by Jane Shoup
“Faint,” the person whispered before backing away.
Ammey went limp against the bars. She felt warm blood trickling down her face as she half slid onto the floor. It was slimy and cold and the stench was overpowering. She bit the inside of her lower lip, trying not to retch again.
“She got it all over me,” her assailant defended himself. “What does it matter, anyway?”
The first man hauled her limp form up to a seated position. “He’s not a man you disobey. That’s what it matters. Look at her! You knocked her senseless, you fool.”
“We …we could t-take her back and say—”
“Shut up! And carry her,” the first man hissed. “You will explain it to Zephyr.”
Zephyr. Ammey’s blood ran even colder than before. She felt herself jerked up and over a shoulder. The mad creature had not been so mad. There had been purpose in what she or he had done and it had been for her benefit. She was carried a short distance before they turned and started down another corridor. When they stopped, she heard a door creak open. Her heart was hammering so wildly, she feared it would give her away. The man carrying her moved forward again and she was layed onto a table on her back.
“What is this?” Zino demanded.
“It was an accident, m’lord,” her assailant explained weakly. He suddenly didn’t sound so certain of himself. “She tripped and fell.”
“Get the salts,” Zino bellowed.
The outburst startled Ammey and she jumped slightly.
“Never mind,” Zino said. “She’s coming around. Get a cloth.”
Ammey heard one of the men leave, then she heard him shouting commands outside the cell. She could feel Zino moving closer to her. “Jade?” he said softly. “Lady Jade?”
She couldn’t keep pretending to be unconscious when he knew she was not. She opened her eyes.
He was leaning over her with a concerned expression. “Good, you’re awake. I need you awake,” he said gently.
He straightened back up and she saw shackles mounted to bloodstained walls and an array of torture instruments.
“Welcome to my playroom.”
It was everything she could do not to scream in terror. She needed to get up. She needed to somehow fight them.
Zino went to a table of knives and instruments. From the corner of his eye, he noticed her starting to rise. He motioned her back down. “No. You remain in that position. I have use for that position.”
He was going to torture her. She could fight, but she could never win against three large men, not without a weapon. But she would not simply lie back and accept it. The guard was back. He was struggling to catch his breath as he came to her and put a cloth over her cut.
“Press down on it, Jade” Zino ordered. “Stop the bleeding. I do not want any bleeding …that I did not personally cause,” he finished with a wry smile.
She started thinking of all the ways to kill a man. Maybe it wasn’t impossible. She’d been trained.
Zino picked up an instrument and held it out for her inspection. “I designed this myself.”
The man who’d hit her, began to whimper. “My lord,” he beseeched.
“Did you hit her?” Zino asked the man.
“She fell!”
“But before or after you struck her … expressly against my wishes? Don’t bother denying it. I see the mark on her face.”
“I can explain.”
“I did not ask if you could explain. Nor do I care. Do you know why?”
“N-no, m’lord,” he said in a trembling voice.
“Because explanations are for tolerant men.” Zino paused for effect and the only sound was that of the big man’s breathing and of Ammey’s heart pounding. “To the wall,” Zino said. “Leggings down.”
“It was an accident,” the man wailed.
“You will go to the wall for your punishment or you will die.”
The man looked around frantically, obviously considering bolting from the chamber despite the death sentence it meant. The other guard put a hand on his shoulder, but avoided looking into his eyes.
“No, please, my lord,” the condemned man begged as he was pushed closer to the wall.
“It is only to be a lesson in obedience,” Zino said. “But you are trying my patience.”
“Mercy,” the man pleaded as his hands were enclosed in shackles. “Mercy!”
They had left the door unmanned. Ammey felt dizzy and the terror of the situation only added to it, but she had to try.
Zino suddenly hovered over her and slapped her cheek lightly. “Don’t even think about it You and I are spending a long evening together.” He stuck something in front of her face and she jumped. “It’s a vise for male parts,” he explained as he held the instrument in front of her. “It grips,” he said, opening its steel jaws, “and then tightens. You’ll see.” He stated it so pleasantly, as if he were explaining a game.
“Please, my lord, I have served you faithfully,” the frantic man begged.
“Do you hear that?” Zino asked Ammey thoughtfully. “You do and you don’t, because your mind is elsewhere. I know. I understand.”
“I hear him,” Ammey said in a rush of breath.
“But could you repeat his words? Have you listened that closely? What if it meant your freedom?” He paused and pulled the cloth away to check her cut. “The bleeding’s nearly stopped, but keep pressure on it. Facial cuts bleed a lot.” He turned. “Guard the door,” he barked to the free guard. “Unless you feel up to a chase.”
The man obeyed.
“She may look like a delicate flower,” Zino said, “but she fights like a warrior. Don’t you Lady Jade?” Zino strolled to the handcuffed man and secured the vise to his exposed testicles. The man’s whimper became a high-pitched whine. “You see, by turning this,” Zino explained as he did it, “the contraption tightens.” The man’s whine became a frantic cry that escalated in pitch. “As much as you want it to,” Zino spoke up to be heard over the man.
