Whatever It Takes 3: Love in Chains - EXCERPT

Chapter 10

Rayeed was watching the Orellian work. He should have punished him days ago, but damn, there was just something about that man. Despite everything, he was still holding on to his pride, his moral integrity. That was not a desirable thing in a slave, it was a telltale sign of a troublemaker, and the overseers were instructed to beat it out of people. To torment them until they would break. Everyone would, eventually. But, for some reason, Rayeed just couldn’t make himself do it, or even just mention it to the others, who would be glad for an opportunity to make an example of someone. Instead, he found himself sticking his neck out to protect the man by not saying a word about the talks the three of them led in their cell when they thought nobody was listening.

That was another thing Rayeed should have taken care of. Friendship was not allowed, that was how slave rebellions started. Rayeed was supposed to separate them the moment they got closer to each other and make them regret ever being nice to another person in the shithole they were forced to live in. It happened a lot and he never failed to report it, even though it pained him to see people suffer just because they wanted some basic connection with another human being.

But, in the entire empire of Cchen-Lian, and in the Blessed District especially, the slaves were not considered human beings. Even Rayeed could end up on the square just as easily as any of the others, despite being loyal to his masters for years and having worked himself up the ladder as high as a slave possibly could. That was life. And Rayeed was a survivor. Nobody ever gave him anything for free and he saw no reason to do it for the others. He wholeheartedly agreed with what the Orellian’s other cellmate said - compassion was a weakness. At least until recently.

First, there was the girl. So damn strong. Rayeed had seen other women who had spent some time in Ersey’s clutches, and they were usually beaten, sniffling wrecks that couldn’t put a coherent sentence together. Not her. Admirable. And now the Orellian.

They were together, that much was obvious. Lamar kept calling her a friend but the way he spoke about her left no doubt about his true feelings toward her. Rayeed spent a lot of evenings quietly listening in on the conversations in the cell. Conversations he definitely should have reported because, unlike other slaves who only fantasized about escaping, these men were making actual, realistic plans. Yet, he let them be, finding himself wishing someone would stand up for him when he first arrived in the District the way Lamar was standing up for Fu. Rayeed couldn’t figure out why the Orellian was doing that.

For nearly two weeks they worked their asses off during the day and conspired during the evenings. Rayeed had to admire their ingenuity. They had a lot of things mapped with a precision that surprised him. Guard rotations. The routes and times of the supply wagons. The general layout of the District, which they somehow managed to get right despite not being allowed anywhere other than their cell and the building site they were working on. Yet, they were nowhere close to forming an actual escape plan. Mainly because there was no way to escape. Rayeed should know, he spent most of his life in this horrible place. And even though he was allowed to move on his own through the city from time to time, like when he escorted the girl, he knew he wouldn’t even make it out of Xi-huan if he tried to run. No one ever did.

If Lamar and his friends continued with what they were trying to do, Rayeed was going to watch them die. For hours. Days. The emperor’s people knew how to keep people alive for a very long time even while cutting and burning off pieces of their bodies. After having spent so much time listening in on their friendly bickering, he felt like he was one of them. Like he… had friends? Was that what it felt like? He had no idea, he never experienced anything like that before. But there was just something about that damn Orellian that made people want to follow him around.

Rayeed has made his choice. “Hey, you!” Several faces turned to him, most with a startled expression. It was never a good thing to be in the center of someone’s attention. Rayeed pointed at Lamar and curled his finger. “Come here!” The rest of the men let out an audible sigh of relief and went back to their work. Only the Orellian’s cellmates seemed worried. Lamar himself looked almost calm, skillfully climbing out of the trench they had been digging despite still having his feet chained together. “Grab that and follow me.” Rayeed gestured to one of the crates that needed to be taken back to the storage.

“Yes, sir,” the Orellian answered immediately, as if in reflex, and Rayeed had to smirk. A soldier.

They walked in silence, the Orellian grunting under the weight of his burden and Rayeed absentmindedly playing with the handle of the whip hanging from his belt. He rarely ever used that thing but never hesitated to do it before when it was necessary. After the crate was put away, Rayeed leaned against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest, and sized Lamar up again. The Orellian just stood there, head lowered respectfully, but there was a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “You need to stop,” Rayeed said calmly, knowing nobody was around to hear them.

“I was wondering when we were going to have this conversation.” Lamar sounded mostly amused, there was not a trace of fear in his voice, and he looked up with defiance.

Yes, Rayeed certainly let it get too far. “You are going to get yourself killed. It’s enough that you three are supporting each other, I can sympathize with that and look away. But the talks you have-”

“The talks that you have been listening to in secret for the past eleven days,” the Orellian interrupted him. “And you said nothing. You didn’t report me, you didn’t beat the s**t out of me as you were no doubt supposed to. Don’t look so surprised. I might not understand the stupid language of this stupid country but I am not deaf. I know when someone is sneaking around. You stood behind the door every single day and you haven’t said a word. You haven’t punished us either.”

