Adan missed his sister. He missed his family. He didn’t know how long they had been separated, but he had been on this boat for a long, long time. Surrounded by his people starving and sick in the hold of this boat, he just wished he was with Akna. She was the kinder one of them, quieter in public but louder in private. She was on a different boat though, his whole village was, so he was alone. They had gotten limited news from the Rakt above, only hearing snippets in their coarse language. One of the elders on his boat knew a few words, but not enough for anything concrete.

So to say it was a surprise when they docked was an understatement. There had been little warning, just the sudden ceasing of movement beyond the gentle rocking of the waves. Rakt came down into the hold, pulling the People out into the sun and onto land. As Adan was wrenched up and pushed out, he was forced to squint in the blinding sun. Heat radiated down, scorching his bare skin where it landed. As he was prodded along, his eyes finally adjusted to see where they were.

Ahead beyond the boat was a desert, golden and giant. The sands stretched out of sight everywhere he looked. On the edge of the desert was a massive dockworks filled with the ships of the raiding parties, the People streaming out of the boats in long lines as the Rakt pushed them where they needed to go. Loud clangs and low growls echoed throughout as the dock workers talked with the boat crews and arranged the People where they needed to go.

Large tents were set up in the sands, shielding the occupants from the fire in the sky. Rakt dressed in flowing light cloth dyed purple sat inside, drinking tea and laughing as they stared out at the bustle. Beautiful glass furniture sat inside the most richly decorated tents, sending out rainbow reflections that cascaded across the rugs and sand.

Before Adan could take it all in, one of the Rakt pushed him hard, growling at him to keep moving. Forced to join the flow of prisoners, Adan came down from the boat, looking around for his family. As he fell in line with the others, he recognized a few from his village, though they looked too tired to notice him back. Most of the prisoners were looking down, and all looked sickly and pale.

As he followed the throng of the People through the camp, they passed Rakt dueling each other, sending blasts of fire out and swinging long halberds. Some stood on the sideline shouting at the duelists, others just watched. On the other side of the line was a group of Rakt testing some sort of weapon, with loud cracks ringing out as smoke rose from large metal tubes. The weapons testing range had many Rakt scurrying around, with some of the People in chains helping move things through the sand. There were sleds being pulled by what seemed to be large jackrabbits as well, that were ferrying cargo to all the different sights and groups of Rakt around the camp. It was overwhelmingly busy.

Before long though, the tents were left behind, the line of the People stretching like ants as they walked deeper and deeper into the desert. As the docks faded away in the distance, the sound of sand crunching and shifting was all that could be heard. Some of the People were chained, others left free, as the Rakt monitored the lines and meted out punishment on those who they deemed “unruly”. At some point, the line did eventually stop, gasps heard from ahead, before one of the Rakt let their magic flare in a burst causing a loud snapping sound to echo, forcing the line to keep moving.

It wasn’t until sunset that Adan got to find out why the line stopped. As they crested a dune, he got to see a sight more beautiful than imagined. A city of glass sprouted around a large oasis. Towering spires soared, the sun filtering through them with a magnificent sparkle that seemed to move with the viewer. Light glinted in every color imaginable throughout the city, a veritable feast for the eyes, the sunset framing this work of art perfectly. Adan nearly stopped moving himself in shock at the sight.

As he got closer to the city, he could see lights slowly come on from inside the buildings, lining the paths that the Rakt below walked along. Fires started around the water of the oasis, flames roaring high into the sky with Rakt dancing and laughing around them. Lampposts full of beautiful fire that shone in blues and greens lit the crowded streets. White obsidian like glass made up the low buildings, keeping the insides cool and letting out a glow from the fires within. The Rakt were all dressed in beautiful cloth and glass jewelry, even the poorest and youngest were well dressed and well fed. It was one of the happiest and most beautiful things Adan had ever seen. He would soon come to hate it.

—-------------------

The prison door shut with a loud bang. Adan stood in the open arena, looking out at all the husks around him, the People shuffling around the rocky floor heading to various areas looking for their families. Many were bone thin, with large bags under their eyes and skin hanging off what was left of their body, the sun beating down on them from on high. Some though were tanned and large, with their muscles pronounced as they exercised with whatever they could find. Near the openings, Rakt guards were stationed, looking bored as they stared out at the congregation of people. Adan was shaken from his musings when he heard a voice behind him.

“Adan! You’re alive!”

Turning around, Adan saw the two people he missed as much as his sister.

“Mama! Papa!” he shouted as he ran towards them, before giving them a large hug, his arms barely able to wrap around both of his parents. Tears streamed down their faces, staining their dirty tunics as they just stood there for a moment. Around them, similar scenes were playing out as families reunited after being separated on the voyage. Pulling away, Adan’s mother spoke up.

“Do you know where Akna is? We haven’t found her yet in this prison.”

Adan shook his head “No Mama, I don’t know where she is.”

His mom got a sad look on her face for a moment, before putting a smile back on and hugging Adan once more.

“At least we’ve found you, my boy.”

After a few moments, his parents led him over to the side of the Arena where a few others from their village were stationed. They looked just as beat up as the rest, and many were still missing. A large man in front stood up, limping closer to them through the stone yard.

“It’s good to see you, Adan. Balam was pacing so much I was worried he would wear a trough in the stone.”

Adan smiled at the thought. “It’s good to see you too Pakal”

“What are you doing moving Pakal? You are still injured!” Adan’s mother reprimanded.

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“I’m fine Patli, it’s just a small limp. Have you found Akna yet?” The family shook their heads no.

Pakal frowned for a moment. “I’m sure she’ll turn up. If she doesn’t, it’s probably because she managed to slip her shackles. That girl is stubborn, but she has a good head on her shoulders. She will be fine. Come, join us and we will get you up to speed.”

