Katrina sat on a stone bench in Lord Vonos’ gardens, listening to the amiable sounds of the dozens of fountains he had decorating the area. She plopped another unknown fruit in her mouth, chewing it absentmindedly. They had been guests of the Torre’ Hego for several days now, and though the immediate awe of his palace was powerful, she had been bored out of her mind. Daniel had spent most of his time with the warriors, who were camped outside of the estate, and Boros had been occupied with his stately duties. So, Katrina had been left to her own devices. She’d been mulling over sorrows and regrets that she had at first, but then quickly realized that sitting in a beautiful garden alone would be a waste if all she did was feel sorry for herself.
She heard a latch open from the entrance to the garden, and several pairs of footsteps entered. She perked up, looking to see who had invaded her tranquil environment, and was surprised to see Daniel, accompanied by several warriors. He took a moment to admire the scenery, then nodded to Katrina as he approached.
“Enjoying yourself?” he asked, a smile on his face.
“Oh yeah.” She plopped another grape-sized fruit in her mouth. “I’m having the time of my life here.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Sitting here, in the lap of luxury, eating fruit and bored out of your mind, huh?”
“Yup,” she said, lazily.
Daniel chuckled and crossed his arms. “Well, you’re in luck. Boros is finished with coordination and funding. He just gave the order to pack it up and move out.”
“Thank God,” Katrina said, standing with a stretch. “This place is nice and all, but I think I prefer a good practice field.”
Daniel nodded, and they left the garden, running into Cato and Boros, who were having a conversation with two finely dressed Dae women.
“Ah! Daniel and Katrina,” Cato said, opening his arms and grinning broadly. “I would like you to meet my wife, Zinnia.” She bowed elegantly and smiled. “And my daughter, Phenia.” The girl mirrored her mother’s gesture but seemed a little timid. “We are fortunate that they arrived to meet you before your journey back to Vul De Rah.”
“It is very nice to make your acquaintance,” Phenia said.
Katrina and Daniel greeted them in kind, offering bows and prevalent words.
“I am sad to see you leaving so soon, but I know you all have work to do.” Cato put his hand on Boros’ shoulder. “Remember what I told you, young Kryo. We are approaching desperate times, so I need an answer from your father as soon as possible.”
Boros nodded, seeming as though he was a little uncomfortable.
“And think about my other offer as well,” Cato said, giving his back a heavy slap. “It would be good to join our houses! Phenia would be more than happy to do so. Isn’t that right, dear?”
The girl blushed and smiled awkwardly.
Boros coughed, glancing at Katrina. “It’s about time we left, my Lord. You will hear from us soon, and again, thank you for your hospitality.”
“You are all welcome in my land anytime, son of Ignos. Your father should be very proud of his son.” The Hego gave Boros one final pat on the back and bid them all farewell.
As they left, Boros seemed a bit uneasy. Katrina walked beside him, happy to finally be on their way back to Vul De Rah.
“What was that about?” she asked, playfully. “Your father’s trying to marry you off?”
Boros looked at her gawkily, unable to hide a slight blue blush.
That’s so adorable, she thought.
“It was inevitable,” he said with a sigh. “Spirits know the political placement of certain unions brings benefits to houses. House Ignos will be the ruling faction of Lokkadonia before long. It’s only natural that suitors will begin coming my way.”
“It must be so hard, having to fight off droves of beautiful women. You poor man,” she quipped.
Boros laughed, but quickly returned to a more solemn mood. “It is difficult when you have feelings for someone but are unable to express them.” He looked at her, and Katrina braced at the uncomfortable topic of discussion. “I don’t mean to make you feel uneasy. I apologize for that. It’s just… difficult to go on about my business as a Kryo. Everyone in court is talking about you. You are the most beautiful creature on Pelemont for many of us. I…” He stuttered for a moment, seeming to force the words from his mouth. “I find myself thinking of you constantly, unable to act on it for fear of how you would react. I know you are mated with Robert, and that situation is… complicated, to say the least.” He sighed, looking at his boots. “Anyway, I felt I had to get that off my chest. Do not judge me too harshly.”
