The Gate of Heaven (42 page)

“This is your companion?”

“Yes.”

Shechem nodded toward Tersa, and then his eyes fell on Demetrius. He stood still for a moment, and since he was turned away, Dinah did not see the hatred that flashed in his eyes. His eyes locked with those of Demetrius, who also stood still, not bowing but resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. For a moment the two men glared at each other, but when Shechem turned back to Dinah, his expression became pleasant again. “Come. You must be tired after your long journey.”

“Oh, not at all! I'm anxious to see the palace.”

“Then you shall.” He waved his hand to his servants and ordered, “See that the attendants of the princess are cared for.”

“Princess? I'm not a princess,” Dinah said, laughing. “I'm only the daughter of Israel.”

Shechem turned toward Dinah, admiring her. “You're beautiful enough to be a princess, and who can say what time will bring us?”

Shechem escorted Dinah into the palace, and she was impressed with the furnishings. He showed her to her quarters and said, “When you have refreshed yourself, inform my servant, and I will show you the rest of the palace.”

“Thank you, Prince.”

Dinah went inside the quarters and found them to be far more ornate than she could have imagined. There was a bed that was so soft she could not imagine what it was made of—feathers of some sort, she suspected. The walls were covered with paintings, and some of the statues had precious stones for their eyes. The servants of Shechem provided her with enough water for a bath, so she washed away the grime of the travel, and then she put on fresh clothes. She had brought a new robe of a pale rose color, which had cost a great deal. Finally, when she was ready, she informed the servant, and ten minutes later Shechem arrived. “Come along. We will see the palace, and then you will have an audience with my father and his first wife. Then there will be a feast in your honor and much entertainment. I am sure you will find it pleasing.”

“I know I will,” Dinah said, smiling. She was tremendously excited, and for the next two hours she accompanied the prince as he showed her the magnificent features of the palace, which included many fountains. She did not know what powered them but somehow they bubbled up, some high into the air. There were artificial waterfalls too, so inside the palace one was never far from the sibilant sound of the rushing of water.

The audience with the king was flattering to Dinah. He introduced her to his first wife, Marza, a quiet but attractive woman with sharp black eyes. She was gracious to Dinah, asking her many questions about her life and her family.

The meal was overwhelming. It consisted of pots of thick porridge prepared with sesame oil, warm cakes of barley flour, radishes, cucumbers, sprouts of cabbage palm, and several cuts of roasted meat, including lamb, beef, and chicken. For drink there was goat's milk and wine.

The room itself was ornate and luxurious. Two large earthenware chests on the outer walls of the room held copper basins, milk vessels, and goblets. The family sat on a low leather-covered dais. Dinah sat with her legs curled under herself, while the king had a backless chair gaily painted with gorgeous colors and a footstool to match. There were cow's-horn spoons for the porridge and knives for cutting the meat.

The meal went on for a long time, it seemed, and Dinah, who was not accustomed to much wine, felt herself reeling. She finally laughed and said, “No more wine! I'm not used to it.”

“Oh, this is very mild,” Shechem insisted. “See how clear it is? Almost like water.”

Indeed, the wine he insisted she take was almost like grape juice—or so it seemed.

After the meal, Shechem described the entertainment that was to come at the celebration the following day. “We have acrobats from the Far East and jugglers. There will be demonstrations of swordplay by our finest warriors. Dancers, singers, musicians of all kinds. I'm sure you will enjoy it.”

By this time Dinah was finding it difficult to concentrate. She was relieved, finally, when the king said, “Shechem, you are not thoughtful. Can't you see our guest is tired from her long journey?”

“My most abject pardon, princess,” Shechem said. “Come. I will show you to your quarters.”

Dinah said her good-byes to the king and the queen, hoping she was following the rules of protocol, but as she walked back, she found her legs not quite steady.

Shechem said, “Pardon me. You're very weary. We kept you too long at the meal.”

“Not at all. It was wonderful.”

When they got to the door of the quarters, Shechem opened the door and led Dinah inside. As soon as they were inside, however, he put his arms around her and began telling her how lovely she was.

Dinah was confused. She tried to resist, but Shechem was kissing her lips and neck, and his hands were roving over her in a way that shocked her.

“Please, Prince Shechem, this is not proper!” She put her hands out and tried to get away. It proved to be quite a struggle, and she grew angry. “Your Highness, I must ask you to leave.” Her tongue was thick, making it difficult to speak, and she realized that the wine had some sort of drug in it. She began to shake with fear as she saw the blazing passion in his eyes. Desperately, she cried out, “Tersa—Tersa!”

The maid appeared at once, as if she had been waiting nearby. The prince immediately dropped his arms.

“I am not well, Tersa, and must lie down,” she said, trying to control her speech. “Please see the prince out. Good night, Your Highness.”

