Demiourgos (5 page)

"Yes... my pasha." Rose whispered dejectedly.

"I'm so glad you're alright Rose." Nina said softly as she took Rose's hand. She felt a soft squeeze and would return it if she were not so weak.

Once the door had closed again Rose heard her mother whispering in her ear again. "You never take this long to heal Rose, what's going on?"

"The master, is he here still?" She figured the pasha had gone but she queried anyway as she attempted to test her eyesight. She found Nina and Maudette standing over her looking worried and to her surprise Neeshka was standing not far away watching over her as well.

"No, he left." Maudette replied quietly.

"The gift I gave to you, it weakened me. It will take more time for me to heal." She said in a hoarse whisper. "You'll have to take care of the master for me until I am right again."

"I don't think that will be a problem my dear, he seemed to enjoy last night a lot." Maudette paused for a moment then looked around to the other girls. "He sent the two girls out afterward. The pasha told me last night that he is making me his wife."

"Better a trophy wife than a pleasure slave." Nina said with a smile.

"I agree mother." Neeshka said with a grin. "Does that mean he would acknowledge me as his daughter?"

"We'll have to see my dear but for now we have to worry about Rose." The matron smiled down at Rose and stroked her hair soothingly. "Rose I'm sorry I got upset. It seems your gift to me has worked out after all."

"I'm glad." Rose said as a wistful smile touched her lips.

"Nina will you stay with her? Neeshka and I have some things to attend to." The matron did not wait for a reply before exiting the room with her daughter in tow.

"Nina?" Rose said as she dropped her gaze to the side weakly. "Will you tell me something you read about my people?"

"Sure anything to make you feel better, I have a good one. Years ago I was reading about the species of sentient beings on this planet and your people were one of them. I read a story about a naarabian male that befriended a male elf. This elf, Xunil, was weak and frail but he was good at shaping magic. The naarabi, his name was Kwynnith, was mediocre at shaping but a skilled swordsman. Xunil was on a quest assigned by his elders to locate a lost elven artifact of great importance." Nina paused and cleared her throat, taking a slip of a ceramic cup of water near the bed. Realizing that Rose was most likely thirsty she offered the bedridden girl the cup and assisted her in drinking a bit before continuing. "They traveled together for a long time and eventually became lovers. During this time Kwynnith swore an oath to Xunil to protect him always, to become his guardian until the end of their road. They shared blood in a ritual of brotherhood. During this same week a terrible storm raged across the desert and the two of them got separated and lost their way."

"Fearing his chosen dead, Kwynnith was fraught with despair and begged the gods for assistance. The vigilant god, also known as the Darkwatcher, came to the naarabian because he was moved by the devotion Kwynnith showed and gave him the ability to track and locate his chosen over great distances and through even the mightiest storm." Nina said reverently as she looked down at Rose.

"Did he find his chosen?" Rose asked, her voice still a whisper.

Nina shook her head lightly. "The story says that he wanders still, searching for his lost love. I believe he found his chosen and they continued their journey together."

"I like that ending better." Rose smiled a bit and closed her eyes to rest, not the same trance as usual but the deep cavernous sleep that was usually reserved for humans.

~~~~

"Mira do you not even care about the fate of this girl? She obviously was harmed during her rest from the amount of blood she coughed up last night. If you say that this girl’s destiny is intertwined with ours she must be of some importance." Merik paced back and forth in their rented room and ran his fingers through his amber hair, fixing his similar-colored gaze on his queen several times as he paced nervously. "I know you remember that part of the prophecy as clearly as I do."

"The flower of the desert shall bloom from the seeds of an unlikely pair. She will wear a guise as innocent as the dew on a newly sprouted bud and as pure as the first spring rain. A child of the far east shall nourish her and uproot her from her home." Mira looked over at her nervous body guard. "The white queen ware her throne for the traitor in her midst will conspire to throw her to the lizard-king."

"Yes Merik I know the legend and I know the implications of the last line." Mira said softly as she sat down on the bed and sighed trying to shirk the dark thoughts in her head. "The pieces fit but I am wary of releasing this girl from her bonds, the consequences of our actions could have a ripple effect for generations to come."

"What about the talk of a second coming of the golden age?" Merik asked hopefully, being relatively unfamiliar with the other predictions from the elf prophet. "Do you know that one?"

"I do, but I am not permitted to share certain information with those outside of the royal family." Mira looked up at her most trusted lieutenant and caught his eyes. Holding those fiery amber orbs for a moment she looked deeper, searching for something she could not name. There were few alive that she could trust and among those were Merik and her own daughter. The only reason why she had endangered her daughter by allowing her to infiltrate the pasha's home was because she was the only one that could be truly trusted with the mission. "Am I doing the right thing Merik? I just don't know anymore."

"My queen, I have never failed to carry out your commands, but I am not of a mind to council you nor question your decisions." He said as carefully as possible in his baritone voice.

"I do not question your loyalty." She stated flatly.

"That is not the point my queen, if ever you issued an order contrary to our peoples' needs I would have a hard time following it." He said with a growing mischievous smile.

"Careful, that's borderline treason." She allowed herself a bit of amusement at his tone but doubted not his stern resolve. "I realize that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, we will help the girl if we can."

"I am glad to hear you say that my liege." Merik sat down in a plush chair by the window and took up his obsidian sword, running a specially-prepared stone across it to keep the edge fresh and sharp. "I think this ‘pleasure slave' as you call her is important."

"You're not paid to think." She jested at the tall, muscular elf.

