About me page, just in case you want to get to know me a little bit better.
Monster Masterlist: It’s small but growing, currently in a medieval fantasy times.
Fairytale Retelling Masterlist: Monsters love princes & princesses too.
Recruiter Masterlist: Tokyo Sea Disney Villain Recruiters! [CLOSED]
ObeyMe Masterlist: Yes, I like the ObeyMe Shall We Date game.
Maps: I like to draw out places that I want to write about, it helps me mentally visualize to write.
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If you really want to read some long stories to invoke tears and strong feelings, I have a long series that I’m writing on fanfic, and AO3. All platforms will have the same stuff, if I get the balls to do it, I might post my monster stories there. I'm even being a good English major and editing then before posting them!
After accidentally summoning something not from this world, all you can think to ask is to breathe better. You’ve always had a breathing problem, and you want it gone. “Oh honey, That’s all?” she says, “you’re such a good soul, I can help with so much more. I’ll help, on the house, for you.”
The witch cursed you to become a monster so that your outsides would reflect your character. Your home town took this news better than you would've thought. A lot better. You're more popular than ever and got immediately swamped by marriage proposals from just about everyone available in town.
The shopkeeper gargled on spittle as he gasped for breath, clawing futilely against Octavius’s hold. He turned to Arabella, bloodshot eyes pleading for help.
“Make . . . him . . . stop!”
Under normal circumstance Arabella would have tried to mollify the situation, but between her bleeding hand and the sight of the entirely naked man before her, she was momentarily distracted. From the nape of his neck to his Achille’s heel was a wall of scars embedded into the lithe muscles. His back was practically a cutting board with the many scars that spanned his body and she could hardly comprehend how he had any flesh on his back.
“Good gods, what happened to you?” she murmured, her hand reaching out to touch the scars, but refraining. While they were healed and sealed, she couldn’t help but wonder if they still hurt.
“I can regale you with a tale later, ma’am,” Octavius huffed as he spared a glance over his shoulder. “I think it best you tell me what you wish to have done to this slimy sodden piece of shit that overcharged you.”
“I – I did no such thing!” the shopkeeper argued futilely as he still clawed at Octavius’s hand. “After all the trouble you’ve caused –”
“Ah, ah, ah,” Octavius practically growled with a murderous glint in his eye. “It’s not good to speak ill of the dead and the foolish.”
For the briefest of moments Arabella felt true genuine fear as she stared at the man she’d freed and wondered if there was some sort of truth to the shopkeeper’s warning about killing his owners, but realized it was far too late to go back on her decision now. She’d already had him released and she doubted he’d go so willingly in his cage again, not that would have allowed that to happen.
“Oi,” the shopkeeper caught his breath and looked at her in desperation. “There’s still time to change your mind and swap him out for one of the orcs. I’ll even give you a lower price! Two hundred, right now, if you do!”
As tempting as the offer was, her pricked finger still tingled from the initial prick that she did not want to go through a second time, not to mention she truly didn’t have the time. She’d had enough manhandling for one evening and just wanted a nice warm bath and bed. She was certain the drow before her might like one as well.
“That won’t be necessary.” She shook of her head, “a pair of clothes will make up for the overcharge, and I promise I won’t let him kill you.”
“You wouldn’t have the bollocks for that ma’am.” The shopkeeper snorted with an amused grin.
“I very well could.” Seriousness slipped into her tone, the undercurrent of her agitation ready to stand to attention and show a man what it’s liked to be manhandled. “After all, I’m the one with a powerful vampire now, aren’t I?”
It would be my pleasure to rid this filth from this world. Octavius growled in his mind. You only need to make the thought known and I will make it so, master.
Regardless of whatever revenge Octavius may have wanted to take, she didn’t want there to be a blood trail leading to her and Aunt Euphemia. She was in enough trouble with tonight’s events with Governor Knox, Arabella really didn’t want any more trouble, especially when she signed the contract. The last thing she needed was the Orion Hunters to chase after them before they even had a chance to leave the city. Time was of the essence and they needed to leave, quickly.
I don’t have time for you to make a big scene. She sighed, giving a slight shake of her head. If you could just incapacitate him and tell me where some clothes are, we can leave immediately.
Octavius was still and quiet for what felt like a long time before he flung the shopkeeper to the ground and stomped on his head. The man didn’t move again and for a brief moment Arabella feared he’d killed the man until she saw his chest rise and fall. She’d only sagged in relief when Octavius’s deep voice spoke aloud, “In that corner at the end of the register, there’s clothing.”
For a brief moment she stood stunned only able to stare at him in shock when he glanced over his shoulder and added, “Unless you’d like the more salacious items at the front –”
“At the end of the register you said?”
She briskly cut him off and scurried away to the corner. In a dusty cedar chest, she found a variety of stained clothing that reeked of the incense that burned her nose. Arabella had to dig all the way to the bottom of the chest to find something that wasn’t entirely stained. A wrinkled white collared shirt, black trousers, and a pair of men’s underwear were all that she managed to find in what she assumed to be his size. She hoped it would suffice until she could afford to get him something nicer.
She was oddly relieved to have found everything he needed until Octavius turned to face her with his entire front on display. His chest all the way down to his thighs were also littered with scars and she felt another piece of her heart crack for the pain he must have felt. However, as she was still kneeling by the cedar chest it meant she was at eye level with his entirely exposed virile member. While he seemed completely unbothered, Arabella’s face burned with embarrassment, and she quickly averted her eyes. He’d been gawked and stared at long enough that she owed him some sense of decency to feel normal.
She scrambled to her feet and held the clothes out to him, promptly keeping her eyes on his face and refusing to allow them to dip lower despite her nagging curiosity.
“Will these do?”
He gave an approving nod as he took the clothes from her and immediately started to dress. Turning around to offer some sense of privacy, he dressed in a flash.
“I’m covered.”
Turning around, Arabella saw the clothes sitting particularly baggy on his hunger-pained frame. She determined would make sure he was properly fed, somehow, and that he had proper clothing once they got to her aunt’s house. He would need the basics before they set out on their journey, to which she had no doubt her aunt would have a conniption about, and more importantly he needed a bath. There was no telling what sort of dirt he harbored under his nails after being staked for so long, and a good bath could make anyone feel brand new.
“Do you have any belongings you need to bring with you?” she asked as she peered around him into his cage that the shopkeeper now slept in.
His brows just furrowed and he gave her an odd look, as if she’d said something utterly stupid before shaking his head.
Right, he’s been trapped here for so long he mustn’t have anything. . . she thought to herself, feeling utterly stupid and guilty for saying something so thoughtless. With all those scars there’s no telling what he’s lost. . .
“I appreciate your concern, master,” his deep voice quickly broke her from her thoughts, “but not everything was taken from me. While my body has been changed, my mind and my powers are very much my own.”
She blushed as she realized he had heard her thoughts but was glad he provided an answer.
“Very well then, shall we be off?”
“After you, master.” He gave a half bow and gestured for her to move, but she froze instantly.
“Don’t call me that.” She pleaded and felt a great discomfort in her soul. He should’ve been a walking free man a long time ago before she came here. “I may have purchased you, but I do not intend to be your master or treat you as such.”
“I have no intentions of doing such a thing.” She said with determination and a frown on her face. “Nor do I have any intentions of commanding you to do anything outside your will.”
Octavius cocked a curious brow at her, staring long and hard as if he couldn’t believe her words. His disbelief stung but given how long he’d been trapped here she could hardly blame him. There was no telling what others may have promised him only to deny it in the end. His garnet eyes narrowed onto the ring on her finger then back to her face.
“As long as you have that ring of control, you are my master.”
The ring burned hot on her finger, as if it were embedding it into her skin so that she would forever have to bear this mark. It held the weight of everything she’d fought against and made her just as terrible as the people who still readily enslaved humans as pets.
“You could command me to kill that filthy human and get your money back,” Octavius continued darkly, “and I would do it because that ring compels me to do so, willingly or otherwise.”
She noted the animosity in his tone as he used the word ‘human’ and felt his inner rage through his mind. While he held the tightest control with his expressions, there was an angry beast prowling within him.
“I know you have no reason to believe me,” she sighed in defeat, “but I truly have no intention of keeping you. The moment we get to Ottilie you are free, you have long since deserved that and it is the only thing I can do to make up for this.”
Octavius’s brows furrowed in confusion, and he frowned deeply as he stepped towards her. He towered over her standing tall and proud with a noble look of arrogance that made her wonder what was going through his head. He had walls up, externally and internally, that she wouldn’t be able to reach into his mind unless he allowed her to do so. She was certain he was going go lash out at her or continue to stare at her when he asked, “If I’m not to call you master, what am I to call you?”
The question had caught her completely off guard that she could only blink before letting out a nervous laugh.
“Arabella,” she answered with a small smile and holding out her hand to him. “Please, call me Arabella.”
He stared at her hand long and hard to the point she was about to let it fall to her side when he surprised her by grasping it with cool fingers and pressing her pricked finger to his lips.
“What are you –”
She thought he was kissing it when she felt the lapping of his tongue and realized he was drinking her blood. His lips were chapped and cold, and she felt his tongue practically coil around the tip of her finger. She felt heat in her face and her heart race as he looked at her, his garnet eyes sparkling with something she couldn’t quite place.
“Thank you, Arabella.” He crooned like a happy wolf, “I look forward to being under your care.”
A strange twist of arousal, flattery, and embarrassment rose within her and she gently plucked her hand away from him.
“Don’t thank me yet,” she warned with a grimace, “my wealthy aunt is technically the one who purchased you.”
“But you are the one who signed the contract.” He pointed the ring at her finger. “Regardless of who pays, whoever signs the contract in blood and wears that ring is my owner.”
The weight of her guilt hit her tenfold and she fought the tears burning in her eyes. She quickly dragged her hand down her face and heaved a heavy sigh.
Gods above, I don’t like any of this . . .
Arabella grabbed Octavius’s arm and quickly ushered them out of the shop. The night air instantly purged the reeking incense from her nostrils, though she could feel it clinging to her skin. Octavius allowed her to pull him the whole way to the waiting coach. The coachman who watched them most curiously as they approached.
“Got yourself a new pet, ma’am?” he blew a long whistle. “That’s an expensive one, I can tell.”
She cast a glare at him and snatched open the coach door. She knew better than to waste her breath trying to explain herself, especially to the likes of him when he had such a mischievous expression.
“We’re ready to depart for Luneburg,” she declared angrily, “The Edevane estate, if you will.”
“As you say ma’am.” He chortled as he faced forward, not sounding the least bit concerned about what he’d just witnessed. “As soon as you load up, we be off.”
Huffing through her nose, Arabella went to climb into the coach when Octavius held his hand out to her to assist her into the coach. The chill of the night clung to her as she placed her foot on the small step and climbed inside. Octavius barely had a chance to sit down when the coach took off at the crack of the reins. He practically landed on Arabella’s lap, his head in her lap and arms around her waist. A very much awake Braxa cleared her throat most prudishly and Octavius reluctantly pulled himself out of her lap and into a sitting position.
“I doze off for one second and you come back with a drow, ma’am.” The hobgoblin frowned and crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “Really ma’am? Just what were you thinking getting a drow? Don’t you know they’re highly untrustworthy!”
“Braxa, I didn’t have time to properly investigate Octavius’s character and background.” Arabella rubbed small circles into her temples as the stress of the day weighed heavily on her. “The shopkeeper was most unsettling, and I really, really don’t have the energy to defend myself further.”
“I can handle the hobgoblin, master,” Octavius offered teasingly, earning a glare and hiss from Braxa.
“Touch me drow, and I’ll make that pretty face less so.”
“Braxa,” Arabella cast her a warning look before frowning at Octavius. “Octavius, please don’t rowel her up.”
“Ma’am.” Braxa huffed, shaking her head in disapproval, “surely there’s some place else to look for a travel companion.”
“You know how Aunt Euphemia is, Braxa,” she leaned back against the hard seat, “This was such a time sensitive matter that there is no time. . .”
Arabella moaned in frustration and buried her face in her hands, rubbing the heels of her hands into her eyes.
I’m much more trustworthy than you think. Octavius muttered rather defensively in his thoughts to Arabella. Should we keep it a secret that I’m a vampire? Or do you think the hobgoblin has already picked up on that?
I beg of you, please don’t test her. She thought back with a warning look between her fingers. I’ve had a long day and I very much need to sleep before dealing with my aunt. . .
While Braxa would be entirely offended, she and her aunt shared similar tastes. If Braxa already didn’t like Octavius, Arabella wasn’t holding out much hopes that her Aunt Euphemia was going to like him either, regardless of his pretty face. Then again, there was very little that her Aunt Euphemia liked in this world apart from being a wealthy widow.
Does that mean you trust me? Octavius thought curiously, his garnet eyes seeking the very depths of her soul for an answer.
That’s yet to be seen. She sighed outwardly and dropped her head back against the seat cushion.
“You should rest ma’am,” Braxa murmured with concern. “There’s a good bit of a ride ahead and the carriage’s rocking should put you right to sleep.”
Arabella couldn’t even deem herself to smile or acknowledge the hobgoblin’s words as the exhaustion seeped into her bones. She doubted she’d have a fitful rest if the ride was as precariously bumpy and full of dips to Luneburg as it was to Vandale. Wanting this night to simply end, she allowed the exhaustion to take over and prayed to the gods they would get to Luneberg before the sun rose.
His new master was a most curious thing.
