Bo kicks forward, driving all her weight into the set of double doors. The wood around the door handles shatters under the force of her boot.
"Evony! We need to talk!" Bo strides into the Morrigan's office and slams the battle-axe into the floor. Cracks mar the once gleaming marble. Evony flinches in her seat, her back turned to the door. Bo pauses and stares curiously at the Morrigan. "Are you wearing stripper blue lace?" Tamsin walks quietly into the room behind Bo and reacts to the Morrigan's fluffy lingerie set with extreme displeasure. Bo scrunches her face as she realizes what's playing on Evony's sound system. "Is that the Spice Girls?" Bo says as the lyrics to 2 Become 1 fill her ears.
"I've been looking forward to revisiting our unfinished business," Evony says. Tamsin raises an eyebrow at Bo.
"What?" Bo says, clearly thrown off guard. Bo scowls at Tamsin's reflection smirking at her in the wall mirror.
"I've been thinking about you…" Evony says, turning around in her chair. The uncomfortable sound of a vibrating device buzzes in her lap.
"Stop! Stop it!" Bo shouts, happy the desk is hiding her lap from sight.
"Mmm, Tamsin honey? Can't blame you for abandoning your post with this luscious little Succubait running around." Bo and Tamsin both stare in shock as the Morrigan runs a hand through her hair before caressing herself all the way down to her vibrating thighs.
Without waiting for another word, Tamsin grabs the axe and strolls to the Morrigan's desk. With an effortless swipe, Tamsin cleaves the desk in two.
"What the hell is your fetish?" Tamsin says, displeasure radiating from her face. One hand clenches a running electrical carving knife, the handle rattles obnoxiously on the chair. The running blades waver millimeters from her laced crotch.
"Enough! We need to talk!" Bo takes the axe back from Tamsin. Tamsin watches in shock as Bo lifts the axe and aims at the Morrigan's leg. "Below the knee or under?!"
"Stop! Everyone stop!" Vex's voice shouts from behind a curtain. Evony opens her eyes and exhales.
"Vex?! What are you doing here?" Bo lowers the axe. Vex pushes through a set sheer curtains.
"Well long story," Vex offers a sheepish grin. He skips to the Morrigan's side and plucks a tiny earpiece from her ear. "Your lines were spot on," Vex smiles, raising a walkie-talkie to his lip. "Over." Evony struggles to pull the buzzing carving knife away to no avail. "Evony," Vex says, holding out a hand. "I know you want to…" Vex forms a circle with his fist and starts pumping vigorously above his groin. Evony scowls as her hand follows suite, gesturing vulgarly, the sawing electric carver hovering closer and closer to the fabric of her lingerie. "These pretty birdies are quite wank worthy, but you're not allowed any satisfaction yet." Vex grins at the Morrigan.
"Not that this isn't the best surprise I've had in days. But, what the hell Vex?" Bo says leaning into Vex's open arms for a quick hug.
"Like I said. It's kind of a long story," Vex says. "Tea? Elderflower cordial?" Vex motions to a teacart. Bo and Tamsin both shake their heads. "Oh come on. Roofies not included," Vex says.
"We kind of have pressing business," Bo says.
"Pressing?" Vex says, marionetting the Morrigan's fist in a series of crude gesture again.
"Stop it," Bo says, swatting Vex in the arm.
"Fine," Vex says, raising a hand. He flicks his fingers, walking them down an invisible path in the hair. The Morrigan stands abruptly and staggers to a metal box. The Morrigan glares at Vex as he forces her to lock her wrist into a pair of steel shackles attached to the box, carver still buzzing in hand. He smiles at Bo. "So then, what was it that you needed?"
"Kenzi is missing," Bo says. "The last I heard, she was at the Dal." Bo pauses to glare at the Morrigan. "Which incidentally is where the Morrigan declared all humans associated with the Fae to be terrorists," Bo says. A crestfallen look appears on Vex's face.
"Kenzi?" Vex says. A disconcerting darkness appears on his face. "Where is she?" Vex asks, his voice dropping.
"I don't have her," Evony says.
"Shh," Vex says, holding up a finger. He raises her free hand, pressing the whirring blade close to her lips. "I want you to think about what you have to say before that face gash opens again," Vex says. Tamsin and Bo both exchange a glance.
