Slave to Sapphire
Chapter 18

Iris raced down the streets and alleyways of Scarlet Town as fast as she could with Samson’s warm body slung over her shoulders. Iris was terrified that each heartbeat was her last. A short time ago, she had been ready to die in the mud behind the Brothel. But now she desperately wanted to live. Her legs were aching and her breathing hard, the feeling of Samson’s limp form becoming more tense on her shoulders propelled her forward. She rounded a corner, and the carriage came into sight with both Julian and Ezekiel standing outside of it. Ezekiel ran towards her. Once he reached her Iris sank to her knees with relief and exhaustion. She slid Samson from her shoulders, laying him on the ground.

Ezekiel knelt down in front of Iris putting his hands on her shoulders. Eyes frantic with worry. His face covered with smeared blood; he had tried to wipe away the blood but in doing so had only made it worse.

“Iris! What happened, are you hurt?” his voice breaking with worry.

Iris’ breaths were still coming in gasps from her sprint, “Ezekiel, I, I am sorry to do this to you again.” Iris held up her left arm so Ezekiel could see her nearly depleted source stone.

“Iris, how did this even happen?” as he spoke, he removed the heavy cloth that covered his dark purple source stone. Ezekiel touched his stone to hers and spoke the words. Iris’ heart rate picked up; she hadn’t even realized it had started to slow. She sighed and sunk further to the ground.

“Here let me help you up, your ankle must be killing you after running on it like that.”

Cerise, her ankle. She had already forgotten. She shouldn’t have been able to do what she had just done with her ankle and with Samson. It would be best to keep it to herself at least until she understood it better.

“Okay, but please take Samson to the carriage first, he is injured.” Iris failed to keep the panic from her voice. “I think he will be okay though.” She quickly added, not wanting Ezekiel or Julian to know the severity of his injuries and what she had done for him. “He is going to be okay.” She whispered, this time for herself.

Ezekiel assessed Iris, not wanting to leave her, even for a moment. He turned to where Julian stood by the carriage observing them.

“Julian, come get Samson and put him in the carriage.”

Julian looked at Iris with a mixture of worry and skepticism. Iris averted her eyes to Samson, and Julian crouched to pick him up. Samson emitted a low growl and swished his tail; Samson was not one to be picked up and carried around. Ezekiel stood and scooped Iris up into his arms without asking and she almost growled as Samson had. Julian held open the carriage door so Ezekiel could set Iris inside next to Samson. Ezekiel jumped in across from her the door closing behind him. Julian immediately set the carriage in motion.

“I could have gotten into the carriage by myself,” Iris grumbled.

“I know. Thank you, for saving my life back there.” Ezekiel responded.

Iris was taken aback; wasn’t he mad at her for sneaking out into Scarlet Town? When Iris made the decision to jump down from the roof to save Ezekiel, she had known she was risking a trip to the dungeons. She stared at him incredulously.

“Don’t worry, when we get back, I have a lot of questions for you, and I am going to need some answers.”

Iris swallowed and nodded

“I am assuming you are not just a barmaid.”

Iris mimicked one of Ezekiel’s half grins. She turned her gaze to Samson where he was lying and starting to meticulously clean the blood and dirt from his fur.

“I definitely have some explaining to do when we get back.” Iris sighed and leaned her head back against the carriage. She would have to give Ezekiel some of the truth. Iris closed her eyes for the rest of the ride while she contemplated what part of the truth to tell Ezekiel.

When they arrived at the Palace, Ezekiel insisted on carrying Iris again. Iris acquiesced, she had decided not to tell anyone about her ability to manipulate life source to heal her ankle and Samson. For the time being she would have to pretend that her ankle was still injured. Ezekiel was still shaken from the fight and Iris sensed that the act of carrying her would help distract him. Julian stood holding the door as Ezekiel lifted Iris out of the carriage. Julian made eye contact with Iris and gave her a small wink, as if being carried around like an invalid wasn’t humiliating enough.

Julian went into the carriage to retrieve Samson and Iris heard a loud hiss and a growl followed by a yelp from Julian. Iris smiled, Samson was feeling better and would not tolerate being carried. Samson leapt out of the carriage landing unsteadily but slinked forward to follow Ezekiel and Iris.

