by K MacBurn
“Fighting and sparring are meant to hone your skills. A challenger is someone that pushes you past your limits. Makes you be your best or die trying.”
Taylor thought it over for a moment then realized it made sense.
“I suppose we have humans like that as well. Usually, it’s in sporting competitions they try to prove they are the best. No one dies in those exchanges, it's just for pride.”
“Humans don’t kill?” He asked though he looked skeptical.
“Oh, we kill, usually not in competitions, but anywhere else, yes. For land, for ego, or for some sick satisfaction,” she looked at Ransidius and realized something horrible, “I would suspect we have killed more of our own in a single year, then your kind did before humans went extinct here.”
“Your population must be large then,” said the Sabre lord, “humans once roamed these lands in the thousands.”
The conversation took an odd turn for Taylor. Ransidius seemed intelligent but trying to convey the vastness of the planet, humanity as a whole was a daunting task.
“I am not sure you will believe me. Humans have spread across an entire planet and our numbers are close to seven billion. My country alone has thirty-five million.”
The numbers didn’t translate over to their language, but the Sabre surprised her by being interested.
“By the words you used it’s over thousands,” he reasoned.
“You know what one thousand is,” she tried, “it’s hard to picture but try to envision a hundred, one thousands.”
His eyes narrowed in thought, but he nodded. Ransidius was more than just brawn.
“So, you have this one hundred thousand. To get a million you would need, ten, one hundred thousands.”
This might have lost him, but he got the idea.
“That many humans must take up a lot of territory.”
“We do. But where we live nothing opposes us, besides each other.”
The small talk turned out to be a good thing. It took just enough of the edge off that Taylor wasn’t tense the entire time she sat there, and she sat there a long time.
The festivities continued late into the night with Ransidius only breaking for short periods of time to address a subordinate or grab food and drink
Taylor answered his questions truthfully and in return the Sabre answered hers, with only a few where he didn’t give her a complete answer.
After several hours Ransidius seemed to have his fill of the party. Without a hint of stiffness from sitting in the chair for hours he eased to his feet and held a hand out to Taylor. She was still under watchful glares from the rest of the Sabre’s, so the teen took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.
Pins and needles seared through her right leg, but the rugby captain managed not to face plant as she stood.
The Lord grabbed a full bottle of wine not bothering to announce his departure. He only spoke to Narseen for a moment as he was leaving.
“Did you want us to take her to her room?” Narseen asked.
“No. I will walk her there myself.”
Taylor’s stomach knotted in an instant.
She couldn’t fight him as he led her away, but she cast a worried look to Narseen and to her surprise it was greeted by a sympathetic gaze in return.
Chapter 11
The walk through the corridors was silent. On occasion they would pass a servant who would drop to their knees and advert their eyes as Ransidius passed. There were also patrols of Lioness’. The female Sabre’s had a different reaction to the big male than the Prey tribes or even other males did. They didn’t piss themselves in fear whenever he moved, they treated him as a comrade. They spoke to him with respect but with a mixture of flirting and casual.
They came to her plain wood door moments later, which Ransidius opened and stood back. She might have hesitated a second too long because she saw his eyes narrow ever so slightly.
Taylor steadied herself and stepped into the dark, cold room. Without any lighting she had to pause only a few steps in to try to let her eyes adjust. The big cat watched in amusement as she had to feel her way to the bed.
“I forgot humans don’t do well in the dark.”
Taylor felt the heat of his body pass her then heard him rustling around the fire place.
A fire illuminated the whole room in moments then added a wave a warmth to its charm.
With so much exposed skin it wasn’t a surprise the teen was now shivering from the night air. Even though it meant standing beside the Sabre, Taylor approached the flames to try to warm up.
They stood there for a while just watching the fire before Ransidius left and came back with two cups. He popped the bottle of wine and poured two glasses before pushing one into Taylor’s hands.
Under any other circumstance the alcohol would have been handed back but with her nerves on edge, and the Sabre standing right there she took it and even took a sip. The Sabre downed his own glass in one gulp before pouring another.
“I have found your performance today amusing. It pleases me to have an intelligent, albeit stubborn, woman in my presence. One becomes complacent when dealing with cowards and yes-men all the time.” His hand slipped onto the back of her neck, squeezing hard enough she felt the pressure. “But I still feel as though we need to discuss my expectations of you. I’ll make it easy.” He leaned in and whispered in his ear, “All you have to do is get down on your knees and answer a simple question. Who do you belong to?”
He waited. Taylor fought her instincts to push him away and to tell him she didn’t belong to anyone. The teen wanted to scream and tell him off, but the little voice of reason intervened so instead she decided to play along, it was better than the alternative she was sure, and it wasn’t as though she had to tell the truth.
The remaining wine was consumed in a nervous swallow before she sucked up her pride and kneeled in front of him.
“I belong to you,” she controlled her tone just as much as her movements.
There was a pause before he squatted down and looked her dead in the eyes.
“I don’t believe you.”
