Gems of Fire: A Young Adult Fantasy Read online

  As the hour grew late, the tired girls walked back to their sleeping quarters. They all washed from a small water basin and then piled into their beds. Even the dirty water didn’t bother Anna as long as it was on the way to rest. Fatigue silenced their tongues as sleep overtook them.

  The next day started with a small breakfast and more work. First they had to haul water from the palace well for the day’s supply so that Anna was already tired and sore before beginning her tasks: cleaning floors, watering plants, and of course, more laundry.

  The palace was enormous. While Karfin spiraled up into the mountain, Anwar’s palace sprawled across a flat landscape. Rooms opened up into verandas equipped with outdoor pools, shaded with palms. Around the next corner appeared a huge bath—a pool with aqua tiles, white marble columns and bathers pampered with expensive oils and scrubs. Anna had always thought Kasdod would be an ugly, dry place, but she couldn’t help admiring the beauty here, though she was tiring of polishing floors.

  She was thankful for Micah. As they worked together, Anna would occasionally whisper her questions about the palace. One day their floor scrubbing brought them to a long, dark hallway. Its floors were polished blue marble. Anna began to take the bucket to the entrance of the hall, but Micah stopped her.

  “No. We do not go down that hall, it is off-limits,” she whispered.

  Anna paused and peered down the hall. “Why, what’s down there?”

  “The lord’s private quarters. Please, let’s move on,” Micah tugged at Anna. With one last look down the hall, Anna submitted to Micah’s urgent voice. “His private servants clean for him.”

  “When do you think we’ll see him?” she asked.

  “You never know. Even when he’s home, he does not always keep the same schedule. He’s wary.”

  Anna’s mind worked on the puzzle. The palace had a front door that led to the front gate, a rear door that led to the gardens as well as many side doors for servants delivering food and emptying wastewater. The entire complex was surrounded by a fence, and further out stood a large wall with solid iron gates. The only way of escape would be making it over the wall or through the gate or…She kept thinking. Perhaps like her father, Anwar had a private door only the lord and his few subjects knew about. There could be a secret tunnel or passageway out in case of siege or for convenience if he didn’t wish to be seen.

  With every scrub on the floor, Anna knew she would soon find a way to search the lord’s private quarters. Just then she heard a commotion from the hall. The lord was coming, sandwiched between his guards in front and several girls in back. They were dressed in sheer, body-revealing materials. Their faces were hidden behind fabric veils attached to sheer fabric around their heads. Their black hair descended in long folds down their backs. Anna and Micah scrambled to their feet.

  Anna bowed with the other servants as the group passed and moved to the front door. Anwar stepped into a litter supported by strong men on each side. Anna knew the hall was probably empty. Should she investigate? If discovered, I would probably be killed, she thought with a pang. But I can’t stay here forever. She grimaced. Escaping would take a miracle. She followed Micah back to the stuffy laundry room.

  Chapter 5

  A week later, Anna and Micah heard a commotion erupt from the front gate. The two girls snuck to a window and peeked out. A man rode through the gates astride a red horse. Micah poked Anna in the ribs.

  “It’s Prince Alastair.” She blushed. “He’s gorgeous.”

  Anna’s mouth fell open, but not because of the prince. Her eyes couldn’t leave the smooth gait of his horse. He tossed his head as his master pulled him to a halt. He snorted out of huge, perfectly round nostrils. She only knew of one other horse with that head carriage, small ears, strong hindquarters, long legs. And the fire in those eyes. He was a desert stallion, just like Farley.

  She tore her gaze from the horse as a servant appeared to take him to the stables. The prince’s deep purple tunic, hemmed in gold, brushed the ground as he walked toward them. Bright, brown eyes flashed below a spotless, white turban covering his head. Servants ran to assist him with his large caravan of belongings, packed on horses and camels. His own servants sprung to action as well. Anna noted two guards armed with long, curved scabbards followed in the prince’s wake.