Katrina watched as he picked up his pace and walked to the front of the small group on their way to the main force’s encampment. She had the urge to tell him to wait, to grab his arm, and console him, but she said nothing. Her mind was a writhing mess of emotion and confusion, and she just let him walk. I’m sorry, she thought.
~
Daniel found himself back in his quarters at the Ignos estate; being the squire to the heir of their clan had its perks. He had a large and lavishly furnished room, with a large balcony, and Doulos servants at his beck and call. He rested his worn body on his bed and removed his cumbersome boots.
“Finally,” he said to himself quietly.
He laid his head on one of the soft pillows and let out a relaxed sigh. As he closed his eyes to let sleep take him away, there was a knock on his door. He groaned, looking toward the large doors, and watched one of the servants enter.
“My Lord.” The servant bowed. “Kryo Oros has requested your presence. He asks that you respond with some urgency.”
Daniel sat up from the comfort of his bed and slid on his boots again. Stifling a grumble to himself, he made his way to Oros’ chamber, which was located at the top of one of the towers, one of the highest points of the palace. He was irked to find that the Kryo had left and was now waiting for him in the main hall. This time, he did grumble aloud and walked his way down to where he saw Oros speaking with several dozen nobles and dignitaries.
“Daniel!” Oros called, waving him over. “Welcome back. The road wasn’t too harsh on you, was it?” The handsome Dae gave him a grin and gestured Daniel to walk with him, excusing himself from the conversation in the middle of one of the nobles’ sentences. The man protested, but Oros just continued to walk out of the main gate and in front of the keep.
“All this business of war has given me a great deal to… well, deal with here. This is why I petitioned my father to always go on the missions,” Oros complained, leading Daniel across the massive stone bridge that led into the city of Vul De Rah below. “Ever since my joining with Avria has been announced, I have been stuck here, listening to bloated nobles and dealing in mind-numbingly tedious politics.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Daniel said, not quite sure what to say. He figured he would keep his answers short. The Kryo more than likely wanted to just vent.
“It’s torture, I tell you!” Oros continued. “It has only been a few months, and I long for the smell of the field, wet grass beneath my boots, and the sound of cursing warriors.” He inhaled deeply through his nose, then let it out, slightly disgusted. “Not the same.”
By the time they got to the city itself, two dozen guards had hurried to catch up with them. Oros didn’t acknowledge them in any way, as they fell into a formation around the two of them. Oros lifted a hood from his cloak and concealed his face. Daniel did the same, though it seemed pointless; it would be difficult to miss the entourage of warriors that surrounded them.
“Boros told me of what Hego Vonos had to say,” the Dae Kryo pressed. “And frankly, I’m pleased with the news. Having an ally like Cato will be a great advantage to us in the Torre’ court. He’s a member of the High King’s council, you know?” he trailed off.
“He was talking about another human,” Daniel said.
“Yes. Very peculiar, indeed. All this strange talk of dark forces and whatnot.” Oros turned toward a large stone structure, a restaurant of some kind. “I think we should take heed, and work more closely with him in regards to this. Sending an expedition to Delmaya, for example. Finding other humans, seeing what we might do to help. All this, after the Rexunii are crushed, of course.”
“You said,” Daniel pressed, “before I left, you had been looking into some rumors. Something that might have to do with my friends here.”
Oros stopped before entering and turned to him. “Yes, I was going to bring that up after I had some wine, but I guess now is as good a time as any. We have found traces of another human in Baa’Yega territory. For reasons that are understandable, the existence of this one was guarded very carefully. All we know is that it is a female and that she has been virtually imprisoned for a long time by one of the far Eastern Hegos.”
Daniel paused to contemplate this. It was a woman. I guess that rules out Henry or Angelo.
