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“I shocked him once after Mother passed when he started beating me one night, so he punished me for attacking him. It’s not a big deal since I’m clearly still alive.”
“It is a big fucking deal! What if he does that again afterward to punish you for losing me? He's not going to shrug and forget it. Roth, look at me.” Oriel gently took his chin. “Come with me.”
Roth squinted at him. “I can’t just leave my home.”
“Why not?”
“This is all I know.”
“You don’t seem to have anyone here.”
“I won’t have anyone out there either,” said Roth. “He’d send people to look for me, and if they found me, it’d be much worse after I was brought back. If I got a job and settled somewhere, I’ll always stick out with looks. If word got back to him…I don’t want to live my whole life looking over my shoulder. Father isn’t the sort to give up so easily, and I think you proved that. He’ll always hold a grudge if I run off with you.”
It was like a cowed dog that was too afraid to leave its cage even though the door was wide open. Oriel was ready to take freedom when it was offered, but he hadn’t grown up with an abusive Father either.
“Come with me,” Oriel said in a firm voice. “I’m not going to live on the streets when I go. I’m going to my cousin, Queen Asara. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do after, but she will help us.”
“She owes me nothing.”
“She’d owe you for helping me. Do you really want to go in that room? I sure don’t want you to.” Lord Delwin would probably do things that would heal later like whipping Roth, and the idea of that or locking him in the cage turned Oriel’s guts. “You don’t need to be punished anymore. Come with me. We won’t have to spend our lives hiding from him.”
Roth hesitated for a long moment. “All right.”
Oriel hugged him. He probably needed one. “Queen Asara will help us, and nobody will ever punish you again.”
Roth rested his chin on Oriel’s shoulder. “But what if I want to be punished in some way? I don’t think that will go away.”
Just like the things that had happened to Oriel wouldn't disappear. They’d used each other to vent out feelings and their own varying forms of past trauma, but the past didn’t vanish or grow easier.
“You can do what you want as long as it’s safe, but if you’re going to come with me, you need to know I’m not leaving without someone.” Oriel drew back to look at Roth. “Lord Mather is Aspen. A slave.”
Roth blinked. “What?”
Oriel gave him a quick version of things. “I’m not sure how he became Lord Mather.”
“The last one was sickly, and his son ran away years ago at the age of fourteen. I never got to meet the son, but Lord Mather had black hair. I imagine his son did too.” Roth squinted as he stared into space for a moment. “His servants must have bought Aspen and used him.”
“He’s been abused, and I don’t think he’s doing well. You saw how he acted, and if he gets caught...”
“The servants wouldn’t know his past, and they probably wanted someone they could control. They could stay there, give themselves a raise, that sort of thing.”
Oriel flopped back on the bed. “They’re using him. Great.”
“They probably won’t hurt him,” said Roth. “He had no collar, I doubt he’s been branded, and he’ll have it better there than with someone else. Technically, he's a free man, but you're right. He's not entirely safe because he's committing low treason. I know where Lord Mather’s house is, so we can get to Aspen.”
“All right.” Oriel’s stomach twisted at seeing him again. “He hates me. There’s reasons I don’t want to get into right now. We had something before, and it was all fucked up, but I’m not leaving without him. If someone realizes who he is, he’ll be punished.”
“We’ll get him. We should go to bed now.”
The next morning, Oriel had eaten and was sitting in his cage like a meek slave when Lord Delwin came in with one of Roth’s “buddies.” Oriel kept his head down as they both ignored him and headed to the bedroom.
“Roth, when’s the last time you spoke to Derra?” asked Lord Delwin.
“A few days ago when we had lunch,” replied Roth.
“That’s it?”
“I haven’t seen him around much. Why?”
