Love and Sacrifice: Book Two of the Prophecy Series

by Tove Foss Ford

“Just finished, Heldstrom,” Hemmett said cheerfully, as he squelched down the regret and worry that writing the notes had touched off. “I have a parcel as well – a birthday present for my daughter, Flori. Don’t give it directly to her or she’ll have it open too early.”

  Heldstrom laughed.

  “That little one is a caution,” he said. “Last time she was here, she had Stev and old Mister Rondheim sliding around on the polished floors in the lobby in their stocking feet, pretending they were skating.”

  Hemmett laughed aloud.

  “That sounds about right,” he said.

  Heldstrom opened the office door, looked out into the hallway and then closed it again, locking and bolting it. Hemmett stood and went close.

  “Borsen and Stev need to get out soon,” Heldstrom whispered rapidly. “The Mad One has been asking questions about Borsen. I’ve already let Stev and Mister Rondheim know.”

  “Thank you,” Hemmett whispered. “I’ll talk to Menders, see if we can get Borsen to The Shadows at least.”

  “All right then, I’m off. Shame you have to miss the little girl’s birthday party.”

  “Soldier’s life,” Hemmett managed jauntily, seeing Heldstom out.

  ***

  For two weeks, Aidela delighted in toying with Katrin, alternately humiliating and tormenting her. Katrin’s daily regimen might consist of standing humbly behind Aidela’s chair or kneeling abjectly at her feet. She might be forced to sit with the rest of the court to watch a boar-baiting, dogfight or cockfight, these being among Aidelia’s favorite entertainments. Several times Aidela became very lascivious and would circle Katrin, touching her and rubbing against her, giggling dementedly the entire time.

  At other times, Aidela would pinch, gouge, slap or scratch her. She had grown her nails very long and filed them sharp to match her repulsive teeth. The lacerations she left when she scratched festered, no matter how carefully Katrin bathed them as soon as she was in her room. Katrin was in constant terror that the infection she’d battled for so long would return because of the new injuries.

  During it all, Katrin behaved as though she was honored and grateful to attend her sister’s court. She accepted all punishment as if it was richly deserved. She pretended to watch the cruel boar-baiting or cockfighting while concentrating on memories – The Shadows, playing on the swing with Hemmett when they were children, riding with Menders, teaching the little ones at Eiren’s school, the time the family had spent traveling through the Middle Continent.

  Having achieved this level of detachment from the debauchery of Aidelia’s court, Katrin was confident she could stand anything that was thrown her way. Then, at the beginning of her third week of captivity, Aidelia and her perverted hangers-on gathered in a room to watch a torture session. Katrin was horrified as several of the Palace Guard dragged a young man in and strapped him to a table. Aidelia and her freakish Court were already agitated, madly kissing and rubbing against each other even before the torture began.

  Suddenly, one of Aidelia’s courtiers sat down beside Katrin. She was trying desperately to make herself blind and deaf, desperately calling up her memories as the torturer went to work and the young man began screaming.

  “What bothers you so, pretty little sister?” the man asked, leaning against her. He was heavily perfumed, to cover up the stench of an unwashed body. Katrin nearly gagged and was grateful for the distraction. Working not to vomit made her less aware of what was going on right in front of her.

  She said nothing. She was terrified of the man, who was Aidelia’s favorite and called himself Prince Talbreth. Anything she said would go straight back to Aidelia.

  “You find this entertainment too sophisticated for you?” he asked, as the screaming grew louder.

  The poor boy was crying for his mother! Katrin thought she was going to go mad and looked around, unbelieving, at the freakish band who were thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. Two of them were rutting in a corner already. Aidelia was cackling and rocking in her chair, her blackened, pointed teeth like the maw of something horrible that lived deep in the sea.

  Katrin suddenly simpered at the man, taking a good look at him. It was the closest she’d been to him and she wanted to be able to give a good description to Menders.

  “It’s very new to me,” she whispered coyly. She took in his greasy black hair hanging to his shoulders. Several golden teeth gleamed in his scummy mouth as he grinned at her and started to run his hands up and down her body.

