Page 35 of Gilded Curses

“Excuse me if I’m unfamiliar with who does and does not live here. I’ve been trapped here, tortured, attacked, starved, dehydrated, and exhausted to the brink of death to get here. I’m sure I haven’t met everyone here.”

She almost added, you stupid bitch, but was outnumbered here and not in the mood for a fight.

The woman opened her mouth to respond, but the man held up a hand to silence her. “Easy, Aurora. We’re not here to argue; we’re here to join forces… or at least we hope so. I’m Clive.” He waved at the woman Sahira disliked. “This is Aurora.” He shifted his hold on the candle to wave at the other woman. “And this is Alda. We might be able to help you with some of your questions.”

Sahira folded her arms over her chest as she eyed them. “And why would you do that?”

“Believe me, we understand hating this place and everything about it. I’m sure you’ve noticed that they treat us servants poorly too.”

Poorly was too kind of a word for how they treated these immortals. Worms on fishing hooks were treated better.

“We’re also trapped here,” Clive continued.

“Are you now?” Sahira inquired, not sure if she believed him.

“Not quite as badly as you; we don’t have guards watching us. We can go through the tunnel and into the Barren Lands, as you call them, but we are not free to leave Epoch. No one is. Like you, we’re unable to open portals too.”

“Laurent left here to warn you about what you would face if you arrived,” Alda said. “There was something about all of you that was different, and we all believed at least a few of you could make it. We’d hoped he could stop you, and maybe you could all figure out how to end this. Did you see him?”

Sahira’s arms fell back to her sides. “Someone left here and made his way toward us?”

“Yes. He wouldn’t have stayed in any of the towns for long. He knew better than that.”

Sahira recalled the scorched immortal they’d discovered on the edge of the geyser field. “We never got to talk to them and have no idea what they looked like, but someone died on the geyser field before we arrived there. We saw proof of him passing through the other towns.”

Clive’s shoulders sank further as his head bowed. Alda rested her hand on his arm. “Your brother was a good man.”

“He’s just one more victim of the Elite,” Clive muttered.

“So was mine.”

“Is that what you call Desmond and his ilk, the Elite?” Sahira asked.

“Yes,” Aurora answered.

Sahira met Alda’s bloodshot eyes. “Your brother was the one they let the dogs kill today?”

When the woman winced, Sahira regretted her question, but she had to know as much as possible about these immortals. She trusted them as much as she trusted fire not to burn her, and there was a very good possibility she was playing with fire by being here.

“Yes,” Alda whispered in a voice choked with tears. “He didn’t deserve that.”

“No one does,” Sahira said. “Is it something they often do?”

“The Elites like to play their games,” Aurora answered, “and we’re always their targets, but they don’t usually kill us.”

“If they killed us every time they fucked with us, there would only be them left in Epoch,” Clive said. “Today was more of a show for you, to exhibit what they’re capable of doing.”

Sahira rubbed the bridge of her nose. “We didn’t need it; we’re very aware of what they’re capable of doing.”

Alda sniffed. “It was fun for them.”

“So, they’re the Elites; what do they call all of you, commoners?”

“That and serfs, low class, or servants,” Clive said.

Aurora’s mouth pursed. “Or garbage.”

Sahira’s eyebrows flew up. “They call you garbage?”