by Blooding, SM
I was hauled out of the pool long before I was ready, though my hands had begun to prune. By this time, I was able to stand on my own. Walking was a slightly different story. Servant women came and dressed me in clothes much finer than any I’d ever worn. They felt sticky. Foreign.
“Can you walk?” one of the men asked. Faceless. Nameless. Sea of uniforms. They all looked the same.
My nod was heavy.
“Good.” He turned away. “I’m tired of carrying you. Follow me.”
I moved more slowly than I was used to, lacking grace. I needed the wall to keep me upright. However, we made it up three flights of stairs, pausing often so I could catch my breath, and finally into a room of satin and sunlight.
Queen Nix waited for me, perched on a padded stool in front of her mirror, a servant girl brushing out her long, black hair. As soon as we entered, she rose and came to my side. “You look exhausted.”
I said nothing. I knew I couldn’t look really fantastic. One eye was still swollen shut and the other was difficult to open all the way due to a healing cut across my eyelid. I stood in the middle of the room and assessed the situation. If this was hell, I wasn’t certain how it operated.
“Come lie down on the bed,” she said, guiding me in that direction. “Let me tend to your wounds.”
I balked. I felt a twinge in my gut signaling danger, but how could a bed be a bad thing?
She turned to me, appearing sincere. “You’ve spent months in that cell. Come, let your body remember the comfort of a bed.”
“Why?”
“My queen,” my guard said, his heels snapping together, “do you require anymore assistance?”
She waved him off. “Now, enough with this nonsense. Come.”
“Why?” I repeated.
She took a step away. “Why? Why what, Primus?”
“Why…” I gestured feebly with my hand. “…this? Now?”
“You will speak in the language of the Hands, a language you know well.” She smiled at me as if I were a child, and cupped my cheek in her hand. “You’re not thinking straight.”
“Likely,” I said in my native tongue, “because I was beaten.”
“I apologize about that, my sweet, but it had to be done.”
I swallowed and stared at her through my half open eye.
“You had to be turned, had to be reprogrammed.”
“Brainwashed you mean?”
She tsked at me. “It would appear that you are in need of more?”
“More what? Beatings?”
“If we must, yes.”
I stared at her with exhausted incredulity. “Are you serious?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Why are you still speaking in the language of the barbarians?”
“The language of my Family?”
Her expression hardened, her eyes narrowed, her cheeks sucked in with anger. “I am your family now, Synn. You are a Primus.”
I snorted. “I am yours?”
She smiled, the anger melted away. “Yes.” Her voice was soft, as was her hand on mine. “Come. Drink. Eat. And then you must sleep.” She pushed me to the bed.
This time I didn’t resist. I didn’t have the energy to.
She handed me a glass of water, and helped me bring it to my lips. When I was done, she took it and replaced the glass with a piece of bread. “Slowly.”
I nibbled at the bread, but everything was so heavy; my eyelids, my hands.
She rubbed a healing salve into each of my wounds.
I let my head fall back. “What did you put in the water?”
“Nothing, my dear. You’ve had a very trying time.” She took the bread lying in my lap and closed my eyes. “Sleep.”
She sat there for a long moment, tucking a cover around me. When I felt her leave, I opened my eyes and watched her step toward the vanity, picking up a hairbrush.
“What are you doing with the boy?” a female voice like tempered steel asked.
Nix turned to the woman who had just entered the room.
“What is your plan?”
“You’ve seen his Mark, Dyna.” Nix put her hairbrush down.
I turned my head to see better. The Queen of Swords. She wore a tight leather uniform of blue and silver, her pale hair pulled back in a long braid. Her blue eyes watched me with quiet disdain.
“I see the Mark. Surely you know he is too old.”
“Do not doubt me, sister. The greatest Mark mankind has ever seen shall be mine to command.”
“You go too far.”
“Do you fear for me?”
Dyna’s pale lips flattened as she turned her gaze to Nix. “You have broken him.”
“Far from it, my dear Dyna.” Nix’s eyes fell on me, meeting my gaze. “He’s still fighting my every move.” She came to stand by me, stroking my arm, never letting my gaze fall. “Aren’t you?”
I didn’t really think she needed an answer. I held onto her gaze in defiance.
“You cannot hope that this will go well.”
“I need him strong, sister.” She raised her hand and closed my eyes again. This time, I let them stay closed. Sleep beckoned. “He will be willing to follow me. I will make certain of it.”
“Sister,” Dyna’s padded footsteps drew closer, “just be careful. He is dangerous.”
“That is the reason I want him.”
The blissfulness of sleep finally overtook me.
* * *
In the weeks that followed, I healed. She let me out of her bedroom and into a few of the rooms adjoining it. I saw no one.
The walls were smooth and sheer, and the rooms she kept me in were high above the city. The door at the end of the short hall was locked. There was no way out unless I wished to take my life.
I wasn’t willing to do that.
Along with my strength, a renewed sense of rage built; quiet, seething. I would find a way out of there and then I’d have my revenge.
