Well as I have said a million times before, please review. I don't care if it's critical reviews since I think those help. Not a lot to say right now...
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I could not muster up the courage to ask him who his guest would be in fear that he might confirm my thoughts. I only had a week to prepare whatever was needed though the task was not a difficult one. I wished that it would be Siete, at least he was no threat at all. Then again I doubted that Siete would return when Sahaid had seen the glances that he shot at me during his visit. I was sure that Sahaid expected me to dance for his guests as he always did. I had learned the ancient dances of our kind, I had learned them well enough that Sahaid was proud to show them to the visitors. Dancing was indeed something that I had always loved to do, something that I will always do. It took my mind away from the troubles and it only left the beat of the drums in my mind during those blissful moments.
My mood was irritable during those weeks even though Sahaid had allowed Asper to stay for a longer period of time. If my suspicions were correct, I knew who it would be that would come and I would make it one of the most memorable visit for him. I never confessed my suspicions to anyone, not even Asryn. I knew that she would take my sour mood as a warning of who I thought it would be and she did all she could to help me prepare, even though nothing of the matter was said between us. It was not only I that held secrets. Asryn had developed a strange mood for quite a while. She would take more special care of herself and she no longer dressed with the simple usually red colored robes across her shoulder. We both had secrets that only time would allow us to tell.
Sahaid avoided me during that week in preparation. Not once did he direct a glance at me and he never visited me in my chambers. I had taken notice of that and so had all the women that attended me. Asper also kept a distance from me but he still greeted me in the large corridors and talked with me as much as time would allow. I felt quite alone despite of that. The chatter of the Ysis and Zora tired me as I looked out into the night through the large window up front. The night was so beautiful even after I had lived in it for years. The sun would kill me if I ever walked out into the day. The gentle hum of the night's breeze relaxed me despite my mood. I could see th vast desert that lead to the many other entrances to the outer world. I turned and walked over to my large bed which was nothing more than cushions and precious veils thrown to shape a circle. Large golden veils came flowing from the ceiling, forming a sort of shelter around the bed. I fingered the rose necklace that Asper had given me which was hidden under my robes. One of the good things of not having Sahaid accompany me was that he did not know of the necklace. It would cause more questions to rise and it would cause a great rift between us. I slept that silent sleep that evades all vampires, though mine was not filled with the worry of sunlight since there was no threat of the sun to worry me.
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Incense burned everywhere and all was lighted by candlelight. I stood in my room as all Zora, Munia, and Ysis fussed over my dress. Sahaid had given it to me though he had sent Asryn with that task. He had done a good job in avoiding me and I would finally see him when our guest arrived. It was a beautiful gown, adorned with gold everywhere with veils of the deepest shade of red. Blood. I yearned for the human taste of blood but I knew that soon enough I would have to stop. Sahaid would be the one to greet his guest while I made sure that everything was in its place and prepared. I tried to settle my nerves but I could not. Anticipation burned through my whole body.
Asryn came into my door and by the way that she looked at me, I knew that my deepest fears were confirmed. "They have arrived...He requests your presence to greet his guests."
Guests? That surely meant that there was more than one. I nodded, not hesitating one to go down and greet them. The women followed obediently behind me and I only wished that the night would not be a disaster.
A few corridors and turns and then we were in the large common room, where Sahaid lounged there lazily like a tiger watching its prey come to him. Aubrey was there with him, obviously not caring that Sahaid noticed the looks that he gave me. Yet, it was not Aubrey that surprised me at his arrival. It was Jessica. She took her place beside Aubrey, proud and sure of herself as I walked in. There was a sense of displeasure in her still, when she saw me. No doubt that conversation we had last time had not fully convinced her. Asper was not far from all three of them, he had sat farther from them, giving all three a respectful distance. Whatever was going to happen, he was to take no part in it. Asryn followed at my side, her steps as careful as mine as I made my way to greet Sahaid.
"Wife" Sahaid smiled. I bent my knees a bit and bowed to him as I had always done. Of course, with Aubrey there, it was uncomfortable. Jessica only stared. Sahaid had not greeted me with that word in years. Why use it now?
