The Song

 

Noeh heard the singing before he saw the girl. The singing was loud and gentle, the notes spiraling up into the air peacefully. Noeh followed the sound wondering who was out in the forest at this time of night, besides for himself.

       As he approached the source of the singing, he noticed a strange, flickering light through the trees. It was blocked by several trunks, but it was so bright that Noeh almost had to shield his eyes. Squinting through the trees and blinding light, he saw ahead a small clearing, in which was a single tree. The tree was a strange shape in itself, bent over only a few feet above the ground, as if it had been bowing and cruelly frozen there for all eternity.

           The sight was strange enough with just the tree, but the girl made it all the more strange. She was a mere slip of a thing, arms crossed and feet tucked up under her as she sat on the tree. Her dress was short, clinging tightly to her skin where she had outgrown it. It reached up with thin straps to tie behind her neck, then extended down to mid-thigh, wrapped tightly about her thin midsection. Her long, earth-brown hair billowed slightly in the wind, swirling around her face, hiding it from Noeh’s view. He took a step forward, and intentionally stepped on a twig to alert the girl to his presence.

     Immediately, the singing stopped, and the light suddenly dissipated, flying in towards the girl. Her eyes shone slightly as she looked around into the forest, the only sign of the mage-light she had been burning with only seconds before. Noeh stepped out from behind the trees, hands raised to show he meant no harm. The girl’s eyes landed directly on him, and she bolted upright in recognition.

“I’m sorry, my lord. I did not mean to disturb you, I shall leave.” she said quickly, her voice soft and weak. She started slowly backing away, her eyes downcast, hands clasped behind her back.

“Wait, please.” Noeh said. Immediately, the girl stopped, eyes still on the ground.

“You did not disturb me. I simply wished to know who shared the night’s company.” he said, hoping to ease some of her discomfort. She did not move.

“Please, come sit beside me. I should like some company. Though the stars are beautiful, they are not much for conversation.” Noeh requested, smiling at his joke. The girl approached him reluctantly, sitting far from him on the other end of the trunk.

“What is your name?” Noeh asked. The girl shot him a quick glance of surprise. Her dark green eyes shocked Noeh. Most mages had brown eyes, like his own, or blue when they were concerned or worried. He had even seen red eyes before in aggravated mages, but never this shade of green.

        For a moment, he became suspicious, for the Yengwari were known to have green eyes, but theirs were described as cat green, almost yellow, while this girl’s were dark, like that of the forest.

“I am called Kae.” the girl murmured, her voice nearly inaudible. Her words were rung with a strange, subtle accent, of which the origins Noeh could not identify.

“I am Noeh.” he said, his mage-light flickering gently. It illuminated the girl’s form slightly, her brown hair hung in dirty clumps from her head, extending well past her shoulders. She had her arms wrapped around her chest and stomach, hands clasping her sides. Noeh could not believe how thin she was, as if she had not eaten in many weeks. He shifted closer, and as his light fell onto her more, he gasped. She wore many large, dark bruises on her arms, though her hair covered a fair part of her upper arms. He waited for her to say something, but she simply stared blankly at the ground, seemingly uncomfortable. Her back was hunched over the slightest bit, as if she were trying to keep her head down.

“Where are you from, Kae?” Noeh asked, trying the name on his tongue. It suited her. “I currently reside in Nowalk, if it please my Lord.” she said quietly, not moving her head.

“Nowalk? That is hardly a mile from here. I have not seen you before.” he commented, trying to keep up the conversation.

“I am invisible to most, my Lord.” Kae replied, her voice still strained and formal.

“Please, call me Noeh. We are on equal terms here.” Noeh asked, but Kae did not reply. Noeh shifted a tiny bit closer, illuminating her further. She turned away to face the trees, and Noeh saw the strange shape of her dress. In the front, it covered her from breast bone to mid-thigh, but in the back, her skin was bare until the rough material dipped down to cover her rear end and upper legs. Her hair covered her bare back, tumbling down in clumped curls and waves. It was the color of newly dug earth, a dark, rich brown with a bit of lighter brown woven through by much time spent in the sun. Noeh’s blood stirred. The girl was not exactly beautiful, for Noeh had seen many a fairer gentlewomen pass through his father’s manor, but her features, soft and fluid, were oddly pleasing to his eyes.

       Kae curled her legs under the tree, her arms still wrapped around her. The trunk swayed as Noeh moved closer, only an arm’s length away now. Kae shuddered. Noeh longed to ask her how she had summoned in her mage-light so quickly, or about her unusual accent, but he did not know how to word it. He looked up into the sky, visible through the break in the trees. The moon was slowly sliding away, and in the opposite direction, Noeh could see the light pink fingers of the sun reaching up to kiss the velvet sky. Kae seemed to see this too, for her forehead creased in worry.