Octavius had never met a human who spoke so informally or with such care with another that wasn’t human. There was no air of superiority, degradation, or even the hint of hostility about her like his previous two male masters had, and there was only a strange sense of sympathy and compassion about her. It was entirely unnerving for him. Had she acted snobbish or even that she wanted to treat him like an exotic pet like all the others he would be ready to bite her throat and steal her life away, but he had no idea how to react to her kindness.
No woman, drow or human, had treated him with such kindness before. Even the hobgoblin treated him with some reproach simply because he was a drow and his people were notorious for being untrustworthy. His master, however, glossed over it as if it were a minor detail that was inconsequential to her. He couldn’t tell if she truly trusted him so blindly or if she truly were that naïve; he believed it was the latter, especially since she claimed she would release him once they made it to this place called Ottilie. However, no matter how trusting she was, Octavius wasn’t so trusting, especially of a human and after everything he’s gone through.
As if sensing his thoughts, the hobgoblin growled as she pointed a long bony finger at him. “Now you listen here, don’t you dare go causing any trouble for Miss Arabella. She had to go against her morals to get you to appease her dreadful aunt. This will eat her alive for the entirety of the trip to Ottilie.”
Octavius spared the hobgoblin an uninterested glance before looking over his master. Arabella, the name was as beautiful and pleasing as she was, and he could only hope she was as reverent as her namesake. Should this air of innocence be merely an act, he would have no qualms devouring her.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I don’t like that look on your face.” The hobgoblin’s green eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms. “Whatever thoughts you have about humans does not apply to Miss Arabella, you hear?”
The familiarity in which the hobgoblin spoke of his master intrigued him, even if minutely, and he allowed his curiosity to seek answers. “Is she not your master?”
“Certainly not!” She huffed as if it were obvious and stuck her nose in the air. “I’m a free hobgoblin which I earned myself. Miss Arabella is my employer and pays me to clean and manage the house. Even then, she would consider us equals among men and fights for the freedom and validation of monsters everywhere.”
It sounded too good to be true. From everything he’d seen nonhumans were still hunted down and sold as pets or into hard labor. The idea that humans were actually fighting for nonhumans’ freedom seemed like some sort of twisted game to lure them all into captivity. Then again, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been locked away for this time. There was no telling what the world was like now; though he doubted it was any better than he remembered it to be.
“High praise from a hobgoblin.” He scoffed and her frown deepened.
“You keep your species-ist opinions to yourself, you hear?” She waggled that long finger in his face. “I don’t know how long you’ve been locked up, but a whole war fought in 1861 for monster’s rights and freedoms as well as a treaty being set in place for those beyond the Veil.”
Octavius allowed the date to settle into his mind as he tried to recall just how long he’d been captured. He had only just graduated from university when he was sold to the Orion, but between the mind-numbing incense on the boats, the carriages, and underground facilities he’d been moved to, time hadn’t really existed for him. He wasn’t entirely sure how long he’d been a vampire either. Time was just an irritating concept for him where he felt many new strange things.
“Arabella wants equality for all and she’s fighting in the only way she can.” The hobgoblin continued to defend the sleeping lady in the most drivel way possible.
“By buying monsters?” he snorted in disbelief, ready to be finished with this conversation. “That hardly seems a way to fight.”
“Listen here you dusty old bag of dirt, just because you have a pretty face doesn’t mean I’m going to allow you to slander Miss Arabella.” Her tone shifted and he could almost sense her magic swirling around them. “She’s helped in all the charities to the cause, helped raised funds for the houses that needed raising, and even went to a dinner this evening with a horrible man who tried to take advantage of her just so she could make sure all nonhuman younglings could attend school. She’s done more than others and would give up her own home if it meant giving nonhumans a better chance at living.”
It was impressive that he could admit, but he was never one to blindly believe the words of others. He would see Arabella’s character for himself and judge her worth then. The hobgoblin’s ears suddenly drooped, and her expression turned gentle as she looked at Arabella.
“She’s got too giving a heart and needs to be protected for all the protecting she’s been doing.” The hobgoblin sighed and her face screwed up into a scowl. “Especially from her aunt. That ungrateful harridan is going to give her hell the entire time. . .”
“If this woman is so terrible,” Octavius countered, “why is she even bothering with her?”
“Because she’s far too soft for her own good.” The hobgoblin huffed and leaned back in her seat and rested her hands over her middle. “She’s got more kindness in the sliver of her nail than most people ever pretend to have, and it makes her an easy target to others.”
Octavius stole another look at his master. She seemed too frail to do these impressive things, and he could agree that she was definitely one that needed to be protected than doing the protecting. Her body swayed with the carriage, just barely staying upright when the carriage dipped into a pothole and threw her body off balance. Gravity pulled her forward and she nearly faceplanted into the hobgoblin’s lap, but he reflexively quickly caught her and leaned her onto his shoulder instead so she could have a proper rest. The crease in her brow fell away as he held her and something strange stirred within him as he took in her elegant features.
“Watch yourself, drow.” The hobgoblin clicked her tongue with a knowing grin. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up falling for her like the rest of us have.”
He chose not to take the hobgoblins’ words to heart, after all she was a hobgoblin and knew nothing about him. Besides, as long as Arabella wore that ring, everything between them was contractual and he was an indentured servant until he could find a way to escape. If his master was truly as kind as the hobgoblin made her out to be then he would honor her by keeping her alive until she made it to her destination, but the moment she should be just like all the other humans he would kill her. However just the thought of killing her caused the beast within him to growl in protest. He wished he could blame it on the blood contract that bound him, but there was an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach that forbade him from entertaining the idea.
Arabella’s eyes drooped for but a moment when the coach dipped precariously low in the road and the drop of it woke her up. Across from her, Braxa snored soundly, completely unperturbed by the rocking of the coach. Peeking through the curtains, Arabella could just barely make out the shape of buildings with how dark the area was. Squinting through the darkness, tiny blue flames flicking in street lanterns throughout the town casting an ominous blue glow. Staring at the eerie blue flames, her heart nearly stopped as she realized they weren’t ordinary flames. The flames were holy blue flames meant to flare brightly when magic users or monsters were too close to alert the hunters. She swallowed thickly as she calculated the distance from Vandale to both Luneburg and Fulton; it was far too close for comfort.
She did not like it.
Arabella had often heard of the beauty and rare wonders that could be found in Vandale, but she had also heard that the Orion Hunters hid here as well, auctioning off nonhumans as if the abolition laws had never pertained to them to high society and those who refused to listen to the law. The fact they still resided here meant they had gotten better about concealing their intentions. They were well renowned for their witch hunts, monster hunts, and for aiding on the wrong side of the war, wanting nothing more than to enslave monsters and magic users all over the world.
Arabella would need to be on guard as the blue flames would immediately try to seek her out. While her magic was considerably weaker than others, she still possessed magic. Staring at the eerie blue flames, she felt her magic try to withdraw deep within itself, to hide away from what loomed in the shadows.
She did not like how foreboding this night was as the coach came to a complete stop. She didn’t dare get out immediately in case some hunter lurked nearby and was only prompted to move when the coachman knocked on the wall. All her senses screamed to stay within the safety of the coach; however, she couldn’t risk her aunt’s ire tonight, especially not after the day she had with Governor Knox. A beating from the cane would simply be too much for her tonight.
Gathering her skirts she got out on wobbly legs and held onto the door for balance as she breathed in the night air. Even the air somehow seemed tainted and unpleasant for her to breathe. She needed to hurry with this business and get to the Edevane Estate as quickly as possible. Hand still gripping the door with hesitation, Arabella tried to weigh her options, but there was no telling what sort of trouble awaited them on the train out west. Her magic was weak and wasn’t something she could use defensively, and even if she could her aunt would protest her use of it.
“Hurry up then, I haven’t got all night!” The coachman barked impatiently before he hocked a lumph of phlegm onto the sidewalk.
Arabella pursed her lips, trying to steal her wavering courage, “If you’ll just wait here, I’ll only be a moment.”
While it went against everything she believed in, it would be best if she did her aunt’s bidding and swiftly left this foreboding town.
“Of course, ma’am,” the coachman snorted a little too pridefully, “a frail woman like yourself can’t be left alone in Vandale, it’ll cost you though.”
Of course it would, because why wouldn’t it?
It seems his swiftness in acting as her getaway driver from Governor Knox was only in the money it earned him. Arabella offered a quick polite smile and determined that the man’s greediness was but a small blessing from the gods so that she would have a ride waiting for her once her business had concluded. Grabbing her skirt, she marched forward towards the shop with the large painted sign ‘Pet Shop’.
Each step toward the pet shop made her instincts screaming at her to turn and run, but flashbacks of her aunt’s beatings against her spine kept her on track. Despite the dread telling her to turn back, a strange humming from within the shop eased her worries and summoned her forward with a strange sense of courage. Standing under the shop’s striped covered awning, the holy blue flames danced excitedly, as if they wanted to eat her magic. Ignoring the holy flames that threatened to out her, she grabbed the doorknob and pushed it open.
A sad dusty bell clattered overhead, and the door creaked loudly as she entered the shop. Coiling clouds of boggy green incense nearly choked the air from her lungs and sent her into a small coughing fit. Garlic, rosemary, and something sinister were mottled together to form a strange incense that caused a thick mind-numbing haze that dulled her senses. She wasn’t sure what sort of pet shop needed such a stupefying incense so strong, but it didn’t bode well for her as she waved her hand through the haze.
She’s here. . .
A voice whispered so clearly, she thought someone was beside her. However, as she turned to look, there was only a narrow path of assorted wares on the wall warped and wobbled, but the summoning hum grew louder in her ears now that she was within the shop. Blinking twice, clarity returned to her mind enough for her to distinguish chains, syringes, muzzles, collars, leashes, and strange articles that were meant to be clothing for humanoids and even jars of questionable substances labeled ‘pet food’ lined a path forward so narrow that she was afraid to step forward in her bustle skirt.
Her sleep deprived mind was slow to realize that this wasn’t a standard pet shop to get a cute furry friend for their journey. Aunt Euphemia sent her to collect something much more dangerous that went against Arabella’s morals. Arabella retreated a step back, hoping to leave unnoticed when a large, rotund man cloaked in a hunter’s uniform filled the space of the doorway, blocking her both the light and her path. His eyes were bloodshot and unnaturally blue, and his grin was full of crooked yellow teeth that held more wickedness than welcome as he looked down at her.
“Welcome to the Orion Hunter’s Pet Shop,” his voice was like clotted oil and deception. “How may I help you this fine evening, madam?”
Arabella hesitated as the humming in her mind paused and she debated if she could leave without making a purchase. She did not belong here and should never have stepped foot in such a place; however, the storekeeper’s shifty gaze told her she wasn’t leaving empty-handed, willingly or otherwise. Not wanting to allow him to intimidate her further, she rolled her shoulders back and kept her head held high like the woman of high society she was to regain control of the situation.
“My aunt and I are traveling west, and we need a travel companion for protection.” Her hands clenched together in front of her in frustration of the position her aunt had put her in. “My aunt spoke highly of your establishment and recommended I stop in.”
“Your aunt has excellent taste.” He chuckled in mild amusement and placed a hot greasy palm to the center of her back, pushing her forward. “I’m sure you’ll find just what you’re looking for amongst our finest selection. We’ve actually gotten in some new inventory that you’re seeing before everyone else.”
Past the less than desirable pet accessories towards the backwall was a sight that plunged a dagger through her heart. Behind a barred glass, nonhumans – orcs, tieflings, satyrs, and large werewolves – stood chained to the backwall on display. The shopkeeper prattled off the value of each one as they passed, but Arabella didn’t hear a word of it. She couldn’t take her eyes off their hunger-pained frames, ear tags, and pure hopelessness in their eyes.
How could anyone still do this? What was the war for if humans still caught them and caged them like animals? She thought angrily, her blood boiling in her ears. How could Aunt Euphemia want to make such an inhumane purchase; how can I make such a purchase?
Arabella felt sick. Had she realized where she was to go and what she was to do she wouldn’t have come here and go to Ottilie herself. There was little light in any of their eyes, and she wished she had more money in her purse to purchase them all and take them with her if only to save them from this place. The thought of having to buy their freedom which should have already been earned burned her with anger and guilt like a hot poker. She only wished she could do more, report to someone, but she wasn’t as familiar with who she could trust or who would even listen to her. She would have to settle for this for now until she could find a way to stop such travesty from continuing.
Aunt Euphemia had provided a blank check for her to use, but her aunt would be less than pleased if she purchased more than one to take with them. While she was a wealthy widow, she was a miser who valued her wealth more than bankers.
“Personally, I’d recommend one of the orcs.” The shopkeeper’s voice declared above her, breaking her away from her thoughts. “Full of muscle, and we’ve beaten most of them into obedience where they won’t even think to lay a hand on you.”
Don’t choose an orc; not the best choice. . .
A voice whispered in her mind and Arabella froze as the humming suddenly continued.
“They do look . . . nice.” Arabella pursed her lips, not wanting to sound offensive, not wanting to tarry in this shop any longer. “But I’m afraid I’m looking for a smaller companion to fit into my aunt’s travel car. There won’t be much room with all our luggage.”
The shopkeeper frowned and grunted, “I see, well, we have more in the back.”
In truth, she didn’t know what her aunt wanted, and she only wanted to get out of this horror shop when the humming returned. As the shopkeeper led her deeper into the shop, her blue eyes surveyed the ‘pets’ once more but couldn’t single out which one was humming to her.