His back hand caught her on the left cheek snapping her head to the side. It was hard enough to bruise, and it stung making her eyes water. The big cat grabbed her chin again but this time it was with force and his eyes were intense.
The flesh on her cheek burned but the stubborn streak in the Rugby captain kept her from acknowledging the pain in any way. She simple stared right back at her tormentor.
“That look you are giving me right now, it proves my point. Pure defiance. You need to know those words are true, and you need to make me believe you.”
Ransidius hauled the human up to her feet while staying well within her personal space.
His fingers slid down then locked around her throat. She pulled at his hand out of instinct, but his grip was too strong.
“I see.” He smirked as if he figured out the puzzle. “Straight out violence just makes you more determined to rebel. But what if a little violence is mixed with a little softness?”
With one hand on her throat he turned and slammed her hard into the stone wall. In the moment of dazed confusion, he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head.
It was then Taylor realized her worst fear was coming true. She had been here before, with her step father being the aggressor. In that case, she had managed to get away, and now, as she struggled, the teen couldn’t find any opening to escape.
Ransidius’ traced a line down the back of her neck to the front, then down between her breasts to her stomach. Muscles twitched in response, and the human’s heart rate doubled.
Taylor clenched her eyes closed and tried again to pull her wrists free, but when she couldn’t, a small whimper escaped her lips.
The sound made the Sabre Lord pause.
“Now, I like that.” He whispered in her ear, “That tells me you are coming around to knowing who you belong to; are you willing to give it another try to convin
ce me?”
Ego was a hard thing to overcome Taylor knew what she should say, she even knew it was, for the most part true, but it was hard to push those words from her lips, even knowing what would happen if she didn’t.
It took too long to get the nerve. With a jerk of the Sabre’s powerful arm, he sent the teen across the room where she fell into the edge of the bed. Pain exploded in her knees where they banged into the stone floor, and in her already tender ribs. Before she could do anything, he grabbed a fist full of hair and one of her wrists pinning her torso to the bed face first.
Ransidius’ hot breath brushed over her chilled skin as his weight pressed down on her.
Everything felt like it was closing in as she struggled to move and breathe. It wasn’t until one of his hands tore the side of her shirt did she in all honesty feel helpless.
“You,” she whimpered, “I belong to you.”
He paused then turned her over, so she was forced to look him in the eye.
“I didn’t hear you. Say it again.”
“I belong to you.” There was a sadness in her voice; not broken, but subdued.
He grinned, in his normal predatory way, before he stood up.
Taylor slid down to the floor and brought her knees to her chest, holding together the edges of her tattered shirt.
No tears came as luck would have it, because if they started, Taylor would not get them to stop.
Ransidius pulled his shirt up over his head, exposing his muscled and scarred torso. There was nothing said as he held the garment out to her.
It took Taylor a moment to realize he was giving it to her to wear.
She didn’t trust him, but she took it anyway.
Ransidius built up the fire so it would burn for a while before he laid down on her bed with his arm propping his head up.
Taylor had enough humiliation for one day, and was not about to undress in front of the Sabre, but she had to make do with turning her back to him. The shirt was large enough to be a dress. The fabric fell to about mid thigh and hung off one shoulder.
It covered everything, but a full snowsuit would not have felt like enough at that moment.
The Sabre lord had bullied her into submission with the threat of rape, so she was hesitant to walk over to him again. If there was any other option, she would have taken it, but as he patted the bed beside him, there was no choice.
Ransidius’ eyes followed as she approached
When he spoke, he was back to his regal, playful self.
“I am not a hard Cat to get along with,” he assured her, “Do what I say, when I say it, and we need not repeat such un-pleasantries.”
“You must lead a boring life if there is no one allowed to question you,” her voice was raw, but she was proud to speak at all without breaking down.
“I do not mind a challenge, just not disobedience.” He patted the bed beside him again.
Taylor didn’t bother fighting it this time. She knew when to fold her hand.
The bed was soft and warm, but it was not inviting. She sat on the edge and took a moment to steady her nerves. Ransidius did not grab her, nor did he speak again, because she had done what he asked so he let her settle herself.
In the end she laid down as far away from the Sabre as she could.
Ransidius fell asleep soon enough, but any time she tossed or turned, his breathing would pause as if he was alert to her every move.
It was a long several hours, and Taylor did not get to sleep more than a few minutes at a time.
The sun had been up for a while before Ransidius stirred.
When he did wake, he was eager to get his plans underway, and that meant they had to go to the Crow Witch’s tower. The mention of the flying rat’s name brought a scowl to Taylor’s face. The reaction did not go unnoticed by the big Cat.
After allowing her to change, he escorted her back through the halls towards the North wing.
After that night’s ordeal, Taylor wasn’t up for much talking. That was until she saw the Witch, and her fear turned into a barely contained hate.
“M’lord, lovely to see you brought the little blood bag. Let’s get started, shall we?”
