The Tangled Tree

by S. K Munt

  Just find somewhere dark and quiet to hide until Kohén comes for you! I thought, but I was crying and breathing too loudly to have a hope of hiding any time soon, and I only made it another ten steps and around the left-hand side of the corridor before I realised that I’d come to a dead end that I hadn’t known had been there until now.

  Shit! I thought, pulling up when I found myself face to face with a shut door where I’d believed that the corridor had been. What now? The map of the castle indicates that this is a passageway, not a full stop! Good thing I’m not running from a fire- I’d be dead already!

  The harem was shaped like a horseshoe, with two corridors on the left and right side that had doors on either side, so that the exterior rooms had their backs to the outside of the castle, and the central ones backed up against one another- twenty private cells in total according to Maryah and the map- seventeen of which were currently un-occupied. The outer rooms like mine had windows but the interior ones had skylights.

  There was a break in the very centre of the harem not far from my room and that was where the spring was, and directly across from that was the group of rooms that we had come to know as ‘the labs’ where we went for personal upkeep, although its official name was the spa. There was a small room for physical therapy, a larger room for hair and skin treatments (six girls could be seen to in there at once) another tiny room for medical purposes (dubbed ‘The Gyno’ by Lette, who was constantly itchy down there and didn’t know why) a room where our seamstress worked when we were in need of her, and a small lounge and bathroom are that backed onto the harem staff’s private office.

  The spa took up the same space as four of the harem rooms that it backed up against did, and the springs combined with our private dining room/kitchenette took up the same amount of space across from it, with four more rooms behind it, so because that middle section was flanked by a corridor on either side the entire wing had a symmetrical feel to it that I’d always seen replicated on the map.

  But I’d never had cause to venture down to the back of the harem before- in fact I’d never thought much about the four rooms behind the dining room because they’d always been empty, but I’d always assumed that the corridor had snaked around them in a curve, as demonstrated in the castle’s blueprints, so I was rather surprised to discover myself facing a door instead of continuing around in a U-shape like it was supposed to.

  Curious as always despite my current anxiety, I examined the door, wondering if Resonah and Rosina’s rooms were all the way down here, which would explain why I barely ever saw them getting around. Elfin, Lette, Emmerly, Kelia and I had been scattered around the entire wing, proving how embarrassed Kohén had been about having so many of us, but I wouldn’t have put it past Elijah to lump his whores together like Karol had, (the royals didn’t have to work for sex so why walk too far for it either?) so I raised my fist and knocked thinking that if I wanted tips on how to survive here, then I was probably best off seeking advice from those that had survived here the longest.

  But my knock on the door went unanswered and echoed through the darkened corridor, giving me the creeps. If Karol burst through the main door looking for me, then the only way I’d be safe from him was if I got behind a door that his key wouldn’t be able to access.

  ‘Hello?’ I tried, voice squeaking when I heard banging on the main door. ‘Resonah? Rosina? Are you in here?’

  But I was met with more silence, and when I heard the main door swing open with a thump, fear got the better of me and I twisted the door handle frantically, trying to rattle it loudly- and sucked in a breath when it opened to reveal only the silence, darkness and stillness that was lying beyond it.

  Oh my God! I swallowed hard, not wanting to step into that ominous, windowless space, but doing so anyway when I heard haggard breathing and heavy footfalls coming from the first corridor where my room was. There’s no windows in here at all! Ugh! No wonder it’s empty!

  I moved stealthily, taking care to nudge the door shut behind me and then fumbled, desperately hoping to find a lock- but there was no such thing on my side, just the little slits where a ringed wing was supposed to slot in, and when I tried the door handle again, I was dismayed to realise that it could not be opened from this side now, even though no one had turned a key to lock it from the other. More deadbolts! More claustrophobia!

