This chapter is dedicated to chemistry, which was put off during the three-day weekend while I wrote this instead of my lab report.

Dinah

Richard had been traveling for a week in the mountains, searching eagerly for his lovely Raissa along the Rochellan border. He was tired and sore, not to mention that his rations were depleting faster than he anticipated.

The wind picked up and Richard cursed the weather and the darkening sky. I need to find a place to camp, and quickly, and just as he thought that, he saw a light up the mountain a ways. Sighing gratefully, he headed towards it. Closer to it, he noticed that the fire was inside a cave. He called out, "Ho, there! I am in need of shelter, may I join your camp?"

A silhouette of a man appeared. "Of course, traveler! Come warm by my fire and stay the night. I am mighty lonely here with but a slave."

Richard urged his horse faster and reached the encampment. He swung off his horse and greeted the man. "Thank you, kind sir, for letting me stay in your camp. I am on my way to see an old aunt, she's awfully sick, she may even be dying, and I must be there to make sure she is comfortable. You see, I am the only one she has, and I have been off to school." He felt bad for lying, but could not reveal his true purpose.

"Aye, I understand," the man said, and held out his hand. "I am called Theo, and my slave back there is called Dinah." Theo gestured to a small figure in the back, a girl with a head piece covering all her face but her eyes.

"And I am Petrad. Nice to meet you, Theo," Richard replied, taking the offered hand.

"Please, sit, and I shall have Dinah serve you some hot tea." Theo turned back to Dinah. "Dinah!" he barked. "Get this man some tea!" Dinah winced, but Richard could see her eyes slit into a glare. She did as she was told and hung a kettle on a hook above the fire, though very forcefully and loudly. Not a very loyal slave, he thought. This man must be very harsh to her.

His tea served and his horse settled, Richard relaxed and chatted idly with Theo. They spoke of the weather, trade prices, and horses.

Soon Theo claimed it was late, said goodnight, and headed to the back of the cave to his bed, where he started up another fire to keep himself warm. Richard settled next to the fire he was already at, pulling out his tattered book. He was reading when he heard a noise. Looking in the direction of the noise, he saw Dinah trying to catch his attention. She waved her hands as if wanting him to come to her and he realized she was tied to a hook in the wall. Confused, he cautiously walker over to her, unsure of her intentions. Her eyes blazed with fear and the reflection of the fire, making the color of her eyes unknown.

Keeping her voice very low, she whispered in a thick Aldrian accent, "I am no slave, I was taken from my home, kidnapped. I had a mother and younger sisters, they all need me back home! Please, help me escape."

He frowned. It would be a setback for his search, and another mouth to feed… but how could he refuse? She did not seem to be lying, she was scared of this man and angry at him, that much was true, and it was not the normal slave anger he had seen before, though it had been seldom. Pondeira had no slaves, it was a Rochellan trait, so he saw the slaves of Rochellan passerby.

Richard nodded. She continued, "Untie me, or cut the rope. I can't get it myself." Again he nodded and took out his knife. Carefully keeping an eye on Theo, Richard began to cut the rope. Finally, the rope was cut through and Dinah grinned happily. She quickly padded to the entrance, waiting patiently as Richard gathered his belongings. As soon as they were packed, he helped her onto the saddle and he got on behind her, and they quickly left the camp into the dark, cold, and rocky mountain surroundings. As soon as they were far enough to be comfortable, Richard slowed and asked Dinah, "So where are you from?"

She hesitated. "Uh, Aldria… but… we moved to Pondeira. Mother was in search of a job when I was taken. Our father died, leaving us very poor, with no source of money."

"Ah," he said, "well, then we shall head back to Pondeira. Where exactly in Pondeira do you need to be in?"

Again she hesitated. "The capital, I think?"

"Then we'll try the capital."

She bowed her head, "I'm sorry I'm keeping you from your dying aunt."

He laughed. "Actually, I wasn't heading to go see my aunt." Now it was him hesitating. "I was really coming back from my old sweetheart's house. She rejected me… again."

This made Dinah laugh and they spoke of their families- for Richard a made up family- and then they came upon a clearing in the woods they had headed back into. There was a small cabin there, abandoned, but Richard knew it well. During the holidays they spent in the cottage Isa, Toulouse, and Richard would come to the cabin and play. He nudged the horse towards the cabin.

Dinah seemed nervous because she asked, "Is this alright?" as they walked into the cabin after putting the horse in an attached stable.

"Perfectly fine," came the reply. "I know who owns this. They would not mind in the least."

They settled in for the night and quickly fell asleep, Richard on a thin blanket, letting Dinah have the warm covers.

As the sun was rising, they awoke suddenly to knocking at the door, loud and hard pounding.