Page 58 of What Fury Brings
He felt petulant. “It doesn’t matter what I’d be doing. Only that I’d have freedom once again.”
“Freedom? You mean drinking and whoring? Is that what you miss? Is it the thought of being tied down to one woman that scares you so much?”
“If that’s what you think of me, then why in the world did you take me?”
“Because I have hope for what comes after.”
“After what?”
“After you accept what has happened.” She was silent for a moment. “There are two ways I see this playing out. Either you accept that this is your life, give us a chance, and we have a shot at happily ever after…”
“Or?” he asked, knowing that option was never going to be his future.
“Or you help me win my throne and we go our separate ways. Either way, we both win, don’t you think?”
“What about the option where you let me go and we pretend this never happened?”
“I will not entertain any ideas that don’t result in me ruling this kingdom.” Her tone had the ring of finality about it.
When they reached their destination, Olerra exited the carriage first. She reached out a hand to help him down the steps, but he ignored it. His hands may have been bound behind his back, but he didn’t need help walking. They moved slowly to accommodate his bindings, but he also suspected it was because she wanted him to study his surroundings.
They were in some kind of market, that was clear. Hot foods could be purchased, the smells filling the streets to cover up the less pleasant stenches of filth and sex. Olerra’s knuckles tightened on the leash, though she didn’t tug him with any force.
There was a ring where men fought, the onlookers placing bets. One woman collected money, while another was conversing with a group of nearby women.
“Who wants a night with the winner?”
The onlookers started bidding, the amounts raising to sums that made no sense to Sanos. Their money was different from his. But from the amount of gold that was exchanged, he couldn’t imagine the sums being small.
In another area, there was an upraised bed on a dais. A woman sat on the edge, a man kneeling at her feet. “This is Barov. He’s got a tongue like a serpent, and the bidding starts at two ederos. Who would like to see him perform?”
A cheer went up from the watching crowd. At a nod from the woman, Barov leaned forward, pulling down the woman’s pants before burying his head between her thighs for all to see. Her moans were covered by the cheers of the crowd.
“A sex market?” Sanos barked. “That’s what you brought me to see? You want me to mind myself so you don’t decide to sell me off here, is that it?”
Olerra didn’t answer, just dragged him farther down the street, passing by more vendors with less obscene wares.
They neared a merchant with all kinds of trinkets that Sanos didn’t recognize, until his eye caught on the various phallus boxes for sale like the one Olerra had used.
A woman perusing the stall picked up some kind of metal device and held it up to the vendor. It consisted of wires that were shaped like a flaccid cock and had a lock on one end.
“Will it rust if it gets wet?” the woman asked the vendor.
“No, it’s perfectly suited for bath play.”
Sanos realized a moment later that it was a device meant to keep a man’s member from hardening. “Fuck,” he whispered, the horrors of Amarra drawing the swear from him. This place was a nightmare, one he hadn’t even known he should be afraid of. Everywhere, women shuffled men about, their superior strength allowing them to control them. Men were little better than slaves here, and while they put on brave faces before the crowds, he could see others behind the stalls, waiting their turns. Some smoked to take the edge off. Others had faces downcast and souls broken.
How could Olerra stand it?
When he turned to her, he saw that she wasn’t taking it all in like he was. No, she watched him carefully.
She tugged on his chain, and he jostled forward by the neck. “What you are witnessing right now is not how most in my country behave. It is a select few—the most extreme. Do you fear for these men? Does it hurt you to see their pain?”
“You know it does.”
Olerra nodded. “I want to tell you a story. It is about Amarra’s Chosen, the first queen of this country. Will you hear it?”
He’d take anything to distract himself from what was happening on the streets. He nodded.