"Vex," Bo says softly, laying a hand on Vex's arm.
"She can't talk if she doesn't have lips," Tamsin says unconvincingly. She smirks at the Morrigan, secretly hoping to see something interesting happen in the next few minutes.
"You're right. She might need those," Vex says, lowering the blades. "But she can still flap her jaws if she loses the other ones…"
Evony's eyes widen as her hand starts travelling south again. The moving blades brush against the metal shackles between her legs, letting loose a spray of sparks. The electric carver grinds to halt as the misshapen saw teeth wrench out of their tracks. Vex opens his hand, allowing Evony to drop the useless device. He motions, allowing her to free herself from the shackles. Without blinking, Vex picks up a golden letter opener and whips it at Evony. The ruby cabochons in the mother of pearl handle glint dully as it flips towards the Morrigan's face. Vex waves his hand again. Evony lets out a shriek and jerks backwards. Tamsin raises an eyebrow when she sees the blade lodged in the Morrigan's palm.
"Nice," Tamsin murmurs, admiring Vex's control of his power.
"Vex! Please!" Evony screams as he forces her to slowly pull the blunt blade from her palm. "Bruce! I told Bruce to get rid of her!" Evony screams when Vex forces her to press the bloody letter opener into her thigh. The letter opener pauses, holding a dimple in the flesh inches away from Evony's groin. Bo is off the couch in a flash.
"Where, is Bruce," Bo whispers as her eyes start bleeding into a brilliant blue. The Morrigan starts coughing as Bo's hands tighten around her neck. This time Tamsin's hand appears on her shoulder. Bo eases her grip.
"Phone," Evony croaks. Bo throws her to the ground by her throat. Vex quickly dials the mobile. He slams the phone to the Morrigan's ear, knocking her head to the side. "Bruce?" Bo and Vex listen closely. "What do you mean you couldn't do it…Well then where is she?" The Morrigan demands. Her face drops. "Well damn if you didn't just kill us both." Evony sighs in defeat as the line goes dead." "He didn't kill her," Evony says, disappointed.
"Tamsin!" Dyson calls from beyond the door. A snarl followed by a loud thump echoes in the hall. Dyson appears in the doorway, Tatum's limp body in his arms. A brave but stupid remaining henchman appears at his side. Dyson growls and roughly shoulders him into the wall. The Fae wheezes and slumps into the ground, clutching his shatter ribs.
"Is she ok?" Bo asks.
"I don't know. I thought I saw her eyes moving," Dyson says. He looks up and notices the Morrigan's disheveled state. Vex shrugs.
"And who might this nubile newcomer be?" Vex asks.
"See!" Dyson says when Tatum's eyes jump behind her eyelids. A small, pained gasp escapes her lips. Bo moves to the tea car, quickly filling a cup with cooled tea. Bo takes the cup and holds it gently to Tatum's lips. Eyes closes, Tatum manages a small sip. Her eyes flutter open after a long moment.
"So it worked," Tatum says, looking up into Dyson's face. She glances around the room, recognizing Bo. Her eyes widen when they land on Tamsin's face.
Ignoring the residual pain in her chest, Tatum slips out of Dyson's arms. She falls to her feet, eventually collapsing to her knees. The stunned Valkyrie reaches down with both hands to hold Tatum's face as arms wrap tightly around her knees. Tatum leans into the touch, closing her eyes tightly. Tamsin gently guides her to her feet and they fall into a tight embrace, faces pressed into necks. The women whisper to each other in a strange language. Dyson, Bo and Vex all jump when suddenly Tatum pulls back and slaps Tamsin hard in the face. The whispers quickly turn into frustrated yelling.
"What are they saying?" Bo whispers.
"Fuck if I know. That language is from before my time," Vex says. Dyson shrugs as well.
Tamsin grows silent, obviously losing the battle. She hangs her head as Tatum starts incorporating increasingly violent gestures into her speech. Another loud slap echoes through the room, punctuating the end of Tatum's tirade. Bo coughs, catching a still fuming Tatum's attention.
"So…I take it you two know each other?" Bo says gently.
"How astute of you…" Tamsin mutters, holding now sore jaw.
"I'm sorry," Tatum says, turning to Bo. "That was rude."
"Oh no. You go ride ahead and do you what you have to do," Bo says, raising her hands. Bo offers a weak smile to Tamsin.
