Paris giggles again. "Open your eyes, Troy."
"Just get him off. I'm done playing."
"Open your eyes and pet him or I'll wake him up."
Troy grits his teeth as he opens his eyes. His heart is racing as he slowly reaches up and touches the tip of the snake's tail. "There. Now please get it off."
Paris picks up the snake and slips it back into the bowl. "Sorry for tricking you, Troy."
"No, you aren't."
"You're right." Paris grins darkly. "I'm not."
Orion enters the room with a saddle on his shoulder that he throws down on the floor. "Ugh."
"Master?"
He brushes the dust off of his brown leather vest and white flowing tunic. "This thing is gross. I tried to beat all the sand out of it, but we live in the desert, so, you know . . . sand."
"Why do you have a saddle?" Troy asks.
"This is your saddle, Troy. You know how to ride a horse, right? Please say yes. I don't wanna have to teach you before tomorrow."
"I was a Royal Knight, Master. We trained our own horses that we rode in parades and in case we ever had to go to war."
"Oh, that's right." Orion says. "Well, then you can tend to the horses while we're on our mission. We'll be gone for about a week, so get used to being in the saddle again. I have to sew up some tears in the leather before we head out in the morning."
"We're taking horses?"
"It's the only way to go across the desert undetected. After Hector took all the camels to Kyro, we were left with horses. I've mapped out the watering holes along the way. There are also some areas that the nomads have managed to get to grow grass so the horses will have something to eat. Normally, we would have a wagon filled with food and supplies with us, but this time Mistress is worried about us drawing too much attention to ourselves. Must be bandits in the area or something. We'll have to carry our food and supplies in the saddlebags. There are two nomadic villages along the way where we'll be able to barter for food."
"What?" Paris looks heartbroken. "You two are leaving?"
"Sorry, Paris. Troy and I will be gone for awhile in the desert, but when we get back, we'll do something really special."
"But tomorrow is my birthday. You forgot, didn't you?"
Orion puts his hands on his hips and towers over the little boy. "No."
"Yes, you did!"
"No, I didn't!" Orion pushes Paris down on the bed and tickles him until he screams. "I never forget."
"Stop! Master Orion, stop!"
"Nope." He sits on top of Paris with his legs on either side of him as he continues to tickle him. Then he stops and jumps back. "What the hell just touched me?"
Paris is laughing that same high pitched flittering laugh as he picks up the cobra. "Snakey."
"Oh. You scared me. How about you take Snakey back to your master's room and put him in his terrarium? I need to go over some things with Troy. Then we'll go fortune telling, okay?"
"Okay, Master Orion." Paris scoops up the clay bowl and runs down the hallway.
Orion shakes his head and pushes back his hundreds of tiny braids. "That boy is something else. What's wrong with you?"
"I touched a snake."
"Snakey? Don't worry about Snakey. He really is harmless. Sometimes he slithers around the main hall for hours. So, if you have a fear of snakes, you're gonna have to get over that. There are usually snakes all throughout the ruins we explore."
"Oh, great." Troy says as he dreads this even more.
"Here, this is for you." Orion opens the pouch on the side of the saddle and pulls out a large white cloth with black crisscrossing lines. "This is your keffiyeh. It will be your best friend in the desert. You wear it around your head and it can cover your mouth and nose as well. The desert is a harsh mistress so it's best to go prepared. You have to use protection unlike how you did with Nova."
Troy closes his eyes as he remembers his mistake.
"I'm joking. It was a joke, Troy. Don't be mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you, Master."
He pats Troy's knee. "Get your boots on and we'll go above ground."
* * *
As Troy follows behind Orion on the dreaded leash, he watches in wonder at Paris who is riding on Silver's broad shoulders and giggling as he tells jokes. He looks so happy, like there's nowhere else in the galaxy he would rather be. Even Orion is being friendly. He hasn't pulled on the leash once since leaving the bunker. When Paris begins singing a song in what Troy recognizes as Latin, Orion slows down to join Troy's side.
Orion puts his arm around Troy's back and spins the long metal rod he's carrying. "You're quiet."
