by Rae Brooks
Tareth laughed, and a solid kick found its way into Taeru’s ribcage. He screamed in pain, writhing on the floor. “Get up,” Tareth instructed flatly. That wasn’t going to happen, and Taeru wished he could inform Tareth of this fact. His body had never been so worthless, so entirely riddled with bruises and agonizing injuries. His legs felt the worst of it—they would not walk. Even Juliet probably couldn’t have helped Taeru now, he thought. Juliet… oh, please be okay. Please…
Another kick forced him from his thoughts, and he cried out. “I said get up.” Another kick, and then another, and another, but this time, Taeru had the option. He pulled his body inwards, desperate to make himself a small target. Seeing what he was doing, though, Tareth yanked him onto his back and straddled him. Tareth’s hands stroked across Taeru’s cheek, agitating the bruises. Then, drawing a fist back, Tareth hit him—with the same spiked knuckles that he’d used to torture Taeru when he’d first arrived.
After a few more punches, and a few more prompts to make Taeru get up, Taeru spat out words and blood. “I can’t, Tareth—I can’t walk. Please…” Why was he begging? Was he completely out of his mind? Tareth hit him again, as if to reaffirm this thought.
“Oh, you are going to walk,” Tareth instructed flatly. “That is, unless you want me to go personally track down those very nice people you were imposing upon, and murder them in front of you.” Taeru’s mouth opened. That was not a threat that had befallen him yet, and he was glad that it hadn’t been accompanied by a request for information. “Think you can walk?”
Taeru nodded vigorously, and he swallowed pain the welled in his throat. He wasn’t sure how he was going to even manage this. He’d have to hope that his legs were not broken, and only badly bruised. “Good boy,” Tareth said lightly. His hand stroked along Taeru’s abdomen again, and Taeru was alerted to a rather horrifying revelation. There was a hardness near the bottom of his abdomen. Tareth had an erection. Horror exploded through his body like none before it. Oh, please no. I can’t… please…
He tried to wipe the idea from his mind. Surely, a nobleman wasn’t going to risk his stature by raping a male. Taeru let out a breath as Tareth hoisted himself off of him. “Now stand up.” Letting out a very, very unsteady breath, Taeru forced his arms to obey him. He pushed them against the floor, but the pain accompanied with even that forced him back to the ground. This caused another kick to cut into his ribs, breath stolen from his lungs. If he didn’t get up soon, then he wasn’t going to be able to get up. “You must not care much.”
Grinding his teeth, Taeru forced his arm against the ground again. Pain exploded through his body, but he pushed himself upwards anyway. His legs caused the same problem, only they were forced to support his weight for much longer. He staggered to and fro for a moment, struggling to maintain his footing. Agony stole his breath, tearing at every fiber of his being. Making it all worse was his inability to see anything at all. “Oh, you look like you’re in a lot of pain.” Tareth grabbed Taeru by his hair and twisted his body, worsening the pain in his legs, and then shoved him forward. “Walk.”
Taeru had no way of knowing where he was walking, and the pain was making all of his other senses melt into the background. He felt as though his legs were imploding and exploding at the same time. His entire body shook, and his mind refused to focus on anything but the mind-numbing, body-shattering pain. Walk, walk, walk… He forced one of his feet forward, and another shot of pain raced through his system. It’s just pain. Think about… happy. Think… comfort. Calis’s hands, arms, lips, splashed into his head, and Taeru reeled from the mental backlash. No—okay, not comfort.
After a few more steps, using his hands as much as he could, his hands were pulled behind him cruelly and bound there. “No hands,” Tareth whispered against his ear and shoved him forward.
Tareth was all Taeru had for guidance, as he forced his feet to keep moving. His entire body felt as though it was ripping itself apart, as though he wouldn’t be able to ever function properly again after this. Just walk—it’s just walking. Taeru couldn’t focus on anything, and he had no idea where he was going. All he knew was that Tareth twisted his body occasionally into another direction, and that his legs were quavering with unbridled ache.
