by Marie Brown
"Done," the man said instantly. "Obviously we are not well enough guarded."
The two caravan guards glared. "There were a dozen of them," one protested.
"Enough. You have more help now."
"Just myself and my two companions," Varley put in. "The others have a prior commitment."
A look of disappointment crossed the man's face. "Very well, then. The offer still stands. I am Grivald, caravan master and merchant."
Varley introduced the Bandorans. "Shall we arrange the details now?"
"Very well." The two walked off out of earshot.
They returned shortly, and the caravan began moving again. A round of hasty goodbyes was said to the Cluster of Lights, who were obligated to continue northwards. The merchants were heading to Kar'at, stronghold of the secretive Dargasi people, on the western border of the civilized lands.
"Leena, you're with me," Varley said. "Can you keep watch for any other bandits?"
"That I can, assuming they have a mage. I won't be much good for anything else, though. The spell will take up all my concentration."
"Stick close to me, I'll take care of you. Cam, you're on point. Hope you were right about your knowledge working in other lands."
Cam grinned. "It's worked so far, hasn't it? Where will you two be?"
"Tail."
Leena grimaced at the thought of all the dust soon to be in her face.
"The other two guards are taking the flanks. You see anything strange, anything at all, let us know. The caravan master said they're carrying a load of oddities and rare objects, but it's supposed to be secret. Some of the items are supposed to be magical in nature. So keep watch for anything odd at all."
"Yes, sir!" Camryn gave a mock salute, with a grin for Varley's fussiness. He cantered his horse to the head of the line of four wagons, then rode out of sight.
Leena and Varley dropped back to the tail end of the caravan. At least it's only four wagons, Leena thought as she tied her reins in a knot and dropped them on the horse's neck. "Watch my horse?"
Varley nodded, and Leena dropped into a state that wasn't really a trance, but wasn't far from it. She scanned the countryside for energy pockets. All was as it should be, full of verdant green life energy, but she kept looking. She hoped her skills were up to this job.
When the attack came, it was silent and sudden. Leena had a brief impression of men dropping out of trees before something hit her and the world went black.
Chapter 16
Leena became aware that she was still alive slowly. Her first clue came as a scent, a peculiar musky odor that tickled her nose. Then she felt the smooth surface under her cheek. Gummy stuff crusted her eyelashes shut. The act of raising her hand to wipe it away brought a new awareness, of pain.
Always my hands, she thought groggily. Why? Couldn't it be some other part that hurts for once?
But it wasn't just her hands. Her entire arms burned and ached. She succeeded in wiping her eyes clean and opened them. What she saw puzzled her: an opulent bedchamber. She lay sprawled naked on a satin-covered featherbed in a chamber fit for a whore's nightmare. There were things hanging on the walls she didn't even want to guess the purpose of, straps and clamps and Lord-knows-what.
Leena pried herself off the bed, groaning. She wasn't sure where she was or how she had gotten here, but laying around served no purpose.
Once upright, her head began banging with a monotonous beat. She grimaced and tried to ignore it. Her eye fell on a luxurious black velvet robe. With less effort than she had anticipated, she rose and put the robe on. Wobbling slightly, she eyed the door and set out towards it. It was locked.
"Damn."
She made her way to a normal looking chair, averting her gaze from the one shaped oddly and covered in an assortment of straps. She tried to center herself and meditate.
She didn't have long to wait for something to happen. She had barely achieved a fragile inner peace when the door opened.
"Greetings," said the man who entered. He was breathtakingly handsome, dressed in a fantastic concoction of beaded silk shirt with full sleeves and velvet trousers. Evil poured off him in waves, assaulting her newly awakened mage-senses like acid. "Welcome to the humble home of the great Dark Lord Kierlan." He swept an elegant bow. "I trust you slept well?"
Leena didn't respond.
"You are mine at last, little one."
"I belong to no one!"
He smiled delightedly. "Ah! You have spirit, I see. I shall enjoy. . . entertaining you." He licked his lips with obscene pleasure. "But not in here, I think. This room was made for a different sort of pleasure. Come."
