A Big Shiny Blue Marble Ch. 40

I love you so much and you make me crazy."

"You, ... you love me too?" Yasmin asked in a tiny voice.

"Yes," Khyan nodded, "only please do not ask me to kill anyone's family yet. I am not ready. My mother told me that Dakhete was the greatest fighter alive when they were young, and it did not matter what weapon was used. I do not think that she has weakened at all over the years, so we have a long way to go before we can slay anyone who stands in the way of what we have."

"Shut up, Khyan," Yasmin smiled with her face pressed against Khyan's shoulder. She took a breath and let it out and wanted to sing because the breath had changed nothing of what she felt. Her eyes were closed and she was happy. "Shut up, you are babbling. I will hug the correct side of you the very first chance that I have of it."

Dakhete nudged Nasira's thigh once gently. When Nasira turned her head, Dakhete said nothing, she only pointed.

Nasira looked at the young pair and smiled, "Thank you for coming today," she whispered.

"I could not help it," Dakhete said, "I must have been sitting and waiting for your invitation, for I did little but think. As soon as I saw Saddiq Anmar with me, I knew that the invitation had come. I came as soon as I could get my clothes off," she chuckled.

"I did not understand your reason for coming naked until you explained, "Nasira said, "It made sense then. You are still a walking wonder."

Dakhete nodded, "Even a goddess to some," she grinned, "You cheat time very well yourself. It was so good to see you the way that I knew that you would come. Thank you for that, Nasira. It was a joy to look at you once again."

She looked at some faint markings on Nasira's back. They were very hard to see in the failing light, but they were there, and intricate series of very pale scars in patterns.

"Nasira?"

"Yes?"

"You told me that I am still your friend. Hearing that made my heart sing to know that at least I had not lost that."

"That is the truth of it, Dakhete," Nasira said a little carefully, "Why?"

"Well," Dakhete began "I have no wish to test it, but I have something to ask you. The trouble is that I fear to upset or insult you. I think that we have both had quite enough of it today. Perhaps I ought to just hold my tongue and cherish my blessings."

"No" Nasira said, "Ask me anything and I will answer. We were always honest between us before. Ask."

Dakhete shifted a little and made sure to have Nasira's cloak handy. "They are hardly able to be seen," she said," but there is a very intricate series of scars on your lovely back. I did not know what to think at first for I have never seen anything like them in my life and I know that they were not there before we parted.

As I have been riding here, I thought that they were left behind by a whip knowing what you said to me, but then I have had the time to look closer and I see that they are patterns. They run from your shoulders to your thighs, and the more that I look at them, the more care that I see at how they were done. One has to look very hard for a long time to even see them at all."

She watched as Nasira hung her head for a moment, but then her head came back up as she watched the trail ahead. "What of them then?"

"Nothing," Dakhete said, feeling beyond foolish, "Once again, I have said something that I should not have gone near to. I see how you sit now with your shoulders tight, and I am sorry, for I see by this that they were not wanted by you."

"They were cut into my flesh every night over two years by the foul demon who tortured me before he raped me every one of those nights. I cannot read them, but they say that I am owned. They would have said the name of my owner, but that was the last part of it, and he was about to begin it on the night that my daughters killed him. They have been fading for all of the time since.

I meant what I said, Dakhete. You are still my friend, and I have spoken the truth. Now, tell me why you wished to ask about them."

"I regret my question now, but since I have put my foot in my mouth so well, I will answer as my friend has – truthfully," Dakhete said quietly. "I sit here behind you with your cloak in my hand because I may have hurt your feelings by asking. I cannot read what was written into you. I know nothing of this, and they are fading away anyway. I think that they cannot be seen in full light, and need something softer to be seen well.

I want to cry, Nasira, both for what you must have suffered and for my stupidity in asking this. The shame here is mine. Please forgive me. Here is your cloak if you wish to cover them." Nasira's hand flew back to take her cloak and Dakhete gave it to her.

"What did you wish to say?" Nasira asked, "I am not angry with you and I feel no worse about them tonight than I ever have. I only forgot about them or I would have worn this cloak in the clearing."

Dakhete struggled for a moment, "How can I even say this, knowing how these came to be here?" She looked down and shook her head. "I am still the biggest fool who walks the earth. I would have thought that by now there might be another champion arisen but no.

Nasira, remember that I speak the truth and began this without knowing but I think that they look good. I only wish once more that I had known and could have come to your aid. The suffering, it must have been –"

"It was," Nasira said without looking back, "it was agony. Every day new cuts and every day salt rubbed into the older ones so that they did not fester. At least he was a master at this if it can be called art. You say that you like them?"

"Yes," Dakhete nodded, "I do. I would rather that they not be here because of the price to you, but without knowing that. I thought that they were marvels. Nothing was done that was not a part, I can see that. They have faded to mysteries now, but if it had been what you wanted, I would pay my highest regard. But they were not. I am sorry, Nasira. Please forgive my stupidity."

