Of Thorn and Thread

by Chanda Hahn

  “Repeat after me,” she commanded. “My powers are gone.”

  I couldn’t disobey. “My powers are gone.” My mouth moved on its own.

  “I obey man’s desire.”

  “I obey man’s desire.” I wanted to throw up. Rail against the woman.

  This time a single tear escaped.

  “Drat, you ruined your makeup. Tamara!” Esme screamed and the poor girl came scrambling in to fix my eye makeup.

  “No more crying, do you hear me?” she ordered.

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “Then it’s time.”

  It was the first time I left my room, and I was scared. The silken room was the only constant along with Tamara in this drugged-induced prison, and I knew what to expect within the fuchsia-colored walls. I didn’t know what dangers lay beyond.

  I remember stairs. Stumbling on carpets, and someone having to hold me upright as I navigated the twists and turns that never seemed to end. Lanterns flickered at each passage and I felt a draft as we entered a room, and the ceiling rose. I smelled incense, but then something else. Earth. As though we were underground.

  The room brightened, and they led me to the middle of a group of men where they forced me to kneel on a silken pillow. I was glad I was kneeling because I didn’t think I could stand anymore.

  The lanterns behind the men cast them into hazy silhouettes. My glazed vision couldn’t focus, and it looked packed. For once, I wasn’t afraid to be around this many men because I couldn’t hear what they were thinking. Yes, it was probably horrid thoughts, but I didn’t know. I sat there, my hands in my lap, and I couldn’t stop staring at the jewel embedded into my painted thumbnail.

  Who would do that? It was impractical.

  “What’s wrong with her?” someone asked.

  “It’s the drugs. All the girls are on it, and it keeps them compliant,” an older man answered.

  “I don’t know, it seems to take all the fun out of it.”

  “On the contrary, they will do anything you ask of them. Their free will’s gone. If you want them to fight, they will fight. If you want them to act like a cat, they will act like a cat.”

  “A cat? Is that the best that you can come up with?”

  “It’s too dark, can we see her?” a firm voice called out.

  “Why, certainly.” Esme stepped forward and lifted my chin up. I couldn’t focus on the speaker. My eyes closed and my head fell forward.

  “Let’s start the bidding at thirty gold pieces.”

  “Forty.”

  “Fifty.”

  Numbers . . . numbers. It could have been colors for all I cared. Nothing mattered except the nothingness I felt.

  “Five hundred gold pieces,” a voice called out.

  The room fell silent, and I turned to face the shadowy voice. I didn’t recognize him, but he came forward and pulled a bag of money from under his cloak. His hair was dark and unruly, his eyes cunning.

  “For that price, you could have multiple girls,” Esme replied.

  “I only want her.” He came and held out the bag to Esme.

  She was hesitant to take the gold. “You know, it’s just for one night. She’s way too valuable to me to just give her up.”

  “One night with her is all I need to fulfill enough fantasies for a lifetime,” the stranger added.

  “Right you are.” Esme snatched the bag from the rich bidder and pointed toward a hallway.

  Guards grabbed me under the arms and lifted me up to follow Esme to a back room. The stranger followed behind and they unceremoniously dumped me onto an enormous bed covered with pillows and blankets. They pushed the stranger inside after me. The door slammed behind him, and a deadbolt slid into the lock.

  He cursed under his breath. “I wasn’t expecting that. Now we’re really stuck here.”

  I whimpered as he came and sat on the bed next to me. He reached out to help me sit up, placing a stack of pillows behind my neck. His eyes sparkled and looked like giant, jet-black jewels. No, it wasn’t his eyes. It was the drugs that made his eyes sparkle.

  “You really are beautiful. Stunning, really. I really thought you would be more aware. This really hampers my plans. But wait, you’re supposed to do anything I tell you to.”

  It was coming. My heart thudded loudly in my chest. The moment I had been dreading.

  The stranger leaned forward, his lips inches from mine, his breath warm on my skin. He ran a finger down the side of my face. “I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to kiss you.”

