Self
Chapter 5
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
Chapter 5
I was
deep in sleep; a sea of black nothingness surrounded me, comforting, a release
from the horrors that I had been through the past few nights.
had all been just one, long, bad dream.
A voice shattered the darkness, telling me to wake up.
to leave the dark abyss of sleep.
Wrapped back in silence, I slept on, content in being apart from the
world. Suddenly my solitude was
stripped from me, searing heat washed over my flesh, forcing me into the waking
world. I gasped and sat up.
water. The saroberobe clung to my body,
leaving very little to the imagination.
Damien was leaning against the wall and Xavier stood over me with an
empty bucket held loosely in his hand.
I glared at him before looking over at Damien; his hand covered his
mouth, shielding a silent laugh.
“I told
you to get up pet.” Xavier said with a wicked smile, “You didn’t comply.”
“I’m
tired.” I snapped.
“Understandable.
brushing his hand down my face, “But then again probably not, you would have
been tired anyway. When a vow changes
hands there is always exhaustion.” He said, holding out his hand to me, “I
believe it is time for us to depart.
Your training shall begin when we are safely tucked away on the plane.”
I looked
myself over, “I can’t go anywhere dressed like this.”
Damien
couldn’t hold it in any longer he burst out laughing, “I’m sorry master.” He
said, looking over at Xavier, “But I couldn’t hold it in any more.”
“Yes,
that’s fine.” He said with a smile, “I wouldn’t dream of having you go anywhere
like that. Come with me and you may
pick something out.” He paused, seeing the confused lookmy fmy face, “I am not
going to treat you like a doll, at least not all the time.
there will be no collar unless necessary, hopefully it will not come to that.”
He said calmly, “Get up, let’s get you dressed.”
I nodded
and got to my feet, not using the hand offered to me. A half smile spread across Xavier’s face, “You have a strong will
but lack the refinement that is needed for your standing.” He looked over at
Damien, “Show her to a place she can change.”
“Let’s
go.” He said as we approached.
Without
another word we followed him to the main door.
The woman and man who I had seen earlier were waiting for us.
themselves between him and us. Damien
walked beside me, making sure that I didn’t try to escape.
through the streets, no longer caring where we were going.
stopping. Why was it that vampires
preferred to walk instead of using all that money to buy cars?
“How much
longer are we going to walk?” I asked softly, unsure if it was a good idea to
open my mouth.
Xavier
stopped and turned to face me. Gently
he took my face in his hands, “It would do you well to remain silent, pet.
arrangement. Do not question what we do
or do not do. Understand?” He asked, bringing
his face towards mine so that our lips nearly touched, “Well?” I tried to turn fac face away from him but he held me fast, “Answer me pet, do you understand?”
“Yes.” I
whispered.
“Good.”
He said, pulling back and releasing my face, “Then act like it.”
I bowed
my head as Xavier turned back around and continued onward.
after. The rest of the way was in
silence, not a word passed my lips, nor any of the others.
ll
private airport on the outskirts of town.
The plane sitting there was not small but the runway was big enough tccomccommodate a plane of its size.
Without a word I was lead to the stairs leading to the door on the side
of the plane. Damien and I entered
first, he sat me in one of the chairs and clip the seatbelt shut before sitting
across from me. Xavier sat beside me
and I didn’t see where the other two went.
The take-off was smooth and soon we were up in the air.
“What
now?” I asked softly.
A half
smile spread across Xavier’s face, “Now your instruction begins.” My eyes grew
wide, “Don’t worry, no harm shall come to you yet. You have done nothing bad enough to warrant me harming you.”
“Then
what are you going to do?”
“Explain
things to you, inform you of what your position entails.
I looked
over at him, “Alright then, I’ll listen.”
“That’s
all I can ask for at this time.” He said, his smile broadening, “Now then, you
already know what you are but you don’t seem to understand the situation you
are in.” He paused, “Your purpose is to serve.
Should you refuse to perform in the manner in which your master demands
you shall be punished until you do as you are told.”
I
swallowed hard, “What kind of punishment?”
“Any
thing that your master deems appropriate.
But, just as you are punished, you are rewarded.” He smiled, “If you
perform in a desirable way you will be suitably rewarded.
you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“So what
exactly am I supposed to do?”
He closed
his eyes for a moment before returning his gaze to me, “What ever your master
desires.”
I looked
away from him, my gaze focusing out the window. I didn’t want to admit that his words were true, that
sit
situation was as bad as I thought, “What’s going to happen when we get there?”
I asked softly.
“You and
Damien shall be turned over to the slave master, at least for the day.
you.”
I
scowled, “The slave master? What are
you talking about? Who is he and why
are we being turned over to him? I
thought you were the one training me, not someone else.”
He
laughed softly, “There are other things that I need to attend to, such as
sleep. I can’t baby-sit you every hour
of the day and night. In a sense you
are a menace that must be dealt with and I shall do so in any way I see
fit. Do you understand me pet?”
Narrowing
my eyes I answered, “Yes, I understand but I do not like what you’ve just said
about me. I don’t appreciate it.”
