Page 24 of Tashama
The prince turned when she touched the golden threads that circled in intricate swirls on his tunic. Her slender fingers traced the maze along his chest. He twisted his mouth in thought. “Will you remove your gowns for me?”
She rolled over on her stomach, then covered her head with a pillow. Carissian grumbled, “I didn’t expect this kind of questioning of the prisoner, my liege. You’re supposed to distract her while I probe her thoughts.”
“What was she thinking when I proposed the question?”
“You wouldn’t want to know.”
“Her answer was no, then.”
Carissian motioned for the servants and ladies to leave. The room emptied. “She desires to, yes, sire. If you think we can get further with the questioning this way?—”
“You mean for me to have my way with her when she’s not truly herself?—”
“Perhaps in the throes of passion, she will quit blocking my attempts to win her thoughts.”
“Is she blocking them now?”
“No, the drink has muddled her thoughts. A thick fog fills her mind now.”
“What is she thinking?”
“She’s curious whether your chest is as smooth as a cow’s teat or as hairy as a goat.”
The prince wrinkled his brow when her fingers caressed a satin pillow nearby. “I take it she doesn’t like hairy chests.”
“You have no problem in that regard.”
“What else is she thinking?”
“She envisions you in the garden when you caught sight of her when she stood in the window. Your smile, dark hair, and eyes enthrall her. Her own people are all very fair.”
The prince folded his arms. He leaned over and pulled the pillow away from her cheek. “She’s asleep.”
“She dreams.”
He touched her blond curls floating over her cheek. “What does she dream of?”
“She’s talking to someone in a strange room. I cannot see his face because she’s looking out the window now. A massive black funnel shoots down from the dark clouds above. I’ve never seen anything like it. Then she observes a blue-winged butterfly—no, she realizes it’s a water sprite—something she hadn’t remembered before now.”
“At our lake?”
“Yes, her arms hurt, and she’s trying to wash them in the lake. She doesn’t like Oshon. He hurts her arm. She’s confused about you, however. You’re angry with her, and she’s distressed. But then you seem to like her, and she feels renewed hope.”
“Renewed hope for what?”
Tashama rolled onto her back.
“She’s waiting for you to kiss her. She has never been kissed before, and she wants to know what it would be like from your lips.”
The prince stared at Carissian. “Have her taken back to her room.”
“She’s dangerous—this one. One of the maids said your prisoner could swim like a water nymph in our great lake.”
“Mortals cannot swim. The woman was mistaken.”
“As I said. The prisoner explained to the ladies that she wasn’t mortal.”
Aleron stared at his advisor in disbelief. “What do you think?”