"What?!" Vex screams. All heads turn to where he's crouched by the Morrigan.
"It's the truth!" Evony says. She lets out a desperate shriek and throws herself against her bonds.
"Tell them what you told me," Vex says.
"They took her to the Labyrinth," Evony says, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.
"Who?!" Dyson roars, startling Bo.
"Ad Manum Lividus," Evony says quietly.
"Call them off," Dyson says.
"I can't. You know that," Evony says. "After I sent out the capture order for humans, the Fae Elders took it out of my hand. They saw a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Take out the humans and fulfill their sacrificial quota for the month. So they hired the Hand to do it."
"When is the Feast?" Tamsin scans the room for a dark Fae calendar. Her finger traces a poster filled with strange symbols, pausing on a Taurus sign. "Shit. It's in less than a week."
"So then we go to the Labyrinth," Bo says. She flinches when the Morrigan starts laughing.
"Oh Succubus, even you're not stupid enough to go there. Especially when they're preparing for the Feast," Evony says. Bo turns to her friends.
"Bo. We all love Kenzie," Dyson starts.
"No! You're not saying what I think you're saying!" Bo shouts, pointing a finger at Dyson. "Kenzie has always been on your side!" Tamsin and Tatum start arguing in a loud whisper again.
"I'll go with you," Tatum says before Tamsin can interfere.
"Thank you," Bo says.
"While today seems as good as other day to die a horrible gruesome death, I have to stay on Morrigan watch," Vex says, shaking the heavy chain attached to the Morrigan's shackles. "Sorry," Vex says, patting Bo on the shoulder. Bo nods.
"Well, you can't go to war without a Valkyrie." Tamsin sighs.
"If this is really what you want," Dyson says.
"It is," Bo snaps.
"I'm in too," Dyson says.
"When you said Labyrinth, I was thinking more wooden rolling marbles maze," Bo says when their car pulls up to the Labyrinth Landmark Hotel. Bo leans back, straining her neck as she takes in the sleek, modern skyscraper.
"Don't be fooled by appearances," Tamsin says.
"You've been inside?" Dyson asks, studying Tamsin's face.
"I've made one or two deliveries, but I've never entered uninvited," Tamsin says.
"Come on," Tatum says. "We need to get started as soon as we can if we want to make it before the Feast."
Inside the lobby, lavish marble and gold interiors sparkle under enchanted candles. Flames of every color flicker throughout the cavernous room. As soon as the door closes behind Dyson, the city street behind the tinted glass disappears.
"Hi, are you guests of the Feast?" A smiling Fae girl steps out from behind a stone counter.
"We're here for the feast, but we're not invited," Tatum says, stepping forward. The receptionist's smile fades and sadness grows on her face.
"Follow me," the receptionist says.
They make their way down a pillar-lined hall. The pillars grow larger in size as they proceed. An expanse of jungle stretches beyond either side of the lined pillars. Dyson sniffs the air as he scans the land. The scent of absolute nothingness reaches his nose. Bo looks up. The tops of the pillars disappear into darkness. Bo's head hurts from the way the space is defying physics. After a few minutes of walking in silence, Tamsin slows her pace and falls in line with Bo.
"Hey. You ok?" Tamsin nudges Bo with her arm. Bo shrugs as she takes in her surroundings.
"Are you?" Bo asks, looking pointedly at Tamsin. She holds her gaze for a moment.
"Well. I'm not dead yet," Tamsin says.
"True. But from what I've heard, that statement might be false by tonight," Bo says with a weak smile. Bo reaches out and takes Tamsin's hand. The Valkyrie's travel down her arm to her hand clutched in Bo's. Confusion crosses Tamsin's face for second.
"Bo?" Tamsin says softly.
"You don't have to do this with me," Bo says. She looks up and searches Tamsin's eyes. A harrowed look stirs in the icy blues.
"Bo…" Tamsin says.
"Really. Tamsin, I want you to think about this. I don't know what I'm getting into, obviously. But this has Dyson and the Morrigan scared shitless. I know this is something I shouldn't ask of you," Bo says.
"Bo please," Tamsin says, interrupting. "I thought I saw everything worth seeing in this world a long time ago. I was wrong." Bo swears she can see a thousand thoughts and memories running behind Tamsin's eyes. Tamsin blinks and pulls on a blank face. "If we succeed, I'll be the first Valkyrie to do it, you know," Tamsin says.
