Days and nights blended into one, and Eliana lost track of the time.

Ashan helped her all he could, bringing little comforts when she asked for them, and even procuring a herb she desperately wanted; she stashed it under the bedding and mixed a little with her water every day. The taste was vile, but she would do anything to prevent Samsu's seed taking root inside her. She swore to herself that she would never bear his child, and gave thanks to the mother goddess every time her monthly bleed came.

She had bled twice since the chain was first put on – it was her only measure of how long she had been here. As the weeks drew on, she gave up asking Ashan when he thought she might be released, watching his face was all the answer she needed.

Samsu began to use her more frequently, sometimes twice a day – when he rose, and before he went to bed. He did not always even bother to take her off the chain, just turning her over and taking her there on the cushions.

The insult never grew less, nor did the revulsion. Eliana began to live on edge, permanently unable to relax, forever expecting the next assault. Her one comfort was her weekly trip to the bathhouse, where she could forget for just a little while as the water soothed her.

She told herself that it was just her body he violated, that nothing he could do would get inside her mind, but soon the night terrors returned.

It was a cool, crisp night when, as she slept, she pierced the air with a scream like a tortured soul of the underworld.

Ashan was on her immediately, clamping his hand over her mouth and nose. She woke thrashing and shrieking in a panic as she realised that she couldn't breathe.

'Hush!' he hissed urgently. 'What's wrong? Are you hurt?'

'Quiet!' Samsu's voice cracked through the darkness like a whip. There was a rustle as he pushed his sheets aside and his bare feet slapped against the tiles as he came nearer. He sent Ashan flying with a strong shove and grabbed Eliana's upper arm, hauling her from her warm nest still sleepy and confused – she hadn't even realised that she'd screamed, her first awareness had been when she couldn't breathe under Ashan's hand.

He slapped her across the face and shook her hard, 'how dare you make that revolting sound in my presence? To wake me in the middle of the night?'

'Wh-what sound?' she stammered.

'Insolent whore!' he slapped her again and threw her back onto the cushions. 'You disturb me and then have the audacity to talk back! I'll teach you a lesson you won't soon forget.' He flipped her onto her hands and knees and pulled her legs apart before forcing his way in.

Eliana buried her face in the pillow to muffle the cry of pain.

As soon as Samsu was finished, he pushed her aside. 'Ashan – see that her food is withheld for three days.'

'That's not fair!' she cried without thinking, earning another slap for her trouble.

'Five days.'

She clenched her fists and bit down hard on her tongue to stop herself from cursing him as he went back to his bed. Tears of helpless rage ran down her cheeks.

As soon as Samsu's breathing became long and deep and steady and his snores began to ring out, Ashan moved silently back to Eliana. Sitting on her cushions, he drew her head onto his lap and began to stroke her hair.

The motion soothed her, his gentle hand a welcome balm running the length of hair, from the top of her head down to her waist. After a time, some of the tension began to seep from her muscles – she was almost able to imagine that it was Kisha's fingers running through her curls. She missed her sister terribly, wondering what she'd been told, and whether she was worried; she made a mental note to ask Ashan.

Every time she came to the edge of sleep, she forced herself back. She would not risk sleeping when Samsu did if she could help it – if the night terrors returned and disturbed him again she could find herself starved to death.

Ashan departed for his own bed at midnight when his relief arrived, but Eliana spent a long, wakeful night staring into the darkness, lying on the hard floor instead of the cushions, trying to keep sleep at bay. As soon as Samsu departed in the morning, she made herself comfortable, pulled up the blanket and fell into a dreamless sleep.

She was awoken by Ashan's gentle hand on her shoulder – he had come to check on her, dismissing her guard for a break, as always.

'Eliana? Are you alright?' he murmured.

She sat up and pushed the hair out of her eyes, 'in what way?'

'Your scream last night – it sounded like you were in agony.'

'Oh, that. I've had nightmares ever since Samsu's conquest of the city. I haven't had one for a while though.'

Ashan had the good grace to look embarrassed – he could not deny his own part in the conquest.

Eliana's stomach grumbled loudly. She blushed. 'I suppose I'll have to get used to that. Five days!'

Giving a wicked little grin, Ashan reached into his pocket and produced a chunk of bread and a handful of dates. 'It's not much, but I'll bring you what I can – just make sure nobody sees you eat it!'

'Oh, Ashan!' Eliana snatched the food and stuffed it underneath her cushions, concealing it with the herbs. 'Thank you!' she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Before either of them knew what was happening, their lips had melded together in a heart-melting kiss. Eliana felt hot tears sting her eyes at the unexpected pleasure of feeling Ashan's warm lips against hers again. She opened her mouth a little, running the tip of her tongue along his lower lip. He gave a little shudder of arousal and she smiled into the kiss as his arms tightened around her waist and pulled her closer.

Somebody cleared his throat behind them.

Eliana's stomach plummeted as they sprang apart, whipping around to see who had caught them.

The guard that Ashan had dismissed for his break had returned. He leaned casually against the wall, watching them with an interested expression. 'The prince will cut your cock off for this, pretty boy,' the man drawled, an arrogant smirk on his face.

Ashan pulled himself slowly to his feet and walked towards the man with a measured pace, reminding Eliana of the dangerous dance of a scorpion before it strikes. 'And just how is he going to find out?' he asked calmly.

