“Get up and get to work, or you won't get fed till this evening!”

I twisted my upper body as if that would somehow lessen the pain from getting kicked in the back. Looking over my shoulder, Mr. Flet… no my Master walked away to go back to the storefront.

The whole reason I was still asleep was because I stayed up late finishing orders from the day before. Orders he could have helped finish but instead left to go drinking.

I realized after coming to live, and work, here for the last four years, that my father didn't have to really try to be a better craftsman than this drunkard. While my father made works of art, Fletcher spit out barely usable bows and half decent arrows, in bulk. His main customers were the duchy’s army and the poor. Anyone else would go to my father.

I got started on the orders that had already arrived, knowing the threat of no lunch being one I had suffered before.

I had resisted my change in social status at first. I was pretty certain Fletcher had something to do with the fire, my family’s deaths, and my enslavement. After a month of very little food and daily beatings I finally gave up.

My nose is now horribly crooked as it healed wrong. Oh, and I also have a slight limp in my left leg after it was broken when I refused to work that first week. I would probably have been considered handsome before, but now I am just broken.

Fletcher didn't come back to the workshop until early that afternoon. His daughter had come by at noon to toss my food on one of the tables before quickly leaving. Half of it spilling into the floor.

Fletcher looked over my work and then threw a mass of furs and a backpack at me, “We are having my son’s fiancé and her family over for dinner tomorrow night. Go get a deer big enough to feed all of us. If there is any leftover you might get some.”

I couldn't help but wonder if he really though I would believe that lie, but I had other problems, “It's the middle of winter and everyone has been hunting the forests nearby. I probably would have to go pretty far just to find anything.”

Fletcher slapped me across the face, and the blow took me to the floor, “I don't care how far you have to go. Don't come back until you have that deer. Here is a writ letting you out for the night until tomorrow afternoon. Don't forget what the guard does to slaves outside without permission. When you get back, make sure to catch up on the work you missed.”

Fletcher had made sure I remembered the nearest town or village was weeks away, before I first left to hunt for his family. This close to the border, only large towns like Flodby, with its high walls, could survive. He knew I would have to return if I wanted to be somewhere safe.

With that he turned and left without another word.

I gathered my things and stepped out into the biting wind. Everyone outside was bundled up with as many clothes as they could wear. While I could wear a hood, slaves were required to always keep their faces uncovered while in the city. The wind soon burned my face and I moved as fast as I dared towards the city gates.

I hadn't realized how many slaves there were until I became one. After my first year as one I was trusted to leave the workshop to go hunting. Apparently it was a skill Fletcher knew I had. In this kind of weather, only the slaves kept their faces bare. Since no one would willingly want to be out in this, about a third of the people I saw were slaves. Some weren't even wearing something warm to cover themselves. For all he knew the rest were probably indentured servants. Indentured servants could cover as much as they wanted as their situation was only temporary.

Even in this weather the city guards stopped me from leaving. They checked over my writ and, even though it was listed, gave me trouble for the bow and knife I had on me.

Finally far enough away from Flodby, I pulled up a piece of cloth over my face and headed out south along the river. While I was normally glad to get away from the city and the workshop, I didn't particularly want to this day. Suddenly the very air seemed to freeze, along with the river. Still, even with the wind stopping, not many deer would come out in this and were probably bedded down in whatever copse they found that could provide enough shelter. The trees were all bare, not a leaf to be found.

Traveling for hours through the forests, my limp started to get worse. Every step sent a small jolt of pain that I could still endure. How I was going to make it back carrying or dragging a large deer would remain to be seen.

I finally made it to a spot my dad had found and brought me to when the deer got scarce. The little valley along the river was where the land dropped and a large waterfall could be found here. The weather had had just turned for the worst this past week so the waterfall wasn't completely frozen over. I hoped a few animals, not hibernating, had braved the weather to drink the near freezing waters.

I quickly pulled out my bow and made sure my quiver of arrows was in a good position to reach. I became frustrated as the extra clothing I was wearing was making things difficult, so I reluctantly laid these over a nearby branch, along with my gloves and pack. Preparing an arrow, I laid it across the arrow shelf on my bow.

Stalking forward slowly, the frozen and calm air would help hide his smell, but only from a certain distance. There were tracks scattered all over the base of the waterfall but no critters in sight.

I walked back up to where I left my things and prepared to set up camp. Moving around, I was able to keep relatively warm, but with this weather I was quickly freezing over.

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Setting up the camp didn't take long as I was only given enough food to last me the night and more furs to use as a pallet. I set everything up behind a cluster of trees far enough away to not deter animals from approaching the waterfall. I soon had a small fire going. Warming myself, I would venture over to check the falls a couple times every hour.

As it started to get dark, it was apparent nothing was coming to drink the water so I worked to gather as much firewood as I could to last through the night. Once satisfied with my gathered pile of sticks and logs, I laid back in my stack of furs and stared up at the night sky.

The two arms of the goddess Jivana were bursting with life and blessings this night. Jivana had many different names amongst the different races and people's, but all knew how her holy lights guided and protected her children below. They were an example of how we should all strive to great strength and power.

I had always enjoyed sleeping nearest the window at night, the bright flash of lights seemed to calm me and helped me sleep peacefully. Well, that was till that night. Even now, out here all alone and under the full display of my goddess’ power, sleep eluded me.