To her horror, Leena felt her body rise and walk behind him without her permission. She followed him into a room that fit every description she had ever read of a torture chamber save one: this place was scrupulously clean and well lit.
"Over there," he said, gesturing casually. Her body walked obediently to stand beside a post set into the stone floor while her spirit screamed and struggled. He tied her securely to it with leather restraints, facing the pole with her arms overhead. "Now, let me look a you." He examined her minutely. "Hmm. . ." Kierlan inspected Leena's brands. "These marks offend me. You are mine now, little one." He smiled at Leena's furious growl of denial. "I will not have you marked by any other than me."
With a casual gesture of his hand, he called a ball of black fire into being. He split it in two and set one ball to each brand. Leena howled with the pain of it burning into her flesh.
Although it seemed to last forever, the burning died away rapidly. The flames gave a last flicker, then sank into her now-smooth skin. Leena whimpered with the pain, but was unable to tear her gaze away from her unmarked hands, stretched above her head and bound to the pole with bloodstained leather.
Then Kierlan began to. . . amuse himself, and such things as vanished brands became utterly insignificant. Leena shrieked and howled as Kierlan did foul things to her body, until she could barely remember why it was so important for her not to give in to his constant attacks on her will. When he tired of her, his servants carried her into the bedchamber and left her sprawled whimpering on the bed.
Chapter 17
"You will regret this," Leena whispered weakly. She had lost track of how long she had been here, how many days the Dark Lord had toyed with her. But some shreds of her will still remained. "I will never serve you, and my friends—"
"I grow tired of hearing of your friends." Kierlan made an impatient gesture, his hand above the whip. Leena flinched and cowered as far away as her bonds would allow. "You love and trust them so much. Would you see what they really think of you?" He gestured again, with purpose. The tarnished bronze mirror on the wall flickered to life, showing an image of Varley and Camryn resting by a campfire. Sound followed the image.
". . .to be alone. I thought we'd never be rid of her."
"She was dreadfully clingy," Varley nodded, stretching. "Wonder where she is now?"
"Who cares? The little bitch can take care of herself. I think she betrayed us all anyway, and led those men right to us."
"You're probably right. Better to be rid of her than—"
"No!" Leena screamed. She writhed against the leather bindings, tears pouring down her face. "That can't be! Make it stop. . . they are my friends, they wouldn't say such things!"
Her strength ran out and she slumped forward, in time to hear a final hurtful comment before the image faded.
"I never should have picked her up from that roadway. Just look at the trouble she has caused."
She moaned.
"You see, there is no hope for rescue. You are mine. None other on this earth wants you. You will serve me well, little one." His cruel chuckle elicited no response. "You look rather sad. Perhaps a present will cheer you up." He reached into a pocket of his elaborate robe and produced a black velvet ribbon with a rose carved of onyx strung onto it. "Allow me, my dear."
Leena was too devastated to even flinch
away from the hated touch of her captor. He tied the ribbon about her neck, then released her bindings. She toppled slowly to the floor and lay in stunned shock. Her mind replayed the scene between Camryn and Varley over and over again.
Rid of her. . . clingy. . . little bitch. . . betrayed us. . . betrayed betrayed betrayed!
The Dark Lord sent for one of his silent servants to remove Leena to her room and put her to bed. There, she passed into oblivion, haunted by a sense of loss.
* * * *
"How are you feeling, my stubborn one? Was my present to your liking?" The evil mage's voice rippled with dark amusement. He glided towards her, plainly ready for more of his exotic amusements, geared towards pleasing himself while he sought to break through Leena's stubborn resistance and gain control of her mage abilities for his own use. Leena said nothing. "I can see that you will be no more trouble. You are mine now. In token of this, you shall call me. . . Master."
