Page 24 of Dark Island: Rescue
She shook her head, then realized that his human eyes probably couldn't see the gesture in the dark. "No. It was just an annoying dream."
Tony pushed himself up on one elbow, more awake now. "Want to talk about it?"
"Not really." But even as she said it, she knew the dream wouldn't leave her alone unless she acknowledged it. She pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. "I dreamed about someone from my past. Someone I still hate."
"One of Navuh's men?"
"No. Someone from before. A guy who hurt my sister. His name is Esag, I mean was, and he was so full of himself. He led my sister on, showing her attention and making her fall in love with him while he was engaged to another and had no intentions of breaking that engagement."
"I know the type. A player."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that what you were before they lured you to the island?"
He chuckled. "I wanted to be, but it never really worked out. Players know how to be charming, how to make women fall for them. I was always a little odd."
"You're not odd, and I'm very glad that you weren't like Esag. He was exactly how you described a player—ahandsome, charming redhead." The words that had been coming slowly at first were getting faster as old anger bubbled up. "He was Khiann's squire, and he was tall, broad-shouldered, and always in a good mood, ready with a joke or a tease. He had this way of making everyone around him smile, but I saw through his mask. I knew he was no good for Gulan. She was so naive."
She wished she could tell him that Gulan had turned into Wonder, found a much nicer redhead to marry, and was living happily with Annani's clan, but Tony couldn't know about the secret communication between Annani and Areana.
No one could know about that.
Tula could still picture Esag clearly—the easy grin, the way he'd ruffle her hair and call her 'little sprite.'
"Gulan was so blindly in love with him," Tula continued. "She would light up every time he got near her, and blush. But we were a poor family, and the only reason Gulan was chosen to be the princess's companion was her size and strength. She was much stronger than even the immortal males, and Annani's parents liked having an additional layer of protection for their daughter. I guess they also hoped that quiet, reserved Gulan would be a good influence on the wild Annani." She chuckled. "But that didn't work out. Annani dragged poor Gulan into one crazy adventure after another, and sometimes they even used me to hide the fact that the princess had snuck out of the palace. I would lie in her bed and pretend to be her."
"Did you like doing that?" Tony asked.
"I loved it. I felt so privileged to be the princess'sconfidant. Annani also rewarded me for my services with jewelry that was worth much more than the little things I did for her. It was her way to help our family without it looking like charity."
"I like your Princess Annani. Did she die with the other gods?"
Tula shrugged. "We don't know for sure. There are rumors that her descendants are the enemies of the Brotherhood, but Lord Navuh never confirmed it."
"What about Esag? Did he die?"
"Probably," she lied. "I don't know why he's bothering me in my sleep."
Tony frowned. "If your sister looked anything like you, she must have been a stunner, and from what you are telling me, she was a nice girl. He must have been in love with her."
He traced the pad of his thumb gently along her jaw, and Tula rewarded Tony's sweet compliment with a smile.
"Esag was engaged, and it was arranged between Ashegan's family and his. Good family, lots of wealth, everything his parents wanted, and his marriage to Ashegan would have meant an elevated status for the entire family. His sisters would have gotten better matches as well. I can understand why he didn't want to give it up. What I'm angry about is that he still pursued Gulan while knowing he wasn't going to do right by her."
She remembered watching them together, seeing the hope bloom in her sister's eyes every time Esag appeared. Gulan would spend hours preparing for the possibility ofseeing him—braiding her hair just so, wearing her best tunics, and practicing smiles in front of the mirror.
"Gulan convinced herself that he would break the engagement," Tula said. "She believed he loved her enough to defy his family and choose her over wealth and status. Esag let her believe it. Let her hope."
"That's cruel," Tony said.
"It gets worse." Tula's hands clenched into fists. "When it came time for his wedding, when it was clear he was going through with it, do you know what he offered her? What that bastard thought was an acceptable consolation prize?" She didn't wait for Tony to guess. "He offered to make her his concubine. He said that after he married Ashegan, he would have enough money for two households, and he would put Gulan up in a nice home and spend as little time as he could with his wife. He actually thought that my proud sister would be grateful for the scraps he was offering her."
Tula had no idea how Gulan had been able to forgive him. Perhaps she was so incredibly happy with Anandur that she was incapable of holding grudges. That was a good place to be, and Tula wished she could be like Gulan, but they didn't share the same temperament.
She wasn't the forgiving type.
Tony's hand stilled on her back. "What did your sister do?"
"She said no, even though it broke her heart. She ran away, and by doing so put our entire family in a dire situation. We needed the wages Gulan was bringing home. That's why Annani arranged for me to become Areana'scompanion." She sighed. "Anyway, I've hated redheads ever since."