Closer. . . Over here. . .
It wasn’t until they were a little closer to the register that she felt the pull of the hum, the demand to look left as the shopkeeper to steer her right when she saw him. There was no light in his cage, allowing his charcoal skin to camouflage with the rest of the dark surroundings, but his moonlit silver hair and wild garnet eyes staring directly at her stood out amongst the dense incense clouds. He was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. So beautiful that he practically took her breath away, or at least he would if it weren’t for the incense trying to choke the magic out of her. Following the summoning hum in the opposite direction of the shopkeeper, she approached his cage. Where was a wildness in his eyes that slowly calmed as she approached, as if he were pleased to see her.
Her eyes slowly trailed down his muzzled face and lithe body and stopped at the stake buried in his chest. She openly frowned, feeling the last straw of her will power to contain her composure. The loud clomping footsteps of the storekeeper had her turn around to face him.
“Why is he like this?” she demanded in indignation on his behalf.
“Because he’s a sneaky drow turned vampire that likes to bite.” The shopkeeper sneered and banged his hand against the cage hard enough to make it rattle through the shop. The wild fury returned to the vampire’s eyes as he glared at the shopkeeper, earning an amused chuckle.
I only bite those that deserve it, a voice whispered in Arabella’s mind, though I would be willing to change that if someone of the daytime asked nicely.
Her cheeks warmed at the implication of his tone but quickly composed her face into one of neutrality as she looked at the shopkeeper. “How much?’
“Pardon?”
“How much for him?”
“He’s not for sale.” He answered stubbornly.
“Oh, I highly doubt that.” She felt her temper growing and crossed her arms.
“He costs more than you have, that’s for sure” the shopkeeper sneered as he looked her head to toe. “Pretty as he is, he’s much more a threat than a pet, if you get what I mean.”
“And if I don’t?” Her tone was much more stubborn than she’d intended, but she’d had just about enough of men making decisions of what they assumed was best for her today; especially when it was the rights of someone else’s life.
“Look, ma’am, he’s already killed two other owners and was brought back,” he said briskly, trying to turn her gaze away from the attractive vampire. “Not to mention he’s a tracker and he’d only be useful for you at night.”
Not necessarily. The vampire’s voice hummed temptingly in her mind. I’ve many secrets they don’t know of. I couldn’t let them find out all of my abilities in their experiments.
Arabella’s heart seized at the idea of experiments and her neutral expression nearly broke. The vampire could very easily say that just to play into her more sympathetic nature, yet for him to be here in this shop, she couldn’t help but believe him. He was clever, that much was clear, but she wasn’t sure if clever was what she needed in the way of protection. Given her limited options, she didn’t exactly have much of a choice nor the time to consider other options, at least not without a guilty conscience.
“Third time’s the charm, right?” she muttered to herself and took a deep breath and set her chin. “He’s the one I want.”
She practically heard a pleased purr in her mind from the vampire.
“Ma’am,” the shopkeeper paled, actually looking nervous as he tried to reason with her. “I assure you; you don’t want him – ”
“It’s either him, or I take my business elsewhere.” She crossed her arms stubbornly, holding her head higher to push the point. “I’m sure this isn’t the only pet shop in town, I’m certain I’ll find better accommodations then.”
The shopkeeper’s frown was deep as though he wanted to argue with her, and either her stubbornness was truly formidable, or he’d had enough annoying customers today because he quickly held his hands up in surrender.
“Fine, have it your way then.”
He grabbed her by the wrist and took her to the counter. Squeezing his body around and into the counterspace behind the register, he put a premade contract, an angry looking silver pen, a standing needle, and a small red ring box on the counter. Suddenly the blank check in her handbag felt far too heavy and her heart raced as she slowly realized this was to be a blood contract. This would bind her as much as it would the vampire to the Orion Hunters in more way than one. They would have her blood and could discover her ability with magic. Her eyes, however, remained on the red ring box.
“What is that?” she pointed but didn’t touch the red box.
“If he doesn’t try to kill you immediately, this is how you’ll control him,” the shopkeeper lifted the lid to reveal a pyramid shaped stone protruding from a claw of control ring. The stone was moissanite stained a reddish brown, presumably with the blood of his previous owners. The magic lingering on the ring held a cursed energy of finding and possessing that caused her own magic to churn away from it.
“And if he does try to kill me?” she quipped back curiously.
“It’s how we’ll locate our body and him.”
The weight of his words caused Arabella to hesitate. While the stake rendered him powerless and immovable now, if he was as tricky as the shopkeeper claimed there was nothing she could do to stop him.
I won’t kill you. His voice sounded so sincere in her mind, but this did little to offer her comfort in her choice.
Why should I believe you? She countered back as her eyes skimmed the text of the contract. She wasn’t retaining any of the terms of the contract, but it at least made her less suspicious that she was having a conversation in her mind with a vampire.
You’ve done nothing to harm me; therefore, I have no need to seek revenge on you. He said pragmatically. And I don’t harm women unless absolutely necessary. . .
It shouldn’t have convinced her, but the humming in her mind turned into a purr and she felt obligated to proceed. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the shopkeeper.
“How do I sign?”
“First, prick your finger,” he slid the upright standing needle closer to her along with the pure silver pen. “You’ll need eight drops to properly sign.”
“Eight?” she sputtered, already feeling the pain of the sharp needle just be looking at it. Upon closer inspection it didn’t look as though it had been cleaned in a long time and made her worry of catching some sort of disease.
“For him.” He gestured to the vampire. “It takes eight drops of blood to have mastery over Octavius; four drops for the signature and four for the ring.”
“Octavius. . .” she repeated the name absentmindedly and swore she heard a pleased purr in her mind. “And how much will he cost before I prick my fingers?”
“Seeing as we’re on the topic of eight,” the shopkeeper’s grin curled crookedly on his face, “I’ll cut you a generous deal and say eight hundred dollars.”
Arabella blanched at the steep price. Her aunt would not be pleased with her to find out she spent a small fortune on a pet; she could very well earn her aunt’s swinging cane regardless of whether she showed up empty-handed or not. However, she didn’t have the time to haggle for a better price, nor could she risk him raising the price. Against her better judgement she pulled her aunt’s check out, scrawled out the amount, and slid the check across the counter.
His greasy hand easily swiped it behind the counter with a chuckle. He turned back to her with a greedy grin, then snatched her hand up and nearly pulled her across the counter. The force with which he pinched her fingers was enough to cut off the circulation and amplified the pain as he stabbed the needle into her ring finger. She cried out and tried in vain to free her hand.
“Hold still!” He huffed in a way that sounded more like a laugh. “Almost done!”
She felt the cool blunt tip of the pen, counted to four and suddenly felt the coolness of the stone quickly burn hot as the cursed energy greedily drank her blood before the ring was roughly jammed onto her finger.
“Sign!” he baked, “Quickly while the blood’s still hot!”
The pen was forced into her hand and with a shaking hand she managed to sign ‘Arabella Edevane’. She dropped the pen, and the shopkeeper snatched the contract away and rolled it up while Arabella clutched her hand, trying to stop the bleeding.
“Did you have to be so rough?” She demanded as the shopkeeper walked around the counter with a single key.
“You looked like you were hesitating,” he snorted, completely unbothered by his unprofessionalism. “I had to remove your flight before you chickened out.”
Arabella glared at the shopkeeper’s back as he approached Octavius’s cage and unlocked it. The door slid open, and the shopkeeper hesitated for a brief moment before harshly pulling the stake from Octavius’s chest. With a hiss of life, Octavius moved faster than her eyes could see and quickly swapped places with the shopkeeper and pinned him in place with his forearm at the other man’s throat.
Arabella was anxious to return to the safety of her home. She wasn’t sure how Governor Knox planned to explain himself to her or anyone else when he awoke, but she didn’t plan to entertain him otherwise. As the coach pulled around the corner to her house, Braxa burst through the door waving a letter in her hand over her head excitedly and pulling a travel trunk behind her. The moment the carriage came to a stop, Braxa flung herself on door of the coach.
“Braxa,” Arabella nearly shrieked as the coach rocked slightly. “What are you doing?”
“Ma’am, you’ve received a most urgent letter!” she blurted breathlessly with a wild look in her eye. “It arrived shortly after you left, it was only the butler that prevented me from running it out to you before you rolled away with that horrible man.”
“There’s no need to worry about Governor Knox any longer. I shall not be entertaining anything else he has to say to me.” she huffed as she pushed on the door to get out. “Johnny is seeing that things are set straight with the Governor.”
“Good, I always liked that boy, he’s always had a good head on his shoulders.” Braxa harrumphed in approval as she released her hold of the door and pulled it open. “It would make his mama proud for assisting you in your escape ma’am.”
Arabella nodded in agreement, a small smile creeping on her face as she slid out of the coach until her eyes caught hold of the letter clutched in Braxa’s hand. She recognized the wax seal as her aunt’s seal and a sense of foreboding filled her.
“You said it was urgent?”
“What?” The hobgoblin tilted her head in confusion before looking at her hand and gasping. “Oh, yes! Yes! Very urgent indeed! From your dreadful Aunt Euphemia.”
“It’s not good to speak of the elderly in such a way, Braxa.” Arabella chided gently as she accepted the letter and held it close to her, though she didn’t disagree with her.
Braxa scoffed, “She’s a youngling compared to me! I’m twenty years her senior in human years, so I’ll say what I want about that dreadful woman.”
“Aunt Euphemia isn’t the most pleasant person to be around,” Arabella sighed and was ready to pull her maid inside. “But let’s go inside so I can read the dreadful news.”
“There’s no time, ma’am.” Braxa shook her head and held her hands tightly in her own. “You must leave tonight, or you’ll miss the train.”
“Train?” Arabella blinked this knowledge and glanced at the letter and realized that it was already opened and carefully folded and closed again. Frowning most disapprovingly, she heaved a heavy sigh, “Braxa, did you read my private mail again?”
“The brownies got to it first since the mail arrived so late.” Braxa shrugged, completely unapologetic for her actions. “They were about to hide it into the mousehole in the wall when I came around the corner just in time to snatch it from them.”
It was a likely story. The brownies, while excellent housekeepers when bribed with a proper bowl of cream and occasional cookies, were also notorious for their little pranks. They had on more than one occasion run off with bills and other forms of important correspondence into the walls of the house. Braxa was the only one that could properly scold them and get them to return what they’d stolen.
“You read your letter while I tell the coachmen where we need to go.” Braxa shoved the letter into Arabella’s hands and darted towards the front of the coach.
“‘We’?” Arabella repeated as she grabbed Braxa’s hand, preventing her from darting off.
She shrugged nonchalantly and handed Arabella her handbag.
“Yes ma’am.” Braxa nodded her head vigilantly. “I can’t let a woman of your status and character go to Vandale alone. Now I’ll just be a moment.”
Braxa slipped her hand free and marched over to the coach driver. Arabella couldn’t quite make out what was said, but she heard numbers being thrown at the coachman as Braxa began to haggle a price. Not wanting to waste much more time, Arabella unfolded the letter and quickly read over the contents.
To my disappointing niece,
Upon receiving this letter, you are to leave immediately, do not even consider hesitating a breath longer. You are to join me on a train voyage out West to that dreaded monster filled town Ottilie to see your father. He’s not responded to any of my letters in the last three months and the banks claim the monthly allowance checks he normally sends has bounced. I can only assume that since you’re his dependent you’ve also experienced something similar; if not you must tell me if my younger brother is neglecting me.
I plan to get to the bottom of this myself. I don’t have time to dawdle with lawyers and men of the like who will take too long to provide a proper answer when the entire Edevane estate is at stake.
Before you come to the Edevane Estate, you are to go to Vandale and stop in at the O.H. Pet Shop and acquire the most suitable travel companion that will act as our protection as we travel. You are to pick up a male of an intimidating height, unoffensive face, and lean build so they don’t eat all the provisions along the way.
I’ve already signed and provided a blank check which you are to use to pay. Try to be reasonable and don’t allow the salesman over charge you.
My train car leaves Saturday June 19. If you’re not here, I can only assume that the postal service has yet again failed me in sending my urgent letters in a timely manner, or you are truly a disappointment and have left me to fend for myself.
Euphemia, the head of the Edevane Estate.
Arabella’s lips formed tightened into a displeased frown. Aunt Euphemia was still the same in bitterness, blunt insults and demands. While Arabella wasn’t exactly accomplished like her cousins with secure financial but loveless marriages, being called ‘disappointing’ was a little much, even for Aunt Euphemia. Then again Aunt Euphemia was known for stating her opinions, rude or otherwise, regardless of taking the other person’s feelings into account. The barbed words had admittedly stung and a part of her would almost rather risk traveling West alone, but if this was the letter her father had told her about, she needed to obey her aunt and depart immediately.
She was desperate to get out of her dinner dress and into something much lighter, especially since she was certainly overdressed for the ride to Vandale, but she supposed it would suffice so they could depart quickly. Even if it was late in the evening, Aunt Euphemia wasn’t one to wait for anyone, especially not Arabella. She carefully refolded the letter and the check with a sigh and slipped them into her handbag. She wished this could have waited until morning.
The clacking of Braxa’s heels made Arabella turn and she was more than surprised to see her travel trunk packed and ready for her. She did remember Braxa dragging it behind her when she originally climbed the coach but seeing it in the lantern light somehow solidified the face she was leaving.
“The driver’s got the address, ma’am,” Braxa said with a disapproving look as she bent to pick up the travel trunk. “I already took the liberty of packing your trunk.”
