Holiday Magick (9 page)

The palace guards called us inside two dozen at a time. About two-thirds of the hopefuls were sent away immediately, for missing teeth, or deformity, or slowness of mind, or for being too old or too young. The rest of us were sent to the royal baths to wash up. The former queen's fine clothes, makeup, and jewels were spread out in a large room, and we were told to use them to make ourselves look the best we could. There would be a feast where we would have the opportunity to meet the king and his closest advisors.

Most of the women picked the biggest jewels they could find, draping themselves head to toe in circlets, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and ankle bands made of silver, copper, even gold. They circled their eyes in black kohl until they looked like ghouls, and rubbed red berry stain into their cheeks and lips until their faces looked bloody.

I kept my face clean, wore no jewelry, and chose a simple white sleeveless tunic with blue embroidered curlicues at the edges. I did not want anything weighing me down or distracting me while I attempted a glamour.

Mordechai had made me practice my disguising magic for one more day before letting me go into the palace. By that time, I had mastered changing a single feature of my face, but not my whole face at once.

Two guards called us to the feast. While the other women shoved past one another to get out the doors of Vashti's former bathing chambers, I lagged behind and concentrated. To catch the king's attention, I'd need to be more than beautiful. I'd need to be exotic, something he hadn't seen before. Something from my homeland. First, I worked on my hair. Everyone here had brown or black hair, like myself. I concentrated on making my hair coppery red. Next, keeping my hair red, I willed my eyes to change from light brown to bright green. I thought of a smaller nose and bigger, fuller lips, and finally peppered my face with freckles. The sheer amount of energy it took to keep everything disguised under the glamour drained my strength, leading me to feel that I had finally succeeded. I thought of Mordechai and my people, and pressed on.

“Come on,” A guard waved me toward the door. “Time to go.”

Too late to find a reflecting glass to see if I had changed my looks completely, I picked up the hem of my gown and walked briskly out of the room.

Based on the way the guard could not tear his gaze off me, I assumed I had been successful. I followed the other women to the great open hall where we would feast and meet the king, and tugged on a lock of my hair.

Red.

At first, I thought it must have been my paranoid imagination thinking everyone stared at me and whispered, but a quick look around assured me I was right. Everyone looked right at me and covered their mouths to whisper to one another.

A tall man with a long black beard and high gold headpiece made his way through the crowd, never taking his eyes off me. As he approached, I lowered my eyes demurely.

“Your Majesty,” I said to the floor. I hoped the glamour was enough to cover the trembling in my voice.

“Please.” He took my hand and kissed the inside of my palm. A few people gasped at such an intimate gesture. I swallowed my heart. “For tonight I am simply Ahasuerus, as I cannot possibly be your king. I would have known if a creature of such unusual beauty resided in my kingdom.”

My cheeks grew hot with a fierce blush, and I wondered if he could see it.

“You may raise your gaze to mine, my lovely.”

I blinked, aware that everyone remained silent and watching. Grateful for the talk we were given before meeting the king on palace etiquette and rules, I replied, “But protocol forbids I should stare into the eyes of the King of all Persia, he who is the most powerful of all men.”

Ahasuerus squeezed my hand. “I insist on seeing your eyes again. Do look at me.”

With exaggerated slowness I lifted my gaze off the floor and up past Ahasuerus's red and gold robe to his face. He was younger than I thought he'd be, and not unattractive. In fact, he was quite good-looking, with soft, kind brown eyes that crinkled at the edges as if he laughed often. His black beard was clean and well-groomed around a soft, sensual red mouth.

He certainly did not seem like a man to cast aside his wife on a whim.

Our gazes locked, and I forgot my own name. Whether I trembled from nerves still, or from a primal reaction to this beautiful man in front of me, I didn't know and did not care.

Tucking my hand into the crook of his elbow, he pulled me close. “Shall we go speak in private? Get to know one another?”

My voice remained somewhere on the floor, so I simply swallowed and nodded.

I floated alongside Ahasuerus, the crowd, the room, the long tables set with a sumptuous feast all disappearing. My entire world shrunk to where my hand touched Ahasuerus's arm, my whole body feverish, my heart paining me inside a chest that could not take in enough air. My ears heard nothing but the sound of his voice and yet I could not remember a single thing he said.

I startled at a touch on my chin.

Ahasuerus laughed. “Are you with me, pretty one?”

I cleared my throat and blinked, looking around. The heat of attraction had distracted me so badly I hadn't even noticed we were now in a new, smaller room. Silk curtains hung over the walls and enormous oil lamps lit the windowless room. Ahasuerus and I reclined on a well-stuffed padded bench against a wall.

“S-sorry,” I stuttered. “What was that?”

Ahasuerus smiled and my world exploded in light and song. “I asked you your name. Seems fair, since you already know mine.”

