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“What? When you had only just lost your husband?” Mia demanded. “That’s terrible!”
“It’s a great honor,” Zellah repeated dully. “But it’s very hard to…to give myself completely when I still miss my Kal so much.” She sniffed and swiped at her eyes again. “Some of the other Concubines feel that way too—the ones who dare to speak of it,” she added. “There are others who have lost their husbands under suspicious circumstances.”
“How many Concubines are there?” Mia asked, feeling sick.
“Oh…there must be upwards of fifty of us now,” Zellah said. “There have been a lot of deaths in the Dome, I’m afraid. The thing is…” She leaned closer to Mia and lowered her voice. “The ones who die are always the ones who dare to disagree with the Prophet. My Kal had decided he didn’t want to be part of the PPP anymore. We were supposed to be leaving—The Prophet had even given us his permission to go. But the day before we left…” She shook her head. “That’s when Kal had his ‘accident.’”
“That’s awful!” Mia exclaimed. “It doesn’t sound like an accident at all!”
“No, I didn’t think so either.” Zellah shook her head. “I shouldn’t be telling you all this—I don’t even know you,” she said bleakly. “You might be a spy, for The Prophet, for all I know.”
“No, I’m not—honestly,” Mia said quickly. She thought about admitting to Zellah why she and Sev were really here, but then decided it wouldn’t be safe. “My husband and I are new here,” she said instead. “We just came to check the PPP out—we’re not under The Prophet’s spell.”
“Ah—you mean the one he exudes when he wears The Charmer?” Zellah asked.
“The what?” Mia frowned. “Is that the shiny thing he wears during his lectures?”
Zellah nodded.
“Yes—that’s it. He calls it ‘The Charmer.’” She sighed. “Itdoesmake it easier to submit to him when he’s wearing it. But he doesn’t always wear it—he says it needs to rest sometimes. And when he’s not wearing it…” She shivered and made a disgusted face.
“It’s a lot harder to submit?” Mia guessed.
Zellah nodded.
“Most of the other Concubines don’t seem to mind, but I can’t help it. I do not find myself wishing to…to receive his seed when he is without it.”
Probably because without his mind control necklace, he’s not the kind of guy a woman would want to get with,Mia thought.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I have to be honest—I haven’t seen him up close, but I find his words repellent when I just listen to him and don’t look at him wearing the, uh, Charmer.”
“I feel the same way,” Zellah whispered. “He says such terrible things about women! Like we’re some lesser species—like we’re weak and evil and ignorant just by the virtue of our sex!”
“Exactly.” Mia pressed her hand again.
“What are you women speaking of?” The harsh voice of Brother Beemux interrupted their whispered conversation.
Mia turned quickly in her chair, hiding the 3-D holo blueprints of the Dome with her body.
“Oh, uh—we were just praising The Prophet,” she said, hoping the nosey librarian hadn’t heard what they were actually talking about.
“Well, be that as it may, you’ll have to leave soon,” Brother Beemux said, looking down his nose disapprovingly at the two of them. “The Library of The Prophet’s Wisdom is not for idle females to sit and gossip. Males with an intellectual interest—those who can actuallygraspthe Wisdom of The Prophet—need these spots.”
He motioned to the two desks they were occupying.
Mia wanted in the worst way to point out that the entire room was empty and they weren’t taking spots away from anyone, but she sensed that would only get them kicked out of the library that much sooner.
“Just a little while longer, please Brother Beemux,” Zellah pleaded softly. “I know we’re not as smart as you, but when we are within the Library of The Prophet, we can feel his wisdom sinking into our bones and making us better wives and Concubines. Better, more subservient women.”
“Well…” The librarian nodded grudgingly. “All right. But keep your voicesdown—there are men in the next room who are wrestling with great matters of philosophy and science who need silence to concentrate!”
“We will be as quiet as two littlemeecen,” Zellah promised him solemnly.
“See that you are!” And the librarian gave them a last baleful glare before spinning on his heel and marching away.
“Wow,” Mia whispered, after she was sure he was gone. “You’re good! How did you know that flattering him would work?”
Zellah sighed.
