sad a moment. “I hope she and my father were able to buy their farm. I hope they are happy now.”
“So do I,” Lara said softly. “I am certain they are as happy as my father and Susanna are now. And look at us. Two mercenaries’ daughters. What adventures we have had so far, eh?” She laughed.
“But your father is now a Crusader Knight,” Noss said. “You did that for him, Lara. You know what happened. That is the hard part for me. Not knowing if it was worth it for my parents.”
“I will ask the prince if he can find out for you, Noss,” Lara said. “I know you will rest easier if you learn your parents’ fate. Then you may follow your own fate without fear.”
“My fate is with you,” Noss said. Then she opened the wardrobe, and drew out a box made from mother-of- pearl that opened to reveal jewelry of all kinds. Noss selected a pair of thin silver hoops from which hung tiny pink gemstones that sparkled as they moved. She affixed them in Lara’s ears. “There! You are ready. I will take you to the banqueting hall now. It is the twilight, and they will all be gathering now. You look beautiful, Lara.”
“Thanks to you,” Lara responded generously.
“No. You are what you are. You would be beautiful in a sack, and you know it, but you are too modest to say so.”
“Aye,” Lara said, “But it seems sometimes beauty such as mine is more a curse than a blessing.”
“For now it is a blessing,” Noss told her. “Come, we must go.”
Chapter 10
NOSS LED LARA from her apartments down a hallway and out into the grand corridor. As they walked along it, Lara could see the sky above splashed with fading color, the blue of night hurrying forth, and the three large bright stars known as the Triad blazing directly over the valley. The corridor finally opened into a great banqueting hall, and it was there Noss brought her mistress.
“The prince awaits you,” she said, and departed.
The hall was filled with dining couches upon which lounged handsome men and beautiful women. On a dais at the opposite end of the room, Prince Kaliq awaited her. She moved gracefully through the maze of seating, smiling back at the men and women who nodded in greeting. She was more than aware of the admiration of all. She almost sighed with relief upon reaching the prince who, holding out his hand, brought her up onto the dais and introduced her to the others.
“My brothers, this is Lara, daughter of John Swiftsword,” he said.
“Hail, Lara!” The banqueting hall erupted with the greeting.
“Thank you, my lords,” she replied.
“Come,” he said, drawing her down onto the dining couch with him.
A servant handed her a goblet. She tasted it. Just wine.
“You are more beautiful each time I see you,” he declared softly, kissing her ear. “I can barely restrain my desire for you.” A single finger ran down her bare arm.
“Have you bewitched me?” Lara asked him. “You arouse in me feelings I do not understand.”
“Tell me,” he murmured against the ear he had just kissed.
“You touch me, a simple touch, and I want to make love with you again,” Lara heard herself saying to him.
He smiled. “You do not know it yet, Lara, but you have a great capacity in you for passion. I have only just begun to tap the well of your desire. You must face your passion, and learn how to control it. This I will teach you, and I will tell you things that no others will tell you.”
“What things, my lord?” Lara asked him.
“That men are weak, and women stronger. Understand this, and no one but you will control your destiny, my love,” he said to her.
“Why would you tell me such things?” she said.
“To prepare you for that destiny, Lara. You will be with me but a short time. Then you will move on. It is written in the stars that shine above Hetar.”
“What is my destiny?” She was curious. How could she not be?
He shook his head. “That is something that has not been revealed to me, nor would it. I am but a stop on your road. Nor will you understand until the day comes that you meet your destiny head-on. It is difficult for me to accept such a thing, but to do otherwise would be to betray my own people, and bring destruction upon them.”
“You speak in riddles,” Lara told him, “but you are very wise and so I must accept your words, my lord Kaliq. And I must believe I have come to you so that I may learn about love in its many incarnations-how to use it to my advantage, how to avoid the pitfalls it can present. Would you say that is correct?”
He nodded, smiling tenderly at her. “Aye, and I am glad that you understand, my love. Unfortunately I will fall in love with you, which is a luxury I have never allowed myself, Lara. I cannot help it. It is unwise, of course, but now and again one of my brothers does. We survive, of course, but we are never again the same.”
“Then why do you do it?” she inquired curious.
“We do not do it deliberately. True love just happens. Sometimes fortune smiles, and both people fall in love with each other. That is a sweet miracle. But mostly it is just a feeling of desire and delightful lust,” he explained. “Lust and desire can melt quickly away, however. True love does not.”
She nodded. “Then what I am feeling for you is lust and desire?”
“Aye, but sometimes it is more, and you believe you are in love, but it is not so,” he told her. “It is but a momentary passion that quickly fades.”
“This is all very confusing,” Lara said.
He laughed. “It is, isn’t it? But trust me to lead you through the maze of emotions that will overcome you while you are mine.”
“Stop!” Lara answered him. “With every word you utter I become more befuddled. I think I shall just enjoy the moments as I live them.”
“A wise decision,” he answered with a smile.
The servants now began serving the meal. They came to each dining couch, beginning with the prince’s, offering platters, trays and bowls of food. To Lara’s surprise there was fresh fish from the sea, and shellfish. The prince explained that it was transported by magic each morning to his palace. There were roasted meats and poultry, bread, several cheeses and a bowl of mixed lettuces. A large platter of fruits was brought around, and another platter of honey cakes. Their cups were never empty of the potent sweet rich wine.
The entertainment began with the fruit and cakes. To Lara’s surprise Og appeared to wrestle with several beefy young men, but he won each match to the delight of the onlookers. Acrobats came to tumble and clown with one another. In one corner sat musicians playing upon pipes, drums, reed instruments, bells and cymbals. Finally came a troupe of lithe dancers in their silks moving rhythmically about the hall to the music.
Lara noticed that as the night wore on the guests were less and less interested in the entertainment. Several of the women now lay naked or half-naked while their princes kissed and caressed them. Then the dancers were gone, and only the musicians remained, their tunes becoming more and more sensual and urgent. She watched wide-eyed as one of the princes mounted his woman and began to pleasure her. The woman wore a look of utter bliss upon her face. Then two more princes began to make love to their partners, one sitting his companion upon his lap so they faced one another, the other entering his lover as she knelt before him, her buttocks raised.
Kaliq watched the play of emotions across Lara’s face. “The banquets always seem to end like this,” he said in a low voice. “Sometimes my brothers share their women. Look there.” He pointed across the room to a dining bench where one woman was receiving her lover between her legs while a second prince pushed his manroot between her lips. “There are many ways of pleasuring,” Kaliq said to Lara. He reached up and slid her gown from her shoulders, baring her breasts. Her nipples immediately grew tight as they were revealed.
Their eyes met briefly, and Lara watched, fascinated, as he fondled her breasts. His dark head bent, and he licked at her nipples. She felt a shiver of delight ripple down her spine. Then to her surprise, another prince joined them. Sitting behind her he put an arm around her waist, pushed her hair aside with his other hand, and began kissing the back of her neck. Two lovers? At the same time? In the Forest Durga and Enda had taken turns with her, but they had never loved her together at the same time.