The cry became a scream. Ammey squeezed her eyes shut and felt hot tears squeeze out. She’d never heard a man scream before. She rolled off the table and cowered against the far wall. Zino merely smiled. He knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
~~~
Marko got up from his chair too quickly and had to grab hold of the side of his desk until the room stopped spinning. When it did, he picked up the bottle and left. Tonight, he would insist that she drink. It would loosen her rigidity. If she drank enough, she might even be affectionate. He could go to any other of his women and they would be as effusive as he wished. But not her. Why did he care? Why did he so crave her regard? He climbed the stairs, holding on to the banister for support.
It was her bravery he admired, but there was sweetness in her, as well. He’d seen it so clearly before she knew who he was. She’d touched his heart. Of all his women, she was the one who touched his heart, who could so easily claim it for her own, in exchange for hers. He walked the corridor leading to her room, puzzled by the absence of the guard outside her room. He saw her door standing open. He went in and looked around, alarmed by the empty room and by the unpleasant odor lingering in the air. He set the bottle down and left to find the guard.
~~~
“Get him out of here,” Zino said, stepping back. The vise had been removed and yet the man still screamed in agony. “He will not fail to follow my instructions from hence forth,” Zino said.
“Or walk upright, I imagine,” Jade said as best she could. Her jaw was nearly locked because of the terror she felt.
Zino laughed gustily. “You have spirit, I’ll give you that.” He walked over and perched against the table, staring down to where she sat crouched on the floor. He set the vise aside. “Tell me your name.”
The question jolted her and he narrowed his eyes at her reaction. “Ah,” Zino said. “I only meant your surname, but there is something in play here. I should have guessed, given the way you wormed your way into Marko’s life.” The guard came back in
to the room. “Get her up,” Zino ordered. “I want her against the wall. Facing it.”
~~~
Marko Corin looked formidable as he approached the guards posted in the vestibule. “The guard watching Jade’s room,” he seethed.
The guards had all braced themselves for a tirade. “Yes, sire?”
“Where is he?” Marko yelled.
They shook their heads and looked at one another. “I don’t know, sire.”
“Find him! She is missing! He is missing.”
Most the guards took off in a run and Marko ran his hands through his hair. Had the guard taken her somewhere to have his way with her? Would he be so foolish to forfeit his life like that? What else could have happened? He closed his eyes and thought of the lingering odor in the room. Who or what smelled that badly?
~~~
“We’ll begin with a simple lashing,” Zino said.
She was facing the wall, her hands bound in shackles over her head. She was so tense, knotted muscles began spasming. She heard the whip before she felt it. It bit into her skin like a line of fire and she screamed.
~~~
“She is n-not m-missing, s-sire,” a man called.
Marko turned and saw guards coming back as quickly as they could make their feet move.
“You were on duty?” Marko asked the new face.
He nodded maniacally. “Y-y-yes. They c-came for her.”
“Who?”
“M-men, fuh-fuh-fuh—”
“I’m sorry, sire,” one of the other guards spoke up. “He can’t help it. He—”
Marko held up his hand to silence the second guard and stepped closer. “What men?”
“D-d-du—”
“The dungeon,” Marko blurted, suddenly recognizing the stench. He’d only been in the dungeon once as a young man when he was led through to hear the confession of the man who had assassinated his father. The guard was nodding fervently. “How?” Marko demanded. “On whose orders?”
“Y-y-yours, sire. They s-s-said. They had an w-w-warrant,” he bit out with great concentration.
Marko strode past the guards. He was perfectly sober, he realized as he broke into a run. He didn’t know how that had happened. He only knew that someone would pay for this travesty. Someone would pay with their life.
~~~
“What’s the truth, Jade? If that’s even your name. What is your real name? Your full name?”
Zino had only inflicted three strikes of the lash and she could think of nothing other than wanting the pain to stop. He could go on. He would go on, and she would tell him what he wanted to know. She would betray her family to make the pain stop. She heard the whip again and she acted, drawing back her head and hitting it to the wall as hard as she could.
Zino was so astonished, the whip’s motion died in his hand. She appeared to be unconscious. Had she just knocked herself unconscious? “Get her down!”
She heard the command. The blow had stunned her but she was still alive. She felt arms clamp around her. Her left hand was released from its shackle and it dropped like a dead weight, as if it did not belong to her body. The other hand was released and she was carried back to the table.
Zino leaned over her. “You are not leaving that easily. Clean her up,” he bellowed. “Staunch that fucking blood flow.”
She moaned and prayed for death.
“I will sew that gash closed and then you pay for attempting to take matters into your own hands. You think you’ve known pain?”
“Zino!” It was Marko’s voice.
Zino jerked and then he leaned back over the girl. “Damn you, what is your name?”
“Zino,” Corin yelled again. He was closer and he was furious. “Open it,” Corin demanded. He was at the door.
Ammey was vaguely aware of what was happening, although it was happening through a thick, red haze. Marko was there. He hadn’t known. He would protect her.
“I can explain,” Zino said nervously.
