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Chapter Three
Bree was stunned. There was no doubt in her mind the old woman meant every word.
“My life? The future of the kingdom? Shiraza, you’re being melodramatic.”
Shiraza looked worried. “I do not know what that word means, my lady. You must be cautious when you address everyone else. We can explain away some things, but if the temple priests discover your soul has left your body, they will run and tell the tale to Qatif. With your journey beginning at dawn, he will waste no time gathering his Nabatean cohorts to the palace in your absence. He dreams of the day he can strip away your power and take over the vast riches of this kingdom for himself.”
I’m in this, whether it be dream or delusion. I might as well play it out and see where it leads.
“Very well, Shiraza. I will do as you say.”
The old woman’s body sagged with relief. “Come, my lady, it is time. The attendants have drawn your bath. While you are being prepared, I will sing the prayer with you over and over, until you know it.”
Shiraza ushered Bree through a door near the statue of Bilquis into a luxurious marble bath lit with dozens of oil lamps. In the center of the room, a six-foot-square pool of water stood on a raised platform.
The old woman came up behind Bree and pulled the lavender gown over her head. Bree wasn’t used to being naked in front of anyone, and she automatically covered her breasts with one arm and the curly patch of hair between her legs with the other.
“Tsk, tsk. Have I not seen you unclothed for the whole of your life?” Shiraza ignored her embarrassment and practically shoved her queen into the pool. The water, around three feet deep, felt blessedly cool after the heat of the day. Bree sank to her knees, closed her eyes and leaned back, immersing her aching head in the water.
Her eyes popped open when fingers began softly massaging her scalp. Two women had come into the room soundlessly. Both were dark-skinned, naked, with firm full breasts and narrow waists swelling into curvy hips. They had long black hair hanging down their backs and the same hauntingly beautiful dark eyes as Raheem.
One of the women crouched behind Bree, cradling her head and gently rubbing a scented potion into her hair. The other knelt off to the side and poured water from a silver pitcher over her head to rinse it away. They helped her to a standing position and began washing her all over, rubbing the potion on her body with their bare hands. Bree tried to resist when she felt fingers invading the folds between her legs, but a sharp glance from Shiraza stopped her.
“It is time to rehearse the prayer for tonight, my lady,” Shiraza announced in a loud voice. “I will sing it to you, and then we will sing it together, as we have done since you were a child.”
Shiraza drew herself to her full height, spread her arms wide, and began chanting. Gone were the shrill, quavering tones of an old lady. Her voice sounded deep and strong. For the first time, Bree could see beyond the wrinkled skin to the beautiful woman she had once been.
Bree found herself humming along with the melody as she had with the lullaby Shiraza crooned earlier. It was as if her subconscious mind already knew the songs. The refrain rose and fell, pouring over her like the soothing water of the bath. Insistent fingers roamed over her body, massaging her breasts and urging her legs apart as they stroked her most intimate parts with the scented potion. To her surprise, Bree found herself becoming aroused.
Shiraza ended the chant, holding a low note that sent a shiver through Bree’s core. Or maybe it was the soft, rhythmic pressure from the hands of the women, whose downcast eyes had yet to meet Bree’s despite their familiarity with every inch of her body.
The old woman began again, motioning Bree to spread her arms apart and join in. She took up the hymn. It was an ancient anthem, a Gregorian chant set to the primitive beat of drums. Bree felt it resonate within her, filling her mind and body until there was nothing but the song. No pain in her head, no strange people, no more bizarre sights. Only the song… and the wicked waves of sensation pouring through her.
She was hardly aware of it when the women led her out of the bath to a dressing table along one wall of the room. A large silver disc hung on the wall behind the table and Bree watched the preparations in the reflection as though it was a movie screen.
One of the women drew her hair back and began weaving in an elaborate headdress of gold and jewels. The other rummaged through the silver pots and alabaster jars on the table, finally choosing one filled with ochre crushed to a fine powder. She mixed it with oil and painted Bree’s lips a deep red. With a tiny brush she drew a thick line of kohl around Bree’s eyes then coated her lashes with more kohl to make them look long and full.
Bree was shocked out of her dream-like state when the woman began drawing a stylized hibiscus flower on her breast like the ones on the statue of Bilquis. The attendant painted the petals a pale apricot, blending the color darker near its center, then covered Bree’s nipples with red ocher to match her lips. Finally, the young woman picked up an ornate silver box. Opening it, she took out a tiny jeweled hummingbird. Deep-green emeralds covered the wings; rubies ringed the throat. The eyes were made of black stones that sparkled like diamonds.
The woman began teasing and pinching Bree’s left nipple. Then she clipped the hummingbird’s beak to the hard nub. Bree nearly shrieked at the sharp pain, but she caught Shiraza’s worried eyes in the mirror and gritted her teeth.
The attendant repeated the elaborate decorations on Bree’s right breast, clamping a matching hummingbird to that nipple when she finished, so the birds looked like they were feasting on the red nectar at the center of the flowers.
Her attendants drew Bree to a standing position and fastened an elaborate belt of gold and jewels around her hips, like the one the statue wore. To it they attached a filmy white garment that flowed over her hips to the floor. Split up the center, with each step she took the garment was designed to fall open, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of her most private parts. A delicate pair of sandals completed the costume, trimmed with more of the metal Bree had begun to suspect was solid gold.
“Oh, my lady, you look so beautiful!” Shiraza beamed. “You are the image of your beloved ancestor when she appeared out of the desert to captivate the king with her charms. Come, my dearest one. Twilight is falling. The procession is about to begin.”
Shiraza led her out of the suite and through the gardens, trailed by the two naked attendants. As they walked, the old woman whispered last-minute instructions.
“Tonight’s ceremony is meant to prepare you to receive the mate King Solomon’s successor has selected for you. You will be given to the chosen one when you arrive in the Holy City. Your caravan will depart as soon as the ceremony is completed.”
Shiraza went on. “Although you will see other participants engaging in every sort of sexual activity, you need not fear that you will be violated. Everyone in the kingdom knows you must be a virgin when you are claimed by your mate. Remember – the ritual is designed to enhance your desire for your future husband. The people want to see their high priestess at the height of her arousal…eager to accept the mate destined for her by the gods, that they may smile upon our land and bless us.”
They stepped through an arched door on the far side of the walled garden. Bree gasped.
Before her sprawled the city of Mahrib, lit up like a kingdom in a fairy tale. Two and three-story buildings painted in bright shades of turquoise, pink, and purple were surrounded by whitewashed walls hiding their gardens from the view of passersby. The city was rich and prosperous with shops and markets everywhere. Tables bulging with exotic goods lined the narrow streets, their wares covered for the night by colorful woven rugs.
A path lined with torches wound through the streets. It stretched to the city gates and beyond, through lush green fields and over a bridge across a narrow ribbon of water. In the distance, Bree could see the temple, where huge bonfires illuminated the enormous stone columns.
