Page 42 of Detonation
Anshar motions for the next course and the team swaps out my plate, not caring that my salad remains untouched.
As they place a small plate of some fried food I don’t recognize, and don’t care to, in front of me, he continues, "You're lucky you put me in a good mood before this or you would have had to sit through all five courses while this happens."
My heart hammers in my chest. "While what happens?"
He pauses with the fried piece of food inches from his mouth, a frown on his face. He motions at the guards with his other hand, motioning for them to get along with it.
My heart drops with the thud that echoes in the room and the scream that follows.
A severed finger lays on the table, a bloodied knife in one guard's hand and the poor woman wailing, sobbing, her body shaking. With the pain or the grief?
Tears brim in my eyes as I watch her suffer, helpless.
Anshar munches loudly on his food and swallows. "You're going to make it through the rest of our courses, actually eating, without crying or begging me to stop her punishment. If you don't, her fate will only be worse."
The meager contents of my stomach threaten to spill at his words.
You came for a battle, Lana. What did you think you were going to get?
My hands shake as I pick at my food, putting whatever I touch into my mouth, chewing but not tasting. The food tastes bland now, my body rebelling at the thought of eating.
He motions at the guard again and I try with everything in me to not look at her when another shrill scream rings in the air.
But I can't look away. I can't act like she isn't there. She has no one.
I meet her harrowing eyes and, upon seeing the blood staining her side and the knife protruding from it, big angry tears stream down my face.
She doesn't deserve this.Why is he doing this to her?
I turn to face Anshar, aware that he ordered me not to cry but what else can I do? "What did she do to deserve this punishment?"
"She stole a loaf of bread from the kitchens and tried to sneak it to the redhead in the dungeon. So, she got to join her friend there."
Sera ... I hope you don't hear of this. You don't need the weight of this on your conscience.
I fume. "And that somehow justifies this torture?"
He dabs at his lips with his napkin, waving for the next course, completely unphased by the venom in my question.
Some sort of meat and starch are placed in front of us next. I pick up my knife and struggle at the thought of cutting into the meat as the woman sits with a similar knife lodged into her side.
You have to, Lana. Don't make this harder on her.
I cut in, making small, bitesize pieces, before placing one in my mouth to chew. I gaze at the blood flowing on the plate, seeping from the meat and choke on the piece in my mouth.
Anshar laughs maniacally at my struggle and waves at the guard. "This has been such a fun dinner.”
Gaia, give me the strength to get through this.
I flinch at the scream, even though I knew it was coming. I resist looking this time, focusing on the food in front of me, staring at my plate, refusing to look anywhere else.
I focus on the loud beating of my heart to fill my head, to try to drown out the whimpers of the woman.
"Dessert. Now," Anshar demands.
Almost done, Lana. Hold on.
A rich chocolate smell fills my senses and I pick up the new fork placed on the table, ready to be done with this.
