Page 25 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

When we arrive at the chapel, Priest Rodrick is waiting for us with a sick smile on his face, but it’s his gaze that makes me pause. I’ve seen that look before, it appears in his eyes when he’s about to punish one of the slaves, a sick gleam that says he enjoys inflicting pain on others. How he got accepted into the priesthood, I have no idea.

I refuse to look down as we stand before the priest, and something else flickers in his eyes. Grayson must see it too, as he growls low, pulling Rodrick’s attention to him.

“You know the rules.”

Priest Rodrick simply smiles, but it’s without any warmth as he turns his gaze back to me. “I won’t lay a finger on her.” The way he says it makes me shudder. There are ways of making someone suffer without touching them, and I know this priest is an expert at that.

“I’ll know if you do,” Grayson growls before turning to me, his hand brushing my shoulder, pulling my gaze from the priest. “I’ll come and collect you later.” I can tell he doesn’t want to leave me here, but he doesn’t have a choice. Nodding, I give him a twitch of my lips. It’s a pathetic attempt at a smile, but he accepts it anyway. Turning away with a swish of his cloak, he immediately leaves the chapel. I don’t want to think about how pain lanced through me when he didn’t look back.

“So, 625, you’ve returned to me.” The voice is close, so close I can feel his breath against my skin, and I flinch and spin around so I’m facing the priest. Never turn your back on the priests, a lesson all slaves learn quickly, and one I already seem to have forgotten. The urge to shy away is strong, ingrained in me, but I keep my back stiff as I face him down, remembering what Grayson said.

“I’m not a slave anymore. My name is Clarissa.” It’s shaky and quiet, but I see the shock on the priest’s face the moment I say it. There is something freeing in it, and I feel the muscles that have frozen me in place start to loosen, allowing me to stand tall. Except Rodrick’s face twists into one of cruel amusement, a grating laugh echoing around the sanctuary. I can’t help but compare him to a spider as he creeps around me, his beady eyes locked onto me as if I’m his next meal.

“Thatmagicianmay have taken you from us, but you will always be 625. Under all those pretty dresses and smiles, you are still a worthless, filthy slave, and I get to be the one to remind you of how lucky you are.” He spits the word “magician” as if it’s filthy, continuing to walk towards me as he talks. I feel myselffreeze again as he tilts his head to one side, examining me. “The Great Mother has seen some…purpose for you.” Shaking his head as if he couldn’t understand why I would have been chosen, he reaches out as if to touch my chin, stopping an inch away from me. I can feel whatever magic Grayson wrapped around me start to react, little sparks of white light jumping and fluttering around me. Rodrick’s face tightens as if he’s in pain, but he keeps his hand there, as if proving a point. “We don’t know what that purpose is yet. However, we don’t trust the magician, so we are keeping an eye on you too. Just remember that,Clarissa.”My new name on his tongue makes me feel sick and I jerk away from him, not wanting him anywhere near me. His warning was clear enough. No matter what I do, they will always be there, watching me.

Straightening, the priest continues to observe me for a moment before turning and beginning to walk out of the chapel. “Follow me,” he demands, not bothering to turn to see if I obey his command. HeknowsI will do as he says, and I’m sure if I didn’t he would find a way to hurt both Grayson and me. And, for some reason, the thought of Grayson being harmed makes my chest hurt.

We walk in silence through the main courtyard, past the justice pillars, before entering the castle and turning left. We could have easily left the side door and gone through the queen’s courtyard, but I suspect he wants to remind me of my place. The cold, rough stone pillars, which instil fear in even the lords and ladies, have been stained red from the blood that’s been spilled over the years. One of the punishments for the slaves is to scrub the blood from the pillars, but we could never remove the stains, so inevitably the slave would be punished for not completing their task.

Walking farther into the castle proper, we don’t come across many people, and I suppose I have the ball to thank for that.It’s still early, and while these corridors would usually be busy, thanks to all the alcohol that was flowing last night, I imagine they won’t be up for some time. We are deep in the castle now, in a place I’ve never been, which makes me nervous. A large tapestry hangs on the wall, depicting one of our past kings in battle against the elves. It’s similar to all the other tapestries, but Rodrick stops in front of this one, lifting it and revealing a wooden door. My eyes widen in shock as he removes a ring of keys from his robes and opens the door that leads to a stone staircase. My fear doubles.

