Hey all.  Thanks to everyone who's sticking with me on this.  Sorry this chapter is so short; the next will be longer, I promise. :)

If you want to get a feel for the version of "I Put a Spell On You" in this chapter, check out ~

http://cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=2068735887/pagename=/RP/SHARE/soundclip.html/UPC=0900810242/disc=01/track=02/source=wmf

And without further ado...

Chapter 2 ~ The Dance of the Seven Deadly Veils

Through the latticework, Eveska could see the courtyard filling under the starry sky.  Jakeem had been correct – they had not so much as batted an eyelash when they claimed to be a small troupe of traveling performers.  And all things considered, they weren't half bad...but they weren't half good either.  She sighed as the first act went on, juggling various different objects.  Her eyes scanned the courtyard, spotting the ailing Maharajah on the far end.  Beside him sat a young man, a year or two older than herself, seemingly bored with the simple magik tricks of the second act.

"What in the name of Allah are you wearing?"  She glanced behind at her brother, his face burning at the site of his sister draped in a transparent cloth, leaving only a little to the imagination.

"Come now," she said innocently.  "You didn't really think I was going to seduce him in linen now, did you?"

"You could seduce a dying man from his last breath," Jakeem said with a raised eyebrow.  "I will not be the laughing stock of this tribe."

"Too late."  He was nearly ready to protest as the act finished.  "You're on," she said, giving him a swift kick out into the middle of the courtyard.

"And now, from the far reaches of the sands, may I present, the Desert Rose."   She stepped out to the center of the deathly silent courtyard, a dark, opaque veil cloaking all but her eyes as she began to sing softly with one beat of the drum.

"I put a spell on you

'Cause you're mine

La la la la la la la

You'd better stop the things you do

I ain't lyin'

La la la la la la la"

With that, the beat picked up, and she spun, letting the breeze pick up the large veil as she danced, the calls and whistles ignored as she danced in the direction of the prince.

"And I don't care if you don't want me

I'm yours right now"

She threw the veil over the prince, drawing herself within a breath of his lips.

"Because you're mine," she whispered as her eyes locked with his.  For a moment, she forgot where she was or why she was even here...she found herself lost in a world of blue that danced in the firelight.  Shaking herself from the dream, she pulled away to the sounds of the crowd clapping and cheering wildly.  She was lead away quickly by her brother, not before stealing a glance back at the prince who spoke quickly into the ear of a nearby guard.

Jakeem drew in a deep breath, the better to scold her with, when a guard approached.

"His Majesty wishes a word with you," he said to Eveska.  "Alone."  The guard stepped back as Eveska grinned, turning to her brother.

"And you doubted me," she whispered, giving him a light pat on the cheek before following the guard through the twists and turns of the palace.