The next one in was a coiled snake, part of its long, thin body raised as if to strike. Its mouth was open and its fangs and thin, forked, protruding tongue were gold. The diamond-shaped markings down his back the length of the coil were also gold.
The next was a jackal, standing at attention, the spots on its back and tip of its bushy tail both gold.
Then came a grand, stately, reclining lion, its entire mane gold.
Then the horse, up on its hind legs, both front hooves clawing the air. Each hoof, its mane and tail all gold.
And finally, the tiger, carved on the prowl, its stripes gold.
They were fah-ree-king amazing. Every. Last. One.
And I told Lahn so (after I pulled out a petal that landed in my mouth).
It didn’t get better than that but it was still tremendously cool as Lahn and I rode a sedately walking Lahkan into the city.
And what a city.
It was a hustle and bustle of people; they were everywhere (as were the cheers and petal throwing). And I was not wrong about it from far away. Everywhere you looked, there were windows covered with wrought iron crosses and there were tons of doors. There was one wide road trailing through the city, some less wide ones leading off it but there were a bunch of narrow winding paths or steep, stone staircases that cut through the buildings. Mostly, though, it was all a bunch of buildings clearly built with no city planning in mind. They rose one, two, three, even six stories up, dark wood beams visible jutting into the sky or out the sides from the roof. All of it made from what looked like a cream-colored adobe.
Everything, in fact, was cream. The dirt and stone of the roads (not paved, just natural), walkways, the steep steps and the buildings, all of it.
But there was color. The wash lines that ran from building to building over roads or narrow pathways on which vibrant tops and sarongs hung. There were window boxes and brightly colored pots on small balconies and at the sides of doors that were filled with vivid flowers and trailing greenery (I had to say, there weren’t many of these, Korwahk clearly wasn’t filled with green thumbs – but there was enough to break up the cream, add a splash of color and give your eyes a beautiful surprise). The large squares that opened up off the main road were filled with market stalls that had colored tent tops over tables or striped awnings over stalls. And although most of the doors were bare wood, some were painted green, some red, some blue, some white, some black with blue, white and red stripes and some black (these were warriors’ homes, Lahn whispered in my ear as we rode, their doors painted to match the paint they wore on their bodies).
And the foot of each door held a small pile of blooms, a welcome home (again, whispered to me from Lahn), from the grateful citizens of Korwahn.
And as we road with petals drifting, The Horde that followed broke off when they arrived home or needed to turn down a lane so they could make it home so there were very few left at the top of the smaller plateau where Lahn stopped Lahkan at a double arched door that was painted in black with a glimmering gold stripe painted across them both. The only one with such markings that I saw and I was certain the only one with such markings in Korwahn.
Home.
At the sight of my gold and Lahn’s black on our door, my heart warmed and my belly fluttered. I was nervous and excited. I couldn’t wait to go through those doors and for some bizarre reason, I was scared to death at the same time.
I didn’t get a chance to puzzle through these emotions. Lahn dismounted, he pulled me off and then he took me inside.
It was cool inside; this was the first thing I noticed. The second thing I noticed was that there was a courtyard in the middle that was exposed to the elements and in it, with a beautiful mosaic-tiled base, was a small, gurgling fountain. All around the fountain and courtyard were colorful pots filled with spiked or trailing green plants. There were two stories and every door opened out to a balcony that faced or looked down on the courtyard.
The second thing I noticed was there was an older, slightly stooped, short, round woman approaching us. She had an abundance of coarse, steel gray in her dark hair, lots of wrinkles on her face and a bustling but economical manner.
I knew this had to be Twinka, the house slave Lahn told me about who looked after his residence while he was away.
And she didn’t like me, this I knew instantly, and I wasn’t sure she was all that hot on Lahn for she gave me a nod, Lahn a slight bow then stormed right by us without a word to stand outside the doors, plant her hands at her hips and scowl in the direction of the wagons that were coming up the rear.
“She was with my mother and father, this was their home too. She has called this home longer than I have and has spent vast amounts more time here than I have. She thinks of it as her own,” Lahn reminded me of something he’d told me the night before while we were lying under the stars on our hides.
“Mm hmm,” I muttered, staring at Twinka’s straight back.
“She does anything you do not like, I’ll whip her myself,” Lahn muttered back in Korwahk, my eyes snapped to him and Twinka, whose elderly status obviously didn’t affect her ears, harrumphed loudly.
I ignored the harrumph and hissed at Lahn in English, “You will not.”
“Meena,” Lahn said to me then his eyes turned to Twinka and he finished firmly, “kay jahkan.”*
I pressed my lips together.
Lahn’s eyes came back to me and he glared at my lips.
I unpressed them.
Lahn glare melted and he grinned.
I rolled my eyes.
Then Lahn turned to Twinka, “Uvoo kah Dahksahna el cuun, boh. Lee aka lapan ansha bel fahkah yo na geenheeso.”**
“Meena, kah Dax,” she muttered, stomping back our way, “kay pahnsay yo nahna tahnhan.”***
I couldn’t help it, at her muttered, skating on insubordinate words I pressed my lips together as my eyes grew big.
