As Anouk had slumped against her wardrobe she’d caught a glimpse of the ragged line about her body, how it made her look like a stitched-up doll rather than an elf and she nearly broke another mirror! But wriggly Jube bashed her way back into the room to grip her teeth on the robe and give it a tug to keep it closed. Pulled from the bad memories Anouk chuckled and then followed the beast out of the cleaning room and up the stone steps to the house within. When there were only other women around the house Anouk could be as naked as she wanted to be, but if and when Talon returned she’d have to keep herself covered again. Anouk guessed though that it was dinner time and the smell of meat made her remember her hunger as she sat upon the floor of the dining room in front of the large flat stone that was their dining table.
Damara approached the unaltered slab with bread and a surprising pot of stew with Karani following and the two male Dregg scrabbling behind in an attempt to help out. As the table was furnished and bowls brought forth the Dreggs lay in the gaps between the women and waited patiently with their tongues probing the air in excitement. The bowls were lifted as the women sat and thanks was given to Nabuto for providing for them and then reminding themselves that the table was of the darkness as they were; too humble to be permitted to dwell in the sunlight. Yet after their prayers and thanks, Damara remained pensive and Anouk was confused. Even if their laws stated Damara should be punished severely for representing the house sans Anouk’s agreement, she couldn’t care. Damara had rebelled and Anouk appreciated it, but she was still shocked by Karani’s sudden question that broke the calm of the meal as they’d begun to eat.
“I know it’s rude to ask… but you aren’t godless are you Anouk?”
“I believe in Nabuto, but I do not believe in the idea that everything wondrous in this life is down to magic or cannot be explained. I also do not believe in the banning of literature or the burning of pamphlets… or for that matter the suppression of knowledge regarding the nature of our being. If we’re allowed to heal wounds and cure poisons, why can’t we cure diseases and stop women dying in their attempts to give birth when there are complications? Why is it we can help a sheep through breech birth but not an elf!” Anouk growled as she ate, reminding the Dreggs of their place and the hatred she’d felt when her only female friend had died during the winter alongside her baby. She knew the question would have come soon enough from Karani, especially when she had learnt all copies of Loteg’s father’s pamphlet, which questioned the king, had been burnt when she’d been on patrol. She had of course managed to keep a foreign copy safe by using it as a bookmark in the Guide to Virenheim book. Of course, foreign books were permitted in the home but not public, so her dear friend had been jailed for obeying his father’s dying wish and publishing it. Oddly to obey the last wish of a father was one of the very laws of their kingdom!
“Why is your friend in prison Anouk?” Damara questioned nervously, and Anouk just shrugged her shoulders over the matter. Damara had been rescued from great danger by Loteg but his dip into the wide world had meant she’d blanked him as soon as he’d tried to pass around the leaflets and in truth she felt very unhappy about it. She did not ask about Talon, despite his importance to the household, if only because she knew he’d been jailed for trying to cut his wife’s stomach open to save her and the baby but had done so in the presence of the Head Healer, who’d stopped him and allowed the woman to die.
“I don’t know.” Anouk stated with a sigh, and then she smiled wistfully. “He would say it was for the sins of his father.”
Three: Business as Usual
“They say our king has been around since the time of the First One’s attack, if that is the case then he is older then any other being within the northern sector of the Giroff Mountains. However, our laws state that we cannot ask these questions or how he could be so old… we cannot even see his face to know that he is of the same species and not something else. Only the Council of the Nobles and the king’s personal Mage Guard know the truth and they have refused to discuss it with me.”
- Entry 1 of the Private Diaries of Doctor Dimwult Varris
There was an unfamiliar and yet familiar feel to the room as Anouk looked about herself and found she was no longer in her bed chamber but standing in a small cell with two other beings. The inside of the room was a strange grey colour, not completely clear in its form as if the details could not be fully comprehended and yet the items within were echoes of something Anouk knew to be true. There was a small wooden cot upon the floor with thin scraps of clothing within and a small mat upon the floor with a blanket and cushion… the place she had slept for nearly two years.
