Before they pull me through the gates, Uncle hugs me, and whispers in my ear.
“I will see you again.”
But I do not get the chance to say anything else, as I move inside the wall and the door shuts. And in my heart, I know that if I do see Uncle again, it will not be in this lifetime.
The old man leads me through the grounds outside the palace, and I see many things; barracks and a training area for the soldiers, pens where goats and chickens are kept, gardens where grains and date trees grow. And like Uncle, I try to take it all in, to store in my mind any detail I might later use against the monsters.
We go through a door and up some stairs that lead us to a sleeping area several floors up, a room full of cots. I am given a space where I can put my things. And I wonder how I will ever find this place again, as I am quickly led away once more. And we go to a kitchen, where I am finally introduced to Famoush.
He is not much, a man several years older than my father with black hair that is thinning, which, perhaps, makes him look older than he is. And he bears the expression of someone who has been beaten down by life. The old man leaves me with Famoush, and I never see him again.
“Let’s see what you can do,” Famoush says, eying me.
He pushes me in front of a pile of dead chickens which are covered with damp cloths, to keep the buzzing flies away. And he gives me the task of plucking and cleaning them. And so begins my new life in Pharaoh’s palace.
I spend several days alone in the kitchen with Famoush, and we are overwhelmed with work, as the girls who assist him have been quickly promoted to the kitchen upstairs, which I suppose is the fate I hope for, even though I fear it at the same time. But eventually, another girl appears who is also new here, and we call her Mar Mar. There is a roundness to her face and figure, which is all curves, especially her breasts and hips. She is taller than myself, though I can tell she is weak, and I could easily defeat her if we fought. Mar Mar is very serious at first, and refuses to speak to me unless it directly involves our work, but I suspect it is only because she is scared. Famoush is a terrible taskmaster who will yell at us if we make the slightest mistake. But he slowly warms to his two new helpers, especially me, because I am an excellent worker. And I try to look out for Mar Mar, to keep her from making blunders.
Mother has great skill in the kitchen, which she learned from one of the Luminos, who had earned his talents over lifetimes. And she taught me well. I am adept at making one of her favorite recipes, little loaves of bread that we serve to the soldiers. And I am equally talented at cleaning vegetables and cooking up meats, and pulling them at just the right moment from the ovens we cook in that are located on a terrace outside the kitchen. But as competent as I am, Famoush is even better. He shows me methods of rubbing spices into the meats to make them especially tender, and I am amazed at his knowledge and cannot believe he gained so much in just one lifetime. I look at him sometimes, trying to detect the Luminos glow, just to be sure, but I see no signs of it around him.
Our work in the kitchen is grueling, especially lugging up the water we use to clean the pots and scrub the dishes. But soon, Famoush allows us small kindnesses, handfuls of dried nuts and fruits, and small glasses of wine to get us through the day. And a few spare moments to chat.
Mar Mar loves to giggle and gossip. Once she has warmed up to me, it is as though a floodgate has opened.
“Where are you from, Mar Mar?”
“From the city. My family are sellers in the market.”
“And why are you here?”
“They are sellers. They sold me, of course,” she says, with a laugh.
And a cold chill runs down my spine.
“But … why?”
“For riches,” she says with a small smile. “My father wasn’t going to at first. But they finally offered him enough that he had no choice but to agree. A new space in the market and a handful of jewels. One of the royal family saw me in the street and insisted they have me.”
And Mar Mar blushes.
“And what of you?” she asks me. “How did you come here?”
“The same way,” I say. “Sold, though none of the royals saw me. My family had too many daughters.”
And I try to add a tinge of sadness to my voice, so Mar Mar won’t ask any more questions. Though I have practiced my lies in my head, it is better to say nothing, to draw as little attention to myself as possible. And Famoush has heard enough. He clucks his tongue, and claps his hand for us to start working again.
That night, when we go to our sleeping quarters, Mar Mar trades places with another girl and moves her mat next to mine, so we can have a few extra moments to whisper before the others shush us, before sleep takes us. The palace is huge, so large it almost seems like a city. And I wonder where all these girls work. Perhaps in others kitchens scattered within the structure. It takes more than us to cook for the soldiers. But I will find out soon enough. I have been sent here to spy, among other things, and I will gain the information I need.
“Have you ever seen Pharaoh?” I say to Mar Mar, as we lie in the semi-darkness.
“He is most beautiful. And the queen, too. Dazzlingly so, more than even the gems my parents were given,” Mar Mar whispers, with glee. “And so is the prince. They passed by me in the corridors once, when I was told to bring bread to their servants. I thought I would faint.”
“And where are their chambers?”
“At the top levels of the palace, of course.”
I wonder if I can sneak up to where the monsters live, and kill them in their sleep.
Another girl hisses at us, thinking she intimidates. And, of course, I cannot fight back against her and reveal my hidden training. The workers in the palace are tired, and deserve their sleep, so I say nothing more. There will be time for me to uncover the secrets of the place.
