Page 14

Annalise

M y body is numb, and yet, somehow, I am moving. My mind knows there’s been too much damage done for me to open my eyes. I should just die right now and save my conscious mind from the unnecessary pain of experiencing the extensive damage done by the rough water for the past few days. But as I am once again jostled, I am forced awake as the broken pieces of my body scream at me to make it stop.

My eyes fly open, my body instantly punishing me for doing so. A violent cough wracks its way up my throat, forcing water mingled with blood from my lungs, covering the floor of the shallow boat. My chest burns, and my throat is swollen from the damage done during my battle. As I gasp for air, it feels like I am being stabbed in my throat.

“Easy now.” I tense as a pair of hands are under my back, holding me upright so that I can clear the excess from my lungs.

I try to blink the blurred edges of my vision away as my chest burns, and the rest of my body alerts me that something is wrong. As the condition of my body becomes more clear to me, it makes sense why the hands of the stranger are holding me up. The sun beats down on me from above making the sting of the saltwater in my wounds that much more unbearable.

I slowly look down, panic overwhelming me as I take in the mangled flesh that is my arm. The skin has been torn to shreds, and my bone juts out unnaturally. As I try and move my leg, I realize it has also been damaged significantly, but not in the way my arm is. But I can’t see the extent of the damage through my pants. My chest feels heavy, and I know there is more damage beneath the surface as each time I try and take in a breath, shooting pain grips me.

“Wha—” I’m cut off as my own coughing once again assaults me, my throat not yet healed.

“Your throat’s been damaged. I wouldn’t speak if I were you, ‘lest you become a mute for the rest of your days.” I shift my gaze to the man speaking, my eyes widening when I realize he is a beast.

“Look alive, we’re coming into port!” Someone calls over me from the small boat.

I turn in his direction as well to see him casting their rope outside of the small boat, the force of someone pulling them into dock rocking the boat once again.

My breathing picks up as panic overcomes me.

I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but it was long enough for me to somehow make it out to sea, I’m assuming, where these beasts found me.

As the small boat docks, the bustle of the harbor washes over me. I’ve somehow made it to a populated area of this land, and yet I am still in as much danger as I was with Elias. I know, judging from the humans who came into Elias’s camp, that humans don’t have a place in this world. And I doubt these sailors rescued me out of the kindness of their hearts.

As if proving my point, the beast who tossed the rope approaches, his eyes narrowed as he kneels over me.

“We can already see you’re worse for wear. So we ain’t gonna waste our rope tying you up. But you try and run, and we’ll break your other leg,” he growls.

He doesn’t wait for me to respond as he looks at his partner, gesturing to him as he speaks.

“Alright, let’s go,” he says as he wraps his hands around my legs. His friend grips me under my arms, and they both lift simultaneously, forcing hot pain to shoot through my twisted body.

I toss my head back, groaning in pain. It’s all I can do as my throat’s been damaged. Tears burn my eyes as they continue to jostle me, moving from the boat to the dock. Once they are solid on land, the beast holding my feet releases me, allowing the beast holding my upper body to hoist me over his shoulder.

I grunt in pain, nausea washing over me, and I gag over his shoulder from the pain. I pray for the sweet release of unconsciousness, but it doesn’t come. The pain grows greater with each step the beast takes until I am whimpering over his shoulder.

I try to take in the surrounding area to at least find the possibility of escape, but it’s all but impossible. There are too many beasts, all of which could take me down easily in this state. This place also isn’t familiar to me, nor does it trigger any memories. But I do see humans in as much a sorry state as I am, and more beasts are haggling over them.

The beasts finally come to their destination, the one who is obviously in charge stepping forward to speak.

“Are they still taking slaves at the capital?” he asks.

My blood runs cold, and I try to struggle, but when the beast holding me jostles me roughly, the pain is enough to force me to stop and hang my head in defeat.

“You bring a human here in this wretched state asking about the capital? You’ll be lucky if you can get one of the locals to buy,” someone chuckles.

