Page 54 of Gilded Curses

Sahira huffed behind him, and Pip squirmed on his shoulder.

“It is, isn’t it,” Desmond said. “And when someone leaves and things get exciting, we all come down to listen. Unfortunately, we can’t hear you throughout most of your journey.”

But you used beasts to spy on us. Orin gritted his teeth as he smiled.

“At least not until we get to a new town, and then you know everything again,” Loth said.

“Yes! At least not until then,” Desmond replied, clapping his hands. “Now that you’ve seen this little room of wonders, it’s time for some fun. Let’s go hunting!”

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Sahira loathed the idea of the men going hunting while she, Elsa, and Pip remained behind. And not because Desmond and his fellow dick swingers didn’t think a woman could handle a hunt, which was insulting enough, but because the dagadon divided them when only doors had separated them until now.

The stark reality of that churned the acid in her stomach, and once again, the strawberry jam made its presence known as she watched Orin, Zeth, Loth, and Fath ride off with Desmond, Renaldo, the Elite men, and at least a hundred guards. If anyone had tried to convince themselves this was for fun, the presence of those guards ended those delusions.

Sahira lifted Pip and settled the brownie onto her shoulder before looking at Elsa. “Maybe we can stroll the garden.”

“Do you think they’ll let us?” Elsa inquired.

Sahira glanced over her shoulder to the servants and guards gathered behind them. They wouldn’t be allowed to go far without someone watching over them, but she had to talk to these two.

Someone, besides Orin, had to know what was going on here. She doubted he’d get to reveal it to Zeth, Loth, and Fath while on their hunt.

If they could walk far enough away from the guards while in the garden, she could cast a spell to keep their words from traveling to their captors. The guards probably wouldn’t notice; if they did, she’d release the spell.

And maybe they’ll chop off her hands afterward, but she was willing to take that chance, considering everything happening here. They were stronger as a group, and Pip could let Loth and Fath know what was happening.

On the first night they arrived, when she’d been trying to see into Elsa’s room, she’d also glimpsed a door between her and Zeth’s rooms. She’d be able to tell him what she learned today… if they came back from the hunt.

Don’t think it. But it was a niggling, cancerous worm digging through her mind until it was impossible not to think of it. If she focused on it too much, she’d go insane with anxiety and be useless to anyone.

So instead, she focused on her goal of letting Pip and Elsa know what she’d learned last night. They would also have to search their rooms for symbols. Although, after what they’d seen today in the amphitheater, they probably already planned on doing that.

“Can we go for a walk in the garden?” Sahira asked over her shoulder.

The servants all looked at each other, but the tallest guard answered with a grunt and nod. The manly men had all ridden out from the stables to the left of the castle, but to the right was the first hint of flowering shrubs and a different entrance into the garden.

Stepping off the white stairs of the small porch near the stables, Sahira’s skirt swayed around her ankles as she strolled toward the blue flowers on a large red bush overflowing the walkway. Elsa walked beside her.

Like she’d suspected they would, all the servants remained while a dozen guards trailed twenty feet behind them. It’s what she’d hoped for, but Sahira couldn’t help feeling insulted by how little all these assholes thought of them.

If Orin and Zeth were still here, they’d probably have at least fifty guards trailing them, but these idiots saw them as weaker without them. She longed to prove them wrong but couldn’t do it now when so many guards surrounded Zeth, Orin, Fath, and Loth.

She’d put them in danger if she tried something now. But when the time came, she’d make sure the dagadon regretted their misconception of her and the others.

“Do you think they’ll be all right?” Pip whispered.

“I’m sure they have something planned for today, but I don’t think they’re ready to start killing us. They’ve just gotten started with whatever sick game they’re playing,” Sahira said.

The guards were far enough away that she didn’t worry about them hearing her, but she wouldn’t have held those words back even if they could. They were the simple truth, and everyone knew it.

“They’ll get bored of us soon,” Elsa said.

“I’m not so sure,” Sahira said. “Yes, they will definitely get bored of us, but we’re their new source of entertainment, and it’s obvious they love to be entertained. Although, their idea of it and mine differ greatly.”

“No shit,” Pip snorted.

“They might keep us around for a few months before they start killing us. I originally assumed they’d get rid of us in a week or two, but I think we’ll have more time. I’m sure there are more than a few nerve-racking hunts and other cruelties in our future.”