Kingdom in The Sand

Crack of a Whip

The reaction that went through Marie-Fey almost took the wind out of her.

In an instant, she was back in that wretched village with its disgusting people who should have been wiped from the face of the goddamn earth.

She could feel the tear of her dress.

The fear and horror.

The strike of the whip along her back and the sound that was deafening as it tore through the air.

In a second, she thought she would lose every shred of reputation she'd built over the last couple of years as a panic attack rolled through her and her mind unhinged in fear.

Then Maanah was by her side, one hand at her back, looking at the whip in Zaafira's hand in confusion and the touch slammed Marie-Fey back to reality and shoved the past back where it belonged.

Her expression was schooled and devoid of interest by the time Zaafira's maids pointed her out.

Zaafira turned then gave Marie-Fey a dazzling smile.

"Oh good, you're here," she said.

"Well observed," Marie-Fey replied, gliding forwards without a care in the world, taking in the range with a bored gaze. "You've certainly been busy. Nothing better to amuse yourself with?"

"Oh, there's always something better than you," Zaafira said simply, examining the handle of her whip. "But I thought you and I might play a game."

She levelled a look in Marie-Fey's direction, and her smile turned nasty.

"I hear you have some talent with whips," she said.

Marie-Fey looked at her for a moment, then tilted her head to the side.

"Talent?" she copied, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, to be able to strike a man across the face takes some skill, I would assume?"

Marie-Fey just nodded at that.

It hadn't taken any skill.

It had taken a fear that was almost blinding and a lucky strike.

She didn't know how to wield a whip. Why on earth would she? She knew how to use a riding crop on horses and chose not to. That was is.

But more than that, only one person knew she'd struck a man with a whip.

She hadn't even told her ladies that story.

Her gaze slowly travelled over the faces in the crowd that was starting to build. She couldn't see Azeeza in the crowd at that moment but it didn't matter. She would deal with that later.

Right now she had to scramble for a way to avoid this competition.

If Zaafira was challenging her, there was a chance she actually knew how to control a whip. Marie-Fey couldn't guess why a palace girl – who'd been brought into the palace as a child – would ever have had cause to learn such a skill but that was irrelevant.

Marie-Fey would lose if she tried to compete.

She didn't trust her luck to hold this time around.

And she didn't want to hear the crack of a whip if she could avoid it.

So she levelled her blue gaze at Zaafira and smiled.

"Which little bird spread rumours about me?" she asked sweetly.

Zaafira smiled back. "Does it matter?"

"Colour me curious."

"I don't think it's relevant."