She awoke with a scream. The man in the bed beside her was instantly on his feet, knife in hand and eyes searching the room. Most men looked a whole lot less intimidating and extremely vulnerable when they stood in the dark naked, but exceptions existed to every rule and he was one of them. It helped that he was almost as dark as night himself. A quick scan told him there was no danger here and for a moment she was afraid that obsidian blade would turn on she who interrupted his sleep. Her heart beat all the faster - so much it hurt her chest.
"I'm sorry. It was just a dream."
He grunted and got back into bed, returning the knife to its place under the pillow. He looked at her, a mixed look of irritation, returned sleepiness, and perhaps an inkling of concern that angered him all the more. "Some dream. If you can't sleep quietly then perhaps you shouldn't sleep."
He took the corner of the blanket in his hand and rolled himself into it, leaving his back to her. The blanket now left the right side of her body exposed to the plentiful draughts that blew threw the badly sealed window and even worse thatched roof of the inn. Very quietly and slowly so as not to disturb him again she stepped out of bed and pulled her worn cotton shirt over her head. Britches and jerkin to follow, she finished dressing and slipped ever so softly from the room. Only when she'd closed the door behind her did she allow herself to breathe out. Her hand held down her heart as if that might stop it racing. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the wall outside their room. A vein in her temple pulsed against it. Inside she could hear him rearranging himself and the scant blankets taking full advantage of her absence.
It took almost two minutes for her to calm herself back down to a level where she could stand without the support of the wall. Not a soul passed by. She wasn't surprised. When someone screamed at night in an inn like this one, the other residents took it as a clear sign to stay well out of the way. She'd been in too many places like this. She sank to the floor and curled her head on her knees, keeping her back as always to the wall. She took several deep breaths, forcing the swell of emotion inside to pass and leave her eyes untouched. Why was the dream back? She had fought so hard against it - to quell the memory and turn her back from it. It had taken over five years and she was finally enjoying her freedom from it - but here it was again. Nothing unusual had happened that day to bring it back. They were on the road from Nibenay to Urik with a caravan of merchandise. So far the journey had been entirely uneventful and they had reached the tiny village, whatever it was called today, earlier that evening with all souls and cargo in tact. A little trade with the innkeeper and ale and food was quickly followed by not uncomfortable beds. Nothing had happened. On other days she had seen children sold, women pursued, and gladiators butchered for the sake of a wager - and her rest along with Darius' had gone undisturbed. She had conquered it! Why was it back to torment her?! Her fist fell hard on the stone floor. It barely made a sound.
Before the man in the hall could even finish clearing his throat she was on her feet with her own dark blade against his throat. He yelped as his back was shoved hard against the wall.
"Sorry Miss. I didn't mean to startle you."
"What are you doing sneaking about?"
He managed to point a finger down the hall past her room. "Just trying to get to my room."
She eased off slightly but kept the knife where he knew any stupid move would be his last. "Very late to be wandering about." Only then did she notice the dull pointed ears. She looked him up and down, a sneer forming. "Unless you're a thief."
"Not all Half Elves are thieves, you know. The walls are quite thin and the innkeeper doesn't keep the bedsprings well oiled. Likes to know when a client is otherwise engaged, if you know what I mean. I couldn't sleep through that so I took a walk. What's your excuse?"
"I had a bad dream." She frowned. What she had meant to say was that it was none of his business.
His voice was suddenly gentle. "Ah, I see. I couldn't help but notice you looked upset when I came around the corner. It must really have been bad."
A shudder of emotion went through her but she refused to let it show. It took most everything she had. She lowered the knife and stepped aside. "It's nothing. You can go on now. We won't be disturbing you again tonight."
He looked then from her to the closed bedroom door. "Does he always let you do your crying alone?"
"I wasn't crying."
"Not on the outside."
She glared at him. "I don't see that this is any of your business. I'd advise you to go to your room if that's really where you were going."
"It was." He stepped passed her and began to walk away, but as an afterthought stopped and turned. "It's a beautiful night for a walk. The stars are out."
"I've seen them all before."
He sighed. "Look, your husband or whoever he is obviously doesn't care and there's obviously something wrong. What I'm saying is if you want to talk about it then sometimes the best person is a complete stranger."
"Ha!" She stared at him in disbelief. "He's not my husband, there's nothing wrong, and I certainly don't want to talk to a drunken half breed about it!"
"I'm not drunk."
"You must be if you think that line is going to work! I'm not interested, okay?"
"It's not a line." Was that an air of annoyance she heard? If it was he tossed it away with a flick of his black curls. "The rains know why, but I just want to help. My name is Pessilo. I'm travelling back home to Raam where my mother says she needs me. She doesn't really, she's just lonely, but she's the only one on this dead world that doesn't see a thieving drunken half breed when she looks at me so I go. What's your name?"
"Adia." She hadn't meant to answer. At least not truthfully. It was like her mind was a step behind her mouth. Could the Half Elf be playing with her mind? She didn't sense any incursion and he didn't look competent of anything of that level anyway. It was probably just her good sense still didden away from her.
"Pretty name." He looked her up and down. "And I'd wager it could probably suit you if you wanted it to."
She folded her arms around her, irritated that the shrouded insult bothered her. She had very quickly grown out of her childhood fancies for long hair with ribbons and pretty dresses. The desert took kindly to none of that. Her black hair she kept cropped tight to her skull where the dirt she could never wash out would itch less. Scars covered her from different lives she cared not to remember, her brand she always concealed and so she remained in long sleeves regardless of the heat, her clothes were made to last for longer than they should - all of it was a small price to pay indeed. But sometimes she wondered what it must be like to bathe in a big tub of water - enough to keep a family alive for a week! - and put on clean clothes as beautiful as the stories her uncle used to tell her of times long long ago.
She hadn't thought of her uncle in a long time either.
"Just leave me alone, okay?" She stormed her way around the corner and down the stairs into the bar. She signalled to the innkeeper's boy and a frothing glass of ale was on the table before her only seconds after she sat in the corner alcove.
[Balic, 15 years ago]
"You feed your sister's bastard child from your plate while your own children starve! Tell me what I'm supposed to understand!"
The boy and girl hiding behind one of the many drapes used to pretend the house could accommodate the number it did, grabbed onto each other. They had rarely heard the woman's voice so raised and when they did it usually meant they were in a lot of trouble. After dinner the boy's parents had sent the four children to tidy the workshop while they 'talked'. Being the eldest at eight years old and starting to feel they were grown up enough to hear grown up conversations - though not to let anyone know they were hearing them - they had snuck back into the house. Now the dirty well tanned boy looked with wide eyes at his even darker cousin.
"Father's been giving you more food?"
She hunched up her shoulders and frantically indicated he should whisper much quieter. "Only when I do a good job helping him make the plates and things."
He pouted. "I help him too. I never-"
"You have to trust me! She needs her strength."
They man's voice was quieter but they could still hear it easily. It was little more than a reed and mud wall between them.
"And what about you? Are things not bad enough without you fainting from hunger when you should be working?! We're in trouble - the shop isn't enough for six of us, it just isn't!"
"I know. But it's going to be alright. I have a plan. Just give me a little time."
They could hear her moving about. For a moment they were terrified the door would open and they would be caught, but it didn't happen.
"And what am I to do in the meantime? Take up your sister's job in the tavern? Is that what you want?"
