Holy shit.
"He's staring at nothing," Blue-Eyes said nervously. "Is he brain-dead?"
"It Doesn't matter." Golden-Eyes grabbed my arm, hauling me upright. "We're at the palace gates. Get him dressed. Now."
My head spun as they manhandled me into rough-spun clothes...which was a simple tunic and pants that hung loose on my frame.
My legs shook as they forced me to stand. I would have collapsed if they hadn't been holding me up.
Through the open back of the cart, I saw it.
The palace.
It wasn't a building. It was a living thing.
There were massive trees grown into architectural impossibilities....towers and bridges and halls all woven from wood and vine and flowering branches.
Waterfalls cascaded between each levels of the towers.
Gardens floated in mid-air, held by magic I didn't understand.
The whole thing glowed softly with bioluminescent flowers, bathing everything in shades of blue and silver and gold.
It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
And I was being dragged toward it in chains.
"Move, human." Golden-Eyes shoved me forward. "And if you collapse again, I'm dragging you."
We entered through a side gate....not the grand entrance visible in the distance, but a servants' entrance hidden behind cascading vines.
The guards at the gate barely glanced at us, though one wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Another human for the Queen's collection?" he muttered.
"Mind your station," Golden-Eyes snapped, but his ears were flushed with embarrassment.
Inside, the palace was even more overwhelming. Corridors of living wood that curved and twisted in ways that defied geometry.
Glowing crystals embedded in the ceiling provided light. Servants moved silently through the halls....elves in elegant uniforms, and others... not elves.
I saw a woman with cat ears and a tail carrying linens. A massive man who had to be seven feet tall with arms thick as tree trunks.
There was even something small and blue that might have been a fairy.
And humans. A few humans, always with collars like mine, always with their eyes downcast.
They were Slaves.....like me..
Other slaves noticed me as we passed.
Some looked away quickly. Others stared with pity or contempt or hunger I didn't want to examine too closely.
"Fresh meat," I heard someone whisper. "He's the Queen's new toy. He won't last a month."
"Thoes are some generous odds.... I give him two weeks." Cory heard another person whispered.
"Bold of you to assume he survives tonight."
Laughter....it was cruel...
The guards led me deeper into the palace, through increasingly opulent corridors.
The air grew warmer. Sweeter. Scented with vanilla and something else....something that made my pulse quicken despite my exhaustion.
We stopped at a side chamber. Inside, more servants waited...these ones were looking irritated.
"You're late," one of them said coldly. An elf woman with sharp features and sharper eyes. "The Queen has been asking after her purchase for three days."
"He died," Blue-Eyes blurted. "During transport. Then he... came back."
The woman's eyes narrowed. "Came back?"
"His heart stopped. He was out cold. Then he just... woke up." Said Golden-Eyes.
A long silence. The woman studied me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. "Interesting. Strip him."
"What—" I started.
Hands grabbed me.
Before I knew it my clothes were torn off before I could protest.
I stood there, naked and vulnerable, as the servants circled me like vultures.
"He's Malnourished," one said, prodding my ribs. "Dehydrated. These wounds need treatment."
"But, there's no time," the sharp-eyed woman said. "The Queen wants him now. We'll treat him after."
"But—"
"NOW."
They worked quickly. Washing me with cloths dipped in water that stung like antiseptic.
Rubbing some kind of oil into my skin that smelled of herbs and made the worst wounds tingle.
They Combed my hair.... which was longer than I remembered, it was darker, and down to my shoulders too.
One of them shoved a small vial at my lips. "Drink."
"What is it?"
"Stamina potion. You'll need it."
Am cooked....The implications of that statement hit me like cold water.
I drank it....
It tasted like honey mixed with electricity. Energy flooded through my limbs immediately, pushing back the exhaustion just enough that I could stand on my own.
They dressed me in new clothes...still simple, but clean. Black pants that fit better. A white shirt that laced up the front. Soft leather shoes.
"The Collar," the woman said.
One of them touched the metal around my neck. The symbols flared brighter, then settled into a steady, ominous pulse.
"It's functional," he confirmed. "Tracking active. Pain enforcement ready."
"Good." The woman grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet her eyes. "Listen carefully, human. You are property of Queen Elena now. You exist to serve her pleasure. You will obey every command without question or hesitation. If you disappoint her, that collar will make you beg for death. If you defy her, you'll wish the guards had finished killing you. Do you understand?"
My mouth was dry. "Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes... ma'am?"
Her grip tightened painfully. "You will address your betters properly. I am Head Attendant Sera. You will call me Attendant Sera or ma'am. The Queen, you will address as 'Your Majesty' or 'my Queen.' Failure to do so will be punishment. Understood?"
"Yes, Attendant Sera."
She released me, satisfied. "He'll do. Take him to Her Majesty's private chambers. And pray she's in a good mood."
The guards grabbed my arms again, hauling me out of the room and down another corridor.
This one was different...quieter, more isolated. The walls were darker wood, almost black. The crystals here glowed a deep, sensual red.
We passed guards stationed every twenty feet. Elite guards from the look of them...taller, more muscular, with weapons that hummed with magic.
Each one watched me pass with expressions ranging from amusement to disdain.
Finally, we stopped before a set of massive double doors carved with intricate designs....vines and flowers and figures in poses that were decidedly... intimate.
The gaurd leading him, knocked...
"Enter."
The voice from inside was muffled but unmistakable. Female.....With an edge that promised both pleasure and pain.
The doors swung open.
Heat washed over me....literal heat, like walking into a sauna. And that scent I'd noticed before intensified tenfold. Vanilla and something darker, muskier, intoxicating.
The guards shoved me inside.
I stumbled, catching myself before I fell, and looked up.
The chamber was... breathtaking.
Silk curtains in deep crimson and black hung from the impossibly high ceiling. Furniture carved from dark wood that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it.
Floating candles everywhere, casting dancing shadows that made the whole room feel alive.
A massive fireplace with flames that burned blue and purple. Furs and cushions scattered across the floor. And against the far wall, a bed that could easily fit six people, draped in black silk sheets that looked softer than clouds.
But none of that mattered.
Because sitting on a chaise lounge near the fireplace, wine glass in hand, was the woman from Caelan's memories.
Elena.
The Queen.
She was... fuck.