"I know how politics work, Zodiac." Troy says as he studies the parchment more. "What am I going to do? My people need their rightful king. This is a much different situation than when I believed I was only the queen's nephew. As her son, I should have unlimited and uncontested power."
"Then show this to the council. They'll verify it and do a simple DNA test. They'll have to coronate you then."
"Hold on. I can't rush into this. It's a very delicate situation. If word of this gets out and Evans finds out the truth about me, then he could have the IGR take over. He could unleash untold brutality on my people. It's all too clear that he couldn't care less what happens to the Nymphs. If I take this information and make it public, I could be putting my family, you, and Nova in jeopardy. I refuse to lose you to gain the throne. You're worth more than that to me."
"But you're the heir!" Zodiac almost shouts. "You're their prince and they don't even know it. Give them hope by rising up against that bloodthirsty tyrant and claim what's yours. Do it for Olympus and for your people. They need you, Troy."
"First things first. We need to fix the wall back to the way it was and wipe off my blood. Then we need to get out of here before we're caught. I'll talk to Blice tomorrow and see what he thinks. All of this can wait until tomorrow."
* * *
Can this day get any better? Troy is beyond elated by all the good news he's been getting over the past two hours. First there was the realization that he is indeed the one and only heir to the throne. Now he's received a call from the hospital telling him that not only have Apollo and Xanthe worked through their marriage issues and Apollo is getting help with his anger, but Xanthe and the baby are in stable condition after giving her some nanochems to regulate her body. They might not have to make such a horrible choice between mother and child after all. Then Zodiac got his job back at full pay and left just a few minutes ago, looking the happiest Troy has seen him in months. And now, Troy has plans of his own to celebrate.
All of his half siblings are back at their house and he's all alone at Zodiac's. But he won't be alone for long. Nova should be returning from the market any minute now. Just as he thinks it, he hears the front door open and watches from around the corner as Nova places the bags on the kitchen table. As quietly as he can, Troy sneaks up behind her and covers her mouth with his hand before she can scream. "Shh. It's me. You're going to be quiet and come with me to your bedroom." She squirms and tries to protest, but his hand is clasped firmly over her mouth and he picks her up then carries her to her bedroom. He locks the door as he sets her down. "Hi, Nova."
"Troy! What are you doing?"
"Your safeword is blue." Troy pushes her down on the bed.
"What? Troy, don't!" Nova giggles and unbuckles his belt. "What has gotten into you?"
"I realized how much I need you." Troy pulls her shirt off and unclasps her bra as she finishes removing his clothes. "I'll be as gentle as I can be."
"I'm scared." Nova says. She runs her fingers through his hair as he kisses her breasts. "Will it hurt?"
"I don't know, but I'm willing to try if you are." Without waiting for her response, he loses himself in her begging, glistening hazel eyes and soft pink lips. She smells even better today. It's heavenly, absolutely intoxicating and overwhelming. Pinning her down, he slips her panties down and pushes her legs apart. "I love you, Nova."
"Troy, stop."
"No." He gently bites her neck as his hands tighten around her arms and he presses into her.
She gasps and kisses him harder. "Please, you're hurting me."
"You . . . don't sound like . . . you want me to stop."
"Troy . . ."
* * *
Zodiac is so grateful for being able to work again. Even though he really doesn't have to in order to survive, it's nice to feel like he's a productive part of society. Plus, it's nice to get out of the house and fly around to see different cities and planets. With a pocket full of silver coins and a renewed excitement about life, he pushes open the door to his house, ready to tell Nova all about his great day. "Nova, I'm home. Where are you?" When there's no response, he goes down the hall to her bedroom and knocks on the door. "Nova?" Still, no one answers so he opens the door and he has to steady himself in the doorway. What the hell happened?
The entire room is a mess. The blankets and sheets are twisted and strewn across the floor. But then he sees the worst part. Sitting in the middle of the bed, completely soaked with blood, is Troy in his boxers crying. Long jagged scratches cover his cheek and arms. "Troy? What happened?"
