Denna grabbed his chain near the collar, raising his head off the ground. “I didn’t tell you to lie down! You were not given permission! On your feet!”
He couldn’t move. She drove the Agiel into his stomach, dragged it up his chest, to his throat. Richard convulsed in pain, but could not make his body respond to her wishes.
“Sorry…”he breathed.
She let his head drop to the ground when she realized he wasn’t able to move and turned to the guards. “Put him inside.”
She climbed in after him, yelling up to the driver to be off, and pulled the door shut. Richard slumped back as the carriage jerked ahead.
“Please, Mistress Denna,” he said in a slur, “forgive me for letting you down, for failing to stand as you wished. I’m sorry. I will do better in the future. Please punish me to teach me to be better.”
She gripped the chain, close to the collar, her knuckles white, lifting him from
the seat back. Her lips curled in a sneer over gritted teeth. “Don’t you dare die on me now, not yet; you have things to do first.”
His eyes were closed. “As you command… Mistress Denna.”
She let go of the chain, took his shoulders, laid him across the seat, and gave him a kiss on his forehead. “You have my permission to rest now, my love. It’s a long way. You will have a long time to rest, before it starts again.”
Richard felt her fingers smoothing his hair back and the bouncing of the carriage as it sped along the road, and was asleep.
From time to time, he came partly awake, never fully conscious. Sometimes Denna sat next to him, letting him lean against her as she spooned food into his mouth. Swallowing was painful, almost more effort than he could bring forth. He winced with each spoonful, his hunger not sufficient to overcome the pain in his throat, and he turned his head from the spoon. Denna murmured encouragement to him, urging him to eat for her. Doing it for her was the only thing he responded to.
Whenever a bump in the road brought him awake suddenly, he would clutch at her for protection, safety, until she told him it was nothing, and to go back to sleep. He knew that sometimes he slept on the ground, sometimes in the carriage. He saw nothing of the countryside they traveled through, nor did he care. As long as she was near him, that was all that mattered; nothing else was important, except being ready to do as she commanded. A few times, he slowly came awake to find her wedged into the corner with him stretched out, his cloak tucked around him, his head on her breast, as she stroked his hair. When it happened, he tried not to let her know he was awake, so she wouldn’t stop.
When this happened, and he felt the warm comfort of her, he also felt the power in him come awake. He didn’t try to reach it, to hold it; he only noted it. One time when it happened, he recognized it, knew what it was. It was the magic of the sword.
As he lay against her, feeling the need of her, the magic stood within him. He touched it, fondled it, felt its power. It was like the power he had called forth when he was going to kill with the sword, but different in a way he couldn’t understand. The power he had known before, he could no longer feel. Denna had that power now, but this she didn’t. When he tried to grasp the magic, it vanished, like vapor. A dim part of his mind wanted its help, but since he couldn’t control it, call it forth to aid him, he lost interest in it.
As the time passed, his wounds began healing over. Each time he came awake he was a little more alert. By the time Denna announced that they had arrived at their destination, he was able to stand by himself, although he was still not completely clearheaded.
In the darkness, she led him from the carriage. He watched her feet as she walked, keeping the proper slack in the chain attached to her belt. Even though he kept his eyes on her, he still noticed the place they were entering. It was immense, dwarfing the castle at Tamarang. Walls stretched off into the nothingness of the distance, towers and roofs rose to dizzying heights. He was aware enough to note that the design of the vast structure was elegant and graceful. It was imposing, but not harsh, not forbidding.
Denna led him through halls of polished marble and granite. Columns held
majestic arches to the sides. As they walked on and on, he noticed how his strength had grown. He wouldn’t have been able to stand for this long even a few days ago.
They saw no other people. Richard looked up at her braid, and thought about how pretty her hair was, how lucky he was to have such a fine mate. At the thought of his caring for her, the power rose up. Before it had a chance to fade, the dim, locked-away part of his mind grabbed it, held it, while the rest of his mind thought about his affection for her. The realization that he had control of it made him stop thinking about her, and grab the hope of escape. The power evaporated.
His heart sank. What did it matter, he thought; he was never going to escape, and why would he want to anyway? He was Denna’s mate. Where would he go? What would he do without her to tell him what to do?
