Marri's Approach (Brackish Bay) (14 page)

I ran. Just a few steps at less than my full stride but all of the strength of my legs was all it took for the cuff to tear the rest of the way through, and then I was at full speed, the ripped cuff flapping behind my left heel.

He ran after me, of course, blood pouring down his face. That's a soldier for you, Fortuna. I admired his fortitude, even as I dismissed its relevance. There were guards closing in towards the gate, towards the only avenue I saw for escape. My fingers tightened over the handle of the blade, and I wanted so badly to just cut my way through, but I had promised William, and I owed him. I saw a small spot of opportunity, and I put on a burst of the last of my speed.

I would have made it through. Or I like to think I would, except that Roy heard the commotion and came outside the guardhouse, stepping right into my spot of opportunity. I dodged around him, bringing up the blade without thinking as my body turned towards the enemy in front of me. I cut across in a sweeping arc, but he blocked, red blooming on his forearms, then I twisted to stab, and he slammed me to the ground. I gasped, the wind knocked out of me, the knife still in my hand stabbing towards his throat. He blocked again, but not before it had cut a track crosswise over his old scar. When he slammed my wrist onto the ground, it went numb, and I dropped the knife. He placed a knee on top of my thighs, and I cried out, his weight grinding me into the road.

His hand wrapped around my throat and, Fortuna, I knew I was dead. I remembered my mother, my father's dying gasp, my myriad lovers. His voice was quiet, pitched so it was the only thing I heard against the buzzing static hubbub of all the other people around us.

“Submit or die.”

My voice was a hoarse croak. “Submit.”

“Swear.”

“I swear I am yours.”

“Swear you will obey me.”

“I swear I will obey you.”

“Break your word and you die.”

“Yes, lord.”

He released me, and I lay still, dazed. There were other soldiers and other citizens around. There was a sort of startled hush, as if they thought he had killed me. Then he took a short length of chain out of his pocket, and locked it around my throat. Stephanie, who had come rushing to where he stood, froze. I felt more than heard the ripple of shock.

He walked away. I lay still, feeling the unaccustomed weight of the collar on my neck. His blood had dripped on me, and suddenly I was afraid of what that meant. I'd broken my word to William unintentionally, but I had fought Roy with killing intent. I'd harmed not just one of his own, but the governor himself.

I swallowed hard. I looked around. People were staring down at me. Dirty, disheveled, bloody, I was somehow an object of fascination.

Then I heard the whispers.

“She's nothing like Jessica. Jessica was a lady, through and through. This one is a harlot, a filthy killer. Did you see how she attacked? Fought dirty. If the governor hadn't been wearing armor, hadn't been ready to kill her, he could have been killed, and then where would we be?”

Stephanie came unfrozen and walked a few more steps to me. I reached for her, thinking she would help me up. Instead, she spat in my face.

“You're nothing. You're worse than nothing. You're a usurper. A poisonous serpent fit for nothing more than crocodile bait.”

Then she turned on her heel and walked away.

Fortuna, if I wasn't mistaken, she was sobbing. What in the name of all the gods above and below had he just done?

Gradually people went away from me. No one offered me a hand up. Blake came to me, a hand on his bleeding nose. I braced myself for a kick that started, but abruptly stopped. Instead, he turned away.

I touched the collar on my throat. I understood that I was valuable because I was a slave of Brackish Bay, but I did not understand why I was being treated as I was. I had never seen people treat slaves in Brackish Bay that way, with horror and contempt. I curled on my side, then pushed myself onto my knees.

“You might not want to stay here. The sun gets pretty hot.” I turned my head to see a woman crouching so her face was on a level with mine. “It's also not a good idea to stay in the public eye right now.”

My voice was even more brittle than it had been moments before. “Why?”

“Get up. And we'll talk.” I pushed myself to standing and followed her into a building near the guardhouse. She paused by the door to touch a soldier on the sleeve as he strode towards the guardhouse. “If Roy comes looking, his acquisition is here.”

The soldier glanced at me, frowned, nodded, and continued.

We entered a small room, and she directed me to the tub in the corner.

“Wash,” she said.

