The Emperor's Concubine

by Killarney Sheffield

  Tapping my mount on the sides I ride up alongside him as we start down the alley between the corrals to the farm yard. In an attempt to turn the direction of conversation, I point at a group of girls from Imram. “Everyone seems to be settling in well.”

  He follows my stare, pulling up to watch the girls tending their chores. Some hang laundry on the line, while others sweep, gather eggs from the chickens and tend the vegetable garden. “Yup, better than a group of city slickers on a trail ride.” With a grin he carries on.

  “Thank you for taking them all in, Grandpa.”

  He adjusts his worn cowboy hat. “It was no great burden. Emmy needed the help and lord knows she loves the company. A houseful of young people has brought out the youthful gal I remember.” He lifts his hand in greeting when Grandma opens the screen door and waves.

  “Grandpa, Link means to go back to Imram and free the rest.” I glance at his tip lipped expression. “He wants me to go with him.”

  “Ocean, going back is futile and dangerous.”

  “I know that, Grandpa, but... I can’t just stay here. I have to do something. I have to go back for Petie, Ma and Pa.”

  He sighs and we carry on through the one handed gate which he opens and closes with ease from the back of his horse. “Then let Link go.”

  Tucking a strand of hair back behind my ear I look him in the eye. “That’s not fair. He’ll never do it on his own.”

  “I don’t want to lose you.”

  “We got out of Imram once, we can do it again.”

  “It won’t be that easy a second time.”

  A tear slips down my cheek. “I have to try, for Ma, Pa and Petie.”

  His lips thin. “What if they catch you?”

  I ignore his concern, not because I don’t care, but because I can’t let it sway me. “They won’t. Link won’t let anything happen to me.”

  “I think you are wrong to have so much faith in him, Ocean. Sol thinks so too.”

  “He’s just jealous because Link and I have been spending so much time together.”

  “He has reason to be jealous and concerned.”

  Annoyance puts more bite in my reply than I intend. “Don’t be silly. There is nothing going on between Link and I. We’re just friends, comrades.”

  “Ocean, the way Link watches you tells me he has more than just admiration for you.”

  “You’re imagining things.”

  “Am I?”

  Squaring my shoulders I favor him with a bright smile. “Yes. There is nothing between Link and I.”

  “I forbid you to go back.” His tone softens. “You’re a good girl, Ocean.”

  With a sigh, I draw my horse to a halt by the hitching rail. “I’m not a little girl anymore.”

  “I know.” Despite the sadness in his eyes, he grins. “So when is that Sol going to come asking my permission to marry you?”

  “Grandpa! I don’t know if he even wants to marry me anymore.”

  “Honey, if the boy can’t get past what happened to you as a concubine, he isn’t ready to be a man.”

  I set to work unsaddling the horse to busy my hands. “We just need time, and a little bit of normalcy, you know?”

  “Well, this ranch is as normal as things are going to get around here.” He lifts the saddle from his horse and disappears into the storage shed where all the horse gear had been moved to make room for the group to sleep in the barn.

  Normal. Just what is normal anyway?

  Chapter Thirty-one

  The sun’s warmth on my head makes me sleepy and sedate. To be honest there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, now or later. A small smile curves my lips as I smooth the line of Mischief’s hip coming to life on the easel before me. For the first time in my life I can create what is right here in front of me, instead of what I imagine. Footsteps approach and for the briefest moment I fight the urge to hide my drawing before I relax. There is no more hiding who I am here. I’m Ocean, dreamer, artist and freedom lover.

  “There you are.” Sol comes to a standstill beside me. “Wow, that’s amazing.”

  “Thanks.” I keep my eyes on Mischief as he grazes. “How are the hunting lessons going with Link?”

  He snorts. “I suck. I’m like a dozen enforcers marching on a path of broken glass.”

  I can’t help giggling. “That bad, huh?”

  “Yup.” With a grin he sits cross legged in the grass beside me. “How did the baking lesson go?”

