Page 66 of Tashama
Tashama squirmedagainst the chains as she tried to get comfortable while Listra stood nearby and watched. “Can I get you anything, my lady?”
“A key to undo the padlock? For heaven’s sakes, there are guards outside my window and stationed by the front door. How could I hope ever to escape?”
“You have escaped three times already. And now with a member of the thieves’ guild trying to help you to break out of here, the prince is justified in taking more extreme measures to make you stay put.”
“Until he turns me over to Loran, you know.” Tashama rolled onto her side, then yanked the chain as it twisted around her shoulder.
“He cannot. I know he cares for you. He wouldn’t turn you over to Prince Loran. He knows what the Karthlander prince will do to you if he can get a hold of you.”
Tashama sighed deeply. “He will do what his advisor advises him to do, Listra. Nothing else matters.”
Later that morning,Tashama felt a hand tug at her wrist. She opened her eyes and saw the young thief working with a tool to unlock the chain that bound her. She smiled at the tousled hair of the youth. After he freed her hands, he took her arm and led her into the gardens. To her surprise, two guards slept beside her window. Jaran ran with her down the path toward the prince’s chambers, then, as they neared his door, the man turned onto another path. This one soon led to the Bachava Temple.
Tashama stared at the golden dome, then the thief waved at a figure skulking in the shadows of the building. The man there hurried to Tashama and pulled a black gown over her head. While she adjusted her skirts, he attached black veils to her hair and face. “We have an escort for you beyond the gates as soon as they’re opened for morning commerce. Until then, you’ll have to bide your time in the chapel.”
Tashama nodded, then was escorted into the middle of the pews. “We’ll come for you in two hours.”
“Thank you.” Tashama squeezed the man and boy’s hands.
“Thank you, miss, for freeing us from the tower.”
Tashama slipped into one of the pews, and the thieves vanished. She turned her attention to the vaulted, gold ceiling as it shimmered high above her. A golden statue stood on an altar before her. He smiled as his eyes watched her while his hands stretched out in a gesture of welcome. His golden robes swept the ground, and his golden sandals were visible beneath them. A crown of golden leaves rested on his short, curly hair.
The scamper of footsteps caught her attention, and she dropped to the floor between a row of seats.
“Oh!” she heard a young woman exclaim. “Please, stop, you’ll offend Bachava.”
“Bachava,” the man sneered. “Why do you save yourself for such a deity when you could be married to me?”
“Oshon, tell me how you managed to escape from the Karthlanders.”
“Word has reached Prince Loran that our prince finds favor with Princess Tashama. Loran is concerned our prince won’t hand the woman over to him.”
“But I don’t understand what this has to do with you.”
“If the prince doesn’t turn her over to Loran to obtain the release of our men, I’m supposed to rendezvous with them and turn over the woman secretly.”
“You speak of treason, Oshon.”
“The Karthlander woman spellbinds our prince.”
“Oh, Oshon, I fear you’ll be caught.”
“I gained my freedom on a promise. I won’t break my word.”
“To the Karthlanders.”
“You seem to be upset with me, my love.”
“My father finally agreed I could leave the order to marry you if the Karthlanders released you, but if he learns of this…”
“The release of my men was all I was concerned about. This woman blinds the prince.”
Their footsteps drew nearer Tashama. She lay still, but the dust on the floor tickled her nose. Twice she rubbed it. Her eyes watered and her nose wrinkled. She closed her eyes and cringed as her sneeze reverberated throughout the temple.
The heavy footsteps of Oshon’s metal-edged boots ran toward her, causing her to jump from her location and run down the aisle parallel to him. He dashed down the aisle she’d been in, and she ran as fast as she could to the doors of the temple.
She pulled the door open just as Oshon grabbed her arm.
