Champions of Serenity :Gathering the Circle

Chapter 37

Dreybrenic tugged on his gloves and smiled up at the ceiling of the common room. Above him, on the large bed, was still tied the luscious child he had taken great pleasure in defiling over the past two weeks. But, now it was time to move on, he would have to make his appearance at the Summer Festival in Meckadon. His thoughts were in the pleasure he would take from this girl when he came back through here on his way home. If she was up to it, perhaps he would take her with him when he returned to Hades.

“It has been a rare pleasure staying here, Rolfe, and I look forward to my return visit. Dina is a special girl.” Dreybrenic smiled again and tossed a handful of gold onto the counter of the bar. “Yes, a rare girl indeed.” He then strode out of the inn and jumped on the back of his pure black stallion.

Rolfe and the other girls waited until they were sure he was out of town before acting. He sent Jena to retrieve his wife and daughter and Maryilee to let the village know that Dreybrenic was gone again. He then sent Favla and Kody to tend to Dina.

The room was dark, even with the mid-morning light filtering in through the shutters. Kody quickly cleaned out the fireplace and set up a new fire. The warmth of the flames helped to chase away some of the shadows. Kody then cleaned away every trace of Dreybrenic in that room, using stiff brushes and harsh soap to get rid of the very smell of him.

Favla allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim room before searching for Dina. It took her a moment to find the girl huddled in the deepest shadow with a blanket from the bed wrapped around her slender and trembling shoulders. Her hair was filthy and even in the low light Favla could see the bruises and marks of abuse on Dina’s face and arms.

“May the gods have mercy on us.” Favla whispered as she knelt before Dina. She reached out to brush a strand of hair back from the vacant eyes and wasn’t surprise to see Dina pull back in fear and clutch the blanket tighter around her naked body. “Kody, have Rolfe get the dark room ready. This is worse than we feared.”

Kody looked into the worry on Favla’s face and nodded, running from the room to tell Rolfe that it was possible that Dina would never recover from the past two weeks. Favla wrapped her arm around Dina’s body, keeping the blanket between them, and gently rocked her for comfort.

A large tub of hot water was brought up and it took all of Favla’s and Kody’s strength to get the blanket off of Dina and get her into the scalding water. They both hissed over the marks on her body and laid more curses at the door of Dreybrenic. He had taken an innocent and damaged her beyond ever knowing true pleasure or love.

Tris was aware of Favla and Kody and all they were trying to do for her. She knew they were only trying to help and that they wouldn’t harm her, but the body she wore rebelled at being touched. Tris made a silent vow to herself that she would do all in her power to protect these simple people from Handsome’s wrath if she could.

When Rolfe came to carry Dina down, Favla had finished washing the crusted blood and dirt from her body and had dressed her in a soft shift that covered her from neck to foot. He had tears running down his face at the vacancy in her eyes and the way she whimpered at the gentlest of touches and the softest of voices. He promised Dina that she would never have to deal with anyone she didn’t want to ever again, even if it meant he would die to save her from Dreybrenic.

They then left her alone in the darkened room. The room held a single, narrow bed, a chair, a chest for some clothing, and a small table to eat at and nothing more. The door locked from the inside, so she could keep people out if she wanted to. A candle was left for her, should she want light, and the promise that they all would be there should she need them.

Alone, Dina curled up in the bed and sobbed. Her body hurt, but it wasn’t as painful as when Tris left those she had come to love. Tris listened to that part of her that was Debra as she also helped heal the wounds caused by Handsome. It was strange that someone who Tris thought of as weaker than herself was actually stronger for not caving in to such a brutal coming of age rite. She took strength from Debra and fed it to Dina.

The part of Tris that was Debra recognized the brutality of Dreybrenic, and that surprised Tris. This other place, where Debra was from, it wasn’t like Sandeenai at all so how could one from Sandeenai be on Earth? But she took the help Debra offered in dealing with the trauma and thanked the gods there was someone there to heal the sting of Greshinea’s actions against this body.

A few days after Dreybrenic had left; Dina left the sanctuary of the dark room. She came into the common room, dressed in a work skirt and blouse and silently picked up one of the scrub brushes and started to clean a table. It was much sooner than Rolfe and the others thought possible.

She jumped when Maryilee touched her arm. Dina looked at her friend and tried to give her a trembling smile, and then let the tear blur her sight as she turned back to her work. “Dina?” Maryilee started to ask. Dina shook her head, not saying anything, but continued in her work.

“Let her work it off, Maryilee. Sometimes it helps to have a distraction.” Favla said softly and passed the bucket of soapy water closer to Dina and worked next to her without comment.

The bruises had faded to yellow-green spots rather than the blue, black, purple, and red patches. She walked with a slight limp in her left leg and she favored her right hand when lifting anything heavy. But she worked like a fiend and helped out in the kitchens during the busy times for the inn. She still wasn’t able to face the general public, even though she knew they were all concerned for her.

“Debra is rather strong, isn’t she? I never thought to see anyone who was able to sway Tris with just a few words.” Perlish said, rather awed that a human would have such power over an Elf or Demon.

“Father doesn’t make mistakes, Perlish. Tris needed to know what it was like to be vulnerable, now she does. She also knows that in the humblest of people she will find strength and courage. It doesn’t make it any easier, but it does make it worth it.” Serenity said softly. She looked back to the world from which Debra came and shuddered. If her brothers and sisters thought Sandeenai in the grips of Greshinea was an evil place maybe it was better they not know of Debra’s world and the evils that ruled there with no less devastation.

Chaos stood by his sister and put his arm around her shoulder. He whispered for her ears only. “I too grieve, my sister. To see such innocence and beauty destroyed is truly criminal. Have no fear, Dreybrenic shall pay for this, but I think not by the hand of she who he so harmed.”

Serenity looked at Chaos and nodded her understanding. She gave him a small smile and left to go to her own home to cry her own tears for Tris and Debra and what had been stolen from them.

“Yes, she still cries at night, Rolfe, but she now allows one of us to soothe her out of it without waking screaming. She is slowly accepting touch again, but I doubt that a man will ever be able to touch her.”

“We have another three weeks before Greshinea comes through here again. We should make plans now to hide her. He made it plain that he wanted her on his return and that he was even considering taking her with him to that black hole he calls his palace.” Rolfe and Favla shivered at the thought.

“Have it spread that she died from fevers caused by his attentions. The villagers will support that. They have all seen what his handiwork has done to her. It is the best.” Lizzie said with finality and both her husband and younger sister agreed.

Favla left to tell Dina and the others the lie they were to start spreading now so that when Dreybrenic came through again, it would be believed by all. Dina remained hidden from the village as a whole, staying in the kitchen during the serving hours of the inn and cleaning during the quiet hours of the morning and late night.

Tris wished, for just a moment, she knew where Airidon and Jehro and the others were. She could have used their help and strength during this time. She made a promise to herself that she would never again allow her pride to chase her from where she wanted to be. Maybe by this time, Shrina had relented and would accept her; it was another of her wishes.

“Gods, I’m becoming positively human. It’s disgusting.” Tris told herself one night when she was alone. She then concentrated on pushing the emotions aside and taking up her old ways of looking at things. It was hard and she found that no matter how she tried, she could no longer discount what she had come to know as the simple barmaid, Dina.