The Daath Chronicles- The Complete Series

by Eliza Tilton

  “What? No.”

  A guard, one that appeared out of nowhere, grabbed my arm.

  “My lord, I just came to deliver the necklace.” I wrestled with the guard, but he was stronger than I. “I can’t stay here. I have a home. A family.”

  Daago turned his back to me without another word.

  The guard dragged me outside to a carriage. Willis followed.

  “Please,” I begged. “I just came to deliver a piece. He can’t take me!”

  “Get in.” The guard shoved me inside.

  “I’ll ride with the lady,” Willis said to the guard. “You go with the driver.”

  Willis sat across from me. With an unshaven face and sagging skin, he appeared old and haggard. If he could choose to be any human, why pick one who looked half-dead? His brow creased, and his nose crinkled at me.

  “You’re foolish for coming here,” he scowled.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “While you were here, you may have heard of Lucino’s dollhouse.”

  Faint rumors, but I remember the servants whispering about a house full of beautiful women that Lucino visited.

  “Daago has taken them for himself.”

  “No … I can’t go. You can’t allow it.”

  “And go against the regent?”

  The carriage bumped along the road. Fear raced through my heart. “When Lucino comes back, he will want me unharmed.”

  “Lucino isn’t coming back.”

  “Do you doubt your Reptilian prince?”

  The surprise on Willis’ face gave me the confidence I needed.

  “I am his betrothed. When he returns from war, he will come for me, and when he does, anyone who has harmed me will be killed.”

  Willis’ brow creased. “A human should not know these things.”

  Raising my shoulders, I sat straighter, holding his gaze. “I am the future queen.”

  The carriage stopped, and my heart pounded as if it would break through my chest. I knew it was pretentious of me to say such a thing, but Lucino and I would eventually marry. He would be king, and I his queen. Right now, that future was the only weapon I had.

  Willis furrowed his brow, his thin lips curved down. “I can’t take you away from here without Daago realizing. The guard will talk. I’ll come back when I can.”

  “Pray to whatever gods you must that I remain in one piece until then.”

  The carriage came to a halt. Willis opened the door where Daago’s guard stood outside. His young face held nothing but annoyance as he grabbed my arm and ripped me from the carriage.

  “I can walk.” I wretched my arm out of his grip and stomped forward.

  This dollhouse reminded me of a smaller version of Lucino’s home, with the same white stone and a lone, spiraled tower. Large shrubbery overran the grounds, unlike the perfectly manicured lawn at Lucino’s palace. A horse stall sat to the left of the house.

  “New girl,” the guard said as he opened the door and shoved me in.

  A young guard with a gash running from eye to cheek smirked. “Pretty thing.”

  “Take her upstairs with the others. I have to go back.”

  The young guard licked his lips. “Did Daago give any orders?”

  I didn’t like the way the guard examined me as if I were an edible treat. His gaze hovered too long.

  “No, but I’d wait before trying that one out until he does. We don’t need another guard killed.”

  “Understood. Come on, pretty.”

  Trying me out? The meaning behind those words drove my heart into a wild beat and sucked all moisture from my mouth. Did the guards do whatever they pleased? How could Lucino allow such a thing to happen? He never mentioned this dollhouse, and now I questioned why. What was he planning to do with these women when he returned? Did he think he could marry me and keep a house of women for himself?

  Anger pushed the fear aside and I clenched my fists. All this time, and he said nothing!

  The guard walked me up a set of stairs to a hallway with only two doors.

  “Bathroom is there. All you girls sleep in there.” He pointed to the door across from us. “Until later, pretty.”

  With a shaking hand, I opened the door to an enormous room reminding me of the ball at Mirth. Pillows and large deep sofas covered the sides of the soft yellow room. Fuchsia drapes hung from the large open windows on the walls. Potted plants broke up the array of color and seating. Girls, some young, some older than me, all turned my way.

  “Hello.” I gulped the fear down and hugged my middle.

