Heart of Sand

19.

"Does he have balls often".

I was the one to break the silence. Calen hadn't spoken since leading me on to the part of the hall that served as the dance floor; dozens of other couples surrounded us, immersed in the string music that floated towards us. The sultan was watching us, I could see him. The general stood beside him; we were too close to him, I needed to go farther in to the hall before he summoned me to him.

"No", Calen smiled as I looked up at him, "but there are foreign men here to speak to him".

"Why are they here".

Calen continued smiling and I found an oddness seep in to my mind the more I watched him; he seemed too different, "to forge ties most likely".

He smile again; his eyes bright.

I turned my face up to him and before I could stop myself I said, "you're acting very strange".

He laughed, "am I'.

"Yes", I said instantly, I couldn't seem to look in to the boy's eyes anymore, "you're not normally like this".

"Like what".

"So", I paused trying to think of the right words, nothing seemed to come to mind, "so open", I said.

He didn't say anything and as we twirled thought the other couples, I felt an idea come to me.

"Who are you trying to protect".

The response was instant, his head whipped around and his eyes darkened slightly. He looked much more like he normally did now and even his voice became deeper, "what do you mean".

"By the stream", I said watching him carefully, "you said everone's trying to protect someone, who are you protecting".

He smiled again, as if trying to conjure the openness that he'd extruded before and I almost felt shame at taking it away from him but it almost soothed me to see him back to the closed self he usually was, "forget what I said".

The dance was coming to an end and I watched as he bowed to me, his head low to the ground and then said something about wanting to return to Alita. I watched him go, the shock in my system giving way to an odd curiosity. Why had the boy danced with me? Where was Alita?

It was as I stared around the room that my eyes fell back on the sultan, he was talking to the Tahen ambassador, they were deep in conversation. And it was when I looked to his side, that I saw the general. We locked in to a clash of gazes; his dark eyes with my own grey ones and it was as the sultan moved his head, that I was the first to break contact. I ducked behind another dancing couple and retreated to the edge. Eager for the Tahen ambassador to finally be free from the sultan's grip.

I needed to speak to the man.

"Would you do me the honour of a dance", it was a man dressed in the bronze of the machine folk that asked me.

He had the usual pale skin and almost white hair that they all shared, and he looked young, a few years older than me too.

"I apologise but I am feeling too tired", I said and with a small nod, he left me alone.

I grabbed a few refreshments from a passing servant and drank a sip from my goblet. It was almost midnight outside, the moon high in the sky and I watched eagerly as the sultan seemed to let go of the ambassador.

I made my move immediately, walking along the pillars, heading where the ambassador was going. His face looked troubled, the wrinkles of his skin knotted and his brows furrowed. Whatever the sultan had said seemed to have vexed him.

"Ambassador", I called out.

He stilled, turning towards me. And I smiled as his eyes found mine. His guards had disappeared I realised, "I am the daughter of King Cessian", my voice carried towards him and I knew he'd heard me.

But that was when I felt the grip around my wrist, and felt the tug strong enough to make me stumble backwards. I felt the softness of whatever I'd landed on first and then the strength of what lay beneath.

I growled up at him; recognising the cloak immediately, "how dare you", I snarled up at the general.

He didn't release me as he pulled me back towards the pillar, hidden in it's shadow. I shouted out in anger twisting my wrist in his grip but his hands were like chains around me. I stumbled over my skirts as he dragged me back.

"I told you princess", he said finally, "do not interfere".

And that was when I saw it, the sultan raised a hand above his head and soldiers dressed in the eagle emblem of the desert lands rushed towards the ambassador.

"You have ordered your soldiers to attack me Tangen", the sultan's booming voice roared, "and for your king's slight, I declare war on the Tahen empire".

I cried out amongst the gasps of the other kingdoms. Tangen cast a look out across the crowd, appearing to look for someone. He didn't find them and I saw the glint of the sword as it slashed his neck. He didn't have a chance I realised, and I watched as his sightless eyes turned towards me.

Dead.

He was dead.

It was only as the crowd started to move; fighting to get away from the sultan's soldiers, that I realised I'd lost all strength in my legs. But I hadn't fallen. I looked up at the general, his hands were gripping my waist keeping me standing and there was a dark look in his eyes as he surveyed the scene.

"Dry your eyes princess", he finally said with no hint of emotion in his low voice and I rubbed my cheeks with the back of my sleeve aware of where his fingers touched me.

My hope was gone.

The Tahen king wouldn't know we lived.

"There is no hope", it took a second for me to realise I'd said the words out loud and I looked up to see the general's eyes whip towards me. He seemed to finally realise that he was still holding me and he slowly realised his fingers from me.

"Gregga will meet you outside princess", he said and I saw him unsheath his daggers.

The crowd was in turmoil around me, the other soldiers clashing against the sultan's, and I felt it in my heart that the sultan would kill them all.

"There will be much blood spilled tonight".

It was all he said before he pushed me towards the archway.