“Well, why doesn’t Niklaus come here?”
“For the same reason. He can’t leave. And since he can’t come to me, I have to go to him.” She pointed at the picture of Niklaus on her dressing table. “How can I marry a man I don’t even know?”
“Well, isn’t that why you’re going to Trellis? To get to know him?”
“Well, yes. But do you think one summer is long enough to know someone? Really know them? Enough to marry them?”
“I don’t know, but I think he’s dreamy,” Magny said. “And just think of it, you’ll finally get off this rock. You’re so lucky.”
“Lucky?” Ashlynne studied Niklaus’s photograph. He was a handsome man, with wavy brown hair, brown eyes, a patrician nose. And yet, handsome as he was, she thought Number Four far more…not handsome, exactly, but there was something about him, something virile and extremely masculine that was lacking in Niklaus. “Would you want to marry a man you’ve never met?”
“I’d marry a Hordorian swine merchant if he could get me away from here,” Magny declared. She tossed the apple core into the disposal unit and fell back on the bed again, her hands clasped behind her head. “Think of it, Lynnie, you’ll get to travel to the far side of the galaxy, live in a big house, have anything you want.”
“I already live in a big house,” Ashlynne retorted. And she had almost everything she wanted. Except the freedom to marry who she wished, when she wished.
“Well, if you don’t want to marry Niklaus, I will,” Magny said.
“What about your sky pilot?”
“Well, he’s very exciting, but he’ll never be rich.”
“Wouldn’t you rather marry for love than money?”
“I suppose so.”
“Oh, Mag, I don’t want to get married and move to Trellis. I don’t want to leave here.”
“Why ever not?”
Ashlynne bit down on her lower lip. She had never lived anywhere else, never been anywhere else. She was afraid to leave the security of the only home she had ever known. But even that wasn’t the real reason. She didn’t want to marry Niklaus; she wanted to stay here, because he was here. But she couldn’t tell Magny that.
“Do you think Number Four is the monster they say he is?”
Ashlynne looked up, startled. “What?”
“Number Four. Do you think he’s as bad as everyone says?”
Ashlynne stared at Magny, wondering if her friend had been reading her mind, if Magny knew how obsessed she had become with Number Four. She thought about him constantly, dreamed of him at night.
“What difference does it make?” she asked, though she had often wondered the same thing herself. “He’s a slave.”
“I know.” Magny sighed dramatically. “But have you seen his arms? I’ve never seen muscles like that. Don’t you wonder what it would be like to have him hold you?”
“Magny!” Ashlynne exclaimed. She tried to look horrified, but failed miserably. She had wondered. Even though he was a slave, even though she hated him because he was rude and crude and insolent, she had noticed that he was a fine specimen of a man, and it embarrassed her. “Why did Dain beat him?”
Magny shook her head. “You know Dain. He has no patience. He ordered Number Four out of the hole, and Number Four didn’t obey quick enough. As soon as Number Four climbed out, Dain started whipping him. Dain enjoys inflicting pain far too much, I think.”
“But he’s all right?”
“Who?” Magny asked, stifling a giggle. “Dain? Ashlynne picked up a pillow and threw it at her friend. “Who know who?”
Magny caught the pillow in both hands and hugged it to her chest. “Oh? You mean Number Four. He’s amazing,” Magny said, her voice tinged with awe. “He just stood there, his hands clenched, while blood dripped down his back. You could see Dain getting madder by the minute. I don’t know what he would have done if my father hadn’t stepped it and put a stop to it. He took Dain aside later and reprimanded him. He told Dain if he caught him whipping a slave for no reason again, he’d be terminated.”
“I’ve never liked him,” Ashlynne said. “He has sneaky eyes.”
Magny swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Well,” she said with an exaggerated sigh, “I’ve got to go fix dinner for my father.” Rising, she dropped the pillow on the bed and headed toward the door. “If I see Number Four, I’ll be sure to extend your regards.”