As Pakal led them over to the rest of the village, he started to explain what they had figured out so far.

“It seems the Rakt are expanding their empire. To do that though, they need food and material. To get that, they need labor. That’s what we are. This is one of a few prisons they have scattered around their glass city.”

Adan's father Balam spoke up next “It’s possible that is where they are holding Akna. They seem to be trying to separate the villages, keep us isolated. I wouldn’t be surprised if we won’t find her until we are able to connect with the others more.”

Pakal nodded before he gestured to the nearest opening in the colosseum wall.

“These passages lead to the different areas of the prison. This one in particular leads to the mess hall. They don’t feed us much, but it’s more than on the boat. Sleeping quarters are directly opposite, makes sure riots don’t spread.”

Reaching the group from their village, Pakal turned around.

“From what we have seen, there seems to be groups within the prison. We don’t know their names or goals yet, all we know is aligning yourself with one gets you more food, more entertainment, and most importantly, more water.”

“Is that why some of us seem to be better fed?” Adan asked.

“Precisely. We suspect those groups are working with the Rakt to get better treatment.”

“Do we want to try to join a group as well? We will likely be forced to labor anyway, we could get more resources at least this way.”

“Unless you want to be whipping your son by tomorrow, best not. The groups are the ones who keep us in line while we work.”

Adan put on a grim face, disturbed that any of the People would willingly work with their captors. Looking around the group from his village, it looks like most made it, though their warriors were all injured in some way. Luckily none looked infected, but that would not last if they didn’t get proper healing soon.

Turning to his parents, Adan asked a very important question. “Where is our healer? Where are the Maman?”

It turns out, no one knew where the Maman was. None of their scant few magic users were present in fact. It wasn’t just their village either, none of the Maman from any village were present in the prison. Rumor was, every single prisoner had their magic tested. If they had magic, they were used to speed up the journey, and then separated at the docks. Hearing this, Adan’s brow furrowed. His boat hadn’t been tested. In fact, based on what his family said, his boat was even underfed. He leaned over to his mother to whisper to her.

“They didn’t check our boat for magic users.”

Patli’s head snapped towards him, her eyes going wide before pulling him and his father closer to Pakal, whispering in their ears as they got closer to the wall. Huddled in a small circle, Balam spoke.

“Son, if they didn’t test your boat for magic users, it’s possible some slipped through. We don’t know why magic users aren’t allowed in here, but if we can find a Maman, many more of us will survive.”

Pakal spoke next. “We don’t have time for a full testing ritual, but we can do something quick and dirty. We cannot let the Rakt know though, so we must be careful. Your mother can teach you the testing ritual, as her mother was once our Maman. Spread it to those you know from your boat.”

Adan nodded, recognizing the importance of this. He looked towards his mother for guidance as she lifted her face to look him in his eyes.

“You must close your eyes and feel deep inside you. Imagine speaking towards a small child, and reach out towards any magic you have. If you do indeed have magic, you should feel a small trickle as it awakens at your attention. It will be focused in your chest beneath your heart, ethereal and faint at first. This is your magic.”

Adan nodded, going to close his eyes to attempt to find magic before Patli smacked his arm.

“I’m not finished. The most important part is next. You must learn to hide your magic. It is simple for trained Maman, but any fresh magic will scream its existence otherwise if probed. Your ship captain may have been lazy and let it slide, but the Rakt are not stupid, they will test you all sooner or later. To disguise your magic, you must cover it in a sphere of magic. This will be exhausting at first, but a shell around your core will simply read as environmental magic from any tools used if probed. You cannot just use one element either, you must use it all. Understand me?”

Adan nodded quickly, about to try again before a loud crack rang out from the entrance of the prison. A large Rakt in military uniform stood there, holding a small metal tube pointing upwards with smoke trailing from the hollow interior.

“Prisoners form up! Single file line, do not jostle, fight, or speak, or you will be punished. When called, step forward to receive your assignment.”

Adan looked back at his family, all of them with the same look on their faces as him. Nodding at each other, they started forward to form the line. As his mother passed him, she whispered in his ear.

“Test yourself later.”

As the line formed, it slowly moved forward as each of the People were called forward. The Rakt had dragged a long desk in at some point with multiple clerks as they filled out information. Some of the People were sent to the mines, others would be used in construction. Injured warriors were given the most laborious jobs, while the youngest were given more dexterous jobs. The People did not have children lightly, so there weren’t any younger than 10 in the prison, but that was unlikely to hold true as time went on. At least the Rakt understood not to separate children from parents. As they got to the front they were able to listen in and learn how to answer from those ahead, before a clerk finally called Adan forward.

“Name?”

“Adan.”

“Relatives?”

“Father Balam, mother Patli, sister Akna.”

The clerk shuffled through some papers, finding his parents quickly in what seemed to be ship logs. As the shuffling continued though, Adan grew concerned, and the clerk grew noticeably frustrated. Reaching towards the side towards a different file, the clerk pulled out another sheet that was much shorter. The clerk moved their finger down before finding what they were looking for and nodded.

“Akna, was placed on the Hammurabi ship, marked lost at sea.”

Adan froze in place, as the clerk marked something on the sheet, before grabbing something from the side and handing it to him.

“You will be working the barley fields. Report to the guard behind me for escort. Next!”

Adan stumbled towards the group with the guard, his brain still locked in confusion, even as the guard took his paper and started leading his group towards the fields where he was to work. As his brain slowly caught up, the guard’s voice cut through the fog with a deep growl as they pointed towards someone standing in the field. As the group trundled forward, it took a moment before Adan started walking, finally able to speak aloud the question.

“How could she be lost at sea?”