Page 11

Chapter eleven

Astria Zielle

“Hello, my lady,” a voice called out.

I glanced up from the ground to find a man walking my way. He reminded me of Dirus, but his skin was a bit lighter and his hair was cut close to his head. Something in his dark blue eyes said he was younger than Dirus, too. The way he approached reminded me of someone trying to not startle a wild stallion.

“Morales sent me to get the dampener off of you.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll need to touch you.”

“Okay.”

They always did.

He gathered my hair in his hands, and I mentally prepared for him to yank it out of the way. Instead, his fingers carefully moved all the strands over my shoulder. Even the way he tucked away the wisps that escaped was soft.

“Let’s take a look.”

I froze, unfamiliar with the touch, and an overwhelming cloud of uncertainty loomed over me. He wasn’t being violent in the slightest, but that would turn sooner rather than later.

He hummed as he studied the device. His knuckles grazed the skin at the base of my neck and sent goosebumps down my spine. I waited for him to drag or yank me as he tilted my neck around to get a better look at the device.

“Let me know if you need a break from me manhandling you.” His voice was kind. I’d never heard a man speak so softly.

He wasn’t even manhandling me. His touches were comforting and yet terrifying, because I had no idea how to respond. It was uncharted territory.

“I’m fine,” I whispered, suddenly unsure of how to act.

“You don’t sound fine, my lady.”

“I’m not used to men being so close to me.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. I wasn’t used to men being so close and gentle. Dirus confused me, but this man, I didn’t even know what to do with.

The man finally touched the device, and electricity transferred onto him. He yanked his hand back, grunted, and I cringed. Now he would lose his patience. The soldiers would get hurt by removing the collar and punish me for it. Never caring that I didn’t ask for this device.

“Is the charge constant?” he asked, touching my neck again as if to double test my skin for a current.

“Yes.”

He opened his toolbox to the side and put thick gloves on his hands, then pulled a metal pick thing out.

“I don’t recommend putting any metal up to this.” I cringed, knowing it would earn me a backhand.

He walked over to me, holding the pointy end. I grabbed the hard handle. He crouched in front of me. He reached between my hands to rub his finger along the weird handle. “It’s insulated rubber with a non conducting metal. I don’t understand.”

“It won’t make the spark travel.”

I handed it back to him, and he went behind me again. One gloved hand held the side of my neck. I stiffened, ready to take a round of electrocution. He shushed me like one would soothe a baby.

His tool twisted in my peripheral, pushing me harder into his other hand.

“I’m sorry, my lady.”

“It’s okay.” I wasn’t sure why he was apologizing to me. Last time someone took this off, they shocked me and ripped a huge chunk of hair out. A bit of swaying wasn’t going to hurt me.

He squatted in front of me and I lifted my chin so he had better access. I eyed the tool. It was easier to appreciate him when I couldn’t see the long stabby thing pointed at me.

How many times had I mouthed off and the person working on me decided to teach my neck a quick lesson?

The collar sparked hotter across my neck. “My lady. If you attempt to activate your magic, you’ll hurt both of us.”

I closed my eyes instead, hoping that decision wouldn’t be the one that killed me. He was right. If that collar activated, we’d both regret it.

“What’s your name?” I tried instead.

“Lucero Rios. What’s yours?”

“I suspect you already know my name.” I smashed my lips together, realizing too late that he might find that to be too honest.

“Polite conversation, my lady.” He chuckled.

“If I tell you, you have to quit calling me ‘my lady’.”

I could almost see him smiling behind my eyelids. His mirth washed over me like a calming wave. “Deal.”

“Astria.”

“I don’t get a last name?” The teasing in his voice assured me he wasn’t too offended.

“My last name has no meaning to me.”

“Fair enough.” The metal of the collar slid off my neck and clanked on the ground. “Nice to meet you, Astria.”

Magic poured through my being, and it was like taking a deep breath after being choked; relief and painful. The same feeling of too much air coming in your lungs and windpipe as they remember how to act right. But at the same time, the panic I didn’t know I felt subsided.