I cry out as I am pulled from the beast’s shoulders and forced to my knees. My arm dangles uselessly beside me, my bones screaming at me in protest. As I sit on the stone street, my body begins to tremble all on its own from lack of blood or fear, I can’t distinguish. But I can feel my consciousness finally waning as my body begins to shut down.

Hands grip my cheeks, forcing my head up to look into the eyes of the beast supposedly wanting to buy me.

“You’re telling me if you can’t find a decent healer, you won’t get a hefty price for this face?” the beast in charge asks.

The buyer steps closer to me, his eyes narrowing as he takes me in. Like all beasts, he has a healthy build. His hair is black and stringy, his skin covered in a light dusting of dirt from his daily labors as he studies me, the indistinguishable blue that gives these creatures away reflected back at me.

“Fine. But the capital won’t take her like this. She’s gotta be branded first,” he says.

My eyes widen, but the beasts looking to sell me step forward.

“You crazy? Look at her. Do you think she’ll survive a brand? You tryna screw us out of our money, or something?” the beast in charge protests, but the buyer chuckles as he moves to the fire pit holding brands.

“You’re the ones who brought her here looking like that. Are you that desperate for money? You hunt this human who obviously can’t fight back to this—”

“We didn’t hunt her. We found her floating close to death near the mouth of the river. She was like this when we got her,” he growls in irritation.

The buyer chuckles to himself as he pulls the branding iron from the flames, the metal white from the heat.

“Sure, sure. But I can’t even take her to the capital unless she has a brand. It’s the law. And I like my skin where it is,” he says, inspecting my throat.

The beast steps back, gesturing to me as I begin to struggle weakly.

“Hold her,” he says.

I flinch when hands grip my hair, forcing me to expose my throat to the beast as he holds the heated branding iron inches from my flesh.

“Try not to die on us,” he chuckles.

Dimitri

Every time I come to the market, I feel a sense of dread in my gut. It reminds me of my role in Annalise’s disappearance. Had I not tracked her down and brought her back, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe she would still be over there, enjoying her freedom and selling produce for a living.

Her and Ciel.

I shift my attention to the small child as he runs steadily ahead of me, his legs much stronger than they were in the past. He’s a bright child, every bit as curious as Annalise. There’s so much he gets from her; every time I witness it, my self-loathing grows deeper.

“Don’t look so glum, Dimitri. I only asked you to come because the little prince needed to get out, and you are so good with him. It had nothing to do with Felix leaving, though I know you miss him.” Calista walks next to me, her knowing eyes watching me as intensely as Felix does. I hate that she can read me. But I understand now that it is because of her that Felix is so good at reading me as well.

Her smile may be gentle, but she is anything but.

Felix left for the palace days ago to investigate concerns on Cyrus’s behalf. There have been reports of several missing slaves, and though we could easily chalk it up to them running away, Felix has decided not to be so frivolous in making that decision.

This time, however, Felix didn’t ask me to go with him. He’s made me remain at the estate to keep watch over Calista in her delicate state since beasts like her grow very weak during their pregnancies.

I shift my attention to Ciel as he runs to a stand, pointing to colorful objects in glee. Soon, Calista and Felix’s heir will be roaming the halls as well. And if the child is born female, she may very well be the betrothed to this small child before us because that is the way of this society—the strong need to remain strong.

Emotions don’t matter.

“What has you sighing so heavily today, Dimitri? Do you miss Felix? Or is it Annalise’s well-being that plagues your mood?” she asks, once again reading me quickly.

I shrug, knowing there’s no use in lying to her.

“I’m worried about Anna, is all. Being here… watching over her son… it makes me think of her,” I say truthfully.

Calista chuckles next to me, shaking her head.

“She will be fine. If there’s one thing I admire about her, it’s her strength for someone so naturally weak. She will endure whatever hell Elias puts her through until Cyrus can reach her. And once he brings her back, all will be right with our lives, and we can look to the future with certainty,” she says.

