The Given Children

Chapter Five

“It’s mine, he stole it first.”

“You’re a Given Child. You gave anything you possessed to Solis years ago.” Without looking back he held out his hand and one of the Hunters drew a small vial with a familiar looking golden liquid in it from a pouch at his waist which he dropped in the Stewards waiting hand.

“The Witchlord gave this to me just for you, Emaria.” He said in a mocking tone that made me want to shiver in disgust. I felt like he violated my name just by speaking it.

“Don’t touch her!” Daven yelled, lurching forward before being held back by one of the Hunters who had approached silently and replaced the Gorvernor’s men beside us. The Steward cast him a disgusted look before uncorking the small vial filled with a dark, golden liquid and holding it up to my nose. I didn’t flinch; I wanted to look strong and immovable like Daven but when he held it up before me I couldn’t resist inhaling and my face dropped into panic.

I didn’t know what was in that bottle but one smell and I craved it like nothing before I’d known. I knew it was bad and I knew that it was something cooked up by Solis but I couldn’t control my actions. My jaw worked in frustration, straining to remain still. I could feel a muscle in my cheek twitch, mouth open as I recalled feeling this way so many times before as I stood before the Witchlord. With shaking hands that were fighting to remain by my side I reached up and took the flask from him. I pressed my lips firmly together, trying to defend myself against my own actions. I could hear distantly that Daven and Lapis were yelling at me to drop it but it was barely a whisper in my brain. I raised the vial and with tight lips, tipped it down my throat. I knew the instant the bitter, thick potion hit my tongue that I was in trouble. It felt like it grew heavier in my mouth, spreading down my throat and out into my limbs, weighing me down.

 A few seconds later and I dropped into the waiting arms of a Hunter who put his arms under my knees and neck to support me. I couldn’t feel anything, couldn’t sense that I had any limbs at all but I got the feeling that he was trying to be gentle with me, a sort of apology for having to be a part of this.

I had just enough control to slowly, painstakingly blink and out of the corner of my eye I could see the shock and fear on Daven’s face, a trickle of blood sliding from his cut and off his chin to splash onto the ground. Lapis had cried out and reached her bound hands forward the short distance between us but the Steward swatted her hands away with an annoyed look.

“Antum’s Blood! She’s not dead!” The Steward said in a quiet yet harsh tone that you would use when scolding a child in public.

“The Witchlord just wanted to make sure that there would be no trouble getting her back home.”

I hated that he called that place my home. I hated that he’d dosed me and once again I was a liability to my friends. The three of us against the Steward and three hunters was already a very slim, unlikely chance. Now it was just impossible. I couldn’t move my eyes very well so I only saw the legs of the Steward as we were walked over to the Governor who was looking at me a little uneasily. Or maybe he was just worried about getting the smell out the hall. It was pretty strong.

“The House of Sol thanks you again for your loyalty and discretion.” The Steward said formally, adding a slight emphasis to discretion. I couldn’t see his face or shoulders but I imagined he was giving him one of his authoritative scowls. Governor Pontius licked his lips once and his eyes flickered once to me before looking back.

“Of course, and please give my gratitude to your Witchlord for his generous gifts.” As he spoke I could see him fingering a large red stone set on his thumb that I didn’t think was there when I last saw him. As I stared at it I noticed that the red hue was slowly swirling, it wasn’t a stone it was a capsule and I didn’t want to think of what it held.