Nasira hissed though her teeth in frustration. "Do – you- like – them?" she asked, "The knowledge of the pain aside, the knowing why I was being marked aside, from only the marks and how they look on me, do they please you to look at?"

"Yes," Dakhete said.

"Good," Nasira said as she threw the cloak behind her into Dakhete's surprised hands "because I wear them for you.

There are the gates ahead. Put my cloak around my shoulders, Dakhete, and if we get a little time I may explain the mystery to you."

The cats slowed to a slow and regal walk. The gates were open, since there was really nothing which might threaten the city or its inhabitants, but that didn't mean that it was unguarded. A pair of sentries appeared in the gateway as they rode up.

Yasmin gave it a quick thought and before anyone could speak, she said, "The Kandake wishes to welcome her friend and sister queen, Nasira bint el-Jebel, queen of Jebel Barkal, along with her son and emissary, Prince Khyan bint el-Jebel."

The guards almost dropped their shields as they bowed while the party rode through the gates with their escorts.

"Why did you do that?" Dakhete asked Yasmin.

She shrugged, "It may not be much yet," she said, "but this is far better than a brothel in Marrakesh. I thought that if we have the company of two such important friends, then those friends should be honored."

"What have you to say to that?" Nasira asked, grinning.

"Nothing," Dakhete smiled, "Yasmin is right."

-----------------------

Najmah was not pleased. She stood in the corner of the yard and brayed as she shook in her fear. It took a long time before Yasmin could get her settled down, and no one had ever seen a donkey move quicker to get inside the house. Piankh showed up and was immediately given the task of getting dinner prepared somehow. As always, he slapped his chest and smiled to begin.

When he returned to report that dinner was underway, he told them all that the palace was at least ready enough to be lived in, and that was where dinner would be served if it pleased the Kandake.

Dakhete nodded a little nervously, "Fine, Piankh, but what about beds? There are four of us here and – "

"Not counting the servant's quarters, there are six bedchambers in total," he said, "and four are ready for use this night. All have new mattresses and all have blankets. I leave the arrangements to the Kandake but I wish to say that I have repaired and filled the royal bath, though some of the paint on the walls may still be wet."

For the second time in a half-hour, Dakhete's jaw fell open, though this time she was pleased. "Lead me, Piankh," she said, "Lead me, you amazing man."

They stood staring at the placid surface of the large sunken bath in the large bathchamber a few minutes later. "It took two days to replace and extend the filler pipe from the river," Piankh said, "and I had people in this for all the morning cleaning out all of the mud which came at first, but it is ready to be used now."

"What you said as we rode here," Dakhete said after the meal. They sat together sipping beer since it was all that Piankh could find for them on such short notice. "What was meant, other than almost causing me to fall off?"

Nasira laughed a little, "I am a little sorry that I could net really see your face then. Dakhete. I had this torture and pain every night and I knew that I was losing my mind."

She looked away for a moment at her son and Yasmin as they played with Saddiq Anmar, or more correctly, he played with them, for they tried to tease him with something to chase, but to all eyes but their own, they were the ones doing most of the chasing. Najmah stood in the courtyard with some hay, looking thoroughly disgusted at all of the cats there. At least they were leaving her alone.

"After a time, I wanted to kill myself, but it was not possible, no matter what I tried to think of, and anyway, I had my two daughters to think about. So I decided to pretend," Nasira said, as she took another sip. "I went through it the first time, but then the Demon was back years later to begin all over again, this time with the cuts as well.

I would pretend that you and I were still together, and I knew that I loved you so. Thinking of you made it all a bit easier for me. But what to do about the cuts? I could not even see what had been done, but after a while, my twins assured me that it was pretty – if one could ignore the blood and everything.

So if it was pretty, then I began to pretend that I was not being tortured at all. I pretended that I had found a merchant who did this sort of work, but that it was for decoration. That made it easy for me to pretend further that I was having this done for you, that it was to be a gift from me. After that, I barely made any sounds at all, until the demon used the salt. Then I closed my eyes and imagined that I was killing him.

But we were coming to the end of it. He said to me one night that it said that I was owned, but that the last part would say that it was he who owned me. My daughters had thought of a plan to lure their father into the cell, by crying out their lust for him and wanting the same things that I had to live through. They had been asking me for permission for this, but I had trouble, thinking that they would be murdering their father.

But when I was told that I would now be marked as his, it was enough to push me the rest of the way and I assented so that we might all think to prepare.

After it was over and I began the long night and next day that would soil me forever as a cruel murderer, I thought about the cuts again and wondered what to do. There was not much that I really could do, other than have more scars made, So I decided that if I ever saw you again, I would tell you that I was marked and that it had been for you."

She chuckled, "But after everything today, I just forgot all about it and there I was showing you the scars on my back and not meaning to. As bad as it all had been, I think that if it had been done less cruelly and had you asked me for it, I would have done it for you. So if you like it, then I have the best ending to a very bad tale."