Marko paled at the sight of Jade. She was naked, her face covered in blood.
“She did that to herself,” Zino declared.
Marko looked around the torture chamber, aghast.
Half a dozen guards crowded into the room. “Sire?” one of them said.
“Cover her,” Marko uttered. He was prickling oddly. “Get her to her room. Find the physic.”
“She is a spy,” Zino exclaimed. “I can prove it.”
Two guards moved in, covered her with her own clothing and carried her out. Marko turned and leaned against the wall.
“Sire?” one of the remaining guards spoke. “Are you unwell?”
Marko lifted his hand, needing a moment, and he was reminded of the way Jade had lifted hers to warn of being sick to her stomach. The memory was painful, not that he didn’t deserve it. “Nafino Zephyr is to be confined to his rooms,” he commanded.
“Marko,” Zino cried.
Marko turned back to him and glared. “Kill him if he resists.”
One of the guards looked at Nafino Zephyr fearfully, but Zino stalked past him. Two guards followed him.
Marko looked at the man who’d been assisting Zino. “Get out of my sight,” he warned. “And I would keep going if I were you. Never return here.”
As the man rushed from the room, Marko looked around at the instruments and the blood stained walls and floors. Jade’s blood was there. He’d promised to protect her only to have this happen. This treason, committed by his own advisor. Zino was a traitor. This made him a traitor. Marko took a step and then another. He had to appear strong, no matter how he felt. He left the torture chamber and began the long walk back through the dungeon with five or six of his guards following. More were coming to assist. “Clear the dungeon,” he ordered.
“Clear it, sire? Do you mean …kill them?”
Marko stopped abruptly and looked at the man, wondering how many of his own men thought him utterly heartless. Evil. That’s what Jade had accused him of. What had he done to deserve such a reputation? “Free them,” he clarified. “The place sickens me.”
“Yes, sire.”
~~~
Ammey slumped against one maid as another cleaned her back. She breathed in little pants. More people entered. “Here, drink this,” someone urged, bringing a small cup close. “It will help.”
Ammey moaned. She wanted the drink, but it was too hard to move to get it.
“Here,” Marko said as he walked in. “I’ll do it.”
Ammey felt herself shifted as Marko took over. How ironic that she felt safe in his arms. He eased her back, supporting her head in his palm. “Drink. It will dull the pain.” She managed to swallow some of the bitter concoction. “More,” he coaxed. She managed another swallow and felt the immediate effects of opium. “One more, my love. One more,” he said just above a whisper. “And the pain will be gone.”
She managed another and felt the effects intensify. She leaned against him and he stroked her hair.
“Is that enough?” she heard him ask.
“She will sleep now, your majesty,” a man said. “It will keep her from pain.”
“Good. Get her cleaned up. I will not have her lying in this stench.”
“Yes, sire.”
“I want her senses dulled until these wounds are healed.”
His orders were given and yet he still held her, whispering how sorry he was and that Zino would pay. The tonic was pulling her away. She felt herself lifting, flying, and she realized she could fly home. Finally. She would see her family again. She would see Julia and she would tell her to be more careful. Julia had said Marko didn’t really exist, but he did. He wasn’t even all bad.
Goodbye, Marko.
Would she miss him? She didn’t know. She just didn’t know.
~~~
Marko felt removed from himself as he went back to his rooms. Never handle a delicate situation when you’re under the influence of strong emotion. His father had taught him that, but had he heeded the advice? No. He
had hurt the woman he most wanted to care for in the heat of anger. He was too upset to face Zino tonight, but tomorrow he would. Why had he done this? But why did not matter. He had done it. Zino had taken his property. Valued, beloved property.
Beloved? Was it love? He was too addlebrained to come up with answers tonight. Tomorrow, he would come up with the right questions and the right answers.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mehr sat across from Marko in his private study, watching Zino giving a performance worthy of a stage, an audience and a bucketful of offal and egg shells. When summoned, Zino had come in and presented Marko with his dagger, saying, “If you believe that I am not your most loyal subject, take my life.”
Marko, seated at his desk, took the dagger in hand and ran his fingers along the sides of the blade as if considering.
Do it, Mehr thought. Do it!
“Your father gave me that,” Nafino added. “There would be no more appropriate instrument to use.”
Mehr could have groaned at how easily Zino played his cousin.
“Why?” Marko demanded. “Tell me why!”
“Why was I going to torture her before killing her?” Zino asked as if confused.
Marko gawked with disbelief. “What possessed you to take such a liberty with what belongs to me?” he bellowed.
“I was attempting to extract information from her,” Zino explained reasonably.
Marko slammed the dagger on his desk. “What possessed you to take such liberty with what belongs to me,” he repeated.
“It did not seem such a liberty, sire.”
Marko shook his head, incredulous. He looked at Mehr and then back to Zino. “To kill my woman does not seem a liberty?”
Zino looked profoundly confused. “To kill her? But, sire, you ordered the execution.”
Marko stared uncomprehendingly. “What?”
“Last evening,” Zino said.
Mehr cocked his head slowly, wondering what game was being played.
