Wyvern’s Gold (The Ruins Of Men Book 1)

Chapter 12

Twelve

Ayla

I marched to the door, yanked it open, and strode right into the hall. Thankfully, Callah didn't follow. I wasn't sure I could go through with this if she had, and I had to do this. I needed to do it now .

Mr. Morgan had left minutes ago. Long enough he could be halfway to his wing. Thinking a quick prayer that I would still catch him, I stretched my legs as far as I could. He was angry, so maybe he'd gone to the dining hall instead?

When I reached the end of the girl's wing, I turned as if headed for the dining hall - and paused. Just up ahead, Mr. Morgan was talking to Ms. Lawton emphatically. Our matron was nodding as if trying to show she understood, but he was clearly on a tirade.

I could still do this - or I could back out. My pulse was racing too fast. My breath was coming in massive lungfuls. No matter what I did from this moment, my future would change forever. There was no going back.

So I decided to go forward.

"Mr. Morgan!" I yelled as I marched toward him. "Go to Hell."

He froze, his body jerking straighter as his mouth stopped moving. Behind me, doors cracked open as the girls on our hall looked out at the commotion. Ms. Lawton lifted a hand to cover her mouth in shock, but my words had been so loud no one could've misheard them.

Slowly, as if dumbfounded, Peter Morgan turned to face me. "What did you say?"

My feet stalled. This was it. I had to make this good. The problem was that after two decades of being beaten into submission, letting out the thoughts in my head was easier said than done. I wanted to drop my eyes and scurry back to my room. I longed to make all of this go away, especially the attention from the younger girls now whispering behind me.

I couldn't.

So I lifted my chin. "I'd rather be thrown out with the Dragons than sit down, shut up, and let you rut on me for your pleasure. God made man in His image? Maybe I was made to take after the Devil."

"You foolish little girl," he snarled, storming back. "This is your mother's influence. This is why we should not spare the rod. Well, let me -" He lifted his hand, but before he could swing, I pushed it away.

"I will hit back," I warned.

"She doesn't mean it," Ms. Lawton insisted, rushing towards us. "Mr. Morgan, she's just shocked at the announcement. The girl is overwhelmed and too young to - "

"I will not marry a man who doesn't care about me as anything but an incubator!" I said, keeping my voice loud enough to carry.

"Ayla!" Ms. Lawton snapped.

"This is why you should not spoil the children!" Mr. Morgan growled at her, pushing the older woman aside. "Miss Ross..."

"I will hit back," I warned again.

The man scoffed right in my face and lifted his hand.

The sound of skin cracking was loud as he slapped me hard across the face. My ears rang. My face burned, yet I ignored it. Pain was fleeting. It was common. Pushing it aside was something all girls learned early and I was no different.

Before Mr. Morgan's hand was back at his side, I stepped into the old man and lifted my knee as hard as I could, right into his groin. Bone slammed into flesh as his genitals were crushed against his body. I used every ounce of strength I had, hoping it would be enough.

Peter Morgan howled like a wounded animal.

"Refuse me or toss me out," I warned, "because I am not going to get any nicer! I tried to do it your way."

"She's possessed!" Peter yelled, looking at the faces around us. "This girl's gone mad. She needs to be quarantined!"

I was panting, my heart beating so hard in my chest. I hoped this would work. I prayed it would be the right choice. There was no way I could live the rest of my life with this man or any of my other options. I wasn't willing to have my spirit and body broken just to make his life easier.

Didn't I deserve something more than this? Right now, I didn't care if they locked me up or cast me out, so long as it meant I didn't have to give myself to a brutal husband. Any other option had to be better!

All around us voices rose, women fanned themselves, and someone grabbed me. The hall was no longer filled with only girls. Men had appeared, most likely drawn to our yelling. Wives were watching. Not a lot, but enough to make sure this was witnessed and couldn't be ignored.

I smiled, allowing them to haul me into the dining hall, making no effort to struggle. At the edges of my vision, I saw children running to call adults and inform the Elders. Any other day, I would've been mortified, but not today. For once in my life, I wanted everyone to see this. I wanted them all to witness the evil controlling me - and just to make everything stop.

It didn't even matter how. I couldn't take this life anymore, and I'd done absolutely nothing wrong!

"Where in the Bible does it say I can't refuse my husband?" I asked loudly. "Where does it say I'm inferior to a man? Where does it say my desires are inconsequential? I just want to be a real person!"

"Sit down," Mr. Cassidy said sternly, proving he was here as well.

I shook my head. "I'd rather take this standing, thank you."

He glared but gave me that much. "You will marry Peter Morgan, or you can marry Reynold Saunders. You can also choose -"

"No." I crossed my arms. "The vows ask if I will. I'll say no."

