She stopped, standing next to him, panting in ire. “I’m going to dinner.” He felt the agony of the magic come on in him. He gasped, his eyes going wide. “While I’m gone, and I’m going to take my time, I’m leaving the pain of the magic on you. You will not be able to pass out, or to stop it. If you let the anger get away from you, it will make the pain worse. And it will get away from you. I promise.”
She went to the wall and hoisted the rope up until his feet were off the floor. Richard cried out. His arms felt as if they would be torn out.
“Enjoy yourself.” She turned on her heels and left.
Richard balanced on the edge of sanity and madness, the suffering twisting in him, making him unable to control the anger, as she had promised. The flames of his hurt consumed him. It was somehow worse that she wasn’t there. He had never felt so alone, so helpless, and the pain wouldn’t even let him cry; he could only gasp in agony.
He had no idea how long he was left alone. He was aware only of suddenly dropping to the floor, then Denna’s boots to either side of his head as she stood over him. She turned off the pain of the magic, but his arms were still clamped helplessly behind his back, and the burning inferno of pain in his shoulders didn’t extinguish. He cried against the blood on the floor as she stood over him.
“I told you before,” she hissed through gritted teeth, “you are my mate for life.” He could hear her heavy breathing, the rage in her. “Before I begin doing worse to you, and you are no longer able to speak, I want you to tell me why you asked to have Constance train you instead of me.”
He coughed up blood, trying to speak.
“That is not the way you talk to me! On your knees! Now!”
He tried to get to his knees, but with his arms behind his back, he was unable to. Denna took a fistful of his hair and pulled him up. Dizzy, he fell against her, his face against the wet blood on her belly. His blood.
She pushed him away from her with the tip of the Agiel against his forehead. That brought his eyes open. He looked up at her, to answer.
Denna backhanded him across the mouth. “Look at the ground when you speak to me! No one gave you permission to look at me!” Richard looked down at her boots. “You’re running out of time! Answer the question!”
Richard coughed up more blood; it ran down his chin, and he had to struggle to keep from vomiting. “Because, Mistress Denna,” he said hoarsely, “I know it hurts you to hold the Agiel. I know it hurts you to train me. I wanted Mistress Constance to do it, to spare you the pain. I don’t want you to hurt. I know what it feels like to hurt; you have taught me. You have already been hurt enough; I don’t want you to hurt any more. I would rather have Mistress Constance punish me than have you be in pain.”
He strove to balance himself on his knees. There was a long silence. Richard stared at her boots, and coughed a little, struggling to breathe with the pain in his shoulders. The silence seemed as if it would never end. He didn’t know what she was going to do to him next.
“I don’t understand you, Richard Cypher,” she said softly, at last, the anger gone from her voice. “The spirits take me, I don’t understand you.”
She walked behind him, unhooked the device that held his arms, and walked out of the room without another word. He couldn’t straighten out his arms properly, and fell on his face. He didn’t try to get up, he only cried against the bloody floor.
After a time, he heard the bell, calling them to the evening devotion. Denna came back in, squatted down next to him, put her arm gently around him, and helped him to his feet.
“We are not allowed to miss a devotion,” she explained in a quiet voice, hooking the chain to her belt.
The sight of his blood all over the white leather was shocking. There were strings of it across her face and in her hair. As they walked to the devotion, people who usually spoke to her averted their eyes and gave her wide passage. Kneeling with his head to the floor hurt his ribs, making it hard to breathe, much less chant. He didn’t know if he was getting the words right, but Denna didn’t correct him, so he just went on. How he stayed upright the whole time, without tipping over, he didn’t know.
When the bell rang twice, Denna rose, but didn’t help him. Constance appeared, a rare grin on her face.
“My, my, Denna, looks like you’ve been having fun.” Constance backhanded him, but he managed to stay on his feet. “Been a bad boy, have you?”
“Yes, Mistress Constance.”
“Very bad, it would appear. How delightful.” Her hungry eyes turned to Denna. “I’m free. Let’s go teach him what two Mord-Sith can really do.”
“No, not tonight, Constance.”
“No? What do you mean, no?”
Denna exploded. “I mean no! He is my mate, and I’m taking him back to train him as such! Do you wish to come and watch when I lie with my mate! Do you want to watch, too, what I do when I have the Agiel between my teeth!”
Richard shrank back. So that was what she had planned. If she did that to him tonight, as badly as he was already hurt…
People in white robes—missionaries, Denna had called them—were staring. Constance glared back and they hurried off. Both women’s faces were red—Denna’s from anger, Constance’s from embarrassment.
“Of course not, Denna,” she said in a low voice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I will leave you to it.” She gave Richard a smirk. “You look to be in enough trouble already, my boy. I hope you are up to your duties.”
She gave him a jab in the stomach with her Agiel, and walked off. Dizzy, Richard put his hand across himself with a moan. Denna’s hand come up under his arm, holding him up. Denna glared after Constance, then started off, expecting him to follow. He did.
When they were back in Denna’s quarters, she gave him the bucket. He almost collapsed at the thought of filling her tub.