And that night, when I drift to sleep, I dream of unpleasant things. Of my life, when I was the one who looked like a monster, a savage with misshapen teeth. Usually, my dreams of this time are simple, and I feel the longing and love that I held for the Luminos man, when he would not look my way because he was too busy hunting for the tribe, because I was too ugly and unattractive for him to notice. But on this night, another image fills my sleeping mind. It is of the time after his death.
I walk through the planes, where wild animals roam, on my own, seeking vengeance. It is a dangerous thing to do, but where I am headed is far more treacherous. I approach a wooded area, toward a cave that peeks out of the ground. And on the way, I find a large, sharp rock to wield.
And I wait for them.
Slowly, three monsters come from their hole; two men and a woman. She has long red hair, and a kind of beauty most of the savages do not possess. But one of the men is disgusting, a creature with pale skin and a mouth full of jagged teeth. They laugh at me, but I surprise them, running toward them, screaming with the rock held high, determined to kill them all. And I raise it over the woman’s head, as a look of shock overcomes her.
I wake with a start, before I can know what happens. And I have difficulty going back to sleep. Even now, something about the creatures terrifies me, and I pray that I never encounter them again.
The next afternoon, two girls enter our kitchen carrying trays. They are both beautiful, with clothes that are far nicer than anything Mar Mar and I have to wear. The cloth of their dresses is fine, a delicate weave, and dyed a brighter shade of white than our own. And, of course, they have none of the embarrassing stains from the cooking and cleaning that we’re forced to endure.
One girl has lips that are full and plump, like a ripe piece of fruit, and I can imagine Pharaoh and the prince wanting her nearby, in case they need something to kiss. And they wear gold jewelry, with golden fibers wrapped in their flowing curls as adornments.
The two young women do not acknowledge Mar Mar and I with so much as a glance, and only focus their attention on Famoush. He scowls at them angrily for interrupting his chores.
�
�What are you doing here?”
“We’ve come to sample your delicious cooking,” one of the girls says. “Your food is so much better than our own cook’s. Why will you not come to prepare our meals?”
“Never. I like it where I am,” he says brusquely. “Most likely, you’re just here to spy for him.”
“We would never do that to you,” they say, trying to appease him.
And I know Famoush secretly enjoys their compliments.
He snaps his fingers at me. It’s my cue to fix them a plate of the lamb dish he’s just prepared, with some fruits and vegetables, and a piece of the bread I have made that morning. I serve them each a plate, and set it on the tray they are carrying. And as I do, I see something strange.
The girls have long hair with curls that fall along their shoulders. But for a moment, I see a mark on one of their necks, two tiny dots where the skin has been punctured. The General and Uncle have told me stories about this, that it is a sign of the vampires, that they have bitten their prey. And I realize I have seen it before, in my daydreams of the past. These are the same bite marks that riddled the body of the Luminos man in a savage time, two tiny pricks set a distance apart that is the same width as a human mouth.
I begin to wonder if there is even a cook for the royals, if the kitchen on the upper floors is simply there to keep their real food plump and fat.
When the girls have their plates, they giggle and walk away. And as they are leaving, I notice them eying Mar Mar and myself, trying to assess us. And cook shakes his head as they leave.
“Poor things,” he whispers, softly, with a certain sadness to his voice.
Famoush clearly knows something about the monsters. And I tell myself that I will work extra hard to gain his confidence and possibly learn what he knows. And I wonder if I will find some way to get the knowledge I gain back to Father and my uncle.
They will have moved away by now, to keep the vampires from finding them, after they have tortured and killed me. They will need the time to hide their trail, to make sure that no one has followed. But in certain small moments, I hope I can find a way to escape this sad fate I’ve been given and find them again. And the dark-haired young man.
Yet, I am fooling myself. I have not been sent here to spy. I am here to kill one of the royals, to die trying. There is no other fate for me.
Mar Mar is still looking off after the girls, perhaps hoping they’ll come back for an extra piece of bread, so she can get another glimpse of their finery.
“Are Pharaoh’s servants not beautiful? It is my dream to work in the royal chambers,” Mar Mar says.
And it seems like a strange dream for the girl to have, to work even closer to the monsters. She must not know what they truly are, and is distracted by the luxury that goes with being in their presence. But I suppose that is the best she can hope for, to be a higher grade of slave within this world, and possess the bit of privilege the position entails. And perhaps it’s a better fate for her, to die in luxury and avoid a lifetime of hard labor.
“They used to work down here, you know,” Mar Mar says.
And Famoush looks at her and shakes his head.
“You be a good girl, Mar Mar, like Saga. Stay here and work hard with me. Forget about the upper floors of the palace.”
But the way Famoush looks at us frightens me. It is the same sad face Uncle gave me, when he knew I would soon be gone. Famoush goes outside to check on the meats that he roasts, and I turn back to Mar Mar.
“Have you heard anything … strange about the royals?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you see that girl’s neck? It looked as if she had been bitten.”
“I have heard something …” she says.
