Chapter 10

CLANG.

The sound of a massive gong rang out. It came from the clocktower, a large structure stationed in a courtyard near the center of the Estate, which I had never been to. This bell only rang twice within a day: once at lunchtime, and once half an hour before dinner, to signal it was time for all residents to rest and retire.

My teeth chattered. I looked weakly in the direction the sound had come from, believing I could somehow see it if I tried. It was evening already? Where had the time gone? I was certain none of us had been in this room for more than an hour. Maybe more time had passed in the journey here than I’d even realized, but that couldn’t… How long had I been dancing?

As if reminded that a great predator waited at my throat, I looked back to Madam Dro, with fear making my movements sluggish.

And she…

“Oh, my!” she exclaimed, “look at the time! Gentlemen and Ladies, we simply must be bringing this event to a close!”

“Eh? What?” said David, scratching his beard. “But we haven’t even gotten a proper look at hi– at our young friends here!”

“Yeah!” protested Jinete, jumping to her toes. “I thought we’d have more time!”

“Oh, bollocks” grumbled Lucan in that gravelly voice as he began to stir.

“Yes, yes, I can assure you that we’re all equally frustrated by the passage of the hours, but! Consider what you’ve all had a chance to be a part of today: a promising young stock, full of sensuality and fire – perhaps a little too much fire – and to top it all off, I think you’ll agree that this last dance… it was the most incredible thing that we’ve ever witnessed here from a gentleman so young. Truly, a delight to witness!! And just imagine what magic these ones can work in a few years, hmmm? Perhaps when they’ve even… come of age?”

Somehow, the knowledge that we were all to become glorified prostitutes came as little surprise to me. I think a part of me had known it all along. My guts were already churned into a knot, or else I might have emptied them upon the floor right where I stood. Behind me, I heard multiple sounds of sobbing.

I felt empty. Hollow. Drained of all emotion past the point of feeling, all except for terror. And not the complex terror mingled with horror that I knew I should be feeling; no, this was a much more primal emotion, the fear of being faced with a predator one could not escape, and with the certainty of being eaten.

Madam Dro quickly and effortlessly closed the viewing with a cocktail of “best wishes” and promises to be fulfilled later. She ushered the clients out of the room through a doorway on the opposite side of the room, directing them to some lounge or another where the eight of them might talk business.

“I’ll be along in a moment, my dears” she crooned. “A servant will be along within moments to take your coats and to assist you in getting there. Please, help yourself to all of our refreshments, and then once I’ve joined you we can discuss at length the future of your investments.” And she shut the door behind the last of them.

A maiden had wandered into the room at some point from the door through which we had entered. I couldn’t turn to look and see if it was Threwon, as my eyes were still pinned to the back of Madam Dro’s head. She stood completely still by the closed door, breathing slowly. Actually, I couldn’t even tell if she was breathing.

Eventually she turned our way again. Gone was the look of matronly delight that she obviously wore when entertaining guests; and also gone was that frigid look of endless despair and darkness, thank everything holy. She seemed now to have composed herself back to a more usual, carefully crafted semblance of herself.

“Maiden Threwon” she said, confirming my suspicions, “please escort your charges back to the Mannerly Hall and see that they are readied for dinner. They have been through quite enough excitement for one day, I believe – especially those of you who managed to perform. On behalf of the Estate, I congratulate you all on a satisfactory performance, and apologize for any unneeded… stress, during the event.

She spread her arms out wide, managing somehow to look at all us and yet none of us at the same time. With a hollow voice she announced, “welcome, each of you, to the great Family that is the Estate. That wasn’t so bad, was it? Better to rip off the bandage than to drag it all out! Now; go and fill your bellies and get some rest, because soon your education shall begin in earnest. I expect great things – and great efforts – from each of you. Good evening.”

And with that, Madam Dro opened the door soundlessly and stepped off into the corridor, shutting it closed behind her.