Now, it’s my turn to scoff.

“Your optimism is endearing,” I say. But Calista stops walking next to me, her eyes solemn as she looks at me.

“For years, I sat locked in my cell, too weak to fight for my freedom. Too weak to fight a human off of me. Too weak to even carry one of their creations to full term. And every night, I was brought comfort, for my king was only a few hundred feet away, enduring as I was. And his son was fighting this war to free all of us. This knowledge is what kept me strong. This knowledge is what has helped me dust that life off like a speck of dirt. Our king will never fail us. It is what makes him king. And he will not fail her either. She is our future,” she says.

Before I can respond, Ciel perks up ahead of us, his head shifting to the left.

“Mama?” he says softly.

I flinch, taking a step toward him. He’s been good lately with not throwing his tantrums. And since his existence is new territory for all of us, we don’t know when his tantrums will cause another shift in his form.

Calista quickly moves past me, lowering herself to her knees as she grips Ciel’s hands. Compassion washes over her features as she looks into his eyes, exuding warmth.

“Your father went to bring her back. You know this, little prince,” she says firmly.

Ciel looks at her in confusion, shifting his head back in the direction that pulled his attention in the first place. He takes a small step, but Calista holds him firm.

“No. Your mother is not here,” she says.

Ciel doesn’t buy it, however. His expression is eerily still as he focuses in the opposite direction of Calista. He’s still, his breathing calm, and his brow furrowed.

I quickly approach, and Calista steps back, allowing me.

Ciel looks at me with wide eyes, his features reflecting Anna’s as he waits for me to speak. He’s hyper focused, his eyes shifting slightly as he looks back in the direction of where he seems to think Annalise is.

“Where? Where is she?” I ask, my heart beating faster as I give him permission to give in to his delusion.

I release a soft gasp when Ciel takes a small step past me and begins his journey.

“Dimitri, you can’t—”

“Look at him. He’s only ever screamed because she isn’t around. Has he ever given a sense that he knows where she is?” I ask.

Calista’s eyes widen slightly, and she looks back to Ciel, but he’s already much further away, his legs carrying him as he follows whatever it is he thinks is Anna. Calista and I both follow behind him, ignoring the beasts who bow and attempt to offer her greeting. Our focus is on Ciel.

He leads us out of the market, down the docks to where humans are traded. My panic intensifies as the scent of Annalise drifts under my nose. It’s faint and also accompanied by blood.

“No, Ciel!” I call to him, moving my legs faster to quickly swipe him up. Now, his panicked cries fill the air as he reaches for the tents, his tiny fist clenching and unclenching as he cries.

“No! Mama! Mama!” he cries as I hand him off to Calista.

“Take him back to the estate. Send word to Felix immediately, and have a healer ready. And do not let the prince out of his chambers until Felix gives an order,” I say quickly.

“Dimitri, you don’t really think—”

“Go!” I say, turning in the direction of Anna’s scent. I make my way quickly through the tents, my panic visible as Annalise’s scent grows stronger. But it can’t be. Why would she be here? How?

This changes everything, and what’s worse, it places a significant strain on Cyrus’s plan—Cyrus who is at least a week’s travel away.

I can’t even fathom what that means for Elias.

Annalise’s scent is powerful as I push through the final groups of beasts, my eyes widening when I see her.

She’s kneeling before a beast while another holds her on her knees and keeps a tight grip on her hair to hold her neck at an angle. Her body is as bruised and scarred as I’ve ever seen it. Her skin is clammy and gray from extensive damage. Her arm, which is obviously broken, has skin hanging from it, matching the deep scratches from the rest of her body. She’s been through hell.

Literally.

The beast before her holds a brand inches from her throat, but she doesn’t even have the strength to resist. Her eyes are dull, her heartbeat weak. I don’t even think she’s conscious.

My legs are moving as I attempt to stop the beasts from making a mistake they will never live to regret.

“Stop!”