by Raven Dark
“We can’t, General.” Doc put his stethoscope around his neck. “If we give her even a mild sedative, she could fall off the bike or cause the person she’s with to wipe out. Plus, we need to keep pushing toward Delta.”
Hawk returned to my side and handed me a metal mug. The tea smelled of warm berries of some kind and soothing honey. Sheriff took the mug and helped me slowly sip.
“Well then, will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” Sheriff snapped. I tensed, and he rubbed my arms, adding in a gentler tone, “We have to do something. She can’t keep having seizures all the time. What if she has one when we’re riding?”
“I know,” Doc said, sitting back on his knees. “Honestly, I have no idea what this is. Medically, there’s nothing wrong with her, and the convulsions only happen when she’s asleep. I want to say she won’t have an episode while riding, but in truth, we can’t be sure. Hawk?”
Hawk stroked my hair. “It’s a trauma of some sort causing this. I’ve seen this kind of thing with severely traumatic flashbacks and dreams. Her mind is blocking out whatever it is that’s triggering the dreams.”
“Trauma?” My voice shook. I lifted my head. “Something happened to me that I don’t remember?”
The thought that I was repressing something so bad that my mind was blocking it out made my stomach knot. My eyes stung at the gaping hole I imagined in my mind where the answers should be.
“It’s going to be okay, Kitten. We’ll figure this out.”
But it was already too late. A small sob escaped. I fought it back, hating how weak I must look in front of my fearless Legion men.
“Shh.” Sheriff only held me tighter, laying my head on his shoulder. “We’re right here.”
For some reason, that made me cry harder. I sobbed into his chest, clutching his cut. He didn’t seem to care that my tears soon soaked the soft leather. He just stroked my back and crooned.
“The garden,” I said to no one in particular. “My garden was burning.” I turned my watery eyes to Hawk when he took my face gently.
“Burning? Setora, are you sure?”
“Yes. It was on fire.”
He sighed. “Okay. Sheriff, give her here.”
“Hawk, this meditation stuff isn’t working,” Sheriff said.
Hawk pulled me into his embrace and laid me gently across the bed of furs. Sheriff stood and ran his palm down his face.
He left the cave, and I heard him telling everyone to go back to sleep, Hawk had it handled.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this now,” Hawk promised. “We’ll find a way to make it stop.”
“How?” I whispered.
“Trust me, all right?” He squeezed my hand. “Doc.”
Doc nodded and knelt at my other side.
“Doc and I will take you through the dream. We—”
“No!” I sat up, grabbing at his cut. “I don’t want to see it, I don’t want to talk about it, Master, please don’t make me.”
“Kitten.” He took my hands, holding them tight. “You’ve got to trust us now. We can’t figure out what’s happening to you unless we see everything that goes on in those dreams. I didn’t want to do this exercise until you had a better handle on the Don-shi technique, but we don’t have a choice now. When we find out what you’re suppressing, we can work with you.”
Reluctantly, I nodded. He was right—there was no other way.
For several minutes, he took me through the same breathing exercises as before, only he had me lying down instead of sitting up.
“Now, I want you to go into that space, like I showed you. Imagine the rain around you, on your skin, and then you will enter the Don-shi.”
I breathed evenly, and already felt my body relaxing into the furs even before the word rain formed in my mind. Calmness took over, and Hawk’s soothing voice took me deeper into the tranquility that had now become second nature.
As Hawk had taught me many times before, I let my garden, my perfect sanctuary, surround me. Blue skies, colorful flowers, the smell of cut grass.
Nothing was getting in here. I was safe.
My Fortress within.
“Where are you, Setora?” Hawk asked gently.
“In my garden.” I floated in perfect peace.
“Good. Now, tell me what happened in the dream this time. How did it start?”
“I’m in the garden and it’s perfect, just like it always is. Blue sky, a peaceful meadow.”
“When does it change, Setora? How does it change?”
“It changes when he comes. When he comes into my garden.”
