§ Third Story – Eight Years Ago §
The sun was an hour past its peak above the training grounds as Lorelei rode through. Her thoughts were dark and those who saw her face instinctively backed away from both her and her mount. Not that it mattered to her; she dismounted smoothly from the saddle before tossing the reins to the nearest stable hand and turning away with a dismissive air. She didn't have time for the niceties today, the girl and her stubbornness had seen to that.
She strode through the corridors of the barracks heedless of the paired Sul'dam and Damane who stepped quickly to clear her path. Lorelei never seemed to notice, her eyes fixed on the path ahead, turning only to step through the doorway and into the stairwell that led down into the cellar of the building. She descended without hurrying her gait, turning right at the foot of the stairs to enter one of the many training rooms on that floor.
She could tell the room hadn't been used in a very long time. A thick coating of dust lay over everything, broken by three sets of footprints, her own, and those belonging to the paired sul'dam and damane. A shaft of sunlight shone through a window high in the far wall where they stood watching the other occupant of the room.
Her eyes inevitably went to the girl suspended in the center of the room by flows of Power. This was the girl responsible for so much trouble. "Kimera" The word whispered through the room like a breath of poison. Lorelei shook her head sharply as if to clear it. This creature before her did not deserve a name. From the day she had arrived the child had proven to be nothing but trouble.
Had Lorelei had her way, the girl would have died weeks ago, but those above her had decreed the child too powerful to waste. She had to admit that much had proven true. If only the girl hadn't had a will to match the power they could feel coursing through the a'dam every time one of them put on the bracelet attached to the girl's collar. It had been over six months and they were at a standstill. No matter what punishments were used, she would not channel to cause harm to a living thing. Considering that damane were primarily weapons of war, this was something that could not be ignored. Day and night for weeks the Sul'dam had tried using everything they could think of, and yet the girl remained defiant in this.
None of the traditional training methods were working, and the word had come down from above. Today they would begin something entirely different. They would break the girl, or kill her in the attempt. Either way she would serve as an example to the more willful damane, and in the end that was all that mattered.
♥
It was still dark outside. She sat near the windows, letting the fresh air sooth her. Damane weren't able to go out without a Sul'dam, and none would take her outside unless it was for training purposes. But they had made it clear, as long as she refused to do what they wanted; they refused to allow her outside for something as simple as a walk. So she had to content herself with these quiet moments at the window.
Kimera knew they would be coming for her again, but she was powerless to stop it. The collar of the a'dam, tight around her throat, prevented her from moving more than the chain length would allow. She knew from experience that if she dislodged the bracelet from its place, she would be brought to her knees by violent illness. It had happened before. When it did the Sul'dam left her there until they were sure the 'lesson' had been learned, self satisfied smirks on their faces. With everything she was Kimera hated them, and their collar. As long as she wore it, she was their prisoner. The a'dam was made in one piece, seemingly of woven silver. Without the leash connecting them, the collar and bracelet could easily be mistaken for a matched set of jewelry. Just went to show how deceptive looks could be.
The bracelet opened and closed easily, she knew that, seeing it every day when the Sul'dam exchanged places or chose to leave her alone entirely. She believed the necklace could as well, but trying to open it on her own had proven impossible. If she lay so much as a finger on the band around her throat with the thought of trying to open it in her mind, her hands twisted themselves into claws as all the muscles within them contracted into fierce cramps. Attempting to remove the collar with the Power was worse. Channeling her gift without a Sul'dam wearing the bracelet had roughly the same effect as trying to move the bracelet on her own. The few times she had been lucky enough to find a balance between the sickness and the pure joy of embracing her magic she had been caught. Experienced Sul'dam could tell if she had channeled without permission within moments of donning the bracelet of the a'dam. The results had been, unpleasant. Kimera shivered with the memories of those times, but they hadn't stopped her from trying again... and again. She fought them, every day, with every breath, but it was a fight she was slowly losing. The a'dam was wearing down her resistance a piece at a time, in many ways.
It kept her a physical prisoner, but that was the least of it. The very nature of the a'dam was to lay everything she felt or experienced open to the wearer of the bracelet, allowing them to add or take away sensations at will. It also forced her to protect whoever wore the bracelet. If a sul'dam was struck while connected to her through the collar and leash, she felt the blow at five times the strength. To avoid taking that kind of hit, Kimera was forced to protect the Sul'dam at all costs. The knowledge she couldn't hurt them, in fact had to protect them ate away at her like acid.
