The Healer's Garden Read online

  She watched the couple in the waterfall mating. Unlike most women Mykilai knew, the healer, Jahara, seemed to be enjoying the way the breeder touched her. Gagging at the thought, Mykilai swallowed the bile that filled her throat. Copulation was such a messy ritual. Gabriella was right. There had to be better ways of procreating.

  Blending in with the dissipating crowd, Mykilai Solodon smiled at the thought of all she would report to Gabriella tonight.

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  Chapter Eleven

  Camille stood with her ear to the door. Looking back over her shoulder, she checked to make sure the young girl in the double bed still slept soundly before she carefully turned the knob.

  She'd been right about the food at dinner. It had been drugged. Camille tasted the sweet herb in her first bite. Her gift with plants was one of the reasons she'd been invited to work in the dining commons.

  No one else seemed to notice the drinks were laced with it as well. Fortunately, the girl sleeping soundly in the bed had had a reaction to the medicine and vomited all over the table. In the ensuing rush by the staff to clean the mess, Camille had scooped the food on her plate into a napkin and dumped her drink in a potted plant near the window.

  Now, her stomach grumbled in protest. All she needed was a quick bite from the kitchen and she too would sleep through the night without the aid of drugs.

  This was her second visit to Dr. Bresilee's home. It wasn't so much that she disliked it here, it was just that she liked staying with Nathaniel so much more. He was a sweet man and a wonderful breeder. He did things to her body no woman had ever done. Not that she had much experience either way.

  She was pleased when Dr. Bresilee had told her she wasn't pregnant. It meant another month living and mating with Nathaniel. The fact that the director had touched her so intimately in front of the honorable Dr. Hriznek had been rather humiliating. But many of the things Dr. Bresilee did embarrassed the young women she took under her wing to train.

  Slowly Camille opened the door, peering into the empty hall. She stepped out, thinking of Nathaniel. He had snuck an invitation to join him at the lake outside the Garden proper today. Telling her how romantic it was, with the jungle and waterfall, she'd been jealous she couldn't sneak away to spend time with him. But the invitation from Dr. Bresilee to stay at her residence wasn't really a request. Every breeder knew that.

  Camille wondered if he'd been tempted to copulate with another woman. Shaking her head, she knew Nathaniel wasn't like that. He wouldn't have chosen to do such a thing. Still, males couldn't refuse a direct request from a woman to mate.

  She slipped through the door, wanting to slam it behind her at the thought of him loving another. What had Nathaniel called it? Jealousy? Well, it was a new emotion for her, one that brought forth immediate anger. She controlled her temper, gently clicking the latch, not wanting to bring attention to her meanderings.

  Her bare feet sunk deep in the carpet. Rubbing her hands briskly on her arms, she wished she'd tugged on a tunic. Though Dr. Bresilee insisted the girls remain naked in her house, Camille didn't intend for anyone to see her. She looked back down the hall contemplating returning to the room, but the insistent rumble from her stomach forced her forward.

  Moving quietly, she listened for noise from the other four bedrooms on this floor, each sleeping two young women. Nothing, save for a soft snore, emanated from the rooms. She imagined they were all snoozing blissfully content in a dreamless fog of drug-induced sleep.

  Peering over the staircase, Camille checked to make sure no guards roamed the halls. She tiptoed down the stairs, taking in the breathtaking expanse of Dr. Bresilee's foyer, the high ceiling and crystal chandelier dominating the space. The wooden antique clock that just chimed out the midnight hour in lovely resonating tones sat majestically in the corner. Dr. Bresilee's home was beautiful.

  As Medical Director and leader of the Governmental Body of the Garden of Serenity, she had the only mansion on the premises. Some of the lower members of the government had private dwellings, though none were as opulent as Dr. Bresilee's. You could fit Camille's entire apartment complex in this house.

  She looked to her left, noting the two separate wings. The pool, video room, and library ran straight to the back of the house. Dr. Bresilee's private wing angled off in another direction. The girls were permitted there only by invitation.

