Resting on the greatest of desert mounds, which sat between jungles of winding rivers from the lauding sea, the fires of the city of Jedawl danced above an ocean of sand in the black night like a beacon of light.
Within the labrythinghian streets of this desert jewel, built of yellow stone and cloacked in the finest colourful silks, merchants bargained, strong tavern wine spilt, and silk robed women quelled the insatiable lusts of hundreds of men.
Around it, a thick wall, several buildings high and lined with thousands of green banners on its moonlit stone, slithered through the sand that seperated city law from the savagry of men and beasts, all cursed to madness by the whispers from this unforgiving domain.
And high above them all, where the flagged tipped spires of the grand palace touched the black kissed sky, a symphony of sounds moaned through the veiled curtains of an open terrace and out into the night. Through this silken entrace that led into the quarters of the great sultan, a naked woman lounged like a poised leopard upon a bed of velvet at the centre of a room, watching a pot bellied man grovelling before her supple feet.
"Come to me my pet," ordered the woman, brushing aside her raven hair and spreading her legs.
Clearing his throat, the man obeyed her request and crawled.
"Stop."
Again, the man obeyed.
"Yes my queen," answered the man, nervously.
"Have i pleased you - have i done well?"
She answered his question with silence. Upon the bed, with strands of black hair that trailed across her pale shoulders, she rose to sit and crossed her bare legs. Anxiety and panic drew on the mouth of the man in front of her as her motions ceased. This servile response pleased the woman, who smirked with satisfaction at his devotion.
"Without question," she whispered, "You ridded me of that insolent dog who dared to resist my affection."
"I was glad to be of service, goddess. That he dared to question you and to resist an offer no man in his right mind could have resisted and with such insolence made it my duty. He made me sick."
"Oh yes?" asked the woman, intrigued by noticable hatred in his voice.
The man smiled at her interest.
"But it was thanks to you that we ridded him, your plan to tell the governor of his disgusting acts, to lure him to the outskirts of the city and set death upon him. He brought it on himself, you tried to help him because you are so kind, so beautiful. But he was rotten, mistress, even as you told us that we might aid him, and as he used your goodness to trick you. I knew it then and there in the back of my mind that this man had no heart and cared for no one but himself."
With a smirk on her red lips, and a slow beckoning finger, she lowered herself down onto her white back and reponned her legs.
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"He didn't derserve you godddess none of them do," fawned the man, servilly as he prepared to pleasure her.
A thunderous sound came from the end of the great room. The bedroom doors, large and embroiled in gold, slammed open. Through the golden entrance, a gaurd, bedekced in light gold armour and carrying a sheathed blade, stormed in with an expression that fortold of bad news.
"Goddess!" the gaurd yelled, through tired breathes.
As the woman sat upright and turned to this gaurd, so to did the man at her knees.
"What is it-", roared the fat bellied man, irate for being interrupted.
"Silence dog!" shouted the woman, throwing a vicous look that quickly quelled the man's anger.
"What message do you bring me?" she asked, turning to the man at the door.
"I'm sorry to disturb you mistress, but the men, those that you sent to kill the stranger from outside of jewdal, they've been slain."
"What!" her scream filled the palace room and caused both men to shudder.
"Sorry mistress," started the gaurd, "- i-"
With a wave of her hand, she cut the gaurds response short. After this gesture ,which kept both men silent and watching, she stood up and began to pace the room in thought. Though naked and bare before them, she showed no sign of shame, but instead held a superior confidence in her womanly figure and posture. With each step of her bare feet on the marble floor, her expression, which in reaction to the news had been ragefu, slowly melted into a pridful satisfaction that blazed behind her eyes.
"Well," she spoke, the temper of her voice soft and clear.
"I suppose he'll think twice before returning to this city. Everyman from the great wall to the lowests tavern will be searching for his head. The poor handsome fool."
She looked over her shoulder at the two men, standing fearful and spell bound by her body.
"You are right mistress," placated the fat man, rising from his knees.
"Still-"
Her eyes darted to the Messenger.Feeling her piercing gaze on him, and hearing her steps grow, the he did the only thing he knew he could and looked to the floor.
"You, brave messanger. How old are you?"
Circling around the him, she placed a soft hand on his back. As she closed the distance between them, pressing herself against his body, she whispered words , like unintelligable incantations to his ear.
"Me," replied the man with a nervous crack in his voice.
"I'm nineteen."
In her melodious voice, a wiked chuckle rose.
'So young - so full of potential and promise - Tell me do you find me beautful?"
"Yes."
"Do you believe that i am who i say i am."
In a strange and sudden convlusion that caused the messagner to drop his blade, the young man breathed out deeply with a long extended exhale.
"Yes," he said, his voice, now devoid of the fear and awe that previously filled it.
"Then prove it, sweet boy. Step towards the terrace."
Without flinching, with no expression save an obedient and lifeless gaze that showed no sign of subconcious thought, he obeyed, walking towards and through the veiled sliks. In the distance, and still on his knees, the other man watched in awe as her commands were carried out. At the ledge of the terrace, with the vast desert city hundreds of feet below, the messanger looked over his shoulder. With both moon-light from above and the fabric threads carressing her naked body, she appeared through the wall of silk with the pose and aura of a diety .
"Now, stand on the ledge."
With one swift motion the mmessenger propped himself up and a cruel smile appeared on the woman's lip, watching as the gaurdsman stood dazed and so close to death.
"Jump," she whispered.
And on her word, the messenger leaped, diseappering into the void of the black night and city lights. With a chorius of screams and fireghened voices below, a crowd was heard, gathering around the man's grisly remains that painted the palace grounds crimson with young blood.