Never, she tried to say. To her horror, Leena found herself responding, "Yes, my Master." Eyes wide, deeply shaken by the fact that those words had come from her, she stared at the Dark Lord. Her bonds had not been retied. Nothing held her except the formidable will of the dark presence before her. Darkness poured off him in waves, but no longer battered at her protections. Instead it lapped gently at the fringes of her awareness, warm and inviting. Under the hooded cloak he wore, she could see the gleam of his eyes. She flinched as he moved suddenly, setting down the silver-handled whip on a table filled with similar devices and implements of torture.
"No, little one, not this time." The Dark Lord's rich voice held a hint of a cruel chuckle. "There is no need for more lessoning, at this time."
"What is thy bidding, my Master?" Leena cursed herself for the ease with which the words came, the humble servility in her voice. No, no, this can not be! her mind screamed. I will not allow this!
But her will was no longer her own. Try though she might, Leena could no longer resist the will of the Dark Lord, this Kierlan. She could not even touch the rose he had given her last night with the thought of removing it. The part of her mind that was still rational realized the pendant must have taken control over much of her will as she slept. She fought the evil spell with single-minded intensity, only peripherally aware that Kierlan was giving her instructions and her voice was responding to him. She had to win free of this repulsive black rose wrapped about her neck.
A commotion intruded upon her concentration. Voices shouted in the corridor, then the door slammed open. Leena gasped, otherwise held immobile by the Dark Lord's will as Varley and Camryn burst into the room.
Cam darted forward to her side as Varley raised his bloody sword to deal with the evil mage. Amazingly, Kierlan only smiled with satisfaction, then vanished.
"What the hell?" Varley halted his sword mid-swing, searching the room frantically for the mage. There was no sign of him anywhere. Leena collapsed to the ground with the abrupt loss of Kierlan's control. Her entire body burst into a flare of pain. Camryn lifted her carefully, supporting most of her weight.
"Let's go! Before any others arrive." Varley looked out of the torture chamber cautiously, then led the way outside.
"How did you find me?" Leena gasped as she staggered through the passages of Kierlan's stronghold. Horses waited outside. Camryn had to lift Leena into the saddle. Then they were off, pelting through territory that was all unfamiliar to Leena. She concentrated on hanging on. She refused to think yet. Betrayed us. . . little bitch—NO!
Camryn signaled Varley, and they slowed the horses. Cam dismounted and took the lead, picking a way through dense brushy forest with ease, despite the uneven ground. He abruptly disappeared, although Leena could hear the sound of his horse crashing through the undergrowth behind him. When she reached that spot, she discovered it was the entrance to a well-hidden, narrow ravine, barely deep enough to conceal a horse and so narrow that the horses would have to back out.
Leena slid down the side of the horse and sat in silence as both men fussed over her. Now that she no longer concentrated on riding, her mind obsessively replayed the little scene she had witnessed last night and tried to detect any hint in the behavior of her rescuers that it had been a true vision.
"Huh?" Camryn poked at her, breaking into the obsession. He held out a steaming mug.
"I said, drink this, it'll make you feel better. What's wrong with you, anyway?"
"Nothing." I've been tortured and assaulted in ways you can't imagine, what do you think is wrong with me? She attempted to smile and wrapped her chilled hands around the mug. She guessed it was nearly evening. The overcast sky provided little clue as to time, and prevented the sun's warmth from reaching the land. It wasn't real, she told herself firmly. They really care about you. But again she heard their words in memory. Better to be rid of her. . .
"What's this?" Cam asked, touching the black rose at Leena's throat. She started.
"How could I have forgotten that vile thing! Take it off, will you? I can't touch it."
With a puzzled frown, Cam did as she asked. Instantly Leena doubled over in agony, filled with wrenching, twisting pain that increased when Cam moved the rose away from her and completely dwarfed the pain from her wounds. She thought she was screaming but couldn't tell.
Then the pain was gone and she was in someone's arms. She sobbed wretchedly, fighting the rose's compulsion once again and losing.
"What was that all about?" Varley stroked her hair, holding her gently.
"She wanted to be rid of the rose about her neck. But as soon as I removed it, she started screaming and thrashing about. I was barely able to get it back on her, but that made her stop. What is this thing?"