At last, Tareth shoved him forward and just before Taeru collapsed, Tareth removed the blindfold. They were in a dimly lit room with a cage near the back, and as his eyes adjusted he could see that there were people in there. They were all quivering, huddled back against the far wall. “Wh-what?” he whispered.
Tareth grabbed Taeru’s hair once more, moving the prince’s head so that his lips were at Taeru’s ear. “Seems the Phantom Blade missed a few, no?” With a laugh, Tareth shoved him again. Taeru stared blankly at the people. They weren’t even looking at him, they were just hiding in the darkest corner of the prison—shivering. “Walk!” Tareth instructed again.
Forcing his eyes away from the frightened people in the cells, Taeru looked around the rest of the room. A few dimly lit tortures revealed the true horror that was this room. It was made entirely of stone, with whips held in stands. Some were shorter, and some were longer, and in other stands Taeru could make out leather outfits—clearly meant to sexually entice. Ropes and chains decorated the walls, some hanging from the ceiling, and others were attached to the walls. Lastly, there were two sets of surfaces, a set of beds, and a set of tables.
Tareth had shoved him towards one of the tables, but he could scarcely worry about it. These people had been trapped here—for how long? If he had known there were others like Leliana, or Merril. He would never have let this continue. He had known that Tareth had done this in the past, but he hadn’t suspected that he had prisoners that he kept in here permanently. This was barbaric. Not even Lavus should approve of this, and Taeru felt nauseous. He was horrified at the man standing behind him.
Tareth was not paying any mind to the people in the room, not anymore, anyway. He shoved Taeru again. Taeru had never felt so incredibly small, and his body shook as he realized the danger he was in for the first time. Calis didn’t know. He couldn’t know about this—this is… he’s going to… Calis didn’t know—he wouldn’t… he wouldn’t let this happen. Please… don’t make me do this.
“Strip and get on the table, little phantom,” Tareth purred.
Taeru staggered backwards, and he was reminded how much pain that moving his legs was causing him. “N-no. No, Tareth, don’t do this. This is wrong! Tareth…”
“My threat still stands, Lassau,” Tareth hissed.
“Please, no…” Tears sprang into Taeru’s eyes. Torture was one thing, but this was nothing for which he had prepared himself—not mentally, not physically—not ever. For some reason, Taeru choked, and blood spilled from his mouth unannounced.
Tareth’s head tilted, and he observed Taeru with suspicious eyes. “Absolutely. If you’d rather not, I can always go get… what is that blond girl’s name again? I’m sure she’d make a fine replacement.”
Taeru’s lips quivered once more as he glared away from Tareth, and with a single motion, he forced his pants—the only bit of protection he had left, down to his feet. He glanced once more to the people in the room. “You can’t—you can’t do this to people! Is this the only way anyone pays you any attention? You pathetic excuse for a person. YOU MONSTER!” Tareth rolled his eyes, and then he moved forward and shoved Taeru back against the table. Taeru squirmed and fought, as Tareth tightened the chains around his wrists, and fastened his ankles into some strange device. He was immobile, but when Tareth moved towards him, Taeru spat, which splattered blood and saliva all across Tareth’s face. “You are pathetic—you’re worse than pathetic. No wonder your father treats you like garbage!”
Tareth smacked him hard across the face, and then he pulled the blindfold up to Taeru’s mouth. “I have a better use for this, you noisy rat.” With diligence, Tareth tied the former blindfold around Taeru’s mouth, creating a very effective gag. “Now, let’s get started,
shall we?”
“Perhaps, he thought, a hero would rise to stop the evil that he had allowed, just as he had risen.”
-A Hero’s Peace v.i
Chapter xlvii
Aela Lassau
A voice called to Aela from somewhere very far away, she tried to get away from it—to enjoy her peace for a few more moments. The voice was persistent, though, insisting on her attention. Finally, Aela yanked her eyes open to find Katt glaring at her. “I have been trying to get you awake forever! There is something going on outside. Your brother is the Phantom Blade—and now, I think all of Telandus knows it.”
