AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Fen must've been hungry. Khan doubted she would've been fed very well by Nektos. He only bought slaves for the week of sacrifices to Sekhmet, their blood in the arena feeding the goddess's bloodlust for another year and keeping the peace for the city of Ankhara.
Khan knew it wasn't the goddess keeping war from the city. It was Sargon's peace agreement with the Pharaoh. The Feast of Sacrifices was only to make the House of Sekhmet even richer and more corrupt.
Khan waited until the servants had gone again before pouring Fen some of the rich dark beer. "Please eat. You must be starving after the arena fight today. And all the magic you used."
Fen blinked deceptively innocent eyes at him. "What magic?"
Khan passed her a shallow bowl filled with beer. "You can't fool me. I felt it. I could taste magic in the air."
"And you think it was coming from me?" Fen sipped the beer and smiled. "I like this. We have something similar back…back home." She slid one baked fish on her plate and picked at it. He could feel her doingsomethingevery time she tried something, but he couldn't figure out what.
"You are doing magic right now, aren't you?" he asked. He was too excited to eat, but he made sure he put things on his plate so she wouldn't feel awkward.
"How do you know?"
"I can sense it. It's gentle, but I can still feel the vibrations in the air."
Fen put a piece of fish in her mouth. "I'm checking to make sure none of this is poisoned."
"Why would I want to poison you?" Khan asked, confused.
"I don't think you do, but that doesn't mean someone doesn't want to poisonyou." Fen smiled and picked up another piece of fish. "You seem to be someone important, who doesn't like guests, but you had no idea someone was sending you a slave who could kill you to escape. Doesn't that worry you?"
Khan hadn't been worried until she had said it. "How do you know I don't like guests?"
"The guards said you're not interested in men or women," she replied.
"Of course they think that."
"Are you a virgin or something?" she asked, making Khan choke on his beer.
"No, I'm not a virgin. Gods, the gossips in this city," he grumbled. "Stop trying to distract me from telling me what a seiðr is."
Fen laughed softly. "Seiðr is magic and those that can wield it. We are sacred to the gods because we can see visions and speak for them."
Khan frowned. "If you are sacred to the gods, how did you end up a slave?"
He could tell by the tightening of her jaw that Fen didn't want to tell him. She rubbed at the rune mark on her hand and then gave in and started a story of a raid on a village, fighting off warriors so that her seiðr sisters could escape. She told him about being sold off to Nektos when the door banged open, and the twins crashed through, dirty and sweaty from training.
"So the rumorsaretrue!" Kemes declared when she spotted Fen.
"Rumors? She only just got here!" Khan complained. "How did you know about it?"
"We got told by one of the other Medjai, and we raced back to see if they were lying," Kashmet said, helping himself to the jug of beer.
Khan pinched the bridge of his nose, readying himself to give them an earbashing. Fen beat him to it.
"And do you always just barge in to see if Khan's fucking someone?" she asked, a fair eyebrow raised.
Kemes snickered. "Only when she's as pretty as you."
"And when she's the champion of the day. I saw you fight three beasts. Any woman who can do that and have the energy to fuck afterward is a woman I want to know," Kashmet said, giving Fen a charming smile.
Fen laughed. "I like you."
"You wait until you see my muscles."
"Please don't encourage them. They will never shut up," Khan begged.