'I dare say word will get back to him somehow, unless you can make it worth my while to keep silent.'

Eliana shrank back against the wall, afraid of where this was going.

'What is it that you want?'

'Promotion,' the man answered without hesitation, 'and something shiny for my troubles.'

'Shiny?'

'That's a right fine blade you've got at your belt – no captain of a household guard needs a blade that fancy.'

'This one?' Ashan withdrew the dagger and held it out, still inching towards the man.

'That's it – you're too much of a pussy to use it anyway. Talk amongst the soldiers is that you've never even killed a man. It's a sin to let a blade that beautiful live unblooded.'

'I dare say you're right,' said Ashan thoughtfully, examining the dagger. It was a fine one indeed, the bronze blade engraved with the arms of his mother's house, the polished bone handle marked with the symbols of warrior gods. 'This was my father's dagger.'

'And now it's mine,' the man grinned smugly, holding out his hand.

Ashan made his move.

He grabbed the man's hand and jerked him forward, knocking him off-balance. Twisting him around so quickly that Eliana didn't even see how he did it, Ashan opened the guard's throat from ear to ear, giving him a smile to take to his grave along with the secret.

His life's blood cascaded down the front of his body like a waterfall, soaking into his brown military tunic and dying it a rich, deep red. Ashan dropped him; the man fell onto his knees before toppling forward with the dead weight of a hay bale, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. A scarlet pool spread along the tiles where he fell.

Eliana sat frozen with shock. 'Ashan,' she whispered. 'You killed him.'

Ashan wiped the blood from his dagger onto the man's tunic and put it back into his belt. 'I did, and I'd do it again. Nobody threatens me.'

'But... I thought you...' she tailed off, her mind still buzzing with shock.

'Thought what?'

She shrugged, 'I thought you were different.'

'I am, Eliana. I am not cruel, like the others. But I am a soldier; I am trained to kill. You think I just stood by and watched the conquest? That I never accompanied Samsu into battle before we came here? I have been trained since I was a boy to take vengeance on those who have wronged me, to defend myself against those who would hurt me, to destroy those who would harm my loved ones. I did it for you too, you know. Samsu would murder you without question; I flatter myself to think he might at least feel some regret over killing me.'

There was a horrified gasp from the doorway. Resu had come to bring Eliana's water; his eyes were wide with dismay as he took in the carnage.

'Ah, Resu,' Ashan said briskly. 'Go and fetch the prince for me, will you? Tell him it's urgent. There's a good man.'

Resu gave a terrified nod, put down the water and fled.

'What will you tell him?'

'I'll think of something. I'll go to meet him now.'

He departed, leaving Eliana alone with the corpse. She could not bear to look; another gidim to haunt her dreams. Burying her face in her hands to physically block out the ghastly sight, she prayed that Ashan would come back quickly.

Fortunately, he returned almost immediately; Samsu could not have been too far away. Eliana did not raise her head, hoping that Samsu would ignore her.

'... caught him trying to use the girl, sir.' Ashan was saying. 'I ordered him away and he threatened her life. Said that you would never know he had borrowed her, so what did it matter. I tried to pull him off, and he was killed in the struggle.'

'Good man, Ashan,' Samsu replied. 'I've no room for dishonest men in my service. Nobody pulls the wool over my eyes. I'll see you rewarded for this.' He clapped his stepson on the back.

'No need, sir. Just pleased to have done you a service. What would you like me to do about this mess?'

'Have the slaves clean it up. They can toss him on a dungheap for all I care.'

'And the girl? Shall I find another guard for her?'

'No. On balance, I think she is docile enough now to not need watching twenty-four hours a day. What do you think?'

'She certainly hasn't been much trouble of late, barring last night's incident. Your training has obviously worked wonders.'

'Did you hear that, karkittu?' Samsu called across the room. 'I told you, didn't I? I have achieved with you what my father could not manage with my sister – I have taken a stubborn, prideful girl and taught her compliance.'

Eliana did not raise her head, lest Samsu should see the guilt in her eyes. She was grateful when he did not speak to her again.

'Well, good job, Ashan. Arrange for the mess to be cleared away and then come to find me; there are a few matters of governance I would discuss with you.'

'Sir.'

They both left, the room, leaving Eliana alone with the cadaver again. Even when the slaves came to remove it, she did not look up. She would not lift her head until every last trace of evidence was gone and she could pretend it had never happened.

She tried to banish the picture of the man's body from her mind, to just absorb herself in what she had felt when Ashan kissed her. The memory made her warm with joy, from her heart right out to her fingertips.

Her stomach grumbled again. She thought of the food secreted beneath her cushions, but suddenly she was not hungry any more.

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Author's note

Hi my lovely readers – this is just a note to apologise for how depressing the last few chapters have been. I just wanted to let you know that this is the lowest ebb of Eliana's life, and getting through this is what makes her a stronger, more mature person in the rest of the book. It's going to get slightly worse before it gets better, this won't go on for much longer than another couple of chapters or so. If the feedback is that this is too much / too gruesome / too violent / too depressing, please let me know in the comments, because I'll take it all into account when I redraft when I reach the end. Thanks for sticking with it! :) TPx