[Alicia Elsdragon]

The room that she was in had two windows, but judging by the fact that she could see another whitewashed wall through them, they were internal only. Doors. there was one at either end of the long rectangular room that Rae'vyn found herself in.

The woman looked at her as she suggested tea with an incredulous expression. Then she bit her own tongue and tasted the sweet copper of her own blood. Inside her, as she felt the blossoming pain trickle along her tongue, her baby moved gently, stirring in the midst of a dream.

The baby stirred, the blood flowed, and no one came. Rae'vyn lay, her breathing slow and shallow, but no one came. Since Rae'vyn did not have any skill in breath control, she did not have the ability to stay in this state for long, and so when, some candlemarks later finally someone *did* come in she was not able to still be breathing so shallowly any more.

The man who came in was new. Someone she had never seen, she knew that much. But he did not speak or look at her. He moved to the woman who had spoken to her, his hand falling to her swollen belly. She looked at him, fear in her eyes. He stroked her naked belly, then he smiled gently and cruelly grabbed her thigh, digging his nails into her until blood flowed from under his hand.

Judging by the look on the woman's face, she could feel it. Which was odd. But she did not scream and the man, a short and weasle-faced human with a shock of bright red hair smiled Good. Well done, whore. You are learning well, aren't you? Now... we have some more lessons to learn you and I. Say goodbye, whore He grabbed her by the hair and with her hair coming out in tufts, he yanked her off the bed, and pulled her from the room. She cried out as he did so and he laughed, dragging her paralysed and helpless body behind him.

Leaving just the four of them.

And another candlemark passed, the other women not speaking, not moving. As Rae'vyn started to think that maybe she could, say.. wiggle her big toe... the man returned. His hands were covered in blood to the elbows, but he carried with him a tray with syringes on it.

He injected the other three first, then got to Rae'vyn. No matter what state she appeared to be in, he spoke quietly, whispering to her as though he were her lover, so gentle and soft was his voice

If you fight, I'll cut you open. You know that, my pretty love, don't you? he said, and he moved to inject her in the leg.