The Secret Weapon (13 page)

“Katarin Augustine,” she
answered shyly.

“Katarin, do you want to be here?” Coraset asked quickly as she brought out a
make-up pad. She turned it over to the clean side and cleaned more under her eyes.

“I do,”
Katarin answered.

“Okay, then you need to pull yourself together. You don’t want the kind of attention that crying brings.” Coraset stepped back to take a quick glance at Katarin’s luminescent face.

“I’m really trying,” she blubbered.

“Take in a deep breath,” Coraset softly
coaxed and reflected her action. “Now, exhale slowly.”

Katarin
nodded and did as she was told. She reminded Coraset of a little kid, almost like Rudy, helpless and needing guidance. She smiled at her brightly, making Katarin smile in return.

“There, you look perfect. You’re beautiful. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Katarin glanced down at her torn dress and nearly melted. Coraset saw the hole, and she shifted Katarin to the side. She tore the rest of the bottom off cleanly with a distinct ripping sound that captured nearly everyone’s attention again and threw the loose fabric behind her. Coraset turned the girl around to get a complete view of the dress. It was a bag on Katarin, but it was better than the hole in the side.

“Beautiful, brave, and you’ll be fine.”

She exhaled and repeated, “Beautiful and brave.”

Finally,
Sekai made it to Katarin, and she spoke to her in a soft voice. Katarin nodded in response, and she placed her hand on the black box. Coraset heard a soft frequency of beeps. Sekai nodded and went to the girl next to her in the next row.

That’s when Coraset noticed more than half of the women were gone. There were at the most a hundred women lined up
in the beginning, but now, the numbers were considerably less. She wondered where they went. No one moved from their original spots. So, it looked like women were just standing randomly in no specific order around the room.

Sekai
finally reached Coraset, and she held the box in front of her. She spoke softly making eye contact, “You are to place your finger on the scanner. It will bring up your medical history. If you’ve ever had a venereal disease or been diagnosed with any kind of medical problems in the past you will be asked to leave and join the others in the great hall.”

“And if I pass?” Coraset asked.

“You will get to personally meet the Chancellor. It does not guarantee you’ll be in his harem.”

Coraset placed her finger on the scanner, and the familiar sound of beeps began.
Sekai walked away when the scanner beeped green.

On her way back to the front of the room,
Sekai spoke in a raised tone, “Everyone, please, line up against the wall. The Chancellor will be here shortly to make his final selections. Ladies, I recommend all of you show utmost respect to Chancellor Erato. This may be your first and last chance to make an impression on him.”

All of the
women rushed for a spot. They all started adjusting their dresses and hair. A few took out mirrors from their purses to check hair and make-up. Perfume was being sprayed. Coraset and Katarin were the only ones who didn’t make a move at primping at all, and they were the last of the women standing at the far end of the room.

Coraset was absolutely bored with the charade and wondered why she was chosen by Xavier and Malie
in the first place. She figured she would fail before she could even get close enough to plant the lethal dosage.

Katarin leaned towards Coraset and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Coraset,” she answered with a soft smile.

“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me.”

She nodded and just as she was about speak, a mahogany door swung open from the far side of the room. Two Elite Guards entered wearing perfectly fitting wool uniforms with gold embroidered stripes on the shoulders and the end of their sleeves. Their utility belts were pulled tight with pistols holstered on each hip, batons, and handcuffs. They wore berets on their head with their crest set under the high peak of the hat. The Elite Guards were fit and tall, proud and alert. They took post at the door, and Chancellor Erato walked in. He wore a crisp black suit, and he sported a gold lined red ribbon across his chest. His black hair was combed back, glowing with health. The grey hair that Coraset remembered from the picture was gone. He looked younger. His smiled glowed when he saw all the women waiting for him against the wall.

The five women that tested the women stood in a straight line in the center of the room facing in the direction of the Chancellor.
Sekai stood in front with her hands clasped together in front. Chancellor Erato approached her first, and she lowered her head slightly in respect. He took her hand gently and held it in his as he spoke softly. Coraset was too far away to hear their conversation.

Sekai
led the Chancellor to the first woman on the other side of the room. Coraset was actually glad that he started on the other end. She wondered what he was going to say. Was he going to question her? If she had to lie, could she think of one on the spot? Coraset wanted to leave, but she had to remember she wasn’t doing it for Malie or Xavier or even for herself. It was for Brecco. She didn’t want him to get hurt.

As Chancellor Erato moved on, some of the
women remained and others had to leave. Some ran out of the room crying, and others stormed out of the room furiously. Coraset wondered why he let some of the women go. Was she going to be one of them?

Aisling
was approached by Chancellor Erato, who was on the other side of Katarin. She posed with confidence, making sure she was flashing a leg to him. He noticed immediately, taking in every bit of her, and he stepped forward. He whispered something in her ear, and she giggled. Coraset rolled her eyes. It was obvious she wasn’t going anywhere.

Chancellor Erato
finally moved on to Katarin, and she curtsied as far down as she could. She looked awkward in her torn dress and lanky body. He watched her with amusement as she came back up slowly. Katarin pulled her strap back onto her shoulder, still looking down.

Sekai
whispered to him, and he looked at the woman amazed. He stared at the girl, and he smirked. He nodded in approval, and he moved to Coraset. She lowered her head in respect, and she could feel his heat emulating towards her. His cologne smelled spicy with musky undertones.