  A tall girl with long brown hair approached me. “What’s your name?”

  “Aurora,” I said, looking at the girls around me. They were so silent, huddled close to one another, and gazing at me with wide eyes.

  “It’s okay.” She placed a hand on my back. “My name is Jezebel. You’re safe, for now. Are you hungry?” Her light brown eyes were the same shade as my father’s, and for a moment, I believed her.

  I nodded. What did she mean by for now?

  “Gwen, bring over a pitcher of water and fruit,” Jezebel said in a gentle tone to the young girl with bright red curls.

  “What did you mean I was safe for now? What is this place?”

  She gave a deep sigh and placed a hand on my back, gently ushering me to sit. “Daago was here this morning. You don’t need to worry about anything tonight. What land are you from?”

  “You know of the lands?”

  “None of us are from here.” Gwen sat next to me and poured a cup from a pitcher. “Lucino’s people took most of us from our home a long time ago. Those were the good days.”

  “The good days?” I took the cup with shaking hands and drank.

  “Lucino was kind, and he never hurt us,” Jezebel said.

  “Never touched us either,” Gwen added with a giggle.

  Jezebel laughed. “That’s true. For a lord, he was a bit eccentric.”

  The anger inside fluttered away. “He never …?”

  “Lucino? No. Most boys with his title would. It was only ever a kiss on the hand, nothing more.”

  “What about Daago?”

  “He’s a monster.” Gwen spat. “I hope Lucino comes back and kills him.”

  One of the girls across from us had bruises running across her left arm. Another had a bruise on her cheek and shrank away from my glance.

  “One of the guards asked if he could try me out.” I whispered the question, afraid to stir more fear around the frightened girls.

  Jezebel placed a comforting hand on my leg. “Daago lets the guards do whatever they want. As long as they don’t hurt us.”

  “But the marks?” I glanced at the two girls sitting across from us.

  “Those are from Daago.” Gwen snatched the cup slipping out of my hand. “We tried to fight back once … he killed one of the girls as punishment.”

  Coldness seeped into my skin and my heart ached. Not just for me, but for these broken girls. How could such a horrible place exist in a land full of such beauty? Was this how Lucino’s people treated humans? What would they do to us once all the Reptilians were here? A tear splashed my cheek and I wiped it away with my fingers. These poor, poor girls.

  “That’s not even the worst of it,” Gwen mumbled.

  “What?” I gasped. “How could it be any worse?”

  “Enough, Gwen.”

  I shook my head. “No, please, tell me. What else?”

  Gwen took a breath. “We think he’s making us infertile. None of us have ever been able to become pregnant. It’s not normal.”

  My gaze swept across the silent room, falling on the tired, timid faces of the girls around me. Beautiful, young, and undeserving of such a horrid fate. I wanted to reach out to the girls huddled on the sofa, wrap my arms around them and pro
mise I would save them all, but fear kept me in place. I couldn’t even save myself. Using the sleeve of my dress, I wiped away the wetness on my face and tried not to sob.

  “We’ll protect you as long as we can,” Jezebel whispered. The words should have brought me comfort; instead, my heart spun.

  I fell into the hug she offered, confusion clouding my mind. How could this be happening? I should have stayed at Jericho’s like he said.

  I was a stupid girl, and now I would pay for my mistakes.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Jeslyn

  Urging whispers called from outside my dreams. I pushed the distant sounds away and snuggled the soft pillow.

  “Aurora, wake up.” Gwen shook my shoulders, her voice urgent and sharp.

  “What is it?”

  “We need to hide you.”

  I sat up, quickly rubbing my eyes. “What’s happened?”

  “We heard the guards coming. Come on, hurry.” She pulled me to the back of the room, and pushed a panel on the bottom of the wall. It slid aside to reveal a small, empty space. “Stay in there, and don’t come out until Jezy or I get you.”

  I nodded and crawled into the dark hole.