"No! Never. I never wanted Gelani doing that either but it put food on the table for all of us." He sighed deep. "She was barely more than a child herself. And look where it got her."
The boy scratched his head. "What was so bad about your mother's job?"
The girl shrugged, the thrill of eavesdropping suddenly gone at mention of her mother. "I don't know. Let's just go okay?" She kept her face turned away from him.
He gave her an awkward hug around the shoulder. "Don't cry, Cali. We'll take care of you."
"It got her that child that now I'm supposed to feed."
They both froze in place.
"And Caliope was all that kept her going through the day. She was all the stars in her sky, the only thing that made it all worthwhile for her. The only thing she ever asked of me was that I look after her."
There was a pause inside the room. Outside of it all thoughts of leaving were gone. Caliope shivered against her cousin as they waited.
"I like the girl too Jagun, I do. But we can't even look after our own children right now. If we don't do something soon the four of them are going to suffer more than just hunger pains."
"I know. I know. That's why she needs to be strong." It sounded like he was having trouble breathing. "If we se... bring her to the arena, they'll see how tough she is. They'll feed her better than we ever could and train her to look after herself. And... we could use the money to get us through this bad patch."
His wife gasped. "Sell her into slavery? I was thinking we could leave her with the temple guardians or find someone else to take care of her - but the arena?"
The boy looked even more shocked than Caliope. He shook his head. "No. He won't. I'll tell him he can't. You have to stay here. I won't let them send you away."
"I know it sounds bad, but it's not really. But she's only eight. They won't make her fight for years yet, they'll just train her for now. But with the extra cash we can pay off our debts and the boys will soon be old enough to help me in the shop. We'll make lots more money, work as hard as we can and we'll get her back! We'll buy her back before she has to go out there! See I've worked this out!"
It was more than she could bare to listen to. Caliope tried to run, falling into the drapes and pulling them down around her creating enough of a racket to alert the adults inside. The door opened but before they could fully figure what was going on, she was back up and running for the door.
"No! You're not selling her! We're running away forever!"
Her cousin tore after her. She stared into the beer. It was flat and bits of dirt floated around it. She gulped half of it down anyway. Of course they didn't get very far before her uncle caught them and brought them back. He begged her to understand, swore he'd get her back before anything bad happened. He thanked her for being brave enough to save her cousins. He even tried to tell her she would enjoy it. Thinking about it now she guessed she did understand. It shouldn't have been his responsibility to take care of her. He wouldn't have been much of a father if he let his own sons perish just to feed her. But those first couple of years in the arena, it wasn't the harshness of the masters, or the pain of the brand they put on her, or even the certain knowledge that he would forget all about her that made her cry each night. It was that he broke his promise to her mother. That was why she would never forgive him.
[Balic, 16 years ago]
The first sign that something was wrong was her Uncle's workshop being closed in the middle of the day. Deserted was more the word. She crawled easily under the canvas flap and could see from the empty display tables that she wasn't the first to do so. Staying under the tables for no reason she could think of she made her way towards the back of the shop to the cramped mud brick house where she and her mother lived with her uncle and his family. Her mother was probably right when she grumbled that it was too small for seven people and promised her she'd get them a nice house of their own one day, but the little girl with dust encrusted rat tailed hair didn't mind it so much. It was always warm and welcoming, her aunt always had a stew on the fire, and her cousins were the best fun. But despite the noon sun outside, today it seemed cold. When she got to the door she could hear her uncle crying. She stood, not knowing whether to go in or go back to the emporium to play. The door opened and she looked up into her aunt's face. There was such sorrow and she bent down to touch her cheek softly.
"Oh Cali, I was just coming to get you. You'd better go in."
Her feet wouldn't move. "What's wrong? Is Uncle Jagun alright?"
"Poor dear. Come inside now. Your mother wants to see you."
Instantly her eyes lit. "She's home?" If Mother was home then surely everything was okay. Her aunt only grimaced.
"Hurry now." She pushed her inside.
There was blood everywhere. On the floor her uncle sat cradling something - her mother.
"Momma!" She skidded onto her knees toward her.
Her mother turned her head. It looked like it hurt a lot. She tried to lift her arm to touch her but she could barely get it off the ground. Caliope picked it up and put her hand on her cheek. She tried not to look at the blood.
"My baby."
"Momma what happened?"
"Shush..." With a huge effort she used her fingers to stroke her daughter's cheek and brush the tears away. "Don't cry, Cali. You be good now and grow up well. Grow up free. I'll watch out for you."
She couldn't help but cry. Her mother's breath was rattling and she knew what that meant. "No! Don't leave me, Momma!"
"It's okay." She turned her head to her brother. "Jagun. You'll take care of her, won't you? Keep her safe. Promise me."
"As if she were my own. I promise."
With the last strength she had, she looked back at her daughter. "Let me hold you."
Cali didn't need to be asked twice. She held her mother as tight as she could and for as long as she could she ignored her aunt and uncle telling her it was over and she could let go now. Eventually they had to pry her away.
The two glasses of ale coming down on the table made her jump. The Half Elf sat in across from her.
"Still trying not to cry?"
"Go away."
"Believe me I'd like to but I can't. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep until I know what's wrong and try to help."
She considered him a long moment. "You've already tried to help. I didn't want it. You can go away with a clear conscience."
"Word is there was a scream coming from your room shortly before I came inside from my walk. Don't you get tired of not trusting anyone?"
"It keeps me alive. And it was just a dream."
Pessilo shook his head. "Dreams don't make people scream. Nightmares do. And they don't tend to go away until you deal with them."
"Who are you?"
"Told you, the name's Pessilo. Hey, how about you tell me what the thought was that I just interrupted?"
She watched him as she downed the rest of her first ale. Maybe he'd realise he was out of his depth and it would make him go away.
"I was thinking about how my mother died in my arms when I was a child after she was butchered by a templar's son that wanted to take her away from the tavern she whored herself in to join his private brothel. Happy now?"
He visibly balked. "Okay. That's... quite a memory to carry. Bound to come up in a nightmare occasionally."
She laughed. It was cynicism of the purest form. "Oh that wasn't the nightmare. That was nothing."
Darius grabbed hold of the man's wrist so tight the bone knife dropped from his hand. It clattered harmlessly on the floor and Darius swung himself up out of bed. Now the positions were reversed and his blade was at the other man's throat as he pushed him down onto the bed. He didn't look at all surprised as he leaned in on the man who might normally have been considered well built were it not for the comparison against Darius.
"Ciros. I'm disappointed. I thought you would have waited until we were much closer to Urik before attempting this."
"Go to hell."
The blade pushed down on Ciros' throat. "No doubt I'll follow you there. But before I use you as an example of what I do to those that betray me you're going to tell me where my partner is."
Ciros spat in his face.
Adia took the proffered ale Pessilo pushed along the table toward her. It wasn't going to get him anywhere but if he wanted to spend his money that was his business. It saved her dishing out more ceramics. He seemed to be studying her. He took a careful sip of his own drink before speaking.
"How old were you?"
"Seven."
"Was your father there?"
"My father?" She shook her head. "All I know of my father is he was a man that paid to have sex with a fourteen year old girl. And that's more than I care to know."
"I never knew my father either."
"He was the Elf?"
"Yes. My mother still thinks he's going to come back for her." He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Ah it makes her happy to believe it so I'm not going to tell her otherwise. And who knows? Maybe he will."
She had to laugh. "It's been my experience that people only ever come back when you don't want them to."
