“Trousers and a shirt would be more practical. Theyll protect my skin from the sun.
He stared as if she had suggested she grow a third arm. “Good gods. Do you want to look like a man?
“I dont mind. Id rather be comfortable.
“It pleases me for you to wear what I give you.
She scowled at him. “It doesnt please me.
She thought he would get angry, but instead he smiled. “You can wear the robe to protect your skin.
“Fine, she muttered. “Make me look like an idiot.
“Allegra, youll look beautiful. He indicated an ewer across the room. “You can wash up there. Ill go to the hot springs. If youre ready when I return, well have time for breakfast.
She just nodded, too hungry to argue.
After Markus left, though, Allegra just sat. The bruise on her face throbbed, the gouge on her stomach stung and her buttocks ached from Markuss belt. She hated to think what condition she would be in if he had struck her thirty times instead of two. How could he hurt her and then expect her to want him in bed? And it had been obvious his officers expected him to treat her much more harshly. If all men here felt that way, it was no wonder they had a shortage of women.
She thought of the soldier who had stolen the knife. Markus had said lashes, which implied a whip rather than a belt. Even if the man lived through his sentence, she doubted he would survive being chained and forced to run behind someones horse for three days. Yet none of Markuss men seemed surprised by the punishment. Such a cruel place. Its people were like the land, hardened by the stark desert they refused to let defeat them.
Finally she went over to the ewer. It held beautiful, clear water. After she drank her fill, she used washcloths and soap from Markuss chest to clean up. Then she dressed. The translucent red garments slid silkily over her skin. The skirt fit low on her hips and came to midthigh. The halter just barely covered her nipples and pushed her breasts together in a most embarrassing manner. Rubies, diamonds and topazes sparkled on the skirt belt and in the chains that formed the halter. She felt like an ornament.
The entrance flap crinkled as Markus entered. He froze when he saw her. Then he strode over and, with no preamble, took her into his arms and kissed her deeply, with his tongue, while he ran his hands up her sides. Water dripped off his hair onto her cheek.
Flustered, she pushed against his upper arms. He wore a sleeveless leather thing that resembled a jerkin, and it left his arms bare. His huge biceps felt like rocks under her hands. A wide armband circled his left arm as if he were some barbarian warlord. Which, she supposed, was apt.
She drew back her head. “I thought we had to leave.
“Hmm. He put his hand behind her head to hold her in place and went back to kissing her. He slid his other hand up and caressed her breast through the silk.
“Let me go. She tried to twist away. When he held her in place and kept stroking her, she hit his shoulders with her fists. “Dont be such a bastard, Markus.
He released her as if she had a plague, and for a moment she felt only relief. Until she saw his fury. Then she realized what she had said. Bastard. He was, literally; it was why he was the prince regent rather than the atajazid.
She looked up into his smoldering, furious gaze. “Im sorry. I didnt mean that the way it sounded.
“My birth may have not been royal, he said tightly, “but my father gave me full rights to his name.
“I know. The word is used differently where I came from. It means a boor. Her voice cooled. “A man who forces his attentions on a woman.
He grasped her chin. “Adapt, Allegra. You have no choice.
“Why? she asked, bewildered. “Surely many Jazidian women would jump at the chance to be with you. Why do you want one who fights you?
“I wish I knew, he muttered. He took her arm and pulled her across the tent.
They came out into a crystalline morning. The sun had yet to rise, though the sky above the mountains on the horizon was lightening. A large man with a sword on his back waited nearby, and Markus drew him aside. Allegra couldnt hear their discussion well, but she gathered something had happened last night, and this man, apparently one of Markuss bodyguards, feared the princes reaction. Markus, however, seemed more intrigued than upset.
“Ill check it, Markus said. “You did well to let me know.
“It is my honor to serve, Your Highness. The guard sounded nervous.
Markus stood for a moment, lost in thought. Then he came back to Allegra. “The sergeant just told me something odd.
“I didnt hear much, Allegra said. “Your guards left their posts last night?
He traced his finger along her lower lip. “Such a lovely mouth to sing such sweet songs.
Where had that come from? Her spell couldnt have put his guards to sleep. They had been outside the tent, farther away than any spell she had ever done could reach. But what if it had affected them, and Markus suspected? Sweat gathered on her palms, and she wiped them on her thighs. Her spells were her secret defense. If he realized what she could do, he might learn to counter them.
“No comment? he asked.
“I dont know what you expect me to say.
A smile softened his face. “I slept better last night than I have in years. I didnt wake until this morning.
“Is that a problem?
“Not for me. But two of my bodyguards also went to sleepon duty. He leaned closer and spoke by her ear. “Do you know what else, Allegra? Those two guards may have been close enough to hear you sing.
Well, hell. To distract him from his dangerous train of thought, she glared. “Are you saying my song is so boring, it puts people to sleep?
“Oh, it wasnt boring at all. He set his hands on her shoulders. “By the dragon, woman, what a weapon! How many people can you knock out? Three? Six? A hundred? Could you do it to men during battle?
A weapon? “Thats absurd. She didnt have to fake her astonishment. “I cant do that.
“How many can you put to sleep at once?
“None!
“Tell me the truth, he murmured, “or Ill have to keep you in chains all the time so you cant escape if you make me sleep.
She scowled at him. “If I could knock out people, I would have done it to the nomads and gone home.
“You wanted the compass last night. He scratched his chin. “Something about it being a disk. What does that do?
“Nothing. I just sing better if I have something to hold.
“You said it helps you focus. His smile flashed, all those healthy white teeth. “The spell? Hah! Thats it, isnt it? The disk focuses your spell.
Allegra wished he werent so blasted intelligent. “Dont be silly. Spells are nothing more than childrens fables.
His smile faded. “No one who fought at the Battle of the Rocklands would agree with you.
“The what?
“The battle where the armies of the Misted Cliffs, Jazid and Taka Mal fought two years ago.
Although she didnt recognize the name, she knew about the battle that decided the fate of Jazid. “My people call it the Dragon-Sun War.
“I was nearly killed.
“In the fighting?
“No. He grimaced. “From lightning.
“I heard something about a thunderstorm.
“No! Thats just it. Cobalts wife stood above the battle like some avenging goddess. She brought down lightning. Sheets of it! Out of a blue sky. I was struck by a bolt.
“You were hit by lightning? And you survived?
His smile quirked. “Ive a hard head.
She could believe that. But the rest made no sense. “Youre saying Cobalts wife started the storm?
He regarded her uneasily. “People claim shes the reincarnation of the Dawn Star Goddess.
Even in her isolated rural life, Allegra had heard that name given to Cobalts wife, the daughter of the king and queen of Harsdown. The Dawnfield name derived from ancient myths of a warrior goddess who had become the stars. Mel had done something far less ethereal than rise into the heavens, though. She had married Cobalt Escar to stop him from invading Harsdown.