Hyperia rested her cheek against her silk pillowcase and sighed with satisfaction. She couldn't believe her luck. If she had to choose one person to banish from Oran, it would be Carmelle.
When she had at first caught Tylla in the arms of Moranna's daughter in the garden the previous spring, she had chalked it up to youthful experimentation, something most girls went through before they transitioned to boys.
She had experienced something herself at Tylla's age, and it remained a tender and erotic memory she often brought to the front of her mind during Scipio's rough lovemaking. It helped her reach a climax, and her husband was none the wiser. He would have the satisfaction of pleasuring his wife, and she would keep a harmless secret. Every wife had them.
But when Tylla and Carmelle's relationship continued to blossom, she worried. She assumed it would settle down once Tylla was safely married, that both girls who accept the situation and move on. But fortune had shone down from her as radiantly as Illym's prophecy. Carmelle was gone, and Tylla would soon forget.
But will Moranna?
She thought of her maid suddenly. The older woman had not appeared in her chamber at the usual hour.
No doubt she was upset and took to her bed. I will forgive her this time. I will offer her compensation for her grief, a larger apartment on one of the higher floors, something with a view of the Crimson Sea, something to ease the pain of her loss.
She settled deeper into the silk sheets where she slept alone except for those nights when he appeared at her bedchamber. Now that he believed he planted his seed in her womb, she would have a reprieve from his lustful demands. At least for a little while.
Feeling satisfied, Hyperia dozed off into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.
* * *
Moranna Nazeer was not in her bed, crying herself to sleep as Hyperia assumed. She was in the guest quarters located on the far side of the palace yard, having a private audience with Nargos Nazeer.
With bated breath and frequently blotting her tears with her apron, Moranna informed Nargos about what she had heard on the tower steps, about Illym's true prophecy, and how Hyperia had lied to all the people of Ardelym.
During Moranna's tale, Nargos Nazeer's ruddy face had twisted from an impatient scowl to a comedic mask of pure joy.
After a moment's thought, he placed his calloused hands on Moranna's shoulders and said, "I am not a philosophical man, but I truly believe you were sent to me tonight by Illym himself to save the Nazeer people from this deception, this Davadas tyranny. We are the rightful citizens of Oran, of all of Ardelym! This moment proves it. My dear Nazeer sister, I know your loss was great, but your sacrifice will not be forgotten."
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Moranna nodded and blew her nose into her apron. They were alone in the room, Nargos having sent his manservant away after Moranna had pounded on his door for entry.
Nargos stepped away from her and made a slow promenade about the room. His brain snapped to attention, quickly forming plans. Low burning torches scattered dancing shadows across the marble floor.
He parted the curtains and stepped onto the balcony. The guesthouse had an eastern view of the Pale Forest, its treetops shimmering in the light of the two moons. Nargos breathed in the air of the trees and farms beyond; the scent was sweet, teeming with life, a contrast to Nazeera, with its dry, dusty air which scarred the lungs of every citizen.
Nargos coughed and leaned against the marble railing. His old knees felt weak suddenly. His body was tired, but his thoughts poured through his brain like molten steel.
"What will you do now, sir?" Moranna's voice quavered behind him.
He turned to her and said, "That's not your concern. Get yourself on Pendulum Road en route to Nazeera immediately. We will pick you up along the way." When Moranna's eyes flashed with fear, he softened and said, "You belong with your people."
"But what of the girl, my lord?"
Nargos had thought a lot about the Illymiums since his army's ill-fated charge on Mynimium twenty years before. The Illymium city had been sparsely populated due to a diminishing birthrate for a Zar or more. The Sylvan River that had once filled it with abundance had dried up. But still, there was a sense of pride in owning Ardelym's first great city, a neighbor to the south of his realm.
They blame me and my mines for destroying the river basins, but who provides them with the steel for their blades, the gold and gems on their wives' fingers?
Ever since Nargos' ill-fated siege, the walls of Mynimium had remained closed, occupied only by a few trade families, mad elders who refused to leave, and a growing population of feral cats. Most had forgotten about the ancient city, its pink stone edifices crumbling into the desert sands.
But Nargos Nazeer hadn't forgotten. His battled-scarred body reminded him every day of his defeat. Now, here was his chance to exact his revenge and take what was rightfully his.
"The girl?" Nargos asked.
"Yes," Moranna replied weakly. "She's a sweet child, naive but good-hearted. Unlike her sister. I wouldn't wish any harm to come to her."
Nargos' worm-like lips twisted into a smile. "No harm at all, only what is fated by our god's decree. Now, tell me, dear sister." He turned and fixed her in his green gaze. "Where may I find this Starlex Illymium?"
"Now, sir?" Moranna stepped sheepishly past the fluttering curtains onto the balcony.
"Yes, now. Is she sleeping in her chamber?" Nargos asked, gazing enviously at the endless expanse of rich Oran land, frosted with silver moonlight.
Moranna licked her lips nervously. Leaning on the railing for support, she pointed a thick, trembling finger over the Oran rooftops toward the Pale Forest. "You will find her there, sir. She rides out to the sea every night."
"She sounds like a strange girl," he mused.
"Yes. Strange, but sweet. Please don't hurt her."
"Moranna," he said with a sigh. He turned and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "I will not hurt her. She is the vessel that will contain Illym's prophecy. Our God didn't say who would sire this great king, did he?"
Moranna nodded, understanding what he intended to do.
Before she could speak, to reiterate her wish that no harm should come to the princess, he pressed several Nazeera gold coins in her hand and said, "Get yourself to Pendulum Road, dear sister. Leave the rest up to me."