Alone and Unafraid (April, 122PW)

[Alyson Rolfe]

A foggy mist surrounded the two men as they spoke in hushed tones on the grassy meadow in the murky pre-dawn light. Worry-lines etched the face of the elder of the two men, a marked difference from the cold, unconcerned demeanor of his partner. With a muffled sigh, the elder turned and walked to the back of his cart and lifted the sleeping form nestled in blankets. The girl stirred slightly as she was passed into the arms of the second man... catching a glimpse of a face she would not be able to remember... except in her dreams...


The sound of a rooster's crow broke the peaceful stillness of a new morning in Shim, his determined voice a call to the world that a new day had begun. Inside a small bakery, a young woman awoke and began to stretch muscles that had stiffened during the night. Her bed, a small pallet comprised of hay and old flour sacks, was far from comfortable. Opening her eyes, the girl stared at the ceiling for a moment. The dream had come again. However, as always the harder she tried to remember... to hold onto the images and meanings they might contain... the faster the dream would fade into nothingness.

Rising to her feet, Alyson quickly pulled her worn, homespun dress over her head and washed her face and hands at a nearby basin. The chilled water succeeded in erasing any vestiges of sleep... and dreams that remained.

The rest of Alyson's morning went by quickly, as she performed the tasks that had become rote to her: stirring the banked coals in the oven, preparing the dough and setting it to rise for the day's bread, sweeping the front room for the customers who would soon come. She had barely finished and was about to slide the first loaves into the oven when Tomas, her employer - or master as he preferred to be called, burst into the bakery.

"A bit slow this morn', ain't ye girl?" Tomas gruffed as he checked over her work and watched as she expertly slid the bread off the large peel into the brick oven. Alyson knew better than to respond... there was no answer that would improve her master's mood. Instead, she moved back to the table where another mound of dough was waiting to be kneaded. Before she could begin, a beefy hand pulled her back sharply. "Wot's this?" he demanded, pointing to a small bag nearly empty. "Ya did'n tell me we was 'most out of salt! This lot won't last threw afternoon's bakin'!"

Alyson's jaw dropped, "Sir... yesterday I mentio..." her sentance broke off as a loud smack broke across her cheek, sending her reeling. She shrunk back against the wall, holding up a hand as if to plead against further abuse. "I...I'm sorry..." she gasped.

"Ya darn well shud be... useless wench!" Tomas growled. It did not matter that he always handled all purchases for the bakery; he always found it easier to blame Alyson than himself. He paused for a moment, fingering the few Bishan in his pocket, as he realized he was in a difficult situation. Normally he would go to the market himself… but people from the village would soon be coming in to buy bread. He silently debated which would be the lesser worry… to send Alyson to the market, a nameless figure among many other shoppers, or to have her remain in the bakery, where she would be seen and able to speak with individuals who were bound to discuss the rare opportunity of meeting Tomas’s ‘apprentice’. Keeping Alyson locked away from everyone had become an obsession of sorts with the baker. Tomas had grown accustomed to having Alyson as a virtual slave in his possession and he was wary of anyone or anything that might cause him to lose her.

His decision made, Tomas tossed a couple Bishan towards the girl. “Take tha’ an be off to market wi’ ye. I’ll be watchin’ for ya ‘ere so don’t ya dawdle neither!”

Uncertain, Alyson quickly scooped up the coins and slipped out the door. She was not about to question such an unprecedented opportunity. Walking towards the market filled her with an unusual sense of ease. She almost…almost… felt free.

As she reached the marketplace, Alyson noticed the commotion and she, despite her fear of Tomas and what he might do should she delay, could not help but join the small crowd. Her eyes widened as she watched the person before her. Never had she imagined someone able to wield a weapon and make it look so…beautiful. Alyson’s purpose in the market was momentarily forgotten as a strange flutter of something inexplicable touched her heart and held her transfixed, even after the person had finished the display and people had begun to disperse.

[Metarie]

Metarie raised her eyebrows and looked at Camulous. He seemed curious about the performer and his gaze had been drawn to the unique weapon the performer had used.

"All right," Metarie said and turned an open-gaze to the young woman. Camulous spoke to the performer, who replied.

"Qindo Mei Li, for your service" Quindo. The origin of the woman's name was unknown. Metarie wondered from where the woman hailed.

