Beyond The Shadows by Brent Weeks Read Free Book Online Page A

Halfman had been assigned to the common harem.
    More than a hundred of Garoth Ursuul’s wives and concubines lived here—wives were the women who had produced sons, concubines
     those who had produced either daughters or nothing, which were considered equivalent. Given that Garoth Ursuul had to be near
     sixty, all of the women were surprisingly young. No one ever said what happened to the old wives.
    It was strange to be in his father’s harem. He was seeing a different and oddly personal side of the man who had shaped him
     in a hundred ways. Like most Khalidorans, the Godking favored solid women with wide hips and full buttocks. There was a northern
     saying, volaer ust vassuhr, vola uss vossahr. Literally, “a man’s horses and his brides should be big enough to ride.” Most of the common women were Khalidoran, but the
     Godking’s harems included all nationalities except the Feyuri. All were beautiful; all had large eyes and full lips; and he
     preferred taking them, Hopper said, as soon after their flowering as possible.
    Life in the harem, though, bore little relation to the stories southrons told. If it was a life of luxury, it was also one
     of enforced boredom.
    Each day, as he gathered the chamber pots from the concubines’ rooms, Halfman stole glances at the women. The first thing
     he noticed was that they were always fully clothed. Not only was the Godking out of the city, but winter was coming. With
     no possibility of being asked to serve any time soon, some of the women didn’t even bother brushing their hair or changing
     out of their bedclothes, though there seemed to be a form of social censure that kept anyone from slipping too far.
    “They used to sit there all winter, half-naked and made up like fertility whores, huddled around the fires and shivering like
     puppies in the snow,” Hopper said. “Now we give ’em a signal when His Holiness is on his way. Just wait’ll you see it. You’ve
     never seen anyone move so fast. Or if one of them’s called for by name, every last one of the others will descend on her.
     Khali’s blood, you can’t even see her for a good five minutes. Then when she comes out of that circle, you’d swear they traded
     her for the goddess herself. Much as they hate each other and scheme and gossip, when the Godking calls, they help each other.
     It’s one thing to gossip and lie about a woman,” Hopper lowered his voice, “but none of them wants to be the reason a girl
     gets sent to the aethelings.”
    Dorian’s stomach turned. So they knew. Of course they knew. Dorian’s seed class had been taught flaying on a disrespectful
     concubine. Dorian, as the first of the class, had been assigned her face. He remembered his pride as he had presented it to
     his tutor Neph Dada whole, even the eyelids and eyelashes intact. The ten-year-old Dorian had worn that face to dinner as
     a mask, making japes with his seed class while Neph smiled encouragement. God help him, he had done even worse things.
    What was he doing here? This place was sick. How could a people tolerate this? How could they worship a goddess that delighted
     in suffering? Dorian sometimes believed that countries had the kind of leaders they deserved. What did that say about Khalidor—with
     its tribalism and endemic corruption held in check only by its deep fear of the men who styled themselves Godkings? What did
     it say about Dorian? This was his people, his country, his culture—and once, his birthright. He, Dorian Ursuul, had survived.
     He’d demolished his seed class one at a time, pitting brother against brother until only he survived. He’d accomplished his
     uurdthan, his Harrowing, and shown himself worthy to be called the Godking’s son and heir. This, all of this, could have been
     his—and he didn’t miss it for a second.
    He loved many things about Khalidor: the music, the dances, the hospitality of its poor, its men who laughed or cried freely,
     and its women who would wail and