As annoying as it was to be carried by Ezekiel when she was perfectly capable of walking, Iris enjoyed the feel of his arms around her and his hard chest against her cheek. Beneath the smells of Scarlet Town that clung to Ezekiel’s tunic she could still sent the citrus and oak that was him. Ezekiel made his way through the Palace and she realized he was headed to where the wealthy’s rooms were.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere we can talk privately.”

Iris waited for more information, but Ezekiel only gave her one of his half smiles.

They reached a wing of the Palace where Imogen’s rooms were along with the rest of the wealthy who lived in the Palace. Ezekiel paused in front of a pair of wood doors. He gently set Iris down to stand, keeping an arm around her waist to steady her. Iris made sure to keep most of her weight off of her right leg. Ezekiel reached into a pocket in his vest and pulled out a key to unlock the doors.

“Welcome to my rooms.”

Ezekiel led her into the main sitting room, she tried to hide her shock at being in his rooms. The candlelit room was luxurious. In the center of the room was a large blue couch, a chair in a darker shade of blue across from it, a small table in between. The couch and chairs faced an unlit fireplace. Opposite from the door there were heavy curtains that were drawn close. The curtains covered a large window that looked on the Palace Gardens. Over the fireplace hung a painting of the ocean violent with storm. Samson sauntered into the room, still a little wobbly but he managed to pull himself up onto the couch where he curled up to fall asleep. Iris noted that there were two doors on the wall opposite the fireplace.

Ezekiel motioned to the door to the left, “That one leads to my bedroom and the other to the washroom. We should clean ourselves before we talk.”

Iris looked at Ezekiel’s blood-smeared face and then down at her blood-soaked hands. Her blouse, leggings and cloak were also spattered with blood.

“You can go first; I will give you one of my shirts to wear.” Ezekiel offered.

Ezekiel headed into the washroom and Iris heard running water. He went into his bedroom and returned with a clean shirt. He moved to hand it to Iris and then eyed her bloody hands and went back into the bathroom to put down the shirt. Iris limped into the bathroom. She was amazed to see a large copper tub filling with steaming hot water. Before coming to the Palace, she had never taken a bath with hot water, this was also her first time seeing running water. Iris raised her eyebrows in question.

“I can take you on a tour of the plumbing system another time, once the tub is full turn this handle to the right to stop the water.” Ezekiel left and Iris was alone in the bathroom. Iris turned to see a large mirror that hung on the wall. Iris stared at her reflection. Her cloak was splattered with a mixture of mud and blood. Her hands and forearms were stained red with dried blood. Most of her hair had torn free from her braid and was a tangled mess. She still had the wild look in her eyes that she got after a fight. She was honestly surprised that Ezekiel hadn’t immediately sent her to the dungeons.

Iris took her clothes off, leaving them in a pile on the floor. The tub was nearly full, so she turned the water off, lowered herself into the hot water, and got to scrubbing herself clean. Images of the night flashed through her mind, the fear in Ezekiel’s face, the feeling of Samson dying beneath her hands. Iris had somehow manipulated her life source. She didn’t understand the implications; intuition told her to keep her new talent a secret. The water was a reddish brown when she was finished. She pulled a drain at the bottom of the tub; Ezekiel would want fresh water to clean himself. Iris found a soft towel by the tub and used it to dry her body and hair. She put on her undergarments and pulled on Ezekiel’s shirt. Ezekiel’s shirt hung down to just above her knees. She combed her fingers through her damp hair, but the tangled mess of her hair was a lost cause.

Iris stepped out of the bathroom to replace Ezekiel sitting on the couch blankly staring forward. He didn’t notice her as she approached.

“The bath is yours, I am all finished.”

Ezekiel didn’t hear her.

Iris closed the distance between her and Ezekiel, dropping to her knees in front of him. “Ezekiel,” she whispered. Ezekiel looked up, startled to replace her kneeling before him. Iris took his hand in hers; his hand shook slightly.

“Ezekiel, look at me, tell me what is wrong.”

Ezekiel held her gaze, time stretched before he responded in a quiet voice, “I have never been so close to someone as they died.” Ezekiel touched his face with his free hand and studied his fingers when they came away sticky with the drying blood of the man Iris had killed. “I keep seeing his eyes as the life left them. The only deaths I have witnessed are public executions from afar. You must think me ridiculous,” he shook his head, dropping his eyes to the floor. His hand still shook in hers.