Denna went through a door, closing it behind him. A window with a pointed top was trimmed with simple drapes and open to the darkness outside. There was a bed with a thick blanket and fat pillows. The floor was polished wood. Lamps stood lit on the table next to the bed, and on the table with a chair on the other side of the room. There were cabinets of dark wood built into one wall next to another door. A stand held a basin and pitcher.
Denna unhooked his chain. “These are my quarters. Since you are my mate, you will be permitted to sleep here if you please me.” She hooked the loop over the post of the footboard, snapped her fingers, and pointed at the floor at the foot of the bed. “You may sleep there tonight. On the floor.”
He looked at the floor. The Agiel laid on the top of his shoulder took him to his knees.
“I said on the floor. Now.”
“Yes Mistress Denna, I’m sorry Mistress Denna.”
“I’m exhausted. I don’t want to hear another sound out of you tonight. Understand?”
He nodded, afraid to voice his agreement.
“Good.” She flopped facedown in the bed and was asleep in moments.
Richard rubbed the hurt in his shoulder. It had been a while since she had used the Agiel on him. At least she hadn’t chosen to draw blood. Maybe, he reasoned, she didn’t want blood in her quarters. No, Denna liked his blood. He lay down on the floor. He knew that tomorrow she was going to hurt him some more. He tried not to think about it; he was just getting healed from before.
He was awake before her; the shock of being awakened by the Agiel was something he wanted to avoid. A bell rang with a long peal. Denna woke, lay on her back awhile, saying nothing, then sat up, checking that he was awake.
“Morning devotions,” she announced. “That was the bell, the call. After devotions, you will be trained.”
“Yes, Mistress Denna.”
She hooked his chain to her belt and led him once more through the halls to a square, open to the sky, with pillars supporting arches on all four sides. The center of the square, under the open sky, was white sand, raked in concentric lines around a dark, pitted rock. On the top of the rock was a bell—the one he had heard before. On the tile floor among the columns were people on their knees, bent forward, with their foreheads touching the tile.
The people chanted in unison. “Master Rahl guide us. Master Rahl teach us. Master Rahl protect us. In your light we thrive. In your mercy we are sheltered. In your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours.”
Over and over they chanted the same thing. Denna snapped her fingers, pointing at the floor. Richard kneeled down, imitating the others. Denna kneeled next to him, putting her forehead to the tiles. She started chanting in unison with the others, but stopped when she heard he wasn’t.
“That’s two hours.” She frowned darkly at him. “If I have to remind you again, it’s six.”
“Yes, Mistress Denna.”
He began chanting along. He had to concentrate on a vision of Denna’s braid to be able to say the words without bringing on the pain of the magic. He wasn’t sure how long the chanting lasted, but he thought it was about two hours. His back hurt from bending with his head to the floor. The words never varied. After a time they melted into the sound of gibberish, feeling like mush in his mouth.
The bell rang twice, and the people rose to their feet, going off in different directions. Denna rose. Richard stayed where he was, unsure of what to do. He knew he might get in trouble for staying where he was, but knew if he got up and wasn’t supposed to, the punishment would be much worse. He heard footsteps coming toward them, but didn’t look up.
A woman’s husky voice spoke. “Sister Denna, how good to see you’ve returned. D’Hara has been lonely without you.”
D’Hara! Through the fog of his training, the word ignited his thoughts. Instantly, he brought to mind the vision of Denna’s braid, protecting him.
“Sister Constance. It’s good to be home, and see your face again.”
Richard recognized the ring of sincerity in Denna’s voice. The Agiel touched the back of his neck, taking his breath away. It felt as if a rope were tightening around his throat. By the way it was held, he knew it wasn’t Denna’s.
“And what have we here?” Constance asked.
She took the Agiel away. Coughing in pain, Richard gasped for air. He came to his feet when Denna told him to do so, wishing he could hide behind her. Constance was a good head shorter than Denna, her stout figure dressed in a leather outfit like Denna’s, only brown. Her dull brown hair was done in a braid, too, but didn’t have the fullness of Denna’s. The look of her face made it seem she had just eaten something she didn’t like.
Denna gave his stomach an easy slap with the back of her hand. “My new mate.”
