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9
I knelt on a pad in a small room filled with hanging clothes as the men dressed around me. They talked and laughed as they fitted themselves with white linen shirts and brown leather pants. Each of them had several sets of boots and they seemed to pick out the nicer pairs to wear.
I recognized the symbol they each pulled across their chests. Thick leather criss crossed them and a metal breast plate held a replica of the mark I carried everywhere. I wondered if the intricate design had meaning past the simple explanation they had given me.
From a cabinet inside the room they pulled out weapons. Each of them took out a wicked looking sword and put it in a scabbard at their waist. Master Christof also had several small knives that he placed in the small of his back. Master Bane carried short knives in holders that strapped tightly around his thighs. They each were armed like they were going to battle.
I wondered what I would wear. They never addressed the issue. The men just finished and directed me to the door that led out of their rooms. I stood naked and shocked as they opened the door.
“I can’t go outside without clothes, Masters,” I said hoping someone would appreciate I had pointed it out.
“You have no need for clothes, Ciara,” Master Damien patiently explained. “We are going to purchase ornamentation for you. Come, we must leave.”
“Like this,” I shrieked. “I can’t go out like this. Everyone can’t see me like this. I’m, I’m…”
They looked baffled by my refusal to step out the door. Tears started down my face again. I couldn’t bear the shame of my nudity being displayed.
“Ciara, I do not care that the other Warriors look upon you. They will not touch you as long as you follow our rules. We will shield you from the eyes of the greedy shopkeepers with a cover. There is no reason for all this fuss,” Master Damien said looking exasperated.
“No!” I pleaded, “I can’t walk outside naked! Please dress me in something. “A shirt, Master Damien,” I begged, “please, just give me a shirt.”
Fear battled with my shame in my mind and shame was winning. I screamed and fought as Master Damien started to pull me out the door. He stopped when I resisted, perhaps I had won this round.
Master Evan spoke as they stood and watched me, “I do not wish to carry an out of control slave through the courtyard. We are a respected regiment, our discipline is legendary, such behavior from our slave would bring dishonor,” he said harshly crossing his arms.
The rest of the men agreed with him. They didn’t want to carry me kicking and screaming through the yard. For a moment I had hope and then Master Bane raised his arm.
My uncles had hit me before, so had my mother. Suddenly I remembered how strong these men were, my whole being cowered waiting for the blow. I was a slave and I was being an idiot. Now the beating would start.
The hit never came and I opened my eyes to look at Master Bane.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
He spoke to me. “We will never hurt what we own. If you continue to act this way we will have to punish you, though.”
He had only run his hand through his short hair in frustration.
Punishment scared me and I figured that they could do anything they wanted. If they weren’t beating me yet, I should do what they asked. I stepped out the door and wiped the tears from my face. My will to fight wasn’t nearly as strong as my will to survive.
My arms sought automatically to shield my most private places. This displeased Master Damien and he demanded I stand straight and carry my hands at my sides. He and his brothers never cowered. I would never stand with such dishonor.
Thanking him politely for the rebuke I dropped my arms and straightened my back. Shame was not as important as survival, I tried to tell myself. I’d learn to deal with the nudity.
Their lodging was on the fifth floor. There was a single metal rail that ran along the edge of the walkway in front of the door. Beyond that I saw a girl about my age in the middle of a group of five men down in the courtyard.
I stared at the girl. She was dressed, sort of, with a panel attached to a chain at her waist. It covered the apex of her thighs to about half way down her legs, another panel covered her buttocks. Her hips were bare and so was her top.
Master Damien walked to me and I looked up at him. “I will walk in front, you will follow me. The rest of my brothers know their place. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master Damien,” I answered quietly.
“You will look at no man save us and speak to no man except us. This is an important rule. Do you understand?” he asked sternly.
“Yes, Master Damien,” I softly replied.
I followed Master Damien down the steps and through the courtyard looking down. I used what my Uncle Bob had called my ‘peripherals’ to check out everything around me. The courtyard was full of men. They didn’t seem to pay me much mind. Apparently a naked woman walking around wasn’t such a big deal here.