“What?” Aela squeaked. She leapt out of the bed and into the clothes that Katt had let her borrow. Tying her hair back again, she ran to the small door of Katt’s home. People were about in the streets, though there was far more unrest than there had been for the past several suns—and that was saying quite a lot. “What? What happened?”
“Someone in the castle found out, and apparently it got around the guards, and somehow—Dark District. There have been violent outbreaks all morning. People don’t like what’s happened to him.” Katt was smiling, and Aela felt a strange, stunned silence easing into her mind. Not only was Katt protective of Taeru, but so was everyone in Dark District. So, she had been wrong about half of Telandus. The other half, though—oh, oh, Taeru….
Aela shook her head, and she allowed herself the briefest of smiles. It had been too long since she had seen her brother, and too long since she had known that he was being tortured by the nobles of Telandus. Not only that, but she had not seen Leif in some time either. While she hadn’t heard or seen anything that meant he was captured, her heart was beginning to get sick with worry. “What of Juliet and Alyx? Surely, if there are violent outbreaks, their family will be in danger.”
Katt looked a little startled. “I thought Kilik—I, I mean Taeru—was the only Cathalari that cared about Telandans.” A wisp of a smile crossed her lips, and Aela returned it, once again, briefly.
“I care about every Telandan that is worth caring about,” Aela assured. Katt nodded her head gratefully. Katt had been helpful to her. She had received a strangely anonymous note to find this woman, and this woman—the healer’s apprentice—had been invaluable. She had taken Aela in, clothed her and fed her, at no cost. She was the epitome of Telandans worth caring about. She and whoever sent Aela that note.
Katt let out a quick breath, and they stepped out into the sun. Nearby, a few guards were trying to handle some unruly peasants. They weren’t doing a very good job of it, and despite wanting to help, Aela was dragged further into town by Katt’s firm hand. “We ought to get to the Shining District wall,” Katt offered thoughtfully. “If there is a true riot, then we will see the bulk of it there.”
Aela nodded her head. Not to mention, Juliet and her family were sure to be in the Shining District, and no nobles knew enough about Dark District to have property here. Aela only hoped that family was still alive. They began walking towards the Shining District wall. A few of the stalls that they passed were destroyed, and others were deserted. Aela got an odd feeling as they walked, as less and less people appeared on the streets. This was the peak time for people—and there seemed to be next to none. A strange sense of dread filled her, despite realizing that they were all probably causing trouble at the wall.
“I—I haven’t asked you this, Katt, but I want to ask it now… before anything terrible happens. Do you blame him?” Aela spoke the question that had been plaguing her for suns. Katt had been helpful, though she was obviously in pain over losing friends as close to her as Juliet and Alyx had been.
The red-haired girl seemed perplexed by the statement, though. Her blue eyes flickered curiously as she regarded Aela for a few long moments. “What are you talking about?” she asked after another moment.
“I mean—I know you were very close to Juliet and Alyx. Do you blame him—my brother—for what happened to them?” She paused for a moment. “What might happen to them?” Aela had to remind herself that nothing was lost yet.
She had read her book, and none of it had eased her mind, but it did not seem to think there was certain death in the future. The Magister was still at work, and Taeru’s death at the hands of the Tsrali’s would not be according to her plan. Katt laughed, and then she shook her head. “Oh, my—no. Are you mad, woman? How could I blame him? Do you know half the things he’s done for that family—for me? For all of Dark District? No one here blames him for anything, and we wouldn’t be right to do so.”
The words sent an unexpected relief through Aela, and the two of them walked the rest of the way in good-natured silence. Katt really was a good person, and Aela found herself bordering on trusting her. Though, the last Telandan she had nearly trusted had betrayed her brother to his family like the bloody rat that she’d known he was from the start!
As they neared the wall, the noise that had been a far-off cry before exploded in their ears. They saw all the people missing from their stalls and shops standing near the wall. A few of them seemed to be banging on it, while the rest of them were shouting obscenities at the men guarding it. “He protected us more than you ever could, you filthy animals!” someone shouted.
