Ruth Silver - Isaura

“With disgust?” Joshua paused. “You have servants?”

“They are adequately compensated,” Henry quickly answered. “And it’s not as bad as it sounds. You make it out like I’m a monster. They chose this profession. Looking after the castle and their Duke. It’s an honor.”

“For you maybe,” I muttered. I had spent a short time as a servant for Governor Craynor. There’d been no joy in it. I tried to remember a history lesson or two, perhaps a book I’d read that described what Spade was all about. I couldn’t recall it though and it puzzled me to no end. “A Duke,” I repeated.

“Your government is a monarchy,” Joshua scoffed at the idea. “You think this is better than the government’s system?”

Henry studied Joshua for a moment. “The closest terminology you have is Monarchy,” Henry explained. “But if we were, I’d be King, and you a lonely peasant.” He smiled as if he were joking and I wasn’t sure what to say or think. “You think I’m the bad guy? I let people come and go as they please. I keep order and establish law. Is that terrible? My people are fed, they have clothes on their backs and are never forced to give away their children,” he emphasized.

“Wait!” I held up a hand interrupting Henry. “Your people can have children?” This was news to me. As far as I’d known, I was the only woman who could conceive a child through natural means. Torv had tried to reproduce the same process as the government but it hadn’t been as successful.

Henry sighed. “Not in the old way. There are children around the palace, most come from ‘The Day of the Chosen’,” he acknowledged.

“Most?” Joshua asked. “What about those who don’t?”

“Two pregnant women have fled Torv in the past few years. We’ve taken them in, cared for them. We’ve tried to send a handful of women spies to get impregnated and return to us, but so far none of them have returned.”

I glanced at Joshua. Chloe, the reproductive specialist from Torv, had failed to mention any of the pregnant women leaving, being exiled or kidnapped. It felt odd to me that they’d have just up and left. I smiled at Henry. “Can you tell me more about these two women?”

“The first was seven years ago. She came in on a carriage. One of the tradesmen brought her to us,” Henry explained. “She was smuggled out of Torv. It was the first we’d learned of the city having the ability to reproduce.”

“Did she willingly leave her home?” Had she been bought?

“Sadly, yes,” Henry responded. “Her husband was abusive and violent. She feared a miscarriage and paid a great deal to get onboard the carriage. We offered her a new home and a life when she arrived. Her husband had no idea what happened to her or the child.” Perhaps that was the reason for the armed guards in Torv at the hospital. They feared women being abducted and children bought on the black market. There were always two sides to every story.

Joshua sighed. “What about the other pregnant woman?”

Henry reached for his drink, having a sip as he recalled the memory, “She didn’t make it through delivery,” he answered somberly. “However, the child is still alive and thriving in our city.”

“How old is the child?” I couldn’t help but ask. He made it sound as though she was still young.

Henry paused for a moment. “She’ll be seven next spring. A maid took her in and is raising her as her own,” he explained. “You can meet her if you’d like. In fact I’m sure Adelaide will probably meet both young girls at school.”

I was happy there was an institution in Spade. In Shadow there hadn’t been any regular schooling for Adelaide. She’d had a tutor, but being around other kids her age again would be good for her. It might help her readjust and fit in to her new surroundings.

Henry finally pushed his chair back and stood up. “If you’d like, I can show you both drones we’ve captured.”

I saw the faintest smile cross Joshua’s lips. “I’d like that very much.”

We spent much of the evening examining two drones that had been fired upon and shot down. A guard had managed to hit the fuel line and brought down both drones, making them inoperable. Joshua and Aidan examined the drones as it grew dark. Elsa and Cate headed back to their rooms long before I did. Eventually growing bored, I retreated to my suite as well.

My gaze moved over the stone tower where our rooms were situated. I could make out the tiny light from a window in a nearby suite and knew that electricity was not hidden away as it had been in Shadow. Each town seemed as if in its own world. It was hard to imagine how they each functioned without any outside help. Torv had managed to survive on its own, at the cost of its soldiers. Clearly Spade had found a way to protect itself.

I glanced across the city square. The ground was made of stone just like the walls and tower. It was flat and dull gray with the moonlight reflecting a strange blue tint. I wandered towards the tower and my suite taking my time to catch sight of everyone going about their business. Although dark and growing late, no curfew was in order.

I headed inside, climbing the tower and stopping momentarily as I peered through a window. Unlike in Genesis, I could see for miles from the wall. Just beyond the barrier and gates were animals grazing and a garden I hadn’t seen before. I walked upstairs pausing when I saw Tria.

“I’m sorry,” I quickly said. “I hadn’t meant to offend you at dinner.” The way these people lived would take some getting used to.

Tria smiled politely, though I couldn’t quite read her as she answered me, “None taken.” She brushed by as she headed down and I turned towards her.

“Where do you sleep?” I asked. Maybe it was the rudest question, but I couldn’t imagine the tower housed everyone in Spade. Or perhaps it did and there were fewer people here than I thought?

“In the maid’s quarters.”

“Wait? You’re the maid who received the child from Torv?” I tried to make sense of it.

She gave me a funny look. “No, that’s Arianna. We’re neighbors though,” Tria answered. “Is there something I can get for you?” she asked.

“Are you happy here?” I asked. I’d witnessed a servant’s life in Genesis. Anita had been murdered and Lisa, well, I didn’t want to think what might have happened to her in the Governor’s mansion.

“Of course.” Tria smiled. “It’s an adjustment leaving your home and coming to Spade,” she confessed. “But I’ve been given a new life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Thank you. Have a good night.”

She smiled and headed down the way I came. I waited for a moment before turning and finding my way to my room. Flipping on the light, I was thrilled that I didn’t have to use blackout shutters or a candle. I walked towards the window, staring out into the courtyard. I could just make out Tria’s small frame as she headed home for the night.

I spent most of the night lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. I couldn’t sleep. Joshua came back to the room, showered and fell asleep. I was tired, probably overtired. I couldn’t sleep. My mind kept ticking away, racing with thoughts of Isaura. Would she find us in Spade? I hoped we were safe, but I didn’t want to put any more people at risk.

I needed to run, to exercise, do something. Back in Shadow, I worked out and trained daily. It had helped me sleep and clear my head. I hated that I could never return home.

I sat up and climbed out of bed. Joshua hadn’t stirred. I grabbed a robe, slipping it on before I snuck out of my room. Stepping out into the hall, I ran straight into Henry.

“What are you doing up at this hour?” he asked, looking me over.