Well, here's the second chapter! Speacial thanks must go to Mrs. Dom Masbolle!!!

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Jack Ashmiller to Tansy Lofts
Wednesday, May 13th, 246 H.E.

"Of course I'll tell you the story of how I came to know Beka Cooper. Sit down; it's a long one. It all started when she and her Dogs came running into my house one night. They must have been on patrol and heard noises. See, my wife, Orva, had gone and drunk hotblood wine4, as she did sometimes. She was brandishing her good cooking knife at me and had the children pressed up in a corner. I have two girls and a younger boy. She was shouting and threatening on and on when Beka and them burst in. Goodwin, one of Beka's dogs, went to take the knife away from Orva, when Orva hit her on the jaw. Goodwin went down cold. Beka got this cold look on her face and when Orva jumped out of the window and started running away, Beka followed. Beka chased her over a mile before she finally caught Orva and arrested her, for hurting a Dog.

"I took the little ones to her trial. It might have been the last time they saw her for a long while. Orva was sentenced to five years work on a farm, out of Corus. It near killed them, but I knew it was best. Orva was trouble. I apologized for her to Cooper the next day. My little ones were also planning on pelting her with rotten fruit and dung; I hope they didn't go through with it!

"But now the main source of money was gone and I still was out of work. There were very few jobs open. When I got word that someone was looking to hire some strong healthy folk to dig a well, I jumped on the chance. The fact that they didn't want us to speak of the work to anyone was odd, but I was that desperate. They hired me. We were to start the next night. So the next night I left the children in the house and set off.

"The thing was, when I got to the worksite, the folks who hired us put us into a cart, blind-folded us and took us to some house. The well there was already half dug, and there didn't seem to be any water in it. The guards at the house told us to dig, and be quick about it, or we'd see trouble. We dug. Turns out we were digging for these real shiny rocks, mining like. They fed us, but never allowed us to leave. I was worried sick for my children; surely the landlord had put them out by then.

"Then one afternoon, we heard a commotion at the door, upstairs (we was in the basement). Everyone looks up, and all these Dogs, Beka included, come running down the stairs and arresting all the guards. They said we were free to go. Beka found me and told me that she had found my kids on the street and taken them into her rooms until she found me and that I was welcome to stay with her too, until I could find work and another home. It was so kind of her. I took some fire opals that were lying around to sell. They would bring more than enough money for us to get started in another house. We're leaving later today. We'll definitely be back to see Beka in trial though. She'll shine for sure."

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There's at least one more part comming!! Stay tuned... or review!