The Bartered Bride by Mary Jo Putney Page A

white of bones against charred flesh. "I invoke my right to refuse one trial."
    Kasan looked startled, then pleased. "You are sure? Truly, fire walking is not difficult for a man who is relaxed and in control of his thoughts."
    "I appreciate your encouragement, but no," Gavin said dryly. "As you will. Cast the die again." Tuan Daksa intervened. "A moment. It would be a pity to waste a good fire." With his face calm but an impish glint in his black eyes, the elderly Buddhist monk left the pavilion and stepped onto the burning coals. Serenely he crossed, steps light and the hem of his robes floating in the rising heat.
    As he watched, Gavin didn't know whether to laugh or grind his teeth. Maybe walking through fire really was easy for a Maduri-but the mere thought tied his stomach in knots. Knowing that his inability to fire walk removed his safety margin and might end up costing his freedom, he waited until Daksa returned, then cast the die for the third time, praying that something he could manage would turn up.
    "The breath of life," Sheng Yu announced.
    What the hell was that? Before Gavin could ask, the sultan said, "The drinking contest! One of the two Singa Mainam trials that are also pleasures."
    "How does the contest work?" Gavin asked warily.
    "You and I must match each other drink for drink. Whoever stays conscious and is able to walk the longest wins."
    "This is a test of leadership?" he exclaimed, incredulous.
    "A leader must lead, whether drinking or fighting." Kasan grinned. "Competing with arak or palm wine is more pleasurable than dueling with a kris."
    "I'll grant you that." Thinking it would be a long day, Gavin added, "This contest is not fit for a lady to watch. Can Mrs. Warren be escorted back to my quarters?"
    The sultan nodded and gave the orders. Alex wanted to protest. Absurdly, she felt as if Gavin was safer if she watched, but drinking sessions were long and boring at best and not particularly dangerous, so she left quietly with the guards. She hoped Gavin had a hard head even if he wasn't a heavy drinker. They had just entered the palace tunnel when they were intercepted by Tuan Bhudy, a powerful Maduri merchant-and her most recent owner. Shorter than Alex but wide and muscular, he was a formidable figure steeped in wealth, privilege, and cruelty.
    Alex stopped dead, bile rising in her throat. Memories of his abuse were so intense they might have been burned into her flesh. She would have bolted if her retreat wasn't blocked by two guards.
    "Issskandra." Her Malay name hissed from Bhudy's mouth as his gaze traveled over her with insulting familiarity. "You look remarkably fine. Perhaps it was hasty of me to send you to market after that last incident."
    "Your mistake was in buying me in the first place," she said tightly. "I will never be any man's property. If you'd kept me longer, I would have killed you."'
    "Such bold talk for a slave. You need to be taught a lesson, and it will be my pleasure to teach it." He squeezed her left breast, hard.
    She almost cried out from the pain, and even worse, the memory of pain. Refusing to give him the pleasure of seeing her suffer, she looked to her guards. They watched uneasily, not wanting to interfere with a powerful man.
    Groping for the right Malay words, she caught the gaze of Wira, leader of the guards. "Sultan Kasan will not want his Singa Mainam prize hurt."
    Bhudy snarled rapid words at Wira. Fearing that he might convince them not to interfere while he molested her, Alex suddenly pivoted, whipping her golden chains at his head. She felt savage satisfaction as the chains smashed into his temple, sending him reeling. Then she kicked Bhudy between his legs with so much force her toes hurt. He shrieked and collapsed on the floor, writhing back and forth in agony as blood flowed from his head wound.
    Instantly four daggers were drawn. Knowing a sudden move would cost her her life, Alex stood stone still. "I am the prize in the sultan's Lion Game," she