Lahn kept smiling at me.
“If you whip her,” I said in English, “I won’t speak to you for a week.”
Lahn’s smile faded before he replied in English, “If she does something to earn the tip of my lash, you will not do a thing.”
Oh right. I forgot.
“Right,” I whispered, “I forgot.”
Lahn looked at me a second, then he looked to the ceiling, likely for deliverance. Twinka made an impatient noise.
I took off for my tour.
Even if there was a lot of it, there wasn’t much to it. Lots of rooms, not a lot of furniture. Not that I could take too much in, Twinka was practically running, pointing at things, muttering words I barely caught, clearly thinking she had better things to do than give her new queen a tour and wanted to get this over with so she could boss around the girls when they arrived.
I did see they didn’t really have furniture in Korwahn. Mostly lots of cushions and thick rugs over tiled floors. Even the dining room-ish room had a long, very low table with twelve big cushions set on the floor around it. There was no room with a desk in it that would say “study”. There were six bedrooms and each had a bathroom-ish type room off it with chamber pot behind a screen and basin with jug of water and the master (I was guessing it was the master) had another room with a big, carved wood wardrobe and an actual chaise lounge. Each bedroom had real-ish beds, that was to say, the platform was two feet off the ground, the mattress was twice as thick as the one in our cham, there were twice as many pillows at the head and it was covered in silk sheets (no hides) and intricately embroidered silk quilts. But no headboard or footboard.
The best of the lot in the house was the bathing room off the master suite that was really like a bathing pool, with cool blue and green mosaic tiles and blue and green pads on the edges. The bath was big enough to swim in and had a big window that opened to a balcony that looked out over Korwahn and the vista beyond it. At my delighted intake of breath, Twinka grudgingly slid up a heavy, wooden door and a gush of steaming water flowed into the bath. I saw that the bottom of the bath had a slight d
ecline and there were four narrow pieces of some gummy type substance that plugged up drains at the opposite end to the water.
“We have,” she stated haughtily in Korwahk, “a direct feed from the hot spring. We are,” she went on snootily, “one of only seven houses in all of Korwahn who have such a blessing.”
I nodded thinking blessing was the word for it. The water gushing in (before she slammed the door down again), was clear and clean and steaming and I could not freaking wait to take a bath.
Twinka stomped out, I followed her and we continued our tour. I noticed on the walls there were interesting paintings or sheets of copper or silver with designs pounded in the metal and even heavy, carved framed mirrors (and, seeing myself for the first time in months, I had to say, Korwahk sun, Jacanda painted face, love and pregnancy suited me – even I had to admit, I looked freaking great).
It was all sparkling clean and clearly well taken care of by Twinka who looked like she could keel over at any minute but moved like she was about twenty-three.
That was kind of it except for the square roof (with the courtyard hole in it) which was absolutely freaking awesome. It had a bunch of colorful pots, huge to very small, filled with spiked greens, trailing plants and vibrant flowers. It also had an area with what looked like lounge chairs for lazing in and catching the sun that had thick pads on them. Another area with a round iron table ornate with curlicues and four matching chairs. And the last area was an abundance of thick mats and huge, brightly-colored silk pillows.
Total oasis. The best spot in the house, no doubt.
After the roof, it was downhill from there and Twinka rushed me through a kitchen at the back that had what looked like a fire-burning oven as well as rudimentary stove and a long, battered table. Out the backdoor through a small, tidy courtyard (with more potted plants) was where the slaves quarters were, four small rooms, two on top, two on bottom, each room had two twin-sized pallets on the floor, two drawer wooden dressers beside each pallet with one, measly candleholder on each dresser.
Hmm. I was going to have to do something about that.
Packa, I had learned from Jacanda, had served Lahn the longest and took care of his food and cham needs prior to my arrival. He had purchased the rest of them at an auction two days before the Hunt (where many soon-to-be husbands saw to the needs of their future wives).
From Oahsee (who asked Bain who answered), I learned Lahn bought slaves prior to the other Hunts he attended but did not participate in as Dax then sold them immediately after when nothing struck his fancy.
Therefore, Packa was the only one who’d been there.
And by the time we arrived back in the courtyard area, Lahn was gone but my girls were there with trainee warriors lugging in our stuff from the wagon outside and the girls were looking around with awe.
The minute Twinka saw them, she opened her mouth to speak.
And the minute she did, I got there first.
See, I dug it that this was her place, I totally got that, but these were my girls.
And no one bossed them around.
In Korwahk, I quickly introduced my girls to Twinka, Twinka to my girls and then I announced, “These things can stay here for now. Twinka, please give my girls a tour of the house and then they’ll need some time to bathe, put on clean clothes, rest for a bit after that ride and have some food. After that, these things can be unpacked.”
Twinka squinted up at me with a mouth so tight it tripled the wrinkles surrounding it.
Then she muttered, “Gay na tahnay,”**** glared through my girls, then raced off.
