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portside window.” He showed her with his eyes. “When you’ve finished eating, we’ll have a talk with the prince.”
    He stood up to leave, then turned around and said, “There is no escaping me or this vessel. We are at sea, and you couldn’t possibly swim to shore even if you knew how; even if you were the best swimmer that ever lived.” He smiled and continued, “Besides, the water is full of man-eating sharks, and they would love to eat a beautiful creature like you if you happened to fall in the water.
    â€œIf you need anything, ring the bell as you’ve seen me do, and the guard will get it for you. Do not attempt to leave this cabin for any reason without checking with the guard. He will find me, and I’ll give him instructions concerning you. Do you understand?”
    She answered him with a quick nod.
    Ibo had no idea what a shark was, but she did understand that if she jumped into the water, she would be eaten alive by something. What Captain Rutgers didn’t know was that if he had told her the prince was dead, she would not have cared to live another moment without him and would have flung herself overboard at the first opportunity. Since the prince was alive, she, too, would stay alive.
    Later, when she had time to think, she would work out a plan of escape. Though she and Amir were to be someone’s property in a strange land with strange customs, she didn’t allow those thoughts to subdue her optimism. Seeing the prince was all she could think of. Amir would think of something, she was sure.
    An hour later, Ibo and the man who guarded her climbed the stairs and stepped onto the deck. The heat was blazing; the sun unrelenting, singeing her skin, causing her to squint her eyes in defense. She was expecting to see Amir, but instead, she saw something that took her breath away.

Chapter 12
    â€œYou’re about to enter a world where your life has little to no value. ”
    I bo stepped onto the deck dressed in pure Egyptian purple silk; the kind that was fit only for an upper class woman from that culturally rich land. She was absolutely magnificent to look upon, and her mannerisms, although subtle, offered an aura of nobility. Her deep set eyes captured them all and stopped all movement—even time itself, it seemed, as she stood perfectly still, taking in the effect she had on everyone who could see her. A cacophony of quiet arose and remained. It was as if God himself said, “Quiet yourselves and behold my glory as I pass by.” Only the roar of the sea could be heard at that moment.
    At least a hundred men, women, and children seemed to be waiting for her arrival; as if her arrival would be that of a majestic empress whose presence demanded that her subjects wait patiently, and not that of a common slave. All of them were completely nude, and embarrassed, it appeared, as each of them lowered their heads and covered their exposed genitals when she looked at them. The children, some of them teens, others much younger, attempted to hide their privates too. They were all wearing chains around their necks, hands, and ankles. When they moved, the clanging of the chains rang out loudly.
    A southerly wind blew their scent into her nose. She suddenly felt an immediate need to throw up all that she had eaten. Violently, what she had ingested rushed its way out of her stomach, through her esophagus, and out her mouth, landing on the deck and on the perfectly fitted purple silk garment Amir’s mother had made. The smell of her vomit was so vile that she fell to her knees and threw up again. Mocking laughter from the Windward crew filled her ears and rang in her mind.
    She heard chains clanging together. When she looked up, she saw the nude men and women parting, making room for another. She watched as the sea of people parted until she saw him—Amir.
    He stood tall, brave, and proud; his spirit and will intact, defiant, unlike the other captives