by Izzy Shows
"I truly am sorry if the clothes make you uncomfortable," she said.
There was a loneliness in her eyes as she spoke, a longing that was obvious as her hand lingered on my cheek.
I couldn't help but pity her. If she had to resort to slavery to have contact with another being, she must be lonely indeed.
Kaidan
The rest of that day and a good portion of the next passed fairly quickly. Tavixi had yet to give me any duties; she insisted that I needed time to feel comfortable in my new surroundings. With nothing else to do, I did exactly that to pass the time. I explored her city estate, her mansion and its sprawling grounds.
I didn't see how she could possibly be rich enough to own this much land inside a city, especially when I could see over the hedges that marked the end of her land to the cramped buildings that composed the rest of the city. Very rich indeed, if that was anything to go by.
She was probably an heiress, the estate having been passed down through the generations; that would make the most sense. She was a sharp woman, but I had my doubts that she could have amassed enough money for all of this at her age. If I was making an accurate guess of her age.
She appeared to be in her early thirties, but I had thought almost the same of Xiva when I met her, and she had turned out to be several centuries old. I recalled with a fond smile when we had talked about our ages and she had called me a child for only being in my late thirties. The look on her face when I'd asserted that I was a fully-grown man…
Best not to think about that right now. Losing myself in happy memories wasn't going to get me out of this situation; it would only serve to prolong it by distracting me from my goal.
I had found several ways out of the estate during my explorations, but none of them was doing me any good just yet. It came back to the pain collar every time; there was no escaping until I got rid of it. Not that I wasn't tempted to try.
Having had my fill of the estate, I turned to the only other thing that could get my mind off my situation without being a waste of time: working out. I refused to lose my edge while I was here, since it was likely going to be what would grant me my freedom when I got the chance.
Everything in my life had always come down to some sort of violence. I was a soldier, after all, and I wasn't known for diplomatic solutions. I was a Raider, an elite killer, and I was only called in when a situation needed to be resolved quickly and quietly, and that always meant bloodshed. I didn't know how to act in any other way, and I wasn't eager to learn. Violence had been a suitable answer so far, and I doubted anything else would get me the results I needed.
I grunted as I lifted the weighted bar above me, then held it above me for a few seconds before I lowered it to my chest and pushed it up again.
Have to keep this up. Can't let myself go soft. Can't let anyone get the better of me.
I was lucky that Tavixi had a well-stocked exercise room, though I doubted she used most of the items in here. If I had to guess, I would say she only had it for display. Something to show off, to demonstrate her wealth, because it was damned fine equipment and I could only imagine how much a lot of it had cost.
"There you are!" Tavixi's voice echoed in the room as she came in, her heels clacking on the floor.
With another grunt, I put the weighted bar back in its rack slightly above and behind me, and I sat up on the bench.
"What can I do for you, Mistress?" I said the word through gritted teeth, spite filling my voice. I had been corrected many times on how to properly address her, to the point that I had become exhausted by the chastisement and had given in. It was a small concession, but it cost me quite a lot of my pride.
I hated that she could take so much away from me, and that I was powerless to do anything about it. I'd never been in a situation like this before, had never been so out of control of my own destiny, and I didn't know what to do about it. I didn't know how to take back the control that had been taken from me, and that was a source of great alarm.
But worrying about it didn't do me any more good than wallowing in my memories did, which was why I tried to ignore it as best I could.
"I have something for you," she said with excitement in her voice.
I turned on the bench, lifting one leg and bringing it over to the other side so that I was no longer straddling it.
She had both her hands behind her back and was shifting her weight from one foot to the other because of all the nervous energy inside her.
I arched an eyebrow. "Something for me, eh?"
She thrust a bundle of sticks at me, her eyes trained on me, clearly watching for whatever reaction I gave her.
For a second, I just eyed the sticks, confused. I didn't know what they were for, or what she wanted me to do with them, and though I kept trying to figure it out, I eventually realized I was going to have to ask her.
I took the sticks from her, examining them one more time, then shook my head.
"What do you want me to do with them?"
She frowned and bit her lip. "I researched your culture, and I understand that your people express affection by offering dead plant matter to each another. Did I do it wrong?"
For the first time since she'd purchased me, I found myself amused. The way she was looking at me was adorable: so anxious, so worried about my reaction, her cheeks coloring as if she was embarrassed.
I couldn't help but laugh, and the sound strange to my ears. "Uh, well, yeah. I see where you were coming from, but we don't go around giving each other 'dead plant matter.' We give each other flowers. And usually it's the guy giving the girl flowers."
She deflated like a popped balloon, looking absolutely miserable.
"Drat. I really tried. I'm sorry. I thought it would be a nice surprise to have a reminder of your home world."
