Desert Rose

by Marie Brown

not know where the Grand Staircase is."

  "Ah, yes. You were apparently in quite the state of disrepair when you arrived, no wonder you don't remember. From this door, cross two corridors, then turn left. You'll get right to it."

  "Thank you very much!"

  "You're welcome. And don't forget where this room is, for you will need it on a near daily basis."

  "I won't forget," Kama promised. I hope. She kept that part to herself, though, and started off to find the Grand Staircase.

  Betrayed

  The first time it happened, Lorrine flew into such a white-hot rage it was a wonder she didn't ignite the entire town of Savery, known far and wide for its marketplace.

  She was at the marketplace itself, poking through a bushel of onions, when the goodwife tending her merchandise humphed at her.

  "You came in with that wild mage, didn't you?"

  "Yes, I did," Lorrine replied, smiling fondly.

  "Well, you'd best rein him in. Your man's causing quite the trouble. This here's a quiet town, we don't much go for scandal."

  "I beg your pardon?"

  "Don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about, missy." The goodwife scowled. "You two been here less than a week, and that oversexed bastard's already tumbled three different women."

  "What?"

  The onion dropped to the ground from Lorrine's nerveless fingers.

  "Huh. Maybe you didn't know, at that. Yes, it was quite the scandal. How is it you didn't know? He did it right out in the open, after all."

  The world spun crazily around Lorrine. "Tell me? Please?"

  "You were at the harvest festival, right? Didn't you wonder where your man had gotten off to? Back behind old Denga's barn with my niece, that's where. And I heard tell he took hold of the Mayor's sister out in the public house one nooning, ran off to the barn with her. And just yesterday Widow Lila was saying how he took care of her right nicely out in her garden. Her garden!" The goodwife shook her head, then looked at Lorrine with narrowed eyes. "You okay, missy? Don't you faint in my wares, now."

  "I-I-" Lorrine tried to find words through the sick dizziness, but none came. "I have to go."

  She bolted from the marketplace and ran for the common house, where they'd rented a room for an entire week. Within a few strides, the sick horror began shifting into outrage. By the time she reached their rented room, the outrage had become full-blown fury, which burned even hotter when she saw Derfek in their room with his arms around another woman, kissing her.

  "What in all hells is going on here?"

  Lorrine had a fairly impressive set of lungs, and she used them to maximum effect, producing a shout far more dramatic than a typical feminine shriek.

  The woman broke away, clutching her bodice tightly.

  "I'll just be a moment," Derfek promised her. Lorrine glared. The woman, more a girl, really, took one look at Lorrine's blazing eyes and fled.

  "What's your problem, Lorrine?"

  "My problem? What in hells do you think my problem is? You reeking asshole, the townsfolk are all talking about your oversexed ways, and now I find you here in our room with another woman? That's my thtocken problem!"

  "Relax, woman," Derfek said coolly, tugging at his amulet. He did that a lot under stress. "You don't own me. Not in any way did we ever get married, and I certainly don't remember signing any kind of exclusivity agreement. Because I wouldn't do that. No one woman can ever be enough for me."

  "What? There's no need to sign any thtocken thing, you brought me with you!"

  "Lorrine," Derfek sighed, "don't be stupid. Now. I am going to go find Elsa. If you don't like that, then pack up and go."

  With that, he gave his amulet a final sharp tug, and swept out of the room.

  Lorrine never cried. Ever. When she skinned knees as a child, when she had man trouble before Derfek, didn't matter. Either or, she didn't cry. Bad days, heartache, stupid injuries? No. Nothing more than a bit of mistiness in the eyes. But now, watching Derfek leave, hearing his horrible words echoing through her head, now she cried. She fell face first on the bed and bawled, in fact, for long enough that it hurt her eyes. And her throat. And she gave herself a horrible headache.

  Finally, Lorrine ran out of tears, and lay on the bed, picking aimlessly at the nubbly coverlet. They'd had a lot of sex in this bed. What did she want to do?

  Well, she had to stay with Derfek. That much was obvious. If he'd have her after the way she'd behaved. And she'd have to work far harder to please him, in bed and in life, to make damn sure his eyes never strayed again.

  She heard the door open and someone enter the room. She didn't move. Then a weight settled onto the bed beside her head and a familiar hand stroked her hair.

