A Tale of Revenge Ch. 09-10

Anna closed her eyes. He would not be the last thing she saw. She recalled what Leonid had said about her death, and breaking the contract. She could only hope he'd be able to bring down some punishment on these men. But these thoughts were overlaid heavily with the contemplations of mortality that appear in the minds of those facing their own. She felt his hands around her neck. He ordered her to open her eyes but she ignored him easily, how much worse could he do to her?

She reached for some piece of herself that was unbroken, that would comfort her in these last moments. Her mind slid over her family and her childhood, grasping for some idyllic memory and finding none. She was more comfortable in her memories of traveling with Dev, the way he had made her laugh and the nights around the fire. And then, unbidden, she felt the sliding sensations of the glowing trees about her wrists, the sensation of Leonid's hands running along her body. His face filled her vision, the memory of his kisses giving her a moment apart from the man actually standing before her.

His hands closed and her breath was trapped. She clung to the memory, knowing the physical act of dying would soon cut her off from abstract thoughts. Her eyes opened involuntarily and fixed on a small bird sitting in the rafters above them where it ruffled its wings, indifferent to the violence below.

But then the hands at her neck were gone and she looked down, surprised.

Evo and the king were speaking again, the sorcerer stooping in a series of bows as he spoke. "Thank you, my liege, you won't regret it."

"I won't. You have until Merren's night, Evo, not a moment more. And she does not join the rest of them. You either find a way to extract her magic or you don't. She cannot be allowed to live no matter how shackled she is. If you cannot deliver her I expect the rest to be ready as we discussed previously. I've waited too long on your promised goods." The king turned back towards the northerner. "Orlith, you will stay and make sure that she cooperates. And when it's time, I expect her in my chambers so we can see this done."

With that, the king marched from the room, taking his entourage with him. Anna was still breathing hard and her head spun. The realization that this was not over was at once horrifying, as it meant more pain at their hands, but also a relief. She was not ready to die. If she could find a way out of this she would.

Orlith moved to speak with Evo and she felt both their eyes on her. She turned instead towards Serena who looked at her with a mixture of pity and apology. Anna wished she could reassure her she was blameless in all this but she lacked the coordination to smile. Instead, she leaned her head back against the wall and took a moment to gather herself for the days to come. Her eyes fell again on the bird above her as it ruffled its feathers and tucked its head below its wing.

Evo came over and stood before her. She didn't move her gaze or show any signs she knew he was there.

"What is the source of your magic?" the sorcerer snapped. Had she had more energy she might have reacted and given herself away but as things stood, she was in too much pain. She slowly lowered her eyes to meet his dull brown ones. "Tell me the source of your magic!" he said again, his voice rising at the end of his demand into almost a squeak of indignation. Anna couldn't believe his facial expression, which looked distinctly like her three year old cousin's when he wasn't going to get what he wanted.

She couldn't help it and started to laugh. That audacity was comical. Evo's ears began to turn red as she continued to laugh, making her sore muscles ache but the release was worth it.

"You must be insane," she gasped through her laughter. "Are you actually asking me to aid you in whatever monstrosity of magic you intend on performing? Me, who not a moment ago was condemned to die?" Merren's night could not be more than 2 or 3 days from now. She sobered slightly, though her tone was still light. "What could you possibly offer me to try and get me to cooperate? And what could you possibly do to me that would make me do so before your time runs out?"

Evo looked at her surprised. Clearly, none of these things had occurred to him.

Orlith slid up beside Evo. "I'm sure I can think of something."

*

She didn't know how long it had been since Evo had sent her and Orlith upstairs. It seemed to be ages since the northerner had bound her hands and feet securely before unfastening her chains and throwing her body over his shoulder. She had struggled, but even with her increased range of motion, she found in her weakened state she was no match for Orlith's grip.

Once they had reached the tower's attic room above, Orlith had wasted no time binding her hands to a rafter overhead and divesting her of her clothing with almost clinical detachment. Here the morning light streamed in through the windows and cracks in the wooden roof above, warming her skin where it fell. He bound her facing away from the door and then left silently, letting her hang, her feet just barely able to support her weight.