“Mag!” Ashlynne called, running down the corridor after her friend. “Mag, don’t you dare! Mag!”
“Can’t catch me!” Magny ran out the front door and sprinted for the path that led to the mine.
“Magny! I’ll never speak to you again!”
“Yes, you will. Bye, Lynnie,” Magny hollered, and disappeared out the gate.
Chapter Four
The next month seemed interminably long. No matter where she was or what she was doing, all she could think of was Number Four. She couldn’t imagine anything so awful as being shut up in a hole in the ground. Buried alive.
Finally, in need of a diversion, she had begged her mother to let Magny spend the night. Her mother was usually reluctant, but this time she agreed. Ashlynne was sure it was only because her mother and father were going to be away at a council meeting most of the night.
She looked up when Magny tossed the book she’d been reading aside.
“Well, that was dull,” Magny exclaimed. “What shall we do?”
Ashlynne yawned. “I’m tired. I was thinking of going to bed.”
“Bed! But it’s still early. And your parents won’t be home for hours. We can’t go to bed.”
Ashlynne rolled over onto her stomach. “Well, what do you want to do?”
Magny bounced off the mattress, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “How brave are you?”
“I’m not, Mag, you know that, so whatever you’re planning, just forget it.”
“Honestly, Ashlynne, you lead the most dull, boring life of anyone I know.”
She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. It was true. Her life was boring. Routine. Regimented.
“Come on, Lynnie, you know you’re dying to.”
“All right, Magny, what am I dying to do?”
“Go swimming.”
“What’s so daring about that? I swim all the time.”
“In the ocean.”
Ashlynne’s eyes widened. “You want to go swimming down there now? Tonight?”
Magny nodded vigorously. “The moons are full. It’s a beautiful night. The water won’t be too cold. Come on, let’s do it.”
Ashlynne bit down on her lower lip, her better judgment warring with the desire to do something wild and crazy. “All right. You can wear one of my bathing suits. Do you want the red or the yellow?”
“Neither, silly.”
“You don’t’ mean…?”
Magny grinned. “You’ve got it. Let’s go.”
Like two thieves in the night, they crept down the stairs. Old Carday was in the living room. She had fallen asleep watching a vid on two school girls playing hooky, Ashlynne and Magny slipped out the front door, ran down the path and out the side gate.
It was, indeed, a beautiful night. The twin moons hung low in the sky, bathing the landscape in a pale amber glow. Moonlight shimmered and danced on the water, sparkling like millions of tiny golden lights.
Magny dropped her towel on the sand and began to undress.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ashlynne glanced up and down the beach. To the right, she could see the outline of the mine; far to the left began the tree line that marked the edge of the jungle.
“You’re not going to back out on me now, are you?”
Ashlynne took a deep breath. “No, I’m not,” she said.
She shrieked as a wave broke over her, then she dove into the water. She had never gone swimming in the ocean at night before, never gone swimming in the nude before, and it felt wonderful, deliciously wicked, somehow. She swam for several minutes, then floated on her back.
Overhead, a million stars lit the sky as Brell chased Riasna. Would he ever catch her, she wondered.
“Oh, Magny,” she exclaimed, “this was a terrific idea.”
“Of course! Have I ever had any other kind?”
With a laugh, Ashlynne dove into the water again, amazed at how different it felt to swim wearing nothing at all. She shrieked as something slippery brushed against her leg, images of sea monsters jumping into her mind, but it was only a piece of sea kelp.
They swam and splashed until they were breathless, then sat on the shore, wrapped up in their towels.
Ashlynne gazed out at the water, thinking how beautiful it all was, and how much she would miss it when she was gone.
“Hey, Lynnie, got any adventure left in your soul?”
Ashlynne regarded her friend warily. “Why? What do you want to do now?”
Magny grinned at her. “Why, go visit Number Four, of course.”
Ashlynne stared at her. “Are you crazy?”
“Maybe,” Magny replied with a wave of her hand. ““Well, do you want to?”