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“Well, we should go to retrieve her anyway. She needs to be here with us.”
“We will have to leave at first light, as there is only a very small window. They are apparently moving her, according to my informants,” Oros said, looking apologetically at Daniel. “I have much to do here in Vul De Rah. Preparation for the coming conflict must take precedence, but as I mentioned, my promise to you will be fulfilled. So get your rest tonight, and meet me in the square in the morning.”
Daniel shrugged. “Not the first time I’ve had to leave on a mission right after returning from one. I’ll be ready.”
Oros chuckled, and they entered the restaurant. “Good.” As they strode in, the owner, a shorter Dae woman with dark red skin, ran over to greet him.
“Oh, your highness!” she said, flustered. “Welcome, welcome! Please, come inside.”
She gestured for several of her slaves to come. “Go prepare the royal room!” she yelled at them, “And hurry, or I’ll have your fingers.”
The Doulos ran up a set of stairs as fast as they could. The other patrons of the business gawked at the new arrivals. It looked like any time one of the royal houses came into town, it was a big deal. Oros gave her a pleasant smile. He knew the woman; Daniel figured it wasn’t his first time visiting.
They made their way up the stairs, and two slave girls took the cloaks from both Oros and Daniel. As Daniel handed his over, the slave took a closer look at his face as his hood was removed. Her eyes widened, and she began to shake. “S… Spirit-Sent…” she stuttered.
Daniel did his best not to react as she brought her hands to cover her mouth and saw tears welling in her eyes. The cloak fell to the floor, and the owner of the establishment began to scream at her.
“Look what you’ve done! You piss-filled Cro’kan! Get downstairs now!” she screamed.
Daniel was taken aback by the extreme outburst and looked at the older Dae woman with anger of his own. “What the hell?” he growled. “Relax, she just dropped a piece of cloth.” He bent down to pick it up and held it out to the Doulos girl. She looked at it and then back to Daniel’s eyes. She fell to her knees and wept. Ragged sobs escaped the woman and left Daniel puzzled as to what he had done.
The owner stormed over to the disabled girl and grabbed her wrist. She didn’t resist, only let her arm get yanked upward. “Get up!” the woman snarled.
“Hey!” Daniel said, stepping closer.
“Daniel!” Oros called from behind him, already sitting at the table. “Leave her be, do not waste your efforts on that one.”
“What?” Daniel asked, looking back at the sobbing girl. “Waste my… I’m not wasting my effort on anything, she just dropped my cloak, and this crazy bitch just started yelling at her.” He gave the woman an irate glare. “Is this how you treat your servants?”
“She isn’t a servant,” Oros continued, eating bread from the table he now sat at. “She’s a Doulos. And like I said, not worth your time.”
Daniel stood there for a moment, stunned at the words coming from Oros’ mouth. “This… is one of your slaves?” The thought churned grotesquely in his mind. He wasn’t keen on the idea of such things. Then again, he was in a foreign land and knew he probably shouldn’t involve himself in a crusade for the morality of their culture. He looked at the girl, and she finally looked back at him again. Her yellow eyes glowed with admiration and gratitude. Why did she start crying like that? he thought. She looks like she’s happy to see me now.
“Gronda,” Oros said to the older Dae woman, not looking up from his meal at the table. “Give this one to my squire. He seems on a mission to defend her. I’ll pay you for her.”
Gronda bowed her head graciously. “Of course, my Kryo, my apologies again.”
Oros swallowed a mouthful of bread that he washed down with a gulp of wine. He wiped his mouth, looked at the Doulos girl, and frowned. “Listen to me, you wretch.”
She flinched, bowing her head to him.
“You are the property of the Spirit-Sent now. Serve him as you would me. Do you understand?”
She nodded her head. “Y… Yes, my Kryo…”
“Good.” Oros went back to eating and gestured for Daniel to sit. “Come on.” he spoke around another mouthful of food. “This establishment has the best meat in Vul De Rah. I would hate for you to miss it over this nonsense.”
