Chapter 13
Mayra had been awakened by the delightful smells coming from outside the small chamber she was resting in. At first, she’d thought it was a dream, a delirium brought on by the extreme stress of her situation.
Maybe the whole thing was a dream, she thought.Maybe I didn’t kill the guard. Maybe I wasn’t sold off to a handsome stranger bent on using me for a task so nefarious he won’t even tell me what it is until it’s too late. Maybe I’ll wake up on my mat in Demaylia’s room and everything will be the way it was.
Except the bed she was on, as small as it was, was too comfortable to be mistaken for her thin mat.It all happened. I’ve gone from slave to captive. From the known horror of being a concubine to the Vanfian princes, to the unknown terror of whatever the Vartik has in store for me.
Still, the food smells good. Mayra cracked open her eyes, rolling over to sit up and stretch her limbs. She stood, taking in the confines of the chamber. There was the bed she rested on as well as a wardrobe that must hold her new owner’s things. And in the corner was a desk piled high with books and notes and instruments whose purpose she couldn’t begin to understand.
There was another door besides the one leading out to the remainder of the ship. It was leaning open, and she wondered what it held. Peering inside, she saw that it was a bathroom and she almost shouted in relief.
After she’d finished her business, she peered into the mirror, catching sight of her disheveled appearance. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to straighten the riotous waves to little effect.I wish I could do something about these clothes, she thought, frowning down at her ripped and soiled dress.
Turning to the shower, she debated the wisdom of climbing inside. Although the hot water would do wonders, she was fearful to make herself vulnerable. She was already afraid of the powerful attraction that she felt for the Vartik male. Before falling asleep, she’d been willing to surrender her body to him without a second thought. What if he came upon her in the shower and made a move? Would she be able to refuse him? Would she even want to?
Making the decision became unimportant when she heard his shout. Scared that they were under attack of some kind, Mayra hurried from the bathroom and into the main section of the ship.
She found him engaged in cooking what could only be described as a feast. They weren’t in danger, it seemed, unless the Vartik could be considered a danger to himself.
Seated at the table, she watched in wonder as he laid one delicacy after another before her eyes. There was some kind of soup that smelled sweet, a pile of lightly seared vegetables, a loaf of dark bread accompanied by butter with a hint of cinnamon, meat in sauce that smelled divine, and a small cake with chocolate icing.
It was the largest feast she’d ever been invited to. The only feast. Although she’d served the Vanfian princess at many state dinners, she’d never been allowed to taste the food. Damaiyra would sometimes sneak her morsels, but they’d been few and far between, perhaps a half dozen times in all of her years as the princess’s servant. The main staple of her diet had been stale bread.
To see the bounty put before her now, Mayra was hard pressed not to start weeping for joy. Nojan set an empty plate and bowl before her, accompanied by silverware. “Dig in,” he said, taking a seat across from her.
Mayra just stared, overwhelmed by the possibilities of the meal before her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his face wary. “Does something displease you?”
She shook her head, giving him a tiny smile. “No, it’s not that.”
“What is it then?”
Mayra shrugged a shoulder. “It’s just that… I’ve never had access to so much food before. I’m not sure where to start.”
A flurry of emotions crossed his face before he brought it back to a neutral expression. “I see,” he said, rising and circling to her side of the table. Picking up the bowl, he started to ladle soup inside it. Next, he placed a selection of every dish on her plate. Setting the dishes before her, he returned to his seat and began to serve himself.
Mayra took a deep breath and picked up her fork. Selecting a vegetable, she brought it to her lips.Here goes nothing.
The morsel was so succulent, it seemed to almost melt in her mouth. Mayra ate another, then another. Before she realized it, the plate before her was empty. “May I have some more please?”
The Vartik male chuckled, standing to pick up her plate and refill it. “Try the soup before it gets too cold,” he suggested as he selected portions for her.
The soup! How could I have forgotten?Mayra pulled the bowl in front of her and dug in with her spoon. The soup was dark, almost black, with a large round dumpling floating in the center. As the spoon made its way to her mouth, she fixated on the dumpling, so startlingly white against the dark backdrop.
Suddenly, she was out of her body once again, floating in the darkness of space. As it had before she’d fallen asleep, the blue and green orb of Territh stood before her. Although she couldn’t remember the planet from her own experience, she’d seen pictures of her birthplace, enough to know that it was Territh she was seeing now.
As she watched, a small white orb began making its way around the larger one, spinning in its orbit as it made its way around. Mayra’s eyes narrowed as she focused on the little white ball. Without warning, she was sailing closer, the white orb growing larger in her vision.It’s Territh’s moon, she thought, unsure of the importance of the little glowing ball.
All of a sudden, there was a flash in her mind. A flurry of images rolled past, moving too fast for her to make anything out for certain. There was a city of domes, a blue-crystal orb, an old woman, a book, and a pair of green eyes that seemed to be laughing at her.
“Mayra?”
At the sound of his voice, the vision cleared and she was back on the ship, her spoon hovering an inch away from her lips.
“Are you all right?” His face was concerned, his tone gentle.
Mayra nodded, settling the soup back into the bowl and pushing it away from herself. “Yes.”
