Dawning Ceremony (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 3)

by Edmund Hughes

  “She’s allowed to leave on her own and work in a store?” asked Hal.

  “They put a lot of trust in their slaves,” said Zoria. “On the spectrum, they’re probably a bit more lenient in how they treat them, overall. But that’s not important. What I care about is what she knows about the layout of Gardius’s hive.”

  Hal nodded slowly. He looked at the human girl again through the window. She had dark brown hair and a stunning figure. Her skin was pale, and she had full, luscious lips. Hal felt a small flicker of nervousness at the idea of approaching her out of nowhere and attempting to make conversation.

  “Are you sure about this?” asked Hal. “I didn’t say anything when you first suggested it, but it seems a little strange to go through so much effort to steal a ring.”

  “It would make more sense if you knew Gardius as I do,” said Zoria. “Please, Halrin. You help me with this. I’ll help you get back to the surface. Or get your revenge on Cadrian, if you prefer.”

  The mention of Cadrian didn’t help Hal when it came to getting into the right mind frame to attempt seduction. He felt angry, while also remembering how much Cadrian had taught him through her lessons. It was confusing, and he took a breath, trying to clear his head.

  “What should I say?” asked Hal.

  “Ask her for advice on buying a necklace for your mistress,” said Zoria. “And then say whatever it is you normally say. You’re not bad looking, for cattle. You’ll manage well enough.”

  “Right,” said Hal.

  “I need to pick up some food, so we can have a more substantial dinner,” said Zoria. “I’ll meet you at the center of the square once I’m done.”

  Hal still had concerns, but Zoria was already moving away from him, her hips swaying from side to side as she walked. He watched her go, and then prepared to head into the shop.

  He caught a glimpse of his reflection in one of the windows on his way in. His hair was messy, and his clothes didn’t fit him all that well. He was not at his best, and he did what he could to smile to make up for it as he approached the girl behind the counter.

  “Uh… hi,” said Hal.

  The girl glanced him over and frowned.

  “Hello,” she said. “Can I help you with something?”

  Her voice was businesslike, with a forced politeness to it that discouraged Hal a little.

  “Yes,” he said. “My mistress sent me to buy a necklace on her behalf.”

  “Okay,” said the girl. “What’s her style?”

  Hal started to answer her, and then hesitated. Underneath the counter, in the glass display case, were hundreds of different rings, pendants, and earrings. Some of them were inset with basic stones or bits of expensive metals. Others bore crystals, and a select few off to the side had gemstones in them. He eyed a ruby ring and felt the absence of his heartgem around his finger.

  “Are you okay?” asked the girl.

  “Fine,” said Hal. He continued staring at the gem. What would happen if he decided to just… take it?

  Maybe I could seduce right here, get her to let her guard down and sneak it out. Or maybe I just knock her out of the way and pull it free.

  “Sir?” asked the girl.

  Hal shook his head, abandoning the plan. The gemstones would all be empty of essence, no doubt. Even a ruby would be useless to him in that state.

  “Do I… know you from somewhere?” asked the girl.

  Hal blinked, focusing his attention back on her.

  “I don’t think so,” he said.

  “No, I do,” said the girl. “I saw you. In the view stream. You were in the Dragongrounds!”

  Hal bit back his initial reaction and gave a slow nod. It was the last thing he wanted to think about, but if it would get him closer to the girl, he’d take full advantage of it.

  “I was,” said Hal. “I was the sole survivor.” He extended his hand. “Halrin.”

  “Bilma,” said the girl. “I watch the Dragongrounds every year! It’s fallen out of the fashion with some of the other girls, but I still think it’s fascinating.”

  “It’s… quite something,” said Hal.

  “You were such a strong warrior,” said Bilma. “It didn’t seem like you stood a chance in the beginning, but you fought so well! I really admire you for your bravery.”

  This might be easier than I expected.

  “I appreciate that,” said Hal.

  “You fell short of outranking some of the past years competitors, as far as kills goes,” said Bilma. “You should consider entering again next time.”

