Daughter of Ziva Ch. 04

A slow, measured nod.

"Is she close enough for her to hear me?"

"No."

She paused, looking at him. There was nothing apparent on his face in regards to her question, but something tugged in her stomach. He was lying.

She sucked in a deep breath and screamed, "YASIM!"

The big hand that slapped over her mouth was too late. "Shut your mouth girl-"

Sienna slapped a hand over Sergei's mouth, feeling a bit of satisfaction at the loud sound of the connection. In the few moments it took for him to pry her fingers away, the responding scream Sienna was waiting for didn't come. She heard nothing.

"Don't scream again," Sergei demanded, removing his hand from her mouth. He grabbed her chin and swivelled her face as if he were checking for marks. He seemed angry, but her temper was flaring high enough to be impervious to it. He didn't scare her like Rorik did.

"Why can't I hear her?"

He stayed close to her, glaring. "Because she isn't close enough to hear you."

She leaned forward, unaware she was getting in his face. "You're lying!"

"Don't scream again."

"Why'd you cover my mouth if she can't hear me?" Sienna demanded.

Sergei's jaw shifted, grinding his teeth together. "Listen to me, I might not be able to touch you, but if Yasim acts out it is my responsibility to restrain her. If she hears you and throws a fit, she could hurt herself."

"You mean you!" She was furious at the implied threat. "You would hurt her."

For some reason that shifted his mood away from his anger. "She almost broke her own arm trying to get away." Angry tears welled in Sienna's eyes, her frustration nearly overwhelming. How could this man not see what evil he was committing?

"From you!"

"Are you done?" He had turned his attention to her food.

"No!" They both knew she wasn't referring to the food. Sergei stared at her, seeming almost... confused. He was close enough to touch her, and while it made Sienna a little nervous, she wasn't scared. He stared at her until she finally snapped, "What?"

Saying nothing, Sergei nodded his head towards her lap. "Finish your food." He moved back to stand against the pole.

Sienna looked down at the stew she had been eating, wanting more than anything to throw it at him. She was hungry still though, so she dug the spoon into the bowl with exaggerated, angry movements. She was happy to see venison in there, not buffalo. They had looked for months for a herd of buffalo and found nothing. She would have been furious if they had found one within days of landing.

"Do you have a husband?"

Sienna glared at him. "Yes, and he's going to come and kill every single one of you." This time they both knew she was the liar.

"A father?"

"Why?" She demanded.

Sergei shrugged and said nothing. She threw down her empty bowl in front of his feet.

"Why do your women not give birth?" He looked away from the bowl. Sergei's face was blank, but she could see the wheels turning in his head.

Sienna was surprised when he answered. "We don't know."

Before she could list off all the reasons the Mother would see fit to take the option of children from these men, he snagged the bowl and left.

xxx

It took a moment for her to realize what woke her, the air heavy with humidity and darkness. The heart-stopping seconds where she thought Rorik could be back passed and made it easier for her ears to sharpen.

Whimpers and sniffles.

Please no.

Sienna groaned into her teeth as she rolled to her side, her abdomen muscles quivering with effort. It was a slow process, but she eventually got her feet and hands underneath her. She crawled at a snail's pace towards the entrance of the tent, thanking Sergei for leaving her rope longer than Rorik did. Her stupid leash stopped about a foot shorter than she needed to see out of the tent, so she begrudgingly lowered her aching body onto her side, stretching out as far as she could.

Her hands grasped the tent flap and she pulled it back.

Out near the fire 3 small bodies lay quivering, only one of them with their face visible.

Maria.

Tears welled in Sienna's eyes and her heart jumped into her throat. Living with about one hundred people her whole life left her no doubt who the other two with their backs to her was. Yana and Bridgette, Maria's daughters. They were 27 and 23, and had always been wild spirits. To see them shaking like they were broke Sienna's heart. She could barely think about why their father wasn't here too.

He's dead. The thought came unbidden. A gut-wrenching sadness tore through her and more tears gathered, now falling freely down her face.

She counted five men guarding them, and recognized Sergei handing out food and water. Bile rose in her throat. They would have been free to make their own food and get their own water if these fucking men hadn't come from across the world to ruin their lives.