Coraset spoke softly, “Chancellor, my condolences to you and your family. Your mother was a great leader to Erato.”

None of the women said a word about his mother or her death, and he liked the fact that Coraset gave her sympathies. He was impressed and curious. She knew exactly what to say to grab his attention.

“What is your name?” He asked
as he stepped closer.

“Coraset Prescott,” she answered as she peered heavily into his eyes.

There was a silence between them. Coraset didn’t know what to think, but Chancellor Erato was getting turned on. He wanted to kiss her, just to taste her lips one time, but he refrained. He gently touched her cheek with the back of his closed fingers. The Chancellor nodded at Sekai, approving of Coraset.

She
pulled a small square glass pad out of her jacket pocket and checked off Coraset’s name. Chancellor Erato went back to Aisling. He offered his arm to her, and her bright smile broke through her red lipstick as she took it excitedly. Chancellor Erato escorted her to another set of doors where the Elite Guards were ready to lead them into the great hall. Trumpets began to sound on cue, and a large set of doors swung open to an awaiting crowd that was applauding the Chancellor Erato.

Sekai
went back to her constituents in the middle of the room, and they began directing the women that were left in the room towards another door away from the great hall. Coraset and Katarin were among them, and they were taken down a corridor with tall thin windows, heavy red velvet curtains and golden trimmed tables in between them.

Fifteen
ladies were led outside behind the Doric temple, through a maze garden of red potentilla shrubs, white rock roses, and tall smoke bushes. Coraset loved the floral smell of the garden, and she stopped taking in the beautiful scenery, nearly forgetting where she was. The women continued moving, and Coraset had to kick off her heels to rush and catch up. They entered a side door into the palace.

After going through numerous doors, hallways, and stairs, they were finally led into a
white spacious room with perfectly lined up white armless chairs. All of the women were directed to sit down. Coraset made sure she sat in the back row. The goal was to stay out of sight and out of the mind of the four women that led them to the room. All of the women were quiet as they filed in and found a seat.

Sekai closed the door once her last constituent walked in. The four other women in suits stood behind her against the wall, facing the sitting women. The room remained quiet
as everyone waited for Sekai to speak.

Sekai stood
straight like a stone statue in front of the ladies. She had an expression of seriousness as she spoke, “My name is Sekai. On my far left are Jorda, Hanako, Lacey and Reyna. We are the Chancellor’s staff. In order to be in the harem, you must pass your pap smear, pelvic exam, and a physical. I understand that some of you have already been to your own physicians. Chancellor Erato only trusts his own doctor, and he will be seeing all of you today.”

The women eyed each other silently.

“If you are positive for any kind of illnesses, you will be sent home. There is no exception to this rule. The moment you step into the harem, you belong to Chancellor Erato. No man including your father, brother, and/or uncles are allowed to see you, talk to you, or touch you. There is no exception to this rule, either.”

The moans erupted from the group of women along with a barrage of complaints.

A sandy blonde raised her hand and stated, “I have a question.”

Sekai continued,
“There will be times when Chancellor Erato will request one or more of you in his bedroom at one time. You must comply. If you refuse, you will be executed.”

“Executed,” a brunette bellowed from beside Coraset.

“Yes,” Sekai answered as she glared at the brunette. “Like I said before you will be his property, and he will not allow you to just live in his harem or go home after you’ve refused him. Mind you, he won’t force you, but he will expect you to do his bidding.”

The brunette spoke up angrily, “It is forc
ed no matter how you put it. If I refuse to sleep with him and another girl, then I die? What real choice is that?”

Sekai answered calmly, “It’s a harem. What do you expect?”

The woman shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

With no real expectation for the brunette to answer, Sekai moved on with her speech, “The harem will have
a common living area. There’s a pool, sauna, sitting area, places to eat and drink, among other things. There are bedrooms, but there are two beds in each one. No one will have a room to themselves. Choose your roommate carefully because you may be stuck with them for a while. You can’t leave once you’ve been in the harem. If you change your mind and want to go back to your region, you can’t. The only way out is death.”

Sekai let the reality set in on the room before saying, “Question.”

The sandy blonde raised her hand again. Sekai looked at her and the woman asked, “When are we going back to the ball? I want to dance with the Chancellor.”

“The Chancellor already has a date. You saw who he left with.” Sekai answered dryly. “Any other questions, ladies?”

The sandy blonde woman looked down in disappointment.

“Is it too late to back out?” The same angry brunette asked.

“No, as a matter of fact, I was going to say this was your last chance. Reyna will escort everyone back to the ball who does not want to be a part of the harem.” Sekai stated.

Reyna opened the door and waited to see who was going to leave. The brunette stood first, and she made her way into the hallway. Four other women
followed suit. Coraset wanted to leave, as well. She wanted to run out of there as fast as she could, but she remained.

Sekai announced, “This is your last chance, ladies.”

She waited to see if anyone else was going to walkout. The women all looked at one another. No one else moved. Sekai stepped outside and spoke to Reyna in a whisper and came back inside closing the door.

She pulled out the glass tablet and spoke two names. She instructed them to stand and follow Jorda and Hanako. They were the first to be examined. The selected women were
directed out of the white room, and Sekai left the room, as well.

The remaining women began to relax a little. Coraset slipped on her shoes and adjusted her
dress. Katarin was sitting in front of her, but she soon jumped up and sat in the open seat the angry brunette once occupied.

“So, what do you think?” Katarin asked nervously.