  “Well, I’m pleased to say I did not burn the pie crusts today...” I sneak a peek at him from the corner of my eye. “But don’t expect to be able to spread the butter on your biscuits at dinner tonight.”

  When he stifles a chuckle, I burst out laughing. Mischief chimes in with a whiny and then trots off which leads to Sol pulling me off my stool into the grass beside him.

  We lie back together looking up at the fluffy clouds drifting with lazy ease across the bluest sky I can imagine.

  Sol shifts beside me to hold my hand. “So... I talked to your grandfather today...”

  Rolling my head to the right I take in Sol’s thoughtful profile as he stares up above.

  “You did? I hope it was an informative discussion.” I can’t help a smirk when Sol glances at me.

  He shifts onto his side, propping his head on his hand. “It was very informative... well, I hope it wasn’t too informative... I mean I did ask for his permission.”

  “Dare I ask for what?” The frown on his face alarms me. “And?”

  Sol smiles. “And he said he’d give us the old bunk house as a wedding present.”

  I’m so happy at this moment I want to jump up and shout for joy, but instead I give the man I love the biggest grin I can manage. “A place all our own?”

  “A place where we can be together, no more sneaking up to the roof top, or,” he chuckles, “throwing pebbles at your bedroom window and risk waking your grandparents.”

  “Oh Sol, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.” I close my eyes as his lips descend to claim mine. His kiss promises me the world, and in truth he has given me it. There is nothing else he could possibly give me. Except my family.

  “Hey, lovebirds.”

  We pull apart and sit up as Sasha approaches. “Link has called a general meeting.”

  Sol and I get to our feet. “A meeting? What for?” I ask, annoyed she’s disturbed my precious little time with Sol.

  With a shrug, she heads back in the direction she came. I don’t believe I’ve ever done anything to prick Sasha’s ire, yet it seems she doesn’t like me very much. Sol helps me with the easel and charcoal sticks grandpa fashioned for me. Hand in hand we head back to the farm yard.

  We find the group of former enforcers and concubines seated around the fire pit where we gather each night to socialize and discuss the day’s triumphs and failures.

  Link stands as we take a seat. “I’ve called this meeting because we need to make plans.”

  Sol interrupts, “Plans for what?”

  “The enforcers will come and when they do we need to be prepared to fight.”

  “Why would they come, Link?” Sol shakes his head. “We lost them. For all they know we died out here. The emperor will just round up more concubines.”

  Sasha interrupts, “What about our families back there? I’m not willing to just walk away while they’re still prisoners.”

  Link stays her protests with his hand. “That’s why we’re going to build an army to fight. Ocean’s grandfather has sent out the call to those left across the land to converge here and help us.”

  Sol scoffs, “A bunch of old men with pitchforks and axes? How are we supposed to take on enforcers armed with Tasers, torches and a computerized security system?”

  “We take away their technology.” Link turns to the rest of us gathered there. “Take away their technology and what do you have? You have a bunch of guys in matching suits who can’t survive without a computer running things.”

  The rest of the p
eople gathered there rumble their approval. “Yeah... They’re just robots.”

  Getting to my feet I shout, “They’re not just enforcers, they are our families. Are you saying we should turn on our own? There has to be a better way.”

  “Like what? Huh?” Link turns on me. “The enforcers have it better off than those in the hubs. They’ll do the emperor’s bidding no matter what.”

  “Like you, Link? If enforcers are so loyal, why are you,” I gesture to the other ex-enforcers, “and they, here?”

  It’s quiet for a moment. Finally Rhett breaks the silence. “We are here because we believe in you.”

  I return to my seat on the log. “There must be a better way than to start a war we can’t win.”

  “With the help of those on the inside we can win the war though, can’t you see?” Link locks gazes with me in a silent plea to hear him.

  “I can’t deny we might have a chance if there are more sympathizers on the inside, but how do we contact them to co-ordinate our attacks?” I think I know his answer and I’m not sure I want to hear it.

  Link grits his teeth. “We go back.”

