Laramie: Chapter Two: The Teller

captured and destined to become a slave, a young Teller gives Laramie news far worse than her imminent enslavement.

We spent two nights in the wilderness. Two nights on our own until they came. The slavers. We were captured in the dead of night. The easiest targets they’d ever encountered for sure. Surg was placed in the men’s cage and I was in the other. It stank of refuse, blood and vomit. The cages were little more than wooden carts with metal frames pulled by two despicable looking mules each.

I sat in the corner, trying to stay out of the way. It was cramped, there was always someone jolting and jostling another. Across the cage there was a slender, almost skeletal girl, maybe two years older than me. She had matted dark brown hair with clear blue eyes that were staring at me so intensely it looked like she could see through me, into something inside me that I hardly knew was there.

I turned my eyes away trying to ignore her. Trying to ignore everything. I couldn’t get the screams out. It was two days and I could still hear the ringing of that torturous night. The last thing I wanted was to be alone with my thoughts.

And so my days went for a week. Scraps of food were shoved through the cages once a day, mostly for the entertainment of the slavers but also to keep us alive and strong so we could be sold for maximum profit. I tried to take up as little room as possible, but still I was jabbed and kicked. I missed Surg severely. I couldn’t imagine him in the pitiful state of squalor that our lives now advocated. 

Again I noticed the girl with bright blue eyes. She was looking curiously at me. Her deep eyes pouring over me, and without warning, she reached out and grabbed me. I was terrified. She went rigid and her eyes rolled back into her head, an image of terrible pain across her face. I feared she was mad, and I yanked my arm away, but her vice grip remained strong and unbroken. She let out a shout and released me as if I shocked her.

She took a few ragged breaths and then looked back at me, her eyes now full of sorrow. “I’m sorry.” She said, unabashed. “Its just, I’ve never seen anyone with so much power. I never thought I’d see…” she trailed off muttering to herself.

“What?”

“I’m a Teller. I can see everything about you, your past, present, and all your futures. You have a powerful aura around you. I’m sorry I scried you, but I’ve never seen something so strong.” I stared at her. A Teller? Her? But she’s so young! “I’m sorry, I’ve never seen a past or future so bleak.”

“What do you mean?”

“You are surrounded by death. He follows you like a stray dog follows someone that gives it food. You are cursed!” I shook my head in disbelief. I think I would know if I was cursed. After all my mother was cursed and it was easy to see.

“Are you not a descendant through a solely female line of the witch queen Serena?” I wasn’t sure if it was a solely female line, but I guess it was possible. “Then you are indeed cursed! And take comfort that yours is not the same as your mothers.” That I knew already, for I loved many. My brother, Melinor and Aguro, and Surg of course.

“And how exactly am I cursed?” I asked in disbelief. Although it was considered unwise to not believe in a tellers predictions.

The Teller bowed her head, as if the information had pained her somehow. “You are cursed by love.” She said solemnly.

“No.” I corrected. “That was my mother. Cursed to love only one man forever, and none other.” I didn’t like talking about her.

“Yes, I saw that too.” Her piercing eyes were back on mine, a desperate intensity in them, as if she needed me to hear, to know. “Yours is similar, yet vastly different. It is like comparing the sun to the moon. Both give off light, yet one is more powerful than the other. One is life, the other death.” I looked at her confused. There are some things in life that you would know, and I would know if I was cursed. She looked at me sadly, probably knowing what I was thinking. “Just as she could only love one man, you have the power and responsibility to love all. And as any who loved her would live, all who love you shall die.” Her last words seamed to echo in my ears.

“They died because of me?” I said in so small a voice I was surprised she could hear me. “They died because they loved me.” I was thinking of the people who had been more parent to me than my own flesh and blood.

“Yes.” Her answer was simple and short, but it made my world turn inside out, and I leaned out of the cage as far as I could and vomited. Tears running down my cheeks and a pain I could never have imagined coursed through my soul and I knew the world was ending. Seconds past, but it could have been hours.

I sat bolt upright. “Surg!” I gasped. I wouldn’t let him die! I couldn’t.

“I think he’ll be alright.” She said soothingly. “I think they have to say the words before the curse takes them. There is one more thing about the curse.” Again she looked away, as if my pain were her own. “As long as one loves you, you will never die.”

“Why are you telling me this?” My words sounded hollow and far away.

“I’ve seen you’re future.” She said simply, as if that explained everything. And she continued, knowing I had not understood. “The pain you feel now, is nothing compared to what you will feel in twenty years, or even a thousand.” I shook my head, how could anything feel worse than this? “Imagine, every one you’ve ever loved, dying before you, because of you. It would be torture for even the greatest of souls. The pain of your guardians dying because of you will not be the last it is only the first. Many will love you. And that many will die. And you will live forever with that pain and knowledge. And you will cease to know what it is to love. And you will become a tyrant more fearful and deadly than the one that rises as we speak.”

“I would never let that happen.”

“It is the only future I see for you.” The little girl said coldly. “The path you are on now will lead you to that destiny. There is only one moment in time, one fuzzy image where that path can change, but I warn you I cannot see that future, it is hidden from me.”

