Chapter 3
It didn’t take long for Dae to realize that the mysterious Hafl al’iilkhlas multahab was a secret known to every other person in the palace besides herself. Assuming it would be easy enough to glean an insightful definition from one of the other harem girls, she grew ever more frustrated as her enquiries on what the ritual entailed were met universally with knowing smiles and evasive innuendos. Even when she approached the harem guards she was foiled…and as the mystery grew deeper, so too did her need to find out more.
Even as a child, Dae had never had much patience for surprises. She would eavesdrop on her parents whenever they were discussing a gift for her, would sneak out to the stables where her father often hid her presents, and would sulk petulantly on those occasions when her efforts proved unsuccessful. A few times she’d even peaked through keyholes while her parents met with her potential suitors, curious to learn more of whom she would be marrying. With the entire palace seemingly part of the conspiracy, Dae quickly worked herself into an obsession over the enigmatic ritual…spurred on by the fact that Inaya was watching her efforts with a maddening little smile plastered on her face, clearly enjoying every moment of her irritation.
Even Zafirah was no help at all.
“Zafirah?”
“Hmm?”
“What is ‘Hafl al’iilkhlas multahab?’” Dae kept her tone carefully casual, then watched her lover’s expression closely as they lay in the Scion’s bed, recovering from another night of passionate lovemaking. She saw a dark eyebrow lift slightly, but Zafirah’s expression remained neutral.
“What have you heard?”
“Oh, only a little.” Her fingers toyed idly with a lock of dark hair. “Inaya told me a bit of what’s involved.”
“Did she now?”
“Uh huh. I was just wondering if you could maybe…explain it a bit better?”
“It is a simple enough ritual,” Zafirah remarked in a suspiciously innocent tone. “I would have thought one of your brethren would be better able to answer your questions than myself, since they are more directly involved.”
Dae nearly growled. “I’ve tried them already.”
“And they were not helpful?”
“Not particularly.”
“Let me guess: there were a lot of knowing smiles, wandering eyes, and some promises that you should enjoy the ceremony very much, correct?”
“And a whole lot of giggles as soon as I turned my back,” Dae added with a scowl, realizing her bedmate wasn’t going to be any help; she was already in on the secret.
Zafirah lifted Dae’s hand to her lips and kissed her palm. “You look so adorable when your will is thwarted, Tahirah. No wonder they cannot resist teasing you.”
“Hmph.” Dae pulled her hand away. “I’m going to be your Consort. You shouldn’t be keeping secrets from me.”
Zafirah wrapped her arms around Dae’s body, laying apologetic kisses along her collarbone. “It is a surprise, aziza, not a secret,” she breathed into her ear. “There is a difference.”
“I want to know!” Dae tried to hold a reproachful tone, but Zafirah wasn’t making it easy.
“All will be revealed in time.” Still holding her tight, Zafirah rolled them over, pulling Dae on top of her. “Would you like me to distract your thoughts with something more…satisfying?”
Dae’s hands were already exploring her partner’s naked chest—an entirely unconscious action—but she paused suddenly, a new thought occurring. “Maybe I’m too tired.”
“Oh, I doubt that.”
“Mmm…yeah, definitely tired.” She faked a yawn. “I don’t really feel in the mood for more right now.”
Zafirah assumed a tragically crestfallen look. “Oh. You are certain?”
“Uh huh.”
“Well…if you are fatigued, of course we should sleep.”
Dae’s hands immediately resumed their wanderings. “On the other hand, perhaps if you told me more about the ritual, I’d start to feel more lively…” she mused aloud. “After all, you wouldn’t want me to be ill-prepared, right?” Leaning forward, Dae let her long blonde hair brush over Zafirah’s breasts, pleased with the shudder of delight the action inspired. She gave Zafirah her most plaintive, adoring expression. “Pleeeeease…?”
Zafirah’s hands were doing some exploring of their own, caressing from Dae’s backside up her spine to her shoulder-blades, then down her arms. Wet heat flared where Dae’s center was pressed into her lover’s pelvis, and she watched Zafirah’s sapphire eyes darken.