Iris lifted her hand to his face. “It’s not ridiculous, you have lived a very different life than I have. I envy your shock; death is a constant companion of mine, though I wish it wasn’t. Come on, you will feel better once the blood is off of you.” Iris stood keeping Ezekiel’s hand in hers and led him to the bathroom. She turned the knob on the tub, and it started to fill with hot water again. She motioned for Ezekiel to sit on the chair in the washroom and then removed his socks and shoes. Iris then pulled his jacket off and had him lift his arms in the air so that she could remove his shirt. Iris was warm from her bath and his skin felt cool against her hands as she tugged his shirt off. Iris couldn’t stop herself from looking at his bare chest. His skin was a pale white and his lean muscles were well defined, the bruises from the fight were already starting to fade. Blush spread across Iris’ cheeks; Ezekiel didn’t notice. He was still lost in the images of death from earlier in the night. Everything must have caught up with him while he sat alone waiting for Iris to bathe. Iris decided it was best to leave his pants on and guided him into the tub. Ezekiel lowered himself into the tub and Iris retrieved a washcloth, knelt beside the bath and started cleaning the dried blood and dirt of Scarlet Town from him. She rubbed the soapy water over his hands and arms. As she worked, his shaking stopped, and his breathing became more relaxed. Iris took her time cleaning his face and hair making sure not to leave any dried specks of blood. Ezekiel closed his eyes while she worked. Iris took the opportunity to study the strong lines of his face, the color beginning to return to it. She didn’t understand how he could trust her enough to let her bathe him after she had tricked him and killed two people in front of him. Was it his sheltered life that allowed him to be so trusting or was it something he saw in her?

“Thank you, Iris, for saving my life and for everything else.” Ezekiel whispered as he opened his eyes. Iris’ face was only inches from his, her hand still holding the washcloth against his neck. Ezekiel held her gaze, the tiredness behind his eyes evident. Ezekiel let his eyelids drop again and leaned forward so that his forehead rested against Iris’. Ezekiel’s vulnerability drew her in, and she closed her eyes breathing in the steamy air. Ezekiel sighed deeply and pulled away.

“I think I got all the blood from your face and hair,” Iris murmured.

“You are a good person, Iris.”

Surprise stilled her for a moment before she said, “I will wait in the sitting room, when you are finished bathing, we can talk, and then you can decide if I am a good person.”

Iris sat deep in thought on the couch, running her fingers through Samson’s fur. The moment of intimacy that she had shared with Ezekiel in the washroom had thrown her off. Iris wasn’t sure how she was going to explain her involvement in the azure shipment let alone what happened with her source stone. Ezekiel showed no indications that he planned on reporting her for sneaking out of the Palace. She needed to give Ezekiel some of the truth if she had any hope of keeping his trust. It was paramount to maintain access to his study so that she could ensure Julian would keep up his end of the bargain.

Ezekiel emerged from the bathroom only wearing a towel that hung dangerously low around his hips. He glanced at Iris before he headed into his room, she quickly averted her gaze. Ezekiel exited his room in a loose pair of pants and a shirt, thank cerise. He sat in the chair across from the couch and waited for Iris to start talking. Iris hesitated; it was best to let him ask questions first, so she didn’t have to give away any unnecessary information. They stared at each other in silence. Ezekiel was more drained than Iris and he gave in and spoke first.

“Why were you in Scarlet Town tonight?”

“The woman you delivered the message to, I told you the truth about her, her name is Sabine and she is a good friend of mine. I needed to speak with her in person.”

“So, you tricked me into delivering a message to her so you could use the opportunity to sneak out of the Palace to speak with her directly?”

Iris nodded, “I knew if I asked you would say no.”

“I don’t know what I would have said. What was so important that you had to speak with her in person?”

“There is a girl who worked for me that just turned sixteen last week. The night that you met me, I was desperate and had sold a piece of source stone so that she could have enough coin to buy another year of life. I had to know if the coin had made it to her and if she was doing okay. That was why I needed to speak to Sabine.” It was a risk telling Ezekiel about the selling of source stone but she needed to tell something damning about herself for him to believe her, and the story was mostly true.

“You were going to let yourself die that night to save her?” Ezekiel’s voice was quiet and filled with awe.

