Enigma II. Fighting the Man - 26. Chapter 26 - Ariel

I don’t usually see anything when I am dancing. I pick out one face in the crowd and I dance to them, blocking out everything else. This time it is as if my eyes and my mind are drawn across the room and I see Ariel. A man has his wrist firmly in his hand and he is dragging him towards the client’s stairs. Ariel’s face looks frightened. I look around frantically and I see Tony. He is standing watching with a strange closed look on his face. I have never seen him so cold.

For the first time ever, when I am performing, I miss a step. I recover quickly and I am sure no one notices but still... I have never rushed a dance so much in all my life. It seems as if time slows and drags intolerably. I am obliged to dance out the dance but there is no fire in it, no passion. My mind is elsewhere.

Of course this audience doesn’t notice and I get another standing ovation. This time it doesn’t scare me, it doesn’t bother me at all, because as soon as the dance ends I am running. I have the impression of startled faces around me and I am followed to the stairs.

I take them two at a time and pause on the landing. I have no idea which room he is in. I don’t want to burst in on anyone else by mistake. I don’t know if anyone else is working tonight.

And then I hear the scream. There are quite often moans and cries in this corridor. The rooms are partially soundproofed but only partially. This scream though...this scream is very different. I find the room easily now and I try the handle. Of course it is locked. I put my shoulder to the door with little effect. It’s pointless.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I whirl ready for a fight. This is the first time I notice, with surprise, that they are all here, even Lewis.

“What’s going on?”

“Ariel,” is all that will come from my constricted throat. The screams have turned to sobs and they are barely audible. All the faces around me turn hard. Alex gently moves me aside and then throws his massive bulk at the door. It doesn’t stand a chance

Splinters flying, the door bursts open and I am the first into the room. Everyone freezes. Ariel is naked, and face down on the bed, mounted by a giant of a man. Even from here I can see the bruises, the livid marks on the pale skin. The man is pressing Ariel’s face into the pillow muffling the cries, which are now pathetic whimpers.

I don’t think. I don’t pause. Those whimpers are the last straw. I launch myself across the room. I take the man by surprise and he falls over backwards with a cry of rage and pain. He is much bigger than me, but I have surprise and blind rage on my side.

He recovers quickly though, after I have got in a few good punches. Heaving he throws me off him and I fall backwards. My head slams into the floor and I see stars, recovering only to find that the massive hand is around my throat, pinning me to the ground and choking the life out of me. I have barely registered it before the pressure is gone.

Instantly I sit up, ignoring the stabbing pain in my head and sudden wave of dizziness from the blow to the head. I am on my feet in the same moment and as soon as my feet touch the floor I am flying to the bed where Ariel is lying still, unmoving.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Alex manhandling the naked man from the room and Tony, his face like thunder in the doorway. But I don’t care. I don’t care about anything or anyone but Ariel.

When I touch him he jerks away from me and lets out a terrified cry.

“Ariel. It’s me, Silver. Please... it’s just me.”

Ariel turns his head and when he lays eyes on me he throws himself into my arms and clings to me. I cradle him gently as he sobs.

“Matthew. Matthew he hurt me. He hurt me and he wouldn’t stop. He hit me and he really hurt me. I tried to get away but he was too strong. He hit me and tore my clothes and then... and then... I’m sorry. I’m so sorry but I... but I... He scared me Matthew and I thought I was going to die.”

“Not while I’m here. No one is going to hurt you when I’m here, not any more. It’s alright. It’s going to be alright.”

Now that the adrenaline is leaving me, I feel exhausted and my head is full of pain. But there is something... I feel something I can't remember ever having felt before. I saved him. I acted. I was brave. I took on a man twice my size... and okay I would have been beaten to a pulp if Alex had not been there...but still... I stood up to him... for Ariel. I fought for something I believed in, for Ariel, and it feels great.

