Ghost -- Chapters 1-4 (3)
S K V Ghost

 

 Taylor stared into those brown eyes…

Matthew stared into the ladies deep, deep blue eyes, her body might be bruised and filthy, but those eyes! They told a tale of what she would look like.
“You have come here for a reason?” questioned the lady coldly
“Yes, ma’am!” the startled Matthew produced his tray, as soon as the lady saw the tray her eyes turned cold, almost dead.

As soon as she saw that hated tray she felt…nothing, nothing but hate towards the boy whom held it.
“You have to eat lady,” he said almost apologetically
“That…food…that you hold contains more drugs than anything else” she said staring coldly at the food, noticing without surprise that her voice had changed, since they had killed Craig something had snapped inside her, no longer was Ghost a thieving name, Ghost was a person who shared Taylor’s body, and right now Ghost was talking.
“You still have to eat, one day you might get out of here, and then you will need your strength.” The boy started to walk towards Taylor…
The walk of a thief! Her mind screamed (Taylor retook control over her body instead of letting Ghost call the shots), but everything else about him suggested a soldier, or was that a disguise…no…no-one could hide the grace of the thief.
Well there is only one way to find out if he is a thief thought Taylor moving her hands, in the language of the thieves…No response…she tried again…still nothing…
“What is your name boy?” she questioned when he was standing in-front of her
“Matthew, ma’am…if I may ask, what is your name?” replied Matthew
“Taylor…your father, what is his name?” What if the boy had tried to copy his father, or mothers walk?
“Olaer, why do you ask?” Bingo! Thought Taylor Olaer use to be a regular at Craig’s tavern.
“Does he have two mates, Rick and Baor?”
“Yes…”
“Good look at my hands…I don’t have time to explain, put down that tray…good now copy the movements of my hands” she made the movements of her hands as obvious as possible, sending a silent message.
*Olaer please help me, Craig is dead, and I am close to following, follow your son, love Taylor* when Taylor was sure Matthew and the movements correct…
“Show what I have shown you to your father” she said out loud
“Why?” Matthew said generally confused
“Just do it, please” said Taylor
“Ok, but open your mouth so that I can feed you first” said Matthew, snarling Taylor opened her mouth, and submitted herself to the drugs.

Matthew tapped on the cells door, the guard on the other side opened
“Couldn’t handle –” the man then saw the empty tray “you actually got her to eat?”
“Yes” replied Matthew getting out of the damp cell, carrying the tray to a waiting Kilor, who knowingly took the tray and led the confused Matthew away.
A week later Matthew asked permission to go see his father, when it was granted Matthew rode off at a gallop towards the place his father called home.

Taylor stared blankly at the back wall of the torture chamber as the new torturer used every trick he knew to try and make her scream, pain was her world, she knew how to turn off from it, later in her cell she would hang limply for an hour or two, then start to flex a few muscles, keeping away the crap that came unbidden…

Matthew arrived at a small house and tapped lightly on the door, the front door open slightly to reveal a man, that was so like Matthew, the only difference was the fact that the man opening the door had grey all over his head, instead of the consistent brown, also the mans name was Olaer not Matthew.
“Matthew?” question Olaer
“The one and only, dad” Matthew grinned his boyish grin as his father widened the door and hugged him.
“Come in, come in” said Olaer leading Matthew into the small house, and down a small corridor, to a large room where two men sat, Rick and Baor, they both looked up as Matthew entered, and both grinned.
“Well boyo, tis been awhile since we seen you!” said Baor his odd accent filled with affection.
“Aye, where in the devil have you been? And what are you wearing!” Rick stood up examining Matthew.
“Well, I have been serving Lord Crac, as for what I am wearing, it is uniform” both Rick and Baor started laughing, while Olaer, looked his son up and down.
“Well I’ll get you a drink Matthew” said Baor gracefully getting to his feet, while Rick, still laughing continued to study Matthew.

