Returned Read online

  Tijah’s younger sister, Jasmine, stepped from the shadows of the dressing room, silently holding out a pleated emerald gown, her eyes luminous in the glow of the single candle.

  Beyond her, hanging in the wardrobe, was my wedding gown stained with mud and grass, ash and wood smoke still smudging the folds of ivory fabric.

  Beauty to ashes.

  The story of my life.

  I stepped into the emerald dress, turning my head so the deaf girl could read my thanks on my lips. The girl gave me a tremulous smile and then busied herself buttoning up the back.

  Smoothing the gown over my hips, I noted how the skirt dropped around my waist to fit every curve. The sleeves weren’t loose, but folds of softness fell past my wrists. The plunging neckline set off a necklace of sapphires and topaz, while a heavy emerald dropped between my breasts.

  “It seems silly to dress so extravagantly only to slink through the catacombs into the temple,” I said, self-conscious at the luxurious outfit and jewelry.

  Tijah’s eyes darted to mine. “You must be dressed like a priestess in case anyone stops us.”

  Finally, my handmaids painted my eyes and brows in a midnight black kohl. Bloodred rouge on my cheeks and lips, my wedding curls still dusted in gold draping my shoulders.

  I stared at myself in the sheet of bronze hanging on the wall, my figure shimmering in the reflection. I thought back to my home, and to Leila as a child. I still couldn’t believe we were here after all that we’d been through. In Sariba, the High Priestess Aliyah was even more powerful and threatening than Armana of the Temple of Ashtoreth back in the oasis city of Tadmur. Leila was not going to leave easily or on her own. Aliyah was sister to the Queen of Sheba. She was a princess and part of the royal enclave and had a hold on my sister. She was previously Kadesh’s betrothed, too. A fact I tried not to dwell on, but our relationship was too close, too personal.

  While the girls put the finishing gemstone pins into my hair, I was trembling from nerves, my palms sweaty. Instead of a polished, refined appearance for the courts of Sariba, I appeared wild and unruly. The columned dress added five years to my age, and the makeup turned me into an Egyptian goddess.

  The sight filled me with a sense of terror. I looked like a different person, not the simple desert girl I was in my heart.

  “You are stunning, Princess Jayden,” Tijah said, smiling at her handiwork. “We wish you were queen already.”

  I glanced in the bronze mirror one last time, lifted my neck, took a deep breath, and tried to feel confident. It helped that I had my dagger strapped to my thigh and my sling attached at my hip.

  “I promise you that we will not be defeated.”

  Jasmine kissed my hand, understanding my words as she read my lips.

  Tijah bowed her head. “Spoken like a true queen.”

  “I’m not yet a queen. And there is a very good chance I may never become queen. My life—our life—everything is precarious. We don’t know what today will bring, or tomorrow. All we can do is be as prepared as we can and pray that goodness will win in the end.”

  I forced myself to impart confidence. Most likely, I would not cross paths with Aliyah at all—and I wanted to keep it that way. “Are you sure you want to do this, Tijah? You haven’t told me about your past or your family’s story, but the fact that you know a secret way into the temple tells me that somehow you’re tied to the Sariba Goddess.”

  Tijah slowly nodded while Jasmine’s eyes filled with sudden tears. “It doesn’t matter any longer, but we grew up at the temple, and we’ll do anything for you and your sister.”

  It was still dark outside the windows, but from a distance, a cock crowed loud and long. Wordlessly, we hurried out the door of the bedroom suite and into the hallway.

  The reality was, depending on what happened at the temple, I might not ever come back. I was torn in two, desperate to bring my sister back home with me, but terrified of Aliyah’s power over Leila, including the power of the Egyptians and their magic incantations.

  3

  Liquid moonlight dripped along the walls of the palace as I followed Tijah and Jasmine. The last of the moon lowered itself to rest upon the distant horizon.

  I became like a thief, passing the chambers where Naomi, Josiah, their daughter Naria, and the rest of the royal family slept, making my way soundlessly through the halls blazing with lamps and candles.

