Lion Head Mesa scorpion

ramesses was pleased by this single syllable. they traveled in silence to the doors of the mesa, but he did not yet move to disappear beneath the sunwarmed stone. before they drew into the range of listening ears, pharaoh brought his mouth close and secretively to the ear of the dark herbalist.
"akashingo is a place of pleasure. take the soldier to your room. tell him he is wanted. why would he deny you?" ramesses did not need an answer and did not wait for one. whatever word or gasp or look crowfeather might give now was swallowed with a rich laugh, a brazen lust in his eyes, and then pharaoh was turning away to fall into jawahir's honeyed presence and be led to glory elsewhere.