“Of course not,” Ashlynne replied, but she was dressing as she spoke, her heart pounding, not at the very real possibility of getting caught, but at the thought of seeing Number Four again.
She began to have second thoughts as the drew closer to the mine. “Mag, I don’t think this was such a good idea.”
“Sure it is. Be careful, don’t step in that hole.”
Ashlynne followed Magny across the bridge, all her senses alert. “What if we get caught?” she asked, but she didn’t need an answer. Her father would be furious, her mother appalled.
“We’ll just say I forgot something and we came down to get it.”
Magny turned right, skirting the edge of the compound, until they drew near the stubby cells that housed the prisoners.
“This is silly,” Ashlynne said. She glanced around. “We won’t be able to see him. There’s no light in the hut.”
Magny whirled around to face her. “How do you know?”
Mouth agape, Ashlynne stared at her friend.
“Well?”
“I…I…I don’t know. I’m just guessing. I mean, do they have lights in the huts?”
“Ashlynne Myrafloures, tell me the truth! You’ve been down here before, haven’t you? When?”
“You won’t tell?”
“Of course not.”
“It was when my parents went to Partha the last time. I forgot you were gone, too, and I decided to come down for a visit.”
“Go on.”
“Well, I decided as long as I was here, I’d look around. I went to look in the cells, and I saw Number Four. It was right after he was brought here. He was wounded, remember? I heard him moaning and I made Dagan open the door for me.”
Magny grinned at her. “Dagan thinks you’re pretty, you know.”
“What? Don’t be silly.”
“Go on,” Magny urged, “what happened?”
“Nothing. He opened the door and I treated Number Four’s wound and then I left.”
“You call that nothing? Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?”
“Why do you think?”
Magny laughed softly. “I think you’re a lot braver than you think you are, my Lady Myrafloures, that’s what I think. Come on.”
Like thieves in the night, they crept along until they reached Number Four’s cell.
“All right, we’re here. Can we go home now?” Ashlynne whispered.
“Of course not. We look inside.”
“Tell me again why we’re doing this?”
“Because you think he’s handsome. Go on, you go first.”
Ashlynne rolled her eyes. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner they could go back home. Taking a deep breath, she stood on tiptoe and peeked in the barred opening, and found herself staring into Number Four’s face, which was clearly visible in the moons’ light.
With a gasp, she jumped back, and bumped into Magny.
“He’s awake!” Ashlynne exclaimed, and turning on her heel, she ran for the bridge, and didn’t stop running until she was on the other side.
Magny joined her a moment later. For a minute, they just stared at each other, and then Magny burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny!” Ashlynne said, and knew she would never forget the look of bitter despair on Number Four’s face, or the way it had turned to anger when he saw her staring at him. As if he was an animal in a cage.
The laughter died on Magny’s lips when she saw the expression on Ashlynne’s face. “Are you crying?”
Ashlynne wiped the tears from her eyes. “No, of course not. Can we go home now?”
Chapter Five
“The pond needs cleaning,” Jadeleine remarked at dinner several nights later. “Ask Parah to send one of the slaves up to take care of it, will you?”
“As you wish, my dear,” Marcus replied.
“Actually, we could use a full-time slave in the compound,” Jadeleine said, her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Otry’s getting too old to do more than care for the horses, and since Fiurmin left, there’s no one to trim the shrubs or weed the flower beds on a regular basis.”
Marcus grunted softly. “Are you sure you want one of the slaves?” He glanced at Ashlynne. “It might be wiser to hire someone from the city.”
“Why spend good money for hired help when we have slaves at our disposal?” Jadeleine countered. “I dare say, slaves are easier to control at any rate.”
“Without doubt,” Marcus said agreeably. “I shall go down tomorrow and look them over.”
