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I kept walking as the surreal nature of what was happening hit me.

It wasn’t just the two of them that were being raped.

There were quite a few of these tables dotted around the room, each occupied, the crystals flaring dully red in response to the women’s cries and the men’s thrusts.

They looked like the eyes of the smoke wolves we’d seen through the portal to Wolflantis, watching me as I passed.

If I’d seen just one of the men carrying on like this, I'd have known what to do. I’d have stepped in, crushed the fucker’s throat, and then snapped his spine with all the Tirian given strength I possessed.

Instead, I kept walking, because I was blank eyed with shock, because my Tirian paced restlessly inside me but offered no counsel, because there was so fucking many of them and I had no idea how far my strength would carry me.

But mostly this—I was surrounded by a culture that absolutely and completely endorsed this behaviour.

I scanned the crowd as I walked, seeing but not seeing the looks of amusement, interest, enjoyment.

Like predators on a thrill kill, the spectacle of taking away someone's bodily autonomy was wallowed in with gluttonous rapacity. I saw women that were untied slump to the ground—either passed out or dead, I couldn’t tell—but paid no more attention to than a tossed napkin.

“Move it, new girl,” Lizzy said. “Stop dilly dallying. No one spends any more time here than is needed. So get that food to the table, and then run back to the serving area.”

My heart broke into a thousand pieces as I did just that.

All of a sudden, my attention was wholly and solely on the rapid slap of my slippers as I walked, the swish of my pinafore.

Volken turned to see me pass and reached out, but then let me pass when they saw what I was toting.

I did not earn any consideration in myself, but the food of whoever the elites were here did.

I followed the unspoken rule here and moved up the steps with my head down, avoiding all eye contact as I moved swiftly across the stage, my footsteps echoing louder on the hollow wood structure, and then zeroed in on the largest available space on the high table, right in the centre.

“So, you really think this attack is going to do the trick? I heard that the blasted women have withdrawn all their minions behind that bloody portal of theirs. What on earth is our target if it’s a whole dimension away?”

My ears pricked up as I deposited the platter without a sound, then started removing empty platters and consolidating the contents of the others to create more space.

“Dear boy, you lack faith. We have never really attempted to broach the thing in any major way. I find it highly unlikely that whatever puny magics the bitches have mustered would withstand the full force of the Volken host and our lord. No, we’ve let them be for some time—a mistake if you ask me—and they have spread like any other vermin.

Sourcing the nest of a pest always takes work, but I do not believe it beyond our capabilities. ”

“Well, we will see, Lian. Once the Grand Rite is at its end, faith or not, we will know how strong the women’s powers are.”

I slid the empty platters onto my arm and then turned to leave.

“Wait!”

He didn’t specify who needed to wait, but I could only assume it was me, since the other serving girls were up at the other end of the dais. I stood stock still and did as I had been told—don’t move, keep my eyes down, only speak when spoken to.

“How may I serve you, m’lords?”

The words came easily for something that felt like ash in my mouth. I could dimly hear the women’s screaming trail off into a gurgle, but my own ragged breath overrode it all, filling me with shame. I stood still and was a good little girl, because I’d been dumb enough to walk into the wolf’s den.

“Well, well, it seems that Maud has finally started instilling some manners in her girls. What do you think, gentlemen? This one to ring in the new year?”

As my eyes scudded over the table’s surface, I saw it.

Not rough and ready like the other stocks they had downstairs, here instead, the polished mahogany surface was broken by finely wrought wolf’s heads at four points.

One of the men’s hands moved, the crystal glowing as it did, and the jaws snapped open.

I could see then the sharp metal teeth that would no doubt clamp down hard on the wrists of the captured.

Their hollow throats would be useful, capturing the blood that would flow and funnelling it off to god knows where.

I tried to slow and deepen my breath, but it kept coming in faster and faster.

“Too blowsy for my tastes. I prefer something a little more…streamlined.”

“The boys come after, Gerald, you know that.”

“Well, have at the little piece if you wish, but by the smell of her, she’s already had a seeing to by some of the men. Fairly stinks of Tirian.”

“Hmm, perhaps not then. Girl, return to the kitchens and ask Maud to send…what was her name? The slight one with the delightfully tiny tits? I want to say Agatha.”

“Arden, I think is the one you’re looking for, Lian. Though you’re sure? She was quite fun the last time we played. Be a shame to end that.”

“Only the best for our lord,” Lian replied, and a rumble from the earth came, as if in agreement.

“Very good, m’lords,” I said, and bobbed a curtsey before turning on my heel and walking back.

I focussed on the heavy weight of the trays, welcoming the way the large ovals of metal felt almost like shields as I went, though they would have done little to help me.

The crystals began to hum as I went, lights flaring in each of them as the sound grew louder.

I skittered back as Volken throughout the hall got to their feet, holding out their cups and their tankards, their voices joining with the sound.

It was like some motherfucking men’s choir, but this had way too many notes of pain and abuse and subjugation to be pretty.

Instead, it was the music of sheer fucking horror.

They stood and sang, completely oblivious to all around them, perfectly unified in their mistreatment of others, glorying in it, no less.

This was a call to arms, to commit more atrocities, to indulge in any kind of self-serving violent act they pleased, as a sign of solidarity with their brothers.

They hadn’t come for Sanctuary before because they hadn’t needed to.

They’d stuck together, rained down hell, and no one raised a hand to them, with only the faltering in their number enough to finally make a dent in that.

Red light shot around the room, connecting each crystal to the other, then fanning out to lock on those that the men wore.

It was this massive web, and I’d been stupid enough to walk into it.

When the door appeared, I was almost sobbing with relief. I ran past the servery, straight into the kitchen, past a bemused Adam, and into the spit room.

“Jules, what the fuck?!” Finn said, rushing to my side.

“Where the hell have you been?” Aaron said. “We took our eyes off you for one minute!”

I couldn’t answer them as I fought to take a breath, but my lungs wouldn’t cooperate.

Their questions sounded like they were coming from underwater, muffled and from a long way away.

My eyes stared blankly at the room, the view of the women being raped playing over and over now that I wasn’t actively trying to shut it out.

Their brutality and my lack of action hammered at me like blows.

When I finally did focus, I saw only one set of eyes—Sylvan’s.

His stared into mine, and then once he was convinced by what he saw there, he nodded.

There was no solace to be had there. He knew this was what it would be like, and from the memories I’d caught from him, he’d been on the receiving end.

“Gimme a bucket,” I groaned. “I’m gonna be sick.”