A Slave to the Servants Ch. 30

My friend and I rode hand in hand, silently for the most part. I wasn't sure what to say. Freedom from Nu-reeh had been such an overriding goal, I hadn't stopped to think what problems may lie ahead.

It never had occurred to me that my men would be judged harshly by their peers.

The air was bitingly cold on my face when light suddenly shone ahead of us. We passed out our narrow passage into a larger cave. There appeared to be a flat, black lake with a large circular island in the middle. A series of big camp fires lit the island and surrounding area. In the dim light I could see small openings all around the lake. It was like a hub with spokes running off from it.

On the beach were several transports like ours. I saw men milling around passing in and out of the light.

"We lost this bet, Brother," one of the men on my transport laughed. "They beat us."

Our transport came to rest next to another and settled down the with a slight crunch on the ground. Men were everywhere. The noisy engine cut off and men approached us talking happily to their friends. Looking to the side, the other transport that had been traveling behind us also came to rest on the beach. I could see the lump that was Fuji laying very still.

Men approached and one leapt onto the other transport to examine my friend.

"You bound a freed slave? Cousins, what were you thinking!?" the man's voice asked angry and incredulous.

Rose and I rushed toward the voice and Fuji. She lay listlessly on the transport as the man pulled off her bindings. The man undoing the ropes cursed our rescuers severely for their incompetence. His hands on Fuji were gentle as he removed the ropes, though. He seemed intent not to harm her.

"She fought us, Gunth," the men tried to explain. "She refused to come with us and lashed out with....her tail. We did not want her to hurt herself and we thought if we could just get her here..."

The man, Gunth, just ignored our rescuers and eased Fuji out of the last of her binding. He was a powerful looking man and slightly graying. Even in this dim light I saw his prominent stripes. The men present all seemed to defer to him.

The men on the transport continued to talk about how Fuji resisted. They had not meant to hurt her. Obviously Gunth's opinion was very important to everyone present.

"Looks terrifying," the man named Gunth said caustically while picking up Fuji and cradling her, "tiny thing like this and you idiots-"

The man's rant was cut short as Fuji screamed and bounded out of his arms. When she wanted to be, Fuji was fast. She moved between the men, intent on the area behind their camp. Rose and I followed and were shocked at what we saw.

Damien's family, Basin's family, and Stayne's family all sat, bound hand and foot. Fuji got to Stayne's side and screamed in her native language. That wicked tail whipped around and the sharp tip cut through the bindings on her owners.

"Release our friends, Fuji," Stayne growled as he jumped to his feet.

The men around us gasped in obvious fascination as Fuji's tail made short work of whatever was holding our men. Rose and I used their confusion to move quickly beside our respective families.

"Almost nothing can break stike rope," I heard Thom's amazed voice say. "The knives we use to cut it are made out of a rack's claw..."

Damien's family and Basin's family rose to their feet and faced the other men. Their shirts were torn and all of them looked bloody. Rose and I were quickly pushed to stand behind them.

Fuji's tail whipped furiously around, but one of her owners forced her back behind them. Her tail never stopped moving though.

"What are you doing with the women?" the man named Gunth demanded to know. "They are not yours to control and I do not like the way I saw you touch them."

Damien's voice sounded furious. "We discussed our difference of opinion earlier and the debate became physical. None of us wish to see our weakest family members involved in a brawl."

Gunth made a sound in his throat as did the other men present.

"Family!" Gunth said angrily. "How exactly do you see things. You take and abuse these small, soft creatures excusing it as 'family'? You make no sense."

"We do not abuse-" Basin started to say and he was cut off.

Gunth clenched his fist and his teeth grew, "I have lived free my whole life, boy, so don't mistake me for stupid. I know what you do to slaves. Little things can't shit without your permission. Those women are free now and I don't like seeing them pushed around. Allow them to stand where they wish. Your ways are not permitted here and they won't be tolerated."

Damien's voice was low and forceful. "Cousins you have brawled with us once already today. The women would be destroyed if they were caught up in that. Their bones are fragile and their skin is weak. We fear you will fight us again and put these females in danger."