"Sorry, Master."
"Don't be sorry. What's on your mind?" Orion asks. "You can tell me."
"You can't be sad on fortune telling night or your future will be sad." Paris says.
"Oh? Then I'll try not to be sad." Troy says.
"Talk to me."
Troy feels the cool night breeze making his thin tunic flutter and sighs as he watches the shooting stars streak across the sky. "I don't know who I am anymore. Back in Athens, I was told who I had to be from an early age. I did everything my father told me to do. He said it would give me a wonderful future, but look where I am now."
"Yes. Take a moment to look where you are now." Silver says. "You don't need those fake nobles with their fancy clothes and hidden agendas. Out here, you don't have to be anyone but yourself. Orion will never try to turn you into someone you're not. We only make our slaves the best version of themselves they can be."
Orion kicks the sand under his feet. "Silver's right, you know? I left my life behind after discovering that every member of my close and extended family was one hundred percent insane."
Paris makes a whimpering sound as he holds onto Silver's head.
"No getting sad on me, Paris." Silver says. He pats the boy's leg. "We're almost there, right?"
"Yeah."
"Cheer up or I'll tickle you again." Orion says.
"Nuh uh!"
"Oh, yes I will." Orion wiggles his fingers at him threateningly.
Paris slides down Silver's back and holds out his skinny arms. "We're here!"
Orion sets down his backpack and hands a chart to Paris before hammering the metal rod down into the sand. "Sorry, Troy." He wraps the leash around the rod and secures it in place.
"Do you really have to keep him chained up?" Silver asks as he spreads a blanket out on the sand.
"He's my slave and I'll do with him what I wish. I'm trying to prove a point and break through that stubborn brain of his."
"Gotcha." Silver lights the candle then lies back on the blanket and stares at the sky. "Isn't the Milky Way pretty out here? See that star over there, right above the horizon? That's Earth's sun. I left so much behind on Earth. Now I'll never go back, not that there's anything to go back to."
"Why does Earth make you sad, Master?" Paris asks.
"Because I lost so many people on that planet. I lost so much of my past. I lost the man I loved and would have gladly died for."
"Do you think you can love anyone else?"
"I don't know." Silver says.
"There are a lot of guys in the guild." Paris says innocently.
Silver laughs and stares up at the black sky. "It doesn't just happen that way. I don't think any of them would like me that way."
"What about Troy?"
Orion snorts as he laughs hysterically.
Troy feels his cheeks blush and he covers his mouth to hide his nervous smiling. Oh, this just got awkward. He tries not to think about how Silver already saw him naked the other night and was touching him in intimate places.
"No, no, no. I'm not interested in Troy. Don't go spreading crazy rumors."
"What about women?" Paris asks.
Orion roars with laughter then drinks some white wine straight from the bottle.
Silver shakes his head and steals the wine bottle from Orion. "Some guys like women and some guys like men. I
just happen to like men."
Troy has to know. "So, what about women?"
"What about them?" Orion asks.
"Is Mistress the only woman around here?"
"Yes, and don't even try to sleep with her. We all guard her virginity fiercely."
That's surprising. "She's a virgin?"
"Calm down, Casanova." Orion warns. "She's not interested in a relationship with anyone. She may seem fun and powerful, but under that, she is vulnerable and dealing with emotional trauma that hurts her beyond belief. Her fiancé died in an accident down in some ruins. She was never the same after that. As for our agents, no. We are all men. It's just the way Cleopatra, I mean Mistress wants it. The female slaves are kept a few miles away from here to keep them safe from the Big Meanies."
"Do you ever get to be with them?" Troy asks.
"I could if I wanted to, but the female slaves are quickly sold to pay for our excavations."
"Did you have a family before you came here, Troy?" Paris asks.
"Yeah. I did. I have nine half siblings."
"What are their names?"
"Sparta, Atlas, Ajax, Hyperion, Midas, Vexius, Eos, Ovid, and my little half sister, Io."
"That's a big family." Paris says.
