They see my shock. They see my confusion. The room fills with soft whispers and heavy murmuring.
"What is it? What do you know?"
"Nothing. I know nothing."
I could tell Jerodian does not believe me. Hope has returned to his eyes. But what could I say? I could lie. Yes! I will-
"I am Auriel." Motherfucker. Sometimes I really think I have a death wish. Maybe I like insurmountable suffering? Could it be my kink? I push my immature thoughts aside. I have no idea why I admitted that. Jerodian is confused. The men and women are confused. I am confused.
"Why does it say Adam?" He shows me the metal with Adam's name stamped in.
"He was my- he was my friend. He died in battle."
"You removed your name for another?"
I nod.
Jerodian's eyes soften. He looks almost kind.
“Behold. Our golden gift from the gods! Auriel the first!"
“I am no such thing.”
Jerodian’s joyful expression doesn’t change as he says, “A gift does not know it is a gift."
Suddenly, the Kayon leader walks out of the small wooden hut. I squint my eyes to see outside. A sea of the blackest blue and dirty skin. And then, a man removes me from the table and guides me towards the crowd. I stumble a bit. I am still weak. When I get outside of the tent, Jerodian begins to yell across the vastness that is Kayon. "My people! It has been confirmed that the golden boy, Auriel, is here! Tonight, we will celebrate his arrival with great joy and zealousness. The gifting ceremony will begin at the dead of night."
I had not realized it was day. I look up at the sky. It's still grey from smoke. The air is hot and sticky. I look out at the crowd. I had initially thought it was hundreds. I was wrong. It was thousands. Kayon is divided into hundreds of tribes, each with its own set of laws and culture. However, this isn't just one tribe. This has to be most of them- I am a prisoner to an entire nation. The realization hits me with nausea and panic. I know they said I'm not a prisoner, but I'm in shackles, and my neck is being weighed down by a gold collar. I am their prisoner, and nothing they can say would change that. Jerodian concludes his remarks.
“Let the preparations begin!”
* * *
Do you know when you feel your world ending? An impending doom of some sort?
When I was seventeen, The House began having uniformed "guests." They were usually large men with barely any hair on their heads. Military. There were rumors that we were being recruited for the army. We would all try collecting evidence about what was going on. We would have secret meetings at night and discuss what we knew. But we never really knew anything. But I knew how old I was, and I knew how old you have to be to begin military training. Eighteen. My birthday was approaching as well as every other boy in my unit. The units were categorized by age and gender. There were fifty boys in my unit, and soon there would be fifty new military recruits.
When the news was announced, we all began to panic. Some boys tried to escape. They failed. Or, they didn't because they weren't sent to the army, they were sent to prison. Evading the draft was a crime, and now they would spend years in jail. Though, I guess we would too.
The House had never made their occupants draft. That's how I knew the world was ending- that's how I knew my world was ending. And now, I have the same guttural feeling of impending doom.
As Jerodian finishes his final line, the crowd goes wild. The drums and chanting return. I am picked up by a burly looking man. I don't fight it. I am thankful for not having to walk. He carries me for a short minute, and I am taken into a larger hut. There are multiple baths filled with steaming water. I realize they were about to "prepare" me for their ceremony, whatever that might be.
"Where are the other soldiers? The four- the three of them?"
I say this to the man who was holding me. He has put me down and is now checking my chains.
"They are at the Hide."
He says this with a smirk and leaves.
"The Hide?"
I direct this at a young woman who seems to be the attendee at the baths.
"They are being made into clothing."
She says this with distaste in her voice. I stare at her blankly. What the fuck kind of hellhole is this place?
"They killed them and are now skinning them?"
"They did not kill them."
My eyes widen, and it takes everything I have not to whimper like a little bitch. I want to run away. But I can barely stand. They are going to be skinned alive. I can't process this. I can't-
"Will they be killed mercifully?"
I regret asking this. It was naïve of me. The woman smiles gently.
"They will not be killed. They will be left in the Hide to die naturally."
Naturally. My stomach turns. I open my mouth to speak, but I swallow a cry instead.
Two women approach me and begin to strip my remaining clothes off. I was in no place to argue about it, and even if I was, I am unable to move my hands more than half an inch. When they finish, and I am exposed from head to toe, one reaches for my dog tag.
"Don't. You. Dare."
I snarl so loudly they step back. They then scurry out of the hut. I wait there naked and alone for about a minute until a composed, but obviously frustrated Jerodian approaches. I immediately stand up straight. I need to present myself as powerful as I can. He stops a few feet in front of me and stares for a full two minutes. My whole body probably turns red. I can't read his face. I have no idea what he was thinking. All I know is that he is making me very, very uncomfortable. I try to stay as still as I can. But I keep thinking about the other soldiers. Skinned alive. The army trains you to be able to withstand torture, but this is another level of human suffering.
"The Tenders say you wouldn't let them take your necklace. I understand the sentimental value, but you must be completely bare for the ceremony. On this matter, we cannot compromise."
