In the Palace of Lazar (8 page)

Donte stood before Briar and spoke in a low voice. "These women have been instructed to follow your orders." Briar looked over at the five frightened women behind her. "You are to head west for a couple of days. You will run into a commune that has been mostly abandoned." He reached for her chin and tilted it up so she was staring directly into his eyes. "Wait there for me. I will come and get you all."

"Can Elbi come with me?" Maysa was one of the five women standing behind her, but Elbi had been assigned to another group.

Donte shook his head. "The groups have been decided." When Briar looked down at the ground in defeat, Donte tilted her chin back up. "Elbi will be fine. I assure you. There has been a bounty placed on all of your heads. We need to do whatever we can to protect you."

Tears clouded Briar's vision. "What about you?"

"I stay and fight. Once our allies arrive, we plan on stopping them before they even reach the palace. We have horses and will meet them in the desert. They will be hot and exhausted from the journey. We will not."

"Then let us stay."

"We have been over this, Briar. This is a precaution. It is our job to make sure that Jaden cannot get their hands on you." He smiled softly and whispered, "I will find you and bring you back. Wait for me."

He took a couple of steps back and declared in a loud voice. "I know you are all frightened, but Briar knows the desert well. Listen to her, obey her, and all will be fine." Briar glanced at Maysa who nodded and gave a smile of support.

"We're not that far," Briar said, gesturing off into the distance.

Maysa stared in frustration, her hands on her hips. She looked to where Briar was pointing, but there wasn't anything in the distance to see. Maysa looked from the horizon to her and back again.

"We're not that far from what?" she asked.

"From the commune," Briar answered. "We've been traveling for two days now. I can tell we're getting closer."

Maysa dug a flask from her satchel. "The girls are tired. They're worried you're getting us lost."

"I'm fine," Briar said when Maysa extended the flask to her. She shook her head firmly and only looked at the horizon.

The idea of cool, crisp, refreshing water sounded like a delightful change from the dry heat they had been experiencing for the past days, but they needed to conserve all the water they had. Briar didn't know when they would find resources next. She knew there was water out there somewhere, but she didn't know how far away it was. Her only hope was that the commune would have some.

Maysa held the flask out to her and insisted. "No, you need to drink. I can tell you are trying to save all the water and food for everyone else, but we need you healthy."

"I'm
fine
," she said firmly as she pushed Maysa's hand away. She felt guilty for snapping, but her patience had worn out. She'd been carrying the bags of the other women when they complained they couldn't go on. The extra weight and her self-imposed rations had taken its toll.

Taking the bags hadn't helped as much as she hoped. The women were weakening with every step toward nowhere. Their pace slowed as she had to keep stopping to allow them to rest. She hated to show signs of weakness, especially in front of Maysa, but she needed the rest just as much as they did.

"We will rest here for a bit. Take a small drink of water, but remember it needs to last," Briar called out to the women. She pulled a ragged piece of cloth from her satchel and sat next to Maysa on the sand. Carefully, she pushed back her hair, which nearly blended in with the sand, and wrapped the cloth around her head.

Maysa did the same with another piece of cloth from her satchel, covering her crop of dark hair. The cloth was the same tan as her skin. Her dark eyes were sunken with exhaustion, enough to make Briar worry about her friend. She feared the intense heat would claim one of them.

"How long can we rest?" Maysa asked, taking another sip of her water.

Briar looked at the other women sitting nearby. "Until I feel the girls can get back on their feet," she answered, brushing sweat from her forehead.

Maysa reached over and patted Briar's leg. "Donte would be really proud of you."

Briar sat in silence, but smiled.

"You have feelings for him, don't you?"

Briar looked down at the sand and nodded.

"You'll see him again. I'm sure of it."

The tears threatened to fall. "I hope so."

Briar refused to show any sign of weakness. Immediately, she leapt to her feet, pausing to clear the darkness from her eyes from rising too quickly. She regained her vision and declared, "Let's get moving. The time we waste sitting here, is time we could spend finding the commune."

With that, they started off.

Two and a half days in the desert. Walking over dune after dune with five women tested everything she had. They needed her strength. They relied on her encouragement and prodding. They required her leadership to help them through this awful expedition. Briar doubted her own resolve many times, but knew other's lives were in her hands. Step after step, she powered through.

"Is that it?" Maysa asked, breathing heavily. Briar nodded as she looked at her dear friend. Poor Maysa looked haggard. Matted hair, chapped lips, and burned skin claimed all of the beautiful harem women standing under the relentless sun.

Briar spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "We're almost there. We'll go into the commune and find shelter for the night."

When they finally spotted the skyline of a small commune ahead, they were united in their tears of joy. They had reached their destination! They had survived. They made it.

As they entered the town, Briar couldn't help but wonder how long they would have to stay. When would Donte return? She wasn't naïve. She knew there was a real possibility of him not returning at all. Jaden had the man power and the weapons to wipe out Lazar completely. She could lose Donte to the sword of a Jaden warrior.