I still had a name?

“Esther,” I blurted out. Esther? No, that wasn't right. What was I thinking?

“Esther.” Ahasuerus rolled the word around his perfect mouth. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“I told you, call me Ahasuerus.”

I blushed, and grinned, and looked down. “All right. Ahasuerus.”

He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Such an unusual hair color. Where are you from, Esther?”

“The north,” I said, without thinking. That, at least, was true.

He lifted my chin with one finger so I had to look at him again. Looking directly upon the sun would have been easier. “And you came all this way to meet me and be my new queen?”

“Yes. Even where I come from, news of your…troubles with your wife reached us.” Holding the glamour sapped my energy.

“Former wife.” The light left his eyes and it was his turn to look away.

Drunk from lust, weak from magic, I pressed on. “Tell me your side of the story.”

He shook his head. “You said news had already reached you. It is too painful for me to talk about.”

“I know the rumors. Tell me the truth.” I stroked his cheek with the backs of my fingers. He grasped my hand and kissed my palm again.

“I held a feast, in her honor. She did not come. I went looking for her, and found her…found her with…” He met my gaze, his eyes bright with tears. “His head is on a pike outside. But her, I couldn't kill her. Even after that. I had her banished from my kingdom, escorted by two guards and half a dozen of her ladies. Who knows where she is now?” He clutched my hand in both of his and held it against his mouth. “You would never do that, I can tell. I can see in your emerald eyes that you are true, and honest.”

Every part of me burst into flames and I felt as if I would suffocate. Too many strong emotions in so short a time, too much at stake, too much happening too quickly. A sharp pain pierced my chest and my hands felt numb.

I looked into Ahasuerus's eyes, so trusting, so full of pain and hope at the same time. This man was the key to saving my entire race of people.

“Yes, my king. I will be true to you, I promise. I will never lie to you.”

Mordechai snuck into my room on my wedding night while Ahasuerus said good-bye to our guests.

“I hear you are calling yourself Esther now.” She stood by the door.

“Are you crazy?” I stood up from the bed and wrapped a silk sheet around my bare body. “You can't be here. The king will be back any second now.”

“What I have to say won't take long.” She walked to the bed in three long strides and leaned down to hiss into my ear. “You must act quickly to destroy Haman. Time is running out.”

“My marriage is not even consummated yet, Grandmother. What can I possibly do? Ahasuerus will be…distracted tonight. Too distracted to be of help.”

“You must think of something. Haman has offered Ahasuerus a wedding present: to rid Persia of the ‘Jewish problem.' Your groom would annihilate us all, even our patriarchal brothers.”

“But what—” I stopped, silenced by the sound of voices.

“Just do something, Hadassah! Remember what I said—time is running out!”

Mordechai slipped into the shadows and out the door.

A few minutes later, Ahasuerus stepped inside. “Why was the new kitchen matron in here?” He did not seem angry, only confused.

Before I could think too much on it, I blurted out, “It was going to be a surprise. I am planning a dinner for you, the food of my native people.” Inspired, I added, “For you and your closest advisor, Haman.”

An enormous smile broke over Ahasuerus's face, and my heart skipped a beat. “Not only are you beautiful, but thoughtful as well.” He untied the sash of his robe and slid into bed beside me. He bent his head, and my neck tingled where he nuzzled. “I might as well tell you, I have a wedding surprise for you, too, my copper-haired beauty.”

Ahasuerus interpreted my gasp as excitement, and laughed low and full of knowing. I had to close my eyes and collect myself in order to keep up my glamour, and to speak again, all while he traced a finger down my arm. “And what, um, oh, um, what is my surprise, my, oh, uh, my love?”

He pulled at my earlobe with his teeth. “I'll let Haman tell you himself at your dinner. When will that be?”

I fought to maintain presence of mind even while his silky black hair slipped through my fingers. The power of my glamour required concentration. Concentration I clung to with my entire being. “Tomorrow.”

The last sane thought I had before Ahasuerus kissed his way around my neck was that I'd have to find Mordechai first thing in the morning, and tell her to whip the kitchen staff into shape.

“And that,” Haman belched and ripped off another hunk of flatbread with his massive white teeth, “is what's wrong with the Athenians. Now I'll tell you what the Spartans do wrong.” He wagged a finger in the air, and chewed with his mouth open.

For form's sake, I ignored the bits of bread spraying my face and smiled politely, stifling a yawn.

Ahasuerus chuckled and slapped Haman on the back. “I am not sure my wife enjoys talking of world issues.” I caught his wink and flashed him my best, most sincere grin.

Haman wiped wine off his mouth with his sleeve and belched again. I blinked at the putrid air wafting into my face. “Of course, my queen. My apologies.” He studied my red hair, and I held my breath. He could not possibly see through the glamour, could he?