A Burning Sky

My legs pulled to my chin, I waited in the dark of the slave quarters. Maia had been pulled into the sitting room, all other works told not to enter, not too long ago but I knew from experience that only a few minutes in a room alone with Grent could end badly. My hand had latched onto the dagger more than once, telling myself that if she did not return soon, I would barge in there to bring her back. Every time I released the dagger, knowing that it would only end in my death and possibly even the death of innocent Maia.

The door opened and all of the girls sat up to see who was entering. I had told them what I had seen and many of the girls had seen it themselves. And there in the door stood Maia. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness, shutting the door behind her, and jumped over the few pallets before stopping at mine. She bent down onto her knees and threw her arms around my shoulders. Shocked, I hugged her back, waiting to see what would come of this.

"Are you hurt?" She shook her head and her shoulders were shaking. I pulled her away from me, fearing the worse. When our eyes met, I could see unshed tears but I knew her shaking wasn't because she was crying. She was trying not to laugh.

"Grent questioned me about why I was in the Roman's room, but he believed me when I told him that I was just checking on him, that I heard a noise. And that's true! He sounded like he was coughing very loudly." My skin tightened, my muscles flexing to the point of almost causing pain. She had been in the room with the Roman. As if she could sense the question, she smiled and nodded.

"He asked how everyone liked working here and I was sure to launch right in, to tell him what you asked me to. He said he'd deliver it personally." I laughed, hugging Maia to me again before pulling away. We repeated the news to a few of the closer girls who were torn between being happy for me and disliking me. There was still a chance I could be released, while most of them still had many years in servitude.

So that night, while the other girls slept fitfully, I stayed awake and imagined my brother and the other knights getting the news from the Roman, telling them that I was alive and hopeful. Hopefully that would calm any worries that they had about me and perhaps even spur them into finding a way to save me.

The next morning, when I started my dishes duty, a guard came in and pulled me from the dishes and into the sitting room. I was alone, for the first time, waiting for Grent to arrive. My mood had been soaring since I went to sleep the night before, not even Grent would ruin it. However the wait slowly started to eat at my resolve. What if the Roman told Grent about the message? Although the Roman had a nice voice, that did not mean he was nice himself.

I lowered my hand to my pocket and felt the color drain from my face. The dagger wasn't there. I hadn't picked it up this morning, after I tucked it under my makeshift pillow of my dresses for sleep. I fisted my hands to my sides, hoping that today would not be the day that I needed it.

The door opened and Grent walked in, though his face was more relaxed than I had seen it in a while. He sat in his chair, looking over me as if expecting me to start the conversation. I had made it my goal to not speak whenever he called me to the sitting room, not to give him the satisfaction.

"I'm disappointed in you." Despite my worry, I found myself curious as to what he could mean by that. I kept my face blank and waited for him to continue.

"I keep expecting you to make a run for it, or to try to get word out to your fellow heathens." My heart leapt up in my throat at the admission. He didn't know that Maia had delivered a message for me then. I kept my face impassive though, waiting to see where he was going with his one-sided conversation.

"I wondered if perhaps you had become too comfortable here. And now I realize, yes, that must be it. Too like your stay at the wall perhaps? Well, I've sent for a friend. Foreign servants are not uncommon, though only slightly frowned upon." My heart started thudding horribly faster in my chest, the pain of it almost bursting from my chest in terror causing my eyes to unfocus and my knees to lock.

I was going to be taken somewhere else? Somewhere far from Briton, far from the wall, far from my brother. Grent noticed my fear, the pain from holding in my tears, and started laughing. The sound echoed, either in the room or in the back of my mind I wasn't sure. With a wave of his hand, I was dismissed.

Though I hadn't been beaten, I felt as if I had been. My body was sore, worse than any beating he could give me. I had been so close, but it was to be ripped away now. I had no idea how long it would be until Grent's "friend" would arrive to take me away. As I entered the kitchen, Gerta opened her mouth to chastise me but when she saw my face, her's softened.

