Chapter 5
Sun streaming through a large window wakes me from a deep, dreamless sleep.
Blinking away the brightness, I open my eyes and don’t immediately recognize my surroundings.
I jolt upright and rub my hands over my face to clear the fog of sleep still clinging to my mind.
I remember. I brought Isi back to her bedroom last night and she begged me to stay.
I left her briefly to inform Otyx that she’s ill and can’t take any patrons tonight.
He tried to argue but I listed in detail what was wrong with her.
Really, I only had to say the word diarrhea for him to dismiss me quickly with orders to make sure she’s better by tomorrow.
When I came back Isi was still crying, and I fell asleep soothing her.
She’s not here now though, and my heartbeat kicks up.
I throw off the thin blanket tucked around me, throw on my boots, and race out of the room and through the halls.
Isi’s bedroom is the floor below mine and I can’t imagine a reason she’d go up, so I start on this floor.
First, I check the bathroom. Nothing. She wouldn’t be in any of the other workers’ rooms; she isn’t close enough to any of them for that.
My next stop is the sitting room on the main floor.
Not here either. I listen closely at the door to the Abysm, hoping Berttom didn’t find out about our excursion yesterday and shove her in there.
Though if that were the case, I’d be in there with her.
The only thing worse than being locked in the godsdamn closet alone is being locked in it with another sweaty, stinking body.
I think I’d rather be whipped. At least then it’s over quickly.
There’s no noise from the other side of the door though, thank the gods.
There’s only one other place I can think of.
I hurry down the hall toward the kitchen.
The smell of baking bread and bitter coffee hits me and my shoulders sag in relief.
Whenever Isi’s upset or had a bad night, she bakes.
And gods, she’s good at it. I’ve tried to tell her she should try to get an honest job at a bakery, but she’s so beaten down by Otyx and this place, she doesn’t have to confidence.
She says she owes him too much. It’s infuriating.
I slowly open the door to the kitchen and peek in. She’s standing at the worn wooden counter in the center of the room, covered in flour and kneading another ball of dough while her first loaf is cooling on the counter behind her. She looks content, a small smile pulling at her lips.
I creep in and sit at the counter in front of her, the ancient stool creaking under my weight.
She turns away from me, cuts into the cooling bread, slathers it with butter, and hands it to me without a word.
It’s still warm and the butter is melting just right.
I wolf it down. She laughs as I lick the butter off my fingers, then turns and hands me a steaming mug of coffee.
It’s the one luxury Otyx affords us regularly.
He says it helps keep us awake so we can work longer.
I inhale deeply into my mug. It’s not strong and smells vaguely sour.
Even one luxury for us is still the cheapest possible option for Otyx.
Still, I’ll take what I can get. I take a big swig, burning my mouth and throat.
“How are you feeling?” I ask Isi, fanning my poor burned lip.
She shrugs. “I’m fine.”
I watch her for a moment, deciding against pressing her. If she wants to talk, she will.
“Isirae!” Otyx’s voice echoes down the hall. Her face drains of color.
The door to the kitchen swings inward, slamming against the counter beside it. How Bottom hasn’t broken every door in this place is beyond me. Isi sinks to the wall opposite the door, trying to disappear.
“What have I told you about the godsdamn baking?” His voice is calm. The hair on my neck stands on end. My gaze dances between him and Isi.
“That it’s too expensive.” Isi’s voice is barely above a whisper, and she stares at the floor, hands folded behind her back.
“What was that? I’m sorry darling, I couldn’t hear you.” He cocks his head to the side as he creeps slowly toward her, hands clasped behind his back.
“It’s too expensive,” she says a little louder, still trying to make herself smaller.
“That’s right,” he seethes. He removes his absurd top hat, placing it gently on the counter. Never a good sign.
I look back at my friend. She looks so small in this space. Too small. Anger unfurls in my gut.
I get up from the stool, planting myself between Otyx and her, eyes locking with his near-black ones. If he’s going to hurt her, he’ll have to go through me. She’s been through enough this week. His lip curls in a snarl, showcasing his rotting teeth. This man is fetid inside and out.