  Shuddering, Camille thought of her last visit. Dr. Bresilee had invited her to sleep in her private wing. It was the highest honor bestowed on a guest at Bresilee's home. She'd accepted willingly. The experience had been anything but pleasant. Gabriella, as she was called in her private quarters, had used her and another young woman for her own sexual gratification.

  Camille had nearly gasped when Gabriella had stripped before them. The skin of her torso was rippled and twisted, the coloring on her arms and legs resembling a road map of veins and bruised lines.

  "This is what fire does to the skin,” she said, shamelessly modeling for them. “I had an accident when I was just about your age. The healers did their best, but no one could repair my body.” She slid her hands down her belly and back up again, teasing the small mounds of her breasts. “But the fire did not damage my heart. I desire love and companionship just like everyone else."

  She walked toward them and laid a hand on their astounded faces. “Tonight you will learn how to love completely and without reservation any woman, even one who is not beautiful on the outside. For you see, girls,” her pensive stare roamed the length of their bodies, “beauty comes from within."

  Camille had arrived at the Garden, like so many women, a virgin in every sense of the word. She'd never been with anyone before. Nathaniel had been her first and only lover. He made her body taut like the string of an instrument, slowly, painstakingly playing it and bringing forth sweet music that vibrated through her body in a release of incredible pleasure. Their bodies were made for each other and she loved every moment they were together.

  What Gabriella had asked of the two girls seemed unnatural. She'd taken them into her bed, both too fearful to refuse. Under the guise of instruction, Gabriella had them kiss and touch every part of her. They stroked her body the way Nathaniel had touched Camille. Listening to the sound of Gabriella's orgasm had sickened her. Camille had been too frightened by the power Gabriella held at the Garden to stop doing what she asked.

  Gabriella had pleasured herself to climax while the other girl had licked and nipped at Camille's sex, pressing her fingers painfully where only Nathaniel's body belonged. All the while, Gabriella explained to the girl how to stimulate Camille to orgasm. She had pretended to enjoy the touches. The release never came. Though she knew many enjoyed it, Camille had been repulsed by a woman's hands on her. It had been a long night.

  She'd been trapped here for weeks. For some reason, Gabriella continued to ask her to return. Only one time during this stay had she been invited to share Gabriella's bed, but two other breeders had been there, and Camille had writhed and moved and managed to avoid intimate contact with the women without arousing suspicion. She needed only to get through another night or two before Gabriella allowed her to return to her breeding residence. Even the medical director couldn't keep a woman from conceiving.

  The blue light of the ever-present full moon slanted through the windows, casting long shadows on the wood floor. Camille turned right at the foot of the stairs and crept past the sitting room where the girls played board games and dreamed about their future. The shelves that lined the walls were filled with books and antiques only for the eyes. If you wanted to read, the library in the other wing held hundreds, if not thousands, of titles that could be accessed through the multiple video screens. The ancient artifacts were secured behind pieces of glass, keeping hands and dust from ruining Dr. Bresilee's extensive collection.

  Camille peered into the dining room, the smell of sickness still hanging in the air. The large table was already set for sixteen. Dr. Bresilee must be having additio
nal company for breakfast. She wondered if she'd be asked to serve.

  She nearly gasped as the wall behind her whirled to life. Ducking into a small alcove in the dining room, Camille heard the distinct sound of a lift moving behind the wood paneling. It slipped past the first floor gliding to a lower level. She hadn't known there was an elevator, nor a basement level.

  The sound of Dr. Bresilee's clipped voice wafted down the hall, rising in volume with each click of her shoes.

  "What Mykilai told me today is disturbing. She was at the lake again. I should have had the water stopped on that wretched river months ago. There's just the little problem of irrigation for the crops.” Her voice sounded as if it came out through clenched teeth. “I knew Brenimyn was trouble, but I hadn't expected Jahara to join his cause. I'll have Mykilai keep an eye on her at the clinic. Thank goodness I had her working with the men all these weeks. I knew something was amiss when she arrived here."

