chapter 4

He was given loose fitting robes to wear and taken to the throne room regularly after that, to see jugglers and clowns, dancers and contortionists. He was always carried, never allowed to walk more than a few steps. He continued trying to grill Eltham, but communication was still tough.

On this day a troupe of half a dozen scantily clad, veiled dancers lined up before him, posed provocatively. He perked up. One of them, unusually, looked as if she had a bit of meat on her bones. He watched her as she moved sinuously through the steps.
The veils whipped down in unison.

"Jess?" he choked out.

She glanced up at him then, stumbled, her eyes going wide. He tapped Eltham's arm.

"Bring that dancer to me."


Jess couldn't believe how her luck was running. Ever since she'd woke up on the floor of a travelling dance troupe's tent, surrounded by the screams of dancers, her life had been very strange. One minute she'd been kissing Bryant and the next, she'd been transported to a foreign world. Luckily the dancers had taken her in, as something of a novelty. She knew she was only slightly plump. But in this place, that was rare.

And now she was going to dance for the king. How Maliwa, the troupe leader, had arranged this, she didn't know.

The other dancers twittered about how the king had yet to take a consort. She concentrated on running the steps over in her head.

With a veil over her face, all she saw was the outline of the king's bulky body as he settled into place. She felt a twitch of interest. She stifled a groan. The first fat man she'd seen in months, of course her libido was going to start up.

Jess had always been fascinated by fat. When cartoon characters ballooned, she'd felt a funny ache she wouldn't understand for years. In college, she'd dated a guy who put on 25 pounds while they were together, and it was dizzyingly erotic, for her, at least. The trouble with fat guys was they were always going on diets.

The music started and Jess put all thoughts of sexy fat men out of her head.

And then someone called her name.

"Jess?" she heard.

She looked up and stumbled. The fat man on the throne was Bryant. A bigger Bryant, but unmistakeably him. Somehow she made it through the rest of the steps.