Page 6 of Ruled By Magic

Sleep eluded me. Nightmare scenarios scoured my brain all night. What if the Lord Commander beat or starved me? What if he kept me chained up naked in his bedroom for the whole six months? Only my friends and family would care, all powerless non-mages. If the Assembly and the priesthood didn’t scare him, who could stop him?

Hex snored the hours away. An enviable superpower—instant sleep, no matter the circumstances. I sat up, wrapped my arms around my legs, and counted the seconds until morning.

The buzzer sounded, and light flooded the cell with harsh fluorescence. Hex pulled the sheet over her face with a groan. “Fuck this, ten years till I get a lie in.”

A laugh forced its way out of my throat. “That’s what you’re dreading most?”

“Nope. The food’s worse.” She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and squinted at me. “Did you get any sleep at all? You look like shit.”

“Thanks.”

Hex shrugged. “Just stating facts. Maybe that should be your game plan. Stop brushing your teeth, don’t wash, be as gross as possible. Then that fucker might leave you alone.” She looked down at the bed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t bring it up.”

“No, we need to talk about it. We won’t have long.”

Hex nodded, shoulders slumped. She met my gaze. “Well, he’s not some fat old guy, that’s a plus. And you’ve done it before, you know where everything goes.”

“I should have asked more. Where he’s going to keep me, if he’ll let me out...” Heat rose in my cheeks. Zantus. I was already speaking of myself like a commodity.

Hex’s face twisted. “This is so fucked up.” She paused and seemed to weigh her next words. “So, you’ve been with Remy, and David. Did you and Carl ever—”

“Once. He begged me not to tell anyone. His mum’s a Zantusian fanatic; she’d disown him if she thought he’d had unmarried sex.”

“Shit.” Her haunted expression softened, curiosity lighting her eyes. “What was that like? He’s so beefy!”

I shrugged. “Okay, I guess? Nothing too exciting.”

“Well that’s disappointing.” Hex’s face turned serious again. “None of them got rough, though, right? I can’t imagine it.”

“No. They were nice.” My stomach clenched as I saw the direction she was heading.

Hex shot a glance at the door. “Just be prepared. It could be different with him. He won’t ask, and he might not care if you enjoy it. You’ll have to be tough. Don’t let him get in your head, okay? It’s only sex. It doesn’t mean anything.”

I closed my eyes and tried to absorb the truth of the words.

A buzzer sounded and the cell opened. Breakfast? My stomach was hollow.

A man entered, flanked by a guard who glared at us. “Stay put, ladies. This is Doctor West, he’s here to check Miss Spencer.”

My anxiety returned full force. “Check me?”

The doctor gave me a reassuring smile. He wore the green cotton trousers and white shirt typical of his profession. The light reflected off his bald head. “Just a blood test and general health assessment, nothing invasive. And pregnancy prevention, of course.”

Hex drew in a sharp breath. My cheeks flamed anew. Dexian doctors reserved pregnancy preventatives for married women. No one else was supposed to have sex, though lots of us did. But we didn’t speak about it in the open. Liaisons were secret and brief. It cut deep to hear it from this pleasant doctor, in front of the guard who watched with interest. He’d enjoy telling his buddies about this.

The doctor sat beside me on the bed. A series of questions followed. Medical history? How much did I drink? Had I ever tried the powdered banzo leaves that twisted reality into something strange? He seemed satisfied with all my answers. Other than occasional sugar-filled cocktails at Aviri’s bar, I lived a healthy life.

The doctor shot a glance at the guard. “Could you give us a moment, please? I don’t think these two will be any trouble.”

“Nope.” The guard shrugged. “Not allowed.”

The doctor raised his eyes to the ceiling, then refocused on me. “This may be a little embarrassing, but the Lord Commander insisted I find out. Are you a virgin?”

“Piss off,” Hex snapped. “It’s none of his fucking business.”

“Shut it.” The guard took a step forward.

“It’s okay.” I spat the words out before things could escalate. “It doesn’t matter.” I could feel it already. My dignity and privacy stripped away, piece by piece. And the Lord Commander hadn’t even taken me yet. “I’m not. Tell him that. I hope he’s disappointed.”

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