Part 11 (1/2)

”Emeric, don't act so shy. Anyway, I prefer women. I want him to remain untouched for now,” Zurach said. Terin held his breath.

”Don't lie, Zurach. It's unbecoming. We're very similar, you and me. That said, he's your slave. I've enough of my own, I a.s.sure you.”

Both men laughed and Zurach clapped Terin's shoulder hard enough that he staggered forward. He took the chance to step out of the reach of both Citizens.

”I'll be expected at the palace tomorrow in the early afternoon. Stay here for tonight, and I'll guide you to the manor proper in the morning. Don't take any chances,” Emeric said.

”No chances,” Zurach promised.

”I'll send a slave down tonight with food and drink. You know what you need to do. Have fun with her first if you'd like. I need to get back in case I'm called on.”

”Don't bother with the slave. I think we'll survive for the night,” Zurach replied, laughter in his voice. ”I'd rather have her when I have the time and privacy to deal with her properly.”

”Your loss,” Emeric said. ”I'll send one of the servants, then. I'll see you tomorrow.”

Terin fidgeted under the scrutiny of the two brothers, and he stared down at a crack crossing one of the marble tiles. The thud of feet faded away.

Zurach let out a low, gusty sigh. ”Well, he hasn't changed a bit. Time for you to get bathed and in proper clothes, boy. Move it!”

Before Zurach's outstretched hand could touch him, Terin hurried to the bath, clutching at the box to keep from dropping it.

The man laughed.

Zurach's snores thundered, and curling up with his hands clapped over his ears didn't let Terin sleep. The darkness smothered him, so deep that he couldn't make out the outline of the cus.h.i.+on he rested on. He stretched and his hand thumped against the divan's armrest. Mumbling curses, he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. He whispered the Speech to summon light and a rosy aura enveloped his hand to illuminate the sitting room.

Zurach sprawled on the divan across the room, and one of the man's arms dangled off the side, his fingers limp against the marble floor. The rest of him was curled in a tight ball, face hidden in the shadows.

Another snore burst out of the man, so loud Terin flinched and stuck his fingers in his ears in the futile effort of drowning out the noise. The box gleamed in the red light from his hand. Zurach snorted and the snores settled to a softer rumble. Terin lowered his hands from his ears and reached for the box, setting it across his lap. Trailing his glowing fingers across the smooth surface, he considered what it could contain to make the two brothers so strict about its handling.

He pressed his finger to the lock. With Speech, he could have it open in moments, without any need for the silver key in Zurach's possession. He braced for the collar's punishment, but it didn't come. Letting out a snort matching Zurach's snores, Terin tossed the box on the cus.h.i.+on next to him. He stood and slid his feet across the floor toward the door.

Terin wasn't certain if he trembled or if the man's snores were so strong they shook the floor. By the time he sneaked to the threshold, he struggled to keep his breathing quiet and slow.

If he crossed to the other room, he'd disobey Zurach. He already disobeyed, leaving the box behind on the divan instead of taking it with him. If he continued, escape would be in his grasp.

He winced and waited for his punishment, but the collar remained cool and inert.

With one final, deep breath, he stepped forward.

Nothing happened.

Zurach still snorted, and the man's thunder masked the whisper of Terin's clothes and his steps. He rubbed at his arms and hurried to the wall hiding the door to the sewer. A silver candelabrum, twin to the one Zurach had destroyed, stood in the corner. The light from his hand stained it red.

He froze in place, unable to tear his eyes away from it. It came up to his chest with a central staff so thick he would need both hands to wield it. Clawed feet formed the base and each arm bore an elaborate tangle of thorns and roses.

With one, maybe two strides, he could take up the candelabra and never have to worry about Zurach ever again. He reached out to pick up the makes.h.i.+ft weapon.

The collar struck with such intensity Terin crumpled to the floor and writhed. Bursts of light exploded in front of his eyes and danced to the throb in his head.