“But I could never forgive myself if I ruined your surprise, little one.”
Dae’s expression twisted in the blink of an eye from a pout to a scowl. “This isn’t fair!” she insisted, trying her best to sound stern, though her voice quavered when Zafirah ran a finger down past her belly and began teasing it along the crease of her upper thigh.
“I know.” The finger roamed slowly around until it encountered liquid heat. “But you do not seem tired anymore, Tahirah. In fact…” Dae’s hips were starting a subtle grind, and Zafirah grinned wolfishly, “you feel very much awake.”
“Yesssss.” Dae’s eyes slid shut, her head lolled back, and she arched her body deeper into the caress.
“Shall I distract you from your thoughts?” Zafirah asked again.
Realizing her libido was firmly in control, Dae accepted defeat with an encouraging moan, giving herself over to the pleasure of Zafirah’s attentions without further protest.
* * *
Dae didn’t hold Zafirah’s silence against her. She quickly concluded that the whole intrigue had been instigated by Inaya, and while she would have liked nothing better than to spend her time interrogating her friend until she gave in and told her what was so damn special about the ritual, Inaya was being very helpful to her in other areas.
While she refused to give anything away regarding the ritual, Inaya patiently coached Dae on everything she needed to know about the other pre-joining ceremonies, thus alleviating a good deal of her apprehension. She and her fellows also began instructing her on other subjects too important to ignore, like the history of the Jaharri tribes; their diverse legends, skills and customs, as well as the hierarchy of the city, with its traders, guilds, and assorted collectives. Dae enjoyed these lessons a great deal, finding the desert culture fascinating, and she knew they would be important to her future as Zafirah’s Consort.
Still, when the day came for her to petition the council and the High Priestess for their consent to her joining, Dae found her palms sweating as she was escorted into a large, marble-lined divan where the council held audience. While her escort announced her name and intentions to the room, Dae studied each of the members nervously. She’d stood before these people once before, when renegade nomads had acquired guns from the Tasurik Empire, and Zafirah had asked her to share her knowledge of the foreign weapons which were unknown in the desert. Her assistance had aided Zafirah in developing a strategy to defeat the renegades before they could launch a successful attack against the allied tribes. A few of the council members offered Dae warm smiles and nods of recognition, which she returned.
One person in the chamber, standing separate from the others, was a stranger to her—a young woman wearing a simple yet elegant white robe and gold head-dress. Her eyes were the most peculiar color, like deep pools of darkest amber, and they settled on her with benign curiosity. Dae realized with some surprise that this was the High Priestess of Inshal, one of the most powerful and influential people in the Jaharri desert, head of a religion which had its followers in every corner of the realms. She stiffened slightly under her inspection. The Priestess wasn’t at all what Dae had been expecting. Instead of the gray-haired, elderly matron she’d pictured in her mind, the Priestess was young and vibrant, her lustrous black hair tied in an elaborate braid that flowed over her shoulder and down her side. She carried herself with a regal posture of self-assurance, her expression calm and serene.
Gods, she can’t be more than a year or two older than I am! Dae marveled, letting her eyes roam over the Priestess’ figure. And she’s gorgeous! I wonder if she and Zafirah ever…
As soon as the licentious thought entered her head, Dae blushed deeply and turned her attention to a less sacrilegious study of her own bare feet. When she chanced a furtive glance at the Priestess again, she found those intense eyes still watching her, an amused smile now curving her full, sensuous lips. Dae’s cheeks grew hotter still—she had a feeling the High Priestess knew exactly what she’d been thinking.
Once Dae had been announced by her escort, the High Priestess stood and addressed the gathering. “You come before us to claim the right to join with our Scion, Zafirah Al’Intisar?” Her voice was low and musical, but it carried a sense of power that filled the divan.
Dae nodded. “I do.”
“By what right do you make this claim?”
“By the right of our love,” Dae replied properly, reciting the words Inaya had made her memorize, “which we would have bind us together in the eyes of the Goddess.”
The Priestess smiled at her. “And do you make this claim of your own free will, without coercion or constraint?”
