Orange firelight swayed inside the great tent, kindling the clean scent of pinewood in the silence. And within that faint woody fragrance drifted another, a lingering woman's scent. It was like elk and like musk, rich and gorgeous, making one think of the Temple of the goddess of fertility, and also of a summer flower that drew every eye.
"Hm? Nothing at all?"
"That's right. Your Highness, if you don't believe me, you may inspect for yourself."
Xolotl sat cross-legged on the crocodile-hide carpet, studying the woman who had entered the tent. His gaze began at her carefully groomed toes, then slowly traveled up along her bare ankles, tracing the straight, slender, beautiful path and lingering for a moment at a carefully trimmed valley. Then his brow lifted, and his eyes swept over half an alluring arc, across a taut, smooth lower belly, then to the other half of that astonishing arc, and he sighed faintly in his heart. At last, his gaze slid past the woman's elegant neck, over her slightly parted red lips, and came to rest on a bright, ravishing face.
The scenery lay entirely unobstructed. Beyond the naturally moving rise and fall, there truly was nothing in the way. The young king's expression was calm, his eyes still filled with wariness. He did not speak to the woman, but looked toward the guard captain, Ekat.
"Ekat, has this woman washed her hands?"
"Patriarch, according to the regulations set down by the intelligence officer Nashu, she has already washed."
The guard captain lowered his head slightly and answered solemnly.
"The maid Irene washed her. Even the nails on her fingers and toes were carefully cleaned with alcohol."
Hearing this, Xolotl nodded slightly, his expression easing a little. Snake Venom and Frog Venom were, for the most part,