Conquering Lazar (3 page)

Seconds later, the drawing vanished, blown away by the wind as the gusts picked up speed. The eye of the storm had reached them.

Malachi pressed his body protectively against hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "The storm will hopefully pass soon. Close your eyes and press your face against my chest."

She did as he ordered. The smell of leather from his clothing, and the essence of his body titillated her senses. The sand beat against her frame as Malachi tried to pull her into him even closer. The noise of blowing wind conquered any sound. She couldn't even hear the horses that circled all the men and women, providing at least some minimal protection.

"Keep your eyes closed!" he yelled above the howling wind.

She tightened her eyes more and burrowed her face even deeper against his chest. The wind shook her body so hard that if it weren't for Malachi holding her firm, she thought she might blow away. She remembered being told a story as a child of nomads being torn to shreds by the desert wind. The gory tale was told often to children to deter them from leaving to explore for something better. But sitting here, huddled against Malachi, she couldn't help but wonder if the gruesome stories were indeed true.

He positioned his body so his covered lips were against her ear. "It is passing! Hold on just a little longer!" He rubbed her back reassuringly.

He held her like that until the worst of the storm had passed. When it finally subsided enough, he pulled away to examine her. "Are you all right?"

She removed the fabric from her face and nodded.

He stood up and surveyed the entire group. After seeing that everyone had weathered the storm, he gave his commands. "Let us continue on. Casen is near!"

Glimmers of the rising sun spread its warmth over the flat horizon. Malachi and his militia led the horses up a steep wall of shifting dunes. The commune of Casen lay just up ahead. Elbi looked at the very crude structure; a far cry from the Palace of Lazar. A circular wall was in the process of being built by men, and watch towers were also being constructed. Barbed wire coiled along the top of wooden pylons, sharpened at their tips. Clearly this commune was preparing for an attack. It didn't look like any paradise, but it would have to be their new home.

"Help the women, and get the horses to the stables," Malachi commanded his men. "Rest up for the evening. You did a good job out there. We are lucky to have you on our side." His praise to them seemed welcome as each man approached Malachi with a pat on the back or a shake of the hand before heading off.

The women of the harem stood with only Malachi in the entrance of the heavily guarded commune.

"They call this a commune," Mistress Tula murmured under her breath. Elbi turned to her in the harsh desert sunlight.

"Does anything satisfy you, really?" Elbi asked, annoyed by the woman's attitude. She knew there had been a time she was to respect and follow every command this woman gave. But things had changed, and Elbi grew to detest this woman. Mistress Tula was supposed to be their leader. She was expected to escort the harem to safety. And although it wasn't her fault they were captured, Mistress Tula was far from a leader. She didn't offer anything to the situation that any of the other girls didn't. She didn't offer guidance, comfort or strength. The only thing she had done during the entire journey was bitch and complain. And when they faced rape and death with Jaden, she'd cowered behind them all.

"Why are you so easily satisfied?" Mistress Tula calmly shot back. "I know you think we are now safe in this place, but this is not what I would consider an appropriate shelter. Jaden could crush us in seconds here."

Elbi shrugged her shoulders and walked away. Maybe she was crazy, but as she watched Malachi talking to some other men in his small army, she felt safe.

"Donte! Briar!" Malachi called out.

Donte and Briar came walking out of a large building, hand in hand. Elbi's heart stopped at the sight of them.
Briar!
She was alive! Her group of women must have arrived safely.

Briar looked at the swath of filthy, clearly exhausted women with a huge smile on her face. Her eyes made contact with Elbi's and she came running toward her.

"Elbi!" she cried, as she wrapped her arms around her. She pulled away and examined Elbi's body. "Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Elbi shook her head as tears cascaded down her face.

"I'm so happy to see you. I was so scared you were all killed." Briar pulled away and hugged and greeted the rest of the women, scanning their bodies for injuries as well.

"Where did you find them?" Donte asked.

Malachi unloaded his horse as he spoke. "We rescued them from some Jaden soldiers. General Rhys was there."

"Did you kill him?" Donte asked, with contempt in his voice.

Malachi shook his head. "The bastard ran, but not before killing some of our men and slitting the throats of two of our women." He turned to Briar. "Do you mind getting the women cleaned, fed and cared for? They've been though quite an ordeal."