[Slave Village, Ringing Mountains, 5 years ago]
It was the best time of day. The sun was bleeding away below the mountains and the air was cooling. Caliope knew the temperature would drop rapidly but for now it was comfortable. She walked back to the village carrying over her shoulder the small carcass that had cost her three arrowheads before it finally gave up the fight. In her bag were two rather large arachnids she had dug out from their tunnel. Not bad for a day's hunting. Hopefully the others were as fortunate and the expedition to the oasis had no problems. They might just eat well tonight. She scratched absently at the welt already forming on the back of her hand where one of the spiders had managed to bite her. The red tendrils of the setting sun were streaking across the sky now as if to lend colour to the moons that would soon rise. It was... She stopped and took the time to sit down on a rock for a minute. Yes, it was beautiful. And it was good for her to see it - she deserved to experience beauty in her life once again. She was free to feel it. At least that was what Etlin kept on telling her when Caliope first found the village in the mountains and met her. Oh she missed Etlin. She was kind to her in a way she had all but forgotten. She taught her how to feel and to use the joy of being free to fight against the pain that pressed at her in the dark. She helped her live again.
A spout of sand twisted and shot up to her knee. It managed to find the tear in the fabric and stung her leg. She looked around. Sure enough there were little swirls of dust popping up everywhere. Far in the distance she could just about make out a dispersed orange cloud in the direction of the Alluvial Plains. Sand storm. It would hit in a few hours. The mountain should protect them from the worst of it but it was no night to get stuck out here. She stood and quickened her pace home.
Ten minutes later she climbed the ridge that would take her down into the dried crater lake where the village of escaped slaves had found shelter. What she saw made her heart stop. They were coming. They carried no flag, sounded no horn, but she served enough times with the Balic military to know the formations. They came on no road bar the naturally cut line of the mountains and they were taking as direct a route along as possible to the crater. They were on a slave hunt. She ducked down quickly hoping she hadn't likewise been spotted and considered her choices. If she ran now she'd be safe. She had enough food to last a few days - she would be able to reach an oasis before the sun came up if she ran all night - but the rest of the village would have no warning. And if she continued down to them... she could probably still get away in the chaos. She could run faster than most of the others. Unless they were coming specifically for her. Then she would lose her head start and they would hunt her down and they would bring her back and they would... someone was running from the rocky entrance into the village. Another couple of dark shadows followed. She could hear shouting now and she knew she had to help.
As she ran down into the crater she noticed the figure that had first run from the village was coming up the path towards her and not onto the easier path down into the valley toward where water could be found. It seemed to have difficulty running... all light was gone from the sky now and she wasn't sure but it looked like... it couldn't be...
"Cali... go... back!"
She was out of breath but it was her. Etlin had returned. Caliope ran down to meet her with an awkward hug.
"Etlin! What are you doing here?"
"You have to go!" She pushed her off and Caliope could suddenly see why the hug hadn't quite worked out - Etlin looked to be just a couple of months off giving birth. "They're coming - go - get away from here!"
"You're with child."
"Yes. Please go Cali - they're tearing up the village right now - and there's more coming! They know you're here. I'm sorry Cali - I'm so sorry."
The night had grown cold but that wasn't what made her shiver. "Sorry? What happened? Etlin what's going on?"
"Go!"
"Not until you tell me!"
"Don't be an idiot, I know you don't want to go back there."
"Then tell me."
Etlin glared at her, saw she wasn't going to budge, so grabbed her arm to pull her down to the ground where there was less chance of being spotted. "They found out I escaped from the fields. I knew we should never have gone back to Balic! They came to Hesion's shop - told him they'd set me free if he told them where he found me. They showed him a picture of you and he remembered seeing you - he didn't know! I never told him or he'd never have told them you were here. Some of the soldiers dressed as slaves and made us take them here. The army isn't far behind. I got away from them as soon as I could. Zel said you were on the upper trail... I'm here to tell you to run!"
Her heart was breaking. It had all been too good to last. The village, the sunsets, the freedom. "It's not fair Etlin."
Etlin hugged her. The tears in her eyes matched Caliope's. She took her hands. "Cali..." She looked down at the welt she felt on her hand. "What's this?"
"Just a spider bite, it's okay."
Instantly Etlin had her hand to her mouth and was sucking on the wound. Caliope pulled it back away. "I've already done that! Anyway you shouldn't. The baby."
Etlin spat on the ground and covered her mouth with her own hand. "Of course you did. I just... wanted to touch you again."
Caliope regarded her carefully. She could hear the soldiers making their way through the other side of the pass now. "I never wanted you to stop."
"He's my husband. He spent two years looking for me. I couldn't not go back with him. But I never stopped thinking about you-"
"No! Don't say it."
There was light. A fire had been lit in the village. More people were running now.
"You have to go."
Caliope looked down at the destruction rapidly befalling her home, then back at Etlin. "You know they'll never set you free. Come with me."
She bit her lip. "I can't. I wish I could - but I'd only slow you down. And Hesion."
"Forget Hesion! He caused all this and you don't love him!"
"You've already wasted too much time. You still have a chance if you run now. I'll be alright - I escaped once, I'll escape again. But you have to go. I won't be responsible for them doing those things to you again, Cali. So go! You've got to stay free. At any cost." She pushed her fiercely. "Run!"
The soldiers were spreading out below, chasing after or shooting down the running slaves. Others were sent out along the paths and two were coming her way. She looked once more at Etlin who mouthed the word 'Go', before turning her back and going back down into the village. More flames shot up. Caliope turned about and ran.
Pessilo gulped his drink as she finished. She could see there was a great deal going on behind his eyes. He seemed to gather his thoughts together enough to ask, "This 'friend' of yours - Etlin - did you ever see her again?"
Adia shook her head. "They probably killed her once they had the child to replace her. It's her own fault. I told her it was stupid to go back to Balic."
His head tilted to one side. "She called you 'Cali'?"
Adia's blood froze in her veins. Talk about being stupid - how could she have made such a horrendously bad slip? "Just a name I used for a while."
He leaned over closer and whispered. "It's alright. You don't have to worry about me telling anyone. It's just you and me here."
She believed him. That frightened her a little. "I have no idea why I'm telling you all this."
He smiled kindly. "I'm told I have a way of making people - especially women - feel comfortable talking to me." He shrugged. "I just like to help. I swear it's nothing more sinister than that."
So that was his game. She knew it had to be something like that. "Oh so this is a habit of yours, is it? Pick a woman you think looks soft and move in on her?"
He looked her up and down. "I hold no doubt in my mind that you could make a bloody pulp of me before you'd even finish thinking about it. But you looked like you needed a friend... anyway I saw the man you came in here with. My sense of self preservation is far too great to even consider moving in on his woman."
"I'm not his or anyone else's woman. We're... business partners."
Ciros lay on the uneven stone floor feeling like the inn had collapsed in on him with Darius straddled across his chest. What was amazing was that not one single drop of blood had been spilt. Darius had systematically started with the top part of the smallest finger on his right hand and crushed the bone into powder it seemed. He was below the knuckle of the second finger now. Ciros was determined not to give him the satisfaction of crying out - and he certainly wasn't giving into him. He would take whatever pain the brut could inflict on him. And let him take as long as he wanted - all the better if it meant the other one died before he could get to her. He would have that consolation and he would take it to his grave if that was how it would be.