They all glanced at me as they raced off after her.
I pulled in a breath and let it go.
Then I went in search of Lahn and found him coming out of the bathroom-ish room and into the master suite.
“Hey,” I said on a big smile. “I like your house. The roof is freaking awesome.”
“Dohno,” he muttered as he walked passed me to the door.
I instantly deflated and I didn’t even know I’d inflated.
Then I turned rather despondently to follow him with my eyes. I figured he had Horde and war things on his mind and was in king mode so he was away to do king things.
But okay, so sure, he only lived here two months out of the year so this probably wasn’t an important place to him and sure, he couldn’t know that in my world, a husband bringing his wife home for the first time was a big thing.
But still…
At the door, instead of walking through it, he grabbed it and threw it to.
Then he turned back to me.
Then I caught the look in his eye.
Then I gave him another big smile as he stalked toward me. Then I let out a laughing cry when he got to me and caught me up in his strong arms.
We tested out the bed first.
It was huge, it was soft and it was sturdy.
We tested out the bathing pool next.
It was divine.
* * * * *
Let’s just say Twinka didn’t like Ghost.
Like, at all.
And we’ll also say she didn’t like the familiarity, consideration, caring and casualness with which I treated my girls and flatly refused to respond positively to me doing the same with her.
But I didn’t care.
I was fucking queen.
I’d endured a Hunt. I’d witnessed a suicide-slash-execution. I’d watched a challenge for the Dax. I’d survived a bloody attack in my cham. I’d assisted in a minor medical procedure with only the most primitive of instruments at our disposal. I’d seen one of my girls beheaded. I had belatedly made one helluva match between a tiny, sweet, beautiful, timid Fleuridian girl and a dark, proud, taciturn Horde warrior.
I could create thunder, lightning, rain, flowers and rainbows.
And I’d made a savage brute fall in love with me in a month.
Hell, by his account, it was practically at first sight.
So she wasn’t going to fuck with me.
Therefore I ignored her and so did my girls.
It worked great.
* * * * *
Once settled in Korwahn, life went on as normal. I spent time with my posse (on my roof, their roofs, in my dining room, their dining rooms, in my courtyard, their courtyards, you get the picture). I wandered the city with my protectors. I met my people. I shopped in the marketplace.
Lahn came home for dinner twice and before I went to bed three times. Other than that, my man was busy.
This stunk.
But I was queen so I sucked it up.
* * * * *
When the morning sickness came, I gave up Korwahk wine. Lahn questioned this when I stopped him from pouring me a chalice at dinner and I explained in my world pregnant women didn’t drink alcoholic beverages as they’d noticed it affected growth in the womb.
His brows drew together at this but he didn’t question it further and he didn’t pour my wine.
By the by, the arrival of morning sickness, thus confirmation I was carrying his child was taken in stride by Lahn. I was freaked out but happy. He already knew in his pahnsahna I was carrying his child.
Still, I made him celebrate.
With the way I chose to celebrate, Lahn didn’t seem to mind.
* * * * *
We were in Korwahn because Suh Tunak was amassing there before they rode on Maroo.
We were also in Korwahn because Lahn had sent another message out to his brethren and that was that he was building an elite squad to be left behind in Korwahn to guard his golden queen (an elite squad, how cool was that?). Any warrior who wished to put himself forward for this squad would need to compete for it and they had to arrive by a certain date.
I was not allowed to go to the competition, it was warriors only. This was, Seerim told Diandra, because it might turn my stomach and Lahn knew firstly, I’d had enough of my stomach being turned and secondly, my stomach was being turned every morning.
So I was glad I wasn’t allowed to g
o. Though I didn’t much like the word “allowed”, I didn’t share this with Lahn.
Lahn did tell me my guard would number five hundred.
And he also told me fifteen thousand competed for these positions.
Yes. Fifteen thousand.
I was amazed and touched by this.
Then again, who wouldn’t be?
* * * * *
I got to attend the Ceremony of the Paint where the queen’s warriors painted each other with their new stripes (the Xacto, I’m sure, not there because of me and the other wives who attended).
I sat on my throne of horns in the massive clearing at the very top of the top plateau that was meant for official business and I watched as the warriors were painted with three thin black strips that curved from a point at their shoulder blade, over their shoulder to a point at their pectoral. Three more were painted from that point and around their arm to the front. And one thick gold strip was painted in the middle around the tip of their shoulder.
They did not wear this paint for ceremonies. They wore it every day.
Lahn told me they did it with pride.
I was amazed and touched by this too.
So much, I burst into tears.
Lahn held me until I cried myself out.
When I was done, I explained it was hormones. Then I explained what hormones were.
He looked at me like I was crazy.
Then, wisely, he let it go.
Zahnin was their commander. Bain, Feetak, Bohtan, Tark and Yoonan his lieutenants.
Narinda told me Feetak, a young warrior who’d only made his first kill nine years ago (which meant at sixteen years of age, um… yikes!) was very pleased at this huge jump in rank.
The Golden Dynasty f-2 Page 38