Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind [331]
She withdrew the Agiel. “See?”
Constance shook her head. “I wish I had your talent, Denna.”
“Here is another place.” She made him scream. “And here, and here too.” She came around and smiled to him. “You don’t mind if I show Constance all your special little places, do you?”
“Please, Mistress Denna, don’t. It hurts too much.”
“There, you see? He doesn’t mind at all.”
She went back to her chair as tears ran down his face. Constance never smiled; she simply went to work, and also had him begging breathlessly. But the way she never varied the pressure, never let up, was worse than Denna. She never gave him a moment to rest. Richard learned to fear her touch more than he feared Denna’s. Denna had an odd compassion at times. Constance never did. When it was beyond a certain point, Denna would tell her to stop, wait a moment, guide her so as not to cripple him. Constance complied with her wishes and let Denna direct the way she wanted him hurt.
“You don’t have to stay, Denna, if you have things to do. I won’t mind.”
Fear and panic raced through his mind. He didn’t want to be left alone with Constance. He knew that Constance wanted to do things to him that Denna didn’t want done. He didn’t know what they were, but he feared them.
“Another time, I will leave you alone with him… to do things your way, but today, I will stay.”
Richard made sure he showed no sign that he was relieved. Constance went back to work.
After a while longer, when she was behind him, Constance grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back, hard. Richard knew very well what it meant to have his head pulled back in this manner. He remembered the pain of what she was about to do. The pain of having the Agiel in his ear. He shook uncontrollably, couldn’t breathe with the fear of it.
Denna came out of her chair. “Don’t do that, Constance.”
Constance gritted her teeth as she looked at him, pulling his head back harder. “Why not? Surely you’ve done it?”
“Yes, I just don’t want you to, that’s all. Master Rahl hasn’t talked to him yet. I don’t want to take any chances.”
A grin came to Constance’s face. “Denna, let’s do it together, at the same time. You and me. Like we used to.”
“I told you, Master Rahl wants to talk to him.”
“After that?”
Denna smiled. “It has been a long time since I’ve heard that scream.” She looked to Richard’s eyes. “If Master Rahl doesn’t kill him, and he doesn’t die first from… from other things, then, yes, we will do it to him. All right? But not now. And Constance, please respect my wishes, about using the Agiel in his ear?”
Constance nodded and released his hair. “Don’t think you have gotten off easy.” She scowled at him. “Sooner or later, you and I will be alone, and then I will take my pleasure from you.”
“Yes, Mistress Constance,” he whispered hoarsely.
After they were finished training him, they went to lunch. Richard followed behind, the chain hooked to Denna’s belt. The dining hall was tasteful in its simple style of frame and panel oak over a white marble floor. There was the soft murmur of conversation at the various tables as people ate. Denna snapped her fingers as she sat, pointing at the floor behind her chair. Servers brought food to the two Mord-Sith, but none for Richard. Lunch was a hearty-looking soup, cheese, brown bread, and fruit. The good smells drove Richard to distraction. There was no meat served. Halfway through her meal, Denna turned and told him that he would get no lunch, for having earned two hours that morning. She said that if he behaved himself, he would get dinner.
The afternoon was spent at devotions, and after that, several hours of training. Denna and Constance shared the task. Richard did his best to do nothing wrong, and at dinner was rewarded with a bowl of rice with vegetables over it. After dinner were more devotions and more training, until at last they left Constance and returned to Denna’s quarters, Richard dead tired, stooped with pain as he walked.
“I wish a bath,” she said. She showed him the room adjoining hers. It was small,