Chapter 53: Captive_Daughter of the Apocalypse

Darkness. The boredom was broken only by bouts of fear accompanying any scents or sounds out of the ordinary. Now I smelt my captor''s richly perfumed body and heard his footsteps, triggering my heart to pound in horrifying anticipation.

 But as he entered the room I smelt something else, something baked and sweet. Bread, no, pastries. My mouth watered as the smells awoke my ever present hunger.

 The brightness of the room was striking. I blinked in the sudden light I had only glimpsed through the fabric covering my eyes. My captor''s long face and deeply tanned skin swam into my vision.

 "You''re not sleeping, are you?"

 "No sir," I mumbled. I tried not to look at his furred coat, a luxury I dared not ask for. I told myself I should be grateful for the long-sleeved dress he provided me.

 He slipped on a glove, seizing me around the jaw to force my head side to side, examining my face.

 "Passable," he muttered. I immediately looked to the floor as soon as he released me. I was never more than passable. His next comment stung more. "It would help if you''d grow some womanly curves. Even in that dress you look like a little boy."

 I didn''t look at the tray he placed on the table. It would only decrease my odds of getting one if I stared.

 My captor dropped himself on the seat opposite me. "Oh, and try not to kill anyone today. You bring in so few clients as it is, and disposing of the bodies is a pain."

 I swallowed, then nodded. I desperately hoped no one would break their time limit. It had cost me my meal the day previous.

 The door opened. I tensed. The day had begun.

 "Shepard, how are you?"

 Shepard, a man in a richly tailored suit made to fit around a body swollen from an equally rich lifestyle. He leaned on a carved cane to support some of his immense weight as he eyed me with hungry, beady eyes. "I''m here, what d''you think? Need one of Joy''s kisses."

 "That''s what she''s here for," my captor said, "If you''ll just pay our fee you can-"

 A fabric pull string purse fell to the table. I closed my eyes. I didn''t need to look at my captor to know he was already counting his money. He didn''t care enough to watch me.

 I didn''t like the way his fat fingers wrapped around my arms. I hated his chubby face with its double chins and gold teeth. It hurt that he put so much pressure on me, crushing my arms with his unbalanced weight. But he was Shepard, known as King of Selic. He was the leader of all organized crime here. He ran this city.

 And I was a nobody, a girl whose only purpose was to make him happy.

 I was glad when he pulled his nasty lips off me, though I had to resist flinching as he patted my arm. His smile was even worse than his grimace.

 "She''ll be a woman soon. Let me know when you''re ready to talk price. I can make you a very rich man."

 My captor nodded, grinning. He was a fool. Shepard was in a good mood, that was the only reason he offered to buy me. When he decided he really wanted me, my captor would be disposed of. King Shepard never let others keep his money for long.

 I was glad when Shepard left. However, the lack of distraction only focused my mind on the delightfully sweet scent of the pastries I knew I was forbidden to look at. Their wonderful doughy aroma was complimented by the sharp creamy smell of cheese. My stomach ached with need, but it was my tears of longing which gave me away.

 "What you crying about?" My captor asked in a scolding tone. The metal platter gave a soft thunk as the piece he was eating was dropped to its surface.

 "Nothing," I murmured. I shouldn''t say, to speak would risk making him angry.

 His mouth turned into a frown. "Tell me, now."

 I hesitated. I shouldn''t say. He''d accuse me of begging and I''d starve to the brink of death before he gave me another scrap. But if I lied, he''d hit me in places no one could see, then do the same.

 "I-I... I''m hungry... "

 My captor got up. I leaned back as he loomed over me. "You, you''re hungry are you? You want one of these?" He held a steaming pastry infront if my face. I wanted to nod, to snatch it out of hand and stuff it into my aching stomach. Yet fear held my hands stiff to my sides. I dared not move, save to flinch away from his gesturing hand. "You want your breath to smell like cheese when customers come here to kiss you? You want to get fat and ugly?"

 I shook my head, when in truth I wanted to nod. I wanted to smell of cheese and to get fat and for my teeth to rot away if only it meant I was fed and away from anyone who wished to touch me. But that wasn''t going to happen, no matter how much I wished it, so I shook my head.

 "Good," he said, stepping back. "Then you sit your ass up and wait till I decide you''re hungry."

 I shouldn''t cry. I knew with every fiber of my being I shouldn''t cry. I tried with every one of those fibers to stop the tears from coming, to stop the strangled choke from escaping my throat. I was just so hungry.

 "I thought I told you to quit your crying!"

 I flinched at the hand on my face. However, he hadn''t hit me, simply come to wipe the tears from my cheek. I stared up to his dark eyes.

 "I''ll make you a deal. You quit crying and smile for our customers, and I''ll let you read a page or two while you eat dinner tonight."

 My breath caught. To read, to have something to think about other than the utter misery of my life was a rare treat, a single candle burning in a sea of darkness.