“I am
merely telling you the truth. I don’t
want to give you a false view of how I feel about you right now.
child because the reality is that this world is a harsh one that many people
have trouble adjusting to. There are
things in our world that are different than in the human world, rules that must
be upheld. Everything will be explained
to you, don’t worry about that, but I cannot always be the one to do it.
Damien and he shall be in charge of you.
If you do something wrong while in the slave master’s care, Damien shall
be the one who suffers and I shall punish you when I am in control.
will happen when we arrive.” He said, tipping his head back and closing his
eyes.
I looked
over at Damien. He smiled at me; “The
slave master isn’t all that bad as long as you stay on his good side.
special ability. It’s because of that
ability that he is a slave master. I’m
not going into that though. Upon
arrival we shall be fitted with a band that displays our master’s mark, that is
for the slave master’s benefit as well as our own. There are other slaves under the slave master and depending on who
their master is depends upon your status among them. Because we shall bare Xavier’s mark we are at the high end of the
power structure. We won’t have to worry
about defending ourselves, at least you won’t.
Every slave wishes to be leader of the pack, challenges are issued and
fights ensue. It is quite intereg
tg
to watch. Since I will be in charge of
you, any challenge issued will be fought by me.”
“What are
challenges?” I asked, looking back out the window.
“A
battle, testing the strength and skill of the participants.
the loser. If the winner is of higher
rank then the loser cannot challenge for that rank ever again.
end of the spectrum. We are a part of
the first rank, the highest rank. You
do not have to worry about it, unless I lose, which isn’t going to happen.
you cannot accept a challenge, someone else must take it for you, that is why I
am there. You’ll catch on; it’s not
that difficult. Because everyone there
is in training I shouldn’t have any problems being your guardian.”
I looked
over at him, “What if something happens and there is a problem?”
“I will
be punished severely.” He looked at Xavier, “As it is I will already be
whipped. I don’t think I can stop
myself from screaming before a hundred strokes. I haven’t been whipped in a long time, I’m afraid you will be
disappointed in my performance.”
Xavier
smiled at him, “Your punishment will not be that much, but it will be with the
spiked whip. If you fail a challenge I
will not be pleased. The problem with
that is no one can take your place, although they will not know that.
id
as he unbuckled his seatbelt, “Excuse me, I am rather hungry.” He said, getting
to his feet.
“Spiked
whip?” I asked softly.
Damien
nodded, “Yes, quite painful, but it does get the point across.
defiance. He will hear me scream, you
can be sure of it.”
My eyes
grew wide, “You can’t be serious. Will
that ever happen to me? Will I ever be
whipped?”
He
shrugged, “Who knows. When he punishes
you, it will fit the crime, simple as that.
He doesn’t over punish and rarely under punishes.
not, it is all up to you. If you behave
the way you should you will never have to feel the sting of the whip.”
“I’m
taking a nap.” I said coldly, tipping my seat back and closing my eyes.
“Suit
yourself.” Damien said softly as I slipped into sleep.
The feel
of the plane landing awakened me, the sound of the air against the wings as it
fought to slow down. The pilot had made
sure that we landed at night; I was positive that it was for the vampire’s
benefit. Opening my eyes I saw Xavier
standing over me with a jacket draped over his arm. He handed it to me without a word before walking away.
on. The leather fit smoothly to me,
hanging to my ankles. Damien was
waiting for me, a similar jacket draped over his body.
took it reluctantly. Xavier led the
way, flanked by his enforcer and second, followed by Damien and I.
seemingly endless path. My legs ached;
all I wanted was to sit down to rest.
Every time I slowed Damien pulled me onward, never lax in his duty.
that I didn’t try anything and he was performing quite well.
slave master. I was sure to keep my
mouth shut, not wanting to get in trouble so soon after our arrival.
stood outside, waiting.
“That is
the slave master.” Damien whispered, “Do not speak unless spoken to.”
I nodded
as Xavier walked towards him. The slave
master was handsome but there was a commanding air about him, something that
struck fear into every fiber of my being.
He looked like the prime of Hitler’s Aryan race, blonde hair, bright
blue eyes. His body was muscular,
powerful. As we stood before him Damien
dropped to one knee. The slave master
smiled down at him as Damien held out his right arm, the sleeve rolled up to
his elbow. A sliver brace that would
cover his forearm was snapped around his bare arm. It was adorned with three markings, one of which stood out above
all the others; I guessed it was Xavier’s mark. Once the band was on, Damien stood and smiled at the man.
“It has
been a long time slave master. It is a
pleasure to see you again.” Damien said softly.
The slave
master nodded and embraced Damien, “Yes, it has. You shall behave I trust.” He nodded, “Good.
turning to me, “Hold out your right arm.” I did so and he pulled the sleeve up,
“The one Rayne wore should fit you. I
don’t want to have to make a new one, too time consuming, besides, you must
sleep while it is being done, I don’t think Xavier wants that, it would take
away from his training time.” He said, pulling out a band similar to the one he
had put on Damien. Without a word he
snapped it around my arm, “That should do, it seems to be a good fit.
shall be taking them inside.”