Metarie waited patiently, content to look around. A blonde girl seemed awestruck. Metarie nodded inwardly. She, too, had seen the beauty and grace in the woman's actions. A girl hiding behind a thicket of dark hair watched Camulous with a hint of distrust on her face. She stood behind the little boy and his mother. Metarie wondered why the dark-haired girl viewed Camulous like that. The little boy was very excited by the display he had seen. Metarie could not help but smile at him, just as the girl had done. Metarie's gaze drifted back to Camulous as she smiled while watching him.

Here! Together! She found it almost unbelievable. A quiet, happy joy filled her. As people realized another show was not going to begin, the crowd quickly moved on leaving only a few behind.

[Camulous Smithson]

Though the captain didn't know much about foreign cultures, and while outsiders were not the most common thing in Marn, he had come across a few from Tian Xia. On the rare occasions when people did immigrate to Marn, they sometimes came from the East. The battlemage Zou Lei stood foremost in his mind as a frightening example of what those people were capable of.

Part of what made Camulous who he was, was that he didn't find humor in many of the things other people did. His men felt comfortable training around him because they could be secure in the knowledge that mistakes never made him laugh. For his part, he just didn't understand why people laughed when they did. He wasn't trying to be stoic.

So when Mei Li spoke with her broken Eyropan, it was not out of kindness that he refrained from smirking like so many Marnians might do. He barely seemed to notice, understanding well enough that foreigners sometimes had trouble with things the locals took for granted.

"Qindo, my name is Camulous and this is Metarie." He didn't reciprocate the bow. The custom was odd to him.

Metarie had referred to Qindo as a she, but Camulous wasn't so sure. He couldn't discern any definite anatomical indications of gender on the stranger. There were enough elven males who looked more effete than Qindo did. How could Metarie even tell? It must be an elven thing.

"It's a long trip to Tian Xia," he said, while motioning with his hand for Qindo to join them on their walk. He kept his other hand on Metarie's shoulder and began to head through the market at an easy pace "What brings you to Thar Shaddin? I would love to how you can perform with that spear against some of my men."

[Mei Li]

With a smooth motion, Mei Li dropped to one knee to sweep up the coin, maintaining positive control of her large weapon through her entire movement. There was no sense in leaving the droppings, and the Gur'yeon wasn't willing to bet this man would offer her a paying job. That did not necessarily mean she wouldn't try... She nodded as the man gave her their names, noting the lack of given name- Mei Li paused, searching her brain for what the old caravan leader had told her about names and introductions here. The man must have given her their first names and left off the family one. Still, uncomfortable with using such familiarity, the Gur'yeon subconsciously used an honorific as she spoke back, falling in step with the man and elf woman.

"Camulous-sshi, Metarri-sshi, I am come for... visiting purposes. And this is called a quandao, though a spear I also am training with." She hoped that her hesitation would be attributed to be a language difficulty. The Qindo fighter was not inclined to explain her full situation at present. Before they took too many steps, Mei Li glanced back, not noticing the half-elven, but seeing a lonely looking blonde girl whose eyes were following them. "She is not with your party?"

[Alyson Rolfe]

As Alyson watched the talented stranger and the man and elven woman begin to walk away she felt a strange sense of longing... Follow them, her heart seemed to whisper. Alyson shivered and started to turn away, as if trying to dispell the feeling, but then she found herself taking a step towards them.

Before she could take a second step Alyson felt a strong hand grip her arm, pulling her back. "Whaddaya think yer doin'?!" Tomas roared, in his fury not caring who heard him.

"I was just... it was only a moment... I was going to..." Alyson stumbled over the words as she tried to explain her delay, knowing it was futile. Tomas had seen her move towards the strangers - and likely had seen her watching them. Clearly Tomas had second thoughts about his decision to let Alyson go to the market, and his fears had been confirmed in his mind when he saw her.

"Useless wench!" Smack As if to emphasize his point, Tomas hit Alyson across her cheek with the back of his hand, causing her to fall to the ground. He stood over her and continued his tirade. "Gawkin' and starin' like ya have th' world ta yerself! I been waitin' - shoulda known ya couldn't be trusted!" Kicking her as she tried to curl into a ball, Tomas snarled, "Never shoulda let you outta my sight... I'll lock ya up... I'll teach ya ta mind!"

