by E J Pay
Chapter 37
Ihave no idea how long I have been blindfolded. The minutes turn to hours in this cell. I am given nothing to eat and nothing to drink. I am only given screams to listen to.
Gileaus screams to me through the fog and the pain.
“Athena!” he screams. “Athena! Don’t give in! We can find a way out of here!” He is always silenced after these outbursts. Gagged from the sound of it. When it is Namaah’s turn, I only hear the strikes, the cuts, the twisting of her body. I am left to imagine the worst and I do imagine it. It makes me sick and I vomit into the sack over my head. No one cleans it up.
At least Demetrius isn’t a part of their suffering. They are hurting, yes, but he would have inflicted even more cruel and unimaginable tortures upon them. Now, he has his own tortures. The flame I sent to his mind is everlasting. It will never go out. He will always be in maddening pain and burning. But he will live. It is a small act of revenge for the suffering he has inflicted.
Finally, there is quiet. I hear the pained breathing of my love and my friend. My ears are alert to all the sounds in the room. It is still muffled. There are many bodies in the room, but I do not know what they are doing. Something is laid on a table. I hear leather swishing against leather. Something is unrolling. I hear metal. Tools. They have Demetrius’ tools.
“No. No. No. No! Please!” Gileaus screams. “She cannot take it! Leave her alone!”
“I am fine, Gil!” I call out across the room. “I am not afraid.”
“It isn’t you, Athena,” he answers. “They are going to work on Namaah.” My ears burn as I hear the sounds of tools being prepared.
“Stop!” Gileaus yells again. “Leave her alone! Pick me instead!” Feet move away from Gileaus’ voice. They are going to reach her soon.
“STOP!!!” I shout. The feet silence.
“Do you mean you are ready to do as Master Abraxas wishes?” A gruff voice asks me from the darkness.
“Yes. Yes, I am ready! Just leave her alone.” Tears stream down my cheeks. “Leave her alone.”
“As you wish,” the same voice says. “Alert Master Abraxas. Take these prisoners to their rooms. Orders are to care for them as long as the girl obeys.”
Feet shuffle and bodies move. I listen as the two people I care for most are relieved of their suffering. What do I care about Abraxas’ plans? Why do I care if he wants to overrun a government? Why do I care when the cost is so high? I will do as he asks. I will save someone.
∞ ∞ ∞
I am kept in the interrogation room. I am kept in chains. A new servant woman cleans the vomit from my face and hair. She is not allowed to clean my body. It must stay trapped in iron. I have grown used to the smell. She has not. She gags multiple times as she tends to my needs. She slops my food on my face and must clean it again. When she leaves the room, she doesn’t glance back or offer a friendly sign of affection. Namaah would have made sure my soul was fed.
It isn’t long before I hear guards again. This time as they enter the room, their swords and clubs are at the ready. Once they have cleared a path from the door to me, Abraxas comes in.
“Goodness, Pearl!” he exclaims as he holds his robe to his nose. “What a horrid smell. I will make this as brief as possible. You have ruined my best guard. Not that I blame you. He wasn’t always my favorite, but he got the job done. Enough about that. You have a job to do and you are woefully unprepared. I will have you taken to your old room and properly cleaned. You will be brought to my home to meet the man in question. At dinner, you will remove his memory of the past month. Do you understand?”
I nod.
“Good,” he continues. “One wrong move and your life is over. But only after you watch your friends lose theirs.” He turns and runs from the room, his nose still covered. The guards nearest me undo my chains. Daggers and swords are pointed at my head as I am escorted through the dark dungeon hallways and back to my old room. The same servant from before is waiting for me there with all the necessary supplies to make me clean and presentable. She says nothing to me and I say nothing to her. Her hands tremble. Either she is afraid of a threat from Abraxas or she is afraid of me. Both, probably. But there is no need for her to worry. She is safe from me. It is as Abraxas said. I have a job to do.
