Voices Behind Walls Ch. 06

"That would be fine, Lahri. Go on and see to whatever need your husband has."

Some minutes later, Lahri was back at her previous spot. She could hear Vansoth's hooves scraping into the earth on the men's side.

She tucked the ends of her sleeves into her belt. Then she put on a pair of protective mittens so she could safely grip the handles of a small lit brazier. She put the brazier on a low platform of brick. The mats on the floor had been purposely arranged to avoid the spot that platform would stand on. So, there were a few inches of exposed flooring around the structure.

She knocked on the wall. "Husband?"

"Lahri? Is that you?"

Kneeling on a cushion and flattening her skirt under her knees, Lahri replied, "Yes, Husband. I've put a brazier close by to hush the cold away."

"Then don't open the walls. I'd hate for you to lose what little heat you find."

Ah, so her little strategy worked. Now she had a good reason to keep the walls closed, and she won't have to meet his dark, intimidating eyes.

"Thank you, Husband, for your thoughtfulness."

A pause, and then Vansoth's breath was heard in a quick rush.

"Wife?"

"Ye ... yes?"

"I must explain my feelings."

Lahri's hands were very hot, even stuffy. She realized she was still wearing the mittens. She pulled them off. "Then I must listen."

"Ah ... well ... I should start ... at the start. This is so uncomfortable." Another snort of air. Hooves patted around. "When you told me who you are, I knew I had found a perfect opportunity. We didn't want to start a war with anyone, but we do want another colony."

Lahri couldn't stop the acid she spat out. "A breeding colony. You're going to use my people like dogs." Her eyelids pulled back. She slapped her own lips as she gasped. The painful, smacking noise whipped in the air. One of her sleeves was tugged out from her belt.

There was a growl. It had Lahri shuddering under her clothing. She had done a serious wrong.

"They are no longer your people." A thick stomp on the earth could be heard. "Do you imagine we'll keep them in cages and feed them table scraps?!" His voice boomed. There might as well have been no walls. Lahri squeaked at her own fear as the man yelled.

"Certainly not!! They'll have their homes, their temples, their farms, and their careers! We'll build a wall around them and keep our best soldiers there to protect them! They'll marry and reproduce as they please! All we'll do against them is count their girls and see if they could spare any!"

Why in the world was he assuming this was a good thing?!

Lahri wanted to yell too, but she knew better than to do that. She only dared to give her opinions.

Her voice was fair and shaky, but it came. "All this time, I had thought someone wanted to marry me, that someone cared for me, but all you wanted was to use me as a puppet. How am I meant to behave in this situation? What you've done is ... is ... " Her emotions began to overflow. Tears were peaking out and dripping down to the mittens in her lap. "It's nearly as bad as what my previous husband did!" Her voice rose at the end. "You've tricked me! You've used me! I was nothing but a mechanism to you!"

Echoing, crashing, breaking and crumbling, the noises halted Lahri's outburst. She quivered and yelped, getting to her feet, dropping the mittens, and stepping backwards.

Vansoth's voice rang again.

"HOW DARE YOU?! HOW CAN YOU?! HOW COULD I BE COMPARED TO THAT DEMON?! THAT DEGENERATE?! AFTER ALL I'VE DONE?! AFTER I'VE SWORN TO PROTECT YOU AND YOUR CHILD?! WHAT SORT OF PERSON ARE YOU?!"

Lahri used her sleeve to wipe her eyes and cheeks, but an odd force was in her heart, something that felt like righteousness and fury. "I ... I'm the sort of person who recognizes cruelty ... and this situation is far too cruel! Innocent people are going to die, and others are going to be kept like pets, and all because I was foolish enough to trust you!"

"What was I meant to do?!" Vansoth fired back. "Should I have returned you to that filthy thing you once called a husband? As made evident by the diplomat's visit, it was only a matter of time before they found you!"

Her chin lowered. "I ... I don't know. I'd suggest a sort of bargain ... or something less defiant ... but ... " She exhaled very painfully. "I know he'd have been angry enough to start a war regardless, and you've clearly had your spies learn of his personality. You would have known that aside from giving me up there was no other peaceful option."

Damn it!

She was sobbing.

She coughed out, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I wish ... I wish I could have disappeared!"

"And leave your child alone? What if that vicious monster found her?"

Lahri shook her head. "I don't want to imagine that!" Her fingers went through her hair and over her ears. "But ... but so much death ... so much death! So many innocent deaths ... war and ... and ... "

Vansoth's voice was suddenly quiet, prickling her brain and heart, damaging her thoughts. "Never assume I don't understand the pain of war. I've breathed it in. I've nearly died more than once. I know exactly what to expect."

Her knees met the straw mats. Her back curled over. Her arms crossed over her full chest. "I ... I don't know what to think. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do."

Knock, knock, knock!!

He had put his fist to the wood.

"Listen, listen well! Lahri ... before I knew who you were, I wanted you. I thought you were charming and sweet. I loved to hear your voice. I loved to play games with you. I loved to sing for you. I loved how devoted you are to your child. And now, I love you."

Lahri gaped up at the walls. They were beautiful things, functional works of art.

And behind them, there was an expression of love.

Could it be trusted?

"I love you. Lahri or Ileana whatever you want to call yourself. It doesn't matter. I love you, and I want you in this castle. I want you sewing and reading, dancing and playing, and waiting for me to lure you out of hiding. I would rather die than let anyone take you away, and the same is for Meia. That's my child now, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

She licked a corner of her lips. Then she shuffled back a few more inches, looking down.

"Lahri, I thought you would be impressed. I thought you'd call me clever and resourceful. I thought you'd care little for Raobet since you ran away from it. Now I'm like you. I don't know what to think."

What in the world could they think?

What in the world?

Lahri was so astonished that even her blinking was slow.

Speaking wasn't even possible.

What.

What?

What should be done now?!

"If you need more time to reflect on this issue, you may have it. I'd deny you nothing I'm able to give."

Her voice came, but it was like drops of water against smooth stone. "Huh? Husband?"

"Has anyone told you of the Women's Escape?"

"No, what is it?"

More hooves against the earth. Another exhale. "Long ago, before we were with the dwarves, we had female centaurs. The menfolk were cruel and abusive to the women, and so, the women took their girl children and ran away. They even begged the gods to hide them in heaven so that the men couldn't find them. The gods listened, and they carried the females off to heaven. The gods loved the female centaurs, and were glad to care for them, but it was quite a burden."

Lahri wondered how many people thought this story was literally true, but she shrugged and tried to listen more carefully.

"The gods decided to punish the male centaurs for their violent and thoughtless behavior. Since the men only had smaller and delicate human women to reproduce with, the gods cursed the men so that they would always have an imbalance in their progeny. They would always have more sons than daughters, and none of the daughters would be centaurs. This was to make females rare and precious to us, to encourage us to care for them as well as the gods cared for the female centaurs. While those females died of old age in heaven, the males continued to live and breed with humans, always reminded of the sins of their ancestors, so that they will not be tempted to make a similar mistake."

"As long as you're here, you will be treasured. So please try not to hate me, Lahri. I've never wanted to hurt you. The concept never entered my mind."

"I ... Husband ... please excuse me." She sniffed as she stood up. "Please. I must go. I might have become ill. I don't know."

"Then go. Go on and rest well. If not for your sake, then for the sake of our child."

"Yes ... Yes, Husband."

She fled as if she was seeking out the gods.

***