Page 69 of What Fury Brings
The final boy, seeing his struggle, rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that. She took us off the streets. She takes care of us so no one else takes advantage of us. She has tutors for us so we can join the workforce when we’re ready. I’m training to be a cloth merchant.”
One of the other boys elbowed him. “We’re not supposed to tell anyone that we’re notreallypart of Ydra’s harem.”
“But he’s Olerra’s. Olerra knows, so why shouldn’t he?”
Ydra… was helping them. She didn’t bed them. She kept them safe.
Just as Olerra had done with him.
He wasn’t sure if he liked this new information. He wanted no reasons not to murder Ydra along with Olerra when he got the chance. Gods, he hated this place.
Sanos cleared his throat. “What game are you playing?”
“Corgo. You want to join us?”
It took him a week to get up the courage to ask to speak to Olerra. And at first, he was denied.
“She’s not fit for visitors,” Ydra insisted.
“She doesn’t have to do or say anything. I just want to see her.”
“No.”
He asked again the next day.
“No.”
And the next.
“Absolutely not.”
It was another week before he insisted, “Will you just ask her?Tellher at least that I want to speak to her. Surely she wants to make her own decisions about such things.”
It worked. The next day, Ydra led him up the stairs. She did not look happy about it. Sanos was wise enough not to say anything to her, and he kept his smugness to himself.
Ydra entered the room first, Sanos trailing behind. Olerra was sitting up in bed at least. Her face was mottled with yellowing bruises. Her nose was still lightly swollen, and bandages were tightly wrapped around her upper waist. He could see the gauze poking out through the sleeveless nightdress she wore.
Sanos tried to approach the bed, but Ydra halted him. “That’s close enough.”
He glared at her. “Are you going to stand there the whole time?”
“You’re damned right I am. I don’t trust you.”
“Ydra,” Olerra admonished.
“I’m not going anywhere. This is my home, and if you want to see him, you can do it with me standing here or not at all.”
Olerra rolled her eyes but didn’t protest further. She adjusted a pillow behind her back and set aside a book she had been reading. She looked at him expectantly.
Right, he’d called this meeting. He should say something.
“You look to be healing well,” he started.
“I am. The doctors say I can start walking again soon, but we will remain here until I am back to full strength.”
“Because your cousin might try something?”
“Among other people,” Ydra said under her breath. With the way she was looking at him, he realized she meanthim. As if he would hurt Olerra after what she’d done for him.