There were rumours spread by the servants and slaves about a monster that lives in the castle, deep in the bowels where the king keeps it locked up. When one of the castle slaves would disappear, it was said that the beast had taken them, but I had always put it down to a story. Slaves disappeared all the time, and it wasn’t because of a mysterious beast. But now, staring at the staircase and the orange glow that greets me, I’m suddenly unsure.

Rodrick turns to me and gestures for me to start walking down the stairs, his expression promising violence if I don’t. My breathing speeds up and my hands tremble, but I step forward and begin to descend down into the underbelly of the castle. I’m plunged into darkness as the door shuts behind us, the air turning thick and stale as we go deeper, the priest close behind me. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I realise that the orange glow is coming from the lanterns hanging on the walls. I don’t know how long we descend, but we must be well below the castle by now.

“We have a special job for you.” Rodrick finally breaks the silence, his voice bouncing off the stone and distorting it, making it echo around me. Spiralling down and down, I start to feel dizzy and wonder if we will ever reach the bottom just as a brighter glow appears against the walls. Reaching the last step, Isee a large room lit with more lamps, and guards with crossbows sitting on benches that line the room. There are eight of them down here, all armed to the teeth, and a large metal door in the centre of the far wall.

“What you will see behind that door is something you can’t speak a word of. If you do, you will be killed, Goddess mark or not. Do you understand me?” The malice in the priest’s voice is clear and he makes me jump as he stands just behind me, so close I can feel the heat from his body, but I don’t move as I continue to stare at the metal door. It’s one of those reinforced ones that requires several keys to enter, and I know, without a doubt, that whatever is behind that door will change my life forever, the mark on my arm tingling in agreement. Why would they need such a large, heavy-duty door?

“Answer me!” Rodrick barks, making my ears ring. I jerk my head into a shaky nod of agreement.

“Yes.”

Rodrick circles me, coming around to face me, a twisted smile on his face as he runs his eyes up and down my body. “Then go in there and clean until the room is spotless.” He pauses. He’s always enjoyed being dramatic and he doesn’t disappoint this time. “If it’s not, one of the guards will have to punish you.”

“But you can’t hurt me,” I remind him, and whatever magic Grayson put over me tingles against my skin as if to prove the point. The grin Rodrick gives me makes me nervous.

“Oh, I can’t, 625, but the guards can.”

So that’s how he’s going to get around it.Looking around the room, I notice that all but one of the guards is watching me with a hunger in their eyes. Whether that’s a hunger for my flesh or a hunger for my pain, I’m not quite sure, but I know they won’t hesitate to administer my punishment.

A push against my back has me stumbling forward, my steps shaky as I walk towards the huge door. My heart is pounding so loudly I can hear it in my ears, but I don’t miss the low chuckles of the guards as they watch.

“He’s killed all his other minders. Five people have died this week,” the guard closest to me states loudly, and I know this is for my benefit. His comment hits me like a blow to the stomach, but I straighten my back as I reach the door.

“How long do you think she’ll last?”

“An hour, tops.”

The guards continue to joke and bet about my life as if it’s just a game as I stand in front of the door, waiting for someone to let me in. I refuse to cry or let them see how scared I am. Grayson is right, they don’t deserve to see my fear.

“When you see him, don’t stare, and don’t look him in the eyes, it sets him off.” The quiet voice makes me jump and I jerk away from the person who’s just appeared at my side. Eyes wide, I realise it’s the one guard who hadn’t been watching me, the quiet one who didn’t join in the other guards’ taunting. “The cleaning stuff is just on the other side of the door.”

Why is he being nice to me? The other guards are getting great sport out of trying to scare me, but this one is helping me. Why? Is this all part of their game? My trust isn’t easily earned, but I get the feeling he is truly trying to help me.

“Thank you,” I mutter, as I look up and meet his eyes, so I don’t miss the slight widening or shock before he quickly hides it.

“Try not to get killed, 625,” he says loudly, so the other guards can hear as he fishes in his pocket for a chunky metal key before twisting it in the lock. The clunk of the latch is loud, like the pounding of my heart, and I watch with bated breath as one of the other guards produces a second key, handing it to the first guard.

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