Untitled (3 page)

      Then one chance meeting with the Spider after Karis's passing had given her father an idea. He offered her once again to Ziyad, only to be met with another refusal. However, after a few weeks in the desert, the Falcon Prince had traveled to Suridesh with his new bride and informed the governor that the Spider had finally accepted her.

      Amani still remembered the thrill that rocked through

her at the news. However Ziyad Bihar could only claim her when he was ready. And he'd mourned Karis for two full cycles.

      Long enough for Amani to become the laughingstock of her sisters, and to receive pitying looks from the townsfolk.

      Amani sat up and winced. The aches from last night hadn't lessened much. Cleansing herself, she hoped the light magic might help with her pain. But all it did was freshen her skin and take the wrinkles from her robes.

      A few shouts could be heard outside, as well as the long, low note of the Spider's horn. Within seconds, her carav lurched. Ziyad's caravan was on its way to his oasis. Beyond that, she had no idea where they were headed.

      At least she'd finally be able to pay her respects to her friend. Karis had been buried at the Spider's oasis.

      Amani's stomach growled. With a sigh, she reminded herself that she was not the Spider Princess, she was merely a member of Ziyad's caravan. And as such, she needed to take care of her own breakfast.

      She tossed aside her thin blanket and made her way to the door. The moment she opened it, a hot breeze caressed her face. After being on the move for only a few minutes, Suridesh was already well behind them. She'd never jumped from a moving carav before, but it couldn't be hard. She'd watched people do it all the time from the city walls.

sand.

Holding her breath, Amani jumped—and fell in the

      "Your Highness!" One of the men walking near her carav ran to her and helped her to her feet. She blushed at her own clumsiness. "Are you all right?"

      "Yes, I am fine," she said with a grin, wiping sand from her robes. "And please, I am not a princess. Call me Amani."

      His eyebrows shot up. "I cannot call you by your given name!"

      "Sure you can," she replied, beckoning him to fall in step next to her.

"But…but you are the Spider's bride!"

"Ah," she said, wagging her finger. "But I am not

royalty. If he does not call me his princess, then I do not expect you to honor tradition."

      Her words shocked the man. He stepped away from her.

      "What's your name?" she asked.

      "Hyram."

      "It is nice to meet you, Hyram. Would you be so kind as to tell me which of these caravs is the kitchen?"

      "No one has brought you breakfast?"

      "Why would they?" she asked with a shrug.

      "You are the Spider's—"

      She stopped him with a raised hand. "Where is the kitchen, Hyram?"

      He merely pointed in front of him. "F-five caravs down the line, Your Hi… your…I-I mean…"

      "Amani."

      Hyram continued walking as if he hadn't heard her. Shaking her head, Amani increased her pace and passed the next five caravs. One of them was the Spider's royal carav. But aside from a passing glance at the lovely embossed spider on the door inlaid with black onyx, she didn't acknowledge it.

      The kitchen's door was wide open and a few servants were dabbling about inside. It was hard enough to jump from a moving carav and land on one's feet. Amani was certain she'd fall once more if she attempted to climb the steps.

      "Hello?" Amani called out, and one of the servants peered out the door, her eyes widening at the sight of her. "Might I bother you for some breakfast?"

      "We…we sent your breakfast already, my…my lady."

      "I didn't get it. Perhaps you sent it to the wrong carav?"

      "Pardon, my lady, but there is no mistaking the Spider's carav."

      Gods. They thought she'd spent the night with her husband. She would set them straight.

      "No, I didn't stay with him." At Amani's words, the woman's eyes bulged and her face grew red. "He gave me my own carav, about five carriages down the line."

      "He did what?"

      "He… May I please have some breakfast? I-I'm not

used to climbing these caravs when they're moving. When I get better at it I can come in, but—"

      "Certainly!" The woman disappeared and rushed about the kitchen, apparently putting together a plate for her. While she banged on her pots, Amani continued walking. It wasn't even mid-morning and already the heat was oppressive. She'd need to return to her carav soon.

      Before too long, the woman scrambled down the steps and handed her a plate full of all kinds of delicacies. Not only did she have breakfast, but probably her lunch as well.

      "Here you are, Your Highness. I am sorry you were not fed. It will not happen again."

      "I am not a princess," she corrected, swallowing hard. "Please call me Amani."

      "Oh no, my lady, I couldn't possibly!"

      With a sigh, Amani nodded. "Thank you for the food."

      She kept her head bent low and rushed past the Spider's carav just as his door opened. She didn't stop to make small talk with her husband. Confronting him now would horrify her. Even his own people hadn't known she didn't share his quarters.

      She hadn't given a thought as to how she would clambor back into her carav until she got there. Reaching inside to put the plate on the raised floor wasn't too hard, it was putting her foot on the step that didn't agree with her.

      Just as she'd dumped herself into the sand, Amani fell on the steps with a cry.

      "Your Highness!"

      Amani growled at Hyram's shout behind her. "My name is…"

      Strong arms grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her against a lean, muscled frame. Ziyad.

      Her first instinct was to lay her head on his shoulder, as she had the night before. But before she could give in to the urge, he'd hefted her into her carav. She stumbled, but managed to keep her footing.

      Amani watched as he fluidly jumped through the doorway.

