Sapphire, by lyradaemon

Chapter 4: Surreal's Story

Disclaimer: Not mine, yada yad yada…

Surreal looked up as someone knocked on the door. "Come in," she called. It was Deje.

"Surreal, there's a young woman here to see you. She's in a pretty bad shape."

"Alright, I'm coming."

Surreal followed the bustling owner of the Red Moon House into the entrance hall. "You wanted to see me?" She asked, approaching the shivering figure in front of the door. The girl looked up into her eyes, before crumpling to the floor in a dead faint.

Deje was beside her in a in instant. Sweeping her up in her strong arms, she looked at Surreal questioningly. "I'll take her to one of the spare rooms; she doesn't seem harmful…"
Surreal shook her head. "No. Take her to my room; I'll look after her."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." She stalked off back to her room with Deje following. The girl was laid down carefully on Surreal's bed. "Can you bring something to eat and drink please? And hot water and a cloth; she's a complete mess." Deje nodded before slipping out the door, closing it behind her.

Surreal quickly cast a probe over the girl – young woman actually. She was a Sapphire-Jewelled witch, but appeared to have no other rank. She was filthy; blood stained her drenched, muddy dress, and her lips were bruised and swollen. She seemed to have a burn mark on her arm – Surreal could just make it out through a rip in her dress. "What's happened to you?" She muttered to herself.

Carefully she removed the now-useless clothing, pausing to gently touch a huge bruise now forming on her slender hip. The door opened and Deje came in carrying a steaming basin and several clean towels.

Surreal began the arduous task of cleaning the girl up. She began on her face, gently rubbing away the grime and sweat there, not to mention the dried blood. Moving slowly down her body, Surreal cleaned and bathed her, gingerly wiping around the various cuts and burn marks on her body. When she got to further down, she gasped.

"Mother Night, she's been raped!"

Deje hurried forward to look. Frowning with disgust, she carefully parted the girls thigh and nodded. "That she has; no wonder she looks such a state. I'll go and fetch a pregnancy brew - I doubt she'd want a baby after that."

Surreal felt tears of anger prick her eyes as she continued to make the girl clean again. So many times she had seen young women raped by the corrupt, twisted males who worked for Dorothea. She had vowed to kill every last one of them; no matter how long it too, she would make them all pay for the way the girls had been abused.

Eventually the worst of the dirt and blood had been removed, and Deje had managed to get the girl to drink the brew, despite being unconscious. Surreal wiped her hands on a clean towel as she surveyed the girl grimly.

"What will you do with her?" Deje asked behind her.

Surreal sighed, shrugging. "I've no idea. I don't even know who she is. She asked for me specifically, you say?"

"That's was Annie said. Apart from your name, it was impossible to make anything out, she was so exhausted and in pain. It's a wonder she made it here in that weather."

"She'll have to stay here, for a while at least. I probed her, and she's not dangerous. And even if she was, she wouldn't be able to do anything; she's got no strength left in her Jewels. I can imagine what she used them for." She regarded the sleeping form. "No one deserves what's happened to her," she said quietly.

Deje put a comforting arm around Surreal's shoulders; she knew how much this sort of thing affected her. "She looks strong. I'm sure she'll recover."

"I hope so."

A/N: Sorry it's so short; I just wanted to finish off this scene, but from Surreal's POV. It's basically just a fill-in.The next chapters will be longer, I promise! As always, keep up with those reviews. They're my inspiration… lyradaemon x