Briar nodded silently and motioned for all the women to follow her. Elbi didn't want to leave Malachi. She loved Briar, but her paralyzing fear returned at the thought of not having him there to protect her.

"Elbi," Malachi gestured Elbi over. He clearly could read the fear written across her face.

When he called her name, her small heart beat faster, booming in her petite chest. She quickly stood before him.

"You're going to be all right now. Go and get cleaned up with Briar. I promise that you are safe."

He looked at Briar again. "Show the women to their new home."

Briar grabbed Elbi's hand and led her away from Malachi and Donte.

Elbi took a deep breath to calm the panic clutching her heart. She tugged at her scraps of clothing, realizing she needed to do as Malachi ordered. She hadn't changed since fleeing the palace and being kidnapped by the Jaden army.

"Does this place keep them out? The Jaden army, I mean?" Her voice shook, almost as badly as her body.

Briar squeezed her hand reassuringly. "They haven't found us yet. This commune is really in the depths of the dunes. Plus, allied forces are arriving daily. Soon enough we will be strong enough to fight them. Don't worry." Briar looked over her shoulder at the rest of the harem following them. "We are all safe for now."

Elbi desperately wanted that to be true.

* * * * *

Elbi watched the faces of the other harem women as Malachi and Donte spoke in hushed tones of the war's developments and as, with intense remorse, they named all who had died, breaking her heart even more. Fear, anger, denial—she saw all of it writ large on their faces. Malachi did not seem to see it on them, for he only looked at her as he explained what would come next: they were to prepare for battle. All that the brothers' had built and worked for was in the hands of Jaden; who came to ransack the palace and claim it as their own. These beasts were now in her gardens where she loved to tend to her flowers and walk peacefully, listening to the call of a peacock or a coo of a dove. Her paradise was no more.

Elbi cleared her throat and unfurled one of her shapely legs from beneath her, savoring the cool kiss of the room's tile on her skin. She thought of how much she missed the warmth of the ornate rugs she sat on at the palace as she spoke. "Are we safe? Will Jaden come and attack Casen like they did Lazar?"

She watched Malachi's face contort with the pain of telling a hard truth. He finally looked away from her and took in the expressions of the other women.

Donte extended his hand to Briar, who immediately sat next to him. Taking her small hand and squeezing it, he inhaled deeply before answering Elbi's question. "You will all be guarded thoroughly. My brothers and I will not let any harm come to any of you again. We have soldiers to guard you around the clock. All of you. They are among our best, and are the strongest men we could find. They will let no harm come to you," he said.

"And what if we are taken anyway? What if by some strange fate one or all of us is left unattended and we are stolen? It will mean certain death, you know this!" Elbi did not mean to be insolent but it was her fear that spoke through her.

"That is what I wanted to tell you all. For the next few weeks, we will dedicate as much time as possible to teaching you how to defend yourselves. You will learn how to fight," Malachi declared, clearly hating the words himself.

Briar gasped and snatched her hand from Donte's grip. "You want us
all
to fight? To
kill
?" Her voice was high pitched and shrill, like that of a terrified girl.

Elbi watched as Donte looked at Briar, his eyes pleading that she, that all of them, understand. "Only if you must. I cannot bear the thought of you being at the whim of a Jaden soldier." His eyes now scanned the faces of all of the women and finally came to rest back upon Briar.

"Do you know when Jaden will be here?" she asked. The other women watched them speak, their eyes flitting from Donte to Malachi and back. Briar had earned their respect and though she was typically quite timid in her speech, especially to Donte, she spoke now with a fervor and a fear they all felt.

"We sent men to spy at the dunes and see if they were close. As of last night's moon, they could not be found. Our other brothers are skimming the desert, looking for them. We believe that they are still a few weeks away. Even on the fastest horse, the journey here is long. And we are hidden well," Malachi answered.

"What about the training of the harem?" Mistress Tula piped up. "If they are busy learning to fight, when shall we have time to train them in their duties? If we teach them dominance, how are we to teach them submission at the same time?"

The women began to whisper all around, and Malachi and Donte did nothing to silence their mild clucking. It was Malachi who finally answered the tough question.

