The Scrolls of the Ancients

CHAPTER

Fourteen

T he woman on Wulfgar's bed looked him up and down in his robe, her eyes filled with hate.

"I see you're already dressed for the occasion," she said nastily. "Just do whatever you want to me, and get it over with." Her voice was defiant.

Wulfgar looked at her. Despite the fact that her sea voyage had made her thin, she remained beautiful. Dark ringlets curled down over her breasts. Her taffeta gown-no doubt supplied by Janus-was stunning, and the yellow complemented her deep blue eyes. Given her situation, he might have expected her to cower before him. But she did not. Only anger showed. He immediately found himself respecting her for it, and wanting to know more about her.

"No harm will befall you here," he said quietly. "I'm a slave, just like you."

She let go a short, derisive laugh. "Don't lie to me, as well as abuse me." She looked briefly around the room and then shook her head. "No slave has quarters such as these."

Taking another step, Wulfgar pulled down the left shoulder of his robe. At first she recoiled, but then she saw the brand-the exact duplicate of her own. Her mouth dropped, and she began to relax a little.

"We may have to be slaves for them, but we don't have to be for one another," he added gently. He gestured to the silver table full of food. When he did so, her eyes greedily followed his.

"Would you like something to eat?" he asked. "You look very hungry."

She nodded, but it was abundantly clear that she wasn't ready to trust him.

Sensing that she might feel less threatened out on the spacious balcony, Wulfgar walked over to the breakfast cart and pushed it out into the sun. Sitting down in one of the upholstered chairs, he gazed out over the ever-restless ocean.

"Come and eat," he said casually. "I promise not to harm you."

She stood tentatively and walked to the balcony. After a cautious look at him, she stared straight down over the balcony wall. Then she raised her eyes and looked out to the west, toward Eutracia, and tears began to form. For some time she stood still, the only movement the gentle swaying of her ringlets in the salty sea breeze.

"Please sit down," Wulfgar said. He fixed a generous plate of food and handed it to her. Before she had even sat down, she snatched it from him and then bent over her prize protectively, the way a starving animal might, tearing into it as though she hadn't eaten for a lifetime. Smiling slightly, Wulfgar waited. As she continued to look warily at him in between bites of cheese, warm rolls, and fruit, Wulfgar poured her a cup of tea. She took it from him greedily. Still trying to gain her trust, he smiled again.

"What is your name?" he asked. "Where are you from?"

"I am Serena," she answered cautiously. Another bite of roll went quickly into her waiting mouth. "Of the House of Winslow."

"Winslow?" Wulfgar asked. She nodded.

"From Farpoint?"

Another nod.

Uncrossing his legs, Wulfgar leaned forward in his chair and looked intently into her face. "Is your father by chance Simon Winslow, the animal healer?"

Surprised, she stopped chewing for a moment. "Yes," she answered. Then her eyes narrowed. "How did you know?"

"I know Simon well," he said, smiling. "We do business. His practice is on the west side of town, is it not? On Baylor Street. I take horses there whenever I am unable to cure them myself. Your father is very good at what he does-the best in the city, as far as I am concerned. My parents are Jason and Selene, of the House of Merrick."

Finally starting to believe, she stopped chewing and put her plate down for a moment. Her eyes searched his face. "The Merrick Stables?" she whispered incredulously.

"Yes," he answered. "I am their son, Wulfgar."

She relaxed a little. "My father has spoken often of you," she said. "He respects you and Jason greatly."

Wishing he could talk to her forever, a sudden, darker thought crossed Wulfgar's mind. Standing and walking from the balcony, he went into the bedroom to fetch the hourglass Janus had left behind. It was the only gauge he had to tell him when the painted freak and his monsters would return. When Serena saw it again, her face hardened.

"Why are we here?" she asked. "And how is it that you are being treated so differently from the rest of us?"

"I don't know," he answered. "They made a great fuss over me when they took my blood at the pier, and then I was immediately brought here. They are waiting for someone called Krassus to arrive. Apparently he will tell me more." He thought for a moment.

"Tell me," he said. "How much of this building have you seen? Did you notice any way out?"

"I'm sorry, but I saw no exits," she answered honestly. "And I viewed little, compared to the gigantic size of this place. I have heard some of the slavers refer to this structure as the 'Citadel.' All of us with this R'talis mark, the men and women alike, are kept in gigantic cages. They give us just enough food and water to keep us alive. New R'talis prisoners arrive every day. We have no idea where the people with the other kind of brand are being held, or even if they still live. Every morning Janus and his slavers come and take a different selection of us away. Those taken never return. It is all very strange."

