The Wildest Woods

by S. K Munt

  Kohén pulled back, but he didn’t look as intimidated as he ought to have been, and I wondered how much booze he’d had. ‘I don’t have a harem right now, Captain Kingslater- it’s being rebuilt and obviously the army needs the funding more than Eden does, so until it’s finished being constructed, my brothers and I have been awarded the same rights as every other man in our nation: we can allow other Companions to see to our needs, so long as the girls that we bed are from Calliel.’ He glanced at my brand again and no one missed it. ‘It’s not an offer that I’ve taken advantage of… yet… because I’ve been trying very hard to corral my Nephilim urges… but I’m starting to fear that I’ll become a danger to myself soon, or someone else, so although I mean no disrespect, I’m rather disappointed to learn that this beautiful girl already has a master, for she’s the first that’s turned my head in years.’

  ‘I’m not her master,’ Cairo said quickly, and I ducked my head in feigned embarrassment. I knew that Cairo was playing up the jealous and possessive role in the hopes of baiting Kohén further, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d sooner die then let me go to another man, and the fact that he had to was probably killing him. I only felt the slightest twinge of empathy now, but when Satan’s thrall wore off, I’d probably remember this moment, and how I’d used him to turn Kohén on, like a punch to the stomach.

  ‘Really?’ Kohén asked. ‘Your behaviour would suggest otherwise.’

  ‘There’s a difference between being her master, and the man in her life,‘ Cairo pointed out. ‘There’s a lot that she can’t do thanks to your kingdom and the way they treat their third-borns, but she doesn’t make a living on her back, Guardian, and she won’t so long as I’m here to shield her from it!’

  ‘Then why does she dress like a Companion if she is not one?’ the little person asked, pulling up a chair on the other side of Sam and giving me an appreciative once over. ‘Why does she show off her brand with pride?’

  ‘Because she refuses to allow herself to be treated like she’s more than that because of what your country allowed to happen to her!’ Cairo snapped, and I saw my father begin to look worried. ‘She can’t marry here, and she can’t have children so I cannot make her my wife or persuade her into believing that she can be anything to me other than a Companion because of how her brand stained her soul, not just her skin. Believe me, there’s nothing I’d like more than to whisk her back to my own part of the world and become her mate in an official way, but she’s been so brainwashed by her upbringing that she will not allow it and so I have no choice but to stay here and try to abide by everyone’s rules even though I’d very much like to hunt down the man that branded her and press a hot iron to his balls for ruining her so in the hopes that it would snap her out of it!’

  ‘Cairo… please…’ Bastien said, but tensions were building and Kohén’s spine straightened in response to the accusations made against his part of the world.

  ‘It’s all right, your highness, this is not the first time I’ve been forced into a discussion like this, and I will say to Cairo what I have said to every other man that has insulted the Companion system: I hate it too.’ He lifted his eyebrows. ‘It turns innocent girls into prostitutes and the men that use them into whores, and there’s nothing I’d like more than to see it dismantled. You can blame me all you want for my kingdom’s one flaw and the mistakes that I made when I had a harem of my own, but I will remind you that it is not actually my kingdom anymore and that I do not make the rules- I am only charged with making sure that they are obeyed. I do not like doing it, but I am grateful to live in a place with such a low divorce rate, where women that work in the skin trade are celebrated for how clean, safe and content they keep us, not judged for the pleasure they give because let’s face it, this line of work has existed since the dawn of time and will continue to exist long after my family’s laws have been abolished.’

  ‘But what happens when it becomes your kingdom, Guardian Barachiel?’ I asked softly, and he turned to me, still looking suspicious, but with softer eyes. ‘You’re not in line for a crown right now but that will change soon if you continue to behave yourself, right? So what will you do about your kingdom’s one flaw then?’

  Kohén took a sip from his own wine glass and shook his head. ‘You’re right to say that I will be offered my title as crowned prince back when I turn twenty-one, dear lady, but you are wrong to assume that I’ll accept it.’

  There were a few quiet exclamations of shock- from everyone but the dwarf, who clearly already knew where his Guardian stood on the matter and was too riveted by the plate of steamed and spiced greens that he’d been offered to care.

