"You seem fairly familiar with this place? You do know where we are and what this place used to be?" Caron asked as he knelt before her.
"Yes, this used to be the busiest whorehouse in the city. I'm aware of that. It's a safe place where no one will disturb us."
"How did you find that tunnel?"
"The so called sailor Vico told you I'd been fucking showed me," Shiloh replied and watched as the look on Caron's face changed drastically. "Now let me explain a few things. One, I am not a prostitute so get that thought out of your head. Two, that sailor is a good friend of mine. His name is Rhys. Yes, I met him down here at the docks. He propositioned me while I was trying to complete Chella's lesson. I was so totally ignorant about everything. He has never paid me and never will. He's been giving me lessons on how to please a man. Leave it to Vico to make it sound dirty and tawdry."
"You wound me, Shiloh. I would have been more than willing to give you lessons. You wouldn't have needed anyone else."
"And Vico would have killed you if it had been you. You know he's capable of it," Shiloh shook her head. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he hurt you."
"I can handle Vico. I'm not afraid of him." Caron scoffed. "So if the sailor thing is true, then everything else must be as well. Why would you want Vico to fuck you after he raped you?"
"I have wondered that myself, Caron, but the truth is this. I was working on my stealth lesson and I made it to the hideout. Vico was there and start insulting me like he normally does and it made me mad so since I'm not strong enough to get even with him, I thought I'd play a different game. So I kissed him and walked away. He followed me out into the sewers and cornered me. He pushed me against a wall and shoved his fingers inside me and proceeded to make me cum. It felt good and I knew I was playing with fire. That's how the begging came about. Call it a moment of weakness because I did want to be fucked. I came so hard and I wanted more. You can't fault me for that. He took me into this secret room and threw me on a bed. He undressed and pulled my clothes off, but it was all for naught. He was merely toying with me. His only plan was to teach me a lesson. I am ashamed of the fact that I....took his dick in my mouth and sucked it. I thought if I did something for him that he'd give me what I wanted. I was wrong. He taunted me and hit me, telling me he wouldn't fuck me. I could care less that he thinks I'm a whore. I hate him, but I can't stay away from him. I went to Rhys after I left the sewers. I needed someone to talk to and he surmised that the reason I can't stay away from Vico is because of 'an obsession stemming from a traumatic experience.' He saved my life after all. I'd be dead if it weren't for Vico being in the castle that night. I won't blame you if you don't want anything more to do with me, but I think if you allow this to drive us apart, Vico will have won. Surely you don't want that?"
"That is a lot to think about, Shiloh. He really well may have gotten his wish," Caron replied solemnly as he pulled back from her.
Shiloh gazed deeply into his eyes. "Please don't let him win."
Caron cleared his throat. "We should be getting back."
She nodded and stood up from the bed, feeling awkward, "Alright. Shall we return to the Bear Pit? I am starving and dinner sounds really good. I'll even pay."
They returned the Bear Pit and parted ways as Caron told her he had something to do that involved the task that Master Nathan had given him. She entered the kitchen and groaned aloud as she noticed Vico sitting at the table eating.
Didn't he have anything else to do besides make my life miserable
? Her stomach growled. She gritted her teeth.
Alright
, she told herself,
just get some food and ignore him
.
She approached the stew pot and grabbed a plate, ladling herself out on it. Then she sliced a few pieces of bread and poured herself a pint of ale. Still ignoring Vico as best she could, she approached the table and sat down. She began to eat in silence, savoring the richness of the stew's broth. As she took a sip of her ale, her eyes connected with Vico's. There was a very smug and satisfied expression on his face. She quickly looked away and sucked in a deep breath, willing her rapidly beating heart to slow down. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Vico had won and they all knew it.
She pushed her meal aside and dashed out of the kitchen. Gods, how she....
hated
....him!!!!!! Shiloh didn't stop running until she had made it all the way up to Castle Street. Every ounce of her being wanted to scream out of her frustrations. She longed to go back to the Bear Pit and plunge her sword into his black heart. She leaned against the stone wall that separated the city from the castle proper and began to slam her fists against it. She cried out in pain as she bloodied her knuckles. Hurting herself this way would not solve her problems. She sank to her knees and let the tears fall. The bastard had won. She knew she had lost Caron. She vowed that she wouldn't let him get away with it. One way or another she would get even with Vico for this. And then she would hopefully never have to see him again once Rhys took her away from here.