"Is that what matters most to you? Getting to be top Brownie in the Valkyrie Girl Scouts?" Bo teases.
"You know me. I'll all about those badges," Tamsin deadpans.
A cold breeze washes over them as they near the end of the hall. The receptionist stops at the base of a pillar wider than a school bus.
The receptionist walks to the towering mosaic covered wall at the very end of the hall. Dyson cranes his neck as he looks up at the carved and tiled wall, barely able to make out the distorted picture of a bull drinking from a lake.
The receptionist knocks softly. Heavy masonry shifts. Ancient locks and wheels turn, pulling the wall into the ceiling. "Are you sure you want to enter as the uninvited?" the receptionist asks.
"We're sure," Bo says, tearing her eyes from Tamsin's. Dyson coughs and moves past the two women into the shadows beyond the wall.
"We're sure," Tatum repeats, following Dyson into the darkness.
Beyond the wall, they find themselves in the courtyard of an old Roman villa. Bo marvels at the stars sparkling above them. She swears she can smell the ocean on the night breeze.
"What will you choose?" the receptionist asks. "Preparation, power, weapons, navigation or the removal of your fear?"
"What kind of weapons?" Dyson asks.
"Any one you wish," the receptionist says. She walks to an iron gate stamped with the Armas. A room larger than the eye can see stretches out behind the gate. Racks and racks of weapons ranging from antique Falcutta swords to the fully automatic AA12 shotgun fill the room.
"Any?" Dyson asks.
"Any," the receptionist repeats. "And as much as you can carry." Without waiting for another word, Tatum heads to the door marked Ludus and walks in.
"Wait!" Bo calls after Tatum's disappearing form.
"Tatum!" Tamsin yells as a thick steam swallows her from sight. "Shit! Bo!" Tamsin watches Bo runs in after her.
"Et tu?" The receptionist looks at Dyson and Tamsin. "If you wish to take different tokens, you will enter at different points."
Dyson groans, staring at the armory one last time. Tamsin grabs him by the collar and drags him into the steam.
"Ah!" Dyson screams as they enter the room. Beads of sweat immediately cover both their faces as the hot mist washes over them. "What the hell!" Dyson pats at his clothes as his jacket suddenly catches fire. Tamsin screams as her clothes light up. A figure appears in the steam. Strong hands push both Tamsin and Dyson roughly. The cops stumble across slick marble before tripping completely into a large communal wading pool. Smooth Tanzanite, white and blue sapphire cabochons cover the floor of the pool.
"What the hell was that?!" Tamsin stands and raises her fists defensively.
"That was helping you stop drop and roll," Bo says from behind Tamsin. The steam clears a bit and Dyson spots Tatum sitting in the shallow pool of water, not three feet from him.
"Sorry about your clothes," Tatum says. She reaches out and tugs Tamsin's charred shirt. The waterlogged material disintegrates almost instantly. Tamsin sits quickly, covering herself as the rest of her clothing melts away.
"God Dyson, please take a knee," Tamsin says, holding up a hand to obstruct her view of Dyson rapidly shredding jeans. He drops to the ground with a splash.
"What's going on?" Dyson growls.
"They're cleansing us. Stripping us of our worldly possessions. No charms, wards or other talisman's are allowed in here," Tamsin says, shaking off the remainder of her sleeves.
"Want to explain what the hell that was about back there?" Bo asks, staring at Tatum. Tatum points at a wall. All eyes follow Tatum's finger to a sideways hourglass hanging from a simple brass hook.
"We needed time," Tatum says. "As long as we're in preparation, time stops out in the real world."
"What? That's not possible," Bo says.
"You're right. It doesn't stop, but it slows enough that it might as well be. One year in here is about ten minutes out there," Tatum says.
"Imperial time," Dyson says, studying the hourglass. "Huh, I've never seen it before. Thought it was fake," Dyson says. "A second for a lifetime…"
"The Feast begins in 6 and a half days. I had to stall," Tatum says. "There's no way in hell any of us would make it an hour into the Labyrinth without time to prepare."
"She's right," Tamsin says. "Especially since you think we're about to get lost in a wooden maze filled with rolling marbles," Tamsin says, looking at Bo.
