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I’m leaning back and away because of the smell. My heart is thundering loud in my ears. This is bad. Do they have the other girls? Has one of them said something? I clench my eye shut. I have a choice to make, do I own the truth, or lie?
There really isn’t a choice. I’m here on a much bigger mission. I am, quite literally, trying to save these people. From all we know we’re trying to save them from themselves as much as the Zmaj but that changes nothing. I cannot fail. Too many lives are at stake.
“No,” I say, forcing myself to turn my head back and meet his eyes.
The odor assaults my sinuses and leaves them burning. My eyes are watering but I’m not going to let him intimidate me.
You can do this Niyah. I believe in you.
My heart lurches in my chest. That was one of the last things that my sister said to me. While it hurts because it accents the empty part of my heart where she should be, it also brings me strength. I straighten in my chair and lean forward.
“My friends and I were captured,” I say. “We wandered too far. That’s it.”
The Maulavi frowns then a smile spreads over his face that is scarier than the wrath he was displaying.
“There are so many ways this can go,” he says. He paces the floor as he continues speaking, back and forth in front of me. “A female. Alone. Here with all these males I have at my disposal. Big, strong males. Pain is only part of what I can bring.”
I swallow. There is no mistaking the implication of what he’s saying. He stops pacing then walks closer. Too close. He leans in and in until he is less than an inch from my face. His free hand moves up and down my body without touching but it doesn’t matter. My skin crawls.
“I don’t know what you want,” I say, involuntarily leaning back but the chair keeps me from going too far.
“The truth,” he whispers then his tongue lashes out and licks the side of my face.
I gag. I can’t help it. It’s so slimy and disgusting that it happens before I can even try to stop it. Bile rushes up my throat, burning the entire way. The Maulavi laughs but he doesn’t see what I see. Bhoja moving. He grabs the Maulavi by the shoulder and jerks him around so they are face to face.
“No,” Bhoja barks in Zmaj.
“You dare!” the Maulavi answers in the same tongue.
“No,” Bhoja says through gritted teeth. “You will not do this. This is not who we are.”
“We are who the Shaman says we are!” the Maulavi yells, his voice shrill. He jerks his shoulder free of Bhoja grasp. “You will remember your place unless you’d like to be the next sacrifice.”
Bhoja’s face contorts with anger I think. His lips curl back into a sneer. He growls and both his hands ball into fists. The other guard watching takes a step forward and I have no idea which side of this conflict he’s going to come down on.
“No,” Bhoja growls, shaking his head. He’s shaking all over. This is bad. All of this is a building problem but I cannot deny that I like that he’s sticking up for me. It’s a relief but it doesn’t change how bad this situation is. “We First People. This not us.”
His Zmaj is broken. I know he isn’t fluent but his speech is normally better, I think he’s losing it in his anger. He looks like he’s about to break into a flat out berserker rage. I scoot to the edge of my seat, ready to move if these two come to blows. I don’t want to be in the line of fire when it happens. The Maulavi laughs, stamping his staff.
“You dare to lecture me?” the Maulavi says. He’s continuing to speak in Zmaj but his is clearly more fluent. “I am Maulavi, the spiritual keepers of the Urr’ki and you would lecture me about who and what our people are? The Shaman has declared that this world is over and it is time for the next. Do you question the Shaman’s will?”
“His, no. Yours? Yes, I do,” Bhoja growls.
The other guard puts his hand on Bhoja’s shoulder. Bhoja reacts so quickly I don’t see it happen, only the results. The guard falls back and hits the wall hard. The Maulavi swings his staff but Bhoja catches it in one hand, his other fist is pulled back and cocked ready to smash it into the Maulavi.
“Enough!” A new voice bellows, echoing off the stone walls and reverberating in my bones.
Another Maulavi walks into the room with four guards on his flank. My stomach hits the ground.
5
NIYAH
The newcomer exudes an aura of command that fills the room. His guards form a semi-circle behind Bhoja, not acting, but they look and feel like a coiled spring ready to strike. Bhoja does not let the Maulavi he is holding go but he does look to the newcomer who walks up and comes to a stop a few steps away from Bhoja.
“Bhoja,” he says, speaking softly in Zmaj. Bhoja answers in Urr’ki. The new Maulavi frowns and shakes his head. “No. Speak the lizards' language. Our guest should not be left in the dark.”
Bhoja’s eyes widen but he nods.