“I am sorry, my Lord. I must be gone.” she said quickly, her voice showing a bit of anxiety.

“Of course. If I were to call on you, where should I go?” he asked her. Kae looked up only the slightest bit as she slid off the trunk, bare feet hitting the dirt with a soft plop.

“My lord, forgive my forwardness, but if the Gods truly wish us to meet again, then there is no need to call on me.” she said, hoping he would catch the hint. She shuddered at the thought of what would happen if he showed up at her door. Noeh said nothing, surprised by this sudden show of informality. She had been so cautious all night, he wondered why she was so desperate to leave quickly. Kae turned and quickly plodded away into the forest without further word, flipping her hair to cover her back. She disappeared into the trees without a sound or mark.
 

        

 

           Kae hurried through the streets, her bare feet padding softly on the dirt. The sun was too high. Yran would be up by now, she told herself. She could not stop thinking about that stranger in the woods. Obviously, he did not know what caste she was in, for no noble or even servant spoke to her in so friendly a manner. It almost made her feel human again, but she tried to repress those feelings. They had never served well for the life she led.
 

          She fled down the last street, praying to Mathaea for luck. The deaf goddess was not listening. Sure enough, Yran was there, waiting for her with anger readable on his face. Kae saw the object clenched in his fist, and cringed as she stopped in front of him.
“Where have you been?” he questioned.
 

“The woods.” she mumbled, casting her eyes down to the ground.

“With who?” he accused.
 

“No one but the trees.” Kae said, then instantly regretted it. She could not speak like that to him, she turned away to go on with her work, forgetting herself again. She felt his hand on her shoulder, forcing her back around. She shuddered, knowing what was coming, and tried to pull away. Yran caught her hair, tugging back harshly. Desperate to avoid more pain then necessary, Kae followed him obediently.
 

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth.” he grumbled as he led her into the fenced yard.
 

 

 

 

              Noeh returned home in a daze, his mind full of thoughts. He wondered greatly about the girl. He had neither seen or heard of her in all his travels to Nowalk, which was only one of the many villages in his father’s care. He was a minor healer, and he often went through the villages helping the sick or wounded. His father had paid for him to go to I’Ljad, a school for mages and bards. He had only recently returned from his studies, the teachers at the school avidly debating about whether or not he was the Ylanga, so great was his powers and capacity. Noeh had not heard of the Ylanga until he had gone to the school, and he was surprised it was discussed so openly.

           The Ylanga, he had learned, was a person foretold in a prophecy from a thousand years ago that would battle the Yengwari kind, Yulka, and restore peace to Cithara and reunite the world of Kartha once more. Noeh was one of the only young male nobles in the Koalat, so he guessed that most of the ideas surrounding the theory of him being the Ylanga stemmed from the fact that he was the only rebel that fit the prophecy’s description. He returned to his chambers for a short rest, to ease his mind of so many thoughts.

     He lay on the thick mattress and pulled up the soft, luxurious blankets around him to combat the coolness of the silk sheets. The red canopy above him fluttered slightly as he shook the bed, and it lulled his mind into a deep sleep, the soft pillows encasing his head as he fell into a world of dreams.
 

 

 

                    Kae looked down at her hands. The blisters were healing, and she hoped they turned into calluses soon. Yran had her working in his herb garden, and she was unaccustomed to such labor. She had tough skin for every other task, but the strangely-shaped hoe and spade cut into the still-tender parts of her hands painfully, and they slipped often. Her back hurt as she pulled herself up, a few scabs cracking. She felt blood beading up in a few places, and she wiped down what she could of her back with her dirty hands. The wounds were thin, and she was glad that Yran’s arm was weak, for they would heal soon. She had about 10 long slashes in all, most already crusted over. One deep one in her shoulder had yet to scab, and the open air pushed into it painfully every time a breeze caught her.

Kae rubbed her wrists, where the marks from the ropes were still burned into her skin, and she flexed her muscles. Her entire body hurt from lack of food and fatigue. Yran was sparse in giving her the daily meals, and Kae knew she would have to resort to stealing again if he did not increase the amount of food he gave her soon. Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably, but Kae paid it little attention. She had learned from an early age to ignore pain, and she did so now as a hunger pang threatened to wrack her body.

             She looked longingly towards the sky, and saw with relief that the sun was beginning to sink towards the ground. Her body cried for sleep, but her mind was unwillingly drawn back to the forest. Something told her to venture into the clearing again, and she knew she would have to obey. She heard the back door creak open, and looked towards it. Yran stood holding the wooden door of his cottage open, his face scowling.