Sergei was not there to stop her from calling out this time.

"Maria!"

The brunette's head shot up and squinted in her direction. Yana and Bridgette whipped around just as Sergei began to storm in her direction.

"Sienna!" Maria's face lit like a beam of sunshine. Maria had taught her how to make sandals out of bark and had snuck her roasted bits of game before dinner was ready. "Oh thank the Mother, Sienna!"

A man moved to hold her still as Yana and Bridgette shot up. Their hands were tied in front of them. Sergei was closing in as two men put their hands on the girls' shoulders, pushing them back down. "Run!" Sienna cried. "I'll get out-"

Sergei ripped into the tent as Sienna ducked and held her hands over the back of her head, protecting the spot Rorik had held her by. Sergei didn't grab her hair but instead slid his hands under her arms. It left her with little room to flail her arms, but still Sienna fought to get him off of her.

"I'll get us out!" She screamed, praying they understood she was there for them in whatever way she had to be. As Sergei dragged her back she kicked until her stomach demanded stillness, screaming as loud as she could. Hate and rage and a staggering anguish overcame her. "Don't touch them! Don't touch- I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!"

His hand clamped over her mouth as he set her down on the furs, much gentler than Rorik last had. She screamed into his hand as he leaned on her hip and grabbed her flying hands. She lashed out as much as her body would let her. Sergei's tight grip on her face made sure she couldn't bite him.

They were kidnapping and slaughtering her people.

Sienna saw herself aiming a bow at the back of Rorik's head and hitting his arm instead. That broke her screams into sobs muffled by Sergei's hand, but just barely. She had the shot and had made a shot like it thousands of times. She had missed, and now her people were being enslaved.

Sergei was quiet, and as soon as she wrenched herself away from him instead of at him he let go. She felt him standing behind her as she sobbed into her hand. She couldn't quiet herself enough to tell him to get out.

"I'm sorry," Sergei muttered.

At his words, she curled herself into a tight ball on her side, one arm wrapping around her knees and the other clasping behind her head. She wanted to rock herself, but this position hurt enough, so she settled for nuzzling her head into her cubby she had made with her body. She used her thigh to stifle her sobs, feeling instead of hearing when Sergei left.

The Gavali had found her people. Where were the rest? She hoped her people had killed the rest of the Gavali and the 5 men standing by the fire were all that was left.

Maria. Yana. Bridgette. Three lives that were full of happiness and arguments and daily tasks that kept them busy, and now those lives were over. Maria's husband wouldn't have let any of them be touched without giving his life first. Sienna knew he was dead. All because she had missed that shot.

Sienna promised herself that she would do everything within her power to free her people and stop the incarceration. Sienna would protect the women while she was here. She would draw attention and take punishments. She would be terrified and it would hurt, but any woman who ended up in the Gavali's hands was there because of her failure, and she would give every part of herself to make sure she rectified it.

xxx

The knot at her stake was intensely complicated and unlike anything she had ever seen. Whenever she pulled one part, it tightened in three others. The rope scratched underneath her fingernails, and in her frustration she ended up making a couple of her fingers bleed. Sienna didn't care. They were escaping while the men slept. And if they didn't sleep, she'd kill them.

Sergei walked in on her trying to kick the stake out of the ground as he delivered her breakfast.

He frowned, his eyes landing her hands. He took a big breath, like he was trying to calm himself like her Mama did when she was angry, and walked in. He put her breakfast beside her and left the tent.

Her heart thundered in her chest. She hadn't expected Sergei for another few hours, and Sienna had planned to be long gone by then. If none of the women were here when Rorik got back, he couldn't kill anyone, could he? Besides, if Yasim had the choice between Sienna and the rest of her people, they both knew she would choose her people and would expect Sienna to choose the same.

She gritted her teeth. That didn't mean she wanted to see the gruesome promise Rorik had sneered at her.

Fuck.

