Rashid & kira, the returning For weeks, Rashid had been away, in the desert, in the villages, the towns, the far cities of Damascus & Cairo, in service of the Sultan. He had ridden many hundreds of leagues, had counsel, kept secrets, made decisions, and stayed lonely. He had seen houris of all sizes and shapes, descriptions, talents, colors. He had been off...
Ali Dey, the ruler of Ottoman Tunis, woke up when he felt something jumping on his pillow. A silk face rubbed his jaw and started purring. His cat Ghost must have convinced his guards to let her into his apartment. Probably by demanding that so loudly, the soldiers rather send her in than wake their lord. AGAIN. She was a huge, long haired, Turkish cat, the...
Part 5 On the Sunday, Chris turned up at the café as invited but, unexpectedly, it was not Milka at the door when he rang the bell but Toma. Toma seemingly up for some time as the Expresso machine was in pieces and there were other signs of a major cleaning or re-ordering going on in the kitchen area behind the counter. "Come," said Toma holding out his ha...
This morning, Wen had Moto escort her all the way to the Laundry Department. Beforehand, Wen had been making secret little notes about her own thoughts, and ... strangely enough ... diagrams. When she was at the Laundry Department, she saw a large group of women working mostly by hand. Some soaked clothing in cauldrons of hot water with certain chemicals. T...
CHAPTER 4 - A VISIT TO THE CITY Bagoas the eunuch, Overseer of the Governor's Harem, strode across the courtyard of the Taourirt Kasbah. As he neared his chambers he motioned to the young eunuch sitting on the ground outside them. Entering his chamber, he seated himself on a comfortable seat as Hamid, his body servant and chosen protege, bowed before him....
CHAPTER 6 -- TRAINING A NEW SLAVE The caravan of Governor Glaoui was preparing to leave Casablanca for the oasis of Ouarzazate. Among the many retainers and servants mounted on donkeys and camels, the Governor's elaborate wagon stood out as a touch of luxury. Next to it in magnificence was a gilded wagon, painted with red and blue decorations, and closely c...
From the street outside Jiafahn's urban home, she could see the grand, almost cloud-like clusters of brown and gold leaves that had grown from the Godly Tree. It was said to be the tallest tree ever found in Junshu, but quite a few people were willing to debate that. The tree's trunk was hidden by a city-like complex of palaces, workshops, and other buildi...
One silly activity that one might find an Imperial Consort taking part in is paper sculpture. Essentially, with a combination of folding and cutting, one could make charming little shapes out of paper, and often in many colors. On this mild morning, Pollen Lady Kumi and Bamboo Lady Wen were happily sitting in the Sweet Carrot Palace's garden, in a gazebo. Th...
CHAPTER 5 - THE SLAVE MARKET Bagoas and his body servant and protege Hamid, as told in the previous chapter, accompanied their master Governor Glaoui of Ouarzazate to Casablanca. Bagoas was a powerful person, the Overseer of the Governor's harem, and he and his servant had made the journey because the Governor intended to display his wealth and position by...
…The White Dragon arched over her mate as he crossed under her belly. She came down beside him and eyed him as they continued their Eternal curve. Not yet, but soon, she would arch under him as he arched over her, submitting to him again, then again he to her. It was their nature. It was their touching, their making, their doing and undoing, their loosing an...