Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author: Kimberley Griffiths Little
- Language: English
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
1759 BC
THE DESERTS OF MESOPOTAMIA
Tonight was the night of my betrothal ceremony, and a cold, sharp moon
hung low in the eastern sky. I yanked back the heavy panel doors of the tent
and peered into the darkness, a lump of dread sitting like curdled camel’s
milk in my belly.
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Dozens of small torches bobbed and weaved along the paths. Held aloft
by the approaching women, they emerged as drops of frozen fire against the
blackness. I shivered at the sight of so many guests imminently arriving. A
year ago we had celebrated my older sister Leila’s betrothal to Zenos, and
now, at sixteen, it was my turn to perform the betrothal dance before my
family and the women of my tribe.
As I scanned the path for my sister, nerves raced along my skin. I
kicked my bare toes at Aunt Judith’s tapestry rug in her back bedroom,
ready to tear the frayed edges into shreds. Leila had promised to dress and
perfume me, so I was waiting here, alone. Of course, she was nowhere to be
seen. All was darkness and starlight.
“Leila, where are you?” I muttered, snapping the panel doors again.
I chewed my fingernails, then glanced down at my dusty clothes. Two
hours ago, the sun had burned my face, the wind had whipped at my cheeks,
and I’d savored my last hours of freedom.
Now I swiped a comb through the collection of particularly nasty knots
in my hair—a consequence of an impulsive camel ride out to the desert. It
was a desperate attempt to escape my fate, but my father had quietly hauled
me back after my mother’s wild search had proved fruitless.
Mother had stood at the camel pens, her brow creased with worry, her
eyes hunting the open desert. Even though she had been upset, she had
folded me in her arms when I returned and held me close, whispering words
of reassurance.
Through the crack in the tent’s doorway, I finally spotted a small flame
advancing on the curve of the path and darted outside.
“Where have you been?” I grabbed for Leila as she came within reach,
but she spun away, holding up the lantern.
Her dark hair floated like silk over her shoulders. The jewel in her navel
winked green in the shadows, accenting the pleated white linen skirt that
hung low, slung around her sensuous hips. A sheer crimson drape crossed
her bare shoulder, emphasizing the shape of her chest. My sister was the
picture of beauty. An Egyptian princess. The way I should look tonight, and
I envied her.
“Where did you get that dress?” I asked.
A hint of a smile twitched at Leila’s lips. “It’s a secret.”
“Tell me!” I begged. “Are you going to wear that dress tonight with all
of our cousins and friends watching?”
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