REWRITTEN 3/8/19

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As every girl filed in one by one, Lia drew closer to the throne room and the contents within. Standing on the tip of her toes to look over Abby's head, she could see each girl as they entered line up in front of the throne. The room itself was so wide, Lia didn't doubt that they all would fit without needing to make a second row. Along the side of the wall, guards stood in formation in front of large gilded wall and ceilings that were supported by grand pillars covered in elaborate paintings of fiery, red birds. The object that drew Lia's eye through was the man that sat on the throne, his face too far away to be seen although his golden hair seemed to shimmer from all the way across the room. Attendants surrounded him, fanning him with fancy plumed feathers as if he were an Egyptian pharaoh. Abby began walking to join the incredibly, long line of girls already lined up in front of the line. Waiting the same amount of time she had noticed the other concubines had, Lia counted to 5 before taking her first step into the room. Her slippers faintly echoed throughout the room as the rest of the individuals and the man on the throne all focused their attention on her.

Looking up from her feet, Lia was startled to realize that the man on the throne, Lord Xantho, was beautiful. Thick dark brown hair fell in waves around his face, just ending above his shoulders. His body, elegantly dressed in a red silk tunic, gave a faint hint of the lithe muscles that no doubt lay beneath. Everything about him exuded sex and his glowing green eyes that ensnared Lia, as they seemed to beg her to trust him, love him, and... Lia shook her head vigorously, almost stopping her walk altogether. How could she be feeling that way towards a man who had kidnapped her? But looking back up at him, she felt her heart flutter in a pleasant way as if she had a crush. Confused by her rapidly developing feelings, Lia took a deep breath, almost coughing at the woody incense that was being burned in two large pots near the entrance. Resolving to look away from Lord Xantho, Lia stood beside Abby and snuck a glance at the rest of the line to see what everyone else was doing.

The enraptured eyes of all the girls in line were focused on Xantho, drinking the sight of him in as if they had been lost in a desert without sustenance for days and he was an ice cold glass of water. Lia was surprised to feel jealousy sprout inside her and she glared at them, her competitors. Xantho just looked upon them all in a bemused expression, finally sitting up from his lounged position on his large throne. A few young children stood next to him, dressed in fine clothes as well but clearly not servants. A few of them were a bit older, definitely near her age and most noticeable among them was a young man whose eyes didn't leave hers once. His children from some of the concubines perhaps, Lia thought with a shudder, as she noticed their similar coloring. 

At the flick of his hand, the attendants surrounding him bowed and left his side. On cue, everyone in line got on their knees and similarly bowed. Lia and her fellow humans struggled to follow suit, a second behind everyone else as she finally laid her head on the ground.

"You may rise." said a melodious voice. Lia looked up at Lord Xantho and he caught her eye and winked, causing her to quickly look away in embarrassment. Beside her, she could hear Megan sigh wistfully as Lord Xantho finally stood from his throne, a hint of rock hard abs peeking out from beneath his red tunic as paused for a moment to stretch.

Xantho walked down the stairs from his throne two at a time, holding his hands behind his back as he finally came to a stop before Abby, Lia, and Megan.

For a moment, no one said anything until Abby walked out of the line and bent her head in respect before addressing Xantho. "Sir, I am Abby. I am pleased to be of service." She ended her spiel with a sultry smile that showed off her dimples.

"You will be formally known as Arian." He responded. Abby beamed at him as she melted back into the long line. Lia felt her mouth drop open before she closed it quickly. They were getting new names as if they were nothing more than pets and judging from everyone else's reaction, it was common practice. The disgust that filled her quickly stamped out any of the attraction she had felt for Xantho.

Not wanting to be outdone, Megan stepped forward and similarly bowed her head. "Sir, I am Megan. I am also pleased to be of service."

"Hmmm... how about Marigold." Megan squealed as if a new name was the best thing that ever happened to her and she stepped back in line. As attention shifted away from Megan and towards Lia, Lia didn't move from her spot in the line, even as people around her began to whisper.

"Go!" Meghan sharply whispered, punctuating her words with an elbow to the ribs. But how could Lia introduce herself if she couldn't speak?