“He who?” Hawk’s voice remained soothing, but a note of something harder floated beneath the sedate calm.
“The man with no face.”
“Tell me about him. What does he look like? What is he wearing?”
I shook my head, instinctively trying to shut the image out, the image and the chilly wave of fear that came with it.
“Setora, you’re safe. We’re right here. Tell me what he looks like.”
“I don’t know. I never see his face, Master.” My breathing came in ragged pants.
“He’s wearing a mask?”
“No. His face has no features.”
Hawk’s hand tightened in mine. “It’s all right. He can’t hurt you. It’s not real. What is he wearing? Is there anything that tells you where he’s from?”
I shook my head again. “He’s wearing robes. Thick white ones.”
“Do you see any symbols or markings on his clothes?”
“No.”
“Look harder, Setora. Focus.”
“There’s nothing, Master. It’s all just white. Very long, fine robes, like silk.”
“Does he have a smell? Is there anything familiar about him?”
“Nothing at all. I’ve never seen him before, outside the dream. It’s no one I remember seeing.”
My eyes watered, and my throat tightened as the image of the faceless man drew nearer. His hand reached out for me.
“He’s here! Master, he’s here!”
“Setora. Stay in the Fortress. Stay in the Don-shi. You’re in your garden. This is your place. He can’t hurt you.”
I felt myself slowly relax.
“Tell me more about him.”
“I…I don’t like him. He scares me. Like no one ever has. Not even Damien.”
“So it’s not Damien.”
“No. This man is too pale, his voice…too different.”
“Okay. You’re doing great, Setora. We’re almost done.”
“He’s still here, Master. I don’t want him here!”
“Then make him disappear, Kitten. This is your Fortress. Your place. Nothing can get inside that you don’t allow in.”
The dream version of me blinked.
The figure was gone.
Elation and wonder filled me to the brim. He was gone! It was working!
“Tell me what else you see now,” Hawk crooned. “Look around and tell me what else is there.”
I glanced slowly around the garden that looked serene and beautiful once more. I was the only one there. “There are flowers. Big white and pink ones in pewter urns. I’m watering them.”
“Good. What else?”
“There is fountain over there. A stone fountain with a beautiful woman in a cloak. She has her arms out, like she’s welcoming someone. She—”
The sense of someone’s gaze pressed into my back. I whirled around and screamed.
“Kitten, relax. Stay in the Fortress. You’re safe, Setora.”
No! He’s back!
The faceless man put his face close to mine, so close I could see every inch of that horrible, featureless slab of oval-shaped flesh. He lifted one hand and pressed it gently to my lips, like a lover.
“Shh.” His voice was warm, like a caress. “No more. Sleep.”
Everything vanished.
Blackness enveloped me.
Chapter 13
A Meeting of Minds
We reached Delta two days later.
Nothing came of the meditation dream Hawk had taken me through the night at the river. When I’d awakened the next morning, Hawk and Doc had told me that I’d dropped off to sleep in the middle of the meditation. When they’d asked me why that had happened, I hadn’t been able to remember.
I still didn’t.
The two of them had theories. Hawk posited that whatever had happened in the nightmare had been so traumatic that my mind had simply shut itself down. It had protected me from whatever I’d seen the only way it knew how, by forcing me to sleep. Doc thought I might have dropped off out of sheer exhaustion. Whatever the case, they’d given me a sleeping draught laced with a drug that kept the dreams at bay.
In the two days after that, the nightmares hadn’t come again. Or if they had, I didn’t remember them.
The rest of the journey to Delta had remained uneventful, nearly boring in its monotony. We rode for hours, stopped for fuel, ate quick meals, camped where we could, and then rode off again. At longer stops, and before going to sleep each night, I meditated. Sometimes Hawk meditated with me. I’d hoped the lack of nightmares meant that I was getting better at staying within the Don-shi, better at utilizing my Fortress.
No danger presented itself for the remainder of the trip. We saw no sign of the Dregs and no sign of the J’nai. Everyone was in good spirits; even Steel had recovered, exercising when he could and eating everything he could get his hands on. Crash no longer had his leg wrapped, walking with his cane with only a slight limp.