An hour latter (after Rick, Baor and Olaer stopped fussing over Matthew), they were sitting at the table, exchanging stories, drinking ale.
“Oh, I forgot, dad I have a message for you” said Matthew sitting up suddenly surprised that he had forgotten the reason he had come here.
“Well, either speak it or give me it” laughed Olaer
“Well, it is an odd message…I neither speak it nor hand it over on a bit of paper…here look at my hands” laughed Matthew and repeated the hand movements that Taylor had shown him.
As soon as he had finished Olaer, Baor and Rick, were no longer laughing, in fact Rick had tears in his eyes, Baor was staring blankly at a wall, and Olaer had his head in his hands, so Matthew couldn’t tell what his reaction was.
“Why do you all look so…sad?” whispered Matthew
“Who gave you that message Matthew?” Rick questioned rubbing his eyes
“A girl that I am meant to guard, I must admit, I hate it already…Everyday for five hours she goes into this chamber with a man, she gets hung by her hands, and he tortures her, apparently they are trying to get her to scream, or cry. I don’t really know much about her, she has dark hair, but when I saw her it was so dirty you couldn’t really tell the colour, her body had scar after scar, and bruises everywhere…the only part of her that I could tell you about for certain, was her eyes, they were a brilliant blue, but so cold,” by the time Matthew finished all three men, were close to tears.
“Ghost, our little ghost” whispered Rick
“She is alive…all this time…” said Baor
“Well lads, what do you say? I think we should go pay our little ghost a visit, and bring her home” Olaer stood up looking at Matthew
“What did those movements of my hands, say?” Matthew said beyond confused at the men’s reaction.
“It is none of your business Matthew, just stay out of it” growled Rick standing up
“None of my business, what do you mean none of my business?” Matthew replied
“Stay out of it boy, stay here we will be back in a few days” Olaer looked different, so Matthew stayed seated as the three men went outside on soundless feet
“Father, what are you?” whispered Matthew
“I am a thief by profession” laughed Olaer disappearing into the night

Olaer, caught up with Rick and Baor easily…
“We should tell the lord of the thieves” he said gripping Baor and Rick’s shoulders
“What would he care?” Rick said attempting to get his shoulder away from Olaer’s strong grip.
“We should tell the lord of the thieves” Olaer repeated, Baor silently nodded, and after a moment of glaring at the two, Rick nodded.

Taylor looked at her cell door suddenly her senses alert, she had an odd feeling, she closed her eyes listening, but she heard nothing but the normal sounds, yet there was something out of place…
She listened for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the feeling to repeat itself, then she realized what she listened for, the absence of certain noises…first, the guard who was meant to be walking up and down the corridor, his shuffling step came to an abrupt halt…
The confident laughing of men, who played a game of cards, was ended…
The slight snoring of a guard near by stopped…
Then suddenly she heard the scraping of thieving tools as someone opened her cell door…
The door creaked open, revealing a man, he had green eyes, dark hair, tanned skin, and was totally adorned in black, he looked up into Taylor’s eyes, then walked over…
Taylor would have smiled if she could, the way he walked, the familiar grace of a thief, the way in which he studied her, the way only a thief would ever look…
“You are Taylor?” he whispered “The one who Craig raised?”
*Taylor is the name my parents gave me, but I am a ghost of what I was before I came here* Taylor moved her hands in the complex movements that made up the secret language of the thieves. The man nodded silently, and drawing little picklocks, started to undo the locks that held her feet, then her hands, when he undid the last chain Taylor fell, into his arms shaking
“What is the matter?” His surprised voice said
“I haven’t been able to stand or walk for almost the whole time I have been here” she whispered Taylor looking up into the mans eyes. He swore silently picking her up then he cursed again.
“You aren’t wearing anything” he hissed, suddenly noticing the bruises that he had thought of as clothes, Taylor smiled and griping him tightly as he walked swiftly through the corridors, Taylor looked with grim satisfaction as she saw all the guards with there throats slit.
The man carried Taylor through a maze of corridors, and soon they reached the out-side world, a place that Taylor hadn’t seen for what seemed an eternity, Lucky for me it is night time she thought squinting up at the moon and sighing. The man who was her rescuer looked down at her.
“Who are you?” Taylor asked meeting his green eyes
“My name is William” he replied looking deep into her eyes “Olaer, Baor and Rick came to me and told me about how you were here, they were determined to get you out themselves, but as they are getting on in there years I came instead” Taylor looked up at the man, suddenly feeling the most safe that she had been in over a year, she sighed and fell into a deep, deep sleep.

