It had been six hours. Six hours since he'd sent Freddie away. He knew the Dweller was at his beck and call, but for some unexplainable reason, he wanted him to come without being summoned.
Samuel threw down his pen, staring at the pages and pages of names and reports the Senatus had demanded from him. He'd taken dinner in his office, barely registering what he was eating. It didn't matter – it shouldn't matter – but Freddie was late. After dinner, he'd told him to be back. So why hadn't the boy showed?
The minutes slipped by. Samuel prowled around his office, finding things to busy himself with. When the clock struck ten, Samuel ground his fist into his desk in annoyance. Nobody kept the leader of the Ember Depths waiting. He could send a few Inflamers to drag the boy upstairs – even a few passing fifth-ringers would do the trick. But even as the thought crossed his mind, a trickle of doubt shuddered through him. Freddie would be furious if he used brute force to collect him. And Samuel knew the type of evening that lay ahead if Freddie was irritated; the give and take in his bedroom would turn into a night of only giving.
He sighed once, loudly. Then he turned for his office door, and strode out into the corridor that led to the Vent. It had been months since he'd ventured down into the lower levels where the dorms were located. No doubt the Dwellers would gossip. He made a mental note to punish anyone who looked twice at him while he was walking to the first-ringer quarters.
The Vent was nearly empty, and Samuel shut the Ember doors quietly behind himself. The second-ringers that were around quickly fled into the Ash Hall upon glimpsing him, and Samuel felt a rush of contentment. He still terrified the hell out of his Dwellers, even if Freddie wasn't acting like it at this particular moment.
His steps echoed around the staircase as he descended down into the levels. It wasn't long before he turned off for the beginning of the first-ringer dorms. He'd purposely placed Freddie here; Samuel was impatient, and this was the nearest corridor that led to the stairs.
Laughter and chatter rose behind the doors as he passed through. All of the dorm rooms were communal – except one. When the rings were still being hollowed out, he'd had a private room built on each ring. A room for a member of the Ember Circle to keep the Dwellers on their toes. But the Inflamers had rejected the lavish comfort of a room with a private bathroom, and congregated in the lower pit levels instead.
Samuel had offered the room to Freddie, who'd been a lot more appreciative.
He reached the end of the corridor, where the sounds of falling water echoed around the rock walls. People must be bathing together, he realized, and stepped towards the heavy wooden door set into the wall. He didn't want to be down here long. He didn't want the Dwellers thinking they had the privilege of talking to him.
He raised his hand, about to knock on the wood. Then he paused, and rolled his eyes. This was his home – he could come and go as he pleased.
The door swung open at his touch, and Samuel stepped inside, already preparing to drawl a half-hearted apology.
But Freddie was too busy with the girl beneath him to notice.
Samuel stood frozen in the doorway, momentarily dazed. Freddie – his Freddie – was here with-
'Fred!' the girl squealed, suddenly noticing the leader of the Depths in his bedroom. 'It's – it's-'
Freddie swivelled his neck to look back at the doorway. Only a fleeting look of surprise crossed his face before he leaned back, allowing the girl beneath him to yank the duvet over her exposed body.
'So,' Samuel said, trying to keep his voice even. 'This is why you're late meeting me.'
Freddie slid off the bed, still unashamedly naked. He shrugged. 'You made your feelings pretty clear earlier. I thought you were done with me.'
Rage seethed in Samuel's stomach. He forced his features into a mask of lethal calm. 'Not once did I specify that. You know the rules. Once I claim you, you belong to me. Nobody else.' His eyes slid to the girl that cowered in his bed, visibly trembling under the sheets. 'You know he is mine. That he has been for a while. You must be very arrogant to think you can take him from me.'
'No!' the girl squeaked, shaking her head vigorously. 'I didn't know- he said you were finished with him-'
Freddie sighed, shaking his head. 'Come on, Rebecca. All I had to do was invite you in here and you lost your shirt before I'd shut the door.'
Her lips wobbled, and a sob burst from her throat. 'Please – please don't hurt me. I didn't mean it... I know he's yours. Take him. Take him.'
Samuel folded his arms, a sneer on his lips. 'Take him? He's been defiled by a common Dweller. Why would I want that?'
Every muscle in Freddie's body tensed with rage. A cold ache clenched itself around Samuel's heart. He ignored the pain of it, and turned back towards the doorway.
'Inflamers!' he yelled. 'I have a job for you.'
Even as the words fell from his mouth, that strange trickle of feeling that had appeared back in his office was gnawing at his gut.
It's not regret. It's not regret.
He'd let himself get too attached. This was a good thing. A severing of something that was leeching his power from him, leeching his reputation.
'What are you going to do, Samuel?' Freddie said, his face bloodless. 'Drain me in front of the Depths? Torture me with the Inflamers?'
Something inside his chest gave a twang. Fury burst through him at the action. This had to end. It had to end now before he couldn't bring himself to do it at all.
