Chapter Five

So it was that I found myself staring with terrified eyes at my reflection in the mirror.

My fourth month of pregnancy was nearing it's end. If Miahatep had called upon me he would have seen the discolored mark on my abdomen. It had turned a light pink, almost the same hue as my flesh. That could only happen if I was pregnant. He of course was well aware of that.

What could I do? If discovered I would have been killed , along with my baby and Antianne ( my lover).

Even worse Antianne still did not know about the baby.

Oh Gods! He was horrified. There were even tears in his eyes, although to his credit they remained there. How could I forget that he was just a child? I had fallen irrevocably in love with a fourteen year old boy!

We had to escape. There was only one person with enough power to help us in our plight. Could I trust her with our lives?

Later Sheriz would hold me tenderly as I told her my tragedy as best as my ragged sobs allowed.Her amazement at my boldness was obvious. Sheriz's eyes traveled all over my lanky frame. Was she wondering how such a slip of a boy had dared to defy a demigod.

Had I any choice? I had fallen prey to the desperate needs of my body and heart.

Regretfully, that too was a legacy of my family, ingrained in my very blood. When we love we give ourselves completely, with no conditions or reserves.

Returning to my room I felt a bit more confident. Sheriz had agreed to help me. She had asked for one week to put her plan in motion.

Needless to say I was a bundle of nerves by the end of the week.

Antianne was even worse off. He was going to loose the priesthood he had so ruthlessly pursued. Being a priest was the only way he had to rise above his lower caste rank . Keoshian society was very strictly regimented and ascending from a very low level to one of the highest castes was nearly impossible. He had done it and at a very young age.

The only consolation I could give him was far away, in the realm of Jureal. No one would contest his position if he married me. He would be a Nightshadow then. We would not lack for respect or social status ; one of the perks of worshipping Quiax'n.

Another week passed by before our escape was feasible. Sheriz had called upon some heavy favors , still owed to her, in our name.

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Late one night two guards, stationed at the small service gate behind the palace , lead us out disguised as guards. We crossed through the open grounds that led to the other buildings that formed the palace city of Emperor Miahatep. I was near panic. Dozens of sentries stood above us , but, believing we were fellow guards, they gave us no second thought.

We headed for a small tower that led down to a basement . There a massive set of gates guarded the exit way of the small stream that was born from a spring that flowed from the ground within the fortified palace-city. With it's own supply of water and plenty of green areas to cultivate it would be almost impossible to lay siege to this castle-compound.

Once in the basement one of the guards produced a key and opened the gate. We followed him into the darkened tunnel until we reached a second door. He opened that one as well. However , he would accompany us no further .

We watched as he closed the gate behind us . For a long time we stood there, until we could no longer see the light of his torch reflected on the walls.

The voyage through that drainage tunnel was pure hell. The water was freezing cold and in some places up to our knees. The floors were slippery and coated with algae. I slipped more than once and we ended up walking in total darkness because we lost our torch. Well actually, I fell and it got soaked.

When we finally emerged from the tunnel it was early morning and the sun was dazzling to our eyes.

A very worried man awaited for us by the exit. He had been waiting for hours. We were to continue our trip on horseback. He gave us clothes suited for peasant folk and hooded cloaks to conceal our identities.

I felt elated I was finally free with my beloved Antianne. He was not as enthusiastic. This was merely the beginning of our getaway. We still had to make it out of Keosh.

Unknown to us things had taken a turn for the worst.

It seems that late that night Miahatep had decided , at such a late hour, to visit me in my chambers. You can imagine his uproar when he found I was not at my bed. Immediately the castle was turned upside down in search of me. I was nowhere to be found .

Apparently he had not been as oblivious to our attraction as we thought because he unerringly sent guards to search for Antianne. Of course, they did not find him either. Miahatep was furious.

The guards who helped us were found out and slain. Poor Sheriz ,though he could prove nothing against her , was stripped of her charge and never regained her place before him. Of that I am truly sorry. I know she loved him very much.

At once guards were sent to every major town and village alerting them to our escape and offering a great reward for our capture.

We had expected to have a day 's advantage before they noticed our absence. Traveling would be doubly hard now.

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Maneuvering through dense forests and wild terrain while being pregnant was not the easiest task, but, we had to avoid all the heavily populated areas. For four months we battled it out with Keoshian patrols, bandits and occasionally a beast of some sort who wanted to eat us.

By the time we arrived at the tiny fishing village in Esberil that had been our destination, the birth of my child was almost imminent.

Antianne thought it best to wait for the baby, but I would have none of it.

The longer we stayed anywhere the higher the risk of being caught. Besides ,I could not remain in that accursed land any longer. I longed to return home to my family.

An old sea dog, a good friend of Hamud's, lived in the village. It was him I was searching for. I knew that for an adequate fee he would take us to Trianix.

He was quite surprised when he saw us. It took nearly all the jewelry I had taken with me to convince him to aid us. He was taking a great risk after all. All ships living Keoshian ports were being heavily monitored for our presence. The reward offered for our capture was staggering. any one could betray us to the guards.

Due to the inspections we would have to board the ship after it had set sail. To that purpose we were ordered to wait on a boat in a small secluded inlet from where we were to intercept the ship. A sailor accompanied us to help us reach the ship.

The man was very nervous and that set me on edge. The place was, supposedly , safe. Why was he so frightened? Moments latter the reason for his edginess became obvious.

A squadron appeared over the sand dunes leading into the inlet from the inland. He had sold us out for the reward.

He opened his mouth to shout to them. From the corner of my eye I saw Antianne lunge forward. He drew his arm over the man 's shoulders, his hand tightly pressed over his mouth to keep him from shouting The man kept struggling against him ,so , Antianne did something startling. He said one short word and the sailor fell dead at his feet.

Antianne had used a very deadly spell. The kacte'eni . It literally means " Die"! Being Xelex's ( the god of death ) priest obviously has it's advantages.

His face was so grim and determined when he used the spell, it was almost as if he had been someone else.

With the sailor dead we still had the soldiers to deal with. Fighting them was out of the question . We could overpower them , but them we might miss the ship. Antianne could not use the spell on all of them, so I opted for a different tactic.

The guards jumped when they saw us emerge from the foliage making our way to the surf. Quickly they headed for us. Running in an opposite direction from where we really were. They were pursuing one of my most potent illusions.

Antianne was laughing his head off as he rowed for the ship. The sight of Antianne laughing with such happiness filled me with an indescribable bliss. In that moment I loved him more than ever before.

I was doing my best to keep my concentration. But then ,I thought of how spooked they would be when we disappeared right under their noses and I lost my calm. I was laughing so hard my laughter must have made it all the way back to the beach. I could imagine them muttering under their breath and chanting litanies against the evil-ones.

I was finally going home.

Original story by Angela M. Meléndez

E-mail Mystyangel@ hotmail.com

1998