  That brings the group to an uproar. My grandfather is the one who settles the crowd when he joins us with his guitar slung over his shoulder as is his way in the evenings. “Ladies and gentlemen, until you are all on the same page there is no point flogging a dead horse, so to speak.” He sits down on a block of wood, settles the instrument on his lap and begins to pick a few chords. “Unity wins wars, not division. As long as we can’t agree as one, we can’t fight as one.” He begins to sing and one by one everyone sits and joins in. The argument will rest for another day.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  I glance at Sol. He pauses in the middle of manning his half of the two person saw and wipes the sweat from his forehead. Will things ever be the same between us? To be fair things aren’t bad, they’re just... different, strained somehow. Picking up a brush, I run it along the horse’s side trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside. I want to marry him, but when we are with the others it’s like we just can’t relax and be ourselves. Only when we are alone are we the same people who fell in love. And then there’s Link. He’s everywhere I go it seems, always watching, waiting and pushing my emotions where I don’t want them to go. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to return to Imram, but I don’t want to abandon my family either. Freedom is everything and yet nothing like I expected; joy intermingled with guilt and an over whelming hopelessness.

  “Ocean?”

  I glance up to find Sol standing there.

  “Something is bothering you.”

  With a shrug, I move around to brush the other side of the horse. “I’m fine, Sol.”

  “No you’re not. You hardly speak to anyone except Link and your grandfather.”

  Stiff lipped I keep brushing, avoiding his eye. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  “Like?”

  Ignoring his question, I put the brush back in the grooming bucket and untie the animal. “I’m fine, Sol.”

  He places his hand over mine. “Come on, Ocean, we always talk about everything.”

  Anger pricks me, though I’ve no idea why I’m angry with him. Nothing is his fault and yet everything feels like it is. “You want to talk? Tell me how I am supposed to free my family and the rest of Imram? How am I supposed to be this Messiah, Sol, huh? I’m free, yet I am as much a prisoner to my guilt as I was of the emperor. Tell me what to do.”

  “I can’t. I can’t tell you what to do, Ocean. I see no way to go back.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “We need to live for the future now, our future.”

  “Don’t you see, Sol? There is no future, there is only existence out here, same as in there.”

  “We can start a family, build a home, learn the old ways to survive...”

  Anger oozes from my very soul. “And what? Should we just forget them? Should we just abandon them?”

  “Ocean.” He reaches for me and I step away. “I love you. We can start anew here. There is a future, ours.”

  “No! I will not build my life on those of Imram’s.”

  A scream fills the air followed by another and another. “The enforcers have found us!” My heart is thudding against my breast bone. Alarmed I scan the fields for any sign of black clad men with Tasers. Where are they? I see no uniformed men and after a moment I notice everyone hurrying to the barn. Breaking into a run I head in that direction.

  Once inside I discover a crowd gathered in front of the third stall on the right. I push through them and come to a halt just inside the door. Stacey lies prone and pale on the far cot, a river of blood flowing from her slashed wrists. “What happened?”

  Ashley covers her mouth to stifle a sob. “She killed herself.”

  “Why? I don’t understand.” I’m at a loss for words. Guilt takes hold of me. I should have spent more time with the other concubines and less with my own grandparents, after all they have no one.

  “She was pregnant, Ocean.”

  In disbelief I stare at Ashley. “No... Impossible... she had a device, didn’t she?”

  Ashley shrugs. “I don’t know.”

  No, no, no! Freedom is supposed to be perfect. We’re all supposed to be happy... I want to cry and scream at the same time. This isn’t the way it is supposed to be! Sick to my stomach I flee the scene and find myself on my knees in the corral, revealing the contents of my stomach.

  “Ocean?”

  I grimace at Link’s voice. Why is he here to witness my humiliation? It seems every time I turn around he’s there. “Leave me alone.”

  “We need to make a plan to rescue the rest of our families.”

