Return to Azkhar II

This is where it all began...

She reminded herself again and again. In Azkhar, she could never be too cautious.

Never at peace.

She had spent the first hour of the morning braiding her hair just the way Marki showed her. It made it easier to fight- to kill, without her hair getting in her way. She mentally began to create a plan in her head. Where she had to go first and whom she had to meet. Nowhere would be safer than East Central Azkhar- the new Azkh. It was renowned for its diversity of all kinds of people. From the filthy wealthy to the slums and the freaks. Similar to the Old towns of Tiba that no longer existed that she had once read about in books. A place she would fit into quite perfectly.

In Central Azkhar, she would be known as Kaer. That was the name Nürih took upon whenever she was in Azkhar. Kaer. A common name that still held some form of elegance to her.

She had come up with the name when she realised how rare how her real name was. Girls barely were given such names. Were not allowed to bare such names. So Kaer it was.

The sun had fully risen, and Kaer could sense that she was being followed. Again. This time her follower was smarter. Or so they thought. It was someone that had been on the boat with her.

Had they been watching her all along since Libran? It was impossible. She had been careful. Too careful.

Or had they recognised her on the boat? Had her silver tresses stood out to them?

The thoughts were disturbing. The idea that someone was catching up to her. Stalking her movements. She ached to kill them as soon as possible. To cut the tail before it caught up to the head. Kaer swiftly took a different direction, heading for the road that led to a brothel she often visited. Her stalker followed her.

Fool, she thought with a smirk.

She controlled everything that went down in the brothel. From the ladies to the drinks and the guests that came in. It was the most effective way for her to get information on anything she needed. It was also a great place to release stress. She snuck in through the back door, knowing that her follower was close. He would have to enter through the front door to get to her, but that depended on if he would be able to stay focused.

Men were always weak to a woman's body and beauty.

She exchanged greetings and smiles with some of the ladies as she headed to the second floor of the brothel for a change of clothes and make-up. The place was more crowded than usual and it was still early in the day.

"The one thing that would kill a man is his lust for a woman" she recalled the popular saying.

She had the feeling she'd be getting a lot of information today.

Saun has been taking care of this place a bit too well.. she inwardly praised.

"Would you like some temporary dye for your hair?" Saun peeped through the lilac curtains. Talk about the devil. Her hair was the opposite of Kaer's, as it stopped just right on her shoulders and was as dark as her black eyes. Saun possessed a slim curvy figure and a paleness to her skin.

"Another dye?" Kaer gave her a nod that signalled her to come in.

"Your hair stands out too much"

Saun sat beside her as she reached out to touch Kaer's hair.

"You can use a colour that's still appealing ... just for a while. Soldiers from the Pharoah's Army visit very often. Even men from foreign lands seem to have heard about our brothel now" Saun said in that emotionless tone of hers.

"Really? What's the story behind this?"

"I hear some of them search for a beauty with silver hair" Saun moved closer to her, staring at the marks Marki had left on her neck.

"And this was obviously your doing to invite more guests who seek answers they'll never find" Kaer said

"They're many girls with hair that looks like yours, Kaer. But none is like yours"

"Is this some new marketing strategy for the brothel?" Kaer smiled at her

"Yes. For now"

Saun leaned in, her face barely an inch away from Kaers'.

"Then I'll permit it for now but I'll advise you to seek a different marketing plan. You're playing with fire. That strategy of yours could easily put you and the entire brothel in trouble" Kaer stood up and tied the rope of the dress behind her. It was a silk light brown dress that stopped at her knee. Something she'd never usually wear, but Kaer was not Nürih. Not here.

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry. I just thought it'd be fine since you were away... I'm sorry"

Saun said dourly. Her eyes unconsciously ran through Kaer's luscious curves as she walked away. Saun had been harbouring feelings for Kaer since the first time she met her in the Orange market. She had liked her silver hair, her beautiful curious eyes, her skin and everything that made her who she was.

Saun was a runaway widow from Tiba, who had come to the big city to seek a better life like everyone else. However, Azkhar was not the most welcoming place for people who didn't have the funds to live in it. After hell and worse, she eventually joined a brothel. Life in Azkhar prove to be hell with each passing day for Saun, until that rainy day when she met Kaer. The day she fell in love with her.

