A Rock and a Heart Place (gxg)

Chapter 9

When Medya heard Inez gasp behind her, she sank down into the water again, leaving only her head above the surface. Inez knew that Medya wasn't going to want to talk about this, but she couldn't help but approach her and kneel next to the tub. She'd only seen her head and hands ever since they'd met and was shocked at the marks on her back.

"Please, don't shut me out Medya," Inez pleaded softly.

Medya just closed her eyes tightly, not sure if she wanted Inez to go or stay. There was also the little part of her that wanted Inez to join her in the tub, but she carefully ignored that part. "What do you want?" she asked softly, trying to stop the unwanted tears from leaking out.

"Tell me what happened, please?" Inez reached her hand out, lightly running her fingers through Medya's damp hair, and felt her shiver at her touch, even in the warm water.

Medya looked over at Inez, her brown eyes almost pleading. "You know what happened. Please don't make me explain it."

"Medya, I need to know. You've done so much for me! Let me help you back!"

"That is what happens when Kittani try to escape," Medya muttered sullenly, looking away from Inez and back at the pond.

Inez sat back on her heels, confusion on her face. "But you're a wizard! How did they catch you?"

Medya sighed, then took a deep breath. "I'm no wizard. The magistrate who ordered my tail cut off told his brother about me. His brother was a sorcerer and took me right off the street a few days later. He needed a servant, among other things. He taught me to levitate so I could get spell books from the top shelves in his library. He taught me to clean water, so his cauldron water was pure. I learned the lightning ball spell so I could go through his storerooms at night to find his spell ingredients. The fire spell was to light candles and lamps, it isn't powerful enough to hurt anyone. I'm not a wizard, he just taught me enough to make me useful around his tower." She stopped, trying to hold in her soft sobs. "When I wasn't his servant, he used me as a test subject to see if spells reacted differently on a Kittani than to a human. Fire, lighting, cold, he cast them all on me, and then healed me afterwards. He wasn't a nice man."

Inez tentatively reached out, pulling Medya closer to her but ready to release her if she flinched. Medya let her, relaxing a bit under her touch. "I'm so sorry, I wish none of that had ever happened to you."

Medya snorted. "Don't be. I was one of the lucky ones. I wasn't used for sex, and I got to learn a few tricks."

"And those magic wands in the tavern?" Inez wondered.

"Ahh, yes. He also taught me to charge his wands, so that he didn't have to waste his own energy on it. But that meant giving me the command words for them. Now they're quite handy."

"But you're not there anymore, and you said Kittani don't escape?" Inez felt herself crying now too. "So, what happened?"

Medya snorted in frustration. "Yep, we don't escape. If we do our master will hunt us down and capture and punish us. Usually with whips to the back. Over and over again. Those scars they don't heal with magic. Much like the loss of my tail, I learned the same lesson. Don't get caught."

Inez smiled at that. "So, you found a way to get away and not get caught?"

"I did indeed. It turns out that when your master has a dagger shoved through the base of his skull, he doesn't care to do anything like track you down anymore. Then you can ransack his tower and walk out with all kinds of enchanted gear, gold, and other items. Say, a magical backpack and a dozen wands. A ring that always keeps you warm or cold depending on where you are. You might even get a case of potions that could be useful in a pinch, and a lot of other things." Medya stated, her voice laced with venom.