I stood up, smiling at her, oddly finding that I wanted to comfort her. "Hey, it's all right. It's the thought that counts. That's what we always say back home, anyway. It's not what you give a person, it's that you thought to give something to them. That's what really matters."
Hope flared in her eyes as she looked up at me. "Really?"
"Yeah, really," I said. "But why are you trying to give me flowers?"
A coy smile came over her lips, and she looked up at me through thick eyelashes. "I thought you might like them."
Oh. Duh. She's trying to court you.
It should have been obvious, considering the way she'd been eyeballing me, but I hadn't put two and two together. I still didn't understand why she was going to all this trouble, why she didn't just take what she wanted.
I was her property, I thought bitterly. It wasn't like I had any sort of say in the matter.
Xiva
The world was dark around me, though it was not the darkness of my unconscious mind. I had been locked in the cargo hold of my new master's ship for what I was certain was several days, though the only way I had to mark the time was by the daily meal I was brought. Apparently, they weren't concerned with how well-fed I was, just with making sure that I had enough food to keep me alive.
I wish they would stop feeding me. I wish they would let me die.
The thought was not surprising, though it had been when it first came to me. It had reappeared several times during the past few days, and I was certain this was not the last time I would think it.
I had not been able to identify a successful means of escape yet, though I hadn't entirely given up hope that I would. It was just a matter of time, of course. There was always a weakness in whatever system you found yourself a part of. I just had to find that weakness.
It wasn't the waiting that was bothering me so much. Being locked in the cargo hold for days on end was fine with me; I had been buried deep underneath the surface of my planet for two millennia. I could wait as long as I needed to.
It was the way my mind was running wild that bothered me. I didn't know who my owner was or what he was going to do with me. He hadn't spoken a word to me as he collected me from the sla
ve block and led me to his ship, where he'd promptly chained me up and left me alone. There were no other slaves down here, no other people at all, and my daily meal was brought to me by a droid. I'd had no contact with the outside world, and that was a recipe for madness.
I'd heard the slavers, warning my new master about my magic, about the way I'd burned them when they tried to take my clothes from me or knock me out. It was a good warning to give, for I wasn't sure I could contain myself if my new master did finally appear, though I did not want to resort to magic to make my escape.
Something in the back of my mind kept me from using it to destroy. Though I had been locked in here with nothing but my mind for company, I still had yet to explore what it was that was stirring in the back of my mind. I didn't think I would like it when I poked it.
The slavers had said my new master didn't have anything to worry about, though they were not aware that I didn't want to use my magic to cause harm; they had implanted a chip in me while I was knocked out the first time, one that they'd activated to link my life to my master's. I couldn't kill him without killing myself.
The thought made me grind my teeth together. Killing him was likely the only way out of this, but I couldn't do it without causing my own death.
Would that really be so bad? Wouldn't it be worth it to die taking someone like him out of the universe?
He had dared to purchase another sentient being, to chain me against the wall, to do with me as he wished. He was not someone who was worth allowing to live, but I didn't know if he was worth my own life. There were many more like him, as I'd learned on the slave block, and I would want to take the whole lot of them out. Not just him.
I still couldn't believe that this had happened. I couldn't believe that slavery even existed. It had never been so on Eyrus; my people had never enslaved one another, though I had to admit I didn't know the practices of the other countries. Communication had been limited, and it was possible that they had practiced slavery, though I found it unlikely.
Vivoth and Nytoc would have punished anyone who had done this; of that I was certain.
Your philosophy will get you nowhere, Xiva. You're a slave all the same.
That was the truth of the matter. Being enraged at this practice wasn't going to save me. I just had to wait until an opportunity presented itself, then I would get out of here—but only long enough to ensure that I couldn't be taken again. Then I would come back and stop this barbaric practice.
Light filtered into the cargo hold as a door slid open, scraping against the floor, and footsteps sounded.
I frowned. It wasn't time for my daily meal yet, and the droids did not walk.
Who was here?
I could not identify the person who walked into the room because the light was at his back, though his scent told me what I needed to know. This was my new master, the man who had bought me.
I schooled my expression into a calm mask that would give nothing away and looked down at the floor. I did not know where his eyes were, so I wouldn't allow myself to look wildly about.
He came to me and unlocked my chain from the wall, then took several steps back while holding the chain so that I was forced to stand and walk lest I be dragged along the floor. A protest formed on my lips, but I swallowed it.
I wasn't going to convince him to let me go, not yet, possibly not ever. Someone with a taint of evil on his soul black enough to allow such behavior as this was not one who could be reasoned with; of that I was certain.
He led me from the cargo hold and off the ship, into a darkened street.
"Where are we going?" I asked, unable to hold my silence.
He didn't like that, or I assumed as much, because the collar around my throat seized, sending a shock through my body. I clenched my teeth together to prevent myself from making a sound and weathered the pain until it ended.
Silence it would be, then.