  “And don’t make any noise.” She placed the panel back into place, sending me into darkness.

  A minuscule crack where the panel slid open let in a sliver of light. I listened for the sounds of the guards, terrified. If what they said about Lucino was true, he would help the girls once he arrived. If not, I would convince him. We couldn’t allow these girls to stay locked in this horrid cottage.

  “Wasn’t there a new girl?” A gruff voice said.

  “She’s in the bath with the other girls, preparing for Daago to arrive.”

  I held my hands together in prayer for Jezebel, this brave girl lying for me. She didn’t owe me any protection, but I could tell by the way she had spoken to me earlier, she would do it for any girl here.

  “Then we’ll go to the bath.”

  “You know the rules!” Gwen argued. “Men aren’t allowed in there.”

  Slap.

  “Don’t tell me of the rules. I know how you girls work. You can’t protect her forever.”

  The door slammed, matching the loud beat of my heart. I closed my eyes, reciting the prayer for protection repeatedly.

  The panel slid away. “You can come out now.” Jezebel held out her hand.

  Taking her hand, I let her help me out of the crawl space. Gwen sat on one of the couches, holding her face. The red of her hair matched the hue spreading across her cheek.

  “Gwen.” I ran to her side. “You shouldn’t have done that for me.”

  “I can take a slap.”

  “You shouldn’t have to. None of you should. This isn’t right.”

  “We’ve tried to escape. It’s impossible.” Jezebel handed Gwen a wet rag. “We can’t risk another girl being killed because we tried to leave.”

  A soft knock came from the door and we all spun to look, my heart ready to explode. Gwen grabbed my upper arm, tugging me back toward the crawl space.

  “Wait.” Jezebel stood. “It must not be the guards. They never knock.”

  She walked to the door and opened it a creak. “Willis?”

  Willis entered the room, carrying a large box. He scanned the girls until his gaze landed on me. “I have a present for you. You are expected to wear this when Lord Daago arrives.” He handed the box to me.

  Before I could question him, he turned and left. Was he not going to save me?

  “That’s strange,” Gwen said. “Daago never sends us clothes.”

  I brought it over to the couch and sat beside Gwen, then slid off the lid. Inside lay a shimmering silver gown. Gwen grabbed the dress and lifted it out to inspect the whole thing.

  “What’s that?” Jezebel pointed to a bunched up piece of fabric in the corner of the box.

  Carefully, I unwrapped the fabric to reveal a vial of clear liquid. I held it in between my fingers. “Poison?” It was a guess, but what else could it be?

  “Why would Willis bring you poison?” Jezebel stepped away from me, glaring. “Who are you?”

  Four girls stepped beside her, three of them matching her cold stare, the other squinting at me with a strange curiosity. Gwen slid back, the dress still in her hands, while the rest of the girls watched from the corners of the room.

  I had to trust these girls; we were in this together.

  “My real name is Jeslyn, and I am Lucino’s future bride.”

  Gasps filled the room, followed by whispers and chattering.

  “Shh.” Jezebel snapped at the girls behind her. She knelt in front of me. “Where is he? Is he coming to get us?”

  I grabbed the hand she rested on my knee. “I came here in disguise to find out where he was. We were separated … but I know he’ll be here soon. Until then, this is our way out.” I wiggled the vial in my hand.

  “We heard about you,” Gwen whispered. “He would send gifts, and make sure we were being taking care of, but once you came … he stopped visiting.”

  I smiled, relief washing over me in a blanket of warmth. “He is a good man, and he would never allow Daago to treat any of you this way.”

  Jezebel stood, plucking the vial from my fingers. She removed the plug and sniffed the liquid. “I can’t smell a thing. We’ll need to test it on something.”

  Gwen dropped the rag on the sofa and took a deep breath.

  “No!” I cried.

  “Not me,” she replied, shaking her head. She glanced at a young girl in the far corner, huddled with a blanket.