Gunth and Damien stared hard at one another for many moments before Gunth's stature relaxed.

"You battled us because you did not wish your friends there," Gunth motioned to Stayne's family, "to be brought with us. It is not a point of discussion. Several of their female breeders are part of the resistance. They will not allow their male offspring to stay at the compound. It will not be safe for the family there. Once you all were taken the women might have demanded answers from them."

Fuji made a low whining sound in her throat followed by several soft clicks. I'd never heard her make that noise before. Stayne's family stiffened and one of the Brothers moved toward her. He spoke to her in a firm voice, but I did not recognize the language.

Fuji made the sound again and her tail increased its tempo behind her.

Stayne's brother continued to speak to her and once he was close enough he stroked her spine. The caress and the words seemed to soothe Fuji and the tail slowly receded back into her body.

Gunth's attention shifted back to Stayne and I saw his eyes narrow.

"You and your family go with us, slavers, whether you like it or not. The females are free, whether you like it or not. None of these things are points of discussion," Gunth said forcefully.

The strange clicks from Fuji started again and the tail whipped out going back and forth. Stayne glanced back at her and I saw the silent communication between him and his Brothers.

"Give us a moment and make no moves toward us," Stayne finally said sounding defeated. "Our...girl is upset. The way you speak has upset...her. She would fight you to the death so that we can do as we wish. Any...creature from Batra would do the same. Allow us to calm her."

Gunth relaxed his posture and so did everyone else. I felt like we were playing a large game ofred roverand someone had just calledtime out.My assumption was that attacking Stayne when he'd said he would be distracted would be dishonorable. At least the sense of honor was consistent.

Stayne's family made a circle around Fuji and started to talk softly to her. I'd heard Fuji pray in her language once before and what the men did sounded like that. Apparently they could speak whatever language it was that Fuji did.

"Ciara," Damien said softly and I looked up into his face, "are you well?"

"Yes, the ride here was strange, but it seems I fared better than you," I said, touching a cut on his cheek.

"They expected to battle with us," Christof said as way of explanation. "They had weapons we had never seen before..."

I smiled at my friend and touched his arm. My family was rarely defeated in battle. Looking at the line of men facing us, I knew how outnumbered they had been. There had to be forty men over there. If some new weapon was involved, then their defeat made even more sense.

Stayne's voice got all our attention a moment later. He addressed Gunth and he did it very politely.

"We are happy to take your kind invitation to visit your camp," he said facing Gunth. "My Brothers and I only ask this female be left in our care for the remainder of the trip."

"No," Gunth said sounding irritated, "that is not a slave and you are not owners. You may not keep her. Release her and allow her to be free."

Stayne and his brothers separated, so Fuji faced the men. Thom and his family approached her, intent on taking her away. The tail was out as soon as their intent became evident.

I watched as a lock of Fuji's vibrant hair dropped off her head and fluttered to the ground. The men saw it too and stopped moving toward her. They looked back at Gunth as though seeking direction.

"She fears you," Stayne said nonchalantly. "When her kind are taken by the conquering side on her home planet they are treated with great indignity. The hair falls out only when safety is supremely threatened."

I heard the horrified sounds the men behind Gunth were making. Several stated that must have been what Stayne had told her they would do. Stayne just grunted a laugh at that.

"My Brothers and I have put much effort into keeping this small creature healthy and fit. We know every nuance of her makeup. It would bring us no pleasure to see her destroyed. We are aware it could be done simply. You would do it and not even know," Stayne said coolly.

"The clicking," Gunth asked fiercely, "what was that?"

"When this creature will give her life in battle, she warns the opponent. That sound is well recognized on her home planet. It is considered honorable on her world to tell your combatant if you would die for your cause," Stayne said simply.

No one really knew what to say to that. It could be the truth and it might not be. Stayne and his Brothers were the only ones here with any knowledge about Fuji.

"Humans," Gunth said directing his comment to Rose and me, "speak to me honestly, is this true?"

I didn't know and looked at Damien. He patted my back and gestured to Gunth.

"Answer the man," he said simply, "just tell him what you know."