[Raam-Draj Trade Route, 1 year ago]
Adia looped the kank's reins around her elbows and leaned back to slow it down ever so slightly. She swore it could smell the water in the oasis they were heading for and was rushing to get there. She was feeling very dry herself but it wouldn't do to get too far ahead of the caravan. Behind her on foot were the twins - mercenaries just like her contracted to the Dulian merchant house. Immediately behind them was the captain. He had served a long time with the Raam army and was a shrewd strategist. His military days had left him not quite the fighter he used to be but that was what he hired the rest of the troupe for. His quick thinking had got them out of more than one tricky situation - and this was only her third job with him. Next came the cargo carried on five kanks. One of the sons of the house had come along too to help his brother in the Draj emporium. He was young, still full of great ideas on what life should be and always polite to the only woman with them. A couple of other passengers trotted along amongst the kanks. They mostly kept to themselves and a big cloth map they occasionally crouched over. Bringing up the rear were the last two hired mercenaries, the kid Ciros who was on his first ride out ever, and the dark man. Darius never said very much. When the captain first introduced them when she joined he asked only was she any good. She replied that she was and asked was he. He told her she'd soon see. And see she did. In all her time as a soldier, gladiator, and mercenary she had seen very few men to equal him in strength or cunning. He was keenly intelligent - more than he showed she suspected. She knew nothing more about him, only that she was glad to be on the same side when the battles came.
Everything ahead was obscured by a heat haze and she could feel her mind beginning to wander. She shook the flask that hung from her. Only a drop or two left. She drank it down and hoped that oasis hadn't gone anywhere. It barely seemed to make a difference. Still, she managed to refocus, to look out for any possible signs of trouble like irregular dust patterns... she held up her hand to halt the company. The plume of sand that rose from the behind the rocky outcroppings ahead was probably little more than a dust devil but she hadn't survived this long by betting on such things. The captain quickly rode up beside her and spoke in a whisper.
"What is it?"
She pointed. "The sand is disturbed. Probably nothing but..."
"But it's too perfect a place for an ambush." He nodded in agreement. "Check it out. Be careful."
She wrapped her scarf up over her mouth and rode on while they waited. The rocks that marked the path down to the oasis grew larger as she approached but still there was nothing unusual to see and only the wind to hear. She was starting to relax when the kank grew fussy below her. She barely ducked out of the way in time as a dart whistled over her head. She jumped off the kank just as a second one planted itself in the creature's eye. It kicked up a frenzy leaving her no choice but to let go of it or be dragged to her death in the sand behind it. She rolled behind a rock and quickly loaded the blow pipe that hung around her neck and prepared her bow. There were voices now - she could clearly hear the captain barking orders. He was sending one of the twins to help her but the rest of them were to stay guard the cargo. A shower of stones hit the rock she was using for shelter. Two of them bounced over and hit her smartly in the arm and leg. She risked a quick glance in the direction the missiles had come from - raiders. But she could only see (and quickly shot down) one of them... she yelled a warning back to the caravan but it was already too late - they came up from under the sand itself - right below the caravan. Two kanks were sliced along their underbelly before they knew what was happening.
As she ran back she could already see Darius lassooing two of them and pulling them out into the open. One arrow tore apart both necks. The captain was shouting for the remaining kanks to be moved out of the way and he had put himself between the raiders and the three passengers. Ciros was looking petrified, trying to follow what Darius was doing - obviously wanting to do the same - but frozen with fear. More raiders came up from the compartments they had secreted along the path. She stopped and shot off a few arrows - each one a dead kill. Still they were outnumbered about two to one. The merchant boy had a little bone knife out and looked ready to step into the fray but the captain pushed him back. The twin that was still with the caravan when it started managed to control one of the kanks. He threw the two map readers across it and slapped its flank. They screamed as the beast tore off after its companion. His brother got back to the others now and was fighting back to back with Darius. The captain was trying to get hold of another beast for the merchant boy but the animals were frightened and jumpy and couldn't be held.
When Adia joined the fight there were a few more raider's bodies to step over. She stood by the captain and together they sent a couple more raiders to their graves. It looked like they were winning. Then the captain froze. Next thing she knew his arm was tight around her neck.
"What the hell are you..." She coughed.
His other hand rose toward her. It held a knife. It was shaking.
"A...dia... help." His voice quavered barely audible in her ear.
The knife was on her skin now and he was shivering. She desperately tried to see around her - there it was - standing to the edge of the battle was a lone raider just watching them. Darius had spotted them now too and with her eyes she showed him where the problem was as she felt the first bite... the knife went flying across the sand and the captain collapsed while still holding her, dragging her down with him. She managed to see across - Darius had thrown his sword and it was now imbedded in the psionicist's head but that wasn't what broke the captain's hold. A third body fell into the heap. The merchant boy and his little bone knife.
Lightning flashed overhead. She knew from the burning stench that there was a defiler amongst them. Benj screamed. His brother couldn't anymore. They couldn't see where it had come from, who it was, so Benj just hacked at the nearest raider to him. Adia got back to her feet. The merchant boy was staring now at his blood covered hands and starting to rock himself. Occasionally he'd ask the captain to wake up. A finger to his neck told her he wouldn't be taking orders anymore. The kid would be at least physically alright for now - she joined with Benj in seeking out the defiler. A glance at Ciros told her that he was doing slightly better on his first outing. There was a body at his feet now and he stepped over it looking for the next.
Only five raiders were still standing and they were thinking better of staying. Which one was the defiler they still couldn't tell but they were working off the theory that if they killed them all they were bound to get him. Four remained. Three. With Adia and Benj behind and Ciros and Darius in front, all routes of escape were blocked. Two of the raiders were looking to the third. Adia took her blowpipe and blew hard just as a fizzle began in the air between the dropping raider and Darius. It sputtered out and the defiler screamed - as much from his own feet turned ashen as the dart protruding from the base of his skull. The last two fell quickly after.
The four warriors stood, looking at each other. None of them escaped unbloodied and the wound across Benj's thigh said he would walk with a limp for the next while but otherwise they had made it. Without saying a word they picked up the bodies of their fallen, Ciros helped the Dulian boy, and they herded the kanks the rest of the way to the oasis.
Night was falling fast by the time they calmed the other kanks that had fled to the waterhole enough to go back and fetch up the rest of their cargo. They dressed their wounds and buried the dead. The two map readers did the best they could to help. They ate and drank their fill and watched the boy. None of them would interrupt him as he came to terms with his first blood. It would have been too painful. That the captain was not a traitor and his hand was forced by a psionicist was information that could wait until the boy was back in the bosom of his family. Only when he and the other passengers succumbed to sleep did Ciros break the silence.
"What happens now?"
Benj only shrugged. Darius said nothing and neither did she.
"It's worth a lot of money."
Benj looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "What are you getting at?"
Ciros looked around at them, then where the boy was sleeping. "He's not going to remember anything apart from killing the captain."
Darius spoke with a voice filled with gravel. "We finish the job we're being paid to do."
Benj drew circles in the sand with a stick. "We're not being paid enough."
Ciros nodded. "What if one or two of the loads were taken by the raiders? We could only save some of it?"
"We're warriors, not merchants. We bring it all back." She waited. Not sure what for.
Darius met her eyes then. "Exactly. A cargo is spent too fast. All we can keep are our reputations."
"I hate to point this out - but we don't have a captain anymore", said Ciros.
Darius fixed his stare steadily onto him. "Kill anything that moves that isn't us. "
"Are you giving the orders now?"