He couldn't scream. He couldn't breathe, and his lungs ached with the need for air. Tears blurred his vision and the heat searing his throat didn't subside until his vision faded at the edges and he struggled to remain conscious.

The pain faded away, but it took Terin a long time to gather enough strength to crawl to the far side of the room where he'd be safe from the temptation of the candelabra.

Through the opened doorway, Zurach continued to snore. Terin rubbed at his eyes, but it didn't ease the threat of tears. His frustration was a heavy weight in his stomach, and his throat was tight with the need to cry. He struck his thigh with a fist and focused on the ache in his leg from each blow.

With a trembling hand, Terin reached up and touched his neck and hissed at the sharp pain of raw and blistered skin. The collar remained inert when he tugged at it with a single finger.

Hope flared to life in his chest and stole away his breath. While he couldn't hurt the Citizen, it hadn't punished his desire to escape.

It hadn't tried to stop him.

Taking several deep breaths to calm his anxiety and fear, he turned to the wall he leaned against it. Escape depended on locating the hidden door without waking Zurach.

That much Terin could do.

Escaping depended on his strength not failing. He closed his eyes and struggled to concentrate. The gash across his side would prove the largest obstacle for his success. It hurt when he took deep breaths, which would make running problematic at best. Terin had lost count of the other sc.r.a.pes and bruises, but he could ignore them. He didn't have any other choice.

Touching the wall, he whispered, ”There are no secrets in a world watched by G.o.d.”

Speech-wrought voices called out to Terin, loud enough that he winced. With another whispered Word, the echoes quieted and he focused on what he desired. The wood warmed beneath his hand. He stretched his arm out to the right. When the temperature cooled, he turned the other way until the heat grew so intense he marveled that the wall didn't burst into flame. A single Word ended his search. He Spoke again to find a way to open the door.

The wall dissolved beneath his hand, but the opening didn't lead to the sewer channel as he expected. Instead, a tunnel of loose soil and stone twisted out of sight. Terin crawled forward, ducking his head low. Mud clung to his hands and knees as he worked his way into the darkness.

The glow from his hand illuminated carved stones and a section of collapsed wall. He twisted around in the tight tunnel. Behind him, the wall flickered and rematerialized with a crack of wood and the grind of stone on stone.

Water dripped from somewhere nearby, and the soil sucked at Terin's hands and knees. His toes slipped through the muck and sc.r.a.ped at the rocks buried beneath the surface. When the pa.s.sage narrowed, he stared at the gap. He held his breath and considered the hole. He thought he could fit, but his light didn't reveal how long the tunnel was. His side throbbed, and he reached down to press his hand to the wound.

Terin swallowed and glanced over his shoulder.

If he turned back, he could bathe and pretend he'd been there all along. Zurach and Emeric wouldn't know Terin had attempted to escape or had disobeyed their orders.

Turning back was an option.

The memory of Zurach leering at him sent s.h.i.+vers racing through him, and frightened him even more than the thought of getting trapped in the tunnel. If Terin wanted to get away, time wasn't on his side. He needed to hurry, or they'd discover him missing before he could get away from them.

The need to run and hide struck Terin hard. For a moment, all he could do was gasp for air. The sense of eyes watching him tickled the back of his neck.

He needed to hurry.

Terin reached out and slid his arms through the opening. Rocks sc.r.a.ped at him. He shuddered and eased into the hole with both arms stretched out in front of him.

Wiggling through the gap using his toes to propel him forward, he worked his way deeper. The ground swallowed him, clinging to his clothes and sucking at him. Broken, jagged stones dug at his stomach and he struggled to draw breath. His side ached, and tears of pain blinded him.

The noise of his pa.s.sage was loud enough to drown out the frantic beat of his heart and the sounds of the water ahead. Each thrust of his legs hurt, and he felt his toes tearing on the rocks beneath the mud.

The light surrounding his hand flickered once before vanis.h.i.+ng and leaving him in the dark.