  Long sable hair blocked most of the girl’s face. When Gwen walked toward her, she lifted her head and cried. Gwen knelt in front of her, whispering and stroking her arm. The girl wiped her eyes, then nodded and lifted her cupped hands, exposing a tiny ball of fur in her palm.

  “A mouse?” I said.

  Jezebel nodded. “Yes. I’ll find her a new one, but right now it’s the only choice we have.”

  Gwen brought the mouse over, rubbing its white fur with her thumbs. Jezebel ripped off a piece of cheese from a nearby food platter and tapped one drop of the liquid onto it before giving it to the mouse.

  We sat, watching the mouse nibble away, then waited. It sniffed Gwen’s hand, peed on it, Gwen squeaked, but held on to the critter, then it circled around her palm until finally falling over on its side with its tiny tongue hanging out the side of its mouth.

  “Is it dead?” I whispered.

  Jezebel poked the side. When the mouse didn’t move, she took it from Gwen and brought the tiny creature up by her ear. “I don’t hear it breathing.”

  “At least we know it works.” Gwen wiped off her hands on her dress.

  “We can kill Daago with this,” Jezebel said while gently wrapping the mouse in a napkin, “but we’ll need a way to distract the guards. He’ll want to see you.”

  Disgust and fear roiled in my stomach, making me nauseous.

  Gwen placed a hand on my shoulder. “Pretend you’re nervous and need a drink. He’ll have one with you. Slip this in, and none of us will have to face him again.” She smiled. “You were meant to come here. I just know it.”

  “How long do I have?”

  “He’ll be here tonight.”

  “Then do me one favor,” I said to the girls around me, holding out my hands. “Pray with me. I’ll need all the strength and protection The Creator can spare.”

  “Anything you need,” Jezebel said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it, “we’ll do. Thank you, Jeslyn. We’ve been waiting for this chance for too long.”

  “Then let’s pray we succeed.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Jeslyn

  Jezebel wrapped the braids around my head, letting only half of my wavy hair fall to my shoulders. The dress Wil
lis sent fit perfectly, too perfectly. The fabric cut low near my breasts, making me want to hide in a shawl. In the candlelight, the dress shimmered like moonlight on the lake. If the situation had been different, I would be grateful for such a pretty gown, even if it was a bit too revealing.

  I picked apart a roll, shredding the bread into pieces, and not eating any of it. An invisible itch spread across my arm and I clawed at the spot. Warmth coated my skin, and I desperately needed air, wind, anything to cool my body.

  “You’ll be fine. You can do this.” Jezebel pinned the last braid and squeezed my shoulders. “You look beautiful. It’s a shame you have to wear this for him.”

  “What if he won’t drink? What do I do then? What if he knows?”

  She turned my shoulders until I faced her. “Men like Daago like to feel powerful. They don’t want a strong woman. Show him you are vulnerable, that you need to be coaxed. He won’t force anything if he thinks you’re willing.”

  I nodded, understanding what I must do, but terrified to do it. “Jezebel … I’ve never …”

  “I know.” She smiled and patted my cheek. “And you won’t have to. Save that precious moment for your husband.”

  I breathed in deeply, trying my best to swallow the fear that threatened to consume me. How could I even pretend around such a beast? The mere thought of his hand anywhere near me, sent my heart racing so fast I struggled to catch my breath. Where was Lucino? I never needed him more than I needed him now.

  “It’s ready.” Gwen stepped out of a side room.

  “This is his room.” Jezebel guided me to the bedroom. “He likes his privacy.”

  The bedroom held a large four-post bed with black carved wood. Midnight drapes hung around the sides, blowing in the wind. Candles flickered, and the scent of lilac danced in the room. In any other setting it might have been beautiful, even romantic, but here, it was a distorted vision that held nothing but fear.

  “I’ve already put the poison in the wine,” Gwen said. “Just don’t drink any.”

  “Okay.” I stepped inside the room, fear tearing at my heart.