Her ears woke to the sounds of crying and she looked ahead of her to a scene that her heart recognised and her tears bled to. She could see the tall pallid form of her father standing over a corner where a figure was rocking back and forth in a foetal position weeping. Her father was trying to say something nice, something reassuring perhaps but it was not reaching the ears of the figure who seemed content to ignore him and weep. Confusion gripped at Anouk’s form as she looked toward the cot and tried to step over and touch it, but the memory did not allow for such physicality and instead she was forced to walk toward the form of her father. Seeing him again in a manner that felt as if he were still alive caused Anouk’s throat to dry and choke as she tried to speak, but it would not have done anything within this dream state. Instead she noticed the bright red hair of the figure on the floor, it’s staring green eyes and the look of complete and utter hatred therein.
Then the voices reached her and Anouk’s mind screamed the words she heard as if her body were being ripped apart then and there.
“WHY DID YOU TAKE MY BABY?”
* * * * *
Karani woke up from her bed with a start, leaping into a sitting position and grabbing Damara’s arm in a tight pinch. Though her companion winced and made a sound of frustration for it, they both paused as the screams and crying ripped through the air again. Their hearts sank with realisation as they recognised no words within the sound but the pain of a tortured soul. Karani turned toward the large wooden screen that separated Damara’s room from Anouk’s with a hefty gulp before turning back toward her friend.
“Please Damara… she sounds like she’s being killed in there… can you go and comfort her?” Karani begged as she pulled the soft grey sheets up from the flat mattress of the floor and yanked them around herself. Even Damara was grimacing at the screams this time and it was obvious from the whimpering of the Dreggs that had been sleeping on her feet Anouk was not in a good place. With a soft grunt Damara pulled herself out of the bed and stepped about into the pale light of the dull fire toward the screen door. She grasped it nervously and pulled it aside with as little noise as possible before she slid into the room and looked at her sister.
Damara almost screamed in shock, her sister was clasping at the air, writhing and screaming as she fought something back; it was almost a classic image of a demon possession. Damara shook her head of the fear she felt however, recalling that she’d been told her sister had indeed been bothered by a demon in the past and that this was probably just one of her violent memories of the event. Damara had to grasp her strength and her courage to step over to the writhing body and gently grasp one of the clasping hands with a soft whisper of affection.
“It’s alright Anouk… I’m here…” There was a strange moment of cognition from Anouk as she snatched a hand about Damara’s wrist and her body relaxed. Damara went quiet for a few moments before she noticed tears streaming down her sister’s grey-blue cheeks; something she had not seen since their father’s death! Fear grasped at her chokingly, Anouk’s nightmares needed to be talked about with the Head Healer, their aunt. However, Anouk stroked at her sister’s arm and practically whimpered her affection. “I love you too Anouk… and that’s why you should talk to Molwesa, she always has time for you.”
Anouk opened her eyes and sat herself up slowly, ignoring Damara’s words as she b
linked to adjust to the light. Within the thin sheets Anouk felt trapped and swiftly cast them aside before grabbing at her body with her free hand. Damara remained patiently sitting beside her sister, letting reality sink in as Anouk woke herself from the confusion of it all. Even so, Anouk had heard the name of her aunt and hissed violently at the thought of dealing with such a closed mind; if these dreams were indeed linked to memories for a time when Anouk knew herself to be in Molwesa’s care, then she did not want to talk to her. Regaining a smidgen of sanity Anouk opened her arms out, releasing Damara before embracing her in a tight hug.
“No, it was just brought on by my fears about you today. I’ll be alright in the morning.” Anouk sighed gently as she rubbed her eyes to clean the tears and fought back the wish to tell her sister everything. Damara would never understand or accept what Anouk was seeing in her mind; it felt better to make up simple lies with easy causes so that she would not worry. But Anouk still clasped her sister to her body tightly, desperate for the contact and the reassurance therein. When she heard the Dreggs and Karani shuffling near the screen door she breathed a sigh. “It’s alright you lot, come to the bed and we can all rest together.”
