Chapter Three: Magic?
Rehani hurried away from the woman. She didn't have any magic! Somebody would have noticed if she had magic. What was that woman talking about? Something else was bothering Rehani. That woman - she looked familiar. Who was she?
"Would you like a drink, Nobility?" Rehani asked a short, stout red haired woman.
"Yes, thank you." The woman smiled. Rehani knew who she was. This was Sir Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, also known as the Lioness. Rehani hurried from person to person until the barge finally docked. Then she headed back into the palace.
"Oh, Rehani? I won't need you today. I'll send for you if I do. But I'd like you to serve at the banquet tonight." Kaddar told Rehani as she approached him.
"Yes, Nobility." Rehani whispered as she went back to her room. The other five slaves who lived there with her were sitting on their pallets, gossiping. "Hello!" Rehani said as she walked in. The slaves - Mary, Rose, Eve, Dria, and Bree - stopped talking as soon as they saw her. "What, is something wrong with me? Forget about me, then. Go back to your talking. Just pretend I'm not here." Rehani snapped, scowling as she lay down on her pallet. She planned on having a good nap before the banquet.
"Rehani. Get up. It's time for the banquet." Dria hissed, shaking Rehani's shoulder. Rehani woke with a jerk.
"So you're talking to me, then?" Rehani asked. As soon as they thought Rehani had fallen asleep, they had started talking again. And they had started talking about Rehani.
"Not unless I have to. Let's go." Dria snapped, leaving the room. Rehani hurried to the kitchens where Padma was giving everybody their orders.
"Oh, good, you're here, Rehani. You will serve Numair Salmalin and Veralidaine Sarrasri. They are sitting here." Padma called, tapping a part of the blackboard with her pointer. Rehani nodded and went to get a bowl of water for fingers and a towel for drying them off. With all the other slaves she went to the table. Numair Salmalin was tall with tousled black hair. Veralidaine Sarrasri was the woman who had said Rehani had magic.
"Would you like to wash your hands, Nobility?" Rehani asked Numair. The man looked at her for a long time before he nodded. He quickly dipped in his hands and dried them off. Rehani couldn't help staring at him. He was familiar to her. She didn't know how, or why. They had always said she had lived in Carthak and once she had hit her head and gotten amnesia. If this was true, why did she recognize Tortallans?
"Would you like to wash your hands, Nobility?" Rehani asked Veralidaine.
"Yes, thank you." Veralidaine washed her hands rapidly and Rehani left.
"That girl has magic! I know she does!" Numair whispered to Daine.
"You spent to long staring at her, Numair! It was so obvious." Daine snapped.
"I had to see how much." Numair answered calmly.
"Sure, Numair, sure. I never thought I'd meet somebody with as much wild magic as that child. She looks about thirteen." Daine rolled her eyes at Numair.
"I can't help thinking that I know her, Daine. I've seen her somewhere. Not just on the boat. But way before this." Numair admitted.
"I know. But that doesn't give you an excuse to stare at her with your mouth open like a fish!" Daine told him, giggling. Numair silenced her with a glare.
"Daine, she has your eyes." Numair murmured.
"So? Plenty of people of gray eyes." Daine muttered.
"They look exactly like yours, I know it!" Numair hissed.
"So. It's not like she could be Rehani." Daine snapped. Tears had started to well up in her eyes when she said her daughter's name.
"She's the right age."
"Then what would she be doing here? She's not our daughter. Rehani is gone. I have to face facts that we're never going to find her." Daine replied in a low voice.
"Good. Now you can go on with your life." Numair sat back in his seat, looking pleased with himself.
"Excuse me, Nobility. Would you like some soup, Nobility?" the slave girl asked.
"We'd both like soup, please. Rehani." Numair told her. Rehani's eyes popped out of her head. How did he know her name? Rehani served them and rushed off. How did they know who she was?
"What's wrong with you today, Rehani? You usually have the steadiest hands. Those plates are about to fall off and smash." Padma told Rehani, grabbing the other side of the tray so the plates wouldn't slide off.
"Nothing." Rehani muttered.