  She wanted to pull away but a brainstorm had come to her.

  If she could distract Aidelia’s attention this way, perhaps her sister would lose interest in the torture session and focus on her. She knew by now that Aidelia was extremely possessive of this slimy courtier, with his false title and vile smell. It might cut the torture short before the young man was dead.

  Katrin tried to look as if she was being aroused by the man’s groping, fetching up a stupid, vacuous giggle.

  “At first watching such a display can be unnerving, but given time, one becomes inured to the fuss made by the victims and can begin to concentrate on the subtle pleasure of seeing the pain inflicted,” Prince Talbreth murmured unctuously. “It’s best, when one feels pangs of conscience to say, ‘what care I?’ and let such inconvenient thoughts fall from your mind.”

  Katrin managed to act as if she was being given pearls of wisdom.

  “It must take a great deal of experience to have such control over unwanted thoughts,” she cooed.

  “Indeed, my pretty one. Experience I would gladly share with you.” He leaned toward her mouth and she wondered if she could endure him kissing her without being ill.

  “Enough!” Aidelia shouted. Katrin started and the slimy courtier snapped away from her. Katrin saw Aidelia glaring in their direction. The torturer stood as if frozen and the screams from the young man died away to moans. At least he was still alive!

  Prince Talbreth rose and went immediately to Aidelia, simpering over her and stroking her grease-matted hair. It worked. She didn’t go into a tantrum, but took his arm. They walked from the room, the Court following in their wake. Aidelia gave Katrin a furious look over her shoulder before she went through the door.

  Katrin waited until the room was almost clear and then addressed the torturer, who was unstrapping the barely conscious young man from the table.

  “What of this one?” she asked arrogantly.

  “He’ll live to entertain you another day, my lady,” the torturer said obsequiously, heaving the young man into a sitting position. Katrin wanted to fling herself at the torturer. She wanted to gouge his eyes out, slash his throat and somehow get that young man and herself out of this horrible place!

  She kept her face haughty and bored, nodded magisterially, and followed the rest of the Court.

  ***

  Menders faded into the deep shadow beside the wardrobe in Katrin’s room. She was coming down the corridor with the rude maidservant. He waited while they came in and Katrin allowed the girl to loosen the fastenings of her dress and corset before going out and thumping the door closed.

  He stepped out of the darkness as Katrin sank down on the wooden chair and put her face in her hands. She began shaking uncontrollably.

  Menders placed the paper and pencil before her.

  Torture, she wrote. A young man, barely more than a boy. They said he committed treason. They were all rubbing and kissing each other. I tried not to see, but tonight I couldn’t do it. He was screaming for his mother.” She retched violently.

  He took the pencil from her.

  You must put it from your mind.

  “I can’t,” she mouthed.

  “You can,” he mouthed back. Then he wrote, you must – or you will be destroyed by it.

  Katrin shuddered, staring bleakly at the wall. She retched again. Menders cast desperately about in his mind, trying to think of anything that would help drive the horror from her mind.

  Remember The Shadows, he wrote rapidly, pushi
ng the paper under her nose. He knelt and put his arms around her.

  Katrin sighed and leaned into his embrace. He rocked her gently, stroking her hair. After a moment or two, he could tell she was gaining control of herself.

  Can you describe the young man? Menders wrote. Katrin closed her eyes for a moment and then took the pencil.

  Very young and blond. Blue eyes. Medium frame, she wrote. I tried not to look. I’m sorry. Why do you want to know?

  Understandable, Menders wrote back. I was wondering if he might be Petran, Borsen’s hatmaker. It sounds like him.

  “Gods,” Katrin whispered, closing her eyes again. Menders squeezed her shoulder and then set a food packet in front of her. She shook her head but he gave her a little shake. She had to keep her strength up.

  She sat up, determinedly opened the packet and then drew the paper over to her.

