"You couldn't tell could you?" Jasmine said softly when they were closed in their own rooms.
"Tell what?" Aladdin asked as he sipped wine. "That Mozenrath is finally getting what he deserves?"
Jasmine winced at the harsh inflection. "Maybe…but there were things Aladdin…things only a woman would notice." She shook her head and reminded herself of her position. What did it matter if Mozenrath was Diriel's slave? Just because she had woman's intuition didn't always means she was right. Diriel seems a good ruler, his people were contented at any rate. What was it to them if Diriel…used…Mozenrath. After all he'd done…tried to do…
Yes…he deserved it.
No one deserves that.
Aladdin sighed and offered a glass to Jasmine. She tilted it back and drained the cup in one swallow. Aladdin arched his eyebrow and Jasmine gave a half smile. "I've been having wine at the dinner banquets since I was five love." She kissed his cheek and tipped her glass for more.
Aladdin poured, but only half a glass. "What kind of things?" Jasmine turned bright red and turned away but Aladdin shook his head understandingly. "Jasmine…" he started but didn't really know where to begin.
"It's fine…" she said suddenly. "I mean…it's none of our business…it really isn't." she smiled lightly. "Mozenrath's ways are just finally catching up with him. And I won't pretend it's not a comfort…"
"To know someone has got control over him." Aladdin chuckled. "Diriel is a pretty capable looking guy. I'm sure everything will be just fine." Jasmine tried to smile as though she were reassured. They tucked in for the night and it wasn't until Aladdin had wrapped a protective arm around her that the Sultana lay there, eyes wide open, the discomfort in her belly growing.
It doesn't matter.
It really doesn't.
She'd just have to keep telling herself that she was causing something out of nothing. It was just a fleeting observation…no more…no less.
It didn't matter.
Aladdin was awoken by a strange sound, one he had heard somewhere before. Civility had taken some of Aladdin's instinct from him. But there were some things, like sleeping so lightly a cat's paw would wake you up from six blocks away, that one just never got rid of. It took a moment, after his head had risen from the pillow and his eyes squinted open to identify it. It was a sound of sorrow and pain, low, barely detectible from amidst the little noises of a busy palace settling down for the night.
But he could still hear it. A mournful sobbing, coming from somewhere down the halls.
Some part of him deep inside said ignore it…lay down and go back to sleep. But Aladdin just was not that kind of man. He stood up, throwing on a caftan over his night bottoms and squeaked his door open, looking around. He could hear it better now, the buffer of the private suite gone. It sounded like an animal, a kitten perhaps in accolades of pain.
Aladdin wrapped his night cloak tightly and headed down the hallway, following the echoing groans as they reached his ears. A servant passed by a time or two, but Aladdin easily avoided their gaze. It was not till he reached the epicenter, behind a large pair of red and gold gilded doors, that Aladdin stopped, the sound near defining. Gingerly, he looked around for any signed of someone approaching, and put his ear to the door.
The sounds were muffled, but there was a conversation going on. He could make out two distinct voices.
"…tell me…?"
"Master…I….matter?"
"Not the point…" The sound of something breaking. "…lied to me…"
"Please…please Diriel…"
A scream slammed against Aladdin's ear so loudly that he jumped back, hanging onto his head. Another followed and then the sound of skin against skin, rough and grating. Aladdin crept closer, terrified of what else he might discover. He pressed his head back to the wood and metal, in time to hear three things. The sounds of exquisite pleasure, mortal agony, and footsteps heading for the hallway.
Aladdin leapt away as fast as he could, looking about for a place to hide. A large fern placed atop a marble column was just beside the doorway. He ducked for it and disappeared from sight at the same moment the door swung open. Aladdin could hear a rough, harsh breathing, so low it almost sounded like a growl. Very slowly, he turned enough to see who had made such a racket.
He was lucky, a yell caught in his throat.
Daemon!
Diriel stood there, his skin the same color as molten gold. Fierce red eyes looked from side to side in the hallway as he shook out his mane of glossy white hair. He growled and heaved his chest, the two black horns atop his head shrinking reluctantly back into his skull. His erection stood proud and massive, dripping with blood and seamen. He tuned back to the room he'd just come from. "Get some sleep. I'll be back to finished your punishment in the morning." There was a moan from the room and Diriel gave a cruel smile, shutting the doors and wrapping a heavy cloak around him.
