Chapter 2

"The package you ordered will arrive later today." Peony lounged against the wall, chewing on his thumbnail.

"I see. And how did the package take the news?"

"Not well. That surprised me. I thought he'd be sobbing with gratitude at the thought of living with you, sleeping near you, washing your undies... Instead he promised to stab you the first chance he gets"

Peony paused, and then plunged on.

"Jade, have you really thought about this? I'm not entirely convinced this is a good idea. We can have him transferred somewhere else."

"I have thought about it. You know my reasons." Jade's fingers danced along the edges of his trousers, stark black against the deep blue of his long-sleeved shirt. Jade was the only person Peony had ever known who looked a thousand times more intimidating in casual clothing than in his standard uniform.

"I know you feel responsible..."

"I told you before, I don't want to talk about it. Suffice it to say that if I'm to go around lecturing everyone on the virtues of taking ownership of one's mistakes, it's time I take charge of my own."

"Your mistake could cost you your life."

"You should have taken the stage. You have such a flare for the overdramatic, Your Majesty. At the most he'll blow his nose on my favorite shirts and whimper a lot. And then of course I'll have to punish him."

"If at any time I think it's getting out of control, I'm sending him back."

"Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for my delivery."

*********************************************************

He wished they'd sent a carriage for him.

Saphir walked along the cobblestone street, flanked by his two escorts, his hands firmly bound behind his back. Of course people were staring, gawking, slack-jawed yokels to the core of them. He stared back, and they smiled. Actually smiled. A few of them laughed outright. Here was the great God-General Dist the Rose, practically swimming in faded gray prison clothing, rail-thin, ratty-haired. What he wouldn't give for a laser...

But the real reason he wished they'd given him the option of riding was because before they were even halfway to Saphir's new prison (as he thought of it) he was so exhausted that each step was agony. The lack of food and warm day were causing his head to spin, and each time he stumbled, the stone-faced guards simply hauled him back to his feet and pushed him forward.

Maybe he'd die on the way, he thought sourly. It would serve them right. Not that anyone would miss him, but at least they'd have to explain to Jade why he'd been denied his chance for revenge

He could only hope, and not with much hope, that Jade would grow bored with torturing him and kill him quickly. To think he'd been feeling sorry for himself for being so bored in his cell. Jade clearly hadn't been bored. Jade had simply been bidding his time, trying to think of something really rotten to do to his old companion. He'd just been waiting until Saphir was too weak to fight back. Coward.

Rather than heading for the huge, hulkingly ugly Curtiss manor, the guards instead turned down a small side street, and lead their reluctant captive toward a much smaller house, almost a cottage, surrounded by a high stone wall. Saphir barely enough time to take in a fountain and small, well-kept garden, before they were pushing him up the steps toward the front door.

The dizziness was getting worse, propped up by low blood sugar and fear. Saphir barely had time to take in the front door opening and a glint of sunlight off of glasses before the world turned completely dark.

*******************

The guards glanced at each other worriedly, and then up at Jade, not entirely sure how they were to blame for their captive passing out cold on the Colonel's doorstep but certain that somehow they'd be held responsible.

Jade peered down at the slight figure sprawled at his feet and sighed. "Thank you, gentlemen. If you'll uncuff him that will be all."

The first guard hurried to obey, hooking the cuffs back onto his belt. With hasty bows in the direction of Colonel Curtiss, the pair took off, their duty done.

Jade knelt down next to Saphir, grabbed him roughly by the armpits, and dragged him into the cooler interior of the cottage, depositing the limp form on a rather hideous looking sofa that had come with the house. Absently he kicked the front door shut behind him, and knelt again to examine the other man, his eyes narrow now with concern.

He had noticed, because it had simply been impossible not to notice, that Peony hadn't been exaggerating how shop-worn Saphir was looking these days. Not that there had ever been much meat on him, but Jade could clearly see the outline of his bones through the sallow skin (he'd felt them as he carried him in) and the dark pits where his eyes were sunken into his head. The only spots of color on him were the garish, half-faded greenish yellow bruises. Jade had hauled bodies off of the battlefield that looked more lively.

