Silk and Sand – Chapter 2
The world was dark, warm and wet. Kahlan blinked her eyes opened and looked around. The heated water in the pool was comfortable and soothing, and she felt like she needed a good wash. She was filthy, not to mention the fact she wanted to cleanse herself after that man had touched her. The glowing braziers cast the room in a low glow, yet gave off enough light to see by. Kahlan searched the faces of the other women, looking for a friendly one. From most of the blank stares she saw, Kahlan guessed that many of these unfortunate women were veterans of this sick business.
About a dozen or so were like Kahlan, fresh and new, having just been captured or sold. And from some of the trembling and shaking she glimpsed, Kahlan guessed that she was not the only one who was a virgin. Finished perusing the faces of the others, Kahlan let out a disappointed breath, not finding anyone that looked altogether friendly. The veterans of this trade looked hard or out of it, and the ones like her were just too scared to death to do anything other than blindly wash themselves and do as they were told.
Alone, she sought out a spot in the corner and busied herself with washing her skin in all the places that Betto had touched her. She felt ashamed and dirty, remembering how she had done nothing to resist him. What would Richard think of her now, knowing she had just let that man grope and fondle her? Spirits, Betto had even touched her down there, between her legs. He must have felt how tight she was, and known that she was a virgin. That was the only thing she could think of that explained why he had looked at her when he told them that if they were virgins, they would not be for long.
Unable to control the building emotions inside, Kahlan let go and cried softly, cradling her head in her hands. She was not the only one to do so; she could hear the quiet terrified weeping from the other new girls. As she sobbed softly, Kahlan heard the frothing of water, indicative of someone approaching her. She sniffled and looked up, seeing a woman who looked about her age wading through the water in her direction. Kahlan wiped away the tears from her eyes and blinked. She thought she recognized her as one of the other women who had been escorted to the room with Betto in it. Kahlan chewed on her lower lip, trying to stop it from trembling, but it was difficult under the present circumstances.
"I'm knew here… are you too?" the woman asked, giving her a friendly smile.
Kahlan hugged herself and gave a weak nod.
"You must be one of the virgins, yes?" the woman questioned, looking at her with knowing eyes.
Kahlan's eyes grew wide and she opened her mouth to respond, yet she could not find any words. The woman gave a single nod and placed a reassuring hand on Kahlan's shoulder.
"It's all right, you don't have to tell me, I already know," the woman said. "I've been in this business long enough to be able to pick out the maidens in a crowd full of sluts. There are about six of you here. Most just arrived by the look of them."
Kahlan looked away, flushing pink, not knowing how to respond to this woman. She was obviously used to this, and was definitely one of the veterans of this terrible business. But unlike some of the others, she seemed to enjoy herself. Spirits, she had even pouted her lips suggestively at the guards before slipping her rags off and wading into the pool, wiggling her hips as she went. And, as far as Kahlan was concerned, the fact that the woman could name the exact number of virgins within this group was telling enough to her profession.
"How… how long have you been… been…?" Kahlan tried to push out her question, but she was trembling with so much fright, it was hard to say anything.
"A whore?" the woman finished Kahlan's question with a laugh. She eased up against the side of the marble bath next to Kahlan and looked up in thought. "That is a tough one… longer than I care to remember. I was like you once, terrified and alone, but I've come to accept my life." She placed a hand on Kahlan's shoulder. "Trust me, the sooner you accept this life, the better. Hey, you might even come to enjoy it at times… I know I have." She gave a wink. "Sometimes you get a client who's just right… you know, down there, and he manages to satisfy you while satisfying himself. Though, you still have to work at it. Some men just don't understand that we women need some pleasure too."
Kahlan shuddered, not for one second believing that she could adapt to this life. She was a confessor for crying out loud. Born to rule, not to serve. And there was no way she could enjoy the attentions of a man, no matter how skilled he was, unless that man was Richard. With each day she spent with Richard and Zedd in their quest to rid the Midlands of the tyrant Darken Rahl, Kahlan had grown more and more fascinated with the Seeker. And that fascination had turned into infatuation, which then turned into love. She now firmly believed that no man could satisfy her needs, even the man she would eventually have to take as a mate, because she would never do that to Richard, no matter how much she ached to be with him.
