Starlex skirted the shadows within the maze of narrow streets. She had no idea where she was running to. Her only thought was putting as much distance between her and Krego as possible. With one hand she cradled her round belly and tried to send comforting prayers to her baby.

  Don’t fear, little one. We will find a way out of here. We will find a way back to your father. He will protect us both.

  But she found no strong Skaard warrior in the streets of this strange city. Only dust and heat. Somewhere a dog barked. A window opened and a matron's head popped out. She curled her lip at Starlex and slammed the window shutters as if shutting out some evil.

  She thinks I'm a whore.

  Starlex looked down at her garish purple gown, the scratchy silk so thin she could see the dark outline of her own breasts through it. The sandals slapped against the mud bricks as she slowed her steps. It was still early morning. A creak of wheels behind her made her jump. She slipped into a shadowed doorway and waited for the merchant’s cart to pass. A young boy sitting on the back of the cart caught her eye. He pointed at her and tugged his father’s shirt.

  Starlex turned and quickly walked the other way, trying to remember the route the man who found her in the desert took when they entered the city. If she could pass through the city gates, she may be able to blend in among the country folk she had seen along the river banks.

  Still, I will draw too much attention dressed like this.

  Hugging herself to cover the exposure of her body through the thin gown, Starlex walked down a wide thoroughfare. It looked somewhat familiar from her ride into the city, but in truth, all the streets looked alike.

  She passed a small market booth where a man and woman, both dressed in dull linen shrouds of the common people, set up their wares. Starlex noticed bolts of plain linen on the table. Knowing she was taking a tremendous risk, she paused before the booth. Catching the woman’s eye who gazed at her with incredulity mixed with fear, Starlex pointed at the linen and then her garish gown.

  “Trade, please?” she asked in her best approximation of the common tongue she had picked up in the brothel.

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  The woman froze and the man stepped in front of her. He leaned back and spat in Starlex’s face.

  Stunned, humiliated, Starlex retreated a few steps. Then, in a move of sudden desperation, Starlex leaped forward and grabbed the bolt of linen.

  The outraged shouts of the couple trailed her as she ran away. Her only thought was to hide within this shroud, hide the costume designating her a common whore, hide her white hair, pointed ears, and pale skin that shimmered in the bright sunlight.

  She heard voices pursuing her down the street, then the thud of horse hooves against the hard brick. A bell rang from a high tower.

  I’ve made it worse now. I'll be found and perhaps...hanged.

  Desperately, she ducked into a doorway where she was confronted by an ornately-carved wooden door. She shoved her shoulder against it. The door stuck.

  The shouts of the citizens were coming closer. It sounded like a mob had formed.

  "Please," she muttered as she slammed her full weight against the door. The hinges creaked as the door gave, opening to a walled garden. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Pressing her back against it, her ears attuned to the sounds of the crowd, she stood as still as a statue until the crowd passed.

  Flush with relief, she looked around. The garden walls contained a riot of brightly-colored plants with a central fountain shimmering in the morning sunlight. Several small birds, as bright as the surrounding flowers, hovered before the gargantuan blooms, their sweet music filling the warm air. She was immediately reminded of the walled garden of Oran palace. A feeling of homesickness overcame her suddenly.

  Fighting the urge to fall to the soft green grass in a fit of weeping, Starlex clung to the shadow of the high garden wall and quickly unfurled the linen. She was wrapping it around her body in an attempt to conceal the purple gown when a dark shadow cooled her.

  She looked up with wide, frightened eyes to find herself trapped in the gaze of a very tall man dressed in a long white shroud. White hair escaping from the brim of his large white hat fell to his shoulders. His long beard was white long, giving him the appearance of age, but his tan skin was without a wrinkle and his eyes, dark and intense, shone with the keenness of youth.

  A sound outside the door snatched the man's attention. Starlex followed his gaze and heard the crowd returning, only now the crowd sounded more riled up than before. Murderous.

  They'll kill me!

  The man's eyes flicked back to hers. She didn't breathe. Her fate was in the stranger's hands. In the street beyond the gate, the sound of the stampede grew louder. She heard angry voices crying. She imagined what they were saying. "Thief! Witch! Whore!"

  "Help me!" Starlex pleaded in her Ardelymian tongue.

  Recognition flickered in the man's intelligent brown eyes. He took a deep breath and then lifted his arm and draped the long white sleeve around Starlex's shoulder. As the crowd raged outside the man quickly ushered Starlex through the garden and toward the house.