Ashlynne sat up in her chair, her foot tapping nervously as she listened to her parents’ conversation. One of the slaves, here? She bit down on her lower lip, wondering if there was any way she could persuade her father to pick Number Four. Six weeks had passed since the incident with Dain. She wondered how he had endured the long weeks of solitary confinement. Magny had told her that slaves sometimes went insane after being imprisoned in the hole for more than a week. How did anyone endure a month? Was he glad to be back in the mine? Did even his dismal cell seem welcome after four weeks of being buried alive?
She glanced around the room, its opulence unmatched anywhere on Tierde, and tried to envision being trapped in a dark hole in the ground, with nothing to see but darkness, no voice but her own.
“We’ve never had a slave in the compound,” she remarked casually.
“Does the idea bother you, daughter?” Jadeleine asked, her voice holding a faint note of concern.
“No, of course not,” she replied quickly. “Will you pick him out yourself, Father, or let Parah make the selection for you?”
“I don’t need anyone to make my decisions for me,” Marcus replied. He looked at Jadeleine. “I will, of course, take Parah’s recommendation into account, since he is more familiar with the slaves than I.”
Ashlynne smiled at her father. “Of course.”
“I’ll go tomorrow morning,” Marcus decided. “I’ve been meaning to speak to Parah about the recent decrease in production.”
Tomorrow morning. Ashlynne sat forward, trying not to look too eager, too anxious. “May I ride with you?”
“To the mine?” Marcus asked, astonished. “Of course not!”
“But, I mean, I just thought how nice it would be if I could go with you. I could wait for you at the bridge, and when you’re finished talking to Parah, we could take a ride along the beach.” She smiled her most winning smile. “It’s been months, Father, since we’ve had any time alone together.”
“She’s right,” Jadeleine said. “You haven’t spent much time with Ashlynne lately. I don’t think it would hurt for her to accompany you, this one time.”
Ashlynne held her breath, waiting for her father’s decision.
“I’ll be wanting to leave immediately after first meal,” he said gruffly.
Jumping up, Ashlynne threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be ready! Thank
you, father.”
Walking around the table, she bent down and hugged her mother. “Thank you,” she whispered.
* * * * *
Ashlynne glanced at her father as they rode down the narrow tree-lined path that wound down the hillside to the mine compound. He was a handsome man. He wore his short dark hair cropped close to his head. Clad in dark gray breeches, a light gray shirt, and black leather boots, he cut a dashing figure astride his favorite mount, a high-stepping black stallion. Both his horse and hers had been imported from Earth.
Her father had taught her to ride almost before she could walk. He was an excellent horseman. She knew he was proud of her, had overheard him bragging about her good seat and light hands. Her mother had been thrown when she was a child and as a result she had a deep-seated fear of horses. Marcus had bought her a gentle gelding, but she refused to ride, declaring she much preferred her small shuttle cart, which had no mind of its own, didn’t buck and didn’t smell, but Ashlynne and Marcus went riding every chance they got.
“How’s the new mare working out?” Marcus asked.
“Wonderful, Father. I love her. Thank you.” The chestnut mare had been her father’s gift to her on her seventeenth birthday six months ago.
Ashlynne ran her hand over the mare’s sleek coat. Before her birthday, she’d had to ride one of the native Karu-Atar, which, while pleasant to ride, had none of Artemis’ speed or beauty. The Karu-Atar roamed wild up in the north. They were horse-like in appearance, with long coarse hair, clawed feet, and a whip-like tail.
“You should start making plans for Niklaus’s visit,” Marcus remarked. “It will be year’s end before you know it. Perhaps you should redecorate the two corner suites upstairs. I’ve asked his parents to stay on after the wedding. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Rugen and Zahara.”
Ashlynne nodded. “I’ll talk to Mother about it.”
“I know you don’t want this marriage, Ashlynne, but Rugen is my closest friend.”
“I know.” Rugen and her father had fought in the last Tierdian war together years ago, had pledged their children to each other when Ashlynne had been born.
“Niklaus is a fine young man, with a brilliant career ahead of him.”
The Captive Page 4