There didn’t seem to be much vegetation in the courtyard just a couple small patches here and there. Otherwise , it looked like it was very dry here. The walls to the courtyard were all lined with something though. It grew low to the ground and looked pink.
Despite the bright sun light the smooth cobblestone under my feet wasn’t hot, which surprised me. I had expected searing heat on my feet, but it was just mildly warm. Since I was obviously not going to be getting shoes, I was grateful for that.
Master Damien was stopped by a large man addressing him in the center of the courtyard. They started to talk, but I didn’t look up. The men shifted suddenly and two tiny feet appeared in my frame of vision, “Hello, cousin,” she said.
A small cushion for my knees was dropped at my feet. A similar cushion was laid down for her. The men stood talking in a tight circle around us.
“Kneel, Ciara,” I heard Master Bane command.
“It’s okay, cousin, you can talk to other slaves, they don’t mind,” the girl said as we knelt down.
I looked back and found the feet of my men behind me and looked up hesitantly. Master Evan reached down and patted my head. I was ready to cry I was so happy. I turned and looked into bright aquamarine eyes. She blinked and her eyes closed side to side. It was a little disorienting.
“You’re human?” she asked me.
I nodded but couldn’t manage to talk, she just continued to speak. I was fascinated as wispy bright red hair fluttered in the light breeze.
“My name is Fuji,” she said. “Is this your first day cycle here?”
“Yes, where are you from?” I asked her.
“Oh, we didn’t have a name for the whole place. The village I lived in was called Batra. The slavers came and paid money to the men for their extra female children. My people got more for me than sending me to another village. Did your people get more for you?” she asked.
“I don’t think anyone got anything for me. I just walked into a bright light and woke up at the auction. I fell asleep there and ended up here.”
“You look sad. I have human friends. You look like they do when they say they are sad,” she said taking my hands.
Her hands were cool and I noticed her skin glittered in the light, all of her skin. Besides the engraved collar and cuffs, Fuji only wore several shiny gold chains around her waist and a bright purple sash over each shoulder. She was essentially nude.
“I’m not sad. I’m scared. I don’t know what’s going on. These men are all so large and strong. Are they going to hurt me?” I whispered to her.
“Ciara,” Master Damien sighed above me. “We have already told you; we will not hurt what we own.”
God, did they have supersonic hearing, too? “Yes, Master Damien,” I answered him quietly.
Fuji threw her arms around me and the cold feeling got more intense. She was like an iceberg.
“This is called a ‘hug’ according to my friends. It will make you feel better. You were free before, yes?” she asked me.
I choked up a moment before I answered. I had made a point not to think that word yet.
“Yes, I was free,” I answered her.
“It was different for me. I am allowed more liberty here than I had at home. The treatment is better also. I cannot understand how it must be for you. When you come to the Keepers you will meet other humans. They will understand,” she said.
A male hand came down and tapped Fuji on her shoulder and she bounced up. I felt the same tap and tried to rise as quickly. Fuji knew how to act, so I wanted to copy her.
In my haste to rise my gaze went up and I locked eyes with one of Fuji’s Masters. I was stuck; he looked more terrifying than the men that had bought me. I felt a hand on the back of my head forcing my eyes back down. I flushed pink in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” I stuttered out.
“Walk behind me Ciara and keep your eyes down,” Master Damien ordered.
I felt awful for not doing the right thing and making them angry again. I was paranoid they were going to punish me. The whipping post had been brought up once, I wasn’t sure they wouldn’t do that. They could do anything to me.
My breathing etched up another notch when I realized they could just resell me if I displeased them. I couldn’t go through being sold again. That was the worst feeling ever. Nausea started to overwhelm me. I always got nauseated when I got nervous.
My steps faltered and I stumbled slightly. I wrapped my hands around my stomach and pressed my nails in. Anything to distract from the horrible sense of dread I was feeling. If they let me, I would curl up and die right here.
Being owned was awful, being sold to new owners would be worse. At least these strange men seemed to care about my well being. If I was sold again, there was no telling how bad it could get.