"The harem must change. Survival is what we must focus on. The best way we can protect all of you is by teaching you how to protect yourself."

"If something were to happen to us, we do not want to leave you all helpless," Donte added.

"We assure you, we will do everything we can within our power to restore the harem as it once was. But for now, we ask you to respect us. Not as the brothers who rule the Palace of Lazar, but as the commanders of this new army," Malachi said, with a renewed sense of authority.

Despite the fact she was uncomfortable with the idea of learning how to fight, after years of learning the art of submission and seduction, she saw Malachi and Donte hurting with all the upheaval, and her heart opened to them. "You will always have our respect. And if you say to us now that you believe this will protect us, then that is what we will do. Of course," Elbi said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Briar leaned forward and rose to her feet, gracefully. She brushed some of the dust from her silk robes. "The training begins tomorrow morning?" she asked.

The other women began to rise, following her lead.

Without hesitation, Malachi replied, "Before dawn."

The women began to file out before her and Elbi stayed, looking at Malachi for a moment.

"You will be safe with the other women, Elbi," he reassured her.

"Of course. Good night, sir," she said as she hurriedly left, the echoes of her footfalls reverberating through the empty halls.

Elbi awoke to the sound of men beneath her window, talking quietly. Their voices were far away at first but as the sleep left her body and the fog cleared from her mind, she could hear a heated discussion. She heard Donte, whose voice she knew as well as Malachi's, and then another one. As she tried to discern from afar, she watched the moonlight dapple the walls of her chamber. The sky was still dark, and morning was a few hours away yet. She heard the locusts chirping in the wasteland, mixed with the heavy breathing of the women of the harem. They were all scattered about on makeshift beds in an empty, cold room. She stood and wrapped her half naked body in a heavier piece of muslin. Elbi tiptoed toward the window and leaned against the edge. She did not want to be seen. She knew it could lead to a quick trip over one of the brother's laps, but she eavesdropped anyway. When she closed her eyes to concentrate on the unfamiliar voice, she could hear him more clearly.

"Donte has informed me that we will be training the harem tomorrow. To be honest, Malachi, I don't know if they will ever be able to learn what we can teach them. Especially in such a short period of time, and if we are forced to leave here earlier than planned…" the man spoke with a quiet urgency.

"I understand your concerns, Nico, but you will do with this time whatever you can to make these women strong. If the Jaden army somehow manages to take them, the only hope they have of survival is going to be whatever ferocity they can manage in the first few minutes of their capture. Even if they do escape, they will need the fortitude to make it through the swaths of the desert for any amount of time and then find their way back to us," Malachi said.

"These women have never even known the outside world. They have never gone a day without food in their lives, or at least since joining the Palace of Lazar. They avoid the hot sun by bathing in the pools of Lazar's garden or lounging under the palms. If they are captured, death might be a better fate for them than traveling through the desert alone with no water, no food, and probably not even some idea of what direction they should be going." Nico said this with more urgency, and Elbi shuddered at the thought of what the man was implying. In her mind, it did not really seem that far-fetched; the fate he was prescribing.

"My brothers are forever in your debt, Nico. You saved Briar's life and almost lost your own in doing so. I am asking if you will help us train them. If you say no, I will respect that. But don't question our decision," Malachi warned.

There was a long pause and then Nico spoke. "I will do what I can. I just hope they are prepared for what it will take."

Elbi slid down the side of the wall until her knees were curled up to her chest. She hugged herself in consolation. The men's voices fell away from her ears now, and she felt the tears well over her eyelids and track down her face.

She lifted her head and looked around the bare chamber. She had grown accustomed to tapestries, elegant pillows, jewels, and gifts from the brothers that always dotted the room. She remembered how the golden trinkets and baubles would gleam in the moonlight. When the Palace of Lazar was safe, they had all lived in peace. Would that day ever come again?

* * * * *

Elbi had fallen asleep on the floor of the chamber, beneath the window. When she heard the footsteps coming toward her, it broke her fitful rest and she immediately noticed that the sun had not yet risen. Her eyes still filled with sleep, she sat up straight and began to take to her feet as the man came toward her. For a moment she considered her body, covering her breasts with her arms and pulling her long blonde hair to fall on her chest instead of her shoulders.

