[Amanaduial the archer]

Fionel scrambled through the one tiny, high up window in her slave hut. The tiny space was shared between twenty female slaves and was smaller than the one Fionel had been in before she had worked at the palace. Therefore shed only been in this hut for a few days, and didnt know everyone. The slaves tended to be pretty secretive; there were rumours that Ekatrans slaves could get everywhere, and because of this many were wary of Fionel.

However, as she tried to wriggle through the window, her bare feet scrabbling for a perch outside and her hands for one inside, one girl looked up. Her eyes widened as the saw the other girl trying to squeeze through the window, then she smiled. Standing, she crossed the room to stand just beneath the window, then stood on one of the hard, stony beds and took Fionel's hands, pulling her through the window to land in a heap on the other side. Fionel winced as yet more bruises joined those already keeping the whip lashes company, then started giggling, along with the one who had helped her. Stifling this hastily, wary of the guards who would soon be prowling outside, she stood and thanked the girl.

"Thanks.."
"Meia." The girl smiled, then glanced back up at the window. "Late again Fionel?"

Fionel grinned ruefully and nodded. The guards locked the doors late at night and the only way to get in was through that window. The inward facing spikes stopped anyone going to other way though, preventing escapes. "Hmmmm....I was just-"

She stopped herself, and satisfied herself with smiling again at Meia. She had been looking for weak spots in the barrier a few hours agao and since then had been leading a guard who had followed her on a wild goose chase, but didnt want to tell Meia that. Like they said, Ekatran's spies were everywhere.

Another slave was watching them, her eyes bright from where she lay on her front on a bed. Fionel winced at the sight of the long, deep lashes across her back. The penalty for trying to escape was harsh, and this one had reaped it by the looks of it. "You tried to escape?" She whispered, a slight, mischeivious smile on her face.

Fionel grinned back slightly. "Nah. I couldnt miss the Hunt, could I?" She said the last bit a little bitterly. Fionel knew shed be picked. The other looked like she was about to say something before she was cut off.

"All slaves stand!"

The imperious voice rang out as the door opened and an overseer entered. His dark, hard eyes took in the slave girls as they scrambled to their feet. Only the lashed girl stood more slowly.

"In number order!"

Fionel resented this. All the slaves were given a number and were branded on the arm with it, like cattle going to the slaughter. That was all they would ever be to the easterlings; animals, waiting to die, and all Fionel was ever going to be was number 12755. The girls ran outside and joined the line of slaves already there, standing in a giant crocodile. The overseer mounted on his own horse and cried another harsh word and they were off at a fast run, the whips flicking over their heads.

Fionel stared at the dark sky; tonight the stars hid their faces. The night of the Hunt.

~~~

By the time they reached the main city, all the other slave lines had joined them. Fione, felt her fists clench in anger; tens of thousands of slaves, all controlled by a few thousand easterlings. If they could only rebel...

A whip flicked over her shoulders, waking her from her thoughts and despite herself the girl flinched. She glared at the easterling but he reared his horse, stamping its front feet down near to her bare, unprotected feet, his grin cruel and brutish. Fionel wanted to lash out, to wipe to grin off his face, but knew that tonight of all nights, she had to resist, to keep her head down. As if that will help your chances of not being chosen...

They were herded into the huge Great Hall, more like a cavern than anything else. Its huge structure still took Fionel's breath away; it was hard to believe anything this big could be created by Man, hewn as it was out of the very rock. It was the biggest building in Nurn and extended partly under the ground. Beneath her, on the levels below, slaves and easterlings swarmed like ants. She stepped back from the edge as she felt her mind reeling. Then she looked down to the centre of the hall and saw something that made her shudder even more; the figure of Lord Ekatran.

[ April 01, 2003: Message edited by: Amanaduial the archer ]

[ April 03, 2003: Message edited by: Amanaduial the archer ]