6. Eshe
Eshe
“Focus, ladies!” Sorrella’s high-pitched voice bounced against the marble walls.
The wide, tall windows gave us so much light that it was as if we were outside. I could see the sweat glimmering on our skin.
We got back into formation, and the musicians nodded to us when they were ready to restart the sequence once more.
This is our twenty-second time doing it today.
My feet were sore, but not as sore as the rest of my body.
I managed a week of training through push-ups, core exercises, and lifting my body above door frames within the cool breezes of the Priestelhood.
When I ensured there wasn’t a presence around, I’d climb the building to increase stamina and strength.
However, it was a bore to train by myself.
I missed Garamgai more than I cared to admit, if only because he would rebuke my weak areas, which increased my desire to perform better. It was like a drug.
The twins’ mother’s birthday was tomorrow, and I couldn’t afford to miss out on any more training.
I had stayed up most nights going over my plans, and nothing was going to stand in my way, especially my lack of training.
Fatigue knocked on my door in the early evenings with a pounding headache, but I’d have to worry about that another day.
I’d get funny looks from the girls when I explained these exercises were to help strengthen my balance for the dance.
Norrah joined me for a few of the exercises, though her routine would be cut short by a significant amount of time due to her level of endurance.
It was still impressive to see her try. In the past ten days, I had grown attached to Norrah’s presence.
In the evenings, she’d pass the time talking to me about her newest adventures here in Urnaz.
I glanced over to her, and she rolled her eyes because of Sorrella. She was most likely as irritated and as sore as I was.
“Again!”
The flute began. Our hips moved slowly from side to side with the sounds of metal bouncing delicately around our waists.
While our upper bodies stayed still, our hips synchronized their movements with greater speed.
Our hands moved like snakes above our shoulders. Above our heads, making slow circles.
Faster and faster we danced.
We pointed our jeweled feet one in front of the other in a large circle and rocked our hips back and forth.
Today was the last day of rehearsal, so we wore our Priestel attire.
The short black veil covered our noses and mouths, leaving our kohl, catlike eyes to capture the attention of the audience we were hypnotizing.
I finally felt a part of something I had wondered about since I was a child.
I was captivated by the Priestels’ dancing.
The jewelry reflecting against candlelight, and the way their hips moved against the beat of the drums.
And now, I was one of them. For the time being, anyway. Talk about a full-circle moment.
The short veil was thin and breathable, with small gold beads hanging underneath. We wore a black top that covered our chest and dark purple pants that opened up along the sides. Our bellies were covered in gold chains that dangled with even the slightest movement.
Eventually, the music fell, and the sequence was over, with most of the women sighing with relief, except for the few who were overachievers and just wanted to know when the next rehearsal was.
Especially Elissa. With ashy blond hair, she was tall, slender like me—she clearly lived for validation from Sorrella.
We packed our bags and each headed for our rooms. I crossed the hallway with Norrah, and we found ourselves racing toward my room.
We dropped our heavy bodies onto my bed, and the remainder of our laughs escaped our chests.
“So happy today is over.” Norrah sighed and rolled over to her side with a hand propping her head up.
“I’m starving. Should we sneak into the kitchen and grab a snack?” I knew Norrah could see the mischief twinkling in my eyes as she grinned back.
“You’re so bad, Mara!” She paused for a moment. “What if we get caught? Do you think Sorrella would expel us from performing tomorrow? I feel like she barely feeds us at all! How am I expected to keep up these vigorous practices without more food?!”
“Listen, Norrah.” I put a stop to it all with a hand and brow raised. “I’m the queen of thievery. We won’t get caught.”
Norrah raised a prominent brow in disbelief, and we laughed until Ana burst into my room.
“Hey, Ana!”
“Hi, ladies.” Ana plopped down on the bed next to us. “Want to join me out in town? I’m looking for someone to go with. I’ve been feeling so cooped up here. I might go crazy before tomorrow.”
This was perfect and went with my plan for the night, anyway.
Norrah and I glanced at each other, but right then I saw something flash across her eyes. I frowned. “Want to go?” I asked.
She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. “I feel like maybe we should stay in, since the celebration is tomorrow—I don’t want to stay up too late.”
“We won’t! We’ll be back in a couple of hours. Promise!” Ana begged, pulling on Norrah’s shoulder with puppy eyes.