  The guards glanced at us quizzically but didn’t stop us. We passed my father’s bedchamber and then finally Kadesh’s royal rooms.

  Five hours ago, we’d lain on my bed together, in tears and grief. Now I pictured him wearing out the rugs on the floors of his suite with his feet. Or perhaps he was somewhere else entirely with his war advisors, talking earnestly through the night.

  Tijah pressed a finger to her lips, and I tried to mimic the girls’ stealth, not realizing that my sandals were making a shushing sound along the dense carpets. My heart drummed, pounding its way into my throat.

  We turned left, then right, then left and left again. All at once, I bumped into Tijah who leaned in close to take my arm, guiding us through the side door to the palace gardens.

  The hanging lights had been extinguished. Dawn hung on the brink and even the running fountains were stilled, waiting for morning.

  Waiting for war.

  The city was so dreadfully quiet. I swore that even from here I could hear the distant ocean kissing the shoreline.

  I held Jasmine’s and Tijah’s hands tightly in mine so we wouldn’t trip across the stone paving or stumble on the steps that led us off the palace grounds. I didn’t know the layout like they did.

  When we arrived at the stables, Asher had horses saddled and ready to mount. Walking past the stalls and stacks of hay, he stared at me through the gloom. His eyes swept over me from head to toe. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I have to learn what Aliyah has done to Leila. The strange drugs the temple uses on the priestesses . . . I’m afraid Leila will forget I—we—ever existed. That would kill my father.”

  The Edomite prince nodded. His lips parted with words he wanted to say, but couldn’t. We’d gone over my plan as we stood on the beach watching the flames devour our king, standing outside of Kadesh’s hearing while he conferred with Uncle Josiah about the hundred pressing issues over Horeb’s coming army.

  “I have to rescue my sister,” I said simply, but it was all I could do not to break down in front of him.

  Asher’s jaw worked, the muscles in his face twitching. “I don’t like it, but I’d do the same if it were my sister.”

  “Please don’t bring it up to Kadesh. He has enough to worry about and plans to make. Not unless—” I broke off.

  I didn’t have to say the words, Not unless I don’t return.

  It was obvious Asher knew exactly what I was thinking. “You know I don’t like this,” he repeated, as stubborn as I was.

  “My maids can find Leila. They know the secrets of the temple.”

  Tijah spoke from the darkness. “Nobody else does.” Quickly, she added, “Please forgive me for interrupting.”

  Asher waved away her apology. “A time of war has no need for etiquette—or silence about important matters.”

  Under the last of the glittering stars, Asher helped the girls up onto their horse. “I’ve given you the most gentle old horse King Ephrem owned, but be careful in the forest dusk.”

  Tijah said, “I rode when I was a child, a few times with my—” She broke off, and then added, “Jasmine is so tender, animals are never skittish with her.”

  Asher bent beside the second horse and laced his fingers together, indicating I was to place my foot there so he could hoist me onto the mahogany-hued Arabian steed. “No, Asher. This is Hara, your own horse. I can’t take her from you.”

  “Hara already knows you from the journey across the desert. Besides, if I lend you my horse, it gives you greater incentive to come back home to us.”

  Our e
yes met in the ensuing pause. “Incentive isn’t the problem,” I whispered.

  Before I could turn around and run back to my rooms, I stuck my foot into his cupped hands, swinging my leg and dress over the horse’s back. After settling into the animal’s flanks, I grasped the reins.

  Asher touched the hem of my gown, and I shivered. “I fear for you, not only because you’re playing into Aliyah’s hands, but because Horeb is on the plain in the valley of the Qara Mountains. At the temple up on the hill you’ll be that much closer to him, and closer to danger.”

  Tijah wrapped the leather straps around her fists. “Nobody will see us. I promise, Prince Asher.”

  He pursed his lips. “That’s a promise waiting to be broken. There’s no predicting who you’ll stumble across on the trail.”

  “I know a secret way into the temple because I grew up there.”

  Asher let out a low chuckle. “Even the servants carry secrets close to their hearts.”