  I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, and he pulled back. “No, sorry, that wasn’t a command. Your beauty momentarily distracted me. That was just my wishful thinking. I’m sorry I worded that wrong. I’m an idiot.”

  I shouldn’t have been able to cry. They commanded me not to, but I did. A single tear slid down my cheek.

  “Oh, Aura, don’t cry.” He leaned close and wiped the tear away.

  Aura. This man called me Aura when Esme had me billed as Aurora. An icy chill ran through my body. Who was this man? How did he know me?

  “I’m really sorry about stealing that kiss from you. It wasn’t my intent. I’m not here to harm you.”

  I blinked in confusion.

  He flashed me a debonair smile. “I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself and explain earlier. I’m Devin Hapsturn, and I’m here to kidnap you.”

  I inhaled and leaned back.

  “No, wait. I mean, kidnap you from the kidnappers. This is a rescue attempt, although we probably need rescuing ourselves now.”

  My hands trembled and Devin clasped them between his and rubbed them as if to bring feeling back to the tips of my fingers.

  He rubbed them, and they tingled. “Can you feel that?”

  I nodded.

  “I’m friends with Liam. Don’t worry. We’ll get you out of here.”

  My heart thudded at hearing Liam’s name. I wanted to ask a million questions. Was he here? Where was he? But I could not get my thoughts to form into words.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “You’re welcome, but don’t thank me until I figure out how to get out of a locked room.”

  Heavy footfalls came near, and they slowed just outside our door. We waited with bated breath. They continued on down the hall, and I released a sigh.

  Devin leaned nearer. “That was close. They’re expecting us to spend the night together, so I’m going to douse the lights to keep the guards from spying on us while I think of something.”

  He got up and moved around the room, snuffing out each candle and dousing the lanterns until nothing remained lit except for a light in the hall that shone under the door. Devin came back and sat on the bed next to me.

  “Is this okay, am I too close? I just want to be near enough if they come to check on us, we can pretend.”

  I nodded as more tears fell from my eyes. I couldn’t believe it. It seemed too good to be true. Was I truly going to be rescued?

  We laid in the dark, shoulder to shoulder, and I wasn’t afraid because Devin was near me. He reached out and placed his hand over mine comfortingly. A few candle marks later we heard footsteps rushing down the hall. Devin rolled on top of me, using his forearms to keep himself elevated inches above me. He leaned down and his breath felt like little kisses across my neck.

  “It’s okay. I suspected they might do this. If you can, wrap your arms around my neck. All we have to do is fool them if they slide the spy hatch open and look in. Then maybe they will leave us alone.”

  I heard the footsteps stop in front of our door. Terrified that Esme or her men would suspect something was amiss, I did more than wrap my hands around Devin. I pulled him down on top of me and painfully smashed my lips against his.

  I caught Devin off guard, and at first, he pulled away, but then he remembered who we were trying to fool. He kept still. His lips pressed against mine and we stayed frozen like that. Immobile. Then his lips parted, and he kissed me for real. A soft nibble on my bo
ttom lip, and I gasped. My fingers digging into the back of his hair. He took it for consent and kissed me deeper. But then he pulled back and looked at me.

  “I’m so sorry. I want to, but I shouldn’t.”

  And all I remembered was his verbal desire for me to kiss him. I reached up and pulled his mouth down on mine and we kissed again, the heat building between us because of my drugged state.

  The deadbolt slid open, and someone entered.

  “Devin, what in the world is going on here?” a familiar male voice yelled. A lantern swung our way, illuminating Devin and I, our bodies entwined together.

  Standing over us, his face a stony mask, was Liam.

  Devin rolled away and stood at attention. “Sorry, Liam, I was just doing my part to protect her virtue.”

  “Protect it,” Liam snarled. “It seems like you were destroying it.”

  I had never seen Liam so angry, so unsettled. He was a different person. Nothing like my gentle shield. Here was a man undone.

  “Aura,” he called my name, the lantern swung toward my dilated eyes.