By the end of those two days, we were more than happy to arrive at Zone Delta, headed for a large estate owned by the individual who hosted the summit, a wealthy man named Lord Falnar. According to my masters, he oversaw the huge zone, one of only a few zones run by a nobleman.
My first thought when I laid eyes on Lord Falnar’s estate was that this couldn’t be the right place. An emerald sea of hills stretched as far as the eye could see, dotted with patch-work rows of lavender, as if the Maker had laid down a living quilt upon the ground. Nestled in the center of the hills, about a mile from where we’d stopped, was a stone manor at least five stories tall with jutting turrets reminiscent of fairy tales from the Old World. Two giant green flags stood proud atop the stone edifices, waving gently in the afternoon breeze.
“This is where the summit is?” Sitting astride Hawk’s motorbike, my voice was breathy with awe as my eyes feasted on the magnificent scenery.
Hawk made an amused sound in his throat. “Yes, Kitten. This is Lord Falnar’s place. It’s a beauty, isn’t it?”
We’d parked on the side of the road, and the Dark Legion men had turned off their engines. Coming up here, I’d assumed we were going to stop for lunch and rest before we traveled hard once more, chasing the sun toward our destination. Until we’d rounded a bend in the road, I had no idea that we had arrived.
“We’ll stop for a short break before heading up to the estate,” Sherriff’s gruff voice announced behind me. He sounded tired—we all were—but I thought his weariness stemmed more from leading than anything else. Worry for our safety and all that had transpired since leaving the Grotto had taken its toll on the general.
Hawk helped me off his bike, and I stretched my ever-aching legs. If the inside of Lord Falnar’s estate exhibited even half the beauty his grounds possessed, then I would die a happy woman. A bath, a bed. A roof.
After a few groans and complaints from the others, we headed deeper into the forest, off the path where anyone would likely to ride past us. T-Man stayed behind to watch over the bikes.
“A moment, Setora?” Sheriff called. The others walked on past him as I headed in his direction.
“Yes, Master?”
He held me by my hips, pulling me close. “Your penance has been served. I’m taking back the leash. Now, I can bring it back at any time if need be. Do you understand?” The sparkle in his indigo eyes belied the seriousness of his tone.
Oh Maker, the leash was finally being put to rest.
“Yes, Master. I understand.”
He undid the knot of rope around my wrist, wrapping it into a neat roll around his elbow. “What do you say, slave?”
“Thank you for my punishment, Master.” I couldn’t hold back a grin at the slight widening of his eyes when he heard my words.
He cleared his throat. Obviously he’d expected me to say something different. “Well….yes, right. Don’t make me have to leash you again, woman.” He smacked my backside hard, and turned around, heading for Doc and Crash.
I felt someone behind me and turned to see Diamond smiling at me. She gently pulled my braid over my shoulder and began undoing the plait.
“Diamond, what are you doing?”
She laughed as her deft fingers made quick work at detangling my hair. “Sheriff gave orders to ready you for meeting Lord Falnar. I’m not Cherry by any means, and we don’t have a lot of supplies to work with, but I can at least make you look cleaned up a bit.”
Emmy came forward and started undoing the laces of my leather halter top, tsking at my attempts to stop her.
“I can do it, Emmy.” I laughed at her rolling eyes. These new relationships with the women of the Grotto made my heart full. I had never had friends before, and after everything we had shared the past few weeks, these women felt more like sisters to me.
“We don’t have time. Just let us help you, for Maker’s sake.” Emmy bent down to untie my boot laces, and Diamond quickly had me standing in the middle of nowhere with only a deep blush on my cheeks.
“Here’s her cadris and some slippers. Make sure her hair is up once it’s washed,” Pretty Boy said from behind us, startling me.
After all this time, embarrassment still ran full throttle in me when outside of the bedroom with my masters. A warm, large hand rested on my backside, another cupping my breast from behind. I leaned my head back against Pretty Boy’s chest, my fatigue instantly forgotten.
