That night once all of the weight was gone, I tried to lay down, to get some sleep but I couldn’t my whole body was one big bruise, or so many bruise that they ran together to become one big bruise, then my hands, blister upon blister I cannot count how many had burst, it was hard to open my hands, hard to move the fingers, but I was afraid to say anything there were times where I just wanted to throw the shovel down and storm away, I knew Mr. Soper would take me back, but I could not do that to him, I could become the witches apprentice and then the witch in a few months, but I would not be able to get justice from that noble, justice? Am I kidding myself, not justice I want revenge. I would not be able to get my revenge if I gave up. Mr. Soper told me to think about why I was digging two holes, no not holes graves he told me to think about why I was digging two graves. Eventually the day caught up to me and I fell asleep what felt like moments later I was being shaken awake.

“This is the first day so you are going to get extra time today, leave the vest and belt for now, you have 30 minutes there is a hot bath in that room, I will knock on the door at 30 minutes you will have one minute to get out and dressed, a change of clothes in there with you, take as long as you need but every minute you take beyond the time allotted you will get another ornament for your belt.”

A hot bath! I could get out of my sweat-soaked clothes I was too tired to change that night. I striped quickly as I could, it took more than 5 minutes to do such a simple task, with how slow I was moving. Looking at the steaming bath, it brought a tear to my eyes I slowly set a foot in the water, it was hot almost too hot. Gingerly working myself into the tub it took another few minutes but I could feel the water working my muscles then I reached out for the soap by the tub, it was some of my master’s soap. It only makes sense everyone new how to make a simple version of soap: fat and the ashes from a fire some water and time, but it took experience to know the correct ratios, and Mr. Soper, my master no longer offered small quantities of soap to the local at or just above cost, not like the markups he sold to the merchants, it shouldn’t be a big thing, but the day that felt like a month, but seeing that soap caused me to break down. I was sobbing in the water, all too soon I new I was going to have to get out of the tub no time for soaking. The hot water had done a world of good for me I could move a little more freely. Quickly toweling off not wanting another ornament for my belt, reached for the clothes? They were beyond propriety, the pants only went to above the knees, and the shirt had no sleeves. Not sure that the outfit was meant to be I quickly dressed and opened the door as he knocked on the door.

He looked surprised. “Good you are ready come this way.’

A new expression the stone face aside from the hint of a smirk on occasion actually-looked surprised. Not wanting another ornament for the belt or to even touch that thing again, I hurried to follow.

“Do what I do.” Then he slowly started doing a series of movements, stretching the body, and it hurt a lot each bend, and flex and stretch it pulled and twisted on my muscles but I could feel my entire body being worked on. After about thirty minutes most of the issues with my body was lessening.

“Come with me.”

Knowing better then to ask questions I followed. We were outside and he was looking to the east, it looked like the sun was about to rise, the sun was about the rise? What time was it? I have been up for a least an hour now. What time does the man get up? Without looking at her, he said quietly, “Kneel.”

I dropped to a knee, he did the same but slower, then he bowed his head and started a chant in a language that I could not understand only making out the work “Utu.” Utu- wasn’t that the name of a god? The temples offered lessons on the various gods, each week one of the temples would send a representative or a group of representatives to preach on the virtues of the gods. Most brought food, that is why she went for the food some was descent some was not, she had been told by one of the older girls to be cautious from the representatives from the temple of Inanna they apparently laced their food and drink with something addictive it had a sickly-sweet smell and the look of black tar. The first time I was about to eat the best-looking food that I had ever seen except in windows of bakers. I was looking at cake! But one of the older girls stopped me she showed me one of the few adults that still came to the church meetings had the shakes, and streaks of tears on her face, gaunt appearance more so than most others, then when she got the cake, it was like a sense of euphoria. No, I did not want any of that. Shortly after that a nun from another temple came by, she had a tabard of a rod and a ring upon the background of a sun she did not hand out cakes or pastries but hardy pocket pies they had meat in them not a lot but actual chunks of meat, and hearty vegetables, she was full that day all that day, few other times was she full for a whole day. That was a memory that she had forgotten.