∞ ∞ ∞
When I am cleaned and ready, gleaming and smelling like the relative of a wealthy nobleman, I am escorted again to the main house. Abraxas meets me in the entryway.
“Pearl, darling,” he says as he embraces me. “I’m so glad you could make it to dinner this evening. I hope Gileaus and Namaah are well.” He steps aside and leads me to the dining room.
“Everyone,” he calls out to the room, “most of you remember my cousin, Pearl, don’t you? Well, she is here to visit again and has made it just in time for the second course.” A small rumble of applause and greetings reaches me from those in the room. I recognize some of them from the last time I dined with Abraxas in his home.
“Let me introduce you to Master Nicos and his wife Hypatia. I do not think they were here when you last dined with us.”
I greet the couple coolly, as I imagine a stuffy noblewoman related to Abraxas would. They are seated next to Abraxas at the head of the table. There is not space for me there. I am led to an empty seat near the bottom of the table. I sit between two young men, faces covered in acne. I have a clear view of Nicos and his wife.
Dinner moves on slowly and there is general conversation all around. Politics, religion, uprisings, taxes. The kinds of things that are always talked about at tables wealthy and poor. I keep my eyes directed at the head of the table. I am aloof enough with my dinner companions that they turn their attention away from me and to the pretty girls surrounding them. Right about the time we are getting ready for the final course, I see a heated discussion beginning between Abraxas and Nicos. It isn’t long before Abraxas nods my direction and I know it is time.
I reach out with my mind at lightning speed. No tendrils sneak their way to the head of the table. It is a direct hit. Nicos’ hand moves to his forehead as his memory is stripped away. His wife leans in to ask if he is unwell and I hit her with the same strength. Soon, her hand is at her forehead.
Abraxas sighs with satisfaction as he looks my direction. Then he offers his assistance to the ailing couple. They are escorted to their room to sleep off a sudden headache. As they move behind me and out the door, several of the men’s eyes meet mine. Do they know? Has Abraxas let some of his inner circle in on his secret?
I look around the table. Only those who were at the first dinner are here tonight. The same politicians I have seen for years are eating with my enemy. They are either his allies or his enemies. He keeps both close to him.
Eventually, the eyes move away from my face and turn to one another. There is much discussion between them and several glances my direction.
When dinner is finished and the guests are leaving, Abraxas calls me to him. I join him in a small room filled with scrolls and a few leather-bound books. There is a chair near a desk and he offers me the seat. I take it. He steps from the room for a moment and returns with a group of men. The same men who had their eyes on me at the table.
“What did I tell you, men?” he says as he closes the door. “My Pearl can do amazing things.”
“Wonderful things,” one man says.
“Spectacular things,” another offers.
“Why do you keep her hidden?” someone asks. “You could use her regularly.”
“I don’t like to overtax her,” Abraxas says as he looks my way. “But I think she is growing in strength. She will be ready for more soon.”
“You should travel with her, Abraxas,” the first man comments again. “There is so much she could do in the larger cities. Consider Bimini, for example, or even Atlantis.”
Atlantis. The name sends sparks of energy into my heart. I know that name. I know that place. It is a central hub of activity in Greece, a place where dreams are realized. I
have heard it talked about many times. It is almost the hub of the universe. Servants dream of the luxury that awaits the lowest classes there. Nobles fantasize about the life they can create for themselves there. These have never had a draw for me. But the pulling in my heart is suddenly arrow-sharp. There is nothing I want more in this moment than to travel to this magical city.
“I’d love to go to Atlantis,” I say as I stand from the chair. All eyes in the room turn to me. Abraxas wears a threat in his gaze. Don’t push too hard, Pearl. “I have always wanted to travel there. Master Abraxas couldn’t deny such a request to his prize cousin, could he?” I am bold, but I cannot hold back. My soul will not allow it.
The men turn back to their host and lead conspirator. His eyes are still fixed on me.
“I’m not sure,” he says. “Would my little prize cousin do well for herself there? Would she keep herself out of trouble?”