She had used the time to shore up her defenses against what she knew was coming. She had to make it through. Her best hope was to weather whatever they threw at her and find a moment for escape. She knew that it was unlikely, but she clung to it all the same. She had to get out, get the collar off, and get back to help the others.

She hadn't heard him come back, but something alerted her to his presence all the same. He hadn't spoken a word or made a sound until he let the whip fly. The crack of the lash against the skin of her back shot out in the quiet room. Her breath caught in her throat and she managed only a choked cough before the next strike fell, ripping her skin from her shoulder to the opposite hip. She managed to keep from screaming at first but he was relentless as he continued. Her back was in flames now, she could feel the blood oozing over the ruined skin and stinging welts.

Was he finally done? She had collapsed in the ropes some time before, unable to answer her shoulders' call for mercy as they stretched under the weight of her body. She felt something soft on the intact skin of the back of her neck. A sick feeling settled inside her when she realized it was his touch, and that it had brought her the smallest measure of comfort. But then he kept moving downwards, his fingers running over the marks he had made, bringing the generalized misery to sharp points of pain under his fingertips. Anna tried unsuccessfully to stifle the whimper that rose in her throat. The weakness she heard stung her ears.

Then he was standing before her. The whip was gone as was any trace of blood from his fingertips, as if someone else entirely had done the beating. He wasn't even breathing hard from exertion.

"I'm so pleased the king has given us this time," his face was gentle, which confused her. It was hard for her to focus on what he was saying given the pain her arms and back. He lowered her bindings just enough so that she could stand on shaking legs, her feet finally flat against the floor beneath her.

"It's a pity we have so little of it, but I believe we can make the most of it." He continued. Anna looked at him. Her incredulity was met only with a small smile from him. He raised his hand to stroke her cheek and she jerked away from him, managing to wrench her arms painfully in the process.

"Your silence is delicious, Anna," she grit her teeth as he used her name. "It's so satisfying to break it, to hear you call out as the lash strikes your flesh. Did you enjoy it? I must confess I did." His hand came to her neck and he stroked her skin, moving downwards till he cupped her breast, stroking her nipple with the pad of his thumb.

"We can make up the time we lack with intensity," he continued. "It truly is art, and should not be rushed, but we are all slaves to different masters." Anna couldn't understand what he was talking about. Torture as art? What sort of insanity is that?

"So the source of my magic is no longer of interest?" Anna shot him a challenging look. It was hard to keep the pain off her face. Her back was in agony. But something about this man made it impossible for her not to at least try to fight back.

Orlith gave her a smile, pleased that she had spoken. "Not to me. Evo has his own agenda and the king can be indulgent. But their plans have given me the gift of this time with you. I won't be wasting a moment of it." His hands continued to play with her, sliding sensually over her undamaged skin. Anna felt nothing more than disgust, though she recognized that she preferred even his revolting caresses to more time with the whip.

He moved in towards her, his face very close to hers, his eyes burning with something like lust but twisted and dark. "But please, feel free to tell me any secrets you may have in the hopes of making it all end. By the time we are done you will hide nothing from me, you will be open and willing when I finally take your life. You are all mine now, and I will enjoy showing you just how beautiful your pain can be."

He's insane,she realized with no small amount of horror. This entire palace is filled with vicious lunatics. How could this be happening in her own country? How could the leader and those closest to him be such evil men?

But this king was barely a decade into his reign, she reminded herself, ignoring Orlith's fingers as they slid down, between her legs. And since he'd been in power the country had seen more upset than it had in the past several decades combined. For almost a century things had been in decline but now there was more trouble than ever before. These things had never worried her corner of the world of course and all this information was garnered only as she drew close to the capital. She tried to close her legs as Orlith's fingers slipped against her intimate flesh. She was not wet but it seemed her body was preparing itself for his assault.

Orlith smiled at her again, swirling his fingers as much as her clenched thighs would allow. "All in good time, Anna." He stepped back from her, and circled back around behind her. Her tortured flesh called out to her for attention. How much could she take? Already she felt like trying to find a way out, something that would make him stop. But he wouldn't, he'd already told her that. She would endure because she had to.

