Sold to Serve by Kyra Alessy
Chapter 2
The mercenary took hold of her and swung her to the ground.
She lay there for a moment, dazed, before the bile rose and she sat up to retch into the dirt beside her. What her body could possibly be trying to expel she couldn’t fathom. The biscuit had been hours ago.
She was left there in the dirtwhile Mace took his horse into the stable on the other side of the yard. She curled her legs beneath her and used her arms to shield her chest before she dared look. The yard had gone silent and she could guess what had hushed them. She glanced around and found she was right. There were at least twenty men in the vicinity, and all of them were staring at her. She swallowed hard.
‘What is this?’ asked an indolent voice.
Her head swivelled to look at the speaker. He was dressed in the same black clothes Mace wore though he wasn’t as broad nor so tall. His hair was long and so blond it looked almost silver. She tried not to gape as he smiled. He was beautiful, but the look in his eyes was so full of disdain that she shivered.
‘We needed a slave.’ Mace shrugged. ‘I got one.’
The new one, this second master, raised an eyebrow as he surveyed her. ‘A slave girl?’
‘A house slave,’ Mace corrected. ‘Kora, this is Lucian.’
‘A house slave?’ he echoed. ‘Where did you get one of those?’ Lucian eyed her with interest and looked taken aback by her answering stare. ‘My lord to you, slave.’ He took in the ropes binding her hands and feet and raised a questioning eyebrow.
Mace stared hard at her. ‘She tried to run.’
Lucian sneered at Mace. ‘How far did she get?’
‘Far enough to be bothersome,’ Mace answered, his tone bored.
Lucian continued to watch her, his eyes widening slightly as if only just noticing her state of undress. ‘Did you take her clothes as punishment?’ He chuckled. ‘You always were imaginative. Where are your clothes, girl?’ His tone turned taunting.
Kora wanted to sneer at him in return and dress him down as she would have if she was still … but I’m not, she reminded herself. Not anymore. She had to be humble as a slave if she wanted to survive. She let out a breath and successfully kept her face blank.
But she found she couldn’t entirely keep the defiance out of her tone as she looked down at herself and then at him. ‘Must have lost them,’ she said brazenly.
The men around them chuckled and Lucian scowled at her, not getting the reaction he’d clearly hoped for. He waved a hand at their audience, smirking. ‘Get the fuck back to work.’
Kora’s eyes widened at his language as the men shuffled away. He eyed her with derision, and she wondered how she could ever have thought this cruel man handsome. His hand darted out and grabbed her by the neck. He dragged her easily to her feet. She winced but met his eyes, and for a moment he froze as if surprised. He finally looked away from her and back to Mace, who was standing not far away.
‘Where did you even find a house slave? They’re never sold. Their families stay with the same noble bloodlines for generations.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘She must have done something.’
‘A thief.’
Kora held her tongue as Mace repeated the slaver’s lie. It didn’t matter what they thought, she reminded herself. She would be gone from here soon.
‘Not a small crime where a house slave is concerned,’ Lucian mused aloud, looking even more repulsed, if that was possible, and something else – vengeful – as if he took her alleged thievery personally. ‘Watch and learn well, girl.’ His lip curled haughtily and he barked an order. ‘Begin!’
There was a crack and a yell of pain and Kora’s gaze was suddenly riveted on a large wooden X she hadn’t noticed. A man was tied to it, his back bared. He hanged like a corpse already, though the lashing had only just begun, and Kora could see other bruises on his torso from previous beatings.
The whip cracked again and he let out a hoarse cry. Blood flowed freely down his back, soaking into his light-brown breeches. Again and again the lash whistled through the air and landed on his flesh. She couldn’t tear her eyes away however much she wanted to.
She lost count of the lashes after fifteen, but still they went on long after the man was slumped and his inhuman sounds had ebbed. His back was a mass of blood and flaps of loose skin. It made her traitorous stomach roll, but when she did turn her head away from the scene, Lucian grabbed her chin roughly and made her keep watching.
‘Enough,’ Lucian finally called, and, just because he said it was, the beating was done. They untied the unconscious man and carried him to one of the outbuildings.
‘What will happen to him?’ she asked before she could think better of it.
Still holding her chin, he turned her to look at him, ignoring her question. ‘Everyone here knows the rules, girl. Learn them, for if you break them, nothing would give me more pleasure than to drag you up there and flay your hide myself.’
She took a shaky breath and realised her face was wet. When had she started crying?
He wiped her cheek with his thumb and rubbed the moisture between his fingers, a strange look on his face. It looked almost like pity, but it was gone in an instant. She froze as he traced the lash marks on her shoulder. ‘You’ve never had a real whipping, have you?’ he said softly.
She didn’t want to tell him anything, but she found herself shaking her head.
Unexpectedly, he released her and she stumbled back, tripping over her still-bound ankles and falling hard on the ground with a cry. He stood over her and laughed. She looked away, promising herself retribution even as she tried outwardly to swallow her pride.
In the end, Mace cut the rope around her legs and pulled her to her feet. She was grateful but wondered why he bothered. He’d tied her up and brought her here, after all.
Lucian turned and began to walk towards the entrance to the keep itself. ‘Come,’ he called over his shoulder.
Mace urged her forward. ‘Get Davas to see to her.’
She hobbled after Lucian, trying to keep up with his long strides. It was shady and cool inside. Sconces with torches burned in the darkest corners, but in general there was more than enough light to see by. Lucian led her down some stairs. To the kitchens. An older man in a dirty apron was chopping vegetables behind a massive wooden table. He grinned as Lucian came in.
