Chapter five
At first light I found myself once again in the lingering, unwelcoming hands of yet another warrior—one that had been in the emperor’s tent last night.
One that heard me ordered to Camilla’s side.
I had woken up this morning after a fitful night of sleep to find Camilla gone.
Naturally, a moment of hope for escape rose, and I silently peeked my head out of the tent. I was immediately recognized.
Altis, son of Erus, did not favor me on this day.
My eyes darted up into the gray sky. Why?
“Camilla is with Emperor Aris.
This way,”
the warrior grunted.
“She usually is this early in the morning or late at night,”
the warrior added without me asking.
He had a thick scar across his cheek that met his upper lip.
As we walked through the narrow muddy pathways, I kept wondering how that happened and if I would have been able to fix a wound like that.
I wondered if my brother had any scars similar to this when he was in battle.
I looked around for a moment, at this gruesome smoke-filled camp.
I wondered if he lived in a place like this before he died.
The last time I saw him, he promised he’d be there for my birthday.
Instead, we buried an empty box in his stead.
It had been hard to breathe freely after that.
I was thankful to be out of the warrior’s hands when he shoved me into the emperor’s tent.
They lingered on my body longer than I’d have liked.
As soon as I walked in, my eyes fell on Camilla, who was sitting on the emperor’s bed, the bedding wrapped loosely around her naked body.
The emperor was also sitting on the bed, shirtless and his pants sitting loose on his hips.
It seemed a sin to stare at his sculpted body as Camilla toyed with his necklace.
I dropped my gaze.
Camilla giggled.
Clearly, she had won her conquest and seduced the emperor.
I had never in my life witnessed a woman happy after bedding someone.
All the women I had ever known expressed to me that sex was something only men enjoyed. Even my own mother, though she loved my father in her own way, didn’t seem to talk particularly highly about sex. She made it sound like a chore that had to be done for two reasons: to please your man and to produce children.
I tried to hide my wonder and confusion, but my brows furrowed.
These were strange warriors…and even stranger women.
“Wench, here,”
Camilla ordered me forward to where they were sitting on the bed.
“Take this. Wash it.”
She threw a small towel at my chest.
The emperor’s face was almost expressionless aside from his jaw that ticked, causing me to feel he had a certain disdain for me.
He was older than me by several years—most likely around his late twenties or early thirties, but still, he seemed young for a ruler.
Afraid of what he might do if I lingered much longer, I quickened my pace.
I took the towel in my hand and went to a water bowl across the tent.
As I cleaned the towel of its contents, I glanced up at the mirror in front of me and noticed that the emperor was looking my way.
His dark, lingering eyes pierced through my body. I shuddered.
“Where did your head go?”
Camilla cooed to the emperor, pulling his face closer to hers.
The emperor jerked his face away and threw a glare at her.
Oh, he didn’t like that.
“What is it?”
Camilla pried, and her voice switched an octave higher.
She reached over between his legs with a sweet smile on her pretty face, and the emperor snatched her wrist from his body.
“Not now, Camilla,”
the emperor scolded as he let her wrist go.
“My Lord? Is it because of this presence that lurks in your bedroom?”
Her voice was low, but she threw a fearful glance my way.
The emperor chuckled as he gazed at me.
“Are you not afraid of what she might do to you?”
Camilla whispered in hushed tones, seemingly forgetting about her previous intention with the emperor.
I almost felt bad for her, for all the false superstitions she believed so much.
“I don’t remember what fear feels like anymore,”
the emperor stated plainly.
He rose from his bed, buckled his pants, and threw a white drawstring tunic on.
I’d never seen so many tattoos.
I wondered what they—
“Well, regardless of what she is…I appreciate the gesture that you thought of me,”
Camilla spoke softly.
When the emperor didn’t respond and continued adjusting his clothes, she added.
“It seems you need some help here, as well.
I wouldn’t mind sharing the help.”
No.
My heart pounded violently against my ribcage.
“That’s fine.
This place can use it.”
The emperor scanned the tent.
“Girl, change the chamber pot,”
Camilla directed towards me.
Much better than wench.
Without sparing another moment, I did as I was told.
Chamber pot in hand, I left the tent, taking my time since I dreaded going back to the emperor’s ominous presence.
I released the contents in a nearby hole and walked back.
The smoke had doubled in the time I’d arrived in this gods-forsaken place—no doubt from the wind that pushed the dark smoke from the recent pillaged villages. Coughing violently, I could taste the ash that flew in the air.
I stepped through the entrance of the tent, my eyes darting around.
Camilla was gone.
I was alone with the emperor.
Subtly, I rubbed a clammy hand down my linen dress, and swallowed dryly.
Even if Camilla was not so sure of me, I felt safer when I was around her.
There was something about being in the presence of a woman that felt comforting…even if they were my enemy.
Something about being alone with a man made me uneasy.
Placing the chamber pot where it belonged, I thought of ways I could get out of here quickly and unseen. Standing against the wall of the tent, my eyes flitted around, looking for any possible ways to escape this place when the opportunity rose.
The emperor was on the other side of the tent, fixing his tunic in the mirror.
His muscled arms rippled underneath the fabric, and I wondered how many people he’d killed with them.
Chills ran through my body.
I watched as he washed his angular face in the water basin and dried it with a clean towel. Anticipating my duties, I walked over to his table and took the water bowl and wet towel.
Again, his eyes followed my every movement.
I could feel them studying me.
I couldn’t breathe, knowing that any mistake I made could cost me my life.
Without warning, Tobias stormed into the tent, causing me to flinch and spill some of the bowl’s contents on the emperor.
The emperor jumped back as the water seeped through his trousers and onto the floor.
My heart stopped as I froze.
With heavy steps, Tobias barged his way towards me and raised the back of his hand to strike.
