Hinterlands Book II: The Stables Read Online Free PDF

mute as
Amelia’s and many of the girls had been talking. They were whispering that
these rituals happened each day, the
bathing and massage, even exercise and contests. Apparently there were good
trios and bad, and every trio had their own oils, their own flowers, their own
rituals- and their own girls whom they prepared. One’s trio meant the
difference between success and failure here in the stables and towards many
things Amelia’s group hadn’t even encountered yet.  
    It seemed impossible to Amelia that so much effort could
be expended over so lowly a group of servants, but then again very little had
made sense to her since arriving at Hinterlands, from the first depraved dinner
service to her experience with the beautiful Duchessa in her bedchamber.   All seemed too strange and unreal to comprehend,
and yet here she was, a young girl from St Giles, standing here naked amongst a
group of forty or so young women, thoroughly oiled and pampered, her hair
decorated with the most beautiful patterns of braids and flowers, glistening in
the sunlight. How many servants had undergone this training, Amelia wondered?
    “You look good enough to eat my lovelies.   I think some of you are far too
spoiled.”   Ms. Farstone paused to
look at one amazingly tall and beautiful woman with brilliant black hair that
was standing confident and strong.   The
hair lay in one single, long, French-braid over the girl’s ivory shoulder. A
white Calla lily was woven tightly behind her ear. Her smooth curves looked
amazingly strong and healthy to Amelia, and her dark eyes practically glowed
against her perfectly creamy skin.   In fact, Amelia had never seen such a healthy-looking a young woman in
her entire life.   She appeared to be
the goddess Diana incarnate.   Her
beauty and confidence seemed to anger Ms. Farstone.
    “Ms. Eleros.   Are you enjoying your time here?” She hissed, fiercely looking the girl
directly in the eye.  
    “Most assuredly Ma’am.” Amelia could swear she saw a
slight smile playing across the girls face.
    “Well, we’ll have to see what we can do about that won’t
we?” These words were delivered so quietly scarcely anyone could hear them, but
the sheer menace in the woman’s voice was unmistakable.   She glared at Ms. Eleros for another
moment before turning away.   Amelia
was stunned by the girl’s poise.   She looked fearless and strong, and her comportment reminded her of
Enza—Enza who seemed a world away. This girl was obviously just like
Enza; a person that those in power couldn’t really control, no matter their
station in life.   Amelia decided
then and there she would have to find out everything she could about this girl
with the Calla lily in her hair.
    “Well!   Since
some of you apparently don’t know your place here yet, we are going to have an exceptionally rough afternoon.   To the dining hall girls.”
    The girls who had been in the stables the longest knew
just what to do and they immediately scrambled to line up outside a massive set
of doors that led into the stables. Feeling suddenly ravenous, Amelia and the
others followed suit, jockeying for the best position into the dining hall.
Even though the wind had been blowing away from them, Amelia could still smell
the feint odors of roasting meats, and baking pastries, amidst the myriad
fragrances of the other girls gathered around; fragrances that had been deftly
applied and massaged into their respective skins to exude specific odors. Each
of them was relaxed and loose, thoroughly rubbed down and pampered in their own
fashion by their own trio of attendants, attendants who seemed to have prepared
their girls uniquely for what lay ahead.
    Molly Jenkins had her red hair in two thick braids that
tied behind her head before falling down her back. Her flower was apparently
the daisy, planted twice amongst her scarlet braids.   Perhaps it was simply her state of
arousal, but Molly looked quite lovely for the first time in