“Mate.” Constance spat the word out as if it tasted bitter. “I swear, Denna, I’ll never understand how you can bear to take a mate. The thought of it gives me a stomach ache. So, the Seeker, I see by his sword. Quite a catch, anyway. It must have been difficult.”
Denna smiled smugly. “He only killed two of my men, before he turned his magic on me.” The look of shock on Constance’s face made Denna laugh. “He’s from Westland.”
Constance’s eyebrows went up. “No!” She peered into Richard’s eyes. “Is he broken?”
“Yes,” Denna said, sighing. “But he still gives me reason to smile. It’s only the morning devotion, and already he’s earned two hours.”
A grin spread on Constance’s face. “Mind if I come along?”
Denna gave her a warm smile. “You know that anything that is mine, is yours also, Constance. In fact, you will be my second.”
Constance seemed pleased, and proud. Richard had to furiously think of Denna’s braid as the edges of the anger burned to get away from him.
Denna leaned closer to her friend. “In fact, for you only, if you wish to borrow him for a night, I would not object.” Constance stiffened with displeasure. Denna laughed. “Never try, never know.”
Constance scowled. “I will have my pleasure from his flesh in other ways. I’ll go change into the red, and meet you there.”
“No… the brown is fine, for now.”
Constance studied her face. “That’s not like you, Denna.”
“I have my reasons. Besides, Master Rahl himself sent me for this one.”
“Master Rahl himself. As you wish, then. After all, he is yours to do with as you will.”
The training room was a simple square with walls and floor of gray granite and a beamed ceiling. On the way in, Constance tripped him. He landed on his face. Before he could stop it, the anger gripped him. She stood over him, pleased with herself, watching him struggle to regain control.
Denna attached a device to him that held his wrists and elbows tightly together behind his back. It was hooked to a rope that ran through a pulley in the ceiling, and was tied off at the wall. She hoisted him up until he had to stand on his toes before she tied the rope off at the wall. The pain in his shoulders was excruciating, making it hard to breathe, and she hadn’t even touched the Agiel to him yet. He was helpless, off balance, and in agony before she even started. His mood sank.
Denna sat in a chair against the wall, telling Constance to enjoy herself. When Denna had trained him, she often had a smile on her face. Constance never smiled once. She went about her work like an ox at a plow, strands of hair coming loose, and in no time her face was covered with a sheen of sweat. She never varied the touch of her Agiel. It was always the same, always hard, harsh, angry. Richard didn’t have to anticipate; there was no pause. She worked with rhythmic timing, never giving him a rest. But she didn’t draw blood. Denna had a constant smile on her face as she sat with the chair leaned against the wall. At last Constance stopped, Richard panting, groaning.
“He can take it well. I haven’t had a workout like this in quite a time. All the pets I’ve gotten lately fold at the first touch.”
The chair came down on its front legs with a clunk. “Maybe I can help, Sister Constance. Let me show you where he doesn’t like it.”
Denna came up behind him and paused, making him flinch in expectation of what didn’t come. Just as he breathed out, the Agiel drove into a tender spot on the right side. He cried out as she held the pressure against him. He couldn’t hold his weight, and the rope pulled his shoulders so hard he thought his arms would come out of their sockets. With a sneer, Denna held the Agiel to him until he started crying.
“Please, Mistress Denna,” he sobbed. “Please.”
She withdrew the Agiel. “See?”
Constance shook her head. “I wish I had your talent, Denna.”
“Here is another place.” She made him scream. “And here, and here too.” She came around and smiled to him. “You don’t mind if I show Constance all your special little places, do you?”
“Please, Mistress Denna, don’t. It hurts too much.”
“There, you see? He doesn’t mind at all.”
She went back to her chair as tears ran down his face. Constance never smiled; she simply went to work, and also had him begging breathlessly. But the way she never varied the pressure, never let up, was worse than Denna. She never gave him a moment to rest. Richard learned to fear her touch more than he feared Denna’s. Denna had an odd compassion at times. Constance never did. When it was beyond a certain point, Denna would tell her to stop, wait a moment, guide her so as not to cripple him. Constance complied with her wishes and let Denna direct the way she wanted him hurt.