"The woman I viewed as my mother is pregnant with another baby girl. I guess I'll never get to meet my new sister."
"But you have a new family now." Paris says. "You have us."
"What's wrong, Troy?" Orion asks. "You seem confused."
"I didn't know that slaves like us could have good relationships with our owners."
"Even as a part of this large group, we agents still have our own little nuclear families. Silver and Paris are my family. Now, you are too. Without them, I have no one. We do everything together."
"Well Paris, who do you want to start with?" Silver asks.
"Wait." Orion says. "I believe we have a birthday to celebrate early. I got you something."
"What is it?" Paris asks as he sits down on the blanket next to Troy.
"Did you find them?" Silver asks.
"Yep." Orion hands him the black box.
"Oh, I see. Nice. Well, then." Silver kneels in front of Paris and takes his hands. "Paris Cunningham, will you accept two more piercings to show the world how content you are with me as you owner?" He opens the box to reveal the two rubies.
Paris squeals and hugs him. "Yes, yes!"
As Troy watches in surprise as Paris smiles while having the cartilage of his ears pierced, a question leaps into his mind. Wait. Cunningham? Paris's last name is Cunningham? After the piercing is done and Paris ties back his hair to show off his new rubies, Troy turns to Silver. "Master Silver?"
"Yes, Troy?"
"Are you two related?"
"Not by blood." Silver says. "I guess you don't know about that yet. When a slave reaches the point where he fully devotes all of himself to his master and can't envision a life away from him, then the slave can take his master's last name. Paris took my name three years ago."
"What is your last name, Master?"
Orion sets out a clay bowl filled with packets of colored powder on the blanket from his backpack. He glances at Silver as if awaiting permission.
Silver shrugs his shoulders and holds Paris in his lap. "Go ahead. He's going to find out sooner or later. Plus, it's just a distant relation to the really crazy ones."
"My name is Orion Lifestone."
Lifestone? "Does that make you part human?"
"I'm one-eighth human, I think. Nymph traits are dominant so you can't tell. I'm done talking about this. Paris, you ready?"
"Yes. I wanna read Troy."
"Then go ahead. Here's your star chart." Orion says as he hands him a chart.
"Thanks." Paris scoots over in front of Troy. The light from the candle glints off of his new piercings and causes the pink of his burns to shimmer against his pale skin. He holds up the chart. "Do you know what this is?"
"I'm guessing it's a star chart."
"Not any star chart. It's an Earth star chart so we can find the constellations. They look different here than on Earth. When is your birthday?"
"May thirteenth." Troy says.
"Oh. So you're a Taurus. I'm a Virgo." He drags his fingers over the chart then smiles and lies down with his head on Troy's leg. He points up in the sky. "Look at our two moons and then a little to the right. That's Taurus. Here's what it looks like from Earth. See how it looks like an angry bull when you connect the stars? It's a good sign. You're reliable, honorable, steady, and calm. You like luxury and comfort. Want me to read your horoscope?"
"Sure."
He takes a silver disk from Orion and presses a button. A screen flickers to life and he searches through the paragraphs of text. "Found it. This is straight from our mystic himself. He only gives one horoscope a year for each sign. I'll read yours now." He clears his throat. "Taurus: A year of death and . . ." Paris turns to Silver. "What's this word?"
"Uh, this isn't starting well." Orion says.
"What's the word?"
Silver glances at the screen. "Macabre."
He continues. "A year of death and macabre happenings awaits you. You will lose those closest to you while finding the true darkness in the world around you. You will be tested, but if you survive, you will be reborn into a flower of retri . . . retribution and revenge against those who took you loved ones away from you. Great changes await you. After this year, you will never be the same. As you travel through the impending evils, hold onto the one source of light you have to guide you."
Troy wasn't expecting that. "That doesn't sound good."
"I'm going to read your blood."
"Ask him nicely, Paris." Silver says.
"Troy, can I read your blood? It won't hurt much." Paris slides a pocket knife from his boot and flips it open.
"Read my blood?"
"Just let him do it." Orion says.
"Okay. Go ahead."
