Ch. 29
Kathryn had made it through every rule of quantum physics she could think of during the night and had moved on to temporal rules and theories when she heard the lock on the door being thrown for a third time. The shallowest traces of morning light had just begun to show in the night sky, when the door opened to reveal a bleary eyed Kala.
The kitchen woman took one look around the room and shook her head. "If you want the girl to stay with me, she needs to be up. We've got work to do."
For a moment Kathryn had every intention of refusing. It wasn't even dawn yet and already Maddie would be put to work. It angered her to no end, but Kala was more astute than she appeared, stepping further into the room, closing the door behind her.
"You're no mythical demon. If you were, I wouldn't be seeing those circles under your eyes. Nor would I see the fear in them that you have for your daughter. I don't know who or what you are. Maybe little Maddie's stories have a bit of truth to them, but right now, you can't keep her safe." Kala moved boldly into the room and shook Maddie's foot to wake her, before turning back to Kathryn. "She needs to come with me."
The woman's casual observation both galled Kathryn and frightened her at the same time. She couldn't protect Maddie. It was that simple. So she nodded mutely, barely able to contain the gamut of emotions rushing through her much less express them, and in short order, the two of them had Maddie up and dressed if not completely awake, and leaving with Kala for the day. Scrubbing her hands over her face, Kathryn almost missed the entrance of two more women into her room.
"Now what?" she asked, but their mute gestures reminded her of who they were. Apparently it was time for her to visit the bathhouse again. She felt like screaming.
Two hours later, dressed in another shoulder and midriff-baring outfit, Kathryn found herself once again seated in the great hall. This time she was up on the dais itself but to the side and behind the king's throne. A plate of breads, cheeses, and fruit was situated next to her for her breakfast. So far this morning the hall was mostly deserted which made her wonder why she was there as she picked at the food, choosing to eat the fruit that reminded her of grapes. Without something to drink the bread and cheese was too dry to be palatable. As she sat with her ever present contingent of guards, several of whom she caught giving her peculiar glances, Kathryn couldn't help but feel tired.
The stress and lack of sleep was definitely catching up with her, and the lack of activity in the hall was not helping her. At least in her room, she could get up and pace, stretch her muscles out, but here she just felt like her mind was going numb with inaction. Popping another couple of grapes in her mouth, she appreciated the rush of juice as she bit into them and hoped they had some natural sugars to help her wake up. Kathryn began utilizing tricks she usually reserved for those uneventful shifts on the bridge. She began going over tactical scenarios. What if situations. Surveying the exits. Looking for weapons of opportunity. Trying to think of the best way to incapacitate her guards depending on how many there were.
And still she felt her train of thought slipping. Becoming more muddled. She shifted in her chair, leaning her chin against her palm as she imagined wresting away control of her guard's weapon and then using it…something tickled her nose and she swiped at it. She heard a chuckle and felt the tickle again. Kathryn gasped as her eyes shot open. The King stood in front of her, rolling a feather between his thumb and forefinger. She recoiled as if she'd been shot. She'd fallen asleep. She couldn't believe it, and looking around made it clear that it had been for more than just a few moments as the hall now seemed to be filled with gawking onlookers. The feather touched her forehead, drawing her attention back to the king as he trailed it lightly down her nose and over her lips and chin. She wanted to knock it away but her hand felt heavy.
"Ad-miral, if you wanted something to help you relax," he leaned over her towards the food plate, "you could have just asked for wine." He chuckled, popping a grape into his mouth.
Kathryn felt like she'd drunk an entire bottle of Romulan ale. Her entire body felt heavy with her mind wrapped in cotton. She watched his jaw move as he finished off the small piece of fruit. "What?" She looked towards the plate. "The grapes did this?"
He nodded, his hand caressing her bare shoulder. "But I must admit I'm glad to see you relaxing. I think, however, you've had enough for now." He signaled and a serving woman quickly removed the plate from the dais. "I have several important guests coming this morning, but after they leave the afternoon will be ours."
The king turned and clapped his hands together signaling for the day to start. Kathryn was trying to piece together what had just happened. It wasn't until she saw the imp move placidly to the king's side, receiving his praise that Kathryn understood. The guards peculiar looks. The lack of something to drink. She'd played right into the waif's hands. She couldn't fend off a physical attack right now much less a mental one. A cold chill swept over her and her head tipped back until it touched the back of the chair. She and the imp had been playing a dangerous game, and Kathryn had just lost.