  Stopping at the wall, Dr. Bresilee's hands fisted into the pockets of the lab coat covering the yellow jumpsuit. Her foot beat out a quick tempo on the wooden floor.

  The blond woman standing next to her nodded her head like the toy dog Camille had seen among Gabriella's artifacts. She had to stifle a startled gasp when the director banged her hand on the paneling.

  "What is taking so long? All four of those girls better be down there, prepped and ready before I arrive.” Her fist pounded the wall once again in frustration. “It really isn't that much to ask. It's not like you people don't know the routine."

  The wall disappeared, exposing the inside of an elevator. Two burly women naked from the waist up stood in the artificial light of the elevator. Two stretchers held the motionless bodies of young girls.

  "Oh, for goodness sake, we can't possibly fit in there.” Bresilee threw her hand into the air. “Forget it, we'll take the stairs. These girls should have been prepped thirty minutes ago.” Bresilee looked down at her wrist, annoyance coloring her voice. “The night is getting away from us."

  She turned on her heel toward the foyer. “Come, Kylie. Hopefully Mykilai will have them ready before I arrive.” Her voice paused, but not the incessant clicking of her shoes. “This will give me time to think.” The elevator door closed with a sigh, leaving no evidence of its existence.

  Camille peeked around the corner, staring at the women disappearing around the staircase. Always curious, Camille wondered what sexual escapades Dr. Bresilee had in store for the comatose girls. Her hunger quickly forgotten, she raced silently across the wooden floor following the women to some hidden stairwell that would lead to the bowels of this mansion. Fear and excitement made her heart race.

  "Getting rid of Brenimyn should be easy enough.” Though the blond woman raced next to her, Bresilee spoke to herself. “He is a man with no rights. There are laws. Just get him to break one and we can make an example of him. Without a leader, this feeble resistance will surely crumble.” Her hand swatted at the air as if removing an annoying gnat.

  Camille wondered what had gone on at the lake, cursing her bad fortune for not being there. She followed behind, into the private wing, hiding behind the large potted plants lining the hall. She needn't have bothered. Caught up in their own problems, neither woman turned to be sure they weren't followed.

  "You must get him back to your apartment."

  "But, as a new breeder Jahara has..."

  "But nothing, Kylie.” The harsh words reverberated off the walls. She stopped and glared down at the cowering woman. “Am I not ruler of the Garden?” Kylie nodded. “Then, I can change any law.” She continued down the hall, her voice once again carrying the controlled tone of a moment ago. “And I decide that an ovulating government official, that's you,” she nodded down at Kylie, “may usurp the rights of a female breeder. Tomorrow, we will invoke that law and take Brenimyn from Jahara's residence."

  They turned into a room at the end of the hall.

  Stopping at the threshold, Camille could see the two women as they moved past the windows. In the false light of the moon, their pinched features turned them into grotesque villains.

  "Now Jahara will be another problem altogether. Her Dame could make problems for us if something should happen to her.” They disappeared down a set of stairs in the corner. “I do so hate going downstairs like this.” Dr. Bresilee swiveled her long neck back and forth, bouncing the tight bun of hair. “Heads will roll tomorrow.” They disappeared into the darkness.

  Dr. Bresilee's voice was swallowed by the night. The silence hung like a dark cloud bringing a storm. Camille had a bad feeling about this whole situation.

  Nathaniel had spoken of Brenimyn with admiration. He hoped to introduce him to her at the lake. Dr. Jahara Hriznek seemed sympathetic in Dr. Bresilee's office as the healer had run her fingers intimately over Camille's body. She wondered what Dr. Bresilee was talking about.

  "Camille, what is happening is none of your business. Just go back to bed,” she whispered to herself, even as her feet carried her to the top of the stairs. “Don't do this, you'll only get in trouble. Nothing good can come of you going down there.” She listened, but no longer heard the tap of Dr. Bresilee's heels.

  The short flight of stairs before her was lit by tiny bulbs glowing in orange intervals. Kylie and Dr. Bresilee were not in her line of vision. “You are a botanist, not a visionary, turn around now."