Never one to control his temper, Tomas was oblivious to the scene he was creating. Had he been less angry, he might have realized his confrontation of Alyson should have been held in the relative privacy of the bakery - not in the public marketplace.

Alyson whimpered in pain as she tried to shield herself from Tomas' blows. She glanced up and locked eyes with the elven-looking woman. Help me... she silently pleaded.

[Metarie]

"It's a long trip to Tian Xia," he said, while motioning with his hand for Qindo to join them on their walk. He kept his other hand on Metarie's shoulder and began to head through the market at an easy pace "What brings you to Thar Shaddin? I would love to how you can perform with that spear against some of my men."

Metarie gave Camulous a light smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Mei replied and the reply made sense to Metarie. Except for the 'sshi' part after her name. Metarie opened her mouth to speak, but Mei pointed out the young blond girl from before. Metarie shook her head as she gave the blonde a gentle smile. The blonde took a step toward them, causing Metarie to pause with a look of question on her face. A voice cut through the air and an ugly scene took place before them.

"Whaddaya think yer doin'?!"

"I was just... it was only a moment... I was going to..."

With the first blow to Alyson, Metarie started. When the man's foot pulled back to begin a kick, Metarie darted. She was a poor hand at physical confrontation, but assault was illegal no matter who the recipient was. Not to mention, Metarie had seen too many cases come across the ER because of just this sort of thing. In many cases, despite her asking, the recipients said nothing and returned to the abuse.

"... I'll lock ya up... I'll teach ya ta mind!"

"ENOUGH! Stop that this instance!"

Metarie moved to put herself physically in between Tomas and Alyson even as she looked to Camulous to help her. The look the young woman gave her nearly made Metarie's heart break. The old one might deal out retribution, but the rest of them had to abide by the laws. The man was so enraged, Metarie did not know if he would stay any blows just because she was in the way and frankly, Metarie did not care.

[Aramyllis Dae]

With the ending of the soldier's performance, Aramyllis' attention had shifted to the Captain of the Guard and the elven woman standing next to him. The foreigner did not interest her much now that the swirling blade had ceased its deadly revolutions; outsiders came and went frequently, and even those that chose to stay usually settled in the city rather than in Shim. Myllis listened only absently to the words the natives exchanged with the soldier, deeming them unimportant. Instead, she focused on her other senses: her eyes watched the way the pair moved, how they interacted at an apparently unconscious level; her enhanced exteroception found the elf's strong astral link, as expected. Together, Myllis took this as adequate proof of her first assumption: the woman must be the doctor of Marn.

Copies of the Tattler only rarely reached the town, mostly because only a very small number of the villagers were be capable of reading it. That failed to stop the gossip, however, and in some ways even worsened its spreading. The farmers of Shim had less to entertain them than did the city folk, and thus often turned to rumors as a source of distraction from their monotonous lives. This was perhaps not surprising, as it also served as their singular means of news and communication from the city and rest of the world.

Myllis prided herself on rejecting the lure of petty gossip mongering, but that had never stopped her from always keep an ear open. The rumor of a relationship between the Captain and a registered magic-user had been the talk of the village for several days, as topics of unexpected love made juicy fodder for the local women. Myllis could see a few of them now, clustered not far from her own group, excitedly chewing their cud like a herd of fat cows.

They're good for little more than slaughter, if you ask me.

The farmer girl perked up at the sardonic quip in her head. She was so relieved to hear Gabi'Rel again that she forgot her earlier anger and rewarded him with a breathy giggle. Her mind turned inward, away from the Captain and supposed lady-love, to the landscape in her head that connected her physical body to the astral realm, to her Brother. She prodded around for his familiar presence, but it had vanished already.

Thus it was that Myllis was caught completely unawares by the violence taking place not feet away. Reeling, she struggled to reorient herself to the physical plane. The man's rage and girl's fear combined to hit her like a tidal wave, a metallic tang flooding her mouth as her skin began to burn caustically. She squinted as her eyes watered. The boy that had been shielding her from the confrontation was gone, pulled away in a panic by his fleeing mother. Less than a full pace in front of her, the blond girl was curled in a ball on the ground, shivering in terror.

