Returned

by Kimberley Griffiths Little

  I was now unarmed. The footsteps sounded louder on the stairs, coming closer every moment. “Kadesh!” I screamed, hoping he would wake from his unconscious state.

  His legs jerked again, and the hem of his cloak fluttered. His hands were bound behind his back, and he had no way to release himself. Even if he could release himself, he’d drop instantly and die from that height.

  A shout came up the stairwell, and someone was calling my name. Before I could move again, Asher leaped up the last level of stairs and I ran toward him, never so glad to see him in all my life.

  “Asher! How did you know I was here?”

  “I intercepted Basim and he told me you were headed to the mountains,” he whispered, keeping his voice low. “When I saw your camel outside this old fortress, my hunch was correct. Nowhere else in the city could Aliyah attempt to intimidate you or Kadesh into bending to her will.”

  I grasped his hands, but Aliyah was moving about the upper chamber, her wild hair floating on an unseen breeze.

  “Where’s Ka—” his voice cut off when I directed his gaze upward. “It appears I should have left Sariba earlier,” he said between gritted teeth.

  “I could say the same,” I replied.

  Asher stared up at Aliyah whose long white fingers trailed across the railing.

  “Now I have you both,” the woman said.

  “But you only get one of us,” I reminded her. “You said so yourself.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “To save Kadesh, Jayden will offer herself to me by throwing herself into the stairwell. Don’t you remember making me that promise at the temple, Jayden? You said you would sacrifice yourself to keep your family and Kadesh safe. Now we’re here to collect your debt.”

  Anger surged through me like fire in my gut while Aliyah continued in her maddening pompous tone.

  “A freely offered sacrifice carries great power. Your love will release Kadesh and imbue me with all the traits I need to rule. I will be both loved and feared. A stunning combination for a queen, don’t you think?”

  “My weapons are gone,” I confessed to Asher in a low voice, keeping my grip on his arm, terrified that Aliyah would suddenly snatch me away.

  “There must be a way to get Kadesh down,” Asher said. Together, we moved across the upper landing to inspect the pulley and ropes holding the king up near the timbered beams of the roof.

  Aliyah threw a knife, narrowly missing Asher. “Stop where you are and obey me.”

  A strange resolution formed in Asher’s features. The expression caught at my heart, and I was worried about what risks he would take to save Kadesh. The young Edomite prince would do almost anything, and I didn’t want it to come to that. There had to be another way.

  “No, Aliyah, you will die this day,” Asher told the woman. “For war, for murder, and for treason. The Goddess temple will crumble and fall with your death.”

  A laugh escaped Aliyah’s mouth. “You are all so naïve. Nobody can best the power of the Goddess within me!”

  Grasping a staff from an old table, Aliyah threw it straight across the railing at us like a spear. Asher whipped out his sword and knocked out the staff, sending it right back at Aliyah who had to duck to avoid a direct hit in the throat.

  With a scream of fury, Aliyah charged at Asher and tried to knock him down the stairs, but he fended her off. When his grip on his sword slipped, the priestess managed to gain control of the hilt, sending the sword sailing down through the stairwell where it landed on the floor below with a clang of bronze.

  My throat burned with fear. All of our weapons were now five floors below us.

  “Without a weapon,” Asher said, “there’s no way to cut the ropes and get Kadesh down.”

  “But she can’t win,” I said with despair. “Not like this, not after everything.” I sagged against him, and Asher’s arm went around me. I stared up into his face. “I will gladly die so Kadesh can live and have a chance. Sariba needs her king. He and I are not married, and I hold no crown.”

  Asher’s face hardened. “You can’t give up, my lady.”

  We stared at each other for a long moment, and then Asher turned his head toward Aliyah. “You need a sacrifice to convince you to bring Kadesh down from that rope? Will that fulfill your supposed magic and curse?”

  “Oh, but it’s a curse that includes a great blessing. As soon as the requirements are met, Kadesh will wake up from the sleeping potion I gave him when he came to the temple last night. He will live and then, Prince of Edom, you may help your new queen—me—bring him home again. It’s very simple.”

