Page 43 of Sands of Atonement

It was Ezra’s harem.

It was definitely further than I expected it to be.

With a bounce on my feet, I ventured to my next adventure.

“Good evening, I’m here under the orders of the Qahl,” I spoke with my head down.

“He’s not expecting anyone new,” one of the guards said curtly.

“I can assure you that he is,” I insisted.

“Have you heard anything about this?” he asked the other guard.

“No. He hasn’t asked for anyone new in years,” the other guard answered.

“That’s what I thought. Leave, before I drag you out myself,” the previous guard threatened.

“Now, now, boys. We all know if you did that to one of his women, he’d have you both gutted. I don’t have time for this, and quite frankly, neither does Ezra. ”

Both guards went silent. They looked at each other again.

“What is your name?” he asked.

A heartbeat passed.

“That would be unwise for me to answer and unwise for you to ask. I could speak to Ezra about this, but I think that won’t be necessary, correct?” I grinned.

They didn’t budge.

“You know how he is with wasting his time on frivolous matters. And this is one of those times.”

They turned their heads toward each other and had a silent conversation before staring back at me.

“If you don’t leave this moment⁠—”

“Why don’t we go see him then? He’s here at the palace. He’s not on a business trip.” I shrugged. “He’s not going to hurt me. I don’t have anything to lose…”

With a heavy sigh, one of the guards muttered something I couldn’t hear to the other guard. Then he opened his arms toward the entrance of the harem. I smiled again with a wave.

As soon as I entered, I noticed the atmosphere had changed. It was dark, as I suspected, and quiet. There was no one to greet me, but I heard soft, hushed voices down the hall to my right. I turned toward their direction, having a feeling that I was about to find something Ezra wanted kept hidden.

“Hello, who are you?” a female voice spoke nearby. I turned and found a beautiful woman my age smiling.

“My name is Mara. What is your name?”

“Taliba. I’ve never seen you here before.” Her voice was filled with caution. She wore a black harem outfit, though it seemed more conservative than most would expect. Her body moved softly and slowly.

This was exclusive.

“Hi Taliba. And that’s because I’m new.”

Something flickered across her eyes, and they softened. “Welcome, Mara.”

“I’m a little lost. Do you mind showing me around?”

With slight hesitation and probably against her better judgement, Taliba eventually showed me the harem. Where the women slept, where they ate, where they danced, sang, and read. She brought me to the room where they prepared themselves for Ezra, the washroom with the baths. It was small, but there weren’t many women here. We passed by a few who seemed equally confused to see a stranger in the harem. They whispered to themselves behind us.

I felt like a bear in the desert.