"It's something." Padma insisted.
"That Numair Salmalin knew my name. I didn't tell him. I don't know how he knows and he keeps staring at me." Rehani muttered as she collected the next course.
"That's all you're worried about? Somebody could have told him your name. He probably stared at you because in Tortall they don't have slaves." Padma laughed as they waited to deliver the next course.
"I knew you would think it was stupid." Rehani muttered as they went out to serve .
"That was stupid, Numair! What were you doing?" Daine asked angrily. Numair shrugged.
"I wanted to see her reaction." Numair told her coolly.
"She could have been named Rehani! Tons of people in this world are named Rehani, Numair. You probably scared her to death!" Daine exclaimed.
"Oh, right. I wanted to see her reaction." Numair insisted, sipping his soup.
"You got it! She ran out of here like the devil was on her tail! Thanks to you, her tray almost tipped and the plates almost smashed on the floor. And she'd be punished, all because of you." Daine answered grumpily.
"Come on, magelet. We can't give up hope."
"Numair, you just said you were glad I finally got over it. What is up with you?" Daine demanded.
"I know. As long as you keep hoping and sobbing, you can't live your life. Be happy Daine, smile. Have fun. But I still live my life, even though I was upset." Numair replied. The slaves came out with the next course.
"Would you like chicken, Nobility?" Rehani asked quietly.
"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry for scaring you." Numair answered as the plate was set in front of him.
"You didn't scare me, Nobility." Rehani whispered as she hurried back to the kitchen, listening to them argue with themselves as she rushed away.
"See, I didn't scare her." Numair told Daine triumphantly.
"You did, Numair. I saw her. You didn't see her practically run away from us. She was terrified that you knew her name. Forget about the girl, Numair. Let's just enjoy the banquet." Daine ordered. Numair shrugged.
"Rehani, hurry up. You're the last one to get the next course." Padma hissed. Rehani hastily grabbed the tray. The rest of the banquet went along with no mishap. Numair didn't stare at her or call her Rehani. Well, he didn't stare openly at her. She saw him staring at her out of the corner of his eye.
Rehani hurried away from the woman. She didn't have any magic! Somebody would have noticed if she had magic. What was that woman talking about? Something else was bothering Rehani. That woman - she looked familiar. Who was she?
"Would you like a drink, Nobility?" Rehani asked a short, stout red haired woman.
"Yes, thank you." The woman smiled. Rehani knew who she was. This was Sir Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, also known as the Lioness. Rehani hurried from person to person until the barge finally docked. Then she headed back into the palace.
"Oh, Rehani? I won't need you today. I'll send for you if I do. But I'd like you to serve at the banquet tonight." Kaddar told Rehani as she approached him.
"Yes, Nobility." Rehani whispered as she went back to her room. The other five slaves who lived there with her were sitting on their pallets, gossiping. "Hello!" Rehani said as she walked in. The slaves - Mary, Rose, Eve, Dria, and Bree - stopped talking as soon as they saw her. "What, is something wrong with me? Forget about me, then. Go back to your talking. Just pretend I'm not here." Rehani snapped, scowling as she lay down on her pallet. She planned on having a good nap before the banquet.
"Rehani. Get up. It's time for the banquet." Dria hissed, shaking Rehani's shoulder. Rehani woke with a jerk.
"So you're talking to me, then?" Rehani asked. As soon as they thought Rehani had fallen asleep, they had started talking again. And they had started talking about Rehani.
"Not unless I have to. Let's go." Dria snapped, leaving the room. Rehani hurried to the kitchens where Padma was giving everybody their orders.
"Oh, good, you're here, Rehani. You will serve Numair Salmalin and Veralidaine Sarrasri. They are sitting here." Padma called, tapping a part of the blackboard with her pointer. Rehani nodded and went to get a bowl of water for fingers and a towel for drying them off. With all the other slaves she went to the table. Numair Salmalin was tall with tousled black hair. Veralidaine Sarrasri was the woman who had said Rehani had magic.
