Captive: Part One of The Akeldama Chronicles

by F. N. Hammack

  When the court found out about us, we were the scandal of the century; paraded out for the entire kingdom’s judgment. Father had been ready to kill them as his advisors suggested but Mother had persuaded him otherwise. I don’t know how but she had worked miracles that day and I ended up married to the loves of my life. Both of them…

  For one short year, we had been blissfully happy.

  Then, Cassius happened…

  And now... they were probably just as dead as my parents…

  I blinked my eyes against the tears welling up and steeled my spine. I would not cry. I had done enough of that in the time I had been here with only my thoughts to entertain me.

  Queens did not cry!

  I envied the way my mother had always appeared so calm and collected. Even in the face of death, she did not flinch. She didn’t even cry when Cassius murdered my Father in front of us. She had stood straight and looked her killer in the eyes, daring him to do his worst. She…

  I looked back over to the strange man to take my mind away from my memories. This time, I focused on more than just his nether regions. He had to be as tall as Soren; shocking, because I had never met anyone that challenged him height-wise. But, he wasn’t as broad in the shoulders. Instead, his body was leanly muscular. His skin in particular was intriguing because few here had a skin tone that color. It was the dusky dark of the people from the eastern kingdoms. It complemented his straight, black hair and amber colored eyes.

  As if he had felt my perusal, he tilted his head and stared in my direction. Even knowing that he couldn’t actually see me, I blushed at being caught ogling him.

  I cleared my throat, buying time while I thought of something to talk about. Meaningless court pleasantries had no place here in this dungeon and I would not insult him by playing court games while we were in chains.

  “You know, you never did tell me your name,” I drawled with a smirk worthy of Aramis.

  He knocked his head back against the wall lightly and snorted. “It’s Joaquin Gagnon, My Lady.” He gave an improvised bow, which was basically a simple head nod.

  I raised a brow inquiringly. “How do you know that I am a Lady?”

  “You talk too affluently not to be a Lady…?” He ended his statement as a question, but I chose to ignore his subtle inquiry as to who I was. For now, the only name he needed was my first name. My title, just like court pleasantries, had no place here; and, my surname was a dead giveaway to my title. Only one family had ever gone by the name Akeldama and the world currently thought us all dead.

  “Gagnon?” I asked, a fleeting memory hovering in the far edges of my mind, just out of reach.

  Joaquin snorted once more and grinned irreverently. “How may I be of service, My Lady?” he voiced sarcastically.

  I rolled my eyes at his mockery. He clearly had a problem with either nobles in general or the authority they held.

  “Gagnon, that’s an uncommon eastern surname meaning guard dog, if I am not mistaken?” Just then, the memory that had been out of reach thus far flashed through the forefront of my mind and I gasped in shock. Gaping, I stared wide-eyed at Joaquin. “You’re the King Killer!” At one of the last parties that my father had thrown, a diplomat from one of the eastern kingdoms had told tales of the King Killer’s assassinations.

  Joaquin sighed heavily and banged the back of his head against the wall several times. Then through gritted teeth, he said, “I killed one king. One! And, he deserved far worse than the quick death I gave him. I hardly think that deserves a moniker.”

  Through narrowed eyes, I asked, “only one, huh? Who?”

  “Lyons.” Joaquin glanced at me as if Lyon’s mere name was all that needed saying.

  Unfortunately, he was right. King Lyons was a monster and had probably deserved far worse than a quick decapitation. He had been the one royal that my father had absolutely refused to have anything to do with.

  I settled back against the wall and crossed my legs. “From what I heard; you’ve assassinated at least five kings around the world and even more women and children. They say your soul is pure black and your heart is ice; that you crave nothing but a fresh kill.”

  I laughed lightly when he groaned with obvious misery. Had we been in any other circumstance, I doubted that I would be so nonchalant about the fact that he had murdered a king, even one that might have deserved to die. But honestly, I was past the point of caring. I was just glad to have someone to pass the time with.