Karani needed no further inducement as she leapt into the room and straight to the hugging sisters. An orphan since seven Karani had always been eager to join such embraces and the Benaga Household were the only one willing. She hooked her long arms about the two and gently they held each other in the shadows before Karani breathed a sigh and sat back onto the sheet. As Anouk released Damara, Karani suddenly put her hands together, muttered something to herself and then suddenly grasped the air in front of her before turning whatever she held. Suddenly a collection of soft pink orbs wheezed into life above the trio, filling the room with light and chasing the shadows aside as Karani beamed with pleasure at her magic ability.
Anouk gave a soft sound of pride at the sight and Karani grinned mischievously as she stepped toward Damara’s room followed by an orb. Curiosity flared within the group and Damara suddenly began to look excited at the sound of rummaging whereas Anouk grimaced over it all. Before long Karani padded back in with a vivid grin and a book stuffed under her arms from the library, everything about her looking mischievous. The moment Anouk’s eyes glanced at the spine she groaned in displeasure as the two younger females clapped their hands and giggled in excitement. Wishing that yesterday had been part of the nightmares was now impossible as Anouk released her sister and slumped back against her pillow with a grunt.
“Here’s something to completely distract you from the nightmares… planning the first party of the season! I got this wonderful book all about it and I know if Karayan agrees it will be the envy of every other household! We can start the season with a bang and really get the nobles on Karayan’s side, after-all he needs to make allies!” Karani squeaked and Damara beamed in delight, she knew that Anouk would need to make it big or she’d have some hassle from the nobles. Some could say Karani was overstepping the mark, but Anouk just groaned again and swatted her hand toward them, rolling onto her side to go back to sleep. She was glad to have someone else interested in such a job as she certainly did not want to have to associate with any of the pompous factions let alone lick their boots!
“Alright… jobs for you two tomorrow – go to your lecture on dealing with shadow magic then meet this new guy and make your choices. I’m content just to pay for whatever.”
It was dawn on the surface when Anouk woke and began to prepare for her busy new day. With her butler and assistant gone she was left to sort the house and swiftly went to the kennels with a batch of sloppy meat and mash for the Dreggs. She made sure too to give each of the thirteen beasts a little attention, giving a little more to her prize Wrestler, Garos. She then hurried back to the kitchen and put bread dough she’d left to rise into the oven and fed the Yellow Dreggs before scavenging through her clothes for something appropriate. With the council meeting at high noon Anouk would have little time to fuss over her appearance and little of her individuality would be permitted to show, but at the same time she had to show some point of wealth!
Selecting a long billowing dark blue dress with blue billowing trousers, she remained less obvious and still well to do. She then pulled on a white head scarf that she tucked her red hair into before pulling two soft flaps forward to cover her ears. With this done she applied a large beaded string veil to the top of the scarf and a soft white mask to her mouth. She appeared more like a healer then an executioner, so Anouk ensured her blade and its chain were strapped in a large black bag that sat over her shoulder. She then pulled the baked bread from the oven, left a note with it for Damara before grabbing some dried meat and stuffing it in her mouth as she marched off.
Following the sandy stone steps down from the main household to the corridor passed the kennels Anouk fell to thinking of her dream. She could not recall anything that might indicate she had been pregnant at some point or if she’d even had sex before. Her mind was too patchy on the matter and yet, as she passed the great waterfall that flooded portions of the route, an image came to her mind. She was not sure if it was real or just her imagination, but she could see a one-year-old boy dozing in her lap with a sprig of blue hair, dazzling green eyes and yet a tail, wings, claws and fangs! Though it should have hit her as unusual and unwelcome, Anouk’s mind was quick to trick her into recognition and love for the image.
