“All thoughts and feelings will be mine.”
He reaches to his waist. A clang reverberates through the room. He holds a dagger above. I am going to die. For a moment, I panic, then peace fills me. There will be no more punishments, only darkness. I hope my sisters can survive without me. Please let them survive.
“Blood of thine.” He thrusts the knife toward me, slicing my neck. The wound doesn't hurt. I won't be afraid as I wait for it to lunge at me again. I won't.
He raises the dagger. It angles toward his own arm and makes a small cut. Why did he cut himself? I can't figure it out, but relief that I'm still alive fills me.
He sets the blade on my breast bone and holds his hand out. A midnight blue spell slinks to my neck and coaxes my blood into the air. It reminds me of getting tested. The light forms a sphere above me, tugging and jerking deep inside. It hurts, the pain growing and gnawing in me. I want to cry out. A stream slips from the orb and flows to the Envadi's cut.
“Becomes mine.”
The tugging stops. The orb shrinks as the last of my blood he must have wanted flows into him. I'm woozy seeing my life's blood go to him. The metallic smell makes it worse. But I can't do anything about it. The nick on my neck stings.
He grabs the dagger and sheathes it. With the aid of a spell, he floats up until he's standing on the altar next to my waist. A mass of colors and sparks fly from him, dashing around the room. The crowd murmurs. Blues, greens, silvers, yellows, all invade my sight. One slips to my neck and the sting eases.
Sparks pop faster among the colors. The colors sparkle, glitter, and dance. All at once, they're gone. The Envadi stretches out his hands, then yanks them higher. I spring upward until the chains are tight. My pulse is erratic as I hover in the air, still on my back. My waist brushes against the Envadi, my arms and legs aching against the chains.
He blasts a dark spell over me. “You are mine.”
Chapter Fifteen
I kneel in front of the altar. The stone chills my legs. Something is bound around my neck. The Envadi holds a leash. I choke back a cry. Or maybe a shriek. But the tea still has me under its power.
I've been collared like an animal. The Envadi glares at me. His lips tighten and he looks away. He's more barbaric than I thought.
The gathered crowd shuffles. I realize all women in attendance are being leashed like me. The Envadi yanks on the leash and strides down the aisle. I scramble after him still detached from myself. If I could control my body, I would fight against him. Or at least I think I would. Maybe I wouldn't. The fight is in me, I'm just so tired.
As we pass the crowd, they fall in behind us. Women with their heads down and men leading them along. We move through the room and into a long passage. The stones are cold beneath my feet. As we walk, the world comes closer again, more in focus. Still not normal, though. I can't quite reach myself.
The smell of buttery rolls and roast venison wafts to me and grows stronger. We walk into a banquet hall. A feast awaits.
I'm led to the middle of the main table, a long rectangle, with a throne-like chair where the Envadi takes a seat. When he says and does nothing further, I hover behind him, grateful I'm more in control of my actions, but still not fully connected. Like some part of me is forgotten. The Envadi hasn't forgotten me though. His grip tightens around the handle of my leash.
Father sits on the left. The woman on his leash is not my mother, but a tarnished scantily clad in red. I stare at her hoping for some clue why a red tarnished has taken mother's place, but she doesn't glance my way. The Grand Chancellor takes the chair on the right. The woman on his leash isn't tarnished, but has a stark black star on her neck, elaborate swirls around it. His wife? She kneels on the ground before him. The others sit and some kneel or lay on the floor. Only one other woman stands behind a man's chair. Once everyone is seated, the Grand Chancellor gestures at the Envadi.
He jerks the chain. I fly toward the table. “Get me food, wench.”
I stare at him, willing my gaze to make him disappear. Instead, his jaw clenches. His thumb rubs my leash. Not wanting to make him throw me around more, I face the table.
There are so many choices, I don't know what to grab. What will he do if I pick the wrong thing? My hand shakes as I lift a fork to a whole boar, with onions and carrots surrounding it. Its sides are carved into slices. I dish several onto the plate. A pheasant is nearby so I add that, as well.
The dish is nearly full from the meat I've put on it. More than I thought. Not much of a meal. I grab a hunk of bread and spoon on some peaches. The food trembles as I carry it back. A peach slice falls to the floor. I freeze, staring at the offending piece.