Page 19 of Feral Gods
"I was taken from a human settlement near the border of Pyrthos and Orthani," I begin, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest. "A raiding party from Liiandor attacked without warning. I was twelve. My mother and I were separated at the slave market in Liiandor. I never saw her again."
I pause, surprised at how clinical I sound recounting such trauma. Perhaps emotional distance is another survival mechanism.
"Lord Vathren purchased me as a companion for his youngest daughter, Lady Morvaine. She was cruel but predictable—pinches and slaps when displeased, occasional burns from candle wax when particularly angry. Nothing compared to what the kitchen slaves endured under the cook's discipline."
Ravik's expression darkens, the runes etched into his obsidian skin pulsing with suppressed emotion. "And yet you bear no visible scars."
"Valuable house slaves aren't marked visibly," I explain. "It offends the aesthetic sensibilities of noble guests. Our punishments are designed to leave no lasting evidence."
"Efficient brutality," Zephyr observes, his scholarly detachment failing to mask the disgust in his voice. "A refinement of cruelty since our time."
"Not everything has evolved for the worse," I add, feeling compelled to provide a complete picture. "The treatment of humans varies widely between kingdoms. In Pyrthos, under King Throsh, some humans have achieved positions of limitedauthority. And in Vhoig, I heard rumors of a noble who took a human woman as his actual mate."
"Fascinating," Zephyr leans forward, clearly intrigued by this sociological development. "Such relationships would have been unthinkable in our era."
"They're still scandalous now," I assure him. "But there's a sort of perverse fashion to it among certain circles of the nobility. Taking a human lover is seen as exotic, daring."
Ravik makes a sound of contempt. "Pets, not partners."
"Yes," I agree, unable to maintain eye contact with him. "Though I sometimes wondered if the humans in such arrangements might still prefer that life to the alternatives available to them. I would like to believe that even in Protheka, some humans have found genuine love with their masters."
A heavy silence falls over the hall, broken only by the crackling of the magical fire. I've said too much, revealed too many vulnerabilities. Old habits warn me to retreat, to make myself smaller and less noticeable until the moment passes.
Instead, I rise and gather my empty plate. "I should finish preparing my quarters before it grows too late."
"I will accompany you," Ravik announces, surprising both Zephyr and myself. "The temple contains chambers and passages we haven't yet secured. It would be unwise for you to wander alone."
I know better than to argue with that tone, though I suspect his concern has as much to do with keeping me under observation as with my safety. I nod my acquiescence and bid Zephyr goodnight before following Ravik back through the winding corridors to my small chamber.
The journey passes in silence, but not an uncomfortable one. Ravik's presence beside me feels oddly reassuring despite his intimidating nature. When we reach my quarters, I'm pleased tosee that the shaft of sunlight has been replaced by moonlight, casting a silvery glow across the now-clean floor.
"It's perfect," I say, genuinely pleased with my modest accomplishment. "A space of my own, however temporary."
Ravik lingers in the doorway, seeming reluctant to enter the small chamber again. "I will be nearby if you require anything. The adjacent hall contains my own quarters."
The thought of him sleeping so close sends an unexpected flutter through my stomach. "Thank you. For everything."
He inclines his head slightly, the moonlight catching on his spiraling horns. "Rest well, little Kaia. Tomorrow may bring challenges we cannot yet anticipate."
As he turns to leave, I'm struck by a sudden impulse. "Ravik?"
He pauses, glancing back with those burning amber eyes that seem to see straight through me.
"What you said earlier, about no one taking me back to Liiandor while you draw breath... did you mean it?"
His expression softens almost imperceptibly. "I do not make promises lightly. When I give my word, it is absolute."
With that, he departs, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the moonlight streaming through the high window. I arrange the furs and blankets on my stone bed, creating a nest more comfortable than any sleeping place I've had since being taken from my village.
As I settle into this first night in my own private space, I find my thoughts returning to the three gargoyles who now control my fate. Zephyr with his scholarly patience and unexpected kindness. Thane with his barely restrained ferocity and grudging respect. And Ravik—commanding, protective, and stirring feelings in me I scarcely understand.
They are not human. They are not even dark elves anymore, though they once were. They are something other, somethingpowerful and dangerous and beautiful in their terrifying way. I should fear them more than I do. Perhaps I would, if I hadn't spent the last six years learning that the most elegantly civilized beings on Protheka can harbor the greatest capacity for cruelty.
I drift toward sleep, wrapped in borrowed furs in my stone chamber, conscious of Ravik's presence somewhere nearby. For the first time since fleeing Liiandor, I allow myself to hope that perhaps I've found not just sanctuary, but something I'd long ago stopped believing in.
Safety. Respect. And possibly, in time, something more.
A foolish thought, perhaps. But in this moment, between waking and dreaming, I permit myself the luxury of foolishness. Tomorrow will bring reality soon enough.