  I think the courtier who is influencing Aidelia the most is the one who calls himself Prince Talbreth, she wrote. He sat next to me during the torture and tried to kiss me, gave me a bunch of sickening nonsense about being able to enjoy watching that poor boy being tortured if I was sophisticated enough. I tried to draw him on, hoping Aidelia would see and get angry and go away before the boy was killed. It worked. She did see and stopped the torture. I asked the torturer if he was alive and he said he’d live to be tortured another day.

  She shoved the paper away from her in disgust. Menders picked it up.

  “He’s alive?” he mouthed rapidly when he was finished, staring at her. Katrin nodded, wearily.

  Menders took her shoulders again, then put his mouth by her ear and cupped a hand around.

  “You must never do anything like that again,” he whispered, a mere breath she could barely hear. “You cannot risk your safety. Aidelia has killed people in her tantrums.”

  “It stopped the torture,” Katrin mouthed.

  Menders shook his head at her and then indicated for her to finish eating. Once she had, he put his mouth to her ear again.

  “Watch this Prince Talbreth,” he whispered. “Don’t let Aidelia see, but let me know everything he does.”

  Katrin nodded.

  ***

  Katrin dreaded a repeat of the torture session the next day, and was surprised when word went round the Court that dozens of fighting cocks had been delivered to the Palace that morning. Several nights were taken up in watching the resulting cockfights, until all the birds were dead. Menders kept asking her about them, until she realized he was behind the anonymous delivery.

  The morning after the pathetic birds had all expired, fighting dogs were delivered, wild, fierce beasts that frightened even Katrin, who had been around enormous dogs all her life.

  Katrin found that Prince Talbreth was taking credit for the gifts of fighting cocks and dogs. She reported this back to Menders, who said nothing. When the dogs were gone, several large boars for boar-baiting were delivered, providing more of Aidelia’s favorite sort of entertainment.

  Katrin knew the deliveries of the doomed animals were an attempt to divert Aidelia’s attention from the young man who had been tortured and from herself as well. Menders’ fears were realized – Aidelia was jealous after seeing Prince Talbreth snuggling up to Katrin. It was a dangerous position to be in.

  Five weeks from the day Katrin had been arrested, Aidela demanded to see her alone.

  “You bore me, Sister,” Aidela said sulkily. “You seem to be very limited.”

  “It grieves me to disappoint you,” Katrin said. You disgusting idiot, Katrin thought.

  Aidelia was lounging on the Ruby Throne, where she spent most of her time.

  “I had thought to find you more entertaining, but the sophisticated pleasures of the Court seem to be beyond you. It is a pity. I had hoped to share all this with you, but most of the time you seem to be uncomprehending. You’re stupid, as well as fat and countrified.”

  “I do appreciate the opportunity to be here,” Katrin said humbly.

  “Well, you won’t burden my staff any longer with your endless demands,” Aidela snapped. Katrin nearly fell down – could she be sending her home?

  “Though you’re deadly dull, you have tried to behave yourself, and deserve some reward,” Aidela went on. “You will be moved to a suite and your staff from the country will come here. They can take care of you in the manner to which you’re accustomed – but remember, when you’re summoned to me, you will appear appropriately. Otherwise, live quietly and draw no attention to yourself, until such time as I find use for you. Most of all, stay away from the other members of my Court. You are not to speak to any of them!”

  Aidela got up and clanked down the steps from the Throne. She began circling Katrin, looking her up and down.

  “Yes, perhaps I can think of a way that you can be entertaining. I remember you being entertaining once, very entertaining, when you hung from the ceiling like a spider. If you were entertaining, you would be of some use.”

  Please, Katrin thought, please, please don’t let her start panting and drooling. I don’t think I can bear it.

  Aidela was requiring more and more extreme spectacles to achieve the level of excitement and arousal she craved. The debauch of cockfighting, dogfighting and boar-baiting that the anonymous gifts of animals had provided was palling. Now Aidelia was craving something stronger.

  “Maybe it’s time a consort was found for you,” Aidela ranted on. “That would be a lovely spectacle.”

