Conquering Lazar Read Online Free Page B

replied, "Before dawn."
    The women began to file out before her and Elbi stayed, looking at Malachi for a moment.
    "You will be safe with the other women, Elbi," he reassured her.
    "Of course. Good night, sir," she said as she hurriedly left, the echoes of her footfalls reverberating through the empty halls.
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    Elbi awoke to the sound of men beneath her window, talking quietly. Their voices were far away at first but as the sleep left her body and the fog cleared from her mind, she could hear a heated discussion. She heard Donte, whose voice she knew as well as Malachi's, and then another one. As she tried to discern from afar, she watched the moonlight dapple the walls of her chamber. The sky was still dark, and morning was a few hours away yet. She heard the locusts chirping in the wasteland, mixed with the heavy breathing of the women of the harem. They were all scattered about on makeshift beds in an empty, cold room. She stood and wrapped her half naked body in a heavier piece of muslin. Elbi tiptoed toward the window and leaned against the edge. She did not want to be seen. She knew it could lead to a quick trip over one of the brother's laps, but she eavesdropped anyway. When she closed her eyes to concentrate on the unfamiliar voice, she could hear him more clearly.
    "Donte has informed me that we will be training the harem tomorrow. To be honest, Malachi, I don't know if they will ever be able to learn what we can teach them. Especially in such a short period of time, and if we are forced to leave here earlier than planned…" the man spoke with a quiet urgency.
    "I understand your concerns, Nico, but you will do with this time whatever you can to make these women strong. If the Jaden army somehow manages to take them, the only hope they have of survival is going to be whatever ferocity they can manage in the first few minutes of their capture. Even if they do escape, they will need the fortitude to make it through the swaths of the desert for any amount of time and then find their way back to us," Malachi said.
    "These women have never even known the outside world. They have never gone a day without food in their lives, or at least since joining the Palace of Lazar. They avoid the hot sun by bathing in the pools of Lazar's garden or lounging under the palms. If they are captured, death might be a better fate for them than traveling through the desert alone with no water, no food, and probably not even some idea of what direction they should be going." Nico said this with more urgency, and Elbi shuddered at the thought of what the man was implying. In her mind, it did not really seem that far-fetched; the fate he was prescribing.
    "My brothers are forever in your debt, Nico. You saved Briar's life and almost lost your own in doing so. I am asking if you will help us train them. If you say no, I will respect that. But don't question our decision," Malachi warned.
    There was a long pause and then Nico spoke. "I will do what I can. I just hope they are prepared for what it will take."
    Elbi slid down the side of the wall until her knees were curled up to her chest. She hugged herself in consolation. The men's voices fell away from her ears now, and she felt the tears well over her eyelids and track down her face.
    She lifted her head and looked around the bare chamber. She had grown accustomed to tapestries, elegant pillows, jewels, and gifts from the brothers that always dotted the room. She remembered how the golden trinkets and baubles would gleam in the moonlight. When the Palace of Lazar was safe, they had all lived in peace. Would that day ever come again?
     
    * * * * *
     
    Elbi had fallen asleep on the floor of the chamber, beneath the window. When she heard the footsteps coming toward her, it broke her fitful rest and she immediately noticed that the sun had not yet risen. Her eyes still filled with sleep, she sat up straight and began to take to her feet as the man came toward her. For