Untouched Concubine (2 page)

           
"You have done well.
Seventy
ginns
, no more."

           
"Surely we deserve more. We bought them new dresses. You must at least pay for the dresses."

           
"Seventy-five.
Do we have a deal?"

           
Mandia
and her mother were handed over to the
Farnans
. The bandits took their
ginn
and left without looking back.

           
The leader of the group said, "You are from
Crona
. Only those with hair and accents like yours are from so far west."

           
Mandia
looked at her mother. Could she do any talking yet?

           
Her mother said, "We are simple women of
Crona
, yes."

           
"
Crona
has killed
Farnan
soldiers," said the leader.

           
Her mother said, "I know nothing of it."

           
"You look alike," he said. "Are you related?"

           
Her mother said, "She is my daughter. Her father is dead. Take me, not her. She is spoiled. I am mature and know how to please a man. I will make it worth your loss. I can prove to you what I say."

           
The
Farnan
looked her over with a slight smile. "Tempting, but the thieves were right. Your daughter will be a fine concubine for a soldier. We will make six times the
ginn
on her than we paid."

~~~

           
Three weeks later, after riding in a caravan of
Farnans
and horses,
Mandia
was growing stronger as her mother weakened even more. The
Farnans
surprisingly treated the two women much better than the bandits had. They never looked upon them with lust or disgust, but rather treated them as valuables not to be tampered with. They were fed meat and bread and corn, drank juices and water.
Mandia
whispered to her mother often, asking if she was alright, and her mother always said, "I am so sorry. I thought we could escape. This is
all my
fault."

           
Mandia
would reply, "We are in this together, and nothing can stop us. We'll escape."

           
But they were heavily guarded and no escape presented itself.

           
They arrived in
Farna
four weeks after the exchange with the bandits. The land had gone from forest to jungle, and the city of
Farna
wove out before them in white buildings covered in lush green vines. The buildings were dome-shaped and brown bricks lined the curving roads. Everything looked so pristine, not at all what
Mandia
expected from the vicious
Farnans
.

           
Once inside the city, the two women were led to a large bathhouse, washed, and dressed.
Mandia's
mother was clothed in a dark brown gown, and sandals were placed on her feet by silent women with long, dark curly hair and green eyes.
Mandia
tried to ask them questions, but they did not understand her language.

           
Mandia
was dressed quite differently. The adorned her in a velvety deep red, low cut dress with a slit up the side of her right leg. Her hips were emphasized with a satin wrap that fell over her left side. Her long, blonde hair was let loose and washed four times with sweet-smelling soaps until it shined like the sun itself. She had never looked so beautiful, she thought as she looked in the mirror as the
Farnan
women finished dressing her.

           
She was to be sold for a high price, after all.

           
There still had to be a way to escape, before she was separated from her mother.

           
But
Mandia
realized as they finished dressing her, it was too late. They led her mother away from her at once, and her mother wailed. "Take me! Let her go, take me!"

           
Mandia
stayed strong for her mother, but she felt tears prick behind her lids. She called out, "I'll find you, Mother,
I'll
find you!"

~~~

           
Mandia
was led to a large room filled with soldiers. Stairs flowed up into a balcony. The white walls seemed to suffocate her.

           
Mandia
was lined up with seven other women, all dressed as she was. Skin powdered and hair shined, dresses showed skin and accented bodily features.

           
A group of
Farnan
soldiers stood before them, examining them. None of them laid a finger on the women, they just looked. The
Farnan
women who had dressed
Mandia
were to be the sellers. How
could women
do this to their own kind,
Mandia
wondered.

           
All of the soldiers pondered over her and her golden hair. They acted as though they'd never seen a blonde. One man reached up to touch her hair, but a
Farnan
seller woman slapped his hand down and said something.

           
He chuckled and reached in his pack, pulling out a large amount of gold coins.

           
The woman shook her head.

           
Another man who had been admiring
Mandia
took out more gold coins than the first, and still the woman shook her head. A third man brought out bag so full of gold coins that the threads of the bag strained.

           
The woman's eyebrow lifted.

           
A man's voice called from the balcony above.
Mandia
looked up and saw him. He had curly brown hair falling over his cheekbones, green flashing eyes, and daggers at his hips.