Iris didn’t like the way he was looking at her. “She was loyal to me, and I take care of those who are, and she reminds me of my sister. Stop looking at me like that, it was my own choices that had gotten me and her into that situation and the least I could do was save her.”

“What happened to your family?”

The question threw Iris off guard. The openness in Ezekiel’s expression and perhaps his vulnerability in the washroom caused Iris to answer with the truth. “When I was thirteen years old my father was deep in gambling debt and had taken a loan from Exodus Gang. When my father couldn’t pay, the leader of the gang, Lucious, took my family’s life source for payment. My sister Anna was only fifteen. I was thirteen so he couldn’t take life source from me. Lucious forced me into Exodus and I worked for him ever since, except for the year I spent in the mines. My life with Exodus Gang has not been easy and that is how I learned to fight.”

Ezekiel took a moment to process everything that she had said. “What was your role in Exodus?”

“I was involved with the selling of azure. I was mainly in charge of all the accounting. I helped arrange the large shipment that was recently confiscated at the docks. I wasn’t there that night, but I had invested a lot into it being successful.” The most successful lies always contained some truth.

“Do you know who we have arrested?”

“I know some of the men that were there that night, but I do not know which one is being held prisoner. As soon as I learned the shipment had been stopped, I went into hiding and haven’t been in contact with anyone in Exodus.”

Ezekiel moved from the chair and sat beside her on the couch. He took her hand in his. “What happened with your source stone tonight?”

“I honestly don’t know,” she whispered. Ezekiel was skeptical but he didn’t push her.

“One last question. Did Julian help you sneak out tonight?”

Dreck. Iris hadn’t thought of that. She couldn’t get Julian in trouble; she needed him to rescue Maddox and hopefully get Cora and Sabine out of Orinth.

“He didn’t know anything, I snuck in and out of the luggage compartment without him noticing. I swear.”

Ezekiel’s forehead crinkled, “I will have to talk to him about doing a better job guarding the carriages.” Ezekiel fell silent. He released Iris’ hand and placed a hand on the side of her face. “Iris, I am so sorry about what happened to your family and for the choices that you have been forced to make.”

Iris closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek, Ezekiel rubbed it away with his thumb.

“Please stay with me tonight, Iris, I don’t think I will be able to fall asleep otherwise.”

Iris opened her eyes, “On one condition.”

Half of Ezekiel’s mouth kicked up. “Let’s hear it.”

“Samson is staying too.”

Ezekiel smiled but it did not reach his eyes. Being so close to death changes a person and it would take him time to process it. Iris still had not processed much of the death that she had witnessed or caused.

Ezekiel stood and scooped her up in his arms. She punched him in the shoulder. “I hate being carried.”

“I know.”

He crossed the room carrying her into his bedroom. His bedroom was equally as luxurious as the sitting room; he had an intricately carved wardrobe on one wall and thick velvety dark curtains covered a floor to ceiling window on the opposite wall. In the center of the room was a large bed with carved posters and a gauzy canopy. Ezekiel set her on one side of the bed and walked over to the other side of the bed laying down on his back.

“I promise to be a gentleman, I just can’t be alone tonight.” He repeated.

Iris rolled on her side, so she was facing Ezekiel. “I understand.”

There was a thud in the sitting room signaling that Samson had jumped off of the couch. He made his way into Ezekiel’s room and jumped onto the bed, snuggling up against Iris’ back. The bed was amazingly comfortable, and the sheets were impossibly soft. The sheets smelled of oak and citrus; Iris closed her eyes and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

Iris was awoken by sunlight streaming in through a crack in the curtains. She blinked away the sleep and realized that she had moved in the night, she lay on her side with her back against Ezekiel’s chest. His arm lay heavily across her. Iris could tell that Ezekiel was still asleep by the slow even way his chest rose and fell against her. She didn’t like how comfortable she felt or the way she perfectly fit against him. Things were getting too complicated, she couldn’t deny that she was developing feelings for Ezekiel, and not the murderous kind. Samson lay where Iris had fallen asleep, he opened his eye, Iris could feel the judgment in his stare. Iris attempted to extract herself from Ezekiel without waking him, Ezekiel shifted and pulled her closer to him. She felt an aching between her legs. It would be so easy to roll over, turn to face Ezekiel and act on what her body wanted.