Briar scanned the village as they cautiously walked down the street. It appeared abandoned. No people, no life, no civilization. She tried to take stock of where their water source may have been. It might have dried up, which would explain why the commune had been abandoned. Finding food would be futile, and Briar worried how long the women's rations would last. She spotted a building that appeared still in good shape and decided it would be their home for the night—if not longer.

Pure exhaustion took over as the women entered the building and settled in for the night. The trip through the desert was by far the hardest thing most of them had ever done. Briar had done worse, but after reaching Lazar, she thought her desert nomad days were over.

Maysa came and sat down next to her on the floor. "Now what?"

Briar shrugged. "We wait."

"How long do you think it will take until they come to get us?"

Briar shrugged again. "I don't know. We have three or four more days of food and water. If they don't come by then, we'll have to find it ourselves." She paused a moment to ponder. "I think tomorrow we'll go and explore the city and see if we can find anything."

"It doesn't look like anything was left behind," Maysa said.

"No, it doesn't." Briar watched as Maysa took off her shoes, the soles of her feet a mass of bloody blisters. She was pretty sure her feet, as well as the rest of the women's feet, all looked the same.

"You did well, Briar. I'm proud of—"

Briar cut Maysa off by raising her hand and motioned for silence. She thought she heard something. Footsteps?

"Get your shoes on," she whispered. "Everyone, get your stuff and get ready to run on my word." Briar paused, listening for the sound again. The women scurried to collect their items and stood with terror on their faces.

Silence.

She listened hard, only hearing her breath and the heavy breathing of the women.

Silence.

And then the words…

"Stay right where you are." A man walked into the room with an axe in his hand.

Briar turned to Maysa. "Run! Run now and don't look back. Take them and run! I'll hold him off."

Maysa hesitated.

"Go! Everyone run!" Briar screamed.

The man charged, but Briar met his attack head on. She plowed into his body with all her weight, knocking them both to the ground. She could see that the women had escaped from the corner of her eye. Before she could register relief, the man's fist hit her face with a blinding force.

Sparks blurred her vision from the force of the blow. Blood poured from her nose as her attacker punched her again and again. The evil in his eyes shone in the dim light of the abandoned building. The rot of his teeth and the stench of his breath only enhanced the nightmare Briar couldn't wake from.

He's going to kill you! Fight for your life. Fight long enough for everyone to get away.

Watching the blood drip to the ground, she struggled to her feet, but he was suddenly on top of her, restraining her on the sand-covered floor, his filthy clad thighs prying her legs apart. She tried not to focus on the crazed face looming over her. His hungry sneer made it clear he wanted more than just murder.

He's going to rape you! Fight now! Dear God, did everyone get out in time?

His mouth came down toward her face, dried spit at the corners. She blocked the forced kiss with both hands, feeling his skin beneath her nails as she attempted to claw out his eyes. Briar fought the urge to let out a scream, she feared Maysa or the others would come back to try to save her. She wouldn't allow that. She wouldn't allow them all to die. She had no choice but to save herself. Even if she died, this man wouldn't walk away unscathed.

He hissed between his missing teeth, beads of foul sweat dripped off the tip of his filthy nose. Sweat oozed from every pore of his body. Clearly fatigue had set in. Briar could feel his strength weakening with every defensive move she made. His depraved desires clouded his mind. Hope washed over her. She could still fight him off. She just needed to outlast his vigor. Resilience and wits could switch this situation around. She wouldn't stop fighting until he killed her.

"You are nothing but a whore! You know you want it just as bad as me. You're one of the harem girls. We've heard all about the harem girls. You want it! Stop fighting!"

Breathing hard, his desert-worn body wheezed with every struggle. He had her detained on the hot, sandy floor, but Briar knew she had a chance to break free as his sexual need overpowered everything else. Nutrition, rest, and exercise at the palace had made her strong. She thrashed her body more, refusing to look at his lust-filled face only inches from her own. Strength alone couldn't fight him off. Briar feared he would eventually win. She needed something—

His axe. She needed to reach his axe.

She had sent it flying across the room when she met his attack head on. If only she could stretch out her arm just a little further, the weapon would be within reach. She needed to struggle more. Just a little bit more.

"
Stop fighting! I'll kill you if I have to!
" Spittle blanketed Briar's face. Nausea racked through her.

His soiled hands grabbed her breasts. Lust distracted him, slowly letting his guard down. "You know you want this. This is what you women are trained for. I heard all about the harem," he murmured, despicable vile clinging to his voice. "It's been so long. So long. So long!"

Briar opened her mouth to scream, but stifled her voice. Her only chance of getting out of this alive was to outsmart him. Catch him off guard.

Reach for the axe.

"I used to be a ladies' man," he continued, moving a hand to unbutton his pants. "I promise you, I'll make you feel good. Real good. I know you're experienced, but I can teach you a thing or two."

She managed to fake a smile and nod.

"Just stop fighting me," he spat. "Spread your legs. You want me, don't you?"

"Yes," she whispered, the word almost burning her tongue.

His severe stare searched her face. "You're not going to fight, right? You're going to stay right here where you belong?"