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him next." Then she walked out.
"Nnnooooooooo! Not Stygean!" The words emerged first as a groan and became a
scream that followed Anksha down the hallway.
* * * *
Every day, Stygean heard the screams coming from farther down the hall in
the section the children were not allowed to enter. Some of them sounded like
his parents, and it made him tremble with both fear and anger. When it was
still and quiet, he would wander the suite, running his hands over the
furniture in the endless monotony of imprisonment. This suite remained as much
a cage as his cell in the dungeon had been, although it was a better, more
comfortable cage.
Stygean moved to the window of the outer sitting room and looked down at the
courtyard, studying it. He had discovered where they were being held. It was
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the guest mansion where visitors of high rank stayed. His father's attackers
were apparently using it as a base. Stygean had visited here several times
with his parents when those they had been brought to see either had children
along or wanted to meet him also. Some customers assessed people as much by
their families as by their reputation. Then Stygean had always been coached
into pretending to humanity. It had not been hard, really, not to Stygean's
mind. It had just required not mentioning certain topics and pretending an
interest in matters that bored him. When he had been very little, his parents
had spelled him to hold his tongue until he was old enough to keep it shut of
his own accord.
He turned toward the door as he heard the clink of the key in the lock.
Jingen must have heard it also because he emerged from the bedroom. Jingen
spent nearly every minute sleeping, it seemed to Stygean. Anksha and two
lycans came in. Stygean saw some others standing outside the door.
"Have you finally come to let me see my parents?" Stygean asked her before
she could speak, standing with his hands on his hips like a soldier ready to
draw his blades in a cross pull. Stygean knew his blades. Part of his training
with his father, as a mercenary captain's son had been with swords and knifes,
long and short.
Anksha scowled. "Your mother is dead. I ate her."
Stygean went pale, tears started and then he mastered himself. "And my
father? What of Liuthan Loosestrife?"
"And what of my mother, Disharyl Scathwick?" Jingen said, emerging to stand
beside Stygean.
"Tomorrow for you," Anksha growled. "Today for Stygean and some of the
littles."
Stygean ran his hand under his slave collar as she led him out. Anksha
shoved him when he dawdled, and locked the suite again. Several myn waited for
them in the hallway. She had brought two Lemyari, Haig and his friend, Jun,
with them and two nibari, Eustyn and Eevy. She led the way to Liuthan's suite
and left them just outside the door and went in alone. Haig moved to stand in
the threshold. Stygean peered around him.
Liuthan was dirty, his beard and hair unkempt. He sat in the rocking chair,
staring at nothing. He did not bother to look up, merely removing his robe,
which he balled up on his lap, his fingers tightening on the cloth in
anticipation of what was coming.
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"I have brought your son," Anksha said, assessing him. She already had
seamstresses making blood-slave robes and pants for them all. The robes were
designed to accommodate her feedings, a tie belt could be yanked, and the robe
would fall open.
Liuthan's head jerked up and his eyes went wide, desperate. "No. Please
gods. Tamric..."
Anksha hissed at him. "Did you really think his godfather would dare keep
him once he knew he was sa'necari? The Ocealayens were going to either execute
all the children or abandon them in the woods to die. There are children's'
bodies rotting on poles throughout the city."
"Gods of Darkness... They would have burnt the children?"
"Tamric saved as many as he could," Haig interjected. "Eight from your
household and twenty from his and the others."
Liuthan's gaze snapped over to Haig standing in the doorway. "Eight?"
Liuthan gasped. "You only saved eight? There were twenty-three children..."
"Yes. I took them all, made them my slaves." Anksha kept her voice to the
level of a cat's hiss, low and threatening.
"You made blood-slaves of children? You're a monster!"
"What does that make you?" Anksha spit at him. "And no, not blood-slaves.
Just collared slaves for the moment."
"But Stygean is only twelve-years old... You killed his mother. I will
wither and die soon. Have mercy on my son."
"Why should I have mercy upon your child?"You had none upon the father of my
child.Anksha snatched the robe from his hands. "Sit straight. Let your son see
what I have done." The scars she made on sa'necari could not be healed with
blood unless she gave their bodies permission to heal through the
dominance-link. Liuthan was badly marked, neck, arms, shoulders and chest, for
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he had been in her custody for three months.
Anksha went to the door and gestured for them to bring Stygean in. Jun and
Haig entered with the boy and a couple of nibari followed.
"Stygean!" Liuthan cried out, stood up, and his son rushed into his arms. He
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