Pressing his hand to his aching chest, he pushed open the door with his other hand and trudged into the chamber with a heavy step that portrayed the dread in his heart.
A pounding headache had her temples throbbing with a dizzying force. Xuma stifled a groan of pain and struggled into a sitting position. The bed, a heap of animal hides and cotton upon a warm stone, did nothing to ease her misery. Its hard attribute added to her torture as her back and bottom ached from lying on its surface for so long.
"Hard." She hissed, grimacing at how the stone dug into her flesh. Like everything about the Empire.
She had ten years to get used to this stone bed in her previous life. Five in the slave quarters, and five in the concubines' chamber as Emperor Ghazeyh's woman.
But even after ten years, her body hadn't gotten accustomed to this torture. And the reminder only brought forth unpleasant memories.
"Are you…okay?"
Her voice affected him despite his apprehension-attracting his attention, drawing him to her side, and softening his heart to wrap an arm around her shoulders to help her sit-but he didn't show it. His expression remained cold, his muscles taut and strained against her delicate body that softened in his arms like a ball of cotton.
Ghazeyh frowned, slightly dissatisfied with the way his heart thumped at the unnatural sensation. He clenched his jaw and pulled a headrest, placing it behind the girl's back to provide her with some support.
When he stepped back, the first thing he noticed was her unusually pale complexion. Then her dark-green orbs streaked with red veins of blood, clear proof of the ordeal she went through, before his gaze stilled on her lips.
Blue. They were blue.
Like the winter moon and blue pearls of the Pearl Sea.
But the color wasn't what caught his attention. It was the frost.
"You...are you cold?" He asked in a low voice, his heart racing with a nervousness he chose to ignore.
Xuma raised her head in surprise, only now realizing the identity of the one who helped her. For a split second, her heart clenched, the anger and hatred buried within its depth struggling to rush to the surface.
As the venom spread, white spots crowded her vision. She tightened her grip on the animal hide beneath her palm and fought to maintain her sanity.
She thought it would be easy. Since fate brought them together again, why would she force herself to take the long route? She thought she could use him to achieve her goal. Use him to enter the Stone Palace and gain access to the vault of knowledge concealed within its heart.
And for the past two weeks, it had been easy. Once she let go of her hatred and placed her focus on her goal. Her mission to regain her freedom and release her people from the bounds of slavery without harming the citizens of this empire.
It had been easy. That was, until she stood before the Stone Gate.
The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, abruptly bringing forth the phantom ghosts of her nightmares.
'It's all your fault!'
'You witch! Give us back our lives!'
'You killed us!'
No. No! It wasn't her! She hadn't meant to…
"Xuma!"
Her mind reeled. Pain and despair clawed her heart with thorny hands. Xuma placed a hand on her chest and gasped for air like a fish stranded on dry land. It was hard to breathe. It felt as if something heavy was pressing down on her, determined to suffocate her to death.
"Xuma!"
Ghazeyh shook the girl with vigorous force. Her blank expression and vacant eyes terrified him out of his mind. Recalling his mother's demise, his hesitation disappeared. He raised his hand and slapped her across the face so hard, her head twisted to the side with a sickening crack.
"Get a hold of yourself!" He hollered.
She stilled for a second and her gaze slowly regained clarity. When she raised her head and gingerly touched her reddened cheek, his eyes indirectly drew to her lips again, which were now smeared with a trickle of blood.
Guilt and shame immediately doused him back to his senses. Ghazeyh stepped back from the bed, his hands trembling, as he stared at her in horror.
"I…I…" He stuttered, at a loss for words.
Never in his life had he ever raised a hand on a woman before.
"I know you didn't mean to hit me. Thank you…for bringing me back to my senses." Xuma whispered and lowered her head.
What happened just now didn't only clear her mind. It strengthened her resolve and cleared her dilemma.