Shaking his head a little, he walked the short distance into the neat, wooden-paneled kitchen area of the house and filled a pewter mug with ice cold water. Returning to Saphir's unconscious form, he paused for a moment, and then with a flick of his wrist splashed the entire contents of the mug into his face.

"Whaaaa...." Saphir came to, sputtering, his vision obscured by the water on his glasses.

"Oh good, you're awake. I expected you to be properly grateful, but there really wasn't a need to throw yourself at my feet, you know. You make a very hideous welcome mat. What would my neighbors think?"

"Jade..." Saphir's confused mind tried valiantly to pull the pieces together. "What happened?"

"You passed out. I'm not surprised. When was the last time you ate something?"

The smaller man managed to pull himself together with as much dignity as he could, which at the moment wasn't much, to be honest. "Don't pretend you give a damn. Just kill me now and get it over with. That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

"Oh dear, this is embarrassing. Peony assured me that he'd filled you in on all the details. Was he telling fibs again?"

"I know what Pea-brain said! He said I was to be your.... your damn slave! I'm sure you both had a good laugh about it, but either kill me or let me go back to the prison."

"Sorry, neither option appeals to me. Are you able to walk?"

"Why?"

"Because you need food, and I don't feel like carrying you into the kitchen, that's why. We'll discuss the details of our new arrangement after you've had something to eat."

"There's nothing to discuss. And the only reason you'd ever offer me food is if you've poisoned it!"

Jade's patience was quickly wearing thin. "You can either walk into the kitchen of your own free will, or I will carry you there. And if I have to carry you, I will tie you to the chair and force-feed you. I'm willing to be sympathetic to a point, on account of your physical condition right now. However, you might as well understand now that when I agreed to become your Bond Master I took that very seriously. You will obey, or you will be punished." Jade's eyes flicked to the bruises and his tone softened slightly. "But you won't be beaten. I promise you."

Too weary in body and spirit to resist, Saphir managed to lurch onto unsteady feet and follow docilely behind Jade into the next room, where he found himself pushed down into a wood chair, and a moment later a platter of bread and a bowl of steaming broth shoved under his nose.

"Nothing too hard on your stomach right away. Eat slowly."

Still expecting the worst, Saphir gave his former friend a wary look and cautiously took a spoonful of the soup. It wasn't the best thing he'd ever tasted, but he couldn't detect any poison just from the taste alone. It was, in fact, rather bland.

Throwing caution to the wind, and mostly because eating gave him something to do other than be stared at by Jade, Saphir finished his meal in silence, surprised by the sudden return of his appetite. He may not have had much interest in food, but his body clearly did, and responded quickly. When Jade finally spoke again, Saphir almost jumped, so into his dinner he'd nearly forgotten the other man was there.

"Saphir, whether or not your time here is pleasant or miserable rests entirely in your own hands." Jade began.

"Why?" Saphir interrupted. "If you're not planning on killing me or beating me, then why am I here?"

"Because I've been doing a lot of thinking."

"I hope you didn't strain yourself."

Jade considering warning him against being disrespectful, but decided that on this first day he'd let it slide. For now.

"You're here for a number of reasons, and I don't feel like explaining them in great detail at the moment. The simplest explanation is I'm going to tell you want to do, and you're going to do it. It's not as if you don't have experience in this sort of thing, after all. You were a more than adequate servant."

The new maid's son hadn't really interested him much. A skinny, ugly little boy who darted out of sight the moment anyone looked at him too closely. Not until the night that he'd gone down to the library and found the other boy pouring over the same books Jade himself had come to peruse. It was startling, but even more so to realize that not only did Saphir understand what he was reading, but had formed his own ideas and theories that were in some cases superior to Jade's own.

He'd been afraid when Jade had caught him, afraid of being punished for reading the young Master's books without permission, and already terrified of Jade's less-than-glowing reputation. Instead, in the dim candle-light, he'd found a soul-mate, and from that moment on he lived and breathed for Jade, Jade's needs, and Jade's happiness.

