Page 8 of Prince of Blaze and Embers
I considered telling him to shove it up his ass, but reason calmed me. This wasn’t the time. Not yet. I needed to play it cool until we were in the bunkhouse. I couldn’t use magic in front of everyone like this, if I was even able to use it again in the first place. Be patient…
I stood and walked over to the back room, unlatching it and opening the door. Bella followed me.
“Not you,” Garris put a hand up between us.
“Please, Garris…” Bella’s voice was as sweet as she could muster.
Garris looked at the tall man with no nose, giving the kindest glance and curtsy she could. The tall man nodded. Garris removed his hand, and Bella followed me into the room—two torches and scant candlelight gave the room a flickering, ominous glow. The room had never treated me well; ever. Every time I thought about the room, I got shivers…
“Over there, in the middle,” Garris said, shutting the door behind him once both men were inside. It was only them, and us.
The door sealed, hiding away any light from the other side.
“Now… strip.” Garris folded his arms over his round stomach. He had that proud tone in his voice I detested. I hated how he had power over me, but in the end—he always got what he wanted—no matter how hard I fought.
The other man with the dead eye glared hard at my body. I swallowed hard in disgust. He was old enough to be my grandfather, or great-grandfather. Not that I ever knew either of my parents, but that man had to be in his seventies; eighties even.
“You heard me,” Garris said harshly, but with a slight excitement in his voice. “Clothes off. All of ‘em. Now!”
I knew what this meant… the fucker was trying to sell me. He was trying to sell me before the queen’s people had their chance to buy me.
The greedy prick was trying to make some extra royals; probably expecting a measly bounty from the crown, so he was taking a chance at a bigger price. God, I hated him…
I didn’t want to, but I had to do it countless times before. I slid my sleeves off my shoulders and down my bare arms. Bella did the same. I brushed my hair from my back over the front of mychest, before I let my shirt fall all the way down to my ankles. Bella and I both undid our belts and slid our pants down next, underwear and all. A chill bit my skin.
There we stood, naked as the day we were born. My hair did its best to hide my breasts and nipples, which I could feel hardening from the chill. I folded both hands over my crotch. Bella did the same.
Garris then folded his hands behind his back, taking slow strides to my side, and then behind me—directly behind me. “This is the one.” He took my hips in both his greasy, fat hands, squeezing. I wanted to spin and rake his face with my nails, but forced restraint. “She doesn’t look like much. Skinny, freckles, weak, sharp-tongued with dull brown eyes and that matted thick hair… but… I saw it as sure as I’ve seen anything in my life. There was the mark on her neck. The one you described.”
The tall man nodded, pleased. A smile rose at the corner of his wrinkled mouth.
“But, for what she lacks in beauty, she’s a hard worker. And… she’s a virgin, if that’s your thing. Which increases the price.”
He knew I wasn’t a virgin. He was the one who sold me off for nights with those men. Garris took his coins and drank them down his gullet for me spreading my legs for the three of them. I never had any pleasure with sex. Forced, kicking and biting my way into their beds, but they always got their way. Always. No matter how hard I fought.
With one last squeeze of my naked hips, he let go, walking to my side, sliding his slick finger up my arm, over my shoulder, and to the side of my neck. He brushed my hair back as it fell onto my back, exposing half my chest and my bare breast.
I felt so vulnerable I wanted to scream. But I didn’t.
“Interested?” Garris asked. “The other is for sale too, if the price is right.”
“I don’t need the other…” The old, tall man said with a croaked voice. “Just the one. If you’re absolutely certain she has the golden rune on her neck. I’m a sort of… collector. When I heard of the sighting, I had to come see… You are certain she is the Gold-Marked?”
“Without a doubt.” Garris gave me a mean wink as he flicked my hair back over my chest. He leaned in and whispered into my ear, “Good fucking riddance.”
I turned my head quick and whispered back, “You’ll get yours, you miserable prick.” I spat right into his ear.
He recoiled and pulled a kerchief from his pocket, wiping my spit out. The twitch in his eye showed he wanted to strike me down. Kill me even. But he didn’t.
He laughed and returned to the tall man’s side. “I’m sure you’ll teach her some manners. Manners I’ve failed to teach. So, do we have a deal? You can take her now if you wish. I’ll draw up the papers.”
The tall man nodded, a wicked smile curving on his lips. He rubbed his frail, age-spot-covered hands.
Then, we heard it, the distinct flapping of wide wings out in the courtyard. Similar to ship sails, but thicker, and much, much higher. By the gods… is it happening again? Another battle? Those dragons could turn the whole town to ruin.
There were dozens of screams from beyond the door; outside the forge. I recognized the screams, as they were the same kind I heard when the dragon battle erupted earlier in the day—full of panic, dread, and terrible fear. As the shouts and screams grew, a new sound emerged from back out in town. It was the now familiar sound of a mighty dragon’s roar filling every nook and cranny of the town. It came from just outside the forge.
Living in Bramblebash most of my life, I’d never heard people scream like that. It was a new kind of terror that pierced my ears and sent shivers down my back.