“You will go to bed without food tonight, maybe hunger standing watch by your side will keep you in your wits tonight.” he said, then swung the door shut once more, leaving Kae in the yard. She knew she should turn and go to her shed, curl up on her pallet and get her scant hours of sleep, but her feet unwillingly led her to the gate of the yard, and with some effort, she managed to swing it silently open. She looked behind her woefully, wishing she could just go back to her pallet and sleep, rest her aching muscles, but something bigger than her was transpiring, and she simply followed her instincts back into the clearing.

                       The forest was filled with calling birds, saying their goodnights as the moon rose above the trees, its full face illuminating the treetops. Kae placed her bare feet carefully, not wanting to tread on a sharp branch or sleeping snake, but she merely stepped unnoticing over the pointed twigs and rocks, barely piercing her feet, so tough were they. She had owned only one pair of shoes in her life, and she had outgrown those several years ago. Her large, broad feet were rough and callused from the battering roads her life had led, and now they were as impenetrable as the rest of her.

            As she entered the clearing, she was not surprised to discover that the noble’s son was already there, looking expectantly in her direction. She reluctantly left the trees’ cover, feeling both scared and hopeful at the same time. She wrung her hands in front of her, shifting her hair to cover the worst of her bruises.

“Kae?” Noeh asked, peering into the darkness. Kae stepped into the circle of his mage-light, and nodded silently, eyes trained on the ground.

“I had hoped you would come tonight.” Noeh said, his voice honestly joyful. Kae could not help but glance up at his face. Why would he desire her company? His eyes were a light hazel today, the strong eyebrows darkened by his light brown hair. Kae knew she should reply to him, but could not think of what to say. He beckoned to the open air beside him, and Kae settled herself at a comfortable distance from him. She wondered what had possessed her to come into the forest tonight.

        Here she was, a lone, weak girl at the mercy of a trained mage, let alone a man. She wondered if she would be forced to pay for her foolishness. But when Noeh looked at her, his eyes were not full of the longing she often read on Yran’s face, but full of simple kindness and a hint of sympathy.

       Noeh had been forming the questions in his mind all day, and now he almost lacked the courage to say them, but he needed to know. Harnessing the power of your mage-light and holding it within your body was a feat that took powerful self-control and years of training, and he had never seen anyone pull theirs in so quickly as Kae had the night before. So, he asked this question first.

“Please, forgive my intrusion, but I must know. How is it that you were able to control your mage-light so perfectly last night? It was so bright, then it was simply gone. Did you attend a school?” he asked curiously, and Kae tried to hold in her horror. She had hoped he would not see her light last night, and she cursed herself for letting it dance so freely in the forest. She shook her head softly.

“No, I have attended no school or received any training. I control my light by simple necessity, something that I quickly learned as a child.” she said. She remembered the beatings she had received from Huil, her first master. He had owned her until she was 4 winters old, and she knew now that he had saved her life possibly by beating her until she could hold in her light, which had starting shining when she was 2. Any slave that had the powers of a mage was by law either forced to join the Yengwari or to be killed, there was no other option. A magical slave could easily lead a revolt against her masters and cause many problems.

“You taught yourself?” Noeh asked in disbelief. Kae nodded. In reality, pain had been her harsh teacher, but she had spent many a night lying on her pallet controlling her light, fearing to let it out in sleep, and now it only shone when she set it free.

“That is amazing. You are one of great power, Kae. It is strange that you have received no teaching. You would think your parents would have seen to your education for a gift so powerful. Perhaps in time, they will.” he said, thinking it would help to open her up to him. Instead, she cringed in noticeable fear.

“Please, don’t tell anyone, my Lord. They cannot know.” she begged. If he told, she would become an inhuman Yengwari soldier like the ones that had taken away Huil, for teaching another slave of his magery in secret. The soldiers had been powerful mages, but they lacked any human emotion. Their eyes were empty, bright green holes, void of any emotion save for anger or hate, though some had learned to take enjoyment in the pain of others, it had seemed. She was on her knees now in front of him, eyes focused on his neckline, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Noeh tried to look into them, but she looked away from his gaze. From what he could see, her eyes were smoldering in pure terror.

“Relax, Kae. I will tell none if you do not wish me to.” he said gently, leaning down to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder. She flinched away from him, but mumbled an incoherent thanks. She backed away and sat away from him on the tree, still shaking.

“What would happen if someone did discover you were a mage?” he asked curiously, hoping he was not overstepping his bounds.

“I would be in much trouble. It is forbidden, and I would pay dearly for it.” Kae said quietly, almost out of her own accord. She quickly lowered her eyes to avoid giving Noeh a surprised glance. She guessed that he had cast as spell on her, as Huil used too. Huil was something she called a truth-teller, for around him Kae had found it impossible to lie, and he had been unable to lie in the same fashion.