Aladdin waited, breathing as lightly as he could until the sound of the daemons heavy foot steps had echoed far away. He stood up, walking almost as if pressed by another will towards the door, his hands landing on the icy cold knobs.
Don't open the door.
But someone is in there. Someone is in pain.
You don't want to see wha its in that room Aladdin.
His fingers hesitated, but only for an instant. He turned the handle and opened the doors. The smell of blood and sex hit his nose so hard that the hero recoiled. Aladdin choked back and covered his mouth with the edge of his clothing. "Hello?" he called out quietly. Nothing responded. He slowly began to step inside, his eyes finding the candles light around the room and drawing light from them. He shut the door behind himself, now knowing that it wasn't locked and began to search. "Hello? Is somebody in here? Please…if you're hurt…just give me a sign of where you are."
Aladdin's foot hit something wet and he jerked back, afraid of what it might be. It was thick and sticky and Aladdin looked down. Even in the dark there was no doubt what substance it might be. Blood…and an awful lot of it. "Hello?" Aladdin called out louder.
A soft sound, a mewing finally answered him. He looked for the source and discovered he only needed to follow the trail. He turned round the corner of the room and saw the saddest and strangest sight he would probably ever see.
Mozenrath, naked and pale as moonlight was laying spread eagle on a bed, blood coming from various wounds and slashes on his back, sides, thighs and buttocks. His eyes were tightly closed and the look on his face was one of born suffering. Aladdin stood stock still for a moment, not entirely knowing what to do. There was so much blood. It seemed to come from everywhere.
His heart acted for him. He removed the cloak from his back and threw it across the naked sorcerer, the thick fabric making little scarlet flowers from the life fluid. "Moze…Oh by Allah what has he done to you?" he whispered and reached forward to touch the sorcerers head. All of the sudden, Mozenrath's eyes opened. "Mozenrath! Mozenrath what happ…?"
A long, dark hiss pulled from his throat, like a cornered lynx. "You…!" he growled and Aladdin could have sworn he saw Mozenrath's ears flatten to his side.
"No! Moze please…I'm trying to help you Mozenrath!" Aladdin pleaded.
"No. You just want to see me…" he began to cough, a racking fit that send red blood and white seed every where. "…humiliated…." He finally choked and as little claws drew from his nails. "Is this enough for you Aladdin? Does it seem like I've bitten of a big enough piece?" He tried to rise and gave a pitiful whimper, falling back to the bed.
Aladdin winced at the sound of the harsh words and shook his head. "I didn't know it was like this." He began to wrap the cloak tightly around Mozenrath's body. "Moze I had no idea it was like this."
"You were glad…to see me brought down…" Mozenrath whimpered, his little kittenish teeth visible as he tried to growl and defend himself from what he saw as an enemy. "You laughed…" he forced his body up and pulled away, half falling off the bed as he hissed ferociously.
Aladdin watched as blood dripped from between his lips and a hard gurgle followed the defense. Internal injury…probably pretty severe. The man backed himself up against a wall, slipping on his own blood.
The hero in him shook with pity. Mozenrath was trying so hard to stay strong, but he could tell that the blood loss was too great. Mozenrath could not push himself up from the bed nor could he manage more than a feeble swipe at Aladdin. He made his face as soft as he could. "Come on Moze…" he said and gestured with his hand towards himself. "Come on." He lowered his voice and crouched down to the ground, making his body look smaller and less threatening. His fingers crooked in a coming gesture.
Mozenrath's eyes dodged wildly to both sides then stared back at Aladdin, looking for a way out. His faced looked for all the world as a feral cat defending itself. "No…no I won't…" he arched his back.
"Moze you idiot I'm trying to help you." Aladdin whispered as his ears listened for anyone approaching.
"You're trying to trick me." Mozenrath coughed out between words. "Your good at tricking people hero." He groaned, losing his balance and falling to the floor. His body gave a great, shuddering shake and his eyes closed, falling into unconsciousness.
