Prophesy The Third: Powerful Swords Shall Dance The Tango.
The usual banter and gathering of servants in the kitchen are non-existent.
"Tabi, " Rilikia approaches a slave who is washing plates.
" Don't talk to me, " she is a bit harsh which is strange because Tabi is one of the few slaves who adores her.
" What happened? " Rilikia starts getting concerned and she starts to think maybe it is related to the queen. What had happened that day she could not remember.
" Just avoid me, don't get me into the torture room like you did Toshi, " Tabi says before walking out on her and it is then Rilikia remembers hazy details of that day that involved Toshi.
" The torture room? " Leo replies with a growl and she remembers she has not fed him, she starts to feel hungry herself. She finds some food for herself and Leo and when she has eaten to her satisfaction she remembers that Tabi mentioned the torture room. Why will Toshi of all people be in the torture room?
The torture room is located in the centre of the slave's quarters and it is so so that everyone can see the pain the person inside is currently suffering and ensure not to make the same mistake.
When Rilikia enters the torture room, she sees that Toshi is tied to one of the chairs, she looks like she has not eaten in days.
" Oh my goodness! What happened? Tabi said it's my fault you're here. " The little girl's heart breaks to see the older slave in such a state.
" No, it's not. " Toshi gives a small smile despite her current predicament, she had thought the queen had killed Rilikia when she had not woken up that first day.
" You can talk. " Rilikia is a bit surprised, usually the queen will cut off the tongue of whoever enters this room as punishment.
" Mmmh. "
" Are you hungry? Should I get you something to eat? " Rilikia makes to stand up but Toshi stops her.
" Who knows if I will ever be able to speak with you again? " Toshi sounds as weak as she looks.
" Don't say that, I will beg the queen you will get out of here for sure. " Tears have started to form in Rilikia's eyes.
" It's too late for me. " Toshi looks like she is about to give up the ghost.
" Stop it. Don't say that. " You see, this is an emotional moment for both of them. When the queen had brought Rilikia into the palace as a baby, it was Toshi who had raised her and taken care of her as if she were her daughter.
" It's not too late for you though. Make sure you live, make sure to run away. Towards the North is a kingdom not affected by the leprosy of the queen. Make sure you go there, there is only true freedom there. " At this point, Rilikia has started to cry.
" Don't cry. To live you have to be strong. " Toshi is using all the strength she has left to talk.
" When you leave take nothing out of this palace, not even food or else she will find you. " Toshi is attempting to touch Rilikia's face but this proves impossible because her hands are tied.
" Why did I not realise sooner? You are the one... "
" Having a little parent-daughter time? I'm almost jealous. " Shiar's voice interrupts their conversation.
" Little girl, you're awake. " The queen is a bit surprised to see that her spell had not worked longer, she wondered if Rilikia remembered anything about her raven from that day but it doesn't seem like she remembers anything because she doesn't even glance at the raven on her arm once.
" Let her be. Kill me instead, she did nothing wrong. " Rilikia vents, she is furious at the queen even more so because she's sure her memory has been tampered with.
" No dear, but I can have the dog instead of her. " She looks at Leo who seems to have every hair on his body standing.
" Don't you dare touch my Leo. " Rilikia fumes.
" Don't push me, dear, I just might feed you his flesh as dinner. " She is smiling very hard to cover her weakness. Of course, you should know that if it were possible for her to harm Leo she would have done so. I know you're curious as to why she can't touch Leo and I am too, I wish I knew why, perhaps we shall find out later.
" Leave. " Toshi mouths to Rilikia and indeed that is the only thing she can do. She carries Leo in her hands and leaves the torture room before the queen decides to lock Leo in it.
" What were you discussing with the child? I should have cut off your tongue first. " Shiar is furious at herself for having forgotten to do so.
" You don't know? " Toshi makes a mockery of the queen's supposed limitless power, before now she had thought Shiar knew absolutely everything.
" Fool, tell me what she told you. Maybe I might pity you a little bit. "
" She told me you are beautiful. " Toshi is surprisingly having a good time watching this supposedly great woman in confusion.
" She's the one, isn't she? That's why you can't even hurt her pet. " Toshi is laughing, after all these years the prophecy seemed to be taking shape.
" She's nobody you fool. Tell me what you talked about or else... " The queen threatens.
" Or else what? You'll kill me? You're going to kill me anyway. " The apparent frustration of the queen is satisfying to watch.
" You are a fool. You do remember you had a son before coming to the palace, don't you? " Shiar is smiling again, if there is one thing she's good at it is blackmailing people.