And Mar Mar leans in closer.
“I’ve heard that Pharaoh has an insatiable appetite for lovers. That’s why he goes through so many servants. It’s rare that any of them please him well enough to stay for very long.”
She looks around again, making sure no one is close enough to hear.
“But I think it might be fun to try.”
Ma Mar giggles, full of mischief. And sadly, it reminds me of an animal in the wild, too stupid to understand that it is about to be torn down by lions.
In the following days, the kitchen becomes a hub of activity. Two more girls and a boy are brought in to help us, and though they are lazy and slow, what truly burdens us is the huge amount of work we are given. Because there are whispers of war, and the royals have made the surprising decision to invite their enemies for a great feast, to negotiate peace.
We are brought a mountain of dishes to wash, and I am stunned when I first see what they call plates. The dishes are made of gold, or at least some metal covered in gold. The new boy, who is thin and short, yet very handsome, eyes them with a look filled with greed. Even one piece could mean more wealth than his entire family could gain in a lifetime.
And it is ironic, because my family has more wealth than even two or three of the plates, perhaps all of them combined could provide, hidden riches the General has gained over his lives.
I wash them in special water that Famoush prepares for us, with oils and scents that will make them gleam, and polish them until they sparkle in a way that will please him. And I find them fascinating, because they are the most unique creations I have ever seen. Each one has an image of one of the royal family worked into them. However, most depict the Queen, and from the way people speak of her, I guess she is far more beautiful in real life than even the plates.
The new boy looks about when he thinks we aren’t watching, and I suspect he is trying to find a place to hide one of the dishes, to sneak it away. I shake my head at him, and he looks to me, fearfully.
“Don’t even think about it,” I say. “The torture chambers in the bowels of the palace are worse than anything you could possibly imagine.”
It’s all I can do to keep from laughing, as he begins to scrub more furiously. I’ve yet to see anyone tortured since I’ve arrived, but the courtyard is filled with armed guards. I can’t imagine how a servant with thoughts of stealing could possibly escape, or what might happen to them if they were caught.
When the plates are cleaned, there is a special dining room on one of the upper floors where I take them, and it is unlike anything I have ever seen. The room is amazing, larger than even the Luminos arena. There are rows and rows of tables, and a raised platform with gold thrones that sparkle with glittering jewels for Pharaoh and his queen to sit on. And the sheer wealth it must have taken to create them stuns me. I begin to suspect that the vampires have acquired more than even the General or the Luminos could imagine.
The passages and stairways that take me to this place are lined with guards, and on the way back to the kitchen, I am confused, though I finally make my way. And as always, I try to memorize it all.
On the day of the feast, Mar Mar and I wake up extra early to help Famoush prepare. And as we do, we can hear a commotion from outside the palace. We look to our taskmaster hopefully, and after a long pause, he nods his head, and we rush with the other servants to another terrace on our same level. The front gates open, and we can see soldiers from the enemy’s army arrive within the walls of the palace. They make camp in an area that has been cleared out especially for them. It is a small contingent of a much larger force, and in the distance, on the outskirts of the city, you can see the mass of their army, the fires from their camps. And it must be a very large gathering of soldiers, if I can see them from here.
I silently pray they are here to attack. I hope they will carry out my task for me and kill the royals, so that I can return to my family.
We cannot tarry long staring at heathens, as there is too much work to do. I spend the rest of the day baking loaf after loaf of the breads Mother taught me to make, and I wonder what she would think if she knew her recipe was to be served to foreign warlords. Later, we break the necks of small hens, and stuff them with delicacies to roast slowly over embers al
l afternoon.
Mar Mar and I are given new clothes to wear, and we are to serve the guests, as extra help is needed. In the evening, we line up with the rest of the servants before the foreigners arrive, and the dining hall is even more spectacular than when I saw it before. Huge potted plants have been brought in, and the gold plates glisten on the tables in the light of the torches. They shine in a way that makes this place seem magical, like something from the heavens.
The guests finally come in, chieftains and lieutenants from the neighboring kingdom’s army, who are ready to fight Pharaoh for control of his lands. And they seem like savages. Their hair is long and unkept, they have beards that frighten me. Even worse, some have facial tattoos, though what they signify, I cannot say.
I look to the ground and try to remain insignificant, because I can feel it. The savages look to us lustfully. And I silently pray they will not see me, that they will not demand me as a gift of honor from the royals.
Yet, curiosity gets the better of me. As my head is bowed down, I still manage to roll my eyes upward, to peek at the strangers. It is a skill I have perfected, and I see that they are not all savages, as I had thought. One of them catches my attention. And the breath escapes from my body, as I instantly recognize his face.
It is the handsome young Luminos man, my unrequited love from a past life.
He is tall, though not the tallest, yet his muscles are larger than most of the men around him. And his beautiful black hair is tied back in a braid, with just a few curly wisps hanging over his eyes. And he wears white robes that make him seem more refined than his brethren.
The Meridian Gamble Page 27