Arabella silently nodded and against her better judgement she climbed back into the coach and Braxa took the seat across from her. As the coach pulled away, she stole a long gaze at her mother’s childhood home she had the sinking feeling that she might not see it again. She prayed to the gods that she would be able to keep it out of Cousin Leroy’s hands.
OCTAVIUS
It was a particularly busy day in the pet shop, which was most strange. On average the bell above the door would only ring three times at most, but today the bell ran an incessant amount. Octavius could only assume that there was some sort of sale going on, especially since the storekeeper had upped the output of the herbal incense puffing in all the holding cells to keep everyone docile. He had kept his eyes closed in a vain attempt to ignore the noxious herbal incense puffing on his face and choking his lungs to keep him weak. He wasn’t sure what was worse, the incense or stares and commentary from the customers. None of them were worthy of note and had nothing interesting in their minds to listen to as they explored the wares.
Whatever the sale was, it must have been good to keep a constant flow of traffic in the shop. Normally the shopkeeper doesn’t allow more than five customers in the shop at a time due to the limited spacing in the shop. After being here long enough Octavius could assume it was that time of year when the Orion Hunters were auctioning off nonhumans to make room for the new stock. Enough of the others were gone by the time there was a lull in business that Octavius could see the Orion Hunters had made a small fortune today.
It made his inner beast more irritable than usual, scratching at his sanity to escape and howling madly as if to seek something out. Staked immobile in his cell he itched to stretch even his fingers or wiggle his toes. His throat burned for just a drop of blood to ease the need for his thirst. The conglomeration of humans traversing the shop only heightened the need for his thirst to be quenched.
The bell chimed for what felt like the twentieth time today as new customers entered the shop to gawk at him and the beast harrumphed in disappointment and curled in on itself back in the recesses of his mind. The gasps and low murmuring grated his nerves, and he wanted nothing more than the usual silence to pretend to sleep. Their commentary on his rarity and steep price was enough to make him open his eyes to cast a glare at them. Their faces blurred together beneath the swampy green haze that shrouded his holding tank and reeked of money and ill intent.
A hand slapped on the glass and the store manager’s chortle guided the people away from Octavius’s holding cell and warned them of his biting habit. Octavius was the center display piece in the store to draw in the customers only to be at such a high price that they were forced to purchase someone else. After all, what was as intriguing as a drow turned vampire? He was a novelty, coincidentally exotically alluring as he was dangerous, and his very nature drew wealthy fools to him like moths to a flame.
The store manager was wise to make his price so incredibly high as Octavius was currently the only one to have returned to the shop twice for the same offense. He had drained his previous owners dry with no regrets and was tracked down by the Orion Hunters before he could escape the city. The fools that purchased him were for their own ill-gotten gain and deserved their deaths. Had they considered keeping him in a gilded cage like some sort of pet, perhaps he would’ve given them the chance to live longer; then again perhaps not.
In his first year of being in the shop, his first owner was some sort of wealthy railway owner who was expanding towards the west of the continent. He had multiple crews working night and day to accomplish this. It was the first time Octavius had ever been on a train, and for how thrilling it was it came to an abysmal end the moment he stepped off the train. His first owner originally wanted Octavius to punish the night workers who were shackle bound moth folk who were too frail to lift a hammer over their heads to pound the large nails into the ground. A moth child had been thrust at his feet, and he immediately turned on the humans, causing an outbreak and freeing most of the moth folk. In his bloodbath he’d turned on his master and quickly found himself staked and back in the shop. He certainly hadn’t enjoyed returning to the shop, but setting some of the moth folk free had been worth it.
It wasn’t even two months later after his return that his second owner hadn’t minded the manager’s warning and bought him for a trade to the red-light district to make up for his deep debt. While the Tiefling madame of the house was most intrigued by him, she had a sharper eye for the danger that followed Octavius and wisely rejected the offer. His owner didn’t take the rejection well and immediately pointed a gun at her. Octavius couldn’t explain the compulsion that had come over him to take the bullet for the madame, but he had and with the pain of the bullet he allowed the beast’s bloodlust to devour his owner. In his bloodlust haze he vaguely heard the madame offer to assist him in his freedom if he killed a few more of the less than wanted customers. He had too readily agreed and caused too big of a scene that he was hauled back to the shop.
He was admittedly all too eager to drain a third just so he could be put on death row and end this miserable life he was forced to live. If the calendar behind the register was correct, it had been a little over five years now since he last had an owner. Given how dutifully the manager worked to draw customers in and then deter them, he was certain he wouldn’t have another owner until a generation had passed so time could forget him. However, the beast within him felt a strange call deep within his soul that was certain he would be purchased today. Octavius knew better than to hold onto a false hope, but with the foot traffic that came in, he found himself rousing every now and then to see if his third owner was arriving today.
As daylight faded for the evening to take over, the flow of customers slowed to a dull pace to the point where the manager muttered something about closing early. Whatever hopes Octavius had faded away with the day. Ready to resign to his fate, Octavius closed his eyes and tried to settle in for the night when there was a sharp pull in his chest. It came so hard and fast he thought the wooden stake had been ripped from his chest. His eyes snapped open in anticipation, but he saw nothing. The beast within him, however, grew restless once more and pawed impatiently at his chest, howling even louder than before.
Suddenly, the bell rang and soft dainty footsteps entered the shop. For some strange reason it had him wanting to twist about to see who had entered as the beast crooned approvingly. This was too strange, he’d never once felt like this before, yet as he heard the store manager speaking to the customer, a strange anticipation filled him.
Across the river, large gold letters spelled out ‘Delphinium’ atop the entrance of a three-story white brick building that sat on the corner, acting as the glorious centerpiece of the surrounding brownstone buildings. Large baskets of white flowers hung between the high standing roman columns that decorated the building with pride. Gold gilding sparkled in the rarity of electric lighting, screaming of grandeur and opulence that only the wealthiest could afford.
As the coach panned to the right to cross the bridge, there was already a long line of coaches waiting to drop off their guests at Delphinium. Arabella was worried she would be trapped in the coach with the governor for a long time, but Governor Knox’s coach pulled into a separate empty lane labeled ‘VIP’ where there were only three other coaches parked. Her stomach dropped as they cut in front of all the other guests; however, Governor Knox practically strutted like a peacock as he escorted her towards the restaurant. Each step closer to the building she felt him pull her closer, as if to make a show of who was accompanying him for dinner, and she tried not to shrivel away from him.
Footmen greeted them at the doors and opened the large ornate oak doors. Arabella stepped onto a grand purple and gold carpet and heard orchestral music playing the current popular pieces as they went through the small foyer area. Governor Knox held her arm a little too close as he nearly marched up to the host stand and waited impatiently in line behind other guests. The plush purple carpet did little to absorb the sounds from the dining hall. Gentle laughter of Fulton’s wealthiest socialites went over clinking glasses of champagne and expensive wine and was just loud enough to drown out the violin solo. It was the briefest glimpse of what those with too much money could afford and as enchanting as it was it made Arabella wish these folks would donate such large funds to the charities that needed it.
With a hard tug on her arm Arabella nearly stumbled as they were brought before the host stand where a small human man with a tiny mustache and combed back hair stood. “Good evening, good sir and mademoiselle,” he said curtly in a foreign accent as he looked down his sharp nose. “Do you have a reservation today, Governor Knox?”
“Of course I do,” Governor Knox said with a little too loud. “Knox, table for two.”
“Ah, yes, I see you here Governor Knox.” He smiled professionally, though Arabella could detect some annoyance in his strained smile as he checked the name off his list, and tucked two menus under his arm before leading the way through the dining hall.
The laughter and chatter turned into hushed whispers as soon as they entered, all eyes following them as they crossed the room to the private dining room. They were escorted behind a large wooden door into an elegant room set for two. Arabella’s stomach threatened to climb up her throat as she was led to the table, and the host pulled her chair out for her. While there were no visible shackles, invisible ones strapped her into her seat and caused her heart to race erratically as the host left.
The private room was of an adequate size, but it felt unnecessarily small with just the two of them there and Governor Knox too close. Arabella wanted to flee. She had to breathe through her nose to remain calm and not empty her already small stomach into her lap. She stared at the menu in front of her hoping to distract her growing anxiety, but the letters seemed to move and refused to remain still enough for her to read them clearly.
Water being poured into her goblet snapped her out of the oncoming attack and a familiar voice tickled her ears. “Good evening, sir and ma’am,” The polite jersey accent pulled her eyes upwards, and her anxiety slowly bled away as she gazed up at the familiar orc. “My name’s Johnny and I’ll be waitin’ on you this evening.”
The handsome orc with dark chestnut hair braided down his back and blue eyes full of concern was her ex-footman. He was gentle, kind, and very thorough in everything that he had done that she held onto him for as long as she could before unfortunately having to let him go a little over a month ago. Unlike her current staff, he was younger and had more opportunities for better and greater things, though she was incredibly surprised to see him here in all places. He could fix anything and had hands meant for crafting art which were wasted on an establishment like his.
Arabella wanted to ask him how he ended up here, but she felt Governor Knox’s beady eyes narrow suspiciously at them. Not wanting to get him in trouble she quickly tore her gaze away and sipped her water. Her mind and heart felt a little clearer as she set the glass down and took the appropriate chance to review the menu. Governor Knox voice cut in with forced joviality, sending an icy chill through Arabella.
“I’ll have an old fashion to start, though I’m sure I’ll need several more to get through this evening.” His beady eyes barely spared a glance over the menu as he closed it. “And bring me two platters of the crab cake appetizers and anything the lady here likes.”
“Of course, sir,” Johnny nodded dutifully and turned to Arabella, his eyes softening at the edges. “And for you ma’am?”
“Just water.” She responded quickly, “I’m afraid my stomach won’t be able to handle anything too heavy this evening.”
Governor Knox snorted rather loudly, as if her delicate stomach were utterly ridiculous. Johnny’s expression remained professional and poised but she noticed the tick in his jaw.
“I recommend the elderflower tonic from the Garden Party selection, Miss Edevane,” he skillfully flipped the page and pointed to the nonalcoholic beverage selection. “It’s light and refreshing, and I’ll make sure there’s no alcohol for your lighter palate.”
“That sounds lovely,” she nodded appreciatively, “thank you.”
“Of course, ma’am,” the corners of his mouth curled up knowingly. “Should you have any questions or dietary restrictions when it comes time to order your entrée, just let me know. I’ll return soon.”
With a polite bow he turned on his heel and left the room, taking the joy with him. The room seemed to grow a hint darker despite the glowing electric lights around them. She quickly stole another sip of her water before steeling her nerves for the awaited discussion.
“Delphinium is too fine a place to dine to for our discussion, isn’t it?” Arabella teased slightly, hoping to get him in good spirits. “I believe a simple meal at home with your chef would have more than sufficed.”
“Hardly,” he snorted snobbishly. “While my chef is accomplished, he just can’t seem to replicate the flavors I like here.”
“Is that so?” Her smile grew strained as she carefully placed her hands in her lap under the table and prayed Johnny would return swiftly.
“Delphinium is the finest restaurant I’ve ever been to though it’s a shame it’s across the river and not in Fulton.” He smiled politely, but his usual joviality had yet to return, “Still, I wanted to properly wine and dine you before we get into our topic tonight.”
The words were just what she expected, but there was something in his tone that had alarm bells ringing in her ears. He had made quite a show showing her off as his dining companion that she couldn’t help but wonder what they would actually be discussing this evening.
Not wanting to let the alarm bells ring too loudly, she cleared her throat. “I noticed the host recognized you immediately. Do you come here often, or does your reputation precede you so well?”
“Both,” his mouth tugged up in a smug sort of way and there was a sparkle in his beady eyes as he pulled on his lapels. “As the Governor of Fulton, all the citizens recognize me, of course, but I can’t help but frequent the delicacies here. They’re just too good to resist.”
He patted his rotund stomach and chuckled to himself, and Arabella could only force an amused smile in response. Thankfully Johnny returned with a silver domed tray in one hand above his head and a small serving tray with glasses in the other. He set the silver dome before the governor and with a flourish of his wrist popped the tray off to reveal fully stuffed crab cakes. The way Governor Knox inhaled in excitement sounded akin to a pig snort, not even bothering to wait for Johnny to set the drinks on the table before immediately snatching up a crab cake to immediately devour it Arabella quickly hid her disgust behind her menu and prayed there was something light enough for her stomach as Johnny gently placed her elderberry tonic beside her.
“Anything in particular catching your eye ma’am?”
Feeling overwhelmed by the many heavy meat options, Arabella chewed her lip nervously. “Is there anything that has more vegetables than meat?”
“Of course.” He nodded assuredly and gently turned the page, “if you look towards the bottom of the entrée list, though limited, there are a few vegetarian options.”
Her eyes followed his pinky and ready the entrées over with a small nod of her head, though nothing seemed very appetizing with her growing lack of appetite.
“If I may, ma’am,” he said with a knowing look. “The mushroom risotto should appeal to your more delicate palate. The mushrooms are quite fresh, and I can make sure it’s the lightest sprinkling of parmesan on it for you.”
“That sounds perfect,” she breathed a small sigh of relief and her stomach seemed eager for the food. “The house salad will more than suffice for the side.”
“As you wish, ma’am.”
“The last thing a thin lady like you needs is vegetables, Miss Evedane. You need more meat!” Governor Knox harrumphed dismissively and banged his fist on the table. “We’ll have the porterhouse for two and pommes puree.”
