by Jaleta Clegg
"I'll be there."
"Don't damage the merchandise too much, it doesn't sell well in poor condition."
"The people bidding on her will expect it, trust me on that."
The woman didn't comment. She had her back to us. She was opening the hatch.
I kicked backwards, catching Matthias in the shins. I swung around, my fist leading. I got him in the chin. He staggered backwards, dragging me with him. His hand was still twisted in my suit. I kept punching and kicking him. He had to let me go. The hatch slid open. I could smell freedom.
Largo blindsided me. He grabbed me from behind, trapping my arms at my sides. I kicked and squirmed but his arms around me were like steel bands. I started to swear. I kept kicking and trying to bite him. The hatch slid shut. Matthias backhanded me. I went limp.
Matthias wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. At least one of my punches had connected solidly. He was going to have a fat lip for a while.
"Not smart, Dace," he said.
Largo held me while Matthias beat me. He stopped just short of actually breaking anything. I was going to have two black eyes and more than a fat lip. He left bruises pretty much anywhere he could.
"Lock her up," he snarled at Largo.
I was shoved back into the tiny cubby. I fell to the floor and quickly pulled my feet out of the way. Matthias wouldn't care if he smashed my feet in the door. I lay on the floor and ached for a while.
He was going to sell me. That answered why he had kidnapped me in the first place. It wasn't personal with him. It was business. But whoever bought me would make it personal. I had no illusions about that. The only people who would show up at an illegal arms market would be the people who most wanted revenge on me. I wondered how many of my enemies were still in prison and whether that would exempt them from bidding.
Maybe Lowell would hear about it. Maybe he would show up and outbid everyone else. And maybe I'd grow wings.
The door opened. Largo grabbed me before I had a chance to move. He dragged me out of the cubby. Matthias sat in a chair with a stunner in his hand.
"Give me a chance to use it, Dace." He didn't smile. He held an ice pack to one side of his face. His lip was swollen, puffed more than twice its normal size. He twitched the stunner. "Take her boots, Largo. And her clothes. We'll see how far she'll try to run in her underwear."
It was useless, but I fought Largo. Matthias hit me with the stunner as I lashed out with my foot. He had it turned up just enough to make me partly numb, not enough to knock me down. It hurt more than I believed possible. He must have done something to the frequency. Largo wasn't gentle either. He knocked me down then yanked my boots off.
He unlocked the force cuffs. I swung at him, lashing out as soon as I felt them loosen. He was ready for me. He slammed his fist into my head, knocking me silly just long enough to pull the cuffs free and toss them out of range. He reached for my shipsuit. I lashed out with both fists, trying to ignore the numb tingling caused by the stunner. I couldn't get any force into my blows. Largo swatted them aside. He stripped me out of my suit, giving me more than a few bruises in the process. I ended up on my belly on the floor. Largo planted his foot in the small of my back.
"Play it smart, Dace," Matthias said, "or we'll take the rest of your clothes." He stood and picked up my shipsuit. He dangled it in front of me. "You're going to have to earn this back."
I used my full swearing vocabulary. He just laughed.
Largo dug his foot into my back. "Show some respect."
I told him what he could do with his respect. It didn't matter that it was anatomically impossible. Largo growled and kicked me. I rolled onto my back.
Matthias laughed. "I'll have to remember that one. Take care of her, Largo."
Matthias left, going into a cabin with my shipsuit.
Largo yanked me up by my arm. He marched me into another cabin. He shoved me into the bathroom and into the shower stall.
"Boss says you smell." He hit the button for the shower then slammed the door shut.
I didn't care. The water felt good. Until Largo changed the temperature setting. He turned it to straight cold. It came out so freezing I was shivering in only a moment. He kept it on for what felt like a long time. I couldn't escape. I hunched in the bottom of the shower and shivered. I was blue long before he shut it off. My teeth were chattering so hard I kept biting my tongue.
He grinned when he saw me. "You aren't so tough, now, are you?"
