Possessions Ch. 06

The story made her stomach churn. Her father had so betrayed her for money? They were already wealthy. They needed no more money. If the Dungeon Mistress noticed Alaliya's distress, it was ignored.

After the King and General had finished speaking with her and left her presentation, they sought out Kellir. It had been over two hours from the time they left the room to the time they had found the young Captain with a specific correspondence that nobody seemed to know the contents of. They said the General ran back to the room he had left her in before his brother had even finished speaking. The King and Kellir arrived only a moment after him. As soon as the enraged General had entered the room, her father had pulled a knife and plunged it into her stepmother's chest. When questioned later as to why, her father had shrugged carelessly and said that she talked too much.

The only slave that had died was the one that had currently been violating her. Several of them had run, and had yet to be found. The woman told Alaliya that it was likely that the slaves had snuck into one of the groups being sold to the trader who had been leaving that evening. Her father had surrendered. The guards, however, had done as they were bid, defending their employers with their lives. Alaliya's fiancé felt that numbers were on their side and fought, also losing his life.

The slave that had given Alaliya the herbs had snatched her up and ran, bringing her directly to the dungeons. Her body had been cleansed, inside and out. Tears had needed to be sewn and re-cleansed. The herb she had been given had distanced her from the proceedings.

While she was being treated, her father had been executed. He had tried to bribe one of the guards, a man name Allek, offering the location of a secret stash of gold in exchange for freedom. The man had taken the money and wrapped him in linens of the dead to be transported out of the prison. When he had been unwrapped, he found himself on the floor in front of a bemused General Ehrik at the foot of the execution platform.

Ehrik's brother and his future wife had been given the Keep. The girl was younger than Kellir by a few years, and not yet of marrying age, but it was said the two were already quite fond of each other. Kellir, having already been in the Keep, took immediate command and had already passed several new laws. His fiancé was due to arrive with an escort to begin her duties as Madame Keeper even before they were married.

Any trace of her father had been removed.

There was another pause. The Dungeon Mistress looked her in the eyes when she continued. "They are searching for you. The General has been relentless these last five days. He brought his Captains and their foot soldiers and they have torn apart the entire Keep. Every single room has been emptied, every corner has been searched. He is enraged that you have not been found. I do not believe he will cease his search. It's odd..." She sounded speculative. She leant back against the wall the bed sat against. She turned her head to look at Alaliya, who sat pale and petrified with fear. "We have many women here. I'm sure each has a story. I know very few of those stories. The same can be said for every other Dungeon Mistress, here or in any other Keep. There are many who are hiding from their past. We simply don't care. Pull your weight, convert prisoners, get information, and you will fit in fine. I will teach you what you need to know. Otherwise, feel free to return to your place in the Keep or travel to another. The decision is yours." She handed Alaliya a small ball of herbs. "Rest, think. When I return, I will expect your decision." With that she left.

Alaliya didn't take the herbs. She sat on the bed and thought. She was terrified. Whether she had known or not, she was involved in a conspiracy to murder the King. And not just her King. If her father and fiancé had succeeded, both King Jecis and King Niflor would have been murdered. If she was tried, she would be found guilty and be executed. The General terrified her. She remembered the way his mercurial eyes swam as they looked down at her. She understood now that he had been gauging her reaction, trying to decide if she was part of the conspiracy. She also remembered the rage they had held as he gazed at the traitors. Those eyes promised retribution. Would that rage and disgust be in his gaze if they again landed on her? She hoped she never found out.

When the Dungeon Mistress returned, Alaliya said only two words. A demand. A plea. "Teach me."

And she had. Ahdrhea had taught Alaliya everything she needed to know and Alaliya, in return, was a dutiful student. She learned the ways of interrogation. She learned to bend captured soldiers to her will. To make them either tell secrets they were sworn to keep, or question loyalties that they thought were ingrained. She excelled in all areas.

In the next three years, Alaliya thrived. The shell that her father and stepmother had built around her was stripped away. The mold they forced her into could no longer contain her. She spoke when she wanted and to whomever she wanted. She ate what and when she wanted. She dressed in what she wanted. She didn't genuflect to anybody. She learned her own self-worth. She held her head high when she walked, instead of dropping her eyes and retreating into demure behavior. When she thought someone was wrong she said so. And nobody chastised her for any of it. If anything, they encouraged it.

