A Man's World

I was sent tumbling to the ground again as we arrived in Oyin, but I didn't feel the urge to vomit this time. As I sat up and gathered my bearings, I found myself sitting on a wide, open field of emerald grass. A blue ribbon of a river flowed in and out of sight among the hills, far ahead of me. To my left, a thick forest stood a mile or so away. Several feet to the right was a flat dirt road, leading over the hills to a large village.

"This is Oyin?" Tyler asked as he stood shakily beside me. As I got to my feet, a small part of me was glad that I wasn't the only one to keep falling down.

"It is, yes," Alec confirmed. "Why? Were you expecting something else?"

"Sort of," Tyler admitted. "I mean, when you told us about Corenth you said it was full of crime, but it was a ghost town when we got there. I wasn't really expecting Oyin to be as quiet as you said it was."

Alec blinked, and Noah snorted in amusement. "I like this kid," she said with a smirk, ruffling Tyler's hair roughly.

Tyler grimaced and swatted her hands away. "I'm not a kid," he protested, trying fruitlessly to put his hair back up into spikes.

"Alec, see if Lily's here," Mi'ta reminded warily, watching the town through narrowed eyes.

"Do you sense something?" Alec asked as he tapped at the Seeker.

"I think so. I don't think this place is as quiet as it seems."

Tyler snorted pointedly.

Alec watched the Seeker with a frown, raising an eyebrow when several strange symbols flashed across the little screen.

"What does it mean?" I asked, peering at the device.

"It means something's here that shouldn't be."

I looked at Tyler, who was staring at me with wide eyes. I swallowed hard. "Could it be Lily...?"

Alec glanced at us reluctantly. "I doubt it," he said, shaking his head. "It's more than likely some sort of magical creature that accidentally found its' way here."

"It's alive?" Noah asked in surprise. "It could be a demon."

"Could be," Alec agreed. "We won't know until we find it." He looked to Mi'ta. "What you're sensing. Is it dangerous?"

Mi'ta stared at the town, then sighed and shrugged. "To some people, yes," he said. "To others, no. I don't know who's in danger and who isn't, or if it affects us at all."

"All right," Alec said. "Let's just go see what we can find."

We approached the town, quickly reaching the dirt streets. The houses were short and squat and rather dirty, with paper doors that slid open and closed. Paper lanterns hung from the houses, unlit in the daylight. The streets were active but not overly crowded, and almost everyone wore simple tunics and pants that were either dirty or in need of mending.

I couldn't help thinking that there was something strange about the town. The people who had been working busily or chatting stopped and looked up when we neared, and I assumed they were surprised by our odd clothes.

We decided to split up again to search for Lily before Tyler and I would start our fighting lessons. Mi'ta and I took the North side of the village, and he kept close to me as we walked, apparently as weary as I felt.

"Something isn't right," he murmured, watching a small group of men leaving a building. The men paused when they noticed me and stared, looking confused and alarmed. Mi'ta frowned at them and slid an arm around my shoulders protectively.

I blinked and felt myself blush at the sudden closeness. "Mi'ta...?"

"I don't like this place," he explained. "If they know you aren't alone, they won't be as likely to bother you."

I wanted to point out that his scrawny stature was hardly impressive, but I appreciated his concern and kept quiet.

We continued through the town and I still received the odd stares, but I felt strangely safer under Mi'ta's magic-wielding arm. His wide sleeve covered most of my upper body, feeling almost like a thick blanket.

As we walked, I began observing the buildings on either side of us curiously. There were small houses and shops, a few bars here and there, and a school. It took me a while to notice that a lot of the buildings were brothels.

We stood outside one such building as we asked a man whether he had seen Lily or not. He hadn't, as he told Mi'ta, refusing to look at me during the conversation.

I didn't mind being ignored for the moment. I looked up at the nearby brothel, eyeing the place warily. I'd never seen one in real life before, and it wasn't very pleasant. The outside was covered in dirt, the windows cracked or broken, the paper door full of holes. It had been left open, giving me a view of the inside.

It looked like the lower floor was made up of one large room. Pillows and cushions were scattered about, and a large wooden cage stood in the middle. A narrow staircase led to the unknown upstairs.

The cage was currently empty. Servants were going about, sweeping and arranging the cushions neatly. They were all girls, most of them under thirteen, dressed in short, loose robes. One of the girls straightened after adjusting a pillow and brushed her dark hair back to reveal a leather collar around her neck.

I frowned and looked around the street, shrinking closer to Mi'ta uncomfortably. "There aren't any women."

"Hm?" He looked at me and blinked. "What?"

"There aren't any women out here," I clarified. "There are only men."

"You're right," he said slowly after a moments' observation. "I wonder where all the women are...?"

"They're out of sight, as they should be," a sharp voice said, attracting our attention. We were met with three men in armor, short swords at their belts. Two of the men wore helmets, but the third didn't, and his armor was more intricately decorated than his companions', so I assumed he was in charge.

"I'm sorry?" Mi'ta said with a faint, uncertain smile.

"What is that doing out here?" the soldier asked, looking down his large nose at me. "Does she belong to you?"

I blinked, and for this guys' sake hoped he hadn't run into Noah. I supposed he wouldn't be alive if he had.

"She does," Mi'ta said, his hand lightly squeezing my shoulder. "We're not from around here-"

"Let's see your ownership papers," the man interrupted, glaring at Mi'ta in distrust.

The magicians' smile faded. "What?"

"Your ownership papers. If she belongs to you, where are the papers?" the soldier insisted.

Mi'ta and I exchanged a glance, and I cursed mentally. I had no doubt that Alec would be able to produce ownership papers from one of his various pouches, but he wasn't here, and therefore wasn't much help. "He doesn't carry the papers with him," I tried.

"Be quiet, girl, no one spoke to you," the soldier snapped. "If you can't provide your papers, she'll have to come with us."

"It's the law," one of the others added gruffly. "No women on the streets without proper papers."

Mi'ta frowned and clutched me closer. "You won't touch her," he said, gripping his staff tightly.

"Mi'ta," I said, drawing his attention. "We can't get into a fight," I told him, remembering what Noah had said. Think, then act. "I'll be fine. Go get the papers and come back."

The bespeckled man studied me for a moment, then slowly released me, his hand trailing down my arm to briefly grip my fingers. "I'll be back to retrieve her," he snapped to the soldiers, his irritation surprising. He left a moment later, hurrying to find Alec.

I stared after him, weary of being left alone with the three soldiers. Vaguely, I hoped that Noah would follow her own advice and resist attacking anyone in this place.

The soldiers' leader's next words jerked me out of my thoughts and sent me into a wave of dismay.

"All right. Bring her to the Black House."