Page 86 of The Doll and The Domination

Dessin, Kane, Greystone, Dai, Aquarus, Kalidus, Foxem, and Syfer.

Syfer is a mute alter. He split when Demechnef trained me to be able to withstand torture without spilling secrets to an enemy interrogator.

I’ve never met this alter before. I suppose there would never be a cause for it, unless for this very reason. The brothers are trying to extract information from us. But this is exactly what Demechnef has trained him for.

Syfer is…empty. Features slack, hollow of any emotion. I stare at him through my ravenous chewing, reading his body language with cautious intrigue. With a slow blink, his echoing stare shifts to me.

It’s the first time I’ve ever felt an unpleasant knot in my gut from this body’s gaze. It’s like looking at an ocean’s horizon at midnight, feeling the vastness look back at you, creeping into the crevices of your soul. A great power, yet not a single drop of humanity. No color, no light, no sound, only a lingering dread. A heavy loneliness.

“I worked as a child. I never talk about it, never even think about it.” Niles takes a long, wet gulp of wine. “It’s twisted, isn’t? The underground transactions that go on in the Chandelier City with children? Were any of you a part of it? I don’t suppose so. I felt alone for a long time. Never had any friends like what I have now.”

It’s like water fills my chest, and I forget how to breathe.

I bite off a chunk of bread, chew, chew, chew.

He never talks about his childhood, not after that day he shared his demons with me in the asylum. It’s been an unspoken vow between us. Those memories make him feel sick, make him feel ashamed.

“That’s terrible, Niles. What other tragedies go on within Demechnef’s borders?” Malcolm purrs without touching his food.

The table falls into a movement of more chomping, slurping, snagging other foods scattered throughout the feast.

I turn my head to Syfer. He eats mechanically, moving his fork to his lips at an unhurried pace. I snag his attention by clearing my throat, holding his gaze filled with nothing but smoke and air. My instincts on what to do next are clear.

“I’m sorry to leave you, especially since we haven’t been introduced yet.” The urge to spit out more bits of truth claws at my insides. “But I’ve decided they won’t get what they want tonight. The Mazonist Brothers have yet to grasp the limits our minds can exceed.”

It’s the first sliver of emotion crossing Syfer’s brow, a twitch of a muscle. Maxwell growls something beside me. A warning. A question.

But the voices around me sound like water droplets hitting the glassy surface of a warm pond. A whisper down a long tunnel.

And DaiSzek is by my side, bowing for me to climb on his back for him to take me far away.

To the Ambrose Oasis.

~

Ruth

I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much.

I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much.

I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much. I shouldn’t be eating this much.

Potato soup drips down my chin. I can’t seem to eat this all fast enough. My hands are shaking, my mind is rabid, my heart is pumping blood into my limbs to get me to move faster.

I want it all. It’s not going to be enough. Will they have more food? Could I ask for more when I’m done with all of this?

“Slow down, Miss Ruth. Did they not feed you well in Demechnef?” one of the brothers calls from down the table.

I shake my head, forcing myself to swallow. Be polite, use your napkin to wipe your mouth. Be a lady.

“We followed a lady-doll regimen. It kept our figures intact, and our skin smooth and flawless.” The words tumble out of my mouth without any filter to consider what I’m saying.

Malcolm tsks. “That must have been dreadful.”

“I was hungry a lot,” I agree, trying to ignore how my mouth salivates for more food. “But at least I always looked my best.”

I start shoveling the cheesy noodles into my mouth, nearly blacking out at how euphoric the taste is. I never want to leave. I’ll stay here forever, eating, drinking, eating, drinking.

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