  I cried out as the light was painful. He lowered the lantern to the floor and moved to sit on the bed. I watched as he took in my hair, my skimpy clothes, and he glanced away in shame. It was the biggest rejection by far.

  His astute eyes picked out the bruise on my cheek that the makeup couldn’t hide. He ran a finger along my yellowed eye. He scanned the rest of my body and saw the minor burns and bruises.

  “This is all my fault.” His voice filled with regret. “I couldn’t find you. I could not protect you.”

  “You found me,” I whispered.

  “Just too late,” he groaned.

  I wanted him to wrap those arms around me the way he used to, to shield me, but after what he saw with Devin, I knew he wouldn’t touch me again.

  He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, and even though I shouldn’t have, I cried.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When I stepped out into the fresh air, I winced as the sunlight burned my eyes. I wasn’t the only one affected by the change. A cry of pain from my right as Tamara and a young woman with olive skin covered their eyes and released sobs of joy.

  Devin handed me his cloak and buttoned it around my neck, covering my silk outfit

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Devin held my elbow and guided me to a wagon. Lowering the backboard, he lifted me up and set me down with care.

  “Let me go!” Smitty screamed as he was dragged out of the tunnels by a guard, his wrists bound in chains.

  “I charge you and your accomplice with kidnapping and trafficking of women,” Liam declared.

  “We only done what we were paid to,” Bart whined. On his knees, hands bound, he didn’t seem that threatening.

  “You will be imprisoned and await your sentencing at Highbridge Tower,” Liam snapped his fingers and they chained Smitty and Bart to a wagon, put under guard along with all the other men captured in the illegal brothel.

  Liam paced in front of the hideout as he waited for Madam Esme to appear.

  “Commander, she’s gone!” A soldier came running out of the cave.

  “Hayes, what do you mean she’s gone?”

  “I found Berk and Frederick, unconscious, the Madam’s chains discarded on the ground. Should we go after her?”

  Liam spun and looked at me sitting on the sideboard of the wagon and then back to the forest. He shook his head in frustration. “No, we don’t have time. We must track her on a different day. We need to hurry toward Somnielle before it’s too late.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  I felt Liam’s frustration. I, too, wanted to bring the woman to justice, for I knew her kind. She was a slippery weasel, and with her drugs, she could easily disappear and pop up again and start over.

  The raid on the illegal brothel brought to light a dark and hidden secret. An ongoing problem that many had turned a blind eye to, and it needed to be stopped. And I knew if I ever crossed paths again with that wretched woman, it would be she that would be forced to do my bidding.

  “I heard this girl belongs to you?” Devin walked to the wagon with my horse.

  “Damsel!” Grinning, I reached out and gently stroked her soft brown mane. I was glad that she was here. “How”—I swallowed, my mouth still dry—“did you find me?” I looked at his lack of uniform and soldier haircut, and knew he wasn’t one of Rya’s royal guards.

  “I’m a ranger and have close connections with Liam. He trained me before I left the guard and went out on my own.” He saw my look and shrugged. “I’m not great at settling down or obeying orders. But I’m fine as a hired sword. I was already tracking the chain of missing girls when Liam sent word to me. He thought the same group took you.”

  “How come no one found them before now?”

  “All the girls were kidnapped across the border from neighboring kingdoms, then transported to Madam Esme’s hidden brothel in Rya,” Devin answered. “She caters to high-profile clients with money and secrets. I had just zeroed in on her hideout when I intercepted a call sheet for one with hair like moonlight and skin like milk. I mean it could have been an auction for a horse for all I know. I got word back to Liam, and he said it had to be you, and that he would bring the troops and rescue you by morning.”

  I glanced over to Liam. He marched around the field, giving orders, sending troops to escort the men captured during the raid to High Tower, the closest prison.

  “Except that you were being sold that night. Morning would have been too late. So I tracked a noble I suspected of using her services. I relieved him of his money purse and invitation and entered the auction on my own.” He grinned. “I’m glad you weren’t a horse.”