Once, Ahdrhea expressed concern that Alaliya wasn't seeing to her womanly needs with the dungeon's servants, as the other Dungeon Mistresses often did. Alaliya simply told her that she had no such needs. Ahdrhea didn't push.

As the years passed, the Keeper fixed the mistakes of the Keep's previous overseer. Even before they were wed, the Keeper's future wife was a constant fixture in the Keep. She helped her husband see to the day to day necessities. But she had never stepped foot into the dungeons or prison. With her meticulous attention to the rest of the Keep, Alaliya decided that she must be deliberately avoiding them. When she asked Ahdrhea, the older woman had only shrugged, uncaring.

When the Keeper's fiancé had finally reached her twentieth birthday, there had been a grand celebration to mark the wedding. It had even spilled into the dungeons. Two days later, while giving a tour of her new home, the Keeper had finally brought his new wife to the dungeons for the first time.

She was miniscule. Her head barely reached the Keeper's chest. Yet when he gazed down at her, there was pure adoration in his eyes. His new bride, just days after her twentieth birthday, had looked terrified. She stood stock still and kept her eyes averted. When she spoke, it was so softly that the Keeper had to stoop to hear her.

Alaliya, trying to avoid the couple, continued the interrogation she had been conducting, keeping her back to them when they entered the area in which she was working.

The Keeper walked around the table she was using, his eyes sweeping over the prisoner on it. He moved close behind her, watching her. Too close. He looked too much like his brother. His eyes were too similar to the ones that haunted her dreams. She needed him to leave.

"Husband, I don't want to be here," The Madame Keeper said, just barely audible.

The Keeper immediately turned to take the trembling woman in his arms. "It is important that you know where these things are, love. You must be familiar with all areas of the Keep. If it distresses you so, you will never have to return. I promise you."

Alaliya couldn't stand it. The man was so different than his crass brother, who would rather spew profanities and innuendos than speak kindly. But they were so similar in appearances, though it was obvious they were several years apart. She hated using the weaker woman, who probably didn't even know any better, but she knew it would work. She sank her nails into the man's flesh, giggled as his scream of agony pierced the air.

"Husband, I don't want to be here!"

Immediately the Keeper swept his wife into his arms and whisked her from the dungeons.

Alaliya thought it was over. Everything seemed better. The Keeper was gone. His wife, it seemed, had no interest in the dungeons the way some of the Keepers and their wives did.

Two days later, Alaliya broke the prisoner. He told her everything she had hoped for plus more. As she did with every prisoner she broke, she gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead. Then she slit his throat.

Proud of herself, she turned to report her findings to Ahdrhea. As involved as she had been in her interrogation, she hadn't noticed the servant so close behind her. She bounced off his broad chest and stumbled back a step. Strong hands shot out to grab her upper arms and steady her.

Dungeon servants knew better than to be so close to a Mistress when they were working. They often used whips or floggers and unsuspecting servants could be injured by them. Sometimes, though, new servants and slaves, and even guards sometimes, would be so entranced in watching the Dungeon Mistresses work that they would get too close and reap the consequences.

"Careful!" Alaliya looked down where the servant was still holding her arms rather tightly. She was suddenly irritated. She was steady. He should have released her. She opened her mouth to tell him so.

As Alaliya's gaze slid to his face, she froze as terror gripped her.

Mercurial silver eyes gazed down with her with a mixture of amusement, triumph and just a faint hint of disbelief.

"So," Ehrik dropped his head to nuzzle her neck, nipping softly at her skin. He breathed against her ear. "It seems I have finally found you."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Alaliya sat bolt up in her bed. Her knuckles throbbed. She looked at them. They were bleeding. Why were they bleeding?

Suddenly her wrists were pinned to the bed, and Ehrik's concerned features filled her vision. Blood trickled from his lip.

Tears stung Alaliya's eyes. "Ehrik?"

Instantly, he was pulling her into his arms, speaking soothing words.

She pulled away to inspect his mouth. "I've hurt you."

"I am well, my love." He kissed her, ignoring the sting it caused. "I love you, Alaliya. My cherished wife. You have nothing to fear." His gaze swept over her. "The King wants the Generals presented after he has had time to settle himself. We've a few hours." His mouth grazed over the sensitive flesh of her throat, making her moan and arch into his larger body. "Seeing how you've been waiting for me completely naked, I can only assume that you have certain expectations as to how we will use those hours."

His mouth fastened on her already pebbled nipple.

Alaliya went pliant beneath him and let her husband's lovemaking push the memories back.