Nix had many rules and she ensured that I understood all of them.
If I failed to obey those rules, she would have me bound and beaten back into submission, or she would—
I swallowed, watching the strange two winged vessels burr through the air.
She liked to use my body against me. It craved her touch, though I loathed it. She would drug me, then bind me to the bed and pet me, exclaiming over my body’s enjoyment. She would continue until I relented, agreed to do her bidding, obeyed whatever rule she’d set forth.
Who was I becoming? What had I already given up?
Each day of continued captivity only fueled my anger further, though I was getting better at hiding it.
Nix seemed to understand that. As we sat at the table one night, perched on our pillows, eating a supper of grapes and squid, her painted nails tapped a frustrated cadence.
I remained quiet, waiting for her to speak. I had paid the price for speaking out of turn before. She’d bound me to a chair, unable to move for hours, unable to speak. I would wait.
“You seem restless, Synn.”
It was not a question.
“What can I do to give you happiness?”
The only answer that leapt to my tongue was one that would provide me with further punishment. “I am happy, my queen,” I said quietly, calmly eating my meal, my gaze lowered.
She threw down her unfinished bread. “You are not.”
I let my hands still, keeping my gaze on my goblet of water.
She rose to her feet, crossed the room and came back to stand beside me.
I looked up.
She held in her hands a heavy tome.
I set down my silverware.
She raised her chin and peered down at me. “You are interested in the stars, are you not?”
What was she playing at? “If it pleases you, then I am.”
Her lips flattened. “It would please me if you remembered something you once enjoyed.”
“I only enjoy the benefit of your company.”
“Yo
u do not lie well.”
“Perhaps, my queen, it is because I lack the ability to use your language with the necessary skill.”
Her eyebrow rose. “Oh, you use it well.” She sighed and handed me the volume before regaining her seat. “Read it. This time tomorrow, I hope to see a little more passion.”
The next day, I remained undisturbed as fiery Kala rose and fell to be replaced by bright, cool Sang. The book was filled with all the knowledge I’d only barely tapped into on my own. The astronomers had made huge discoveries. They had an optiscope that made mine look like sticks. They called it a telescope.
They mapped out what they called solar systems. We were at the edge of the system that surrounded Kala. They had mathematical diagrams for our seasons, each turn around Kala, and defined why some winters were longer than others.
They even had other “planets” that they theorized might have life.
I was intrigued. Stars with life like ours. Was it possible?
I barely moved from my spot on the balcony. I got up to get water, to eat and to relieve myself. Otherwise, I was engrossed in the book she had given me.
Nix.
What was I going to do about her?
I needed a chance to get out of this tower to see the city, to find a way to escape. There was a limit, an edge. I could see it. I could see the airplanes as they landed and left. It was possible to leave.
If I only knew how.
Nix had mentioned something about a collegium. The Great Families knew about it, but had no idea where it was. Perhaps, the children were here, being instructed in the technologies the Hands had stolen, learning the magicks the Hands offered.
Perhaps if I showed an interest, she would let me take a class.
I stared at the page outlining the system surrounding Kala with longing. Were there classes on this? What about classes on the technologies? Weaponry? What knowledge could I take with me when I escaped?
The door to the suite opened and closed. I didn’t look up. I knew who it was.
Quiet footsteps padded through the room and stopped at the door to the balcony, the sheer curtains fluttering in the breeze.
I didn’t move, but watched her through my eyelashes.
She placed one hand on the door frame, the other on her hip, one long, smooth leg peeking through the slit in her dress. “You’re still reading the book?”
“There is much to read, my queen.” I watched her reaction from the corner of my eye. I turned the page and shook my head, allowing a slight smile to spread across my lips. “Did you know that we are a moon to the planet Kel’mar, and that Kel’mar travels around Kala?”
She was quiet for a long moment before she moved from the door, and came to sit beside me where I was sprawled belly down on the balcony. “Can you read this language well?”
I nodded. “Though the handwriting is poor in places, which makes it difficult. But see here?” I pointed to a particular line of text. “The years of Ilona are marked by the passing around Kel’mar.” I grinned. “That’s fascinating. I’ve never seen that in my studies.”
Her eyes lit up in genuine enjoyment. “Probably because you were too busy manning a ship.”
“That is possible, my queen. A ship takes a great deal of work to maintain.” I turned the page and blankly studied the picture.
She ran her finger along the ink. “This really interests you?”
I nodded slightly. “It does, my queen.”
She pursed her lips in thought.
I smiled and read the inscription under my thumb. “Festos is actually an asteroid. I did not even know what an asteroid was until today. Apparently it is like trash, or the debris of planets and moons after they’ve collided.” I leaned my weight on one arm, looking up at her. “The star clouds we see in winter? They’re a part of that.”
She reached out and traced the line of my cheek, her dark eyes thoughtful. “We have classes in the collegium.”
I feigned surprise. “On this?”
A smile settled upon her lips. “Yes. The man who authored that book is one of our instructors.”
I let out a puff of air, my eyes trailing the two-page picture. “That would be…” I shook my head. “…amazing.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I could let you go. For a price.”