I tested the water. It was room temperature, but I wasn't about to complain about a chance to get Roy's blood off of my body. I stripped, dropping the tunic to the floor and stepping into the small wooden tub. She handed me soap and a cloth, and I began at my face and scrubbed down towards my feet. My left ankle was still locked in the cuff, so I washed around it as best as I could. My right ankle had a small cut on it from where I'd cut the other cuff, and my body was full of aches and soreness.

I finished, and stood up. She handed me a towel, and I dried quickly.

“Thank you,” I said.

She pointed to the corner. “Stay there until my master comes home.”

“Here?” I sat down on a cushion on the floor, and my ass throbbed.

“Yes.” She began to bustle around, baking and cleaning.

“Are you sure you don't want help?” Fortuna, watching her work has got to be the most boring thing ever.

“I'm sure.”

I sighed, and leaned against the wall. After a time, I fell asleep.

Her master’s coming in woke me up. My head was pounding, and I couldn't remember when I'd last drunk water. It was dark outside, and I couldn't see well in the dim light.

“Sir.” The woman was kneeling, a jug of drinking water in front of her knees.

He closed the door and held out his hand. She stood up and offered him the jug. He drank, and then offered it to her. My parched throat ached.

He turned to me. “Karianne, what did you do?”

“I brought her inside to let her get clean and rest.”

“Does Roy know where she is?”

“I told one of his soldiers.”

He crossed the room to me. “Who are you?”

It took me a couple tries to get a word out. “M-m-my name is Marri.”

He beckoned her to him, took the jug, and held it out to me. I guzzled what was left. His eyes noticed my nudity, and I flushed red.

“Where did you come from?” he said.

“I came last from Cinitar.”

“Why did Roy collar you?”

“He—I don't know. He was going to kill me, and then he stopped, and told me to submit, to swear my obedience. I did.”

The man glanced at Karianne. “Did you see it?”

She nodded. “I couldn't hear what they said, but I don't think it's Jessica's collar.”

“Why not?”

“They burned her body, sir. I think the collar was burned with it. And even if they didn't, it doesn't matter. It's just chain. Jessica's collar had a medallion on it, and that's what made it special.”

“But the fact that he was carrying it with him lends it some weight.”

She shrugged. “Why? It's just metal.”

He reached for her. She went to him and didn't resist as he twisted her collar until she gasped, her whole body yielding against his.

“Just metal?”

“Just metal, sir. Your hand, your sigil, these are the things that make it special.”

He released her, and she sucked in a shaky breath. “You're right.” He turned back to me. “What did he say?”

“He didn't say anything else.”

“What did you do?”

“I was trying to run away.”

“Why?”

“I need to check on my patrol. They're my responsibility.” I wasn't sure telling him about Jacqueline's missing daughter was the best idea at the moment.

“There's an army less than a day's march from here. It's not safe beyond our borders.”

I set my jaw. “All the more reason to check on my people.”

All the more reason, Fortuna, to make sure Katherine is safe. She would not do well captured by Lorenzo or the like. My patrol, on the other hand, I was confident would survive.

“Does Roy know this?”

“Know what?”

“That your patrol is out and missing?”

“I—” I thought back. Did we discuss it? “Yes. I told him about them.”

“And?”

“He said he would look into it, check with Rari about the one that had been captured.”

He exchanged a glance with Karianne. “He has far too much on his mind at the moment. All of his people are in danger if the army is as big as the reports say.”

“It's big.”

“How big?”

“Several hundred. Maybe a thousand.”

He whistled. “That's not good.”

“No.”

“Karianne, I want you to check with Rari's people tomorrow as to whether any of Marri's patrol has been captured, and if so, what has been done with them.”

“Yes, sir.”

He fixed me with a serious eye. “You will stay in this house, or you will not walk for a day.” My belly went liquid with fear. Would he break my body to enforce his rule? “You will be whipped soundly and then tied to a chair to keep your ass tender.”

And so the fear shaded into desire.

I swallowed hard. “Yes, sir. I understand.”

“Have you eaten?”

“No, sir.”

“Karianne, fix her a bowl when you fix mine.”

“Yes, sir.”

