Temptations of Pleasure Island (11 page)

“Me!” he said with surprise. “OK. You girls go ahead. I’ll meet you later.”

As soon as Abbey and the princess left, Dave turned to Sarah and studied her face. “What did you want to talk to me about?” There was a defensive note in his voice. Indeed, he stood facing her as if he almost expected her to attack him.

But this, Sarah had discovered, was one result of taking Soma. Anytime anyone suggested stopping the use of the drug or even cutting back on it, the user became angry and defensive. So Sarah did not approach the subject directly. “We’re not seeing much of you, Dave,” she said.

“I’ve been busy.”

Again the tone was brusque, and then he said shortly, “What is it you want to talk to me about?”

“Dave, I think you know,” Sarah said with a sigh. “The rest of us are worried about you and Abbey. You’ve gotten yourselves hooked on this drug Soma.”

“I don’t want to hear any more about that, Sarah. You just don’t understand.” His face was angry. He tossed his head. His mouth drew into a tight line. Ordinarily Dave was the most cheerful and agreeable
young man, but now he looked almost ready to strike her. “Mind your own business, Sarah!”

“Dave,” Sarah said gently, “you
are
my business.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that we Sleepers are not just seven chance acquaintances. We’ve been put together for a purpose. Goél did it. We’re a team. We’re tied to each other, Dave, and what happens to one happens to all of us. So when we see you and Abbey becoming what you’ve become—”

“I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, either. Becoming what we’ve become. You’re not making sense, Sarah.”

“Dave, you’re throwing away everything that we were brought to Nuworld to do.”

“I’m not hurting anyone!” Dave protested. “Just because Abbey and I are having a little fun, the rest of you want to change that. Well, I think we deserve some pleasure!”

“Don’t you see what’s happened to you, Dave?” Sarah asked sadly. She reached out to touch his arm, but he drew away sharply. “It may have been just fun at first, but what has it become?”

“And now what are you talking about?” he snapped.

“I’m talking about this insane betting. People are throwing away their entire lives.”

“You just don’t understand!”

“You think it will stop there, Dave?” Sarah said, her voice getting more steely. “Sooner or later you’ll see the entire kingdom in debtors’ prison—or as slaves in the salt mines.”

For a moment Dave just looked back at her with disbelief on his face. Then he said, “You’re totally crazy, Sarah! You know it couldn’t come to that!”

“It could, and it will. You watch what I tell you. Dave,
please
listen to me—”

“I’m not listening to you anymore, Sarah! And don’t ever come at me again with your sermons!”

Sarah watched him leave, and a sadness came into her heart. She had become very fond of Dave. He had gotten off into things before that were not exactly right, but this was surely the worst.

“We’ve got to do something to save him,” Sarah murmured desperately. “He can’t go on like this.”

Sylvan sat studying Mark Fletcher’s face. Then he grinned at the young wrestler. “And how does it feel to be rich and famous?”

Mark did not answer. He had fulfilled his duties by wrestling any man that Sylvan put against him. In every case he had been successful, but now he simply said, “I do what I’m told.”

“That’s good, because I’ve got a new order for you.”

And now Mark studied the cunning face of Sylvan. “What is that?”

“You’re going to be in the ‘You Bet Your Life’ wrestling match in two weeks.”

“No, I’m not,” Mark Fletcher said calmly but firmly.

Instantly all the good humor vanished from Sylvan’s face. He came to his feet and lunged forward to tower over the young wrestler.

“You’ll do what I tell you, or I’ll turn you over to Kapo.” Sylvan seemed to wait for Mark to respond, but the young man simply continued to look at him calmly. “Did you hear what I said?”

“I heard you, Sylvan. And I’m telling you that I won’t do it. I agreed to serve the king, but I didn’t agree to become part of this gambling fraud.”

Rage filled Sylvan’s face as though he would hurl himself at the younger man and throttle him. But something in Mark Fletcher’s eyes must have stopped him. “We’ll see about this!” he shouted. “We’ll see! You’ll obey—just like the others!”

“I’ll obey as long as your orders don’t cause me to go against my conscience.”

“Conscience,” Sylvan sneered. “What’s that? Show it to me.”

“You obviously have none, Sylvan,” Mark said. “But some people do. I will not take part in the slave matches.”