Endelman charged through the doorway, followed by a legion of Inflamers. His eyes went straight to the girl in the bed, and Freddie's defiant face. His nostrils flared, and Samuel knew he could scent the wet heat in the air.
'What would you like us to do, Samuel?' Endelman said, his tongue already flickering out in excited anticipation. 'My Inflamers are hungry. Hungry enough for two.'
'Good,' Samuel said, his face hard. 'I want this done publicly. An example set. Out in the Vent right now.'
The girl screamed, and Freddie swayed where he stood. To his credit, he didn't waver as he said, 'This isn't what you want. I know you better. You think I don't, but I do. This will hurt you, Samuel. Maybe even more than it will hurt me.'
'You know nothing,' Samuel hissed. He jabbed a finger at the door, and turned to the Inflamers. 'Get them up there.'
The Inflamers rushed forward, pinning the girl and Freddie between them. Before Samuel could blink, they were out the door, screaming their way down the corridor.
Samuel waited a full minute before he followed, trying to make his mind as blank as possible.
By the time he reappeared in the Vent, a swarming crowd of Dwellers had appeared, cheering and yelling at the sight that beheld them. Endelman had the two of them forced to their knees, right on the edge of the Pit drop.
Samuel moved slowly towards them, ignoring the churning of his stomach. This punishment was vital. If he didn't punish Freddie, word would soon get out about the Dweller that screwed him over. The crowd parted easily before him, foaming at the mouth to see the Inflamers in action.
He stopped before the pair of them, hardening his gaze. Freddie's pine-green eyes stared right back at him.
Okay. The girl first. She would be the easy one.
Samuel pointed a finger at her, and two Inflamers hauled her upright.
'Rebecca, is it?' he said coolly. 'Do you know why you're being punished?'
'Yes!' she sobbed, collapsing in the Inflamers' arms. 'I took something from you and I'm sorry – it wasn't mine to take-'
In his mind's eye, he could see her mouth all over him – see the nail marks she'd left down his back, the touch of her hands where his own should have been. His spine grew rigid with fury.
'No,' he said, barely able to speak. 'He wasn't yours to take. I knew Freddie here was a thief, but I didn't realize you matched him for his abilities.'
'Please, I'm begging you,' Rebecca said, tears streaming down her face. 'I'm begging. Don't hurt me – I'm sorry, I don't want to be tortured-'
'Oh, Rebecca,' Samuel said, shaking his head. 'I'm not going to torture you.'
'You're... you're not?'
'No,' he said, smiling faintly. 'I'm going to kill you.'
He nodded at the Inflamers at the same time a piercing shriek erupted from her lungs. Freddie roared in terror, but the Inflamers had already grabbed hold of her arms and legs. Samuel didn't look away as they began to rip her limb from limb.
The crowd screamed in excitement, edging closer as the Dwellers at the back pushed to get a better look. The Inflamers were in a frenzy, their eyes rolling back in their heads as they fed. Freddie was gagging, keeled over on the floor. Samuel didn't look at him – didn't want to see the look he'd inflicted on his face.
But this was a lesson that needed to be taught.
It took a few minutes for the screams to die down. Samuel waited, forcing himself to speak, to address the boy that had been sharing his bed just hours ago.
'Frederick,' he said, finally staring down at him. 'Frederick Williams. Do you know why you're being punished?'
The boy spat at his feet, an expression of hatred on his face. 'No Freddie anymore?'
Samuel's lips twitched. 'You told me yourself, Frederick. Only your friends call you Freddie.'
For a moment, Freddie didn't speak. Just gazed up at him, stunned. Then he shook his head, leaning back on his hands. 'Do what you want, Samuel. I don't care anymore. Kill me. Kill me like you killed Rebecca. Why not?'
Samuel's jaw tightened, and he worked hard to keep his gaze on those green eyes. This was dangerous. The boy was pushing him, and the Dwellers expected a showcase of payback.
'Where's the fun in killing you, Frederick?' he said, slowly pacing forward. 'The entire Depths came up here to be entertained.'
Freddie's face twisted with loathing. 'That's what this is to you? Entertainment?'
A shard of ice slid down Samuel's throat as the words left his mouth. 'That's all you ever were, Williams. A passing fancy. Something to keep me entertained.'
Hurt erupted in Freddie's eyes, and Samuel loosed a growl to stop the same feeling flitting across his face. He had to do this. Had to get it over with, before he changed his mind.
'Endelman?' he said, backing away a step. 'I'll let you have your fun now.'
The answering cheer from the crowd was deafening. Jeers and laughter filled the Vent, bouncing off the crimson walls. Endelman darted forward, three more Inflamers behind him. They pinned Freddie down easily, screeching and hissing in excitement.
'You're dead to me,' Freddie screamed at Samuel, thrashing against their grip. 'You coward!'
Samuel fixed a faint smile on his face. The roars of the Dwellers drowned out the pounding of his heart. He watched Endelman raise a jagged, yellow nail and poise it above the boy's collarbone.