  ‘What?’ Cairo asked, eyebrows knitting together. ‘That’s unthinkable!’

  ‘That I don’t want to be a prince?’ Kohén reclined in his seat and gazed at me openly, making no move to hide how blatant his admiration was while Sam slipped back into the seat next to him, looking around in confusion as he tried to catch up on what he’d missed. ‘Only someone who has never been a prince can be surprised to learn such a thing. I have not spent much time in Eden, but I am glad for it and I intend to keep it that way. The future that I’d have in that position would be so limited and miserable that I’d think myself blessed to receive a Companion brand over a crown.’

  There it was- my red hot hate, throbbing deep inside my stomach like coals in a fire. ‘Excuse me for saying so, your highness, but only a man that’s never had his freedom truly taken from him would think that.’ Dammit! Nothing eroded a good thrall like discussing sex and politics did!

  ‘And only a woman that has never been whipped, beaten, egged, spat on, chased, disinherited, shunned, ridiculed- and damn near sodomised by a pack of drunken, monarch-hating soldiers, could assume that the life of a prince is just like it is in the fairytales, and safer than it is in a harem,’ Kohén retorted quickly, and the lumps of coal in my stomach fizzled out like someone had poured ice water onto them. ‘At least under my king’s watch, that is.’

  I felt nauseous, and what was worse, when I looked into Kohén’s burning blue eyes, I felt compassion for him too and I hated it. Why was I at this dinner? I was much happier when I was whirling around in my kaleidoscope! ‘But King Karol would never-’

  ‘Not himself, no…’ Kohén met my gaze dead-on and added: ‘But he’s more than happy to turn a blind eye while the people that hate me do it for him, and after what I did to that poor girl…’ he winced and looked away. ‘Believe me when I say that there’s no one that hates me more than I hate myself, all right? I know I don’t belong in a castle- I belong in hell.’ His eyes flitted to Cairo’s. ‘So don’t waste your breath trying to make me feel like shit, Kingslater. I’ve been at capacity since the moment I came to on the night I got my father killed, knowing nothing except for the fact that everything was my fault.’

  An awkward silence followed that sentiment- a silence so long and pronounced that we all became keenly aware of how many people were beginning to drift past the corridor on their way to the ballroom, and looking at us with barely restrained expectancy. I looked down, afraid to look at Kohén now that he’d divulged so many painful truths, and even more afraid to admit to myself that I wasn’t so sure that he belonged in hell anymore. In fact, it kind of seemed like he’d already gone through it and had survived only to re-emerge taller, stronger… and unrecognisable.

  He wasn’t my best friend anymore, and he wasn’t my enemy, but he was a stranger and suddenly, I was pretty sure that there wasn’t a demonic possession, drug or drop of champagne in the world that was going to help me be okay with what I was about to do to this poor, lost and damned man.

  41.

  Château Aztaroth, Raphael

  Larkin Aztaroth

  ‘They did that to you?’ Bastien asked, his features flooding with concern that was not only genuine, but being mirrored on Sam and Cairo’s faces too. ‘Whipped you? Tried to… Good God.’

  ‘That’s fucked up,’ Sam whispered, win
cing as he rifled through Kohén’s worse memories.

  ‘Unthinkable…’ Cairo agreed, and I almost snorted out loud. Men talked such a big game about dominating women for pleasure, but when it came to the idea of being dominated by another man, they shivered like trees in a blizzard!

  ‘Yes. But note that I said tried with the last offence- mark that.’ Kohén’s eyes flashed. ‘I was getting out of there even if it meant stabbing my way out, but luckily I was rescued by three other soldiers before it came to that; a man and two women, ironically.’ He waved his hand as he drank from his glass again. ‘I endured the lesser tortures on an almost daily basis for the past two years, until three months ago when I was moved and then put in charge of this division, working with people that have endured the same trials themselves and therefore, know how important it is to judge a person on their character, not their reputation- a sentiment that I am pleased to see mirrored here.’ He turned to the king while we all sat silent, digesting what he’d just said. ‘Bearing that in mind I must inquire into your own kingdom’s flaw: I’ve heard it said multiple times already that marriage is impossible here, and I must say, this perplexes me and I know my brother will not take kindly to hearing it. Why would a direct descendant of God like yourself choose to ban such a wonderful, holy union?’