The morning's audiences passed in a blur. More than once, a guard nudged Kathryn in the side, waking her from a stupor. She would straighten in her chair and attempt to once again marshal her thoughts. She wasn't having much luck, as her mind seemed prone to fantasies of Chakotay. She tried to convince herself they were just daydreams of the normal variety, but in the few moments of clarity that she managed, she knew better. The waif was simply keeping her in check, distracting her in small increments. Keeping her pliant.
At every new audience, Kathryn felt the king's lecherous gaze on her. He'd introduced her more than once and each time felt as though his possession of her name grew in confidence. Whether he knew the drugging had been intentional or not, he did know that the control of her now would be complete.
The current nobleman in front of the king concluded his audience and departed the chamber. Kathryn watched distractedly as an aide spoke quietly to the king. The malicious smile that spread across his face was grotesque. He saw her watching him and spoke loud enough to the aide for her to hear him.
"Make sure my chambers are ready. I anticipate spending many hours in them after this last appointment." The aide nodded even as he scurried towards the door. The king stood, and Kathryn had to concentrate to keep her eyes focused on him as he moved unhurriedly towards her. "I hope you can endure one more audience, my dear Kathryn. I think you'll enjoy this next one."
Kathryn tried to glare at him, but his chuckle suggested she had failed miserably, and unfortunately, a smart retort was out of the question at the moment. Unconcernedly, he turned his back on her when the doors at the far end of the hall opened. A party of five men strode inside, moving together up the length of the hall.
The guard next to Kathryn shifted his weight, and she looked up at him, thinking he was trying to get her attention again, but he wasn't watching her. She frowned. That was a first. He was one of the ones that had been like a shadow to her since she'd arrived. He was always keeping an eye on her, but this time he was looking past her. Taking longer than normal to digest that fact, Kathryn slowly turned, following his gaze, finding it on the newcomers to the hall.
They were obviously strangers in a strange land, and Kathryn managed to catch herself before she giggled, shuddering inwardly at the uncharacteristic behavior. Everything about the five men stood out as different from King Odaro's people. Whereas everyone normally present in the hall, which she belatedly realized had emptied quite a bit in the past few minutes, looked sturdy and wore thick clothes or armor, these five men appeared more like the waif. The cut and material of their clothes was more reminiscent of the idiotic outfits she'd been forced to wear on Milo's ship. Lightweight material that seemed to flow around them as they moved. Even their long dark hair that they wore loose seemed to defy gravity and movement, managing to stay tucked neatly behind their ears. Kathryn was fascinated. She fancied running her fingers through the smooth flowing strands. Then she huffed and threw another scathing look in the waif's direction. Between the imp's thoughts and the alcoholic effects of the fruit, Kathryn felt like a simpleton. Surely, there were other aspects she should be appraising besides how silky their hair must feel.
"I am Bachane. I am told you are King Odaro."
The leader's voice sounded like flint striking, immediately drawing Kathryn's attention back to him. His voice was quite hard, considering how fragile-looking he appeared. The five strangers had arranged themselves in a V shape with their leader standing at the tip closest to the dais. All the guards in the room seemed to stiffen at the man's antagonistic tone towards their sovereign. Kathryn stiffened at the look of utter loathing Bachane and his men cast her.
Odaro himself seemed completely unconcerned. "I've never heard of you, Bachane, but I'm told you come here seeking someone."
"Yes. My sister, Nichelle. I was told she was brought here." His solid black eyes flashed between Kathryn and the king as he spoke. "I was told she was brought…to you."
"Nichelle?" Odaro shook his head. "The name doesn't sound familiar. What does she look like?"
Bachane's features flushed a crimson color, and the man to his right answered the question. "She would've looked like us."
"I'm sorry," the king cocked his head to the side, "but did you say something? I didn't quite hear you."
The second man took a challenging step forward, but Bachane held up a hand stopping him. Odaro's guards had also reacted to the man's aggression. They looked to their king for guidance, and he moved them back with a wave of his hand.
"My sister," Bachane managed to bite out, "would've looked similar to us. Long dark hair, dark eyes, shorter than I in stature, but with skin as pale as the moons."
