Game of Queens (57 page)
Authors: India Edghill
HEGAI
Delighting in Vashti's joy, I rode after her. I had known my beloved since she was ten years old; I knew her thoughts. Well, she had divulged them to me eagerly enough, between eager kisses. Vashti yearned to be free, to ride beyond the horizon. She craved passion and adventure. She desired to chase the sun into the west.
And so she will ⦠for a time.
I saw no reason Vashti should not indulge these yearnings.
I, too, will savor this time of freedom.
But Vashti had been born a princess of Babylon; she had been wife of the King of Kings. She could not run wild into the worldânot forever. She would not be safe, and if I knew nothing else about Vashti, I knew that never again would she consent to be a pawn in the games of power. Never again would she endure being a weapon in someone's hand. She could not be free and unguarded both.
My poor queen, you cannot live as the wind's darling.
Oh, she might pretend for a span of timeâbut soon or late, we must return to our proper place.
That place was a palace. A palace at the foot of the mountains awaited us, given with goodwill by Ahasuerus. There Vashti's servants and her pets waited for us. Yes, a palace of our ownâand within its walls Vashti would rule my heart.
But for nowâfor now, let us follow the lot she has cast. I do not care where we ride, so long as we ride there together.
I smiled and touched the flowers I had tucked carefully into my sash. Blooms plucked from the garden I had planted for her, when I thought dreams were all I would ever possess.
I looked back at the palace gate, gleaming panels closed upon the merciless years I had spent behind walls and hate.
Hegai dwelt there. I do not.
The palace of the King of Kings lay behind us. Ahead lay our future. Smiling, I reined in my horse. “Wait, my love,” I called to Vashti. “I have something I wish to tell you at last.” She slowed her mare and turned back to me, smiling. “What is it, Hegai?”
“My name is Jasper,” I told her, and handed her the nosegay of scarlet poppies.
ESTHER
After Vashti and Hegai rode away, I climbed the stairs to the roof of my palace. There I gazed out into the west, as if I could watch their journey into tomorrow. But by the time I reached my post, even the dust of their passing no longer hung in the warming air. I remembered the days when I had ridden with the wind, and for how many years I had longed for nothing more than to reclaim that childhood freedom.
Now I am only a queen, and never again will I run where I wish.
I sighed; footsteps came up soft behind me. I sensed my beloved's presence, and reached out to him. Ahasuerus grasped my hand.
“What troubles your heart, beloved?”
I owed him too much, loved him too well, to fob him off with
Nothing, O great king. Nothing can trouble me while you are with me. He deserves truth, as well as love.
“I envy Vashti. She is free to ride where she wills now. Truthfully, my love, I did not think you would let her go.” I had even doubted Ahasuerus would permit her to marry Hegai. The King of Kings does not easily open his hand and free what he holdsâeven if he does not desire what he possesses.
To my surprise, Ahasuerus laughed. “She's wild as a falcon, but she rides with Hegai, and he drives a harder bargain than any merchant. Yes, I let her go. I trust Hegai to take care of herâand when he thinks the time is right, he will hood his ivory falcon and teach her the joys ofâ”
“Chains?” I asked, and Ahasuerus released his hold on my hand and put his hands on my shoulders, turning me until I faced him.
“Have I chained you, Esther?”
I searched his face, seeking truth. Neither anger nor sorrow marred him now. He waited for my answer, waited until I choose to give it. “Of course, my lord.” I reached up and laid my hands against his cheeks. “For I love you, and that is a stronger chain than iron or fear. And Vashti loves Hegai. And because that is so, for him she will be tameâ”
Ahasuerus raised his eyebrows. “Willingly?
Vashti?
”
I laughed. “Yes, my king and my love. Vashti.”
“And you, my queen? Have I tamed you? The danger you fought has passed. If I take my hands from you, and say that you may go free and with all honor if you desireâwould you choose to walk away from the palace, Esther? From the crown? From me?”
I smiled and slid my hands down over his shoulders, his arms, his hands; I wove my fingers through his.
“From the palace and from the crown, yes, easily. From you? Never. How many times must I tell you that I love you, Ahasuerus?” I lifted his hands and kissed them; looked up smiling. “Let me tell you one thing more.”
“One thing more?”
“Yes. My last secret.” I lifted his hands and kissed them; looked up smiling into his cloudless eyes. “My name is Hadassah.”
To my surprise, he bent over my hands and kissed them as I had his. “Yes, my queen, my last and best and only love. I know.”