  Stuffing my fist into my mouth to smother my horror and sweating dread from every pore, I backed away from the door, becoming acutely aware of how stale the air was in here- and how much it reminded me of the stink of old leather. I banged into something that was hard and cold but it did not make a sound to betray my presence, so I turned and felt my way around the room hoping to find somewhere that I might be able to hide in case Karol glanced in there.

  Why are there no windows? I thought, beginning to panic as I bumped into unrecognisable object after unrecognisable object. God, I can’t breathe! Becoming clumsier and less cautious in my distress, I lumbered towards where I thought the interior wall must be and whimpered gratefully when I put my hands directly onto a bench that was covered in things that I did know by feel- a book, a bottle of something and finally, a lamp. Whimpering again I felt around the copper base of the lamp that was identical to touch as the one in my room and pressed the little switch on the stem to turn it on. A warm, red light immediately illuminated the darkness, but the colour was strange and unsettling and did nothing to make feel better. Panting, baking in my own skin, sweating profusely and wet-faced, I looked up- and directly into the eyes of Satan.

  ‘Bad move, Lark,’ she whispered, shaking a long, polished finger at me, and I didn’t know what stunned me more- how beautiful she was this time, or how terrifying she looked because her anger with me was evident. Her nails had been painted with a pearl lacquer though and that struck me as odd: shouldn’t such a woman have fiery red talons sharpened to points and a skintight gown to match? ‘Boy when you make a wrong-turn, you do it thoroughly, don’t you?’ Her nostrils flared as she exhaled. ‘I wanted to ask if you’ve made good use of your time since we spoke last but I can already see the love softening your eyes, mouth and soul towards him once again. You’re slipping, aren’t you Larkin? You’re slipping fast.’

  I gulped and gaped for I could do nothing else. This wasn’t Satan in Gabby’s face or even Siria’s- this was the Satan depicted in murals, only more so- more authentic than any painting could have ever hoped to be. Black coils of hair spiralled all the way down to the back of her knees, hanging like a cape of snakes behind her, and her eyes were so large and dark that I could see most of my upper body and face within them without having to strain in order to do it. They were glistening black pools, and they were full of anger and disappointment. Her lips were so perfectly sculpted that they came to thin points in the corners of her mouth, but instead of being a ruby red they were a deep plum colour, contrasting brightly with her white teeth.

  She was beautiful and fierce-looking and because she was being reflected back to me not from just one mirror but in a panel of nine that stretched all the way along the wall, there was no escaping her or my thoughts, which were begging me to analyse everything that I’d just seen and heard. What had Cherry meant about my having a tracking device? Had she truly just quit her job in the castle after decades of service because of me? And if so, where was she going now?

  ‘Oh Jesus…’ Satan put her hands on the waist of her sage-green gown (another surprise, I’d imagine her wearing black or red) hips and tilted her head to the side. ‘Are you finally using your brain again… or are you just so far under the Barachiel thrall now that we have to communicate in blinks? Once for yes and twice for no- Larkin. Is any part of you still alive in there?’

  I blinked rapidly at her, then shook off my haze. ‘You can’t see for yourself… because my thoughts didn’t concern you, right? You didn’t want me to know… but that’s how I can keep you out of my mind isn’t it? By not thinking about you at all?’ I clicked my fingers. ‘And that’s w
hy it’s me you’re torturing instead of those you claim to hate… yes? Because Constance, Karol, Kohén… they don’t think about you, do they- not ever.’ I smirked triumphantly as Satan’s eyes slitted. ‘Constance told me that once- that she’d never prayed to you and never thought of you… I didn’t believe that was possible, but I do now! Despite everything she’s been through, her love for God knows no bounds, therefore, your ability to grasp her and manipulate her the way you wish to manipulate me knows nothing but boundaries, and that’s why you leave her in peace! Because you have no other choice!’

  The room burst into flames or at least appeared to and I shrieked as Satan laughed. ‘Think you can use that information against me, little Larkin? Think again! True, I cannot access the thoughts of those who do not invite me in, but once the door is opened, a simple kick is all I need to keep it open, and so long as you breathe, you will invite me in!’