  “What if I offer myself as your ill-gotten sacrifice, Aliyah?”

  Her eyes burned with a malicious light. “You would sacrifice yourself for both Kadesh and this girl, a princess of a tribe that no longer exists?” Aliyah paced the floor, sweeping the hem of her dirty gown along the stone squares. “A most interesting offer since a willing sacrifice is that much more powerful. With your sacrifice I have the chance to rule forever.”

  “No!” I said, shoving my hands at Asher. “You will not do this! There must be another way to stop her.”

  “Time’s running out,” Aliyah said evenly. “When the moon sinks below the zenith of the sky, Kadesh will die and I will be Queen of Sariba. The sacrifice must be tonight.”

  “Don’t believe her, Asher!”

  “She speaks truth,” Asher said sadly.

  “What are you talking about? You need to go home with your father to your mother and your family. Go home to the girl that waits for you in your future. You do have a future, I know it.”

  He took my hands in his, his brow knitted together.

  “I see your thoughts, Jayden, my queen, but I’ve had so many faults and transgressions over the past year. Someone else will make a finer king, perhaps my younger sister will be the next Queen of Edom. There is no girl in my future.”

  “You can’t say that,” I contradicted.

  “There has only ever been one girl I’ve loved.”

  “No!” The word choked in my throat and I pounded on his chest with my fist. “We need to figure out a way to do this.”

  Asher’s face was pale. “We have no weapons, and Aliyah has Kadesh drugged with her poisons, the High Priest waiting in the wings to kill us if we try to fight her.”

  I shook with anger and helplessness. “Aliyah can’t win, Asher, she can’t. We cannot allow it.”

  “She won’t,” he said with a sad smile. “This is it. Now. We can beat her once and for all. I have loved you, Jayden, daughter of Pharez. It was wrong for me to have loved the woman who belongs to my dearest friend. This is a chance to redeem myself. By doing this, I’ll set you and Kadesh free forever.”

  I fought back the rising tears. “No, Asher, please stop saying these things. There has to be another way.”

  “Trust me,” he said, speaking low so that only I could hear. His forehead lowered to mine and the back of his hand brushed gently against my cheek.

  My lips parted to speak, but nothing came out. This boy. This crazy, foolish, selfless boy willing to sacrifice his life for Kadesh and me.

  “You have always been there to protect me,” I told him. Gazing deeply into his eyes, I lifted my face to press my lips to his. His skin was feverish with love and fear, but his arms came around me and I pressed myself to him, giving him the wish of his heart.

  He kissed me for a long moment of utter stillness, and I was acutely aware of the pounding of his heart beneath his tunic. It was a kiss meant only for him, a token of my affection for his friendship and protection the last many months.

  When we broke apart, I said, “I will never forget you, Prince of Edom. Go to God, Asher. Go in peace.”

  He gave me a soft smile and then bent over my hand to kiss my palm.

  Aliyah mocked us from the top of the stairs that separated us. “How precious, you two. If I’d only known—”

  “Let’s make a run for our weapons,” I started to say, but I never finished my sentenc
e.

  Before Aliyah could continue taunting us over the kiss I had just given to Asher, I watched as the Prince of Edom flung himself around the railing, grabbing the priestess with both arms and then jumping into the blackness of the empty stairwell, taking her with him to their deaths.

  It happened so quickly Aliyah never had a chance. The woman’s screams reverberated off the empty chambers all the way down to the bottom of the fortress.

  I closed my ears to the terrible thud of their bodies and then sank to the floor, dissolving into grief. My heart broke into a thousand pieces at his incredibly brave act. “Oh, Asher,” I moaned. “I’m sorry. I’m so terribly sorry.”

  Tears streamed down my face while I rose to my shaky feet and tried to light a fresh candle to hunt for my sword.

  On each floor, I searched through the debris, finally finding my sword and dagger lying in the dust. Grabbing them up, I raced back to Kadesh and studied the pulley’s knots to release him. Sawing at the complicated knot, it finally loosened enough so that I could turn the crank to bring him down safely.

