Page 71 of Daughter of the Drowned Empire
“Watch out for Batavia, or you’ll be whipped next.”
I wasn’t sure who’d said it, but it was like a dam had been unleashed. Everyone in the hall turned, focusing their attention and anger on me. I could feel the mixture of auras pulsing. They were full of contempt, distrust, and fury.
“The Ready’s in her father’s pocket,” came a sneer. “Teach her a lesson.”
My heart stopped as soturi from Ka Kormac turned around, their wolfish grins spreading across their faces with cruel, wicked hate. They stalked toward me. I backed up into another soturion, and another.
They wouldn’t. I was an Heir to the Arkasva. I was a lady. But I was supposed to be one of them now. And they seemed only too happy to remind me.
There was a yell, and Rhyan appeared, shoving his way through the crowd before he wrapped his arms around me, rushing us away from everyone. Instinctively, I tightened my arms around him as he positioned us away from my would-be attackers, our backs against the wall. Every soturion in the hall glared. My body was shaking uncontrollably. Rhyan’s hand slid behind me and clamped down on my lower back.
“Stand straight,” he muttered under his breath. “Close your mouth. Stare back.” His hand pressed into me again, pushing me forward, steadying me. His fingers curled in my tunic, knuckles pushing against me. “Look at them. Right at them! Head up. Remember who you are.”
I sucked in the air around me, desperate for breath, and then a lifetime of having been raised at court and taught to make an impression and remind everyone of our Ka’s strength kicked in. I stood taller, glaring down at everyone.
A door down the hall opened, and Turion Dairen cursed, yelling at everyone to get into the bath.
The crowd dispersed, and Rhyan released his hold on me.
A jerk of his chin was all he gave, asking if I was all right.
I nodded, and then I headed for the baths.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THEGIRLS’BATHINGroomhoused endless pools full of steaming water, white marble benches, and, in that moment, hundreds of naked bodies. Most proudly displayed their assets while others were casually draped in white towels. I stared as I entered, automatically comparing myself to everyone around me.
I’d always liked my body. Knowing Tristan appreciated it, I’d never given its size, shape, or curves much thought. Concealing cuts and bruises was my main concern. But now there was no way I could avoid facing how inadequate my body was for the task at hand. I had curves where my classmates all had the sinuous lines of warriors. I faced bodies made entirely of strength and muscle, muscle I’d never imagined on myself. Some of the novices who’d just sworn their oaths had defined abdominals and thickened thighs that had not been there even a week ago. I remembered watching Naria run from the ocean this summer to her towel on the beach. Her legs had been so skinny, like a young girl’s. But now they were sinewy and thick. Strong.
I could train. I could replace fat with muscle. But no matter how hard I pushed myself, I’d never have a body like theirs. Not without magic running through me.
The door slammed behind me, echoing with a thud that alerted the entire room to my presence. I’d been so busy staring, I’d released the handle. Girls stopped drying their hair, and those splashing in the pools stilled. Only the running waters, tinkling through the room, could be heard as I became the center of attention.
Haleika, who’d waited for me, urged me forward, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t undress in front of them. Not when I was about to reveal nothing but softness and weakness—as if my run and that scene in the hall hadn’t been humiliating enough—and certainly not when I had to protect my back, as I was still healing from the cuts and bruises Meera had inflicted on me during her last vision. I had to bathe without anyone growing any wiser that I had previous injuries. I anxiously looked down at the golden cuffs adorning my arms, all specifically placed.
“By the Gods,” shouted Haleika. She splashed water in the nearest pool, catching several girls in the face. “She’s just taking a bath!”
Cursing under their breath, they busied themselves, rinsing their hair, toweling off, and stepping into fresh clothes. A few nearby had the decency to look ashamed. But there were plenty who continued staring, looking with a heightened boldness, eyeing me head to toe, their expressions predatory.
“She should have been lashed,” said Tani, edging closer to Pavi, her nose turned up.
“Shut it, Tani.” Haleika eased me to the edge of a pool and untied my sandals. She glared until the girls bathing nearby turned away. I dipped my toes in, feeling heat rise up my legs. The soles of my feet tensed, but as the water rippled over my skin, the soreness eased.
Haleika slipped off her clothes and slid into the water. A surge of jealousy struck me as she revealed her abdomen. Her stomach had always been flat—lean bodies ran in the Grey family. But now her stomach was lined with muscled definition. Mine curved out, like it always had. It had never bothered me before—bellies did that—but now….
I reached for the shoulder of my tunic, wincing, and paused. I still had a captive audience. There was no way to undress gracefully without revealing the pain I was in or showing more skin than I’d intended. I’d stood before nearly all of Bamaria half-naked in the Oath Ceremony, but that had been a ritual. The exposure was considered sacred, and we had been hidden in shadows. This, this was something else entirely. Had I taken my clothes off with the others, it would have been nothing. Alone, I was a spectacle.
“Do you need help undressing?” Haleika asked quietly. She swam to the edge of the pool, looking up at me with concern. “We can wait until the baths empties a little.”
I glared at the other bathers, whispering and sneaking sidelong glances. Naria kept her gaze boldly on me. Her expression showed disgust—as if she found my body revolting. Pavi was close to her. Tani and a team of other girls were applying sunleaves to her back and shooting me death glares. Most were simply watching me, daring an Heir to the Arkasva to strip naked, prove I was one of them.
Look at them. Right at them! Head up. Remember who you are.Remembering Rhyan’s words, right then and there I made my choice.
Themselves to Moriel! All of them! I wouldn’t be intimidated by them. Not in a bathing room built by my ancestors, not when their blood ran through my veins.
Every inch of me was in pain. My stomach still burned, and my feet throbbed as I removed them from the pool, but I stood tall. Cold air coated my damp calves, and white spots appeared in my vision. I took a steadying breath, and the spots cleared, allowing me to stare right at the girls watching—all of them. I lifted my tunic over my head, swallowing a cry of pain, and glared right into Naria’s eyes as I unbound my breasts. Her cheeks reddened, and she turned away, reaching for a sponge. I paused, standing half-naked, breasts exposed, and settled my gaze on Pavi, who’d returned to glaring at me. I smiled at her as I pushed down my shorts and undergarments. She too was forced to suddenly busy herself with her hair.
Anyone else who dared look at me caught my eye and immediately looked away with reddened faces, diving into some other task. I unbound my hair, fluffing it out to fall down my back and cover Meera’s handiwork. And then I fluffed it some more, just to drive the point home. I would not be shamed, not here.