  I smiled. “That was incredibly—”

  Devin interrupted. “Brave, I know.”

  “Stupid,” Liam said, having appeared out of nowhere. His face void of all emotion. “We’re loading up. Are you coming, Devin, or are you on to your next assignment?”

  “Ah, you know me. I go wherever adventure takes me. I think I’ll tag along for a bit.” He shot me a wink.

  Liam glowered and stormed off. Three of Rya’s men headed into the cave, tossing burning torches down each of the tunnels.

  Devin reached up to scratch Damsel’s forehead. “Looks like we’re ready to leave. Do you want to ride her, or sit in the wagon?”

  I glanced at the wagon full of women and turned back assuredly to my quiet horse. “I would like to ride Damsel.”

  “You sure? You’re still recovering from quite an ordeal.”

  “I’m sure. I’ll tie myself to her if I have to.”

  Devin laughed and helped me onto Damsel, but I could barely hold on to the reins. They kept slipping through my clumsy and numb fingers.

  “It’s okay.” Devin tied Damsel’s reins to his pommel and mounted his own horse. Choosing to lead me instead of forcing me to give up the freedom of riding as we headed deeper into the mountains.

  We headed out, leaving the burning brothel behind us. A dark trail of smoke rose into the sky, signaling the end of our nightmare. But I knew I would never truly be free from the horrors of what happened here. They would haunt me forever.

  Now that their commander had returned to the troops, they were regrouping to take another stab at fighting their way through the blight. He had returned with a powerful sorceress. Except I knew that was no longer the case. I didn’t know what I was anymore, and I didn’t know how to tell Liam.

  As we rode, Liam kept leaving his post at the front of the troops and dropping to the back to ride near me. He watched me closely. I assumed to see if I struggled amongst the large group of men. But I felt nothing. I stared back at him—expressionless.

  He frowned. Liam reached out to brush his hand along my arm, but he pulled back as Devin steered us out of his reach, pulling me along.

  Liam scowled, but Devin didn’t flinch. After the way Liam had reacted to finding me, Devin had taken it as his job
to be my guardian.

  Later that evening we stopped to make camp, even though Liam was eager to keep moving. He couldn’t keep the pace he was going with a wagon full of women who slowed his quest. The men laid out their bedrolls under the stars and spent the added time to put up three large tents for the women rescued from the brothel.

  I headed toward the one I saw Tamara enter, but Devin was waiting just outside the first tent. “I’m sorry, but the commander has asked me to set up your tent in a different location.”

  I looked at him blankly and shook my head and tried to enter the tent.

  Devin grabbed my elbow. “I’m sorry, Aura. It wasn’t a request. It was an order.”

  “But you’re not a soldier.”

  “No, but I still obey Liam.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because he’s saved me time and time again.” He gave me a grin. “Usually, it was from my own stupidity.”

  I let Devin guide me over to where he tethered his horse. He helped me up, and we rode double a mile away from camp until we came to a small clearing nestled next to a stream. Then I saw the lone tent sitting under a maple tree. I was proud that I dismounted and could keep my feet under me. It hurt that it was Devin and not Liam that was now seeing to my needs. It was as if the commander no longer wanted anything to do with me.

  Devin undid an extra pack from his horse and left it leaning against the trunk.

  “I will be back in the morning to help pack up your tent and things.”

  I looked at the tent that was big enough for one person and my shoulders dropped. Normally, I would find this spot a perfect retreat. A moment of serenity. But now that I couldn’t hear anything or anyone, it felt like unnecessary punishment.

  I entered the tent, letting the flap close behind me.

  The clip of hooves echoed as Devin rode away, and I collapsed on the bedroll. I should open up the provisions and maybe cook something over the fire, but I was exhausted and unmotivated. I pulled the blanket over my shoulder up to my chin and closed my eyes and fell asleep.

  The crackling of a log startled me awake. Outside my tent, I saw the glow of a fire and a shadow of someone moving around. I lifted the flap. Liam was kneeling over and going through my pack.