  As her feet touched the velvet carpet of the stairs, she gave up trying to talk herself out of prying into other people's lives. Slinking down the stairs, Camille hugged the wall.

  The lower level was as plush as the floors above. She heard the muffled sound of Dr. Bresilee's irate voice and moved with great caution, still chiding herself for not returning to bed.

  Following the corridor, Camille found herself looking through large windows into a brightly lit room, the sudden burst of light painful on her eyes. Squinting, she stayed in the shadows cast by the large spotlights illuminating four examination tables.

  The muscular women hefted the unconscious girls from the stretchers and swung them roughly onto the tables. They propped their knees in stirrups, spreading their vaginas wide.

  Though men weren't allowed in Dr. Bresilee's home, Camille looked around for breeders. There were none. What was Dr. Bresilee doing with these girls and why was Kylie watching?

  Standing at a sink, Dr. Bresilee briskly washed her hands up to her elbows. She spoke in low tones to a second woman, presumably Mykilai, dressed in hospital attire and copying her motions. Kylie stood mutely with her back to the door, the large women with tattoos on their necks, joining her.

  Dr. Bresilee settled onto a rolling stool, her body hunched between the legs of the first girl. Mykilai rolled over a stainless steel tray covered with instruments of torture. Camille wanted to look away from the horrors she suspected were about to take place, but obligation to witness the mutilations kept her eyes focused on the women.

  "Mykilai, the first syringe.” Holding out her hand, Dr. Bresilee accepted a large instrument that looked to Camille like the tool she used in the kitchen's to baste chickens.

  She nearly gasped as she watched Dr. Bresilee insert it deeply into the young woman's vagina. With the plunger, she injected the blood red contents of the tube. The burly women stepped forward, one pushing the knees of the unconscious girl to her chest, the other strapping them in place.

  Dr. Bresilee wheeled down the line repeating the process, until all four girls lay on their backs, their buttocks and soles of their feet the only parts of their bodies visible.

  "They are so lovely like this.” Bresilee took a moment to massage the exposed genitals of each girl. “Keep them here for the next hour. Tomorrow, they must remain in bed.” She stroked one of the girls. “This process always excites me.” Shaking her head, she looked over at the woman shrinking against the wall.

  "Kylie, find me one of the other girls to join me in my bed. There must be someone who has slept off the effects of the drug. I expect them in my chambers when I
arrive."

  Camille had seen enough. She couldn't be caught out of bed. Racing up the stairs, she took them two at a time. Running down the hall, she panicked, thinking she couldn't beat the elevator. Three quarters of the way up the second flight of stairs, she heard the elevator hum to the second floor. Lying prone, she swallowed her panic as Kylie glided out. Her mind raced to come up with excuses for being out of her room should she be caught.

  Relief flooded through Camille as Kylie entered one of the other bedrooms. Sprinting down the hall, Camille was grateful for the carpet that concealed her heavy footfalls. She slipped into her room just as Kylie stepped into the hall. Crawling into bed, she worked to slow her racing heart. Perhaps Kylie wouldn't open her door. Her wish was not granted. She heard the soft call of Kylie's voice.

  "Ladies, are you awake? Gabriella requests the honor of your company in her bed tonight. Ladies?"

  The cloying sweetness of Kylie's perfume nearly choked Camille when the blond woman leaned in close to her face. “Honey, wake up.” She shook Camille. Moaning, Camille feigned sleep she knew would never come. The ruse worked.

  Kylie walked around the bed. “Honey, wake up."

  "What? Is everything all right? What's happening?"

  Relief flooded through Camille as the girl sat up.

  "Nothing's wrong. Gabriella would like you to join her tonight. Would you like that?” Her voice lilted in an overly cheery tone.

  "It would be an honor to be with her tonight. After I disgraced myself at dinner ... are you sure she asked for me?"

  "She would like that very much."

  The bed shifted and the girl left with Kylie. She didn't exhale until she heard the soft click of the latch.