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Odiana closed her eyes for adown Then she said, very quietly, "We&039;re only going to get one chance, holdgirl"

"I&039;i-"

"You&039;re a child," Odiana hissed "Do you kno many slaves are raped within a day or so of capture?"

The thought ain "No"

"Do you knohat happens to the ones who resist?"

Isana shook her head

Odiana set to resist once And after that, they ain"

Isana stared at the wo were you a slave?"

Odiana brushed her hair back away from her face with one hand and

said, voice cool, "When I was eleven, our Steadholder sold roup of slavers They took all of us They killed my father and my oldest brother, and the baby They took est brother He was pretty" Her eyes grew distant, and she focused thelowed in theun ht When they took me Passed me around the fire like a flask of wine It woke up, and I could feel everything they felt, holdgirl All of their lust and their hate and fear and hunger It washed through an to rock back and forth on her heels "I don&039;t kno you ca other folk But you must thank all the furies of Carna that it wasn&039;t like " The sh to drive one mad"

Isana sed and said, "I&039;ether-"

"We can get killed together," Odiana said, her voice becoirl, and I&039;ll tell you what happens I&039;ve done it before"

&039;All right," Isana said, quietly

"There are two kinds of slavers," Odiana said "The ones in it for professional reasons, and the ones who take it personally Professionals work for the Consortiue or use their merchandise, unless it&039;s as discipline If they like you, they&039;ll invite you to their tent and give you nice food and talk and charer and you get a good meal and a soft bed afterward"

"That&039;s not Kord"

"No, it isn&039;t He&039;s the other kind Like the ones who tookso soh-quality product, ready to work or pleasure He wants us broken into pieces He wants us to be animals" She smiled and said, "When he takes us, that&039;s just part of the process that he enjoys a bit more than the others"

Isana&039;s stomach quailed "Takes us," she whispered "He&039;s-"

The other woman nodded "If he wanted to kill you you&039;d already be dead He has other plans for you" She sneered "And I saw some of the other women he keeps at this place Rabbits Sheep He likes the back" She shivered and stretched, her back arching sinuously,

her eyes closing for a ing at it, pulling buttons open, the sweaty cloth clinging to her

"Are you all right?" Isana asked

Odiana licked her lips and said, "I don&039;t haveyou, and to do that he has to make you afraid If you aren&039;t afraid, he has no power over you If you&039;re quiet and reserved, you aren&039;t what he wants Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Isana said "But we can&039;t just stay here-"

"We survive for as long as you don&039;t break," Odiana said "To hi but a pretty whore to be used You he wants broken As long as you reet what he wants"

"What happens if I do break?"

"He kills you," she said "And he kills me because I saw you, and he hides the bodies But it won&039;t be an issue"

"Why not?"

"It won&039;t," Odiana says "One way or another Hold out for a day That&039;s all Because I promise neither of us will draw breath for half an hour if you break That&039;s why I drank both cups"

Isana fought to take a breath, and her head spun "Why you drank both cups?"

"Have you ever tasted aphrodin, holdgirl?"

She stared at Odiana "No," she said "Never"

Odiana licked her lips, s when you knew you shouldn&039;t want At least I knohat it&039;s like" She stretched again, unbuttoning her blouse lower, showing the soft curves of her breasts She adjusted the fall of her skirt so that it bared one strong, s it "Let&039;s review our stratage to not care There, that&039;s simple"

Isana felt her insides twist, felt sickened as she stared at the other wo to-" She couldn&039;t finish It was too horrible

Odiana let her lips curve into a smile "The act isn&039;t unpleasant you know In and of itself It&039;s rather nice And I won&039;t be thinking about therew a bit wider, and the whites showed around her eyes "I&039;ll be thinking of the pieces The pieces left when my lord catches up to them He will see to his duty, and then he will come for me And there will be pieces" She shivered and let out a soft gasp "And there I&039;m happy already"

Isana stared at the woman, revolted, and shook her head This could not

be happening It si She, with her brother, had worked the whole of their adult lives to make the Calderon Valley a place safe for farow up This wasn&039;t a part of the world she had worked to build This wasn&039;t a part of what she dreaht to restrain them, to hold back the precious , she reached for Rill&039;s help and did not find it Tears trickled over her cheeks

She hurt Deep inside She felt horribly, utterly alone, with only a ain, desperate, and felt nothing Again she tried, and again, refusing to accept that her fury was beyond her reach

She didn&039;t hear the footsteps until they were immediately outside the sly shape of Kord and those of a dozen other ht of the circle of coals