Chapter 11

People awoke to start the new day and when they opened their eyes some of them were surprised by the sight they encountered first thing in the morning. A few of the surprised slowly recollected the previous night and their astonishment lessened - a bit. Anjatta var Dosha had a less strenuous night than others and opening her eyes she expected nothing but the light of a new day. Nevertheless, it wasn’t the rising sun greeting her, it was the face of her mother. Luwani sat at the edge of the bunk and stared at her daughter with dark, unblinking eyes.

“I stayed awake all night, thinking,” she announced. “Your brother has been the apple of my eye since the day he was born. I had such high hopes for him... , “ she paused and sighed. “I love Agon – he is my son - but he became like his father. He’s a mere captain in his uncle’s, the King’s, naval force, but he is content with his position. Your brother is a man without any ambitions.” Luwani’s gaze intensified as she continued. “You were born and within the first few months of your life, everyone noticed you were special. The beauty of your face was obvious but it was the beauty of your keen, curious mind which captured everyone’s attention. Alas, the women of Ibanee live in the shadows of the men - even if those shadows are short and pale. When you became a young woman and started talking about your visions, I thought that’s where your mind had fled to escape. I wept for you but accepted your mind was too vast to live in this cage any longer.”

Luwani stood up and paced the cabin. “My plan was to capture the Relics of Power and change Ibanee - maybe even the world. I want Agon to become the King of Ibanee, even though I know he is a poor choice. He wouldn’t be much of an improvement over his uncle.” She abruptly stopped her pacing and spun around to stare at Anjatta. “Yesterday you opened my eyes. You didn’t flee this world; you really saw the future and have made your own plans for this future! I didn’t understand but you did. The Nameless Son is real and no one can capture his power.” The older woman stopped her pacing and regarded her daughter intensely. “No matter though, for he willingly gave it to you and now his power is yours to command!”

Anjatta yawned and stretched like a lazy, satisfied cat and then she smiled at her mother.

“I once read in an Alorian book the summit of the Capassian Mountain, the residence of the Faceless God, is forever hidden by clouds so no one will ever see his countenance. But I think it’s the other way around. In truth, the Faceless God gathered the clouds around his home so he doesn’t have to watch mankind stumbling and falling on their faces when their plans about walking upright are failing.”

“Do I really deserve such ridicule from my own daughter?” Luwani asked, pouting.

“Yes, you do, mother, when you try to manipulate me like this,” Anjatta answered. “First, some cute childhood tales to mollify my renowned craziness and then butter me up with your adoration of my high intelligence. But I’m really too smart to be treated like just one of your marionettes. Tell me what you want from me.”

“Fine!” Luwani burst out. “The Ibanees throne succession is undisputed. When your uncle, King Hassunabi, dies, his son Khalib will inherit the crown of the Ibanee Kingdom. Your cousin Khalib was a sickly, weak child. He has grown into a sickly, weak young man and will become a sickly and weak King. Vultures will circle our homeland the day he ascends the throne. Ibanee is the var Dosha family heritage, we have to protect it. You hold a relic of power in your hands. Just for once, use your gifts to support your family.”

“Isn’t cousin Khalib a part of my family, too?” Anjatta innocently asked.

“Yes, he is,” Luwani conceded. “In the wild, the weakest pup of a litter has to die to grant the family survival. Civilization, religions, arts, and science didn’t change it. It’s still our nature and we still live in the wild - we always will.”

“When Khalib dies my brother will ascend the Ibanee throne,” Anjatta mused. “I will be no more than the crazy sister of the King and it will be his offspring who will inherit the Ibanee crown.”

Luwani var Dosha stared at her daughter. “An-jat-ta,” she growled, warningly.

“Just kidding, mommy,” Anjatta replied between merry giggles. “I’m wondering, though. Uncle Hassunabi is neither very old nor sick like his son; it could take a long time until he dies. Do we really have to wait that long?”

Luwani still looked at her daughter but now she was smiling at her.

Inandrey Danjala opened the door to her daughter’s chamber and walked in. With raised brows and arms crossed beneath her chest, she watched the three people who occupied the bed and noisily cleared her throat.

“Get up, get ready and meet me in the kitchen,” she commanded the bleary-eyed trio. “Something happened last night that we need to discuss.”

Temporarily finished announcing orders, Inandrey spun on her heels and marched out, slamming the door shut behind her.

“What happened last night?” Sybelien asked and yawned.

“I can’t remember most of it,” Anseyla answered tiredly. “I know the pretty brute lying behind me ravished me for hours to the viewing pleasure of some wealthy lords.”

“Did he hurt you?” Sybelien asked but didn’t sound overly worried.

“No. I’m tired and a bit sore but he is a rarely talented ravisher,” Anseyla answered. “I know now why Eva wants to keep him around.”

“I did not ravish you,” Jabbit grumbled as he climbed above the two young women and out of bed.

Anseyla laughed. “Don’t worry, darling, I don’t mind. As talented as you are, you can ravish me anytime.”

“I do not want to ravish anyone,” he continued to grouch as he walked through the door into the adjacent washing chamber.

