Free Game of Temptation by Anda J. Santoso Page A

in Dosalam – from the army
to the guerilla warriors. His support of her would mean that Niraya would
coalesce all the fighting men of the country, and in his death, the guerillas
would start attacking the capital. And there have been no reports of such a
threat yet.
    Another thing that she was certain of was
that Niraya would not hesitate to kill her. She would be a stumbling block to
her newfound power.
    Her hand involuntarily went to the diamond
necklace Arun had given her as if seeking its protection. He had all but
pleaded for her to take it so that when she was in dire straits, he could aid
her as he could channel his magic through it.
    "And I will see whatever you see, if
you permit it," he had said in a tight voice.
    The knowledge that precious stones were used
to channel magic and see things shocked her. Although he swore that he never
looked into his room through the crystalline ornaments that decorated it, the
thought that he could have seen her in the throes of passion had made her blush.
And she was still blushing at the thought.
    No! She shook her head violently. How could
she even think of such things when he kept from her what he knew for three
days? Who knew how much damage the bitch witch had done in the days she had not
acted? It was what was important. Not Arun and his eyes that could have been
voyeuristically savoring her. Not his maddening touches or the kisses that put
her body on fire and made her burn with feverish need for him.
    She stopped her horse as two soldiers came
galloping on their horses toward her. She held herself high and recognized them
as two of her father's loyal retainers. They jumped down from their horses as
soon as they were three spans away and bowed.
    "It is good to see you are safe,
Princess," the first one said
    "And it is good to be back. What of
Dosalam?"
    "Niraya has claimed herself regent
until your return," the other said. "Come, we shall escort you back
to the palace."
    Alethi nodded but her eyebrows furrowed.
Regency? The only reason the thought that Niraya had not taken the throne
was…She bit her lip. The woman had thought a step ahead. It was easy to read
what she was going to do next. She was going to welcome her and be gracious to
her, but before power could truly be transferred to her, the bitch witch would
expose her to be a traitor and an elfin sympathizer. That would help her
consolidate a flimsy hold on the warriors of the land. She knew she would be
playing right into the hand of the bitch witch, but if she did not, she would
not know exactly what she would be up against.
    What she could not fathom was why she would
risk so much to wage war against Rehanathi? There would be pointless bloodshed
on both sides and neither would win or give way. What did she stand to gain
from it? A woman like Niraya would not do something unless she had calculated
her gains for doing it.
    She smiled and nodded involuntarily as
people on the streets cheered for her return. She kept up her façade as she
assessed the situation. Niraya had not won the people over yet, if the relief
in the people's faces were any indication. People loyal to her father still
remained loyal or she would not be walking through the streets unharmed. That,
and Niraya would have held the throne now and have her killed.
    The servants in the castle crowded behind
her whispering excitedly as she walked through the marble floors into the
throne room. She kept herself still as representatives from many of the major
noble houses stood present with differing expressions – those nearer in line to
the throne, frowning at her sudden appearance.
    Sitting on the throne in front of the
balcony whose curtains were drawn open was Niraya. Her eyes gentle and glad. A
perfect act to match the perfect set-up. Alethi knew she could do very little
from her vantage point. The room to maneuver was very small, she did not think
she would come out unscathed.
    Her fingers closed around the diamond
pendant then released it. She