BURNING TALENT

Chapter 1

She jumped as a large man with a bulbous nose pushed his face close to the bars of her cage. He smelled of onions, soured milk and horse sweat. She tried not to gag, tried not to make any sound at all.

"Watser name?" The man asked. She squinted in thought, trying to discern the words beyond his thick accent. When Mammon had taught her the outlanders tongue she had neglected to mention that there were different ways of speaking it.

'She might not have known, ' she thought. To her knowledge Mammon had never left the village.

"We've been calling her Rabbit, " a voice to her left said. He was much easier to understand. His words tended to be separate entities and not all blended together as many of the others. His clothing was different as well, and he smelled of the forest rather than the sea. His black hair was tied neatly in a tail at the nape of his neck. It swayed as they moved, keeping time with his horse's tail.

"Doncha know er name?" Big-nose asked.

"She hasn't spoken since we picked her up. I do not think she has a voice."

"Silent, huh." Big-nose looked thoughtful as he stared at her. She stared back. "Usure she's got da talent?" He asked ponytail man. Ponytail man nodded.

"She has the talent. See the mark on her wrist?" Big-nose dropped his gaze to her wrist.

"Don see nothin, " he said.

"It is on the other side, " ponytail man said. He stepped closer and Big-nose eased back. "Hold your hand out like this, " he told her. He spoke slowly to make sure she understood his words. He backed the words up with a gesture showing her how she was to hold her arm.

She extended her right hand and turned it palm side up. Ponytail man smiled at her and pointed to her wrist. "There, " he said. Big nose peered closely at the mark on her wrist. It was the mark of the Gahda and she had been born with it. The mark resembled a small bowl with a flame coming out of it. Big-nose nodded, satisfied.

"She understandcha? Summa don."

"She understands if you speak slowly and clearly, " Ponytail man said. Big-nose nodded.

"How much?" The two men began haggling over price and she realized ponytail man was selling her to Big-nose. She swallowed hard, unsure what this change would bring. She scratched her head hating the feel of her hair. She had been with ponytail man since the raiders sold her to him. Mentally, she counted fifteen nights with ponytail man. She was unsure how long she had been with the raiders. She just remembered many times having her jaws pried apart and a foul concoction poured down her throat. It made the world spin and her vision blur. Her thoughts became like rain sliding out of the clouds to the ground and she couldn't hold on to them. By the time she came close to grasping a solid thought, another dose was given to her.

Ponytail man had not given her the evil brew, but he kept her caged. He had let her out of the cage only to urinate three times a day, once upon waking, once when they stopped for lunch and once when they stopped for the night. A marked improvement, but he had not let her bathe and her hair and skin felt itchy and greasy. She shuddered slightly in revulsion.

The men concluded their discussion and money changed hands. Ponytail man came over to her cage and unlocked it. He told her to come out and, as he had each time she was taken from the cage, he bound her hands in front of her with stout rope. The rope was scratchy and chafed her wrists. The rope was not tied tight enough to break the skin but after so many days, bands of red, raw skin circled her wrists. She tried not to wince. He left a long tail hanging from her bound hands. The end of this tail he handed to Big-nose. The numbness that had set in after long days of travel started to break up into a queasy feeling as she stepped into the unknown.

"Please give my regards to your master." Ponytail man said. There was a mocking undertone but no offense was taken. Big-nose simply nodded and tugged on the rope binding her hands.

"Come, " he told her. He turned and began walking away from ponytail man. She had to trot to keep up with his long strides, her legs somewhat unsteady from the confinement. The cage had prevented her from seeing too much and she took the opportunity to look around as best as she could. The caravan Ponytail man belonged with had started to move in the opposite direction. In a few moments they would be around the bend and gone from sight. She dismissed them from her thoughts and cast her gaze to their destination.

The dusty road led to an open gate set into a wall of stone that stretched as far as she could see in either direction. The closer they got to the gate, the more people there seemed to be. Some of them paid no attention to her while others openly stared. She ducked her head and rounded her shoulders as if protecting her inner core from the weight of their eyes. As they approached the gate, men with long poles topped with metal spikes called out greetings to Big-nose. He answered but both sides of the conversation were fast and jumbled and she could make no sense of the words.

Once inside the gates, buildings crowded one another forming a maze of narrow streets. The buildings seemed to lean over the streets turning the world below into a shadow land. They towered over the people passing by and she felt nearly as caged as she had been in the caravan.

Big-nose shortened the length of rope separating them so she would not be pulled from him in the crowds. He increased his pace and took turns purposefully. She had to jog to match his pace and after very few turns knew she would have a hard time finding the gate again. She wondered if this was on purpose.

Gradually the crowds started to thin and they approached the biggest building she had ever seen. She could not help but goggle at the size and the pointy fingers of stone that stretched up to meet the sky. Big-nose chuckled at her reaction.

"They all astare first they see ta castle, " he told her in what sounded like a reassuring tone. He appeared to be trying to separate his words for her benefit and had an odd look of concentration as he focused on his own speech. She took his reassuring tone to mean it was all right for her to look.

Like the wall, the castle was made of stone. Unlike the wall, this stone was white, not gray and real glass windows winked in the sunlight like stars. It was even more dazzling after the walk in the shadow maze of streets. He slowed his pace to give her a little more time to take it in. Pride was written across his face and she assumed this was where his Lord lived. There was a wide road leading to a large entrance in the front, but Big-nose skirted around to a smaller side door.

The door was made of heavy banded wood, but opened easily to his touch. He led her inside and closed the door behind them. They were in a narrow corridor composed of the same dark stone as the wall. She shivered as they moved through the cool shadows. Light came from torches set at regular intervals against the wall. Big-nose's boots click- clacked on the bare stone floors as their hard soles made contact. Her soft leather boots made barely a whisper.

The small corridor merged with a larger one. Other people passed them, but were too hurried to pay them much attention. Some of them called a greeting to Big-nose but they didn't stop to chat. All of them ignored her. They took several turns and she tried to count them, but ended up just as confused as she had been on the streets. Finally, they stopped in front of a door. Big-nose took a deep breath and pulled his tunic straight. He straightened his spine as well and held his head high. He knocked on the door.

"Enter, " was called and Big-nose opened the door. He stepped inside, pulling her through and shutting the door behind as he had before.