In her agitation, Myllis' hand slid down to the bone-bladed dirk at her side, clawed fingers curling around the hilt so tightly that they quickly turned white. She just wanted the scorching sensation to stop; she had to make it stop. She was about to make a move--something she surely would've regretted shortly thereafter, judging by the nearby presence of the Captain--when the elven doctor rushed forward to intervene. She shouted at the man, her voice all righteous justice, but it was all Myllis could do to hold herself still. Her muscles screamed in protest, wanting to either attack or flee, anything but just stand there dumbly. Nevertheless, Myllis managed to restrain herself, nerves quivering, at least until this man showed himself to be a further threat.

[Mei Li]

Mei Li's words had no sooner left her mouth than the old man appeared and started to abuse the lost looking girl. She fell to the ground with a back handed slap, causing the Gur'yeon to frown and tighten her grip on her quandao. The altercation didn't require lethal force, but the foreigner was as adept at using her weapon in submission techniques as well as fatal ones. Though fit, she did not judge the elven woman to be a fighter, an assessment confirmed as she looked back to the man she had been travelling with. He, on the other hand, had the natural carriage of a leader and judging by the furtive glances the villagers were giving him, held some position of authority. As such, Mei Li decided to hang back and watch to see how he would handle the situation.

The fighter was trying not to judge this foreign culture, but she couldn't help but wonder at the public show of abuse. Who was this man who felt the necessity to physically and verbally berate the young girl? She just could not see this scene playing out in her own village- people had more respect for each other than to air their dirty laundry, even if it were somehow justifiable to beat another person, in the middle of town. Not being familiar with the local populace, she wasn't quite sure if the farmers and traders were watching the scene out of morbid curiosity or if they were anticipating Camulous-sshi to intervene. As she watched, Mei Li noticed the girl's gaze going briefly to a elven-ish looking woman who stood nearby. She hadn't moved away like all the other people and she seemed quite distracted by some internal thought. Trusting the man to take charge of the situation, her gaze remained on the elven stranger, noting her tightly gripped hold of her knife at her side. Something was happening, though Mei Li had no clue as to what it was, to the elven stranger, but she cooly assessed that she would be able to intervene against the woman if she proved to be on the side of the old man.

[Camulous Smithson]

"Quandao, I see... Who?"

Cam and Ree certainly had nobody else with them. He turned to see who Mei Li was talking about when the violence erupted and Ree yanked herself from his side and placed herself right in harm's way. There was no assessing the situation for her, no waiting for him to do something. She just plunged right in the instant she saw the look on the girl's face, and did everything she could to stop the beating.

She had been a half-second quicker on the ball than Camulous about it. Frankly he couldn't believe that the man would be stupid enough to start causing trouble like this in the middle of the market with the captain of the guard standing right there. Did he not know who Camulous was? Did he just not care, or was it a trap of some kind?

Quick to assume a position at Ree's side, he made it clear that he was with her. Most men who beat on defenseless women turned into the spineless worms they were when a larger man confronted them. Cam was hoping this was the case. He couldn't start swinging until he knew what was going on and if Tomas stopped immediately, he was going to spare himself a broken nose.

Cam put himself just an inch in front of Ree, so that he was capable of protecting her, when he became aware of what Aramyllis was doing. With honed instincts for spotting weapons, and the suspicion that the fight between Tomas and Alyson might be a ruse, seeing Aramyllis reach for a weapon set off alarm bells. He couldn't see what she had on her exactly, but he knew how to spot the subtle gestures people made when trying to discretely get a knife out.

He didn't bring weapons with him. Shim was usually safe and he wanted to enjoy himself with Metarie, not arrest people.

Shoving one hand up to block Metarie for the second he needed to look away, he addressed Aramyllis first, pointing at her with his other hand. He didn't have to yell to have a loud voice, full of authority. His eyes were deadly serious, ready to start fighting at the next move.

"Put it away, let us handle this."

[Aramyllis Dae]

As Camulous and the foreigner turned their attenton on Aramyllis, reality struck home: the Captain of the Guard and the militant stranger were watching her, poised to do her violence. Myllis found she much preferred being the anonymous observer.

