Shadows in the Trees: Book 1

Chapter 8

Rhiannon paced her small cabin restlessly. A week had seemed no time at all on the way to Elohine, but the journey home seemed to be taking centuries. A knock sounded on her door and she paused in her pacing.

"Yes?" she called. 

Elysia entered and bowed her head.

"The captain says we will reach Khepri in a few hours. We should start getting ready," Elysia said.

"Oh, thank the gods," Rhiannon said. "I need off this boat."

"I couldn't agree more, my queen," Kala said, coming in behind Elysia with a trunk full of beauty supplies. "Now, let's get you ready."

When the ship pulled into the harbor, Rhiannon was once again in her red wig and thick eyeliner, but this time, she was in a much more conservative chiton of deep blue silk. Only the backs of her hands and the tops of her feet were painted. Her handmaidens followed behind her in their gis with their hair tied back.

Rhiannon smiled as she walked down the gangplank, taking in the skyline of her home, haloed by the fiery sunset falling over the horizon. Colonnades divided the white limestone and marble buildings, and the palace perched on the northern side, watching over Hiawatha. She picked out the Library, its golden dome glinting in the fading light, and thought of all of the time she had spent there as a child.

Though their ship was moored at a relatively secluded place, the dock below was teeming with people moving cargo and striking deals. Her handmaidens formed up around her, protecting her from the crowds, who gave her a wide berth. Some bowed or fell to their knees, but many of the foreigners there for trade simply stared. Rhiannon smiled and waved to them.

A carriage was waiting to take them to the palace. Jaida climbed in first and did a cursory search before helping Rhiannon and Kala in. Elysia sat at the front with the driver, scrutinizing the roads, passing carts and carriages, and the driver. Rhiannon kept her back against the seat and watched her city go by through the small window. The guards let them pass through the gate, and the carriage rattled over the cobblestone paths through the garden. 

When they arrived at the northernmost entrance of the castle, Jaida and Elysia searched the area. Upon deeming it safe, they signaled Kala and Rhiannon, who followed them through the large wooden doors into the stone interior of the castle. The cold, hard marble kept the occupants cool in the Kheprian heat, but it made a rather forbidding atmosphere. The colorful frescoes and intricately woven rugs did little to soften the harshness. When they reached the beginning of the hall that led to the dining room, Rhiannon stopped them.

"Alright. Does everyone remember the plan?" Rhiannon asked. Elysia and Kala nodded.

"My queen, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Jaida asked. "I don't like this plan." Kala and Elysia glanced at each other.

"So you've made very clear," Rhiannon said. "And I believe that I have made it very clear that this is my best chance to secure the throne."

"There has to be another way besides selling yourself to a foreign king," Jaida scorned. Before Jaida could blink, Rhiannon had taken her wrist and put her other arm against her throat, pinning her to the wall, a move Jaida had taught her. She grunted, but she didn't resist.

"I know in Thrael women don't have to sell themselves. I know they would never have to rely on a man for their power. But this isn't Thrael. By body, my hand, is a weapon in my arsenal that I cannot afford to leave unused," Rhiannon hissed. "I don't care if you agree. But I need to know. Do I have your loyalty?"

"Until the day I die," Jaida said. Rhiannon released her arm.

"Good," Rhiannon said. Jaida rolled her shoulder and hung her head. "Let's go."