“You have no right to do this! We will destroy Telandus before Cathalar can!” another person shouted. Aela’s eyebrows rose at the threats. These people sounded more than angry, they sounded ready to bring wrath down on anyone who stood in their way. Taeru really was lovely at making friends.
Katt smiled sardonically. “How pathetic,” she muttered. “We’re still pushing for war though half our population would fight against us.” She shook her head in disdain. “No wonder everyone knows we will lose.”
That was right—and war they were going to receive. Lavus had sent the threat to Veyron, and Veyron had responded in kind—a way only Veyron would. He had delivered the Telandan messenger’s head back to the gates of the city from whence he came—and he had accompanied it with the promise of war. She felt a twinge of fondness for her father. She had always known that Veyron had never stopped caring about Taeru—despite the way he pretended to sometimes. Oh, Taeru—I bet you have no idea how worried everyone is about you. You’re probably finding some terrible way to blame all of this on yourself. Please, please, just hold on.
When one of the guards stepped forward, trying to get the people near the gate to back away from it, they swarmed him. Blood spilled along the ground, and Aela could see it through the people that still stood around. This was no longer a game—these people wanted blood for what had happened, and they ought to.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” one of the guards, who sat atop the wall, and safely out of reach, spoke. “I think it is imperative that you understand you are defending a false idea. We admire your strength and loyalty, but this boy that you wish to protect is not who you think he is—he is not as good as you think.” The words were ominous. Katt and Aela glanced at each other warily—where was the man going with this?
A few of the people glanced up to listen, and a few of the others threw whatever they could get their hands on at him. Aela smirked. “Do you really expect us to believe that?” one of the men spat.
“He saved our lives from the likes of you, time and time again, and most of the time we didn’t even go to help him. He was good with and without the mask on!” someone else shouted, and this one sounded like a woman.
“You don’t understand,” the guard tried again. This was met by a roar of unhappy disagreements. It didn’t appear that the man had any sort of evidence behind what he was claiming—he was simply claiming it. Aela shook her head at the sheer foolishness portrayed by those in charge of Telandus.
Katt shook her head. “Do they really think a crowd of angry Dark Districts are going to listen?” she asked aloud. Aela mirrored Katt’s gesture, and then she laughed.
“Only Taeru could turn an entire land of peasants against their masters. I guess he did have a few years to work, though.” Katt just laughed
, and then she nodded her head fondly.
“Psst,” a sound startled Aela. She jerked her head from one side to another, realizing that she may well have just betrayed herself. She shouldn’t be speaking so freely about Taeru, and she knew it. “Psst!” The sound came again and this time Katt heard it, jerking around to find out where it was coming from.
Finally, as both of them were ready to just run from the sounds, Aela’s eyes moved just enough upwards to see a very good-looking, dark brown-haired boy. Leif looked bemused, and he was hanging upside down from one of the inns, out of the window, by his feet. Aela tapped Katt on the shoulder and gestured towards him. Katt laughed and shook her head as they both moved over to him. Aela took an extra step, though. Leif’s head was just a little above her own. “Impressive—what are you, part gecko?” she asked. He seemed to be using just his knees to hang onto the window—well, he must have been, since his arms were crossed over his chest.
“No, but you looked cuter as a boy,” he teased.
“Oh, really?” She stepped forward and very gently placed her hands on his face, kissing him. The oddity of having his lips upside down was strangely enjoyable. She was able to bite against his lower lip, teasing it lightly with her tongue before she released.
“Really—here?” Katt squeaked from a few paces back. “Mildly romantic, though—I will give you credit. But here?”
When Aela moved backwards, Leif tilted his head. “You win, princess,” he whispered. “Come upstairs.” He kissed her gently on the cheek before pulling himself back up into the window. Katt shook her head, once again, when Aela glanced back at her. Aela laughed, unable to stop the slight grin on her face.