Justice and Mercy
-Chapter Six-
"Maybe without me you'll return to all the beauty I once knew. But if I stay I know, we will both be drowned by you holding onto me."
Apocalyptica: Broken Pieces.
Rose's P.O.V
Sick and twisted. Dark and ugly.
Words that are used to describe the sheer magnitude of the horrid works that occur inside the Royal walls. I've been here for a total of two weeks now and these two weeks have been nothing short of hell.
I once thought I had it bad with New-York; however that was similar to Disneyland in comparison to Turkey. Here my father is god. He was feared and I learned firsthand why that was so. He had no qualms about pulling the trigger or snapping a neck in public – or as public as the compound goes. Around him, even the most fearsome goons can fall to their knees.
And as his protégée, I got to see it firsthand.
Yay.
My stomach coiled in memory of how he so casually killed people who, besides getting in the wrong crowd, were innocent. At night I cried for them. I tried to tell myself it was the baby, those damn hormones; however I knew that wasn't the case. Even though they made my eyes puffy and red, it gave me more determination to get my child out of this life.
But around three days ago, the tears stopped. It wasn't healthy to cry so much and my tears weren't going to bring them back. No use crying over it.
Now I was resting in my room. It was past midnight and the moonlight shone brightly in my room, being the only light source. I was sprawled out over my bed with nothing but a several-sizes too large tee-shirt. It was Nathan's. We were kind of dating. Well, he called it dating – I called it blackmail. Because of the scene in my room with Dimitri, Viktoria and the alchemist hiding in my bathroom, Nathan decided to use this for his advantage. When he was in the medical ward of the compound, I sold him some bullshit of how I was too scared to defend myself and I didn't want my father to know because he might think less of me.
I just wanted to be in Abe's favor.
I said it all with seductive puppy dog eyes. He bought it. He had taken this opportunity to 'pass on his wisdom' which meant that he touched me excessively while showing me how to handle a gun that give the most brain splatter. Something Nathan was obsessed with – blood. He loved torture; he thrived on the screams of his enemies. He's the son my father never bothered to have. Abe couldn't be more proud that his only daughter was dating his golden boy. I told Nathan I wanted to be in Abe's good standards and he put me there. Sadly, the contract comes with touching, groping and rough kissing.
Just a few hours prior we were making out on this bed. It got pretty heated and I hated to admit it, but I kind of enjoyed it. Nathan, while he may be a sick son of a bitch, was a good ass kisser. Not as good as the Russian god of course but he's still got some skills. Plus I've been having some 'cravings' that could only be satisfied by some one-on-one attention. While I'd never resort to having sex with Nathan – gross – I still enjoy the care.
And it distracted me from…that other guy.
Some moments I think I should be with Nathan. He was more on my side of the tracks while Dimitri was somewhere over the moon. He made that clear in his last visit. While Nathan disgusted me, he was obviously as good as I was going to get in this lifetime. Maybe I should just accept the facts.
A rough knocking on my door interrupted my thoughts. I threw the covers over me to hide the small bump. I barely had enough time to do so before they barged in.
"What the hell?" I exclaimed, feeling edgy at the close call. Five large men in black outfits stormed into my room, making it look smaller with their presence. I pull the blanket closer as they go to the foot of my bed.
"Your father demands your presence." One spoke. He beat me to the obvious question on my tongue. "Several matters have been presented to your father and he'd like to speak to you concerning them."
My blood went cold as the words were spoken. They seemed strangely ominous. Or maybe I was just being paranoid. However, I thought the suspicion was warranted. It must have been be urgent; it was night and even though things back in New-York got heated when the sun fell, here Abe liked the day and most things happened in the light.
"Immediately," another said when he noticed my hesitation.
I take a few moments before answering, hoping to calm the tremor in my voice. "I'm not properly dressed. Can I at least put on some pants?" I asked. One gives a curt nod but none of them made a move to turn around and be proper gentlemen. I know arguing it wouldn't get me anywhere so I just stepped out of bed in the flimsy shirt. The shirt rode up to just the middle of my ass, giving them a little peek at my lacy black underwear. If they were impressed, they didn't show it.
I wished Nathan was bigger. His t-shirt would cover more.
I quickly put on a pair of jeans. They were a little hard to fasten with my ever growing belly but I eventually managed with minimum suspicion. I slipped on some flats and we headed out. While we were walking, the guards all circled me – like a moving cage. It only heightened my anxiety level. I tried to keep my breathing calm; I didn't want to scream guilty with my body language.
"Can you guys give me some hint on what this is about?" I asked half heartedly, a last resort. I wasn't sure I wanted to know but I'd see it eventually – might as well be now. That is, if they even talk to me.
Surprisingly one did.
Not sure which one did, though, they all looked the same to me. "Mr. Mazur recently uncovered some plans for his assassination." My blood runs cold again, freezing more like. I stumbled over my two feet and my arms shook with my nerves. I instantly chastised myself for looking so suspicious. I needed to keep my head on my shoulders, so I could actually keep my head on my shoulders. The man didn't give further details, for which I was grateful.
As we walked down the corridor, it reminded me of a mausoleum, taking me to my grave. With each step, my heart raced faster, almost beating out of my chest and thudding against the floor. We finally reached our destination of the garden outside. It was a beautiful lawn, filled with the essences of flowers and the fruit that grew here. Everything was tended to daily, every stray branch cut and every weed plucked. Most that rest here see nothing but a beautiful garden. I see a mirage. There is a reason why most of the flowers are red roses. It's not because my father was being sweet and adding something in his lovely abode to remind him of me. Nope, it was because roses were red and red and red is the color of the blood that has been spilled here. If anything, he named me after the garden.