“Every day he seems to become more human,” Sybelien pondered. “First he smiled and now he grumbles. One day soon his speech will smoothen, too, and everyone will believe he’s a human.”

“You don’t?” Anseyla asked, stroking Sybelien’s long, bright-blonde curls.

Sybelien turned around and showed her necklace.

“Do you see the celestial stone in the center of the eye?” She asked. “I wear this medallion with his stone set in it. I do it because I am absolutely certain he is no human.”

“So you think the Princess is right?” Anseyla asked with a grin. “Jabbit is a god?”

Sybelien shrugged. “We could test it,” she answered. “I tell Eva what you two did last night and if he survives her temper tantrum he has to be a god.”

“Hey!” Anseyla squeaked. “I’m no goddess but I want to live a little longer, too!”

“You’re in hardly any danger,” Sybelien dismissed. “Eva loves her little sister way too much - mostly undeserved, I might add. Why did you do it, Ansa? You know it will hurt Eva.”

“That was just business,” Anseyla angrily dissented.

Sybelien didn’t respond but only looked at her until Anseyla sighed, dejectedly.

“Why did you steal his little blue gem?” She asked in return. “I don’t know if he is a god but he makes all of us do some very strange things - dangerous things,” she added as she touched the pendant dangling at Sybelien’s necklace. “And some of the things we do are not only dangerous but also bad.”

“I see,” Sybelien said, grinning at her friend. “It’s the old and well-tried ‘I’m innocent he made me do it’ excuse.”

Anseyla stuck out her tongue and pushed Sybelien out of the bed.

“Are you feeling better this morning?” Rhaseris asked, watching Evanis as she used the water bowl in the corner of the room to wash.

Evanis paused a moment in her motion before she answered. “I’m fine. If it doesn’t bother you that your god decided to become a whore, why should I bother about it, right?”

“True,” Rhaseris answered, suppressing a smile. “How long will we have to hide here?”

Drying her arms and chest with a towel, Evanis turned to look at Rhaseris. The Princess was lounging naked on the bed the two had shared the night before and levelly returned her gaze.

“You lost all your flab,” Evanis noticed with a frown.

Rhaseris grinned in response. “And I don’t miss it at all.”

While she absently dried her arms and chest with a towel, Evanis continued to critically watch Rhaseris.

“It’s not just the flab, your whole body changed,” she observed. “Your legs are longer now and your hips a little wider. Your tits still look the same, though.”

Rhaseris sat up and hefted her breasts with her hands. “I always liked my tits,” she replied.

Evanis shook her head and snorted. “However, you’re right; hiding doesn’t solve my problems.”

“Nor does it solve mine,” Rhaseris commented.

Evanis raised her brows. “And what exactly are your problems, Princess?”

“When you and your men captured me, all I thought about was how to survive without being raped and shut away in some dark dungeon,” she answered. “I’m alive, no one raped me and although this house isn’t a palace, it neither is a dungeon. You always call me Princess but I never wanted the crown my father and the Alorian priests intended for me to wear. It will never happen now; my life is changed forever. Deny as much as you want but we serve the same god. I became his priestess and you’re his warrioress.”

Rhaseris declaration was interrupted when a wet towel hit her face.

“Jabbit is no god!” Evanis spat. “He’s neither my god nor master nor anything like that. He is my servant and he does what I tell him to do! That’s all there is to it. Now I’ll go and cut off his balls and henceforth you’ll be the priestess of a eunuch god!” She screamed and rushed off.

Kuwasi leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms over his massive chest. He looked at Rhaseris and raised an eyebrow.

“You did that on purpose,” he accused.

Rhaseris shrugged. “You saw her last night;” she answered. “Evanis isn’t very good in solving problems without a sword. So I helped her a bit. Don’t you think my tits look good the way they are?” She asked, hefting and displaying her breasts once more.

Kuwasi lost his stance and broke down laughing.

Jabbit, Anseyla, Sybelien and the entire staff of the Banyan Dream had gathered in the kitchen. Inandrey sat at the head of the large table and looked at all of them.

“Last night... , “ she started but loud knocking on the outer door interrupted her.

Ghostras went to the door and spied through its newly drilled peephole. Then he turned and looked at Inandrey. His brows were raised and his eyes wide open.

“It’s Eva,” he said.

Inandrey groaned but gestured for him to open the door. The big man was surprisingly easy pushed aside as Evanis stormed into the kitchen. She glared at everyone present before she pointed at Jabbit.

“You! Come with me,” she ordered.

She ripped open the other door of the kitchen and marched into the house.

“If you come here, storming through Katerra without covering your appearance, your new hideout won’t be a secret for long - if at all,” Inandrey shouted at the back of her vanishing daughter.

Jabbit stood up and followed Evanis.

“Well, I guess I can strike off the first point of this morning’s agenda,” Inandrey dryly remarked.

“Will she kill him?” One of the women fearfully asked.

“You don’t have to worry about him,” Sybelien answered. “If Evanis could kill him she would have done so already. Somehow, I don’t believe it will be easy for anyone to kill him.”