Pulled from her gaze, Zara smiled as a heat crossed her cheeks, then shook her head before returning her attention to the
approaching woman. The Moroccan’s eyes never wavered from the Amazon as she moved to join them. Remembering
Jamil’s jest, Zara managed a shy grin as she turned away from her lover’s smiling face.
“I believe I understand why your people put your women under so much cloth,” she teased back as she shook her head. “At
times, I believe it would be easier on the heart,” the Moroccan smiled as she lightly tapped her heart for emphasis. Jamil
merely smiled as he shook his head and turned away from the Greek woman.
“Did I miss anything?” Gabrielle asked when she saw their expressions.
“Nothing worth repeating,” Nivedita snorted
“Zara, what creature managed to wound you so?” the tall Arab asked with a look of genuine concern as he pointed to the
discoloration on her neck. Confused, the Moroccan reached up and touched the spot, but when she saw Gabrielle’s shy
expression, the captain remembered exactly how the marks were made. As her cheeks turned a slight shade of red, the
blonde covered her lips and shyly looked away. Before the tall woman could respond, Nivedita’s voice softly laughed.
“And you’ve forgotten so soon how such marks are made!” the Indian woman asked as she reached up and lightly tapped his
shoulder. At his look of innocence, Nivedita crossed her arms in front of her chest as she glared up the tall man.
“Think carefully before you answer,” her brow rose inquisitively.
“Why… I-I…” Jamil stammered as his hand covered the part of his shirt which was certainly concealing a similar mark.
“Oh, I thought you’d suddenly remember!” Nivedita chuckled and then turned to the Greek woman, “So, Gabrielle, you are
entering the tournament?” Nivedita asked as a way of changing the subject.
“Yeah, I thought I’d try my hand at it,” the blonde’s smile sent warmth through Zara’s soul as a shiver ran down her spine.
“But why bother when Zara will be entered?” Jamil asked. “I already told Nivedita that she didn’t have to be here, I plan on
winning that emerald for her!”
“Ha! I will win it for myself… men, they always think they must do everything for us!” Nivedita chuckled as she leaned
toward the storyteller, her words bringing a hearty laugh from the smaller blonde woman.
“Not just men! Zara, tell me, my friend, what will you do if you win the jewel?” Jamil asked his friend.
The Moroccan thought of an appropriate response as her gaze moved to each of her friends. A part of her knew that she
should withdraw from the conversation, but rather than listen to her instincts, she merely shrugged. Her gaze turned to her
lover and a brow rose as if to offer a gift to the healer.
“I will give it to Gabrielle to wear, of course,” she answered.
“And if I win it, then you’ve got to wear it!” Gabrielle snorted with a slight laugh as her slender finger jabbed into Zara’s
shoulder.
“But…?” The tall Moroccan could only stammer as her friends began to laugh. With a smile and slight chuckle, the Amazon
moved toward the bows and began to inspect each one, testing for weight, strength and length of the bow.
“Gabrielle?” The captain whispered as she moved to her side, “You are not serious, are you?”
“Of course! If you win, then I wear it and if I win…” The Greek woman’s brow arched and she grinned up at the Moroccan
from under her eyebrows.
“Y-You wouldn’t!” With something akin to horror, Zara realized that her lover was sincere about making her wear such a
womanly piece of jewelry.
“Oh, wouldn’t I?” was all Gabrielle said before returning her attention to choosing a bow.
“You’d better choose wisely, my friend, or else your woman may be winning this competition instead of you!” Jamil jested
with a hearty laugh as they all returned their attention to the bows.
“I fear you may be correct, my friend,” the captain answered as she focused all of her concentration on finding the proper
bow.
The cool morning breeze was soon replaced with the heat of the afternoon sun. Once Arjun had set down the rules, with a
scribe nearby in order to avoid any confusion later, each archer took their places with the guests from out of the country
shooting first from a set distance. A few of the Sultan’s group were eliminated early on, with Jamil and his troops all passing
the first hurdle. Both Zara and Gabrielle easily hit their target’s center mark and were able to step aside as the rest of the
competitors lined up for their shot while the servants retrieved the marked arrows from the range.
If anyone had doubts about Nivedita’s ability at the sport, it was all swept away with her first shot. The missile sang as it
thunked into almost the exact center of her target, drawing a few shouts of surprise and applause. Lined with the visitors from
Indus, she was the only woman of that country attempting the competition and the only one who seemed the better skilled of
many of the aristocrats. With a pleased smile, the Indian woman turned and made her way back to the group that sat on
chairs in a circle. With only three chairs available, the woman brazenly smiled at Jamil before taking a place on his lap.
“Did you think I could not shoot?” she asked him as she easily draped a muscled but slender arm around his shoulder.
“Oh, I had no doubts of your ability! Didn’t your arrow reach my lucky heart?” Jamil quipped as he pulled her into a hug.
Zara looked away from the two in hopes of offering discretion then caught Gabrielle’s sad glance. With a look of sorry, the
blonde watched their two friends, then lowered her gaze. A mist of tears threatened to spill from her control.
With a sympathetic smile, Zara reached out and took the smaller woman’s hand in hers in an attempt to offer comfort. At her
touch, the healer gave a weak smile as she clasped the captain’s hand. The Moroccan thought her lover was on the verge of
saying something, but then the blonde only turned away as a sigh escaped her. The storyteller’s gaze fell to a distant object
which only she seemed able to see. The tall seafarer turned away, knowing that her lover’s thoughts must be on her lost
soulmate. With little else to do, the sea captain strove to maintain her concentration as she awaited the completion of the day’
s competition.
The day progressed slowly for those who had to wait their turn. As each group finished and some were eliminated, the
targets were pulled further back and the lines began again. As the afternoon sun began to move toward the dinner hour, the
group was slowly whittled away.
When the number of competitors was cut in half, Zara gazed down the line beyond her own group, her vision moving past
Gabrielle, Jamil and Nivedita. Near the middle of the group she was pleased to see that Isa had made it to this round. At the
very end of the line was Daruka, his scowling features glanced her way every now and then. With a grimace of irritation, the
Moroccan stilled her mind and turned her entire attention to focus on the target. She waited for the ready call, then in one
steady move she notched her arrow, took careful aim before releasing the projectile. Mentally she followed its flight through
the air and watched as it hit her target dead center. Pleased with herself, she smiled as she turned to her friends, then glanced
at their targets and noticed that they had all hit their marks within the qualifying circle, if not dead center. Gabrielle caught the
captain’s eye and smiled, then winked.
Zara began to smile back, but before they could rejoice further in their skill, an angry shout erupted from the line. Glancing
down the row of archers, they watched as Daruka yelled at a servant, his words screaming out in a language they did not
understand. In a fit of rage, the Indian captain took his bow and broke it over his knee. The Moroccan woman glanced up at
Arjun. The young prince stood on the balcony gazing down at the scene. His face was impassive as he appeared to
contemplate the situation. When a decision had been reached, the prince calmly nodded at the servant who was waiting for
his judgment. With the nod, the servant quickly scribbled a note on his parchment, then turned and waved at the servant
standing by the target before turning and bowing low to Daruka. Daruka grunted in satisfaction as he nodded then stormed
off from the field.
“What was that about, I wonder?” Jamil whispered close to their group.
“I could only guess,” Gabrielle shrugged.
“That Daruka, he is a bad one to cross,” Nivedita spoke softly and then glanced up at the captain, “Not to mention that he is
a very poor sport.”