  Kumud spied the girls and motioned for them to help. As Anna and Micah approached Kumud, they stepped aside to allow the man to pass. Instead of bowing her head like Micah, Anna ventured a glance. If he’d ever visited her father, he might be able to help her. His surprised, but friendly dark eyes held hers for a moment. Anna winced and dipped her chin as she felt him move away.

  She had never seen him before.

  She and Micah hurried through the chores Kumud had laid out for them, mainly unpacking Alastair’s room. With the mountain of cases he had brought, Anna thought he must be staying for months. Anna folded white cotton and silk tunics and hung robes of purple, rich chocolate and other colors in the armoire.

  “What do you know about the prince?” asked Anna as she hung a deep blue robe.

  “His servants say he takes care of them as much as the other way around.” Micah’s face lifted and her eyes shone as she closed his trunk. “They are fortunate to serve him.”

  Anna’s heart pulled toward the prince. Would he help me? She unpacked a pair of common camel leather sandals as well as shoes beaded with rubies for formal wear.

  “What is such a good prince doing here?” Anna wondered out loud.

  “If you must know, I am staying here to find fresh supplies as I continue my journey south.”

  Anna spun around and bowed before the prince. “A thousand apologies, my lord,” she said to the floor. “We did not know you had returned.” Anna and Micah backed to the wall to clear the entrance. Anna glanced around. The room seemed in order.

  Prince Alastair waved his hand. “Don’t apologize.” He surveyed the room and nodded. “Superb. Thank you for your assistance.” Two of his own servants walked in.

  “It seems these girls have done your work for you,” the prince said to his servants. “You may return to your quarters.”

  The girls bowed again and moved toward the door.

  “Oh, just one more thing,” he said, stumbling a bit as he leaned forward to catch their attention. His mouth turned up at his own clumsiness.

  “Yes, my lord?” Anna raised an eyebrow and tried not to smile. Micah kept her eyes on the floor.

  “You are quite forward, now aren’t you?” he said to Anna. She blushed as her mind raced to figure out what she had done wrong. Micah stepped in front of her, keeping her eyes low.

  “My gracious lord,” she said quickly. “This girl has just arrived. Please forgive her.”

  He chuckled. “But I do not mind her.” he gave Anna an appreciative glance. “She is obviously not from this region. And you, servant girl, what is your name?”

  “Micah,” she whispered.

  “Micah, why don’t you both stay for a moment and prepare tea. And tell me what you know of the palace.”

  Micah didn’t move until Anna nudged her. “Has the lord never visited here before?” she asked. “I supposed you traveled extensively.”

  “I’ve been to the kingdoms of the north and all the way across the desert and seen the great wonders of the Eastern shores.”

  “And you don’t have responsibilities to your own kingdom?” Anna asked.

  “Anna!” Micah’s eyes bugged out of her head, but the prince laughed.

  “No, I am a lowly last-born prince. Fifth to the throne of Meni Bellal, and once my brother has a son, I’ll be even less relevant.”

  Anna met his eyes. “I believe relevance is more about character than your position.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I wish that were the case.”

  Anna couldn’t take her eyes off those warm brown eyes.

  “You are high born from the north,” he declared.

  “How do you know?” she whispered. Sh
e stepped back, but he closed the gap between them.

  “Your boldness, your look, your speech. You’d have to be an idiot not to see it. Who is your father?”

  Anna’s heart hammered in her chest. She found her feet moving toward the door, but he caught her arm, then released it as if he were afraid he’d hurt her.

  “I mean you no harm.” His eyes were sincere. Anna swallowed the lump in her throat. He would help her. She knew it. She would throw her fate on a chance meeting of a prince.

  “I was riding—

  There was a quick rap at the door. The doorknob turned. Kumud.

  “My lord, would you be needing—” His eyes fell on Anna. His face paled in fury.

  Micah began to apologize, but he silenced her with a fierce glare.

  “Please, my lord, make yourself comfortable while I remove these nuisances from your most noble presence,” Kumud caught the girls by the arms. Anna winced as he dug his fingers into her skin.

  Anna stole a glance at Micah. Her eyes were wide as her body shook in panic. Anna set her jaw.