Ariel’s body is fragile and birdlike, even more so than usual as he is trembling violently. Over his head my eyes meet Tony’s and I am shocked again by how cold they are. My stomach churns. I know the score. I laid hands on a client and that will reflect badly on him. Some things never change and reputation is one of them. This time though, I don’t care, I don’t care at all. I watched one person I care for die because of reputation and there is no way I am ever going to do that again. Asher was right. This is different. Being free means more than not having chains on my ankles; much, much more and I am beginning to get the message.

Gradually Ariel begins to calm down and he lifts a tear stained face to mine, his eyes wide. He really is very beautiful but he looks like a child. I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt him. A wave of fierce protectiveness sweeps over me, that has absolutely nothing to do with sexual attraction. At the moment, looking at his tiny frame and childlike face, the thought of sex with him repulses me.

No, this is different. It is just as strong but very different. Gently I release the long sodden strands that criss cross his face and wipe away the snot and tears with a corner of the sheet. He smiles a shaky smile and lifts his hand to touch my face as if to make sure that it’s real.

“Are you alright?”

He nods and says weakly. “I am now. You saved me.” It makes me smile and the awe in his voice and the wonder in his eyes.

“Are you hurt?”

He swallows and nods. “He hit me and... and when... when he... He was too big and he wouldn’t ... he didn’t...”

“Ssh. It’s alright. Can I see?”

For a moment his eyes widen and then shakily he nods. I glare at everyone and they all shuffle out, all except Tony who closes the door and then stands in front of it with his arms crossed. He returns my glare coldly.

Very gently I lie Ariel down on the bed and run my hands over his body. He is tender and sore but there doesn’t seem to be any serious damage. He is going to have some terrible bruises and the split lip is going to hurt like a bitch but nothing too serious.

“Can you roll on your side? I need to check if you are torn.” Again those wide blue eyes stare at me, brimming with tears and terror. “You know I have to Ariel. I won’t hurt you. Do you trust me?”

Grabbing my hand he holds on tight, staring into my eyes

“You need to let go Ariel, just for a minute.”

Slowly the cold pale hand relaxes and slips away from my fingers. I help him to turn over. There is a little blood on the sheets, but not much. I bend his leg forwards and he whimpers. It is more with fear than pain and I wait for a moment with my hand resting on his hip, stroking him with my thumb until he relaxes again.

Carefully I part his buttocks and he winces and clenches. I wait until he relaxes again and open wider. His hole is puffy and looks sore. There is a little blood coming from a small tear in the anal ring. There doesn’t seem to be anything coming from deeper inside and for all the soreness Ariel does not seem to be in any real pain. The bleeding has already stopped so I really don’t think there is anything to worry about.

“It’s okay Ariel. It’s not bad. It’s gonna hurt like hell for a while but it’s not bad. You need to get some antiseptic cream on there as soon as possible to stop infection but it won’t kill you, little one.”

He turns over again and smiles at me then he seems to notice Tony for the first time and he looks scared again.

“I... I’m sorry.” He stammers. “I didn’t... I didn’t mean... Please... I’m sorry.” The look on Tony’s face changes. It softens.

“Ariel, I would never have wished this on you. You should know that. It isn’t you I’m angry with. This was a huge mistake and don’t worry... someone is going to pay for it. You know I’ll take care of you. I always have and I always will.” He smiles a gentle smile and Ariel relaxes. “You should rest Ariel. Perhaps it would be best if you stayed here for a while, at least for tonight. It’s going to be rowdy in the dormitory.”

“Will you stay with me Matthew?”

“Of course I will.” I don’t even have to think about it. He looks so pale and fragile and young. I want to take him in my arms and hold on to him, to protect him from everyone and everything. I know I can't, not really but for tonight... I will.

“Matthew needs to get himself sorted first. It isn’t going to be pleasant for him to sleep in those trousers. Besides it’s cold tonight and the blankets on this bed aren’t enough to keep you warm. Rest now and Matthew will be back in a little while. I’ll get him to bring you some hot chocolate with brandy and I’ll find the arnica and the antiseptic cream. We won’t be long.”