  I staggered back a few inches but immediately crashed into something else and whirled, eyebrows lifting in mystification when I saw an oversized bench in the centre of the room- the same bench I must have bumped into beforehand, because it extended almost all the way to the door. I whirled to regard it, but there wasn’t much to see for it was nothing more than a long, solid timber table that had been covered in supple-looking black leather. However there was another bench behind it, closer to the other side of the room and it was peculiar-looking indeed. Once again it was a solid timber structure, but it had more than the one leather clad surface, and it was apparent that they had been attached to hinges so that parts of the structure could be moved around. But why?

  ‘The prey kneels on the lower pads with her ankles bound to the legs…’ the woman behind me said as her flames dissipated, and I could hear the cruel lilt in her voice as she finished her explanation: ‘Then she bends over the other with her torso flat to it so that she can be mounted or whipped from behind by her predator… perhaps both simultaneously, depending on how naughty or arousing or responsive or out of control the girl has been…’ Satan chuckled a low, velvety chuckle as my mouth went dry. ‘So it’s a good thing you’re none of those things, right Larkin? Because if you were, it would be safe to assume that you just ran into the very place that every Barachiel man has dreamed of cornering you within for over a year…’ She sighed as my heart spasmed. ‘You really are borderline suicidal still, aren’t you?’

  I felt like I was going to be sick and when Satan laughed, I knew that she was sick- sick and wrong… and very, very right: I’d unintentionally cornered myself in the dungeon room, and at any moment, someone was going to find me in here and I’d be almost completely at their mercy when they did.

  But only almost completely. With a racing heart and mind, I scanned the room, located the wall full of whips and chains and rushed over to it, selecting the nastiest looking one before I turned back to face Satan.

  ‘Borderline suicidal,’ I said softly, running the length of leather through my fingers, shuddering to think of who had been struck by them last. ‘But I’m not quite there yet!’

  Which was more than I could say for whatever man tried to take me in there.

  13.

  ‘That’s the fighting spirit I’ve been waiting to see re-emerge,’ the pretty elongated corners of Satan’s lips tugged to the right in a smile. ‘But what I’ve just explained to you is not as horrible as it sounds…I don’t imagine that you’d enjoy it much, but with the right lover, submitting to unbridled passion can be rather exciting.’

  My face flamed hotly, and I wrapped my arms around myself to hold my insides together while still clutching the handle of the whip tightly in my hand. I couldn’t believe that I’d looked myself in the one place that I’d prayed I’d never have to see!

  ‘Kohén wouldn’t bring me in here to submit to anything,’ I hissed, hugging myself even more tightly. ‘So thanks for the tip, but I’ll never have to find out how I feel about this nasty stuff because he won’t ask me to explore it with him. I’m imprisoned here because he’s too romantic, not because he is a deviant!’

  ‘He’ll never have to bring you in here, because you brought yourself here! And although I could shake you for being so foolish, I must admit, if anything’s going to push you over the edge of insanity and back into reason, then seeing all of this ought to do it!’ Satan pressed her hands up to the glass again. ‘Take me into you Larkin, and though I know my word isn’t worth much to you, I can swear to God that you’d be better off accepting me into you here, than anyone else!’

  ‘No,’ I stepped around the bench, putting it between us, wondering why I couldn’t see myself reflected in the glass beside her. ‘No I don’t fear this room, not more than I fear you. Kohén would never-’

  ‘Elijah has already threatened you with one hundred lashes today- where do you think that will transpire? And despite what you believe about your vanilla beau, young Kohén will lead you in here by the hand within the next forty-eight hours if you don’t let me help you escape NOW!’

  ‘What?’ I gasped, looking around at the odd instruments, which looked like they’d been crafter solely for the torture of making a woman scream. My Kohén, in this place? Never!

  She’s just trying to scare you! Don’t fall for it!