  "Look, Lorrine, my dearest. I'm sorry this came as such a shock to you. I thought you knew. I mean, isn't it obvious? I'm just not a one-woman type. I love you, really I do, but if you can't accept the way things are, we'll just have to part ways."

  "No," Lorrine croaked, struggling upright to look at him. "No. Don't make me go. I don't want to lose you."

  "That's my girl." He smiled at her, and it seemed the most wonderful sight in all the lands. "Even if you do look horrible right now, all red and blotchy. Go get yourself cleaned up, okay? I'll still be here."

  Lorrine smiled, and nodded, and made her way to the bathhouse.

  Enrollment

  The Grand Staircase turned out to be just that: grand. Wide and curved in a graceful spiral, it was made of some exotic wood that had a lovely red tint and a deeply polished shine. She easily imagined wealthy ladies in elegant ballgowns, some featuring her own embroidery, floating down the stairs on the arms of handsome gentlemen, or holding hands with equally elegant and lovely ladies, one soft white glove trailing languidly down the sleek banister.

  But of course, this was a school, not a High Lord's palace. So Kama shook off the fancy, felt a twinge as she wondered what Lorrine would think of the beautiful wood, and went down in search of Mistress Eldanquin.

  As instructed, Kama knocked on the first door to the right of the stairs. A voice from inside called for her to come in.

  The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman, about the same age as the Keeper. This woman looked like she could have been Kama's cousin, with similar blond hair and fair skin.

  "Hello," Kama said, put at ease by the almost-familiar look of this woman. She didn't really like meeting new people, and here she was, surrounded by strangers on all sides. But this woman, who knew? Maybe she was some kind of relative. Such a thing seemed no less likely than Kama developing mage talents this late in life, after all. "I'm Kama, and the Mother sent me to speak to you."

  "Ah, yes. Kama. Mistress Banchek spoke with me before bringing you here. She indicated you have superior skills with a needle. Is this true?"

  Kama smiled. "Some think so. I have a bit of skill with spiderweave. It's been a while since I handled cloth or floss, so I might need a few days of practice to recover from my troubles, but my skills used to command very high prices."

  "Good. And have you any interest in teaching? I know you are here to learn, but we haven't had a truly skilled needlewoman here in simply ages."

  "I could probably teach," Kama said cautiously. "I've never tried. But I know my trade well, and I know how I learned. I'm certain I could pass that along to others."

  "Good. That's wonderful. We'll give you a few weeks to get settled in here, then start you with a group of the advanced students. They've been agitating to learn embellishments for simply ages now, and our seamstress is just that, a seamstress. She knows how to make clothing, and does it well, but embroidery is a whole different world."

  "So it is." Kama hesitated, wondering if she should ask about her own studies. But then Mistress Eldanquin continued on.

  "Fine, then. Let's get on with the business of enrolling you properly. What's your full name?"

  Perhaps she should have expected the question, given how she was in a school, and enrolling in schools gen
erally required giving information about one's past life and such. But it still hit her like a bucket full of shaved ice, straight from the frozen north. She felt the blood drain from her face and swayed on her feet, clutching at Mistress Eldanquin's desk to remain upright as the words threw her back into the horrors concealed in her past. Soft fabric rubbed at her cheek. Leather bit into her wrists and ankles. She screamed, but the sound went nowhere, stopped by the silken gag tied through her mouth. And the pain. . . the pain. . . the horrible, humiliating pain. . .

  "What is it, dear? You look like you've seen a ghost."

  The caring voice intruded on the memories of bindings and pain, but it sounded faint and distant. Kama tried desperately to extend the barrier Liesel had given her to block off the old memories as well. It resisted, at first, then it gave in and stretched to shield her from the old pain.

  "My apologies," Kama said, lifting her head slowly, focusing on the real woman in front of her instead of the horrible man in memory. "I. . . I no longer use my last name. There was. . . were. . . there were problems I left behind to come here, to Eirian, and I have no wish to use that name and leave a clue as to where I have gone."

  "Very well. You are certainly not the first to say such a thing. So let's enter you as Kama Needlewoman, and move on to your courses."

  She wound up with a strange course load, one that distracted her from the pain of the ancient memories and gave her something to think about even beyond Lorrine. She'd always thought schools were boring places where people went to study boring