Christina
The morning after Magni had brought Athena to the mansion I asked Khan if I could bring her breakfast.
His slight nod was all I needed, and ten minutes later I was balancing a large tray full of fruit, bread, juice and tea.
Finn opened the door in his pants only, and I drew in a breath at the sight of his naked torso. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The man was a cyborg, and I stared at his abdomen where his skin was peeled back and revealed the machinery underneath. I had seen plenty of people with robotic limbs, but never one who had his whole abdomen cybernetic.
He laughed at my expression and slammed his belly. “Don’t worry, it’s just a tattoo.”
My eyes expanded and I took in the artwork that had fooled me. It looked so incredibly realistic.
“Is that for me?” Finn asked and winked at me with a grin while tying his long wavy hair up in a bun.
Like Boulder he was muscled and had a bit of hair on his chest but it worried me that he was only half dressed. If he’s abused Athena in any way I’ll make sure he regrets it, I swore to myself.
“No, the food is for Athena,” I said firmly and took a step forward when he opened the door wider.
I almost dropped the tray at the horrible sight that met me. Athena was on the bed, tied down with her legs and arms spread out to the four posters.
“What did you do?” I exclaimed with shock.
“It’s nothing. I just kept her safe.”
I quickly put down the tray and ran to get to her, my fingers frantically pulling at the knots of the ropes to free her from her restrains.
“You animal,” I accused him.
Finn didn’t look offended but leaned down to pick up a t-shirt from the floor. “I’ll give you two a few minutes,” he said and put the shirt on before he pointed to Athena with a smug smile. “And you, sexy, don’t try anything foolish again or you’ll be back in ropes in no time.”
Athena didn’t even flinch until he left the room.
“Thank you,” she muttered when I untied the last rope.
“I’m Christina, the archeologist they told you about last night when you arrived,” I explained.
When I helped her sit up, the cover fell down and revealed that she was naked.
Swallowing hard, I asked the question that was burning on my mind. “Did he…? I mean, you can tell me if he…”
“Raped me?” she asked softly.
“Yes.”
I was biting my lip when she looked at me with a calm expression. “No, Christina, Finn didn’t rape me.”
“Oh, thank god.” I sighed.
“He and I had a discussion and in his lack of verbal ammunition he used other means to intimidate and dominate me, but you shouldn’t worry about me. I’m not easily intimidated.”
“But, did he undress you, or did you?”
“It matters not,” she said in a voice that somehow was too deep and mature for her age. “He’s just a young boy.”
I frowned. Finn had to be in his early to mid-thirties. He was not a boy; it was a strange thing for her to say.
She smiled. “I’m older than I look.”
“All right, and how old are you then?” I asked and admired the symbol on her forehead with the elegant mark of a priestess.
“I’m thirty years old.”
I couldn’t help a small laugh. “No, you’re not. You can’t be more than twenty; you look very young.”
“I am young!” She smiled vaguely. “So are you.”
“How can you be my age?” I was looking at her flawless skin, apple cheeks, and clear green eyes. Everything about her shouted youth.
She shrugged and took my hand. “My dear, do not let your eyes fool you. Not everything is what it seems.”
“I know that,” I said and felt a slight irritation. I was the one coming to her aid and she behaved like she didn’t need it.
“I smell something nice,” she said and gave me a bigger smile.
“Oh, yes, of course.” Bringing the tray to the bed, I said: “I brought you breakfast.”
“That’s very kind of you; please, let us share it.”
“It’s okay, I just ate downstairs.”
“Good, then tell me about this place,” she said and picked up some grapes.
“Okay.” I crawled up on the bed and took a seat with my legs crossed. “This place is called the Gray Mansion and it’s the home of the ruler and his family.”
“Khan Aurelius?”
“Yes. His mother, Erika, lives here too and his brother Magni.” My voice grew brusque. “Magni is the beast who kidnapped you.”
While she ate, I spoke. “I’m with Boulder… Or I mean, he’s my protector.”
“Okay.”
“There are other men here at the mansion. Guards, staff, and friends of the ruler, but no other women. Only Erika, Laura, and me.”
“And Laura went missing.” It wasn’t a question. Athena already knew this part.
“Yes. And when Magni found out, he lost control of his emotions and threw things around in a rage,” I explained. “He wants her back, badly.”
“Hmm. Do you know why she left?”
I looked down. “Probably because I told her how much freedom she would have in the Motherlands. She wants to learn martial arts.”
“Really?” Athena set down her glass. “How interesting that she wants to learn how to fight. I wonder if she wants to know how to protect herself or if she’s motivated by the need to harm someone.”
“Someone like Magni, you mean?”
Athena lifted her shoulders in a small shrug.
“I don’t know.” I blew away a loose strand of hair from my face. “Magni is a dominant and moody man, and I get the sense that he sees Laura as his property; but when I first met her she was happy to be his wife.”
“Until you started describing a different life to her.”
“Yeah.” I looked down.
Athena reached out and lifted my chin. “People are put in our path for a reason, Christina. First you crossed the border to come here, then Laura crossed the border to go there. It makes a balance somehow, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Not really, because then Magni kidnapped you and now a war might break out.”
She tilted her head. “Yes. You make a good point, but then again…”
The secretive smile on her lips made me sit up straight. “What is it?”
“It’s an exciting time we live in, wouldn’t you say?”
“I don’t know.”
Athena popped a grape into her mouth and chewed it. “For someone as adventurous as you this is a great chance.”
“How do you know I’m adventurous?”
She gave an untroubled laugh. “You came here, voluntarily. That surely suggests a sense of adventure, I’d say.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed.
“You’ve got a chance to be part of something bigger.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, but she just patted my hand with a knowing smile without elaborating any further. Confused by her talk, I turned the subject back to the main point on my agenda. “We need to find a way to get you out of here.”
“You want to help me escape?” she asked.
“Yes.” I picked up a rope. “I’m not letting that bastard tie you up in here.”
“Christina,” she said reproachfully. “Your language.”
“I’m sorry. It’s because I’ve been adjusting to their crude talk.”
“I understand, but do try and use proper communication.”
“Yes, I apologize.” It hadn’t taken me long to come to respect her. Athena was charismatic and when I offered to fetch her clothes, she surprised me by pulling aside the cover and getting out of bed stark naked. Unashamed, she walked across the room to her pile of clothes and started to dress.
“How is the excavation going?” she asked.
“Good. We’ve found thirty-five books so far. Only five of them were in good condition, but I have a feeling that today we’ll find more.”
“That’s wonderful. Can I be of assistance while I’m here?”
“That would be wonderful, but they won’t let you walk around freely.”
“No, probably not, but maybe we could convince Finn to keep an eye on me at the digging site instead of in this room.
“No!” I said in a small shriek. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because… ehm…” I didn’t want to tell her that I’d had to marry Boulder to get to work.
“It’s just that if you ask Khan, he will offer to find you a permanent protector and arrange a tournament for men to fight over you to prove themselves worthy. It would mean men killing other men. I had to go through that and I don’t recommend it.”
“How barbaric,” Athena exclaimed with a worried expression.
“I know. And besides, you won’t be here long. I’ll get you out one way or another.”
Athena walked back to the bed where I sat and leaned down to look me into my eyes. “Christina, I sense great bravery in you, but this is not your battle.”
“No, I know, but I’m still going to do whatever I can to help you.”
“Thank you, dear.” Athena placed her hand on my head while closing her eyes. “Bless you, child.”