The Archer's Heart (44 page)
Glossary of Terms
Adri Mountain: Mountain in Pagdesh: location of holy retreat
Ajadusharta: Magical weapon; repels other weapons
Alazsharta: Magical weapon; knocks enemy unconscious
Ashari Forest: Forest outside Prasta; home to Yashva demon Koraz
Barunazsharta: Magical weapon; brilliant light
Chaya: Unskilled labor and servant caste of Marhavad; lowest caste
Dejaru: Long piece of cloth worn by men, either secured under a belt and sash and made into loose trousers, or tucked loosely and left long like a sarong
Draya: Priestly caste of Marhavad; second-highest caste
Fazsharta: Magical weapon; arrow with endless range
Hafedsharta: Magical weapon; freezes opponent
Harafa: Long piece of cloth worn either as a scarf or wrapped across the upper torso
Hedravan tree: Magical Yashva tree that grows in the Ashari Forest
Jegora: Untouchable caste of Marhavad; casteless
Korazsharta: Magical weapon; spear of unfailing accuracy
Manarisharta: Magical weapon; burst of electricity
Pezarisharta: Magical weapon; sets fire to the sky
Prasta: Capitol city of Marhavad
Rajiwasharta: Magical weapon; creates a sucking vortex
Rebo: Three stringed musical instrument
Sharta: Magical weapon; form of a Yashva demon in the human world
Shentari: Primary religion of Marhavad
Suya: Merchant and skilled labor caste of Marhavad; third-highest caste
Tarhisharta: Magical weapon; explosive wall of force
Terashu Field: Traditional battleground of Marvad kings
Triya: Warrior and king caste of Marhavad; highest caste
Tunufisharta: Magical weapon; burns any individual to ash
Yashva: Immortal demon from the Yashva Kingdom
Zahari: a blouse and long piece of fabric wrapped around the body to form a woman’s dress
Zandisharta: Magical weapon; any instrument or tool of metal
Acknowledgments
First I would like to thank Nicole and Dawn Kimberling for their constant encouragement, plot-storming, editing, and endless patience as I rewrote this story a dozen times. I would also like to thank Maxx for letting me ignore him for weeks on end. Lastly, I want to thank my parents, who always believed I could write an epic novel. It’s just too bad I’ll never let them read this one.
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Part II
Blind Eye Books
blindeyebooks.com
The Archer’s Heart
by Astrid Amara
Published by:
Blind Eye Books
1141 Grant Street
Bellingham, Washington 98225
blindeyebooks.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except
for the purpose of reviews.
Edited by Nicole Kimberling
Cover art, illustrations. and maps by Dawn Kimberling
Proofreading by Tenea D. Johnson
This book is a work of fiction and as such all characters and situations
are fictional. Any resemblances to actual people, places or events are
coincidental.
First edition September 2008
Copright © 2008 Astrid Amara
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-0-9789861-3-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008922267
This book is dedicated to Angus.
Marhavad
Chapter 36
J
ANDU LOUNGED ON THE PILLOWS OF HIS ROOM, DRAWING A
picture of Keshan.
Ennui pulled at him like barbs, but this act of patiently recreating his lover gave him a pleasurable contentment that soothed his boredom. Soft afternoon light filtered in from the windows above. He used a flat wooden board to protect the carpet from his ink. Every angle of Keshan’s face, every curl of his hair, could be conjured from memory, and Jandu lulled himself into pleasant memories as he drew.
Someone knocked on his door.
“Who is it?” Jandu called out. He sat up.
When Yudar entered, Jandu smiled. He hadn’t seen much of his brother in the past few weeks. Jandu rose and hugged his brother. Tonight Yudar looked terrible, his skin white as clay and beaded with sweat.
“Oh God, Jandu,” Yudar whispered. He shut the door gently, his hand trembling.
“What’s wrong?” Jandu asked.
Yudar swallowed. Tears welled in his eyes.
Jandu frowned at his brother. “What’s happened?”
Then Jandu heard the sound of men laughing in the corridor outside his door. He didn’t understand why there were men in the women’s quarters.
“I’ve done something very wrong,” Yudar choked.
“What?” Jandu’s heart beat faster. He had only ever seen Yudar this upset one time before. The thought of that night made him sick and nervous.
“I…” There was another knock on the door, and the voices outside rose. Yudar looked at his brother once more, tears now pouring down his face. “I’m so sorry.”
Yudar fled the room, leaving the door ajar.
