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At that moment, there comes a voice from behind me. I spin around to see a guard standing in the doorway. He salutes me before continuing. “Brilyk, Fohri is in need of assistance.”
What could he possibly want now?I think in frustration.
“What does he want me to do?”
“You are to head up to the towers and conduct a status report on the human woman whilst our lord prepares himself to see her.”
“Consider it done.”
6
ELLIE
“No! Stop it, you’re hurting me! Let me go!”
My protests prove unproductive, for the only response the zagfer have is to strengthen their grip on me. In retaliation, I stop walking and act as dead weight, the strain in their faces from dragging me becoming very apparent. That's all I can do for now.
They haul me into what’s admittedly a magnificent washroom. It’s large in size, wider than any of the hallways I was brought through. Several golden bathtubs sit nearby, arranged evenly between each other. The heated floor boards are soft on my feet, a hard contrast compared to the cold floors of the mansion.
The shower heads stretch high above the baths, their gold gleaming like miniature suns. Steam comes from holes in the wall, doubling the washroom as a sauna. There are wooden benches nearby and a room labeled with the words ‘cold plunge’. Pipes run up the walls, blending into the rooftop overhead.
Standing beside each bathtub is a large selection of soaps, their combined aroma lingering in the air. They smell divine as I pick up the scents of rirzed and fylvek grass, but it hardly serves as a comfort. After all, it’s not like I’m at some fancy resort. I’m being held hostage in the hands of the enemy.
The servants let me go and push me forward. I turn around and get on my knees, throwing my hands together in a begging gesture. “Please, I beg of you, don’t make me do this!”
One steps forward. He wears a straight face and so it is hard to determine what he may be thinking. He bends down to my level. “Look,” he sighs. “You don’t exactly have a choice in the matter.”
“I had that part figured out.”
“We’re only doing our job. None of us dare to disobey the orders of our lord. Now then, strip off.”
He rises to his feet, still peering down at me as I look up at him with a shocked expression. I blink in confusion at what he just said.
Did he just order me to strip?
“What did you say to me?” I ask.
“Strip your clothes off. You must be washed,” he says with a stern tone.
“Wait, so I can’t even have my own bath in private?”
The zagfer shakes his head. “That’s not how this works. Just comply with us and make this easier. If we have to report to the guards that you’re causing trouble then Fohri is sure to do worse to you than he already has planned.”
I slowly rise to my feet as they glare at me. I know it’s of no use to ask them to turn around. Instead, I turn my own body as if it’ll conceal me from their prying eyes. I take off my clothes, feeling the hot air of the room kiss my skin. Covering my body, I turn around and ask them what’s next without looking either of them in the eye.
“Get into the nearest bath tub.”
I climb in and close my eyes as one of them turns on the overhead faucet. The other busies himself grabbing sponges as the water comes down on me. For a split moment, I enjoy the feeling of the water hitting my skin, its heat comforting me temporarily. The bath quickly fills up and the zagfer turns off the shower head.
“Stand up,” he orders.
“And raise your arms,” says the other.
Shamefully, I lift my arms and expose my body for them to see. I pray they don’t try to touch me inappropriately as they begin washing me. Rirzed soap is applied to the sponge and dipped in the water before coming into contact with my back.
They scrub roughly, clearly not knowing the delicateness of human skin. I wince and groan as they rub before they move to my arms. Meanwhile, the other zagfer eyes me from a distance. A pit of anxiety forms in my stomach, knowing there’s no one to come to my aid.
I’m all alone here. Why is this happening to me? What on Protheka did I do to deserve such a fate?