  “I hope that lessens your worry,” I told him, nudging Hara to follow Tijah away from the paddocks. Perched in front of her sister, Jasmine lay down along the horse, eyes closed, hands tangled in the thick mane, as though she was part of the horse itself.

  “Asher—” I halted and then amended his name. “Prince of Edom,” I murmured.

  “Yes,” he said, his eyes bright.

  “How is Chemish this morning? What do the doctors say?”

  He gave me a small smile. “I spent the night at his bedside, terrified at the letter I might have to write my mother, but he rallied two hours ago and gave my hand a faint squeeze. The doctors were able to remove the arrow from his chest, and it appears that the shaft didn’t hit his heart or lungs.”

  “I’m so glad,” I whispered, relief flooding me.

  “He’s weak from loss of blood, but the physicians are hopeful he’ll recover. He’s strong and he knows Kadesh needs his help.”

  “He’ll be on that sick bed for weeks! There’s no chance he could ever fight in this war,” I told him.

  “Don’t underestimate my father.”

  “I’ll visit him when I return from the temple,” I promised.

  Asher placed his hand along the length of my reins, making me pause. “Is there anything I can say to convince you not to go? You’re going for your sister, but Kadesh doesn’t trust Aliyah and neither do I.”

  Distaste crawled along my skin. Aliyah’s previous words under the patio canopy several days earlier hissed again in my ears. My skin crawled with her strange touch. The insinuations she’d delighted to tell me about her betrothal to Kadesh were sickening. “I didn’t trust her the moment I saw her.”

  “If you don’t come back, Kadesh will never forgive me.”

  “I’ll come back,” I insisted. “Trust me.”

  Asher gave a snort. “I trust you both. I love you both.”

  His words shot at my heart. It was uncomfortable to hear his emotions spoken aloud because I knew his thoughts and feelings had a double meaning. Kadesh was unaware, and I intended to keep it that way. Asher’s love for me would remain unknown to anyone else.

  Silence drew out between us. Finally, I stared at him through the morning darkness, clenching the folds of my dress. “There’s one more reason I’m going to the temple, Asher.”

  His brow creased in concern. “What is it?”

  “Last night Aliyah stole my marriage contract. I saw her behind the dais. She fled during the attack, not caring that King Ephrem had collapsed before her. I raced to stop her but I wasn’t fast enough. When I returned to the table, the marriage covenant papers were gone. I know she has them, and I’m furious.”

  Gripping the horse’s halter, Asher’s knuckles glowed white under the starlight. He nodded soberly. “I’m still your bodyguard, Jayden,” he said, using my given name. “Over the next several weeks, I will be your shadow. You need to be back to the palace before the sun is at its zenith. Uncle Josiah will crown Kadesh King of Sariba today—and you must be there. He needs you at his side, and the people of Sariba need to see you, too.”

  I was tempted to argue against his point. “My reception by the citizens of Sariba after the attack by the mercenary soldiers and their king’s death leaves me in a precarious position.”

  “Don’t overthink it, my lady. Prince Kadesh tried to marry you last night. That is enough for the people. Nobody can blame you when your own wedding was invaded by warriors and ruined.”

  “But Horeb sent those soldiers. They’re here—because of me. I guess—” I stumbled, trying to sort out my thoughts. “Mostly, Asher, I don’t want you to blame me for your father’s assault. If we lose him, I’ll be devastated.”

  Asher laid a hand on the horse’s neck, dangerously close to my own hands wrapped around the pommel of the saddle. “We won’t lose him. He has better doctors here than back home. Trust me now.” He handed over the reins and then slapped the flanks of his horse.

  My body jerked forward and the Prince of Edom melted into the shadows behind us.

  4

  We rode for an hour, and when my horse pulled up next to the other riders, a sudden tug at my arm made me jump. “You startled me, Jasmine.”

  The girl bowed her head in apology and beckoned me to dismount and follow them.