  Hal had to work to keep his expression in check. He wanted to tell her the truth of what it had been like. He wanted to make it clear that she had no clue, whatsoever, what she was talking about. Instead, he smiled and leaned forward, letting his gaze linger on hers.

  “I’m considering it,” he said, in a low, almost conspiratorial voice. “There are few other things that can give that same kind of rush.”

  It was all for the sake of helping Zoria, and helping himself. He would spin as many lies as it took to press forward, and do it all with a smile on his face.

  “Few other things indeed,” said Bilma.

  Another customer entered the store, and she pulled back slightly.

  “Sorry, I have to tend the shop,” said Bilma. “It was nice meeting you, though!”

  “Are you free tomorrow?” asked Hal.

  Bilma hesitated, and then gave a small nod.

  “I… think so,” she said. “As long as my mistress allows me to head out of the hive.”

  “Would you come on a walk with me?” asked Hal. “I can meet you here, outside the shop, in the morning.”

  Bilma gave an enthusiastic nod.

  “I’d like that!” she said. “Will you tell me more of all the fighting you did?”

  Hal forced a smile. “Of course.”

  CHAPTER 33

  “I don’t feel good about doing this,” said Hal.

  Zoria walked beside him, carrying a basket filled with fresh meat and vegetables. She frowned at him, glancing up at the darkening sky overhead. The city street in front of them was cast slightly into shadow as a thick storm cloud passed directly over the sun.

  “Why not?” said Zoria. “I’m not asking you to kill anyone, master. I’m only asking you to lead a foolish girl on. A girl, who by your account, seems to have some ridiculous, romantic ideas about life and death.”

  “That’s part of why I don’t feel good about it,” said Hal. “It makes me feel complicit to all of… this.”

  He gestured around him. Zoria sighed, looking mildly offended.

  “My revenge involves having you seduce a girl and steal a ring,” she said. “Remind me what your revenge involves, Halrin? Killing a dragon and its rider? Need I even comment on who stands upon the high ground, here?”

  “That’s not what I mean,” said Hal. “The girl spoke of the Dragongrounds like she enjoyed watching it. As though it was all just a fun game, even though her fellow slaves, other humans, were being put to death. It’s sickening.”

  “It’s the culture of the Upper Realm,” said Zoria. “Everybody dies.”

  She looked at him squarely, as though offering him the opportunity to protest further. Hal didn’t say anything. He suddenly missed Laurel fiercely. He missed the homestead, and the comfortable days of farming and training. He missed Karnas, feeding him, wrestling with him, and worrying when he stayed out late.

  If I want to get back to the surface, I need to help Zoria. And she is right. This is relatively harmless.

  “Alright,” said Hal. “Fair enough. I’ll toe the line.”

  “That’s all I ask.” Zoria grinned at him and set a hand on his shoulder, leaning in a little closer. “How about I give you an advance reward for your services?”

  Hal met her eye and felt his chest heat up a little.

  “What did you have in mind?” he asked.

  “I’ll show you after supper,” she said.

  H
al had spent several hours waiting for Zoria after meeting and flirting with Bilma. He suspected that she’d done more than just purchase food in her time on her own, and had gotten a little annoyed at how long she’d made him wait. But he was also ravenously hungry, and found himself looking forward more to the food than whatever Zoria had been implying she’d do for him later.

  Felice and Kendri were already in the domicile when they arrived back. Felice smiled warmly at the two of them. Kendri was sitting at the table, and didn’t look up.

  “Did your debriefing go alright, Zoria?” asked Felice.

  “Well enough,” she said. “I hope I didn’t keep the two of you waiting for too long. I know I’m starving, at least.”

  Zoria passed the food basket to her mother, who seemed a little hesitant as she accepted it. Hal frowned, realizing that Zoria was the main one providing food for the family. It made the soiling of her uniform seem like that much more of a slap in the face. She didn’t have the option of hiding from her rivals and tormenters, even if she’d been the type of girl to react in such a way.