 I didn''t want to speak. I didn''t want to put this offer in any jeopardy. But his bare hand was on my skin and I needed to say, "I can''t smile, I''m not happy."

 "Fake it, see?" He gave me a forced grin that displayed every one of his yellowed teeth. "Wear it like a mask." He patted my cheek. "You get used to it."

 The door opened. My captor turned around. I hurriedly finished clearing my face with my sleeve, plastering the most pleasant smile I could manage on my features. I couldn''t let anything threaten the chance to glimpse into that beautiful world contained on the pages of the book.

 It was a wasted effort though. I knew from the moment I saw who stepped through the door how this was going to go. I had seen it a hundred times before.

 A disheveled looking man stood in the doorway. I could smell him from where I sat. Bushy eyebrows rose above crazed eyes. "Please, just one," were the first words out of his rotting mouth. "Just one kiss, please, I need her."

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 My captor glared down at the hunched beggar. "We''ve had this conversation before, Sigger, Joy''s services are only open to paying customers."

 "No, no, you don''t understand! I need her!"

 "This city is shit. This world is shit. We all need Joy''s talents." He crossed his arms. "You the one that don''t seem to understand. Happiness is a limited resource round here. You want it, you gotta pay."

 He didn''t know. My captor couldn''t sense it like I could. He couldn''t hear the ring in Singer''s voice, the one that spoke of an addict beyond desperation.

 I could have warned him. It would have been easy to yell out in just a few words.

 But what if this could help me? What if Sigger was kinder, or his laziness allowed me to escape? What if the conflict drew the attention of Shepard and he decided it would be better to keep me himself?

 Sigger was moving. He was partially shielded by my captor''s form in front of me. I couldn''t see what it was he drew from his belt.

 The loudest bang I had ever heard echoed through the room.

 ***

 "Wake up."

 I opened my eyes, switching them to glare at the Asken lord. "I wasn''t sleeping."

 Howens shrugged. His face was close to the bars. Too close. I could bite my tongue and spit blood at him. But then I would still be trapped. He knew better than to bring the key to my prison within reach, even with my hands bound as they were.

 I was captured, a prisoner, just as before. I stuffed that horrible reality back down my throat before it gave away the secret fear poisoning my mind.

 He grinned. He could read my eyes like a book, look through my mask into my thoughts. "It''s strange, I thought your legion would be howling at my gates by now."

 "They''re waiting for the rest of my army." I stared at the blank wall opposite me.

 The lord raised an eyebrow. "Strange you would admit that."

 I frowned. "You knew it already. It''s not like you can stop them. Obria will fall once they arrive."

 "Ah, but you''re forgetting the Gici Awas."

 I didn''t let the fear of that show on my face. He may already know it, but I wasn''t going to make it obvious. "My lycans are four of your men, and my human regiments outnumber yours. One bear won''t make a difference."

 He grinned. "The Gici Awas is no ordinary bear. But you knew that already."

 "Besides being hairless, not all that different. The lycans will take it down."

 His painfully smug expression remained. "I went through quite the effort to get that bear from Detris. Had to wake it up from hibernation. And getting the sedative without people learning of its origin was difficult as well."

 "No, it wasn''t," I huffed. "You had it shipped it in with the coffee."

 "Clever! Clever!" he cheered. "Yes, that is why I''ve always admired you. You think like me."

 "That worries me."

 Howens frowned. "Why is that?"

 "Because I''m not a good person."

 He laughed at that. "Yes, wel,l good leaders rarely are."

 My expression soured, but I made no remark. I had known two leaders I judged to be good men. Both were dead because of me. "And how exactly do you plan on controlling Preene and the lycans if you did happen to win? You have no claim to the throne or poison to tempt them."

 "I''m certain the trainers would support me."

 I snorted. "The captive lycans have driven the trainers from a minority to a rarity."

 "And what would you suggest?"

 I flipped onto my knees, bound hands resting on the floor. Howens raised an eyebrow as I leaned towards him. "Well, have you ever considered a marriage could place you as King of Preene?"

 "Really?" he said thoughtfully. "You would agree to such an arrangement?"

 "Of course," I purred. "You already know I would make an... advantageous wife. I could guarantee our marriage would always be a happy one."

 The lord nodded, then leaned in close. I grabbed the bars of my prison, pulling myself up so I could press my face between the cold iron rods. Our noses were a hair''s breadth away.

 Howens reached through bars, grabbing my chin in a gloved hand. "I''m not stupid. You''re a black widow."

 I yanked my face away, falling back with a hiss. He chuckled at my foul expression. A creak from the door''s hinges brought our attention to the person entering.

 "Ah, Balazza," Howens greeted. He stood, striding over to meet her. She stopped, standing with a rigid posture as she saluted him.

 "Lord Howens."

 "Come now Meridith, you needn''t be so formal," His gaze softened as he looked down on his military commander.

 Her disciplined expression faltered under his gentle stare. "But sir, we are not alone."

