Laramie: Chapter Four: The Mistake

chapter four brings us to my original starting point, where laramie makes a great mistake that changes her life forever.

When the bell rang in the early hours of the next day, the servants’ quarters came to life. It wasn’t yet dawn, but we had to have everything ready for when the Shadow Master arrived later that day. I walked outside, the crisp morning air biting at my exposed skin. I looked up at the paling sky and tried to catch a last glimpse of my favorite constellations, but a fierce wind had blown clouds and rain in last night.

Surghey was waiting for me at the gate. He always waited for me. After a short embrace we hurried inside for breakfast. Cold pale mush with a slice of stale bread. It was meager but it fed us and kept us strong. And then our day began. Surg was taken off to clean the chambers and light the fires in some of the main rooms.

I tied my full red hair back with a leather thong to keep it from getting wet, and plunged my hands into the warm water. We washed the servants breakfast dishes first. Soon there would be the finer flat wear of the staff and students dishes to wash as well.

Across the kitchen things were already going wrong and the kitchen madame, Ter-hu was not happy. “What is this?” she roared at a small girl with short black hair. “I told you not a feather less than ten dozen eggs was needed gatherin’ this morn!” The woman’s plump body bounced as she smacked the girl across the face leaving a large velvet welt.

“Please madame, that’s are there were this morning.” She cried. “I checked under every hen.” I wanted to help the little girl, but I knew it was useless. When the madame was in a rage it was best to keep your head down if you wanted to keep your skin. The kitchen madame berated the girl for fifteen minutes it seemed until the next catastrophe landed.

Liha came running into the kitchens. “Ter-hu!” she exclaimed. “The fires aren’t lighting.” She looked absolutely terrified.

“What do you mean they’re not lighting? You put the flint to them and they light.”

“Yes but Ter-hu, the wood shed collapsed last night and there was a terrible rain. All the wood is soaked through.” Liha looked as if she might pass out, and I was listening intently. If the fires wouldn’t light, they might blame Surg. And if they blamed Surg, what would happen to him... I didn’t want to even think about that.

“Alright Liha. You stay here and make sure the slaves keep on doing what they’s supposed to do. I’ll see what I can do about them fires.” Ter-hu sidled out the door, and before anyone noticed what I was doing, I followed as quick as I could.

I found Insurgi in the dining hall. He had been told to wait there for further instruction. He glanced at me curiously. “Larie what-?” and then, knowing what I was goning to do, he glared at me. Ignoring him it went to the wet wood in the fireplace. He tried to stop me, but I took no heed. My next move would change my life forever.

I glanced around the room to make sure it was clear, and then I lifted my arm over the unburning pile and willed the fire to be. Instinctively I pulled my hand back as the warm fire shot up out of the wood.

I smiled. It had been so long since I had last used my gift and it warmed my sole, much as the fire warmed my hand. But my happiness was short lived.

“Laramie!” a short rapt voice rang out behind me.

I cursed under my breath. Ter-hu had seen me. Furthermore, she had seen what I had just done. She strode forwards and grasped my upper arm and, painfully, led me out of the hall.

“I knew I’d get ya one day.” She muttered almost gleefully. Diddin I tell ya you’d be trouble.” Despite the many layers of fat and fluff, the madame was really quite strong, and I could already feel the bruises forming under her abnormally large and mannish hands. As she led me through and out of the kitchens, she jerked me towards the slaves quarters, nearly ripping my arm out of its socket while doing so.

I knew I was in serious trouble, but fear and panic had not been allowed to set in. The pain in my arm was keeping them at bay. While we were outside, I could see the bleak outlines of the pale blue horizon and I could smell the salt of the sea, wafting towards us on a thin and low fog. And all too soon we disappeared into a cold and almost empty, unused hall.

Realizing where I was I pulled away, or at least tried to. I had been led to the cages. A dirty, grimy place to leave those that you want to die or have killed. Countless souls, both beast and human alike saw their last days in these cages, most were little more than windowless boxes for the sole purpose of inhuman transportation. The madame gave her hardest yank and through me into a barred cage, one of the halls many solitary prisons. “The master can deal with you later. When he don’t have an important visitor.” Not surprisingly she gave me no indication when he would get to me.

The madame spitefully locked the cage door as I lay helplessly within. I was trapped, I was doomed. The cage I inhabited was a box with walls of iron bars, used by hunters when they decided to keep an animal alive and on display for whatever meager existence it could survive. The cold and bloody encasement told all too well the suffering it had seen and I sank back into the darkness not wanting to know those dreadful tales.

I tried to use vene to escape, but either I knew too little, or the cages were impervious and set with spells to inhibit the escape of its inhabitants. Either way I could no more pass through those bars than I could undo the mistake I had made.

Hours later, perhaps around midday, although it seemed much longer to me, Surghey crept into the narrow hallway and tiptoed to my cell, skirting some of the bloody ones with a wide berth.

“Laramie!” he whispered earnestly as he made his way to my cage.

“Surg you shouldn’t be here.” I whispered back. I was fearful for his welfare and yet eternally grateful for his company.