"Oh, yes," Odaro drawled out. He looked over his shoulder at Kathryn, his eyes raking over her. "I'd forgotten all about her."
"Is she here?" Bachane asked. Kathryn could hear the note of hope in his voice, which unfortunately meant that everyone else could as well.
Clearly enjoying himself, the king slowly returned his attention back to Bachane. "No, she is no longer here." He sniffed derisively. "She and I were quite active together, but I'm afraid she was a rather…fragile thing. She didn't hold up well at all under the rigorous circumstances."
All of Bachane's men flushed the crimson color, and more than one made some sort of hand gesture, touching their forehead and chest. Kathryn felt sickened at the king's innuendo. His casually offered statements had not been misunderstood by Bachane, either. His nostrils were flared as his breathing had become harsh staccato gasps. "She is dead then?"
Odaro nodded, smiling openly.
Kathryn wanted to offer Bachane comfort. Clearly, the loss of his sister hit him hard, but she hoped that would make the two of them allies of a sort. He had more reason than she did at this point to hate the king, but pointing a shaking finger at Kathryn, Bachane dashed those hopes with his next words.
"And her?" he growled. "Is she the reason you tired of my sister so readily?"
"Well, of course," Odaro laughed at the man's indignation. "Have you taken a good look at her? She's everything your sister was not."
The king began listing her qualities, and Bachane's furious eyes settled on Kathryn. As his hatred seared across her, she realized belatedly that she'd been mistakenly lumped into the same category as Odaro. As far as Bachane was concerned, she was every bit as guilty of his sister's death as the king was. And if his thoughts were as dark as his eyes, Kathryn knew she would pay dearly for this assumption. If only she could convince him otherwise…
"After all, Kathryn is a sensual woman," Odaro's voice drew Bachane's eyes away from Kathryn, "and your sister was really nothing more than a child."
"Yes," Bachane replied quietly, "she was a child. The third child of my father, the ruling magistrate of Serone Ladasia." His voice was picking up volume and strength as he spoke. "No one touches a child of the magistrate, and for that crime alone you would be punished on my world. For the other atrocities you have alluded to, there is only one punishment: death."
Kathryn was well aware that her senses and reflexes were not one hundred percent at the moment, but she never saw Bachane or his men move. He simply finished speaking, and all hell broke loose.
Explosions ripped through the hall, and smoke filled the area where the five lithe men had been standing. Kathryn was knocked out of her chair and onto the stone steps of the dais as weapons fire erupted in the hall. Pieces of grit rained down on her, and she instinctively covered her head with her arms. Smoke choked the hall, and she tried to get to her feet. A hand pushed down on her shoulder, over balancing her, and she fell again. Several wet thuds impacted above her, and Kathryn felt a spray of liquid hit her back and shoulder. It could only be one thing. She managed to look up in time to see the guard that had been like her shadow collapse to the floor beside her. He'd probably been the one to push her down. He'd probably saved her life.
Another explosion rocked the hall, and Kathryn stumbled. Her hand caught hold of something that felt sturdy, and she managed to make out through the smoke that she was holding onto the arm of Odaro's throne. She immediately wondered where he was. Looking out towards the smoke filled hall, Kathryn barely had time to register the shadow rushing at her before she felt a hard weight slam into her, knocking her down.
Hands pawed at her, turning her over onto her back, pinning her there with unnecessary force. Blinking against the spots in her vision, she saw Bachane looming over her. "Wait…" she coughed, "wait, you don't…understand."
"I don't understand?" he hissed at her, grabbing her by the hair. "You sit at his side! You took my sister's place! She never wanted this, but perhaps, if you hadn't been in such a hurry to warm his bed, she'd still be alive. I could have saved her!"
He slammed her head back against the step, and blinding pain exploded behind her eyes. Kathryn's hold on the conscious world slipped another notch and clear thinking became impossible. "Not…my choice…"
Bachane held a bloody knife in front of her face. "Your king's heart has already felt my blade. Now you will share his fate." Kathryn's eyes widened as he drew the long blade high above his head. "May the two of you spend eternity together."
He brought the sharpened metal down in a harsh arc and Kathryn screamed as the blade cut mercilessly through muscle and flesh stopping only when the tip of the blade knicked the stone of the steps beneath her.