  Even though I’ve come to the reality that I have to go back, I’m not ready to admit it to him. Wiping my mouth on my sleeve, I get to my feet. “How? How can we save our families, Link? We’ve no weapons and I see no way to get back into Imram, or to get back out a second time.”

  He stares at me in disbelief. “You’re giving up? You’ve gained your freedom so to hell with the rest of them, is that it?”

  “That’s not fair!” I swing around frustrated that he won’t let it be and allow me to forget, or forgive my own guilt. “We’d need a miracle to save the rest of them.”

  “Well, you’re the chosen one, find a miracle.”

  “I am not this damned Messiah everyone wants me to be, Link, I’m just one person.”

  “Sounds like an excuse to me.”

  I can’t stand by while another girl takes her life the way I once thought to. Have I just been making excuses? Am I too weak to make a stand? Maybe I have been, but not anymore. “Link, you’re right.”

  Link clasps my shoulder. “I knew you’d come to your senses.”

  He sounds so smug I want to slap him. Instead I fix him with a steady stare. “So... what do we do?”

  “We’d need an army to breech the walls of the city, an army we don’t have. Our only choice is to slip back into Imram and gather an army to fight within the walls, while those left here amass what little fighters they can to wage war from the outside. If we split the Emperor’s ranks we have a chance to take down the city’s defences. There are still many supporters on the inside that can help us.”

  “When?”

  Link grins. “The day after tomorrow.”

  What? Is he serious? We aren’t ready. At his determined look I concede. “That won’t give us much time to prepare the group.”

  “Group?” Link’s jaw tightens. “There won’t be a group of us going back in, Ocean. The only way we are going to make it back into Imram is by stealth, and a group isn’t going to be inconspicuous enough. Besides, what if the enforcers that tracked us are watching the ranch, waiting for reinforcements?”

  “Are you saying only you are going back?” I cross my arms.

  “No, we are going back, just you and me.”

  “Sol should come too.”

  Link’s look hardens. “Even if he wanted
to, it wouldn’t be a good idea. You need someone with you who is strong, and can fight if need be.”

  “Sol and Granddad aren’t going to let me go back, Link.”

  “That’s why we aren’t going to tell them.”

  Am I making a big mistake trusting Link? Maybe. I brush the thought from my head. No, I’m standing tall for once. No more whimpering in the corner. It is time to take a stand and save Imram.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  “No, feign, thrust, withdraw, Ocean,” Link sighs. “Try again.”

  I glance at the other girls and men around me practicing fighting skills with much better results than I. “This is pointless, Link. I’m not a fighter.”

  Link scowls at me. “You have to learn to defend yourself, or going back to Imram will be pointless. After all, if we can’t fight off the enforcers how are we going to lead our families and friends to freedom?”

  Groaning I turn back to face Sasha with my crude sword raised. My partner keeps besting me with ease I find disconcerting. Is she really that much better than me, or just that determined to show me up out of hate?

  Link steps behind me and positions his hands over mine on the weapon to direct my swings. “Left, right, centre.”

  With a grimace I allow his direction. His nearness and breath on the back of my neck makes me uncomfortable, but I try not to show it. My gaze meets Sasha’s. If looks could kill I’d be dead right now. Why does she hate me so much? Our practice swords glance off each other, joining the echoes of the others honing their skills in fighting. With Link’s help I win the joust with my un-sharpened blade at Sasha’s exposed throat.

  “Good,” Link steps away and grins when I turn to him. “Now just remember, look for your opponent’s arm to drop on the down swing and be quick to take advantage of it.”

  I smile back. “Okay, thanks.”

  He walks away to help Danika and my gaze flits to Sol standing sullen on the sidelines. His lips are pressed tight in disapproval as he glares at Link’s retreating back. He has made his position clear about going back to Imram, but I know that isn’t the only thing bothering him. It’s Link. Every time Link speaks or touches me pricks Sol’s jealousy. Doesn’t he understand that I love him? Link and I are just friends, that’s all, despite Link’s insistence that it is he I should be with. Sol walks off toward the barn.