  “Thank you, my daughter,” said Felice. “This should be enough for supper and breakfast, tomorrow. Are you hungry yet, Kendri.”

  “No,” said Kendri. “And I don’t think I will be, tonight.”

  There was tension in Zoria’s sister’s body language. Hal sat down at the table across from her, considering what he’d heard Gardius say about her dawning ceremony.

  All eklids, male and female, have to go through it on their twentieth birthday.

  “Kendri,” said Zoria. “Try to relax, if you can. Tomorrow night will go more smoothly if you approach it with a willing mind.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” said Kendri. “You’ve had yours, already. And the circumstances were different. No offense.”

  Hal frowned, noticing how Zoria was scowling.

  “Your breasts aren’t that enticing, Kendri,” said Zoria. “There won’t be as many males lining up for you as you think. And most of the ones there will also be nervous.”

  “Which will make my task even harder,” said Kendri. She sighed and leaned her head down on the table.

  Zoria set a hand on her sister’s shoulder, glancing away from her. She looked worried, and Hal could understand why. From what little he knew about the dawning ceremony, it seemed as though there were countless different ways someone as conniving as Gardius could attempt sabotage.

  “Would it help for you to have some company tonight?” asked Zoria. She looked over at Hal, and it took him an embarrassingly long time for him to realize that she was offering him to his sister. He glanced back and forth between the two sisters, dumbfounded.

  “No,” said Kendri. “That’s okay. Thanks for offering, though.”

  Zoria’s eyebrows went up, and she blinked several times at her sister in disbelief. She shot Hal a look, and he just shrugged. He didn’t know her that well, but he was getting the sense that her behavior was not usually so polite and meek.

  “What happened?” asked Zoria.

  “Nothing happened,” said Kendri. “And if something did happen… maybe I just don’t want to talk about it.”

  Felice brought out some food to start off supper, and they ate in silence, Kendri forgoing her share. Hal ate his bread in small chunks, chewing slowly and wondering at the state of the household. Had things been even worse them during Zoria’s time on the surface? How much of the family’s situation could be attributed to Gardius’s harassment and attacks?

  The meal seemed to stretch on for a silent eternity, even though everyone ate quickly. As soon as Hal was finished, Zoria excused them both from the table.

  “We’re heading to the night harem,” said Zoria. “We’ll be back late, but we’ll be quiet as we come on.”

  It was more of a statement than a query for permission. Hal furrowed his brow at the notion of going to a “night harem”, even though he wasn’t entirely sure what it entailed. He followed Zoria out of the domicile, relaxing slightly as they stepped into the night.

  “You’re worried about her,” said Hal. “Your sister.”

  Zoria shrugged, but Hal could sense the emotion in the stiffness of her movement.

  “I am,” said Zoria. “But that’s not what I want tonight to be about. I have a surprise for you, master.”

  CHAPTER 34

  She led him through the city streets into one of the more crowded market sections of Zelnata. Most of the outdoor vendors were packed up for the night or in the process of it, but there were still plenty of pedestrians moving about.

  It was cloudy enough out to make the sections of street unlit by crystal lamps look pitch black. Hal walked next to Zoria through a small patch of darkness. She took his hand and pulled him around the corner, and then down an unassuming set of stairs. An unusually tall and muscled elf stood in front of the door at the bottom.

  “Blood rose,” said Zoria.

  It was apparently the required password, as the elf stood aside and opened the door for them. Music spilled forth, a slow drum beat along with a deep wind instrument that Hal didn’t recognize. The air was humid, and it smelled of sweat and perfume. Zoria pulled him forward into a long, underground hallway lit with colored crystal lamps. It was purple in some spots, and red in others.

  “Welcome to the Lower Lounge,” said Zoria. “It’s one of the classier night harems on this side of town.”

  “Alright,” said Hal. They passed by an open doorway, and he looked at what was happening inside. A group of naked elves and humans lay sprawled across several mounds of pillows, all of them moaning and writhing against each other. The lighting was dim enough to make the scene seem a little grotesque, rather than erotic.