Arabella openly frowned as Johnny tucked her menu under his arm. Johnny’s jaw ticked again but he kept his mouth shut to remain professional. Once Governor Knox finished the last of his crab cakes, he sloppily licked his fingers and rudely slid the empty platter to Johnny. With a careful exhale through his nose Johnny took the empty platter back and stood straighter.
“Very well sir,” his tone was tight, Arabella sensed his temper flaring, but he managed to remain calm as he took the menus from them. “I shall put the order in.”
With quick, quiet assured steps Johnny left the room and Arabella wanted to leave with him. She could hardly believe Governor Knox’s behavior. It was entirely too rude for a man in his political and social standing.
“That orc was acting rather familiar with you, Miss Evedane,” Governor Knox frowned disapprovingly as he wiped his sausage fingers on the fabric napkin and sipped his drink. “Should I request another server?”
If she didn’t know better, she would assume he wasn’t a fan of Johnny specifically because he was an orc.
“Of course not.” She frowned, hardly understanding his abrupt shift in attitude. “Johnny was one of my previous employees. He was previously my footman; a good, diligent worker he was, and I was sad to let him go.”
Guilt poked at her heart as she spoke the words aloud and she really prayed he was getting paid well to be working here.
“If you liked him so much, why did you let him go?” Governor Knox suddenly leaned forward with a condescending eagerness in his gaze that quickly twisted the guilt inside Arabella.
Her eyes flicked back to him in annoyance at his obvious probing for answers from the gossip that surrounded her. It was obvious he knew of her circumstances and wanted to prey on them for his own personal gain. While he was paying for the meal and had the upper hand, she wouldn’t allow the important conversation they needed to have to be forgotten so easily. Doing her best to remain calm, Arabella responded coolly, “I’m afraid that isn’t relevant to our conversation this evening, Governor Knox.”
“On the contrary, Miss Evedane, I think it’s most relevant to our conversation, especially since it aligns with the noble cause you wish to defend.” He leaned his elbow on the table, his ears practically burning to drink up every bit of tea she could spill. “Tell me, why would you let such a valuable employee who just so happens to be an orc go free from your employ?”
Shame and embarrassment burned her to her core, but she supposed he had a point. It was rather hypocritical to defend her cause when she unfortunately had to let Johnny go, though this felt more like an excuse to abuse his power. The cool weight of the sleeping draught resting in her bosom suddenly felt very tempting to use to get out of this situation.
“I could no longer afford to keep him.” She answered simply.
“Why ever not?” Devilish eagerness coated his postering sweet tone as he leaned forward. “Surely your father’s gold mine out west is doing just fine. My stock and bonds have profited greatly from it this quarter.”
That news lightened her worry on the business side, though it did little to ease her nerves about her current financial situation.
“The gold mine is just fine,” she said in a clipped tone, “however there seems to be a problem with the bank, and if I had to guess Cousin Leroy had something to do with it.”
It was half true, but his eyes practically glittered at the news, and he had the decency to look horrified on her behalf. “Leroy has always been a bit bullheaded; you don’t think he’s turning things in favor so he can get your house, now do you?”
It appeared the rumor mill following her was a little closer to home than she cared to admit. No doubt Cousin Leroy had something to do with it.
She quickly averted her gaze. “Regardless, my lawyers are getting things sorted out.”
That was a lie. Her lawyers were working on it, but Cousin Leroy was quick to pay them off in his favor; not that the governor needed to know that. The pitying look from those beady eyes as he smiled sympathetically at her told her he didn’t believe her.
“Now, Miss Evedane, I wouldn’t normally offer this, but should you be in the financial straits I think you to be in, I don’t mind loaning you the necessary funds to keep you afloat this summer,” a dark shadow across his face as he grinned with a plot in mind, “for the right price of course.”
“I assure you, Governor Knox, I’m quite fine, but I’m . . .” Her skin crawled and she quickly shook her head. “Flattered by your offer.” She couldn’t allow things to spiral too far and needed to get back to the task at hand. “Besides, I doubt I could afford the interest I would need to pay you.”
Not wanting to look at him any longer, Arabella sipped the elderberry tonic and hummed at how refreshing it tasted. It was almost enough to make her forgive the governor’s rudeness and digging; almost.
“Oh, I’m quite certain you could, Miss Edevane.” He chortled and propped his triple chin upon his large hand and nursed his drink. “I would resolve all your issues and make sure your monsters get integrated into the school for the considerably low price of your hand in marriage.”
She nearly spat her drink out, but instead, swallowed too quickly and choked on it. Arabella broke into a coughing fit and nearly knocked her drink off the table. “I –” she gasped sharply around a cough, “beg your finest pardon?”
Governor Knox chuckled in amusement at her reaction.
“Easy, now Miss Edevane, I haven’t even told you the best part.” His tone was full of mirth that her heart couldn’t stomach. “Leroy is the one who told me of your financial troubles and that you’ve long since given up trying to find a husband and were simply too shy to approach me.”
Ice seeped into her veins, and she wanted to break right then and there. She knew that Cousin Leroy was low, but she hadn’t known he’d reach the scum in the gutters.
“He did what?”
“It would work in both our favors, wouldn’t it?”
That feeling of entrapment locked around her waist and the alarm bells picked up again as she shook her head in disagreement. “I can’t possibly see how.”
“I need a wife to leave my wealth to since none of my children are deserving of it, and you need a husband to manage your father’s gold mine. It’s perfect, isn’t it?” Amusement slid into his gaze as he slung the rest of his drink back in a single gulp. “I’ve been most persistent for over a month now, doing everything I can to woo you. You certainly do like to play hard to get.”
Arabella would have had to be blind to not see his obvious advances but chose to save face by not acknowledging his advancements. She wanted to avoid causing a misunderstanding; it looks as though her efforts were in vain.
“I had assumed your agreement to join me for dinner tonight was because I’d finally worn you down.” He chuckled darkly to himself. “Afterall, you can’t believe that I was going to allow those monsters into the school without the proper extortion, now do you? I do have a political standing to uphold. While abolition was the outcome of the war, not as many people agree as you think.”
“Governor Knox,” Arabella spoke firmly, hoping to regain control over the situation. “I came here this evening to speak about the inclusion of the nonhuman community into our schools! Not to become your wife!”
“Well now, that’s shame,” he tutted slowly with a shake of his head. “Because unless you become my wife there’s no way I’ll allow those monsters into our schools to sully the reputation of Fulton and steal opportunities from my grandchildren!”
Arabella could only gape at the horrible and incorrigible man before her. She truly thought she had a chance to change his mind without properly seeing his intentions. She felt like such a fool. Hot tears of shame burned the backs of her eyes just as the door opened again and Johnny returned with a cart with two silver domes atop it. She quickly averted her eyes and quickly swiped under her eyes Governor Knox proceeded to return to his more jovial mindset.
“The food is here already?” He clapped his hands together eagerly. “My, my, you must have known I was starving!”
“Timeliness is of the utmost importance to Delphinium, sir.” Johnny responded curtly as he placed the platters before them and promptly removed the silver domes.
A wonderful garden salad and mushroom risotto sat before Arabella while two servings of the porterhouse for two and a large bowl of pommes puree.
“My, my, this is quite a feast.” Governor Knox said greedily as he rubbed his hands together and immediately began cutting into his food, hardly sparing a glance to see that Arabella was eating the salad that she’d ordered.
“Can I get you anything else?”
Johnny’s eyes quickly turned to Arabella, concern deep in his blue eyes. Arabella smiled weakly and she gently shook her head. Johnny lingered for only a moment, sparing an annoyed glance at the governor before inevitably leaving the room.
Arabella was thankful for the salad, though she mostly pushed the food around on her plate. She had completely lost her appetite and her dinner companion who lacked the proper table manners to eat quietly hadn’t noticed. His face was covered in the porterhouse sauce, pommes puree stuck to the lapels of his dinner suit, and he burped loudly between mouthfuls.
“This is so good, isn’t it?” Governor Knox chortled between bites. “Worth every penny, even if we are being served by an orc.”
Arabella didn’t bother to hide her discontent and remained silent. She needed to come up with a way to put the sleeping draught in his drink without his notice. Governor Knox let out another burp, only this time his stomach bubbled loudly, and he groaned. Arabella hardly had a chance to react before the governor fell face first into his food. The dinnerware and silverware clattered loudly, and Arabella bolted from her seat. Governor Knox was entirely slumped over the table and not moving.
“Governor Knox?” Arabella asked timidly, poking him to make sure he was alive. She could just barely make out the slow rise and fall of his chest when the door to the room opened and Johnny bolted in.
Feeling like a criminal she froze in place and turned in horror at Johnny.
“Is he finally out?” Johnny asked in a hushed tone, hardly seeming surprised by the state of the governor.
“I’m sorry?”
“I was worried when I came to take your entrée order that the sleeping draught hadn’t taken effect yet,” Johnny continued completely unbothered by the man sitting face first in his steak. “I’ve had to up the dosage since his last visit. . .”
“Up his dosage?” Arabella parroted, hardly able to conceive the situation she currently found herself in. “Johnny, do you do this often?”
“Only to save the poor dinner companions he brings here.” He shrugged as he hefted Governor Knox to a sitting position. His mouth fell open and he snored loudly. “For the last three months Governor Knox here has taken to bringing the girls here before drugging them and raping them at his house. It’s the only thing we can do to stop him. . .”
Arabella’s knees nearly went out from under her, but she quickly reached behind her for her seat. The realization that Governor Knox was going to do that very thing to her just to get her to agree to marry him and steal her father’s mining business left an ember of anger within her.
“I can’t believe I nearly fell for it.” She muttered in disbelief at herself.
She should have known better. There were, after all, two rules to society, men’s and women’s, and one of her friends had already suffered from the men’s rules and was cast out of her home. Had Johnny not intervened she would have been caught in the sticky web of lies of men’s rules and suffered a great many losses.
“He’s tactful, Miss Edevane, I will give him that.” Johnny frowned as he carefully wiped his hands clean. “However, when his coachmen told me who he was bringing tonight, I couldn’t let anything happen to you.”
His ears turned darker, and Arabella’s heart swelled even more with guilt.
“Even after I let you go?”
“You didn’t do it maliciously, Miss Edevane,” he gave her a sympathetic smile. “Many of us were anticipatin’ it, to be honest. While you’ve done your best to hide it that Leroy fellow keeps spreadin’ words around town of your financial ruin. None of us believed it of course, but when you started letting us go, we suspected you were in some kind of trouble.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Ain’t nothin’ to be sorry for ma’am.” Johnny shook her head and held his arm out to her. “You were a good mistress of the house and always treated us with respect, and that’s more than what most people do. Saving you from this pig is the least I could do.”
Tears threatened to rise to her eyes, but he quickly boxed her meal up and pulled her to her feet.
“As nice as it was seeing you again, Miss Edevane, you really need to get out of here.” He insisted and placed her boxed meal in her hand. “The sleeping draught won’t last long, and you need to get out of here before he wakes up.”
“What will happen to him?”
“He’ll be charged the bill and carted home,” Johnny shrugged. “But you shouldn’t worry about that. You just follow me and I’ll take you through the server’s way to the back to get you home.”
Arabella wasted no time following him through a series of winding pathways away from the public eye that led to a back exit. A small coach was already waiting for her. Johnny assisted her onto the coach, barked the address to the driver, and slammed the door shut. He stood outside long enough to watch the coach cart her away. She determined that when she got the financial matters settled, she would need to repay him for this; somehow.
The cool cloth helped to lessen the redness in her eyes, and she could only hope that they would return to normal on her way to school. It was the last day of the semester before the summer break, and she wanted to end the year off well. With the lightest dusting of powder to hide the dark circles under her eyes and to bring a healthy touch of color to her complexion, she was suitable enough to teach for the day. Braxa buttoned her into dress in her blue dress and managed to convince her to eat a few bites of her breakfast, though her stomach was hardly pleased to have anything in it after exerting so much magic. It twisted and turned uncomfortably for most of her walk to work and didn’t settle until she passed the park.
Coaches rolled past as Arabella took her usual path along the sidewalk to work. She caught glimpses of familiar socialite faces, those that once called her friend, quickly turning away from her gaze. Their obvious rejections of her morning greeting stung, but it was not unexpected. Fulton was a small city, and everyone more than likely knew of her sudden struggle in her finances, she wouldn’t put it past Cousin Leroy to be outspoken of her diminishing financial situation in his vast social company.
Keeping her eyes forward and drawing her parasol closer, she chose not to interact further so that both parties could save a little face. She could see the steps to the school, her small sanctuary, when she felt a large and familiar presence looming behind her.
“Why, if it isn’t the lovely Miss Edevane!”
Governor Knox’s booming cheerful voice forced her feet to halt and she internally groaned. Of all the people to run into this morning, Governor Knox was not the most ideal. He was a jovially good man, but at sixty-three not only did he lack a sense of awareness or personal space, but he was also long winded and selectively deaf to the school bells and always reeked of bourbon. The last few weeks leading to summer break, he had been taking his granddaughter to school so Arabella couldn’t avoid him.
Throwing on her best smile she turned around to watch him trotting up the sidewalk already sweating like a pig in a suit. “Good morning, Governor Knox,” she greeted politely and turned her eyes to his granddaughter and her best student Elizabeth. “And good morning to you, Elizabeth.”
“Good morning, Miss Edevane,” she smiled shyly, and her blue eyes quickly darted to the ground as she fidgeted nervously with the lace on her skirt. Her blonde curls were pulled back to gently frame her face and suited her nicely.
