With a pouting face and provocative prowl that made Kankava murmur with excitement, Anna glided over to the bed. Her hand, still held behind her back, gripped the syringes so tightly that she worried they might shatter.
‘Sixteen,’ Kankava whispered in delight as Anna crouched by his side. ‘Look at you. I must be the luckiest man alive.’
‘No. No you’re not. Not tonight, baby.’
Anna thrust her hand forward and plunged the nibs of both syringes into Kankava’s thigh. He let out a startled gasp. She pressed the plungers down as far as they would go, sending the huge dose of morphine into his bloodstream.
Before he had the chance to struggle, Anna jumped up onto the bed, straddling Kankava. She pinned his arm down with her knee and clasped a hand over his mouth to muffle his shouts and cries. He fought against her for barely thirty seconds before the morphine began working its magic, taking away any remaining strength in Kankava’s tired body.
It was a shame she’d had to give such a big dose, she thought. With it he’d be dulled to the pain he was about to experience. But he was at least pliable that way.
Anna jumped off, moving with conviction. She slid the cord out of Kankava’s gown and stuffed one end into his mouth to muffle his weary shouts. He clumsily swiped at her as she wound the remaining cord around his head twice before knotting it to secure it in place.
When she was finished, Anna looked down at Kankava and smiled.
‘A birthday treat,’ she said. ‘From me to you.’
She strode over to the fireplace and stood on tiptoe to remove one of the two ceremonial swords displayed there. She pushed her finger onto the blade. It was far from razor sharp. Maybe it had never been used for the purpose it was about to see. But it would surely be good enough.
Anna turned and slid two steps to Kankava. With a fervent smile on her face, she swept the sword forward in a huge arc and brought the weapon down onto Kankava’s wrist. The dull blade dug deep into his flesh, but it took three more hits before the arm was severed and Kankava’s hand tumbled to the ground. The colonel bucked and wailed as much as he could with the drug crashing through his bloodstream.
‘Oh dear,’ Anna taunted. ‘Looks like you'll be needing even more of my help now. Here let me give you a hand.’
She picked up the severed hand by the fingers and dropped it close to Kankava’s face. He cried out pathetically.
‘Maybe this is what you want?’ Anna said as she sat back down next to Kankava on the bed.
She seductively brushed her hand up the inside of his bare leg, right up to his crotch. She grabbed his scrotum then violently tugged and squeezed with all the strength she could muster. Her face creased over, turning bright red. She felt a pop. Then another. Kankava’s eyes rolled. She released his crushed testicles. Blood was gushing from his arm stump. He was fast losing consciousness, she realised, from a mixture of blood loss, pain and the morphine.
‘I hope you’ve enjoyed our time together,’ Anna whispered into Kankava’s ear. ‘I hope you think it was all worth it.’
She wanted to finish this while he was still with it and knew what was happening to him. And before any remaining doubts in her mind – however small they were – took hold.
Anna stood, picked up the sword once more, then without a second’s thought, thrust it down onto Kankava’s neck. But she got the angle of the blade all wrong. Kankava’s eyes bulged, but the sword barely broke the skin. He gasped for breath, and Anna wondered whether the blunt-force blow had crushed his windpipe. She didn’t contemplate for long. She slashed the sword down twice more and a spray of blood erupted from the now-gaping wound, some of it splashing onto Anna’s arm, causing her to reel in disgust.
Backing further away, she dropped the sword, which clattered to the ground and sent droplets of thick blood spattering across the floor.
Part of Anna looked at Kankava with great wonderment and curiosity. Part of her was disgusted at what she saw. Anna felt a wave of nausea rise up from within. She turned and dashed out of the room.
Anna stripped off the dress, using it to wipe the blood off herself as best she could. She threw back on her work clothes then dashed through the house to her bedroom to collect the meagre belongings she’d be taking with her: a winter coat, a single photograph, a locket that her father had bought for her tenth birthday, and the paltry money she had collected and occasionally stolen from the Mkhedrioni who’d abused her during her years of service at Winter’s Retreat.
As Anna descended the stairs from her bedroom, she pushed the growing feeling of disgust at what she’d done to one side. There was no doubt she was shaken, more so than she had imagined, but she needed her mask back for this final task.
She moved through the darkened rooms then came to a stop looking at the man asleep in the bed in front of her. She took two steps forward, reached out, and turned on the bedside lamp which glowed softly. He stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at her with confusion, then with fondness. Then with knowing.
‘Anna,’ Alex said before taking a few seconds to further compose himself. ‘You finally did it, didn’t you?’
Anna smiled. ‘Yes.’
‘Good for you. I always thought you had it in you.’
‘You did.’
‘What will you do now? Where will you go? I can help you.’
‘No. You can’t. I only came to say goodbye.’
‘I’ll miss you around here.’
‘No. You won’t. You won’t be able to.’
Alex looked at her quizzically. Did he already know?
‘I liked you, Alex,’ Anna said. ‘I’ve enjoyed talking to you. You remind me of my father. I never told you that.’
‘I’m flattered. I truly am.’
‘But I know the truth,’ Anna sneered. ‘You’re no different to the rest of them. No different to Kankava.’
Alex looked confused. Anna was almost disappointed in his lacklustre response. She’d never really seen the man who was inside him – the warrior, the Vor. She’d only ever seen the cripple who liked to chat to a young teenage girl. In a way, she wished he could fight back, show how strong he really was. At the least, she had expected that when this moment came he would fight back with his tongue. But it appeared he no longer had any fight in him.
‘I know what the other girls have to do for you,’ Anna continued. ‘You may not touch them, you may not rape them, but only because you can’t. I see it in you. I know what you are. Goodbye, Alex.’
‘No, Anna!’
She reached out and placed her hand firmly over his mouth. He moaned and tried to shout but he was helpless.
As Alex’s brain was starved of oxygen and shut down for good, Anna stared into his pleading eyes. What she saw – fear – only proved what she already knew, and saddened her further. Alex wasn’t the Vor he claimed to be. Not anymore. He was weak. He was pathetic.
He was nothing.
‘Shhh,’ Anna whispered. ‘Remember what you told me, Alex. Don't ever let them see that you’re scared.’