“Only the constraint of my heart, which beats in concert with hers.”
“And what will you sacrifice to have your love consecrated in the eyes of heaven and earth?”
“I will sacrifice all that I own, all that I am, to become one with Zafirah.”
“And are you prepared to declare your love in the holy Temple of Inshal, that all may bear witness to your commitment and acknowledge you are bound to one another, body, heart, and soul?”
“I will be honored to speak my devotion before Inshal,” Dae confirmed, “and to accept her blessing if my love is found worthy.”
The High Priestess folded her hands together in front of herself. “Then I, Sakinah Al’Ikram, as earthly voice of our Goddess Inshal, hereby consent to your right to join with Zafirah Al’Intisar.” Her eyes swept the room. “Do any present at this tribal council wish to speak before granting their consent?”
There was silence for a long moment before one of the council members, a man of advanced years with graying hair and skin like worn leather, stood and regarded Dae seriously. “I will speak.”
Sakinah nodded her accord. “Then we shall hear your words, Heras of the Bharinah tribe.”
Dae shifted uncertainly under Heras’ cool appraisal. She had exhausted her prepared words and felt worried without their reassuring comfort.
“You were born far from the Jaharri,” Heras said after studying her with his piercing, hawk-like eyes for a long minute, “in the lands beyond the Thunder Peaks east of the desert, is that correct, Dae?”
“I-it is.”
“And you were brought into our lands against your will, were you not?”
“By slavers, yes.”
“Yet you would be willing to sever those ties to your homeland and remain here in El’Kasari to be with Zafirah? You are of a noble lineage, I am told; such blood-ties do not break easily, in my experience.”
Dae considered her reply carefully, remembering Inaya’s advice: Think before you speak, answer honestly, and don’t be intimidated. “I have no intention of severing my ties to my homeland,” she said eventually. “I was born in the Heartland; that is my heritage, my origin, and I would never seek to deny it. But my love for Zafirah was born here in the Jaharri, and I would no sooner leave this land than I would leave that love. Whatever the path that led me here, El’Kasari is my home now. I consider myself to be of the desert.”
Heras nodded approvingly, but his bushy eyebrows furrowed. “And you would bind yourself to our Scion? Commit yourself to become Consort?”
“With honor.”
“And do you understand what it is to be Consort? Do you understand the power you shall inherit? The responsibility to those you will take to be your people? The city you shall steward?”
Dae fought the urge to fidget with the hem of her trousers. “I…I am learning.”
“Zafirah is teaching you?”
“Yes…as are others.”
The High Priestess interjected then, much to Dae’s relief. “The ways of both the tribes and the city are complex and take time to comprehend in full. We understand and appreciate your efforts in embracing our way of life here, Dae,” she said in her soft, intense tone. “I do not doubt that your commitment to the desert and its people will be any less devoted than your commitment to Zafirah.” Her attention shifted back to Heras. “We will be patient as you learn more of your new role.”
Dae nodded her thanks to the High Priestess.
Heras still looked skeptical. “I have heard it whispered among the spahi that our Scion has planned an excursion to take you out into the deep desert. To the camp of the Herak, so you may meet her mother and spend time among her people. Is this true?”
“Um…yes, I-I believe so.”
“Hmm.” Heras scratched the stubble on his cheek thoughtfully. “And you would be willing to undertake this journey? To learn more of the nomads and their way of life?”
“I would.” Dae had, in truth, given little thought to the promised outing; she was certainly looking forward to meeting Zafirah’s mother, though it would mean venturing out of the city and into the hostile wilds of the desert. Yet her answer seemed to please Heras, for he offered her a gap-toothed smile.
“No outlander I have ever met would care enough to make such a journey. I am satisfied,” he told the High Priestess, reclaiming his seat at the council and leveling a glare at the others around him as though challenging them to disagree.