" You killed him right in my very eye. "
" What if I told you he was alive? That you could see him one more time before you passed away? "
" You liar. I touched his cold body myself, you made me watch you burn his body. He's not alive and you should hurry in killing me I want to reunite with my son on the other side of life. " Shiar is angry that Toshi does not take the bait most people fall for.
" You have quite the memory. "
" Thank you. "
" I will not give you an easy death. " Shiar threatens.
" I am honoured. You can do as you please just allow me to die in the end. " Toshi had made peace with her fate right from the moment the queen had declared her a criminal because she had pleaded for mercy on Rilikia's behalf.
" As you wish. " And with that Shiar leaves the room.
" What do you think I should do? Nothing? You're right, she's going to die anyway and no one will dare enter that room so whatever she tells Toshi will be useless. " Shiar analyses the situation with the raven on her shoulder.
" Do you think I should confront Rilikia? No, I can't, I've exhibited too much weakness in her presence. " And it is true, where Rilikia is concerned the queen has had no choice but to be weak. Some slaves in the palace wondered if Rilikia was the queen's secret daughter and if she was only raising her this way to prepare her for ruling the kingdom. They thought this because every time Rilikia had committed an offence that would have landed someone else a sit in the torture room, Rilikia had gotten away with it.
In the slave quarters, Rilikia was in her room crying. She had been doing so since she had left the torture room. She had seen many slaves taken there but she had never seen them up close and she did not know with her eyes what became of them even when they were being executed. This was so because Toshi would always cover her eyes from beholding such acts of cruelty.
It is also the first time she will be affected this deeply emotionally. Toshi might as well be dead because there is no way she will be escaping death. Without Toshi, Rilikia felt that she will be truly lost.
When Rilikia started to grow and started to ask questions about how she came to be she had not felt any emotional attachment toward her parents. She had been angry they had used her as collateral but she has not felt anything for them emotionally. With Toshi it was different, she felt the way one would feel if one lost his/her mother.
I am telling you all this so you can understand the state of her emotions and not for you to be overcome by such emotions yourself.
Everyone knew about Toshi's imprisonment and the reason for it and so everyone decided it was best to steer clear of Rilikia, even Tyler who would usually look for trouble did not say a word to the little girl. In short, she became an outcast among the slaves.
The little girl barely noticed, before now she had always been in her world which consisted mostly of her and Leo and sometimes the ever interfering Toshi. She did notice that her world had become quieter because Toshi was no longer a part of it. It was as if Leo and Rilikia had made a vow of silence because since she had left the torture room they had not said a word to each other and even Leo had not barked.
Every passing second was more dreadful than the last one. The day of Toshi's execution was coming closer and closer even though no one knew when the day will come. When that day finally comes everybody will know because there is a large bell that serves the slaves' quarters and the queen will send someone to strick it. Now there is a particular beat that informs the slaves that they are to gather around the torture room. It goes thus: dong, dong, dong, dong, doong. The bell will be rung thrice and any slave not found once it has been rung the last time will face immediate execution.
It is the sound of this bell that Rilikia is scared of so much so that even a creaking door is sure to send her heart racing.
Unfortunately, the bell rings.
At the sound of the bell a hundred or even thousands of feet hurry towards the centre of the slave quarters to witness the execution of Toshi, Rilikia is amongst them. She doesn't particularly have an option anyway.
She gets there before most slaves and stands right in front. She sees Toshi being dragged to the stage. Usually, the queen appoints someone to execute the slaves but this time she is there herself as the executioner.
Shiar is holding an iron whip that has been heated to the maximum, she uses this whip to beat Toshi who has been made to lie down on her back and has been stripped naked.
Rilikia watches in disgust as this beating goes on for a while. When Shiar is sure all the slaves are present she hangs Toshi such that she is suspended in the air.
As if she has not been put through enough, some machine that has several long needles drops down and as the Queen punches something the needles close in on Toshi's body slowly, painfully.
Rilikia breaks down in tears to see this happen but before she can look away from Toshi's anguish she sees her mouth move. She tries hard to follow her mouth movement to know what she's trying to say but all that she can make out is " run. "
Not too long after Toshi gives up the ghost much to the disappointment of Shiar who wishes she could have suffered longer.
Immediately Toshi passes away Rilikia runs to the kitchen where she throws up all she has consumed in the past days.
" Dirty girl take your stinky body out of here. " It is Tyler but today he does not sound confident, in fact, he is trying very hard not to stutter and it is clear he is scared because his fingers are shaking.
" I will, I promise you I will. " Rilikia replies him and it is true; she has made up her mind to leave the palace no matter what.
3 months Later...
You might be wondering that is a long time, at least time enough for Rilikia to have left the palace especially since Toshi has given her a cheat as to how.