10. Eshe #2
He was displaying a relaxed version of himself, and it made him look painfully handsome. Maybe. I turned my head back to Seda.
How did these two know each other anyway?
“They’re fine,” Seda said. I could tell she was uncomfortable. I didn’t remember the last time I felt uncomfortable, so I didn’t know what to do.
Ezra stepped toward me with a determined look on his face—
Without wasting my precious freedom, I wove my arm through Seda’s and pulled her away. “Seda, you have no idea how happy I am to see a familiar face. Would you like to take a tour of the palace—”
“Mara!” Ezra gritted out. I nearly froze, but I forced myself to continue walking. “I need a moment with—”
Like an answered prayer, a guard hurriedly walked up to him with a piece of paper. He muttered some words, but Ezra hadn’t stopped staring at me with thin lips.
Holy fuck, he was going to kill me.
With as much calm as I could will into my body, I continued walking with a bewildered Seda. If Ezra gives sweet Seda any trouble for this, I’d gladly take a punch in the face if it meant giving him one in return.
I never considered myself a masochist. Or a sadist.
I didn’t hear Ezra follow.
Peering over my shoulder, our eyes locked. A shiver ran down my spine.
Ooh, that felt different. I shook the feeling out of my body.
As soon as we were away from Ezra’s unyielding stare and into the hallway of the main palace—really, anywhere far away from him.” I asked Seda, “What is it between you two?”
She didn’t realize it, but Seda saved me. If she weren’t here, I wonder what he would have done when he caught me outside the prison chamber.
“Between Ezra and me?”
I nodded.
“It’s difficult to explain. I… His—his father was the one who ordered the execution of my father.”
The fact was dropped so casually that it took me a second to register it. Then my heart raced, and I didn’t realize I had tensed my arm around hers until she said, “It’s not what you think, Mara. My father was a bad person.”
“He was a criminal?” Seda seemed like the type of girl who wouldn’t even associate herself with anyone who did anything illegal.
“In a way, he was. He didn’t listen very well, no matter how many times we told him to stop.”
“Stop what?” I asked quietly.
“It doesn’t matter now. My father put this on himself. We couldn’t afford anything after my father was gone, and the prince—Ezra—had one of his men check in on us when we were barely surviving. If he hadn’t sent someone…” Her eyes went distant.
We took a turn at the end of a dark hallway toward the back of the palace, and she continued, “If someone hadn’t arrived when they did, my little baby sister wouldn’t have made it.”
My heart tightened. I gave her shoulder a quick squeeze.
“What happened after?”
“Ezra ordered that we bake for the palace as well—for the funds that were needed.”
Without my consent, my heart did a little flip.
The rest of the walk was quiet.
So, Ezra helped a starving family. Did that make him a good person? No, he was a killer, and he killed my family.
“I don’t mean to pry, but how are you here? After I met you, news spread of a woman caught in the arena, and now you’re here? Living in the palace.”
No one could know I was here as Eshe, and I knew that Casimir and Ezra were not going to let anyone know I was alive just yet. They wanted the upper hand.
I said the first lie that came to my mind.
“I got a job at the Khraus. We were dancing at one of the celebrations recently, and I got invited into a harem at the palace.” It was the only thing that made sense.
Seda smiled, thinking patiently. “It’s funny, for all the information I have accumulated over the years, I know not one family that has sent their daughter to Ezra’s.”
I remember what she had said before. Exclusive harem.
“Any father would know sending their daughter would not benefit them in the slightest. Ezra can’t see past his own reflection.”
Seda laughed, most likely thinking I was jesting.
“I’m assuming then you belong to Casimir’s?”
Definitely not Ezra. Even if this were all a lie, attaching me to Ezra made me want to gag.
“Casimir’s, yes.”
We continued walking through the hallways, arms linked.
“Where is Ezra’s harem?” Seda asked politely.
“Probably underground in a dungeon,” I contemplated.
We both laughed.
“He’s not that bad, I’m sure,” she said.
I snorted, “Then you don’t know him at all. He is the closest you have to the devil prowling through the desert. I wouldn’t be surprised if he kept his women in the dark where he could perform the darkest of sins on them.”
Seda’s eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped slightly. She probably had no idea what I was referring to. She seemed as innocent as a dove. And I was too, but I had brothers, and they’d tell me what went on in harems.
“Do you mean he harms them? That would make sense as to why I have never heard where they come from before.”
“I’ll find out more and let you know.” I gave her a nod of determination. We both chuckled again, knowing Ezra was not likely to be the person we accused him of being, but I wouldn’t put it past him either.
After saying goodbye to Seda, I noticed Ezra wasn’t lurking about, which meant I still had some time before getting any sort of backlash from him. No doubt he was on some urgent Qahl business, judging by the look on that guard’s face.
Determined now more than ever before, I needed to know more about Ezra.
It was a borderline obsession.
Why had everyone and their mother learned so much about Casimir’s life but nothing about Ezra? What was he hiding?
I walked outside along the palace walls until the sun was just about to set, when I saw a white building surrounded by one of the oasis’s gardens.
A small pond glittered against the setting sun, making it inviting.
The outdoor columns had green silk wrapped around them.
It was quiet in a peaceful way and reminded me of a secret garden that I wanted to explore the depths of, but oddly, there were several guards in front of it.
My lips curved up.
It was Ezra’s harem.
It was definitely further than I expected it to be.
With a bounce on my feet, I ventured to my next adventure.
“Good evening, I’m here under the orders of the Qahl,” I spoke with my head down.
“He’s not expecting anyone new,” one of the guards said curtly.
“I can assure you that he is,” I insisted.
“Have you heard anything about this?” he asked the other guard.
“No. He hasn’t asked for anyone new in years,” the other guard answered.
“That’s what I thought. Leave, before I drag you out myself,” the previous guard threatened.
“Now, now, boys. We all know if you did that to one of his women, he’d have you both gutted. I don’t have time for this, and quite frankly, neither does Ezra. ”
Both guards went silent. They looked at each other again.
“What is your name?” he asked.
A heartbeat passed.
“That would be unwise for me to answer and unwise for you to ask. I could speak to Ezra about this, but I think that won’t be necessary, correct?” I grinned.
They didn’t budge.
“You know how he is with wasting his time on frivolous matters. And this is one of those times.”
They turned their heads toward each other and had a silent conversation before staring back at me.
“If you don’t leave this moment—”
“Why don’t we go see him then? He’s here at the palace. He’s not on a business trip.” I shrugged. “He’s not going to hurt me. I don’t have anything to lose…”
With a heavy sigh, one of the guards muttered something I couldn’t hear to the other guard. Then he opened his arms toward the entrance of the harem. I smiled again with a wave.
As soon as I entered, I noticed the atmosphere had changed. It was dark, as I suspected, and quiet. There was no one to greet me, but I heard soft, hushed voices down the hall to my right. I turned toward their direction, having a feeling that I was about to find something Ezra wanted kept hidden.
“Hello, who are you?” a female voice spoke nearby. I turned and found a beautiful woman my age smiling.
“My name is Mara. What is your name?”
“Taliba. I’ve never seen you here before.” Her voice was filled with caution. She wore a black harem outfit, though it seemed more conservative than most would expect. Her body moved softly and slowly.
This was exclusive.
“Hi Taliba. And that’s because I’m new.”
Something flickered across her eyes, and they softened. “Welcome, Mara.”
“I’m a little lost. Do you mind showing me around?”