Free Lakhoni by Jared Garrett

flower.
    Ree
put the earrings down, picking up a delicate wood figurine of a beautiful
woman. She had found this one on the colorful mat spread out by a young boy in
the market square of Zyronilxa. The boy had claimed that the carving was of one
of the First Mothers, but Ree preferred to think it was a carving of her
mother.
    Whenever
she asked her father about her mother, his answer came quickly: “She died in
childbirth.” Ree would often ask about siblings and other family, but Zyron
always insisted that her mother had no family. Ree wondered why she didn’t just
believe her father, but he always pushed Ree off the subject, as if he were
hiding something. But what could he possibly feel like he had to hide? Her
father was king; he could do whatever he wanted.
     Carefully
replacing the carving, Ree decided that a walk in the night air would help her
calm down and slow her racing thoughts. She let her door close slowly and made
her way down the hallway to the main corridor that wound in a slow circuit
around the inner, second-story walls of the temple. Down the stairs and out
into the courtyard or to the terrace? Feeling too lazy to go down stairs
and then have to climb them again, Ree opted for the terrace. Her slippers
whispered on the heavy stones of the floor as she walked. She held her cloak
more tightly around her body, keeping the chilly night air away.
    She
soon came to the doorway to the terrace and slipped outside. A blue-white moon
hung heavily in the sky almost directly overhead. It was surrounded by a thick
carpet of stars that glinted and shimmered in the autumn air. Ree took a slow
deep breath, soaking in the evening. An image of the stench-filled pit flashed
through her mind, but she fought it off, opening her eyes wide to take in as
many of the stars as she could.
    Ree
stepped closer to the edge of the terrace, looking over the city that spread
out from the temple. She could see only two or three small fires—or maybe they
were torches—in the stone homes that encircled the huge building that was her
father’s temple. She walked back along the terrace to the other edge. This side
of the terrace dropped straight down to one of the courtyards of the palace. As
she approached the edge, she heard a voice.
    Instinctively
ducking, Ree almost dashed back inside, but curiosity got the better of her.
She lowered herself to her hands and knees, crawling carefully on the chilly
stone to the edge of the terrace. Down in the courtyard, she saw the paddock
and low stables where horses were kept, the dog pen, and on the other wall, she
saw dim light filtering out through the gaps around a door to the slaves’
quarters. She stayed in that position, listening in the direction of that
light. After a moment, she heard the voice again. She couldn’t tell what it was
saying, but it was a man’s voice.
    The
voice got louder for a second. It was Shelu! Ree wondered why Shelu, her
father’s favorite warrior, would be in the slaves’ quarters this late at night.
    Then
she heard the other voice—a girl’s. It was loud and frightened. Then the girl’s
voice suddenly cut off.
    Ree
understood why Shelu would want to keep the girl quiet; he was not supposed to
be in there. The slaves belonged to her father and he had made strict rules
about other men spending time with the female slaves. If King Zyron found out
about Shelu’s presence in there, especially this late at night, who knew what
would happen?
    Ree
decided to tell her father in the morning. She had never liked Shelu and she
would love seeing the angry man get in trouble.
    As
she eased herself backwards, Ree wondered why Shelu would be visiting a slave
this late at night. Ree knew perfectly well what men and women did together,
but Shelu had access to plenty of other slaves and servants. Why would he take
the risk?
    When
she was close to the doorway back into the temple, Ree stood and hurried toward
her room. Yes, Shelu was breaking a rule and he deserved to get in