Syphon

1. Kaliah

"Up!"

Her mother's shrill whisper was insistent.

Kaliah's eyes flew up as she sat up all in one clumsy motion.

It was still dark, the first rays of the morning sun nowhere to be seen through small sliver of a window in the stone wall.

Kaliah fought through her sleep inertia, pushing away the heavy defiance of her lids, which desperately wanted to slide shut once again.

She rose early each and every morning, but this was early even for her.

Her heart sunk a little as she realised why her mother was likely rousing her so early.

"I'll be heading to the apothecary for your tonic. You'll need to complete my duties today as well as your own"

Oh, Divinities no.

"Mother -" Kaliah began.

Her mother raised a threatening hand, silencing Kaliah with a harsh clack of her teeth.

"I will return after nightfall. I expect all of my duties to be tended to, " Her mother hissed, roughly pulling on her worn leather slippers that were entirely unsuitable for the rough terrain and many miles she was about to walk.

A prickle of guilt rippled through Kaliah.

If she'd never fallen ill, if she'd never needed the tonic that kept he'd frail body alive, her mother would not have to endure such things as the days long walk to Aessoryn, the small seaside village that harvested the small seacreatures of which her tonic was derived from.

She would return as she always did, with blistered toes and bright red sunburt skin.

That prickle of guilt grew.

"Yes, mother," Kaliah deferred, keeping her voice to a low whisper as to keep from waking the other slaves who lined the floors, squashed closely together for warmth on thin straw pallets.

"Alton's birthday feast is this evening, you will attend service in my stead" She instructed, standing and slinging a tattered old satchel across her shoulders "And his chamber's will need to be cleaned and prepared. He will likely have company this evening. Ensure the room is to his liking"

Kaliah's face erupted in a blush.

Company.

Indeed, Prince Alton rarely lacked for company in his bedchamber, and Kaliah suspected that it was twofold on the Prince's birthday.

Ah yes, Prince Alton.

Womaniser. Brute. Arrogant. Gorgeous.

Everything you'd expect of a spoilt, castle-born Prince.

Kaliah shuddered.This was going to be a long day.

Alton had a habit of cornering her and trying to seduce her with his tired advances.

She'd always felt horribly uncomfortable in the Prince's presence; and whilst he'd never forced himself on her, gossip said one day that restraint would likely snap.

Alton didn't like the word no.

Her mother continued firing off more instructions before abruptly leaving, letting the heavy wooden door slam shut without a whisper of consideration for the others who slept.

That was Kaehana Ro, though, Kaliah thought to herself. A wildcat.

Kaliah allowed herself a moment to breathe the cool, early morning air in, letting it sting her lungs with its chill.

There was no point delaying her day anymore.

And with a small groan, Kaliah pushed herself to her feet, slipped on her own leather slippers, and began her day.

There was candlewax everywhere.

Kaliah looked about her person and realised how bad the mess she'd made truly was.

She'd waited to attend to Prince Altons room until she was sure he was otherwise occupied, and whilst she'd set his chamber's straight and sparkling clean with a quick but thorough efficiency, when she'd noticed the small stubs of candle that remained in the larger, ornate iron chandelier that hung on the roof in the centre of the room, Kaliah could not resist.

She released the hoist to lower the chandelier and got to work with her small pocket knife, hacking into the thick wax to clean out each sconce.

She'd managed to effectively rid the chandelier of all of its wax. Unfortunately, it now coated the stone floor of Altons' room.

Why? Kaliah cursed herself as she got to work on twisting new candles into each sconce. Why can't I ever just leave it? The candles would have lasted another night, or most of them, anyway.

Kaliahs internal chastising came to an abrupt end when the door was thrown open, and a deep laugh was followed by a small giggling.

Oh no.

Prince Alton strutted in, his long blonde hair, still in its knot at the base of his skull, framed his wide, tanned face, a willowy brunette hanging off his thick bicep.

Kaliah recognised the young girl as one of the newly hired laundress' in the castle, and whilst she hadn't spoken to the girl directly, Kaliah knew, again from the castle gossip, that she had been sent to work in the palace after having fallen pregnant, unwed.

Where her child was now, Kaliah was unsure.

No doubt Alton had heard this castle gossip also, which is likely why he now paid her so much mind.

Kaliah pitied the girl in that moment and hoped desperately that she wasn't falling for the charming Prince's words and promises.

Indeed, many of the castles' female staff had mysteriously disappeared after dallying with the Prince, and it didn't take a genius to work out what had happened to the women.

The duo paused the moment they saw Kaliah and the mess that surrounded her.

A wolfish grin slashed the Prince's lips, and his eyes dropped to the intricate markings on her hands, as they always did.