  Bastien thawed out and sat up, allowing a server to take his plate away. ‘It’s not banned, Kohén. It’s merely restricted and heavily policed, as it is in your own kingdom, but in a different way.’ He leaned forward again. ‘Marriage is supposed to be an unbreakable pact made between two people, but human beings have proven time and time again that it is difficult to find that one person that they will happily be tethered to for the rest of their lives. I know that in Arcadia, you encourage people to find a true love and stay with them through thick and thin, and reward those brave and hopeful enough to bind their names together in the name of God and that’s very clever… but here in Raphael, we believe that love- true love- cannot be proven or declared absolute until the couple’s bond has withstood the test of time. You acknowledge the pre-marital custom of engagements there, as do we, but in our case the couple that are betrothed are expected to stay betrothed until thirty-five years has passed without them becoming disenchanted by the union. Only when thirty-five years have passed without either of them falling out of love, harming the other or committing adultery can a couple be declared ‘married’ here, and it is considered a triumph above all others. They get the rings, the celebration, they exchange vows to praise their love… they just don’t get it until they have proven that their love is worthy of such praise.’

  Kohén’s eyes widened. ‘What about procreation though?’

  ‘Betrothed or rather, promised couples are encouraged to procreate, but if the parents do not stay together, so be it. Men can raise children alone, as can women, but the citizens here have been taught how to get along even in the face of adversity so they know that once they have a child together, they will be expected to work together as a team of some sort for the child’s best interests until that child is grown, even if they can only work together as friends rather than as lovers. We have several separated couples raising children together in this kingdom, but because the majority of our citizens still live in the chateau together, we don’t have many cases of broken homes: just new room arrangements. I can see from the look on your face you believe that’s crazy, but with all respect, your highness…’ my father’s handsome face twitched with a smirk. ‘We don’t have a caste full of unwanted children that are actually wanted, or homeless people trying to break down our non-existent fences, so perhaps there are other ways of keeping people united as one that don’t involve erecting electric fences, hmm?’

  Kohén blinked a few times, processing it all, and I actually smiled when Sam subtly communicated to me that I was on a winning streak, because Kohén respected our kingdom even more now, and thought that the idea of delayed marriage celebrations was genius.

  You’ve got him Larkin. Not only is he in love with Raphael, but he’s absolutely enchanted by you and can’t get your ribbon panties out of his mind. It pains me to say this, but you’ve only got one obstacle standing between you and a successful seduction here… Cairo.

  I wrinkled my nose. He’s afraid that Cairo will thwart his advances?

  No- I am. Kohén respects this place more now which is great, but he doesn’t want to dishonour himself or the king here by pissing off the guest of honour, so the ball is in your court.

  But I can’t be serving up balls of seduction! I’m supposed to be sweet, demure, scared of him AND involved with someone else! If I pursue him, I’ll look like a slut and he’ll wonder what my angle is!

  I know. And as resigned as the guest of honour is to all of this… I’m afraid to say that Cairo has no intention of leaving your side until absolutely necessary, and wants to try and celebrate his birthday with you for as long as he can manage to. That’s understandable because I don’t even know how I’m even going to be able to walk away and let this happen, but Kohén’s not anticipating having a late night, Lark. You’ve got about two hours before he plans on excusing himself to go and check on his wounded soldiers, and I don’t see how you’re going to be able to encourage his flirtations with Cairo hanging off your arm the whole time. And obviously if you just go and knock on Kohén’s door in three hours, he’s going to get real suspicious, isn’t he?

  I sighed, pulling out my fan and fanning myself. I was worried that would happen. Is it bad that I felt better when Cairo was off hiding and upset? I don’t want to scare him off from his own birthday party, but if this mood that I’ve acquired keeps wearing off like it is, I don’t see how I’m going to be able to go through with this at all!

