East

Squeezing my eyes closed, I fought the sense of detachment and urge to vomit.

"See, smell, feel, hear, Moonbeam!" he shouted from across the room. "If you pass out, you die."

He was right. I didn't want to consider what these people would do to me if I got caught. I repeated the chant he taught me in the dungeon and then opened my eyes, forcing myself into this reality and time.

He had killed three knights in the time it took me to rope in my senses. Shaking, I slid off the wardrobe to the table once more and started towards the beam.

A knife thunked into the beam ahead of my face, barely missing me once more. I sprang back.

"How can you claim to be my guardian and throw knives and swords at me?" I yelled somewhat hysterically.

He didn't answer.

I heard the last of the men drop to the floor but didn't move, afraid of Batu knifing my hand or worse.

"You belong to the Empire as determined by the Eternal Blue Sky. I do what I must to protect you," he replied.

"Even if that means hurting me?"

"Yes. You were gifted to us. You will remain with us."

I faced him. "I don't belong to your people," I whispered, overwhelmed by the too accurate image his words painted. "I think, as a goddess, I can choose to leave when I please."

"No, you cannot." He was serious for once. "You are a lamb, Moonbeam. I am a wolf. The more you struggle, the deeper my teeth sink. Do you understand?" He studied me. "If you choose not to go, I will take you in as many pieces as I must."

My eyes slid to the pile of bodies behind him. No part of me doubted his terrifying claim.

"I can start by breaking your fingers." His tone was almost one of conciliatory offering, as if breaking my fingers was better than his original plan of cutting them off.

This willingness to spare me was what Mahmood counted on. It struck me how wise the Imam had been.

"I would like the opportunity to accompany you without any broken bones," I said as politely as possible. "But she must come with me." I pointed overhead to the princess watching us both.

"You can bring your monkey." He turned away and bent over the nearest body.

"What are you doing?"

He held up the ear he'd just sliced off and tucked it in his pouch. "Taking his ear."

"I see that but, I mean … what are you doing?"

"Accountability."

Did the language chip stop working? Because I had no idea what that meant.