Legend of the Timekeepers Read Online Free Page B

suitor?”
    The girl nodded just enough to show off her dangling bead earrings. Lilith must have counted at least five different seashell bracelets running up each arm. The girl’s white sheath had beaded straps instead of cloth straps and a herringbone design ran along the gown’s bottom. A belt dyed a deep purple hugged the girl’s waist and allowed for her hips to flare out in an attractive way. Curious, Lilith lowered her head to see what kind of sandals were in style. Lilith’s eyes widened. Spotted animal-skin sandals with a heel at least as long as Lilith’s middle finger adorned the girl’s feet. Lilith blinked, feeling the need to slink into a nest of white crawlers.
    “Yes, a suitor,” the girl said in exasperation. “A woman is not complete without a man.”
    “So what you’re saying—” Lilith inclined her head “—is that all this accessorizing is to attract a mate?”
    The girl rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s the point of it.”
    Lilith giggled. “If that’s the case, you must have a boat load of suitors to choose from.”
    The girl’s face fell. Her normal skin tone was close to Lilith’s but a little tanner. Then a group of young, native men passed them in the hallway of the Temple Beautiful where Lilith been waiting to see Istulo. Lilith thought they might be artists by the way all their hands were speckled with blue, green, and yellow paint. And all of them wore linen loincloths, like Tau. They stared at the red-headed girl for a moment, then laughed and cut a wide berth around her.
    “Freak,” one of the men muttered.
    “Fancy her?” another artist asked.
    “Shave her head, and I’ll think about it.”
    The group guffawed, slapping the man on his back, while they turned down a corridor.
    “What was that all about?” Lilith asked, feeling a sudden drop inside her.
    The girl didn’t answer Lilith. She was too busy looking inside a spotted animal-skin satchel which matched her sandals perfectly. She pulled out something Lilith recognized—a life seal. The girl stared at the disk as if it held a long-awaited answer to a question she’d asked one too many times.
    “Why are you here?” Lilith asked. “You’ve already got your life seal.”
    “I have more questions for Istulo.” She continued to stare at the disk.
    Lilith sighed. “My name is Lilith. What’s your name?”
    Her shoulders relaxed slightly. A hint of a smile broke out on her face. Her upturned nose wiggled. “She-Aba. I was born here in the Black Land. Both my parents arrived from Atlantis fourteen years ago yesterday. My mother gave birth to me the next day.”
    Lilith perked up. “That would make today your birthday!”
    She-Aba beamed. “Yes. That’s why I’m here. For my birthday last year, I had my life reading done by Istulo. But recently, there’s been a hiccup in my plans. It’s like my life seal rearranged itself, and now I’m confused. I’m here for a reaffirmation.”
    “What’s the problem?”
    She-Aba traced her life seal with the tip of her perfectly shaped fingernail. “My lifetime occupation was supposed to be to design clothing for the people of the various positions in the court and temples.”
    Lilith smirked. “That makes perfect sense.”
    “I know, right? So why, all of a sudden, would my life seal change from designing clothing to something completely different?”
    Lilith arched a fair brow. “How different?”
    “Well, instead of clothing people in lavish robes and gowns for others to appreciate, the seal suggests that I’ll be doing the opposite by covering up and hiding the truth. I don’t understand it at all. I thought my life was all planned out for me.”
    “I thought mine was too, until my country blew up and slid into the ocean,” Lilith muttered.
    “Hey, look at the bright side, at least your hair isn’t red like mine.”
    Lilith eyed She-Aba carefully. “What’s wrong with red hair? My uncle has red hair and it suits him fine.”
    She-Aba moved in