Aladdin wasted no time. He bundled up Mozenrath as best he could and hefted him into his arms. He was surprisingly light for such a tall man. He opened the doors and glanced down both sides of the hallway, making sure no one was looking. He swung the door shut and headed down the halls, ears prickled, eyes sharp from his street rat days as he made his way back to the guest suits.
Mozenrath's eyes opened for a split second, chuckling softly as he looked up at Aladdin. "Guess I'm finally getting what I deserve eh Aladdin?"
Jasmine was shaken away, her soft hazel eyes opening to a horrific sight. Aladdin was covered in blood, his skin sweaty and eyes frantic. "Ala…"
"Jasmine…help." He whispered and gestured downward.
She was confused for a moment by the great bundle in his arms, but a pain filled groaned pulled for and she pulled back the covering to see a bruised and battered Mozenrath, still blissfully out like a light.
Jasmine looked from Aladdin…
To the wizard…
From Aladdin…
To the wizard…
"Put him on the day bed." She said suddenly and went for her belongings. While Aladdin settled Mozenrath onto the couch Jasmine pulled from her luggage a box made from polished cedar wood. She had, as a little girl, been particularly fond of her physician Dr. Alluhakbar and talked him into teaching her minor healing. Inside were bandages, salve, scissors, needles, thread, and even a mild opium dose to kill the pain. She shoved the box on the nearest table and very gently drew back the covers. "Oh…Aladdin…" Jasmine whispered as she stared in horror.
"Was he whipped?" Jasmine said questioningly as she set to work on the back wounds.
"No. A whip mark is clean, straight…had reddened edges where the flesh is swollen." Aladdin said in a dull voice. "These were ripped…into his body."
Jasmine went pale and grabbed a bowl of hot water and wash cloth, pouring salve into it. "Hold him please and keep him quiet, this is going to sting." She said softly. In the back of her head the more princess/politician self was working full tilt. Mozenrath had been punished for a reason. They were interfering with another Lord domain. They would be in deep for this one. But her hands ignored this clandestine advice and sough Mozenrath's care. She said with a gulp. "The edges of his skin are torn and there's slight…burn damage?"
Jasmine looked at Aladdin in question. "I owe an explanation." He said and took Mozenrath's arms, placing one under each shoulder and holding him tightly.
Jasmine nodded and pressed the heated and treated cloth to Mozenrath's back. The sorcerer jerked forward with a shocked whimper, but nothing worse. Jasmine set about rubbing the potion around on his body, not stopping until every little mark had been cleaned and cared for. As she worked, Aladdin told her things that, had she never met him, she might not have believed. When the word daemon finally came out, she damn near dropped her scissors.
"Jasmine…we have to get out of here." Aladdin whispered as she began to bandage him up.
"What about him?" she nodded towards Mozenrath. Aladdin bit his lip and looked from him to her pleadingly
"We…we can't leave him here Jasmine." He said suddenly.
"No. No Aladdin…" She shook her head. "Aladdin…he's Mozenrath!" she did a yell/whisper, her voice strained. "We can't bring him into the city. And at any rate he's Diriel's property…his right by conquest." She jerked her head in a strict no. "We can't! We'll risk the treaty with this city if we steal him."
"We could offer to buy him." Aladdin chimed hopefully. He wondered why he was being so insistent on this. It was Mozenrath for pities sake. Mozenrath!
A sharp, cold phrase rung in his ear. Guess I'm getting what I deserve eh hero?
Jasmine opened her mouth to launch another protest and Aladdin held up his hand, silencing her. With a deep blush on his face Aladdin looked pleadingly at Jasmine. "Jas…when I went in the room. The smell…there was so much blood and spent seed. Mozenrath was covered in it. He reacted like a frightened kitten." At first Jasmine tilted her head in extreme confusion, then the realization of it hit her. She had been right.
Mozenrath was being raped.
She had assumed the smell was due to the blood or infected wounds, but now there was no mistaking the scent of sex in the air. She bit her lip, considering.
"Jasmine…" said Aladdin pleadingly.
"We'll have to get out tonight." Said Jasmine suddenly. "Send Iago down and have him tell the caravan to move out of the city now. Leave anything we don't need." She looked down at Mozenrath, taken for an instant by such a frail, gentle looking little creature, wounded and defenseless, surrounded by enemies. "Put him in my carrier, I never use the damn thing anyway." She said with a sigh.