"So what the hell is the Labyrinth?" Bo asks.
"People forge the Labyrinth if they are in need of a favor. Like the Norn. Except with the Labyrinth, there is no catch. It grants your request if you survive. If you don't, your soul will be bound to the maze. Once every millennium, you will be resurrected so you may attempt to complete the maze. Every time you fail, another millennia is added to your time," Tamsin says. "Or so I've heard," she adds, flicking water around with tiny slaps.
"Or, if you claim more ten times the amount of years you have left in souls," Tatum adds quietly.
"Monsters on top of monsters on top of desperate souls. Shit," Dyson says.
"And what will happen to Kenzi if we don't make it in time for the Feast?" Bo asks.
"They will eat her. Probably alive. Perhaps slowly enough so that she's alive to see them remove her arms and legs before she passes out," Tamsin says.
"For formal banquets, they have specialized surgeon sushi chefs. They know just how to uh, slice and sear bit by bit, to maximize the freshness," Tatum says. "Or they could rape her to death. That's always a go to activity for these things," Tatum says.
"What the hell are we waiting for! We have to go now!" Bo says, standing up, fists clenched and akimbo. All three heads stare at her bare form in unison. Tamsin coughs and looks away.
"Time is frozen remember?" Tatum says, averting her eyes. "We need a plan."
"It'll be easy to get divided in there," Dyson agrees.
"Would you like to bathed?" a female voice asks. All four heads turn to see a Fae girl standing by the door. A thick, tarnished silver, sea otter collar wraps around her neck. A gauzy fabric hangs from the ring clutched in the otter's paws. The make shift dress absolutely fails as a functional piece of clothing. Everyone in the room attempts to advert their gaze from one another. "If you would like to attend to the Ludus first, we can dress you and bathe you later," the girl says.
"Later," Dyson and Tamsin say in unison.
"Oh yeah, later is totally fine," Bo says, trying to hide her bluing eyes from her friends.
"What happens when she gets too hungry?" Tatum asks, leaning away from Bo like she's suddenly grown three rows of shark teeth.
"We have accommodations for the Succubus," the slave says.
"Well shit if I wouldn't chose the labyrinth over death row," Tamsin says.
"And you think, all we humans get is a lousy last steak," Bo says.
"We need to talk first," Dyson says. "A robe?" Dyson glances over to a rack of robes just inches out of reach.
"Certainly," the slave says, moving for the robe.
"See you in the courtyard?" Dyson says, pulling his robe tight around himself.
The girls head in the opposite direction. Lapis slates shimmer under the sloshing water. Steam rises from the clear water. Beyond the bath doors, they find themselves in a natural underground grotto. Tamsin grabs a towel and situates herself on a large natural spring heated stone slab. The heat runs through her body, warming her thoroughly. The other follow suite, hanging up their bathrobes for towels. Bo studies the smoothness of the giant pebble beneath her and fights to keep her hunger under control.
"Shit," Bo whispers when she realizes she can see two very sharp reflections of Tamsin and Tatum's bodies in the wet stone. Suddenly the stone flares with heat beneath her. A jolt runs through her body. Her hair falls dry around her shoulders. Bo realizes the stone's pulse of heat has dried her entire body.
"She's such a baby!" Tatum laughs.
"You're laughing at her? You were almost two hundred when you used your first fire stone," Tamsin says, reaching for her robe.
"You mean I was only two hundred when I first saw a fat reptilian pleasuring itself on a fire stone?" Tatum says, following Bo out of the room. "I would rather open feed to leech for than see that again." Tatum pauses for a moment. She presses her palm over her healed stab wound.
"You don't always have to open feed," Tamsin says, pausing to gauge Tatum's reaction. She glances at Bo. "If you give her enough time, she can really bounce back from a pretty much anything, but the pain stays with her for a while even after she's healed."
"How else can you do your thing?" Bo asks. Tamsin and Tatum share a look and burst into laughter.
"God it's like having the birds and the bees talk with a child," Tatum says.
"What?" Bo frowns at the laughing girls. Her eyes glow blue for a moment when she remembers how she met Tatum. "Oh…"
The next two weeks pass very slowly for Bo. Every day they train with five new hand held weapons. Each night, every bone and muscle in her body aches as she drags herself to in a suite fit for a queen. It doesn't help when everyone decides she should test her hunger limits.
