Disclaimer: I don't own Eragon, once again. I don't own the place names. I only own my characters. Which is pretty much everyone in here…
Chapter 4: Not Again
Sure enough, Fenna showed up for her reading lesson. It was a very hot day today, and all the servants had a good coating of sweat on them. He watched as she sat down beside him, mopping her brow.
"It's as if Alagaesia has been put into a frying pan…" She murmured.
"No kidding…" He took the book out and put it on his lap. "Alright. We had better begin with the letters of the alphabet."
Fenna furrowed her brow.
"What's the Alf-ebat?"
"All the symbols, er…letters that make the language."
"Oh.." She didn't seem to fully get it.
He opened the book and turned to a page that listed some translations.
"Here. This is the Alagaesian alphabet. These ones here." He pointed to a line on the top." He looked at her face. Her eyes sparkled with wonder.
She was a suprisingly fast learner, and after a half hour she could recite the whole thing. Then Kilek taught her what sound each letter made, and how to write them in the sand.
"Good, good, now tomorrow I'll teach you how to put them together and make words."
"I want to learn now!" She crossed her arms. "The sooner I can decipher that tablet, the better."
"Shhhh!" He pressed his finger to his lips. If this blabber mouth spoke any louder, the whole manor would hear.
Fenna rolled her eyes at him.
"Besides, I'm too tired. I need a break from teaching."
"Fine. I suppose I'll see you at supper then…" She got off the bed and walked out the door. As her pleated skirt brushed against his knee a strange shiver went through him. It was something he had never felt before, and especially not around Fenna.
It was a long afternoon. There were many plants that needed watering, and the big bucket was broken, so Kilek could only use the small pail. He made dozens and dozens of trips to the well and back, all with the scorching sun relentlessly beating down on his skin. And to make it worse, he was not even done. The cherry tree needed to be trimmed, the orchids needed to be tended to, the entire cobblestone path had to be scrubbed, and the central hedges were dehydrated. It was as if the work would never end. After Kilek did a quick, messy job on the cherry tree in the courtyard, he went to the tool shed to get a stiff bristled broom.
He found there was not even a mop.
Maybe Koarwick has it.
He trudged down the path, praying his aching muscles could continue for just a while longer. Koarwick told him he would be in the topiary section…
Suddenly something grasped his attention. It was a sound quite unlike he had ever heard. He couldn't tell what it was. He stopped and listened for a while, then realized what it was.
A human voice.
It was most certainly not talking, it was something else. It wafted over the garden like a summer's breeze. He wanted to follow it. He trudged down the path, trying to see where the hypnotic sound was coming from. Then, it stopped suddenly. He rounded the corner and saw nothing but Fenna sitting at the fountain and running her hands through the water. She gave him a sharp look.
"What was that?" He asked, looking around to see where it had came from.
She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.
"I was singing. And you interrupted me."
"You…you were doing that?"
The tiniest hint of red seeped into her cheeks.
"Yes. Have you never heard someone sing?"
"Not that I can remember, no." He fidgeted with his stiff collar.
"Wow. You really must have had a pathetic childhood."
"I never knew my family much. I was sold the instant I could walk."
"Hm. You want me to feel sorry for you or something? Every slave's life is like that."
"I guess."
Fenna clearly wanted him to leave, she was sighing and running her fingers through her long hair.
"See you at supper…for the second time." He said with a bit of a grin.
She nodded her head slowly, looking at her hands.
When he rounded the corner, he hoped he would hear the singing again. But Fenna was silent this time.
The chores went agonizingly slow. By the time supper rolled around Kilek was barely able to drag himself to the manor. Dinner tonight was pork and rice soup and some old bread.
He fell asleep the instant his head touched the pillow.
Morning was catastrophic. He had gotten up late, and for some reason everyone was running around like madmen, gathering things and reorganizing the room.
He got out of bed and grabbed Cardin by the shoulder.
"What in the name of Alagaesia is going on here?"
"No time to talk. Get your stuff and get to the front gate!"
He swiped his extra clothes and gloves from under the bed. Then he caught sight of the girl.
"Fenna! What is happening!"
She rolled her eyes impatiently.
"If you had gotten up the same times as the res-
"Explain, don't lecture."
"Fine. Rumor has it that they found a huge colony of savages out in the Hadarac desert. Slave prices have hit rock bottom!"
A ball of coldness was growing in his chest.
"So let me guess…everyone here is being replaced?"
"Yeah."
Before anyone could say anything more the countess burst into the room, clad in a dark red gown.
"Out to the carriage you two! Or we will be late! She yanked Fenna and he out into the foyer and thrust them towards the front entrance.
"The rest of you! Finish up and get a move on!"
They were shoved into the cabin of the carriage, sitting across from the Count and Countess. Now Kilek could get a good look at the count. He was a very snobby sort of man, and had a thick black moustache. He wore expensive cloth robes trimmed with red velvet. His over cape was done up with a clasp bearing a bright blue jewel.
The countess poked her head out of the hole in the door impatiently as the vehicle jolted into motion. Her delicate features were furrowed into a frown.
"Can Cardin not make those beats move any faster?" She snapped, suddenly sitting up and rapping loudly on the wall between Kilek and Fenna. He noticed she smelled of primroses.
Being in a carriage was a new experience for him. It was much smoother than a vegetable cart, and had very comfortable seats. He had expected the masters to make them run along behind it. That's what Darga would have done at least…
"Hey..uh do you think you can teach me some more letters?" Asked Fenna, her eyes shining. She opened the book to the front page where all the letters were.
"Of course not. Not now anyways."
She sighed and put on her usual frown, slipping the book in her pocket once more.
"We are here!" He heard Cardin shout. The door was opened and a wave of noise hit the carriage.
It was pandemonium. Complete and total pandemonium.
They were at the dreaded slave market once more, except this time it was much different. At the center of the square was an enormous pen. Inside were hundreds of people, all wearing light colored cloth- the kind that the Hadarac people wore.
"Master and Mistress Zuleban, this way!" Cardin shouted at them through the crowd while dragging the two slaves along.
All around the fence was an enormous crowd, shouting and holding up money, pointing at the one they wanted. About a dozen market employees ran around with sheep crooks and chains, whisking away the slaves. (Who were huddled in the middle, wide eyed.)
The Count and Countess waved over a marketer and presented Kilek and Fenna to him.
"How much for the two?" Asked the count.
"They are slaves?" He said gruffly, noticing the outfits. He lifted up their sleeves and saw the iron cuffs, still there.
"Ah. Come to the gate."
They walked to the gate of the human corral and after a meager 12 gold pieces were handed over, the two green outfitted kids were yanked in and the gate was slammed. And that was the last that Kilek ever saw of Cardin, the Count, or the beautiful Countess.
The pock-marked man took out 4 heavy chains and a hammer from his belt. Then he slipped an open link onto each wrist and ankle cuff, and pounded them shut.
"Now you go in the middle and wait till someone buys you." He said, and turned away to do Fenna's chains. She looked very pale, almost petrified.
The man finished her chains and she ran over.
"This is madness." She said, looking around.
"And just when we thought thing were looking up."
If he weren't so worried himself he might have notice Fenna beside him, clinging onto his sleeve.