The sun grew higher in the sky, and still no one approached Akil. He had sat down on the edge of her box platform and was looking eagerly into the crowd for a prospective buyer. Mamluka fidgeted and fought the urge to sit. The girl who had been next to her was a beautiful Haradrim maiden. She was wearing a flimsy pink garment that brought her six (Mamluka had counted) spectators within the first hour Mamluka was there. And that was not counting the ogling young boys who tried to see up her skirt. She was sure she would have had more had not the sixth one bought her for three gold coins and a nice sized bag of silver. Mamluka almost laughed at herself when she realized she was jealous at the price the girl had been bought for. Being bought like a horse was nothing to be envious of, she repeated silently.

The sun had reached its peak overhead and Mamluka could barely keep her back straight. It was unbearably hot under the noon sun, she thought to herself, and much of the crowd seemed to agree. Many had drawn off to the tents along the edges for a rest until the sun began its descent.

"Akil", Mamluka whispered loudly. "Can I please sit down for a—" she started to ask. But was silenced when a man approached her box and Akil jumped up.

"Good afternoon, my Lord," Akil began politely. Mamluka noticed his abundant gold and jewels that he wore even in this heat, and decided that Akil was probably right-this man was definitely a lord, a chieftain probably.

"A noon as any other, sir", the man spoke elegantly, confirming Mamluka's suspicions. "This is your slave?" he asked gently.

"Yes, yes", said Akil. "Mamluka has been a very good slave, strong, obedient," he continued. Mamluka worked hard to keep a straight face. Obedient was something that she had not been, to Akil at least.

"Does she work well?" he asked, barely seeming to pay attention to Akil, his eyes surveying the other slaves in the area.

"Very well", Akil assured.

"Then why would you be selling her?" the man said, turning to Akil, his eyes laughing.

The man seemed experienced, having certainly used this trick on many other men to get them to confess their lies. "I am moving back to the coast, my Lord", Akil answered smoothly. "I have tried my luck in these hot deserts and I have decided that life in Umbar suits me better. I do not feel it necessary to bring Mamluka with me."

Mamluka noticed that Akil was taking extra care to enunciate and avoid slang, as opposed to his usual shouts and slurs. She also saw that this answer was acceptable to the man and he turned to her. His eyes looked her over slowly from head to foot and back up to her face. His gaze seemed to pierce through her body and heat rose to her face.

"Look up", the man commanded to Mamluka.

All this time she had continued staring at the ground, only peering at him out of the corner of her eye. Warily, she looked up, her green eyes glittering in the lambent rays of the sun. Mamluka was slightly confused by the look on the Lord's face. Unusually, it was not one of surprise. Instead, a flash of confirmation and a knowing smile flitted on his face, before it was cloaked by the mask of the bargainer.

"And how did you come into service... Mamluka, was it?" the man asked to her directly. For a moment, Mamluka couldn't answer. Her own masters, besides the Captain and Akil, had rarely spoken to her by name, let alone a stranger.

"I...I..." Mamluka stuttered. The man was quickly losing interest though and so she sucked in a deep breath and spoke. "I do not know m'Lord," she answered quickly. "I was taken, I assume..." Mamluka trailed off, not knowing what to say in the man's silence, her brief courage evaporating.

However, her comments seemed to cultivate the man's interest. Akil motioned behind the man's back, encouraging her to go on.

"How old are you?" the man asked. He had a calculating look in his eye that Mamluka did not know whether to fear or rejoice in.

"Seventeen," she answered, feigning pride. "And I have been in service for a dozen years," she added, though she did not know why she felt compelled to.

"Can you take off your scarf," he spoke in response. Whatever the wording of the phrase, it was an order, not a request that could be fulfilled or denied. Mamluka looked over at Akil pleadingly, but he offered no help. Frustrated at both men, she slowly unfastened her headpiece so that it fell down her back yet again. Her face felt the heat from the sun immediately and she cringed. "All of it", he said, not satisfied.

Mamluka uncomfortably removed the headpiece completely, twisting the linen anxiously in her hands. Her long curly brown tendrils sprung lightly about her shoulders and spilled down her back. "No more", she said softly, though knowing if he asked, she would have to do as he said.

Thankfully though, he did not ask her to remove any more of her garments and she breathed a silent sigh of relief. He then turned back to Akil, leaving Mamluka again to stare out into the crowd.

"How did you obtain her?" the man asked softly to Akil, as if not wanting Mamluka to hear. Indeed, she had to strain and pretend to be fixing her skirt to pick up the words.

"Slave auction near the coast, 'bout a year ago, not too far from Umbar," he answered.

"And you do not know her history either?" the man probed.