A black cloth slid over her eyes. His fingers danced across her weeping welts once more.

*

By the time Evo appeared with another spell, Anna was lying on the floor, bloody and broken from Orlith's attentions. He had been true to his word about making up for time with intensity, and the sheer onslaught of pain and damage to her body had overwhelmed her to the point where the world beyond her skin seemed a distant fantasy. All that mattered now was where he was and what he was doing, and how long it would be till he began again. She breathed with difficulty, sure that his fists had broken at least one of her ribs.

"Any progress?" Evo asked when he saw her lying there.

"Not a word," Orlith said to him dryly. "Despite my best attempts."

Evo looked over the bloody heap on the floor, judging what Orlith considered his best. "You've mangled her. How am I supposed to work like this? The spell could kill her in the shape she's in."

Orlith shrugged. "She's more resilient than you might think. But send up the Ionian to sort her out."

Anna shuddered at the thought. Gentle fingers smoothed her matted hair away from her aching face, her good eye opened against her better judgment. Orlith's face came into view as he gazed down at her. She felt immediate relief and closed her eye, confused. Evo shuffled out of the room, muttering to himself about the brutality of the flesh and how no one appreciated the delicacy of magic.

"It's alright, Anna," Orlith's voice was soothing, "we'll get back to it again soon." She didn't want to moan, or show her fear, but she didn't seem to have any control over her reactions. "That's alright, let it out." Why was his voice so calming? Why did she feel relieved when he looked at her? Something was going on but she found she didn't have the strength to examine it more closely. Tears slid across the bridge of her nose and onto the floor. She whimpered as he stroked her hair. She knew it should not soothe her, and yet it did.

Evo returned with Marek shortly and the blond man needed no compelling to heal her. "Dear gods," the man breathed when he caught sight of her. "What have you done?" He knelt down next to her form and his magic worked its way inside her. The pain from his healing made her groan through her ruined throat. She had screamed until her voice was gone.

"Be sure to fix her voice," Orlith said. "I want her to be able to...talk, should she choose."

Marek worked systematically, fixing her from the inside out. The feeling was painful, like the itch of a scab but a million times over. In light of her current suffering the sensation registered lower for her than it had the first time. She tried to ignore it, tried to focus as her mind cleared on what was happening to her. Orlith was manipulating her somehow, but not with magic.

She pushed herself up to sitting when Marek finished, and hugged her knees into her chest, crossing them to cover her nakedness. The actual pain was gone, but the memory of it deep in her body was still fresh, a phantom inside her. Worse still, she knew what was going to happen, and how the abuse would begin again. Suddenly she wished Marek had not healed her at all. She looked up at Orlith briefly, feeling trepidation and fear, but when he turned to face her she could feel a strange calm settle inside her.

"I won't be able to do that again for a day at least," the healer's accent was thicker with his anger. "You'd best—"

"That's more than enough, Marek. Be a good boy and go to your room. We will call you again if you're needed." Evo's delight at his power over the man was still evident.

Anna watched the blonde man's halting steps as he left her with the two of them, gazing down at her like she was some sort of meat. She shuddered despite herself. She felt so tired. The magic inside her was feeding off of her energies. She hadn't eaten or slept in days and she didn't know how much blood she'd lost, but by the look of the floor around her, it wasn't insignificant. Marek's healing was different than hers had been for Dev. He didn't put his magic into her but used it to help the natural healing processes already in place. The result was mixed, she felt drained by it but the reprieve from pain was invigorating. She put her head against her knees, closing them out for a moment. She should try now, her arms were shackled but not attached to anything; her legs were free. But even her exhausted mind knew she was no match for him, and that he'd enjoy her renewed fight.

"Well at least she seems subdued," Evo said.

Anger flared in her chest. Anna suppressed the urge to snap at him, it would mean nothing to prove them wrong. Instead she used it to bolster herself up. Evo would try to poison her now and then Orlith would begin assaulting her again. She needed to hold out, keep her sanity in the midst of all this.

