Captivated

conceal yourself among the maidens for me,' and when he had, the dove flew immediately to him, lighting upon his head with a triumphant little cry.

The Prince of Aramas walked through the group of wide-eyed and silent maidens, back up the staircase to the royal box, the dove perched atop his head. Uphala took the messenger of the goddess and returned it to its case, handing it to the stunned novice. Then she stepped forward to address the women.

'It is prophesied in the Holy Book of Suneva,' she began, 'that there will come a time when a queen will rule longest of any before her; and when she finally falls in love, and takes her mate, it ishe who will be chosen by the goddess as a sign that the queen, and her daughters, and her daughters' daughters are to rule in Kava in perpetuity. Because Kalida had ruled for so long, I remembered the prophesy, and consulted our holy book for its accuracy. It is there for any and all to see, and none can doubt it. I proclaim Kalida, Queen of Kava, and her mate, Dagon of Aramas, the very consort that Suneva prophesied of back in the dawn of our history. Are there any among you who do not believe or would question the will of the goddess?' Uphala challenged them.

The arena was very silent.

'Then, all hail to Kalida, Queen of Kava, and to her consort, Dagon,' Uphala cried loudly, and a thunderous cheering rose from the assembled.

'All hail to Kalida, Queen of Kava, and to her consort, Dagon!' the women cried loudly.

'I am to remain queen?' Kalida asked the High Priestess, as surprised at what had transpired as any of the other women.

'You will become Kalida the First of Kava,' Uphala said, 'and Dagon will remain by your side, your equal in all but the government of this land, although his voice will be respectfully heard should he raise it, and his words considered. Your eldest daughter will be our next queen. This is written.'

'But how can a queen rule well when her mind and heart will surely be torn in all directions? Kava's queens have succeeded because they had but one goal. Torule Kava,' Kalida said.

'We cannot deny what has happened here today, Kalida,' the High Priestess replied. 'I can imagine your confusion. You have ruled Kava well, and believed, according to custom, that you could lay aside your heavy duties to live peacefully with your mate and bear your children. But the goddess has decided otherwise.'

'I never wanted to be queen,' Kalida said softly.

'And perhaps,' Uphala answered her, 'that is precisely why you were singled out for this great honor. For you, ruling has been a duty. You have never been overwhelmed by any sense of power or authority. Be content with this, my daughter. Come into the temple now with me. We will pray for guidance. I will show you the prophecy in the Holy Book of Suneva. I will help you to come to terms with this.' Uphala led the queen away. As they passed through the group of half-relieved, half-disappointed young girls, she gave them her blessing, and the queen reached out to sympathetically touch as many of the maidens as she could. They had no idea how fortunate they were not to be in her sandals.

When they had gone, Dagon turned to Zenaida. 'Did you know of this prophecy when you purchased me in the slave markets of Ramaskhan?' he asked her. Then he sat next to her on the marble bench.

She shook her head, and her fine dark eyes looked directly at him. 'No, I did not know. I was as surprised as anyone else here today by what has happened.'

'There will come a day, Zenaida, when I shall want to take my sons and escape Kava,' Dagon said quietly. 'I cannot allow the fruits of my loins to be sold away to die on battlefields fighting for nameless kings and warlords. I am the rightful heir to the King of Aramas, and my brother shall not usurp my place, nor that of my sons.'

'You cannot go back,' Zenaida said to him.

'I must claim my inheritance,' Dagon insisted.

'You cannot,' Zenaida told him. 'Hear me, Dagon, and hear me well. For each year that passes in Kava, twenty-five years pass in the world beyond ours. That is one of the reasons we have been able to keep our kingdom safe from outsiders and marauders, who if they found us would plunder our riches and enslave us because we are women. We are more legend than fact to the people beyond our valley. We sell our cohorts who have been given a potion so they may leave Kava, and exist in the outside world. We sell our silks, our wools, and our gemstones there. We come and go so quickly none get to know us. We know the secret of controlling time. When we enter their world, we exist in their time, but when we return home to Kava, it is only as if a few days have passed. You were not born in Kava. If you leave, you will become the age you should be in your own world. Time has slowed for you here. '

'When I brought you to Kava, how long had it been since you had seen your own land? A year? And if you reentered your world, and actually managed to reach Aramas, it should be another year. And the few weeks while you have been here in Kava over six years have passed. Six years, Dagon! Can you imagine what has happened in that time? You have told me that your father was frail, which is probably why your brother acted to rid himself of you when he did. Undoubtedly he rules in Aramas, Aurea by his side, their children about them. You would bring civil war to your land if you returned now. '

'Remain here in Kava by Kalida's side, for you love her, I can see. Look what has happened today. A queen who was expected to step aside and enter retirement has been told she will rule until her death, and that her female descendants will follow her. This will be a great change for Kava. Who is to say there cannot be other changes? If a queen can rule forever, cannot her sons be put to better use than being sent away to fight other men's wars?'

'Do you think such a thing is really possible?' he asked.

'Change comes slowly, Dagon,' Zenaida replied, 'butanything is possible. I am not the only mother who wept secretly to see her sons sent away. It is true that men are an inferior sex with their penchant for violence, cruelty, and greed, but why can that not be changed as well? If you leave Kava, who will engineer that change? I believe the goddess brought you here not just for Kalida's benefit, but because she knew there would come a time when the women of Kava must begin to learn to live with their men in a more equitable, objective, and unbiased manner. You are the key to that change.'

'There is much wisdom in what you say,' he told her thoughtfully.

'Stay with us,' she said softly.

'It is an enormous undertaking,' he answered her.

'I know,' she replied, 'but I chose you not simply for the hugeness of your penis, but because I believed your intellect was as immense as well.'

He laughed aloud, and, taking up her hand, kissed it. 'You must have been a very wicked young woman,' he told her.

'I am still very wicked,' she answered him with a chuckle.

'My lord Dagon, Consort of Kava,' he heard Kalida call.

Turning his head, he saw her standing in the center of the now empty area, for while he and Zenaida had spoken, the amphitheater had emptied.

'My lord, come and escort me home,' the queen said. 'We must talk on what has happened this day,and you have your marital duties to perform if we are to give Kava a new ruler one day.'

'You are insatiable, my queen. I can but hear and obey,' he called back to her, rising from his place by Zenaida's side.

'Then you will remain?' the High Procuress said softly to him.

Dagon's blue eyes were fastened on Kalida. Kalida, his beautiful mate, his queen, his lover. He had never known anyone quite like her. Strong, brave, intelligent, yet vulnerable. She needed him.He needed her! 'I will stay,' he said to Zenaida, and then hurried down the steps from the royal box, running across the arena to catch Kalida up in a passionate embrace. Then, together, a smiling queen and her happy consort departed the arena.

'Well, well, my dear,' Vernus said to his sister-in-law, 'what a day this has been, has it not? And what will happen next, I wonder?'

Zenaida tucked her arm into his. 'We are witnessing the beginning of a new era, Vernus. Suneva only knows what will happen.'

'Indeed,' Vernus said dryly. 'You are asking me to supper, my dear, aren't you? If you do, I shall tell you, and Durantis,but of course it is for your ears alone, the delicious naughtiness the queen and Dagon have been up to these past few days. They brought that charming young blond gardener, Adon is his name, my dear, into their midst to partake in the royal orgy, and he told me…' Vernus dropped his voice as they exited the