“Pay? Why? Mages are respected in these parts.” Noeh commented, confused.

“It is…forbidden for me to learn, a law declared by the Yengwari..” she said, stopping herself before she explained further. She wished to put off Noeh’s realization of her slave status, for he treated her like none other ever had, and she wished to prolong the feeling. She had forgotten what it was to feel like a human again, instead of a packhorse or dog. Noeh did not press her further. He could tell she was fighting his Ritek powers, for she did not want to tell him something.

“I could teach you, in secret that is.” Noeh said suddenly, unable to stop himself. Kae nearly met his eyes this time, but caught herself and pushed her gaze back down. Her mind swirled with confused thoughts. Should she tell him? He could be severely punished, even sentenced to death, for teaching a slave magery. But the thought tugged at her, and she wanted so badly to say yes, to learn. She wanted so badly to be taught something that would set her above the barnyard animals and other slaves, something that would make her feel like she was worth something. Her thoughts battled each other, arguing on either side. She could not keep coming out here at night to learn, for she needed every hour of sleep she could get, and she doubted she could get away from Yran during the day.

“What do you think?” Noeh asked. Kae could not lie.

“I would like very much to, my Lord, but I cannot.” she said mournfully.

“Why not? I understand it goes against the law, but you do not seem like you would misuse what I teach you. You can trust me, can’t you Kae?” he asked. Kae nodded.

“I haven’t the time.” she said. “You can’t get away during the day?” Noeh guessed knowingly. Kae nodded, then added, “I cannot go without sleep each night either. I have tasks I’m expected to do and cannot neglect them….”

“Well, the first spell I’ll teach you then is one to eliminate tiredness. It doesn’t work as well as sleep, but if we meet each night except for one every week, you should not become too tired.” Noeh said.

“Perhaps.” Kae said, then suddenly her demeanor changed. The sun was nearly risen once more, and Kae shifted off the trunk nervously.

“I must go.” she said quickly, ducking her head as she tried to scurry away. Noeh reached out and caught her arm, and she jumped, looking back at him abstractedly.

“Will I see you here again tomorrow?” he asked her. Kae remained silent for a moment, casting a nervous glance at the trees behind her.

“Yes, I will come once the moon has risen. But, I’m sorry, my Lord, I must go.” she said resignedly, and Noeh released her arm.

“Very well, until tomorrow then.” he said with finality, and Kae nodded once before scurrying away into the forest. She wished she had taken time to learn the spell for curing weariness, but she was late as it was. She looked once more at the sun. It was just rising above the trees, he should not be up.

           Kae picked up her pace, running now down the road in her bare feet, ignoring the pain it caused her back and shoulder. She slipped quietly through the alleys and into the yard, and let out a relieved sigh when she saw that Yran was not there. She considered taking advantage of his sleeping in by grabbing a few more hours rest, but she had run all this way to escape punishment and did not want to risk it again. She groaned and kneeled in the garden, picking up the spade and hoe from where she had discarded them the day before. They fell tenderly into the same places that were already spotted with blisters, and Kae felt the rough wooden handles chafing her skin with every movement. Kae wondered if Noeh’s spells could make her work less painful, or harden her hands for it.

          After a few hours, Yran was still not up, and Kae was cursing herself for not stealing some rest before. She hoped he would at least be pleased with the progress she had shone. She had nearly two bushels of harvested herbs and had planted nearly twice as many as she had taken from the ground. After moving through the garden, collecting the ripe herbs, she piled the three baskets and carried them on her hip, her arm aching from the strain. She exited to the street outside the fence, where Yran kept a small shop inside a spare shed. She entered the shop, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim light.

        There was no one inside, and Kae wondered briefly if the vender had gone home after seeing no one awake at the house. She set the baskets on an empty table in the center of the room, and painstakingly set out to sort each individual plant into the right bin, matching the colors and shapes. She knew not the names of the plants, for she could not read the runes posted on paper signs above each bin, so she went the best she could by eye. Kae heard the door behind her swing open, and the heavy boot steps on the floor told her that it was Yran.

“Here you are. I was looking for you, girl.” Yran said, his arms snaking up around her. Kae shuddered and flinched slightly. Yran only pulled her closer.

“Don’t you pull away from me.” he said tightly in her ear. Kae closed her eyes in terror, but did not flinch away as he turned her around. His lips came down unremittingly on hers, and Kae barely held in a squeal of horror. Yran suddenly let her go, turning around slightly to flick the lock on the door into the latch. He then turned back to her, and that day, Kae was made into a breeder under Yran’s weight.

Author's Note

This is my first chapter of my first fantasy book, so I imagine it is not too good. I plan on rewriting this story more than the 6 times I have, lol, but any help you can offer is appreciated. I mostly want to know if this world is unique and believable.