“Fuck me, I can’t wait to get you into a room.” His husky voice went all the way to my toes.
“Master,” I started, breathless. “Everyone is watching.” I panted as he twisted my nipple and sucked my ear lobe into his hot mouth.
“I know, Princess. Now, bend forward, low to the ground.”
I stood straight as an arrow at his words. “No, Master!”
He laughed. “No, seriously. Diamond’s going to wash your hair. Not that that would stop me.” He smacked my ass and then walked away, yelling at Doc to help him with something.
A giggle slipped out as Diamond and Emmy passed each other water bottles and oils, perfumes and lotions.
“Wait, won’t the shampoo make the dye come out completely? Just regular soap and water would work.”
“Nope, that’s what we want,” Diamond said. “You’re safe at the summit, and the Four want you to be seen as a Violet while we’re there.”
Worry ate at me, but I trusted that my masters knew best.
“It’ll be strange, having purple hair again,” I said.
“Hurry it up, I wanna see it.” Pretty Boy’s voice carried from behind me. I could hear his smile.
All three of us laughed.
Diamond was incredibly skilled at washing hair. When she was done, my scalp sang, tension and dirt cleaned away.
I let the women doll me up while I thought about what we’d face over the next coming days. The summit, as Steel had explained, was held annually and was by invitation only. Even though I didn’t fully understand the machinations behind its members, I could appreciate the secrecy and importance of it. My Dark Legion held many secrets, secrets that, were they to get out, would threaten their reputation as a dangerous entity if the public had evidence to the contrary.
Even though I knew they were nothing like the stories most of the world told about them, after the way my masters had kidnapped me, and the way I’d seen them deal with Talek and the Dregs, I knew the Dark Legion was still a formidable force, still pirates at heart.
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As the days had rolled into weeks, my own heart welcomed them as family, the kind of family I never thought I’d ever have again.
“Done. What do you think, Diamond? Tendrils hanging, or all up?” Emmy held one of my lavender tresses between her fingers as she eyed me like a painting on an easel.
“Eh…I think all up. Thankfully, all that black is gone. You look gorgeous, Setora. Even though I will miss Onyx, it’s good to have you back again, Violet.” Diamond’s eyes twinkled at the nickname Cherry had adopted, one that now was an endearment.
I had to agree with her. My skin hummed from the brisk washing with a cloth and cold bottled water, my hair felt like it weighed nothing in its cleanliness, and my slippered feet felt like they were encased in velvet. The transformation from dirty and travel-worn to pampered slave shouldn’t have had any bearing on my self-awareness, but it did. I was more comfortable as myself, the Violet, the misfit. Whether my masters wished for me to return to my former self or wanted me to play a role didn’t matter to me; I was content.
A glance around at my fellow travelers told me that they had been cleaning themselves up as well. Sheriff and Steel were freshly shaved, Pretty Boy’s golden hair gleamed in the sunlight, brushed and held back in a queue, and Hawk, already clean-shaven, wore a fresh navy-blue shirt under his cut. My mouth watered at the sight of my four handsome masters.
Someone cleared his throat next to me. I turned my head and met Doc’s grin, blushing at being caught ogling the heads of the Dark Legion.
“Setora, you look amazing. I wanted to tell you, when we get to the estate, I’ll be calling on you. There’ll be a few Violets there, and I would like your help. I haven’t forgotten my promise. We’ll get to the bottom of what we discussed before we left the Grotto.”
He was referring to my blue blood.
“Of course, sir. I can’t say I’m not curious to meet others like me. It’s exciting.”
Nervousness also hummed underneath the anticipation.
“Is…um…Lord Falnar a kind man?” Unlike Damien, I wanted to say.
Doc wrinkled his brow, confused. “Oh. Well, he’s a very generous man, open, friendly. I’ve never heard anything bad about him.” He looked out into the vast green beyond before turning back to me with his customary smile. “And I think he’ll like you.”