Jaspar spent most of his life hiding because of his power. He should have listened to the warning not to go to the dark side of the city he was visiting but what's life without a little excitement? In this city, a little excitement can get you into...
"Why do you need pen and paper? You can't see," Elison said frowning as the body in his hands seemed to show genuine pain, the boy yelling and arching his back in pain in Elison's arms like he was about to explode.
"Vision!" The boy hissed at the man before arching as the pain became almost overwhelming. "Too late," he whispered in horror before letting a scream out that was almost too painful to listen to. Elison had heard the screams of people being tortured, the screams of people being killed, usually at his own hands, but this was different. This was pain beyond measure because of ripping through the veil.
"What do you see?" he demanded, holding on to the slim naked body tightly, trying to keep the young man anchored to this world. This was not the first, nor likely would it be the last time that he had an oracle go into a vision this violently. It tended to happen when you were taking the source of their power which was why he got them drunk first. It was easier on everyone. The first time it had happened to him after the oracle's supposed source had been removed though but there was no time to think of the specifics on that particular bombshell.
"There's a woman, white, blonde hair. Human, I think," the boy hissed through his teeth, hands gripping almost painfully onto Elison. "There is a sulphur smell, I think I'm on 3rd Street Avenue, north sector. Something's stalking her..." he trailed off, likely watching something happen within the vision. "I can't follow them," he said almost mournfully.
"When will it happen?" Elison asked softly, trying to get the young man to focus on the vision itself and not his capabilities. Visions were fleeting and sometimes even the smallest piece of information would unlock the true meaning.
It seemed to work and the boy tensed again. "It's a full moon, midnight I think. It's cold, very cold," he said shivering, his hands reaching up to hug himself. "Whatever's stalking her, I can't see it, it's too dark...I think it's killing her," he whispered sounding truly horrified by what he was seeing.
"Who is she?" Elison asked next, trying to distract him from the scene. If the oracle got lost in the vision, there would be no saving the boy now.
"I don't know," the young man cried as the pain of the vision started to become more prominent. "It hurts," he whispered, his body tensing.
"Shh," Elison soothed holding the boy close to his chest, stroking down his back to try to calm him, humming softly. "Just focus on me," he murmured into the boy's ear. The boy pressed in against him and slowly but surely his breathing evened out. Elison held on time as the tension in the fragile body snapped and the boy seemed to fall limp. Elison held him close, supporting him as he came down from the vision, clearly leaving what he had seen in the veil behind.
Elison knew for sure that the boy was out of the vision when he let go of Elison and tried to push away from him, obviously aware again or who he was cuddling up to. Elison's emotions calmed back down once the boy was no longer caught in the vision. The boy had lied to him about his source.
"Oh no, you don't," Elison rumbled darkly. More roughly than he had originally intended he grabbed the young man's wrists firmly and forced him back down so he was pinned on his back. The mattress below complained at the treatment and the boy cried out in pain. Hovering over him, Elison was aware of the fact that if the boy was still about to see, his position would be far more threatening. As it was, being over his face would mean nothing to the blind man.
"You lied to me boy," Elison breathed. "You're going to pay for that!" he warned darkly.
"Sorry," the boy murmured before passing out. Elison cursed fiercely. He needed to call Calder's men and make sure the boy's eyes hadn't been sold yet. He would get in trouble for this but he had been so sure the boy had told the truth when he had said his eyes were his source. It wasn't like many oracles would risk losing their eyes to retain their source. Unless of course, the boy had actually thought his eyes was the source, which brought up a whole new set of questions.
"First, though," he breathed, scooping the fragile body up. Old enough to be harvested, but not yet fully grown into his body. His legs were long and skinny, the muscles on his shoulders and torso were not quite fully grown in yet. Elison avoided looking at the boy's private parts, not about to judge the boy on that. His face had been very pretty but with his eyes gone now... Elison shuddered. With the boy passed out, Elison moved back through the shadow paths to the Rook.
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Justice flinched as he watched Elison reappear in the bar room with a body covered in blood. The bar patrons glanced over but didn't say anything. "Master John says to take the green door," Justice nodded towards a half-hidden door in the corner. It was covered by a curtain which was the reason Elison had never noticed it before.
Elison nodded at the boy politely before moving to the door, walking up the stairs cautiously. He didn't know what to expect from the upstairs of the Rook. It was obviously still owned by John, the decorations deep shades of green with dull gold features. The hallway was narrow and Elison had to be careful while carrying the boy not to hit his head off the wall. Eventually, he came to an open door which was a bathroom.
It was a large room which despite having all the normal things as a family bathroom was distinctly more sterile and meant for other uses. The room had a drain in the centre, making it clear this room was also designed to be used as a wet room, which would make cleaning the boy down easier. Taking the hint, Elison put the boy down in the room.
"I'll take care of him," Justice's voice said from behind him, having followed Elison up. "John wants to talk in the back room." That in itself was a scary concept for many people, but Elison had a feeling he knew who else was going to be in that room.
"You give your word you will look after him properly," Elison murmured, looking at the barkeeper seriously.
Justice straightened slightly under the look, able to keep his head up even though he was scared of what that look could bring. He had been working at the Rook long enough to know when someone was sizing him up and when someone was actually threatening him.
"Master John won't let anyone up here who is not permitted and you know Master John's opinions on how to treat merchandise." The last word was said reluctantly with no shortage of dislike.
Looking at the young man one last time, Elison stood up and walked over to the door again. He paused as he past Justice, reaching out with one arm to pull the man into a tight hug. "You have not been merchandise since you gained your mark Justice," he murmured into Justice's black hair. "Do not think yourself as such a thing."
The mark was given to every slave or 'merchandise' who made it past their fifth year without running away or trying to reveal what had happened to them. Justice had survived his five years and was now a recognised citizen of the port city. He could no longer be sold or his parts harvested, even if the fear of it happening never did leave. That did not free him from his contract with John and Elison did not know what would free John's slave from their contracts. Not that John was an unfair master but he was also very tight-lipped on all the rules and conditions his boys agreed to before working for him. Elison suspected Calder knew some of the specifics, but that was not for him to question.
Justice shuddered for a moment, pressing into the hold before pulling away with a sad smile on his face. "I know Mr Elison," he smiled before moving over to the boy, his prosthetic leg clanging as he moved. "I'm not merchandise anymore, but is he?"
Elison blinked at that question, looking back at Justice and the boy for a moment before leaving the room. There were no words to answer that question. Not until he had spoken to Calder and John about the future. Something was wrong here, and he still needed to find out about the boy's eyes. If he had slipped up, he wouldn't have to worry about getting into a new career anymore.