Shiloh wiped away her tears and drew in a deep breath. Looking around, she noted her surroundings. She was close to number 5 Castle Street, one of the addresses Yance had given her for her pick-pocketing lesson. He had told her she would find a steel ring at this address. Well, she figured she might as well work on her lessons and hope it would take her mind off her troubles with Caron and Vico.
Shiloh pulled her dark cloak around her body and crept over to the door of number 5. She tested the handle and found it to be locked. Sighing, she pulled out her lock picks and went to work, using the skeletal key and her smallest pick to manipulate the tumblers inside. It took her several long moments to get it right. This lock was a tad bit rusty and even more difficult than any of the others she had thus far encountered. Her perseverance paid off when she heard it click open. She sighed deeply and cracked the door wide enough so she could slip inside.
The room beyond the door was warm and cheery. She could tell this was someone's house who took obvious good care of it. She closed the door as quietly as she could and crept through the foyer into the small abode. A rather large bookcase piqued her interest and she tiptoed over to it. She searched it up and down, finding an odd looking device she figured to be a trap and a key to the door that led upstairs. She studied the crude trap and cut a few connecting wires. She hoped that would prevent the spikes from springing out to stab her as she reached in and grabbed the key. Once she had the key in her possession, she noted a poetry book that seemed familiar to her. She picked it up and ran her fingers over the front of it. It was called 'Poetica.' The soldier who lived here must have taken this book from the castle. Shiloh stowed it away in a pocket in her cloak and turned away from shelf. It was then she noticed the large dog lying in the corner of the room. She sucked in a breath and tread as softly as possible to the stairs and the door.
She inserted the key in the lock and opened it, heading upstairs. She intended to explore the upper floor and hopefully find the key she needed to find. She hoped the soldier was not at home. She knew getting his key would not be as simple as getting Ashur's. She smiled at the thought of Rhys and Ashur. They had been so good to her, so thorough in their affections for her. She knew she could trust them more than anything. She knew they would come through for her and she'd never again be troubled by this living hell ever again. Her heart ached as she mourned the loss of Caron's love. He had always been so nice and sweet to her. She supposed that Trissa would get her way of having him to herself and Vico would do his best to keep Caron in line. She bit her lip to keep from crying out loud. She knew the tears were coursing down her cheeks. It wasn't fair.
She hung her head for a few moments and gave herself a mental shake.
Put those dangerous thoughts away and focus
, she mentally scolded herself as she scanned the upper part of the house. There were three doors in front of her. She walked over to the one across from the steps and tried the handle. It refused to budge.
Blast, locked
!
She quickly dispatched the lock and sneaked into the small bedroom. She glanced around and noted a chest of drawers, a bed side table, and a good sized bed. Shiloh quickly rummaged through the drawers of the dresser until she found the ring in a hidden compartment beneath one of shelves. It was steel. She smiled to herself as she pocketed it. Two down and one to go. The thrill of almost being complete with another lesson excited her. She knew it was one step closer to her freedom.
Shiloh left the house behind, making sure to put to right anything she may have touched, including locking the door. She turned the corner from Castle Street to Summer Lane and headed for the marketplace. She had to cross through it to get to the western part of the city where the third and final ring was located in a house on Knight Street.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle and she knew it was getting late in the day. Most of the shops were beginning to close and she watched as last minute shoppers rushed frantically around to get a few remaining purchases. She stopped and watched, marveling at the people living their every day normal lives. She had never had a normal life. All she had ever known was life at the castle, the pampered existence of one of Betancuria's royalty. She really couldn't have said she had truly lived in all of her years in the castle. She had very little freedom and no real say in her future. She knew as her father's sole heir that it would be her duty to marry and take her place as Queen when her father had finally stepped down. The few nobles she had met had not interested her, but she knew that royal marriage were never for love. Royals married to cement alliances and to gain richer holdings. She knew the best she could have hoped for was a congenial relationship that grew into a fondness as the years passed and her children grew of age. Now that would never come to pass. Flashes of what could have been crumbled to dust before her very eyes. A poignant ache pierced her heart. Not so much for that lost future, but for the loved ones that she'd never see again.