"I'm not sure, Sir," I told him hesitantly. "I've never heard that sound from her before and I've only seen her tail twice. Fuji has rarely spoken to me about her home planet."

The men stared at Rose and I. Finally, Gunth spoke.

"The red haired one, Fuji, for now, may stay near her...former owners," the last word seemed to be forced from his very depths. "The humans will be watched over by men of my choosing."

I gripped Damien's sleeve and Rose grabbed Basin.

"If you cannot let your former slaves go," Gunth said to Damien and Basin, "we will send you back to your compound and keep the women. We have no use for those of your mindset in our camp."

My eyes went wide as I stepped toward Gunth. Rose walked quickly to me and took my hand. Neither of us wanted to be the reason our men were sent back to the slave pen.

"Basin and his Brothers don't think that way," Rose said softly.

"Neither do Damien and his Brothers," I added as we walked away from our families. "I told you, I am not a slave of theirs, only Nu-reeh's. My family set me free and trained me to fight with a sword. Do Masters normally train slaves to sword fight?"

I looked up and watched carefully as we approached Gunth. The big man seemed absolutely unmoved by my words. His mind was set on the matter of my family.

I wondered what his next move would be. It was to be a lesson.

"The first thing," he said as we settled in front of him, "that you both must do is look around."

Rose was gripping my hand and staring at the ground. She was acting just like she'd been trained to. Despite our strange circumstances it took her a long time to look up into Gunth's face.

"Good," he smiled once she finally made eye contact with him. "You are a free woman now. No one will tell you where to walk and you must be alert for any danger that may approach you."

Rose looked at me and I saw the tears in her eyes. This experience was terrifying her. She couldn't wrap her mind around what Gunth was telling her. From her perspective it made no sense.

"Next," Gunth continued amicably, "we will greet one another. I am a free man and always have been, so I know the place of my birth. I will tell you my name and my origin. It is expected you answer me the same way."

We stood and stared at the man as he introduced himself as Gunth from the T'scar Mountains. He went on to introduce his Brothers next. The family was strong and powerful, but obviously older than everyone else here. They all smiled at us in greeting.

"Now you do it," Gunth ordered.

I took the challenge first and introduced myself. "I am Ciara from Eart-" I started to say and was interrupted.

"Gunth wants your free name," Thom interjected. "He doesn't wish to know what the slavers called you."

"I like my name," I said softly. "It is a good name, Sir..."

Gunth interrupted me to remind me I was not a slave.

"I am not Sir. You must use my name. You are no longer controlled by owners and I will leave them here if I continue to see signs of their prior control. Now please introduce yourself as a free woman," Gunth said in a commanding tone.

I flushed and was embarrassed. "Gunth, my name is Rachel," I said very softly, "and I am from Earth."

Rose was stubborn, first she wouldn't speak and when she did she refused to be called Ruth. Her cheeks flushed and she demanded to be allowed to stay with Basin. Tears streaked down her cheeks when Gunth told her no.

"You will be retrained for your own good," Gunth told her. "We are used to retraining men that have been in the compounds. You will learn to be free just as those men have learned."

Rose looked livid as she glared at Gunth. He couldn't read her the way Basin and his Brothers could, but the anger was obvious.

"You are to stay away from the slavers," Gunth declared. "We will send them back if we find them with you. Our camp is a free place and you must learn to be free. You cannot learn to be free under the rule of slavers."

"I am free," Rose spat out, "they told me I was free!"

Gunth seemed to pity us. In fact, looking around, all the men here seemed to feel sorry for us.

"Go with Thom," he ordered us instead of continuing to argue, "I am sure you do not know how to start the fire that will keep you warm this night. Let him educate you both."

After his proclamation Gunth turned to instruct the other men what to do. We were obviously being dismissed. I turned to Thom and he gestured for us to follow.

Starting one of the smokeless fires wasn't difficult, but Rose and I still struggled slightly. Neither of us had ever done this before. After it was burning we were each given something to eat.

"Hannah instructed us on what you could eat. The food we eat while out here would not be suitable for you," he said. "This meat is easy to prepare and it can travel with us. It is filling for us and also for you. It is a good food for you to bring on a long trip like this one."

