Hadim was far from finished, and though he abandoned her stump with a hearty chuckle, he rounded the stocks and knelt before her once more. Waiting until she’d caught her breath before saying, “A parting gift, Omega. The symbol of what you’ll be, forever.” And with that, he pried her fingers apart, wrapping them around a cold, bony rope.
Her tail.
Severed, the black fur remained luxurious despite the blood. Beautiful, no matter that it was inert. That it twitched between her fingers and died in her hands. The nerves starved of oxygen with each passing second.
A low keening erupted from her lips, sorrow spilling forth unfettered. Her fingers clenching around that which was no longer hers, unable to let go or admit it had really happened at all. But still, she sobbed until something popped in her eye. A blood vessel, perhaps. Her voice hoarse and ragged as she choked and gagged and sobbed.
She heard words directed at her seconds before warm liquid dripped into the open wound, stinging viciously enough that she was shaken from her misery and tossed into torment.
“Take another breath for me now, Omega,” the captain of the guard murmured, shushing her. Quick fingers working to clean her stump.
“No painkillers,” Hadim drawled, and stroked at the tears tracking down her cheeks. “Not for her.”
She blinked, tears running hot and fresh down her cheeks. Pain radiating from what was now the base of her spine, tingling with an antiseptic burn.
“Will you trim her ears?” Hadim asked, tugging at the expressive feature. The very last of her Hathorian pride left up to the whim of her new owner.
The captain cleared his throat, uncomfortable, but saying, “If it’s up to me, I’d rather not, sir. Better to be reminded of what she is, and I’m fond of the look.”
Hadim shrugged, giving one final, cruel tug before he stood.
“Come, my love,” Samina said, gathering her shawl tighter about her shoulders. “It’s a long trek home.”
Hadim nodded, licking his lips. Eyes glinting with a sharp, predatory edge. And then, to the captain of the guard, “She’ll give you many strong hybrids to serve at the wall, as long as you breed her regularly. And,” he added, clapping a bit of loose black fur from his palms, “might I recommend breeding her to as many of your soldiers as possible?” He laughed, kissing Samina’s cheek. “By the fires, why not let a few of the prisoners at her? Use her as a reward for good behavior.”
A pitiful little sound burbled between her lips. Scarcely a whisper, but all she had left.
The captain worked at the stock, lifting the brace keeping her neck and hands locked down. His touch gentle, even daring to stroke her nape when she whimpered. Almost as if… as if he pitied her, for what he’d done.
What he’d been made to do.
It wasn’t until she’d been freed that she was able to control her sniffling. That she could stand to meet the eyes of the Anhur monsters who’d maimed her, still clutching her severed limb in both hands.
Hadim smiled. Gloating, even then.
“Let’s be going, love,” Samina said, looking away.
Scrambling, the captain bowed to the royal pair. One hand pressed to his heart, the other crossed over his waist—leaving the girl shivering unsupported. Unchained. “Thank you for this treasure, my prince. We will honor your wishes, and she will give us many strong soldiers to protect the Silver City.”
Hadim flicked his wrist, bored now that the day’s entertainment had ended. “Yes, see that she does.”
Clutching her tail to her breast, she dared to scowl at his back. Fur matted with blood, sticking to her fingers as she held her severed limb in a ginger grip. As if it wasn’t real, so long as she didn’t feel the way delicate bones poked through thin skin. Didn’t feel the occasional spasm of dying nerves, or that she was tipped too far forward. Over compensating for the loss of a thing she’d learned to walk with.
But it had happened. She’d been docked. It was the ultimate shame, the mark of a criminal. Outcast.
A renegade.
Off balance, she wobbled in the chill, light headed and in shock. Watching as the captain debased himself before the royal pair, his back turned.
Gaze wandering to the wall and beyond, she stroked at the black fur she’d once groomed to catch Hadim’s attention. Inspecting the void on the other side. The empty expanse of sky shining blue and pristine. An insulting contrast, and one that made her lips curl in a watery sneer.
The decision was easy.
The opportunity ripe.
And without pausing to over-think, the girl seized her moment. Took advantage of the captain’s lapse in attention and turned on the spot. Fled, despite the pain and her center of gravity being pitched forward. Pouring everything she had into the perfect escape, she ignored the agony splintering through her nervous system. She lifted her feet high, so her toes wouldn’t drag. So any stumble would be minor as her strides grew longer with every shouted command for her to, “Stop!Omega, stop!” Footsteps at her back making her heart lurch, her window snapping shut, almost out of reach.
When her left foot landed on the stone railing, her elbow was caught in a bruising grip. His fingers long enough to set the tips of his claws into her armpit. And though she had enough momentum to carry her over, she was stopped short—held teetering over the edge. Stalled.
