The Meridian Gamble

by Garcia, Daniel

  We have been brought before Pharaoh and the Queen.

  They sit and peruse the line of girls before them from their thrones. The Queen wears a simple dress today, but she has a gold band around her forehead, and bracelets on her wrists. And she seems bored, talking instead with one of her servants. She barely looks at us. Pharaoh has on a simple gown that once again exposes a part of his chest, and I cannot help but to try to catch a glimpse of him. He doesn’t seem to recognize me, which tells me he really must have been looking Mar Mar’s way on the night of the great feast. And today, he seems quite interested in the others who have been brought before them.

  Finally, the Queen looks up at the line of girls in front of her, and she points to one. Then another. And I wonder what she is choosing them for. She picks one more, and when I think that they are done, I realize that Pharaoh is looking at me. And he points a finger my way.

  I am quickly ushered out of the room by the woman who stole me from Famoush. She takes me back downstairs to the chamber I’ve slept in, to gather my things, the pack I originally brought to the temple, where I’ve hidden Adam’s knife. After that, I’m brought upstairs again, to another kitchen. I realize it is the one that services the royals, the one run by the dreaded rival of Famoush.

  It reminds me of our kitchen, only this place is much more clean. I imagine it’s because less cooking is done here, as I know for a fact that the royals do not eat, certainly not the food prepared in the kitchen. But there is a doorway that leads out onto a terrace much like ours, only it is much higher from the ground, and the view here is spectacular. I peek out, and can see the entire city.

  The one my family has no doubt fled by now.

  The cook for the royals comes in, with a young boy at his side, who reminds me of the one who worked with us for a while. He is corpulent, with a disgusting, huge belly that peeks out from beneath his shirt, and hangs over the waist of the flimsy pants he wears. The cook has a bald head and a beard that is trimmed short, and when he turns, he looks to me with a wicked smile.

  “I am Adjo,” he says in a friendly manner, as though we have know each other for a lifetime. But, instinctively I know he is not to be trusted, even less so than Famoush. In fact, the more widely he smiles, the more I suspect he is a creature of pure evil.

  “So, you are from the lower kitchen? You will show me what you have learned there. I must know that you are worthy to assist in preparing food for the court of Pharaoh.”

  And I get to work. I show him how to make the loaves of bread my mother taught me, the way Famoush showed me to rub spices into a chicken, to make it as succulent as possible. I show him a vegetable dish we prepared, which the soldiers seemed to love, as well as the women from the court who would come down begging for samples. And Adjo watches everything, greedily drinking it all in, like a desert rat searching for scraps.

  And Adjo proves to be a terrible taskmaster. I was wrong to despise Famoush, despite his selling me to Adam, because life in the upper kitchen is much worse. Despite smiling as if we are all friends and laughing as much as possible, Adjo only sits back, and wants us all to do the work. Even worse, he constantly chides us, and will rap our hands with a stick if we make the slightest mistake.

  “What are you doing?” he hisses at me, flying into a sudden rage.

  “I am making chicken the way Famoush does. Isn’t that what you wanted me to do?”

  “I want you to make it the way he does. Only my way.”

  I no longer sleep in a room filled with other girls, but rather, in a small room next to the kitchen. Which is fortunate, because it gives me a place to keep the knife Adam gave me close by. Adjo sleeps in a room down the hall, with the boy. And occasionally, I hear groans coming through the walls that disturb me.

  One day, as I am preparing a mid-day meal, Adjo comes into the kitchen and issues a command.

  “Pharaoh wishes for sustenance. Prepare him a plate of cheese and fruits and take it to his chamber.”

  “Where is his chamber?” I ask, tentatively.

  I have barely strayed from the kitchen and the small room where I sleep. Other servants take the food we prepare to the court.

  “The guards will show you! Hurry! And whatever you do, be sure to change from those disgusting rags you’re wearing!”