  The prince jumped up and grabbed Micah’s other arm.

  “Kumud!” he said. “The servants did nothing wrong. They were obeying my every request.”

  “My lord, they are not allowed in any circumstances to speak with our guests,” he said matter-of-factly. “They are in direct disobedience of the lord of the palace and will be dealt with accordingly.”

  Tears streamed down Micah’s face as she sobbed.

  “Shut up!” He struck Micah across the face. She fell to the floor, whimpering. Kumud grabbed her by the hair.

  “No!” said the prince. “I won’t sleep a wink tonight knowing they were severely punished because of me. Let me pay you for them both—twice what they are worth.”

  Kumud considered for a moment.

  “Take this one,” he said as he shoved Anna toward him. Alastair caught her in his arms and gently put her behind him. “We cannot afford to lose two servants at once. It will be a hardship for the others.”

  The prince nodded. “Punish her lightly for my sake,” he said, nodding at Micah.

  “No!” Anna shoved by Alastair and threw herself at Kumud’s feet. “Take me instead. I was the one who spoke to him. Let her go with the prince.” She trembled on the floor. What had overcome her? Kumud slowly let go of Micah’s hair and studied Anna. His lips turned up in a savage grin. She shuddered. Stupid, impulsive. She peeked at Micah. Her punishment would not be in vain.

  “It will be my pleasure to acquaint you with the discipline of Anwar’s palace.” He backhanded her across the face, knocking her to the floor. Her ears rang from the force. Anna kept her head down as fear jolted through her. Do not be afraid. You are a princess of Sunderland. “You don’t know when to keep your eyes down—” He struck her on the back of the head. “—Or your mouth shut.” He pulled her face toward him and squeezed her cheeks together until they bled against her teeth.

  He grabbed her by the hair and jerked her out the door. She could hear shouting but her head spun too much to know if it was from Alastair. Kumud drug her to the servants’ quarters and bound her hands with a rope. The rough fibers cut into her skin. He tossed the other end over a tall door and pulled her up tight before slamming it. Anna’s face banged against the hard wood. Do not be afraid. You are a princess of Sunderland. Yet the fear possessed her all the same, like a living thing, entering her soul and laughing at the pain to come. Her heart pounded as she braced her forehead against the door. She could sense him pulling back.

  She screamed when the whip met her back, shredding her thin dress.

  “Quiet! Or I’ll double your lashes, you ungrateful mutt!” She bit her lip to hold in the next scream. Blood pooled in her mouth before she realized she was biting too hard. She felt blood trickle down her back as well. Fear of the next crack of leather consumed her. Stinging. Crack! Biting. Crack! Pain. Crack!

  Make it Stop.

  All she could think about was the agony as the whip came down again. And again. And again. She gave into the pain, sinking into it. Panicking with each snap of the whip.

  Her head fell hard against the door. Consciousness was slipping away when she heard a voice deep inside.

  You are not a slave. You are Princess Anna of Sunderland. You will be free.

  As her body broke, her spirit steeled itself. I will survive. She didn’t remember at what point she swooned.

  She found herself on her stomach on her cot. Her back rippled with pain as she moved. One of the older servants took mercy on her. Her gentle hands cleaned her wounds, applied a healing salve and bandaged her as best she could. She washed her face and gently stroked her hair. Anna drifted to sleep thinking of Alastair. Perhaps she could leave with him yet.

  If the whipping Anna received was considered light, as Alastair had requested, Anna had no desire to encounter a serious whipping. Twenty lashes with a leather whip were enough. In the days ahead, the scabs cracked and ran with blood as she struggled to keep up with her work as well as Micah’s. The floors were never done to Kumud’s liking, the mending never ended, the laundry never finished, and she had twice the water to haul. If she bled through one of her dresses from ripping open a scab while scrubbing the floor, Kumud would scold her with a sneer for that as well. She only had two dresses and they must be kept perfectly clean at all times.