Ariel looks doubtful and he holds on to my hand until, with a sigh and a look that speaks volumes, he lets go and turns away. I pull the blankets free and tuck them around him, gathering up the scattered clothes as I follow Tony from the room.

As soon as the door closes Tony turns to me with blazing eyes. It is all I can do not to shrink away. He is angry with me. My Master is angry with me. Conditioned response fire and I almost fall to my knees... almost.

“What the hell did you think you were doing? You assaulted a client. I have a reputation to uphold. Can you imagine the damage it would do to the club if word of this got out?”

“But he... he hurt Ariel.”

“I appreciate that... and regret it. But there were other ways of dealing with it. You could have come to me.”

I stare into his angry eyes and again the tug is to fall to my knees and bow my head, begging for his forgiveness. But something is holding me back, something is sweeping aside the conditioning and replacing it with... with... anger.

I think about Ariel’s frightened face, the anguished screams, the sobbing. And somehow they merge into other screams and it is David’s face I see in front of me. I watch again as they beat him, torture him, kill him. My own screams echo in my ears and almost as if I have no control over my own body my head lifts, my shoulders square and I take a step towards him.

I have no idea what he sees in my eyes but he takes a step back. I don’t touch him but it came close. I am so angry now that the urge to cower has been replaced in a flash by the urge to attack. It takes me by surprise but conditioning can sometimes come in handy and it is only that which stops me from hitting him, or at least pinning him against the wall.

“Come to you? Why would I have even thought of coming to you? You say that you care, that you keep us safe but do you? Do you really?”

“What the hell are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that I saw you. I saw you watching when that man was dragging Ariel up the stairs. You knew as well as I do that Ariel was scared. He didn’t want to go but you did nothing. You were the one who made the agreement and you knew.”

Tony looks uncomfortable. I don’t care. I just keep seeing the faces flashing in front of me. Ariel, David, Ariel, David. I lost him, I lost David. There was nothing I could have done. I can see that now. I was trapped and helpless but I will never be helpless like that again. I am not helpless now and I am damned if I am going to lose Ariel too.

“You have to understand... he needed a lesson. He was getting to cocky, too sure of himself. He turned down perfectly acceptable work because he didn’t think the clients were good enough for him. He needed to be taught his place.”

“And what place would that be?” My voice shocks even me. I have never heard it sound so flat and cold. When did I get to be like this? When did I get to be brave?

“Matthew... you are intruding in areas that are of no concern to you. You are a fantastic dancer, probably the best I have ever seen. And your other... talents... make you unique. You can really make something of yourself here. It’s as safe as any such establishment can be and whether you want to believe it or not, I do care for my boys and do everything I can to keep them safe. But there are times when we all have to make hard decisions and I can't put up with having my authority challenged, not by anyone. If you don’t like the rules, if you don’t like that way things are run... then there are no chains around your ankles... you are free to leave.”

For a moment his words were like a blow to the stomach. Was he asking me to leave? But no, something whispers in the back of my mind; I am too valuable, more valuable than his reputation with people like that scum who assaulted Ariel. He won’t ask me to leave, not over this.

“Safe? You call this keeping us safe? You deliberately sold Ariel to someone you knew was going to hurt him, just to teach him a lesson. Is that what we can all expect? If we ‘overstep the mark’, if we challenge your precious authority... is this what lies in store for all of us? And how long before one of us gets killed?” By the look on Tony’s face, I see that I have hit on something and it makes me feel sick. “It’s happened hasn’t it? Something like this has happened before only that time no one stopped it. How could you?”

The anger that has been blazing inside me turns cold. I am shaking but it is not through fear. The only thing I fear is that this will happen again... to Ariel or one of the others. What if it happened to Asher?

“Who the fuck do you think you are? You are not God that you hold the power of life and death in your hands. Who will be next? Me?”