Anger shoots through me as if it is my blood. I feel my face burn red.
"You cannot take this from me. It's the only thing I have left of A- of anything. Please."
My tone frightens me. I say it too slowly and too composed. My words are desperate, but I sound apathetic.
He looks annoyed. But he says nothing. Instead, he swiftly walks towards me and yanks it off. I have no time to react.
"No! You can't do this! I need- I- "
The composed tone drips away as tears fall out of my eyes. In truth, this was a very poor choice on my part. I am letting them- him see me this vulnerable. Behold, your golden boy, gift from the gods, naked and crying.
"Your tears will do nothing here. You may be a gift from the gods, but so are our cattle. Here, our gifts are given to us to do as we please. If you dare argue with the Tenders once more, you will be treated far worse than you are now. Do not make that mistake."
And so, he leaves me sniffling with my every surface exposed. The women come back in and gently push me towards one of the baths. I step in. The water is so hot, I make a hissing sound. But the women don't react and continue to gesture to the water. I take a few more steps in. To my surprise, they follow. They had taken off their clothes while I had turned around. They are both beautiful and young, with bodies as if carved by a talented sculptor. They approach me with soaps and cloths. They are about to start cleaning me when one of them hesitates. She is looking at my eyes.
"But they are so gold. How can that be?"
My eyes are different than most. Not in size, rather, in color. They are actually gold. Well, not actually, but they are yellow and orange. Most people comment on it at first sight. Adam used to draw them all the time. He never understood them. My eyes, I mean. He would say that they are otherworldly. I would usually just blush and look away.
When I don't answer, they begin to wash me. They are gentle on my wounds, which I greatly appreciate. When they get to my lower body, they don't hesitate. I make a strangled sound when they begin stroking me.
""Is that an order?""
I say it defensively. They nod.
""Please don't.""
They look upset.
"We are commanded to pleasure you before the ceremony. You must feel good for it."
""I would feel better if you didn't."
"You do not want us? Are we not pleasing?"
They are hurt. Or aggravated. I'm not sure. But they continue stroking me- it, and one of them, the one with her hair in a long braid that drapes down her back, starts to kiss my body. Their hands feel me up and down. But then one of them stops.
"You are not pleasured. Does it not work?"
"I told you. I do not want this. Please. I need this all to end."
They look bewildered. Perhaps they had never been rejected. They are beautiful enough to make that a logical inference.
They look at each other and say something in what I assume is Kayonese.
"We will tell our master that you were pleased."
They thankfully stop trying to pleasure me and finish cleaning me. When they are done, they direct me out of the bath and begin to dry me.
"What is the ceremony?"
"For the gods. To show our gratitude for the gift. You."
"Yes, I know. But what happens during it?"
They look at each other. Hesitant. Then they look around to see if anyone is watching. One of the Tenders looks at the other one and nods. Then, the one who has not spoken at all leaves in a hurry.
"We will eat and sing."
I wait for her to continue.
"We will also dance."
"Yes, yes. But what will I be doing?"
"It is not my place to tell you."
"Please. I need to know." I know how pathetic I sound, but I don't care.
"You will be placed in a glass box. Bare. A display for all Kayon. After the feast, you will be brought to the Lord of Kayon. He will perform the Sunblood ritual by cutting the shape of the sun into your chest and will drink your blood. Jerodian will share the blood with the Lord. They will then seed you. Both of them."
I can't comprehend what I am hearing. It doesn't really make sense. The ritual. I want to point that out, but instead, I stay silent. Not by choice, but by pure utter shock. I just stare at her for as long as I can before she interrupts my disbelief.
"It is our custom. I know it is not yours. I know you call it- r-rape. I know it doesn't seem very kind to you. But do not fight. It will make it far worse. It will not make you a coward to submit. Just wise." She doesn't look at me as she speaks. I catch her glance as she concludes her lecture.
"How do you- they expect me to go along with that?"
I yell at her. She looks taken aback. I know it's not her fault that this is happening to me. I silence myself immediately. I look down in shame for losing my temper.
"They say you are the golden boy, but they really mean the golden gift. You are not human to them. Just a divine gift."
For some reason she does not include herself as one of them. I look at her closely. She looks Kayonese. Her skin is finely tanned and her hair is the blackest of blues. But still-
I nod because that is all I could do. I have many other questions. Technical questions. But instead, I decide to plan my escape.
Kayon is surrounded by water on all sides but one; Linove. Linove is a small land that is connected to Haltur and five other nations. To escape, I would need to pass through Linove. I shudder at the thought. While Kayon was a ruthless and strange country, Linovians were snakes. They live their lives filled with deception and manipulation. The witches of Linove are known all over the world for getting people to do unspeakable things for them. They don't kill anyone with their bare hands. They can't be bothered to get their hands dirty. It is despicable. Linove is the last place anyone would want to end up in.
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