HELLHOUND (Book Two of the Wisteria Chronicles)

CHAPTER 11~Slave~

Faedan

“Wake up, slave!” the guard shouted before kicking me in the stomach. I remained quiet, holding in my agony. Making noise only encouraged the guards to hit you harder. I didn't have time to waste on getting a beating.

I gave the guard a blank stare, he smirked in return before leaving. Goddess, I f*****g hated it here. I stood up and walked over to the broken mirror I was gifted with for having good behavior. I tenderly lifted my ragged shirt to reveal my swollen stomach. The bruise was already forming to accompany the dozen others; all in different stages of purple, blue and yellow.

I moved away from the mirror before I could see my face. It's been two, maybe three years since I last saw my reflection. When I was given the mirror, I had rushed to my cell to hang it up. It was something that had made me like a person again. I was excited, then I took my first glance at what I had become.

My once tall and muscled body was depleted of nutrients. My long arms had hung like flimsy twigs and my legs had been narrowed down to thin branches. My shoulders poked out and my ribs jutted out against my skin. The term skin and bones was an understatement. My beard was an unconfined scraggly mess that went down to my chest. I had sunken cheeks and bushy eyebrows.

My dark skin tone was ashen and covered in dirt. I had turned into a bedraggled hermit. But the worst change was my eyes. The hazel hue was alert, wild and uncivilized; the look of a beast. There were no traces of my past happiness, only the promise of revenge. There was never a moment that passed without me thinking of my sister’s betrayal.

That day I had watched Phoebe and Kyra run out of the kitchen with excited squeals. My mother reached out and patted my hand. “You better hurry dear, you know how your father gets when you’re not with him.” I nodded my head before gulping down the last of my food. I gave Mother a kiss before walking down to my father’s office.

Father had given me silent glare as I sat down in the corner. Malakai sent me a sympathetic look before turning back to the meeting. Father had made it mandatory for me to sit in on business matters concerning the kingdom, especially its finances.

He had groomed me like how he groomed the girls. I didn’t see the point since I was never going to take over the throne. When I voiced this he just brushed me off, saying it was necessary for when I get married to another kingdom’s princess.

Today’s meeting was about combining the Nysthgroth and Shandalar Kingdoms. Both nations had their financial advisors and lawyers present. Malakai already took over as king so his father wasn’t here. The meeting was long and rigorous, both parties trying to gain the upper hand if the marriage somehow failed. I rolled my eyes, Phoebe was too in love with Malakai; their marriage was destined to be a happy one.

The sun was low by the time we finally finished. I was on my way out when Malakai approached me. “Hey man. I just wanted to let you know that I’m officially going to ask Phoebe for her hand tonight.” he said with a shy smile. I patted him on the back, “I’m sure she will be thrilled.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, I hope so. I was hoping that you could meet up with Kyra and wait for us. I know the first thing Phoebe will do is run back here to tell you once I slide that ring on her finger.” I patted him again, “Of course! Where does she want to meet?” “She said the library.”

I nodded my head, “Alright, I’ll head there now.” He beamed at me, “Perfect! I’ll see you soon. I gotta stay here for a few to get your grandmother’s ring from the king, then I’ll head over to the cabin.” I raised my hand, offering my fist. “Good luck bro.” I said with a smile. “Yeah, you too.” he said as his fist bumped mine. I tilted my head to the side, “What?” Malakai just smiled and shook his head.

I shrugged as I left the office, making my way down to the library. I walked inside, greeted by the smell of old leather and paper. I grabbed a random book from the shelves and sat down in my favorite loveseat. The book was titled, Nymphs and What we know. I was halfway through the book when Kyra shook me.

“Faedan! I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past 15 minutes.” she said, an annoyed look on her face. “Oh, sorry. My book was really good.” I murmured. She rolled her eyes, “Well we wasted a lot of time so let’s go.” I frowned, “I thought we were supposed to wait for Phoebe.” Kyra let out a dramatic sigh, “We are! We just need to go get her engagement gift first.”

I pursed my lips, “I never thought about getting them a gift.” Kyra shook her head, “That’s what I thought. Come on, let’s go.” She turned, already halfway out the door. “What did you get her?'' I asked as I caught up to her. “It’s a surprise. I had to bring it in from out of the kingdom. We have to get it from the eastside border.” she said. I tsked, it sounded expensive.

The sun had finally set and the night was dark. Kyra led me through the forest to the east end border. A black escalade was waiting for us. A man in a maroon business suit and a briefcase stepped out, a leering smile on his face. Kyra smiled in return, “I’m so happy that you were able to make it.” The male inclined his head and lifted the case. Kyra skipped over, greedily taking it from him.

She opened it up, an insane amount of money laid inside. I frowned, why was he giving Kyra money? I thought we were buying from him. “Everything looks perfect.” Kyra chirped while she closed the case. The man nodded then got back in the vehicle. “What’s going on?” I asked as two large men stepped out. They walked up to me, one placing a hand on my shoulder.

Kyra smiled, “You are no longer wanted in the kingdom of Nythsgroth.” I chuckled nervously as the man’s grip got tighter. “What the hell are you talking about?” I asked her, I hated the fear that leaked from my voice. Kyra frowned, “Faedan, I just sold you to one of the worst slave owners in the Underworld.”

My heart pounded loudly as I looked at her in confusion. “What?” I asked meekly. “Why do you sound confused? I said what I said. You are no longer a citizen of Nysthgroth.” I couldn’t believe what she was saying. I tried to step forward but the man held onto me tightly. The second one grabbed my arms and held them behind my back.

