Page 23 of Sands of Atonement

Her brows lowered, nearly hiding her eyes. I could see the frustration boiling in her body.

“My name is Mara,” I continued.

“Mara.” Her lips pursed as she thought more and more. “If I weren’t badly in need of another dancer…”

“Is this a problem? I can leave…”

“No, no. I…” Sorrella shook her head. “Come in. I will arrange your chambers with the others. But we will need to go over your dances and ensure that you are the best fit for us. Where is your escort?”

My mouth dried. Right. Women weren’t allowed to journey far without a male escort. It was too dangerous. There were groups of people known to find women and sell them to the highest bidder.

I looked Sorrella in the eye. “My brother is nearby having kava. He won’t be joining me and will be journeying back home shortly after.”

“I see. Bizarre.” The frown remained on her face as she ushered me inside, shaking her head.

My sandals echoed against the golden marble flooring that opened up to an indoor courtyard surrounded by white limestone columns. The courtyard had a flourishing garden that flowed between the columns and high into the sky.

“We have been in training for an event that is coming up,” Sorrella said. “It might be difficult to follow their training, but as long as you are the dancer you so claim you are, it is doable if you’d like to perform sooner rather than later.”

“I have a lot of practice, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to follow their steps,” I said with my chin raised high.

“Have you?” Curiosity filled Sorrella’s face.

“Yes, especially the last six months, in fact.” Lies, lies. Thank God, I was the Princess of Zyriah who had practiced the art of dancing almost every day of my childhood. This shouldn’t be too hard, right? “My brother wanted me to be as prepared as I could be.”

“Good.” Sorrella smiled and resumed her tour while girls my age rushed by with glamorous gold jewelry, eyeing me with curiosity. They wore dark blue pants, cinched at the ankle and waist with a light blue tight top over their chest.

The rest of the day flew by. Sorrella showed me the rehearsal times, the classrooms, and my quarters with the other girls. Classes started mid-morning and went until mid-afternoon with a short lunch break in between.

“Are you from here?” I asked Norrah.

She had graciously stayed behind and answered my questions while showing me the gardens in the back of Khraus. I was a bit rough on friend-making skills, but I had to start somewhere if I was going to survive this for a while.

“No, I’m not from the city,” she answered curtly.

“From Tehara, though?” I pressed.

Norrah clasped her hands behind her back as we walked near the palm trees that provided shade from the heat. “No, not from Tehara. I’m from Brestan—a small village. You likely have never heard of it.”

Unlikely. I knew almost every village in Brestan solely from my studies growing up with Salazar, but I had a feeling she would not give me any other answers. Making friends was harder than I realized.

“Have you performed for Khraus before, or is this your first training as well?” I asked.

“I’ve been dancing for years, but I’ve never performed before.” The air between Norrah and me turned lighter. “I’ve been here a few months, but it’s getting easier, I think. The classes are kept short, and we learn different sequences and techniques.”

We walked by a small pond with a bench under a feathery palm tree. The breeze cooled the condensation on my skin.

“Is it true that we perform for the Qahl?” Just the sound of the name pounded in my ears.

Norrah’s big, dark eyes—nearly black, they were beautiful like her hair—gleamed. “Yes! That’s partially why I begged for this job. The pay is great, but the opportunity to dance in honor of the great Qahl and his family…” Norrah shook her head. “It’s surreal. The experience opens so many doors for us.”

I nodded. “What type of doors open?”

Norrah thought for a moment. “Opportunities that allow me to choose, I suppose. Choose whom I love, whom I marry. Opportunity that gives me options. That’s power.” She laughed at a thought I could not hear, and then, “What brought you here?”

“Opportunities,” I answered.

Norrah smiled at me, and there was a moment when we might have understood each other. She was a few inches shorter than me, but her spirit soared high with the clouds. She seemed to be a dreamer, and I liked her already.