Read Online The Song of Eloh Saga by Megg Jensen - Free Book Online Page A

his nostrils flaring out. “It’s true isn’t it? One slave is just like another in my book. As long as they get their work done, follow the rules and don’t cause trouble, they’re all the same.”
    Kandek and Blorn clanked their mugs together in a toast. A drop of ale flew out of the mug, landing on Blorn’s hand. Like a dog, he lapped the droplets up with his tongue. Disgusted, I recoiled at his bad manners.
    A twang in my gut pulled my glance away. How could Kandek say those things? Of course he knew me from the other slaves. Maybe after my mistake today, he had decided to treat me like the rest of the slaves again. Would it make my confinement worse? Would I ever be allowed to see sunlight again?
    Kandek stood up and straightened his golden tunic. With a low murmur everyone in the room turned to face him. There must have been at least a hundred spectators, all waiting to watch me experience the most excruciating pain of my life. I felt the soup in my stomach begin to churn. Maybe it was a mistake to have eaten, but it was too late now.
    “My friends, fellow councilmen, and dear ladies. Thank you for coming today to celebrate Reychel’s fifteenth birthday. It is a big occasion in a girl’s life. In society it means she is eligible for marriage, but for a slave it means she becomes permanently joined to her household. Today, Reychel is delighted to earn the mark of the fox. Isn’t that right, my dear?” he asked with a quick flick of his hand in my direction.
    I looked into his eyes and saw a flicker of panic but he broke our gaze, looking back to his friends. If I was ever to get answers, now might be my only chance. I opened my mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a boisterous laugh.
    “She thinks she’s allowed to respond!” Blorn roared. The entire room filled with laughter. My face reddened as I looked to Kandek again, but his eyes refused to meet mine.
    “Bring in the brander!” Kandek ordered, throwing his arms in the air. A cheer arose as another slave, Mollor, a metalworker, walked in with the brand. He held it up for all to see the sign of the fox. Another cheer waved through the room.
    Tod pushed my shoulders down until my knees buckled. I dropped on the waiting chair. He grabbed the top of my head and pushed my face into the hole in the middle of the table. My forehead rested on the splintered wood and I thought of all the slaves who’d been here before me. I stared at my shoes, my throat constricting as I swallowed. My breath became shallow as the sharp edge of the wooden table pushed into me.
    My hands were still bound behind my back and I wanted to fight but knew I couldn’t. Again I felt my stomach turn. The cloaked figure hadn’t appeared. My master wasn’t going to save me. My best friend was missing. All of this followed by another trip to the dungeon.
    A pair of shoes shuffled closer, the toes of the boots just peeking under the table. Mollor’s boots. It was time.
    I took a deep breath. My eyelids fluttered closed, surrendering to the inevitable. Small droplets of sweat balled together, rolling down the sides of my neck as the poker hovered over its target.
    I knew Mollor was waiting for the signal to brand me. One simple word from Kandek’s lips was all it took.
    “Now,” Kandek roared. I sucked in another breath as a cheer rose from the audience. I waited for the pain and wished it would just be over.
    “Run,” a voice whispered in my ear as I felt the binding cut from my wrists. “Run now!”
    I lifted my head. No one was moving, the voices as silent as their motionless bodies. The guard’s hands were hanging limp at his sides, no longer restraining me to the table. The vacant stare of his eyes sent shivers through my body. Mollor’s firebrand hovered in the air sizzling with life, quite the opposite of his slack mouth.
    “Go, child! Run as fast as you can and crawl out the window. We only have thirty seconds to spare.” The cloaked figure waved his arms towards the