A streak of light, different that those from the goddess’ arms, seemed to fall from the sky. Sitting up, I recalled tales of these gifts of the goddess. These tales always cautioned that one man’s gift could be another's curse.

I watched as the streak of light turned into a ball of fire. Gone was the tail that followed behind the goddess’ gift, and I became alarmed as it seemed to get larger and closer.

Jumping up in alarm, I could only watch as the ball of fire passed right over my camp and towards the forest behind me, back in the direction of Flodby.

The ball of fire must not have traveled very far from me as there was loud noise. Immediately after that a great wind swept past me and I was flung high into the air. The trees bent and cracked as they broke, flying in the air around me.

Pushing off a few limbs that had fallen on me, I stood to check myself for damage. In the dim light I was able to make out a few bumps, bruises, and cuts. Looking around I realized how lucky I was to still be alive.

Dust and dirt was still flying and falling through the air. I could still see something burning far into the distance but it was like looking through a thin fog. Where I was standing, a few trees still stood, but past that the area looked completely flattened. As I walked closer I could see the flattened area was comprised of fallen trees that seemed to radiate outwards from a glowing object that was now embedded into the earth.

I warred with what to do next but looked down to find myself already moving towards the center and mysterious object. If it was a gift from the goddess then I would be a fool not to embrace it for myself. If it was a curse, then how much worse could it be than my current predicament?

In the dark it took me a good half hour to climb over the fallen logs and disturbed ground. My hip was screaming in pain by the time I reached the center of the destruction, but I ignored it and moved on.

The object was as big as a small house and covered in a rocky looking surface that no longer glowed. Reaching out slowly I was surprised to find it only warm to the touch. As if responding to my touch part of the craft opened and expelled a rancid smelling fluid. Covering my nose as best I could, I did my best not to vomit right there.

I was shocked when I heard a moan from the craft and an arm covered in a dark metal material fell out of the hole. Running over I could just barely make out a man lying right inside in a pool of the foul smelling liquid.

Not wanting to offend a possible emissary of the goddess I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him out. While the man was easily over twice my height he was easy to move thanks to the liquid and slope he was laying on.

Taking shallow breaths the man looked around as if blind.

The air was cold, and I went to give the man my fur cloak, only to realize I had been using it as part of my bedding. It must be somewhere over where my camp had been. I had chosen to wear my gloves to bed, as my hands and feet were usually the first things to freeze.

I took off one of my gloves and tried my best to remove the slimy substance from the man’s eyes and nose. I realized then that the man wasn't wearing anything and it was in fact his flesh that I had mistaken for a dark metallic material. The flesh was stiff and hot to the touch. What I had done to clear his face seemed to help the man as he coughed up some of the foul liquid, but there was a darker color too what came out of him.

The man seemed to finally see me and I could see only confusion n in his eyes. Reaching up, he touched my face with his bare hands and he immediately passed out.

The emissary’s hand strangely stayed on my face and when I went to move it followed me. Tugging on the hand, I was confused to discover it caused me great pain when I attempted to remove it. Tracing the hand and my face I could not find where his hand ended and my face began. It was like his hand had grown from my face.

Freaking out, was I now trapped and could only imagine others would eventually come to accuse me of his murder? Worse yet, what if no one came and I would be stuck here attached to this man forever.

A few minutes passed and the man suddenly opened his eyes. Great sadness and frustration could be seen warring for dominance over his features. Then a look of fierce determination settled into place. He spoke a few words to me, but they meant nothing to me. Then he pushed his hand against my face and a weird sensation slowly spread over my entire body. Like stepping into the warm sunny day after swimming in the shadow of a tree in a cold river.

The man's hand peeled off my face and fell to the ground. I stare down to find his vacant eyes only to realize he was dead. Already his skin took on an ash like color. Then his body began to come apart. Liquids poured out of every orifice and his flesh began to cave in.

I stumbled backwards and fell, scrambling in the various fluids now coating the ground. Managing to finally stand up, my feet constantly wanted to slip out from under me.

I jerked my head around as in the distance I heard a horn blare. The duke’s men were on their way. A scout must have spotted the location of the goddess’ gift. If they found me… I couldn't think of anyway it could go well for me.

Scrambling over the fallen trees I tried my best to get as far as possible. A sound, not unlike flatulence, echoed across the now empty space.

Turning back, I watched as the object began to unevenly shrink and leak even more fluids.

It was lucky I had turned around when I did, as the torch light of a dozen men on horses came out of the woods on the opposite side. Quickly ducking in amongst the fallen trees I hid. The men dismounted and made their way over the debris to the remains of the emissary and the object he had been inside.

Why the goddess would send the emissary to die here confused me. Had he displeased the goddess and was cast out from the heavens?

The men that had arrived finally made it to the center and were cautiously looking over the remains. After they had set up a number of bonfires, one of the men was sent back and soon rode off back towards the city.

I wanted to leave, but I still had a ways before I could reach the safety of the still standing trees. I was pretty sure they would instantly see me if I tried to travel any further. Seeing they had no plans to leave anytime soon, I hunkered down, doing my best to get comfortable. Hugging myself, the air wasn't so cold down under the fallen logs.