Iris sighed and cleared her throat, shifting her body away from Ezekiel. Ezekiel stirred beside her, his hot breath against her ear. “Good morning.” His voice was rough with sleep and maybe something else. Iris’ self-control was only so strong. She rolled away from Ezekiel and leapt out of bed.

“Um, good morning. I hope you slept well. I should probably head back to my room.”

Ezekiel sat up, a crooked smile forming on his lips. “Have breakfast with me and I will have one of the servants bring you fresh clothes. Unless you want to walk back to your room dressed only in my shirt.”

Iris grumbled; the servants were already gossiping about their relationship, after tonight their suspicions would be confirmed. Iris had never cared what others thought of her and she wasn’t going to start now, but she was hungry for breakfast. “You make a good point; I needed another pair of clothes anyway.”

Ezekiel chuckled. They shared a breakfast of fresh fruit and cheese together. Their silence was comfortable, some distance between them had been crossed last night. A servant knocked at the door and left a fresh set of leggings, a blouse and her crutches. Iris was thankful for the reminder that she had to continue to pretend to be injured. After breakfast Iris went to the bathroom to change into her new clothes. She had gone to sleep with her hair wet and had neglected to braid it. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and gasped at the worsening of the tangled mess that was her hair. She did not even attempt to untangle her hair with her fingers. Iris stepped out of the bathroom and found Ezekiel sitting on the couch dressed for the day looking put together as usual.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a brush, would you?”

Ezekiel laughed. “How else do you think I get my locks to be styled so perfectly?”

Iris groaned. Ezekiel went to his room and returned with a brush. Iris reached for the brush.

“Come sit on the couch and I will do it for you.”

Iris surprised herself by moving to sit on the couch. After she had bathed him last night it seemed natural that he would brush her hair. Ezekiel sat on the couch beside her and she turned her back to him. He began to brush her hair, breaking down the tangles, he took pains to not pull on her hair as he worked. The feeling of his fingers working the tangles from her hair was soothing and she closed her eyes. For once her mind wasn’t spinning with what she needed to accomplish and what she needed to atone for. Ezekiel brushed her hair until it was smooth and silky. Iris was surprised again when Ezekiel began braiding her hair in the way she liked to wear it.

“I am amazed you know how to braid hair.”

“I have been alive for over one hundred years. There are many skills I have obtained. Maybe you will have the chance to experience some of my other skills.”

Iris laughed. The act of Ezekiel braiding her hair was a level of intimacy that Iris had never shared with a man. She tried to keep her mind from wandering to his other skill sets.

Ezekiel finished her braid and tied it off with a leather strap. “Iris, I have been thinking. It is time that I go see the Amarath Mines. I have been avoiding them long enough. I need to go see them if I am going to advocate for better conditions.”

“You should go, you have turned a blind eye to them long enough. Once you have seen them you will not have ignorance as an excuse for inaction.”

“I appreciate your bluntness.” Ezekiel paused before speaking again. “Will you go with me? I want to see them through your eyes.”

Iris turned to face him. The moment of intimacy between them shattered. The idea of returning to the mines, made her sick; bile burnt the back of her throat. Iris fought to keep down the rising panic.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, “I can’t believe you would ask that of me, I would rather die than return to the mines. It is not my responsibility to help you understand the torment that is the Amarath Mines.” Iris abruptly stood from the couch; she limped over to her crutch. “I am going to my room to rest; I will meet you in your study tomorrow morning.”

Ezekiel stood from the couch. “Iris, I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

She didn’t wait for him to finish; she left his room, closing the door behind her. Julian was right, Ezekiel would never understand her. She had let herself forget how different they were and Ezekiel had reminded her. She would not make that mistake again. Iris angrily limped to her rooms on her crutch, those who passed by averted their gaze upon seeing the ire in her amarath eyes. Iris flopped onto her bed. She needed to speak with Julian. They were running out of time to plan for Maddox’s escape and she needed to tell Julian about her plans of getting Cora, Sabine, and Maddox out of Orinth. Iris was now allowed to freely move around the Palace but she didn’t think it would be a good idea to be seen visiting Julian, it might raise Ezekiel’s suspicions about his involvement in her escapades last night. Iris also didn’t like the idea of having to use her crutch to get around the Palace. It was going to be a long day waiting in her room for night to fall.