'Delicious, filthy bottom-dweller,' the Inflamer crowed, circling his nail around Freddie's heart. 'I'll savour you.'
The needle-sharp tip plunged down.
Samuel stopped breathing as the world dissolved into inky blackness. He strained to see through the thickening darkness, but Freddie's body was a stain behind his eyelids. All he could see was that luminous spill of scarlet on the boy's pale skin.
The pain was swift and sudden.
Samuel jerked in surprise as the agony washed through him. The pictures were rapid, slipping in and out of focus – a woman's scared and dirty face, a purple-faced man furiously chasing him, child after child screaming in the streets, being dragged away into the darkness.
Samuel snarled as he tried to rip the thoughts from his head. He didn't want to see this – didn't want to know what the boy had been through. He'd already been too curious, and this would destroy everything. The pain clamped down around him like a suffocating rag. It was as if Freddie was forcing him to watch this – forcing him to feel all the grief he'd ever suffered.
A stern woman's face broke through the blackness, her thin mouth cruel and unmerciful. A derelict workhouse stretched out behind her. 'Your mother is dead. Got caught in the machinery today, and dragged her right under. So you're my problem now. And you either grab those matchboxes and get out on the streets, or you join your cousins in the workhouse. Your choice.'
The picture swirled into a kaleidoscope of colour. Samuel pushed back the nausea that accompanied it, and clung to the edges of the memory. He was running down an alleyway, the rats scampering along beside him. A gang of men were sprinting after him, short-handled knives in their hands. Pure fear shot through at him as he hit the dead-end, nothing but brick walls in every direction-
A flash of agony cut through him as the colours whirled again. A furious man was beating him with a stick, and the wood was opening the skin on his back in excruciating slices. Somehow, Samuel knew the man was Freddie's work master. He tried to crawl away, but the pain kept lashing down on him, whip after whip-
I'll die for shame.
Samuel gasped, the words ringing around his head. He knew Freddie hadn't spoken – the boy was unconscious on the ground – but the words were clear as day, as if he'd whispered them into Samuel's own ear.
A blast of shuddering grief tore through the memories, making his insides curl.
And the same words sounded again.
Samuel swallowed, trying to stomach the torment. He understood what Freddie was saying. Even if he woke up from these nightmares, the Depths would never look at him in the same way. Not after they'd seen his worst fears, the monsters that plagued his dreams, the faces that loomed behind his eyelids. The Inflamers broke men. That was why Samuel kept them around – that was the job he'd given them to do.
And now they'd broken Freddie.
Samuel allowed himself one second of frustration, of despair. Then he pulled himself together, leashing his control. This was going to end. It was going to end right now.
A sickening crack snapped through his head as the darkness vanished. The rest of the Vent were stood in silence, watching Freddie's pain with dreamy, sleepy eyes. The Inflamers were panting on the floor, blind in their feeding frenzy.
Freddie was utterly still. His pale limbs were sprawled out on the rock floor, his hair a ruffled mess across his forehead. Blood blossomed from the wound Endelman had made above his heart. Samuel made a brief choking noise, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was stalking towards the boy as fast as he could manage. This had to happen now – before he could think about what he was doing.
Samuel reached Endelman, and plucked his limp hand up from the ground. It lay inches from Freddie's motionless body. The nail was still wet with blood, and a stab of coldness slid down Samuel's spine. He pulled the nail forward, placing it carefully back over where it had first entered Freddie's skin. A lock and a key, reunited.
Then he slammed the Inflamer's hand down as hard as he could.
Freddie's eyes flew open, and he began to gurgle as streaks of crimson burst down from his mouth. Endelman's nail was deep inside his chest – inside his heart.
Samuel touched a hand to his face, willing the life to leave the boy's eyes. He already knew how to spin it. That the Inflamer had pushed down too far, had accidentally killed the boy instead of just wounding him. He'd have to punish Endelman, of course, but that didn't matter. It never had.
Freddie's gasps began to slow, and Samuel clenched his fists at his sides. It was nearly over – nearly over. He didn't believe in another afterlife after this one, but he prayed that the boy would find peace somewhere. Even if it was in nothingness. Better that, than a life of mockery and shame in the Depths for the rest of eternity. And the Dwellers... well, at least they couldn't claim his punishment hadn't been harsh enough.
Nothing was harsher than death.
Samuel let out a noise that might have been a sob, if he was capable of making such a noise. He allowed himself one final touch of the boy's face, of the soft curl in his hair. Then he stood up, hardening his face back into its lethal mask of boredom. When the Depths came back around, they'd see what had happened. What happened to Dwellers that dared step out of line. Even his lovers.
Samuel walked slowly through the Vent, dodging the bodies of his empire as he went. This was it, he resolved, as he stared at the mess that surrounded him. This was going to be the final one. The last lover.
The doors to the Ember Quarters swung open at his touch. Samuel forced himself not to think of Freddie's hands on the same doors, leading him with glee to his office, his bedroom. He paused for a moment, his eyes not seeing anything at all. Then he disappeared inside, his head bowed.