Jandu started after him, but was stopped at the door when three men entered the room. One of them he had never met before. But he immediately recognized Firdaus Trinat, and his brother Hanu. The other man locked the door behind him.
Jandu brushed his braid over his shoulder. “How dare you enter my room without permission!”
“I heard of your beauty from my brother Hanu,” Firdaus said, leering lewdly. “Now that I see you, I think he did you no justice. You’re the sweetest thing this side of the Patari.”
Jandu glared. Firdaus looked older and fatter than when Jandu had last seen him at the dice game, but his sinister smile looked just as foul as it had then.
“What are you doing here?” Jandu demanded, crossing his arms over his chest protectively.
“Your brother gave us to you for the night.”
Jandu felt as if he had been punched. “No. He wouldn’t.”
Hanu smiled thinly. “He lost you in a friendly dice game. He’s not very good at gambling, you know. I have no idea how he convinced Indarel to be his teacher.”
Jandu’s ears rang, and he felt in his gut the raw agony of the truth. Yudar had staked him, just as he had before. Only now he wasn’t a prince, he was just a small, unarmed servant girl.
“I have a say in the matter,” Jandu said sharply, backing away. “I do not comply with my brother’s wishes.”
“You must pay your brother’s debt,” Hanu said smoothly.
“Where’s your Triya honor?” Jandu yelled. “Do you think I’m—”
Firdaus slapped Jandu across the face so hard that Jandu crumpled to the floor. He was shocked by his own weakness. He had been hit by maces harder than that and remained standing.
“I owe no honor to a Suya like you, girl,” Firdaus growled.
Jandu fingered the spot where Firdaus hit him. He stood up, glaring.
“You bastard,” he hissed, hating the way his voice shook, his soft feminine tone. “You’ll die for that.”
Hanu laughed and lunged towards him.
Jandu turned to run away, but was caught by Firdaus’ friend, who held him as Firdaus and Hanu approached.
Jandu kicked at the men. Firdaus grabbed his legs and held him. Jandu was humiliated by his lack of strength. Muscles that had long been allies failed him. The men dragged him over to the bed and forced him down.
Firdaus quickly climbed on top of him.
“You want her first, Hanu?” Firdaus asked calmly.
Hanu yanked Jandu’s arm down onto the bed, pulling hard. “No, you go first, brother.”
“What are you doing!” Jandu gasped.
Firdaus ripped open his zahari blouse.
Jandu only then really understood what was about to happen. It had seemed so inconceivable, unthinkable. But the second Firdaus’ large hands painfully groped at his breasts, and the look of lust in his eyes became apparent, Jandu realized that the impossible was about to happen. He struggled harder against the hands holding him down.
“How could you?” he whispered, thinking of Yudar. It would have been kinder for his brother to kill him.
There was no forgiveness for this. Ever.
The other two men grabbed his legs and held him open as Firdaus squirmed and licked Jandu’s skin. He took his time untying the knot in Jandu’s skirt until Jandu lay naked before him.
Hanu took off his harafa scarf and brutally stuffed the cloth in Jandu’s mouth. It tasted like sweat. Jandu gagged for air as his body was crushed by Firdaus’ weight. Jandu told himself that this was not his body. This was just a disguise that he wore. He had to stay focused and look for his chance to escape.
“Lovely,” Firdaus whispered, grinning.
Firdaus untied his dejaru while the other men watched lasciviously. Jandu could see their erections growing in their trousers.
Jandu managed to break one leg free and kicked as hard as he could, sending Firdaus off of him. Hanu brought his fist down hard on Jandu’s nose, breaking it instantly. The pain was staggering. Blood exploded across Jandu’s face and the bed. Jandu’s vision blurred. He couldn’t breathe. The cloth in his throat and the blood in his nose choked him, and he thrashed like a wild animal, desperate for air. He breathed fast and shallow, sucking through the thin cotton of the harafa in his mouth.
Firdaus climbed back on top of Jandu, his hands digging into Jandu’s flesh to restrain him. Jandu twisted to throw him off, but Firdaus put his hands around Jandu’s throat and choked him, painfully grinding his body against Jandu.
The other men held his legs open, wrenched his arms above his head. Jandu jerked violently, his eyes white and rolling, panic flushing through his system as he tried to find a way out of this assault.
Jandu tried to think of anything other than what was happening to his body. What was Yudar doing right now? When this was over, Jandu would kill him. He would relish killing him.
It was the only vindication he could look forward to, killing his brother for allowing Firdaus to fuck him.
