It wasn't until the last rays of the sun were sliding through the narrow window before the guards finally returned.
The women crowded against the back wall as the cell creaked open, expecting the worst. The man who walked in was huge and beautiful. He stood well over six feet tall and was as broad as an ox, with a face carved by an artist. His clothing consisted of a pale linen skirt called a shendyt that fell above his knees. A thick leather belt, well-studded with gold and jewels, wrapped around it. He wore sandals like the people of Kurkevy, but gold encircled his neck and arms.
Jaeda had never seen a man so wealthy, and she wondered if he was the mage. While the women cowered away from him, she pushed herself to the front, drawing his eye. Without shame, he looked her over as if assessing a horse. She looked back. Slowly, the man smiled.
"Please tell me this town speaks a civilized language?"
"We do," Jaeda assured him.
His smile grew. "Good. Remove your clothing." He looked across the room. "All of you. If you will not do it yourself, I will have the guards do it for you. Am I understood? You will be cleaned before the Jackal sees you."
So, not the mage. This must be an advisor or someone high in the ranks. Jaeda refused to look away as she untied the two pathetic laces holding her clothes on and let the thin gauze fall to the floor. He nodded, then flicked a finger at her legs.
"All of it. Shoes, undergarments, jewelry."
A handful of women began to timidly take off what they wore, but others refused. The rich man sighed and shook his head, then ordered the guards to give them incentive. While Jaeda worked her shoes from her feet, the other women whimpered in fear.
"You're so brave." Behind her, the girl's voice was the barest hint of a whisper, but it touched her.
Jaeda wasn't brave - she was practical. She knew that making it fast meant it would be over. These men would savage them, one way or another. What she wanted was to keep control of the situation so she could survive it. But if the girl thought Jaeda was brave, then she'd be brave. She'd be braver than she'd ever been before. Someone had to be.
Using her body as a shield, she covered the girl's nudity as they both stripped from their underthings. The teenager wasn't the only shy one in the group. Blondes, brunettes, and even women with autumn hair used their arms for modesty, but Jaeda's brazenness was unique. So was her dusky skin. The guards noticed. They smiled, all trying to get a better and longer look. Jaeda judged them all. She looked for gentleness in their eyes and swelling in their pants. Unfortunately, she got more of the second than the first.
"Clothes in the basket," the rich man demanded. "And everything else. Just drop it in."
A younger guard stepped in carrying a wicker basket. He moved to Jaeda first, since she'd been the most cooperative. In went the pale gauze, lace undergarments, and suede sandals. Before he could ask, she picked up the girl's clothing as well, allowing the frightened teen to keep her hands over her breasts and pelvis. Watching the other women try to obey without exposing themselves was heart-wrenching. They only knew how to value themselves based on their husbands. Their only purpose was to be his plaything. Their only justification for waking up every morning was their belief that they were just and proper women, and the guards were stripping all of that away without laying a single finger on them.
Only when their last possessions had been collected did most of the guards leave. A handful shuffled just out of sight in the hall, but the rich man stayed. He directed a crew of four beautiful women into the cell. They glared, looking at each prisoner with unveiled contempt, then set to washing. Jaeda went first, giving the others the chance to see what was expected. It made it easier.
The servant girls weren't local. Their skins were shades that even Jaeda had never seen, and each one was different. Yellow skin, red, and ivory; round eyes and tear-dropped; tall and short: the four proved just how diverse humans could be. They looked like they'd been picked merely because they were exotic. Jaeda's heart beat faster. None of them were the shade of freshly-tilled soil.
They washed her completely, the