Aliah

By RoxAnne Fox

Aliah is the third book in my Refurbished Fairy Tale series. These stories are my take on classic tales such as Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid. For my version of Aladdin, I wanted a female protagonist fighting a man’s world only to find a love she never expected. What the reader really gets is a back-story to a future character, which will be in Alice as well as in at least one book from the Cases of the SIA series. A big OMG for readers of my Annan books ... Nico’s dad is Cesair’s brother! Read the book to understand what that really means.

This story finds Aliah in Babilli, an ancient town on the verge or ruin. Falling further each day from its once splendid glory. Living on the streets is hard, but even more so for a woman in a world where they are property of some kind. When a poster gives her the chance for a life off the streets, if she is willing to risk her life that is, she knows she must take it. When Aliah finds the bottle she was requested to gather and bring back to the self-proclaimed prince, she also finds a treasure more wonderful than any wish that could be granted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RoxAnne Fox
• Release date: Mar 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370015344

RoxAnne Fox

I am a mother, author, and dreamer. My mind is forever creating new worlds and characters and some day I wish to write full time so that I can share them all with you. Washington is my home state and love the fact that I will always be near my family and friends living in a beautiful place. I have traveled all over the country, even to Hawaii, and still feel more awed and inspired by Washington than anywhere else.​The inspiration I feel in my home state is translated into the stories I put out for you all to read. This inspiration can come from anything, be it the solitude of the forest or just watching the snow fall in my back yard. The first thing that really inspired me to write full stories—I had written mostly poetry previous to 2008—was seeing scat while hiking alone. My mind began to wander to wolves in the Cascades—which have since been found—on to those wolves being werewolves.That work, now called the Annan Werewolf Series, was mulled over for a long time and has gone through many transformations before returning to its roots. You can read her story by downloading the first free installment titled, Coming Home here at Smaswords and learn more about that series, and all of my books, by going to my website at: www.roxannefox.netWhen you read any of my stories please remember: I write for adults and I have no editor. With that said, please be kind. If you see mistakes in my stories, send me a message about them ([e-mail]) and don't be surprised when clothes hit the floor and the lights are turned down low... if you know what I mean. Even though you may find some errors while reading, beyond those small mistakes lie worlds full of unique, emotionally driven characters who keep you wanting more.

Book preview

Aliah

By Roxanne Fox

Published by Roxanne Fox at Smashwords

Copyright 2017 Roxanne Fox

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Cover photo by pareeerica retrieved from flickr.com.

Some rights reserved

Thank you to my beta reader Nikki Amaya. Thanks to her, this story sounds much better than it was before. Thank you so much Nikki for your time and support in reading this first!

Table of Contents

Chapter 01 ~ Babilli

Chapter 02 ~ The Lamp

Chapter 03 ~ The Temple

Chapter 04 ~ Nico

Chapter 05 ~ Last Wish

Chapter 06 ~ All of Eternity

Prologue

Chapter 01

Babilli

Looking down at my drink, I hunched my shoulders as a large man was shoved into me before being lifted and thrown to the other side of the room. It was no different than any other day or night in the tavern, the main hangout for the thieves and ne’er-do-wells of Babilli. The room erupted as more men joined the fray so I took my chance to grab a few extra plates of food and drinks before slinking out the door. Once outside the dry desert air filled my nostrils and cleared out all the funk and sweat which permeated the dim-lit hangout.

Slouching down with my ill-gotten dinner, I began consuming the lot before someone noticed me. Though I was good at hiding my feminine features, if anyone paid to close attention they may realize I was a female and not male like the rest. Using cloth to band my breasts, and wearing street urchin rags helped, but as a woman in a man’s world being too careful was always the best option.

The last big of the thieved wine left my lips and filled my belly just as the fight found its way out of the tavern and to the streets. As the tavern owner yelled profanities to the men who began the fight, and were now wrestling in the alley, I made my way back in and set the dishware I cleaned off on the bar before taking my seat with my own cup once more.

Just as I said before, it was no different than any other day or night.

Being a woman who didn’t want to be owned by any man, either as a wife or a prostitute—the only real options for women in the Persian Empire—I would be considered better off dead by those men. It was hard to know if the Arabians, who were slowly advancing on our lands, treated their women better, but stories from afar didn’t bring me enough hope to travel away from the city.

My mother, a prostitute herself, gave birth to me then tried to use my body for more money at a young age. She was the first life I had taken to find my own place, my own freedom. The look in her eyes as I plunged the blade into her gut still haunted me, nearly fifteen years later.

The night of her death I donned the clothing of the males and began my life as one of the scum of Babilli, a once great city falling deeper and deeper into ruin each day. Riots were common and the lord of the area only wanted more from the people, all so that he could live the life of royalty and still afford the hefty taxes asked by the king. The great king himself could care less of a long conquered city, and one time capital of the kingdom, as long as the taxes kept coming.

Many days I believed the king would prefer Babilli be gone, be wiped from the planet and forgotten. There had been no word of help if the Arabians were to invade, so that thought seemed all too true. Of course, the Persian Empire was not what it once was. The weak and cruel ruler had made mistakes which would come back to haunt him and Babilli. In its fallen state, the city would be an acceptable loss. At least, that is what I heard on the streets as I would slink about eavesdropping to be sure no one saw me take what I needed to survive. And, survive is all I