He grabbed my arm and dragged me out before the blower could warm me. I was dripping wet. My underwear was soaked. I wrapped my wet arms around me. At least my hair was short. It would dry soon enough.
Largo marched me back into the cabin. He chained me to the upper bunk, locking my legs around one of the supports. He grabbed my wrists and slapped the force cuffs back on. He dragged one arm around the other support on the bunk and cuffed it. I lay on the edge of the bunk, my feet threaded through one support, my hands over my head cuffed to the other support.
"Sleep well," Largo said. He turned his back.
I was still freezing and wet. I shivered and pretended I wasn't. He hadn't given me a blanket or anything. I dripped on the bare mattress and shivered.
He made a show of taking his boots off and getting himself ready for bed. He even left me alone while he went to the bathroom. I heard him singing. I didn't want to think about what he was doing. I couldn't move. I tried. I was stuck. If I slid off the bunk, I was sure he'd leave me hanging by my hands and feet for the night. He came out of the bathroom and rolled into the bunk under me.
The lights dimmed and went out. Largo snored. I almost rolled off the edge of the bunk more than once. It was a long night. I finally dozed off.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty," Largo said cheerfully in my ear.
I jerked awake and slid off the edge of the bunk. He laughed as I hung helplessly by my hands and feet. The force cuffs buzzed and sent warning pulses up my arms. I swore, using just about every term I'd ever heard to describe Largo and Matthias and the force cuffs.
It hurt to hang there. I couldn't do anything about it. I was facing the floor. The cuffs dug into my ankles and wrists.
"Say please and I might help you," Largo said.
I told him what he could do with himself.
He lay down on his bunk. "When you're ready to ask nicely, let me know." He closed his eyes.
The pain was incredible. I bit my lip and tried to roll back onto the bunk. I couldn't do it. I swallowed what was left of my pride.
"Largo, please," I said, gritting my teeth.
"Please what?"
"Please help me," I said.
"Say it like you mean it."
I bit back the comment I wanted to make about him. "Please help me, Largo," I said instead.
"Not good enough."
"What do you want me to say?"
"Beg me. Make it sound like you really mean it."
I wondered how long he'd let me hang there. Not long enough to kill me, but it would be close. I did what he said.
"Largo, please help me." He made me repeat it over and over. I started screaming it at him. He just lay in the bunk, grinning. I finally shut up and just whimpered. My arms felt like they were being pulled from their sockets. My ankles were bleeding.
He finally got out of his bunk. He stood next to me. His hands were warm on my belly. He rolled me into the bunk. I sighed in relief. He let his hands linger on my bare skin.
"You're a bit skinny for my taste," he said. "But I could overlook that. You could make this trip a lot nicer for yourself."
I closed my eyes. I knew what he was hinting at. I wasn't going to stoop that low. I'd gone low enough already.
"Too bad." He slapped my bare belly. I flinched. "Matthias wouldn't care. If you change your mind, let me know."
He turned away, leaving me stretched out on the bunk. I stared at the ceiling and listed all the things I was going to do to Matthias and Largo when I finally got free.
The
cabin door slid open again. This time it was Matthias who stood over me. He poked the bruises down my side. I winced. I opened my mouth to curse him. He slapped me.
"I've had enough lip from you. You keep your mouth shut or I'll let Kolly and his crew have their fun with you. As long as you're still breathing when we reach the sale in two weeks, I don't care what other damage they do."
I snapped my mouth shut.
"You're getting smarter. I think Largo is getting too attached to you. I'm sending him off on a different errand. He always did have a hard time seeing the big picture." He leaned over me, his face an inch from mine. "Play it smart, Dace. Keep your mouth shut and quit fighting and I'll feed you. I may even give you your clothes back. Do anything stupid, and you'll wish you were dead. Understand?"
He breathed it into my face. His nose was almost touching mine. I sighed and gave in. I'd still run at the first opportunity. I'm sure he knew that. He smiled.