The garden was placed in the center of the estate. In the history of this building, my great-grandfather grew the garden first and built the estate around it. Reasons why he built it were to feed his sick fascination, which I can tell passed through the family. He would take traitors out in the center, near the cupid fountain and kill them, usually with an audience. The blood would make the water red like wine and make the grass looks like it's bleeding. The plants here are fed with fertilizer, sunshine, water and blood.
It only heightened my anxiety that I was being taken here.
A few feet in, I started to see people scattered around the garden, more appearing the farther I went. One thing about the Royals was that they rarely made eye-contact, but I could feel their eyes on me as I turned my back. I told myself it was simply because of the novelty of being a Mazur.
The cupid fountain came into view and along with it the strong scent of gasoline. I wrinkled my nose. The smell, so strong, seemed to go in my throat, almost as if I could taste it. I wasn't the only one and some of them even had masks on.
"Rose," a voice called from my left. I turned to see Nathan waving me over to him; he had a cloth pressed to his nose. My guards let me go over to him and once near he pulled me to an embrace that was sealed with a kiss. My shock leaves my mouth open and vulnerable so his tongue slipped through. The intrusion was very unwelcome but I didn't show it. Actually, to calm my nerves, I engaged in it more, playing tongue hockey with Nathan.
I could only imagine it was Dimitri.
Once we broke apart - which was a second too long in my opinion - we tuned in to what my father was saying. He stood near the fountain, his leg propped up on the ledge. It amazed me that he could stand the smell, but Abe Mazur wasn't exactly normal.
"…we all must make a united front against those who are against us! Old enemies and the new ones we will make must be handled properly and we must send them a message to not mess with Royalty." The crowd cheered at their leader's words. Nathan beside me seemed to clap the loudest and I reluctantly put my hands together.
"Bring the traitor forth!" A new set of guards escorted someone through the crowd, who was leering at the person secured inside. Once the guards parted, I struggle to mask my shock and fear. Inside was a girl, about my age, with dark as night hair and piercing gray eyes, even though one was swollen shut.
My mind took me back to the nights where Lissa and I trained so hard with Viktoria. During breaks, she showed us around and introduced us to whoever didn't shun us – one of them being a girl named Avery.
Back then, she looked so strong and beautiful. She was now a shadow of her former beauty. She had obviously taken a beating as a split lip, black eyes and various bruises marred her skin. Someone had cut her long black hair so that it was scruffily chopped onto her head. She also walked with a limp, her ankle angled in an odd, unnatural way. Her good eye briefly met mine before focusing back on the ground. I'm not sure how that made me feel – whether to be happy that she wasn't calling me out, or the fact that she was ashamed that I wasn't helping her in some way. She, besides Viktoria, saw me as one of them.
"This beauty is Avery. Everyone say hi," Abe said patronizingly. "This morning she tried to take a knife to my throat, right after her failed attempt to shoot me from a window in the distance. Foolish girl."
The gathered crowd booed and hissed at the accusations. Some even threw garden rocks that were lying around.
"She works for an old friend of mine. I assume he told you to do this, yes?" Avery stayed silent. With her silence, Abe gives a bone chilling laugh. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to say that our dear Avery can't talk. Due to hindrance earlier, her tongue had to be taken from her."
As he said that I noticed the dried blood around her mouth. I can't even imagine the pain, the torture they put her through in these latest hours. Knowing that she suffered so much, the crowd erupts into cheers again. I reluctantly join in, barricading the tears. Abe motions them forward. The guards violently push Avery forth, forcing her to fall onto her knees on the cobblestones. From this view I could see the back of her neck; several slash marks were where her tattoo was once. A strange noise came from her; I imagined it was equivalent to a cry.
Someone from the crowd threw some liquid onto her, something that causes blisters on her skin. Avery continues to make a strange sound which tugs at my heart continuity. Everyone else looked on with a sickening allure. Abe strikes a match from the bottom of his shoe, the little flame on the red tip and waved it in front of Avery's view. Her eyes looked on with terror and briefly her eyes meet mine, they were desperate and angry, trying to convey some message to me. The gaze lasted only a second before the flame was thrown on top of her head. The strange scream comes again as her body alights with the flames.
My body clutched onto that closest to me, Nathan's. I resist the urge to bury my head in his shoulder – that'd be a show of weakness. The crowd laughed and cheered as Avery burned. Tripping on the ledge of the cupid's fountain, she fell in, banging her head on the statue. Blood smeared below the cupid, but that wasn't the worst part. As she falls into the water below her, which I now know is the gasoline, fire engulfed her, creating a hell hole below the cheerful baby angel.
No movement was seen from the flames besides the dancing of the fire. Avery is dead – hopefully. The angel looked down at her, with a black twinkle in its stone eye. A camera? Sick bastards watched her die, and then replayed it over and over again for their pleasure.
How I wished Avery had successfully completed her mission, but I knew deep inside the only one who could kill Abe was me.
AN: Don't throw me in a pit of gasoline for being late on this update! Trust when I say I did work vigorously on this chapter the moment I submitted the other one, but life for me and my awesome Beta – Tatiana Belikova – got in the way. It's summer so it's cool (or hot) now. Whatever. Anyway, I do hope you'll enjoyed this chapter. Till we meet again!