~
As Daniel finished his food with Oros, he noticed the Doulos girl was standing quietly behind him, her head hung, staring at the floor. He listened to the Kryo’s woes as attentively as he could, considering the hideous pit he felt in his gut after the altercation earlier. How could this man, a good one, be completely content with the Doulos?
After dinner, they made their way back to the Ignos keep. Oros bid him farewell, stumbling up a large flight of stairs to his tower, a bit weak at the knees after a few too many bowls of wine.
Daniel made his way up to his chambers as well. Looking behind him, he saw the Doulos girl was following him, her face still down, staring at her feet.
“Hey,” he said, causing her to jump. “Sorry about that.”
Great. How the hell did I end up with a slave? Son of a bitch.
He turned to one of the many Doulos servants who walked the halls, carrying a plate of food down the hall. She was an older woman in a simple dress.
“Excuse me?” He asked her. She jumped at the words as well.
Why do they keep doing that?
“I need her cleaned up and clothed. Can you do that for me? Have her brought to my quarters when she’s finished.”
The other servant bowed her head. “Of course, my Lord. Come with me, dear,” she said to the girl. She scurried behind her, and Daniel finally entered his room.
He pulled off his boots again, falling to the soft mattress the way he had earlier in the Day. What the hell is going on? His blood began to boil with the Doulos now on his mind. The very concept was disgusting to him, owning another person, dictating the lives of people. In his world, they had struggled with this as well. Hell, it still existed in many parts. He contemplated this for nearly an hour before finally standing to remove his traveling clothes. He went into the strange Dae washroom, used his Dunamis to will the water to emerge from the tubes, and washed his face. There was a knock on his door, and one of the guards outside entered with the Doulos girl in tow.
“Your entertainment for the night, my Lord,” the guard said.
Daniel looked at him in confusion, noticing the girl again, looking at her feet, her white hair down around her face. “What the…? No, you get out. It’s nothing like that.”
The guard stared at him blankly for a moment, then rolled his eyes. “As you say, my Lord.” He left the girl standing in the doorway but closed the door behind him as he left.
Daniel sighed deeply and pointed at a large chair in a little meeting area at the corner. “Sit, please.”
She listened to him, moving as quickly as she could.
He finished washing his face and went to sit down across from her. She made no attempt to look at him, still looking down, staring at her feet.
She had been bathed, her hair still slightly damp, and had been given a fine silk dress to wear. It was short. In fact, it looked more like lingerie of some kind. The thought of what they expected him to do with her crept into his mind slowly. -Good God.
“Hey, you don’t have to be afraid of me. I won’t hurt you. What’s your name?” he asked, attempting to make her feel a bit more comfortable.
She didn’t speak, only clutched her short skirt tightly.
Daniel coughed intentionally, something he always did when the tension was high around people. He could fight in a battle, watch men die, and still maintain a cool focus. Put him in an awkward situation with normal people, and he was a mess.
“My…” she said with a fragile voice, “…my name is… Rin, my Lord.” She glanced at him, her hair falling to the sides, revealing her face.
“Great,” he said, giving her his most convincing smile. “My name is Daniel. I’m a human, as you’ve probably guessed.”
She was silent for the next few moments. Daniel adjusted himself, ready for another question.
“So, Rin. Why did you burst into tears the way you did earlier? You got into a lot of trouble for it.”
“You… are a Spirit-Sent…” she whispered.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding dubiously.
“Spirit-Sent…” she said, again. “You… you’ve come… just as they said you would…”
Daniel cocked his head at her. “Who said what now?”
“To free us… the Doulos.” she finished.
Daniel felt a stab at his heart. He was in no position to help anyone in this world. He felt much the same when he was in Iraq, watching the people there do terrible things to one another, unable to interfere. He was told by his platoon commander that they were not conquerors, so they couldn’t impede on the culture of that country. Here, he was a refugee, just trying his best to survive.
