I’d managed to prop myself up against the side of the wagon. The circulation in my hands and feet was waning from the tight rope.

We stopped once or twice along the way, but Dominick never opened the doors. That gave me a lot of time to mentally beat myself up for one, ever trusting a stranger, and two, being so eager to get out of the palace. I should have just told Errol or Freda. One of them could have arranged a trip for me to Amerenth. I’m sure the trip would have been more pleasant.

We stopped a third time since I’d been tied up, and I heard Dominick walking to the back of the wagon. His boots didn’t crunch like before, but clopped as if walking on cobblestone.

The doors swung open and in the middle of blinking, Dominick yanked me out of the wagon. I barely caught my footing as my feet landed on the dirty cobblestone street. His grubby hands worked to untie the cloth from around my mouth, and I spat out the one that had been inside my mouth.

“Where the hell are we?” I demanded as Dominick untied my wrists and ankles.

“Welcome to Scultera, princess. The grimiest, best city to be a prostitute.”

Before I could utter a response, Dominick grabbed me by my hair and angled my face up, so I was looking directly into his leering eyes.

“You’re not going to try and run away, okay? Or I’ll rip each strand of your hair out one at a time. And when we go in to meet Jamel, you’re not going to say anything about sitting in the back of a wagon tied to the side. He thinks I treat my ladies kindly, and I don’t want him thinking otherwise.”

“How-How else is he going to think a noble like me came here?” I managed to get out through my dry mouth. “Surely I’d never come here by choice.”

“Yeah, change of plans,” Dominick replied. “I’m not going to tell him you’re a noble, and you’re not either. Not if you value your life. Got it?”

I managed to move my head enough to mimic a nod. He let me go and I nearly fell forward. Rubbing the back of my head where the hair follicles were now sore, I said, “What if he recognizes me?”

“Then I’ll punch your face in and sell you to him again,” Dominick replied with a sneer. He opened the door with a creak, and then motioned for me to go inside ahead of him. “Ladies first.”

I wished I’d had the courage to turn around and bolt around the wagon and down the street. But I knew of Scultera; every bad thing imaginable happened in this city, and I did not want to be wandering around it with nothing. I held my head high as I walked inside, into a narrow hallway so dimly lit my eyes strained to readjust.

Dominick prodded me forward. The hallway grew slightly wider, then ended at another hallway. He directed me to the left and then into the first room on the right.

A burly, tan skinned man sat behind a large desk—one that didn’t seem as large next to him—running his finger down the page of a large green book.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Dominick cleared his throat, and the man looked up. “Jamel.”

“Dominick, I thought you brought me all your girls.”

“I got lucky with this one,” Dominick said.

I glared at him.

Jamel tapped his cheek as he looked at me. “She's got a familiar face. I don't know why… Oh well, the guys will like that. Put her on the floor, introduce her to Bonnie.” He returned his attention to his book.

“That’s it?” Dominick asked.

Jamel looked back up at him. “Is there more?”

“I brought you an extra girl than I usually do, and a pretty one at that. Look, her hair is like wine.”

Jamel took another look at me, then looked back at Dominick. “Thank you?”

“I’m talking about payment, Jamel.”

I did my best to keep off my face the satisfaction of Dominick not getting what he’d hoped for me.

“Of course I’ll pay you, Dom,” Jamel said, leaning back in his chair. “Let's see, our deal is two Telvs for every girl. I can get that for you—”

“Two?” Dominick cut in. “Jamel, look at her. Really look at her. What are the chances of anyone ever bringing you a girl who looks like this? She’s flawless, it’s as if the royal family raised her themselves.”

That’s because the royal family did nearly raise me.

I shifted my gaze behind Dominick to the open door. I could probably bolt out right now. But I’d still be in the same spot: alone with nothing in Scultera. However, the alternative was staying here, so right now, the streets were looking kind of good.

“We’ll work something out, Dom,” Jamel said impatiently. “Just take her to Bonnie. The girl is probably famished.”

Dominick’s face set in a scowl, but he put his hand on my shoulder with more pressure than I liked. “Fine. Let's go.” He directed me out the room and back into the hallway. We took a right, walking past the first hallway we’d come in through. At the end of this hallway, were two wooden swing doors, and I could hear a few drinks clinking beyond them. We turned left into a room.

Two women, both seemingly sort of close to my age, were in the middle of dressing. Their surprise to see us walk in only lasted a second.

“So glad you’re here, Dominick,” the one with bright red lips and voluminous blond hair said dryly. She looked at me. “You brought another girl? Thought Jamel would treat you to some extra money, did ya?”

“He will,” Dominick muttered. He shoved me forward toward her. “Give her something to eat and get her working for you.” He flashed me a glare, then left the room. Leaving me with my first two prostitutes.

The other girl had straight hair so dark it had to have been black, which would mean she was from up north in the mountains. Maybe she was even from Amerenth.

I suppressed that thought. Amerenth was a broken dream now, and prostitution was my reality.

The woman with blond hair swished her teeth as she looked at me. “You got a name sweetheart?”

She must not have recognized me then. I took a chance using my real name. “My name is Elody.”

The woman didn’t stop inspecting me, her eyes seemed to run over every curve and crevice of my body. “You’re a pretty one. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Some man will eat you right up. Literally.” She flashed me a smile revealing big white teeth. “My name’s Bonnie and that’s Aliza.”

The black-haired woman nodded. She’d finished dressing—well I guess she had, she only wore the bottom half of a dress and her bra, or some contraption like it—and squeezed past us to leave the room.

Bonnie on the other hand stood in front of me with only her underwear on. “I think there’s a dress around here that will fit you. But you’re a little smaller than most of the girls. Actually, Samantha might be your same size. Anyway, we’ll have to get some clothes made for you.” She walked over to the chair in the room and wiped off the seat with her hand. “Sit on down right here. I’ll get you some food.”

I did as I was told, huddling myself to sit on as little of the chair as possible.

Bonnie didn’t seem to notice. She shrugged on a tight dress and walked out of the room.

I looked around the room where worn scuzzy clothing had been thrown around, lying across the floor and on chairs. This was where wanting to see the world had taken me. I was seeing the world alright, a side of it I’d never experienced.