"Do you think Jessmei is alive?" Runir looked down at his glass of water and then finished the beverage in a quick gulp.
"Perhaps." My throat formed a lump. I didn't want to talk about her. She was either dead or alive. Nothing I could do now would change that. Even thinking about what horrible fate she suffered at the hands of the Ancients would just distract me from the task at hand.
"She is a smart--" A quick series of three knocks on the door followed by two spaced out ones interrupted my friend's words. It was the signal that our warriors were returning. We relaxed when the door slowly opened and my guards entered.
"Any updates?" Runir asked as he got out of his chair to greet them.
"A few," my lead guard said. His name was Westar and he had been in my father's service for the last twenty years. "Nanos hasn't met with any of the other nobles yet and they are quite offended."
"Any news of the Losher army?" I asked.
"They have been relocated to our keep." Westar's face scowled in anger. "The leader of the Ancients had some sort of agreement with the Losher chiefs. Apparently they have a strong alliance."
"This seems odd. Our men will just come through the pass in spring and retake the castle if Losher’s army is not here for support." I tried to figure out what the new position of the army meant.
“Perhaps it is a feint? They could be back in Nia within a week. It will take four more months for our warriors to push through the mountains. It was probably safer for the Ancients to move the Loshers off of the board for some time instead of trying to manage them here. I’m sure they are watching the southern border in case Brilla sends troops from Sapphire.” Runir’s reasoning was sound, I nodded as I studied the faces of the men. Something was amiss.
"What else?" I probed.
"There is a rumor . . ." Westar’s voice trailed off into silence.
"I like rumors. Do tell." I smiled and tried to relax. This dress was a little looser than the one I wore during my carriage ride and brief exploration of the castle, but it still squeezed my torso uncomfortably. The countess was a good forty pounds lighter than me and her age had pulled all the muscle and fat from her body.
"It sounds unbelievable, but apparently a man who matched Greykin's description was seen with a group of riders a few days’ north of the castle."
"You're right. That does sound unbelievable," I said with a laugh and a sigh of relief.
"It seemed he rode with two Ancients. Or at least, Lord Cartor's man said he saw their ears and hair when they rode. This man is positive that it was Greykin, and you must admit that the Old Bear is hard to mistake. But it makes little sense that he would ride away from the city in the company of Ancients." I nodded and brought back the painful memory of my last moments with Greykin. He had thrown himself at half a dozen Losher warriors to buy time for Paug, the king, Nanos, and I. Greykin was a stout warrior, but well past his prime. He wouldn't have been able to take on that many soldiers and live.
"I would guess Lord Cartor's man is mistaken," I sighed heavily. Greykin and I had our differences and he was more often than not a pain in my ass, but he was a great warrior, devoted to the crown, and steadfast in what he believed. Another casualty of Nanos's treachery.
"Aye." The guards pulled out cards and began to set up a small game on the large oaken table in the middle of the central room. I looked over to Runir and then nodded my head for him to join them. He'd be able to dig a little deeper than I would. The hardest part about being a leader seemed to be getting accurate information from the scouts and troops. No one wanted to pass bad news up the chain of command.
I closed my eyes for a second and then reopened them, gazing down across the sprawling, beaten city. The sun would set in a few hours and I saw workers attempting to fix homes that had been destroyed in the siege. Everywhere I looked I noticed evidence of Nanos's crime. The banquet could not come soon enough.
Runir and I made a small journey a few nights ago to investigate my father's room, but it was guarded by Ancients and we got as close as we dared before returning. After the banquet, I would be willing to take more risks since I would understand more of the empress's plans for Nanos and the noble families.
There was a loud knock on the door. It almost sounded like someone kicked the thick wood. In a whirlwind of activity, the men in the room moved to strategic locations in the suite. They didn't draw their swords, but one of the guards on loan from the countess had a light crossbow already loaded that he pointed deftly at the entryway to our suite.
Runir gave me a quick glance and then crept toward the door. It was much too early for dinner to be served, and even if it were servants, they would not knock that way. Then I realized and panicked. I should have known the other shoe would drop. That Ancient with the gold hair wouldn't let me stay here for long. I should have told Runir of my suspicions.
"Greetings, human. I see your hair has not turned gray yet." There was no mistaking her voice. I tried to peer over casually from my seat on the balcony. Then I realized my face was not covered by the veil so I moved the material over my nose. It probably wouldn't matter; the woman knew I was here. Knew I was Nadea. She came to put me back into the dungeon. Fuck.
"Can I help you?" Runir's right hand held the door and his fist closed and opened twice. That was the signal for the guards to prepare for a fight. They still didn't pull their swords though. The room was big, but didn't have enough space for six men to fight whatever warriors the woman had brought with her.
"I need to speak to your," the Ancient paused and laughed lightly. "Countess?"
"She is resting at the moment. Is there anything I can help you with?" I had to applaud Runir. His words sounded confident.
"You can wake her up so I can speak with her. Be a good pet and invite me in?" Her voice was honey-coated but I tasted the mockery in the question.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. She really needs her rest."