“She would,” I tell him. A few of the men glance back at me before returning to address Abraxas.
“You should do it, Ab,” they say to him. “A power like that is unparalleled. You could take over even sooner than you hoped. You could have her with you for the next elections. You can really change things.”
Abraxas is quiet, thinking. He knows my disobedience to him when he last traveled. Does he risk leaving me again or does he risk taking me with him?
“Pearl,” one of the men steps toward me. “Tell me, what all can you do? You have caused hallucinations and taken memories. Can you make a man change his mind? Can you force him to feel something he has never felt before?”
“I don’t know,” I answer. “I have never tried.”
“We must get a practice specimen for her Abraxas,” the man says. “We must really test her abilities. We must know what she can really do. Then we can take her to Atlantis with confidence.”
There are mumbles of agreement throughout the room as the men discuss and make plans together. Abraxas remains still, his eyes on me.
“What do you say, Ab?” All eyes are on Abraxas now as he stares and thinks. He strokes his fingers along his chin.
“We can practice with her,” he finally says. “But if there are any issues, I will not take her. I don’t want my plans destroyed.”
The men all mutter their encouragement and conviction that this is the best move. They pat Abraxas on his shoulder and congratulate him and each other on their plans. His eyes stay on mine for a moment longer before he turns to see his guests out. I sit back in the chair, unwilling to leave when a new window of opportunity has just opened in front of me.
Abraxas returns after seeing his guests out. “I’m surprised you didn’t try to leave,” he says as he pulls another chair near me.
“It’s as you’ve said,” I respond, “I have motivation to stay.”
“Ah, yes,” he sighs as he leans back. “Your lover and your spy friend.”
“Gileaus is my fiancé, yes, but not my lover. And Namaah is not a spy, she is only a friend.”
“Do you expect me to believe that the two of you don’t communicate? That she doesn’t tell you the things she has heard in this house?”
“I don’t expect you to believe anything. Though I could certainly try to make you believe. What do you say, Abraxas? Would you like to be the first to be tested? Do you want me to try to change your mind about Namaah?” Abraxas stares at me through narrowed eyes like he is looking at a cat he cannot trust, uncertain if I will scratch if he comes too close. I enjoy letting him squirm for a minute.
“No,” he tells me. “I think I’d prefer for you to test your skills when there are others around to watch. But tell me, Pearl. Why are you so eager to go to Atlantis?”
“I have my reasons,” I tell him. I don’t understand the reasons myself, but the pull will not be ignored.
“Ah hah, yes. I’m sure you do, Pearl. But you see, you are going to have to let me know what those reasons are before I am going to let you accompany me.”
Now it is my turn to study Abraxas through narrowed eyes.
“Atlantis is a city filled with mystery for me. I learned about it as a child from my father and I have always wanted to go there. It calls to me, you might say.” Abraxas laughs.
“Calls to you how, Pearl? Do you have coconspirators there who would do me harm?” I don’t know why he thinks I would tell him the truth about anything. Why he thinks this line of questioning will yield honesty from my lips. Why he bothers asking me questions at all. But I keep talking.
“Abraxas. I have told you my draw to the city. I have grown tired of this place. I want to leave it. I could have killed you already and left on my own by now.”
“Except for the guards outside the door,” he says.
“I would be willing to try my hand at them,” I say. “I am cornered, Abraxas. Give me space or I will attack, regardless of what it means to me.”
“What about what it means for Gileaus and Namaah?” he asks. “Are you willing to attack at their expense?”
“Would you like to push me on it and see for yourself?” I feel bold in this room, away from the prison and its torments. “I want to go to Atlantis, Abraxas. Take me and I will do what you ask of me. Don’t take me and you lose face in front of your followers. How much will they believe in you when they see you cannot even control the prize you’ve shown them? Will it leave room for one of them to break away, to take the others with him?”