"She's still full of surprises." Orlith's voice made her stomach turn. "You wanted to try something before we get back to it?"

Anna couldn't understand how they could speak about all of this so casually. Why didn't it bother them? Why was it so easy for them to treat people like nothing? Worse than nothing.

"Hold her still." Evo's voice was a bit closer. Anna managed not to react, though she wanted to throw herself as far away from them as she could possibly make it.

"Anna," Orlith's voice was very close now. She considered ignoring him, of fighting and thrashing against the inevitable. But she wanted to protect the small sparks of life she could feel returning to her. Better that they thought she was cowed, subdued as they called it, and save it for a more opportune moment, one when Orlith was not there to stop her.

She picked her head up and looked into the northerner's face, keeping her face calm. The small upturn of his lips told her how pleased he was.

"Drink this, Anna." He held up a cup to her lips. She didn't want to, icy fear settled inside her, fear of pain, and fear that Evo might succeed. But if she resisted they would force her. Better to use this opportunity to make them think she was more compliant than she was, perhaps it would lessen the torture somewhat. She allowed Orlith to tip the contents into her mouth and she drank.

"Well this should make things easier," Evo said conversationally.

Anna snapped her head up to glare at him, but he was gone. The room had disappeared and she was sitting on a writhing surface of oily darkness. Around her was a void. Terror, the likes of which she had never known, descended on her body in a shattering tidal wave. Faces full of snakes appeared before her, corpse-like arms and hands shot out of the darkness below her. Anna thrashed and screamed as the darkness flowed into her mouth, spreading through her body and destroying her from the inside.

When the room returned to her, she was lying on the hard stone. Orlith was holding her arms above her head and the rest of his body had pinned her down. Her muscles felt loose and watery as if she had overused them in her fit. Her eyes met Orlith's while Evo stood over them, drawing runes in smoke above her head as the spell spilled from her nose and mouth like viscous fumes. She had no right to feel it, and yet there it was, the feeling of relief, that the pain was over for now. He saw it too, and smiled.

And then Anna knew how he did it, how he engendered these conflicting feelings of revulsion and relief: he made sure she could never see or hear him while he was hurting her. He was either behind her or employed a blindfold. As soon as he finished he'd move into view, allowing her precious few moments to recover while he spoke soothingly, held and comforted her. He was making her connect his face with the end of pain, so that he could hurt her and be her reprieve.

She turned her head, shifting her gaze from him to keep him for seeing the understanding in her eyes. The last thing she needed was for him to have another advantage against her. No, this she had to bury inside her for now, he must think she was close to broken if he's ever going to let up on her.

"It seems the new approach also hasn't worked," Orlith commented dryly to Evo as he got off of Anna and stood over her. Anna curled up on her side, hiding as much of her nakedness as she could. She also buried her face in her knees, shutting out the sight of her torture chamber.

"Damnation on this witch," Evo muttered more to himself than to anyone else. "The seat of her magic is not in her body or her mind and yet she is fairly brimming with it. I feel as if I could reach out and touch her power now and yet it eludes me. Ask her again Orlith. There may still be time before tomorrow to find some way."

Orlith came over and nudged her back with the toe of his boot.

"Girl," his voice was harsh and strange, as though he was play-acting the tough guard for Evo's benefit. "You've got information the man wants. Why don't you go ahead and give it to him?"

Anna ignored him, still huddled in a ball on the floor. Her arms were jerked away from her chest as he grasped her chains, his other hand gripping her hair at the base of her skull so she was forced to look up at him. Evo stood over his shoulder expectantly.

"Well now?" he said harshly but there was a twinkle in his eye. Anna realized that he was again bringing her in on some kind of private joke with him. He knew she would recognize the change in his tone and mannerisms. This was just another signal that the interrogation meant nothing to him, that her pain was all he wanted. But if he didn't have the interrogation as an excuse would he be allowed to hurt her? If she defied him and gave the sorcerer something to work with would she be left in peace for at least a short while? She'd risk it, anything to be left alone.