Steel Maiden by Kim Richardson Read Free Book Online Page B

long
hooked nose gave him the appearance of a bird. My heart raced as I
stood helplessly while he examined me like I was his new prize. I
recognized the hunger and lust in his eyes.
    My world was crumbling around me. The floor
appeared to shift, and I struggled to keep it together. I didn’t
want to show him fear.
    “I won’t be your concubine,” I blurted.
    My voice trembled with fear and rage. I
pulled at my restraints. “I’d rather die than become a priest’s
love toy. You should kill me. I promise I’ll find a way to kill
myself if you don’t.”
    Baul and Garth fought back smiles, but I saw
their shoulders move up and down. I glowered at them.
    The high priest smiled casually.
    “If I want you to become one of my—as you
put it—love toys, then you will, my dear woman. And there is
nothing you can do about it. It is a great honor to share the high
priest’s bed.”
    He moved towards me, and I grimaced.
    “You have a pretty face, high cheekbones and
unusual almond-shaped eyes, very pleasing.” His eyes didn’t leave
my face. “Yes. Very pretty. But you are incredibly skinny and
sickly looking. Your skin has none of the qualities and softness of
my other concubines.”
    “Try starving for most of your life. It does
wonders to the skin.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “How old are you.”
    I didn’t feel like answering, but I didn’t
feel like getting another beating. “Nineteen.”
    “Hmm. The signs of aging have already
plagued you. And there’s no shine to your hair. I prefer my women
with curves, no doubt something that time and food can repair.”
    He leaned forward, and the next thing I knew
he began licking my face with his wet gray tongue. I whimpered in
disgust and fear. I held my breath as I smelled his hot, putrid
breath. He licked my cheeks, the corner of my mouth, and down my
jaw.
    I trembled and stifled a scream.
    This is it. He’s going to rape me right here
while the other two watch. My spirit was shattered, but then he
stepped back.
    “You smell like you’ve slept with the
pigs.”
    My face burned with shame. I probably did
smell. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a real bath. It
seemed my unsavory smell had saved me. I almost smiled.
    “No,” the priest shook his head, but his
smile returned. “Definitely, not a concubine.”
    The guards shared a look, and then Garth
said, “Your Grace, do you wish us to dispose of the witch
for you? We’d thought we could—”
    The high priest whirled on Garth.
    “She’s not just a witch, you idiots.
Don’t you know what she is? Can’t you recognize it?”
    The high priest paused briefly to give the
guards a chance to reply.
    “No? No, of course you wouldn’t. An
ordinary witch would have burned in the sorcerer’s fire. But she’s
no ordinary witch. What you have here before you is something
extremely rare. Something extraordinary.”
    My stomach tightened into a giant knot.
    “I’m not a witch,” I said quietly.
    I braced myself as beads of sweat trickled
down my temples. My heart was beating so fast I could barely hear.
What was this priest talking about?
    Baul frowned. He was clearly as confused as
I was, and he looked from me to the priest.
    “I don’t understand, Your Grace? What is she then? A demon? Djinni?”
    The high priest chuckled at that. But before
I had time to react, before I even knew what was happening, in a
blur of white, the high priest reached out and grabbed Garth’s
sword.
    With an ugly smile and eagerness in his
eyes, he rammed the sword through my stomach.

CHAPTER 7

     
     
     
    I STUMBLED FORWARD, and blood gushed
from my throat and spilled down my front. I looked down and saw the
pommel of Garth’s sword sticking out just below my left ribcage. My
breath came in rapid wheezes, and there didn’t seem to be enough
air in the chamber. I was cold, and I couldn’t stop trembling.
    Tears spilled down my face from the pain.
I’d never been stabbed before, especially not with a giant sword.
The