~~~~

A few days had passed since Rose had been attacked by Vishna and since then her wound had healed nicely and her body had recovered from its self-induced trauma. The girls of the harem welcomed her back with open arms and praise and the pasha himself had come to check on her every single day since she had been wounded. She knew it was to make sure his treasure had not been marred but none-the-less it was nice to have so many people worried about her. Rose had not talked to Nina about their plan since that night but she still knew her part in it, and the time, had come.

"Nina, tonight I will make my move." Rose said softly as she bathed the young girl with the strongly scented water that strangely enough had the smell of the red desert rose, a rare flower that could only be found under certain conditions in the wilds of the desert.

"Good." Nina replied in her soft voice before grabbing a towel to dry herself off. "Rose can I ask you another question?"

"Sure Nina, you know you can. We're practically sisters already." Rose said through a growing smile, a genuine smile. It made her think of Neeshka ever since Vishna had been pulled out of the picture. Neeshka and Koral had been less obnoxious. Neeshka had even gone as far to apologize about her previous behavior and request that Rose forgive her. "What's on your mind?"

"Your people, they are said to be good with magic but I have not seen you use any." Nina had a questioning look on her face. "I have a bit of training in the mystic arts but my skill level is somewhat lacking. I'm better with the martial arts like swordplay and hand to hand combat."

"Magic?" Rose said softly. "No, I have not the ability to use magic as far as I am aware. But ware what you say, I know for certain that talk of magic will get you killed or worse."

"I know, but you say you know not a shred of magic?" Nina echoed with an arched blonde eyebrow. "Maybe you just don't know how to tap into it. Has anything strange ever happened when you were really scared or excited? Usually that's how the abilities manifest."

"No, not that I can remember." Rose tapped her chin thoughtfully and thought hard about her life and past. Something did stick out to her, a strange childhood event. "There was this one time when I was little. The pasha came in one night smelling of wine. His original target was me even though I was still wearing the sash you wear now, and I was scared. When he approached me I shouted out and told him to leave me alone. I was just a child I didn't know any better but as soon as I shouted I felt dizzy and the pasha turned from me to Neeshka, who also wore the sash."

"I regret that night very much. I could have handled the trauma better than my sister and I knew it but I was so afraid." Rose sighed softly and turned her gaze toward Nina. "Is that what you mean?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Nina said with a thoughtful tone.

"Is magic the reason your hands were glowing?" Rose asked now that curiosity had rooted itself into her mind. She remembered the details of the scene before she had passed out quite vividly.

"Yes. If you would like, I can teach you some basic techniques to access that same energy." Nina inquired as she pulled her clothing back on.

"If you think I can learn it, yes." Rose replied excitedly, she had always wondered how she would defend herself if, for some reason, she was out of the protective walls of the palace. She wasn't very strong and she had never been trained to fight. In the desert your enemies wouldn't give you time to prepare or defend yourself if they had the chance.

"Like I said, your kind is said to be adept at such things. I figure that since you've never been out of these walls you'd need a way to defend yourself. You don't seem like a fighter but you are intelligent, quick with your mind. Your eyes and your actions tell me that." Nina smiled broadly and sat down on Rose's favorite pillow. "I would like to repay you for your help some way, your freedom will be won but I also appreciate what you are doing to assist me. I feel like I owe you a greater debt."

"You owe me nothing. The needs of the many outweigh the few, as much as it pains me to say that." Rose believed that she could be willing to sacrifice herself for a good cause, but that had to be seen. "Even if you might not give me my freedom I would still get you the book, it seems important. But may I ask why this tome is such a big deal?"

"My station prevents me from sharing the information with anyone outside of my family." Nina looked up at Rose apologetically. "I do not doubt your loyalty nor do I question your integrity but I am not permitted to speak of it with anyone."

"Don't worry about it." Rose shrugged her shapely shoulders and cast her eyes out into the large harem room. "If your mother feels it is important enough to risk your safety it must be dire."

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Nina replied in almost the same tone Rose had used. She smiled a bit and followed the golden gaze across the room. "I volunteered anyway."

"So let's get started." Nina decided to change the subject before she started getting all sentimental and regretful again. She did not like the situation she was in; to lose her purity in such a way would be a disgrace to the family name. "First off you need to be completely relaxed."

"Alright." Rose sat cross legged on the ground and assumed her normal pose for sleeping, knowing that would help. Taking a few deep breaths she steadied her breathing and watched as Nina took a spot in front of her to continue. "What next?"

"Keep in mind before we start that it takes quite a while for most people to learn how to touch their true potential. Alright, I want you to focus on yourself. Head first, then your neck and torso. Feel the power in your arms, your legs and then your feet. Save your hands for last. Focus your concentration until you feel a slight tingling in them and you should feel it in your hands most keenly." Nina paused and looked over Rose as she closed her eyes and began. Using an ability that her tutors had taught her she shifted her eyes to the spectrum of magic. The room and world around them was so dull it was almost painful to see the lack of energy. It was like looking at a dark room at night with a few scattered candles representing people here and there. When she focused her gaze on Rose she gasped. She could see the energy coursing through Rose's body like the blood in her veins. White lights like small pinpricks glowing were being pulled not only from Rose but from the people and things around them. Rose was drawing power from the stones underneath them and the ground underneath that. "Oh my god."

"What?" Rose said in a slightly subdued tone as she opened her eyes and looked over at Nina. She noticed that the center of the elf's eyes had become large, so much so that her eyes looked like they were almost dominated by a dark blue. "What is it?"

"Rose you can stop now, that's enough." Nina's voice was wavering slightly and she closed her eyes to adjust them once again to the normal spectrum of light. Rose's eyes were visibly glowing a radiant shade of gold.