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.“This slave attempted to escape.” The guard dragged the slave behind him.“You have slaves?”The disappointed look on Chalice’s face made Terrin squirm.“They volunteer for it.They sign a contract to work off crimes they committed or debts they incur.”“Hmm.” Chalice laid his head back down on Terrin’s shoulder but there was a tension in his pet’s body that bothered Terrin.“How should we punish him?” Terrin mused.He waited to see if his new pet would offer any ideas.His first impulse was to throw the brat in jail and never find the key.He let his displeasure show in his eyes, pleased when the dirty urchin paled.“Why don’t you ask him why he ran away?” Chalice asked against his shoulder.The pet’s voice was low enough that Terrin knew he was the only one who could hear him.“Tell me, boy, what’s your name?”“Zall, your Majesty.”“Why did you run away, Zall?” Not that he really cared but he didn’t want his new pet to consider him heartless.After all, Chalice hadn’t signed his contract yet.“I was tired of being whipped.” The boy raised his shirt, exposing long, bloody marks crisscrossing his stomach.“That isn’t a good excuse.If you can’t behave, your owner has the right to punish you.”“Poor thing.”Terrin glanced at his pet and saw the sorrow in Chalice’s eyes.“He’s barely more than a child.”“He’s probably older than you.”Chalice’s expression made Terrin’s stomach flip.May the gods be damned.Terrin sighed.He didn’t really give a second thought about slaves.However, he had to put forth an effort for Chalice.The young man’s good opinion of him mattered if he planned on keeping the beauty for more than the next hour.“What are you trained for?” he asked, an idea forming in his head.Zall ducked his head.“Manual labour.I’ve been hauling and fetching since I was little.”“Excellent, you can be my new pet’s servant.”Zall took in Chalice’s position on Terrin’s lap.“What do I do?”“Prepare his baths, carry his stuff, and be on hand in case he needs anything.Most of all protect him from harm.”“I-I’m not trained to be a soldier.”Terrin examined the scrawny kid with an experienced eye.The boy hadn’t grown into his body yet, but his wide shoulders told Terrin that Zall would be big when he had.“You can do weapons training whenever I don’t need you taking care of Chalice.”“Yes, your Majesty, thank you.” Hope of a better life flared in the young man’s eyes.Terrin shrugged.“I would’ve thrown you back on the street or into jail but Chalice was concerned.”“Thank you, Chalice,” the kid said sincerely.Chalice nodded politely but didn’t speak, as was proper.“Good pet,” Terrin said, stroking Chalice’s head.He could tell by the drooping eyes that his pet had run out of energy.Terrin stood, easily lifting Chalice as he moved.“It’s time to tuck my pet into bed.Please excuse us.Zall, come.”“I can take your pet for you, your Majesty.” Pello offered, his covetous eyes on Chalice.“I don’t think so.Send some clothing to my room for Zall.Maybe something violet to match my pet’s eyes.”Zall’s appalled expression tickled Terrin.Maybe he’d enjoy the slave after all.In general, he didn’t care about slaves’ welfare or how they became slaves, but it didn’t hurt that Chalice now thought better of him.Chalice would be more pliable if he thought he had a hero for a Master.When they made it to Terrin’s room, he slid Chalice into bed leaving his pants on but removing his boots.His pet had fallen asleep during their short trip down the hall.Terrin was surprised at the quality of the leather and made a note to ask Chalice if he had more clothes or if he needed a wardrobe purchased.Chalice’s small backpack sat on a chair by the door—at least he thought it belonged to Chalice, since it certainly wasn’t his and the quality matched the rest of his pet’s belongings.“Don’t you want to undress him?” Zall asked.Terrin shook his head.“He needs his rest.He’s had a long day.”“How long have you had him?”Terrin pinned the slave with a look.“Chalice is newly acquired and is currently my most valuable possession.Your job isn’t to question me but to remove the layers of filth covering your body.I won’t let you near my pet in your current condition.You could infest him with whatever vermin you’ve brought with you.The bathroom is through there.Tonight you will sleep on a pallet beside the bed and watch over him.I will be in meetings and unable to keep him company.I don’t want him to worry about being alone in a strange place.Understood?”“Yes, your Majesty.”“Good.”Terrin stroked a hand over his new pet’s head.Yes, Chalice would do nicely.A knock on the door revealed Pello carrying a pair of black leather pants and a violet shirt that buttoned up the front.Despite the colour, they were good quality.He handed them over to the slave.Looking down at his dirty state, Zall flinched.“I’ll go take a bath.”“I’ll send a healer to look at your wounds,” Terrin said.He didn’t really care if the slave had problems with his wounds—Zall had undoubtedly earned those whip marks—but it might bother Chalice when he awakened.Chalice hadn’t signed his contract yet…until then he needed to be coddled a bit.With a nod to the slave and a final admonition to watch over Chalice, Terrin followed his guard out the door.Chapter ThreeTreat everyone as if they were your friends until they prove otherwise.– Queen Nyaha Chalice awoke wrapped in heat.He blinked to focus his eyes and slowly the luxurious room sharpened into view.Turning his head, he found the source of the heat.The emperor lay on his side, his arms pinning Chalice into place as if Terrin were worried he would escape while his Master slept.Pressure on his bladder told him he needed to get out of bed.Carefully, he wiggled his way out of the emperor’s hold only to stumble over a body lying on the floor.Dark eyes snapped open, immediately alert.“Where are you going?” Zall asked.“Bathroom.”“This way.” The slave jumped to his feet.Chalice followed Zall to the bathing chamber.The enormous room consisted of creamy marbled stone covering the floor and halfway up the walls.Pale blue paint covered the rest of the wall.After he’d relieved his bladder, the bathtub became irresistible to him.Large enough to fit at least five emperor-sized people, it whispered to Chalice about the wonders of a nice soak.“Do you want me to draw you a bath?” Zall asked.His amused tone didn’t escape Chalice but he would overlook it for a chance to bathe in the enormous tub.“Yes please.I’d love a bath.” As the water gushed into the tub, Chalice stripped down.After years of servants helping him with his personal grooming, he had no false modesty.He allowed Zall to help him into the deep tub, sighing as the heat of the water soaked into his tired muscles.He hadn’t realised how much they ached until they loosened in the steamy water.Zall stood nervously beside the bath.Chalice gave him a friendly smile.At least this was familiar.Servants had been waiting on Chalice since birth.He pointed towards the counter.“Why don’t you grab one of those vials of oil for the bath?” The emperor must not mind the scent if he had all the vials.“Oh, yeah.Good idea.” Zall stumbled to obey [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]