The Zodiacs

3. Basement Chambers

"I'm Zahra," she dropped into the seat across from Soldier 31, placing her tray of dinner in front of her to join him for dinner. He'd been sitting alone and she had nobody to sit with so it worked for both of them.

Soldier 31 looked up from his honey bread, chewing slowly while looking over her presence. It didn't take much thought to realize that the idea she thought was mutually beneficial didn't seem to pass in the same way with him. "I'm trying to eat," he answered with an unfriendly voice before turning back to the food in front of him.

Zahra tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes at his blatant impoliteness, knowing that she would never allow her brother to speak to anybody in such a way. Ripping a piece of her own bread, she shoved it into her mouth and planted her elbows onto the table, leaning forward. "I'm also trying to eat," she answered, narrowing her eyes at the man who continued to ignore her. "But I figured that eating alone wouldn't be as fulfilling as eating with another soldier, especially when we've already shared a moment together in mud. How many people here can say that?" She looked around the soldiers around them.

After training for a little over six hours, they'd been dismissed to clean up and shower before returning to the Soldier's cafeteria. The dark sky threw a black blanket above their heads, requiring the use of the candles in order to actually see what was in front of them. Four walls of windows that looked into each of their quarters surrounded them on all sides, isolating them from the rest of the palace to eat.

"Already one too many," he grumbled, gulping down a large mouthful of the wine in his glass. Zahra did the same thing, but the clear fluid in her glass wasn't alcoholic because she had no tolerance for the fermented drink: it was water.

She firmly planted the glass down onto the table between then, getting tired of being friendly with the man who couldn't seem to say one kind thing. "Aquarius."

That was when his head shot up. Momentary panic settled into his expression as he frantically looked to either of their sides, making sure the soldiers sitting a couple seats away didn't just hear what she'd said. Zahra had timed it perfectly to keep him safe, but also give him the fright that ought to put him in his place. "Excuse me?" He hissed quietly.

"You're the Aquarius," she repeated, confidently placing another piece of bread onto her tongue, enjoying the way her words made the cold man squirm. "You know," Zahra leaned forward to whisper. "Zodiacs are prohibited from entering the palace, much less join the Pharaoh's military force."

"Of course I know that," he snapped.

"Which means that you could get your pretty little head cut off if I changed my mind about keeping your secret."

He narrowed his eyes at her threats. "So, what? Are you going to report me then? Since I was mean to you," he pouted sarcastically, still holding the same sour tone. But Zahra could already see his bluff.

"I would get benefits if I did... but I'm not going to," she shrugged, making Soldier 31's eyebrows shoot up in surprise that he quickly tried to mask. "You see," Zahra leaned forward and dropped her tone so only he could hear her. "We all have reasons for doing this, lawful or unlawful, so it's not my business to turn you in."

"What do you want from me then?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, holding his gaze so he could understand just how serious but determined she was. He would learn not to cross her. "Just that you treat me decently and not be a complete prick like you're being right now."

He grunted with dissatisfaction, but finally pulled himself away from the table to relax his posture. In the candle light, the solid blackness of his shaved hair brutally contrasted the light color of his eyes --making him almost look inhuman, especially with the natural darkness of his skin tone. He was a few shades lighter than the brown mud they had fallen into earlier today, reminding her of her neighbors back home.