"Miss?"
Rising out of a sea of black fog, Kel heard the voice as if from far away, soft and scared, and her mind was a haze of pain and confusion. It felt as though her head was f ull of cotton wool, and her tongue seemed to have turned into some sort of dead animal and begun to rot, if the taste in her mouth was anything to go by. She felt drained, weak, like all of her muscles had taken a vacation at the same time and left her devoid of strength. And of course, there was the pain. Her face was a seething mass of aches that throbbed painfully with each beat of her heart, and her stomach didn't feel like it was ever going to perform its normal duties again. Worst of all was her side, which sent lancing pain through her torso with every breath she took.
"Miss, please," that voice drifted into her ears again, more insistent now. No, not insistent, Kel thought. Pleading. Yes, that's what the voice was. It was a young girl's voice pleading with her from the shadows of her fleeting consciousness. She groaned, and then cried out when the sound humming through her sent a shooting pain through her side and right down her arm. She immediately felt hands on her, followed by a cool, wet cloth on her forehead.
"I'm sorry, miss," the voice said, "I wish you could stay in bed and rest more, but I'm supposed to wake you up and get you dressed. Please, if I don't they're gonna hit me again." At this Kel managed to crack one eye open, and realized that was the full extent of her vision. Her left eye was completely swollen shut, and she could feel that the entire left side of her face was tight and puffy. Her right eye was not as bad, but she could still barely open it halfway before the skin just wouldn't stretch any further.
"My god," she heard the girl whisper. "What the hell did they do to you? I-" Kel could see her reach out a trembling hand before retreating. "I am so sorry."
She was pretty, this girl, but Kel was so lost in pain and delirium that she couldn't even get excited about finally meeting someone sympathetic to her plight. Instead she simply allowed the girl to help her sit up, gritting her teeth as that familiar bolt of agony raced through her side.
"How-?" Kel tried to speak, but there wasn't enough moisture in her mouth to form words. The girl passed her a cup of cool water, and Kel drank it carefully so as not to aggravate her wounds. "How did I get here?" She asked, setting the cup down carefully on the bedside table to her left.
The girl winced, looking off to the side. "You've been asleep for three days. I was here when they first brought you up, and it was…" She trailed off, her face tightening with remembered horror. "It was awful. There was blood everywhere, Basta looked like a ghost as he carried you up here, and Capricorn-" The girl paused again, and Kel saw real terror in her eyes now. "He watched you get placed in the bed, unconscious but still screaming every time you were moved. Basta looked terrified, and I know the doctor was worried about complications, but Capricorn was sure you would live. All he said was, 'She won't die. I'm not finished with her yet.' And then he smiled. He just- stared at you and smiled."
Kel sat, frozen in place, and couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been asleep for three days? What did the girl mean when she said the doctor had been worried about complications? What complications? How badly had she been hurt? She began to feel more awake, and slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was incredibly weak, and it was only once she was standing that she noticed the IV stuck in her arm. That, more than anything, told her how bad things must have been. That she had been so far gone that they couldn't feed her or make her drink, and instead needed to supply her with liquid nutrients to keep her body alive, was what finally snapped everything into perspective. She could have died. Or simply gone into a coma and never woken up. She probably had a serious concussion, and she thought that the pain in her side was most likely a broken rib.
The girl helped her stand the rest of the way, removing the IV as she did so, and Kel got her first look at her through her one good eye. She was short, shorter than Kel, and had long brown hair that fell almost to her hips and large brown eyes filled with sorrow. She must have been about Kel's age, maybe a little older, but carried herself like someone who has seen terrible things and has aged beyond their years. There was a weariness to her that suggested that her will had been fully broken long ago. Kel felt pity for this girl, but also fear. She knew that she was mere moments away from becoming just like her, and she had to try to avoid that fate at all costs. She was her own last hope, and the last hope for any of these girls. She had a gift, now she just had to use it.
The girl helped her into a soft chemise and drawers, followed by a loose, white, cotton dress, and Kel wondered idly where these clothes came from. They were almost medieval, and she supposed they must be made in the village by the maids with cloth bought from the town. She slid her feet into the simple shoes provided for her, and clutched the girl's shoulder for support as they faced the door. "What- what's your name?" Kel asked, and the girl looked up at her in surprise.
"The men call me Sparrow," she murmured, bowing her head and shrinking into herself. "They say it's because I'm quiet, and some of them like their girls that way." Kel felt herself shaking with anger at what this girl must have gone through, and wished she could burn this whole place to the ground. "But before that," she continued, in a voice so small it was nearly inaudible, "my name was Sara."
Kel stayed quiet for a moment, letting the worst of her rage burn itself out, and then looked over at Sara. "Thank you," she said, meeting the girl's eyes. "I hope I can see you again, Sara."
The girl looked at her then, and Kel's heart clenched at the hopelessness contained there. "Maybe," she murmured, "but just in case, I wish you luck. I'm glad you survived." And with that, she opened the only door in the small room, and led Kel out by the arm.