Alright, Rayeed had certainly underestimated the man. He was way more dangerous than he looked. “So what? Are you trying to blackmail me? Threaten to tell the others I have clearly been neglecting my duties?”

“Why the f**k would I do that? It wouldn’t be in my best interest. No,” Lamar shook his head, “I am offering you a deal. You help us get out, we will take you along when we leave. Find a safe place for you somewhere not even the f*****g emperor can reach you. You could be free.”

Free. Rayeed didn’t even know what it meant. He has been owned by someone ever since he was a child. “Do I look like I have a death wish?! I am telling you to stop with that nonsense! You are going to get caught and die.”

“And why the hell do you care about me dying?”

That was a good question and Rayeed didn’t really have an answer for it so he decided to change the topic instead. “You’ve been asking about the girl.”

“Is she here?” For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, there seemed to be cracks in Lamar’s confidence.

“You won’t be able to get to her. Even before it was unlikely but now… impossible.”

Fists clenched, Lamar took a step closer to Rayeed. “The f**k are you talking about? Where is she?!”

“Relax, man, she is fine. She got herself a ticket out of this mess! She was with the other female slaves for a while, doing quite well. Apparently, she is quite a spitfire, doesn’t take s**t from anyone,” Rayeed chuckled. “And then someone pulled her out of the kitchen and she is now a slave to the princess herself.” Lamar’s face grew pale, his eyes widening in horror. “That’s a good thing, dumbass. She will get proper food, decent clothes, a real bed! People would kill for such an opportunity!” Rayeed knew for sure that people have killed for such an opportunity.

It didn’t seem to calm the Orellian down, quite the opposite actually. “s**t,” he muttered under his breath. “That b***h Yoshimi?” he asked for confirmation and Rayeed nodded. What other princesses were there? “Crap. I need to get her out, now.”

“Man, that is literally impossible! The palace is the most guarded part of the entire District. She’s better off now, she will have a decent life. Keep out of trouble for a few years and you can see her again.”

The look of absolute disgust on Lamar’s face almost made Rayeed flinch. “I thought you could help us,” he scoffed. “That you were still a man. A person. But you are nothing but a well-trained dog anymore. You have absolutely no idea what kind of danger Laina is in just being anywhere near Yoshimi. I am going to get her and then we are all leaving this place. Feel free to report that to your master the next time you go running to kiss his ass.” With those words, he turned around and marched out of the storehouse, leaving flabbergasted Rayeed behind.

“Wait, you i***t!” It only took the overseer a few seconds to regain his composure and he rushed after Lamar. “You can’t just walk around here on your own.” The Orellian rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. His previous words stung, echoing in Rayeed’s head long after the day was over and all slaves were safely locked up. He avoided the Orellian’s cell like a plague that evening but still couldn’t get the words out of his head. Was he really not a person anymore? Has he ever even been a person?

***

Laina knew she should have been grateful. She got a bath, albeit quite cold, a new clean dress, and a proper dinner without having to fight anyone over it. A bed. A real bed. It felt like an eternity since she slept on one of those. But she couldn’t enjoy it, too scared of what would be the cost of it all. Nothing good in this life came for free.

The night was long and Laina spent it tossing and turning in her comfortable bed that didn’t smell like piss and sweat. Yet, the sleep evaded her, scary thoughts haunting her mind.

What could Yoshimi want from her? No doubt the princess was going to torment and humiliate Laina, that much was obvious. But… the way she and the general looked at each other… There must have been something more to all this. They both seemed happy to have found someone from Orellia, like they had been secretly hoping for it for some time, and getting their hands on Laina was exactly what they needed. But what for?

Liu, the princess’ main maid was not a slave. She was also a world-class b***h. Why the hell were all women in this place so mean? Laina didn’t remember such rivalry in the Karina’s or Hayden’s royal palaces. Sure, there were conflicts, gossip, or silly pranks from time to time. But, in general, the maids were nice to each other. Here? A f*****g jungle. The strongest survive.

Laina spent most of the morning carrying buckets of hot water into the bath for the princess. At least she got breakfast. Eggs, fresh bread and butter, an apple. A royal feast compared to what she had been used to in the past weeks.

Just as she was pouring the last bucket into the bath, Yoshimi entered the room. Even her nightgown was ornate and laced with gemstones. Such a waste. Laina quickly stepped aside and lowered her gaze. Briefly dipping her fingers into the water, the princess scoffed. “It’s not very hot, is it?”

There was literal f*****g steam coming from the bath! “I’m sorry, mistress.” It was not like Laina was in the position to argue with the niece of the emperor.

“And the oils? The incense?” Yoshimi inhaled sharply through her nose a couple of times. “Nothing?”

The b***h Liu told Laina to get water, she didn’t say a word about anything else. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t told to-”

“Save it,” Yoshimi interrupted her in a condescending voice. “It’s for the best anyway, barbarians like you shouldn’t touch such expensive things. Help me out of my gown, slave.”