Soon after the memory had stopped the chanting had stopped. She cleared the tears from her eyes and saw not armor, but the light representing armor upon the man in front of her, still kneeling, but the symbol the same symbol. She was shocked, but could not say anything, he gotten up the armor moving with him, and it soon faded.

“Good, you have received his blessing. Come”

We went back inside, and he grabbed some more clothes, proper clothes. “Put these on, over your other clothing.” Blessing? I thought to myself what blessing? But questions meant more ornaments for the belt, I could barely move with the belt and vest as it was, I did not want to earn anything else. I still did not know what all of this was for and was afraid to ask. Once I was dressed in leather lined linen clothing that went from neck to wrist and waist, and waist to ankle the leather was patched over chest and stomach, the inside of the arms, and the upper parts of the legs, on the insides of the legs only on the upper legs. It looked unusual but I could wait for the questions, whatever I could to keep from getting more ornaments.

“Do not for forget your vest or belt”

Stifling a groan hoping beyond hope I would not need it. It must have shown on my face about what I thought about the vest and belt. I got them on struggling to get the vest on the belt was a little easier but still hard.

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Once I was done, I heard, “and don’t forget your new ornament” That time I did groan. I strapped the ornament on my belt opposite the first one trying to balance things out. Once I was done with that, I was handed a backpack, fully loaded, bulging at the seams or that how it looked. Afraid to find out what was going to happen next. Getting the pack on and taking a few moments to learn to balance with the new weight.

With a grunt I saw the sadist, err trainer move out of the house with a pack larger than mine and the word, “Follow.” I followed him all morning in silence, its not that I did not want to ask questions its that I did not have the breath to ask them. I was trudging along at a slow pace, after the first minute of walking, I heard if you are not keeping up with me, I will give you more ornaments to decorate your belt. The pace was a normal walk at first, but soon it got faster, then he started talking, about his own training. He talked about how he was only a few years younger when he started his training, and his training was a lot like what I am having to do, moving heavy weights doing repetitive tasks that made no sense, and of course he said with a smile in his voice, “My favorite the forced march, get used this pace we are going to walk for a long time, this is a good time to ask your questions…” He looked over at me saw me struggling and added, “in complete sentences, only.”

“Why,” gasp, “why are you,” gasp, gasp, “Why are you doing this to… Me?”

“Are you done with your question?”

I was unable to speak more at this point so I just nodded. The bastard, just smiled unslung his pack and grabbed another ornament, from his, pack looked at me and saw the horror in my eyes smirked, and grabbed a second one. After I had attached them to my belt while still moving, he said, “You face gives, you away, work on that, and you forgot the honorific, sir.” After we walked for another couple of minutes, he answered my question. “My God, Utu asked me t help you. He told me you are at a crossroads, one where you seek revenge and lose your humanity and all that makes you, you, and the where you could become one of my order a seeker of justice. I know your old master, we used to talk on occasion, did he ask to think about the two graves that I had to dig?”

“You mean the,” gasp, “you mean the,” gasp, “two, two holes,” gasp, then in a rush, “I had to fill?” gasp, gasp “Sir?”

He looked at me and smiled, that evil smile I have come to dread, “Back talk? I am impressed only the second day; I held out for a week.” He thought for a moment, “I do like a little bit of spine, but if you have spine, you better have a mind attached to that spine, so if you do not want any more ornaments, tell me why I had you dig those two graves, and I can see it in your eyes no doing repetitive tasks is only part of it not the whole of it. I want the whole answer.”

We continued for hours not a word said, noon time came and went not a work, dusk came, and I heard a quiet chant coming from in front of me, but no words said to me, and we continued our fast pace, occasionally he would look over at me to make sure I was keeping up, I had gone from damp faced and sweating, to red faced and no longer sweating. I could only hope that we would stop soon, I had a feeling that if I said anything he would ask for the answer to his question. I had no idea, not that I could think with this run/walk pace that he set, but even if I was resting, I had a feeling I would not know the answer. The normal time for dinner was about an hour after sunset, that time came and went and my stomach was letting me know that as well. I do not know how long we went, clearing perfect campgrounds came and went, we even passed an occasional traveler or tradesman but we did not stop, even though they often called out saying there was room by the fire. Soon it got to the point where I could no longer keep pace, he started to slow as I did then he asked the dreaded question.

