The 14th Concubine of a Harem King

Against a Silhouette of Fire

Sayra

I arrive home and immediately change out of my maid outfit and replace it with all black clothing. Going to the fireplace, I smear soot on my face, blow out the candle, and go to the cellar of my house to wait. Half an hour later, large, clunky boots stomp on my floor above me. One of Ulishi's men is here to plant evidence and probably kill me, so I'll be framed for murdering Garnam.
I smile a little to myself. Garnam is dead. She went through with it
It's over. Lorora is free from that man, and so am I. The only thing left is to protect Lorora now, from Ulishi. She will become dowager queen and once she expels all the concubines, she'll send some assasins to kill Lorora, Yalise, and I on our way to Aryalia. One thing that's predictable about Ulishi is her jealousy. The king might be dead, but she still hates Lorora. This palace is even more dangerous. We must take Harlym, Twila, and Porchelle away as well. She won't kill her own children, but she will any competition for the throne for her son. I've unleashed a monster from her den now the king is dead. I sigh. Ulishi is a menace.
The footsteps continue to tromp closer to me, so I take a deep breath and light a match. Opening the hatch to my final escapeway, I toss the match onto a sack of flour. I close the hatch in the corner of my cellar floor and stumble down into the tunnel I dug the first year I was here. My house is on fire now as is my life as the favored concubine of the king of Adran. I chuckle; why do I feel so relieved?
It's about a twenty foot tunnel that opens right behind a bush. But it feels longer to me as i grope around the mud walls in the dark. It's only tall enough for me to crawl through, and the air is heating up from the fire burning my house. There's a large rock at the end that I have to dig out, but once I hit the end of the tunnel, I know where it is. A sudden fear hits me that something heavy might be on top of the rock, and I'd be trapped in here forever. It loosens. I breathe a sigh of relief as I crawl out of the hole, shoving the rock back in place. A few yards away is the decorative well and pond I used to hide the dirt from the tunnel. I created this as a final resort if i had to make a quick escape. The flames of my house already reach the tops of the trees, and I can see the silhouette of the kings palace in the background. Everyone is shouting around the fire, trying to put it out. I slip into the trees and pick up the pace to Lorora's house. She'd better be back by now.
"Sayra?!" A voice comes out from the gazebo just as I get to Lorora's house. It's too dark to see anything.
"Sayra!" She runs and embraces me. I stand stiff as a board. I was not aware we were this close.
"Kyri?"
"What do I do? Your house is burning, everyone is yelling or crying everywhere. Vahalia is gone, and my mother.... my mother...." Tears stream down her face. She's been crying for hours, probably waiting to get up the courage to go into the house.
I kneel down to her. "Listen, Kyri. You need to be strong one more time. I need you to go to Porchelle's house right away and tell Malyke that your father is dead."
"He's dead?" Her eyes widen in horror.
"That's why everyone is screaming and crying," I say. It's a lie. Everyone is screaming and crying because my house is on fire and Vahalia was beheaded earlier, but I can't tell Kyri how I know of Garnam's demise.
"Tell him to take control of the palace immediately, and anyone who doesn't obey him expell them from his service and send them away. Send Porchelle and Twila back here and then join us with guards loyal to your father only. Twila and Harlym are in danger if you don't do this quickly," I say.
She sniffles hard, stifling her sobs. "What, what did my mother do?"
I sigh deeply. Kyri is too smart for her own good. I pat her on the head. "It will be okay, everyone, will be okay. Just do exactly as I told you."
She steps back, sucks in her sobs, and disappears into the night lit only by my flaming house. I hope Malyke gets here in time to protect Harlym, Twila, and Porchelle. If Ulishi is in a rage, those are the first people she will go after.