Laina had years of experience with that so she managed to get the princess naked without causing any more problems. Smirking, Yoshimi stepped into the bath and settled comfortably in the hot water. And it was hot, Laina made sure of that. If she could, she would start a fire under the tub and boil that vicious cunt to death.

“Tell me, slave.” The princess was clearly enjoying saying the word. “Where exactly in Orellia are you from?”

“Pinto,” Laina answered immediately. It was the port where she and Lamar boarded the Western Wind.

The princess’ fingers tapped on the edge of the bath. “Is that so? Hmm,” she mused and went silent for a few minutes. Laina was grateful because this was a dangerous game. If the princess ever found out who Laina truly was and how close she was to queen Karina and king Hayden, the girl had no doubts her life would take a drastic turn for the worse. And it already sucked.

She wished she could just leave the room but Yoshimi didn’t send her away, so Laina was bound to stand there motionless in total silence until instructed otherwise. Yoshimi scrubbed her arms a bit for effect and stood up, extending her hand. Laina rushed in to hand her a towel. All morning carrying water and the b***h spent less than ten minutes in it.

“Liu!” The princess yelled.

The maid must have been waiting right behind the door because she opened it almost before the last letter of her name left Yoshimi’s lips. “My lady? Oh, did that stupid slave not prepare your bath right? I am so sorry, I told her about the oils several times.” Oh, that backstabbing cunt.

“Right. I bet you did,” Yoshimi chuckled. “Drain the water and clean the bathroom. The Orellian will accompany me today.”

There were no words of protest but the maid stared at the princess in disbelief. “I… uh… Yes, my lady. As you wish.”

Laina was just as surprised as Liu but nobody asked her anything so she had to keep her mouth shut. This was not good. At the very best, the maid was going to hate her even more now. At worst… Laina didn’t actually know but had a feeling Yoshimi was planning something bad and that Laina was going to play a big part in it. Whether she liked it or not.

The day was way longer than the night and Laina regretted not getting any sleep. Yoshimi wandered around the palace for hours, chatting and gossiping with random nobles, and Laina was forced to follow her all the time and stand nearby in case the princess needed something. She never did. Most of the time it seemed as if Yoshimi completely forgot Laina was even there. Not that the girl would complain. She would just prefer it if she could sit down for a moment. Or have a glass of water.

The dinner was the scariest part of the day. A big, fancy event, with all the important people present. Yoshimi sat at the main table next to her uncle, the emperor Odi himself. Never in her wildest dreams (or nightmares) did Laina imagine getting so close to the man. He didn’t look very impressive. An old, short, balding man. Round belly, no wonder given the amount of food the servants were putting on his plate. His hair was clearly gray but he insisted on dying it black and the result was pathetic. General Xiang was there too, he and Yoshimi were exchanging cautious glances from time to time.

“More wine!” Odi yelled but before a servant could take the few steps forward and refill his glass, Yoshimi stopped him, snapping her fingers. Right, that was Laina’s cue. Why the hell did the princess want a measly slave to serve the emperor? Laina didn’t have time to ponder over it, grabbed the nearest pitcher, and cautiously approached the most powerful man in the world. Thanks to all the gods in existence, she managed to pour the wine without spilling anything and quickly retreated to a safe distance.

The quiet chatter continued and Laina was just about to start hoping that she would get through the day without any major disasters when Odi coughed. At first, nobody paid attention to it, but when he grabbed his throat and desperately gasped for air, the room fell silent. Cold shivers ran down Laina’s spine as she watched the emperor’s face turn red and then purple, the skin on his neck bleeding as he clawed at it with his own nails.

Oh no. This was not happening. Subconsciously, she took a step back, her own throat constricted. “Assassin!” Someone yelled and there were fingers pointing at her. “She’s running, stop her!”

“Uncle!” Yoshimi screeched and threw herself at Odi’s lifeless body. “No, please, uncle!”

General Xiang jumped up and strode towards the emperor, grabbing his glass. “Poison,” he smirked in disgust and poured the rest of the contents on the floor, his eyes finding Laina. “An Orellian assassin. We should have known that! Seize her!”

Petrified, Laina didn’t even flinch when someone roughly grabbed her. Opening her mouth and trying to defend herself earned her a hard slap over her face, followed by angry shouting. “Murderer!” “She killed our emperor!” “Kill her!” “Make her pay!” “Make the Burning Fury pay!” The voices from the crowd yelled over one another but there were more and more calling for revenge. For war.

So that was the plan? To start a war?

Whatever Yoshimi's agenda was, the plan must have been successful, because when Laina looked at her, the princess gave her a victorious smirk, quickly masking it with pure anguish again.

“ORDER!” A strong voice interrupted the chaos. Laina didn’t know the man but he must have been someone important since he had been sitting at Odi’s other side. “We will get to the bottom of this!” His eyes pierced Laina before he said the sentence no sane person ever wanted to hear. “Take her to the dungeons.”

***

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