  Well… I have an idea and I’m fairly certain that I can scare him back into hiding, letting you off the guilt hook because it’ll be my doing, not yours. You’re not going to like it, but it’ll be good for Cairo in the long run, trust me.

  I slit my eyes at Sam over the top of my fan. What is it? Will it ruin his birthday?

  It won’t save you from feeling guilty if you know what I’m going to do, will it?

  Don’t be so sure! Guilt seems to be my middle name!

  Well, it’s time to get rid of it, like you did the others, Larkin ‘Guilt’ Whittaker of Eden! And before I could object, Sam turned to Kohén and asked: ‘How are your soldiers doing? That large one looked like he was in pretty bad shape earlier. I heard he’s in and out of consciousness, and cannot talk.’

  ‘Theodore? Yes, he was ripped up by thorns in The Wildwoods.’ Kohén allowed the server to take his plate too, but I noticed that he’d averted his eyes and had grown more tense at the mention of his soldiers. ‘But the voice thing is-’

  ‘He’s mute, I know,’ Sam said quickly. ‘Quite the ordeal he went through, isn’t it? I’m not surprised he couldn’t speak again after either.’

  ‘Why?’ Bastien leaned forward, frowning. ‘What did he go through?’

  Kohén blinked, reeling back. ‘I have no idea, he never talks about it.’ He turned slowly to Sam. ‘How did you…’ his eyes widened. ‘Oh Christ, you read it in his mind, didn’t you?’

  Sam nodded. ‘Bits and pieces of it. He’s unconscious so what I saw presented itself more like nightmares than memories because he was very young when he was traumatised, but … they’re repetitive enough to suggest they’re horrific memories that are almost always at the forefront of his mind, not dreams.’ He made a face. ‘They’re pretty awful, worse even than my own from when I was younger- and I was older than him when I went through my own ordeal too.’

  ‘Can you tell me what happened?’ Kohén asked, alight with concern now, and he was softer then- more like the boy I’d once known. ‘I know it’s an invasion of privacy but Theodore’s one of my best friends, and it kills me that I don’t know what caused his eternal silence.’

  Sam nodded, feigning concern. ‘I can see that so I’ll share it with you so you understand that
it is a psychological impairment and not a medical condition, but please, don’t let him know that I told you, all right?’ he looked around at all of us that were listening intently as we nodded in quick agreement. He turned back to Kohén. ‘He witnessed his entire family get murdered one night. His mother, his father, his cousins...all at the hand of a family friend.’

  ‘WHAT?’ Kohén gasped, and I felt all of the blood drain from my face as Sam nodded and went on:

  ‘Theodore saw all of it. He was spared because of his age, but I get the feeling that sometimes, he wishes he wasn’t because he’s been haunted by the event since.’ He gestured with his wineglass out the doors. ‘He wasn’t banished from Janiel for fleeing, as he’s led you to believe- he fled because he didn’t want to grow up being known as the poor little boy that survived the Selimpor Massacre.’

  My mouth popped open in shock and beside me, I felt Cairo go rigid in understanding. I understood too, as did Sam, and I was blown away by how depraved and manipulative my best friend’s words were- how they’d been carved out of absolute maliciousness and then turned into a weapon.

  ‘No!’ Kohén breathed. ‘That’s awful!’

  Sam nodded. ‘He can barely remember the man’s face because he was so young, but he remembered his final words to him: ‘Never breathe my name to another, or I will hunt you down and kill you, even if it’s twenty years from now.’ Sam’s gaze slid to Cairo. ‘And so he hasn’t spoken a word since, and has been too afraid to return to Janiel. He’s afraid that if he does, he’ll scream the man’s name so loud and so repeatedly that he’ll beckon the hunter right to him to make good on his threat.’

  ‘What was this demented bastard’s name?’ Bastien breathed, oblivious to the fact that Cairo had gone white and that his eyes had taken on a sheen of tears.

  ‘Fisher,’ Sam’s eyes moved to mine, sparing Cairo. ‘Someone Fisher, from Janiel.’