Kingdom of Lust and Lies

Chapter Five

If Xanth's steward, or whatever the man on the opposite side of the door was supposed to be, thought anything of her nudity or the current shape her body was in, he didn't show it. He merely draped a soft blanket over her and gathered her up in his arms like she weighed nothing at all.

Some dormant part of her mind screamed at her that this would be the opportune time to escape, the moment to make good on her silent threat to destroy this place and salt the earth with their bones. But her magic felt like little more than a flicker, as exhausted as the rest of her body was. Drained, possibly, by that damned cilice currently digging into her arm. She could barely pick her head up, let alone fight off the man carrying her down a long hallway lined in stone. They didn't have far to go, so there was only one turn to make a note of in her head. One turn to the right, then down another long hallway. She fought to keep her eyes open.

When they reached what she assumed was her room, she was surprised to find a flurry of activity there. Several women in plain but well-made clothing shuffled in and out of the open doorway. Alayna wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and drift into sweet oblivion, but that well-honed survival instinct had her surveying every inch of the room.

It was... more sophisticated than she might have imagined. The floor was covered in thick, plush rugs of a soft white cream, while the walls were a calming, powdered blue color. A very large bed dominated one wall to her left, surrounded by heavy cream drapes that had been pulled open, supported by thick posts made of a gilded, golden material. One woman stood beside it, pulling down the bedspread, which was the same shade of powdered blue as the walls. Across from the bed, on her right, two women worked to build a fire in the gilded gold hearth, large enough Alayna swore she could roast game inside of it. A small table sat in front of the hearth, flanked by two overstuffed chairs.

On the wall next to the door stood an armoire big enough to hold more clothes than she'd ever possessed in her entire life. What drew her attention most, however, were the heavy cream curtains dominating the wall directly across from her. Windows? An escape route, perhaps.

Following the direction of her gaze, the man carrying her snorted derisively. "Don't get any ideas. You are very, very high up."

Perhaps not, then.

He stepped further inside the room, carrying her past the bed and the hearth, then turning right into a room she hadn't seen before. It was decorated in a similar fashion to the bedroom and all it took was one look at the enormous tub to tell her this was the bathing room. One woman worked tirelessly at a pump jutting up from the stone floor, water filling the tub in spurts. He walked right up to the tub and addressed the woman filling it.

"Is it ready?"

She nodded.

"I'll leave her with you, then. He's in a mood." Alayna swore the woman gave him a sympathetic nod before he sat her on her feet, stripped the blanket from around her shoulders and left without another word.

Alayna had never been modest or shy, but being suddenly naked in a strange room, with strange women milling about, seemed to stir a long-dormant sense of modesty in her. She tried to cover herself, but her weak knees threatened to give out and she stumbled.

Strong but gentle hands gripped her upper arms from behind. "I know you're tired, but try to stay awake until after you've had a bath and a bite of dinner. You'll feel better."

Alayna didn't know where the woman had come from, but she spoke in a gentle tone. Not sympathetic, but gentle. With her help, Alayna was able to climb the two steps leading into the tub. She sunk down immediately, a rather embarrassing moan falling from her lips as her entire body was enveloped in hot water. If she'd been alone, she would have happily fallen asleep right there, content to let the hot water ease the aches she only just now realized she carried.

But she was not alone and these women were on a mission. She'd barely closed her eyes before they surrounded her on the three open sides of the tub, picking up her arms and beginning to scrub them with soft, soapy cloth.

Alayna tried to extract herself from their grips. "I can bathe myself."

"You couldn't drown a kitten right now," one of them said.

Fair enough. Alayna consented to letting them wash her, at least until it came to her most intimate bits. She mustered her energy and snatched the cloth away, insisting that yes, she could and would wash those parts of herself without assistance, thank you very much.

After she was cleaned thoroughly and her hair washed, they helped her from the tub and toweled her dry, then slid a sheer, thin sleeping gown over her head. It was nearly transparent, but Alayna supposed she should be thankful she was given anything at all to wear. They guided her from the bathing room and into the bedroom, then sat her down at the table in front of the hearth. A hearty stew sat steaming in a bowl, making her stomach rumble. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was.

She forced herself to eat, even as one of the women began running a comb through her long, wet hair. The sensation of having her hair brushed coupled with the warmth from the hearth nearly had her falling asleep in the bowl. She would sleep for just a few hours, she told herself as they led her to the bed and drew the covers over her. Just a few hours to regain her strength and then she would investigate the windows to see just how high 'very, very' was.