“Don’t
let me stop you Hans. I have things
that I need to take care of before tomorrow night. I need to prepare for her first night under my tender care, that
is if she behaves the way she should.”
“Of
course.” Hans said with a wicked smile, “And if she doesn’t she shall suffer
for her transgressions.” Xavier nodded, “Damien, Eva, come with me.
collect you. Damien, you will remain
here unless he decides to take you with him.”
Damien
nodded, “Of course, I shall serve you in any way you deem necessary during my
stay.”
Hans
smiled, “I should hope so.” He said, walking inside.
I took
Damien’s arm and we followed him. The
inside was just as beautiful as the outside, an ancient masterpiece.
we walked through the large living room.
There were people lounging in chairs or talking.
talking about their masters but Damien wouldn’t let me stop and listen.
“Damien,
you know the room in which you are staying, when you have shown her there then
you may do as you please, I need to speak with her so bring her to me before
hand.” He said, looking back the way we had come, “There is someone that I need
to deal with.”
“Come on
Eva. I’ll show you our room then we
shall return to him.”
led me away I could here Hans yelling at someone, “You know better than to
speak of your master.” There was a slight pause, “Silence.
nothing.
“What’s
he going to do to them?” I asked as we walked down a long hallway lined with
doors.
“Punishment
will be given, suitable for their crime.” Damien said simply.
“What did
they do wrong?” I asked softly.
“They
spoke of their master.”
“What’s
wrong about that?” I asked as he opened a door at the end of the hall.
He
sighed, “This is our room.” He said, motioning within.
closet. On each bed was an eyehook with
a chain; “Ss ars are not allowed to speak of their masters, esplly lly during
training. Afterwards they may talk
amongst themselves, if their master allows it.
If not then they can be punished.
It is quite simple, do not speak of Dante or Xavier while we are here,
do you understand? I do not wish to
suffer for that.”
I nodded,
“I understand.” I paused, “What are the chains for?”
“While
sleeping we are collared and chained to the bed, it is a safety precaution,
nothing more.” He paused, “Come, we must return, perhaps you shall bare witness
to the tail end of their punishment.”
I nodded
and followed him out. I was beginning
to hate the situation I was in, to despise my captors and their methods.
see another side of, he was kind, or at least could be.
manners, which made perfect sense to me; he was hundreds of years old.
from my thoughts. I jumped and grabbed
onto Damien’s arm. He chuckled softly
as we continued to walk, not saying a word.
As we walked into the living room I saw Hans standing over a young
man. The arm with the band was held up,
trying to shield himself from the bullwhip that came crashing down.
shocked at the sight before my eyes.
Without realizing it I took a step forward, Damien grabbed my arm,
stopping me from going any farther.
Suddenly
Hans stopped, “Thank you Damien, why don’t the two of you take a seat until I
am finished with him.” He said without turning to face us.
“Yes
sir.” Damien replied softly before leading me to a large couch that was
positioned so that we could see every movement that either of them made.
Together
we sat down, his hand rested gently on my leg, reminding me that he was there
and if I tried to stop Hans from harming the slave before us he would stop
me. I wanted to close my eyes, ignore
what was going on but I knew that I would get in trouble if I did, if I even looked
away, so I sat and watched, Damien’s hand heavy on my leg.
eyes narrowed. In a flash of movement
Hans grabbed his arm and pulled him up.
“You will
not block with that arm, unless you wished to be chained, that can always be
arranged. You have not been here long
but it has been long enough for you to learn what not to do by watching others
and listening to what they have to say.” He growled, throwing him to the
ground. The whip crashed downin,
in,
digging into his chest, he screamed and Hans smiled, “That’s better.” He
sneered. The whip came down twice more
before he brought his arm up, the one without the band.
was bleeding from the strikes. Finally
Hans stopped, “Go get yourself cleaned up, when you’re done with that come see
me. I can see that you must be
instructed further.” He said before turning to us, “Now my dear, we begin.” He
said, smiling at me, “What has Damien told you of this place?” He asked,
sitting in a large armchair.
I took a deep
breath and let it out slowly, “I am not to speak of Dante or Xavier and I’ll be
chained up while sleeping.” I said softly.
He
nodded, “As long as you do not speak of your master and do as instructed by
either Damien or I you will do just fine.
I hope that Xavier makes Damien your full guardian, it would be so much
easier for me, but I doubt he will, at least for now.”
“It would
be a great honor that I would readily accept.” Damien said with a smile, “At
some point a guardian will have to be chosen and I hope that I am honored with
that position.”
“Eva,
will you excuse us? Damien and I need
to talk for a while. You may roam the
house as you please, just be careful what you say.”
I nodded
and got to my feet, “Yeah.” I said absently as I walked out of the room.
they had given me the perfect chance to escape. I had a feeling that I was in England, if I was right then I
could find my oldest brother. He was
living here and could help me, I hoped.