Rodrigo lunges. Fen counters. The whole thing is over so fast I almost think I lost time. It was no fight at all, but a slaughter. Rodrigo's body lies on the ground, his blood seeping into the dirt, his head a few feet from his torso, staring blindly into space.
In one move, Fen beheaded the man with no effort.
***
I'm quiet on the ride back to the castle and excuse myself to my room once we return. I wanted blood and I got it, but it didn't make me feel better. Instead, I feel sick. Sick of the violence and the attempts on my life. Sick of the games. I just need a break.
In truth, I want to go home. I want to check on my mom and sit on my old couch and see my best friends. I want to have a coffee and check my email and text and watch cat videos on Facebook. This world is so archaic. I feel lost. Alone.
When I get to my room, Julian and Kara are already there, cleaning and checking the fire. They both curtsy when I come in.
"We didn't think you'd be back yet," Julian says, by way of apology. "We will come back later." She drops her eyes and waits. She acts demure. Subservient. But I sense more within her. She's a petite girl with green eyes like mine and bright red hair. She reminds me of my mother in some ways.
Kara is taller, with a curvy figure and long golden hair with dark eyes. She always looks bored, but I think she plots more than she lets on.
They are both Fae, assigned to be my servants. Their pointy ears give it away, but I think I would know even without them.
"Don't go," I say. "Sit with me and have some tea. I could use the company."
There's a knock at the door and I open it to see Baron waiting beside Mario, the soldier Fen sparred with earlier. He's with another man. "Your Highness, the Prince asked us to stand watch. This is Roco. He and I will take shifts guarding you while you live here. If you need anything, please let one of us know. There will always be someone standing guard outside your door at all times, or with you when you move about the castle."
Baron pushes past my legs to walk in, and Mario's eyes widen. "Also, Fen said Baron will be staying with you from now on, except during hunts."
I nod and pat the wolf's head. "Very well. Thank you both."
Mario bows and closes the door, leaving me with my servants and the wolf. The girls are both wide-eyed and standing in the corner, as far away from Baron as they can. He just ignores them and hops onto my bed to sleep.
"Doesn't it scare you to have that wolf in here?" Kara asks.
"No, Baron would never hurt me. In fact, he protected me today." I tell them both the story of what happened as we move into my sitting room and Kara serves everyone tea.
When I'm done, Julian covers her mouth in shock. "You don't know who Rodrigo is, do you?"
"Honestly, I don't know who anyone is yet." Not even myself, in this crazy place.
"He's the son of the highest ranking demon in all the realms, outside the princes themselves," Julian says. "He was the Head Advisor to the King, before His Majesty was killed, and is responsible for enacting all the King's rulings. I can't believe the Prince killed his son."
"Fen mentioned something about gambling debts the father owed?"
Julian shrugs. "There are rumors, but the Prince would know better than us."
I sense Julian isn't telling me everything she knows, but then, why should she? She's a slave. We can sit here acting like friends, but at the end of the day she has no rights.
Kara shakes her head. "I can't believe that bastard tried to feed on you. But even still, the punishment was harsh for one of his ranking. His father won't take this lightly."
"Why was he working as lumber jack if he's so high ranking?" I ask.
"The King ordered him sent here to work 'a hard day's labor' for one year and one day, following an incident at a tavern with a local girl who ended up being favored by a nobleman," Kara explains. "It was his punishment, in hopes of teaching him some values."
"I don't think the lesson took," I say.
We spend the rest of the afternoon talking about our lives, our families and how different our experiences have been. Both Kara and Julian are slaves, taken as part of the spoils of war when their village from the Outlands tried to attack Fen's city. Normally their sentence would have been death, so they both seem happy to at least be alive. But still, they have no freedom, no pay, no choices at all.
"Were you part of the attack?" I ask.
Kara shakes her head. "We were too young at the time. We were taken when the demons retaliated on our village. To be honest, we have lived in this castle most of our lives. It's really all we've known."
"What does your contract say, exactly?" I ask, my mind whirring with ideas.
Julian frowns. "I haven't looked at it in ages. But I can get it for you if you'd like to see it. I think you technically own the contract now that we've been given to you."
"What? I own you?" My stomach turns on itself. How could Fen make me a slave-owner without telling me?
They both nod.
"Get me both of your contracts, at once."
They leave to do as I've asked, and I go back to my bedroom and crawl into the bed with the wolf, laying my head on his body. "What am I doing here, Baron? Do you have any clue?"
***
My day passes with some reading, some journaling and more talking with Kara and Julian about their contracts. I'm still trying to understand all the nuances of their terms. The language and style of writing is more obscure than the legalese of my world, and that's saying something. I might need to get help with this. When the dinner bell rings I realize I've skipped lunch entirely.