The Crow Witch was eager to begin. Enough so that she even ran up to Taylor with the dagger in hand. The eagerness earned her a well place right fist square on her long nose. The Crow squawked in pain.
“Oww! Ransidius, you need to put that thing on a leash!” She cried.
Ransidius squared Taylor with a look that made her shrink back a little but not give in.
“If you want my blood, then take it, but I will not just stand here and have that psycho come at me with a knife and not defend myself.” Taylor declared, “How much blood are you taking, anyway?”
“As much as necessary.” The crow sneered back as she stopped the flow of her own blood and healed her nose.
“I am still hoping to be alive tomorrow, so let’s put a figure on that. A human my size can safely part with about one liter of blood before starting to feel the effects.” Taylor educated the Crow. “That one liter can be replaced every week. Sooner, if the proper nutrition is in place.”
“And how much is a ‘liter’?” The crow demanded back.
Taylor glanced around before she saw a bottle about the right size. As she pointed it out the Crow seemed a little skeptical.
“I’ve seen humans lose a lot more blood than that and not die.”
Taylor never had so much hate as she did for this one being. She feared Ransidius, but she loathed Avis.
“Yes, but I had the impression you wanted a sustainable source not a one time shot.”
“She has a point Avis. Take the amount she showed you; after the tests we will further discuss what we need.” Ransidius offered.
Avis wouldn’t argue with him, so she pouted and picked up the dagger again. Taylor still wasn’t letting the Crow near her with the knife if she could help it.
The point was moot, though, because instead of waiting to see the two females work it out, Ransidius grabbed Taylor’s arm and bit her wrist hard enough to draw blood but not sever anything.
The teen winced and bit her own lip to stop from yelling out.
Ransidius then held the bleeding arm to Avis.
The Crow scrambled to find a container and get it under the drip.
To aid the process so she could get out of the butcher shop, Taylor flexed her hand a few times to promote the flow.
As the glass started to fill, Avis went about preform a series of tests on the blood.
Some emitted a puff of pink smoke, while some made it sizzle. Several chants were done, and magic was thrown at it. Every time, Avis would hum and write her findings in a leather-bound book.
Once the glass filled to the top, Ransidius brought Taylor’s wrist to his mouth and for a second time to lick the wound. He still found it amusing that she shuddered at his touch and winced.
Avis wasn’t paying attention; she sat hunched over a bowl whispering to herself.
Ransidius leaned back and played with a strand of Taylor’s hair as he watched the Crow.
Taylor stood there awkwardly trying not to react every time Ransidius moved. It failed miserably, though, when Avis had a eureka moment and sprung to her feet. It startled both the Sabre and Taylor.
“This is amazing!”
“What?” Ransidius demanded.
Avis held out the little dish full of blood, Ransidius frowned at it, he didn’t know what he was looking at.
“The blood,” Avis was quick to explain, “It is human, it shows all the same properties of the native humans, but there is something extra here. A component that amplifies natural ability, even more than the old ones.”
Avis looked up from the dish with a proud little smirk, until she saw Ransidius playing with Taylor’s hair; her eyes narrowed a moment before she turned sulky again.
“I will need to alter our potion to get the best use of her blood, but it looks as though I can even cut back on the amount
we use each time. It is strong.”
“Great. Is this going to be sufficient for the first batch?” He held up the glass jar filled with blood.
She nodded, but it seemed reluctant.
“Yes, I can work with that. It should be enough for yourself, the General and a couple of the lieutenants.”
“All right, have it prepared to go. We will bleed her again in one week. Whether we need it or not, I would like to have some stockpiled.”
The Crow nodded her agreement before she scowled again. Ransidius had stood up and let his hand rest on Taylor’s shoulder, fingers tracing lines up and down her neck.
Taylor was aware the Sabre knew it was bugging the Crow, but it seemed to be his goal.
“I will get to work, then.” The Crow muttered then walked away in more than a little huff.
Ransidius laughed as he steered Taylor towards the door.
They walked in silence all the way back to Taylor’s assigned chambers. Ransidius opened the door and bowed her inside with a predatory grin again playing across his lips.
Her eyes remained on him as she stepped in. Wary prey watching a hungry predator.
“So tense,” he teased; the door snapped closed with an ominous bang.
She didn’t have time to retort before he grabbed her wrist and her side and pushed her against the closest wall. Her first reaction was to pull away, which was futile, but, with a mental slap, she forced herself to calm down. She took a moment with her eyes closed before she opened them and looked up to his knowing grin.
“Separating instinctual responses from smart ones is often a challenge; I am glad to see you are a quick learner.”
Taylor watched as he again lifted her wrist to his face and inspected the healing bite mark.
“Sabre saliva has a healing element. Works well to clot wounds.”
“Interesting.” Taylor muttered, wishing he would let her go; instead he nuzzled her neck and took a deep inhale.
“You get some rest. I will be back tomorrow. Just remember our conversation hmm?”
“I belong to you. Hard to forget.”
He chuckled, and let his nose brush her cheek as he pulled away.