      "What are you doing?" she asked, somewhat breathless. She felt like a cornered animal, but knew she was being ridiculous.

      "Saving you, it would seem," he replied, his mouth barely lifting into a grin.

      "I didn't need saving."

      "Is that why you were hanging off the steps?"

      "I would have been fine." Why was she arguing with him? Amani had no idea, unless it had something to do with her own flustered emotions.

      "You would have fallen off."

      Amani shrugged. "Wouldn't have been the first time I ate a mouthful of sand this morning."

      She turned away from him and grabbed her plate of food from where she'd set it earlier.

      "You fell off the steps?" His tone turned serious.

      Amani waved him away and popped a slice of meat into her mouth. It was so delicious, she groaned as she chewed. "It waf nofing," she said around the food. "I jumped and I didn't land on my feet."

      "You could have hurt yourself!"

      "I just need practice."

      Ziyad turned her to face him. The food was forgotten once she looked into his stormy eyes. "You need to be careful."

      "I needed breakfast!" She hadn't intended to shout at him, but she waved the plate in his face. "I was hungry."

      He nodded. "I should have told the servants to send you food here instead of my carav."

      "Yes, you should have," she grumbled, uncaring that she was chastising the Spider. "I had to tell them we didn't share a carav. And they need to know they can say my name."

      His eyes widened. "They most certainly will not say your name!"

      "Then what can they call me?" she shouted in exasperation. "Twice I've had to correct them. I am not royalty, Spider. They cannot call me Your Highness!"

      Ziyad wiped his face with his hands but said nothing. She walked past him and sat in her pillows.

      "Why didn't you come to me when you weren't served breakfast?" he asked.

      "I do not expect to be waited on. I thought I should get my breakfast myself. I am a member of your caravan like anyone else." She took a bite of flatbread. "Besides, your caravan is on the move. I figured you'd have more important things to attend to."

      She heard him approach her but did not look up. When he crouched next to her, he grabbed her chin and gently forced her eye contact.

      "What makes you think attending to the needs of my wife shouldn't be my highest priority?"

      Amani finished chewing before answering him. "You have set me apart from you, Spider. I am your wife in name only. Your princess would be waited upon. Your princess would be appalled at a servant calling her by name. Since I am not your princess, the rules of tradition do not apply to me. When I awoke and found no food in my carav, I knew I'd have to go and get it from the kitchen like any one of your people do."

      "You are more than merely one of my people, Amani." Ziyad's voice was low and menacing. "You will be the mother of my heir."

      A shiver raced down her spine at his tone. But she'd said nothing that hadn't been the truth.

      "I know that," she acknowledged. "But I do not wish to be pampered. I do not want to pretend to be something I'm not."

      Ziyad took a long time to reply. He broke their eye contact, yet still held her chin in his hand. "If you have need of anything, I want you to tell me. I vowed to serve you. I mean to keep that vow."

      His eyes returned to her. She squirmed, but gave him a single nod. The loyal man who'd loved Karis was now showing himself. His wedding vows meant something to him—even when he'd spoken them to her.

      "I will. But…"

      "But what?" he asked when she didn't finish.

      "What can your people call me if not my name?"

      He licked his lips. "I will think of something."

      After two days of travel, Ziyad had finally settled on what his people would call Amani. She was to be known as 'Your Grace' rather than 'Your Highness', to give respect to her position as his wife, but not to acknowledge her as his princess.

      Amani hated it. Every time a servant now called her Your Grace, she cringed. She would have much preferred they merely call her by her name. But she would respect the Spider's wishes, even if she didn't agree with them.

      Ziyad hadn't come to join with her since their wedding night. He'd sought her out during the day to ask how she was and whether she needed anything, but that was the last she saw of him until the next day. Now, she'd eaten her dinner and was basking on the roof of her carav, gazing at the stars as they popped into the sky.

      She'd loved watching the sky in Suridesh, lying in her father's yard and watching the moons and the stars. Being trapped in her carav didn't give her that opportunity, and lying in the sand might raise more than a few eyebrows.

      She'd gotten the idea after watching the carav drivers scramble up to the seats near the top of the caravs. The seats were high, in order to gaze over the backs of the hairy Sentinels, the magical creatures that pulled the caravs and were long-assumed to be given to the princes by the gods themselves. It wouldn't take much more effort to climb onto the roof from there.

      Amani had been nervous to try it, but figured she'd need to become familiar with these caravs sooner rather than later. No doubt she'd soon be chasing her son all over

them.

      She rubbed her belly at the thought and gazed back up to the heavens. She could be pregnant even now, but she doubted it. Would she even know?

      A shout sounded beneath her as people began running back and forth among the caravs. Amani's heart quickened and she gazed over the edge. What was wrong? Had something happened to Ziyad?

      No, there he was, striding up the caravan line and looking just about as worried as a man could be. "Find her—I don't care what it takes. She is still in the caravan, I can feel it."

      Men bowed and ran, searching each carav one by one.

      "Spider!" she cried. His eyes rounded with shock when he heard her voice.

      "Amani?"

      "Up here."

      Ziyad craned his neck to gaze up to the top of her carav.

      "What is the matter?" she called. "Is something amiss?"

      "You…you are on the roof?"

      "Who are you looking for? Did someone get left behind?"