  It seemed to take forever, but Kadesh finally slumped to the floor, his cloak folding around him in a heap.

  I lifted his body into my arms, cradling his head in the crook of my arm. “Kadesh, wake up!” I cried.

  He stirred and I pressed my lips against his forehead, his blind eye, his scars, and every part of his face. My heart pulsed so hard I thought it would leap straight out of my chest, but he didn’t wake. Surely the drug would eventually wear off. I knew Aliyah hadn’t poisoned him. It was only a strong sleeping draught to bring him out here to this castle, unable to fight her.

  Rocking him in the twilight, I waited, bathing his face with cold water from my leather water pouch. Finally, Kadesh’s eyes fluttered open, and he blinked against the candlelight. “Is Horeb dead?” he whispered, reaching up to tangle his fingers in my hair. A sob caught in his throat, and then he buried his face into my neck, bringing me down on top of him. We embraced so tightly my arms trembled.

  “Yes, Horeb is dead,” I assured him. “Aliyah is dead, too. It’s over, Kadesh. It’s truly over.”

  This time, I was the one to help Kadesh lift himself up onto Shay. He was weak and almost incoherent. I tied him to my waist with rope so he didn’t collapse and fall off the camel.

  We rode quietly through the ravines and hills of the mountains as dawn lit the new sky.

  34

  After several more hours, the lights of the city came into view, including the dark waters of the sea beyond. I left the edge of the desert and pressed my thighs against Shay’s belly, urging her forward.

  By the time the gates of the city were in sight, Kadesh began to wake more fully from his drugged state. “Home,” he said, twisting around to grasp my hands.

  I untied the rope between us, and we slid off Shay. He wrapped his arms around me, and I laid my head on his chest. His heart was steady and sure, and I stopped fearing any long-lasting effects of Aliyah’s sleeping potion.

  At the moment I could hardly do more than weep from exhaustion and relief, but I needed to send Basim back to the castle to retrieve Asher’s body so we could give him a prince’s burial. I thought about his parents, Chemish and Isra, and my heart physically hurt inside my chest. Our shared kiss was a secret I’d hold inside for the rest of my life.

  “The war is finished?” Kadesh asked again. “Tell me what happened.”

  “We have plenty of time, my love,” I said, tracing the fading scar along his cheek. “Right now there are a lot of people who want to know that you are alive. Once we’re home I refuse to let you out of my sight for the next month.”

  Kadesh brushed at my hair, cradling my neck with both hands. “You’re real. I feared so many things—”

  “Shh,” I whispered, putting a finger to his lips. “We can talk about all of it later. I’m dead on my feet, but it’s finally over. And I want to marry you as fast as possible. Uncle Josiah and Pharez need to sign our new marriage covenant. It’s waiting for us in your suite, remember? Chemish is waiting for you, as well as Aunt Naomi and General Naham—and your new commander, Basim, who will escort the Queen of Sheba back home to her people.”

  “Oh, Jayden,” he said, gathering me up in his arms. I blinked back the emotion biting at my eyes, not wanting to break down when he seemed so fragile after his ordeal with Aliyah.

  “What of Asher?” Kadesh asked, pulling back to look at me. “Please tell me he survived the final battle.”

  “The final battle,” I echoed. “The battle with Horeb’s armies or the battle with Aliyah?” My throat constricted. What could I say? I needed to tell him the whole story, but how?

  His face filled with sudden sorrow, instinctively discerning that I had bad news. “Oh, Jayden, no, please no.”

  I pulled Kadesh against me, stifling a sob. “Asher offered the ultimate sacrifice for both of us,” I whispered at last.

  Kadesh dropped to the earth, his hands covering his face in grief.

  I knelt with him as the early morning sun broke over the mountains. “Asher died nobly with a pure heart. He died to save you and me. He sacrificed himself because it was the only way to assure Aliyah would never threaten us or the kingdom of Sariba again. He died loving you to the end, and loving Sariba. When I think back over the past year, it’s clear that Asher would do anything for us—and he did, over and over again.”

