Chapter 10

Edda wore a yellow gown provided by Princess Dahli, the gown dropped to her knees and together with the red coat offered her a much appreciated warmth within the cold dungeon. Dahli had added a chamber pot to the cell and Edda felt more certain than ever that there was more to the Princess than meets the eye. There was definitely something Dahli was up to and Edda stood at the midst of it all.

She sat on one of the chairs with her arms leaning on the table, observing the spot of blood staining the floor beneath the chains that once held Ingah. Edda recalled how happy she was to be called into the smallest chamber of the Remu court. It was the highest honor bestowed upon a spy in training, it meant she was worthy enough to go on a mission for the glory of the Remu court. It was there that she'd met the dashing young man whom she later learned was the Black Ghost. They'd been briefed on their mission and though it sounded impossible, the confidence emanating from Ingah in silent waves assured her that anything was possible.

Anything was indeed possible, the possibility of capture was a part of this fact, so was the possibility of torture and death. Ingah served as a testament to the possibilities and her heart heaved in pain with the memory of his anguished cries. How did they find us? Barely a day after arriving in Binoria, they'd been captured and taken to the inquisitors. They'd been tortured and neither of them had uttered a word to betray their mission, yet the torture ensued with a certainty that they were indeed spies withholding information.

Someone from the Remu court betrayed us. Thought Edda. There was no other explanation as to how they had ended up in the dungeons. Someone definitely played a role to ensure their demise. But who? Edda wondered. She felt a budding need to exert revenge rise up from within her. She suddenly had a purpose and she clang to it with the intensity of a drowning man who'd grasped a floating log. Edda made a silent vow to the Gods that she will find whoever had betrayed them to the Binorians and exact revenge for Ingah's death.

But first she had to escape. Dahli had visited her once every couple of days and Edda was now certain of Dahli's religious fanatics. The woman ate, drunk and breathed all that is the Goddess Meena. She quoted books from past kings who'd written about the Jojoh Meena in an effort to educate the Binorians on how the gift worked with the hopes of cultivating the power within the public. It never really worked out, the gift could only be passed on by the will of the Goddess herself but that didn't stop Dahli from trying.

Edda had to escape before Dahli found a worthy second to participate in the Nula Anyl with her. She shuddered at the thought of the trial. She'd only read about the ritual from accounts of the Remu who'd witnessed it. The Nula Anyl was a trial before the Goddess Meena. A trial that none has ever survived. It had overtime morphed from a simple trial to a ritual that served as an act of sacrifice to the Goddess. Thousands thronged to the Juckwa Arena to bear witness to the Nula Anyl and she did not wish to stand before them and hear their chants and cheers as she met her end.

Edda observed the tray before her and the two cups and pitcher that accompanied it. They would have to serve as weapons when next the Princess came. She had gathered enough strength over the past couple of days and the strain on her muscles had eased enough to allow her to flex them without any discomfort. She was ready. She only had a brief window to act and attempt her escape, failure to do so would guarantee her death in the Nula Anyl. Edda would rather die fighting for an escape than be a human sacrifice to a Goddess who'd destroyed everything her people stood for.

As if on cue, the cell doors opened to reveal the Princess Dahli standing in the frame of the door. She wore a chiton dress with purple material draping over her body and fastening at her shoulder by clasps. Dahli seemed unmoved by the cold of the dungeons and she made her way to the chair opposite Edda with the grace of a flower bowing to the will of a gentle summer breeze. The two guards who accompanied her at all times took positions on either side of the cell door and stood with their hands clasped before them.

"Good afternoon." Dahli said as she placed a fresh basket of food on the table.

"It's afternoon? Can't really tell time down here. Perhaps you ought to take me out to see the sun once in a while." Edda replied.

Dahli tilted her head back and laughed, it sounded like a child's laughter, somehow creepy and sensuous at the same time. "You'll see enough sunshine during the Nula Anyl." Dahli said. Edda shuddered at her words.

"Have you found a worthy second?" Edda asked.

"I thought I had but the man I'd considered cut off his hand hence rendering him unworthy to participate in the Nula Anyl for the Goddess accepts only the offering of those who are whole. I don't understand why they are so against the Nula Anyl. It happens once every century or so and it's a privilege for it brings one closer to the Goddess." The Princess said.

Edda seriously contemplated cutting off her own hand but she'd need a knife to do so and one wasn't at hand. She smiled at the Princess as if in understanding of the glory of death by sacrifice as a privilege and Dahli smiled back. An idea suddenly occurred to Edda, her mission had been to find out how the Jojoh Meena was passed on from King to heir and she hadn't quite gotten to it yet with all the torture and starvation.

"How is the Jojoh Meena passed from the King to his descendant?" Edda asked while still maintaining her smile.

Dahli didn't hesitate in replying, she leaned forward in her chair until her face was inches away from Edda'. "It is the Goddess who decides." said the Princess. Edda nodded as if in understanding of the vague reply. Edda observed the proximity of the princess and the empty tray that lay next to her left hand. All I need is a window. The thought sent an adrenaline rush through her body. She hesitated for a fraction of a second, fought back the doubt and fear that battled to paralyze her and then clutched the tray and launched the attack that might ensure her escape.

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You can checkout the full book here: https://payhip.com/b/szEnh