Alright, here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for...Chapter 14!
Isaac: ::in green "Yup. Finally."::
Alright...read!
Chapter 14
Picard had never liked Xian.
The town itself was rather beautiful, but every time he passed through
the gates he couldn't help but feel the oppression of its people that
seemed to hang upon the very air that he breathed.
They ignored the people in their silk costumes that they passed, heading
straight for the largest house towards the back of the town.
Feh was waiting at the beginning of the extensive gardens in front of his
home for them.
"Feizhi, I will speak to you later," he gave his daughter a cold look.
"Go inside and wait for me."
"Yes, father," she replied softly, bowing to him before walking slowly up
the path.
"Saturos, Menardi," Feh inclined his head to the two Mars Adepts. "Thank
you for bringing my daughter safely home. I trust there were no
problems?"
"None," Saturos affirmed.
"Though, the two you originally sent were not as incompetent as you made
us believe," Menardi turned her red eyes to Picard and Sheba. They both
looked up in surprise. "They managed to retrieve the boy without any
assistance from us. We merely guided them through the Lamakan."
"And without the Lemurian, the others would have died from the heat,"
Saturos added. He made them all jump when he drew his sword, but he
merely leaned against the gateway to the garden and fingered the slightly
chipped edge.
Feh nodded. "They shall be rewarded."
"And who is this?" he seemed to see Garet for the first time, though it
was quite a feat to ignore the tallest member of their group. When Garet
didn't make any move to reply other than glare at him, Feh continued.
"What, is he simple? Is he Isaac's horse boy?"
"My name is Garet," he finally said softly. "And I am no horse boy."
Picard sneaked a glance over to Garet, and noticed thin curls of smoke
rising from his fingers in the still air.
"Isaac, lead them to the back by the pond," Feh ordered, turning away.
He either hadn't noticed how close Garet had come to killing him, or he
didn't think it was worth his time. "I will be out there as soon as I am
done speaking with my daughter."
****
"You're never going to escape, you know," Saturos looked sullenly out
across the pond.
"Feh gave me his word," Picard replied.
"Of course he did, he wanted you to obey," Menardi was giving him a
measuring look. "He will never live to his word."
The three of them had chosen to sit on rocks carved for that purpose on
the other side of the pond than Sheba, Isaac, and Garet. Their voices
were low enough that the other three could only hear an indistinct
murmur.
"And that fool of a girl you travel with will get a lot more than the
revenge she bargained for," Saturos threw a rock into the water. He
watched the ripples spread across the previously mirror-like surface
before turning to face the Lemurian. "Feh is only using people to
further his war. He takes them in, captures them with his words, and
never lets go."
"What about you two?" Picard asked, suddenly curious about their words.
He thought they had been a law unto themselves until that moment.
"He has my sister in his prisons," Menardi growled, frustrated. "He said
he would let her go if we cooperated, but he never will. He'll keep
using her, using us, until either we're no longer useful. We'll never
see our clan again. Never."
Saturos held up one arm. A thick band of iron encircled his wrist.
Though the symbol for Fire had been scratched onto the surface, probably
by Saturos himself, Picard knew it for what it was.
A manacle.
The manacles, worn on either wrist, were a symbol of slavery. The life
was inescapable until the bands had been removed. If someone was seen
with one, they were captured and either returned, sold at an auction, or
beaten brutally to death.
Only one Lemurian had ever escaped from slavery. He had been in his
prime at the time, and now he was ancient, and failing fast. Though his
father had disapproved of it, Picard had learned a great deal from that
old man who would wear the mark of slavery until the day he died. He had
said that many slaves, if given the opportunity, would cut off their
hands to be rid of the bands, and that he had seen many gladly do so.
They would bleed to death, but it was with a glad heart, knowing they
died with no man owning them.
Picard hadn't believed, or even considered half of those stories until he
had come to this harsh, unforgiving continent.
"You're a slave," he said slowly after a minute.
"It will be your fate, too," Menardi warned him.
Picard felt his heart sinking. *A slave. I'll never get home...*
Saturos leaned in close enough that Picard could feel his hot breath on
his ear. "Don't lose hope, Lemurian. Not for you, not for your little
friends. The leader of our scouting group escaped, and our clan will not
take our absence lightly."
*****
Updated because Elena called me up and said in the evil, scary, robot
voice of doom, death and destruction "ADVENTURES IN ADEPT TRAINING".
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "She's kinda scary,
isn't she."::
Just a little bit. Well, hope you enjoyed! And hopefully when I get my
new computer I'll be able to update a lot more...oh, and sorry so short,
but I kinda lost patience with it...hopefully the next part will be a lot
better...