Darius responded by not breaking his gaze.
Adia wrapped her desert wear around her as the night chill bit in. "There's a village a day's walk away to the north. If you want to take the equivalent of your payment now and take your chances, we won't stop you. Otherwise you'll do what you're told until we reach Draj."
Ciros' eyes went from Darius to Adia to Darius. Finally he nodded his head.
Pessilo smiled. "You made it to Draj."
"Yes. It was difficult. We had less kanks and the same amount of cargo. We were late but we got there."
"I bet the Dulian's were happy to see their cargo."
"Indeed. The boy even managed to come out of himself a little on the way. Benj sort of adopted him."
The Half Elf chuckled. "Ciros didn't give you any more trouble I trust?"
"No. He's still with us in fact." She didn't say aloud that lately they weren't so sure they trusted him. "We all received a share of the captain's payment too. Benj decided to stay as the Dulian's personal guard at the emporium so gave us his share and his brother's to use. Darius and I used everything we had to buy up some kanks and weapons. We started our own caravan independent of the merchant houses. Took on Ciros, one of the cartographers who took a liking to the sword on the way back, and a few others."
Her companion creased his brow. "Independent? How does that work?"
"Darius and I talked along the way. We realised if we could take the load of more than one house at a time we could make a lot more money. And the bigger and better protected the caravan, the less likely it is to come under attack. And it made sense to do it together. It would be too much for one person to captain. We think the same way."
"And the houses actually give you their cargo? Even though you have no allegiance to them?"
She shrugged. "It's no different to hiring a band of mercenaries and hoping they don't murder your captain and steal the cargo. And because they only make up part of the shipment, it costs them a lot less. I admit it hasn't been easy, but we've been earning our reputation - both with the merchants and the raiders. We get there."
He smiled. "It sounds very exciting."
"It's a living."
Pessilo hesitated, sipped at his ale a couple of times, and then asked what was on his mind. "Forgive me for asking - but from the room next door it sounded like you two are more than just business partners."
"It's cheaper and warmer." She shrugged. "And it beats being alone."
He looked at her, a twist of humour playing across his face. "And what of love?"
She laughed. "Ha! Love isn't for people like us. It's for children and poets and simpletons that know no better. We are neither of us capable of it. Loyalty is all that matter's out here."
"That's very sad." He stood up then, both ales now dry. "Take a walk with me. You can tell me what it was that turned you from your childhood dreams of romance."
She found herself standing and taking his hand before she could even think about it. What harm could it do? She could crush him in a second and he knew it. And... it was nice to talk.
Ciros screamed - or he tried to but Darius' hand was thick over his mouth. It was the thumb that did it. That was when he could take it no more. His eyes were bloodshot with the pain and his lungs ached from trying to breathe under the weight on his chest.
"I'll tell you everything! Please!"
Darius grinned and lowered his face to stare at him nose to nose. "It occurs to me you're not all that much of an idiot. Why here? Why not closer to Urik where you'd have a chance of making it somewhere you can sell the cargo?"
"I... have... a buyer. Outside... Fort Sandol."
"You'd never make it on your own. Who's helping you?"
Ciros smiled, a gleeful thought crossing his mind. "Adia. She says you leave her... unsatisfied."
The back of the inn where they walked was actually quite well sheltered from the colder winds. They were following a gravel path that led to a small almost depleted flint quarry. Was she imagining that Pessilo was a little more on edge out here or was it just the chill air that made him walk with a more rigid gait? He was walking quite fast too for a starlight stroll.
"What's the hurry, Pessilo?"
"Sorry." He slowed down. "Must be the Elf blood. I always feel like I should be running. So what kind of cargo do you carry?"
"Anything that's not illegal and not slaves."
"Is he an escaped slave too?" It was like he had to keep himself talking, couldn't let them fall to silence.
"We've never talked about our pasts. It's not important."
"Where did you escape from?"
She stopped. "I've already told you more than I've told anyone in a very long time. A lot more than I should have."
He sighed and came back to her. "Don't you know by now you can trust me Adia?" They reached the quarry and he jumped down the ledges to the bottom. She sighed and followed.
"I was a gladiator if you must know. My uncle sold me to the arena not even a year after my mother died. For all his promises I never saw him again."
"That would explain why you're so tough." He held out his hand to help her down the last ledge. She ignored it. "Did you fight much? For show?"
"Only a couple of times when I was older. I made the mistake of being too good."
[Balic Arena, 8 years ago]
The crowd were roaring outside. Caliope was battered and bruised as she went back down to the stables but she was still alive and she had won! A couple of the children she trained with hugged her, glad to see her back and in one piece bar the chunk taken out of her left shoulder. One of the older gladiators sneered at her that she'd get hers in time. She ignored him as most everyone else did. Everyone knew he was afraid he was getting too old and that the next battle would kill him. He was out next. She kind of hoped he wouldn't make it back. He just brought everyone down and life was hard enough. She was alive and that was reason to celebrate!
The healer came to her and poulticed and bandaged her shoulder with very little fuss. Her light leather armour was removed from her and the serrated bone sword taken to be examined. She scooped a large earthen goblet into the barrel of water and sat on the bench under one of the barred windows to drink it. A minute later her goblet was empty and she was considering how she could refill it without being seen when one of the more seasoned gladiators - he must have been at least two years older than her - came over and tapped her good shoulder.
"Glad to see you back, Cali."
"Hi Pent."
"Can I talk to you?"
"Sure."
"Over here." He nodded his head towards the now empty weapon store at the back of the stable. She got up leaving the goblet and followed him.
"What is it?" They stopped just inside the door.
"You're good. Great even. But Cali you've got to slow down."
"Why? What are talking about?"
He looked around - everyone else was too busy watching the battles outside. He pushed her gently into the back of the room and closed the door over. Even at that he spoke in a whisper. "You're attracting too much attention, that's why."
"Well that's good isn't it?"
"No Cali. Not when the Dwarf Master is one of those watching you out there."
She shrugged. It didn't mean anything to her. She'd been told from the start if she fought hard and bravely she'd earn back her freedom in time. She planned to still be young enough to enjoy it. Pent knew that. He was fighting for the same thing... and maybe now she was getting in his way. That was why he thought she was too good. She narrowed her eyes.
"I'm getting out of here, Pent. Whatever it takes."
He was shaking his head. She smiled and touched the back of his hand.
"There's no reason we both can't. You're still an amazing gladiator. My being good too won't change that."
He shook his head harder and gripped her by the arm. "You're not listening to me Cali! You don't want the Dwarf thinking you're as tough as you are!"
"Let go of me."
He released her and held up his hand. "Sorry. But you've got to understand - I've seen what happens... you're better off here Cali, believe me."
"I'm going to be free again."
He smiled at her sadly. "I really do hope so. And I desperately hope I'm wrong about what I saw while you were fighting those thri-keen."
She was getting tired of this now. "I think you hit your head out there Pent." She shook her head and tried to move past him.
His arm shot out against the wall blocking her path. "Cali..." His other hand pinned her bad shoulder back but in a gentle way she never thought possible. It didn't hurt. Next he leaned in until their noses rubbed off one another and his lips were on hers. It was all entirely new in a frightening sort of way and... pleasant. She couldn't remember ever feeling so warm inside. She wasn't at all sure what to do but that was okay... when his tongue ran inside her lips she reciprocated. Whether it was the blood loss finally getting to her or the intensity of the moment, she could feel her head grow lighter, almost floating away. She never really noticed his hands moving over her until they began to undo her clothing and he pressed in against her. That was when she crashed back down to reality. She shoved him away from her so hard she could hear the impact when he hit the stone wall on the other side. He folded to the ground. For a fleeting moment she thought she had... he groaned. He was still alive. She ran out from the room as he tried to call her name.
