Aleron ever discovered her ability he would surly bed her just to expand his offspring’s connection to the Bloodline. He might even go so far as to marry her, so that their children were legitimate heirs. The idea made her shudder; to be forever bond to such a brutish man would be a terrible fate indeed. The women around him were only interested in the wealth and power a concubine would have. They did not seem too concerned with the man that they would be required to bed on a regular basis or his likely endless desire for sex.

  She sat up and looked around the room. Sleep would not come to her easily and it seemed pointless to try and get any. Standing, Azel walked towards the window, stretching her body as she went. With a yawn on her lips she moved the curtain aside to look out at the two moons. The Walker was small and hardly lit while the Runner was out farther ahead. The stars glittered in the night sky, reminding her of how small she was in the endless expanse of the universe.

  A knock came to her door and for a moment she glanced at the pillow where she had left the knife. She walked over and picked it up, the blade flat against the inside of her arm. The knock came again and she heard one of the serving women call her name.

  Relief flooded through her as she answered, “come in!”

  Hadi, a short large woman who had no power and even less prospects, entered the room. “Azel, the Liege requests you join him on deck.”

  She was still dressed in her clothes, so she slid the knife into the back of her waistband. “I am ready now.”

  Without another word the woman turned, and Azel followed her from the room. The guard joined them as they walked towards the deck, and she could feel him staring at her as though he feared to blink. The last time he had turned his back on her she had struck him over the head, so she didn’t blame him for being cautious. If he knew what power she held within her, he would likely watch her twice as closely.

  At the top of the steps the Liege was waiting with his arms clasped behind his back, looking out of the large front windows. He turned when she approached, clearly pleased with himself, but it was only when she drew closer did she see what he was proud of. The city of Sol was like an island of light in the darkness, like a million firebugs dancing to welcome them. It was so large and beautiful that Azel could not believe it was Aleron who ruled such a place.

  “What do you think of my home?” He drew her closer to the large window.

  “It does not suit you. It is far too lovely.”

  “My ancestors were always certain that Sol would be the center of the world, and built it to match its future prestige.” He seemed unhampered by her slight towards him. “It has been restored to its former glory to match the wealth I have accumulated.”

  “I have always wondered what this side of the world looked like,” she said. She took a step closer to the window as the ship began its descent towards the port. “I always imagined it dark and haughty.”

  Sol was the stolen capital of the Vandi household, and at their defeat, Haden Corvinus had made it his home. It had once belonged to her ancestors and she wondered if their ghosts would wander the halls. How strange that her enemy, in a way, should bring her home.

  “It is interesting seeing my home through the eyes of a child of my enemy,” the Liege Aleron commented. “I thought you would mock it.”

  “One may mock an old dress before it is worn, but it is hard to do so when it fits so perfectly despite the age,” Azel was thinking of her mother’s love of ancient structures. “My mother world have loved to seen such a sight as this,” she said softly.

  “Captain,” the Liege said sharply, “circle the city once so that my people will know I have returned.”

  “As you command.” Azel’s stomach lurched as the ship was pulled back up to its normal traveling elevation.

  “It is customary to have a large tournament in my honor upon my return from Nova,” The Liege informed her. “It is also customary that guests and concubines perform for me. Have you any talent for performance?”

  As a princess, she had been spent years learning how to perform many dances and songs, and she could play a number of instruments. She could hardly admit her ability to perform nearly whatever he could imagine, so she went with the one that everyone was taught. It was customary for every woman in a household of a respectable family to learn four dances.

  “I was instructed briefly on how to dance,” Azel responded. “Enough to be acceptable.”

  He turned his eyes on her as they turned back towards the port, “You will perform the Kadi-Ro.”

  It was a famous dance, known as the Sway of the Seductress, which had a single woman attempting to seduce a Liege. It was famous because it was a dance performed by a concubine on the night a Liege accepted her into his bed. Her teeth grated together as she tried to hold her words of rebuke back.

  “I am not familiar with the Kadi-Ro,” she lied. “I am a woman promised to another, I have no need for such a dance.”

  “You will perform it for me,” he said as they began once more towards the port. “I command it.”

  “I cannot perform what I do not know,” Azel countered.

  He turned back to Hadi and waved her forward, “You – do you know the Kadi-Ro?”

  A blush covered her cheeks as she bowed her head. “Yes, my Liege.”

  “You will teach it to Azel. She will perform it tomorrow.” Without another word, Aleron turned and left Azel glaring after him, unwilling to accept so easily.

  Chapter 7

  “Sol”

  She had been pacing the room so long, she wondered if she might be wearing the rugs down to the floorboards. Azel should not have been surprised at his arrogance; he had placed her in the room of the honored concubine. The other seven concubines that had greeted him all regarded her with hatred and suspicion. All of them were beautiful, decorated in fine clothes and rich jewels that could have fed her people in Undel for a lifetime.

  While normally it was typical to call upon one of his precious concubines to the honored room, he had ordered his men to escort her there. When he had made the command she had attempted to spit on him, but he had luckily moved out of range. She had gone to bed angry and woken up with a sharp headache and a wish to slap him. She was certain it would make her feel better, but she was not a princess in his eyes and he would certainly punish her.

  A guard opened the door that connected her room to the Liege’s. “You are to come to lunch.”

  “Tell him to kindly choke on his food.” Her voice held as much sweetness as a sand viper.

  The guard didn’t hesitate to drag her through her room and into the large one adjoining it. She didn’t care for the hold the guard had on her arm, so when he stopped to announce her she promptly stomped on his foot. She glared up at him as he released her and marched into the room herself.

  “Is there something you need from me?” she asked tartly.

  He sat with most of his concubines sitting around him, feeding him by hand. “I wanted to know your progress of the Kadi-Ro and invite you to discuss it over a meal.”

  “I can perform it as you wish,” Azel responded, “but being in your presence has ruined any appetite I may have had.”