Sylvan snarled, “Get out of here!”

And as soon as Mark Fletcher left him, Sylvan went to find Lady Maeve. “We’ve got trouble, Maeve,” he said.

“Lady
Maeve to you!”

“Well, Lady Maeve then,” Sylvan mumbled. “It’s that wrestler the king likes so much.”

“Fletcher? What’s the matter with him?”

“He won’t obey my orders to take part in the slave matches.”

“And you don’t like people who won’t obey you, do you, Sylvan?”

Sylvan suddenly laughed. It was a cruel laugh. “No more than you do, Lady Maeve.”

The woman’s smile was cruel, too. “Both of us want our own way, and we shall have it, Sylvan. Don’t worry about that young man. There are ways of forcing him to do what we wish. But that’s not important right now.”

She turned as though their brief meeting was over, but then she hesitated. “What new event do you have
planned for the arena tomorrow? Something fresh and exciting, I hope.”

Sylvan nodded and said eagerly, “Yes. I think you’ll like this. Here’s what I’m going to do …”

Sarah, Josh, Reb, and Wash were visiting the Fletchers. Like Sarah, Wash always enjoyed playing games with Lalita. The two of them were seated on the kitchen floor, and the little girl was laughing with delight. Sarah had been helping Lalita’s mother with some sewing all afternoon. Now they were talking quietly, mostly about Mark.

Then Mrs. Fletcher said, “It’s getting very late. The day is almost gone. You must all stay for dinner. Of course, the food here won’t be as good as at the palace …”

“It’ll be better than that, lady,” Wash called out. “I get hungry for simple stuff. Some cornbread and beans.”

“Well, that you shall have, friend Wash,” Mrs. Fletcher said. “That is, if you know how to cook this … cornbread, Sarah.”

“I’m a world-class cornbread cooker,” Sarah said, and the two set to work preparing the evening meal.

By the time the food was ready, darkness had fallen. Mark and Reb came in, both filled with excitement after running their horses.

They all sat down to the late meal and were almost through when a knock at the door caused Jacob to look up. “Who could that be so late?” he muttered. “Come in,” he called.

The door opened, and Feanor entered. He looked tired and worn. Sarah knew he had been working long hours. He must have just left the mines.

Mrs. Fletcher said at once, “Come and sit right down, Feanor. You need something to eat before you go home.”

Feanor did sit down and eat, but there was obviously something on his mind.

Finally Mark said quietly, “What is it, Feanor? Are the children all right?”

“No, they’re not all right!” Feanor said, his voice tight. “How can they be all right with me working in a place like the salt mines? And living in that shack we have to live in? It’s for slaves.”

“Now, we’re working on paying off your debt and buying you out of there as soon as possible, Feanor,” Jacob said quickly. “I’ve almost got you a job lined up, too. Then we can rent a house for you. Maybe not as nice as your old house but—”

“I won’t need your help for that, friends, but I thank you all the same.”

Everyone expressed surprise, and Mrs. Fletcher said, “Why not, Feanor?”

“You haven’t heard about the latest contest in the arena?”

Mark stiffened and said, “You’re not going to go up against that wrestler Kapo, are you? That would be hopeless, Feanor!”

“No, no. There’s a new event taking place.” Hope came into Feanor’s voice, and his eyes brightened. “I would have no chance against Kapo. But in the new event, any man who will compete in the chariot races against the professionals can win one hundred pieces of gold. That would at least be enough to buy my house back and get my family out of our shack.”

“But the chariot races!” Reb gasped. He had watched one of the chariot races. He had told the other
Sleepers how small a chance any amateur would have against a professional driver. “You can’t do that, Feanor. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Yes, I have a chance,” Feanor insisted. “It may be small, but it is preferable to what we have now.”

Sarah spoke up quickly. “Think of your family. What would happen if you were killed? Those races are dangerous.”

“Nothing that’s not happening to them right now,” Feanor said bitterly. “They have nothing even while I’m alive. I do not worry about the danger. If I lose, then I go back to the mines, and they can be no worse off than they are now. But if I win, they at least can have a life again.”

For the next half hour, everyone in the room tried to convince Feanor that he was being foolish, that he had no chance at all, that he was risking his life.