Isaac: ::in green "Yup. Finally."::
Alright...read!
Chapter 14
Picard had never liked Xian.
The town itself was rather beautiful, but every time he passed through
the gates he couldn't help but feel the oppression of its people that
seemed to hang upon the very air that he breathed.
They ignored the people in their silk costumes that they passed, heading
straight for the largest house towards the back of the town.
Feh was waiting at the beginning of the extensive gardens in front of his
home for them.
"Feizhi, I will speak to you later," he gave his daughter a cold look.
"Go inside and wait for me."
"Yes, father," she replied softly, bowing to him before walking slowly up
the path.
"Saturos, Menardi," Feh inclined his head to the two Mars Adepts. "Thank
you for bringing my daughter safely home. I trust there were no
problems?"
"None," Saturos affirmed.
"Though, the two you originally sent were not as incompetent as you made
us believe," Menardi turned her red eyes to Picard and Sheba. They both
looked up in surprise. "They managed to retrieve the boy without any
assistance from us. We merely guided them through the Lamakan."
"And without the Lemurian, the others would have died from the heat,"
Saturos added. He made them all jump when he drew his sword, but he
merely leaned against the gateway to the garden and fingered the slightly
chipped edge.
Feh nodded. "They shall be rewarded."
"And who is this?" he seemed to see Garet for the first time, though it
was quite a feat to ignore the tallest member of their group. When Garet
didn't make any move to reply other than glare at him, Feh continued.
"What, is he simple? Is he Isaac's horse boy?"
"My name is Garet," he finally said softly. "And I am no horse boy."
Picard sneaked a glance over to Garet, and noticed thin curls of smoke
rising from his fingers in the still air.
"Isaac, lead them to the back by the pond," Feh ordered, turning away.
He either hadn't noticed how close Garet had come to killing him, or he
didn't think it was worth his time. "I will be out there as soon as I am
done speaking with my daughter."
****
"You're never going to escape, you know," Saturos looked sullenly out
across the pond.
"Feh gave me his word," Picard replied.
"Of course he did, he wanted you to obey," Menardi was giving him a
measuring look. "He will never live to his word."
The three of them had chosen to sit on rocks carved for that purpose on
the other side of the pond than Sheba, Isaac, and Garet. Their voices
were low enough that the other three could only hear an indistinct
murmur.
"And that fool of a girl you travel with will get a lot more than the
revenge she bargained for," Saturos threw a rock into the water. He
watched the ripples spread across the previously mirror-like surface
before turning to face the Lemurian. "Feh is only using people to
further his war. He takes them in, captures them with his words, and
never lets go."
"What about you two?" Picard asked, suddenly curious about their words.
He thought they had been a law unto themselves until that moment.
"He has my sister in his prisons," Menardi growled, frustrated. "He said
he would let her go if we cooperated, but he never will. He'll keep
using her, using us, until either we're no longer useful. We'll never
see our clan again. Never."
Saturos held up one arm. A thick band of iron encircled his wrist.
Though the symbol for Fire had been scratched onto the surface, probably
by Saturos himself, Picard knew it for what it was.
A manacle.
The manacles, worn on either wrist, were a symbol of slavery. The life
was inescapable until the bands had been removed. If someone was seen
with one, they were captured and either returned, sold at an auction, or
beaten brutally to death.
Only one Lemurian had ever escaped from slavery. He had been in his
prime at the time, and now he was ancient, and failing fast. Though his
father had disapproved of it, Picard had learned a great deal from that
old man who would wear the mark of slavery until the day he died. He had
said that many slaves, if given the opportunity, would cut off their
hands to be rid of the bands, and that he had seen many gladly do so.
They would bleed to death, but it was with a glad heart, knowing they
died with no man owning them.
Picard hadn't believed, or even considered half of those stories until he
had come to this harsh, unforgiving continent.
"You're a slave," he said slowly after a minute.
"It will be your fate, too," Menardi warned him.
Picard felt his heart sinking. *A slave. I'll never get home...*
Saturos leaned in close enough that Picard could feel his hot breath on
his ear. "Don't lose hope, Lemurian. Not for you, not for your little
friends. The leader of our scouting group escaped, and our clan will not
take our absence lightly."
*****
Updated because Elena called me up and said in the evil, scary, robot
voice of doom, death and destruction "ADVENTURES IN ADEPT TRAINING".
Isaac: ::in the happy special rainbow colored marker "She's kinda scary,
isn't she."::
Just a little bit. Well, hope you enjoyed! And hopefully when I get my
new computer I'll be able to update a lot more...oh, and sorry so short,
but I kinda lost patience with it...hopefully the next part will be a lot
better...