Tesaldia had named her horse, Sharaes. Sharaes didn't need a lead rope anymore because she had taken to following Tesaldia around like a puppy.

Shai, Tesaldia, and Sharaes had gotten to Balar by sunset. The town was quiet and everything seemed to have a dark shadow hanging over it. Tesaldia hated this place and Shai seemed uncomfortable too.

A cold breeze blew through the town, making the bare streets and ally ways howl eerily. "Well, the people around here certainly give you a large welcome don't they," Tesaldia remarked.

Shai just shrugged. Tesaldia sighed, Shai was not helping her low spirits at all.

A door slammed as a young woman walked out of a shop. She looked at the two and came up to them. "What are you two doing here?"

Tesaldia stared at her, "Um, we're standing."

"Don't act smart with me," the woman sneered.

"Why is it too hard for you to understand?"

Tesaldia glared at the woman, she was not going to get pushed around. "You'd do best to watch your tongue."

"I can't, it's physically impossible, trust me on that one."

The woman spun around in a fury and stormed down the road. Shai looked at Tesaldia. "I wouldn't get to smart around here if I were you."

"Yes, but you're not me so it doesn't matter now does it."

Shai rolled his eyes and kept walking. He went up to a building and knocked. Tesaldia looked at the sign hanging above the building, it said, Halter Inn.

A man came to the door and looked at them. "What do you want?"

"We need a place to stay," Shai explained.

Why else would we come to an inn, Tesaldia thought, to go shopping. The man came out and took Sharaes back behind the inn. "Where's he taking her?"

"Don't worry," Shai tried to calm the hysterical Tesaldia, "He's just taking her to the stables at the back of the inn."

Tesaldia wasn't convinced. She did not like the feeling she was getting from this place.

Tesaldia and Shai walked around to the front of the Inn. Tesaldia was about to walk in when something hit her back. Tesaldia hit the hard ground and all of the wind was knocked out of her. Dirt had flown into her eye and now everything was dark. A loud ringing in her ears made it impossible to hear anything. The only thing Tesaldia could recognize was the cool feel of a blade on her throat.

Tesaldia heard Shai shout something but couldn't make out what he was saying. Tesaldia cringed as a rope bound her hands together, so tightly the rope cut into her skin and drew blood. Tesaldia couldn't think as her legs were tied and a cloth went over her eyes and another, into her mouth. Tesaldia started to fade in and out of unconsciousness, but before she was picked up and carried away she thought she heard a faint whinny.

When Tesaldia came to, everything was dark. She could feel the cloth over her eyes. Where was she?

Tesaldia was kicked over and she heard someone laughing. Hot blood ran down from her wrists where the ropes were. She was in such pain. It was unbearable. Then the cloth was ripped off of her eyes and she saw that she was in a small cellar but someone was standing in the doorway above.

"Well, little girl you will make us a bit of money."

Tesaldia tried to get up but she was immediately pushed back down. Where was Shai, was he there too? The cellar door was slammed and everything was dark again. She tried to get the cloth out of her mouth.

She pushed her tongue against the cloth until she had worked it out of her mouth. The sides of her mouth were cut and it hurt to close her mouth. Tesaldia tried to get the ropes off of her legs but it was no use.

Tesaldia sat for a long time before she thought of something. She pushed her hands down and under her body until she could pull them over her feet. Tesaldia then started to yank on the ropes on her legs until they came loose and she could get them off. She tried to work the ropes on her hands loose but it was too painful and she had to stop.

A loud thump made Tesaldia jump. Someone was above her. She tried to hear what the person was saying. "If we give this girl over to Vyrdaes, the reward is five thousand pylas."

Tesaldia gasped. Vyrdaes had put a bounty on her! Tesaldia heard the person walking toward the cellar door but they walked past it and Tesaldia breathed a sigh of relief. She had to get out of here but there was no use trying she knew. Even if she could get the cellar door open, she would be caught.

Tesaldia sat in the cellar most of the day before someone came to get her. He was tall and gangly and very ugly as was his wife who was standing by the stove. Tesaldia had heard them talking earlier that they would keep her and use her as a servant for a week before giving her to Vyrdaes.

That night Tesaldia spent her time in the cellar, chained up. She wished Shai was here. She cried the entire night and in the morning she had a splitting headache.

"Go get some water from the pump," the woman yelled and tossed a bucket at her. Tesaldia picked up the bucket and went outside.

Tesaldia wore a brace around her ankle that was attached to a chain anchored inside the house by the door. This chain allowed Tesaldia to move around but it also prevented her from escaping.

Tesaldia brought the water back inside and the woman snatched it from her. Tesaldia was then sent to bring in the fire wood. She walked slowly back in but tripped and sent the wood sprawling over the floor. The woman was furious and came over and yanked Tesaldia up by her arm.

Tesaldia picked up the fire wood, and her arm was now red and bleeding which made the task much more difficult. She wished she could go home and never be bothered by anyone ever again.

Tesaldia had to do many chores, she cleaned, cooked, fetched water, and did the clothes. If she did something wrong, she was slapped, beaten, or whipped depending on how mad the woman and man got at her.

Tesaldia wondered how much longer she would be able to take this.

Tesaldia was back in her cellar. Her entire body was raw, bruised, and bloody. She felt sick to her stomach and her head throbbed with pain. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to survive under these conditions. Tesaldia slowly fell asleep and all she could dream about was Palasade Lake.