“Larie, the Shadow Master himself wants to speak to you.” He knelt down infront of my cage so he could see me better. His eyes met mine and the flash told me all I needed to know. The Shadow Master overheard Ter-hu tell the Master of the school about my indiscretion. The Shadow Master seemed overly intrigued. Surg felt fear, kin to that when his parents- I broke the connection. My heart beat furiously against my plain tunic. I began to choke on my own fear. “Larie.” He hesitated, just as scared as I was. “Larie I love y-”

I pushed my arm past the bloody and gruesome bars and silenced him with my hand. “Don’t Surg!” I cautioned furiously.  I looked at him. His face strained and sad.

“But it could be the only way to save you.” He pleaded desperately, removing my hand from his mouth.

“NO!” I demanded. I loved him too much, needed him to much to let him say it. “I wouldn’t live long without you.” I gave him a feeble smile. Trying to bestow some kind of grim comfort.

“You won’t live long this way either.” He argued, his voice cracking in desperation. In longing. But this was how it must be. To love without knowing love.

“We don’t know that.” I said reassuringly as I held his trembling hand through my cage. “Why would the Shadow Master involve himself in this? A minor transgression for which there is a simple punishment. There are no laws or long procedures. It simply is. If he is involved it means there is something more… and wouldn’t that something more include life? Don’t worry about me Surg. I’ll be alright.” I touched his soft cheek, and looked deep into his dark blue eyes, sharing the same story and pain, neither one of us noticed the flash, but I could feel his deep emotions and relief when I said his name. Once I sensed he was calm, I withdrew my hand. Looking down at the floor, I said to him, “They will be missing you.”

As he left he said softly, “I won’t let anything happen to you.” As he meandered to the door, he paused and added, “You see I need you too.”

As he left I began to weep. I wanted to shout, to call him back to me. To have him hold and comfort me as once might have happened. If things were different, but they were not. Life held no cruel comfort for me. I was alone in this world, and the only light I could see had walked out the door at my command. And what was more, I was left with none of the certainty that I had bestowed upon my only friend. I waited for ages it seemed, but it could have been only minutes, maybe an hour at most. And at last, I heard the sound of the scraping lock outside on the thick wooden door. That sweet relieving and condemning sound.

“Through here Masters.” The harsh voice made gentle to appease her lords, the Madame was at last bringing the doom to her most hated servant. Me. I felt faint, as if I would vomit at any moment. I knew death was soon, I only hoped it wouldn’t be too painful, I don’t think I would like the last thing I feel to be pain.

The school Master entered the hall of cages first. He stepped into the dim light with and old grace and dignity. However he was obviously put off by this unexpected detour. No doubt the old man with flaking white hair was surreptitiously embarrassed, but one would never know by simply looking at him.

The next to enter was the Shadow Master himself. I would have thought him to be terrifyingly old and evil looking, but he was young. Not very young, but about the age my father would have been, had he still been alive.  His graying hair was cleanly cut and sat majestically upon his handsome head. My first impression of the man was that he was a revolutionary.  A man like that could take what was and turn it into what could be. But at the same moment that I saw his glory, all of his magnificence, I could see too his calloused heart, his apathetic hatred. And yet I was not sure if I should fear him or worship him, but looking back are they not the same thing? His eyes, so familiar held a strange coolness to them, an intriguing callousness. But any misgivings I had about him were abolished by the beauty of such eyes. Brown and piercing.

The Shadow Master crossed the hall and gracefully came to stop before me. His dark brown eyes searching me, weighing my risk to him in his mind. I was not wholey against him at that point, which is why he later allowed things to progress the way they did. “What is your name child?” he asked, it was such a sweet and unexpected surprise to hear him speak with such a velvet voice. I was expecting the Master to answer, for a servant such as myself was unworthy to speak in front of such a great man, the Master of all Dignusterra. “You may speak dear.” Charmed I was unable to answer, the Madame answered for me. “ And who Laramie was your mother?”

This time I found my voice. “Mellinor.” I answered. I decided to stay with the lie, it would be easier.

“No child.” He reprimanded. “That woman raised you, but she was not your mother. Your mother was named Lauryn. Correct?” I don’t know why, but when he said that name, it burned in me. I wept. For loss of mother, I wept. For loss of Mellinor, I wept. For loss of innocence, I wept. He needed no conformation of my mother, he already knew who I was. “Why are you in this cage Laramie?” he asked melodically.

My voice was harsh and full of sorrow when I spoke. “I performed vene in a house where it is forbidden for a slave to do so. I am awaiting my punishment. I am awaiting death.” My voice was shallow and ugly. I lowered my head, awaiting the sentence I was sure to come.

But it did not come. Instead the Master commanded, “Remove this girl from her cage.” When nothing happened, he spoke again. "Let her out!" his calm voice commanded. calm but angry. The madame moved foreword as instructed. He then surprised me further by offering his own hand to help me up. Shyly and confusedly I accepted. “Laramie, do you wish to learn about this talent of yours?” he asked me. I was shocked.

“Yes my lord!” I answered, too dazed to realize what was happening.

Author's Note

what do you think? any feedback would be awesome whether its grammatical or story structure...