Her voice was quiet. “Go and get one bucket of hot water.”
Richard could have died with relief, knowing that he didn’t have to fill the tub. He retrieved the water, a little confused. She seemed to be angry, but wasn’t directing her anger at him. He waited with his eyes cast downward after he set the bucket on the floor. Denna brought the chair over. He was surprised she didn’t have him do it.
“Sit down.” She went to the table by her bed and came back with a pear. She looked at it in her hand a moment, turning it around and around, rubbing it a little with her thumb, then held it out to him. “I brought this back from dinner. I find I am no longer hungry. You had no dinner; you eat it.”
Richard looked at the pear in her hand as she held it toward him. “No, Mistress Denna. It’s yours. Not mine.”
“I know whose it is, Richard.” Her voice was still quiet. “Do as I say.”
He took the pear, eating it all, even the seeds. Denna knelt down and started washing him. He had no idea what was going on, but the washing hurt, although it was nothing to compare with the Agiel. He wondered why she was doing this, when it was time to train him again.
Denna seemed to sense his apprehension. “I have a backache.”
“I’m sorry, Mistress Denna, I’ve caused it by my behavior.”
“Be quiet,” she said gently. “I want to sleep on something hard, for my back. I will sleep on the floor. Since I will sleep on the floor, you will have to sleep in my bed, and I don’t want your blood in it.”
Richard was a little perplexed. The floor was certainly big enough for the two of them, and she had certainly gotten his blood in her bed before. It had never bothered her in the past. He decided it was not his place to question, and so didn’t.
“All right,” she said when she had finished, “get in the bed.”
He lay down while she watched him. With resignation, he picked up the Agiel from the side table and held it out to her, the pain from it hurting his arm. He wished she weren’t going to do this to him tonight.
Denna took the Agiel from him and returned it to the table. “Not tonight. I told you, I have a backache.” She blew ou
t the lamp. “Go to sleep.”
He heard her lie on the floor, whispering a curse to herself. He was too exhausted to think, and was asleep in a short time.
When the peal of the bell woke him, Denna was already up. She had cleaned the blood from her white outfit, and had fixed her braid. She said nothing to him as they walked to the devotion. It was painful for him to kneel, and he was glad when it was finished. He didn’t see Constance. Walking behind Denna, he began to turn toward the training room, but she didn’t, and the chain pulled taut. The pain brought him up short.
“We’re not going that way,” she said.
“Yes, Mistress Denna.”
She walked awhile, down halls that stretched forever, then gave him an impatient look. “Walk next to me. We’re going for a walk. It’s something I enjoy doing occasionally. When my back hurts. It helps me.”
“I’m sorry, Mistress Denna. I was hoping it would be better by this morning.”
She glanced at him, then looked back to where she was going. “Well, it’s not. So we will go for a walk.”
Richard had never been this far from Denna’s quarters before. His eyes took little journeys to the new sights. At intervals, there were places just like the one where they went for their devotions, opened to the sky and the sun, each with a rock in the center, and a bell. Some had grass instead of sand, and some even a pool of water that the rock sat in. Fish glided in groups through the clear water. The halls were sometimes wide as rooms, with patterned tiles on the floor, arches and columns all about, ceilings soaring high above. Windows let light stream into these places, making them bright and airy.
People were everywhere, most in robes of white or some other pale color. No one ever seemed in a hurry, but most seemed as if they had a place to go, although a few sat on marble benches. Richard saw few soldiers. Most people walked past Denna and him as if they were invisible, but a few smiled and exchanged a greeting with her.
The size of the place was astounding; the halls and passages stretched out of sight. Wide stairs led up or down to unknown parts of the great edifice. One hall had statues of naked people in proud poses. The statues were made of carved and polished stone, mostly white, some with gold veining through it, and each was twice as tall as he. Richard never saw one place that was dark, or ugly, or dirty; everything he saw was beautiful. The sound of people’s footsteps echoed through the halls like reverent whispers. Richard wondered how a place as large as this could even be conceived of, much less built. It must have taken lifetimes.
Denna led them to a sprawling square that was open to the sky. Full-grown trees covered the mossy ground, and a path of brown clay tiles meandered through the center of the indoor forest. They strolled along the path, Richard looking up at the trees. They were beautiful, even if they were bare of leaves.
Denna watched him. “You like the trees, don’t you.”
He nodded, looking about. “Very much. Mistress Denna,” he whispered.
“Why do you like them?”
Richard thought a moment. “It seems they are part of my past. I can dimly recall that I was a guide. A woods guide, I think. But I don’t remember much about it, Mistress Denna. Except I liked the woods.”
“Being broken makes you forget things from before,” she said quietly.
“The more I train you, the more you will forget the past, except specific questions I ask you. Soon, you will remember none of it.”
“Yes, Mistress Denna. Mistress Denna, what is this place?”
“It’s called the People’s Palace. It’s the seat of power in D’Hara. It is the home of Master Rahl.”
They had lunch in a different place than they usually ate. She had him sit in a chair; he didn’t know why. They went to the afternoon devotion at one of the places with water instead of sand, and after devotion, they walked some more through the vast halls, to find themselves back in familiar territory for dinner. The walking made him feel better. His muscles had needed to be stretched.