My hand went up to my throat, and it was strange to have all that weight gone. A literal ton off my shoulders.

“Thank you, Lucero.”

A growl vibrated deep in his chest as he inhaled so deep I was sure he’d smell dinner being cooked in the village. His teeth snapped shut as if he were controlling the volume as much as possible.

I couldn’t even be worried about that. For the first time in years, a piece of me that was missing was back.

His growling came to an abrupt stop as hot tears trickled down my face.

“How long have you been wearing it?”

“Three years.” I finally opened my eyes. He kneeled back before me and took his tool to the bulky part of the collar. He opened the box on the back. Piece by piece, he pulled metal out of it until he removed the crystal core.

“This looks important.”

“It makes spells triple effective.”

“Like a conductor?”

I stared at him, feeling stupid. Dirus already got agitated because I didn’t understand the words he used.

“A conductor is a material that helps transmit heat, electricity, or, in this case, magic to make it more powerful.” He turned the open box of the collar toward me. “Power originates here. I assume this is what dampened the magic.” He pointed to the wires that went to where the crystal had been.

“And the crystal was able to circulate the rest of the collar.”

He pulled the tiny dark blue stone that he identified as the power source. He studied it for a moment with curiosity that I understood. “It’s hot.”

“It attacks magic with lightning. It’s why no one goes to the back end of the island. The area is full of them.” I wasn’t even sure how the engineer survived getting one. “It senses me. One isn’t particularly dangerous. It’s the fact so many are together that kills people.”

He tucked the stone in his back pocket, and took the rest of the collar apart, then handed me all the other pieces. “I’ll dispose of the power source.”

This giant collar that held me captive in my skin for years was now scrap metal in my hands.

“Get rid of the rest of how you see fit.”

“Why did you do that?”

“So you know it can’t be used against you anymore.”

Without the engineer, my father couldn’t make another one. I stared at him and tried to make sense of my jumbled thoughts. No man had ever shown me such thoughtfulness before.

“Thank you.” It was all I could manage out. My heart filled with gratitude that was foreign. “What do I owe you for this?”

Whatever he wanted, I’d give it to him.

His easy smile soothed raw places inside me I didn’t even know existed.

“Nothing, Astria.”

“Nothing?” Certainly the biggest gift anyone had even given me would cost me dearly. “I’d give you almost anything.”

His smile stayed in place, but his eyes took on a painful edge. He slowly reached up to my chin, giving me plenty of time to jerk away, but I stayed. Gentle fingers tilted my chin up as he studied my neck.

He stuck his hand in the tool box and pulled out a first aid kit. “May I?”

“Is it bad?”

“Do you not feel the pain?” he said as his mouth twisted with grim understanding.

“No.”

He put on a pair of gloves and spread some kind of gel on my neck. I winced at the sudden sting, but it cooled quick enough.

“I know. I’m sorry,” he whispered. His face crumpled with concern. He wrapped a bandage around my neck. “Now that the wound is exposed to the elements, I don’t want it to get infected. It’s amazing that hasn’t already happened.”

I winced when his finger grazed my chin, and he even took the time to medicate and bandage that wound, too. “And I owe you nothing for any of this?”

“No. Not a damn thing.” His words were a solemn vow.

“Are you sure? I can handle the payment.” What if he grew resentful, and just took what he’d wanted all along?

“My payment is the gratitude in your eyes.” He stood up, with his tool box in hand. Even leaning over me, there was a gentleness to him. His hand came down, and I knew I should flinch. What if he hit me? Don’t just sit there like an idiot.

No. Not him. How did I know that?

His hand soothed my hair. I watched the tense muscles of his broad back as he returned to the cave where the rest of the men were. He was angry. He wanted to hurt something. Why didn’t he hurt me?

Was what Dirus said true?

Were these men really a different breed from the ones I’d spent my whole life knowing?