Swallowing and looking away, Kahlan could not help but feel despondent. For some reason, she was like an ordinary woman in this place… and it terrified her. She was used to being in control and having her powers. Racking her brain, Kahlan tried to think of an explanation behind the inexplicable absence of her powers. As far as she knew, there were only a handful of places throughout the entire Midlands that negated all forms of magic, and they had not been near any of those areas. Mostly, such a negative field, as the wizard's called it, was a natural occurrence. But there were places, like Rothenberg, that had had spells placed on their city walls long ago by wizards during the Great War to suppress magic.
"Ah, calm yourself," the woman said, noticing Kahlan's trembling. She wrapped her in her arms and gently rocked her back and forth, rubbing her back comfortingly. "You should be thanking the Creator for delivering you to a House such as this. At least here we are given baths, food, beds, and medical attention should we need it. I've been through many Houses, seen many Madams and Masters, and I can assure you, the House of Betto is one of the finest establishments in our business. I counted myself lucky to have been purchased by him."
"How… how can you considered yourself lucky to have been bartered and bought like an object," Kahlan scoffed. "You're a human being, not some piece of meat."
The woman shook her head. "My, my… what a mouth you have!" she paused and looked over her shoulder at the guards as they paced the room. "You should be grateful I've decided to befriend you."
"How so?" Kahlan inquired, wrinkling her nose and glancing up at the guards, trying to look for any weaknesses that she could exploit to her advantage. She might be naked, weaponless, and even powerless, but damn if she was not going to fight back when the opportunity arose.
"To survive here you shall need a friend," the woman said, backing away looking down at Kahlan, she was about an inch or two taller. She brushed Kahlan's wet hair away from her face. "And I will happily be your friend. My name's Alissia, what's yours?"
She hesitated for a moment, thinking. Kahlan did not know if it would be wise to use her real name. Spirits know what might be done to her if she was found out. There were many men who would pay anything to rape a confessor without the risk of being confessed. But that would not be the worse of it. Kahlan had heard and seen what the D'Haran quads did to confessors once they captured them. And that was not something she ever cared to experience for herself. The D'Harans would do far more things worse than rape her.
Narrowing her eyes, she searched for a name to use that would not give her away. Finding it, she looked up into the woman's eyes. "Kaya," she sniffled out, using the nickname the other children in Thandore had given her when the Sisters of the Light had taken her and Dennee after saving them from their father.
"Well, Kaya," Alissia continued, taking some soap from the holdings along the edge of the pool and helping Kahlan wash. "If you're lucky, your first client won't be a rough man. Maybe he'd even be gentle. No matter what, I'm sure you'll go for a high price, not just because of your purity—which raises your worth considerably in such an establishment like this House that has wealthy clientele—but because of your natural beauty."
Kahlan tensed, suddenly remembering where she was. Her mind screamed in anguished and horror. If she could have controlled her fate, Richard would have been her first a long time ago. Spirits, she would have probably jumped him after he had been freed from Denna, maybe even before then. By the Creator, she did not want some rich pompous man who would spend a small fortune to purchase her for an evening and take her virginity from her to be the first man she was with. If she had her way, she would only ever be with one man, and that man would be Richard.
Knitting her eyebrows together, Kahlan shook her head, knowing that even if she had not been captured by the marauders and sold as a whore to this house of flesh, she could never have been Richard's; the consequences of ever doing so were just to horrifying to think of. That dream was impossible, and she had to accept that, just as she was going to have to accept her current situation. What had Richard been telling her? It was something Zedd had told him. Think of the solution, not the problem.
