Page 20 of Taking Jenny
“You belong to Tiger Orne?”
I stiffened and lifted my chin. “I belong to myself.”
Discord glanced toward Malice, who seemed very interested in my answer, before returning to me again. “I’ve never heard of you.”
“So?” I said, sharper than I’d intended.
She leaned forward, eyes narrowed. “So, unowned humans are rare and generally, famous. Since I’ve never heard of you, it would seem you are likely owned by someone. Which makes you aliar.”
“I am not a liar,” I snapped.
Tiger’s voice cut into our conversation in an attempt to diffuse the situation. “She only just arrived at Orhon today.”
Longshot nodded slowly. “You’ve had a tremendous first day then, Jenny Hollinger.”
I gave a short laugh. “Uh, true.”
Discord rolled her eyes, as if bored by the conversation. “Fine. Whatever. Are we eating soon, or do you mean to starve us, Malice?”
With a dramatic sigh, Malice gestured toward the opening of the dining hall. Within moments, a line of silent Ladrian servants emerged, delivering platters of vegetables prepared in a variety of ways. Nothing looked like meat, which I thought was odd, but then I recalled the same was true when we had a fancy dinner on Halla with Sarah and her companions.
“Are all Ladrians vegetarians?” I asked, genuinely curious.
Our host and his friends laughed. “Not hardly,” Malice replied.
“Certainly not when it comes to Illiapol,” Surge added.
“I keep hearing that word,” I said, frowning. “But I don’t know what it is.”
A devious smile lit up Discord’s face, and I knew whatever she had to say was not going to be good. “Illiapol is our holiday which celebrates the sacrifice of Illiamor, a girl who purposefully died so that her family could eat her as meat and stay alive during a long winter.”
I glanced around at the others in the room, searching for any sign that her description was a joke. I swallowed hard when I found none.
“That’s awful,” I said, my stomach roiling at the thought. “Why would you celebrate something like that?”
“Because, simple human,” Discord went on, “Illiamor’s noble act is why women can now be classed. Her father decided her sacrifice made her as noble as any man. She is considered a hero to many classed women.”
“So, a woman had to offer herself as meat before women could be treated as equals?” The thought was appalling.
Some kind of fire lit Discord’s violet eyes. “You do not believe women are as good as men?”
“No, I mean—of course women are equal,” I said quickly. “I just meant that it shouldn’t take a tragedy for people to recognize it. That’s insane.”
My response seemed to surprise Discord and she almost smiled at me. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“What do you do to celebrate the holiday?” I asked before eating some kind of savory vegetable.
“We eat someone,” Surge said casually.
I choked on a leafy bite. Tiger rubbed my back, fingers lingering a second longer than necessary…which Malice noticed.
When I could breathe again, I gasped, “What?”
Discord leaned back in her seat, a smug smile on her face as she swirled her wine. “If you thought the rest was bad, you’ll love this. Illiamor ran sixty-five kilometers through the mountains behind the palace searching for food. But the winter had been five years long already, so there was nothing to find. She was chased by a pack of seven beasts, each one more ferocious than the last. She survived them, but when she returned empty-handed and knew that her family would die without sustenance, she sacrificed herself to save them. So now, we reenact the whole thing as a tribute to Illiamor.”
I stared at her in disbelief.
“She’s not kidding,” Longshot added. “An unclassed woman is chosen. She runs the same route as Illiamor did. Chased and hunted down by Justice Bateen and six others. If she survives, she becomes classed. Her family gains status, money, and honor.”
