Chapter 1: A rare find

Salim al-Fanaan wandered aimlessly through the streets and shaded colonnades of many-pillared Irem. He was young and rich and famous, yet his heart was not content. He’d recently finished his latest commission – frescoes in the new temple of Basamum. The best artist in the bustling trade city, he was paid well, but now he had nothing to do until the next commission came. The rush of creative enthusiasm gave way to melancholy.

His wanderings brought him to the slave market. On a whim, he decided to feast his eyes on the human merchandise, although he had no plans to buy any. His small household needed no extra hands – his aging servant Saadeh and the man’s wife Radi handled the housework. Moreover, Salim always considered slaves a vanity commodity and a nuisance, lazy and untrustworthy.

Walking between platforms displaying sad, resigned, or sobbing captives, he happened upon a big motley tent, from which came muffled sounds of music, clapping, and admiring shouts. He paid the entrance fee and came in, joining a small crowd of spectators.

On a low platform, two slave girls were performing. One played a strangely shaped lute. She was pale-skinned and very young, her petite form and small breasts visible through a transparent chador cloak. Most likely one of the Romei or their northern barbarian neighbors. Another girl, dark-skinned and naked, wore only colored ribbons that streamed through the air as she whirled in a wild, passionate dance. Captivated by her graceful, fluent movements, Salim devoured her with his eyes.