Norrah smiled and then rolled her eyes. “Well… only if we could have the eunuchs come with us? It’s getting late, right?” she asked, worry lacing her voice.
Ana scrunched up her face and shook her head. “I don’t think it’s necessary. Plus, it’s fun without a guardian, don’t you think?”
Ooh, a rebel had entered the building. Welcome.
Norrah flitted her eyes down before smiling back. “Right, of course.”
When Ana left to change, I pulled Norrah aside. “If you don’t want to go, we don’t need to.”
“Oh, no! It’s not that. I just want to make sure we’re careful and on time to get back and make sure we’re safe, you know?” she rumbled on.
“Okay,” I drawled with a smile.
I changed into some comfortable beige pants and a top before we emerged from the Khraus gates.
With the sun hanging low in the sky, we strolled through the upper market. Ana pressed forward, looking through the stands while Norrah linked her arm with mine. She seemed calmer and more herself than before. Maybe getting out into the fresh air was exactly what she needed.
She lowered her voice. “How did you learn those exercises? And don’t be vague. I’m starting to hate it.”
Lying had become second nature over the years, but it felt…different lying to someone I was growing fond of. I studied her face. My friends had always just been my brothers, and they both died.
“I paid someone to become my teacher, so that I might learn to be strong enough to protect myself,” I whispered.
“From what?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Anyone or anything. I didn’t want to be weak anymore, I suppose.” It was a half-truth.
The sound of my sandals hitting the cobblestone streets filled the silence for a moment.
“I understand that.” Norrah’s voice went small. “I hate having to depend on anyone else for my safety.” Though she was walking right next to me, she seemed to be a million miles away, her eyes distant. “You’re lucky to have found someone to teach you. What else do you know?”
My stomach twisted, and a hard rock formed at the bottom of it. “Norrah… You don’t want to know. It’s better that you don’t. And like you said, I don’t want to lie to you.”
“Why is it better that I don’t know? You don’t know what’s best for me, Mara.” Her bitterness caught me by surprise, but she was right. How could I know what was best for her? I hardly knew her.
I gave in because, well, fuck it. “He taught me to fight, if you want to know so badly.”
Norrah inhaled a small gasp. “Are you good at it?” Her dark eyes widened with curiosity but held no judgement.
“I like to think so, but there’ll always be someone better than me. I learned that from my master. There will always be someone smarter than me, faster than me, stronger than me. The list goes on. It’s helped me remain humble yet still know I can continue to strive for the best.”
There was a peaceful silence for a minute before her brows lowered. I didn’t know what Norrah was thinking, but I could tell she was digesting what I was saying. I hated to admit it, but it felt nice to finally say that out loud. It was nice to have female company who knew one of my many secrets.
“I wish I could be more like that.” Her eyes met mine. “But I’m a runner, not a fighter.”
Her voice had turned quiet and small, not at all like the Norrah I’d been getting to know.
“Sometimes you need to run for a while before you learn how to fight,” I said, bumping my shoulder against hers.
Norrah’s eyes looked heavy before her lips curved into a smile, watching the streets ahead.
This time, we went to a part of Urnaz I hadn’t yet explored. The streets that wove up high were new and clean, and surprisingly, I couldn’t tell if we were in the upper or lower part of Urnaz with who was here.
“By the look on your face, Mara, I can tell you’ve never been here before?” Norrah asked.
“No.” I looked at both sides of the street to see the light illuminating the musicians on multiple balconies, apart from each other. They played a symphony for all to hear without coordinating anything.
Cheers from the crowd below encouraged them to continue.
“This is a new street in the city,” Ana informed. “It was built to create more unity through the sound of music. Music doesn’t have a language. It sounds different to each one of us. Yet we can all agree on the beauty that is within.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I can see that.”
I looked further up the street and found the palace I’d come to hate over the last eight years. My heart thudded against my ribs. I was so close.
Norrah and Ana veered toward what looked like an indoor lounge with multiple long pipes made from glass to be smoked, I was sure.
“You’re going to love this stuff. There’s nothing like it besides here in Urnaz.” Ana beamed, pulling us both toward the entrance.
“Ah, actually, would you mind if I caught up with you both in a bit?”
Norrah lowered her brows. “Are you sure? Where are you going?”