  I glanced around at the lush surroundings of the rushing waterfall and a moment later the girls ducked behind the pouring water into the cave where Kadesh had taken me a few weeks earlier on our tour of the land of Sariba.

  Moss crawled up the walls, and the narrow tunnel yawned into blackness. I shivered, a misty spray soaking my arms.

  “Dawn is close,” Tijah said, dropping all decorum when she snatched up my hand to pull me along the cave’s floor. Moisture oozed from the stone walls, the air humid and cloying. “We need to get inside the temple before we’re stopped by any guards. The gates don’t officially open until later in the morning.”

  “But why are we going into a cave?”

  Jasmine smiled as Tijah said, “It’s a shortcut.”

  We formed a single line. My hands flattened along the walls where the cave sloped upward. I found myself panting, feeling the way with my fingertips—until I almost fell into some sort of hollow. A sudden rush of cold air and emptiness dashed against my cheeks.

  Jasmine grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back.

  “Is there a pit down there?” I asked, teetering in my sandals.

  The mute girl shook her head while Tijah said, “No, merely another bend in the cave. But there’s nothing down there.”

  A moment of silence followed her words. What was the truth—a secret cache of hidden weapons for Sariba’s army? That seemed plausible and fantastical both.

  “We must keep moving,” Tijah admonished.

  We pressed forward, winding along until we reached the bottom of a stone staircase. Without speaking, we climbed a set of endless steps until we came out into the opening of another cave set into a low hill.

  I was out of breath—and tottered on my heels when I saw the Temple of Sariba rising before us in dazzling splendor. It was a palace of such grandeur and opulence I could hardly see the roofline. White walls sparkled as though embedded with gold flakes. Glazed mauve staircases wound about the massive arched entrance with a set of grand gold doors underneath the portico. Fountains shot straight into the air, even at this early hour.

  The morning’s dim light had grown hazy, the sun threatening to blast along the edge of eastern desert.

  “Hurry!” Tijah hissed. She skirted the gardens and flanked the set of tiered steps that ended at the eastern doors, heading to a rear wall instead. A place where the shadows lay deep.

  Jasmine pressed a finger to her lips, and then I spotted the temple guards rounding a corner, away from us, vanishing from sight. We twisted down a series of half staircases, and the gardens faded behind us. Just as quickly, we came to an old wooden door with brass inserts and bars running vertically.

  Tijah tapped so faintly I wasn’t sure the sou
nd would penetrate to the other side, but a slot high above us slid open and then closed again. A breath later, the wooden door snapped open and we were ushered into a dank, smelly hallway.

  “Where are we?” I whispered.

  “The servants’ quarters,” Tijah said. “The basement of the temple. Aliyah never comes down here.”

  A moment later, we were assaulted by the smells of old food, body odor, and a drastic lack of fresh air. There were faint moans coming from within. It reminded me of the prison in Tadmur where Kadesh and I had rescued my father.

  “What goes on down here?”

  The girl didn’t answer at first, only held my hand in hers as we walked the filthy stone corridors. “There’s no one assigned to help down here, nobody to clean or tend the ill.”

  Growing alarm soured my stomach. I’d never seen this kind of poverty when I lived at the Temple of Ashtoreth in Tadmur. “What path would someone take to get down here from the halls and floors above?” I asked.

  “There used to be a staircase on the underground floor where the kitchens and servants’ bedrooms are located. But a few years ago it was covered up so nobody could get in or out. Food is now brought through the very same door we entered. Aliyah pretends these women—this place—doesn’t exist.”

  Dread filled me when Tijah pushed open a door and we entered a large room filled with women, even elderly and infirm. The women sat listlessly at tables or lay on mats in the corners. Their dresses had turned to rags, and I shuddered at their tangled hair and blackened feet.

  I pressed myself against the wall. “Who are these women and why are they kept here? I don’t understand.”

  A mask seemed to fall across Tijah’s face. “These women used to be priestesses of the Goddess. They’ve been banished to the dungeons of the temple because they are no longer viable.”

  “Viable?” I echoed.

  Jasmine placed her hand in mine and pulled me across the room.