However, it was impossible. All she could think about was Richard. If she ever took him to her bed, she would only end up confessing him, destroying the man she loved during the very act of expressing that love. She could never do that to Richard. She loved him too much. Oh, how she wished she had told him that. Told him the truth about how she felt. But she had not. Sure, he knew, he must know how she felt, but she had never looked into his eyes—those gorgeous brown eyes—and spoken it aloud, affirming what she knew he suspected. Oh, how she longed to say those three words to him: I love you.
Alissia raked her fingers through Kahlan's hair, building the soap to a nice rich lather. "Since you're new to all this, let me make a suggestion, Kaya," she said. "If I were you, I would hold my tongue, and stop giving the master defiant glares. If you continue to do so, you're likely to be sent to the Pit as a reward for one of those arena fighters. And Betto would make sure that he's a blood thirsty brute, the greatest killer amongst killers; a man who is the personification of violence."
Kahlan shuddered and closed her eyes, trying to suppress the images of being taken against her will by such a man. She kept envisioning him covered in blood and gore, ripping her into pieces as he took that which was most precious to her, that which she had long to belong to Richard and Richard alone.
"From what I've learned from those who have been with Betto for a some time," Alissia continued, massaging Kahlan's scalp. "He owns the local arena—the Pit—as well, and oversees the fighters himself. Apparently, they're kept in a facility not far from this House. Sometimes, before a big event in the Pit, some of the girls are taken there to give the fighters one more night of pleasure before what could be their last day before they meet the Keeper. And apparently, not all of these fighters are such brutes." Alissia pulled Kahlan's head back and dipped water through her hair, rinsing it of the soapy residue. "Apparently, a couple of days ago, Betto acquired a new fighter."
Kahlan's heart quickened and she opened her eyes, hoping beyond hope.
"He's very good, from what I hear," Alissia rambled on. "And handsome, according to some of the girls who have seen him. But he's a strange one. Jenn," Alissia pointed the girl out, she was very lovely with a nice figure. "Well, according to her, she was sent to him before he went into the arena yesterday. Yet he just told her to sleep in the bed. He didn't even touch her. She said it was very odd. Unlike some of the other arena fighters she has had to service, this one, well… she would have willingly pleased him, but he refused. He slept on the floor while she slept in the bed. She said she got a good night's rest, but was slightly disappointed. She would have liked to have had him."
Richard! was all Kahlan could think; she almost spoke his name, but bit her tongue, thinking better of it. This fighter Alissia was talking about just had to be Richard. She'd seen him fight with a sword and knew that he was an amazing warrior. And only Richard would refuse such an offer from Jenn, who was very beautiful in her own right.
"What is his name?" Kahlan asked.
Alissia gave a shrug. "Jenn did not know," she replied. "And the sad part about it all is that she'll never find out. He lost his bout with his opponent."
Kahlan's heart stopped. She wanted to scream and cry, tear her hair out. If Richard was dead, there was no point in living. Not just because Darken Rahl would win, but also because the only man she had ever loved was dead.
"Yes," Alissia gave a nod. "He lost to the arena champion… Rook. Now, Rook, he's an amazing fighter as well. And just as handsome as that other fellow! All the girls gossip about him. He's the master's favored right now, and gets his own quarters and such."
She had long since tuned Alissia out. Kahlan could care less about this Rook, especially if he had been the arena fighter that had killed her Richard. She closed her eyes as Alissia finished cleaning her hair, and slowly began to weep for Richard. Noticing this, Alissia pulled Kahlan into a hug and patted her back reassuringly. "There, there, Kaya," she murmured soothingly, misunderstanding the reason behind Kahlan's tears. "It'll be all right. You'll adapt. Just like us all. You'll adapt."
Kahlan closed her eyes and continued to sob, silently thankful for the comfort that this woman was giving her. If Richard had indeed been killed by this arena champion named Rook, she was going to have to do anything she could to escape and find Zedd. She trembled and shook, knowing that they'd have to name a new Seeker, if it were even possible. Alissia was right. If Kahlan were to survive in this place, she was going to need a friend.