"Now that we understand each other," he said backing away, "show me you can behave. We have another day before we lift. You aren't leaving that bunk until then."
He turned his back to me. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him.
"Make me happy, Dace," he said, turning back around. He held a cup that steamed. He sipped it. "Still hot, quite good, actually. You want some?" He held the cup out.
I licked dry lips. "Yes, please."
"You can't have any. Try again, Dace."
"Matthias, I'm thirsty. Please can I have a drink."
"Not Matthias. Try lord and master, I like the ring of that."
"You don't want me dead. You want me alive. I'm worth more to you in one piece. And I'm worth more if I don't look half starved and beaten."
"Are you sure about that?"
"I know you're selling me to those who want revenge on me. They're going to want to think they're the first ones to beat me."
"You may have a point there," Matthias said. He walked over to the bunk again. "But you're too dangerous to trust."
I waited. I could see him thinking over some decision. He finally made his choice.
"You stayed cuffed to the bunk," he said. "But you are right. I'll only beat you if you ask for it."
"Fair enough," I said.
He slapped me. "No lip, either."
I kept my mouth shut. I tasted blood.
"Thirsty, Dace? Here have some of mine." He held the cup out again.
I rolled my head over. He held the cup just out of reach of my mouth. He lifted the cup and drank the rest. He laughed and walked away. The door slid closed behind him.
I lay alone in the room for a long time. The door finally opened again. One of the women on the crew entered. She crossed the room and wordlessly held a water pouch where I could drink from the straw. I drained it as fast as I could. I had no idea when I'd get another one. She fed me a ration bar, breaking it into pieces and holding them where I could eat them. She looked disgusted by the whole process. I felt completely humiliated.
She dropped the last piece on the bunk next to my head and left. I tried to twist my neck enough to reach it. I couldn't. I knocked it onto the floor.
One of the other crew members, one of the men, came after a while to let me off the bunk. He took me to the bathroom. He let the door shut behind me. Not that it did me any good. They left nothing inside except the fixtures. I used the facilities and played with the water. It was warm. I was still chilled inside. I was tempted to take another shower, but I had no idea who would walk in on me.
"Enough," the crewman said, opening the door.
He marched me back across the floor and chained me up to the bunk again.
I closed my eyes and resigned myself to the situation. At least for now.
Chapter 25
"Henry?" Her voice echoed lightly through the darkness.
He scuttled back into the crack. Maybe if he didn't look, she wouldn't see him. Maybe if he didn't look at the light, he wouldn't be compelled to seek it. But the light called to him. He hungered for it even as she called his name again.
"Henry, don't be a bad boy. Why are you hiding from me? Henry?" Her voice was light and teasing.
He could almost taste the sweetness of her touch. He could almost taste the water she brought him, clean and tasting of fresh air and growing things and sunlight. He gritted his teeth and rubbed his eyes with his hands. He had to resist. He had to fight the compulsion.
"Henry? You must come out now."
She was coming closer. The light pressed on him, urging him out of hiding. He shuddered. The urge built inside him. He had to feel her touch. He had to have the drugs she used on him. It would cost him his clarity, hard won over the last while. She left it almost too long. He almost remembered who he was.
"Henry, come out now or I will be displeased." Her voice was harder.
He shoved his hands against his eyes. He couldn't look. If he caught even a glimpse of the light he would lose whatever gains he had made. He would lose his mind again. He was so close.
"You are a naughty boy, Henry," she said, just outside his hole in the rocks.
He heard her feet as she walked lightly over the stones. She bent down, her dress rustling around her. He had to look, he couldn't resist. His hands slipped down.
White light, shimmering pure light, washed over and through him. She was there, his angel, his demon, bending down to peer into his hiding place, spilling her light over him. He whimpered. He had lost again. Her light filled him, pulling him out of his hole. He crawled to her, like an animal, to crouch at her feet.
"I should punish you, Henry." She stroked his head.