“Are you ready for the summer break?” Arabella asked gently, keeping an ear out for the bells for a hasty escape.
“I should hope so,” her grandfather spoke up, his proud smile completely hid under his silver mustache and tugged on the lapels of his suit coat. “The family is already planning a lovely picnic in the park for my daughter’s birthday this weekend and Elizabeth here is excited to beat all the kids her in the ring toss game.”
Elizabeth preened bashfully under the praise of her ring tossing skills, which for a girl of eight years was most impressive. Arabella smiled encouragingly and rocked on her back foot to be a little closer to the school.
“It sounds like a very exciting start to the summer.” Arabella’s hand tightened on the handle of her parasol. “I just hope you pick up a book or two over the summer in preparation for grade four.”
“Come now, Miss Edevane, surely you wouldn’t tell a child to remain indoors all summer with their nose stuck in a book when there’s so much fun to have.” Governor Knox’s beady black eyes locked in on her. Despite the warm morning his gaze caused an icy chill to cling to her.
“Fun and games are wonderful, but they shouldn’t deter from one’s education.” She smiled politely but really had to force the polite society tone in her voice. “The future holds many promises, and we don’t want to steal any opportunities from them, now do we?”
“Well, I suppose I can’t argue with that,” though his tone hinted that he wanted to. With a pinched smile he patted Elizabeth’s back, urging her forward. The child scurried over to Arabella and clung to her hand.
“I best be getting on, then.” Governor Knox sighed as he tugged on his lapels, “I’ve a meeting with the board of education coming up this week in preparation for the next semester and I need to review a few things before then.”
Arabella wanted to take Elizabeth and escape into the school building, but her curiosity for the future education was stronger. Over the last few weeks there’s been whispered rumors of changes to the acadrmy come fall, and many were already picking sides. With the freed nonhumans becoming more prevalent in Fulton, they have sought out establishments willing to provide an education to the older generations. The all-girl’s academy had more than enough classrooms for the evening lessons and enough seats for any that needed to attend during the day, but the faculty was divided. It has caused such an uproar that she was certain it was at least one topic of discussion in the meeting.
“I hope the meeting is to include an open enrollment for the freed nonhumans and those with a lower income,” Arabella said resolutely, quietly searching for Governor Knox’s own view on the topic. “It would be most commendable and historical if the governor of Fulton were to be the first step towards progress and inclusion of the freed monsters and lower income to the schools.”
“‘Commendable and historical’? Well, that’ll depend on the board and what they present to me in the meeting,” a sly grin slipped into place on his very round face as he rubbed his triple chin. “However, I wouldn’t be opposed to have a bit more persuasion over dinner, Miss Evedane.”
Arabella’s heart pattered nervously and her mind floundered to produce an appropriate excuse to get out of yet another one of Governor Knox’s dinner invitations. She knew being alone with him wouldn’t end well. Despite his jovial nature, Governor Knox was known to have a heavy hand with his drinking problem and many women from the red-light district had already banned him from their facilities. Her reputation in society was already fragile and should any new rumors spin from dinner with the governor she would be shunned in the women’s circle for being seen too advantageous, or worse.
Still, she struggled to come up with a proper rejection, especially since she held the cause for including the nonhumans society near and dear to her heart. Arabella knew who was on the board of education and who wanted to keep the schools as segregated and elite to impede the progress for the less fortunate as possible. Though her instincts told her this was a trap and not to agree, her heart demanded she be the one to advocate for the silent voices. She swallowed thickly, the brooch at the front of her neck weighing heavily as she forced the words from her mouth.
“Today is the last day of the semester, so once I sign off for the day, I will be free this evening. . .”
Wicked elation painted the governor’s face as he quickly grabbed her hands in his while regret instantly twisted in her already upset stomach.
“Oh, thank you, Miss Evedane, I assure you won’t regret it!”
Thankfully, the school bell rang and provided the perfect excuse for her to pull her hand away and usher Elizabeth inside. She already regretted agreeing.
“Have a good day, Governor Knox. . .”
Arabella felt his beady black eyes on her back as she took brisk steps towards the school and continued to feel their chilling presence long after the doors of the school shut behind her. Her stomach twisted the whole way to her classroom, threatening to rise in her throat, but when she saw her students waiting for her in her classroom a sense of perseverance washed over her. Throwing on a very quick smile she hooked the handle of her parasol onto her desk drawer. Regardless of her circumstances, she could make sure they had good fun on the last day.
What Arabella wouldn’t have given to have made the day last a little longer to stop the night from coming. For their last day of class, she had all her students write about their summer plans. Some of her students were visiting their families down south, some were crossing the seas to the Old-World countries, and others were looking forward to the festivities happening in Fulton. Their excitement was almost enough to assuage the dread she felt about the evening. She was skimming over the last of the essays when Elizabeth’s mother, Marian Meadows, arrived to pick her up for the day. Arabella prayed with fleeting hope that the governor would cancel his plans and have his daughter relay the message to her.
“Afternoon, Mrs. Meadows,” Arabella greeted on bated breath before turning to call into her classroom. “Elizabeth, you’re mother’s here!”
“Coming!”
“Afternoon, Ms. Edevane,” Mrs. Meadows’ smile was polite but tight as she watched her daughter gather her schoolbooks. “My father’s informed me you’ve accepted his invitation for dinner.”
Arabella’s stomach twisted and she gave a weak nod. Arabella and Marian were once schoolmates from elementary school all the way to finishing school and while they weren’t friends, they were at least on mostly good terms. However, given her rather stiff demeanor, something was amiss.
“He’s really looking forward to it.” A peculiar look crossed Marian’s face. “I should hope I am not to call you mother in the future.”
“I should sincerely hope not.” Arabella blurted, completely horrified by the question, and immediately blushed by the outburst. “The dinner is to be entirely professional and is about some potential ideas for expansion for the nonhumans next semester.”
Marian seemed to relax by this, and a much more genuine smile crossed her face. Arabella could hardly blame her for the accusation as many women their age would find it most appealing to pursue such an older man for the hopes of gaining his wealth in their widowhood. It would unnerve anyone should their father pursue someone their daughter’s age.
“If you’ve truly no desire to become my mother,” she exhaled sharply through her nose and took Arabella’s hands in her own, “I sincerely recommend slipping a sleeping draught in his wine, otherwise he will be less than a gentleman to you once the meal is over.”
The dread which she’d managed to keep at bay all day quickly bled into her veins once more. Marian Meadow quickly pulled her hands away and threw on a bright smile as Elizabeth came running towards them.
“For your sake, Ms. Edevane, I truly hope you heed my advice.” Marian Meadows called over her shoulder, “Your reputation can’t stand much else to lose.”
Arabella could only wave them off as Marion Meadows wasted no time in leaving. As feeling slowly returned to her hands, a small glass vial of powder rested in Arabella’s hand. She quickly tucked it into her pocket and glanced over her shoulder, suddenly worried someone had witnessed their conversation.
Arabella couldn’t leave the academy fast enough.
Braxa was far from pleased to hear of the poor agreement she’d made with Governor Knox and begged her to reconsider. The rumors told from Knox’s staff about his private life was hardly one of an upstanding elected official. The gambling, drinking, smoking, and exclusive private dinners with women from the red-light district in his home would make his late wife roll in her grave.
“No one else would dare try to convince Governor Knox to expand the classes and have open enrollment for the nonhumans,” Arabella huffed stubbornly as Braxa finished pinning her hair. “Certainly not any of the men ready to brownnose their way into his pocket.”
“But must it be you, ma’am?” Braxa’s too wide smile turned into a too wide frown. “There’s plenty of us that know of your character and would happily return to work for you once the funds return.”
Gratitude and embarrassment lashed Arabella’s heart that the staff was aware of the financial situation; though she supposed it was hardly subtle. She was down to the bare bones in terms of staff so she shouldn’t have been embarrassed, but her societal upbringing promptly swatted her heart. Braxa’s praise of her character, though, was just enough to act as a soothing balm to the sting. Despite what society demanded from her, her mother’s good morals stood out loudest in her mind and she did her best to uphold them. For them to be seen by the very people she wanted to help nearly brought a tear to her eye.
“I’m honored to hear that. . .” she swallowed thickly, refusing to start crying else because it would lead to blubbering, and quickly swiped her finger under her eye. “But yes, I must be the one to speak up. If I don’t, my conscious would never forgive me.”
“You’re too goodhearted for your own good, ma’am.”
The hobgoblin sighed disapprovingly with a shake of her head and turned to grab the dark blue dinner dress with the white lace trim and a high lace neckline. While the more traditional fashion was to have the shoulders bare for the evenings, Arabella refused to risk any misunderstanding with Governor Knox. She would remain professional during dinner, say her piece, come home in one piece, and await the dreaded letter from her dreadful aunt.
“Has anything com in the mail today?” She asked with the new worry in her mind.
“Not yet, ma’am,” she shook her head slowly. “Just bills according to Davis.”
Arabella deflated and couldn’t hide her disappointment. She wasn’t sure how accurate her father’s prediction was, but she hoped her aunt’s letter would arrive soon. If this dinner didn’t go well, she truly needed that letter to arrive as the best excuse to get out of Fulton.
Gently sinched into the dinner dress, Arabella descended the stairs as a knock came at the door. Her heart rose up in her throat as she approached the door, her heart pounding loudly in her ears as her butler Davis opened the door. Governor Knox’s large form managed to squeeze through the door and Arabella immediately froze as she felt his beady eyes on her once more. His eyes slowly rolled over her, as if he were debating where to start to devour her. Mr. Davis quickly cleared his throat and the governor blinked and with great effort managed to bring his eyes back up to her face.
“You’re as lovely as a picture, Miss Evedane,” his large hand swallowed hers as he pressed a wet kiss to the top of her hand. “Are you ready for this evening?”
“Once I have my cloak, yes.” Her voice was much more rigid than she meant. She wanted to sound confident and brush past his perverted gaze, but she could hear the fear in her voice.
“Excellent, I think you’ll truly enjoy dining at the Delphinium.” He rolled his fat thumb under the lapel of his coat and looked far too pleased with himself.
Delphinium was the most expensive and luxurious restaurant closest to Fulton, and Arabella knew this was his way of trying to make a statement. While she wanted to keep this dinner professional, she had the sinking feeling that Governor Knox was turning the tables to suit his own desires. A part of her wondered if she should even remotely tempt fate and go on this excursion, however she was already dressed and ready and it would be a waste of Braxa’s efforts.
“A fine dining experience indeed.” Arabella’s smile was shaky at best, but it seemed to do the trick as the governor turned back to the door.
Much too quickly her cape was wrapped around her shoulders and Braxa’s gnarled hands held hers, pressing something small and cool to her hand.
“I insist you call us should something happen, ma’am.” Braxa dipped her chin low, making her large green eyes somehow even larger as she patted her hand. “We’ll be right there should you need us.”
“Thank you, Braxa.” She whispered, her courage quickly failing her.
“Now you make sure you slip this into his glass the moment you get to the table.” Braxa murmured as she adjusted the cloak to sit correctly on her shoulders. “He’s far too fat for it to take immediately, but it will get the job done before the meal is over.”
Arabella almost questioned what Braxa was telling her when she stole a glance of the sleeping draught bottle that Marian Meadows slipped her earlier. She quickly slipped it inside her cleavage, just under the lace neckline. It was cold and foreboding, but it offered her a strange sense of peace that perhaps things would be all right. Rolling her shoulders back with a new feeling of confidence, she turned on her heel and exited the sanctity of her home.
Governor Knox was waiting most impatiently outside his coach, looking far too eager to get the evening started. He extended his hand towards her to assist her in the coach, and she was thankful for the fullness of her skirt that wouldn’t allow room for him to join her in her seat. The entire coach groaned and wobbled under the governor’s weight as he climbed into the carriage and made Arabella say a quiet prayer as the door closed them in together. He huffed and puffed until he was settled before knocking on the back wall to signal to the coachman he was ready to depart. Arabella quickly turned her attention to the window and prayed they had made it to the restaurant before the sun went down.
Her mother’s favorite time of year was always June, for her it was when she felt her magic at its peak. The weather was warm but not too hot, the birds flitted about, the flowers in her garden were in bloom, fresh ivy climbed the brick walls, and if one paid special attention to the bushes, the brownies were hard at work chasing off the rats in the bushes as their break from the indoor chores. Tea was always held in the garden so long as the weather permitted, morning, noon and night. This was how Arabella remembered teatime with her mother, and June was the time her mother chose to have their annual teatime in her dreams from the afterlife. Even in her dreams it was still terribly real.
Her mother’s resting spirit liked visiting every early summer of the lovely garden of her childhood brownstone home, but each visit always left Arabella terribly exhausted when she woke up. Arabella wasn’t prominent in her magic as a spirit seer to converse with the deceased for long in her dreams like her mother and ancestor were. Her skills would have improved under her mother’s tutelage had her mother not passed when she was a child. However, with Luneburg’s outlaw of magic without an approved license and not enough magic tutors in spirit magic, Arabella was entirely beside herself. She kept her magic inclinations a secret and regretted that her powers were going to waste, but it helped her blend in with the rest of society.
Not that blending in with the rest of society has been doing her much good lately. Between her cousin pestering her about her mother’s house and her father’s lack of responses to her correspondence, she wasn’t exactly fitting in with her finances being questioned at every turn. Arabella tried to push such thoughts from her mind; she didn’t need such disappointing thoughts in her mind when she had such limited time with her mother. Taking a deep breath, Arabella cleared her mind for the meeting.