But Feanor was a stubborn man. He finally rose, saying, “I’ve made up my mind. As a matter of fact, I’ve already agreed with Sylvan. You’ll see my name on the posters.” He tried to smile and said, “I’ve got to get to my family now. I have little enough time with them.” He left then, and silence fell over the room.

“It has come to this then,” Jacob said sadly. “A good man like Feanor will be destroyed to please the betting lust of the crowd. I’m ready to leave this place, wife.”

“So am I,” Mrs. Fletcher said. “But where would we go?”

“Anywhere but here.” He looked at Josh. “You must know someplace where we could go.”

Josh thought for a moment and said, “Yes. We could probably help you, but what about your people? This is your land.”

“No, it’s the king’s land, and you can see that he has put himself into the hands of a sorceress. That’s what Lady Maeve is. She has bewitched him.”

“I don’t doubt but what you’re right,” Josh said. “And that is all the more reason why good men and good women should stay and help do the right thing.”

Sarah saw at once that the arena was full, as usual. Many of the spectators probably knew Feanor. Some of them no doubt had tried to discourage him from taking part in the dangerous race. Others had come simply to see the spectacle.

Josh looked down over the rows of people below them and said, “There. I see Feanor’s wife and his children.”

Sarah looked to where he pointed and saw the woman. Her arm was around the smallest youngster, and the older children stood about her. “It’s so sad,” she whispered.

Abbey heard all this, and she too looked down at the little family. Apparently she could think of no way to defend what was happening. She moved away from Josh and Sarah and went to stand beside the princess.

“Have you heard anything from Derek yet?” Sarah asked Josh.

“No, and I can’t imagine where he is. It’s as if he’s dropped off the face of the earth. I’m not sure he’s even on the island anymore.”

They spoke quietly of how brokenhearted the queen was. The king refused to have Derek’s name even mentioned in the palace.

Josh said, “When a family breaks up, it’s a sad thing.”

They had no time to say more, for the event was about to start. Feanor came and kissed his wife and children, then placed a helmet on his head. He hopped onto the brightly painted wooden chariot, pulled by four horses. He straightened up and advanced the horses to the starting line. His competitor, a longtime professional, looked smugly at Feanor and laughed.

The king, as usual, was seated beside the queen, and Lady Maeve was to his left.

“Have you made a wager, Your Majesty?” Maeve asked.

“Certainly!”

“For the master or this Feanor?”

“For the master, of course.”

“I think that was a wise bet. That fellow doesn’t look very able to me.”

The trumpet blew, and the race was on.

Each chariot would make ten laps around the oval track that encircled the inner arena. As in the wrestling matches, the amateur was allowed to gain a quick lead on the pro, and that tricked the crowd into thinking that victory for the nonprofessional was a realistic possibility. Feanor seemed delighted as he bolted out in front of the master. He was ahead by three lengths by the time they had completed the sixth lap.

“If Feanor can just keep up this pace for four more laps,” Reb commented, “he’ll beat the master yet.”

But it was clear that Feanor had little skill. He even struggled to maintain control of the team at times. In fact, his chariot wove on and off the track.

By the ninth lap, the master was running alongside his challenger, and it appeared that Feanor began to panic. In the final lap, he suddenly lost control, and his
chariot veered into the stands. It turned over and sent Feanor flying.

A thunderous cry went up as Feanor went down and the master crossed the finish line.

Sarah turned away, literally sickened. Unseeing, she bumped into Abbey and Princess Cosima. “Just let me get away,” she said.

“Princess Cosima, that was awful!” Abbey could feel her face twisting as she tried not to cry.

The princess shrugged. “The man had a chance to win a lot of money,” she said. “Besides, he is still alive!”

Indeed, Feanor was getting up slowly from the ground, but he was limping and was a mass of injuries.

“Alive, but he’s destined to go back to the mines! And look at his family.”

Unexpectedly, Princess Cosima turned to see. “Where?”

“Down there. See? Feanor will be back in the mines all day every day. It’ll be almost as if their father and husband
is
actually dead.”

Abbey saw Cosima hesitate. She knew that the princess was a thoughtless person, had been made selfish by her life, and perhaps the Soma drug had made her even more callous. Nevertheless, something in her must have stirred.