He watched her portion out one for me and none for herself, then stopped her before she could bring it to me. “No. Take some for yourself.”

She looked up. “I only made enough for you and me. I wasn't anticipating that Roy would not have sent for her by now.”

“Take a bowl for yourself.”

“Yes, sir.”

She portioned a second, smaller bowl, leaving some in the largest bowl for her master. He nodded as she brought mine, and I accepted, utterly grateful for the food. It was beans, vegetables, and rice, all with a sharp, salty sauce. They sat at the table to eat. My stomach felt hollow, and I gave up trying to pace myself after the first few bites. Too soon, my bowl was empty, and I surreptitiously licked it out. Fortuna, she's a great cook.

My body ached from sleeping kneeling as I had, and I started to stretch.

He looked at me. “You'll sleep on the floor by our bed.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Karianne, bring me your cuffs.”

“But—”

“Now.”

She bowed her head and returned with a set of four beautiful cuffs. These were not the plain, utilitarian cuffs I'd worn in the dungeon. These were beautiful, made of soft, thick leather, dyed purple and tooled with flowers. I couldn't stop staring. When had anything that beautiful been used on me, Fortuna? Never, that's when.

He fastened one around each wrist and then each ankle, above the one that was still the left. He examined it briefly. “I'll get the key to remove this in the morning.” He snapped a leash onto my collar, and I felt a wave of humiliation roll over me, dragging me into the murky depths. “Come. You will need to relieve yourself, but I'll be damned if I let my governor's property escape or damage herself further.”

I huffed, but didn't resist when Karianne clipped my wrists together. At least she left them in front, Fortuna, so I will be able to clean myself. He led me to an outhouse and left the door open while I squatted over the hole, the leash not quite taut but a blunt reminder of my new status. I wanted to die. It was one thing to be a valuable slave, one who brought in income for my mistress, as I did for Madame Bon. It was another to be a naughty puppy, worth only the price of replacement.

Or so I felt. I did not know what Roy wanted with me.

My body empty, I cleaned myself with the vegetation left for that purpose, and washed after. The man's voice was disembodied in the darkness.

“Come.”

I followed the tug on the leash back to his house, where he slipped a short length of chain through the purple ankle and wrist cuffs, locking it closed so I had to squat. Karianne arranged a thick comforter on the floor for me, folded it for more padding. I shuffled to it and lay down. The chain forced me to curl up, but I found I was so exhausted that I slept as soon as I relaxed my body.

Dawn came far too soon. He was up, and he unlocked the chain keeping me bound.

“I'm glad you didn't attempt to kill us last night.”

I glared up at him, but I couldn't sustain the look. He and his slave had generously given me shelter and food when the rest of my new neighbors would have kicked or spit on me. I owed them, and he knew it.

“Obey Karianne today as if she were Roy himself,” he said. “If he sends for you, by all the gods, obey. You are no match for him.”

My muttered retort sounded very rebellious. “Not like this, I'm not.”

He heard me, anyway. “Like what?”

I blushed. “Nude. Weaponless, armorless. I would kill him in my full element.”

For a long minute he gazed at me, taking in my musculature, making an estimation of my speed and skill. “It'd be close.”

“Not close. I don't lose.”

He laughed. “You lost, little one. You just don't know it yet.”

Karianne chimed in. “A good soldier
follows
her commander. You don't try to kill him.”

I frowned at her. They ignored me and went through their morning routine. He took us out to relieve ourselves, with me on a leash again, despite my loathing of it. Then she fixed breakfast, and he hauled water, bathed, and dressed, then held her tightly to him and kissed her thoroughly, a hand squeezing her ass.

“Who do you belong to?”

“You, sir.” She purred and rubbed against him until he chuckled.

“Tonight, Karianne.”

She grinned at him, and he left the house. For a long minute she stood hugging herself and sighing, the silliest grin on her face.

“Is there something I should do?”

She turned towards me as if she'd forgotten I was there, a blush high on her cheekbones. “Yes. You can help me can food, just in case.”

“In case?”

“In case of war.”

“Oh.” I hadn't ever been on this side, the side that had to endure while their soldiers were fighting. “Why?”