The air shifted and the flitting birds suddenly found branches to roost upon as a gentle but powerful presence entered the space. Her heart flickered with excitement, but she didn’t look back to greet her mother. She must wait for her mother’s spirit to join her at the white painted cast iron table for tea, else she risked losing her sensibility when she woke up. Keeping her eyes on the soft lavender bushes, the chair across her scratched the brick floor as her mother had taken her sea, notifying her it was safe to look.
With curling hair as pale as the moon and eyes like violets she was still as alluring as a spirit as she was alive. Dressed in a fine pale tea gown, her mother seemed to be the embodiment of magic.
You’re looking well, dear.” Her mother’s soft ethereal voice cooed, and Arabella felt the ghost of a hand touch her face, encouraging Arabella to look at her. “Still fair and far too skinny, but you do look well.”
“I assure you I’m of good health, mother.” Arabella smiled brightly and turned to face her mother. “I eat three meals a day with morning and evening tea with plenty of treats in-between to fill my belly when I’m not teaching. My weight only shrinks so severely when we meet like this.”
“There is always a cost with magic, even if I’m aiding you, dear.”
Her smile was kind, but still full of concern. With a wave of her hand a tea tray of rose and lavender teacakes appeared as well as a piping hot pot of tea with three cups. Arabella instantly noticed the third cup and was strangely curious about it. In the decade of these tea parties there have only ever been two cups for the two of them.
“Now, dear,” her mother quickly regathered her attention. “Tell me about your life and what’s happened in the last year since we spoke.”
There was a nervous flutter in her stomach as she tried to think of where to being. So much had happened within the last year, but more terrifying things have happened in the last six months that she wasn’t sure how much it was safe to reveal.
“I’ve secured a job position as a teacher of the third grade at the all-girl’s academy.” She summarized promptly, just barely containing her excitement. “The semester is coming to a close tomorrow though.”
“A teacher?” she hummed in genuine surprise. “They allow women to teach outside the home now adays?”
“Progress has moved most favorably for women in the last decade mother,” she rolled her shoulders back with a small modicum of pride. “Higher education, the ability to work and do more outside the home aside from charities and volunteering; it’s giving the current women a new purpose with a hope for the future.”
“I can only imagine.”
“I’m most excited to help pave the way for the future of young girls to achieve higher things.” She couldn’t withhold her smile as she recalled one of her students. “Elizabeth Meadows is the Governor Knox’s granddaughter, and she’s determined to become the first female governor of Fulton.”
“My, my, quite the advantageous dream for such a young girl, I can only hope she achieves it.” Her mother’s mouth formed a small smile as she primly poured the tea into the cups.
“The nonhumans have also finally gained their freedom and liberty, though the opportunity for them is nowhere near as fast as it should be.”
“I regret not being able to experience it for myself . . .”
Bittersweetness coated Arabella’s insides at wishing her mother were still alive to see it for herself but was glad she could call on her at least once a year. The mood for tea shifted slightly as her mother handed her a cup and grabbed a rose teacake for herself.
“And what of my house?” her mother’s brow ticked high in curiosity. “Has my greedy cousin Leroy tried claiming the house from under you?”
Arabella’s smile waned. She had hoped to avoid this particular topic. It was a rather complicated matter she didn’t want to worry her mother with, especially since there was little she could do to help her.
“No, I still have the house in Fulton,” she swallowed thickly, “much to Leroy’s displeasure.”
Arabella quickly took a sip of her tea and quickly thought of a potential change in subject, so she didn’t have to explain the abrupt financial strait she found herself in.
“Good.” Her mother huffed in mild relief as she took a considerably large bite out of the teacake. “He was always a greedy little bugger who would be far too pleased taking everything from the Turner’s name just to turn around and make a profit off it.”
Arabella nodded in agreement. Since her mother’s passing cousin Leroy has been most adamant about taking the house from her since she was eleven years old. Her father had delayed his return to Ottilie after the funeral to ensure she could stay in the family home in Fulton long enough to complete her schooling and to potentially find a life partner or complete a degree of higher education. Much to Leroy’s chagrin, none of the suitors he’d picked suited her and found better matches. However, Arabella was unable to find a suitor of her own at the Luneburg Community College she’d attended, well at least one that would be accepted by society at the time. There were quite a few men had caught her eye, but they weren’t human and her Aunt Euphemia refused any of their advances when she was under her roof.
They were in an era of progress which meant it was a time of opportunity for all, though progress moved at a gratingly slow pace. Since the war, many things have changed for the betterment of nonhuman species in society, freedom, education, job opportunities, and housing, but not without some pushback from the old hateful bigots. More and more opportunities were opening for them, though there was a small group of people who preferred the old ways to the new and had no problem hindering progress as a whole. Cousin Leroy and Aunt Euphemia were two of those great offenders to progress that would do everything within their power to make sure to keep them in the gutters.
Fighting for nonhuman rights was an uphill battle that Arabella was more than happy to participate in whenever she was able. Her heart was heavily laden with a strong sense of duty to help these people, but especially the children. Thanks to the efforts of the people, there were now two schools in Fulton that allowed the nonhuman species to attend, however neither were easy to attend without the cost of a high fee nor were either easy to reach since so many lived in the country. Arabella’s home was closer to the country, resting just on the outer ring of society so she could attend the parties, but still have her own quiet life away from it all. Arabella had on more than one occasion housed many of the students so they would have an easier time attending school, but with her own dwindling finances it grew more difficult to do so.
“And what of your finances, dear?” Her mother’s question made her mind prickle like a cat caught for it dreaded monthly bath. “I know you secured the teaching position, but is that enough to support you?”
Admittedly, it wasn’t. Teaching inspiring young minds didn’t pay hardly enough for her to afford a closet space to rent in her home, but she certainly wasn’t going to tell her mother that. It had been roughly six months since her father responded to one of her letters and three months since one of his checks came through to pay for the monthly bill on the house. That has prompted Cousin Leroy’s rude inquiring about the house, her father, and finances. He’s been at her door every week for two months since the bank inquired about a delay in payment to the next eligible man listed on the account for the house.
Due to her own fears of the future, she’d remained frugal in her expenses and saved as much as she possibly could. She had enough saved up where she alone could pay for the house through the summer, but that was after she’d guiltily let go several members of staff. She only had a cook, her personal maid, and a butler now. She’d done her best to leave glowing reviews for the staff she’d very unwillingly let go, and many of them had found jobs, but that didn’t stop the whispers from going around society.
“They’re . . . fine.” She answered mildly and quickly stuffed her face with a lavender teacake.
“Fine, isn’t security my dear.” Her mother gave her a pitiful smile and a knowing look. “Especially since your father has been with me for three months.”
The teacake suddenly got lodged in her throat and she coughed loudly to dislodge it. When she finally calmed down and turned to look at her mother to ask her what she meant, she gasped. Her father stood behind her mother, just as she remembered with black hair as dark as coal, sapphire eyes, his favorite tan business suit, and a full mustache curled with an apologetic smile.
“Papa?” Tears formed in her eyes and her heart jumped up in her throat.
“Hello, Arabella.” His voice was warm and forlorn. “It’s so good to see you, I only wish I’d have seen you for Yule like I wanted. . .”
His work and the heavy snow in Ottilie prevented him from crossing the country for the holiday. She was, of course, disappointed but had understood and celebrated with the staff as she did every year he was unable to attend.
“I don’t understand,” her heart squeezed tightly. “When? How?”
“About three months ago,” he swallowed thickly. “As to how, I’ve yet to truly discover it myself.”
She had so many questions, but a shrill ring, ring, ring tolled off in the distance. She didn’t have much longer before she awakened.
“We don’t have long, Arabella, but I’ll try to be quick.” Her father said urgently. “By now my accountant would have stopped by the house, found my body and stopped all my deposits from going through to the banks. A letter should have been sent to my sister Euphemia and given how she feels about free nonhumans, she will more than likely ask you to travel with her to the house in Ottilie.”
“You’re certain?”
While her aunt hated nonhumans, Aunt Euphemia was hardly the type to need anyone to assist her in such a small thing as traveling across the country. The shrill bell was growing louder.
RING, RING, RING.
“I beg that you go with her, if only to receive my will and to see the house.” His eyes shined earnestly. “I finally had it finished over the winter season and wanted to have you come see it during the spring. . .”
“Yes, of course.” She swallowed thickly, still unable to process it all and could feel her mind slipping from the dream plane.
“You don’t even have to take over the company if you do not wish to,” he urged as he walked around the table towards her, “you can sell it and live comfortably if that is what you would like.”
“I will consider all my options, papa.”
“Oh, and when you get there, whatever you do.” He grabbed Arabella’s hand tight and desperate, his blue eyes almost haunting, “do not drink anything in the cellar, I think it was tampered with.”
RING, RING, RING!
Arabella awoke with a gasp, her chest constricting with the need for air, but her body felt like led and prevented her from rising. Her hands rigidly clutched the bedding in a small attempt to regain control over her body, her eyes watered as she stared at the ceiling before turning her head towards the window to see the early rays of dawn bleeding through the curtains. She was awake in the safety of her bed, she was aware of her surroundings, and more importantly she was alive.
Releasing breath, she wasn’t aware she was holding, her body slowly relaxed as air filled her lungs. Five deep and slow breaths later her body finally allowed her to move. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she pushed the hair clinging to her sweaty forehead away with her hand and picked up the hand mirror on her nightstand. Her appearance was most ghoulish, deep dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, her clammy skin was as pale as dried bones, and her hair fell flat, devoid of its usual vibrance. She would terrify her students if they saw her without her cosmetics.
Rising from her bed on wobbly legs, Arabella moved to the pitcher and basin in the corner of her room. Using two unsteady hands to pour she managed not to make a mess as the water sloshed into the basin. There was a tremble in her hands as she quickly splashed the water on her face, the cool water was nice against her warm skin and helped to calm her racing heart, though it did little to soothe the mourning loss nibbling a hole in her heart.
Her father was dead.
She had considered it a possibility with how he would overwork himself, but she never wanted it to happen. It explained the lack of his correspondence as well as delay in the monthly payments for the house. While she thankfully had it paid for through the summer, she wasn’t sure what she would do with it if there was a house for her in Ottilie. Her mother would roll in her grave if Cousin Leroy got it, the first thing he’d do would enlist the Orion Hunters to cleanse the ancient magic that was rooted in the garden and have them gather up the brownies and pixies. She refused to allow such a thing to happen, but she was beside herself with what to do. It frustrated her to the point of tears.
“Calm down, Arabella.” She scolded her gaunt reflection. “It’s too early to fret and papa has a will. He wouldn’t leave you destitute . . .”
Her father had long since prepared for this and reassured her two Yule’s ago that he’d made sure she would inherit everything with his passing, but everything he had was in Ottilie not Fulton. Since the brown stone was under the Turner name, it was a trickier situation.
A knock at the door made her quickly dry her face with the towel as the maid came in. Her maid was a square jawed hobgoblin with terracotta skin, a pointed nose, the most curious green eyes and black hair pulled back in the tightest bun that it practically stretched her face into the too wide smile on her face. Braxa was a loyal staff member who’d served her mother and knew how to trick the brownies into cooperating and helping out with chores since the dismissal of staff.
“Good morning, Ms. Arabella.” She greeted warmly as she set the breakfast tray on the bed and immediately went to the wardrobe to pull out her garments for the day. “You’re up mighty early today.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t sleep well,” Arabella admitted weakly as she used the towel to gently dab at the wet spots along her hairline.
“A bad dream, ma’am?” Her smile shrank as she tilted her head. Worry pinched her brows as she looked at Arabella and gasped. Braxa’s long fingers touched under Arabella’s jaw and gently turned her head side to side. Arabella winced; she would need extra cosmetics today. “Did you lay awake all night again fretting about things?”
“No,” Arabella shook her head and sat back on her cushioned vanity stool. “My mother visited me. . .”
“Ah, it is that time of year, isn’t it?”
Braxa turned to the calendar on the wall and nodded her head somberly as she realized it was the sixteenth of June, the day her mother died ten years ago. Braxa moved to the water basin and folded a small washcloth longways, dipped it into the water, and squeezed the excess out before returning to Arabella’s side and gently placed it over her eyes.
“This should help the redness ease away sooner.”
“Thank you, Braxa.”
Braxa moved automatically grabbing the comb and running it through Arabella’s pale-yellow hair, making sure to be extra careful on the tangled curls.
“How was she? Mrs. Miriam?”
“Good as always,” she hummed to herself. “I told her about my position as a teacher, how things have slowly started opening up for both women and monsters and she was pleasantly surprised about it all.”
“Glad to hear it, Miss Arabella,” she hummed softly as her long fingers ran through her hair and already started styling it into a lovely swooping bun atop her head. “She’d be most proud of the woman you’ve become and all the good things you’re doing.”
Braxa’s kind praise made her heart swell, though it made the guilt weigh that much heavier in her stomach. She couldn’t bring herself to explain the discovery of her father’s death nor that she couldn’t afford to keep her employed for much longer if she didn’t receive her inheritance from her father’s will soon. She could only hope and pray that her father’s will and his business secured her with enough wealth for her remaining future so she could properly pay for her employees and make sure Cousin Leroy didn’t try to claim the house.