I struggled in their grasp, earning a few hard punches to the face and stomach. My vision was blurry as I tried to look up at Kyra. I couldn’t stand on my own from how hard the blows were. “You would do this to your own brother?” I asked. Kyra walked up to me, bending down to whisper in my ear. “You should consider yourself lucky, at least I kept you alive. Father and Phoebe weren’t so blessed.”

I tried to lung at her, my captors quick with their judgement of punches. I could barely open my eyes. “How could you?” I demanded through my cracked lips. Kyra shrugged, “This is the only way. I always get what I want. So, if you’ll excuse me brother, I gotta make sure Malakai finished his part.” She kissed my bloodied cheek and walked away.

The screech of the sliding cell door brought me back to the present. A new guard stood before me, his eyes warmer than the first one’s. “Are you ready to meet with the Master?” he asked. He was the only guard here that treated slaves with a shred of dignity, I believed his name was Aaron. I slipped on my straw sandals and nodded.

Aaron led me from my cell to the main villa where the Master lived. There was a flurry of activity. The house slaves were running around with flower bouquets, trays of food and were busy setting up decorations. Today, Master Gozredal was bringing in a new batch of slaves that would be displayed in his exhibit, Discovery.

Discovery was an exhibit that was held every two months to show the Supernatural world the wonders of magical creatures. The slaves were put up behind glass windows and were forced to display their magic or unique quality. For those involved, Discovery was pretty much a zoo where slaves were paraded around to appease the crowds.

Master Gozredal liked to think of himself as some sort of purveyor of mystical beings. The household always talked about how he was competing with someone completely out of his league. He was becoming desperate, acquiring more and more slaves. He ranted on and on about how this exhibit will finally put him ahead of his rival.

Gozredal calling me today only meant that he had his usual plans for me tonight. I was never publicly displayed because of my identity. If someone found out a royal was being held captive here, they would storm the place. Gozredal always saved me for private gatherings. He would summon me and have me stand for hours as him and his disgusting friends laughed at the broken prince. Goddess, I couldn’t wait for the day where I got to wipe their smirks off.

Aaron opened Gozredal’s office door and ushered me in. Gozredal was sitting behind the desk, his blonde hair perfectly combed to the side and his dark brown eyes were harsh. “Ah, Prince Faedan, thank you for meeting me.” he said, as if I had a f*****g choice.

“I just wanted to let you know that unfortunately, you will no longer be by yourself for our private meetings.” he continued and waved towards the door. Another guard came in with a dirty disheveled woman. She had long brown matted hair, porcelain like skin, and she was surprisingly tall; maybe a few inches shorter than me.

I looked at her with mild curiosity. If I took too much of an interest, Gozredal would make it a point to tourture her in front of me. “This lovely young lady was found deep in the forest of Mount Fuji.” The woman looked up at me, her almond shaped eyes were big and bright. Her brown irises were rimmed with a dark red color, making her face look heavenly and mysterious.

I begrudgingly tore my gaze away from her, attempting to focus on Gozredal’s words. He stood up and walked over to her, pulling on the anti-magic collar that hung around all of our necks. He gave her a wicked sneer. “She’s a rare being, there are only a few of her kind reported throughout time. Her name is Yurah and she is one of the only remaining fire nymphs left on Midhaven.”

My gaze snapped up to her face, holding contact with her beautiful eyes. I was completely astounded. Her species was so rare, the fact that she hailed from the fire region made her even more precious. My hands clenched at the thought that she was now in the hands of the most ruthless slave owner in the Underworld.

I had a sudden urge to protect her. It was a feeling that I both hated and rejoiced. Gozredal turned his attention to me. “I expect you to explain how things work around here. If she falls out of line, both of you will be beaten. I would hate to mess up that pretty face of hers.” he said full of malice.

“Yes, Master. Did you want me to prepare her for tonight?” I asked, trying my hardest to keep the joy of being near her out of my voice. “No, she needs time to learn her place. You both will be exempted from tonight’s private meetings. I expect both of you to be at your best conditions for the next one.” I sent up a silent thank you at his words.

“Aaron will show you the way to your new room.” Gozredal said. I frowned, “New room, Master?” He sat back down and started to look over the paperwork on his desk. “Yes, I can’t have her in the lower cells with those filthy animals. You’re the only one here who hasn’t tried to rape the new women. So, I’m trusting you to watch her in the main villa. Your room will be next to hers.”

My heart thumped, “Thank you Master.” He waved me off, signaling for the guards to show us our rooms. It was in a small room that had a full sized cot, a small dresser, and clean linens. My eyes teared at the sight; this was the first time I was going to sleep on something other than the floor. One of the walls had a tiny window to the connecting room where I saw the guard throw Yurah inside.

She looked scared as she surveyed her new surroundings. I gave her a shy smile through the glass. I never expected her to smile back, but when she did my heart stopped. She was the brightest light I’ve seen in over six years.

Aaron knocked on my door before coming in with a food tray. “The Master wants you to put on some weight so you’ll be eating twice a day. He also wanted me to tell you to keep your hands to yourself or he’ll cut your d**k off.” I flinched, I’ve seen him make good on that promise many times before. “Yes, sir.” I said. Aaron nodded then delivered some food to Yurah. She sat on her tiny bed and smiled at me before she started to eat.

I have two months before the next exhibit. I need to teach her how to become accustomed to this place or else Gozredal would kill the both of us.