Chapter 8

• I haven't seen Thane since he left the hospital. I've been attending to Jairus in his absence.
• "Where is your father?"
• "I'm not sure"
• "How can you not be? Aren't you worried?
• "Not really. But you seem to be really worried" I scratched the back of my neck.
• "I'm not. He nearly killed me. Remember?" Lies.. I was really bothered. Jairus chuckled.
• Jairus was different from his father. He was laid back, not so rude, at least not to me. And he smiled more. He was a whole lot nicer to me than his father ever was. Today, after I was through with cleaning the king's study and his room. I wanted to clean Jairus's room but he declined. He insisted that I eat with him but I refused. It was late in the evening and I was currently in his father's study with him.
• He insisted I keep him company since I had nothing else to do. He sat in his father's chair, legs on the table and a book in his hand. After some hours, I finished reading a book and looked to were he sat. He was fast asleep. I gently removed the book from his body, closed it and quietly exited the study.
• I went in search of Lily. I hadn't seen her since yesterday. I made enquires about her and found out she was a yellow dress. I made my way towards the laundry room. I entered and saw nobody. The only sound in the room was a loud snore. I followed the sound and saw a figure huddled in the corner. I tapped the figure and she bolted upright. Lily. She looked worn out, with bags under her eyes.
• "How do you feel?"
• "A lot better. Thank you for the other day."
• "It's fine. What happened to you that night?" she looked around in fear.
• "Nothing. Nothing happened." I looked at her skeptically.
• "Let's go for lunch." We walked out of the room and up the staircase. I saw Jairus at the top of the stairs.
• "Esme. I'm leaving for a while. I'll be back tomorrow or the day after. Take care of yourself and make sure you eat properly."
• "It's late already."
• "It's father." Oh. That's why.
• "Have a safe trip."he nodded and left.
• "You are friends with the prince?"
• "We've met on few occasions."
• "He knows your name."
• "It doesn't matter. Let's go"
• All the slaves sat in the dining area, but no meal was shared. The loudspeaker came on.
• "ALL SLAVES SHOULD HEAD TO THE TRAINING GROUND. NOW!!"  People scrambled out of the dinning area to the training ground. The guards stationed outside instructed us to sit on the grass. We sat and some murmured in hushed tones. Roman, the second in command to the Royal Chief guard stood in front of us all. He was a mean werewolf that harboured extreme hate for half breeds. There were rumours that he raped some slaves and got rid of those who tried to complain.I gathered my arms around myself as the wind blew heavily. Lily sat beside me shivering.
• "A royal ring is missing. It is a gold ring with an enchanted ruby. A gift from the moon goddess to the king. A priceless gem." people began to murmur.
• "It was placed in a safe and kept in throne room. One amongst you has stolen it." more murmurs.
• "Quiet. We are giving the thief a chance to return the ring before morning and your punishment will be reduced." Nobody moved.
• "A thorough search will be done in the slave quarters through the night. Woe to whoever has it in her possession."
• "You will remain outside until the search is completed and will be denied food." He left with the guards he came in with. The other guards stood around us. During the night, the guards changed every three hours.
• At the break of dawn, Roman came out. A sick smile on his face. He held up a ring that glinted.
• "Lily of the East." Lily trembled like a leaf beside me. She clutched her dress tightly and stood up quietly. Guards came to her and pushed her to the front. She was forced on her knees before Roman. He fisted her hair and turned her to face the crowd.
• "This is the thief." had she really stolen the ring?
• "Forty lashes will be given to her with the horsewhip. This should serve as a lesson to those who decide to cross us" why did it sound like there was a double meaning behind his words?
• A shriek pierced the silent morning as the first whip landed. I winced and turned away from the sight. She kept screaming at every lash of the whip. My legs were moving before I could think. I ran to the front and fell over her.
• "Please." I begged. The whip landed at my back. Lily struggled underneath me but I held firm. I whimpered as the lashing continued. Each lash seemed harder than the last. At a time, the lashing stopped. My relief was cut short when a fierce pain erupted at my back. The whip must have been changed.
• Each lash of the new whip dug into deeper into my skin. Spikes seemed to be on the new whip. It tore my back and I screamed loudly. My punisher seemed relentless. He landed the whip and dragged it along my back for added effect. The strokes must have gone past fifty. I felt Lily stop struggling. I wasn't sure if she lost consciousness or I was the one loosing it.
• Black spots danced around my vision. Time seemed to stop as I lost feeling of what was going on around me. I tried to hold on to reality but it was slowly slipping from my grip. I chuckled tiredly in my head. Was this how I was going to die? Barely three months and I had gotten myself killed. I thought of my mother. How will she receive the news? My mind stopped spinning as the world faded around me.