Paris takes a square of thin paper and sprinkles three different powders from the bowl onto it. He then slices the end of Troy's thumb and squeezes out a few drops of blood. It mixes with the powder as Paris licks the edge of the paper and rolls it up tightly. "Watch this. We'll find out what's really going on with you, Troy." He passes the bundle through the flame of the candle. It immediately sparks and catches fire. A cloud of glittering pink, yellow, and green shimmering lights springs up into the night sky. The colors swirl together in a glowing aurora of vibrant, flowing energy. Paris gasps as he reaches into the colors. "Troy . . . look. It's a phoenix."
Troy watches the colors dance and take shape into a bird. The bird fades and disappears into a blazing inferno. After a second, the bird emerges from the glowing flames, now on fire itself, and flies higher until the entire mass of glimmering lights goes dark.
Paris screams out as he falls to the sand and continues screaming in pain.
Silver runs to him and picks him up. "Oh my God. Orion, go get the medic. What is this?" He wipes something from Paris's arm and holds it close to the light from the candle. "Dark matter."
* * *
Nova shivers in the cold air as she pulls against the leather straps holding her wrists and ankles to the icy slab of stone under her naked body. Her breath fogs in the air, lit only by the single brazier on the other side of the room. The cloth stuffed in her mouth prevents her from screaming as an oracle guard pours a bucket of water over her body. The water from the last bucket has already frozen around her, creating icicles on the edge of the altar and freezing solid in her hair. Her hands and feet have long ago grown numb and tingly. Her head is pounding with the worst headache of her life. But no matter how much she squeaks her desperate protests, the oracle guards continue their torture.
The oracle guard sweeps a small metal wand over her body then holds it up in the light. "95.3. Just a little more. Hang in there. We have to put the nanobots in your blood into a calm state by lowering your body temperature to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Then we will run
our tests while they are less likely to act up. There isn't enough lead we could pierce you with to calm those down. I've never seen that high of a concentration in a person. We believe that the gods are using the nanobots to channel messages to you. If we can confirm that, then you will undergo the sacred and holy ritual to become our new oracle."
* * *
After an hour of intense nervousness and pacing around the room, as far as the leash will let him go, Troy looks up as Orion returns. "What of Paris? Is he okay?"
"He's fine. We had to get our medicine that shuts down the dark matter. We managed to get it before the dark matter did much damage. Luckily, the dark matter was diluted and he only had a tiny bit on him. His hand will be bandaged until the skin grows back."
"I feel terrible."
"It's not your fault." Orion says. "We just know now that your blood is safe as long as we don't set it on fire. The concentration of nanobots in your blood is high, but they aren't the innately destructive ones that are overly dangerous. Yours appear to adapt to their surroundings while remaining under control by those lead studs in your ears. We didn't know it would happen. All Nymphs have some nanobots in their blood, but when your power armor malfunctioned, all the nanobots that were in the armor entered you. If you hadn't gotten those piercings when you did, you could be losing your mind right now."
"Does he hate me?"
"Who? Paris? No. He loves you. Really. The entire time the medics were working on him, he kept asking if you were okay."
Poor kid. "Can I see him?"
"He's asleep. They sedated him so he wouldn't be in too much pain. Besides, we need to get some sleep. We leave out in a few hours and I still have some things to get together. Let me release you so you can get ready for bed." He unlocks the leash and unclips it from Troy's nose ring.
Troy glares at the leash. "Master?"
"Yes?"
"Will I be on the leash during our mission?"
"Yes. You are still in training. Until you've been fully trained, you have to stay on the leash except while you're in here with me."
16
Blice is pacing throughout the house and mumbling to himself. Zodiac watches him, waiting for him to say something meaningful. What are they supposed to do? Apollo left hours ago, but there's been no sign of a bonfire. The more time that passes without any word from Troy's siblings, the more dire this situation becomes. All of them are close to Zodiac as if they were his own brothers and sister. After all, he grew up with them. He helped take care of the babies. If anything bad has happened to them, Zodiac will be devastated.
Paradise Forgotten Trilogy Page 17
