Chapter Seventy-Four
Xyla tsked disapprovingly as she gently clipped away at the fabric of the girl’s dress.
“You poor, poor dear,” she whispered sadly. Her eyes burned with anger as she surveyed the damage that had been done earlier.
“It’s okay, miss. I can’t feel much of it now, anyway.” The girl had been brave, and Ellie knew that she’d been used to putting on a strong façade for her younger brother. She glanced in his direction and smiled as she watched Fin and Elvin keep him distracted with silly stories. Ellie sat on the bed next to the girl and carefully grabbed one of her small, fuzzy hands.
She had three fingers instead of four, and her thumb was longer than Ellie’s. Still, Ellie’s hand was far larger, and the girl’s hand was swallowed by Ellie’s when she closed it.
“It’s alright, sweetheart. You don’t have to keep putting on a brave face. I’ll make sure you never hurt like this again.” The girl squeezed her hand affectionately, and Ellie blinked away some stray tears. “Now, tell me a bit about you and your brother. What are your names?”
“Well… I… I’m not sure. It’s been so long since we’ve used them, that I can’t recall what they are...” She winced as Xyla began applying a thick, foul-smelling paste to her shredded back.
“I see.” She scowled angrily, thankful that the girl couldn’t see her face. The girl seemed unbothered by her lack of identity, and while it made Ellie sad, it made her far more furious. *What right do these people have to strip someone’s identity away and break them down? These are children! Children should be cherished and loved, not forced into slavery!*
“Unfortunately, it’s very common among the kingdoms to practice slavery. Despite us all being the Moon Goddess’ children, there are – both past and present – those with an inferior complex. They believe that if a being doesn’t resemble the Moon Goddess, then they are lesser creatures,” Xyla whispered darkly.
“What do you mean? How does one ‘resemble’ the Moon Goddess?” The sentence made no sense at all.
“If we look like beasts – we’re hairy, have pincers or fangs, tails and whatnot – then we must be beasts, regardless of our intellect. We – the so-called beasts, I mean – don’t have kingdoms in their eyes. The kingdoms of Willowvayne, The Obsidian Mountains, and Haven are the only ones who even acknowledge us as sentient.”
“So naturally they’re the only ones who acknowledge your kingdoms. How ridiculous,” Ellie muttered. The girl nodded as Xyla began carefully laying gauze on her back.
“To be honest, miss, the only place that truly accepts everyone for who they are is Haven. They truly *understand* what it’s like to unfairly be called a beast.”
“Who resides in the kingdom of Haven?” Ellie asked curiously.
“The Lycans!" the boy piped up excitedly from the other side of the room.
“The *Shifters*,” his sister corrected him. “Shifters of all kinds live in Haven. The Lycans were the ones who founded Haven, yes, but there are all sorts of Shifters that live among them. Some have even married into the royal family! They don’t care who you are or what your species is – everyone is accepted.”
“I see.” *It would only make sense that they would be so welcoming to the outcasts. All the books I’ve ever read talk about how lycans and werewolves are given a bad rap. They’re moody, aggressive, headstrong…* She struggled to suppress a grin as her thoughts wandered to another moody, aggressive, and headstrong man she knew…
“What are you going to do with us now, miss?” the girl asked suddenly. Confused, Ellie arched an eyebrow.
“What do you mean? I’ve already told you that you and your brother will live as citizens of Willowvayne.”
“So…” she paused, searching for the right words as if she, too, was confused, “We will work in the castle to earn our freedom?” Ellie sighed, her heart feeling heavy.
*These poor children… I don’t think ever been shown an ounce of kindness in their lives here at the palace.*
“No, sweet child. You and your brother will get to live as children – curious and carefree. You’ll get an education like all the other children and live as all the other children do – with a loving family. Your days of hardship are over. I promise.”
The girl buried her face in the blankets and gave Ellie’s hand a soft squeeze. They sat quietly together while Xyla finished tending to her wounds. Ellie rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand until the girl relaxed. Her brother wandered over and laid next to her, cuddling into her side. Before long, the pair had drifted off to sleep, the girl placing a protective arm over her brother.
“Poor things must be exhausted. It’s common knowledge that the slaves here are starved for days and deprived of sleep for even the slightest alleged misdeed.” Xyla scrunched her nose in disgust and began quietly setting the table for breakfast. The atmosphere in the room had darkened now that the children had fallen asleep. Ellie joined Fin and Elvin at the table and the trio leaned inwards so they could whisper without waking the young ones.
“Elvin, we must stop this! No one should be forced into slavery, especially children –”
“I know, I know. But Ellie… there’s nothing we can do about it – at least not right now.” Ellie opened her mouth to argue but Elvin cut her off before she could speak. “As frustrating as it is, we must wait. There’s nothing that we can do with the trafficking ring still running. Baby steps, love. Baby steps.”
“We can’t take baby steps! People are dying because of the way they’re being treated!” she whispered angrily. “The longer we wait, the more people that die!”
“What do you think Avery is doing all day with King Zale?” Fin asked suddenly.
“Trying to get him to help take down the ring, I know that,” Ellie started. “But –”
“It’s more than that, Ellie,” Fin said softly. “He’s taking the king with him to interrogate the slaves about where they came from.”
“And?” Ellie asked, annoyed.
“*And*,” Elvin whispered calmly, “He’s taking the king *with* him to see how the slaves live.”
“Oh.” She felt dumb that they had to spell it out for her, but her anger seemed to settle a bit. She hadn’t given much thought to what exactly Avery and Zale had been doing, but she had to admit, taking him to see the slaves firsthand was a sure way to make sure he could see the injustices that were being committed.
“So, I know it’s frustrating right now,” Elvin said gently as he slid his hand across the table to take hers, “but we have to be patient. We’re doing far more than it seems, I promise.”
“We’re going to take this damned ring down, Ellie,” Fin whispered fiercely. “Just give us a little time, okay?” Ellie nodded, and Elvin gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Okay.” She let Elvin release her hand and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she tilted her head back. *We can do this, she thought determinedly.* She opened her eyes and gazed at the two minotaur children that lay sleeping soundly together. The boy had somehow managed to cuddle even closer to his sister, and the way she had her arm slung over him reminded Ellie of the way her mother used to hold her back in the basement.* No. We **will** do this. For their sake, and the sake of everyone else that’s fallen victim to the Master. I’ll make sure he can never hurt anyone again.*
“Ellie, what are you doing? Are you alright?” Elvin asked worriedly. Her eyes had popped open and she suddenly jumped to her feet, excited. Fin appeared at her elbow, ready to support her or protect her.
“I’m *fantastic*. Come on, we need to see Avery. I think I have a plan to draw out the Master.” She hurried from the room without another word, Fin hot on her heels. Elvin and Xyla shared a confused look before they gathered their senses enough to follow after them.