"I don't know."
"Whose blood is that? It's everywhere. What did you do?"
"It's Nova's blood."
"Is she okay?" Zodiac asks. "Where is she?"
He only shakes his head and hides his face in his bloody hands. He screams and slams his fists into the bed. "Just call the guards now."
"Why? Oh dear gods. You didn't do what I think you did. I'm calling her right now." Zodiac is panicking as he dials her number and waits for her to pick up, but her ringtone fills the room as her pink cell phone lights up on the dresser. "Troy, you have to tell me what happened."
"I don't know what happened. I don't know anything anymore." Troy walks to the window and places his hand on the glass, leaving behind a smeared bloody handprint. "What have I done? My life is over. They'll strip me of my title. Then I don't have any idea what the punishment is for something like this. I'm a pure Nymph of royal blood, but I doubt that will save me."
"Damn it, Troy. Tell me what you did."
Troy pulls on his jeans and t-shirt. "You'll know soon enough. All of Olympus will know. I'm going to the guard station to turn myself in."
* * *
With his hands bound behind the back of a chair in one of the bare rooms of the guard station, Troy's heart is racing as he replays the past two hours in his mind. What went wrong and where? He can't even remember parts of it. Is he turning into his father? He's never had anger issues. Now he does this to the woman he loves? It was never meant to go that far, to be that violent. It's a disgrace and an abhorrent abuse of his authority. He knows it and the guards and judge interrogating him right now know it too. He can see it in their judgmental eyes. They already know everything. That in itself is a feat because Troy honestly doesn't know what happened himself. One minute they were making love and the next, Nova was crying and screaming for him to stop. Then his memory goes blank.
The judge slams his fist on the table in front of Troy. "What do you mean you don't remember? It's very convenient for you to completely lose your memory of the event, isn't it?"
"I'm telling the truth." Troy insists. "I don't remember."
The door behind him opens and heavy boots hit the concrete floor. Apollo's eyes are filled with rage as he grabs Troy's neck. "What did you do to Nova?"
"I don't know."
The guard pushes Apollo away. "Just tell us the truth, Troy. You know that you will only make this worse on yourself if you try to lie."
"I don't know what happened."
"What do you think happened?" Apollo asks.
The tears sting Troy's eyes as he speaks. "I think I might have raped her."
"Then you were afraid of getting caught so you killed her and hid her body."
"No. I didn't kill her." Troy says. "I would never hurt Nova. I love her. It was a misunderstanding, I'm sure."
"We have evidence that you killed her." Apollo says. "Your DNA and her blood were found all through the house. We also found this." He slides Troy's gladius across the table. It's covered in bloody fingerprints. "This is yours. Do you deny that?"
Troy sees the engraving of an owl he made on the hilt years ago and the red ribbon tied around it. It's his, but where did those bloody fingerprints come from? He hasn't touched his gladius all day. "It's mine, but I'm sure those aren't my fingerprints."
"They are." Apollo says. "We already compared them to yours in the database. It's over, Troy. Why don't you tell us what happened
so we can find her body and put an end to this?"
"I didn't kill her!" Troy shouts, desperately trying to get them to listen to him. "I swear it!"
The judge in his black robes passes his hand over a hologram and cycles through the information until he stops and types something into it. "The evidence is overwhelming and more than enough for a conviction without going to trial. Troy Adonis, you are officially convicted for the rape and murder of Nova Cunningham. As payment for your crimes, you are from here on no longer worthy of your pure status. You will be branded as a criminal and in one day's time, you will fight for your life in the arena. If you survive, you will be forced into a life of slavery. As of this moment, your name is forever stricken from the citizen database and you are now one of the Forgotten. May the gods have mercy on your soul because your master will not show your body any mercy. You will learn that laws are to be obeyed. Hell is waiting for you, Troy Adonis."