Taylor moved slightly, and immediately woke…
At first she thought that she had fainted while being tortured, it certainly felt like it…
But she was wrapped in blankets, and was dressed in a night-shirt…
Biting her lip she slowly pulled back the blankets, trying not to strain her skin…
Slowly…don’t rush now, come on… she thought slowly getting the blankets off her, and then she removed the nightshirt.
By the time she finished she felt as if she had been tortured…
Pain…
It was her world…
Taylor’s world…
Shaking her head she examined the bruises that littered her body (someone had cleaned the dirt from her)…
How did I get like this? She thought slowly swinging herself around on her bed, and planting her shaking feet on the ground, she closed her eyes looking down breathing heavily.
She examined the room which she was in; it was a fairly large room (about the size of the dining room at Craig’s old tavern) with soft carpet, one window which was blocked by plane white curtains, it had a large table near her bed, the bed she sat in could have easily have fitted five people in comfortably and at the end of the room was a single door…then door opened, suddenly and abruptly, revealing William (the man who had saved her), and three other men…Rick…Baor…and Olaer, the three men looked at Taylor then ran over and hugged her.
Any other person would have screamed at the pain, Taylor on the other hand stiffened and bit her lip, the old Taylor would have shouted out for them to let her go or she would give them a nice bruise in the groin…
“You three! Can’t you see she’s in pain! Move back before I show you how much!” William shouted, the three men not understanding let Taylor go, as soon as they did Taylor fell down on the bed and curled up into as little ball as possible without hurting herself, and moved away from the three men, she did it unconsciously, move away from the source of pain.
“Taylor?” Baor whispered looking, for the first time at the condition of her body
“What did that mother-fucking son of whores do to you?!?” exclaimed Rick tears in his eyes
“I… we didn’t mean to hurt you Taylor” Olaer whispered looking at his hands
“My name is Taylor, they took me away and created another called Ghost” Taylor whispered shaking “they took Craig and killed him because no matter what they did, they couldn’t get me to scream”
“Ghost? But that is you thief name Taylor” Baor said
*That is the only thing they could not take away, they made me more so Ghost than anything else, Taylor is another person* Taylor gestured with a hand
“You four away you go! This girl needs to heal” said an old man hobbling into the room.
“But, he is the lord of the thieves!” exclaimed Rick pointing at William
“I don’t care who in the devil you are just get out!” said the old man pointing a hand at the door.
“Come on” said Baor walking out, leading Rick and Olaer.
“Don’t go William” whispered Taylor afraid of the old man.
Seeing this William nodded, closing the door and walking over to her, and sitting on the edge of the bed, the grumbling old man started to walk around the room grabbing many herbs and started to mix them into a bowl, from the bowl they went into water, the old man walked over to Taylor offering the cup.
“No” Taylor shuddered looking away from the cup
“It is to help kill the pain” whispered William, taking the cup from the old man and offering it to her
“I would rather live with it” she whispered looking away from him
“My girl, what did they feed you that you are afraid to take a simple healing drought from a healer?” the old man said softly
“Th-they use to pump drugs into me Kelayuras the pain enhancer and Trinatias to cloud my mind, to make me afraid…both drugs worked to the full” Taylor shuddered remembering.
“From my hand, it is safe” William said offering it again to Taylor, Taylor hesitated a moment before trusting the leader of the thieves, she took the cup and drunk all it contents, then feeling herself relax fell into a deep sleep.

