Chapter 2 Her voice, a whisper and a blessing

Conversation between the two Kings ensued and whispers could be heard through the room. Everyone took the queue from the horde king and completely ignored me as I waited for my faith. Some noise could heard outside and soon enough a few Rokhans returned and whispered to the horde king. He gave them an order in thier tribal language and two of the Rokhans came to stand in front of me then pulled me by the arms and took me out of the room and outside the palace hall. They dropped me to the ground and I quickly knelt as I waited for my punishment.

As far as I was concerned, getting flogged a hundred times was a lot more better and merciful than death. I was nothing but happy ...but as I watched the two Kings and everyone that had been in the room walk out to witness my punishment, a different type of dread sank into my stomach. Just because the horde king had spared my life doesn't mean that getting flogged wouldn't kill me as well.

A hand jerked me around till I no longer faced the palace building but faced the palace grounds. All the people that I had passed through while entering the palace stood in front of me....about a hundred people watched me as I watched them. My hand was shoved behind my back and tied in quick efficient knots with a rope.. I wondered for a moment if my robe and my gown would be removed but the Rokhan stepped back and let me keep my dignity.

"Pujerak. Do the honors" ordered the horde king somewhere behind him.

The Pujerak took the first step towards me and I realized that I didn't want to face the people as I was flogged. What I wanted right now, what I wanted the most right now was to look into the eyes of the horde king as his punishment was carried out on me. I quickly turned around and gave my back to the people instead and I watched as the Pujerak 's steps faltered and then he resumed walking. In one hand was a whip....severall thick and long whips held together in one end. Each strike would feel like five against my skin.

"I am lucky, I am lucky" I whispered against my lips. The tears in my eyes were almost dry and I slowly closed my eyes. The Pujerak's footsteps stopped behind me.

Those few seconds efore his first strike hit me I noticed that the air was nice and cool for a hot afternoon. It blew softly against my hair and my flushed skin. The gown I wore was tight against my waist and flared down to my feet. It was mother's favorite gown and I felt very close to her in that moment.

The whoosh of the whip was loud and I breathed before it hit my back. My closed eyes went open immediately as I pulled in a deep breath. I had to quickly bite my lip to prevent my cry from coming out. Pain the likes I had never felt went through my body and fresh tears immediately began to pour out of my eyes. Another whoosh and a second strike on my back. I wanted to crawl away from the whip so badly at this point. I felt like I was going to die and it was still literally the second strike. After the third strike a kind of numbness came over my body, this was my body's way of dealing with this immense pain. I felt like I was having an out of body experience as several other strikes hit my skin. At some point I felt the cool air hit my exposed back and I faintly realized that the whipping had tore through my robe and gown.

"Nine" said the Pujerak after another strike had hit my back. It was only then I realized that he had been counting. I was still on my knees, but at this point I was bent at the waist so that my face was very close to the ground. Another whoosh through the air and the tenth strike hit my back. The cry I had been holding back tore out of my lips and immeasurable pain went through every inch of my back. My head pulled all the way back as I arched my back against the pain. My eyes wide open and looking directly at the horde king's intense gaze....One grey and one blue..... It was him. The male at the marketplace. He was the horde king, and I was in a load of horse shit

The exact same feelings he had enacted from my body earlier and my soul completely came over me again. I felt like he was looking into the darkest most hidden recesses of my soul. I felt vulnerable and weak and exposed, so much so that the next whip pulled a jerk out of my body but I FELT NOTHING. I was too captivated by him to feel anything else. This male was absolutely dangerous and beautiful, he would be the death of me, I fully understood that now.

I watched as he raised his hand up to stop the Pujerak from hitting me again, his eyes never leaving mine. I watched him take his first step and then the next as he walked towards where I knelt. His huge body squated in front of me as he stared into my eyes. Tears that I couldn't stop or control continued to fall from my eyes. He looked concerned and regretful, but before I could actually tell his face went blank again. He was hiding his emotions from me. His huge palm came to my face and then he gently wiped the tears from my eyes. It was the most gently thing anyone that ever done for me and I closed my eyes to soak in that touch.

"Your eyes, little lamb" he ordered, his voice thicker than usual. My eyes slowly went back open as I watched him. It was just the both of us existing in that moment, nothing else mattered.

"This union is blessed The horde king, for the human female. Your union is blessed" A voice whispered from all around us. The trees around us were dancing and the wind was wild and gentle , and I felt it like a kiss against my skin.

I watched in awe as the horde king's eyes flashed white and his eyes widened in shock. I knew then that my eyes were doing the exact same thing

"The goddess Kasia" he and I both whispered at the same time.

I gasped and pulled back, not sure what had just happened but knowing for sure that we had just heard the voice of our goddess. The next few events happened in a rush that I couldn't think straight. The horde king quickly went around me and untied the ropes on my hand. He also gently removed the robe and threw it aside. It was soaked through with my blood and had torn in several places. The horde king then as gently as he could, being careful of my back picked me up in his arms and pressed my face into his neck. I pulled in a deep breathe and his scent surrounded me. Manly, musky...with a gentle hint of sandalwood. Suddenly all the chaos inside me went quiet. I knew then that I didn't want him to put me down, I also knew that I was in a lot more trouble than I bargained for.

The horde king barked several orders as he walked away and suddenly everyone went into action to do his bidding. His steps were quiet but horried and I noted that we were walking back into the palace. I didn't know what was happening and I was too weak to think...I let his scent pull under the clutches of sleep....and then I was dead to the world.

KING AKHIR, THE HORDE KING

I walked swiftly through the palace, down it's halls and all the way to the back. I knew exactly where I was going to because I was connected to her, outr goddess Kasia. I was going to one of her tombs, one of the two that exists in the world. One was located here and the other in my kingdom. I needed to do this now and so I had to see here now.

A steady presence filled me and I could tell my Pujerak and my warriors were accompanying me. They never questioned my decisions and we're loyal to a fault.

I didn't know why I had felt this way about this particular female but I knew that goddess Kasia had something to do with it. So I will find out what, and I will do it now.

I held the female closer to me, her blood was silently dripping in the ground and had soaked through her while back. I felt guilt that I didn't rush her to a physician and was instead trying to feed my curiousity

Outside the palace way back was the tomb, similar in size and design to mine. I walked into the sacred place and my warriors stationed themselves outside. They knew to give me privacy when I was here.

The center of the tomb had a huge stone bath filled with eternal water. I didn't stop as I slowly sank into the water with the female. I wanted goddess Kasia to give me some answers.