  Two days after rescuing Kadesh, I finally had my entire family under one roof.

  After Aliyah’s death, Leila finally came down from the temple in response to my pleading letter. Our reunion was both joyful and melancholy, but my sister did not want to talk about the young woman she had followed and revered, even though we hadn’t seen each other since the night of the solstice sacrifices.

  Today I was glad to see her in the royal apartments playing with Sahmril, the first chance they’d had to be together.

  Leila had crafted a ball from scraps of fabric and yarn, and Sahmril squealed as she ran from corner to corner trying to catch it. When she giggled, the sound of her laughter was infectious. I wished my mother could see how precious she was. How alive she was. That we were here, all together after so long.

  When I entered the room, Sahmril jumped into my arms and I buried my face into her silky dark curls, kissing her cheeks and tickling her belly. Soon Tijah brought out a plate of sugared fruit for a snack and, while Sahmril ate, Leila and I sat before the window staring out at the city below us.

  “It’s been a long time since we were together like this,” I said. She gazed back at me, and then said simply, “I’m still going to marry him.”

  My heart turned over to hear her say that. I reached out to stroke her hair, her elegant shoulders soft underneath the temple silks she wore.

  “Your Egyptian lover?” I asked. “Is a High Priestess allowed to marry outside of the Ba’al priesthood?”

  She pressed her pomegranate-red lips together. “The priestess cult is disbanded temporarily. I will probably move back to Tadmur or perhaps live with my husband in the city of Thebes in Egypt.”

  “I’ve heard grand things about that capitol city.”

  “You know I always wanted to go to Egypt,” she said, bringing back those long-ago sisterly conversations.

  “I’m sure you’ll love it,” I told her, despite the fact that if she did go to Egypt I’d probably never see her again. Instead, I turned to memories from the past. “Remember how we used to ride in the camel litter across the desert and talk about all the things we wanted to see and eat in Egypt. Visit the Pyramids. Watch the street dancers. Eat exotic foods.”

  “I remember,” she said quietly. “Would you believe me if I said that sometimes I actually miss those days? Only two years ago, but a lifetime after all that’s happened to our family.”

  “You don’t miss traveling the harsh desert, but I think we both miss the innocence of those simple, uncomplicated days. The peaceful nights with our mother. Listening to her sing, sitting i
n Father’s lap while he told stories.” My throat closed up, and I stopped.

  Leila fingered the necklace at her throat. “I’m sorry for not fighting the Goddess when she wanted to sacrifice Sahmril. I was caught up in my position as High Priestess. I wanted to impress Aliyah, to be like her. I was desperate and stupid. Will you ever forgive me?”

  “Of course I’ll forgive you,” I said, swallowing down the heartache. “You were under her spell. You’re my sister. Sometimes we fight and disagree, but mostly we know we’ll love each other forever. No matter what happens.”

  “Our lives have taken such drastic turns,” she mused. “You became a warrior and a queen of a beautiful country.”

  “You will always be welcome here, Leila,” I told her. “And I’m not queen yet. Three more days. The gardeners and palace staff are working overtime to get everything ready. Exactly the same as it was a fortnight ago.” I wagged a finger at my older sister. “And you had better not leave before the royal wedding.”

  “I’m going to give you your wedding present early,” she said, jumping up to fetch something from across the room where she’d hidden it. A carved chest came out from under a blanket.

  I opened the lid and dropped to my knees on the carpet. “This is Mother’s carved chest,” I said, my voice catching. “Her gowns and linens and household items. The pieces we grew up with, the pots we cooked with. And the loom we practiced our stitches on.” I marveled at their intact state. Dresses folded just as I remembered them. I pulled a bright yellow dress out and buried my face into its soft folds, the perfume of my mother rising from the fabric. I closed my eyes and tried not to weep.

  “Imarus allowed me to bring them with me from the Temple of Ashtoreth in Tadmur. I didn’t want them getting stolen.”