Sakinah stood and asked again for any questions. This time, Dae breathed a quiet sigh of relief when no-one stepped forward. Holding her arms out to her sides, the High Priestess declared, “The council has recognized your right to join with Zafirah Al’Intisar, and shall bear witness to your oaths of commitment with the rising of the next full moon.” Sakinah smiled fully then, dimpling her cheeks, and in that moment her beauty transformed from merely impressive to something extraordinary…something breathtaking. Her strange eyes seemed to glow with life and merriment. “Mabrook, Dae.”
Dae smiled in return, momentarily dazzled by the Priestess’ inhuman beauty. It was not unlike looking at the sun, and she cast her eyes to the ground on reflex. “Th-thank you.” She listened while the council session was concluded, expecting her escort to lead her back to the seraglio. Instead, when she looked up Dae found the High Priestess approaching with a smooth, elegant stride. Swallowing around the nervous lump that formed in her throat, she realized for the first time just how petite the Priestess truly was; she had to be at least an inch shorter than Dae. Still, though slender of frame and figure, Dae couldn’t help acknowledging privately that the white-robed woman was even more attractive up close.
“Ya sallam, Dae,” the High Priestess greeted, coming to stand before her. “It is an honor to finally meet you face to face.”
Dae managed an awkward little bow. “Th-the honor is mine, Priestess.”
“My name is Sakinah, child. As Consort-to-be, you need not address me by my title.” Sakinah touched Dae’s chin with a delicate hand, lifting her face and studying it curiously from each side. “I must confess, when I first heard the rumor that our Scion had fallen in love with a young outlander she had rescued from slavers and taken into her harem, I laughed aloud at the notion. It was only after the rumors persisted that I began to consider the possibility that perhaps Zafirah’s heart could be moved by more than lust and passion.”
Dae held herself stiffly under the blatant inspection, still somewhat enchanted by the beauty of the woman touching her. Though Sakinah’s touch was light, there was something in the way those slender fingers cupped her chin that told Dae this woman, however young and unimposing she appeared, was accustomed to being obeyed. When the hand released her, Dae retreated back a pace.
Sakinah’s eyes were friendly as they took in the rest of her body. “The people whisper of your beauty and grace throughout the palace, even into the city and the desert beyond. I see now that their descriptions do not do you justice.”
Again, Dae felt her cheeks grow flush; this woman had an intoxicatingly sexual aura not unlike Zafirah’s. “Thank you.”
Another dazzling smile showed Sakinah’s even, white teeth. “I begin to understand now how it is that the Scion lost her heart to you. How could anyone not fall in love with innocence in so lovely a form?” Sakinah laughed in delight when Dae’s blush deepened. “Forgive me, I have embarrassed you, child.”
“No, it…it’s fine.” Dae let her hair fall forward to hide her face in a childish gesture. “I just—”
“Do not be shy, Dae.” Again, her hand lifted Dae’s eyes back from the floor. “By Inshal, if you color so easily from a simple compliment, I can only imagine what happens when you are being loved by Zafirah!”
The tease made Dae laugh and relax. She found her gaze wandering over Sakinah’s features, trying to discern what in particular set the spark of her beauty into something so transcendent. Those hypnotic eyes…? she wondered. That smile? She couldn’t decide. Perhaps it was her simple presence—an ethereal quality which seemed to combine knowledge and understanding with a child’s curiosity at the newness of the world. Dae concluded that Sakinah seemed a perfect High Priestess for the enigmatic Goddess: strong yet delicate, sensual yet waifish, wise yet wondering.
“I believe you shall make a fine Consort for Zafirah,” Sakinah continued when she saw Dae grow tongue-tied. Taking hold of her arm, the Priestess began leading her toward the chamber entrance, talking as they walked. “It will be a great honor for me to preside over your joining ceremony. I understand that the Gods of your homeland are much akin to those of the desert…though your people interpret their teachings quite differently. Tell me, do you feel comfortable consecrating your love in the name of Inshal?”
“Of course.” Dae finally located her tongue. “I only learned a little about Inshal growing up, but was taught she represented the destructive, wild instinct that poisoned men’s minds. My people mostly worship Tarsis…order and discipline.”