I flung my hand out for cover, but the emperor caught Tobias’ wrist midair.
“Emperor?”
Tobias questioned, brows brought together.
“Don’t touch her,”
the emperor ordered Tobias.
Air returned to my lungs.
What’s happening?
“She cannot go unpunished,”
Tobias insisted.
“Tobias, it was nothing.”
The emperor released his wrist.
“It’s water.
It’s not going to hurt me.”
His brows lifted slightly at Tobias.
“Emperor Aris, if you’ll allow me, I’ll find another, maybe one that is more useful for you,”
he suggested with a look of disgust.
“One that understands how to do things properly, instead of adding more work.
We can get rid of her at once.”
“I like her.
She doesn’t talk as much as you do.”
The emperor, Aris, sat in his wooly seat next to the wooden table.
He shuffled some papers around, ignoring us both.
“Does she even talk at all?”
Tobias asked while inspecting me.
“That’s a good question.”
Aris, the emperor, turned his head toward me.
I shifted my glance to the floor, praying that talking didn’t have anything to do with my duties.
Gods, I hated talking.
I’d realized that I could live more peacefully if I took the time to listen more and talk less.
“She might be a mute,”
Tobias suggested.
Aris rose from his seat and sauntered towards me.
I could feel the power radiating from his body as he approached.
It was like death itself.
I took a step back, slowly and cautiously, my boots rubbing along the rug.
He reached where I stood, placed a rough hand on my neck, lifting my chin up with his thumb.
I wanted more than anything to close my eyes and pretend the emperor was not touching me, but instead, I swallowed, forcing my fears down, and lifted my eyes to meet his.
Dark as the night, his eyes pierced into my being—observing me, reading me.
Every cell in my body screamed for me to run.
Aris narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he were trying to find some answer in me.
I heard Tobias’ boots shuffle and the tapping of a cane as another man I hadn’t seen yet entered.
“Aris, my nephew!”
the man with the cane called out.
Aris released his hold on me.
“It’s time we talk about the voyage back home.”
“Uncle Helon!”
Aris turned away from me and strode towards his uncle to greet him.
“I’ve come to remind you how important it is that we return to our home before those around us suspect you’ve deserted your people,”
Helon said.
“That won’t be happening.
I have it under control, Uncle.
No need to fear,”
Aris stated matter-of-factly as he sat regally on his wooden table.
“We’ll be leaving after the next battle.”
Helon and Aris continued their conversation around the wooden table as Tobias came to my side and pushed me towards the entrance of the tent.
“Get some food for the emperor, girl,”
he ordered.
I stumbled as I rushed out of the tent.
With all the commotion from this morning, I hadn’t realized the pounding in my head from the day before.
I hurried my pace to where meals were placed out for the warriors and grabbed some fruit and cheese.
Picking up a silver spoon, I noticed my appearance in its reflection.
Light purple like lavender spread across my cheek bone. A layer of dirt covered every inch of my skin, and dried blood was caked onto my head and the side of my cheek. I didn’t necessarily care how I looked. Honestly, the uglier I looked, the better for me, but the wound concerned me.
I snatched a cloth nearby to clean up the dried blood and contemplated using another linen cloth to wrap my hair in.
The last one had been yanked from my head, unable to cover the vibrant color from this barbaric camp.
The feeling of the emperor’s hand on me lingered, and the thought of how quickly he could snap my neck sent shudders down my spine.
Shaking the thought from my mind, I used this opportunity to get an understanding of the camp’s layout.
Through the dark and murky smoke, I looked around.
Past several large paths behind the emperor’s tent, I spotted the tops of trees, with patches of other white tents scattered within it.
Perfect. I was close to the edge of the camp. The gods did indeed favor me. Maybe I wasn’t cursed after all.
I remembered the path the warrior and I took this morning to get to the emperor’s tent.
I knew exactly how to get from his tent into the woods.
Before they returned to their lands, I would escape.
It would be quieter—with fewer warriors walking about. And being quiet was something I felt confident in.
Taking more time than I ought to get my bearings, I brought the plates of food back to the emperor’s tent.
My stomach growled.
How long had it been since I last ate? Making sure no one saw, I snuck one piece of bread from the plate, slipping it into my pocket.
I had to save food if I were to escape and survive. I stopped dead in my tracks as I recognized an herb that was growing near the base of the tents.
Creosote.
Perfect for my head wound, I thought.
Fenrah once told me it helped with inflammation and heat in the body.
I grabbed a handful of the herb and stuffed it into my pocket.
Time must have flown by because the emperor was carefully putting his leather armor on when I entered the tent.
I placed the plates of food on the wooden table, and his uncle, Helon, began to devour his plate.
He moaned as he ate his food with his mouth open and grapes sputtered out of his mouth.
It made me want to vomit. The grape juices left a trail on his unwashed beard and his red tunic. My hunger left me. Helon threw the chicken bones on the ground. I tried not to stare, but he was acting as if he were an animal with no manners.
“Aris, come and eat.
You need the energy for the next few days,”
Helon urged.
I went to the side of the tent to await my orders.
The emperor, ignoring his uncle, finished placing on his light armor, then sat down and ate in silence.
His chiseled jaw was tense as he chewed gracefully.
He seemed to be contemplating something, because he suddenly stopped chewing. He threw a glance in my direction. Eyes locked.
Shit.
I looked down at the floor.
My cheeks flushed.
The emperor returned to his food and then rose to finish preparing for the next battle.
Tobias, Helon, and Aris left shortly thereafter.
Tobias mentioned that they would be back before nightfall.
Half of the warriors seemed to be gone for this next battle, but there were still many strutting around the camp. I sat next to the large chest on the side of the tent that offered some protection.
Gods, how am I going to make it out?