Darius turned from the body sprawled over the floor and left the room. On his way down the hall he checked each of the knives lodged in his clothing. It was time to find Adia.
Pessilo perched on a rock, his knees to his chin. "The course of first love?"
She shook her head. "I was a child. A stupid innocent girl. And love had nothing to do with it." She sighed deeply. "But I did come to realise later one night when I was swollen and sore to the brink of insanity that there was more nobility to Pent's actions than I gave him credit for. He was the last thing I was thinking about at the time but out of nowhere I had this epiphany. He had tried to save me in the only way he could think of. Probably thought they would have left me alone if I were to have his child. Probably thought I had a lot more time than I did. Ultimately it didn't matter whether or not I had let him continue that day. They came for me just a couple of hours later."
[Balic Arena, 8 years ago]
"Caliope. Follow me." The weapons master quickly led her from the bunk room, out through the small training arena, and into the owner's buildings. Her heart leapt into her mouth. Normally they weren't allowed come close to here but today she was having the door opened for her by the master and everything! She swelled with pride. She must have made a fine impression to be invited over and she was going to take great delight at rubbing it in Pent's face at training tomorrow. In all the time he'd been in the stable, he'd never been specifically asked for by the masters. There was a belief amongst the gladiators that to be invited to dine at the masters' lodgings meant freedom was close at hand. It was almost dinner time.
"Master? Why am I being summoned here?"
The weapons master only looked at her. He seemed regretful of something. It was none of her business so she let it go and followed him the rest of the way in silence.
They reached a door at the top of a carpeted flight of stairs. It was such a weird sensation to walk on carpet. They had a small well worn mat outside one of the temples that she and her cousins used to go dance on before they were chased away - this was very different. Her bare feet sank right down into it. The door was opened for her again but this time the weapons master didn't follow her through. He didn't say goodbye, didn't say anything. Just closed the door and walked away leaving her alone.
Except she wasn't alone. It took her a moment or two to notice that - the room she found herself in was like something she heard tales of from the Sorcerer King's or the mightiest templar's palace! There was more carpet on the floor, a fine mesh curtain on the window that kept out the sand and the insects - a bed covered with blankets and soft cushions, and a long table practically overflowing with all kinds of food! Only when he laughed did she notice him.
"Do help yourself, young gladiator. You've earned it."
She was about to leap right in when she stopped herself. She had learned the hard and painful way before that the masters rarely meant to be as generous as they sometimes sounded. It was a game they played. She looked back at the rotund red faced man sitting on a well padded chair at one end of the table. He smiled at her and pointed to the chair's match at the other end.
"It's okay. Eat. Try the honey wine. Very refreshing after a long day at the arena. Go on." He nodded at the glass carafe.
Carefully and not without suspicion she poured out half a glass. She sipped the tiniest amount... it was cold! Somehow they had actually managed to chill the gold liquid and as she gulped down more of it that coolness spread throughout her in the most delightful way. To add to the pleasure it was utterly delicious.
The master chuckled. "You like it then?"
"Yes Master. It's wonderful."
"Good good. Get used to it. There'll be plenty more to come."
She smiled. If this was a dream - or if she had died in her sleep and gone to heaven - then she didn't want to know about it. She filled her plate with more types of bread than she ever thought possible, fruits she couldn't even begin to identify, spiced meats, pickled cheeses, other coloured blobs of food that not only looked good but tasted it. She knew she could never eat it all but she would certainly try.
"I can tell you're going to like it here."
She looked up at him with a mouthful of bread. "You mean I'll be staying here?"
He smiled kindly. "For the rest of your term with us, yes."
Her eyes lit up, the food instantly forgotten. "You mean I'll be free soon?!"
Again he laughed. "I was very impressed with you today - we all were. You made us a whole lot of money, you know. You're a fighter. A survivor. We like that. So we've chosen you for a very special task. You will stay here until it is completed and when it is I promise you that you will be a slave no more."
Her heart skipped. Could it really be true? It sounded like a hundred dreams come true at once. Maybe it was her mother - she didn't lie after all when she said she'd watch for her. And now she could live up to her end of the bargain and grow free.
"Anything. I'll do anything! What's the task?"
He used the edge of the table to push himself up out of the chair and came around the table to her. "Don't worry yourself about that now, girl. Have your feed - but there's no need to make yourself sick - there'll be food a plenty for you from now on. All will become clear soon enough."
With that he patted her head and left her to eat. For the smallest fraction of a second a shadow of doubt flickered over her mind when she heard bolts sliding into place outside. She quickly chased it away with more of the honey wine.
Hours passed and she lay on the bed feeling bloated. She had remained undisturbed and only now as the light shied away from the sky outside did she begin to question what was going on. Why give so much to a slave? Even one as good a gladiator as she? What could they possibly want her to do? She had tried the door but indeed found it locked. The window too was solidly barred. But the bed was soft and large and the food was good so all in all things were not looking so bad. She jumped to her feet when the bolts snapped back and the door opened. A grey haired woman with a hunched over back looked in on her. The shock on her face was obvious and she quickly pulled her head back and closed the door again. Caliope crossed quickly and quietly to it to listen.
"No. This can't be right. She's just a child!"
Her voice sounded crackly. A gruff voice responded.
"No mistake. Prepare her." A snort. "Unless you want to take her place."
There was a long pause. "She'll be ready by nightfall."
Heavy footsteps marched away and Caliope practically leapt back to the bed as the door began to open. The woman came in with a forced smile that dropped away as soon as she set eyes on her again.
"Hello dear. My name is Kana. I'm going to take care of you."
Caliope sat up straight and challenged her immediately. "Why do I need to be taken care of? What am I being prepared for?"
Kana looked pathetic the way she bit her lip and shook her head and couldn't quite bring herself to meet her eyes.
"Oh dear. You heard all that. I never thought they'd use a girl so young."
"I'm fifteen. I'm not a girl anymore. What are they using me for?"
Before Caliope could object, Kana's hand was on her stomach. She removed it as quickly. Her sigh was pitiful. "Indeed you're not and that is unfortunate." She went to the table and busied herself for a moment. When she turned back she had a goblet in her hand. She brought it to Caliope who then saw it was filled with the dark red liquid she hadn't liked the smell of enough to try.
"Drink this dear."
"Why should I?"
"My girl I can't prevent what will happen but you have to...", as an afterthought she subversively looked about the room, "you must trust me. Your life depends on it."
Caliope shook her head. "No. I'm going to do something for them and then they're going to set me free."
"Did they say that to you?"
She thought about it. "The Master said when I'm done I won't be a slave anymore."
"Do you see how that's not the same thing?"
Caliope blinked. It couldn't be... that couldn't be true. Why would they be so nice to her if they were only going to kill her? The old woman put the goblet firmly between her hands.
"Drink. It will make it... easier. Drink as much as you can. It will relax you and dull the pain. And don't fight it. That will only make it worse. Believe me."
She was frightened now. What was she talking about? Why was it the look in Kana's eyes said as terrified as she was right now, it wasn't nearly enough. Already light headed from the honey wine, she gulped down the red and made a face.