I took a breath before I answered the only way I could. "Husband." I met his eyes and saw nothing there again that might give away what he was planning. I tried to hide my anger and took my place at his side. Asryn retreated with the other women to the other side of the large room.
Samia, a pretty girl of seventeen danced in the center of the room with the small cymbals at the tip of her index and thumb. Sahaid whispered softly in my ear that at the next song, I would grace our guests with my dance. I only nodded and kept looking at Samia so as not to let him see my anger. I wondered how Aubrey and Jessica got into Ardid. Through the rose? Or did Sahaid use one of his painful potions?
Soon enough, it was my turn to grace them and grace them I would. I took one of the large red veils that I had carried with me, and stepped onto the middle of the room. Would Sahaid cover me with panther this time. No. I would not him interrupt my dance.
The music played soft and slow at first, the soft accordion that accompanied the dance, followed my graceful snakelike movements. The veil twirled around me, softly, covering my face. It was much like the dance Siete had seen when he came. I was determined to make it different, even if it angered Sahaid. As the music quickened, I twirled endlessly with the veil flowing behind me. With my hands I gathered the corners of the veil, two on each hand and then softly, my right hand traveled down the length of the veil and slowly, I turned it into a snake. A large python. A few gasped but Sahaid only smiled. I had never used magic in my dances. Aubrey only smiled. I remembered that he favored snakes.
The skin of the snake was somewhat rough on my hands but I did not care. I only felt the dance flow through me. I let some of the snake twirl on my right arm as I danced. The movements as quick and swifts as a snakes. I placed the python on the floor and danced around it, the snake following me, threatening me with a bite and I escaping from it. I took another veil from my attire, golden this time with hints of red. I dance across the snake, dragging the veil behind me and in doing so, creating a large circle of fire around me and the snake. I could hear the flute play along with the drums and once again the soft gasp from the onlookers. I noticed that in taking the red and golden veil I had revealed more of my body than Sahaid would have liked. I picked up the snake, and in a quick movement I threw the python in the air and as I caught it, it was a long silver sword. I moved faster as the music quickened even more, though now and then I danced softly with sensual movements and letting the sword balance on my body. Any idiot would have noticed that I was not dancing for Sahaid, that every look and glance I directed was at someone else. Aubrey only looked at me, his eyes admiring every move I made and a soft smile played along his lips. Asper and Asryn only looked shocked, no doubt fearing what Sahaid was going to do. As the song neared its end, I raised the sword above my head and started spinning, the flames around me blown softly by the movements I made. In rapid motion, I stopped as the song stopped, and placed the aimed the sword at Aubrey, which was only a few centimeters away from his neck. He did not flinch when I placed the sword at his neck but Jessica stood up as if ready to attack me. Before she could do anything against me, I sent the silver sword flying in the air and it landed on the large pole at the back of the room, half of the sword sank into it.
I stood there, looking at all three of them, anger coursing through me violently and I trying my best to control it. With one quick thought, the fire that I had created was gone. Sahaid glared at me and his blue eyes had suddenly grown dark. I felt someone pull at my left arm and I turned to meet Asper. He looked worried and quickly he dragged me a few feet away from Sahaid so that he would not hear what he said to me.
"Be careful at what you do Aisha! Sahaid is not pleased at what you have done." His voice was serious and I saw concern for me play across his eyes. I only looked down and felt the anger in me slowly fade away, leaving me with an empty, unsatisfied feeling inside. I said nothing more. Asper led me back to Sahaid and without meaning anything that I said, I asked for forgiveness at my reckless actions from before. Sahaid nodded but I could see that my plea for forgiveness had not satisfied him at all.
Aubrey only chuckled at the little interlude between Sahaid and I. We both looked at him, yet he did not care.
"Always have been very audacious at times. I started to wonder where that old spirit had gone." he said but it did not lower the tension at all.
The rest of the night was spent talking about insignificant matters such as what we were gifted with and what Ardid had to offer to visitors. I sat by Sahaid, taking no part in the conversation whatsoever and only looking at Asper who smiled in return. Finally, Sahaid dismissed me to my room and I, happily retreated to it.