“Please, anything!”

“You will meet a beast in some northern woods. He can tell you more than I about that future, but you must be willing to accept his offer. If you do not, that future will be lost forever.”

“What is his offer?” I asked desperately.

But the Teller just shook her head. “You are not ready to hear it.” And she said no more.

 

Three weeks later the sun rose on a vast city. Larger than anything I had ever seen before, it was breathtaking and ominous. In a few hours we were all to be traded and my life with Surg was sure to be over.

By noon we had reached the city and the gates opened for us. The men gave us catcalls as we passed, we were vermin to theirs eyes, but no doubt they had vile images of things they wanted to do to us in their heads.

I had never been more terrified or in awe than when I first entered Ianua. There were so many people, more people I had even seen in my life, and the streets seemed so packed, I had no idea how they all fit inside it. People jeered at us as we passed. It seemed my life as human had passed I was no less than animal as far as anyone was concerned. No longer able to feel or have intelligent thought.

We were brought to the market and dragged from our cage. Shackles were placed on our wrists and ankles, they did not want any to escape. Fear gnawed at me, and it had more than my curse to blame.

I caught a glance of Surg as he was being dragged out to the crowd. I had never seen him look so forlorn and ragged. I’m sure I must have looked the same. Who would ever want to buy me, I thought. And I was ashamed. I feared I would not be able to make it even as a slave. And then my thoughts sickened. Why would I think that, have I already lost all hope to live?

The men were all sorted and purchased. The most ragged purchased for little more than one score. Then I had hope. I noticed most of the slaves had gone to the same buyer, and among them was Surg. Perhaps I would not be separated after all. I clung to that last ray of hope, then fear settled in again. The women had begun to be sold.

Soon enough, I was on the block and the bidding began.

“Do I hear ten score?” My eyes went wild in fear, I began searching around, many hands flew into the air.

One voice rang out over the other, a gruff and dirty looking man was speaking. “I’ll give thirty score for the pretty one!”

The auctioneer pointed at him and accepted the offer, and invited the others to out bid him. “Do I hear forty score?”

Please anyone. I had a feeling he only wanted pleasure. “Forty over ‘ere” the woman who had purchased the majority of the slaves raised her hand. “Tha’ girl can do better than a w***e house.” The first man scowled but would bid no higher. But others did.

Back and forth people bid and argued until I was sold to the first woman for one hundred and fifty score. The highest purchase by far. Gladly I left the block and was led over to stand by the group that surrounded my best friend. I tried to squeeze over to him but the woman grabbed be by the arm and wheeled me around.

“Not so fas’ pretty.” She said as she grabbed my chin and tilted mye face towards hers. “I diddin pay a fortune for you to be runnin off of yer own mind. I’m keeping a close eye on you pretty one.” She wheeled me back around to face the block but didn’t release her grasp on me.

Then at last the bidding was done and my group was stuffed into yet another cart, although this one was in better shape than the one I spent the last month of my life in. And it didn’t smell of vile, thank the stars!

 

We were sent to the largest, grandest of houses in all the city, and indeed it was more a palace than a house. My first thought was that a great man must live here. And then in awe my mind fell blank.

We were taken around back, we were servant slaves, and therefore not worthy to enter through the grand front door. Soon enough we reached what must have been the living quarters, which were little more than shacks built to give the slaves small shelter and enersmaller privacy. Then we were sorted. The men went to the eastern shack, the women to the west.

The woman that purchased us followed to women into our new home. “Yer now the property of the master Aldric. You’ll come to find s’ long as you do as yer told, yer life here can be mild. However if you don’, yer will find that sever punishment can be a way of life too, however shor’.” She then recited a long list of rules and punishments.

She went around the room appraising close hand the master’s new properties, dishing out duties as she did so. When she got to me she took my face in her hands once more. “Haps he would like you. I’ll clean you up and then show you to the master me self. If he likes you, yer life might improve much, if not, you’ll end up working in the kitchens.” She ended her speech saying that we would not be fed tonight, as we had done no work, however in the morning we might be given a meal. “And one more thing. The use of Vene in this house by any servan’, slave, or anyone other than the studen’s livin here, is an offense punishable by death. You are implored to come forward should you suspec’ another’s use of such forbidden acts, and you shall be rewarded should you do so, and punished jus’ as severely if you should not. Good evening”

She closed the door and left us in almost complete darkness. One of the women went to the door and tried to open it. “Locked.” She muttered, and a child burst into tears. And so my new life began. I backed into a corner and slid down the wall, trying not to think about my position. Scared and alone, and possibly something worse if it turned out the master liked me.

Author's Note

please tell me anything you can... is it good? horrible? how's the gammer? is it easy to follow? do i need to expand on anything? it the curse creepy? anything would be helpful!!

Reviews

[Ryzo]

A few errors here n there but the story is good and developing quickly. I like what your doing here, keep writing! :)

[Jeremy Baker]

Nice development of character and the plot, and the characters too. The conflict needs to become a little more complicated so that the characters face a near-impossible choice in trying to resolve it. It looks like you're well on the way.