When Sergei swept back into the tent moments later Sienna was sitting still, her chin up and her hands fisted in her lap, her feet folded to the side. In his hands, he had some long white strips of cloth and a bottle of clear liquid. He grabbed the water bucket by the tent entrance. She watched his frowning face. Did he know of Rorik's threat? Had he been asked to fulfill his promise in Rorik's absence? Her gut was twisting and she was trying to fight off the shame she felt at trying to escape.

Sergei kneeled near the stake and finally looked into her eyes. He looked frustrated.

"I would like to clean your wounds."

The fact that he was still asking to touch her confused Sienna. She thought she was in trouble, especially after last night, and didn't think prisoners in bad standing got choices.

"Okay."

Sergei waved towards him. "Come here."

Slowly Sienna dragged herself towards him, the blanket over her legs impeding progress, but there was no way she was getting rid of it. She stopped in front of him and held her hands out.

He took them in his hands, inspecting methodically, laying out the items he brought on the fur bed beside her. She watched as he quietly picked the rope fibres out of her raw skin. Sienna had been expecting the infernal awareness Rorik's touch had given her, but there was nothing. Sure, his hands were warm, but that was it. Skin on skin and nothing else, just like every other experience she had with men.

A small part of her had honestly thought it was all Gavali men that had the ability to draw awareness and jolts of lightning from the skin of others, but feeling Sergei's very normal hands left her melancholy. Whatever Rorik did was different, and that was just as terrifying as his volatile ways.

"I am unsure of whether or not to let you go for your walk today." Sergei's voice brought her back to the moment. Sienna remained quiet, unsure of what to say. "These wounds will leave Voivode unhappy, and that anger won't just be directed at me." His brown eyes flicked up to hers, giving her a pointed look.

A sardonic smile twitched on Sienna's lips. "He's always angry at me."

Sergei shook his head. "This will hurt." Before Sienna could understand he was talking about the bottle in his hand, he poured a splash on her hand. The burn made her jump. As the burn faded, she began strategizing.

"I-I will tell Voivode I fell on our walk," Sienna said quietly. Sergei started to wrap her hand, which she thought was a little excessive for some raw skin, but the cool cloth felt good against the stinging wounds. "I will tell him I fell if you don't tell him what you saw me doing." She fought the urge to lower her head, years of ingrained honesty panging in her chest. She shook it off, feeling ridiculous. If she had to, Sienna would kill the man in front of her to save her people, and she was unsure about lying?

Sergei hadn't looked at her yet, appearing to chew on her words. "I will forgo giving Voivode the details of you trying to untie your bonds, but if he asks me specifics I will not lie." Sienna's breathe released, knowing that was the best she would get.

"Of course."

"And I will be telling him of your behaviour last night."

"Okay, yes, of course," she spit out. Yelling to get the attention of Maria and her daughters wasn't something that would end in slitting Yasim's throat.

"And you will not hurt yourself again."

"Intentionally, no."

Sergei nodded, finishing wrapping her hands. He looked at her. "And you will let me see your stomach." Her hopeful mood turned sour.

He must have seen it on her face. Sergei shifted. "May I be honest with you?" She nodded slowly, unsure where this was going.

"You may be appealing to look at, Sienna, but my wife is the most beautiful person on the planet." Sienna blinked.

Not what I was expecting.

"Thinking about touching you in any way other than medical leaves me soft." It took a moment for Sienna to understand what soft meant, and when she finally got it she looked away, her face flaming. She couldn't say she was offended, but she was definitely embarrassed. Common sense told her she had every right to be wary of these men wanting things she was not going to give, but that didn't stop her chagrin.

Without speaking, she arranged her blanket to wrap tightly around her hips. She didn't look at him as she wiggled to lift the sack she wore up to her rib cage. He didn't ask to touch her this time, but she didn't complain.

His fingers worked their way from her rib cage to hip, around the giant bruise that had formed on her abdomen. A couple times he asked if it hurt and she answered honestly, still working up the courage to look at him again. Again, she noticed the lack of any sensation other than skin on skin and discomfort when he pressed on a sore spot.

Sergei leaned back. "I appreciate your cooperation." Sienna looked at him, her cheeks still warm and nodded. "You do need to stretch though, it will help. Close your eyes and turn your head." She did, feeling small tugs and twists of the rope at her ankle.