           
Everyone fell silent. Why,
Mandia
wondered
,
had this man stopped everything? She sensed he commanded some sort of high respect from the men and women in the room. Even the other concubine women were still, as though something dreadful had happened.

           
The man was about her age, from what she could tell. The other soldiers were older than her by ten years, at least. Why did such a young
Farnan
soldier garner this reaction?

           
He walked down the stairs slowly, cat-like. His footfalls made no sounds. He came up to
Mandia
and stared into her blue eyes. His own eyes had no flecks of gold or brown, just emerald green. His lips parted, moist and full. He was a handsome man, but
Mandia
felt afraid of him. Was it because of the stillness in the room?

           
Without taking his eyes off hers, he said something to the seller woman. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond necklace that had to be more valuable than
Mandia's
home.

           
The seller woman snatched it up and said something with a wide grin. The other men shuffled away, glancing back at
Mandia
with lustful longing.

           
The man who had bought her with such great wealth took a red ribbon from the seller woman. He walked to
Mandia's
side, where her leg stood exposed, and gently tugged her hair. She realized he was braiding the red ribbon into a thread of her hair. Was this some sign that she was his? That she was now officially a
Farnan
soldier's concubine?

           
He said in her language, "Come with me. I am taking you home now. You live with me."

           
She hid her shaking hands behind her back and followed him, eying the daggers at his hips.

           
The man walked with a straight back, yet somehow prowled at the same time. He led her through the streets and almost everyone turned to stare at them. She heard whispering. Surely this couldn't be so uncommon as to draw this much attention. Who was this mysterious man? He only stopped once to speak in
Farnan
to a shopkeeper,
then
they continued through the city.

           
They stopped at a silver-lined wooden door of a large, dome-shaped white house. He opened the door and gestured for her to go inside. Now that she was there, she was terrified of what he was going to do to her behind that door. She had never been so much as kissed by a man, or even had her hand held. Her father had said she was to be sheltered until she was of marriageable age, then she would accept suitors in a respectable manner with her mother always at her side until the wedding night.

           
She was to be queen of
Crona
, after all. But
Crona
was no more, her father was dead, and her mother was a slave. Reality was hitting her.

           
What would this man, this gorgeous, yet obviously dangerous, young man
going
to do with her?

           
He touched her back. She flinched. "Go on in."

           
Her legs shook as she crossed the threshold. He closed the door behind them.

           
"Have a seat." His
Crona
language was near-flawless. This man had traveled a good bit in his life.

           
The room was full of stark furniture, none of which looked comfortable. She obediently sat on a hard, wooden chair, unable to hide her shaking now.

           
He said, "
It's
growing dark. You will sleep with me. But first, we eat."

           
He opened a cabinet and brought out some dried meats and fruit. She was too nervous to take a bite, but his green, glowing eyes ate her alive until she slipped a piece of jerky into her pink mouth.

           
It was delicious. The fruit was even better. He may be able to provide well for her, but at what cost?

           
She had to escape before something
happened,
she had to find her mother.
But how?

           
"Come," he said when they finished eating. "It is time for bed. I have had a gown sent for you, and tomorrow you will go shopping for some clothes."

           
He opened the front door and retrieved a package. He
unwrapped
it and took out a white, satin gown and handed it to her. He left the room.

           
She shook as she undressed from the velvet red dress. She could slip out the front door now, he wasn't looking. But he had locked the front door with a heavy key. How could she get through that?

           
She pulled the soft fabric over her body. The sensation was delightful in the jungle air, and the red dress had been constricting.

           
She inched slowly into the room the man, whose name she still didn't know, had gone into.

           
He lay in a large bed covered with furs. He gestured for her to join him.

           
She sat on her side of the bed, unable to meet his green gaze.

           
"Sleep now," he said, blowing out a candle.

           
She sat still until his breathing was even. He had fallen asleep? Was he tricking her into some kind of nightmare?

           
She was exhausted, sure, but could she really lie down next to this stranger with the daggers and the strong, naked chest and close her eyes?

~~~

           
It was morning before
Mandia
knew what had happened. What had happened?
Nothing at all.
He was gone, and there was a note on the chair she had sat on the night before.

           
It was in the language of
Crona
and it read, "
Ginn
is in the cabinet. Spend freely. Dress for yourself as you see fit. Pick up some apples, please."