The clattering of wooden wheels against cobblestone streets and the sloshing of water crashing against rocks woke him. His body was heavy as if he had drunk one of his brother’s detestable homemade wines and his head pounded loudly in his ears. But he knew he wasn’t drunk, he’d only had water this evening, but he couldn’t explain why he felt this way or where he was. There was no water in the Under Deark that would crash against rocks unless it was close to the surface. His eyes slowly opened, clarity returned to his vision with each blink, and he quickly found himself in the back of a closed wagon.
The salty air turned his stomach, and if he wasn’t already on his side, he would have vomited at the stench of it. Ristel tried to sit up, but found he was physically incapable with enchanted rope binding his hands and feet. He didn’t know where exactly he was, but from the stench of salt in the air and water sloshing outside the wagon, he quickly guessed he was somehow on the surface.
He wasn’t supposed to be on the surface.
He was supposed to be waking up in his bed in the Under Dark to hear the announcement of the matriarch’s decision of whose house he was to go to after winning second place of his graduation ceremony. The House of Myar and the House of Haur had staked claims on him and the matriarch of the House of Glannath was eager to discuss the benefits of the prospects. He remembered returning to his chambers for the evening but had no recollection of how he was bound and in an unfamiliar place. This wasn’t one of his brothers’ usual cruel pranks, this was very, very real and regardless of how he got here, he needed to find a way to escape.
With great effort he forced himself to sit up and felt strangely cold and empty from whatever was in his system. It had to be some sort of poison created by the drow, it was certainly far too enhanced for a surface dweller to conjure up, and it had nullifying effects to his magic. Given how quickly the drow were to take advantage of one another, finding out who did this was of little concern. His greatest concern was getting out of his confinement and figuring out a way to get home. Just as feeling was slowly returning to his fingers, the wagon suddenly stopped, and the door pulled open. Glowing violet eyes appeared in the darkness, staring down at him eagerly with a greedy pointed tooth smile revealing itself as Faeka of House of Myar stepped into the moonlight. She was dressed in her finest robe of concealment and looked far too pleased that he was awake. He quickly averted his eyes and desperately tried in vain to summon his magic.
“Well, well, it looks like my stolen prize is awake.” Her smile grew more pointed as she stepped into the wagon and approached him. “I guess I should have given you a larger dosage of my poison.”
“You did this?” he huffed out as he tried to move in his restraints. Ristel at least assumed correctly that it was a drow poison in his system, though he hadn’t quite anticipated it coming from the House of Myar. “Why?”
“Simple,” she shrugged as she looked down her sharp nose at him. “The House of Glannath declared Haur’s offer better than the House of Myar and I couldn’t stand for it. If I can’t have you, then I’ll be damned if the House of Haur gets you.”
Faeka Myar was never one to take a losing well and made sure her enemies paid greatly for it, though why Ristel was suffering her wrath was beyond him.
“So, you kidnapped me?” His brow pinched in confusion.
“Kidnapped?” she barked a cruel laugh and traced a hooked nail down his cheek. “No, you pretty thing, I’ve traded you to the Orion Hunters for a wonderful batch of surface dwellers to enhance the wealth and power of the House of Myar.”
“Why?”
“To make Glannath regret rejecting my offer.”
Faeka was much too prideful if she thought selling him off for her own gain would make the House of Glannath regretful. They would be furious and humiliated and all too eager to retaliate, but not regretful. Knowing how strong the house of Myar was, though, Faeka was undoubtedly ready for the confrontation that would come from this. She roughly gripped his chin and stared at him, taking in his features as he avidly avoided her gaze.
“It is a pity,” she sighed listlessly, “with your pretty face and powers as the second best from the graduation ceremony I had hoped to breed strong magical heirs, but Lolth provided a better option for me.”
Ristel knew better than to anticipate anything else but betrayal from his own kind, but he didn’t believe any drow would stoop so low as to sell their own to the Orion Hunters; he was clearly proven wrong. Rage filled him as he glared at the cruel female drow and he wanted nothing more than to burn the smile off her face, but so long as the poison pumped through him, there was nothing he could do physically or magically. He managed to rip his chin free from her hand and she merely smiled in amusement.
“You’re stronger than I thought to have woken so early,” she mused, releasing his chin to grab him by his hair and snatching a knot in her hand. “I’ll have to make sure to give your new keepers a good dosage to keep you compliant for the journey.”
She started to drag him out of the wagon, and he weakly fought against her hold.
“Where are they taking me?”
“I don’t know. I’ve already gotten what I wanted.” She shrugged, completely unbothered. “It is none of my concern, you’ll have to ask the Orion Hunters.”
“Lolth will not bless you for selling one of her own to humans.”
Faeka’s confident smile turned down into a scowl and whatever amusement she had faded into anger. “Lolth is the one who provided the opportunity to sell you, and I’ve wasted enough words on you, male.”
With a snatch of her wrist, she dragged him out of the wagon by his hair and made sure he hit the ground hard the moment he was exposed to the surface air. After spending his whole life in the Under Dark, the clean air of the surface was too pure for his lungs and filled him with the freshest breath only to be immediately expelled from his body the moment he felt the hauntingly holy glowing blue eyes of the Orion Hunters watching him.
He couldn’t tell them apart, they all had shaved heads, glowing blue eyes, and large muscley builds under ordained white robes with blue crosses to signify their devout holiness. They were more akin to warriors that belonged on a battlefield than devout holy men, but who was he to say what humans could and couldn’t be. Ristel had never associated with any humans, let alone any others besides the drow. The large bulky men moved aside, and a shorter thinner male dressed in a similar holy garb, but without the blue cross stepped forward adjusting large round glasses on his face.
“My, my, if he isn’t a perfectly unique specimen.” His dark blue eyes shined with eagerness as he assessed Ristel. “You’ve outdone yourself this time, Lady Faeka.”
“You’ve yet to be displeased with anything I’ve brought you, Dr. Boyle” she scoffed with pride and grinned darkly down at Ristel. “He was my favorite, so I do hope you enjoy him.”
Ristel couldn’t help but wonder how many of their own people she’s willingly turned over to these humans. There was enough truth to the rumors to know that once the Orion Hunters got their hands on a rare breed, they would do everything they could to extract all forms of valuable information from them whether they were alive or dead. The drow had many secrets that were better left as secrets. Lolth would rebuke Faeka for selling her chosen people to the humans if only for the knowledge it provided them.
“Tis most true,” Dr. Boyle chuckled in agreement and stepped forward. “You’ve provided the necessary sedatives?”
Faeka dug into her pouch and held at least a dozen glowing magenta vials. “Two of these should keep him at bay for the majority of the journey, if not the whole of it, though it would behoove you to use them sparingly until you can replicate it in your lab.”
“Duly noted, Lady Faeka,” Dr. Boyle bowed with a flourish of his wrist and held his hand out expectantly.
Faeka chuckled in amusement at the strange sense of worship the small Orion Hunter offered to her and placed the vials in his hands. Dr. Boyle kept his head bent low as he took a step back and carefully tucked the vials into his pockets. Grabbing Ristel by the hair once more, Faeka easily tossed him over to the larger men and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“Until our next deal.”
Ristel landed hard on his side and looked up at the smaller human’s face. The eagerness in his eye bordered on manic as he smiled.
“Load him up and take extra care not to break him.” Boyle pushed his round glasses back onto his nose, and there was a malicious blue glow in his eyes. “I plan to have so much fun dissecting him.”
Large burly hands hoisted him in the air until he was over someone’s shoulder. Unable to even fight against his bindings or call upon his magic, the world Ristel knew got farther and farther away as the Orion Hunter carried him aboard a ship and below the deck. The salty stench in the air grew worse as he was taken into the belly of the ship and tossed into a holding celling. Though he was still bound in rope, he was shoved behind bars, quickly shackled hands and feet, and a thick collar was wrapped around his neck. There was a prick of a needle at the nape of his neck, and he felt the cold liquid of Faeka’s special poison seeping into his veins.
“Hopefully this does it.” The smaller human chuckled as he placed an empty vial in his hands. “I would hate to waste such a precious resource, so be a good drow and take a nice long nap.”
Ristel wanted to turn and cast a spell to take the head clean off his shoulders, but all too quickly the poison took effect and once again he sunk to darkness.
[SCENE CHANGE]
Where . . . am I?
I want to go home!
I want my mommy.
I’m going to die here. . .
Oh no, we’ve finally arrived . . .
The barrage of fearful thoughts of others roused Ristel from his unwanted slumber. The fact he could hear other’s thoughts again was a good sign that his magic was recovering, if at a dismal pace, though he couldn’t completely call upon it. His mana levels felt as though they were completely empty and iced over, as if he had somehow exerted too much when he hadn’t used them since his graduation. These had to be some sort of lingering side effects from Faeka’s poison, and he hoped Lolth would make her pay for what she’d done in good time.
As his cognitive functions were coming back, he noted that his body felt as though it were led, his tongue dry and swollen, and as he managed to sit up quickly discovered he was no longer alone. Squinting through the darkness there were at least fifty people, orcs, tieflings, hobgoblins, and others bound in chains, stuffed shoulder to shoulder on the opposite side of the bars. From the hopelessness painted on their faces he easily assessed that they were either sold to or captured by the Orion Hunters.
“Finally up, drow?” someone near him grunted, causing Ristel to turn his head in the direction of the voice.
A green tiefling that looked as though he’d been drawn out of the sea sat beside him. His head was shaved haphazardly, half of left of his curved horns was missing, and there was a strange layer of film over his golden eyes that hinted at some potential blindness.
“Where are we?”
“Far from home,” the tiefling scoffed, “from the whispers I’ve heard, I’d gather we’re in the New World.”
“New World?” Ristel’s brow furrowed. They were whispering in the Under Dark that the surface dwellers had found a new uncharted continent to colonize and steal the magic from, but it had sounded too good to be true to Ristel; turns out he was proven wrong yet again.
“Supposed to be a place of new beginnings to those who come here willingly.” The tiefling shrugged, “Can’t say what it will mean for us though.”
“Nothing good, that’s for certain . . .”
Another voice spoke up and forced Ristel to look up and find there were twelve others residing in the space behind the bars with him. He wasn’t sure what set them apart from the others to be separated by bars, but if they were selected by the scientist as he was, which didn’t bode well for any of them. With the slight rocking of the ship, he couldn’t tell if they were moving or docked.
Gulls called loudly outside and the center of Ristel’s chest suddenly felt very hot. Looking down, there was a ray of sun singing his skin and finally forced him to move. Stealing a peak through the smallest hole in the wall where the sunbeam was cutting through, all he saw for miles was blue. He’d never seen the day light sky before, it was perhaps the most unique shade of blue, it was bright and nearly blinding after living his entire life in the under dark. It was different from the Orion Hunters’ trademark blue eyes, it was pure, warm, and the promise of a better future, however but given his current predicament he was in it was foolish to believe anything that shade of blue promised.
Suddenly the only door opened, allowing the blinding sunlight to streak through, and the Orion Hunters barged in and started pulling people up by their chains, half-dragging them out of the room.
“Easy with the cargo!” a hunter barked from above the deck. “We want to make a decent profit this time!”
As those bound in chain ascended up the stairs, the familiar slim figure of the scientist descended the stairs with bulky Orion Hunter with a ring of keys behind him. They stopped outside the barred cage and Boyle’s face spread in slow menacingly excited smile. The others behind the bars shrank back against the walls as the scientist poked his head through the bars, but unable to move more than his fingers Ristel glared directly at him.
“Well, well, well, if my specimens aren’t all bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to leave.” Boyle mused with great intrigue in coating his voice. “It will make this whole process easier, though I’m sure you’re not ready to walk, drow.”
Ristel’s glare hardened at being pointed out, but he refrained from wasting his breath to deem a response.
“You are going to be my favorite to unlock your secrets, I can tell by that rebellious look in your eye,” Boyle’s right eye twitched with a sickening excitement. “I can’t wait to get you to the laboratory.”
The bulky Orion Hunter opened the holding cell and pulled on the chains, pulling those closest to the door to their feet.
“Be careful, you brute!” Boyle snapped, looking ready to launch himself at the much bigger man. “I paid good money for this batch of specimens to be alive and pristine!”
“Stop whining, you’ll fog up your glasses, doc.” The larger man groused as he yanked harder on the chain.
“I will make you the next one I test on should even a hair be out of place.” The human doctor practically foamed at the mouth with rage and earned an annoyed eyeroll from his brother in the order.
“The wagon is ready on the bridge for your special monsters.” The larger man crossed his arms and looked down disapprovingly at Boyle. “You’ll have them in your laboratory by nightfall.”
“Excellent.” Boyle pushed his large glasses haughtily on his nose. “You’ll have to carry the drow, though, the narcotics of the poison in his system are particularly potent and he can’t walk.”
The bulky man looked unimpressed as he looked down at Ristel still sitting on the ground while all the others had been pulled along. In one swift movement Ristel was hoisted up by his shirt and tossed on the man’s shoulder. He couldn’t help but wheeze as the armor under his robes dug sharply into his stomach, and it only dug deeper as he practically bounced on the upturned corner with each inclined step of the stairs.
Far too quickly he was brought into a world filled with so much light that it nearly burned his retinas as he caught the faintest glimpse of this New World before he was tossed unceremoniously into the back of an enclosed wagon. All he saw was the blue sky before the door slammed shut, purging all hopes of escape and the foolish hopeful thoughts of a better future out and plunging them all into darkness as the wagon lurched forward to pull them to Boyle’s laboratory.
Seraphina Scrivens @ninjaofdeath16 - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