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DANIEL
Sunset; in the small courtyard the day's heat pooled, a comfort to old bones. Daniel and Samamat sat watching as shadows darkened. In the endless sky above them, the first stars burned. “The brightest stars,” Samamat said. “The strongest stars. They appear first each night.”
“The brightest and the strongest.” Daniel gazed up at the faraway stars. “Bright and strong. Like our two queens.”
“The fiery star and the fixed star. What do you suppose she'll do? Vashti, I mean.” For Samamat, there were no light questions, and so Daniel considered the matter thoroughly before answering.
“In truth, Samamat, I don't know. She might do anything or nothing. Perhaps she and Hegai will settle down and farm. Perhaps she'll lead an army. Who knows?”
“I hope she'll be happy. I hope they'll both be happy. We'll never know, will we?”
“Not unless you see them in the stars.”
“Or you in dreams.”
They both knew neither the stars nor dreams revealed truth so easily. For a while they sat silent; savored the comfortable, easy quiet of long intimacy. Just the two of them now, where for so many years it had been three.â¦
“At least we're still here to see what happens,” Daniel said, and Samamat smiled.
“With a new queen and a king who might as well be new, considering the change in his conduct? Yes, that will be amusing to watch. Sometimes, Daniel, I think it's good to be old. Whatever happens, good or bad, it won't affect us for long.”
“You know, I'm not sure that's actually a lot of comfort, Sama.”
“It should be. Think about it: suppose we were the young king and queen, waiting to see if Haman's plot would succeedâit so easily might have. And if it did, imagine how many years we'd have to hear screams and weeping in our dreams.”
“Samamat, do you remember Susannah?”
“Of course, Daniel.” Samamat hesitated, took his hand before she went on, “You haven't mentioned her name in years. Why now?”
“Do you realize that if I hadn't saved Susannah's life, I might never have come to Shushan? And if I hadn't⦔
If I had not been here, would Vashti have refused the king's command? Would Esther have become queen? If I hadn't been here to advise two queensâ
“If you hadn'tâ?” Samamat prompted, and Daniel lifted their clasped hands and kissed her fingertips.
“If I hadn't, I'd probably be lying dead now, along with all the other Jews in the empire. Without Vashti and Esther standing in his way, Haman's plot probably would have succeeded.”
“Well, Haman's plot
was
foiled, and Haman's dead. One man instead of many. That's a good come out of evil.” A breeze sighed through the olive leaves. Samamat paused, listening. “Do you know, for a breath there I thought I heard Arioch.”
“Oh? And what did he say?”
“That âit would have saved everyone a lot of trouble if Grand Prince Haman had accidentally fallen off his horse riding down the Great Staircase and accidentally broken his damn neck. My lord king.'” Samamat mimicked Arioch's dry, matter-of-fact tone so closely it made Daniel smile.
“Yes, I can just hear him saying it. If he'd only still been alive⦔
“Haman would have met an unfortunate accident?”
“I think so. Yes. You know what Arioch was like.”
“Practical,” she said.
“Yes,” said Daniel. “Very practical.”
Samamat sighed and laid her head on Daniel's shoulder. “Oh, DanielâI do miss him. You know I love you, butâ”
“You loved him, too. I know. So did I, Sama.”
“We still love him, Daniel. You don't stop loving someone just because he's no longer in this world.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“But I do wonder where he is now, and what he's doing.”
Unbidden, dreamless, a vision rose before Daniel: Arioch, garbed in his warrior's armor, arguing with a dark gatekeeper.â¦
“I'm sure that wherever he is, he's being Arioch. You're the astrologer, Sama. What do the stars tell you?”
“The same thing your dreams tell you, Daniel.” Samamat kissed his cheek, and smiled. “That he'll be waiting.”
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INDIA EDGHILL
is a librarian living in the mid Hudson Valley of New York. She is the author of three other novels:
Wisdom's Daughter,
which was a
Romantic Times
Nominee for Best Historical Fiction,
Queenmaker,
and
Delilah
. You can sign up for email updates
here
.
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ALSO BY
INDIA EDGHILL
File M for Murder
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CONTENTS
Book 6: One Night with the King
Book 7: For Such a Time as This
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
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GAME OF QUEENS.
Copyright © 2015 by India Edghill. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
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ISBN 978-0-312-33893-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-9366-6 (e-book)
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e-ISBN 9781466893666
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First Edition: September 2015