He helped her stand and they began their walk silently. Maria, Yana, and Bridgette had been moved from the fire.

Sienna slipped a couple of glances towards Sergei while he guided her through the camp. Him having a wife that he clearly loved very much made it harder to think of him as disposable. Sienna wanted to believe she could get rid of him if needed, and knew she would have to if it was a clear choice between one of her people and Sergei, but the amount of guilt that would follow would be unsettling.

Sienna was torn between getting closer to him in hopes that he would help her escape and separating herself so killing him if it became necessary didn't get harder. Spite grew in her chest as they silently picked through the forest.

Three days ago Sienna had never thought that taking a life could be in her future. She might not have gotten along with everyone in her village all the time, but hurting people was not something she considered doing. Ever. Within the first ten minutes of her interactions with the Gavali, she had tried to kill two of them. These people desecrate any goodness put in front of them.

In those moments in her village, she had resigned herself to take a life or two because it would save her people. But with all these Gavali surrounding her, the ones with wives back home and laughs that annoyed her, the possible death toll was climbing much quicker than what she was comfortable with.

"When someone takes a life, they give away a piece of their soul they will never get back," Grandma had once said. Sienna remembered being little and being horrified that people actually considered destroying what the Mother created for no reason. In her young mind, there were a thousand ways to deal with a problem that didn't end with anyone hurt, forget dead.

After her time with the Gavali was done, and it would end one way or another, she wasn't sure she would be able to classify herself as good. If she could help it, Sienna would take the bad choices her people may be forced to make for herself. She would be the villain her people needed in order to escape. What she was sure of was that she would never, ever put anyone in a position to choose between their purity and their lives.

Tears gathered in her eyes, pushing away how much she wanted her old life, and her pure thoughts, back. Sienna wanted the thoughts of putting sand in someone's food bowl and hiding their tools to be the vengeance she sought.

A small, pitiful voice told her she could stay herself, continue to be kind and loving even underneath the Gavali warlord. But then who would save them? The Gavali had travelled too far to start letting them leave with anything but their lives. There was the chance that Yasim could save them, sure, but the thought of sitting and waiting for someone to cut her binds and kill their captors so she didn't have to made her physically ill. Looking in Yasim's eyes and seeing the darkness behind them, all because Sienna didn't have the courage to do what needed to be done, would destroy Sienna's sense of self in a way that no amount of killing could.

She pushed away from the flurry of excuses her brain taunted her with. How easy it would be to sit back and wait for someone else to risk their lives to save hers. How much she didn't want to become like the Gavali.

Sienna had missed the shot. She saw all the men she had spent the last six months hunting with, each of them lying dead in the middle of their village. She would never, ever forget Georgy staring at her as he bled out.

Rectifying this situation would mean nothing if her people ended up free but with souls as black at the night sea. If it came to it, a soul that was no longer connected to the Mother would be her atonement.

xxx

Sienna stared out of the tent flap, breathing the ocean air and watching the camp activity. It had been four days since the Maria and her daughters had been brought to camp, and since then more had been trickling in. Sergei had made sure when more of her people were coming to close the tent flap and tie her much closer to her stake. He had replaced the rope with a chain and shackle, putting thin strips of cloth inside the shackle to save her skin.

When Sergei had first walked into the tent with the shackle swinging in his hands, Sienna thought she was going to get the beating of her life. She had never seen a shackle on a chain, or anything crafted of metal besides the weapons the Gavali used. Sergei had sat with her and explained exactly what metal was and how they shaped it until she understood enough to get some colour back into her face. She hadn't remained still for him to attach the shackle, but the big bastard had managed anyways.

It made her crazy, not knowing who was captured and who was free. How were they? Were there any young ones? Was her Mama and Grandma in the camp, a shout away? Were they being held together? She hoped so. No one should be captive alone. She would know.

The amount of Gavali in the camp increased as they returned with her people. She heard the men outside speaking sometimes. Mostly it was words about the camp supplies and possible return timelines, but sometimes she heard things about her people.