"Well, well, well," the prince said with glee, "the Syphon."

Kaliah flinched.

The Syphon.

The word sent a roiling wave a nausea through her.

Indeed, she bore the markings of the vile race, but she would never accept that she was such a creature.

Kaliah would never accept that she was a syphon, women who could harness the raw, volatile power of the deamon race and channel it back to their mate to use as honed, malleable power. Evil.

That's what that race was, dark, evil creatures.

Kaliah thanked the Divinities each and every day that her mother had managed to escape from her homeland and find her was to the safety of the Kingdom of Sholh.

Altons stare was fixed on her still, and Kaliah fought the urge to shudder, feeling his coal coloured gaze slither over her skin.

"Prince Alton" Kaliah managed to squeeze out, dipping her head into as much of a bow as was possible from her seated position "Forgive me, I will clean this up and take my leave".

Kaliah moved to push the heavy chandelier from its position across her folded knees, but when the Prince's heavy black boot struck out, resting on the chandelier and trapping her in place.

Kaliah gave a small squeak of surprise as the iron dug into her thighs.

"No," Alton sneered, still pinning her with a foul, lecherous gaze. "You will stay where you are, Syphon."

Kaliah felt physical relief when he removed his foot from the chandelier, but felt her pulse kick up as he bent at the knees, coming to crouch right beside her, craning his neck to try to force himself into her vision.

And when his cold hand shot out, taking her chin roughly in between his fingers, forcing her to look at him directly, she had to fight the bile rising in her stomach.

She loathed him.

Loathed him for his arrogance.

Loathed him for the way he treated those around him.

Loathed him for the way he looked at her.

"My forbidden fruit," He whispered, craning forward so that his breath fanned the shell of her ear and kept his words for her alone.

"My Prince?" The girl who Alton had just been thoroughly preoccupied with asked tentatively.

But the words had barely left her lips before Alton snarled, "Get out" in her direction.

The girl did not wait to be told twice, exciting the room, and snapping the door shut with a tidy 'snap'. A sound that again made Kaliahs measly breakfast of hard bread and dried fruit threatening to repeat.

She was trapped.

"I watch you sometimes, but you know that already, don't you, Syphon?"

Kaliah did know that.

She could always tell when he was watching her as she went about her duties as the hair on the back of her neck was usually standing straight on end.

Kaliah swallowed hard instead of replying.

Alton did not mind her silence, though it meant more time for him to make his forceful advances.

"My father says you're the only one I can't touch, the only one forbidden to me,"

He released her chin and ran the hand lazily down her arm.

His touch was whisper soft against the fabric of her thin cotton dress before it reached her exposed fingers, resting pointedly upon the Syphon marks inked across her fingers.

Kaliah fought the urge to rip her hand away as unpleasant ripples of pain echoed through her.

"I don't like being told no."

Kaliah cursed internally when she realised her body had begun to shake involuntarily.

She needed to get out of this room now.

When Alton threaded thick finger through her much smaller ones, bringing her hand up and placing a small wet kiss across her knuckles, on her syphon marks, Kaliah could take no more.

She wrenched her hand out of his, springing to her feet and causing the chandelier to clatter loudly against the stone floor.

"Don't.. don't. No, " She stammered, unable to thread her thoughts together as an unbearable searing heat spread through her hand and up her arms."You can't touch them. I have to go"

It didn't matter how quickly she moved, Alton was faster, throwing her up against the door and pressing his entire body against her length, pinning her.

Kaliah got the beginning of a scream out before the Prince's large hand flew to her mouth, silencing her terror.

"Quiet," He growled, his face mere inches from her own. She closed her eyes as the tear began to sting. "You will attend to me personally at my birthday feast tonight, and then you will come to my chambers or so help me I will cut your mother's heart right from her chest, do you understand?"

Kaliah did not answer, frozen by her panic.

"ANSWER ME!" He bellowed, making her jump.

She nodded quickly against his hand, tasting the saltiness of her tears as the moisture found its way between his fingers to her mouth.

Kaliah had always known there had been some rule regarding her. Some Off limit boundary that was set by his father.

But as Alton came of age, it seemed he was done taking orders from the King.

How would she manage to escape him?

Kaliah wholly believed he would do as he promised and kill her mother if she did not come to his chamber tonight. She had no doubt.

She also knew that her mother, even if she were here, would be no help. Her mother was more likely to force her on the prince to satisfy his twisted obsession with her.

Alton released her, and she dropped to the floor like a sack of rocks, her legs completely failing to hold her weight as the panic and pain continued to rip through her.

Alton stepped around her, not bothering to look back as he uttered a final word.

"Tonight".