"Ladies, forgive me for barging in. But there is no time to waste. Can you all get ready and meet me in the courtyard?" the man said, as he surveyed the waking harem.

The lanterns and candles had blown out while she had slept on the floor and the room was still mostly dark, which she was grateful for. It didn't bother her that the man, who she assumed was Nico from last night, had come in unannounced, but she did want to retain some modesty.

"There is no time to waste, ladies. Let's get moving," he said, as he approached Elbi and the women who slept near her.

His eyes were almond shaped, his lashes quite long. His hair was thick, though in the gloom she could not tell the color of it. By his bone structure she thought he resembled the old families of Vostok. His face reminded her of her childhood commune. It was jarring. She hadn't been there long, and her memory of it was fuzzy, but the resemblance was enough to make her stop in her place, paralyzed if only for a moment.

"My name is Nico. I have been asked to help train you. I have a few others helping me and they are waiting in the courtyard for us." He reached for Elbi's silks and handed it to her, seemingly impatient at her immobility.

"Thank you," she mumbled quietly, staring into his face like she had seen a ghost. His clothing was well worn, with holes and rips in the light brown fabric.

She wrapped her silk around her and slipped into a pair of cloth shoes. Wishing for an ivory comb, she had no choice but to use her fingers. Quickly working them through her hair, she untangled the knots that lingered at the tips. It moved around her shoulders and as the first ray of sunlight burst over the horizon, the orange aura snuck into the room now. Its exposure cast light on his face, and Elbi found herself staring at him.

He glanced at her and all the other women primping. "Your appearance is not of importance now, ladies. Time is wasting." He walked to the doorway and stopped under the archway while he waited for all the women to stand ready. "Follow me."

He walked with purpose down the long halls, with the harem following in tow. As they passed other chambers, she peeked inside each one to see if she could get a glimpse of Malachi. She saw no one, and felt her anxiety grow because of it.

"Will be we waking this early every day for our… lessons?" one of the women whined.

"Yes. There is no time to spare," he answered curtly.

"So you continue to say," she replied, as they walked the remainder of their short trip through the housing unit and to the courtyard in silence.

Coming into the courtyard, Elbi saw some other women of the harem who'd been staying in another room. There were looks of fear and curiosity on their faces, and she made a direct line toward Briar.

Briar was sitting on the edge of a small wooden bench, smoking from a rolled paper, the tobacco stuck to her lower lip.

"Such little shame you have. What would Donte say if he caught you?" Elbi teased her. "Or should I say, what would he
do
to you?"

Briar's friendship was by far the most meaningful one that Elbi had. Briar, despite all her rigorous training and leveled expectation that she adapt to the submissive role of the harem, still had a wild streak in her. The wildness in her was a trait Elbi envied. She had become more of a leader than anything else. Elbi had once happened upon Briar and Donte as he was disciplining her. They didn't spot her as she hid behind a wall. Briar was a ravenous tigress, yet soft and yielding. Elbi may have at one point felt a twinge of jealousy at such a thing, but deep inside, even at that moment, she felt a stir of longing. Not for Donte. But to be more like Briar—strong. Never too fearful, never afraid. The complete opposite of Elbi.

Briar looked miserable this day, more so than the other women. She looked up at Elbi from her perch and gave her a lazy grin. "Luckily for me, he is with his other brothers right now. I don't think I would be sitting comfortably for quite some time otherwise."

Elbi sat on the ground, knees bent beside her. "I'm scared, Briar."

Briar exhaled a large puff of smoke and gave a weak smile. "We are safe for now. We just need to do as they asked, and learn what we can."

"From Nico? We don't even know him. Why can't it be Malachi or Donte? Why aren't they here?"

"We can trust Nico with our lives. I owe him mine." She stamped out her rolled cigarette in the sand and began to pick the loose leaves from her lips, spitting them messily onto the dirt. "If it weren't for him, I would have been raped and killed." There was a faraway look to her as she revealed this information.

Elbi stood and brushed the remnants of sand from her covered legs. The two women looked at the soldiers who began to file into the courtyard. Their presence ruffled the other harem women and where once they had been tittering to each other like small hens, the footfall was enough to quiet them and push them into their respective roles.

"Something does seem to bother you," Elbi spoke out of the side of her mouth.

