Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 125077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Worse, the similarity had made me suddenly, insanely want to experience Leo Marmareus’ version of the idea. I felt a pang of humiliation at the thought that I didn’t merit his use. Another part of me, though, felt grateful for the reprieve, ashamed of my own eagerness to submit to this man who was supposed to be my enemy.
I heard Marmareus’ footsteps moving away from me, toward the cell door. My heart raced as I realized he was leaving. I wanted to turn around, to beg him to stay, to use me, to believe me. But I remained frozen in place, my bottom still shamefully presented, afraid to move without permission.
The sound of the cell door opening reached my ears, followed by Marmareus’ voice, cool and detached. “We’ll continue this conversation later, Mary. Think carefully about how much you truly want to cooperate.”
With that, he stepped out of the cell. The door closed behind him with a soft, but final click, leaving me alone with my thoughts and my conflicted desires.
I rose on shaky legs and went back to the bed. I sat, blinking at my surroundings as if I had never seen them before. Suddenly I wished desperately for another vision, or at least some hint of how to think through what had just happened.
What did Marmareus think of my story? Why hadn’t he seized on the intelligence about the virus? What would happen to Camille now? I closed my eyes, searching inside myself for some sign of Yggdrasil… the branches, the trunk, the roots. I found nothing, not even a sign in my mind and my heart of what road to travel, across what seemed to me a vast inner landscape.
Abruptly, instead of a vision of the world tree, the wall opposite the bed, which I had thought made simply of stone, became deep black for a moment, and then turned into a view screen. My heart flipped as I saw Camille, in a cell precisely like mine, and Leo Marmareus, who had obviously just entered.
What did it mean? Obviously Marmareus wanted me to see what he did with my friend and fellow völva. But why?
My heart raced as I watched the scene unfold on the view screen. Camille sat on the edge of her bed, her body tense and her eyes wary as Marmareus approached her. I leaned forward, my hands gripping the edge of my own bed so tightly my knuckles turned white.
“Camille,” Marmareus said, his voice smooth and controlled, his French perfect. “I’ve just had a very interesting conversation with your friend Mary.”
I saw Camille’s eyes widen slightly, a flicker of fear crossing her face before she schooled her expression into one of defiance. My breath caught in my throat as I silently pleaded with her not to give anything away.
“Mary seems to think you know more than she does about certain… matters,” Marmareus continued, his gaze fixed on Camille’s face. “Care to enlighten me?”
Camille’s jaw clenched, and I could see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to decide how to respond. I held my breath, praying she would choose her words carefully.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Camille said finally, her voice steady, the tension visible in her shoulders notwithstanding. “Mary and I were both prisoners. We didn’t know anything beyond what they forced us to do.”
Marmareus raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. “Is that so? Mary seemed quite convinced that you had valuable information. Information that might be of great interest to my organization.”
I watched as Camille’s eyes darted around the room, as if searching for an escape. My heart ached for her, knowing the pressure she must be feeling. I wanted to call out to her, to tell her it would be okay.
“Look,” Camille said, her voice taking on a harder edge. “I’m not going to tell you anything until you reunite me with Mary and give us some clothes. We’ve been through hell, and I’m not playing your games anymore.”
I felt a surge of pride and admiration for Camille’s resistance, even as fear gnawed at my insides. I knew the Pretorian Guard wouldn’t take kindly to such defiance.
Marmareus’ expression darkened, his eyes narrowing as he regarded Camille. “I’m afraid that’s not how this works, my dear,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “You don’t get to make demands here.”
I watched in horror as Marmareus moved swiftly, grabbing Camille’s arm and pulling her to her feet. She struggled against his grip, but he was far stronger. With a fluid motion, he sat on the edge of the bed and yanked Camille over his lap.
“No!” I cried out, forgetting for a moment that they couldn’t hear me. I pressed my hands against the view screen, as if I could somehow reach through and stop what was about to happen.