Chapter 49: Chapter 49

Dhol

Dhol was fighting the urge to grab Raven and make a run for it. They could possibly reach the lobby, but he was certain a small army would be waiting for them there.

Then he’d be sent to the mines, working until his last breath, and he didn’t even want to think about what would happen to Raven.

He knew he had to be patient, wait for her to receive her brand or go to auction, but it was going to be harder after her performance out there.

Several foreigners had already offered the king generous gifts, lands, and money, mainly to use her as an assassin or to try and breed a new type of warrior.

She looked surprised to see him, but also happy. He was relieved. He’d thought she would blame him like Arenk and Laro did. But Raven looked like she was in bad shape.

He could smell the summer wine from where he sat, and her eyes had dark circles under them. He felt the heat of eyes on them as he glanced up. Dhol noticed the prince of Nadia looking over.

“You should get back to work instead of staring at me,” Dhol said, walking past her.

He had to seem indifferent and uninterested. Dhol hoped she would understand and just wait for him.

He prayed to the universe that she wouldn’t do anything rash, but he knew better and had to act quickly.

“I need you to convince the prince to play nice and sign the agreement. With his father being sick, he can push the deal through. New resources and females to the pool will be good for everyone. I don’t care what you have to offer him. Just get him to sign,” Oito said, taking a seat next to him.

“How am I qualified to do that?”

“For many reasons. You’ve spent the most time in his country, and he has an eye for something that you want. If you don’t help, I will have no choice but to give her to him,” Oito said.

“Unofficially, of course, and it was the king’s idea. I hear the Nadians are more gentle toward females. They just passed a law to allow females to choose their mates and even have careers. Raven might like it there better,” he said with a smile.

Dhol was ready to strangle him. If he got involved, then Oito would use her against him every time.

Dhol leaned in. “Let me tell you again, I don’t care about her. Never have, never will. So find someone else to do your dirty work.”

Just as the words left his lips, the heavy doors swung open again.

“Presenting King Soi-Ji.”

Everyone stood and waited for the king to take his seat.

“It’s good to see familiar and new faces here tonight as we welcome the top performers from this year’s class,” King Soi-Ji said.

The king gave a wave of his hand, and someone placed a set of branding irons over the fire.

Even though they could give each of them a painless brand, the king insisted on continuing with the ancient ways.

“A few seconds of pain is a small price to pay to the universe for the gift you all are about to receive. It’ll also serve as a reminder of what you could feel should you ever take your gift for granted,” the King said, looking over to Raven.

Raven seemed not to notice as she poured another cup for the prince, who seemed preoccupied with whispering to her. It must have been funny or maybe sweet because she smiled.

Dhol’s grip on the armrest tightened.

One by one, females received their brands ranging from mid-rank to royalty and their new names. The scent of burning flesh was sickening but not as bad as the screams.

The brandmaster scanned his list and frowned.

“Zero, step forward,” he said, pushing his thick glasses up.

Raven placed the pitcher down and took a deep breath. Her hands shook a bit as she tried to hide them against her skirt. The king removed his ring and handed it to his attendant.

“This is a first—well, a first in a long time. You should be proud,” the brandmaster said.

Raven looked just as confused as Dhol felt.

“I am. It’s an honor to be able to help prolong the Tareaian species,” Raven said.

Oito smirked. “Good thing you don’t care about her because the king is about to plant his flag on her. Well, it makes sense. He hasn’t broken her nor had her yet. I spend most days making sure he doesn’t kill her.”

The attendant handed the ring to the brandmaster, and he placed it on a tray set over the fire.

Once it turned bright orange, he removed it with a pair of tongs with the king’s family crest facing outward, a great beast sitting proud.

“Let all who see it know you carry the personal brand of King Soi-Ji. This day forward, you are Rize-Ji,” the brandmaster said as he pressed the hot metal to the back of her neck.

Dhol clenched his fist tight and ignored the pain and blood that collected in his palm.

***

Raven

She woke to her bed shaking and her neck and head throbbing.

“Get up! You wanted to see the doctor today, right?” Captain Oito said, using his boot to shake the bed more.

Raven groaned and sat up. “I’m up.”

She hoped he would be in a better mood after spending some time with Jaji. Raven felt a lot better after seeing Dhol, though he looked tired.

She knew he had to keep his distance, but seeing him filled her with joy.

The trip to the doctor’s office was quick. It was only a floor below hers. So much for going to town. Either way, she could steal what she needed for her plan.

They sat in the cold waiting room with a few other females, all of them there to get relief for their painful brands, she assumed.

“I thought after I received my brand, I could start to do stuff on my own,” Raven said.

“You can, but with your rank, you must always have a guard unless the king says otherwise. If I’m lucky, he’ll assign you a permanent guard that’s not me,” Captain Oito said.

The doors popped open, and a man with a transparent tablet appeared. He scanned the crowd and walked straight toward her.

“Rize-Ji, this way,” he said.

A chorus of groans erupted in the room.

“Let them go first. I can hang back,” Raven suggested.

“Don’t be silly. Follow me,” he replied, not bothering to wait for her response.

“Consider it a perk. Enjoy it,” Captain Oito chimed in. “I’ll stay put here.”

Raven had to pick up her pace to keep up with him. He came to a sudden halt in front of a door, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Apologies, the room isn’t ready yet. My new team members are still getting the hang of things. Please hang tight here for a bit,” he said, disappearing around the corner.

Raven looked both ways before testing the door handle, and it swung open. She peeked inside and immediately understood his frustration. The examination table was a mess, littered with crumpled paper and scattered tools.

She rummaged through drawers until she found packets of needles and glass vials. The sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, and voices started to get louder.

Raven quickly stashed them wherever she could, planning to sort them with the blades later. She slipped back into the hallway, leaning against the wall to steady her racing heart.

“Raven,” a voice she recognized whispered.

Her eyes flew open. “Arenk?”

Without a second thought, she rushed towards him. But as she reached out, another figure rounded the corner, carrying the scent of cinnamon.

Raven froze in her tracks at the sight of the protruding belly.