Chapter 1
Innocence
It was an oppressively hot summer's day; the great marble spires of Miscarcand were glowing white as they reflected the suns glare.
Taless'naverine glanced up as a gust of wind blew through the many golden pennants hanging upon the cities elegant spires; she smiled at the brief respite the breeze offered before continuing down towards the central arboretum where several of her friends had agreed to meet.
The weather was good for one thing the young Ayleid thought as entered one of Miscarand's sun soaked trade districts to see the broad avenue was crowded with people from highborn to commoners talking and laughing, women buying silk dresses in the latest fashions and a group of children running through the crowds, probably up to no good.
Since the signing of the peace treaty between them and the city of Garlas Malatar both cities had profited from the increase in trade and even now through the bustling crowds Taless'naverine spotted several trade stalls proudly bearing the Coat of arms of Umeril, the great sorcerer king of the west.
Her father always reminded her how wondrous a time it was to be Ayleid, how Miscarcand had emerged victorious from a three year war with the city of Garlas Agea. The conquest of the human kingdoms in the frozen north and the taming of their savage people had brought with it great wealth in slaves.
Approaching one of the stalls the girl's eyes widened at the amount of sweet cakes and exotic fruits on display and thinking of her waiting friends Taless'naverine purchased a dozen sugary buns and something the trader called an ice cake for herself before continuing through the gently curving market street.
As the girl made her way through the crowds of bright gold's and purple's she noticed a large group of people congregating near one of the city gates laughing and jeering, deciding to investigate she slipped through the throng and found that the source of everyone's amusement was a caravan of twenty or so horse drawn cages, each crammed to capacity with dirty, hairy, white skinned humans.
As she approached Taless'naverine saw all manner of humans, young and old, male and female, most of them huddled in their cages with vacant looks in their eyes.
Briefly the young Ayleid toyed with the idea of feeding one of them a sweet cake but quickly remembered her fathers stern warnings, that the humans were no more than base savages and like dogs they had to learn their place.
Although she felt no pity for the retched creatures Taless'naverine was acutely aware that in a city of Ayleids, with their dark hair and lightly tanned skin, she too stood out like a full moon in the night's sky.
Her father had once explained that the white hair and pale milky skin had come from her mother, once a high priestess of Hermaeus mora she had died over a decade ago, not long after Taless'naverine's first birthday.
The girl realised from a young age her appearance had caused quite a stir among many of the noble elite and it was only her father Jamin Iscario, the king's high slavetasker that had saved her from exile.
Putting such thoughts to the back of her mind and content in the knowledge the humans would be made into productive and grateful servants Taless'naverine left the caravan behind and continued towards the arboretum.
Her friends would be waiting.