At the Captain's firm order, rich with threatening undertones, Myllis' fingers sprang from the knife as if it had suddenly caught flame. She had barely pulled the full length of the blade out of its sheath, and it fell, perfectly balanced, to bury its point in the knife scarce inches from her foot. The bone blade quivered, a muted but glossy off-white, its contrast striking against the brown earth.

Aramyllis' eyes never left the Captain's face. Had she witnessed the fate of her knife, she would have likely been impressed by the fine interplay between gravity and chance. As it was, she felt only the solid thud of its impact, reverberating through the sole of her boot. She didn't flinch.

Eyes wide enough to show white around the edges, Myllis brought her empty hands up slowly, placating.

"I only thought he was going to hurt me---her." She seemed at a loss for words, and lamely parroted back his words. "I'll let you handle it."

[Alyson Rolfe]

Tomas started as a woman pushed her way between him and Alyson. His first instinct was to knock her aside and tell her to mind her own business, but a quick glance behind showed him that the elven woman was not alone. His attention was first caught by the strange weapon of the foreigner - then his jaw dropped as he saw a man walking towards him. Not just any man - but the Captain of the Guard.

It was as if the nightmares that had plagued him since he had agreed to take Alyson were now coming true... and it was not the guard that he feared most...

Flashback
"Do with her what you like - but if you value your life you will keep her safely in your care until we meet again..." the dark man had hissed.

"Wh..when will th..that be?" Tomas had stammered.

"A day... a year... ten years, perhaps? It is none of your concern. HIS reasons are beyond your comprehension. Your compensation..." Tomas heard a small thud followed by the jingling of coins as a bag was dropped on the ground by his feet.

Then the man had disappeared into the night.
End Flashback

Several choice vulgarities raced through Tomas's mind - though he was wise enough not to voice them. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interuppted as the Captain turned and addressed another stranger standing nearby... one with an evil-looking knife that she dropped after she was ordered not to interfere.

By the time the Captain had returned his attention to Tomas, the baker had banished all rage from his face and instead attempted what he believed was a contrite and appealing look.

"Beg pardon, beg pardon," he began, dipping his head as if in reverence. "Ya mus' understan', ya see, this 'ere girl... she's my... 'pprentice...see... an' she was late gettin' back to the shop, an' I guess I was a li'l hard on 'er... was worried 'bout her bein' lost 'n such...she's not all there, ya see...won't 'appen ag'in..." He tapped his head to empasize his point, then he bent down and took Alyson's arm, pulling her up to stand next to him.

Tomas paused, his eyes trying to read the Captain's mind with no success. He tried to keep calm, hoping that his rambling defense would be enough for the guard to dismiss him with little more than a stern warning against future offenses.

Alyson did not dare to speak, and except for a few furtive glances at those around her she kept her eyes glued to the ground. She knew it would be useless to deny Tomas's explanation. After all, who would believe her over the word of the man she was bound to serve? Years of insult and degradation weighed heavily on Alyson, refusing to allow her even a glimmer of hope that Tomas's mistake might win her freedom.

[Metarie]

The man had to reach around her to get to the girl and Metarie's eyes narrowed. She didn't like his proximity or his size, but it was obvious to Metarie that she was considered as important in the scheme of things as the girl. This became especially clear when he began to babble at Camulous obsequiously.

So many things happened at one time, that all Metarie had the presence of mind to do was be what she was - a healer. Metarie deliberately reached out and put her hand gently on the girl's shoulder Adjusting her height until she could look the girl in the eyes she spoke to the girl. The look in Metarie's eyes was one of concern and warmth, probably the kindest look Alyson had seen in a long while. For someone who could sense such things, Metarie's kindness and concern were genuine.

"Are you all right?" Her other hand dipped into her bag and produced a small tube of salve. "I'm a doctor, looks like you might have a little cut there. Why don't you let me take care of it?" Metarie fought the urge to smack at Tomas' proprietary grip on Alyson or to lecture him on the laws regarding apprenticeship. His claim that the girl had diminished mental capacities did not endear her to his behaviour either. On the contrary, this made him seem even more scum-like.