  “Don’t tell me you believe that horse shit!” Indignation was etched into his finely formed face.

  “I will withhold my judgment for now,” I said in my best impersonation of Lady Victoria, the snobbiest lady of court that I had the misfortune of knowing.

  He laughed loudly with relief, rattling his chains slightly.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” A malicious voice purred from the doorway. I straightened sharply and grimaced. Cassius had opened the small slot that the guards used to check on us and was peering through. What I wouldn’t give to be able to stab those sickly green eyes in their sockets.

  “Have the prisoners become friendly?” he murmured to himself rhetorically. “I will have to figure out how to have fun with that,” he said with a grin, stepping into the room.

  Joaquin glared at Cassius with his amber catlike eyes while his body became a rigid mass of tensed muscles. He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the way the chains tried to trip him up. “Who are you?” he growled menacingly.

  From the look on his face, I had no doubt that he was capable of killing. His expression loudly stated what he would like to do with Cassius and it was in no way pleasant. I could admire that in a person. At least he owned his darkness.

  Cassius frowned heavily and touched his chest with the palm of his hand. “Me? You don’t know who I am?” he asked indignantly. Joaquin just glared silently. Cassius harrumphed and glared back. “I’m insulted.”

  He raised his hand in the air and snapped his fingers imperiously. “Guards!” he called and when two of his worst henchmen raced into the room, he pointed at Joaquin. “Teach this fool how to respect his betters. But, do it outside, I have business to attend to with the princess.”

  Joaquin’s eyes widened, and he looked in my direction, shocked. I closed my eyes briefly. Well… that cat’s out of the bag.

  Henchman one and two shared a smile and stepped forward to grab Joaquin to drag him from the room. Knowing the sorts of things they would do to him in private, I stepped forward as far as I could; the chains not as restrictive for me as they were for Joaquin. “No! He stays here,” I said firmly.

  Cassius smiled devilishly and clapped his hands. “Ooh! You like to watch?” He walked closer and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Me too.”

  I shivered in disgust.

  Turning back to his henchman, he ordered, “change of plans, do it here but make sure he’s unconscious. I don’t want him to know what I have planned for Princess Sienna.” Henchmen one and two frowned in disappointment but obeyed Cassius’s orders.

  I glared at Cassius. “That’s Queen Sienna to you.”

  Popping his jaw, Cassius ran his narrowed eyes over my body, and scrunched his face with revulsion. “My love, you don’t look very queenly to me.” He tsked sympathetically. “You should take better care of yourself.”

  I simply stared at him, refusing to rise to the bait.

  I took a page from my mother’s book and refused to show how each punch and kick that the guards gave Joaquin hurt me just as much. I was a queen that couldn’t even protect one person. And, the guards who should obey my orders only followed Cassius.

  Joaquin for his part didn’t so much as blink anytime a hit rained down on him. He did not flinch. He did not cry out. He did nothing to show the pain he must’ve felt. He did my mother proud in a way that I never could.

  I stared into his amber gaze and tried to say with my eyes how I was so sorry and how I felt that this was my fault. He met my eyes without bl
inking and the resilient strength in them shook me to my core.

  Eventually... and longer than I would have expected, he passed out. His entire body was a mass of bruises. I had to struggle to hold my tears inside.

  “Well…that was no fun.” Cassius pouted.

  I turned my attention to him and let all the rage I was feeling show on my face. One day, I would kill this man. And, I wanted him to know it. I wanted him to see his death in my eyes.

  A slow smirk curled his pale lips and he ordered the guards to leave the room and shut the door behind them. Then, he stepped closer and closer until my back was against the wall and I couldn’t put anymore distance between us.

  He ran his hand lightly along my body, tracing my ribs before flicking my nipple. “I mourn the loss of your curves. You used to be such a thing of beauty and now I can barely bring myself to touch you.”

