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“So, what next?” Slade said, leaning over the worktable.
“We need to find the master keys for the cells to get everyone out,” Aaron said.
“Means going into the breeding pens,” Brandon said. “It’s only them that opens the cells, to take them to the women.”
The servant’s entry opened, and some of the serving staff entered. They took a look at us as they hung their bags up and grabbed their pinafores, fastening the ties around their waists.
“So, we organise with Adam to take the food to the women and children,” Finn said.
29
“Wouldn’t catch me going down there,” a woman said, dishing up plate after plate of food to be put on the trolleys we were to push. “‘Specially not with my brothers in tow. Hungry cunts, those ‘uns.”
Brothers? I looked at the guys, but I guess how else was she going to explain to herself my plentiful supply of man meat?
“Right, well, beggars and all that,” I said. She looked at me quizzically as she plopped another big spoonful of mashed potato onto a plate. “Beggars can’t be choosers?”
She thought about that for a second, never stopping her dishing up, then nodded, apparently approving of the aphorism. “Well, don’t take your eyes off yon men. Won’t get ‘em back if the women swarm. None of the Volken will step in, fearful of being clawed to pieces themselves. We lost our Bradley that way.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about that,” I said.
She just shrugged in response, but as Slade walked up, she paused in her slopping, looking him over slowly.
“Be a pity to lose something like him to those bitches.”
“Yes, indeed, that would be terrible…” What was her name? I’ve just been chatting to her. Surely at some point she mentioned her name, so what was it?
“Gwen,” Slade supplied helpfully, earning himself a smile from the kitchen hand.
“Yeah, thanks, Gwen,” I said, and then pushed the cart away to join the rest of the guys.
“You’re all ready?” A Volken stood at the mouth of a long corridor that led under the building we’d been working in. We all nodded and responded with the appropriate honorific. “Where’s the girls? We don’t usually let blokes in, especially at this time of the year.”
“We’re down some staff due to the Longest Night celebrations, m’lord,” I said, dropping a little curtsey for good luck.
He chuckled at that, a dark sound that extinguished all hope. “‘Spose you would be. Alright, someone’s gotta go in, so it may as well be you. The big ones look like they can handle themselves.” His smile was sly, his eyes lingering as he inspected the guys. “Watch yourselves. Those bitches get one sniff of red-blooded men, they can be hard to control. We’re not riding to your rescue. We’ll lock you down in the complex, let nature take its course, you clear?”
We all agreed to that, my fingers tightening on the handles of the trolley, my heart beating loudly in my ears.
“You been down here before?” the Volken guard asked, reaching into a small cupboard by the main doors. All our eyes followed him pulling out a big set of keys.
“No, m’lord,” Finn said finally as he watched him unlock the door.
“I’ll show you where everything is then. We’ll be up at the Great Rite tomorrow, and the kids will need a feed, if not the women. We won’t be bringing the inmates to them, no guards to make that happen, so they’ll be feral. Just toss something through the slots. They’ll survive, mostly. We all clear?” We nodded at that. “Into the belly of the beast then. Come this way.”
We pushed the trolleys into a large empty foyer. The walls were smoother and painted white instead of dank stone, but there was a similar air to it.
“You get in through here,” the Volken rather redundantly pointed to the only other door in the room. “Lock the door behind you, every single time. I can’t stress that enough. You want to be stretched out on the altar upstairs at the height of the Great Rite? Leave a door unlocked.”
“Yes, m’lord.”
He walked over to the door and held the key up with a flourish before opening it, ushering us in when it was opened.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. We entered a long corridor and on either side were rooms with a couple of small windows. On each door was a name. I read the closest one but didn’t recognise it, then saw the other was, ‘Lian.’
“Each room is labelled for the father if they’re high ranking, or a number if they’re not. Make sure you do the named rooms first. The women and their brats do remember and will report you to the higher ups if you’re stupid enough to mess with the hierarchy. Unlock,” the Volken demonstrated the process, “go in, give them their food, and then lock it back up again. On your way out, unlock, grab the plates and anything else you brought in. Everything but the food must be accounted for. You leave stuff behind, you’ll be down the Great Wolf’s throat before the end of the day. Some of the little bitches have made weapons from shards of crockery, so be on the alert. Now…”
The Volken walked over to a door with a piece of bright red fabric swathed over it.
