Page 24 of Sands of Atonement

“How often do we dance at the palace?” I asked.

“As often as they request. Sometimes it’s once a month, sometimes several times a month. It all depends on the celebration. Have you always been a dancer?”

“Yes, since I was a child.”

“I can share what has worked with me and go over extra training in between classes if you think it’d help you catch up,” Norrah offered, beaming. Her skin was already burned from being out in the gardens.

My breath hitched. People in Urnaz were strange. I’d encountered two women in the last couple of days who offered to help me. “I’d appreciate that.”

We sat down on the bench near the pond that glittered against the dipping sunlight.

“When is the next time we’ll be performing for the Qahl?” I asked.

“In a fortnight. It’s the Qahl’s mother’s birthday, and we expect there to be many nobles from all over the continent joining the festivities.”

After a few moments, we started our walk back inside the Priestelhood for our next dance class.

Chapter 6

Eshe

“Focus, ladies!” Sorrella’s high-pitched voice bounced against the marble walls.

The wide, tall windows gave us so much light that it was as if we were outside. I could see the sweat glimmering on our skin.

We got back into formation, and the musicians nodded to us when they were ready to restart the sequence once more.

This is our twenty-second time doing it today.

My feet were sore, but not as sore as the rest of my body. I managed a week of training through push-ups, core exercises, and lifting my body above door frames within the cool breezes of the Priestelhood. When I ensured there wasn’t a presence around, I’d climb the building to increase stamina and strength. However, it was a bore to train by myself. I missed Garamgai more than I cared to admit, if only because he would rebuke my weak areas, which increased my desire to perform better. It was like a drug.

The twins’ mother’s birthday was tomorrow, and I couldn’t afford to miss out on any more training. I had stayed up most nights going over my plans, and nothing was going to stand in my way, especially my lack of training. Fatigue knocked on my door in the early evenings with a pounding headache, but I’d have to worry about that another day.

I’d get funny looks from the girls when I explained these exercises were to help strengthen my balance for the dance. Norrah joined me for a few of the exercises, though her routine would be cut short by a significant amount of time due to her level of endurance. It was still impressive to see her try. In the past ten days, I had grown attached to Norrah’s presence. In the evenings, she’d pass the time talking to me about her newest adventures here in Urnaz.

I glanced over to her, and she rolled her eyes because of Sorrella. She was most likely as irritated and as sore as I was.

“Again!”

The flute began. Our hips moved slowly from side to side with the sounds of metal bouncing delicately around our waists. While our upper bodies stayed still, our hips synchronized their movements with greater speed. Our hands moved like snakes above our shoulders. Above our heads, making slow circles.

Faster and faster we danced.

We pointed our jeweled feet one in front of the other in a large circle and rocked our hips back and forth.

Today was the last day of rehearsal, so we wore our Priestel attire. The short black veil covered our noses and mouths, leaving our kohl, catlike eyes to capture the attention of the audience we were hypnotizing. I finally felt a part of something I had wondered about since I was a child. I was captivated by the Priestels’ dancing. The jewelry reflecting against candlelight, and the way their hips moved against the beat of the drums.

And now, I was one of them. For the time being, anyway. Talk about a full-circle moment.

The short veil was thin and breathable, with small gold beads hanging underneath. We wore a black top that covered our chest and dark purple pants that opened up along the sides. Our bellies were covered in gold chains that dangled with even the slightest movement.

Eventually, the music fell, and the sequence was over, with most of the women sighing with relief, except for the few who were overachievers and just wanted to know when the next rehearsal was. Especially Elissa. With ashy blond hair, she was tall, slender like me—she clearly lived for validation from Sorrella.

We packed our bags and each headed for our rooms. I crossed the hallway with Norrah, and we found ourselves racing toward my room.

We dropped our heavy bodies onto my bed, and the remainder of our laughs escaped our chests.

“So happy today is over.” Norrah sighed and rolled over to her side with a hand propping her head up.