"Listen, fool. We can do this the way you and Nadea would prefer or the way I would prefer. Letting me come inside would be the way you would prefer. Understand?" My heart froze at her words. The game was done. I got up and tore off my veil. The balcony was about thirty feet from the gardens below, but the walls of the castle were smooth. I was a great climber, but by the time the dress came off, the Ancient bitch would be on me.
"Hold on." Runir looked at me and I tried to mask my fear while I nodded. I didn't think I fooled him, Runir knew me too well. He swung open the door slowly and the woman with golden hair strutted in like she owned the castle.
"Shut the door," she said over her shoulder without looking at the blonde man. "Ahh." Her eyes focused on me from across the room and balcony. "I didn't believe that you were sleeping." She looked around at my guards and smiled when she saw the crossbow.
"All these rats trapped in a cage, and now the kitten has entered. Whatever will you do?" The Ancient was clothed as she had been a few days ago: high boots with armored plates, form-fitting leather armor with golden stitching and decorated chain mail over her shoulders. Her sword hung from her side and the blade looked impossibly wide for a woman of her size. She stood about as tall as me, but the weapon must have weighed seven or eight pounds. I noticed she carried a small satchel over her left shoulder so as not to impede her weapon coming free of its sheath.
"What do you want?" I mustered up as much courage as I dared. My voice sounded surprisingly fierce to me, but it just made the Ancient's smile widen.
"What I would really love is for your little boy to pull the trigger on his crossbow. I've done my training for this morning, but it has been a few days since I killed anything." She glared at the man with the crossbow and I saw beads of sweat roll down his face like rain down a stone wall.
"Put down your weapons. If she wanted to kill us, she would have by now." I looked back at the woman. "She came alone, so I'm going to assume this is a peaceful visit?" I nodded when I said the words and did my best to smile.
"Why yes it is. Would you prefer a priva
te conversation, or do you need your," she glanced around at my guards and laughed whimsically, "muscle here?"
"We can speak in my bedroom." I blurted with a pointed finger toward the door to my private room. I was suddenly curious as to what she wanted. I started to fantasize that I wouldn't be dragged to the dungeon after all. The woman nodded, and if it wasn't for the staccato slams of her boot heels on the stone floor, I would have thought she floated across the tiles and through the door to the bedroom. She moved with impossible grace.
I made my way across the balcony and through the main room. Runir gave me his look, but I smiled at him and he seemed to relax for a brief second.
My bedroom was large and connected to a private bathroom. In front of a small fireplace stood a table that would seat two comfortably. The woman made her way in that direction and I began to panic. I had forgotten that my notes and journals were left open on the table.
"Oh. You have a much nicer bed than in my suite." The woman suddenly made a turn and walked toward my bed. It was actually Maerc's room and the bed was a gigantic affair of dark wood infused with iron and engraved scenes of battle. It would hold half a dozen people on it with ease. The Ancient woman tossed herself on it and lay back onto several pillows with a sigh.
"Yes," she seemed to purr. "Much nicer." I crossed my arms and debated standing in between the bed and my table, so that the Ancient would look at me instead of the documents I foolishly left out. I decided that it would be best to talk to her from the other side of the room by the door, to keep her from looking toward my writing.
"I thought you wanted to speak privately?" Sweat trickled down my back and under my corset.
"I do. Your bed has distracted me." She sat and regarded me for a second before continuing.
"Why did you return?" she asked.
"I have business here." I tried not to fidget, but the sweat under the tight material made my skin crawl and itch.
"What business?" She looked away from me and examined her nails. They were sharpened to dagger-like points.
"I heard the prince was hosting a banquet for the nobles of Nia. I am a noble, hence I am here." I smiled.
The woman laughed heartily from my bed.
"You are interesting, human. I can see why he likes you." My mouth turned to ash. He? Her silver-haired leader had not seem to give a shit when I hung dying in the dungeon. Were we having dinner with him?
"Why are you here?" I went on the offensive, but the words came out weak.
"I'm afraid I need to interrupt whatever you might have been planning for the banquet. You will change into these." She reached around her hip and grabbed the satchel, and then she tossed it to me before continuing. "Then you shall accompany me for dinner, afterward you will return here, pack up your things, and leave with your pet mice."
I looked into the satchel. It had the familiar gray and black garments that the servants wore. I knew she just said something about dinner, but I couldn't focus on anything other than the last part of her command.
"Leave tonight?"
"Yes. I can't have you scurrying around here, getting into trouble. It will just make us all look bad. You will need to leave. After dinner of course." She smiled and leaned back into the pillows. "I am taking this bed," she muttered to herself with a sigh. Her comment about the bed made me angry, but I forced it into my stomach.
"I cannot leave before the banquet," I said through gritted teeth. The Ancient's eyes opened lazily and she glanced over at me. Her lips curved up into a menacing smile that reminded me of a mountain cat.
"I don't think you understand what is going on here, human. You come with me now and then you leave tonight. The other option is that I walk into the other room, kill all of your guards, and then take you to the dungeon where you will rot for the rest of your short life."