  “Thank the gods.” I sneered.

  “Tsk, tsk, my love, they can’t hear you,” he said, leaning in to kiss me lightly. I turned my head away, causing his lips to land on my jaw. One of his fists clenched tightly on the wall next to my head while the other squeezed my hip painfully. His eyes flared with rage for a second before he masked the emotion and smiled sweetly, “your life could be filled with luxury and comfort. You could have anything you wanted. You only have to marry me. Say yes, Sienna. Let me take you from this place.”

  I spat in his face. “I would rather die in the darkness than spend the rest of my life sharing your bed in the light.”

  The muscles in his face began to tick as he slowly wiped my spit from his face with a handkerchief he had pulled from the chest pocket of his ornate coat. “Be careful not to push me, Sienna. My fondness for you only goes so far.”

  I grinned widely and said, “I hate you.”

  “That’s good. Hate is just a breath away from love,” he said, brushing my tangled hair back from my face with tender fingers.

  “I will never love you, Cassius. You are a traitor and a murder,” I spat at him viciously. He had been one of Father’s most trusted friends. He had watched me grow up and my parents had considered him part of the family. They had loved and trusted him right up until he thrust his sword through their hearts.

  He was nothing but a monster.

  “Semantics.” He waved his hand through the air dismissively. “One day you will understand that I only did what was necessary. Your Father was weak. He wanted peace with the neighboring kingdoms; as if they were our equals!”

  “Let me guess…” I drawled out with a sneer. “You are at war with our allies?” I leaned closer and whispered, “I hope they kill you right on top of that throne you coveted so much.”

  With a small smile, Cassius tsked and tapped my nose like one does to a misbehaving hound. “But, with your power coursing through my veins that will never happen. There was a reason all the other kingdoms were too afraid to make a play for our territory. The magic of your bloodline protects and nourishes this land. Our enemies don’t stand a chance,” he said, grabbing my hand and stroking a finger over my inner wrist right over all the scars he had given me.

  I simply rolled my eyes. “The elements demand respect and you only offer poison. They’ll turn against you soon enough. You can only steal my power for so long before it will cause you more harm than help. I eagerly await that day.” I finished with a bright grin.

  Cassius slapped me harshly with the back of his hand, causing my head to bang into the stone wall behind me and blood to well up from my re-split lip. “Lies!”

  I smirked and looked into his panicked green eyes mere inches from mine, saying, “I can’t help it if the truth hurts you; though, I do relish it.”

  At a loss for words he reacted like any monster and inflicted pain to make himself feel more superior. For several minutes he slapped me around, lost in rage. Then, once satisfied, he pulled the Amulet of Vitae from around his neck. The amethyst stone in the center had turned black due to the evil job it was being forced to do. Its magic screamed out, rampaging through my mind with startling intensity as it writhed with pain.

  Cassius had destroyed one of the most sacred amulets of power by twisting its purpose to suit his greed. The Amulet of Vitae was once an amulet with life giving powers, often used for healing. He had done something to reverse its energy and now used it to drain the magic from me; and, since my magic was combined with my life-force, he stole that too. However, he didn’t seem to know that part, and I wasn’t planning to enlighten him.

  Eventually, he would drain too much, and I would die; leaving him without any power. Soon after, my people would realize that he lacked the power to threaten them and they would revolt against him. Or else, one of the other kings or queens would realize that the protective force field surrounding Akeldama lands was no longer active and would either launch an assault that would kill Cassius or have him assassinated. The courts were fond of assassination...

  It was the only way that I knew of to help my people.

  I sucked in a breath sharply as he sliced my wrist open, letting my blood flow to the ground. He placed the amulet against the cut. Crimson coated the amulet and the amethyst center glowed malevolently before it began pulsing. Each pulse pulled a scream from me as my life-force flowed into the amulet. Only a few seconds later, I fell to my knees, unable to stand any longer.