“Tarsis, the Sacred Scales.” Sakinah nodded. “To the Jaharri, he is rigid and unwavering…the God who would rather break than bend. Strange, is it not, how the same entity may be viewed differently, depending upon the angle of observation?”
“I suppose so. My parents were never especially devout, but like everyone else they adhered to the teachings of the priesthood…including those that forbade certain relationships.”
“These teachings would condemn you for your love of Zafirah, no?”
Dae nodded faintly.
“So I have learned.” Sakinah sighed. “It has always seemed strange to me that people would worship a God who punishes those who sin. It conflicts with everything I have been taught on matters of faith. Inshal does not punish; she rewards us with life and purpose, challenge and need. She is the rains that fall in the springtime, the cry of a newborn lamb…victory in battle…” Her voice dropped momentarily to a throaty purr. “…ecstasy in the night. When Inshal and her mate, Badriya, first consummated their love, it was the fire of their passion that scorched the land and forged the Jaharri desert. Though I realize our beliefs must differ greatly from other cultures, I cannot understand how love can be viewed as an offense which must be chastised.”
Dae nodded in agreement, having struggled a long time to accept this truth herself. “In my homeland, love—or more specifically, lust—is viewed as something to be ashamed of. Carnal pleasure—sex without the intention of having a child—is seen as degraded…a base, animal urge. Tarsis teaches that mankind stands above the animal kingdom, and must naturally be above animalistic impulses.” Dae smiled wryly at the beautiful Priestess. “Since I came here, I’ve come to understand that feeling desire, and wanting to feel pleasure, isn’t something to be ashamed of.”
“Indeed.” Sakinah raised a delicately plucked eyebrow. “Yet you blushed when I admired you just now?”
Dae chuckled. “I suppose it’s something I’m still getting used to.”
“Ahh, I see.” Arriving at the great archway that led into the palace proper, Sakinah stopped and turned to face Dae fully. “Well, I shall let you return to the seraglio, child. Again, it was a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Dae bowed. “Likewise.”
Sakinah leaned closer, the tip of her tongue sliding across her lips. “Perhaps someday you might like to visit us at the Temple?” she suggested, her tone dropping to a lower pitch. “I would be delighted to teach you more about our religion.”
“Absolutely, I’d enjoy that,” Dae agreed, always grateful for another teacher. It was only when Sakinah reached out and trailed her fingertips lightly down her arm that Dae noticed the sparkle of seduction in her eyes.
“I have heard that in your homeland, disciples of Tarsis typically commit themselves to lives of chastity and physical abstinence. Is this true?”
Dae swallowed hard, stunned that so delicate a young woman could project such a powerful aura of desire. “Y-yes.”
“Perhaps in the future, you might permit me to demonstrate how such is not the case for the acolytes of Inshal.”
“Um…sh-sure…that sounds…interesting.” She shivered when Sakinah pressed her lithe figure fully against her for a split second before withdrawing. “I uh…I am quite curious to learn more about Inshal.”
“It would be an honor to teach you of our faith,” Sakinah purred. “And as your mate, I have no doubt Zafirah would be keen to assist with your…enlightenment.”
Dae recovered her wits slightly, this situation being one she was quite familiar with from her time in the harem. She smiled the same coy smile she employed against the other pleasure-servants whenever they propositioned her. “I’m certain we’d both enjoy a chance to explore our spirituality together.”
“I look forward to seeing you again then.” The way Sakinah’s playful gaze wandered down to her cleavage seemed to promise a more carnal inspection lay in the future. “We shall have much to discuss.”
Dae returned the flirtatious look with one of her own—something she’d been guiltily practicing in the mirror these last few weeks, striving to emulate the other pleasure-servants—before she turned and followed her escort back out into the airy palace hallways. She made a mental note to ask Zafirah more about the lovely High Priestess the first chance she got, and perhaps see how she felt about visiting the temple together for some ‘spiritual guidance.’
Only later that night as she lay in Zafirah’s arms, breathing in the scent of incense and the aftermath of their lovemaking, did Dae think perhaps she should have taken the opportunity to ask Sakinah about Hafl al’iilkhlas multahab.