"And you?" Xantho folded his arms over his chest, clearly expecting an answer. His eyes were intensely focused on hers and she could feel her previous feelings rise in her, begging her to answer him.

The sound of shuffling footsteps from behind Lia caused Xantho to lose focus and in an instant whatever had held her spellbound to his gaze broke, freeing her to look over her shoulder at Odile. Odile was quickly walking over to the line where Lia was, and judging from the gasps she could hear, it wasn't allowed.

"My lord," Odile bowed deeply. "My sincere apologies for breaking protocol and joining you with your harem but there is a reason why this concubine can't speak. When she was being sold," Lia frowned at the painful reminder, "her voice had been sealed away under an enchantment. It was much too strong for Odette and I to remove. We humbly request that you seek the aid of a priestess to remove the enchantment."

"I see." Lord Xantho mused. Xantho turned to a nearby attendant. "Fetch me the head priestess. This case has indeed piqued my curiosity." Lia didn't like the sound of that and the grumbles from down the line showed that none of the other girls liked it either.

Xantho crouched down until he had reached Lia's level, a friendly smile on his face. Rather than being drawn towards him like before, Lia leaned away, a subtle movement that didn't go unnoticed to him as he narrowed his eyes at her. "You cost me a lot of nix. But it was worth it to acquire such a rare jewel my... Opal. Yes, a fine gem just like you." His hand hungrily snatched up Lia's much darker one and he looked her in the eyes again, clearly trying to make something happen. Perhaps he was trying to create feelings of attraction between the two of them? Lia recalled how she had felt the strange desire towards Lord Xantho when she had first laid eyes on him and realized it was a possibility, especially considering how magic was very real in this world. On either side of her, Megan and Abby were simultaneously swooning and glaring daggers at her along with the rest of the girls. However, whatever mass hysteria was gripping them no longer seemed to have any effect on Lia.

Looking curiously at the djinn lord who held her hand, Lia realized she started to see a faint pinkish cloud surrounding him. Almost like multiple arms, parts of the cloud extended outward touching many people in the room. Looking down at where the pink cloud would touch her, she could see it creep down Xantho's arm like a snake that had found its prey. Lia's arm involuntarily tensed up as it lunged towards her, only to immediately recoil. Multiple parts of the cloud reached for her, only to be similarly rebuffed as if there was a barrier surrounding Lia.

Lord Xantho gripped Lia's hand tighter, clearly trying to will the pink cloud to touch Lia. Unfortunately for him, she was over their uncomfortable seconds of eye contact and hand holding. Lia pointedly stared at Xantho's hand until he finally let go, clearly flustered by whatever had just happened.

Before Lia could further wonder what she had just seen, Lord Xantho straightened to his full height and respectfully nodded to someone behind her.

"Head Priestess Solaris."

"My lord." As a figure dressed in white appeared in Lia's peripheral vision, she couldn't contain her gasp of shock. It was the woman in white who had somehow knocked out Lia with a touch of her hands! Instantly Lia was on the defensive, bringing up her arms to defend herself.

"Be calm, my child." Under the white cowl, a wise face looked at her with amusement. "I am here to help you after all." Lia kept watching the woman warily but lowered her arms back to her sides.

"I can sense immense magic on her. What happened?" The priestess' brow was furrowed in concern as Odile repeated what had happened to Lia.

"A male witch? Rhiannon?" asked Solaris. Odile nodded gravely. Meanwhile, Lia just stood to the side confused. Sure Rhiannon had somehow created a magical trans-dimensional portal, but his otherwise harmless and pitiful personality did not scream intimidating.

However, despite Lia's unimpressed opinion of Rhiannon, the deepening scowl on the head priestess' face told another story about the man.

"My lord, I cannot promise that this will work, even with my power." Lia's eyes widened at those words. She could not imagine being mute for the rest of her foreseeable life, especially in an unforgiving environment.

"Just try." Xantho bit out, his attention solely focused on Lia in a way that made her slightly uncomfortable. Alfrigg nodded and placed her hand on Lia's throat, just the way Rhiannon had. As she spoke, Lia felt somewhat relieved that she could actually understand the words the head priestess was uttering.