She shuddered, recognizing the room immediately, and felt dread stealing through her again. This was Capricorn's bedroom, with its sumptuous red bedspread and thick carpets and ornate chairs, and Kel shuddered at the realization that she had been lying mere feet away from that monster while she recovered. He could have been watching her the whole time, reaching out and laying one of his cold, white hands across her brow, lifting her shirt to examine the results of his punishment, and casting that horrible, smug look over her still form. She closed her eyes tight, taking deep breaths, and managed to calm herself down as Sara led her over to a chair beside Capricorn's throne. She sat down, glad to take the weight off her aching muscles, and heard a strange clinking noise as Sara walked around behind her,
"I'm really sorry for this," she said, and before Kel could react she felt something cold and heavy being clamped around her neck, and heard a padlock being clamped shut. She saw Sara scurry over to the door that led out into the rest of the house, and before Kel could say a word the girl was gone, out the door and away with barely a whisper of cloth through the air. It was with growing horror that Kel realized what exactly was around her neck, and a brief look around confirmed that the smooth, steel collar was attached to a long chain coiled at the base of the wall and bolted securely to the floor.
She began to breathe quicker, getting out of her chair and running the chain through her fingers as she backed across the room. When she finally reached the end she was still three feet away from freedom, and as soon as she felt the collar press against her neck she began to panic. Despite her new injuries, she yanked as hard as she could on the chain, and then the collar, and then the individual links of the chain, and finally began circling the room looking for an escape that she could reach while tethered. There was nothing. The only things she could reach were her chair, the corner of the room with the bed, and her own bedroom. Nothing else was accessible, not even the wardrobe. No matter how far she stretched or how close she came to choking herself, she was always inches away from anything useful.
She wanted to retreat back to her room and bury herself under the blankets, but apparently Sara had locked the door when Kel wasn't looking. So instead Kel ripped the duvet off the bed, curled up on the plush carpet in the middle of the room, and buried herself in a warm, dark cave of blankets to weep.
She passed out immediately, her body still exhausted from the intense heling that needed to be done, and didn't wake up until many hours later. She came to still huddled under the duvet, and wondered what had woken her. The floor was still, she couldn't feel any footsteps, but regardless, the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise. She didn't hear any breathing beyond her own, and no matter how still she was she couldn't stop the booming echo of her heartbeat. Screwing up her courage, Kel lifted one side of the duvet up, and glanced around the room. When she saw no one she let out a sigh of relief, sitting up and throwing off the cover, but then she heard a soft rattling from behind her.
Her heart turned to ice in her chest, and she heard the links of the chain being pulled across the floor. She refused to look, even when the chain was pulled taut and began dragging her across the floor; she didn't want to see him again. Instead she looked down at the ground, struggling weakly against the tug of the collar around her neck.
Eventually she was staring down at a pair of black shoes, freshly polished, and the collar was cold on her chin as she was lifted to her knees. Capricorn had his signature self-satisfied smirk on his face, and he reached out to take hold of Kel's chin. "Welcome to the land of the living, girl. I knew you wouldn't dare disobey me by dying, no matter what that fool doctor said." His eyes, unblinking, were fixed on her, and for some reason she couldn't look away. "Leaving you under the watch of my men was foolish; they're passable thugs at the best of times. So now," he said, lifting Kel to her feet while rising from his chair, "I will be watching you myself."
He looked her straight in the eye, his fingers slipping underneath the collar and gripping it tight. "You will not leave my possession, not now, not ever, and this room will be your cage. This," he said, shaking her by the collar, "is never going away. You will wear it when you eat, when you sleep, when you bathe, and when you read, until the day you die." His eyes hypnotized her, those pale, unblinking eyes, and in that moment she believed every word he said. What was the point of trying to escape now? There was no hope anymore.
Just then Capricorn spun her in place, placing himself behind her while she shivered with repressed tears. She felt his fingers stroke lightly over her brand, making her wince, but stiffened when she felt them sliding lower.
"And it has been such a long time since I broke anyone's spirit," he murmured, his fingers resting on the curve of her hip. Kel shuddered, and gasped in disgust when he cupped her backside and moved right behind her until they were nearly touching. "I am a man, after all, and I haven't indulged in so very long…" Kel felt herself quivering with fear, wanting nothing more than to run, to hide, to keep as far away as possible, but she was held still by Capricorn's grip and her own fear. "Best you give me no reason to... indulge myself," he purred, sliding his hand under her skirt and over the skin of her stomach. "Believe me when I say that my tastes are generally not kind to the receiving party." Kel was frozen in place, as though all of the blood in her veins had turned to ice, and goosebumps rose on her arms and legs when Capricorn removed his hand and stepped back.
"I am sure you will learn quickly how to behave, so hopefully we will not need to resort to such drastic measures." Kel nodded frantically, her throat tight with unshed tears.
"Yes," she whispered, and hated herself for how weak she was. "I promise, I'll be good, just please don't-" She stopped, unable to continue. "Don't-" It was no use; she couldn't even say it. Capricorn chuckled, releasing her and walking over to the window.
"All you have to do is behave, girl. Do as I say, and you will have nothing to fear. Disobey me, and I will be forced to find creative ways of teaching lessons that will stick." He turned one eye in her direction, and handed her a key. "This is for the room over there," he said, pointing to the door she had come out of with Sara earlier. "But the door remains unlocked at all times. Do you understand?"
Kel nodded, tears streaming down her face, and Capricorn looked back out the window. "That's all," he said, all interest gone from his voice, and Kel bolted to her door and dove inside to safety. She tucked the key in her chemise, touching her skin, and crawled carefully onto the bed. She was numb, inside and out, and there wasn't even enough emotion in her for tears. Instead, she simply closed her eyes, pretended she was home, and slept the rest of the day away in blissful oblivion.