"Kierlan put it on me, after he—never mind. It made me. . ." she gulped back more bitter sobs and tried to pull away. Varley wouldn't let her, and Camryn moved in closer and started rubbing her back. "It made me lose my will. He told me to call him Master, and. . . and I did." Ashamed, she buried her face in Varley's shoulder. He's your friend. Remember that. See? That couldn't have been real. . . But remember, whispered a traitorous portion of her mind, they left you there for days. And he took the brands away.
Then Cam ran his hand across one of the deeper whip cuts and she flinched away, leading to their discovery and treatment of her injuries. At length, the men sent Leena to bed, bandaged, poulticed, and so full of painkilling herbs that her head buzzed incessantly.
Chapter 18
The next morning found them once again on the road, silent and watchful. Leena was grateful to be awake and feeling much better. Her dreams had been plagued by formless fears and darkness all night long. She huddled silently in a damp bundle atop her horse and wondered what was to become of her now.
They rode fast, anxious to reach the main road. The ancient, rolling forestland was comfortingly homelike, but it offered few amenities. Leena was better able to ride today, since Cam had insisted she take more medication. About noon, they struck the main road at last and set the horses to a steady westward jog. A dust cloud ahead promised fellow travelers.
The dust cloud was, in fact, created by the very caravan they had left. They rode up to the caravan master warily, uncertain of the welcome they would receive after the battle which had separated them. However, there was no cause for worry.
"Glad to have you back," Grivald grunted. The formerly cheerful little man now watched everything suspiciously, eyes darting about the countryside. "Been more attacks. We need every hand we can get. Ho! You there! Look sharp, fool—don't ride under trees!" With a grumbled curse, he rode off to deliver a sizzling lecture to the hapless rider.
"What a change," Varley said, assessing the state of the caravan. Only three wagons remained. All the surviving merchants, slightly more than half their original number, now rode guard, many bearing weapons from their own stock.
"Indeed." Camryn slipped off to scout ahead. Varley and Leena resumed their accustomed position.
"So what is it?" Varley's abrupt que
stion broke the uncomfortable silence.
"I don't know what you mean." Leena's horse danced sideways, picking up on her tension. She corrected it unconsciously, staring straight ahead.
"What's been bothering you? There is something, don't try to deny it."
"Very well, I won't. I saw something while I was. . . away, that upset me."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Leena, don't be difficult."
"Kierlan showed me a vision. I didn't like it." At Varley's look, she sighed and went on. "You and Camryn, discussing me. And—how glad you were that, to be alone—without me—" Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked furiously. She worked to swallow around the knot in her throat.
A gentle hand caught at her chin and forced her to look at Varley, his horse crowded in next to hers so close their sides nearly brushed. "We never said that. We would never say that. Surely you know this?"
She nodded mutely.
"Now don't think about such things anymore. We are your friends, now and always. . . remember?"
She summoned up a tiny smile and nodded, which seemed to satisfy him. But the doubt still festered in her heart and would not leave her alone. Should have left her. . . trouble. . . be rid of her. . .
Chapter 19
Leena woke from more nightmares to feel a familiar presence in the blackness. She rose silently, walking in a daze to the edge of the camp.
He stood there. She knelt before him, welcoming the warm waves of dark energy as they washed over her.
"Rise, little one. You have done well." He stroked her head as though she were a dog. "It is time, now. I will take the artifact, while you. . . you will prove your loyalty to me by destroying those who thought to steal you from me."
"But—they are my friends," Leena whispered.
"Do you forget already how they speak of you when you are not there? They are no friends of yours. Go now. Use this, and prove your loyalty."
He pressed a long dagger into her hand. She clutched the hilt and turned back to the camp, in a daze. She betrayed us. . . little bitch. . . Her mind struggled to form thoughts. This couldn't be right, weren't they her friends? They had held her, eased her pain. . . But he took the brands away. She tried to remember Varley's earlier words, but all she heard was the hateful things of the other night.