Murmurs began to grow louder. No one seemed to have thought of that. Women never refused. When our time came to marry a man, we were supposed to just do it. This was our purpose as women. We didn't ask questions; we simply did what we were told and then produced plenty of Righteous babies. I knew that, but I couldn't force myself to simply accept it.

"You'll be turned out of your room. Where will you stay if not with your husband?" Mr. Cassidy asked.

I looked at him blankly. "There are plenty of empty rooms. Why do I need a husband to contribute to the community? Have I not made myself useful in the infirmary already? Have I not cooked meals for the dining hall?"

"I'm not marrying this beast," Peter said softly. "I'm sorry, Daniel, but let someone else deal with this shrew. I have enough children."

Reynold Saunders stepped forward. "I'm not afraid of her tongue. My hearing's going anyway."

A few people laughed, but my heart was hanging. "I will still say no," I insisted.

"Then just don't ask her." Reynold chuckled. "You really think you're the first girl to try this? The first to think acting up when she's due to marry will get her sent to quarantine? Please, child. My last wife was just as obstinate."

My plan wasn't working! They weren't going to lock me up, they were going to make me marry this man! He had to be a decade older than Peter Morgan! Worse, I knew he'd had many, many more wives, and not all of them had died giving birth. No, he was not the man I wanted to marry, and this was why women never complained. This was why being obedient was always the better choice!

I shook my head vehemently, looking around for some idea of what to do next. I couldn't let this happen. I had to do something. Anything! My throat just got tighter, until I felt like I couldn't breathe. The blood pumping through my ears was so loud I couldn't even understand what the Council of Elders was saying.

As my eyes scanned the crowd, I saw Callah. She was behind a line of people, barely even visible, but her rose-gold hair stood out. Desperately, I met her eyes, hoping she'd have some words of wisdom. My ears were ringing. I felt like I couldn't pull in a whole breath, but seeing her felt like a lifeline.

Then she mouthed, "Yellow."

No. No, no, no. Oh what had I done? Terrified, I turned and tried to flee, but someone grabbed me. Reynold was smiling deviously and nodding. My world, however, was becoming a selection of pictures. The man's grin, the Counselor's wide eyes, the faces of the compound all looking at me, and the priest pushing slowly through the crowd. He slipped the cloth over his shoulders, his Bible in his hand, and I was shoved closer. They were going to marry me off now? Now !

"Please, no," I begged. "I have two more days."

Reynold shrugged, looking entirely too pleased. "There are consequences for your actions, child. I may have to beat it out of you, but trust me, you will learn."

"I will hit back," I warned him, desperate for some way to keep control.

Those words had worked before, so maybe they would again? If nothing else, it was the best I had. Women were supposed to be meek, but maybe if they thought I was violent then they'd put me in quarantine? Or should I be shouting about the Devil to make that happen? I just didn't know.

Mr. Saunders lifted an eyebrow at my weak taunt, then slapped me. Unlike Peter Morgan, this man hit hard. I gasped, feeling the pain of the impact, then surged towards him, but the people holding my shoulders stopped me. With a scream, I tried to struggle free, but no amount of wrenching or twisting would break their grasp. That was when the priest started intoning the words.

Even as I squirmed, the priest anointed my head, then did the same to Reynold. What he didn't do was ask if I agreed. No, he merely listed my duties to my husband, his duties to me, and paused to ask Mr. Saunders if he agreed to this wedding. When the old man nodded, the priest then declared us wed. The crowd was given my new name: Mrs. Saunders.

Reynold was told he could kiss his bride, and the people around us all laughed like it was some great joke.

I was held by two men, pinned between them like a prisoner - which was all too accurate. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get away, so I slung my head from side to side. I would not kiss him. I would not be dutiful!

My new husband stepped forward, grabbed my jaw in a vise-like grip, and shoved his lips against mine. I froze for a moment in shock, then gave up. It hadn't worked. I was married. I was out of options. There was nothing I could do to end my nightmare, except…

Laughing like all of this was the best joke the men in the compound had ever seen, the man to my right loosened his grip slightly. It was just enough.

Moving as fast as I could, faster than I ever had before, I surged forward. Pulling my arm free, I reached for the only weapon I could see. It was just a fork, nothing exceptionally lethal, but Sun Tzu whispered in my mind: "Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack." I just needed to attack to win. I didn't want to kill anyone - I just wanted this nightmare to be over!

One way or another, I would be free of the misery of this life. It was the only hope I had left.

My hand wrapped around the metal handle, and I plunged it deep into my new husband's arm. The tines pierced his aging muscles as easily as it did the meat we ate at every holiday meal.

Reynold Saunders screamed.