  Katrin managed a stupid smile while screaming inwardly at the images Aidela’s words were causing to incarnate in her mind. Aidela’s chosen “consort” would probably rape and torture her while Aidela’s Court looked on, giggling, panting and rubbing against each other, with Aidela herself rolling her eyes and drooling from an excess of arousal.

  “But then, you might have a child and that would be a threat to my throne,” Aidela continued, coming around Katrin from behind. “Country girls with big teats fall pregnant very easily. I’m surprised you haven’t been so yet for all the years you lived out there snugged up with your minder. They say he’s had his way with you all your life, you know.”

  Katrin allowed herself to look mildly surprised.

  “I don’t understand, Sister,” she said in the soft, innocent voice that sometimes caught Aidela off guard.

  “No, you’re far too stupid,” Aidela said, seeming satisfied at her summation. “I have no use for you today. Go to your room and prepare to be moved to a suite tomorrow.”

  Katrin sank into a deep curtsy and backed away, leaving her sister alone. Then she flew down the corridors as fast as she could, not stopping until she reached the wretched room she’d tenanted for weeks.

  Menders was there, though he often wasn’t during the day. She secured the door and gestured for the paper and pencil, but Menders spoke.

  “No-one is listening. Keep your voice low.”

  “They’re moving me and they’re sending for you and the others at The Shadows,” she replied.

  “I know,” he whispered.

  “How do you know?” she began, but he shook his head. He would tell her nothing.

  “This isn’t a reprieve,” he told her.

  “At least you won’t have to sneak in and out,” she answered.

  “No, but you must be careful – more than careful, Princess. Now she’s tiring of you, so you are in more danger than you were when she was enjoying tormenting you.”

  Katrin said nothing, and Menders finally said, “Tell me.”

  She repeated Aidela’s words about a “consort” and then the renegging, where Aidela mentioned that Katrin might fall pregnant. She left out Aidelia’s repulsive intimation about Menders. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that.

  Menders remained impassive.

  “There is nothing we can do about this today, but you must be very much on your guard. You must be of interest to Aidelia. So long as she feels that you’re entertaining, she won’t begin thinking of getting rid of you.”

 
Katrin said nothing. She would have to stop being a stupid little girl from the country.

  ***

  Stevahn was just on the edge of sleep when he heard it – footsteps, loud ones, downstairs. He jerked into wakefulness, looked rapidly at Borsen, who still slept but turned and murmured restlessly.

  After a moment, Stevahn could breathe again. It wasn’t an intruder. It was Hemmett, pacing. Again. Wearing his boots.

  Stevahn hoisted himself from the bed, feeling every weary bone in his body. He pulled on his dressing gown and hurried out, wanting to stop the racket before Borsen woke. It had taken ages to get him calm enough to sleep after an attempt to bribe the Palace jailer to release young Petran Borghel failed.

  Borsen’s fragile health was shattering. Any sleep he managed was light and restless. Desperate, Stevahn had resorted to slipping a sleeping potion into a glass of water that he pressed on Borsen. He’d then held him close until he heard the slow, steady breathing that signified deep sleep.

  Stevahn went to the ground floor of the townhouse and spoke to Hemmett, who was engaging in his new habit of pacing and wringing his hands.

  “Hemmett, please, Borsen just went to sleep,” Stevahn said, trying not to sound annoyed.

  Hemmett turned and instantly flushed red.

  “Gods, I’m sorry,” he apologized, using his toes as bootjacks, prying his boots off. He set the enormous offending footwear against the wall. “I don’t even realize I’m doing it.”

  “Not to worry, he didn’t wake,” Stevahn replied, mightily tempted to swallow the same sleeping potion himself. He hadn’t been sleeping any more than Borsen lately, between worry about his father’s health, worry about Katrin, the danger of being in Erdahn at all with Aidelia on the throne, and of course and most of all, worry about Borsen.

  “Hemmett, I desperately need to get some rest myself. If I take something, could you stay on guard for me?”

  “Guard is my middle name,” Hemmett grinned. He looked haggard and worn too. He wasn’t sleeping much either – to be expected, with Katrin in such danger.