I am playing on his fears. Abraxas wants nothing but total power. Anything that gets him there is worth the cost. Anything that keeps him from total power must be destroyed. But he cannot destroy me and he knows it. I am too powerful for him. He needs me. He ponders my questions and my demands. He reaches for the jade around his neck.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” I say before his hand can reach the stone. He pauses then lowers his hand to his lap.
“What do you know about this stone, Pearl?” he asks me. “Do you know what I am capable of when I use its power? Do you want me to show you how it works?” He grins and raises an eyebrow. I say nothing.
“I see,” he says. “You fear the jade and what it can do, Pearl. We always fear what we do not know. It is just as I fear you in some ways. I do not know what to make of you, Pearl. You were so pliant, so willing to obey. Then I leave and when I return I find that you have fought against my men. I push and you are pliant again. I do not know what to make of you. Can you help me understand where your loyalties lie?”
“My loyalties lie with those whom I love and with myself,” I tell him. “I will conform when they are treated well and when I get what I am asking for.”
“And if I take you to Atlantis,” he says, “what then? Will those same loyalties be in play?”
“They will.”
Abraxas sighs and stares at me for several minutes, thinking over my words in his mind. Will he trust me enough to take me with him? I am tempted to send my powers into his mind, but I do not know what the jade would do in response. I also do not know what the guards are prepared to do when their master acts out of character. And so I wait. I watch Abraxas and he watches me, each of us waiting for the other to show their hand, to give in, to make up their mind about what comes next.
“Let’s say I do take you with me to Atlantis. What’s in it for me?” he asks.
“Your friends want to test my abilities, Abraxas. Why not wait to see what that yields? Then we can discuss your terms.”
“And what are your terms?” he asks. I take just a moment to answer, letting my gaze rest on various objects around the room.
“Gileaus and Namaah come with us,” I tell him. “They are allowed freedom of movement and freedom from the power your jade places on them.”
Abraxas shakes his head. “I’m afraid freedom of movement is quite impossible, Pearl. You have created too much discord between us for me to allow for that. I would not be able to trust them and when I cannot trust them…”
“Freedom from the jade, then, Abraxas. Whatever power you are using over
them, stops immediately.” Abraxas smiles.
“I have actually used very little of the jade’s power on them. None on Namaah, actually. I didn’t see the need. But with your young Master Gileaus, I merely played with his own inconsistencies. The lure of power is strong within him, Pearl. Whatever he may say to you of love, he would have turned from you eventually.”
I will not let this man use his words to play with my mind.
“Your power over him stops, Abraxas. He and Namaah will be treated well. They travel with us and I will do as you ask.”
“After we test your abilities to see if they are worth the risk, my dear,” Abraxas replies and smiles.
“Agreed.”
I have just made a deal with a monster. But this deal will bring me closer to Atlantis and whatever calls me there.
Chapter 38
Abraxas’ friends and followers are not the greatest scientific minds, but they come up with a series of tests for me to take, tasks to complete to see exactly what I can do. The test subjects they bring are their enemies, their prisoners, and even their servants who are being punished. I do not love what they ask me to do, but none of it is violent. I justify the tests as a means to an end. The more I prove I can do, the more likely I am to travel to Atlantis and find my way to freedom. I don’t know any more who I am or what freedom will look like for me, but I choose faith in this journey as my chance to discover it.
Through their various tests and experiments, Abraxas’ cohorts discover that I can indeed make a man change his mind. A servant who refused to worship the gods of his master was brought to me. By the time the experiment was complete, he was a zealot for his master’s gods. Then they brought me a prisoner who refused to believe that he had done wrong in stealing bread from a vendor in town. When I was through, he was ready to preach in the streets the duty of every man to work and earn his own way in life. But the crowning achievement, the act that sealed my destiny in their eyes, was performed on another politician. For this feat, we traveled to another one of the men’s homes for another dinner. A powerful man in the area who had refused to back Abraxas was in attendance at the feast. Abraxas was not even there. By the time dessert was ended, the man was planning a trip to visit Abraxas to swear allegiance to him and offer any help he could.