My knees gave out finally. I heard somebody rushing to my side before Dornell had placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me small comfort. There were tears of pain and fear being shed noisily behind us; I dared not even to look yet, or my own surely wouldn’t hold themselves in.

“It’s horrible” someone was whispering. “It’s horrible. I can’t do it.”

I managed to look up at Dornell, whose face was pinched and whose eyes were haunted. “How is Mylannes?”

He closed his eyes and didn’t look. “She's… um.” It had been a pointless question, and I knew that.

I swallowed deeply, tasting bile. “You… you knew, didn’t you? You figured it out, even before… this.”

Dornell didn’t reply.

I found the last little bit of strength left in my legs. Standing, holding onto Dornell for support, I turned to face the others.

I saw Mylannes, wrapped around herself and huddled. I saw Ellie. I saw Zaevia, and Torvis, and all the other people I’d lived with now for years, each of them appearing broken and shattered down to their barest elements.

Elodie looked at me. I could see the pain now hiding behind her eyes. For the first time, I didn’t have the space left to care.

“You’ve been through this before” I whispered. “You knew. Why didn’t you tell the rest of us what we were doing here? We could’ve prepared for this.”

Ellie shook her head slowly, and stared down at the floor. “There was no preparing for this” she replied emptily. “There was nothing we could say. We are all here, now, together.”

Torvis wiped his mouth. “Besides; if someone hadn’t messed up so bad with her dancing, this wouldn’t have been such a–”

“Shut up!!” snapped Elodie, glaring at the boy. “Don’t you even begin to pick on her, or anyone else!! This is none of their fault, you asshole. The past few years, we could barely cope as it was, so how do you think the younger children are faring?!”

The boy dropped his gaze instantly to the carpet.

“Sorry” he mumbled. “It isn’t as if we meant… It was always just… too difficult to say.”

Elodie stood up abruptly, ran over to Torvis, and drew him in close for a deep hug. She buried her face against his shoulder and pinched her eyes shut as he began to cry. I barely even noticed.

Maiden Threwon stood off to the side near the entrance during all of this. Now she stepped forward, eyes slightly glassy. “It’s time I brought you all back to the Hall, where you can each wash up and prepare yourselves for dinner. It won’t be long now.”

“I don’t want to go back!!” Mylannes screeched. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you!! Let me out!!!”

Her voice made Threwon flinch ever so slightly, but the maiden’s expression didn’t change. I didn’t think it could. “Once you all have a hot meal in you and change into your pajamas, you all will be feeling a lot better. Come now.”

And without another word she stepped out into the hallway, waiting for us to follow.

We all did, after a moment. Some of us needed some cajoling, and I had to be practically carried along by Dornell and Ellie, as all my strength had left me what seemed like hours ago, along with all feeling. I was numb, from eyelid to toe tip. A blessing, probably.

Somehow we made it back to our quarters without collapsing more than a couple of times. Once there, some people took off their clothes, not even bothering to put on new ones. Those of us who had someone special to them went immediately to their bunks and buried themselves beneath the blankets, shivering and huddling together to warmth as sobs probably wracked them. As for myself…

The three of us made our way over to Dornell’s bunk and collapsed in unison upon it. I could hardly move. My throat felt like it didn’t even exist. At some point, one of the two must’ve grabbed hold of the covers and yanked them out from under us, because they fell on top of me like a warm shield against the world.

I rolled onto my side, feezy woozy. Dornell spooned me after a moment; and behind us, Ellie wrapped her arms around the two younger boys and hugged us tightly for warmth, her shivers soon falling into a rhythmic pattern with our own.

We fell asleep quickly, then. I don’t know for how long or if maiden Threwon ever came back to put out the candles. As I dreamed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had taken notice of me back then in the chamber. I couldn’t be sure if it was just Madam Dro, and the way her eyes now seemed to follow me everywhere I went, and every day since… but whatever it was, it was searching for me – and even I didn’t know if I was better off being found, or staying hidden right where I was.