"Oh child. Go rest. I'll handle things up here." With a nod, I left the room and went to the slave quarters. I curled onto the bed and reached under the pillow of dresses to grab the dagger. I clutched the dagger to my chest and as I used it to comfort me, I promised myself that if my only choice was to be brought to some unknown land, I would run the dagger into my chest.

I stayed in the quarters for the rest of the night, refusing to do any of my duties. My only assumption was that the other girls covered for me. As everyone returned, they asked if I was okay but I couldn't even move my mouth to form words. It felt like weeks since I had last spoken, though it was only the night before to Maia.

My dreams were plagued with scenarios, all playing out with me being carted off to some land that I would die in. Even if somehow the people that took me were kind, which I assumed no friend of Grent's would be, I knew that I would die. Either by my hand, or of a broken heart.

When I woke up to being shaken, I wanted to strike out at the person. However my hands were pinned under me in an awkward position that I had been sleeping. From the corner of my eye, I recognized the gray of the dresses that I was constantly surrounded by. Raising my gaze, I recognized Maia.

"Hurry, all servants are being called to work early." I hadn't even heard the bell, but I raised and slowly ran my hand through my knotted hair before returning the cloth to hide my hair. I made my way to the main hall and was surprised by the chaos that I was met with.

I had no idea what was going on, why Grent was yelling at the servants and guards. I could barely understand his barking orders but when I got closer to get a better listen, he spotted me and his eyes narrowed, my heart constricting as if just by his glare he could control it.

"We have guests." My heart sank as I remembered his words yesterday. His friend was here to pick me up, to take me away. I reached into my pocket to find that I had once again forgotten it in my haste. Chest constricting, I made my way towards the sitting room to approach my fate, whatever it be.

The man waited in the sitting room, watching as the servant girls in gray ran back and forth, watching him warily. He knew that they probably had no idea who he was or why he was there. Maybe that should be best. Grent had disappeared for the moment, shouting orders in a very demanding way. Was he always trying to assert his dominance over people?

The noise seemed to fall away when a girl, dressed in gray with a white cloth holding back her hair, walked into the room slowly. Although she was dressed like the other girls, I knew who it was the moment I saw her. She was holding herself awkwardly as if she had recently been hurt. Her face had a discoloration on her jaw, from a punch it seemed. Her eyes scanned the room, looking over the chaos. Grent appeared behind her and I watched as he spoke to her just barely loud enough for me to hear him.

"We have guests." Her eyes grew wider and I watched as her skin went a few shades paler than she was, the bruise standing out so much more now. Her eyes started to scan the room again and landed on me. At first there was no sign that she was actually seeing me, more like she was looking straight through me. But then I watched her mouth move wordlessly in disbelief, before she slumped to the floor. I moved to her side, bending down to be next to her and ran my fingers over the side of her face.

"That's right Irissa. Your brother is here."

A/N: So Dagonet is there! YAY! But where are the other knights? And what about this friend of Grent's that is supposed to be taking her away? You'll have to wait and find out.
Sorry that this one is so short. It didn't even meet my "2,000 word" usual on the story part of each chapter. But I thought it was okay, for as short as it is.
And it's 3 AM, I have work and a doctor's appointment tomorrow, sooo g'night to you all. Or to people in other timezones, good morning/afternoon?
Thank you to my readers, favoriters, and alerters. And as always, thank you to my reviewers. Please, keep sending them in. I love hearing what you have to say about the story, so I know what I need to focus more on and what you all like about the story so far! *smile*

Sneak Peak at the next chapter:

Grent was pacing infront of us, glancing at us every few steps. As he always reminded me of a predator stalking his prey, it was strange to see him like this. Finally he stopped moving and glanced at us again, what would be a polite smile on his face, though his eyes were anything but polite.

"I've made my decision." I grasped my brother's hand, waiting on the edge of a razor to hear what he would decide of my fate.