Page 21 of Given to the Fae
‘I knew that outpost was bad, but...’ she sighs. ‘Your slave isn’t Breach Blet. She’s malnourished and likely very highly strung from never being released after,’ her eyes rove over my body, ‘what appears to me to be many, many instances of unsanctioned discipline.’
‘Unsanctioned?’ Locke asks, drawing closer though he seems to not want to look at my body, I think. ‘What does that mean?’
The healer gives him her full attention. ‘Discipline for human females is highly regulated these days. I hope you knowthatat least.’
‘Yes, of course I know. A hand is used quite lightly. The skin shouldn’t be broken.’
‘Quite right. Well, this one...’ She looks at me again, and points to the puckered line on my shoulder. ‘What made this?’
‘A hot poker,’ I say with a shiver, remembering what happened to the orc guard after he burned me.
He lost the use of one of his eyes only a moment later. Even Ogdan was surprised by that one.
She gestures to the rough red welts on my wrists.
I answer succinctly. ‘Rope pressed into sliced flesh and left to heal before it was ripped away.’
‘These?’ she brushes her thin fingers against the pitted marks on my stomach, and I fight to stay still.
I want to recoil from her touch badly. Her skin on mine feels wrong.
‘A weighted cat-o-nine-tails.’
She puts her hands up. ‘You see? In some ways she’s in a better condition than the humans who come from The Barrack, but in others...’ She shakes her head. ‘Well, there are many marks from punishments that haven’t been used even on badly behavedbullsin many, many years. I don’t think I‘ve seen a female slave so...mutilated. Your masters must have given you countless punishments to correct you, girl.’
I nod. I don’t tell her that it wasn't always the masters, but sometimes one of the other slaves who was told to do it, that it was used as a punishment for whomever had done something wrong. It was also a way of seeing if there was anything that fate wouldn’t punish. Everything Ogdan could think of was tried, and after years, he realized there was no point in attempting to find a loophole. They weren’t allowed to kill me, so he and Sio just began leaving me to my own devices, trying to get rid of me whenever they had the chance.
I hope she doesn’t ask me anything more about it, because I’ll have to try to lie, and then she’ll probably slap me again. Though I’d forgotten about some of the more creative pains Ogdan came up with until she reminded me. The healer’s strike doesn’t seem so bad now.
‘I’ll give you some root to brew for the Breach Blet.’
‘I thought you said it wasn’t that,’ Locke says, seemingly unimpressed with the healer.
She shrugs. ‘Sometimes they just don’t do well in the Breach. The root will help, and it probably won’t get any worse if she’s given it just before and after you cross a Bridge. I’d suggest no long journeys, though. Nothing over two Circles at a time. Other than that, she needs food. Proper food. Her hip bones shouldn’t be sticking out like that. And she’ll need releasing. Often. Do you know how? I could put her in the block now and show you if you need to see it done.’
Locke’s eyes find mine and I glance at the wooden cube in the corner, with its three holes at waist level for my wrists and neck to be locked into. I silently beg him to say no. Ogdan put me in the block for the bull and it was...
He’s not going to say no.
My breathing quickens. I feel as if my chest is too tight. The room whirls and I feel like I’m flying. It’s a nice sensation, sort of like being a bird, I think vaguely.
Morgan
The human girl sways,her eyes glazed. The healer doesn’t seem to notice, or perhaps she doesn’t care. She doesn’t seem bothered that this slave clearly didn’t want her touch, but she kept brushing her hands along her body anyway. In fact, I’m sure she was hoping we’d say yes to the releasing lesson.
I almost scoffed aloud when she asked if wecoulddo it. As if bringing a female, of any kind, to pleasure is difficult.
The girl’s legs give out, and my catch appears almost careless as I lift her into my arms. I see Locke’s quizzical glance and give him a hard one of my own. Was I meant to let her hit her head on the stone floor? Internally, I roll my eyes. I’ll play the oafish flesh merchant as much as is needed, as I promised Locke I would before we came here. I understand the importance of what we’re doing, but I don’t believe in making these humans suffer needlessly. If I can help them without being noticed, I will.
The female’s limp body hangs in my arms and the healer huffs as if it’s all an inconvenience to her.
‘You can leave her on the floor,’ she sniffs. ‘It won’t damage her.’
‘She weighs little,’ I rumble, leaving it at that. ‘Are you finished with your inspections, healer?’
The horrid little pixie nods and goes to her cauldron, giving it a stir before she takes a pouch from a shelf and hands it to Locke. ‘Steeped in hot water, three times a day or as needed.’
‘And the releasing?’ he murmurs.