"It tastes like blood."
"You'll get used to it."
"What's going to happen to me, Kana?"
They both looked outside. Darkness was descending fast. "What's your name?"
"Caliope."
"I'm sorry Caliope. I wish I could stop it. Just hold on. The first time is the worst and it will be over soon. I'll return to you then."
Caliope seized her hand as Kana got up from the bed. "You're leaving me?!"
"I'm sorry." She shook her head. She truly was. But Caliope still had no answer.
"Tell me! What do they want from me?!"
Kana grimaced. "A child. They want a child from you."
Caliope was about to question her further when the door opened. Inside stepped the Dwarven Master. He was someone she recognised only from the arena crowd and he had little contact with any of the gladiators ... apart from the Muls... they said he fathered them all... he growled at Kana.
"Out witch."
She didn't argue. He closed the door solidly behind her.
Adia stopped. She looked into a very pale face. "I've dreamt through this once already tonight. I have no wish to retell it now."
Pessilo was finally dumbfounded. He was shaking his head. "I... had no idea."
"Of course you didn't. And it's over now -so why am I telling you about it?!"
She hadn't told anyone about it since Etlin. She hadn't even let herself remember since she buried Caliope deep within the deserts of Adia's past. So what was wrong with her tonight? And now that she had started talking, why couldn't she stop?
"I was a stupid girl when I think about it now. I knew what the Muls in the arena with us were. I just never questioned where they came from."
Pessilo touched her lightly on the knee. She hardly noticed. "How long did it go on? I've heard that... you never did conceive, did you?"
She folded her arms tight. "You've heard right. The women don't survive. I knew and Kana knew that as soon as I conceived my life was over."
Darius slowed when he got to the quarry. He could just about make them out below. They were no more than two darker patches of night noticeable only by the absence of the whitish flecks that went through the stone around them. He crouched down and made his way forward amazed but thankful that Adia seemed to have so much to talk about.
[Balic, 7 years ago]
Caliope sat by the window. There wasn't much to see, just the kitchen slaves going back and forth with supplies, but she found if she listened hard enough she could hear the cheering coming from the arena. She longed to be back there - to be able to train daily with the other gladiators - to laugh at the old ones and tease the younger ones. While she might never have called the other gladiators friends, they were still people to talk to. Chances were all the people she knew were dead by now anyway. She wasn't sure how much time had passed since she left them but one of the kitchen boys that came with her food mentioned the try outs for the Tyr tournament had begun. That put it at about half a year. Half a year in which time her bounteous spread of food had diminished slowly to a tray of ample but increasingly bland sustenance. At least the wine kept flowing - even if the quality of that deteriorated too.
But there was hope. Kana hadn't said directly but she had implied that they were losing patience and believed that Caliope might indeed be barren (although Kana assured her she wasn't). Would they send her back to be a gladiator? With some training she was sure she could be a solid fighter again. Kana avoided that question. She was worried. Kana hadn't come to check on her last night or the night before.
Night was falling. As she drank down her goblet of wine and poured another pondering where Kana could be, she heard the familiar drawing back of the bolts. It was still too early for the Dwarf so she turned to the door overcome with relief... that was ill-founded. The woman who stepped in had harder features. She was dark - darker by far than Caliope - and she wore a bone through the bundled hair on top of her head. Her eyes were slits and they bore right through her.
"Wh... where is Kana?"
The woman walked across the room and stood over her, hands on her hips. "Your witch is dead. You killed her."
Caliope was stunned. She tried to stand up but the wine made her light and the woman pushed her back down.
"I didn't! I swear it."
"As good as." She took the goblet from Caliope's hand and poured the contents out onto the floor. She did the same with the ceramic jug before Caliope could react.
"What did you do that for?"
"There'll be no more wine. They found out what your witch was doing."
"What? I don't know what you're talking about!"
The new woman bent down to be nose to nose with her. "She actually believed she was helping you. She got soft. That won't happen with me. I don't care how young you are."
"Please, tell me what's going on. Where is she?"
"Dead. Don't you listen? Don't worry. There'll be no more potions. Your suffering won't be prolonged any longer and you'll give them what they want."
Caliope was growing more and more confused. "What potions? I don't have any..." her eyes caught the evaporating patch of crimson on the carpet.
"She was feeding you potions in the wine to prevent you from conceiving. And she called this mercy! You will have no such problems with me."
For a second Caliope wasn't sure what the moisture rolling down her cheeks was, she hadn't shed a tear in so long. The woman was already feeling her belly and tutting.
"I need more wine."
The woman looked up at her impatiently, then took her by the chin and looked inside her mouth. "I told you already. There will be no more."
"But there's no potions in it now!"
She checked her eyes and her ears. "The Master has found it too costly to keep providing you with libations when you are giving nothing in return. You are proving expensive girl and his patience is almost at an end. Pray it does not run out. I swear it will be far worse for you."
Pessilo looked about to fall, he was leaned forward so much as she told the story. There was something different in his eyes now. Something she'd seen before... Darius got the same look when he was calculating.
"His patience must have run out eventually."
"Without Kana's potions he didn't have long to wait. No, on the contrary, he was very pleasantly surprised. It's... a very expensive business when all the women and a high proportion of the Muls don't survive. Can you imagine how valuable a woman that could survive it would be? That not only produced a healthy offspring but could do it again?"
Pessilo stood. She'd never seen eyes widen as much as his did now. "You? You had one of them? And you're still alive?"
"Worse."
[Balic Arena, 7 years ago]
The pain was excruciating beyond the point of screaming being any use but it was a gentle caress to what had gone the night before. The witch that replaced Kana hadn't said a word. She had fair jumped across the room when Caliope opened her eyes after the beast had torn itself out of her hours before. Since then she was speechless. She muttered occasionally about Kana's potions and asked once who her parents were - not that Caliope would answer - but for now she stitched her back up quietly with only the occasional tut. There was a buzz outside. People talking. Excited. She was dimly aware of the fat master in the room watching the witch work. He couldn't believe it and had to see for himself. Unfortunately he wasn't so quiet.
"This is... amazing! Unheard of! And the child is a fine creature too. He's going to be the finest of our stable - almost worth the trouble she's been. How is this possible? Well? Now is not the time to chose silence, witch."
"She may not survive yet, Master. There is little blood left in her."
"No one has ever survived this far." He clucked. "I knew it when I saw her. This one's a fighter. No. She's going to make it. And you are going to fix her."
The woman gasped. "I don't know if that is possible, Master."
Caliope could just about imagine his chubby smile. "Make it possible."
"Did you? Have more of them?"
Adia let her head fall into her hands. "I begged and begged for her to make it so I couldn't or to at least tell them I couldn't. But she knew what they'd do to her if they found out. They let her watch Kana being thrown to the arena with the thri-keen, she said. And the reward if she could fix me - it was more than she would pass up. She did it and she told them. My food and wine returned. On that day I think I became the single most valuable commodity in the arena. I'm sure my uncle was bitterly disappointed that he got so little for me eight years earlier."
[Balic arena, 7 years ago]
It was raining. The last time it rained Caliope had played in it with her cousins. Her mother and their parents had come out to join them and they were all so happy. She could smell it through the window. She could feel it when she held her cheek to the bars. Today would be a very different day.