Despite all the suffering the a'dam caused it left no marks, no evidence to show what kind of pain the woman collared was in. Not that it mattered, a damane was considered less than human. The best she could hope for was to be treated like a favored pet. She had no one to help her and she couldn't even touch anything she could consider as a weapon. If she managed to think of a way to use an item in a violent manner, the cursed collar kept her from touching it until she had convinced herself to never use it that way. Thoughts of suicide came often to the young woman but even that was denied her.
The only control she had left was when and how she channeled, but she was losing even that much through constant punishment and isolation. She knew now it was only a matter of time. A bitter smile graced her lips. Today was her birthday, and her gift was the bitter realization that she was well and truly trapped. She couldn't stop the tears of shame and rage from falling, dampening the cloth of her pale grey dress. She was still crying when they came for her.
♥
Two Sul'dam came into the room with a Damane in tow, the one not holding a leash snatched up the bracelet, putting on with a wicked smile. She tugged on the leash, forcing Kimera to her feet. No words were spoken as they took her from what passed for her room and down the stairs. They didn't stop on the ground level like she expected, instead taking her down into the lower levels of the barracks, into a room just off the stairs. Kimera barely had time to register the dust thick on the ground before she was struck on the back of her head, the shock of it enough to force her to her knees at the threshold.
Instinct caused her to wrap her arms over her head defensively as the blows rained down fast and furious from everywhere at once. The voice of the Sul'dam was harsh above her punctuated by the more vicious ones slamming into her. "Foolish child, thinking you're too good to do as you're told. You are nothing! You are a worm who should be grateful for the smallest fraction of what we give you here! Every day we provide you with warm food, clean clothing, and a place to sleep, all at our expense. More than something like you should ever hope for. All we ask in return is that you use your loathsome abilities in service to the Empress, yet you refuse! How dare you." The blows increased in intensity as the Sul'dam became angrier. All Kimera could do was grunt with the worst of the impacts. How long it went on she had no way of knowing, but when it stopped she was barely conscious. She felt herself being lifted up, suspended in the air her arms held out to either side. She couldn't move, but at least they stopped beating her, even that was something.
The Sul'dam who had beaten her threw off the bracelet in disgust, stalking out of the room, leaving her there with the paired Damane. That one stood meekly in the corner, being soothed by her leash holder, even petted after a fashion. Kimera watched as the Sul'dam smoothed the other woman's hair down gently, and part of her wanted that comfort, wanted someone to show her some small affection. Roughly she pulled her eyes away from the scene playing out to study the pattern of cracks in the ceiling. She had just managed to make out a picture of her home when she heard her name spoken aloud, for the first time in forever. Her eyes darted toward the source and her heart froze in her chest. Lorelei stood there, the lightening panels on her dress the most brilliant thing in the room. Kimera's body tensed against the invisible bonds against her, but it was useless, she couldn't move.
She watched as Lorelei closed the distance between them with a deliberate stride, picking up the bracelet from its place on the floor and snapping it on with a smile of satisfaction. "Now child, you will learn the meaning of obedience." And then the pain began.
♥
The sun had set risen and set again, but the screaming continued. Damane huddled close at the sides of their Sul'dam, who did their best to sooth the collared women. Fear ran rampant through the barracks because everyone knew what was happening below. They were breaking the child, and no one would stop them. The sun was again high in the sky on the third day when the screams finally stopped, leaving in their wake a deathly silence.
♥
She found herself huddled on the floor. She didn't know who she was, where she was. Her eyes darted around the room searching. Finally she saw the hem of the woman's skirt. She knew she had to close the distance between them, had to prove that she could still be of use, was still of some worth. She couldn't stand, so she crawled, dragging herself across the floor towards the other person. When she reached her destination she lay there trembling, her body wracked with pain as she forced herself to reach out and touch the other woman's hem, crying in relief. The woman knelt beside her, running cool fingers through the matted tangles of her hair, making soothing sounds. All she could do was cry helplessly in thanks for this small kindness, kissing the hem of the skirt clutched in her hands. The woman bent forward to whisper against her ear. "That's it my precious one, it's alright now. I will keep you safe, and you will do what I ask. My beautiful one, my Kira, everything will be alright now." Green eyes rose to meet blue in wonder as the girl heard her name for the first time. She lowered her gaze respectfully before answering in a ragged whisper. "Yes Mistress Lorelei" Kira felt more than saw the smile gracing her mistress's lips before being gathered up and carried out of the room and into her new life of service.
♥