8
The guards half drag Troy down the musty corridors in the dimly lit caverns where rows of cells have been carved from the naturally formed caves underground. Other prisoners scream or moan from behind their steel doors where untold horrors are occurring. What awaits him? Whatever it is, he hopes it's quick. He knows it won't be painless.
"Put him in the back cell and get him ready for the branding."
Hearing that word makes Troy's stomach turn and panic begins to fill his mind. Branding. After that, there will be no turning back. Still, the seriousness of the abrupt changes in his life has yet to fully sink in. Time to think about it all will have to wait.
Troy stumbles and falls to the dusty dirt floor of the cell as the guards surround him. Rough hands tear his clothes from him and he gasps as the cold water hits his skin. The guards pull him up to his feet and wipe him off with a towel before tying a coarse cloth between his legs and around his waist. They drag him to the stone wall and shackle his wrists securely to the wall and leave, locking the iron door behind them like they've done this a thousand times before. Knowing the way the justice system works on this planet, they probably have.
Troy shivers in the cool air, thankful at least for what little clothing they've given him. He can't move his arms to wipe away the drops of water that slide down his face. It's driving him crazy, but he has to not think about it. He's about to have much more to worry about than this little temporary annoyance.
The door scrapes across the floor as a pure Nymph enters the room and looks him over. "What has a pure Nymph like yourself done to end up in here? Tell you what. Take the brand without screaming and I won't whip you." The man holds up the electric branding iron and grins as the metal glows bright orange. "What's your name, boy?"
His voice is hoarse and dry as he speaks. "Troy Adonis."
The man chuckles and spins the branding iron in his hand. "Funny guy, huh? So what's your real name?"
Troy shakes his head and stares down at the floor.
"Wait. You're serious? You're Sir Troy Adonis of Athens?"
"I was."
"I've never branded royalty before. Well, I'll show you the brand. It's the same spider from our Nymph tattoos. Only this one is a sign of ultimate disgrace. Have you seen anyone with this brand on their forehead? No. You know why? Because the Forgotten either die in the arena or they die as the lowest of the low. Once you get this brand, you will no longer be a Nymph. You become nothing. You are forgotten by your people, by history, and by the future. I actually don't want to do this. You're our hero. I was just talking to my wife about how you tried to save Queen Helen. I'm so sorry, Sir."
"Do your job. I harbor no ill feelings towards you." Troy closes his eyes as the man holds his head still and presses the white hot metal to the middle of his forehead. The searing pain is the worst he's ever felt. The tears stream down his face as he pulls against the shackles binding his wrists to the wall. It takes all of his strength to not cry out, but a pained groan of sheer agony escapes him.
The man removes it and offers Troy a drink of water from a wooden cup. "There. It's done. If you survive the four fights, your new owner might give you some ointment for that. I'm not allowed to do anything to help you." He starts to leave the cell, but stops and places his hand on Troy's arm. "You may be Forgotten, but I will never let your name become simply blown away on the wind. Memores omne, dilecti regis. Pugnare cum virtute et gloria."
Latin. Those words are part of the Royal Knight's creed. It brings a slight glimmer of hope to him. "I will fight with bravery and honor. I will. I swear it. Thank you for your kindness."
As the man leaves, a heavyset man in dirty jeans and a brown herringbone blazer pushes his way into the room. He grins at Troy with his crooked teeth and wipes the sweat from his balding head. "Well, well, well. Look at my new toy."
Oh dear gods. Troy's body stiffens as he feels the man's eyes wandering over him. This isn't good. This is far from good. Who is this man?
"You're mine, slave. I like the look of you. Not too pudgy, but with some meat on your bones. Nicely sculpted abs and chest. Smooth skin. Purple eyes? Interesting. Ah. I see those studs in your ears. They must be to control your nanobots. So you're no stranger to piercings? Good. I have many interesting ones for you." He comes closer and examines Troy's hands. "No calluses. You must be a noble, but your arm muscles tell me that you're probably skilled with a sword or other melee weapon." He stops and slaps Troy across the face. "Who do you think you are? You don't get to look me in the eyes. Insolent brat, aren't you?"