She studied the ceramic flagon of wine. It smelled sweet. Despite the sickness still in the pit of her stomach she forced herself to eat a few slivers of meat and a little fruit. She was going to need the strength. She looked at the flagon again. And a clear head. She would have a clear head when he came tonight. But to taste just one mouthful... she seized the flagon and dashed it against the wall. It broke into large fragments and the red liquid ran down the wall. She quickly pulled the table over to cover the spot and picked up the shards. They would do.
She was going to die. She was reasonably sure of that. Even if she did get past the Dwarf, she'd never get out of the arena alive. She hoped they would kill her if it came to that anyway. Of course it would make more sense to wait for the witch to arrive. She was bound to be easier to overpower... but she wouldn't come until after and that was too late. One thing was certain in Caliope's mind. It was never going to happen again. The Dwarf wouldn't expect her to fight. She gave that up after the first month. He wouldn't expect her to be sober either. Even when they stopped giving her wine she still kept her mind a long long way away. She finally understood what her mother meant when she asked her in the mornings where she'd been all night and her mother would reply that she had been far away indeed. The difficulty was her body was still weak. She hadn't trained in a year and a half and the birth of the monster had drained everything she had left. Almost everything. The Master laughed heartily at her when she reminded him of his promise - that when the task was done she would be free. He told her the task had changed and it wasn't completed yet. She decided that it was and she would be free or she would die trying, but she would not be raped again. If her attempt accomplished nothing else but that then it would be a success.
And so she waited. And then she watched from afar as night fell and the rain continued and the Dwarf came into her room. The girl on the bed played her part well, pretended to be afraid, pleaded uselessly for him to leave her alone, he laughed at her and told her he was delighted to see her alive and to be with her again. He pulled up her tunic and undid his britches while she sobbed dry tears and then he looked very surprised indeed. His eyes rolled into his head and not a sound escaped him as his full weight fell on top of her. She had driven the ceramic shard so hard through the back of his neck that it protruded even through the front of his thick dwarven hide. She pushed him off her and changed into a less blood stained tunic. And all the time Caliope watched.
Then she was that girl and they were running. She left the room for the first time since she had been brought there after her arena performance. It was amazing that she remembered all the different stairs and corridors they had passed on the way that day. Over a year of watching at the window told her roughly where the kitchens ought to be. Goods came in and garbage went out even this late into the night. There were always people coming and going and none but a couple of kitchen boys would know her face. She felt if she could get that far... she was down on the ground floor now, running around a corner... and straight into the witch. They were both as shocked to see each other but Caliope recovered first and covered the witch's mouth with her hand pressing her hard against the wall.
"Don't say a word."
The witch was blinking wildly. Caliope lowered her hand but was ready to gag her again if she needed.
"How did you get out?"
"I'm leaving."
"Don't be stupid girl. Do you know what you're worth now? Even if you did escape - which you won't - they'll never stop hunting you."
"We'll see."
The witch shook her head. "I won't allow it. You'll have to..."
"Kill you first?" Caliope stepped back from her. A shard was lodged in the witch's gut surrounded by a blossoming flower of red. The witch looked down at it like she couldn't believe it, then up at Caliope. When she opened her mouth to scream, Caliope punched her with every ounce of the strength she forgot she had. Before she left her there, Caliope took the cloak from around her shoulders. She would need it out in the rain.
"You escaped that night?"
"Yes. I can't even remember what it was but I took a bag of things as I went through the kitchen. The witch was found a lot sooner than the Dwarf would have been and the alarm was raised but she was dead and couldn't tell them it was me - and that would never have crossed their minds until they went to get the Dwarf to help track down the killer in their midst. But I got out. The rain brought with it excitement and the guards were less vigilant. I only stopped running when I got near the fields and found a tool shed to hide in. I cried all night for the last time in my life.
"The next few days I laid low in Balic as they hunted for me but I always managed to bribe a guard to look the other way or influence a do-gooder to shelter me. They were afraid you see that if they pretended I was anything other than just another runaway slave, one of the other stable owners would try get me first. So I waited until the next time the Giants attacked. In the chaos I bought my way onto a caravan hurrying out of town. I haven't been back since."
Pessilo scratched at the stubble on his chin, his thoughts running deep. Adia felt light as if the story had been a weight she carried. She knew she still did but for now... he was nodding. Whatever he was thinking was working in his mind.
"Come away with me Adia. You deserve better."
She smiled. It was kind of sweet in a way but for all the intelligence in his eyes he was a fool. "Do you feel sorry for me, Pessilo? Don't. That is over now and I'm content with the life I have."
He frowned at her like she wasn't quite getting it, or playing it right, or something that bothered him. He was focusing on her, eyes to eyes. "A job that will get you killed one day? A man devoid of love? I can give you more... if you trust in me."
She found her mind swimming. Could have been the ale though she really hadn't drunk enough of it... but he was looking at her awfully hard. She never trusted anyone - especial an Elf - yet she wanted to with him. Still she held herself back. "I live an honest life in freedom. I never wanted more than that."
"Honest, Caliope?" There was a bite of venom in his tone as he said the name she hadn't heard used in so long. And for the briefest flicker of an instant she saw him in Balic with the fat Master. She was starting to stand when a black shadow swooped down behind Pessilo.
"Caliope is dead. And so are you."
A dark line oozed out along the Half Elf's throat. Darius wiped his blade on Pessilo's scarf before his body fell. He bubbled, trying to say something they couldn't make out, and then he stopped. At that moment the fogs she never knew were there lifted from Adia's mind. She looked to Darius.
"What just happened?"
"You were right about Ciros. Tried to kill me in my sleep. Before he died and after telling me he was working with you he begged to be allowed tell me everything. That... thing," he kicked at the Half Elf, "was a psionicist. He caused you to have that nightmare I don't doubt to separate us. He made you trust him so that he could kill you."
She nodded. It made sense. And the worst part was she knew all along that her trust in him was unnatural. She knew she was telling too much and... he had hung off every word at the end. Saw that whatever Ciros would give him was little to what he could make. "Only he got too greedy when he found out..." ...what Darius knew now too. "How much did you hear?"
He looked at her for a long second. Carefully calculating.
"Adia. You and I never disagreed over the exclusion of Balic from our trade route. When I escaped there I killed the templar who executed my wife and daughter for practising magic. All because she would not go to his bed. He was well favoured of Andropinis. The price on my head would prohibit me ever trying to claim that on yours. Even if that were not so take comfort in that I am no more capable of betraying you than I am of loving you."
The part of her still in the recently reawakened emotional turmoil wanted to hug him. Fortunately for both of them it was a minuscule part easily quelled. She accepted instead with a nod.
"Nor I you."
"Then we need dwell no more on this. Come back to bed. You're shivering."
When he put his arm around her she knew it was only to share body heat. She was far from appropriately dressed to be out in the night after all. They left the body where it was and stepped out of the quarry back towards the inn. Half way along the path she asked him.
"You didn't believe him? That he and I were..."
"If you wanted me dead you'd have done it yourself by now."
She smiled. It was true. She was about the only one she knew that might possibly stand a chance. What had Ciros been thinking?
When they got back to the inn Darius ducked out again to leave Ciros with his partner for the night crawlers. She climbed under the covers in the meantime but found she was still shuddering when he returned but not from the cold. As he climbed into bed he looked at her with eyes suddenly once more sleepy and impatient with those who looked like they were not.
"You're not going to start crying, are you?"
She shook her head. "Only when it rains." She rolled over and promptly fell asleep.