[Camulous Smithson]

Although he didn't exactly know her, something about the look of Aramyllis, either the clothes she wore or the hint of recognition in her eyes, told Camulous that she was a citizen of either Marn or Shim. Shim seemed more likely, based on the clothes. She didn't appear to have journeyed from Marn, and was alone without a lot of baggage with her. He was good at remembering faces, and though he didn't recognize her then, he wasn't going to forget her.

She did succeed in placating him, which was good for both their sakes. It didn't take an experienced guardsman to realize that when someone actually dropped her knife on the ground and backed off the way she did, that she was at least a little intimidated. He was convinced and turned his attention to Tomas without another word to her, although he left his hand pointed at her with one finger in the air. She was not to go ahead and pick up the knife just because he had looked away. He held her in the corner of his vision.

Unlike Aramyllis, Tomas' routine was not very genuine. He was covering up to save his ass, and Camulous knew it. The man was not a good liar.

"Your apprentice? Is that so?"

Tomas took Alyson's arm but Cam wasn't going to let him go any further than that. He didn't miss the pleading look she wore. The girl needed help.

He stopped pointing at Aramyllis now that his attention was completely on Tomas. Without hesitating, he grabbed Tomas' arm - the one that was not holding Alyson - and held him there. His grip was firm. There was no question about which one of them was stronger.

"You're right. It won't happen again. Let go of her."

[Mei Li]

Neither the girl with the knife or the abusive man seemed to be real threats and Mei Li, still clinging to the hope that the man of authority would be able to help her find a job, remained in the background. She wanted to give the abusive man and his girl the privacy she would normally afford a pair in their situation so she looked instead to the elven lady. She was willing to bet the girl was a half-breed, having seen more of those types in her native country than full blooded elves. Compared to Metarie-sshi, the girl was lacking the full appearance of that elf who looked somewhat strange to the Gur'yeon. The warrior did not miss the look that Camulous-sshi had given to the girl and so Mei Li edged around and in the same smooth motion she had used to kneel and sweep up her coins earlier, she picked up the dropped knife. She held it with the blade in her hand but looked back at the soldier man, an indication she was planning to return it to the owner after Camulous-sshi allowed it.

[Alyson Rolfe]

(Joint post by Camulous and Alyson)

Alyson turned slightly to face the woman who offered to help her and after eyeing the tube of salve for a moment, nodded. “It… doesn’t hurt much,” she whispered, not wanting to draw Tomas’s attention.

At Camulous's order, Tomas dropped Alyson's arm as quickly as if the appendage had burned him. He looked from the hand gripping his arm to the face of the one who held him, and realized that even grovelling might not save him from his tongue this time. "I know I done wrong, Sir, I surely do... but Sir, I need this 'ere girl... without 'er my bizness is sunk... I'll not be able ta feed my fam'ly...surely ya can unnerstan'... I didn' mean ta hurt 'er!" Tomas's voice was bordering on a whimper as he tried to subtly move out of the soldier's grip with no success.

The captain's grip on his arm remained just as tight, regardless of Tomas' actions. He was right, groveling wasn't going to help him out at all. Everyone tried to plead and grovel with Camulous. The result of constant exposure to liars and thieves was a tough shell of a man who didn't listen to excuses and was as difficult to sway as the most stalwart judge.

"Really. You need her for your business and you treat her like that? And just what business are you in, that you need this girl to keep your family fed?”

Alyson was surprised to see Tomas practically cowering before the dominating man before them. She had always feared the baker and his beatings… and never considered that he might have those of whom he was afraid.

Tomas, in the meantime, was doing all he could to stop from shaking. Things were not going as he had hoped, and all he could do was ramble on in hopes that he could talk his way out of the mess he had created. He doubted that the Captain would be inclined to show him pity – but it was the only hope Tomas had. “I’m a poor baker, good sir, and this girl ‘ere, she’s my only ‘elp. My wife is not in the best o’ ‘ealth, bless ‘er ‘eart, and this girl, ‘ere, she’s not grateful fur the lot she ‘as… I give ‘er a room ta live in, warm, and food ta eat. I did lose my temper, sir, but her lot ain’t as bad as all that, sir…”

Camulous remained unconvinced. Short of a miraculous explanation, there was no turning the man. A permanently disapproving frown remained etched on his face. It looked like an expression he was very accustomed to wearing.