Wulfgar looked at the hourglass. More than half of the contents of the top globe had already spilled down.

"What happened this morning?" he asked.

"Janus came to us early. I now know that it was to select one of the women for you," she said ashamedly. "But none of us knew that then. We thought that he was simply taking more of us away. When he chose me, I was terrified. He had me taken to other quarters, rather like these. This gown was laid out on the bed, and there was a room for bathing." Then her face lowered.

"He watched the entire time as I bathed myself and changed into this dress," she whispered. "All the while he was smiling, and clinking those strange spheres of his in one hand. It sent shivers down my spine. Then he and his slavers brought me here. Along the way I saw many dark hallways, lit by torches, and a very large, open courtyard. But most of the time was spent navigating stairways. The walk was very long, and hundreds of demonslavers filed by us in the halls. I also saw a few of the men in the dark blue robes. I can tell you that this place, this Citadel as they call it, is very well guarded."

Wulfgar's heart fell. If there was any way to escape, he still hadn't found it.

"There was something else about my walk here," she added softly, taking him away from his thoughts. "Something horrible."

"What?" he asked anxiously.

Serena closed her eyes. "The screaming," she whispered.

"Please go on," he said. He could tell she was upset, and a part of him hated having to press her further.

"One of the halls we went down was lined with huge marble doors," she said, shaking her head. "From the other side came horrible, insane screaming, from men and women alike. It went on and on, until we finally rounded the corner and it faded away. It didn't seem to bother Janus at all." She paused to wipe away a tear. "I can't begin to imagine what was going on behind those doors."

Silence passed for a time. When Serena felt like talking again, they spoke of Farpoint and told each other more about their families. They ate a bit more, and sipped more tea.

When Wulfgar turned to look at the hourglass, he saw that very little time remained. He looked into Serena's eyes. "Do you trust me?" he asked urgently.

For a moment she hesitated, then seemed to decide. "Yes," she finally said.

"Good," he answered back. "You were brought here to please me. And Janus said that if you did not, he would punish you. I can't allow that to happen."

"Come with me!" he ordered. Then he stood and led her back into the bedroom, where he pushed her gently onto the bed.

Going back to the balcony, he retrieved the hourglass and replaced it on the table in the bedroom where Janus had left it. Then he pushed the food cart back into the room. Hurrying back to the bed, he sat down next to her and looked into her eyes.

"If you want to survive this day, you must do as I tell you," he ordered. "Stand up!"

Wulfgar quickly pulled the bedspread and silk sheets apart and purposely tangled them. Then he mussed up the pillows. "Turn around!" he ordered.

To her surprise, he quickly began unlacing the back of her gown. After it was partially undone, he whirled her around to face him. Then he grasped the bodice of her gown with both hands and tore it down the front, partially exposing her breasts. Ordering her to lift first one foot then the other, he removed both her slippers and tossed them aside. He ran his hands through her ringlets, making a mess of them. Then he did something even more unexpected.

Reaching down, he quickly captured her right hand tightly in his. Then, before she could protest, he placed her fingernails hard against his left cheek and scratched himself. Drops of blood began running from the three scrapes, and he purposely did not wipe them away.

Horrified, Serena looked up into his face. Tears came to her eyes once more. Taking her by the shoulders, Wulfgar shook her, trying to get her to focus on what must be done. He felt her suddenly go limp, as though she had almost given up.

"Listen to me!" he whispered. "Your life depends on it! The bolt on the other side of the door will slide open at any moment. When it does, I'm going to kiss you. Kiss me back like you mean it! Don't stop until I do, and then let me do all the talking! Be surprised by nothing I do or say! Do you understand?"

Slowly, the strength he had first seen in her eyes came back. She nodded.

Wulfgar took her into his arms and held her tightly. Untying the sash of his robe, he let it fall open, pressing his naked body against her. He tried as best he could to give her a smile of encouragement.

Turning to look at the hourglass, they both saw that the last few grains of sand were sliding into the lower globe. For several moments the room went silent, the only sounds the beating of their hearts and the waves crashing on the rocky shore below.