"It's fine, Saun. Don't apologise." Kaer tapped on Saun's exposed shoulder.

"I believe I have a guest downstairs. He's followed me for a long while" Kaer mentioned and Saun immediately understood her.

"Really? Should I get the girls to welcome him?"

"Yes, please. Then I'd like you to help me dye my hair. I'm thinking dark maroon will do just fine"

"Hmm..not too common"

"I know. That's why I want it"

"Okay. I understand. I'll be right back"

Kaer plopped on the bed and placed her hands over her stomach. She stared at the plain white ceilings, inhaling the scents of lily perfume and curry that hung in the air. She was hungry but other things came first. She needed to finalise her look for Kaer's identity before she could eat. As her stomach grumbled underneath the silk, she recalled her nights with Marki. That was when it hit her. The sweet bitter truth. They had both been tangled up in each other's bodies that neither of them remembered to use contraceptives.

Her mind spinning wildly, she sat up and began to look through the wardrobes and lockers. Luckily for her, there were always needed drugs kept in the brothel, in case one of the girls was worried about getting pregnant.

'I can't have a child! Not now! It'll ruin everything'

As the thought clouded her head, a pang of guilt hit her and she dropped onto the chair in front of the mirror. A child born of her and Marki would be beyond precious, but she couldn't risk it. She wouldn't live long with a child to care for. 'They' might even find her before that. The thought alone scared her. She worried for her life and a child she didn't know if she was carrying or not. Kaer sat still for a while, her empty grey eyes staring back at her.

'I'm a terrible person'

She stared at the tablets in her palm, contemplating whether or not to take them. She knew she had to if she wanted to stay alive for long.

'I have to take them'

As she gulped down a glass of water with the tablets, she warned herself not to stress over the matter. She probably wasn't pregnant so it was fine.

...

It was a cold afternoon. The rainy season in Azkhar was always cold. Kaer's identity was now complete. She often got her hair dyed whenever she came to Azkhar but this time, Saun had utterly transformed her. She matched her maroon hair with a pair of hazel brown eyes telling Kaer that "redheads don't have grey eyes".

Ever since their first encounter at the orange market, the two women shared a lot of ideas. Kaer had bought the brothel from the previous owner for a relatively cheap price and eventually started a business with the witty Saun. She had offered freedom to the girls who worked there but most of them chose to stay, for they knew little about the freedom that awaited them outside these familiar walls they had grown to know. Saun controlled most of the business while serving as Kaer's number-one ear in Azkhar. She never asked questions. Never doubted Kaer's words and decisions. It was one of the reasons Kaer kept her close.

"I look like a completely different person" Kaer stood in front of the mirror, unable to believe how such little changes could make her look so different.

"Do you like it?" Saun asked with an anxious look on her face.

"It's beautiful. Beyond my expectations. Thank you" Kaer hugged Saun and headed for the small kitchen downstairs. Hunger was killing her and she knew better than to deny her stomach some food. Whenever she did, she'd have to pay with the terrible stomach aches that haunted her for days. It scared her. Another thing she feared.

Darkness was sure to befall soon and she had places to visit before nightfall. Her ears had news for her. News she felt would be important to her survival. Maybe she might even get news about their current movement.

"Oh please" She thought silently to herself.

Saun prepared lunch for her. Something she was always grateful for. Kaer wasn't sure who was a better cook between Marki and Saun. She envied their skill as she hurriedly ate the potato porridge. If she could cook, she wouldn't need to either starve or steal while she was on the move.

"I'll be out late today" she managed to inform Saun through her full mouth.

"Okay. But be careful, the imperial soldiers are on the move. They often patrol the city. "

"It's fine. They seek a silver-haired beauty, but my hair is maroon now"

"Silver-haired or not, you're still a great beauty. Men always fall to the feet of beautiful women" Saun informed her

"And those imperial soldiers are nothing but dogs in expensive armours. What if they try to take advantage of you? It's been so rampant nowadays, you know"

"I'm not a weakling you know. I'll be fine"

"I know... just please be careful" Saun took the empty dishes in front of Kaer and placed them in the sink to wash.

"I will, Saun"

Kaer said. She was always careful. That was how she had survived this long. It was her one true talent, after all.