‘Heard Nathan getting his due.’
Lucian glanced back at her. ‘Aye, he won’t be stealing again, that’s for certain.’
Kora eyed him dispassionately, though in truth she was sickened. He’d ordered that many lashes for the poor man just for taking something? She was frightened enough. If she really was a thief, she’d be even more so. This man, like Mace, was truly without mercy.
The cook’s brow furrowed for an instant and then he noticed Kora. ‘Aye, for certain,’ he repeated.
Lucian took hold of her arm and drew her forward. ‘You said you needed someone. Mace brought … this.’ He gestured to her and she fought the impulse to shake off his hand. ‘She’s a house slave.’
‘A house slave? Here?’ The cook chuckled.
Kora bowed her head to hide her scowl. It wasn’t as if she were useless.
‘Well, she’s pretty enough to look at, I suppose,’ he continued as if she wasn’t even there.
Lucian shrugged. ‘Put her to work and, by the gods, get her some fucking clothes before the men begin neglecting their duties. If she isn’t a good enough worker to help you properly, tell one of us and we’ll make use of her another way; perhaps tie her up in the men’s barracks to earn her keep.’
Kora pulled away from him with a gasp. He let her go, gave her another nasty grin, shot the other man an undecipherable look and left.
Kora eyed the cook. He took a step forward and she skittered back, feeling the cold stone wall behind her. She quivered. This room was made to be cooler than the rest of the keep, even in the high summer, so that the foodstuffs lasted longer. Without anything to wear, she was going to freeze down here. Quite different from yesterday, that was for sure.
The cook put up his hands placatingly and halted his approach.
‘I’ll not hurt you, lass.’ He looked grim. ‘Gods know I have no liking for slavery. I’ll treat you fair.’ He caught her eye. ‘But don’t make me regret it.’
He started her cutting up carrots and other vegetables. She wasn’t as quick as he was, having very little experience of this sort of labour, but she did as she was told. He didn’t speak again for a while, but when he did, it was to swear colourfully under his breath.
‘Stay here and keep doing that,’ he barked out and left through another door. He returned a while later, carrying some bundles. One looked like blankets, which he dropped by the hearth. The other, smaller one he held out to her.
‘Put this on, girl,’ he said gruffly, deliberately not looking at her. It was a dress. Thank the gods! She hurriedly donned it. It was rough and too big, but it was practical and it could be a sack for all she cared at this point. After two days, she was finally clothed.
She smiled at the cook, tears coming to her eyes. ‘Thank you,’ she said with all of the emotion she felt.
He waved her away, but when he thought she wasn’t looking, she could see he was pleased by her reaction. Perhaps she could make an ally of him.
They worked side by side for the rest of the day in an almost companionable silence. She could almost have believed that she wasn’t a slave. When the sun was setting, he took the large pot of stew they’d made away – for the men, she supposed. By then, she was dead on her feet and seeing stars. She wasn’t used to going so long without food. She splashed some cold water on her face to revive herself, remembering what Lucian had said. She had to do everything that was asked of her or she’d be earning her keep with the men outside. She trembled at the thought. She doubted she’d survive that sort of work.
When the cook returned, he scraped the meagre leftovers into a wooden bowl and handed it to her with a chunk of bread. She ate it quickly while she stood, thankful she had been given something. When the kitchen had been cleaned and the moon was high, the cook finally showed her where she could sleep and left for the night. She gazed longingly at the blankets, but she needed to have a look around before she slept.
She crept from the kitchen and through the dark halls of the keep. All was quiet. Everyone was probably asleep by now. The main door was still open, so she slipped through it and out into the courtyard. There was a fire, and some of the men sat around it, drinking ale and laughing. She hid in the shadows and skirted around them silently. If there was anything she could do after twenty years in her father’s house, it was sneak around and not get caught. The portcullis was down, of course, and the outer walls were too high to jump from despite the sorry state they were in. If she was going to get away from here, it would have to be during the day. She muttered a curse, using the word she’d heard Lucian say earlier in the day. What would her father say if he saw his prim daughter now?
She lingered by the fire for a while where no one could see her, listening to their conversations. It was nice to be around people, even if they had no idea she was there. She was just turning to slip back into the keep when she heard her name. Afraid someone had noticed her, she held her nerve and slowly stepped further away, deeper into the darkness.
‘… Kora?’
‘Aye, that’s her name. A thieving house slave, I heard tell. Far cry from a family estate here.’
‘Did you see her face during the lashing? Thought she would faint.’
‘I was too busy staring at her tits. Nice and meaty.’
Someone chuckled. ‘Couldn’t miss them, the way they jiggled about. Wouldn’t say no to some time with her.’
The talking died down and she saw that Lucian and Mace had appeared, tankards in their hands.
‘Don’t stop on our account.’
‘She looked weak,’ came a voice she didn’t recognise. ‘She won’t last long here doing cook’s labour.’
Someone else laughed. ‘She’s probably doing her labour on cook’s cock, the lucky bastard.’
The men chuckled.
Deciding she’d heard more than enough for one night, Kora began to ease her way back around the periphery of the yard. She was halfway when Mace’s eyes turned in her direction. She was no more than seven paces from him and he was looking directly at her. She picked up her speed as she saw him reach for a torch from the fire. He held it up, illuminating where she’d just been, but she was already up the stone steps of the main door.
‘What is it?’ asked Lucian.
‘Thought I saw a shadow move.’
Kora ran back into the keep and all the way to the kitchen, not stopping until she was under the blankets and breathing heavily. She closed her eyes. How was she going to get out of this place?