Vasha - Noircat302 (reading list .TXT) 📗

Each of them had their eyes focused on the ground. Even the boy’s.

“How ironic,” King Baqoure was saying, “You, who praise yourselves on fighting better than any other army, are captured by the very men you say you fear. You, who murder people every day, couldn’t even kill my men. You, who harm your own people, just to ensure your own safety, are now the ones who will be harmed. You-”

“Lies!” someone said, just barely above a whisper.

All of the prisoners flinched and glanced out of the corners of their eyes.

The king stopped and looked behind him, down the row. He hadn’t seen who’d said it.

“What was that?” he sneered

The boy I had seen earlier met the king’s eyes. “What you say is not true. We are not barbarians. We are not villains. We defend our city from those who are a threat! We do not kill people because we want to. We kill people because we have to!”

King Baqoure laughed a little, “Are you trying to tell me that you are good people?”

The boy glared at him. “Yes. Better than your people.”

I nervously chewed on my lip, carefully poking my head around the corner. I wouldn’t have ever said something like that to the king. Never the king.

Baqoure walked over to him and glared down at the green-eyed boy. “Who are you?”

The boy’s lips tightened and his eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything.

The king glanced at one of the guards and he walked behind the boy. The boy glanced down to his right, listening to the guard approach him. He looked back up at the king.

“Let me try that again, what is your name, boy?” the king demanded.

No answer.

King Baqoure nodded and the guard struck his metal fist across the back of the boy’s head. He winced and looked back up at the king. His lip twitched, but he still refused to respond.

The king nodded again and the guard grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled it up, twisting it up behind him. The boy tried to suppress the pain, but the guard kept twisting until he was forced to cry out.

King Baqoure smiled, watching and waiting for the boy to say something.

“Why do you care?” he suddenly asked through clenched teeth.

“Because I want to know who I am dealing with,” Baquoure said.

“I am just another slave to you.” He winced and suppressed another cry of pain when the guard twisted his arm again.

“What is your name?” the king asked firmly.

The guard twisted the boy’s arm again and the boy was finally forced to scream in pain, “Asher!”

The king smiled, “Well, Asher. Lord Iago told us the wizard requested you.” The king looked back at the guard, “Take him upstairs.”

The guard yanked Asher to his feet and I saw his momentary relief from pain, but he didn’t go without a fight. Asher struggled against the guard, but was unable to break free.

I suddenly realized they had to walk past me to get to the wizard’s tower.

They walked toward me and, by habit not respect, I dropped my eyes, but glanced up to watch Asher continue to struggle against the guard all the way up the stairs.

I returned my attention back to the king, who had his eyebrow raised at me.

I dropped my eyes, “My apologies. I was coming to see if you had anything for me.”

“Go to the wizard. I have nothing for you.”

I nodded and hurried up the stairs.

I ran fast enough to make it to the top step in time to see the guard punching and kicking Asher, who was curled up on the ground with his arms still bound behind him. The guard was cursing and bleeding from a bite wound on his arm.

The guard yanked his sword out.

Asher suddenly growled and rolled. He kicked out and hit the guard in the knee. There was a loud SNAP and the guard screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground. Asher struggled to his feet and turned to run down the stairs I was standing at the top of.

He froze and stared at me, his eyes wide. I’m sure I matched his expression.

He shook his head and ran toward me, his face twisted in anger. I could hear the pounding of the guard’s feet and their yelling as they rushed to the screams of their comrade. Asher pulled to a stop and looked back the way he had come from, obviously confused about what to do and desperate to get away. It was a hope I was familiar with, but it was a hope that would forever remain a hope.

I knew that if I didn’t get him to Weshter, the guards would reach him. I also knew that if the guards came, Asher would be beaten.

I grabbed his elbow and started walking toward one of the doors in the hallway.

“Let me go!” he growled and yanked his arm out of my hand.

“Do you want to die?” I raised my eyebrow.

He frowned.

“We have about three seconds,” I said.

He bit his bottom lip. “Fine. I don’t trust you.”

“You don’t have to.”

I grabbed his arm again and yanked the door open, revealing a staircase that led up to the wizard’s tower. I pulled the door closed behind me and let go of Asher’s arm. I led the way up the stairs.

“Why did you bite him?” I asked, looking over my shoulder.

His sea eyes were glaring past me and he refused to answer.

I stopped, stopping him as well. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” he said, finally looking at me.

When I reached the top step, I looked behind me. Asher’s jaw was clenched and I could tell he was in pain, but I didn’t understand why. The guard hadn’t hit him that much. He’d only walked up a flight of stairs.

I shrugged and pushed Weshter’s door open.

“Well, Lanya, you’re a little-oh! You’ve brought a friend!”

Weshter skipped over to Asher, who instinctively stepped back. I stepped away from him, letting Weshter get a look at his new slave.

“Oh, trust me, boy. You’ll be fine,” Weshter reassured.

Asher’s jaw tightened and, again, he refused to respond.

Weshter eyed the boy, “Well. We’ll get to know each other. Lanya, I need you to fetch me some herbs. The list is on the table. Please go.”

I nodded and snatched the parchment off the table. I glanced at Asher, but he was busy watching the wizard, who was busy watching me. I half-smiled and left the room.

I had learned to obey immediately after a request was given. I’d been smart enough to watch others around me. I’d been smart enough to learn from their mistakes. I knew what would happen if I didn’t do what I was supposed to.

The market was crammed with people, despite the disappearing sun and the arriving storm. I easily found all of the herbs Weshter had requested and purchased everything merely by stating who I was.

I slowly walked back to the castle.

I loved being outside, even though another storm was nearing quickly. Lightning split the blackness surrounding me and I could hear the wind coming. I knew it wouldn’t be long before the rain would start, so I ran back to the castle.

I managed to duck inside the doorway, just as the rain began to pour. I smiled back out into the darkness, as if to say ‘Ha! Beat you!’ and wandered up to the wizard’s quarter Imprint

Publication Date: 04-07-2011

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