 The lord gave a dismissive gesture. "Nevermind her. No one will care about the ramblings of a prisoner, should she even be visited."

 Balazza started to speak, but was cut off by Howens taking her into his arms, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. Her face flushed as he let her go. He turned, strolling out of the room.

 "Meet me in my office when you''re finished. We have business to discuss."

 The blond military commander nodded, though he could no longer see her. Only once the click of his boot heels had faded down the hall did she turn to me, a scowl on her face. "Your tricks won''t work on him, he doesn''t go for sluts."

 I shrugged. "One touch and any man will beg for more."

 "Well, I can settle for one. I''m not a black widow like you." She knelt in the very spot Howens had been moments ago. "And I don''t need poison to keep him loyal, or to control beasts."

 "Except for your bear."

 She scoffed. "Bears are quite a bit harder than lycans."

 "You''re from Preene." I leaned back against the wall, watching as she blinked in surprise.

 "How’d you know?"

 "I know a trainer when I see one."

 The military commander raised her chin, looking down her nose to me. "Yes, I''ve known Howens for a long time, back when he first came to Cicil."

 I stared back, keeping eye contact just as I did the lycans. "He''s only pretending to love you, you know." The brief falter in her expression brought a smile to my face. "He''s using you."

 Her features turned red as she ground her teeth together. "How would you know? The only way anyone would ever love you is if you poisoned them."

 I looked away, glaring hard at the cement wall as if it was the one which had insulted me. "That''s not true," I muttered.

 "Do you mean that man outside the gates?" Balazza laughed. "The one who needs a mask to kiss you? What kind of relationship can you ever have?"

 I tried to ignore the sting of her words, but she saw the crack in my defenses and drove the nail in deep.

 "Once he gets over his lust he''ll quickly leave you. Anyone can see you have no future."

 I closed my eyes as if that could shut her out. It was no use, I couldn''t not hear her remarks, no more than I could keep them from ripping me apart.

 "The children of the apocalypse are nothing but a destructive disease the world needs wait through until you die off. You''re nothing but the consequences of a mistake."

 I wanted to deny it, to protest and find some other reason children would be born with toxic bodies, some good reason. There was none.

 "You''re very existence is evil, you''re a living plague. Just because you''ve lived long enough to infect the government doesn''t mean you''re any more of a person." She could see how this was affecting me, how it shattered my facade and dug into my heart. A triumphant smile twisted her features as she delivered the final blow. "Face the truth, you''re not really even human."

 My arms wrapped around my aching chest. That was a phantom that haunted the edge of mind since childhood. To have it spoken so plainly by someone else, it felt impossible not to believe. My body labored for each breath, though it had little to do with my fractured ribs.

 Balazza was grinning now. She knew she had won. She knew she had gotten to me. The tears I tried to hide made me sick. When had I become so weak?

 "I came to deliver this myself. You should be honored." She unwrapped a thick fabric package. A slap of raw meat fell through the bars into the filth of the floor. Its rotting stench filled my cell. "All hail the Savage Queen."

 ***

 Blood spattered my face. I fell off my chair, narrowly avoiding my falling captor. Sigger stood panting, still pointing a smoking stick of metal where he had stood.

 I had only a brief moment of relief before he was on me. Rough hands pressed to the sides of my face, grinding dirt into my skin as the filthy man pressed his mouth to mine. I tried to hold my breath, to keep my stomach from turning in disgust at his horrid smell.

 No sooner had he let go than I was sent reeling to the floor. My cheek stung with the force of his blow. I coward under his crazed glare.

 "You stupid bitch!" he screamed at me, "Look what you''ve made me do!" He grabbed my arm, yanking me up. I recoiled from his rotten breath. "And now you''re holding back on me! Can''t you do anything right?"

 "I''m sorry-" I whimpered. His grip was painfully tight around my forearm.

 "Com''on," the man growled, tugging me towards the door.

 I pulled back, trying desperately to reach the now slightly blood spattered pastries lain out on the table. I didn''t care, I was so hungry I would have eaten them straight from my dead captor''s stomach. My fingers brushed against their crisp, sugary surface.

 A fist slammed into my shoulder, making me cry out. "You don''t need that, you little pig."

 "But... hungry..." It was difficult to speak through the tears clogging my throat. "And...the book..."

 Sigger growled as he spun me around, forcing me to face him. His hand stung as he struck me with another slap. "Listen here bitch, I''m not going to fill your gut or head with shit. You got one thing, and that''s make me happy. Anything else you''re gonna regret, got it?"

 I nodded. It was the only thing I could do. Sigger was a long time addict, he would kill me before I could make him pass out.

 "Then quit looking so god damned depressed."

 I wiped away my tears, painting on the best fake smile I could muster. But the moment he turned to shove open the door it dropped. I wished someone, anyone, could rescue me from the hell I endured.

 This hell that only ever seemed to get worse.

AliNovel

Chapter 53: Captive