Challenges (57 page)
“I said, lovely child, can you hear me?” a man’s voice came, the words answering my previous question. The thud of my heart grew even louder as I recognized the voice. It belonged to a man whose name I didn’t even know, but the vague, unformed memory of his intentions was very unsettling.
“Your muscles have tightened a bit, so I presume you can hear every word despite your lack of verbal response,” the man went on. “That suits me well enough for the moment, as I shall speak and you need only listen. Later, of course, you’ll also be expected to obey. If you fail to do so, you’ll be made to produce a verbal response other than speaking.”
He chuckled at that, a sound which made my blood run cold, but for no reason easily understood. Who was this man, and what did he want of me?
“To begin with, I should explain that the pain I’m told you probably feel is the result of your having been damaged,” he said. “It’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever be what you once were, but please don’t feel relief just yet. My interest in you remains as high as it was, for you’re still perfectly able to serve my purpose.”
What purpose? I wanted to say, but the lethargy all through me didn’t allow it. I had no idea what he was talking about, but for some reason it still frightened me.
“Now, I mean to keep you quietly sedated for a time,” he said, “but not for too long a time. I find I’m truly eager to begin with you, and as soon as the Puredan is brought to me I’ll have you drink it. After that you’ll no longer need to be sedated, and we’ll be able to begin.”
He chuckled again. “There’s something rather amusing that you should hear. Your father and some crony of his attempted to claim you, actually challenging
my
right to possess you. I put them off until tomorrow, but only to give myself time to prepare something really special for them. It will be the highlight of my dinner party tomorrow night, and I mean to let
you
be present to watch. No, don’t try to thank me, I’ve already decided on how I mean to be thanked.”
His chuckling really bothered me, especially since I could almost remember something about my father and some friend of his. That memory was just as disturbing, even without any details. I didn’t want to hear about any of it, and the best way to escape was in sleep. I felt sleepy anyway … sleepy and frightened … sleepy and miserable … sleepy and very lonely…
* * *
“… know what they could do to me for this?” a thin and trembling male voice demanded. “They could end my career, and then where would I be? Please ask for something else, my dear, I beg of you.”
“But there isn’t anything else that I want,” a female voice responded, one that Vallant seemed to recognize. “You owe me more than one favor, love, and if you don’t pay up I’ll just have to collect in another way. Would you prefer if I did that?”
“No!” the male voice almost shrieked, and then it quieted again. “No, I would not prefer that other way. You leave me no choice but to do exactly as you wish.”
“Stop making it sound like the end of the world,” the woman chided with a laugh. “No one will be doing anything with him until it’s time to send him on his trip, so he might as well do his waiting here. I have this perfectly lovely little box prepared for him, made out of steel so that nothing will be able to harm him. When he learns to beg properly I’ll let him out for a while, but I won’t forget to put him back again. That should satisfy your feelings of anxiety, shouldn’t it?”
“Perhaps,” the male voice allowed grudgingly while Vallant’s insides began to twist and burn. He couldn’t quite remember why he felt like that, but it had something to do with part of what the woman had said. And his head hurt, for some reason he also couldn’t remember. What was going on here—and where in the name of chaos was ‘here’?
“Oh, he’ll be fine,” the woman said with more laughter. “I’m just going to put him to work for a while, and then you can have him back. I’m sure he thought he’d seen the last of me, but a person’s power isn’t always linked only to her career position. When I decide I want something, I never rest until I get it.”
“Well, now you have
him
,” the male voice said, still sounding extremely unhappy. “Just be sure you don’t lose or damage him, or we’ll both regret it. If I’m blamed for anything, I’ll make certain that you’re right there beside me.”
“Worrier, worrier,” the woman laughed, then went on to reassure the man again in different words. Vallant tried to listen, hoping to find out where he was and what was happening, but everything both inside him and out began to lurch. Not sick-making lurch but sleepy lurch … as though he were being rocked in the arms of someone who needed badly for him to be there … even though he couldn’t be there … wherever there was … sleepy lurch, back and forth, back and forth … out but not in … please, please, never
in
…