Then all seven women helped me prepare to sit at my king’s side at the warrior selection.
* * * * *
We were moving through the encampment and I knew by the hustle and bustle of people hurrying around us that the selection was close and this was a big event they didn’t want to miss.
I was getting a lot of looks and this was not surprising. They had no mirrors here that I knew of but there was no doubt about it.
I looked awesome and I looked like a queen.
A golden one.
They’d chosen a silk sarong for me, its color gold shot with pure white. My bandeau top was also pure white. I was wearing a latticework necklace of delicate gold chains that covered nearly my whole chest and matching earrings that hung so low, they swept my shoulders. I had on the gold wristlets that went from wrist to nearly elbow and the gold bands at my biceps, both I’d worn the night of the rite. I also had on the wide, heavy gold belt made thick with discs and more discs that hung down and jangled as I moved. The leather of my flimsy, strappy, low-heeled sandals was also colored gold. I had gold eye shadow on my lids, dark gold pencil around my eyes, gold dust arcing along my cheekbones and up to my temples and peach-tinted gloss on my lips. I also had gold dust in my twisted, curled hair, making it sparkle and glitter and if that wasn’t enough, lightweight gold clips, dozens of them, adorned my hair making it, too, a golden latticework of twists and curls.
And I wore the golden feathers around my forehead and I was right that first night when Teetru had fastened it around my head. The feathers were shiny, brilliant, so much so they shimmered in the sun. It was thin but each feather was perfection, pure beauty, it was the absolute coolest thing I’d ever seen in my life.
It was, Diandra explained when Teetru set it against my forehead, wove the ends through my hair and fastened it at the back, my Korwahk queen crown.
And it was a good one. A huge, jeweled affair would not in any way be better than those feathers. No way.
In my killer outfit, I felt ready to face the Korwahk people but even if I didn’t have that sweet outfit, that feather band alone would have done the trick.
We were being escorted by warriors, two at front, two at back, they’d come to the cham, slapped back the flaps and grunted, “Vayay, boh,” which Diandra told me meant “come, now” (though I’d already figured that out).
And off we went, Diandra and I, followed by Sheena, guards in front and rear, moving swiftly through the encampment toward the dais.
“I forgot to ask and before I forget again,” I told her, “I need to find a new bride named Narinda.”
Her head turned to me and her hand on mine in the crook of her elbow squeezed. “Pardon, my dear?”
“I need to find a bride named Narinda. She helped me; we were in the Hunt together. I haven’t seen her since. I want to make sure she’s all right. Check up on her,” I explained and Diandra nodded.
“I will ask Seerim to see if he can find your Narinda.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “Or, I mean, shahsha.”
She smiled her approval then her eyes flitted over my shoulder and they narrowed.
I looked over my shoulder to see a man, not a native, but one with blond hair, a hat on his head, blue eyes and old-fashioned clothing, white shirt with laces at the top (that kind of needed to be washed), tan breeches, brown boots. And he wore a low-slung belt on his h*ps with a nasty looking knife attached to it.
His eyes sifted through the guards at our front then Diandra and it hit me he was walking at our sides and he was doing it with something on his mind
“Dahksahna,” he mumbled when his eyes hit me.
Yep, he was walking at our sides with something on his mind.
“Veeyoo,” a guard behind us grunted, the man looked over his shoulder and said something conciliatory to the guard, I felt Diandra’s hand tighten on mine then he turned back to me.
“I am a man from your land,” he told me, I blinked and my step faltered.
“You’re from Seattle?” I asked, my heart in my throat but he blinked back.
“Erm… no, Middleland,” he replied.
“Veeyoo,” the guard behind us grunted again, this time a little more impatiently and a lot more scarily and the man quickly glanced at the guard and his manner became urgent.
“The Dax will not like you speaking to his bride,” Diandra warned. “She is not of your land. She is of another land but now she is Korwahk, she is queen. I advise you step away.”
He ignored Diandra, something I didn’t like all that much, and kept his eyes on me.