"It's nothing we need to discuss now," Briar said. And before Elbi could prod any further, she stood up and walked away from her. It annoyed Elbi. She was more curious than angry.

"Ladies, please if you would, come sit before me and my men," Nico commanded.

In the early morning light she could see him quite well. He was well muscled but his face looked worn. There were small cracks in his otherwise chiseled face. The lines sat heavy around his eyes. His tattered clothing—which he was still wearing, she noticed, despite having to present himself in front of the entire harem—looked even thinner in the growing dawn. He wore a long scimitar on his hip. His shoulders were broad, and before she could really consider the narrowness of his hips, she felt eyes burning into her. She looked up to see that Briar was staring at her from across the courtyard. She knew precisely what Elbi was prepared to admire, and she raised her eyebrows and winked at her, quick as lightning. Elbi shook off the suggestion and brought her eyes back around to Nico.

"My name is Nico, for those of you who have not met me yet. The brothers of Lazar, as I am sure you know, have instructed myself and my men," he waved his arm widely toward the men who had now formed a line, shoulder to shoulder, "to teach you the way of the warrior. You face dire times, and I will not tell you a single lie. Should the Jaden army capture you, you will wish yourself dead, as I'm sure many of you already know. But if you love your life, you will listen to the teachings we have for you. And you will obey."

Nico began to walk amongst the women, carefully considering each one. Elbi looked to see if he had lust in his heart when he looked at them, but truthfully, if he did, she could not discern it. This struck her curiosity and she thought that perhaps this Nico actually would be able to help them. A man who could walk amongst a bevy of beautiful women, especially women he had at his command, without so much of a hint of wanton desire, was a man in control of even the deepest, most primal parts of his being.

Elbi interrupted him, embarrassed by her meek, childish-sounding voice. "Where is Malachi?"

"The brothers are with their advisors this morning. They are busy making plans to better fortify Casen. We all take your safety very seriously."

"He will not be observing us?" Elbi's voice cracked. Her heart rate sped up. For some reason, the idea of going this long without Malachi formed a panic in the depths of her belly.

"He needn't watch everything you do, Elbi," Mistress Tula said impatiently.

She hadn't seen Mistress Tula arrive. The woman stood with her arms crossed tightly against her chest and her lips formed in a firm line. "You will do as these men direct, or I will punish you. I will not accept any disobedience from any of you."

Elbi looked at the ground in fear that she would otherwise glare in the woman's direction. It shamed her that she disliked Mistress Tula so much. Mistress Tula had been placed in charge, and Elbi was to respect her at all times, but she found it difficult. Elbi knew her place and recoiled back into herself.

Nico moved forward. "What we will do today is learn the most preliminary measures of defense. You will learn how to have the correct posture when you are being grabbed so that you may find a way out and free yourself. If you are unable to free yourself, we will show you how to move your arms and legs in such a way that will harm or slow your captor, do you all understand?"

The fifteen women nodded without saying a word. For each woman there was an assigned soldier and for a moment, Elbi wondered if Nico would be the one to work with her. He began to walk toward her and she felt her stomach tighten. With subtlety, she eased her shoulders back and watched him as he approached. He looked at her, but she felt as though he was looking through her. Not seeing her. Another soldier stepped from behind Nico and moved toward her as Nico walked past and stood before Briar. Elbi didn't dare look at him in that moment, and she didn't know why. She instead rested her eyes on the soldier before her, a younger man with a deep olive complexion and green eyes.

He smiled at her obligingly. "Ma'am," he deflected to her, giving her a brief nod of the head.

"Elbi," she replied shortly, as she noticed Nico say something to Briar and then quickly walk away.

Elbi looked at the soldier squarely. And so, the first morning of the harem's training commenced.

Trained first in positions and stances, the women felt shy and awkward. Their bodies were not accustomed to prolonged bouts of physical activity. Their life of leisure had kept them soft and supple. And, undoubtedly, their grooming and pampering had left them as real life works of art, more to be admired than handled.

But Nico walked around the women as they were propped up and guided, arms and legs poked and pulled into the right positions, and as the morning hours faded away into the afternoon, his voice grew louder and more forceful. To encourage their attention, he would tell them what they were up against and hoped that fear would be the greater teacher of the day.