He shivered at her touch. He craved it. He needed her to touch him, to bring the oblivion only she could offer. He didn't want to remember who he was. He didn't want to know what he had done. He didn't know what betrayal he had committed and he never wanted to remember. He whimpered and pressed his face to her leg, begging for her touch.
"You are no longer useful to me. You do know that, don't you? I should let you die. But I find I have grown fond of you. Perhaps I shall let you live a while longer. Or is there more you have not told me? Perhaps there is some small scrap of knowledge you have overlooked?"
Her fingernails traced patterns across his skin. He shuddered. The drugs under her nails worked quickly. He found his memory coming clear. He backed away from her as he remembered.
"What have you done to me?" he whispered, shocked at the depth she had pushed him to.
"You know, Henry. You remember everything you have ever told me. Think very hard. Tell me anything you have overlooked and I will reward you with pleasure such as you have not felt before." She leaned towards him, smiling seductively. She held out her hand, her fingernails glittering silver in the light that leaked from her gown, filling the air around her with a soft mistiness.
Scholar swallowed. He wanted the drug she offered. He was addicted. He hated himself for that weakness. He had given her almost everything. He closed his eyes, shutting her out.
"You would rather die? One drug cancels out the other. The one that lets you remember will kill you. The other one allows you to live, but it robs you of your memory. Tell me something useful and I will allow you to live. Fight me, run from me, and I will let the drug kill you. It is excruciatingly painful." She smiled, sweet and innocent and light. "Your choice, Henry."
"I've told you everything," he said hoarsely. It was true, he realized. She had wrung every ounce of knowledge out of him. Except for one name. He had never told her who he protected.
"Not everything. Tell me who sent you searching for me."
"I told you, I work for Lowell." He wanted the drug. He tried to fight the craving.
"That isn't what I asked." She stepped closer, her skirt whispered over the stone. She placed one dainty foot on the rock where he crouched. He stared at it. "Who is the one you are trying to protect? Who is it I am not supposed to know about?"
He smelled her perfume, a hint of ice and open sky. She leaned ov
er him. She spread her hand in front of his face.
"Life or death, Scholar, your choice." Her voice was a whisper over his skin, her breath touched him and he shivered.
"There is no one, only Lowell. And I've told you about him."
"You lie to me. Who is she? Tell me the truth, not the lies everyone else tells about her."
He shook his head, backing away from her. "She has nothing to do with this."
"So you admit there is a woman involved. Tell me who she is, love." Her finger traced a light spiral on his cheek.
He shivered and leaned into her touch. She moved her hand back, laughing teasingly.
"Not so easy, my sweet Henry. Tell me her name."
He looked into her face. She was so beautiful. She was so deadly. He couldn't fight her any longer. He had no idea how much time had passed. Long enough that his clothes were worn to rags and his body was nothing but bones. He needed her drug. He closed his eyes in defeat.
"Dace," he whispered.
"Dace," she echoed him. "Why do you still protect her? She left you here. She abandoned you to die here."
He shook his head in mute denial.
"Tell me why she should matter to you."
"I promised to protect her." He felt the shivers inside, warning of pain and convulsions. "Please, you promised me the drug. Make me forget, Lady, please."
"I should make you live with your pain. Betrayal is bitter, isn't it?"
She moved away from him, turning her back on him. He fought the impulse to throw himself after her, clutch at her skirt, beg for the drug.
"You wouldn't know, being shut down here," she said, almost to herself. She turned back to him, her skirt whirling around her. "The woman, Dace, is long gone. She left you here to die. She has returned to her friends. Or so she believed."
"What happened?" Scholar demanded. "What have you done to her?"
Her smile was cruel, mocking his pain. "I have done nothing. Others have found revenge on her. Your pathetic attempt to shield her amuses me. You may live. For a while longer."
He backed away. He wanted to die. Was everything he had done and believed in worthless? Had Lowell lost? Did he dare believe her mocking words? He shook his head, mute denial of everything she tried to make him into.