  In addition, she was assigned to work as a night serving girl in the tavern within the palace. It was just on the inside of the outer gates and though patrons were mostly guests in the palace, some probably were invited from the city as well. She shuddered, remembering the pawing hands she had to avoid on her first night as she brought food and drink to hungry guests.

  She stepped into the steamy kitchen and slipped her serving smock over her drab dress. Her back, arms and legs screamed for rest as she moved through the dim dining hall filled with thirsty throats looking for a drink and a laugh. The smell of ale, goat stew and a rich spice she could never quite identify filled her nose.

  The scabs on her back had healed some but were still tender. Her arms shook as she carried a tray of eight glasses sloshing over with ale. She steadied the tray with her other hand as she saw a movement to her right. Someone’s heel kicked out right in her path. She swerved to avoid him and the tray tipped to the floor sending ale and broken glass flying. She scrambled to clean up the broken mess and felt a man’s hands on her backside. She jumped up as the hall filled with laughter at her expense.

  “Hurry up there!” said one.

  “Clean that up!” A man reached for her. Anna slipped backwards on the wet floor. Another man grabbed her from behind. She pulled forward to elbow him in sheer panic. But he was too strong to fight.

  “She’s mine.” She knew that voice.

  Her throat was thick with fear as Prince Alastair stepped around her and shoved the man back into his seat. Two of his guards flanked him. In her peripheral vision, she saw another man toss the broken glass on her tray and set it on an empty table. He stepped close. She almost pummeled him with her elbow as he leaned into her.

  “You were captured from the north?” he asked in a whisper, as they bent down to finish cleaning up the mess.

  She nodded, not meeting his gaze. She watched Alastair who now held the attention of the other patrons.

  “Meet me after your shift. Behind the tavern. I’ll find you.” The man disappeared through the crowd before she could even answer.

  Alastair turned to her. She stood and curtsied. She felt the eyes of everyone in the tavern watch him lift her chin. Her face was dirty, and she reeked of spilled ale. Anna blinked through a daze of confusion and paralyzed panic.

  “No one will dare touch you now. They know I’ll rip their arms off and cut them into tiny pieces.” His eyes crinkled at the corners. Anna tried to smile her thanks. She flinched as his hand moved down her back. He pulled back immediately.

  “What did he do to you?”

  “Just a whipping.” She swallowed. “Th
ank you for tonight,” she whispered, “but please, I can’t be seen with you.”

  He traced a finger down her cheek and dropped his hand to his side. He leaned close and whispered, “I would take you with me, but I can’t steal from Anwar. I don’t think Kumud is selling.”

  “No, I doubt he is selling.” The words were like cotton in her mouth. Alastair’s almond-shaped eyes and olive skin were distracting. Would she let herself be sold again? No. Not even to him. She had to escape.

  “If I could help you, I would.” There was regret in those dark eyes. He pulled her close again and kissed her cheek, close to her ear. “The men here will assume you are my mistress and leave you alone.” He spoke so softly Anna could barely hear him above the noise of the tavern.

  “Thank you.” She pulled back slightly and batted her eyes at him, playing along for the sake of the patrons, which wasn’t hard to do considering how handsome the prince was. He winked. She picked up her tray and scurried to the kitchen as best she could. Those customers were still waiting on drinks.

  She paused by a mirror in the back and saw a thin, dirty, weary girl staring back. Her shoulders came to thin points at the top of her arms. She hadn’t realized she’d lost so much weight. Always hungry. Always tired. A shadow of her former self. No wonder the prince had pity on her. She looked pitiful. A voice deep inside reminded her she was the daughter of King Vilipp. I won’t be a slave here forever. I won’t.

  The events of the evening jumbled in Anna’s mind when she finally staggered out of the tavern on trembling legs. Who was the other man who had spoken to her? Was it some kind of panicked hallucination? She rubbed her hands across her eyes and even that small motion stretched the tender skin on her back. She considered dropping to her knees to rest. She leaned her head against the side of the tavern to catch her breath.

  Mary had served her so faithfully for so many years. Had she been grateful? Had she treated any of her servants well enough? Her heart told her no.