  I do as he says, gladly. I place some of his best cheeses on a plate, with thin slices of some bread I’ve made, along with a few dates. And I quickly take the tray to my room, where I step into the dress they put me in on the day I was first presented to Pharaoh. And it gives me a chance to strap the sharp knife to the inside of my thigh, where it will not be seen.

  I walk down the hallway in a direction that seems right, and I finally find a soldier, and ask him for Pharaoh’s chamber. He points me to some stairs, and tells me to go up and to the right. And when I do, I find another soldier standing dutifully outside a door. The man stares at me with a stony expression, as lifeless as the rocks that make up the palace. And he finally allows me in.

  I walk through an archway, and down another short hall, and enter a huge room. There are tall plants everywhere, and I wonder how they gain enough light to survive. Candles are burning, and there is a bed made of thick wooden posts that dominates the room. And on it, Pharaoh lies with a lump beside him. I tentatively walk in with my head bowed, waiting to be addressed.

  And my body shakes, nervously. This is it. This is the day I will finally use the years of training the General has given me. This is the day I will die, and the monster I will try to kill is Pharaoh.

  And kill him, I must. It would be a shame for me to simply scar his beauty, as I did with the older vampire Adam spoke of, the red-haired woman.

  “My, what a beautiful creature you are,” he says, staring me up and down. “Come closer. Let us see what you have for me.”

  And for some reason, I wonder if he’s even talking about the tray of food I’m holding.

  I move further into the room, toward the bed. It is difficult to walk with the knife strapped to my leg, and I wish I had practiced more. As I get closer, Pharaoh stares at me with a look of amusement. It’s unnerving, and I immediately doubt myself. But I resolve to do this, and tell myself that the second I have the chance, I will pull the knife from its hiding place and pounce on him. I will leap at his throat, and cut it.

  “Put the tray on the table,” he says.

  I set the food down next to him, and catch a quick glimpse of the man, and see that his eyes are an unusual shade of blue, like the sky. I had never been close enough to notice it before. And I look at the form next to him on the bed, which seems familiar in shape.

  The girl rolls over, and I realize it’s Mar Mar.

  She looks sick, weak and pale. But when she sees me, her face momentarily brightens.

  “Saga, is that you?”

  “Saga? Is that your name? It’s very lovely,” Pharaoh says, with a smile.

  I can only imagine what the two of them have just done. Most likely, he’s had relations with her. And I wonder if he fed off her when they made love. For some reason, I can’t stop staring at her. It’s a ghastly thing, to see my friend withering before my eyes.

  “Can I please have some food? I’m afraid I don’t feel well. May I eat, my lord?”

  “Of course, my pet.”

  Pharaoh plucks a chunk of cheese from the plate, and passes it to Mar Mar. She nibbles on it, though she can barely consume it. He takes a glass, and gives her a sip of wine. And he looks back to me with a smile, as though pleased with himself.

  “There’s not much life left in this one, I’m afraid. You do know how Pharaoh survives, don’t you? How I reign? It’s through the lives of my people, which they generously offer, to keep me alive. But I suspect you already know my secret, don’t you?”

  And I’m stunned. I’m not sure how he knows, but he does. And for some reason, I don’t try to hide, or answer him with a lie.

  “The blood. You drink their blood.”

  “Yes, I drink
their blood. And I’m about to finish off your friend. So tell me, do you care for her? Enough to take her place, so she may live on for another day?”

  “No, I don’t,” I say, coldly.

  And Pharaoh looks at me in disbelief. And he laughs.

  “Have it your way, then.”

  And he gathers Mar Mar up in his arms. The girl rouses, suddenly realizing something is happening.

  “What? What are we doing? Are you going to drink again?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Oh, good,” Mar Mar says.

  “And then you’re going to go see your mother.”

  “But my mother is dead,” Mar Mar mumbles.

  “Exactly.”

  Pharaoh opens his mouth, and bares his teeth. And two of them pop out, in a horrifying way, like a snake I’d once seen in the marketplace. Mar Mar rolls her head to the side in reaction, willingly, with a small smile on her face. She seems eager to accept her fate, and I can see fresh blood running down her neck.