  Still…

  He pulled more and more of my power from me; and, he kept pulling until I fell to the harsh unforgiving ground...straight into the darkness.

  4

  TACENDA /ta-sen-da/

  (n.) Things to not be mentioned or things to be passed over in silence; unspoken.

  JOAQUIN GAGNON

  Snapping my eyes open, I searched frantically for Sienna. What had Cassius done to her while I was unconscious? The possibilities were endless and each one was worse than the last. The guy was bloody nuts and men like that were unpredictable.

  I cursed, when even with my eyes open all I could see was a never-ending black. The torch had gone out while I was unconscious, and no one had bothered to replace it. Ergo, we were left in nothing but darkness.

  “Princess!” I called out, wincing as the movement sent little twinges of pain along my nerve endings. Lightly, I ran my fingers over my face and body, trying to feel out the damage. I had numerous tight raised lumps littering my body. I could only imagine the horror that I looked like.

  A soft moan echoed from the shadows and I once again cursed the lack of light.

  “Sienna!” I hissed through gritted teeth, unwilling to open my mouth any further. Each second brought more and more pain as nerve endings all throughout my body began to alert me to their agony.

  Another moan was my only answer.

  “Wake up and answer me!” I bit out with a curse.

  “I’m awake, so don’t get your trousers in a bunch,” Sienna slurred drunkenly.

  With relief flowing through my body, I couldn’t help but tease. “I’m not wearing any.”

  Silence…

  “Sienna!” I barked.

  “I’m awake, King Killer,” she slurred and the sound of a body shifting over stone followed by the clanking of her chains proved that she was moving around. “Hey! I know a king that you can kill!”

  I snorted. That was one order I would be happy to follow. I would love nothing more than to separate that man’s head from his body. “I would be happy to oblige, Your Highness, as soon as I can.”

  She groaned. “Don’t call me that!”

  “Why not? It is the correct title for your station.” I was confused. Usually nobles got upset if you forgot or misspoke their title. Yet, here she was, the highest titled person in the entire kingdom, telling me not to address her in the proper manner.

  “Titles have no place here. We are not princess and commoner. We are Sienna and Joaquin,” she slurred, sounding a bit more aware.

  Stunned, I didn’t know how to react. Never could I have imagined a noble giving up their title and the respect they think it boug
ht them, especially to someone like me.

  Swallowing thickly, I bowed my head in the darkness. If she would not accept me giving her the respect she had earned by speaking her title, then I would give it in my own way.

  “How badly did he hurt you?” I asked, simultaneously needing and fearing to know.

  But... only silence answered me.

  Breathing deeply, I asked, “did he…?”

  “No,” she interrupted. “He didn’t. I am fine.”

  “I highly doubt that,” I said. My gut was churning, and I knew that she was lying to me.

  She sighed heavily. “Joaquin?”

  “Yes, Sienna?”

  “Anything that happened has happened before; I survived then and I will survive now. I am fine,” she said patiently, the slur nearly gone from her voice.

  I couldn’t speak over the rage bubbling up inside me. My mother used to say she was fine too, even when she cried over the treatment that the johns and brothel owner gave her. Once she noticed me watching her cry, she would put on a cheerful smile and kiss me on the cheek, telling me that everything was fine and not to worry.

  That was the constant lie that I had grown up hearing; I didn’t believe it then and I sure as hell didn’t believe it now. Sienna was not fine, and I silently vowed to give her Cassius’s head on a platter.

  After I had killed King Lyons, I had fled to King Akeldama’s land because out of all the kingdoms, this one was known for giving people a fresh start in life. The people here were rumored to be happy and slavery had been abolished here; the servants had wages and an equal opportunity to decide their own future.

  By the people in my social circles, it was considered to be the best place to live. I had tried to convince my mother to move here for as long as I could remember, but she had refused to leave that monster, claiming to love him. Eventually, she paid the highest price for her loyalty.