I looked at my girls lined across the flaps.
I guess I wasn’t going anywhere.
And I had a feeling I hadn’t f**ked up, I’d f**ked up.
* * * * *
“What possessed you?” Diandra cried.
I was right. I hadn’t f**ked up. I’d f**ked up.
“I don’t… I… I don’t… I don’t even know where to begin!” she yelled.
It was at least two hours later but it felt like two years. My girls were no longer at the flaps. No, they’d disappeared. In their place were two, large, scary looking warriors standing inside the cham at the flaps.
I was definitely not going anywhere.
Diandra had arrived fifteen minutes ago already in the know about what went on mainly because it was spreading through the Daxshee like wildfire.
She was pacing.
I was sitting cross-legged on the bed silently panicking.
“Did I not tell you what happens in a warrior’s cham is nobody’s business?” she shouted.
“They were outside the cham, Diandra,” I said softly, she stopped mid-pace and whirled on me.
“This is not amusing, my dear, nothing about this is amusing,” she hissed even though I wasn’t trying to be amusing, just informative but I didn’t share that when she took two quick steps to me, bent and snapped, “You held a weapon to a warrior.”
“Yes, but –”
“You are a woman and you held a weapon to a Korwahk Horde warrior!” she bit out.
“Diandra –”
“It matters not that you are queen, you are a woman and he is a warrior!” she clipped.
I lifted a hand. “Sweetheart,” I whispered, “please.”
“He was not trying to force himself on you. He was not looting your cham. He was not mishandling your slaves without your permission and refusing to stop at your request. He was with his wife!” she shouted.
“But he was –” I tried again, dropping my hand.
“What he was or what he wasn’t is not your concern!” she yelled.
“He was going to kill her!” I exclaimed.
“And if he did he would face the Dax for that, not you. Not you, Circe. The Dax.”
“Two members of The Horde took my back,” I told her quietly.
She straightened and snapped, “What?”
“Bain and Zahnin both backed me up, they supported me,” I explained.
“Yes, I heard that too. And you can only hope that the Dax, who never but never in all the years I’ve known him as Dax been tolerant, today feels tolerant, for he could order their heads for standing against their brother.”
I sucked in breath, felt my throat close and my eyes widen all at the exact same time.