Troy watches in horror as his hands are trembling. What is this man going to do now that it's obvious he's showing how terrified he truly is?
"The regular slaves? They have rights and they're protected by the laws. You? No. You aren't even a Nymph." The man bends down and scoops some dirt in his hand and holds it out. "Do you see this?"
Troy looks up from the handful of dirt and glares at the man.
"This dirt is better than you. You don't even deserve to stand on this dirt." He presses his hand over Troy's mouth. "Eat it."
What the hell is wrong with this guy? No. He's not going to eat dirt. When the man holds his nose closed, Troy can't breathe and despite his stubbornness, he lasts about a minute and a half before opening his mouth and feeling his mouth fill with the sand and dirt. The man stays there, forcing him to struggle until he steps back as Troy coughs and spits out the disgusting dirt that has turned to mud in his mouth.
"You will learn to obey without question." The man says as he wipes his hands on his jeans. "Let's see . . . they gave me this list of things to go over with you. It's more for me to make sure I get everything the way I want it more than for your peace of mind. Because honestly, no one gives a damn about you. First, you should be extremely grateful for my mercy in deciding to not have you castrated like the others. Once I saw you, I knew I wanted you for more than some farm hand. You'll be my personal slave and I need you to be intact for that."
Oh gods. He can't mean what Troy thinks he means.
"Next, you will live in my bedroom so I can have access to you whenever I need you. You will not be given food and water unless you earn it. Only I will determine if you have earned it. That goes for clothes as well and anything else you might need. If at any time you attempt to speak or make a sound, I will not only cut out your tongue, but pour acid down your throat to ensure that you never make a sound again."
Troy clenches his fists as he listens to what his future is going to be. This man is a monster. He can't be serious.
"Your body, mind, and soul belong to me now and I can do whatever I want with you." The man says. "Do you understand?"
What is he supposed to say? He doesn't want to lose his ability to speak so he remains silent until the man slaps him across the face again and yells at him.
"Answer me, slave!"
"Yes, sir." Troy says between clenched teeth.
"You will address me as Master. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Master." As Troy says it for the first time, something breaks
inside of him. So now he has a master? Is this truly the fate that the gods have given him? Though deep down, if he truly did what he's been accused of, then he deserves this. He wouldn't have a problem with this for raping Nova, but he didn't kill her. Troy is no murderer and if that's why he's being faced with this, then he will forever fight it silently. But in the end, nothing he believes matters. That much is clear. So he will be forced to be submissive and the slave that this man wants.
The man leans closer and kisses Troy's lips roughly. "Fight well for me tomorrow, slave. That is your name now so get used to it. You don't have a name of your own anymore. You are a slave and nothing else. Here's what I want you to do. Before you go out there, you take these pills for energy. You'll be fighting four rounds in a row against other criminals. If you win, you will be allowed to live. After you take these pills, I want you to find whatever weapon you are the most comfortable with. You will get a choice of anything they have from the military armory. Then you fight for me. You will win and when you win, I will reward you by giving you time with my male Nymph slaves to do what you will. They need a new man to put them in their place."
What? This man wants him to have sex with his other slaves? Not only does this sound like the worst thing ever for Troy, who has never been with a man and never planned on it, but for some reason, this doesn't seem optional.
"If you lose at any point in the arena, you will die. If you're gravely injured, you will be beheaded. So the choice is yours. I'm looking forward to the show. I want to see you use those muscles of yours." The man leaves, slamming the heavy door shut behind him.
Troy doesn't have time to process all of this information before the door opens again and he looks up to see who it is. When he does, he gasps. Zodiac.
Zodiac shuts the door and leans against it as he crosses his arms and stares at Troy. "I had to come say goodbye."
"And to act out some sort of revenge?" Troy asks. "Go ahead. You won't do anything my future owner won't do, I'm sure. Well, don't just stand there. Get it over with. I can't fight back."
Paradise Forgotten Trilogy Page 9