Akil shook his head. "Nothing, my Lord. She seems not to remember anything beyond her enslavement, though she must be from the North as you can plainly see, and twelve years makes sense." Akil nodded towards Mamluka and she again felt the strange man's gaze taking her in. She fidgeted nervously, wanting to put back on her headpiece. Her unusual appearance was attracting other unwelcome gazes as well.

"Well she seems pretty enough," the man spoke decisively to Akil. "I will take her."

Akil could barely contain his enthusiasm. "Yes, sir, my Lord. Thank you for considering Mamluka. She will serve you well, yes, she will."

The man removed a red-dyed money pouch from within his garments and began doling out coins. Mamluka watched attentively out of the corner of her eye. She was interested to know how much she would go for; one of the few accomplishments a slave could really claim was her highest selling price. She was also very anxious.

"Seems pretty enough", she thought over in her mind while she and Akil both waited for the man to come to a price. "But pretty enough for what..." The thought trailed off in her mind as the man's comment had from his mouth. Mamluka knew though that there was some continuation to it; he had just chosen not to share it with Akil, perhaps suspecting that she was listening in on the negotiations.

"There, how's that for your mamluka?" the man spoke, holding out his hand. In it were six gold coins and a pile of silvers. Mamluka could barely keep from gaping and Akil's eyes appeared for a moment as if they were ready to spring from his head. Usually, he would have bargained arguing that Mamluka was worth more than this... but he had only been expecting a small bag of silver, maybe a pair of gold coins. This... this was unpredictable.

Keeping back his excitement, Akil nodded. "Yes, yes I think that is a fair price for a hard-working slave as Mamluka." As if afraid that the man would take back his offer Akil swiftly produced his own moneybag to seal the transaction. The coins clinked joyfully as they slipped into the worn pouch that as of late, had become too light for Akil's liking.

"Thank you my Lord," Akil continued murmuring as he untied Mamluka's ankle. "May you and your children and their children live long and healthy lives under the sun of Harad." The man smiled, amused at Akil's chatter.

"May you pillage long on the ships of your kin", he replied. He smiled at Mamluka almost friend-like and she bowed her head slightly in return.

"Aye, sir, my Lord," Akil interjected nervously. "May I just bid Mamluka off?" he finished.

"Of course, of course. I need to make sure of something before I leave as well." The man wandered off to talk to a swarthy merchant a few stalls down, but still in sight.

Akil held out his hand, and Mamluka accepted his help getting down, her knees almost buckling under her from the sudden movement. "I wish you well in your new venture", Mamluka said awkwardly.

"And you in yours. He seems a fine man and master," Akil responded. "Not to mention a liberal spender", he whispered with a chuckle. Mamluka just shook her head and smiled. She might actually miss Akil's greedy antics.

"Ah...Akil? Would you know why he would care if I were pretty?" Mamluka wondered aloud.

Akil just shrugged. "I do not know and do not ask. Being too curious has spoiled many a good deal," he said with experience. "Well, here he returns, Mamluka. Let life treat us both as well as our stations permit." Akil smiled once more, nodded to the man and backed off, leaving Mamluka behind. For a moment, she was tempted to call after him, but shook it off. Just another master, albeit one of the better ones, she thought to herself.

"Mamluka?" She broke out of her trance and turned to face the man she would now be taking orders from.

"Yes, Master?" she asked obediently, not knowing yet what she would be able to get away with.

"Is Mamluka your real name?" he asked.

Mamluka shrugged. "I've never known any other," she answered.

"So Mamluka it will be then. Come along-it is not a short ride to the city and I do not like to stop on the way." The man turned and was about to walk away, expecting Mamluka to follow.

"Master?" she asked hesitantly. He stopped and turned silently. She took this as permission to continue. "May I ask who you are... and... where we are going?"

The corners of his mouth turned up in amusement as he thought for a moment before answering. "I am Makai, one of the twelve Chieftains of Harad. We are going to Yazgran. Does that answer your questions?"

Mamluka nodded, afraid to ask more and Lord Makai turned and continued walking. Mamluka hurried after him, walking quickly to keep up. The sun had started its descent in the sky and the auction was back in full swing. Noticing the stares that she was still getting, Mamluka fastened her headpiece back on, hoping that Makai wouldn't object, but he didn't even turn to make sure she was after him.

As they neared the edge of the auction, Mamluka saw ahead a small gathering of tents, men and horses. Makai was already calling to one of the men to get ready to depart. Looking behind, Mamluka said a quiet goodbye to Akil and the desert, her stomach filled with conflicting eagerness and anxiety.

She had only heard tale of it in her years of wanderings with one master or another. It was a great city supposedly, a secret oasis hidden in the desert. Her heart lifted; maybe life in the city would be better, but then anything would be better than the bitter heat and biting wind of the open sand-country. Thrill filled her, as she spoke the name under her breath.

"Yazgran."