The lesson continued as Thom told us what we were eating. He told us how the small animal we were enjoying was trapped and prepared. I remembered reading about them. The gapu reminded me of asquirrelwhen I'd learned about them.

Thom watched Rose and me closely. If our eyes drifted to where our families were he would scold us. He didn't want us watching the slavers. We were two independent beings.

We were introduced to many men in the camp after dinner. The men all greeted us politely and welcomed us. Many congratulated us on our freedom. I noted privately that our men did not receive the same reception.

Fuji joined us after a while. She seemedshell shockedand sat dully next to us refusing to speak. From her point of view, this situation seemed impossible. I wished she would listen to me as I told her we would be fine.

Pallets were furnished us by Thom. Rose, Fuji, and I would sleep next to our fire. We weren't required to take a watch tonight. Later when we were trained and ready, Thom told us, we may help take watch. It just depended on whether that was something we would be good at.

I lay on my side on the pallet and stared at the poorly lit beach in front of us. The flat black water did not soothe me. My mind was awash with uncertainty and questions. This alien place was unnerving.

Everything had been so different since we'd been picked up at the Keepers. Even the transports, which I had become so accustomed to, were different. It was comforting to concentrate on the transport. It meant I could focus on something other than my family, who I wasn't even allowed to look at.

The transports were larger and thicker, but the differences didn't end there. They appeared to be armed. Things that resembled sleek metalcannonswere mounted at all four corners. From where I lay they appeared to be about the height of a Paterian man's chest.

I finally fell asleep wondering if that's really what they were.

My bladder felt ready to burst when it woke me up in the middle of the night. I realized I'd not gone since we were freed. I sat up looked around. I wasn't sure where to go.

I noticed a man many body lengths away from me. He was standing and looking out over the black lake. His posture told me he was probably on some sort of guard duty.

As I stood the man turned to look at me for a moment. He flashed a friendly smile before turning to stare back over the lake.

"Excuse me, Sir," I whispered coming up beside him.

"I am Tryne rescued from the Barnas compound," he said softly. "It is a pleasure to meet you. When we meet those we do not know from the camp we call them cousin."

"Rachel from Earth," I responded, remembering my lesson. "I need to make waste, Tryne. Where would I do that?"

"Bucket on the other side of the camp," he pointed. "My Brother is over there and will show it to you."

I walked quietly as I could across the beach and used the latrine there. The smell of waste was thick here. Most of the men were set up to sleep away from this area.

Only three families were near the latrines. Evan's bright eyes met mine and I gave him a fleeting smile. He returned it and pointed me back to my pallet.

I settled next to Rose and shut my eyes as the tears fell. What had I gotten us into?

The next morning I woke to the flurry of the men getting ready.

"It is still long before the time the sun rises," Thom said as I stood and stretched, "but we do not wish to stay still in these caves for long. Other creatures would make a meal of us if they found us. The longer we stay, the more at risk we are. Were we to camp long we would have to fortify the area."

There was no day or night here. The caves were lit by our small fires and nothing else. If he said it was early, I believed him. It certainly felt very early.

Thom showed Rose, Fuji and me how to tie our pallets up. We were given some of the same thing we ate last night. He also helped us get our fire put out and the pit cleaned up. The men believed the land remembered them. If they treated it well, it would welcome them back. If they treated it poorly, they would suffer on it next time.

"It is the Great Harmonious Spirit," Thom explained. "All things on this world are part of the Spirit. We live on the world and only take from it what we need, as all creatures do. By respecting the rights of others, we reinforce our own rights."

I'd heard religious people get very pushy, but Thom wasn't. He just seemed to want to educate us.

"I've never heard of this," I said, as Thom directed Rose, Fuji, and me to a transport.

"The Great Harmonious Spirit is not taught in the compounds," he said as he and his Brothers loaded things up. "How could they tell the men of a Great Harmonious Spirit when they know only suffering at the hands of the women? They do not know peace, only beatings, division, and forced coupling. Once we free men, we always teach them this fundamental concept."