surrounding me. Even the lowest of us were allowed friends to walk us to the branding ceremony. Our master was one of the few who allowed it. But no one had ever been led by guards with her hands bound. Until now.
I saw them whisper to each other. I even heard a few snicker. I spied Ella, hidden partially behind a curtain as her fear overcame her sense of new-found loyalty to me. I wasn’t offended. I wasn’t sure how I would have reacted in the same position.
As I rounded the next corner, Grey stood in the middle of the hallway, his messenger bag hanging from his shoulder.
“I believe Reychel has the right to be escorted by a friend,” Grey said, drawing his shoulders back. He lifted his bag off and placed it on the floor. I smiled at him, grateful he’d overcome whatever concerns he had about me.
The guard on my right looked to the guard on my left, who shook his head.
“We have orders,” Tod said, “to deliver her to the great hall. She lost her rights when she admitted to treason before our lord, Kandek.”
Treason? He asked me to tell a story and I had.
“And,” the other guard continued, “we have orders to arrest anyone who gets in our way. Step aside, boy.”
“Then I’ll be waiting outside the door to take her back to her room,” Grey said, standing firm.
“You’ll be waiting a long time.” Tod laughed. “We’re taking her straight back to her cell after the brand is burned into her neck. Master Kandek has yet to decide how to punish her.”
“No!” Grey said. His left foot stepped back into a fighting stance and he raised his fists in the air.
“It’s okay,” I said, nodding my head and trying to look brave.
It must have worked because Grey’s shoulders relaxed as his feet shuffled back together. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I don’t think I have a choice,” I said. “Don’t worry about me. It’s all a mistake. I’m sure everything will be cleared up before too long.”
I could only hope Kandek’s anger diffused over the day and I would be allowed back to my chamber to endure my pain instead of facing it in the dungeon. I hadn’t done anything wrong. He had to know that.
Grey grabbed his messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder. Scrolls threatened to spill as he walked past me and bumped the guard’s shoulder. I held a smile back, knowing he had hit him on purpose.
“Watch your step, boy,” he snarled. “Or you’ll be in the dungeon too.”
The guard jerked my arm as he led me into the great hall. I searched the crowd for any sign of the cloaked man from the dungeon, but I didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary.
Men dressed in their finest breeches and tunics and by their side stood lavishly dressed ladies with the ridiculous birds’ nests sprinkled in their hair. It was the height of fashion, but Ivy and I always giggled that it was the height of ridiculousness. The men sat with their hats in their laps. No one wanted to obstruct the view.
“Second one in less than two months, huh Kandek?” A fat man played with the rings on his fingers while nudging Kandek with his shoulder. “You’re a lucky man. So many slaves.”
I stood so near I could hear their conversation and smell the other man. His perfume did little to cover his sweaty stench.
“You’re a lucky man, you know. Very few have ever been able to acquire so much from so little. What’s your secret?”
Kandek laughed. “No secret, Blorn. Just hard work.”
“Anything to tell about this one?” Lifting his stubby thumb in the air, he pointed at me. “You had some interesting stories about the last girl.”
I drew in a sharp breath. Interesting stories? About Ivy? What had he told that man next to him? I could barely look at him without staring at the rolls of stomach fat peeking out from the sides of his tunic.
“This one? No, I barely know her. I didn’t even realize she was the one getting branded today. After some time they all look alike,” Kandek said.
Blorn snorted,
I saw them whisper to each other. I even heard a few snicker. I spied Ella, hidden partially behind a curtain as her fear overcame her sense of new-found loyalty to me. I wasn’t offended. I wasn’t sure how I would have reacted in the same position.
As I rounded the next corner, Grey stood in the middle of the hallway, his messenger bag hanging from his shoulder.
“I believe Reychel has the right to be escorted by a friend,” Grey said, drawing his shoulders back. He lifted his bag off and placed it on the floor. I smiled at him, grateful he’d overcome whatever concerns he had about me.
The guard on my right looked to the guard on my left, who shook his head.
“We have orders,” Tod said, “to deliver her to the great hall. She lost her rights when she admitted to treason before our lord, Kandek.”
Treason? He asked me to tell a story and I had.
“And,” the other guard continued, “we have orders to arrest anyone who gets in our way. Step aside, boy.”
“Then I’ll be waiting outside the door to take her back to her room,” Grey said, standing firm.
“You’ll be waiting a long time.” Tod laughed. “We’re taking her straight back to her cell after the brand is burned into her neck. Master Kandek has yet to decide how to punish her.”
“No!” Grey said. His left foot stepped back into a fighting stance and he raised his fists in the air.
“It’s okay,” I said, nodding my head and trying to look brave.
It must have worked because Grey’s shoulders relaxed as his feet shuffled back together. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I don’t think I have a choice,” I said. “Don’t worry about me. It’s all a mistake. I’m sure everything will be cleared up before too long.”
I could only hope Kandek’s anger diffused over the day and I would be allowed back to my chamber to endure my pain instead of facing it in the dungeon. I hadn’t done anything wrong. He had to know that.
Grey grabbed his messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder. Scrolls threatened to spill as he walked past me and bumped the guard’s shoulder. I held a smile back, knowing he had hit him on purpose.
“Watch your step, boy,” he snarled. “Or you’ll be in the dungeon too.”
The guard jerked my arm as he led me into the great hall. I searched the crowd for any sign of the cloaked man from the dungeon, but I didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary.
Men dressed in their finest breeches and tunics and by their side stood lavishly dressed ladies with the ridiculous birds’ nests sprinkled in their hair. It was the height of fashion, but Ivy and I always giggled that it was the height of ridiculousness. The men sat with their hats in their laps. No one wanted to obstruct the view.
“Second one in less than two months, huh Kandek?” A fat man played with the rings on his fingers while nudging Kandek with his shoulder. “You’re a lucky man. So many slaves.”
I stood so near I could hear their conversation and smell the other man. His perfume did little to cover his sweaty stench.
“You’re a lucky man, you know. Very few have ever been able to acquire so much from so little. What’s your secret?”
Kandek laughed. “No secret, Blorn. Just hard work.”
“Anything to tell about this one?” Lifting his stubby thumb in the air, he pointed at me. “You had some interesting stories about the last girl.”
I drew in a sharp breath. Interesting stories? About Ivy? What had he told that man next to him? I could barely look at him without staring at the rolls of stomach fat peeking out from the sides of his tunic.
“This one? No, I barely know her. I didn’t even realize she was the one getting branded today. After some time they all look alike,” Kandek said.
Blorn snorted,
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