Jade never asked that Saphir be made his servant. Saphir had taken on the task entirely on his own. Whether it was making the young Master's bed, carrying his books, bringing a tray of food up to his room when he was too busy studying, or simply being a sounding board for a new idea, the other boy willingly and happily did it all, and before the end of a month Jade wondered how he'd ever coped without his little "pet".

That stung, the reminder of his childhood status, how pathetically grateful he'd been to have Master Balfour treating him like an equal. "You've already said you won't beat me. Not that I believe that, mind you. So what if I refuse to play along with this travesty?"

"Then you'll be punished." Jade shrugged. "I'm not sending you back to the prison, so get that idea out of your mind. I don't need to beat you to punish you, and I highly doubt I'll have much trouble getting you to cooperate. And you know from experience that I can be a very generous owner if I choose to be."

He was always giving him books. Not books for the library; his own books. Parts for his robots. Treats and playthings from the local shops, things Saphir never could have afforded on his own. Most of those things were hidden deep inside Ortion cavern, where most likely they'd never be found. Those old books and toys were still just as precious to him as they'd been in his boyhood.

Jade pointed in the distance at a closed door. "My library. Once your chores are done you have full access day and night. In time I may even consider allowing you to have a work station again for your experiments. If you're especially well-behaved, I could be persuaded to take you out into the city from time to time. I'm sure there are other things you'll want eventually; again it's entirely up to you if you get them."

He didn't miss the flicker of greed in Saphir's eyes as he looked toward the library door. Outings into the city were one thing, but unrestricted access to as many books as he wished was something else entirely.

"So you see, this works out well for both of us. You have a safe, comfortable place to live, and I get the benefit of clean floor. That's all I'm going to tell you for now." He held up his hand to stall the barge of questions still trying to escape from his servant. "I was going to put you to work right away, but you're clearly not up to it. Come. I'll show you your quarters."

The room was small, not much bigger than Saphir's prison cell, but the first thing he noticed was the bed. A real bed, tiny but with a real mattress, not just a feather-stuffed cushion over metal bars. A wardrobe took up most of the far wall, and through another door he could see a small bathroom.

"Get some sleep. I'll expect breakfast at 7AM sharp. You know what I enjoy." He smiled, that sudden, dangerous smile that had sent lesser men fleeing in horror. "And Saphir, if I wake up and find you passed out again outside from a failed escape attempt, I will be very, very angry with you."

"And what I stab you in your sleep?"

"You won't. It takes a great deal of physical strength to stab someone, you know. You couldn't stab a loaf of bread right now. But do try: it could be highly amusing. The knives are in the far left kitchen drawer if you work up the courage. Goodnight Saphir." He left the smaller man to sputter in anger, pulling the heavy oak door of the bedroom closed behind him.

Gathering up his pride, Saphir stalked over to the wardrobe, yanking the doors open, and then making a grimace of disgust. More gray. Gray shirts, long and short-sleeved, gray pants. Not a spot of color on anything. The material was nicer than the prison clothing; softer, in any case, but still… he shut the wardrobe door with a snort.

The bathroom was a nicer surprise, especially when he discovered that the shower actually dispensed hot water. He practically whimpered in pleasure as the warm spray drenched him. Somewhere along the line, he'd come to the conclusion that he was destined never to have a hot shower again for the rest of his life. He scrubbed fiercely, trying to wash away the stink and feel of the prison, and only when his skin was red and raw did he finally, reluctantly, return to the little bedroom.

The bed was a soft as it looked, softer than he remembered anything ever being. He was almost asleep when the alarm bells went off in his head again. Perfect. It was too perfect. It had to be a trap. Feed him, let him have a warm shower, get him all sleepy and dull his senses, and then attack. He bolted out of bed and ran to the door, feeling around in vain for a lock. Of course there was no lock. Why would Jade have allowed him a lock?

The feeling of claustrophobia was choking him. He was trapped. Trapped like an animal in a cage. At least in prison they'd locked the other animals away from him.

He lay back down on the bed, staring at the door, waiting for it to creak open. He managed to stay alert for at least ten minutes before sleep finally claimed him.