  Similar scenes filled each of the rooms they passed on either side of the hallway. A male elf was standing, clutching at the face of a kneeling human girl who was pleasing him with her mouth. A female elf was lying across a small mattress as three heavily aroused human men massaged every inch of her body, some of them kissing her naked flesh as they worked.

  “It should be this room up ahead,” said Zoria. “Hal?”

  He’d stopped without realizing it, his attention caught by the sight of an attractive elf girl pleasuring herself with her fingers while several slaves watched on. Zoria grabbed his hand and pulled him to stand in front of a closed door near the end of the hallway.

  “I had to pull in a favor to set this up,” she whispered. “I hope you like it, master.”

  She whispered the words into his ear, and Hal felt more excited than he had in a very long time. There was something horribly intoxicating about the Lower Lounge, and as much as Hal hated to admit it, he was intrigued by the idea of playing along.

  Zoria opened the door and allowed him to enter before her. The room on the other side had normal white crystal lamp, which made it easy for him to see and understand the surprise she’d provided for him.

  A naked human girl was lying suggestively atop a pile of pillows in the center of the room. She had blonde hair, with tips that curled up slightly at the end. Her figure was petite, lacking any major curves in the breasts or butt, but still fairly pleasing to the eyes. Her face was girlish, pretty, but not beautiful. And a smudged scar done in careful face paint had been added to stretch across her chin and cheek on the side of her face.

  Laurel. She found a slave to dress up like Laurel for me.

  “I could leave the two of you alone, if you’d like,” said Zoria. “Though honestly, I would love to stay and watch.”

  Hal shook his head slowly, his emotions surging at the ridiculousness of it. The slave had a forced smile plastered on her face, and the eye contact she made with him was a little uncertain.

  “Well?” said Zoria. “Don’t just stand there, master. Enjoy yourself.”

  Hal shook his head, a nauseated feeling taking root in his stomach. Imagining Laurel as a slave, trapped in an underground sex lounge, made him feel like screaming into one of the pillows. To make it even wor
se, a few details of girl emphasized how much Laurel had reminded him of Lilith, his little sister. What would have happened to her if she’d survived the attack, only to end up in a place like this?

  He put a hand over his mouth, and for a couple of seconds, he thought he might actually throw up. Zoria touched his shoulder. Hal slapped her hand away. He turned and stormed out of the night harem, not stopping as he made it back out into the street.

  “Halrin!” shouted Zoria. “Hey! Bitch’s blood, what’s your problem?”

  “Did you think it would be funny?” yelled Hal. “Some kind of mocking joke to mess with me?”

  Zoria caught up with him and grabbed him by the arm. She was smaller than he was, but he resisted the urge to pull away from her, knowing how pointless it would be when he was at her mercy under the slave system of the Upper Realm.

  “I thought…” Zoria hesitated, biting her lower lip. “I made her look like your woman. Laurel, your surface lover. It’s no trick, master. You can use her for as long as you’d like.”

  “Use her?” shouted Hal. “As though she’s just a toy for me to play with? And you have to ask what my problem with that is?”

  Zoria drew in closer, moving slowly, as though he was an animal on the verge of being spooked.

  “You love Laurel,” said Zoria. “I remember seeing the way you looked at her. And you miss her. This would be healthy for you, and help you let go.”

  Hal felt his face flush.

  “I don’t love…” He scowled. “I mean, I do. But it’s complicated. It’s not like that.”

  “You never bedded her, did you?” asked Zoria. She flashed a wicked smile. “In all that time you had in Meldence, and in the months after, you never took her?”

  “I don’t see her like that!” snapped Hal. “And besides…” He frowned, struggling to think of another reason why he’d kept himself at arm’s length from her. “We just don’t have that kind of relationship.”

  “Well you can, for tonight,” said Zoria. “Don’t let her go to waste. Please, let’s head back. She’ll still be waiting for you.”