I knew that was coming. I allowed my smile to slip, my chin raising. “And what would that be?”
She brought her face to mine, her eyes grabbing mine. “Promise me that you are mine.”
I breathed, my mind racing. I could lie to her. Would she believe me? No. I shook my head slightly. “I cannot promise this.”
Her eyes lit with approval. “Then you will be guarded.” She rose to a seated position. “Varik,” she called.
The door opened and the man in the long coat with the oiled hair and pointed beard stepped through the door. “Yes, my queen?”
She beamed at me. “Tomorrow, Synn Primus shall be going to classes. Please organize it. Make sure he obeys all the rules.”
Varik eyed me, one eyebrow raised slightly, his hands clasped before him. “Of course, my queen.” He turned and left.
She closed the book. “Come, young Primus. Let us eat. And then you can regale me with all the wonders you learned today.”
I watched her disappear with a wary gaze. I wasn’t sure what game she was playing.
But I knew I couldn’t lose. Not again.
CHAPTER 7
YOU WILL ALWAYS BELONG TO ME
I stared at myself in the tall gilded mirror. I’d changed over the past months. I was more wiry, my face harsher. A scar zigzagged across my right eye. The pin-striped pants and black vest hung from me like I was a wraith. My Mark rose above the folded collar of my white button-up shirt in charred scars.
I didn’t recognized the man in the mirror.
Varik knocked on the door.
I tried not to appear too eager as I stepped into the hall.
Apparently, I failed.
“This is a trap, you understand,” Varik said as he led me down the narrow, winding stairway.
I maintained my silence. I didn’t want him reporting that I’d spoken out of turn.
“She knows you’re looking to escape.”
I couldn’t tell if he was an ally or the enemy, but I wasn’t going to trust him. Nix did. That was enough for me.
“I was her pet once too, you know.” He took in a deep sigh, his step even. “She always gets what she wants.”
I looked at him in a whole new light. “What does she want?”
“To own you.” He glanced over his shoulder at me. “As soon as she does, she’ll discard you.”
“Like she did you?”
He raised his chin.
My mouth fell open. “Do you honestly want to be owned by her?”
“You will see. You fight and fight and then one day, you find you’re fighting for the sake of fighting, not because you have no wish to be had by her.”
I clenched my jaw. That wasn’t likely to happen.
“Has she taken you to bed yet?”
I kept my gaze straight ahead, not wanting to speak of it.
“Have you ever lain with a woman?”
My eyebrow twitched. This was not the conversation I wanted to have at the moment.
“Take my advice. Stop fighting her. Just enjoy it. It’s sex. It’s meant to be something to look forward to.”
“I’d rather not.”
He stopped at the door at the base of the stairs and turned to me. “Then she will continue to hold it over you. As soon as you accept the enjoyment, it will cease to be a punishment.”
I blinked, but decided to ignore him. I didn’t want to “enjoy” a single second of her. Today I was going to class. I would see what things I could learn, what routes I could possibly use to escape. So what if she knew that’s what I intended to do. I’d just have to be more cunning.
He interrupted my thoughts. “Speak to no one. Touch no one. Go to classes. She will visit less and
less the more she thinks she controls you. However, should she see you getting close to anyone, you will feel the consequence.”
There was a lot about that man I didn’t know. “And now that she owns you, do you have friends?”
“Friends are a luxury.” Varik walked into the yellowing sunlight. “And with Nix, who else would I need?”
Hmm. Who else indeed.
As soon as I stepped onto the green grass between the buildings, the call of the sky overtook me. I stopped, raising my face to it, feeling its endlessness overwhelm me, the air caressing my skin. Studying the sky, shock washed over me. The green orb, Melbon, wasn’t where it should have been. It was high and to the right, a dim green speck against Kel’mar’s red domination. I should have been able to see clouds and land and oceans.
I searched for Festoos, the large orange glowing rock that had been in my sky before I’d been taken captive. It was no longer there. Granted, there were several tall buildings blocking my view, but the asteroid should have been off to my left and just now starting to grow dim and distant.
How long had I been in captivity? Nearly an entire season? How was that even possible? My mind raced. All of the ice would be gone except at the distant caps. We were fully into summer.
I stared blankly around me. I’d missed my opportunity to capture my spitfire falcon. Even if I did manage to escape, I would have to wait an entire turn, five to seven years, before I could attempt to capture my falcon.
Varik had set me up in a language course, the astronomy class, and another on the history of weapons. I was frankly surprised by the last class. Though by the conversations I had with Nix each night, I soon realized she was testing my willingness to submit. She would tell me of old passages through the city that most people had forgotten, saying it as if she’d slipped.
I knew her game and I was going to be better at it. I had to be.
So I played my part. The days turned into weeks, the weeks to months, and still we played. But by now, I was getting better.
I followed Varik’s advice, keeping a distance between myself and my classmates.I spoke only when I had to, which wasn’t often. Everyone basically gave me a wide berth as though I were contagious.
