Desert Siren

Seventeen

Jayza was beyond furious. Tavan had done it again. Left her shackled while he went out. She had been stunned into speechlessness when he made his announcement, shortly after Last Meal was done. Despite her anger, she had not resisted when he cuffed the tether around her wrist. Instead, she simply stood and glared, disapproval radiating off her in waves.

"I need to think, little one," he said apologetically as he attached the other end to the bedpost. "And I need to do it without being distracted. I promise not to be gone long."

"Just like you promised last night," she hissed, finding her voice. "The only difference is you're not telling me where you're going."

"For a walk, Jayza, not that I need to inform you of anything. But you've given me a lot of information in a short amount of time. And I'm not sure what to believe. I just need a little time to think things over. I promise I'll be back soon."

Jayza had turned her back on him, refusing his offer of parchment and ink in case she wanted to amuse herself. When he bent to kiss her, she jerked away, placing her hand up to keep him from connecting. He had sighed and left, wishing her a good night before closing the door softly.

Now she sat in the bed, her rage a white-hot ball in her chest. She hoped she hadn't made a huge mistake in telling him the true history of the Seven Lands. She had been so sure his claims of being highly educated meant he could look at things objectively. But she had failed to take into account his statements about how the Empire was everything to him. Should he decide to tell the Emperor what she had said, she would never see the light of day again. And she had not made him promise not to tell the Emperor anything besides the other things she could do. Cursing herself for once again not thinking things all the way through, she punched the pillow scrunched in her lap repeatedly while thinking up new and inventive ways of killing him when he finally set her free.

When he finally returned before Center Night, she was curled on her side, fast asleep with the pillow clutched to her chest. The opening door roused her, and she sat up, her rage returning in a split second. As soon as the door opened, the pillow went flying and she reached for a second to send after the first.

"Nice of you to come back," she said hotly, her rage palpable. "At least it's still dark."

Tavan caught both pillows, batting them to the side as he moved into the room. Coming to the side of the bed, he unlocked the cuff, then quickly stepped back when Jayza launched herself at him. Grabbing her by the wrists, he held her tightly, his eyes dark and angry also.

"Stop, Jayza," he warned, his words sharp. His face was hard, and his lips were drawn down in a snarl. "You keep forgetting you're a prisoner. This behavior is unacceptable, and I've given you far too much freedom. If you continue, I'll shackle you every minute of every day until we reach Culan. And I'll put you back in rags."

Jayza stilled, her mouth dropping in shock. Tavan was angry. Really angry. And that anger was apparently directed at her. But the reason for it escaped her. Any anger that her lesson had caused should be at the Emperor, not her. Hiding her own anger, she sought to discover why he had returned in such a foul mood. And why that foul mood was directed at her. "What did I say, General? What has made you so angry that you feel the need to threaten me?"

"You lied, Jayza. About your ability to read. About how knowledgeable you are. Hell's, woman, you even lied about Pinchka. A stupid game and you couldn't even admit to how much skill you had in it." Tavan's face was pinched and Jayza could now see what appeared to be hurt under his anger. But that didn't excuse his behavior. Especially since his accusation had no basis in fact.

"I never lied, General Enyo. I kept things to myself, but I never lied." She quietly pointed out his misunderstanding, bracing herself for another explosion.