  And something moves within me. I should be stoic and strong and remember my mission, but I can’t let her expire in this way, not if I have the chance to stop it.

  “I’ll do it,” I say, quickly. “I’ll take her place.”

  Pharaoh stops, and he looks at me in surprise.

  “Well, good. I was growing bored with this one.”

  He lifts Mar Mar up, and throws her as though she is nothing, tossing the girl over himself and out of the bed. She’s no small thing, and the strength he must have to do this frightens me. Mar Mar falls to the ground with a thud, passing out, too weak to make a sound. For a moment, I wonder if she’s already dead.

  Pharaoh calls out, and two guards come to carry her away. When we are alone, he stares me up and down, examining me like a piece of fruit at the marketplace. He sits up in his bed, and I am startled, as he is completely naked.

  The man pats his hand on a spot next to him.

  “Come, fulfill your bargain. Sit next to me. But first, get rid of that ridiculous knife,” he hisses.

  I gasp, as it surprises me that he knows. And in an instant, my foolish hopes are dashed. I won’t be killing anyone on this day. I was stupid to think I could challenge him. But as I lift up my skirts, revealing my legs, he watches me with interest. And I untie the knife Adam gave me.

  I pass it to him, and sit next to Pharaoh on the bed. And he smiles at me, gently.

  “Oh, don’t look so disappointed. I am very old, and have been doing this for a very long time. It would have been extremely difficult for you to fool me.”

  And I prepare to accept my fate. I pull down one shoulder of my dress, and tilt my head. And I offer my neck, the same spot where he fed from Mar Mar. It is wrong, but I am curious to see what his bite will feel like.

  Pharaoh reaches out, and rubs my neck. And for a moment, I think he is going to snap it. But he only looks at me, sadly.

  “You give up too easily. Here, let’s play a game …”

  I am shocked, as he reaches out and hands me the knife once more.

  “Take your best shot, try to kill me,” he says, raising his arms over his head. “In fact, maybe I should let you. Perhaps the world would be a better place if a wretched creature like myself was gone from it forever.”

  He leans back against the pillows of his bed with a smile. Pharaoh is appealing, with his arms pinned back in a helpless way. And it’s difficult for me not to look lower, to see the rest of him. But I suspect he is only taunting me, that it would be impossible for me to hurt him unless he let me. And there’s something else, a certain weariness to his eyes. I almost think he wants me to do it.

  I raise the knife over my head, thinking I should at least try. I am quite skilled with blades, and can throw them with unerring precision. But as I face him, something stops me. Perhaps it’s the futility of it all. And I set the knife back on the table.

  “No, I don’t want to kill you. I never did.”

  Pharaoh looks at me in surprise.

  “Do you not hate me for what I did to your friend?”

  “Why would I? You let her live. Should I not thank you for that?”

  And he laughs.

  “No, you should not, because I tricked you. It was a bit of a ruse. I would never have drank her last drop,” he says. “That’s one of our secrets. When you drink them to the point of death, you carry their spirit around with you for years. Sometimes centuries. Can you imagine having Mar Mar following you around forever?”

  “She would talk you to the point of madness.”

  And I can’t stop a quick laugh from escaping, which he shares in.

  “Yes, it would be a form of torture even I could not endure.”

  And I look at him, amazed by this strange creature sitting before me, and I can’t stop my curiosity from creeping in.

  “What I don’t understand is, it seemed as if she wanted you to do it.”

  “Another of our secrets,” he says. “Our bite has a venom that causes an almost indescribable pleasure, such that our victims will almost beg for it.”

  And I stare off, confused. Pleasure, and in venom, again like a snake. Combined with his unnatural beauty, it seems almost cruel, that he could control someone in that way. But it makes sense. Why else would Mar Mar be so eager for her death? And I wonder if I will feel the same way when he finally does this to me.

  “Did they not tell you?” he asks.