“Oh. I see how it is.” Otyx’s thin eyebrow twitches up as he keeps his attention on me. “Think you can protect her? Think you can stop me if I decide to punish my whore?”
Rage burns down my spine but I don’t react. I stand still, hands balled up at my side. He slowly rakes his gaze from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
A growl vibrates from his throat. A threatening sound, an inhuman sound. “If you weren’t so fucking useful Red, I’d break every bone in your body for your insolence.” He takes another step closer to me. I keep my feet planted and my eyes on his, refusing to give up an ounce of control.
He glances from me to Isi behind me and jabs his gnarled finger at her. “No more bread!” With that, he turns, swiping his hat from the counter and disappearing through the door.
I release a shaky breath and turn to face Isi, willing my heart to calm down. She’s glaring at me, anger burning in her big brown eyes.
“You have to stop doing that!” she snaps.
“Doing what?” I ask, startled. I can’t understand why she’d be upset at me.
“Protecting me! I can take care of myself. I can handle Master.” She goes back to the dough on the counter and throws it in the trash bin.
It takes me a moment to find my voice. “I know you can. That doesn’t mean you should have to.”
“And what makes you so special? Huh?” she continues, not acknowledging that I spoke at all.
“Why does Master treat you differently? Why didn’t he beat you like he would have beat me?
If any of the other artifacts stood up to him like that, we’d wake up on the floor with broken bones! Why didn’t you?”
I stare at her, eyes wide. I don’t know where this is coming from. Berttom is just as cruel to me as the others. He has beaten me black and blue, doled out lashings and other, more inventive, punishments. He has locked me in that godsforsaken closet more than once.
“And why, by the abysm, don’t you have to wear this ugly, degrading thing?” She grabs the collar around her neck and glares at my bare one.
“I don’t know,” I whisper, afraid that by standing up for her, by putting myself in the middle, by protecting her, I may have somehow lost my only real friend this time. Logically I know that’s unlikely, she’s just upset right now, but emotionally I’m terrified.
She glares at me for a beat longer then sighs, releasing the metal from her grasp. “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand why you’re treated differently than the rest of us. Why you’re his favorite.”
I relax a little. “I didn’t think I was, Isi. He still hurts me, but clearly there’s something I’m not seeing. I should just kill him and be done with it. You know I can. You’ve seen me fight. Then I can take over the bordello. I can be the master.”
“Don’t talk like that,” she says, her eyes pleading.
She takes my hand in hers. “If you kill him, things will be so much worse. I should know. This isn’t my first bordello.
The other owners are much worse than him.
More abusive, less caring. They starve their work people forcing them to work even if they can’t get out of bed.
There’s a reason Otyx’s bordello is the busiest. His workers actually have the energy to participate.
The same can’t be said of everyone else.
And you know no one would ever take a female bordello owner seriously.
The other owners will probably kill you in your sleep, take over, and make everyone’s life more miserable than it already is. ”
“I can handle a few tiny-cocked men Isi. And I can hire more security, make sure everyone is taken care of.”
“No one will work for you Vay! The other artifacts will leave, probably to worse situations than this one, and you will end up starving on the street again. Is that really what you want?”
I sigh. I know I can pickpocket to keep myself fed and clothed, even get a new roof over my head, but it’s the fates of the other people that work here that cause me to pause. I don’t think I could live with myself if I was responsible for causing more suffering.
“If I were to leave,” I say carefully. “If I were to walk out that door right now, never to return, would you come with me?”
“No.” She doesn’t hesitate. My heart plummets.
“Why not? I ask.
“I just can’t,” she snaps. “I owe Otyx too much and I don’t know any life but this one. And I’m not about to risk everything I have here without a plan. Just please Vay, don’t do anything to Otyx. Don’t doom us all like that.”
I look into Isi’s imploring eyes. As much as I hate to admit it, she might be right. She has more experience than I do. Otyx may be a disgusting, abusive, evil man, but the bad is better than the worse. And I can’t leave her here alone.
I chew my lip, thinking. “If he really does treat me differently, and I’m not saying he does, maybe we can try to use it to our advantage. If I really am that valuable to him, why not try to leverage it? Why not make our lives in this shithole better?”
“Language,” she mutters.