Takri opened the storeroom door just enough to peek through and assure he was alone. Floryan had assured him the storeroom was rarely used. Once again, the eunuch proved to be correct. A long windowless corridor stretched into darkness on either side as far as Takri could see. He pushed the door wider and stepped outside. Unlit torches lined the stone wall opposite the door in even intervals, but his lamplight did not stretch far enough to see anything else. He turned to his left and followed the smell of fresh air to a stairway leading upwards. He extinguished his lamp and stood still in the darkness, allowing his eyes to adjust. Above, he could see a faint outline of grey light around the edges of the door. He crept up the staircase and pressed his ear to the door. Hearing nothing, he gently pushed it open a crack and looked around.
The temple courtyard lay deserted ahead of him, except for a handful of temple guards gathered around a charcoal brazier at the base of the sanctuary steps. Above him the sky sparkled with stars. He would need to wait until morning before he tried to cross the courtyard to the brothel and Nasreen. Hiding in plain sight was better than a foolhardy trek across an empty courtyard designed to amplify sound. He pulled his head back inside the doorway and sat down to wait, pulling the door closed behind him.
An hour later he awoke to the sound of winter birds welcoming the dawn. He placed his eye at one of the larger cracks in the door and watched the temple wake up. The night watch returned to their quarters on the opposite side of the courtyard while the priests of the Locust began their day prostrate in prayer on the steps of the sanctuary. A small figure, veiled and garbed in temple red hurried across the courtyard from the northwestern corner passing the temple gate and then disappearing behind double doors almost too large for her to open. Guards armed with pikes took their positions at the temple gate and in front of the sanctuary, opening the gates once the priests finished their prayers. Fifteen minutes later, there were enough people in the courtyard for Takri to leave his hiding place and appear as a member of the Swarm come to worship his God-and-King and take advantage of the services of the temple prostitutes.
He untied the sash at his waist and used it to wrap around the lower half of his face in the fashion those who bore the scars of their initiation into the Swarm did. He then pulled his hood over his head. He kept his head down as he left the stairwell and entered the crowd of people milling around the courtyard. No one noticed the young man as he made his way across and entered the door to the brothel.
Inside, he found a handful of other eager members of the Swarm waiting ahead of him. One by one, they were escorted inside by a temple eunuch after providing the required monetary offering to experience the blessing of the Locust King’s women. Takri's first visit to the brothel stood out in stark contrast in his memory. On that day he had entered the brothel through the princely door on the main street outside and was greeted by the procuress herself. There was no payment, for the rank of prince gave him the privilege of his choice of the King's women. Standing among common born members of the Swarm in close quarters reminded him of what the once sacred prostitutes’ daily lives now consisted of. Days of lying with these stinking men not through choice or holy service, but because they were the property of a man. The same man whose favor granted Takri free access to the services of these women, and the same man who had taken the woman he loved away from him. He shook himself free of those thoughts, choosing instead to focus on his mission. All else could wait, and one moment of carelessness could give him away.
What if she isn’t here? What if she rejects me, now that she knows how I serve the monster?
He shuffled closer to the door. Only two men remained ahead of him.
What if she is here? What if one of these men chooses her before I enter?
Takri forced himself to breathe as his mother taught him. Breathing in his fear, holding it inside, and releasing it as he exhaled. But his hands still felt wet with perspiration, and his heart thumped against his chest.
One more man ahead of him. And a new fear.
What if Baraz has taken her?
“Welcome, Locust. Do you bring your offering to taste the blessings of the God-Among-Men?”
Takri jumped at the sound of the eunuch’s voice. He cleared his throat and did his best to disguise his Narim accent as he spoke. “Yes, I do bring an offering.” He fished around in the bag hanging from his waist, procuring a few coins to pay the entrance fee, and the eunuch ushered him into a small room where a veiled old woman sat while another eunuch stood guard behind her.
“Take off your clothes for inspection,” ordered the eunuch. “The Locust King does not wish disease to spread among his men.”
“I will keep my face covered,” said Takri. “I do not wish a woman to see my shame.”
“I do not need to see your face, child,” said the old woman as she stood up. “There is cruelty enough, and those scars make no difference to my judgement.”
Takri stripped off his clothes except for the cloth wrapped around his face. The old woman knelt before him and pulled back the veil from her eyes. Her hands were cold, but she was quick to pronounce him free of disease. He pulled his clothes back on and waited in silence until another veiled woman came in to usher him inside the brothel proper.
“Is this the first time you have partaken in the delights of the Locust King’s temple?” she asked.
“I have been here before,” Takri answered.
“Your accent is strange to me,” said the woman. “We see men from all parts of the Locust’s Empire, but I do not recognize your speech.”
“Where I am from is not important,” said Takri.
The woman nodded and gestured for Takri to follow her. “Forgive me for my curiosity. Follow me, and I will take you to your King’s pleasure.”