Boraxis looked past me to Acheron. "Acheron? Who hurt you?"
"The sailors, and when they were done with me, they sold me to noblemen they brought below the decks."
Boraxis returned his gaze to mine. "You are a noblewoman and I your servant. No one will care what we think any more than they will care what was done to a slave."
Then an awful fear went through me. "Did you know they'd do this to him?"
"No, Highness. I assumed he'd be left alone with the other slaves. Had I any inkling they would have harmed him, I would have warned you."
I believed him.
Even so, I'd never been so angry in all my life. If we were in my father's kingdom . . .
But we weren't. Boraxis was right. Here, outside my father's realm, I had no voice.
Sick over the matter, I nodded. "Find us someplace where we can have his bands removed, Boraxis."
"You can't remove them," Acheron said in a panicked voice. "It is a death sentence to any tsoulus for anyone other than their idikos to remove their bands."
"You're not a slave and I will not have you marked as one!"
He shrank away from me.
Sighing, I looked back at Boraxis. "Acheron needs more food and someplace safe to rest and bathe. He could also use fresh clothes."
"I'll ask the driver for such a place, Highness."
I nodded at him. He left us and climbed back up. It was a few seconds later that we started forward again.
"No one is going to hurt you anymore, Acheron."
Tears gathered in his eyes before he pulled the cowl back up to shield his face from me.
"Speak to me, little brother. Tell me what thoughts you have."
"My will is your will, Idika."
"Stop calling me that! I am Ryssa. I'm not your owner."
And again he had no response to that.
Aggravated, I left him to himself while we traveled for the next hour until Boraxis found us a large hostel where I could rent Acheron a room so that he could bathe and rest.
A short time later, Boraxis brought a smith to the room.
I knocked on Acheron's door, then pushed it open to find him lying naked on his bed. I motioned Boraxis and the smith to stay in the hall while I entered.
"Acheron," I said softly, reaching to shake him awake.
I paused as I saw the myriad of scrapes and bruises that marred his perfect skin. There were places where entire handprints were still visible from his abuse. Gods, the horror he must have faced alone in the belly of the ship.
My stomach churned at the sight of my failure to protect him. How could I be so worthless? I pulled a blanket over him before I shook him very gently and promised myself that he wouldn't be hurt like this again.
He came awake as if terrified.
"All's well," I assured him.
He looked about as if not quite sure he should believe me.