a way of life beyond the cage. She told him of snow-covered mountains, of lakes that were as blue as the sky, of black pine forests, and trees that were taller than the roof of the palace. She described animals and birds he had seen only in pen-and-ink drawings: the lynx and the bear, jackals and deer, foxes and badgers, pelicans and eagles and sweet-singing nightingales. She told him of her childhood, of frolicking in the snow with her brothers and sisters.
The idea of growing up in a family, with a mother and a father and siblings left him speechless. He could not imagine such a thing. Could not think what it would be like to live in a house, to sit in front of a hearth on a cold winter day, to work in the fields beside a father, to be able to come and go as one pleased. Imagine, being able to go outside, to have the freedom to run, to play, to sit on the grass and contemplate the clouds. It was beyond his comprehension.
There were so many things he knew, he thought ruefully. He had a vast store of knowledge, but no chance to apply it. He had read scrolls on a wide variety of subjects. He knew how to plant a garden, yet he had never so much as held a handful of earth. He knew that figs came from trees, yet he had never seen fruit growing. He had tasted fish, but never seen one swimming; he had eaten eggs, but never seen a chicken.
Hour by hour, the day of his twenty-fourth year approached, and with each passing day, his yearning to hold Katlaina grew ever stronger. Her skin was smooth and clear, without blemish. Was it as soft as it looked? He longed to run his fingers through the dark wealth of her hair, to touch her lips with his, to discover for himself what made a woman different from a man.
Each cage was provided with a screen to insure privacy for their intimate needs. Once each week, they were allowed to bathe.
At such times, when Katlaina stepped behind the screen,Navarre paced the confines of his cell, plagued by feelings he did not fully understand as he imagined her disrobing, sinking down into the tub, the water closing over her.
It was the night before his twenty-fourth birthday when the High Priest appeared at the door ofNavarre 's cell.
Navarrestood in the far corner, his heart pounding, as he waited for the hooded man to speak.
"You will be four and twenty on the morrow," the High Priest said. "Will you breed the woman willingly?"
Navarre's gaze slid toward Katlaina. They had taken away her blue robe and clothed her in a diaphanous gown of shimmering silver shot through with fine gold threads. It clung to every inch of her body, outlining her full breasts, the curve of her hips, the slender length of her legs.
Never had he seen anything lovelier. Her hair, as black as ink on parchment, fell over her shoulders to her hips like an ebony waterfall. Her eyes were as green as the grass that grew on the hillside.
He swallowed hard, unable to speak.
"I require an answer,Navarre ," the High Priest said. "Will you breed the woman of your own free will?''
Navarre's gaze moved over Katlaina. His blood sang in his veins, then settled, hot and heavy, in his groin, and at that moment he thought that dying would be worth the price of holding her in his arms just once.
"Navarre?" There was the faintest note of amusement in the High Priest's voice, as if he were aware ofNavarre 's every thought, every yearning.
"Yes."Navarre managed to force the word from his throat. He had no wish to father a son to be the next sacrifice, but he remembered all too clearly his mother's words, her horror at being bedded by a man who had been drugged. If he was to bed Katlaina, he wanted to be fully aware of each moment.
"We will bring her to you on the morrow then."
On the morrow,Navarre thought.
And for the first time, he willed the hours to pass swiftly.
They brought her at dusk. He stared at her for a long moment, unable to think, unable to move. She was here, within his reach, at last.
The silver gown shimmered like molten ore in the candlelight.
"Katlaina."
She stared back at him, her eyes wide, her lips parted. She was trembling all over. He could see the pulse beating wildly in her