"Don't feed, they say. It'll be good to know they say. Stupid Dyson gets to chase deer around in a field for dinner and I get to go on a sex diet? Well fuck them all, I say," Bo rants as she trudges up the grassy hill to the duplex sized banyan tree.
"We're shooting today, soldier," Tamsin says thrusting a bow into Bo's hands.
"Are you serious?" Bo asks. She eyes the assortment of crow bows and firearms lining the giant quilt on the ground.
"Look Bo. The labyrinth is kind of a like a video game. Sometimes you have to kill something and if their weapon is better than what we have," Tatum says, holding out two bare hands. "And that would be anything..."Um, is everything ok?" Tatum asks as Bo glares at her.
"Everything is just shits and giggles right now. Kenzie's in a buffet carving station. We're out here playing Robin Hood, and," Bo says.
"She's hungry. She gets cranky huh?" Tatum says.
"No I don't. And I'm not," Bo says straightening out of her slouch. She marches over to the quiver stand and takes aim. Tatum watches curiously. Bo's first shot flies three feet over the swaying bundle of hay under the giant Banyan tree. Her second shot nails it right in the middle. Ten minutes later, very single one of her arrows miss the bale by over five feet.
"Know you what? If you kill something carrying a bow, give it to one of us," Tatum says as she slips an arrow from the freestanding oak quiver pinned in the grass. And if you run into trouble, just." Tatum grips the arrow near it's middle. She shoots the arrow forward in a quick succession of jabs.
"Got it," Bo says.
"Bo, the one time we took you to the shooting range you shot out a light," Tamsin says. Dyson hides his silent laughter behind a closed fist.
"Ready to try again? If you make it we can end class early," Dyson says, patting Bo roughly on the back. She glares at him. She sprints to the base of the banyan tree. Her first few steps land perfectly, at the crutches of tree branches, in a braid of hardened roots. She propels herself into the higher branches, struggling to reach her first resting area. Two hours of climbing later, Bo nears the top. She gasps as she breaks through the canopy. Her strength is gone. Bo frantically searches the top of the tree. She's been searching for a hidden teacup for over a week now. A misplace step sends her careening over the edge. Bo slams into several protruding roots and branches. Finally, twenty feet above the ground, her battered arms managed to catch in a cluster of swinging roots.
"Bo!" Tamsin calls out. Dyson runs under her. Tatum quickly notches an arrow. The obsidian arrowhead slices through the roots with ease. Bo lands roughly in Dyson's arms, knocking them both to the ground. Tatum and Tamsin rush to her side. "Heal her!" Dyson yells.
"No, you heal her," Tatum says. "We need know what she can and can't do, even if I'm not around," Tatum says.
"Not Dyson…" Bo murmurs.
"I don't think he gets a pass," Tatum says.
"Wait," Tamsin gives Tatum a knowing look.
"Ok. Give us ten seconds," Tatum says. Tatum fights every natural instinct in her body as Bo's eyes open. Dyson watches, amazed as Bo's raw scrapes and cut seal instantaneously. A cluster of broken and dislocated bones in Bo's feet crunch loudly as she heals. Bo's back heals and suddenly the pain is displaced by her hunger. Bo grips Tatum's head tightly, drinking in her chi.
"Want to know what happens at twenty?" Tamsin whispers, staring at the tiny grains of sand running through the tiny hourglass. Dyson's eyes widen as Bo's legs wrap Tatum's leg. "Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…" Tamsin counts. "Ok kids." She kneels on the floor and holds Bo's shoulders to the ground, putting her full weight into it. Dyson wraps his arms around Tatum's chest. With a loud roar, Dyson yanks hard, pulling Tatum away from Bo. A swinging elbow catches Dyson right in the face. Blood runs freely from his nose.
"Sorry!" Tatum yells immediately, landing roughly on her feet.
"I will climb that tree and jump off again if you give us another ten seconds," Bo says, her eyes hazy.
"I think we're ready," Tamsin say. She glances at Tatum who nods, struggling to catch her breathe.
"I'll climb that tree and jump off again if you give me ten seconds," Bo purrs up at Tamsin's face. Tamsin sighs and releases Bo.
"Just let her feed," Tamsin says. She motions for a slave. "She's ready for her meal."