Since nothing Tomas said was going to be of value, he decided to turn back and ask Alyson. He purposefully let go of Tomas' arm and put himself directly in between the two of them so that she would not be placed under the man's scrutinizing gaze. His gaze was steely and cold. It demanded honesty from everyone, even her. “Is that true? You're a baking assistant?”

Alyson’s eyes widened and she took an unconscious step backwards as the stern visage of Camulous focused on her. After a swift intake of breath, she opened her mouth to reply. “I…I do help in the bakery… but…” she paused, unsure how to explain her position. She was slowly realizing that this was her chance – perhaps the only chance she would ever have – of escaping Tomas’s service. A faint stirring of hope flickered in Alyson’s eyes, and she responded with a boldness that she had never felt before, “I have been his slave for the past nine years, Sir.”

That, at least, was honest. It was the only thing said so far that was in line with what the captain could see. Unfortunately for Alyson, he was a difficult man to read, so gauging whether or not he believed her was nigh impossible. For someone in her position, it might even seem as though he didn't like her any more than he liked Tomas. There was no raising of eyebrows, no smile, no reassurance that she would be ok. He just listened, stone-faced, and for a few grueling seconds there was no response.

Finally: “Nine years is a long time. Keeping a slave for that long could get a man exiled, if not executed. Do you understand what you're saying?”

Alyson swallowed hard, and for a moment she was glad she could not see Tomas’s face. She imagined the large vein in the baker’s forehead throbbing with concealed rage and it was that picture, along with the memory of every beating, and the scars on her back that she still bore, that made it possible for her to condemn him. “I understand… I do not wish him killed… but I am telling you the truth.”

“Lying piece o’ trash!” Tomas roared, as he attempted to push around Camulous to get to Alyson. One look from the soldier, however, stopped him in his tracks and he immediately changed his tone to one that was more pleading, “She don’ know what she’s talkin’ about, Sir! She was naught but a child when I took ‘er in!” Tomas paused, his breath coming in ragged gasps as his mind raced. Saying too much could get him killed – but not saying anything could end the same way…

Dropping the volume of his voice so that only Camulous, Alyson and Metarie were close enough to hear, Tomas continued, “Ya don’t understand, Sir, I hadta take ‘er in… She was brought ta me – I didn’ ask to have the burden o’ keepin’ ‘er – but I didn’ have a choice!”

Alyson listened intently, for the first time Tomas was speaking of how she came to Shim, a story she was desperate to know. Unfortunately, she had no way of knowing if Tomas was lying again since everything in her life before Shim was shadowed in a mental fog that she could not penetrate.

At this point Camulous had finally had enough. He didn't come to Shim to deal with criminals. He came to spend an afternoon with Metarie away from the constant hassles and tests of his job that defined every moment of his waking life. It followed him everywhere he went. Even in Shim, on something as innocuous as a day in the market, men like Tomas were making pains of themselves.

For perhaps the first time in his career, Camulous did not go by the book. Technically he wasn't on duty, and had no legal obligation to do anything but report Tomas to someone who was on duty. But this was Shim, the nearest guardsman could be more than an hour away, and Cam did not want to ruin his trip going all the way back there. He would report Tomas later, but for now...

“I've heard enough.”

Spinning around on his heel, he grabbed Tomas by the collar of his shirt and began forcing the man to wheel backward to avoid falling square on his ass. The frown the captain wore somehow etched itself even deeper. He had fire in his eyes that spoke of impending violence if he was pushed any further.

“Keeping slaves is illegal in Thar Shaddin by decree of the first edition of the Tomes. Physical abuse of anyone beyond self defense and protection of property is illegal in Thar Shaddin by decree of the first edition of the Tomes. Pissing me off is illegal in Thar Shaddin by my edition of the tomes, and if I don't see you scrambling your miserable self out of this market and out of my sight, I will personally haul you into jail where I will paint the walls with your teeth!”

Tomas’s jaw dropped at the man’s sudden, furious speech. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he turned and ran - let Alyson turn to dust and disappear into the abyss for all he cared… he realized he was beaten and chose to escape with his body intact - if not with his dignity.

Alyson winced at the man’s outburst, but watched Tomas turn and scurry away like a frightened squirrel with almost a hint of amusement… a look that was quickly replaced by concern… what was going to happen to her now?