Renna knelt before the girl and slapped her again, much harder this time. “Listen to me, you little shit. I was lying to you before. I was going to take you to some hole, torture the names of your friends out of you, and hang the lot of you for heresy in the Hall Square. I can still do it, and no one will stop me. In fact, anything you do from here on that doesn’t please me will lead to your death within a single day. I promise you that. I have ways to make you obey, and some of them will make you wish I had killed you instead. One way or another, you will do what I say.” The girl sat very still against the desk, eyes wide.
“And should you think to tell that young guard any of this, remember a couple of things: first, neither he nor anyone else will believe you. I am a person of note in this place, and you are not. Second, if you breathe a word to him – whether he believes it or not – I will kill him while you watch, and then feed him to you.”
Now for the carrot. “On the other hand, if you obey me for just a little while – a few weeks, maybe – life could get very much better for you. You saw where I will end up just as clearly as I did. I could be a very good friend to you in the future. Think on that, and then ask yourself if disobeying me is a good idea.” The girl nodded, not meeting her eyes, and Renna stood, satisfied.
“I don’t know why Gaia brought you to me, child, but you are mine. Remember it. Now get in your cell and stay there till I come for you.” The girl slowly got to her feet, wincing and holding her left side. She shuffled toward her cell, head down, contrite. “Wait! Turn around.” The dark little waif did so, dread painting her features. Renna favored her with a smile. “Let me show you how good I can be to those who serve me. Your ribs are hurt. Broken, yes?” The girl bobbed her head in confirmation, still not looking at her. The Hand fished in the large pouch at her hip and brought forth a green, egg-shaped lump of wax as long as her thumb. Using the graniteoak paring tool that rode alongside the pouch, she trimmed off the wax on one side, careful not to let her skin brush the dark, shiny packet revealed within. “Pull up your shirt and point to where it hurts worst.”
The girl stared at her as if she were speaking a foreign tongue. Renna snapped her fingers impatiently, and the child hesitantly bared her stomach on the left side to just below the breast, feeling carefully along her bruised and swollen flesh until she winced and pointed to a spot midway between her belt and her collarbone, somewhat forward of the armpit. She’d obviously taken quite a beating. I should speak to the Watch. That sort of thing isn’t allowed. Renna crossed to her and pressed the waxen egg to the spot she indicated, exposed black side against her flesh. The dormant binder seed within reacted instantly when touched to skin, and the girl yelped as it buried its roots and stem into her flesh. Panicked at the invasive sensation, the girl tried to scrape the thing off, but Renna deftly batted her flailing hands away until the thing had gotten a secure grip down into the muscle layer.
After a moment the child relaxed as the painful sensations unexpectedly vanished. “There. Better, yes?” Wonder spread across the child’s features, and she rolled her shoulder experimentally and stretched her wounded side. She took a deep, satisfying breath, then she raised her left arm in the air.
A small laugh escaped her. “It doesn’t hurt at all! That’s amazing!”
Renna granted her a smile. She hadn’t exactly created the binder seeds, but hers were known to be the most effective of all the Hands in Far East. Or they would be, if Megda would stop interfering. The smile soured. “Leave the wax where it is. In three days the binding will be complete and it will fall off. There will be a small scar, but you can move as normal immediately. Oh, and you may notice a red cast to your vision for a few days, but don’t be concerned. It will fade.”
The girl’s smile faded as she recalled who exactly she was speaking to, and why exactly she had received this gift. “Thank you, Mistress. I’ll – I won’t say anything.”
Renna nodded graciously. “Indeed. Don’t forget. Back you go,” she said, waving to the open cell. The girl went quietly without a backward glance and laid on her bed. She would obey. Renna was sure of it. She is mine.
Head held high and a fierce joy in her heart, Renna threw open the front door of the Watch building and stepped out onto the front stoop. The pretty little guardsman was hunched on the stairs massaging his head, but he shot upright when the door opened. He stood at attention, and she stopped to consider him. Such a fine-featured face. It’s not his fault he’s too old. This night deserved some celebration, didn’t it? She had a few hours to spare, and unless this one had a younger brother, she was unlikely to find anyone more suited to her tastes. He was beginning to fidget under her frank stare.
“You will join me at the Fireside Inn in the Forest Quarter in an hour and a half. You know where it is?” Confused, the boy nodded. “You have my permission to leave the jail unguarded. The girl won’t be any trouble. Eat