Shechem's face was flushed and anger flashed from his eyes, but he recovered quickly. “Of course. Forgive me, Princess. I will see you in the morning. Sleep well.”

“Are you ill, mistress?” Tersa said. She had heard some of what had gone on, and her face was set. “He didn't hurt you, did he?”

“No. I just had too much wine, I'm afraid. I must lie down.”

Tersa helped her change into a sleeping robe, and Dinah fell into the bed. Her head was swimming, and for a time, it seemed the whole room was swirling around. She began to grow quite ill, and finally she rolled out of bed and threw up.

Tersa held her head, washed her face, and then put her back into bed. “You're not used to these rich wines, mistress,” she whispered. “Sleep now.”

Dinah felt better, but she was disappointed.
I didn't think he would be like that,
she thought wearily,
but I suppose princes are used to getting what they want
.

Sleep would not come, and Dinah realized she had made a mistake.
I shouldn't have come here without some of my family,
she thought.
I really shouldn't have come at all
. She had been warned of Shechem's ways with women, but she had not thought he would try to force himself on her. As she lay there, she felt a gush of relief.
If Tersa hadn't been here, he would have forced me. This is a bad place
. As she finally began to fall asleep from exhaustion and the effects of the drugged wine, she told herself, “Demetrius was right. We'll leave this place tomorrow.”

Tersa sat straight up. She had been sleeping on the floor beside her mistress, but she was a light sleeper. Coming to her feet, she glanced at Dinah, who was sound asleep. The sound came again, and she went to the door. “Who is it?” she whispered.

“A messenger from the king.”

Tersa hesitated but suddenly the door opened—there was no lock on the inside—and she saw a burly man standing there. “What message is—?”

Tersa had no time to say more for the burly guard grabbed her, wrapping her up in his arms and clamping his hands over her mouth. She struggled, but she was like a child against his strength. She was picked up bodily and carried out, but as she went, she saw Prince Shechem waiting. He gave her not a glance, but she saw his eyes were burning. As Tersa was carried away, trying but unable to scream, she knew that Dinah was trapped and there was no hope for her!

Dinah came out of her drugged sleep quickly. Someone was touching her, mauling her, and she awoke to find the prince in bed beside her. He was pulling at her, and when he saw her eyes open, he laughed. “Well, you play hard to get, Princess. But you're a woman and I'm a man, and we must have each other.”

Dinah uttered a cry. “Tersa!”

“She won't be harmed, but we don't need her to interrupt again.”

Dinah had led a sheltered life but not so completely that she didn't know exactly what Shechem had on his mind. Terror filled her, and she lunged away from him, rolling out on the other side of the bed, but he was after her in a moment. He grabbed her and began tearing at her clothes.

“Let me alone, you beast!” she screamed. “Tersa! Help me!”

“Come, now. You're a little bit shy, but I like fresh women. Have you ever known a man?”

Dinah made up her mind that he would not have her willingly. He was larger and stronger than she, but she would never give in. She reached out and ran her fingernails down one side of the prince's face. She saw the blood come and heard his wild curse, and then his fist began to rain on her face. She protected herself as well as she could, but there was only one end. She fought like a wild animal, but finally the blows had their effect, and blackness closed over her.

Demetrius sat up at once. He was camped outside the palace grounds with the other guards. In the darkness he saw a form coming to the door, and he grasped his sword. “Who is it?” he demanded.

“It's me, Tersa.”

“Tersa, what are you doing here?” Demetrius came to his feet, and the other guards began to stir.

“It's the mistress…she's been hurt!” Tersa cried, and Demetrius saw by the light of the single candle that tears were streaming down her face. “We've got to get away from here.”

Demetrius demanded, “What's happened?”

“She's been raped and beaten! I couldn't help it, Demetrius! They came and took me away, and then I saw the prince going into her room. They just released me a few minutes ago at dawn. As soon as I saw her, I ran to get your help.”

Shaking Amasa, Demetrius said, “Wake up!”

Amasa rolled over and came to his feet. He was a huge man, towering over Demetrius. “What's wrong?” he growled.

“It's Dinah. She's been attacked by the prince.”

Amasa stiffened and began to curse. He glanced over at the others, who were still sleeping, and said, “Tascar, Moack, wake up!”

“Take me to where she is, Tersa,” Demetrius demanded.

“We'll go with you,” Amasa growled. “Maybe take a few heads off.”

“No, you wait here and get the wagon ready. We'll be back very soon,” Demetrius said.

Tersa turned and ran back toward the palace, with Demetrius right by her side. There were no guards along the passageway, and Tersa stepped back at the door to Dinah's room. “She's in there,” she whispered.

Demetrius entered the room and stopped dead still. Dinah was lying on the bed facedown, absolutely still. Demetrius moved to her side and turned her over. Her face was bruised and swollen, her lips cut, and there were bruises all over her body.