Though Anouk had been told she’d been possessed by a violent demon in her youth and that had been the cause of her confinement, she could not have been able to produce such a child with one. In fact, she tried to remove the devilish attributes from the picture in her mind, but she could not. Sighing and resigning herself to having no clue what was really going on, Anouk reached the criss-crossing bridges in time to meet one of the units heading out on patrol. They paused in shock for a moment, possibly thinking her to be Damara until they noticed the glare in her eyes. Swiftly they sent her the proper greeting of hand to heart and a bow, which she mimicked as she passed them by.
“Strange… in a dress you might mistake her as attractive!”
“How can you find a wannabe male attractive?”
“Don’t look at her too long or she’ll have your balls for her breakfast!”
“Stop talking about her, that Shelvarka is not worth the effort.” Normally Anouk ignored the mutterings of the idiots but this time she froze. She could take the phrase ‘Gizfak’ or ‘shunned’ in reference to her beliefs but to be called Shelvarka… a demon’s slut… just made her wrathful. When the troops in the brown fleece garbs realised the pause, they nearly squealed; each one had only a moment to choose to dodge or duck as the wickedly sharp blade was sent whipping through the air about them. When Anouk pulled it back she remained frozen to the spot until the commanding officer rushed over to her and prostrated himself upon the floor.
It was Captain Neugurt, a half-blood who was lucky to have been born to a daughter of the noble Galidorg family; otherwise he would never have gained a position. Respect was something his troops lacked, even for him and Anouk was loathed to punish him on their behalf. So instead she put her booted foot to his bent head in a display of mercy before grunting about being late. Neugurt stood up and watched her go in shock alongside his troops; they could not believe she’d missed the opportunity to use her magic and give them all a painful poisoning! The men would have dared to holler after her as if they’d won, but the unpredictability of the volatile figure kept them moving on.
Insults, whisperings, comments and rumours were common and ordinarily Anouk did not care unless they insulted her bloodline. As a Lord she was needed to maintain strong magic abilities brought to them alone by the Sacred Stones and represent the honour of the king. Had she been a man then she would have been a reflection of her dearest grandfather, still gruff and harsh but loved for his loyalty and humility. Even if gender was the only thing that stopped Anouk from being him, it was enough and amongst the ‘norm’ chosen by the king, Anouk was nei
ther humble nor delicate enough to be a woman… yet she could not be a man either. These problems were not solitary, in fact she was on her way to visit the prison and the Death Cell where her other problem was being left to rot. Though the black stone walls, natural cave formations and magic made bars over each cell was unpleasant by most standards, the guards there were the roughest members of the Royal Core and it was the home of the Torture Division.
The Torture Division was now barely used save for instances where there was a possibility of demon possession and it had been here Loteg and Anouk had endured severe training regimes and ritualistic poisonings to allow them to ‘see beyond sight!’ It had been a horrendous time and she had been barely thirteen when the training had begun and all because her magic was not elemental although it appeared like a flame… her power was in blood and poison. Loteg had a similar ability as did all others in the Torture Division and from that fact alone Anouk had been feared before she’d even shown the first inkling of her aggression!
Walking down the hidden passage at the end of a seemingly pointless bridge, Anouk remained silent and calm as illusions of the walls and floor being coated in a living, heaving, squirming mass of insects swarmed about her. She paid no attention to the groans and sudden snapping squeaks and clicks of the creatures or the grumbles of a seemingly half-eaten figure melting away in a corner, begging her to turn back. The illusions barely changed but were more than effective enough to deter visitors to the prison or thoughts on escape! When she reached the great glittering black cavern with its stifling mud pools that bubbled away as she strolled over them, the red hooded figures of the Royal Core tensed at her arrival. They locked their great spears before the entrance as she approached before holding a hand to their heart, bowing their heads and stretching the spare limb to Anouk to be shaken in a full greeting. These two were new recruits to the gate and it was their first time meeting her, so they appeared frightened over what they needed to do or what the protocol was. Either way they were too afraid of their new master to just let her in.
Traitor to the King: A Tale of the Benaga Sisters Page 6