"I call upon you All Father..." the priestess began. Instantly the area she was touching grew incredibly warm and Lia began to sweat. As the priestess continued whatever she was saying, the hand began burning Lia. Immobilized by Solaris' hand, Lia tried to catch Odile's eye, who was standing a few feet away. 'It hurts' mouthed Lia once she had Odile's attention. Odile nodded once to confirm that she understood.

"Head priestess, perhaps another approach. This one seems to be hurting Opal." Lia was briefly hurt at how quickly Odile had acclimated to addressing her by a new name, but quickly got over it as the heat went up a notch and her throat felt like someone was holding a blowtorch to it. Lia began struggling in earnest against the priestess' hand, but like everyone in the godforsaken world Aether was, she had a solid hold that could rival the strongest weightlifters on Earth. Lia's mouth opened in a silent yell as hot tears began pouring down her face.

"Priestess!" Lord Xantho yelled. Snapping out of whatever trance she had been in, Solaris quickly let go of Lia was a yelp, clutching her hand which had been burnt just like Odette's had been the previous day. Not again, Lia mentally pleaded as she felt her legs give out and the ornately tiled floor rush towards her face.

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Stars glimmered in the night sky like tiny gems as the wagon began to move even faster. Looking down, Lia's hands were tied up. Only they weren't her hands, as they were a great deal paler and thicker, like a man's hands.

"Oy Rhiannon, pay attention when I'm speaking to you!" Lia's head involuntarily snapped up and made eye contact with Nerida.

"Mistress! Please wake up!" Lia's mouth was bone dry as her eyes slowly fluttered open and met Odette's anxious ones. She could sense warmth at her throat again, but it was comforting and made her feel sleepy. Looking down, she could see Odette's hand on her neck, no doubt using her healing abilities on Lia.

"Water", Lia mouthed to no one in particular.

"Get her water!" said Odette reading her lips. Odile scurried off to comply with the request. Meanwhile, Lia lay her head back down, confused by what she had seen while she was unconscious. It had clearly been an out of body experience, she finally concluded. She had been somewhere else, in a man's body, and seeing out of his eyes. Not to mention, Nerida was there and calling her Rhiannon.

A quick check at the rest of her body confirmed that she was still a rather tall, black girl and Lia breathed a sigh of relief. Just as her eyes were starting to flutter shut, she could see Odile coming back with a glass of water. Lia reached out with a shaky hand, only for Odette to take it and set it back down beside her.

"Let me do it," she said gently. Lia didn't object, although she felt a bit like a baby as Odette set her head on her lap and slowly poured water into her mouth. From behind her, the sound of people conversing attracted Lia's attention.

"What happened Solaris?" Lord Xantho said, forgetting to address the head priestess properly. Lia was slightly touched by his concern until he uttered his next words. "Is my new purchase somehow damaged by this spell?"

"No my lord, quite the contrary in fact. Her body is perfectly fine. However, I don't have the power to remove such a spell. At this point, only an angel would be able to. Not to mention, there is something very strange about the spell." Lia stopped drinking water and turned her head to the right to hear better as the priestess' voice grew even more hushed. "Normally, a silencing spell would last only a few hours and quickly die on its own. But this one has much power behind it and almost seemed to repel my counterspell to remove it. Would you like me to investigate further?"

"No, no, no. I do buy them for their looks after all. Perhaps there will come a day when I appreciate her silence." He punctuated his statement with a laugh, seemingly putting the whole case behind him. Lord Xantho turned to the rest of the harem, who had been stuck waiting throughout the counterspell fiasco. "Dismissed." Lia had almost forgotten that they were there as the girls simultaneously bowed as one and left, Megan and Abby a beat behind just as before.

"See to it that she gets proper rest." Lord Xantho commanded as he exited the room with them.

"Yes my lord," Odile and Odette responded in unison.

All of a sudden, Lia experienced a sense of weightlessness as someone picked her up from the ground. 'Hey!' she mouthed, briefly forgetting about her lack of voice.

"Please be calm Mistress," said a deep voice. Lia looked up into the kind face of a guard, his features mostly obscured by the large gold helmet all guards seemed to wear. "My name is Bronn. I will be carrying you to your chambers." Lia nodded, slightly amused by his formal choice of wording for the gaudy prison that was her room. 

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