Oh god, oh god... how can I be doing this? He is my Master and I am standing here disrespecting him more that I have ever disrespected anyone... ever. He is... he is... He is just a man. There are no chains on my ankles, not any more. I am free. I am free to be... angry.

“In this house I do have the power and it is not for anyone, especially someone new, to challenge me. This club, or at least the part of it that you work in, would not exist if it were not for clients, just like the one you attacked. You’re right, I did know that he was going to be rough with Ariel. Ariel needed it to remind him of his role, his place... but I didn’t know he was going to hurt him... not like that.”

“He didn’t hurt him... he raped him. What are you going to do about that? Are you going to call the police?” I smile at the look on his face. “I didn’t think so. So tell me, Master, if I had come to you. If, when I heard my friend scream I had come to you and asked for your help... what exactly would you have done?” Oh hell, oh hell what have I done, what am I doing? I said ‘Master’ as if it were a swear word. How could I? How can I…? What will he do? What will happen to me now? Again, I almost fall to my knees; almost; almost.

Tony stares at me and the anger fades from his face to be replaced by something close to pain.

“That’s what I thought. And when that man had killed Ariel... what you have done then? Wrapped his body in a blanket and took him for a ride in your car? Thrown him off a cliff? What would you have done Tony... you would have done nothing.”

“Be careful Matthew. Be very careful. You are valuable to me, very valuable. But that doesn’t mean that there are no boundaries, no lines across which it dangerous to step. Ariel isn’t the only one who’s expected to please the clients I choose for them.”

I almost gasp aloud. Is he threatening me? Is he telling me that if I don’t back off he will make sure that what happened to Ariel will happen to me. For an instant I panic. I am back again with my Master, being beaten for disobedience. I am lying with fat old men who paw my body and scar my soul. I am a child in a cage being violated over and over with bodies, objects and instruments... sexual, physical and sometimes both. The fear is all consuming. I can’t do that again. I can’t go through that again.

But the fear passes as quickly as it came. In its place is an anger so white hot that it is cold. I WILL not go back there. I will never live in fear again, never.

“Thank you.” I say quietly. “Thank you for making it so clear for me. I thought I would be safe here. I thought that I would find a home, somewhere I truly belonged. A friend warned me that it was not what I had thought it to be and he was right. Even my Master would never have done to me what you have done to Ariel. If I had disobeyed or overstepped the mark he would have beaten me but he would not have done it while pretending it was for my own good.

“You seek to be a friend, a benevolent father but one who embraces you with one hand, while holding a smoking gun in the other. You are not honest. I will not bow to a dishonest man. There are no chains on my ankles... they can walk away from you.”

“And if they do, mine will walk with you.”

We both look up, startled. Neither of us had noticed the door open and close. Asher is leaning again the wall watching us with his cold, impassive eyes. But I can see beyond that now. I can see the fire that burns behind the amber making it flicker with the light of many flames.

Tony gasps. “Asher... don’t...”

“Don’t get involved? But I am involved this time Tony. The man who stands beside you is a friend: a friend to me, to Ariel and, if you will only bend that stiff neck for a while, to you too. He is like me... but better than me. You put me back together again, as best you could, but Silver was never broken, not like that. He is a better man than I am and a far better one than you. If he chooses to leave then I will kiss him and let him go. But if you force him out, then I will be at his side and I will never look back.”

Tony’s mouth is gaping open and I have to admit so is mine. “S... Silver?” He gasps.

“Do you think that anyone who has been through what he has would give someone like you his true name, the name he worked for, the name he earned from men who would have you grovelling on your knees? He has been through hell and back Tony... on the same trip as me... only he came back whole. If your promises to me mean anything at all to you, then you will treat him better than your own son and you will never threaten him like that again.”

Tony stares at him for a long moment, and then he turns to me and nods once then turns again and disappears. I raise my eyes to Asher and we stare at each other. We say nothing. There is nothing to say.