  “No, they did not. They only said that I should be careful never to let one of your kind bite me. I assumed it was so that you would not drink my blood.”

  And he furrows his brow, looking at me in confusion.

  “You are quite odd for a Luminos,” he says. “You don’t know much about the monsters you fight. And you do not seem to understand what it is to be one of your people, to burn with anger and resentment for the torture we’ve inflicted on you over lifetimes.”

  “No, you are the one who does not understand,” I say, with almost contempt. “Because I am of the Luminos, yet not of them at the same time. That is why they sent me here, because I am worthless. I have no past lives to remember, no knowledge that is of value to their war. I am expendable.”

  “Do you mean to tell me that this is the first life you’ve lived?”

  I shake my head.

  “No. My second life, apparently. There was one more, when I was a savage, living in the dirt long ago. In a time before civilization. But I remember very little of it.”

  I don’t know why I tell him this. I should hide my secrets, yet they escape from me all the same. And he stares at me, looking me over once more, as though I am the one who is a strange creature.

  “And where do you think you’ve been all this time?”

  “I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head. “I’ve forgotten.”

  “Fascinating. How absolutely fascinating. You are a conundrum, Saga, my dear.”

  I turn, facing him, drinking in his beautiful features as he leans back against the pillows. And it scares me, to think that he will lash out at me at any moment, to strike me down. But, he isn’t moving, as though he is not in a rush, though I know there will be no escaping this fate.

  “Are you going to torture me now?” I ask, timidly.

  “Well, I should. It’s what we do. You Luminos have a terrible habit of coming back. And I suppose that’s why you hate us so, because of our cruelty toward you. But we must put some fear in you over the thought of attacking us, so you’ll consider it carefully before trying again.”

  “You’ll never see me, after this,” I say. “I’ll be the one who remembers. If I come back to this wretched world, I’m going to hide from the Luminos. I won’t take part in their silly war. I’ll never again be their pawn.”

  He sits up on the bed once more, moving next to me, very close. And an involuntary shiver runs through me.

  “Then perhaps I won’t torture you after all. I’m not sure that I want you to stay away.”

  This man has an incredible power to him that ma
kes me feel weak. And I shouldn’t do it, but I cannot stop myself. And why should I? I have nothing left to lose.

  “Will you do something for me? A small kindness for your most hated foe, since you’re going to kill me anyway?”

  “And what would that be?”

  “Will you hold me?” I say, softly. “Just once, I want to see what it feels like to matter, before I leave this place. To know how it feels to have someone care that I exist. Even if it’s a lie, even if it only lasts for a little while.”

  And a small gust of breath seems to escape from his lips.

  “Yes. Yes, I will do that for you …”

  And Pharaoh finally does lash out. He grabs me, and pulls me onto his naked lap, burying his face in my neck, though not to bite me. He holds me close to him, so tightly I feel as though he’ll never let me go. And he’s warm, so very warm, far more than normal. And it feels delicious.

  He pulls his head away from me, just a bit, and stares deeply into my eyes.

  “I’m going to make you feel like you matter, Saga. I’m going to make you feel like you matter very much, indeed.”

  He kisses me. And with one hand, Pharaoh rips off my dress, and tosses it aside. He lies down on top of me, pushing apart my legs. And for a moment, I feel a pain that shoots upward into my body, as he presses himself into me. But soon enough, the discomfort melts into a new sensation. And it becomes the sweetest of pleasures, as Pharaoh claims me for his own.

  I spend the next several days in Pharaoh’s bed, and never before have I felt such bliss. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I would find someone I would want to touch so intimately, who I would feel so comfortable with that I would never want to leave his side. I couldn’t even picture having this with Adam, and I wouldn’t mind if Pharaoh devoured me now, so complete is my happiness. And in that way, I could be a part of him forever.

  Servants come to the room to bring food for me to eat, and to bathe us. Yet, I never see him drink, which makes me think he will finally sip from my neck. But he doesn’t. And when we aren’t making love, we talk of the many things he has seen, the wonders of the world, which amaze me.