"Would you like to wash your hands, Nobility?" Rehani asked Numair. The man looked at her for a long time before he nodded. He quickly dipped in his hands and dried them off. Rehani couldn't help staring at him. He was familiar to her. She didn't know how, or why. They had always said she had lived in Carthak and once she had hit her head and gotten amnesia. If this was true, why did she recognize Tortallans?
"Would you like to wash your hands, Nobility?" Rehani asked Veralidaine.
"Yes, thank you." Veralidaine washed her hands rapidly and Rehani left.
"That girl has magic! I know she does!" Numair whispered to Daine.
"You spent to long staring at her, Numair! It was so obvious." Daine snapped.
"I had to see how much." Numair answered calmly.
"Sure, Numair, sure. I never thought I'd meet somebody with as much wild magic as that child. She looks about thirteen." Daine rolled her eyes at Numair.
"I can't help thinking that I know her, Daine. I've seen her somewhere. Not just on the boat. But way before this." Numair admitted.
"I know. But that doesn't give you an excuse to stare at her with your mouth open like a fish!" Daine told him, giggling. Numair silenced her with a glare.
"Daine, she has your eyes." Numair murmured.
"So? Plenty of people of gray eyes." Daine muttered.
"They look exactly like yours, I know it!" Numair hissed.
"So. It's not like she could be Rehani." Daine snapped. Tears had started to well up in her eyes when she said her daughter's name.
"She's the right age."
"Then what would she be doing here? She's not our daughter. Rehani is gone. I have to face facts that we're never going to find her." Daine replied in a low voice.
"Good. Now you can go on with your life." Numair sat back in his seat, looking pleased with himself.
"Excuse me, Nobility. Would you like some soup, Nobility?" the slave girl asked.
"We'd both like soup, please. Rehani." Numair told her. Rehani's eyes popped out of her head. How did he know her name? Rehani served them and rushed off. How did they know who she was?
"What's wrong with you today, Rehani? You usually have the steadiest hands. Those plates are about to fall off and smash." Padma told Rehani, grabbing the other side of the tray so the plates wouldn't slide off.
"Nothing." Rehani muttered.
"It's something." Padma insisted.
"That Numair Salmalin knew my name. I didn't tell him. I don't know how he knows and he keeps staring at me." Rehani muttered as she collected the next course.
"That's all you're worried about? Somebody could have told him your name. He probably stared at you because in Tortall they don't have slaves." Padma laughed as they waited to deliver the next course.
"I knew you would think it was stupid." Rehani muttered as they went out to serve .
"That was stupid, Numair! What were you doing?" Daine asked angrily. Numair shrugged.
"I wanted to see her reaction." Numair told her coolly.
"She could have been named Rehani! Tons of people in this world are named Rehani, Numair. You probably scared her to death!" Daine exclaimed.
"Oh, right. I wanted to see her reaction." Numair insisted, sipping his soup.
"You got it! She ran out of here like the devil was on her tail! Thanks to you, her tray almost tipped and the plates almost smashed on the floor. And she'd be punished, all because of you." Daine answered grumpily.
"Come on, magelet. We can't give up hope."
"Numair, you just said you were glad I finally got over it. What is up with you?" Daine demanded.
"I know. As long as you keep hoping and sobbing, you can't live your life. Be happy Daine, smile. Have fun. But I still live my life, even though I was upset." Numair replied. The slaves came out with the next course.
"Would you like chicken, Nobility?" Rehani asked quietly.
"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry for scaring you." Numair answered as the plate was set in front of him.
"You didn't scare me, Nobility." Rehani whispered as she hurried back to the kitchen, listening to them argue with themselves as she rushed away.
"See, I didn't scare her." Numair told Daine triumphantly.
"You did, Numair. I saw her. You didn't see her practically run away from us. She was terrified that you knew her name. Forget about the girl, Numair. Let's just enjoy the banquet." Daine ordered. Numair shrugged.
"Rehani, hurry up. You're the last one to get the next course." Padma hissed. Rehani hastily grabbed the tray. The rest of the banquet went along with no mishap. Numair didn't stare at her or call her Rehani. Well, he didn't stare openly at her. She saw him staring at her out of the corner of his eye.