"Why dinner? Why the servant's clothes?" I asked, trying to buy time while my brain spun. Fuck. I had almost made it, but I was caught. Perhaps I should thank the Spirits for the fortune of this situation; I could be back in the dungeon. This Ancient was giving me a possible escape. I didn't know why, but I would need to take it. Freedom gave me the possibility of still being able to do something for Nia. If I ended up locked in the cell, that meant the small guerilla army would flounder and die. Visions of getting Nanos alone in a dark corner during the banquet and strangling the life out of him or ripping his throat open with a dagger danced in my head before they faded. I felt my eyes sting and water with disappointment.
"You ask too many questions and don't think enough, bitch. Put on the clothes now." Her eyes flashed dangerously.
"Fine," I spat and walked toward the bathroom.
"No human. Put them on in front of me," she said before I took two steps. I turned to look at her, I didn't understand their facial expressions that well and thought she may have been joking. She licked her lips slightly and then waved a finger at me. I sighed and twisted my hands around the back of the dress to undo the straps.
"Remove all of your clothes first," she instructed.
"I think I know how to get dressed," I growled.
"Do exactly what I say. I've already explained what the consequences are. Are you an idiot? Should I repeat myself?" Her voice sounded frustrated. "I've been very generous, human. Shut up and be a good girl for the rest of the night or I'll start to take my anger out on your friends in the next room. Understand?"
I nodded and finished ripping the old-fashioned dress off of my shoulders. There was a layer of petticoat underneath and I took that off as well. Then I unfastened the corset, kicked off my shoes, and stood there in my undergarments. She was threatening my guards, but not physical harm to me. She needed me for something.
"Take them off." She waved her finger at me.
I grabbed the thin silk material that supported my breasts underneath the corset and untied it. Then I wrapped my left arm over my chest and then used my right to pull down the cloth that I wore over my hips. I pushed my thighs together and then faced her. I tried to look angry, but the loss of my clothes made me feel vulnerable and embarrassed.
"Uncover yourself," she commanded.
I removed my arms from my chest. I had smaller than average breasts from the various exercises I enjoyed. She eyed them with what I thought looked like hunger.
"Feet apart." She smiled and the words came across with a purr.
I moved my bare left foot out so that it lined even with my shoulder. I stood with my hands at my sides. Servants used to assist me getting dressed when I was younger, but the only other people I recalled seeing me naked were Staril and Kaiyer. The memories of my time with Kaiyer were fresher in my mind and had been a much more enjoyable experience than this.
"Don't fret, Nadea." Her eyes ran over my body. "Nothing bad is going to happen. Turn around slowly."
I moved slowly until I faced the wall where I had closed the door.
"Stop." My back was to her. "Turn your face to me," she said as I cranked my head over my shoulder to look at her. She still sat on the bed. My heart pounded through my chest and I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't know if it was possible for a woman to rape another woman, but I was pretty sure this bitch could find a way.
"Bend over at the waist."
"What?" My voice came out in a squeak of panic and I couldn't help but tremble. Fuck her. I will not let her rape me.
"You heard me. Don't worry. I won't touch you until after dinner." Her words scared me even more, but I did as she asked, bending so that my upper body was parallel to the floor and my ass pointed at her.
"Spread your legs more," she demanded again. I wanted to scream at her, to tell her no. But I knew where that would lead. Were the guards listening at the door? I panicked with the thought that Runir would hear what she commanded and charge in with a glorified sense of bravado. The Ancient woman hadn't even batted an eyelid at the crossbow pointed at her from a half a room away. She was either insane or extremely confident of her combat prowess.
I shifted my feet
out a little more and said a silent prayer to the Spirits that the movement would be enough.
"Spread your ass cheeks," she whispered.
"Fuck no!" I said with what courage I could muster. My body was cold and shaking. I had never known fear like this. Even when I had first been thrown into the dungeon and the Losher men tried to rape me I fought back and kicked at them. They eventually gave up and left me alone but the feeling and knowledge that I might protect myself was present in my mind then. There was nothing I could do against this woman. She'd kill Runir, my guards, and then imprison me if I didn't do what she commanded.
"Spread your ass cheeks," she insisted again in the same manner. I was surprised that she didn't raise her voice.
I reached back with my right hand and pulled my butt open to expose my sex to her. My fingers held like that for ten seconds before my legs ached, especially my injured one.
"Do you enjoy showing me your pussy, bitch?" she moaned.
"No. I hate it. I hate you," I gasped out in pain.
"You'll feel different at the end of the night. Do you understand that I could have you right now if I wanted to?"
"Fuck you."
"Exactly. But I want you to agree with me. You understand that I can have you right now if I wanted to, yes?" she repeated. I didn't answer her immediately.
"Agree, unless you want to upset me," she purred.
"Fine!" I almost shrieked. In my mind I begged Runir not to come inside the room. I should have locked the door. Damn it all. Damn this bitch.
"Fine what?" she pressed again, her voice mocking.
"I understand that you could have me right now if you wanted!" I gasped. The pain in my legs was distracting me from the shame and embarrassment in my chest. I had never felt so powerless. I needed to figure a way out of her web.
"Excellent. Good girl. Stand," she said with pleasure in her voice. I exhaled in relief as I stood up and took the tension out of my lower back and thighs.
The Destroyer Book 2 Page 39
