Rose nodded and hugged herself.

“I thought they would have,“ she said quietly.

“The things the men from the red mountains taught them were evil."

“Just now," I said glancing at our covered door, "I was fearful they would hurt me again, because they could."

Rose straightened in her chair and her mouth took on a firm line.

“They won't hurt us. They wouldn't dare, but we don't go back," she said stoically, “until we don't fear them. They like seeing us and enjoy talking to us. Our presence in that bathing hall is a choice everyday. Let them see how they Like it when we do what we want, without thinking about what they want."

It took three days for us to walk into the bathing hall in the morning. I spent all three days getting angrier and angrier at Damien and his Brothers. When Rose and I finally returned one morning the men were in the water bathing quietly. Rose and I stripped and stepped into the water and cleaned our own bodies carefully.

“Hannah and Kennedy talk to us," Damien said standing several paces away from me.

“They tell us that you have made friends and that the men respect you both."

“They do," I answered quietly as I rubbed the cloth over my own shoulders.

“The men here have never beaten me or raped me."

The men were silent and I heard Basin and Stayne's family moving away. Even Rose offered some privacy, by stepping away.

“We have apologized," Damien said softly, “for our prior actions." Fire boiled in my veins and I felt the anger I had long denied.

"You beat me between my Legs," I told them in a low voice. "You gave me such pain I had nightmares about it. I trusted you with everything and you treated me Like that. I couldn't even be angry at you! Where would I have gone and what would I have done if you abandoned me?!"

My voice was ringing in the cave now and I saw the shock on the faces of the men.

“After you did that horrible thing to me I had to smile and accept your cocks there as if nothing had happened! It was obvious I could not fight you and you made our relationship clear. I was never anything but a slave to you!"

The room was still for a moment before Damien spoke, but I didn't wait.

I stormed out of the water with Rose hot on my heels.

“We felt fear, Sister," Damien pleaded to my retreating back.. "We acted out of terror that the women would take you. None of us wanted to do that, but we knew you had to learn."

“THEY DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE!" I screamed at him standing on the steps and facing them.

“THEY NEVER SAID A WORD TO ANY OF US ABOUT IT! YOU BEAT ME BECAUSE YOU COULD!"

Christof spoke softly and quickly as I grabbed my clothes off the line.