Niko rubbed his chin. “Invaders seized our village one day. They stole food, livestock, weapons… anything of value. They raped and killed. My sister was among the dead.” He clenched his fists on his lap. “I was a man by then, but still a boy in many ways. I tried to fight them off, but they held me down and laughed while they violated her. I don’t know what happened to my mother. They dragged me away from my home before I could find out. I only hope they killed her.”
Gem’s jaw slackened. “Why would you wish that?”
He turned his head toward her. “Because no mother should see her child that way. They had beaten my sweet sister and stripped away her clothes. I heard everything, including her last breath.”
She shuddered. “How awful. I’m so sorry that happened. Were they Artemon’s men?”
“Yes. My Creator lined up all the young men and selected some while executing others. The selected ones were taken as slaves, and we lived that way for many years. He gave us Greek names and—”
“You don’t have to tell me the rest,” she said quickly, not wanting to remind him about living in chains. “I know enough of that part of your life.” Gem already knew about his slavery, and she didn’t think it was necessary for him to relive those painful years. So she fast-forwarded to a more uplifting part of his life that piqued her curiosity. “Tell me about your sensei.”
Niko’s entire face changed in the most interesting way. Ancients often had a tendency to hold a stony expression. Respect quenched the malice burning in his eyes, and his features softened. “After escaping Cyrus, I stowed away on a ship to return home. It was a foolish move. No one had heard of my clan. After the raid and so many years passing, my people were probably all gone. Without knowing exactly where I came from, I truly didn’t know where I was going. With nothing of value to trade, I wound up in the pathetic circumstance of begging on the streets. The men laughed and told me they would rather give food to the stray dogs. Then a stranger stepped forward and said if they loved dogs more than humans, then they could go lie with one.”
Gem pulled the blanket up over her lap. “I like him already.”
“He was also a Mage and recognized my energy. Sato-sensei was how I addressed him. In the end, I just called him my friend. He taught me many things over the years. First, he taught me dignity and honor. Then he taught me how to use my body as a weapon. Training took place from sunup to sundown, and I learned how to listen to the world around me. I suffered to achieve control over fear and pain. From there, we practiced using real weapons. When he discovered how light was distracting me, he helped me use my gift to live in the sighted world. I learned how to read energy until I mastered the language of light. It took a very long time. Not just to understand and interpret what I was seeing, but how to use it to my advantage. I learned how to use my facial expressions and body language to blend into a crowd. In time, people couldn’t tell I was blind anymore, and it made me less of a target. I owe him everything, and the only fitting way to repay him is to vanquish evil.”
“You sound like a superhero.”
“We all are both heroes and villains in our own story.”
Gem reflected on her lonely childhood and how it had shaped the woman she had become. “I know what it’s like to be a slave. My story isn’t anything like what you endured, but I was sold on the black market for money. I never knew who my parents were or if they were the ones who sold me. I’ve heard stories that some kids on the black market are rescued by loving parents, but I wasn’t one of the lucky ones.” She reclined on her side and drew the blanket up a little higher. “I didn’t know anything about my Relic gifts until I got older.”
“Then why did your master purchase you?”
“My seller must have known about my lineage, because the man who purchased me surrounded me with books. He didn’t know how to teach me languages, so I guess he thought I’d figure it out on my own when I got old enough to read. I grew up in a place like this… in a room like this. That’s why I fill my bedroom with beautiful fabrics, lights, and stones. I want nothing to remind me of my old life. A person should surround themselves with things that make them happy.”
When Niko smiled, his pale eyes glittered with light. “I’m surprised then that you don’t sleep with your books.”
She laughed brightly. “If I didn’t love them so much, I’d probably glue them together to make a bed.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what did your master want your talents for?”
Gem stared at a splinter poking out from the side of Niko’s chair. “He wanted me to translate illegal documents that were stolen from different Mageri councils in the world. The Mageri keeps meticulous records that detail every Mage’s gifts, and that’s not all they keep track of. He didn’t start asking me to work until I was about thirteen, and when he did, I was glad for it.”
Niko laced his fingers together. “Why?”
“It broke up the monotony of my days. I didn’t understand what I was translating, only that the work made me happy.”
Niko turned his head slightly and squinted at her. “There’s more.”
She pounded her fist against the pillow to fluff it and then sighed. “Bob had a perverse fetish. He would come into my room at night and watch me sleep. Sometimes he didn’t have clothes on and other times he did. When I started translating for him, I stayed up late, and the nightly visits stopped. So I worked. A lot.”
Niko blinked as if something were stinging his eyes, and he turned his head away.
“He didn’t do anything to me,” Gem assured him. “Not once did he ever touch himself or touch me. He would just sit there. All night. Watching. That’s why when Viktor asked what kind of bed I wanted, I asked for a canopy. It’s hard for me to sleep in a bed like yours and feel comfortable.”
“Now I feel foolish for watching you sleep,” he bit out.
“But you can’t see me. Not like he could.”
Niko stood up. “No, I can’t.”
Gem peeled back the covers and sprang out of the bed. “I think I’ve overstayed my welcome.”
Niko reached for her shoulders and braced his hands on them. “Please don’t. I feel we can only offend each other with our pasts, so let us not talk about such difficult things. We should focus on healing.”
“But don’t you see, Niko? You’re the first person I’ve opened up to. I like learning about where you came from, even if it’s painful for you to talk about.” She tilted her head back to look up at him. Niko seemed so much taller when she wasn’t wearing her shoes. There was about a foot difference between them in height. Gem touched his hands, which still rested on her shoulders. “I want to keep sharing, but I just can’t stay in here anymore. It doesn’t feel right. This isn’t my space. Besides, you have a right to be mad at me, you know. Well, just for a little while. Then I’ll have to insist that you like me again.”
His slender fingers followed a path from the curve of her neck to her cheek. “Little flower, I have always liked you.”
“Then stand aside so we both can rest in peace. And I don’t mean that in a Gravewalker kind of way. I need more sleep, and you need to eat more than just a few sausages. But if you’re up for it, maybe we can talk like this again.”