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"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have grabbed you," he stammered. Understanding seemed to dawn on him. "What… How did you even get in here?"
Fen frowned. "I was sent here because you bought me for the night?"
"Bought you! I didn't—Fucking Hasina," he cursed. "My sister is behind this. She's bitter because I bet on you today at the arena. She doesn't like to lose, so she's trying to embarrass me."
"So you don't want me to fuck you?" Fen asked.
He was certainly handsome with big dark eyes, full lips, and high cheek bones, all framed with curling inky black hair. She wouldn't consider it a terrible burden if he did. The man's cheeks turned a dusky pink color that had her grinning despite the odd situation.
"Ah, no. I don't want to fuck you, but I want to talk to you. Can you tell me what this means?" He took her hand and turned it to check Freya's rune. "And the one on your thigh? I mean, you just tried to kill me, so it would be the least you could do."
"If I wanted to kill you, magician, you would be dead," Fen said but didn't pull her hand out of his. She knew she was fast enough to grab the dagger and put it in his throat. Somethingstillheld her back.
Fen loved magic, and she wanted to know more about the strange earthy power he had. She was still hesitating when her stomach grumbled.
The man's mouth twitched. "Maybe you can tell me over dinner?"
A bath and a meal, and she didn't have to fuck him? Fen couldn't say no to that, so she nodded in agreement.
"Excellent. I'll call for some." The man stood, his height making her take a cautious step back. "I'm Khan. What's your name?"
Fen hesitated again. She had always been warned not to let an unknown magic-user know her real name because they could use it against her in a spell. Freya's rune warmed on her hand like a small reassurance that it would be okay to trust him a little.
"I'm Fenrys Rune-Tongue. Fen," she replied.
Khan smiled, a dazzling flash of white teeth that made her grin back. "It's nice to meet you, Fen."
Seven
Khan didn't like the smug look on the guard's faces when he requested that they bring the evening meal for two people. He had always done his best to set himself apart from the debauchery that the Ankharians enjoyed and had never had a slave or a prostitute summoned to his rooms.
Not that you summoned this one.
It was hard to reconcile the primped and painted woman in the other room with the champion of the arena. Neither seemed to make sense with the magic he felt thrumming off her. He knew he should be more concerned that she had tried to kill him. She'd had the chance and didn't do it, so he felt safe for the moment.
You utter fool, Sargon's voice growled in his head. His grandfather was right, but Khan had to know what the two-branched tree meant, and she had it on her skin.
"Please have a seat, Fen," Khan offered, pointing at one of the cushions around the small table where he, Kashmet, and Kemes usually ate together. They were at the weekly training session they were forced to attend with the other Medjai.
Something that Hasina would've known about. She had sent Fen to embarrass him, but she had done him a favor.
Khan had been wondering how he could get a chance to talk to Fen again without having to deal with Nektos, and she had quite literally walked through his door. He had felt an air of destiny around her the previous evening, and here she was again.
Fen sat down on the cushions, the split in the side of her dress showing off a long line of pale skin. He told himself it was the tattoo on her thigh that had him staring. He tugged nervously at one of the gold studs in his ear, wondering how to start with all the questions he had for her.
"Why do you have the All-Father's rune on your face?" Fen asked, making Khan's attention snap to her golden eyes. He touched the mark tattooed on his temple.
"I don't know who the All-Father is. This is known as the Tree of Knowledge. It represents the six branches of Magi learning in Atrahasis, a scholar city in the north." Khan found a piece of parchment and a quill. "Will you write your marks down for me?"
Fen picked up the quill, and with a slow, steady hand, she drew both marks that were tattooed on her skin. "This one,Algiz, is a rune for Odin All-Father, king of the gods. This one,Fehu, is the rune for Freya, Goddess of war, love, and magic."
"They are like magical sigils?" Khan studied the markings. Why would he be having visions of a sigil of a foreign god? None of it made sense.
"Yes. They are letters for writing too, but they are used by seiðr for magic," Fen replied. "Odin sacrificed himself to get the knowledge of all the rules that bind the world together."
"Seiðr." The strange word curled pleasantly in Khan's mouth. "What is seiðr?"
Fen didn't get a chance to reply before there was a knock at the door, and two servants came in, carrying platters. They did their best to conceal their surprise at seeing Khan with a slave, but he knew the entire palace would know of his tryst by midnight.
