Lion Head Mesa the darkest side of me

senmut had just been finishing a prayer for the state of tavina's soul when belen came upon him. there were guests, she said, but in such a state of frenzy she was that he made her stop, made her pause.

once he had ascertained that these strangers had not acted in an untoward way toward their most delicate fellahin, senmut swept the cats'-hide robe of priesthood over one shoulder. belen was sent to rest and he attended the anteroom alone.

akavir. "the leader of swiftcurrent blesses our halls," senmut intoned. "and each time with another companion." he could not help the dryness; he had not liked seeing belen in such a state. but he humbly sat with these two all the same, his green eyes turned now upon the woman. "i am senmut, erpa-ha and high priest of akashingo. pharaoh remains in the south and our semer-wati rashepses gathers muat-riya."

and because he was so affected, delicately he made a tasting of the honey. "you must excuse belen. she was found between here and the desert, suntouched and addled. i have reason to believe it was the cartel," senmut added in light tone, reminding the stone-circle warrior and the creek man why they had come at all. "the gods in their wisdom led her here, where we discovered it had been her first home."

but he had never seen her so destroyed as when she had come to seek him this hour, and his expression plainly questioned akavir for it.