We walked into a building very quickly, as if he didn't want to be seen on the streets. Perhaps because what he was doing was improper?
I wondered if slavery was outlawed on whatever planet we had come to, and felt a small flicker of hope. Though I was already inside the building, if I could get out of it and draw attention to myself, perhaps someone would alert the authorities.
My eyes adjusted to the dim lighting inside the building, and I saw that this was something of a club. There was a front desk with a man in uniform behind it, to whom my master was currently speaking, and beyond this desk were several couches and halls leading off the main room, with several doors at the far end. The carpet was of high quality, and the walls were painted gold.
But there were no windows that I could see. This further cemented the idea that what he was doing, holding me captive like this, was illegal here.
If it hadn't been, they wouldn't be sneaking around so much. They wouldn't be hiding themselves.
I had to know for certain. I decided to break one of my personal rules and lowered the barriers around my mind, seeking out the thoughts of others even as my master led me farther into the club.
As we walked past the males who were standing about, talking to one another, I got a nasty feeling from each of them, and their thoughts gave me no comfort.
Look at that creature. Never seen anyone like her before. I wonder what her blood will look like in the arena.
Can't wait to see that pretty face marred. She'd look even better with her skull bludgeoned.
I hope one of the men gets a good fucking out of her before he kills her. Bet she'd make some nice little sounds.
I shuddered, unable to hide my reaction. This place, these people—they were horrible. They were sick, depraved, delighting in the degradation and torture of women.
They wanted to see me hurt. They were fantasizing about it.
It was no wonder they kept themselves hidden. They would have to, if this was the way they thought, if these were their beliefs. No rational government could allow such activities; I couldn't believe that any such government could exist. The females of the species wouldn't allow it. That had to be true.
What if all the women are held captive like you are? What if this is the common belief, and you're going to die here?
No, I couldn't allow myself to believe that. That way led to madness and misery, and I would not succumb. If I had to delude myself into believing that this was a freak circumstance, that was what I was willing to do.
I followed my new owner, whose name I still did not know and likely would not learn, through various corridors until we arrived in a room that looked more a holding cell. It was empty of any luxuries, containing only a cot in the far corner, and there was no window here either.
Another indication that they would prefer to hide their activities from the outside world, or that they were trying to prevent me from calling out for help. Either way, it reassured me that this was not normal behavior.
"You are going to stay here until the tournament begins," he said, gesturing around the room.
I took a few steps forward, as far as I could go with the leash he had on me. "What tournament?"
I might as well try to get as much information out of him as I could.
He closed the distance between us and unclipped the leash from my collar. "I expect you to behave, but I am not above using your collar to keep you in place, and if you disobey, you will be chained to the wall again."
He nodded at the far wall, where there were chains lying in wait for me. I kept my composure, but I allowed myself a mental shudder at the idea of being chained again. At least I would be allowed to stretch my legs, which had grown quite stiff over the few days I had been chained inside the transport ship.
"What tournament?" I asked again.
He grinned. "Persistent little thing. That should work well for you in the tournament. You are going to fight several men and women to the death. If you don't fight, we'll simply kill you ourselves, assuming you somehow manage to convince your enemy not to fight you. But don't hope for that.
They know they'll die either way and that the only way to survive is to kill everyone else. In addition to the males and females you will be fighting, there will also be a number of beasts. At least there were last time. I'm not sure what they have planned this time."
I frowned. "You expect me to murder for you? That will not happen."
"You absolutely will kill for me," he snarled, with death in his eyes. "I expect you to win this tournament. I've got a lot of money riding on this, and if you do your job right, you'll be taken care of for life. Who knows—if you impress me enough, I may even set you free."
Freedom.
This was the simplest path to freedom, and at the moment it appeared to be the only path. Still, the idea of needless bloodshed was repugnant to me. I did not believe in killing for sport, whether it be an animal or a person. Every life served a purpose, and so must every death.
I shook my head. "I will not kill for you."
He took a step towards me, gripping my forearm hard enough to bruise. "I don't care what you think about it. You're going to fight, or you're going to die."
He clearly cared more about the money than his own depraved desires with regard to hurting females, and that certainly worked in my favor for the moment, should I choose to give in.
Instead, I spat in his face. "I will not fight for you."
Immediately, pain seared through my neck and spread down through my body, dropping me to my knees and leaving me gasping for air. I barely managed to keep myself from screaming by biting my lip hard enough to draw blood.
"You'll fight for me, bitch, because if you don't, I promise you a fate much worse than death. You'll be begging for death by the time I'm through with you."
And with that, he stalked out of the cell and slammed the door shut.
The agony from the pain collar continued.
Xiva
I was standing in front of a 3D viewer, a device that took my image and projected it back to me so I could see what I looked like. It was decent technology, though it paled in comparison to what we had used on Eyrus.
