Chapter 5
“What’s it like to be with a man?” Demaylia stretched across her bed and rolled onto her side as her long black hair lifted from the bed and moved about as if waving.
Mayra shrugged and glanced up from writing in her journal. The small desk she’d been given on the far side of Demaylia’s room was far more generous than it had to be.
“I don’t know.” She glanced back down. “I’ve been a slave here since I was two and with you since your birth. I’ve never been with a man.”
“Are you scared to be?” The girl’s voice was soft and growing heavy.
“No, I don’t think so.” Mayra closed her journal and leaned back to give Demaylia her full attention. “I’m an oracle though. I’ll only be with a man once, and then my future will be like Terap’s. Alone and working for your father to see anything he needs me to see.”
“Sounds dreadful.” The girl rolled onto her back. “I’ll be a woman next year, and I think for my birthday, I’ll ask my father to find me a Territhian male or a Vartik.” The girl glanced back over as her eyes filled with wonder. “Have you seen one before?”
“No. Neither.” Mayra got up and walked toward the bed as Demaylia motioned her to come lie beside her. It was far more comfortable than the thin pallet they had on the floor in the corner of the room for her. “I didn’t think the Vartiks existed anymore.”
“They don’t, or so they say.” Demaylia scooted closer and reached up, pawing at Mayra’s hair and smiling. “I bet they would find you beautiful if they did exist. Men of valor. That’s what my history books say. Descendants from the gods that were sent to make more humanoids populate the world with their greatness.”
“Sounds like a breeding problem to me.” Mayra smiled for the first time in days. “I bet they’re bossy if they descend from the gods, hmm?”
Demaylia laughed and rolled onto her back as she lifted her small arms into the air. “I doubt I would be compatible with them. They’re supposed to be large creatures.”
“Large how?” Mayra sat up and crossed her arms over her chest.
“The genitalia. It might not even fit inside of a big woman like you.”
“Big?” Mayra laughed softly. “I feel so small most of the time around here.”
“You’re not. Look how much bigger you are than me.” Demaylia reached out and lifted her paw toward Mayra. “You’re huge.”
Mayra laughed again and pressed her hand to the princess’s, noting how much bigger she really was. It almost seemed like another thing to add to her list of offenses. “Shall I grab you something to drink before you get ready for your nap?”
“I’d like that.”
Mayra nodded and got off the bed but stopped by the door at the sound of Demaylia’s voice.
“If we found a Vartik male, I would let you sleep with him on my behalf before we drained the blood from his body and sold it for a zillion rubbals. He’d never fit inside of me anyhow.”
“A zillion?” Mayra glanced back. “Why so many?”
“It’s the most precious liquid in all of the seven galaxies. It’s said to be able to heal anything.”
“Anything? Really?” She walked to the door, rolling her eyes. Nothing was that powerful.
“Yep, too bad they’re extinct.” The girl began to purr as Mayra opened the door and slipped out into the hall.
It wasn’t a wonder that the Vartiks were extinct. She’d heard whispers of them but nothing more. Without having access to books or regular conversation outside of whatever tangent Demaylia was stuck on, she was without the means to explore any other planets, creatures, or mythical properties.
“There she is. Grab her!” A deep voice surprised Mayra in the darkness of an alcove as she passed.
It took her only a second to realize they were talking about her, but it was a second too long. Strong hands gripped her and pulled her into the darkness. As she opened her mouth to scream, another strong hand wrapped around her face.
“He said that it was her time to open up, but she needed to be fucked. You do it.” The voice didn’t belong to a Vanfian but another servant.
“No. Get one of Rantel’s sons to take her. She’s vile.” The hot breath against the side of her neck, mixed with their nefarious plans, had her kicking and screaming as loudly as she could.
“Shit. Just hold her still and I’ll go grab one of them. Why didn’t we get them first?” The first servant walked out of the alcove, allowing Mayra to catch a glimpse of his blue skin. Why were they helping Rantel with such a horrid request? Raping her wouldn’t unlock the gifts inside of her. It would likely only cause them to disappear entirely, or maybe that was exactly what he wanted.
If she were no longer the oracle, then she would be his whore. But he hated the way she looked. They all did.