After the evening devotion, in the little room in her quarters, Denna locked his arms behind his back in the binding device, and hoisted it up, but not enough to take the weight off his feet. It still brought the pain back to his sore shoulders, but it made him wince only a little.
“Is your back better, Mistress Denna? Did the walking help?”
“It’s nothing I can’t tolerate.”
She walked slowly around him, watching the floor. She stopped at last in front of him, rolling the Agiel in her fingers for a time, scrutinizing it.
Her eyes didn’t come up. Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. “Tell me you think I’m ugly.”
He looked at her until her eyes finally came up. “No. That would be a lie.”
A sad smile spread on her lips. “That was a mistake, my love. You have disobeyed my direct order, and you have forgotten the appellation.”
“I know, Mistress Denna.”
Her eyes closed, but a little of the strength came back to her voice. “You are nothing but trouble. I don’t know why Master Rahl burdened me with your training. You have earned yourself two hours.”
She gave him his two hours, not as hard as she usually did, but hard enough to make him cry in pain. After the training, she told him that her back still hurt, and slept on the floor again, having him sleep in the bed.
The next few days went back to the regular routine, the training not being as long or as strenuous as before, except when Constance was there. Denna kept a close watch on her, guiding more than she had in the past. Constance didn’t like it, sometimes glaring at Denna. When Constance was rougher than Denna wished, she wasn’t invited for the next session.
With the lighter training sessions, his head started to clear, and he began remembering things, things about his past. A few times, when Denna’s back hurt, they went for long walks, looking at the various, astonishingly beautiful places.
After an afternoon devotion one day, Constance asked if she could come along. Denna smiled and said yes. Constance asked to do the training, and was given permission. She was rougher than usual, and had Richard in prolonged agony, tears of pain streaming down his cheeks. Richard was hoping Denna would put a stop to it, as he was on his last strings of tolerance. As Denna came out of her chair, a man came into the room.
“Mistress Denna, Master Rahl has requested you.”
“When?”
“Right now.”
Denna gave a sigh. “Constance, would you finish the session?”
Constance looked into Richard’s eyes and smiled. “Why, of course, Denna.”
Richard was terrified, but didn’t dare say a word.
“His time is nearly up, just take him back to my quarters and leave him there. I’m sure I won’t be long.”
“My pleasure, Denna. You can count on me.”
Denna started to leave. Constance grinned at him wickedly, her face close to his. She grabbed his belt and yanked it open. Richard couldn’t breathe.
“Constance”—Denna had come back in—“I don’t want you doing that.”
Constance was caught off guard. “In your absence, I’m in charge of him, and I’ll do as I wish.”
Denna came and put her face close to the other’s. “He is my mate, and I said I don’t want you to do that. And I don’t want you to put the Agiel in his ear either.”
“I’ll do as I…”
“You will not.” Denna gritted her teeth as she looked down to the shorter woman. “I am the one who took the punishment when we killed Rastin. Me. Not you and me, only me. I have never made a point of it before, but I do now. You know what they did to me, and I never told them you had a part in it. He is my mate, and I am his Mord-Sith. Not you. Me. You will respect my wishes or there is going to be trouble between us.”
“All right, Denna,” she huffed. “All right. I’ll mind your wishes.”
Denna still glared at her. “See that you do, Sister Constance.”
Constance finished the session with all the effort she coul
d bring forth, although she kept the Agiel mostly where Denna wanted it. Richard knew it went on for longer than it should have. When she took him back to Denna’s quarters, she spent a good hour slapping him around, then hooked the chain over the footboard of the bed and told him he was to stand until Denna came back.
Constance put her face close to his, as best she could, considering her height, and grabbed him between his legs.
“Take good care of this for me,” she sneered. “You aren’t going to have it much longer. I have reason to believe Master Rahl will shortly be reassigning you to me, and when he does, I’m going to alter your anatomy.” A grin spread on her face. “And I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
His anger flashed, bringing on the pain of the magic. It took him to his knees. Constance laughed as she left the room. He managed to get the anger under control, but the pain wouldn’t stop until he stood.
Warm sunlight was streaming in the window. He hoped Denna would be returning soon. The sun set. Dinnertime came and went. Still Denna did not return. Richard began to worry. He had a feeling that something was wrong. He heard the peal of the bell for the evening devotion, but couldn’t go to it, being chained to the bed. He wondered if he was supposed to kneel where he was, but realized he couldn’t do that either; he had been told to stand. He thought maybe he should still chant the devotion, but decided there was no one to hear him, and it wouldn’t matter.
It was long since dark out the window, but thankfully the lamps were lit and at least he didn’t have to stand in the dark. The two bells announced the end of evening devotion. Still Denna was not back. His training time came and went. Still no Denna. Richard was fraught with worry.
At last, he heard the door push open. Denna’s head was bowed, her posture stiff. The braid was undone and her hair disheveled. She laboriously pushed the door closed. He saw that her skin was ashen, her eyes wet. She didn’t look at him.
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