Amos knew that the Oracle could read the future. “Is that a fact?”
“No, it’s a figure of fucking speech. Yes, it’s fact!”
Amos had never seen the Oracle so agitated. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, Amos. You do. You know that there is an electric current running between you and Lucy. You know that you touched her last night. You know that you want to do it again. And that you can either completely ignore it and leave her to her fate with the King. Or…”
“Or what?”
“You tell me, Amos. What happens if you don’t ignore it?”
Amos said nothing. If he didn’t ignore it, then the King would have him executed. Simple as that. Amos’s next thought was of the King pushing Lucy to the ground just then. That’s what leaving her to her fate with the King was gonna look like. How could he ignore that?
“Amos,” the Oracle started again, but Amos put up his hand.
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. There is nothing going on. Don’t mention this to me ever again.”
Amos stormed back into the hall, leaving the Oracle behind. He knew the Oracle was right and it pissed him off. He looked across the hall to where the wives, Lucy included, were rising as King Dalyer led them all to the meal hall. Breakfast time. Lucy looked pale and serious. It tugged at him.
The rest of the day passed that way. Perhaps it was because it was Lucy’s first day, but the King kept his wives by his side the entire day. Never letting them speak with one another. Twice that day King Dalyer forced Lucy to kneel at his feet. He tugged his hands through her hair. Amos could see her wince at his rough hands.
Amos felt ripped in two different directions. On one hand, he had the King’s best interests in mind. In that case he needed to ignore Lucy. On the other hand, he had Lucy’s best interests at heart. In that case he needed to get Lucy the fuck out of there.
Finally, after the longest day of Amos’s life, and he was sure Lucy’s too, dinner was over. The King was tired. He dismissed his wives back to their chambers. Each wife was followed out of the hall by her specific bodyguard and Amos followed closely behind Lucy. He could feel the Oracle’s eyes on his back. And more importantly he could feel King Dalyer’s eyes on Lucy’s back.
She hurried from the hall. But her movements were stiff and robotic. The second they got out of the big wrought iron doors, Lucy started to run in the direction of her room.
“Lucy!” Zara called.
But she didn’t turn back. Amos raced after her, letting her stay ahead. He didn’t want to interfere with her. He just needed to make sure she was safe. At first he wasn’t sure if she was going to attempt to escape again. But she skidded to a stop outside of her quarters.
She ripped aside the curtain and started jamming her fingers onto all the different gems embedded in the wall. Fearing she was going to injure herself, Amos calmly pulled her away. He pressed the correct gem and the door swung open.
Lucy raced past him into the room. Her face was panicked and pale. She fell to her knees and clutched at her dress. Amos stepped out into the hallway. About to leave her to do whatever it was she was gonna do in there. He would lock her in and go back to his own chamber. She’d be safe that way. But then she turned to him, her chest heaving in desperation, her panting breaths coming quicker and quicker. Her eyes filling up half her face.
“Help me,” she whispered.
He stepped into the room and slammed her door behind him. Falling to his knees next to her he gripped her by the shoulders, trying to figure out what was wrong.
“I can’t breathe with this on,” she gasped and clawed at the dress again. “It’s too tight. Take it off, take it off.”
She battled with the buttons down her back but her hands were shaking and nothing would tug free. He batted her hands away and she started to wheeze. She really couldn’t breathe. He took two handfuls of the fabric on her back and ripped it apart. The dress tore cleanly down the seam. It fell to the ground, and revealed her gorgeously naked body.
Jesus Christ, what was he doing. Somehow he’d gotten her naked twice in 24 hours. He stood and tried to put some space between them, but she wasn’t calming down. She rose halfway, but this time she was clutching the fidelity collar. She choked and gasped against it, trying to get her fingers underneath the tight gold.
“Choking me. Choking me,” she coughed out.
He didn’t think twice. He undid the heavy clasp in the back and ripped it off her neck. She took it from his hand and flung it across the room. He watched it arc away in slow motion. And to him, it was almost like it was his future flying away from him. Her fidelity to the King landed in a heavy thump on the carpet.