Page 18 of Red Captive

Oh, no…Rex!

He looks at me, his eyes moving to the ground. He looks…afraid but determined. Why?

I wonder for the hundredth time what the heck is going on. I want to go to him, to apologize, but my guard holds onto me.

Rex is shirtless and maskless, unlike all of the many guards in attendance. There are also regular folk, including a few I recognize from the kitchen and back-of-house areas.

“Tara,” I say when I see the head cook.

I know she must have heard me, but she doesn’t look my way. Instead, she squares her shoulders, keeping her gaze on Rex, whose head is still bowed.

They’re angry. I can’t blame them.

A man steps forward. He is wearing the full uniform of the guard; his chest bears a gold crest that tells me he is the general. It’s what is in his hand that has my heart racing and my mouth turning dry. My stomach churns, making me glad I haven’t eaten since this morning.

“No,” I whisper. “What is this?” I say louder. “Please, don’t!”

The general ignores me. He doesn’t so much as look my way.

“Rex, you were given strict instructions to watch the human. You were told not to let her out of your sight. You disobeyed a direct order, and you must accept your fate.”

Rex nods once.

The general hefts the whip in his hand. It has a bone handle carved with an intricate design, with several long, leather tassels that come off the top. At the tip of each tassel is a wicked-looking silver barb. “You must willingly receive twenty lashes across your back. I issued you with an order, and therefore, I will be the one to deliver the punishment.”

“Yes, Sir,” Rex says; his jaw is tight. “I am ready to accept my punishment.”

The general flicks the whip, and a loud, bone-jarring crack sounds. “On your knees, Private.”

Rex gets down on the stone floor. He looks completely defeated; his head hangs low.

“Stop this!” I yell, trying to run forward.

My guard’s grip tightens on my arm. “You need to be silent, female, or it will be worse for Rex,” he says into the shell of my ear. “The general will add extra lashes for your insolence.”

Surely not, and yet, deep down inside, I know it to be true. This is insane. It’s…brutal and wrong in every fathomable way. I want to scream it. I want to go over there and give the general a piece of my mind, and yet I know that none of it would help. In fact, I would make things worse.

This is all my fault. It’s on me.

Someone hands Rex something. He mutters his thanks and puts it in his mouth between his teeth. I realize that it is a piece of leather for him to bite down on so that he doesn’t accidentally bite his tongue. Maybe to help grit his teeth against the pain. I can’t imagine what must be going through his mind. It’s my fault this is happening. Rex is such a nice guy. I took advantage of that…of him. I feel terrible. Here I was, worried about what would happen to me. I never once expected this…not this. Never this.

“No,” I whisper, my eyes stinging and my throat clogged.

“Ready?” the general asks, but before Rex can answer, he delivers the first lash with brutal force. The sound is sickening.

I whimper, feeling tears fall down my cheeks.

Rex bites down on the leather, his eyes going wide for a second.

“One,” the general says, then he lifts the whip for a second time. He brings it down again; this time, Rex grunts.

By the time he counts five, Rex makes a sound of agony. It tears through me. Tears blur my vision as I watch Rex endure the punishment meant for me over and over again, each strike cutting through the air with a sickening sound. Before long, Rexis screaming every time the whip cuts into him. Rex’s body jerks with each impact, his face is contorted in agony. I can’t bear to watch, but I can’t pull my eyes away, either. The guards hold me firmly in place, their grip like iron bands around my arms. Tears stream down my face at the injustice of it all.

After what feels like an eternity, the general finally lowers the whip. Rex is trembling, blood trickling down his back where the lashes have slashed through his skin. He hangs his head, swaying. I’m not sure how he holds himself up after that. His breaths come in ragged gasps.

The general steps forward, a cruel smile playing on his lips. “Had enough yet, boy?” he taunts, his voice dripping with malice.

I hate him.

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