Right on time, the bolt on the other side of the double doors began to scratch its way across. Wulfgar turned to look into Serena's eyes a final time. They both held their breath.

Just as the doors opened a crack, he bent her deeply beneath him and put his mouth down on hers.

The double doors burst open, and Janus and his slavers walked arrogantly into the room. Ignoring them, Wulfgar kissed Serena hard, letting his hands explore her body as if he owned her. Understanding, Serena obeyed him and responded passionately, running her hands through Wulfgar's long, blond hair. Widening her stance, she moaned and pulled him harder against her. For a moment Wulfgar stopped kissing her, and bent her back even farther to slowly bury his face in the torn bodice of her dress.

"Well done!" Wulfgar heard the painted freak call out.

As if angry to have been interrupted, Wulfgar slowly, reluctantly stopped what he was doing. Breathing harder than he needed to, he turned his damaged cheek toward Janus, so the freak could get a good look. But he did not let go of Serena. Her body locked tightly against his, he felt a quick shudder of fear go through her.

Janus walked over to them and ran his index finger across Wulfgar's bloody cheek. "So she can scratch, as well," he mused. "But it looks as if you have tamed her-at least for the time being." He smiled. "Tell me," he asked conspiratorially. "Was she good?"

Wulfgar let Serena go. "Good enough for me to want more," he growled as he closed his robe. "As you can see, I had a bit of trouble getting her to disrobe the first time. I was about to take her all over again, but you returned before I could." He gave Janus a wicked, knowing smile. Then he looked back to Serena.

"It's just like breaking a horse," he said nastily. "After the first ride, they're usually far more willing." He smiled again. "It's always better when they help."

Smiling, Janus gave Wulfgar a nod. Then, suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he took a menacing step closer to Serena.

"But if you were going to take her once more, why did you let her dress herself again?" he asked.

Wulfgar thought his heart might stop. He hadn't considered this. Then he remembered something Serena had told him about her captor.

He smiled. "I like to watch. Don't you?" Then he shot Serena a nasty, disparaging look, as though she were the lowest whore in creation.

"Oh, yes," Janus said. "Indeed I do." Apparently satisfied, he motioned two of his slavers forward. "Take this trollop back where she came from," he ordered. They immediately grasped Serena by both arms and began roughly shoving her toward the door.

"Wait!" Wulfgar interjected. As he took a brazen step forward, one of the slavers drew his sword. What he was about to dare was risky, he knew. But he had to try.

"What is it?" Janus demanded.

Wulfgar let go another leering, brutish smile. "Bring her to me again in a day or two," he said adamantly. "I want more." Wryly rubbing the scratches on his face, he looked Serena up and down again.

"And give this she-cat something better to eat," he added commandingly. "I like them with a few more curves on their bones."

His demands had been a gamble, to be sure. Despite the lustful look on his face, his heart was pounding with worry, wondering how the painted freak would react.

Raising an eyebrow, Janus took two quiet steps closer, reached down to the twin spheres hanging from his belt, and began clinking them together. Janus' closeness made Wulfgar want to cringe, but he held his ground. The freak turned to study the woman once more, then looked back at Wulfgar. As he smiled, the painted red mask crinkled menacingly at the outer edges of his eyes.

"You are clearly in no position to make demands, Wulfgar," he said. "Surely you know that. Yet I commend your courage. I suppose what you request could be granted." He smiled again. "Until next time, then."

Saying nothing more, he went out the double doors. As the slavers pushed Serena toward them, she turned to give Wulfgar a final glance. There were tears tracing down her cheeks. He knew she dared not speak, but it didn't matter. The thankful look on her face said it all.

As the great doors closed with finality, Wulfgar heard the bolt scratch its way across on the other side.

His chest was heaving. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. He stood there that way for some time, listening to the crashing of the waves as they broke on the rocky shore hundreds of feet below. For a short, delicious moment, he thought he could still smell the perfume she had been wearing. Then he opened his eyes and walked to the balcony.

Looking down, he saw the plate and teacup Serena had just used. As if it could somehow bring her back, he took a sip. It was still warm.

Even so, his loneliness was already again so great that it was almost as if she had never been here. He hung his head for a moment. Some of what he had just said and done to her sickened him, but it had been necessary. And despite it, he still had no idea whether he would ever see her again, or whether he had helped her plight.

Looking out over the sea, he watched sadly as the white-sailed masts of yet two more ships broke over the western horizon.