Page 36 of Vows of Sacrifice

Dovah bowed slightly, until his mouth brushed my ear:

“You run away from me, I’m the one who chases you. I run away from you, you’ll be the one chasing me. Such is the dance of the flames, Ashana.”

Suddenly, the bedroom door slammed violently. I was startled, while Dovah simply turned his head in the direction of the entrance. Nadrisse stood near the threshold, a fake smile on her lips, while her eyes flashed. They lowered for a moment to my hand, still resting on Dovah’s chest. I withdrew it quickly, like a child caught at fault.

“Am I disturbing you, perhaps? A thousand apologies.”

Nadrisse appeared to be many things, but certainly not sorry.

“No, not really,” replied Dovah.

Yet something in his tone of voice seemed to suggest otherwise. I watched him fetch one of his famous cigars, light it, and take a long puff. He remained half-naked in this woman’s presence, as if it were perfectly natural. This irritated me deeply.

Nadrisse approached him with a smile.

“Are you still using those things? I wonder what effect it has on you so that you can’t seem to quit.”

I wondered that too. Well, more than that, I wondered what she was doing in Dovah’s room. Or rather, our room.

“Can we help you with something?” I asked with impeccable politeness.

Nadrisse’s gaze sought mine.

“It was just a courtesy call to make sure you weren’t missing anything.”

I smile amiably.

“I see. We thank you for your concern. Everything is just perfect.”

She didn’t believe my smooth demeanour for a moment. Her blue eyes darkened, and I remained stoic under their critical scrutiny.

“If that’s all, Nadrisse, I’d like a word with my wife . . . Please.”

There was a kind of intimacy between them similar to that of people who have known each other for a very long time. Perhaps they were childhood friends. Did I have the right to ask him about this woman, or should I refrain?

I didn’t know what to do in such a situation. It was all very new to me. The only thing I knew for certain was that I didn’t like their relationship. I hated the way Nadrisse looked at Dovah, as if she had some legitimate right to him. But his wife was me.

Nadrisse let out a strange, irritating laugh.

“Yes, by the Dark Gods! Force of habit, forgive me, Dovah, I hadn’t paid much attention to your new status as a married man. I must say, I don’t see any significant change in you.”

I raised an eyebrow. How was I supposed to take that? Dovah just watched her, taking a deep puff of his cigar and silently exhaling out through his nostrils. I had a sort of tingling sensation on my skin and the strange feeling that he wasn’t happy, but then, not happy at all.

The silence must have weighed heavily on the king’s sister, for she finally decided to withdraw, but not without giving me a strange look that I found a bit furious.

Once the door closed, I cleared my throat.

“She is . . .” I began, unsure of how to describe her.

“Yes,” cut in Dovah.

“So, the Osacanians worship the Dark Gods.”

The Dark Gods were half-human, half-animal gods. They were depicted with entirely black skin, hence their name. Among others were Azdar, the lion-headed god of life; Fiesis, the hyena-headed god of death; Qhulios, the owl-headed god of shadows; and Wulous, the eagle-headed god of light.”

“Yes, they are ancient gods, and definitely long dead. Your beliefs in a single god are closer to the truth. We all depend on our Father and his bride, the Source.”

He paused for a moment to take another blue puff, then locked his gaze on mine.

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