William looked at the sleeping, naked, and bruised girl wondering what she had once been like, wondering what torturing her had taken away.
“She is in more pain than you can imagine” William turned to see the old healer.
“What do you mean?” question William.
“You see the bruises?” replied the old healer.
“Yes…”
“Well the torturer has done his or her work well, every time she moves, breaths, twitches even, a spasm of pain will engulf her, plus the drugs that they were feeding her that pain would be immense. A small cut would be like your hand being cut off. If this girl hasn’t screamed once in a year of this treatment, then she is beyond strong.” The healer shook his head in wonder.
“How could anyone be so cruel?” whispered William stroking the hair out of Taylor’s closed eyes “she must have been so beautiful…”
“She was, I use to go to Craig’s tavern every now and then, she was a good lass…she would walk around and draw every eye, but none dared touch her or she would send you flying, I remember she always had a wonderful smile, her eyes were forever bright and smiling…” the old healer sighed, drawing a small container out of his pocket, opening it he gave it to William “Apply this and those bruises will heal much faster” William nodded and the healer left the room silently.

Taylor opened her eyes, she had an odd paste all over her body, she sniffed a bit…
It smelt like lavender…
Satisfied she went back to sleep not bothering to look over at the man who watched her…William

Days went by Taylor didn’t know how many, for her life was made up of few thing – sleep, eat, sleep, breathe, sleep. Always William watched her, never leaving.
She was awake but she didn’t want to open her eyes, she felt William’s eyes upon her, she heard footsteps and knew that someone was coming to get him, so she listened…
“My lord, it is time you left the lady, for three weeks you have watched her, for three weeks we have put aside many things, others have been in your place teaching students the acts of thieving, but no more” a mans voice, unknown to Taylor
“She asked me not to leave” whispered William
“But my lord, you must attend to your post” replied the man
“Why do you call me my lord, Roger?”
“Because since you rescued her that’s the only way to get your attention” Roger snapped back but Taylor had, had enough she turned her head and opened her eyes, looking straight into the brown eyes of Roger, he took a step back in what Taylor assumed was shook, she looked away from him and met the cool eyes of William.
“The Lord of the thieves, should regard all the thieves, not a useless thief who can’t even stand, go, attend your people, I will be fine” she said silently, William nodded getting out of the chair he had been sitting, he looked at Taylor, who smiled a weak smile.
“Don’t leave, Taylor” he said, exiting leading a shaking Roger, Taylor closed her eyes, until she was sure that they were gone, then smiling slightly she fell asleep.

Taylor’s eyes snapped open, she was breathing heavily, she couldn’t fully remember the dream, only the pain. She shook her head and closed her eyes…night…she thought and looked down at her bruised body. Though the healer had applied many pastes she still felt pain when she moved even slightly, the torturer had done there job well, all twelve of them.
She shook her head and slowly swung herself off the bed; it was time to train her muscles, she had to get outside but before that she had to be able to run, and before she could run, she had to be able to walk.
First she just sat there, on the edge of her bed swinging her legs, back and forth, back and forth…Breath, do as you did as a baby, get full control then walk…There may be no Craig to catch you when you fall, but you can still do this…Taylor eased herself off the bed her legs shaking…Use your arms, steady, come one you can do this! For god sake you could do this at three…She held herself up, slowly applying her weight onto her shaking legs, she gasped as she put to much weight onto a particularly painful bruise on the heel of her left foot…still she had to do this.
Determined, she slowly lifted her hands off the bed, putting all of her weight onto her shaking legs, breathing heavily she slowly lifted one leg…and fell to the ground. She shook her head, biting her lip as if doing that would keep the rest of the pain in her body away.
She used the bed, to pull herself back onto her feet, biting her lip harder she tried once again to take one step…
…and failed again.
She repeated and repeated the process, till her lip was bleeding, and she had added quite a few new bruises to her collection, yet still she couldn’t take that first step.
Easing herself back on to her bed she closed her eyes, and tried to wipe the blood away from her lip without success.
“If you don’t mind could you spare a cloth?” she said sarcastically, she waited a while before a guilty cough came from beside her bed.
“Ma’am” said a man offering a slightly wet cloth
“Thank you” she said taking the cloth and wiping her bleeding lip, wishing she could get rid of the metallic taste in her mouth.
“Ma’am, if you don’t mind me asking, but how did you know I was watching?” Taylor looked at the man, and stopped dabbing at her lip.

 

 

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