  ‘I am trying to scare you to save you!’ Satan smacked her hands against the glass. ‘I’ve told you over the past few days that you’re doomed if you stay here, but you ignored me and now you have mere seconds to turn this around, and the only way you can do that is by taking my hand!’

  I glared at her. ‘Well I won’t be doing that, so why don’t you go haunt Amelia-Rose instead, hmm? Because I’m fairly certain she’s evil- and almost one hundred percent certain that she’d take your hand.’

  ‘This isn’t about who is good or who is evil- we are all both!’ The devil shook her head. ‘And even if I wanted to explain what’s gone wrong, I haven’t the time, not since you blocked me from coming into your room. Now is your last chance to escape this place with your soul intact and with my complete assistance, so take that chance and take my hand or you will be wiped from the pages of Eden’s history as I was the first time-’

  The lock rattled and the door was flung open, and I screamed and stumbled back into the bench behind me when I saw a man stride in. ‘Lark? Baby?’ A light flicked on- a bright white light that muted the red and all at once I felt a million percent better about a lot of things and a million percent worse about others. Kohén saw me in one beat and was crossing the room in the next, demanding:

  ‘Larkin! What on earth are you doing in this awful place?’ he looked around with an expression of disgust curling his lip while I gasped for air, relieved that it was him and not Karol. ‘And how did you get in? It was supposed to have been locked!’

  ‘It wasn’t, and I didn’t know where I was going when I opened the door!’ I whimpered, dropping the whip and extending my hands to him when he did the same to me. ‘I feared that Karol was chasing me through the halls, and I couldn’t get into my room so I ran and tried every door until one opened-’ I sobbed when he wrapped his arms around me, burying my face in my shoulder so I wouldn’t have to see Satan for a second longer. She’d always given me the creeps, but the things she’d been screaming at me just moments before had been utterly terrifying. She’d made it sound like I was as good as dead already!

  She’d been convincing, too. That thing about the forty-eight hours that would bring me back to this room under duress… she had sounded so sure of herself! So sure that for one awful moment, I’d actually considered just doing it- just taking her hand on the off-chance that her predictions had been right. Hadn’t I seen enough evil things going down in that room to convince me that she very likely could be right? What was the point of striving to be good and pure like Constance if in the end, she was miserable enough to slap people like me anyway? And what good would it do me to have God on my side if men like Karol who had the same unwavering faith were still capable of doing vile things, like bringing a woman here
? The Barachiels had kept Satan out of their thoughts and hearts yes- but that had not kept them from doing evil things with their actions!

  Now you’re getting it! Satan whispered and I shivered, burrowing into Kohén like I could wear his love and faith like a second skin. Now, ask Kohén about the Barachiel stillborns while I’m able to listen to his answer- I’d very much like to know how much he knows, and how much eludes him!

  I squeezed my eyes shut, mentally squeezing her out of my brain. Her threats had certainly spooked me and my past experience had certainly proven that Barachiel men would bring women here if provoked… but she had to be lying about Kohén bringing me to this room- HAD to be, because even if he’d plotted such a course of action, she wouldn’t have known about it. She couldn’t have known about it, because she couldn’t get into Kohén’s mind; a fact she’d already given away.

  It had been a lie- a very clever lie meant to dupe me into handing my body over to her and now that I had Kohén in my arms again, I took a moment to thank god for delivering him to me quickly before Satan had had the chance to turn me against my intention to do what was right, and before Karol had found the opportunity to search for me first.

  ‘I want to get out of this room!’ I whispered piteously, trying to tune Satan out when I heard her doing what sounded a lot like flipping furniture over in my mind in a fit of anger. ‘Kohén please… I want to get out of this room!’

  ‘Of course, of course- I never wanted you to see this place either, which was why I was so stunned to find you here!’ Kohén squeezed me more tightly, and I felt him trembling in my arms as he pulled back to look me over. ‘Darling, you’re so skittish! After what I’d just heard about your behaviour out there, I had expected to come in here and find you breathing fire, not trembling in a corner.’