The cart slowed down, and the trembling that had been transmitted from the wheels to his bones the entire way became different - as if the earth itself was resisting their advance, as if the very fabric of the world was trying to hold them at the border, beyond which something else began, not intended for those who were accustomed to living in the simple light of everyday days.
A castle appeared before them.
It was not just a building: it was an entire world, frozen in stone and iron, twisted into a series of towers, spires and stairs that went so high into the sky that they seemed like claws scratching the clouds. Its walls were entwined with dark vines covered with thorns, and the forged gates with a pattern of intertwined snakes creaked in the wind, as if breathing heavily.
- Ah, - the omega exhaled in admiration.
The air here was thick and viscous, filled with metal and something sweet and cloying that made Omega's head swim.
When the wheels of the cart hit the flagstone road in front of the gate, he noticed for the first time how many people had gathered to greet them.
They stood in tight rows, dressed in identical long cloaks the color of coal dust, with silver clasps, their faces almost indistinguishable in the early morning gloom: pale, emasculated, without signs of individuality, as if they were created from a single template, without concern for the nuances of human nature.
Not one of them moved, not one made the slightest gesture as the cart slowly approached, and only when Alpha, leisurely, jumped down to the ground, the heavy fabric of his cloak opening, and the dim light of the torches licked his figure, the whole crowd, as if with one body, bowed deeply.
Omega froze, his whole body shrinking, as if the very ground beneath his feet was sucked into a pit of fear.
He was afraid to move.
He saw how Alpha, without turning around once, walked forward along the stone path.
And only when the silence became unbearable, Omega carefully slid off the cart, almost without touching the ground, and, like a shadow, followed him.
At that moment, something happened that he did not expect at all.
The horses - the same ones that dragged them through the forests, swamp paths, began to change right before his eyes.
Their bodies stretched out, thinned out, their hooves turned into arms, legs, but their heads remained the same: elongated muzzles, shiny black eyes, heavy breathing through wide nostrils. They became identical to the people standing in a line.
They rose up on their hind legs, bowed and, without making a sound, dissolved into the side passages of the castle, leaving behind only the heavy smell of wet wool and ancient metal.
Omega fell on his soft bottom in fright.
"What the hell is going on here!" he thought.
And then a man ran up to Alpha, short, with thorns sticking out in different directions instead of hair, whose skin glistened in the dim light of the torches.
He fell to one knee and, bowing his head dully, said:
"Everything is ready, lord. We are happy to see you in good health."
The crowd behind him bowed again, even lower.
And at that moment Omega understood:
The man he considered his captor was not just an owner.
He was the master of this castle.
And then, almost lazily, with a slight movement of his fingers, Alpha threw back his hood.
Omega saw him for the first time and his breath stopped.
Before him stood a man whose beauty was so flawless that it seemed unreal: high cheekbones, perfectly drawn lines of the jaw, lips so cruel in their subtle sharpness, dark gray deep-set eyes. His black hair fell on his forehead in a shiny wave, and his skin was so clear that it seemed that these two days of travel had not happened.
He was not just handsome.
He was the embodiment of that from which there was no escape, no hiding.
And when he turned and his gaze slid over Omega, it lingered for a split second, in which Omega felt every nerve in his body clench into a fist and heat rise throughout his body.
And then Alpha clicked his tongue briefly, it was a light sound of disdain, almost lazy, turned away and walked forward, to the heavy doors of the castle, without saying a word.
And Omega remained standing, feeling his body tremble.
The same man with a head covered in thorns, who had earlier knelt before his master, approached him.
He bowed slightly, as if he considered it a sign of politeness.
— My name is Eggy. The Master ordered to take you.
Not "accompany."
Take, like some suitcase.
Eggy turned and walked forward, without looking back.
Omega, obeying a strange attraction, followed.
They entered the castle — and the cold living in its walls clung to the skin, to the bones, to the very heart.
They walked through long corridors, where stone arches merged into one long, endless tunnel, through halls in which ancient armor stood, dimly glowing from the patina of centuries, through spiral staircases leading down, ever down, into the very bowels of the castle.
And the deeper they went, the heavier the air became.
The further away remained light, sound, life.
Finally, a door of black, roughly forged iron appeared before them.
Eggy pushed it.
And Omega saw his new home.
A cage.
The bare, damp earth beneath his feet.
A dim torch, barely illuminating the space filled with dampness.
Aggy turned to him, and there was not a drop of sympathy in his smile.
"This is your new home."
His voice was polite, almost affectionate.
The world around him swam, his legs buckled.
Any small dreams of being treated like a human quickly vanished. Omega chuckled softly and entered the cage.
Eggy, still standing in a slight bow, was not surprised. He took a huge key from his pocket and pushed it into the lock with all his might.
The bars made a creaking sound, as if they were mocking him.
Welcome home