“Well do you have the answer to my question?” He looked at me and then said, “or do you need more time to think about your answer?”

Having slowed down to a slow walk I actually had breath now and said, “I have thought about your question, sir and I do not understand the significance of the question. I do not understand why one would need to dig two graves.”

He smiled and gathered two more ornaments for me to wear.

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Lord Tomas Tenebrae, and company went to some of the smaller towns looking for girls on the street orphanages, or any that he can convince to come with him, and his team, his first stop was to pick up a cartage, he had his horse stabled, and road around in the cartage giving out food, to the children that he saw throughout the city, it was simple food, he learned that fancy food was look at with suspicion, so it was simple foods, the occasion dessert all laced with poppy paste, once the children, both boys and girls had the taste the ones that passed out were loaded in the cartage, the ones that did not he came around the next day to offer more to them, the plan was to offer them food three days in a row, and on the fourth not come back, but on the fifth, he would only offer food to those that came with him. Almost all the children came with him on the fifth day. He had more men at a resident in the county central to the cities he was visiting, they would keep the kids hopped up on the poppy paste and those that he did not get on day five, well they were his men and those that were competitors as well… We had to keep the children off the city streets after all, and the temple of Inanna did seek to meet the pleasures of all their patrons…

Lord Tenebrae, was going through his first day speech again, “I am just a loyal servant of the lady Inanna, she is often given a bad, name, but she is the goddess of Love, and politics, while the other gods may not to say this but,” lowering his voice to be just above a whisper, “she is also the goddess of divine law. The other gods do not like having to admit they have to bow to her rulings, so they misrepresent her roles,” and back at a normal volume, “of course like the other gods she is known for more than just that though.”

That got the politically minded ones thinking, and he could get to meet somewhere else in the city so he could pick them up that evening, why cannot go with them now, they would someone ask Why can’t they go now? The answer was always the same I need to deliver more food help other children, then he would distract them with the talk of a feast and the help with politics, but they would have to leave the city if that was ok… most took him up upon that but what got them all was warm place to sleep, food for their bellies and for the smart ones the promise of an education.

He did full fill all his promises as well, he just did not tell them everything. They would all find out later at the temple was would be required of them. The ones that passed out would be the play things of those that provided the proper donate to the temple, or could be sent on a pilgrimage, to a respected politician, for a night a weekend or longer. The cute ones would be saved for the VIPs, those that needed something special. The smart ones would be educated, the desperate ones would be for those that liked them the submissives, they were always kept with just enough of a need for the paste that they would do whatever they needed to get it.

And Thomas Tenebrae, liked the fighters, he liked to break them, get them when they are desperate, not for the past, those could be fun too, but those that wanted to stop him, he loved to break them. Smiling, he might have to go to the temple sooner then planned he had enough people here to get his quota for the temple. He had thoughts of the girl he had found in that flower field that city known for their soap. Oh yes, he was going to enjoy breaking her he would make him wash her with the soaps from that town, and tell him she was a bad girl for, well everything and he would punish her until he was satisfied that she had learned her lesson and then… then she could become a camp follower, he did say she would be for the soldiers after all, Thomas Tenebrae always kept his word.

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Katie, I hope you are doing ok, Steven Soper thought to the setting sun, he thought of her like a daughter he never had. Oh, he had a wife and son at one time, but they were lost when there were complications with the birth, she died not long after the birth, and his son Albert only lived a few days, he never thought he would ever have a family again, it still hurt too much, then, Katie came along, bright eyed excited to learn, just loved the flowers, just like his wife she always did love the sunset, he liked to stop and think about her at that time of the day.