“I’m…” he said, trying to find the words, “…I’m new to your world still. I don’t think I have the influence to free the Doulos. I’m sorry.”
Rin stared at him blankly. “My Lord?”
“Who told you that we were going to free you?” Daniel asked.
She licked her lips, eyes darting around the room.
She doesn’t want to say, he thought.
“You can trust me. I am not here to make your life more difficult. I can help you if I know more.”
Rin took another few moments, then nodded her head in determination. “Our… King.”
“Your King?” Daniel looked puzzled.
“King Alektor… he… he told us that the Spirit-Sent would save us from the Lokkadonians. That… we would be free.” Rin’s eyes widened as she spoke, and her voice was slowly getting more confident. “Many of our elders were saying that when you arrived. We watched you enter the city… and...”
“Rin,” Daniel said. “Were you in the street the day we got attacked?”
She looked at him, slightly confused. “My Lord, we were not attacking you. The Doulos were celebrating your arrival… some of us have…” She hesitated.
“Go on,” he said, leaning forward.
“Some of us were sure you would bless us… it was worth the danger… worth being killed by the masters… I suppose they just got a bit overzealous.”
“I’ll say.” Daniel stood and walked to a large basin filled with fresh water. He filled two large bowls and handed one to Rin. She hesitated again, clearly not used to being treated so well. She shied away from it as he pressed it a bit further. “It’s fine, Rin. Take it, you must be thirsty.”
She took it finally, bringing it to her mouth and drinking it all down in one gulp. She handed it back to him, using her hand to wipe some water that had dripped down her face. Daniel chuckled and went to fill it up again, bringing it back to her.
“I’m going to be honest with you Rin, I don’t know what to do with you. I don’t like the idea of owning someone, so I am going to free you,” Daniel said, sitting back down.
“My Lord,” she said, with fear, not surprise, in her voice. “That is not possible. The Lokkadonians would not accept this.”
He looked at her, confused again. “But you just said I was here to free you. So that’s what I’m going to do. Oros will listen to me if I ask it.”
“No, my Lord… it is against their laws for a Doulos to be freed without proving themselves in battle. Even if I was freed for some reason… I wouldn’t survive in the city. There are groups of Dae that hunt us… make sure we stay in our place.”
“What’s the deal with the Doulos anyway?” Daniel asked. “Why are you slaves in the first place?”
She shifted her legs, nearly bare.
She must be cold. Daniel lifted his hand and created a small orb of fire in the air above her to keep her warm. It was a small display of power, but her face was one of wonder.
“We are descendants of the Rexunii rulers and loyalists of this territory,” she said, staring at the fire in astonishment. “They say we must suffer for the sins of our ancestors.”
Daniel looked at her in bewilderment. “That’s it? How long ago did this happen?”
She thought for a moment. “Perhaps, six hundred years ago? I’m not quite sure, my Lord.”
“Holy shit,” Daniel said, leaning back in his chair. “That’s a long-ass grudge to hold.”
They sat for a few minutes in silence, and she fidgeted while holding the bowl.
“What would you like of me, my Lord?” she said finally, breaking the silence. “I have been trained as a barmaid mostly, I am not studied in the art of pleasure, so I do not believe I will be enjoyable in that regard.”
“What?” he asked, nearly spitting water out of his mouth. “No! No, no, no, nothing like that is necessary. I wouldn’t take advantage of you like that at all.” He coughed again, uncomfortably. “Do… ahem, excuse me. Um, do you know where the Doulos quarters are?”
She nodded her head slowly, unsure of why he was reacting so strangely.
“Well, it’s, uh, getting late. You can meet me here tomorrow morning.”
She stood from her seat and bowed to him, then turned and left his room with a slow creak of his stone door.
He fell into his soft bed again, letting out an exasperated sigh. “What the hell?”