Prologue Part Two-Rafiq
He had been known by so many names in the past two years that some days he could barely remember how to spell his given name. He'd been called everything from Arun to Zelyd. He had been at the heart of the rebellion because his parents were both killed by Raka rebels, and he was been known for his progressive nature and hope for equality. Who he was all depended on what island he was on, and what The Duani wanted him to do.
Right now he got to be himself, Rafiq Quintyn, even if it was for just a little while.
^_^
Rafiq's long legs carried him into a small room while two other people followed him. He didn't like having them at his back, but he knew The Duani would have it no other way. One was a big Raka man, and the other looked like she might have a distant Raka relative, but it could just be a tan from being out in the sun.
They were always changing, those who escorted him to see the Duani. They brought him to a small room near the palace and shut the door behind him.
Rafiq's dark brown eyes settled on the woman behind the desk. Her strawberry blonde head was bent over a small stack of papers, a pitcher of water and cups were set on the edge of her desk.
He cleared his throat and the woman looked up at him with mischievous green hazel eyes, then she smiled. That was what disturbed him most about this woman. She was in a line of work that was almost always run by fear and brutal tactics, yet this woman was so misleading. He knew she would treat you well, if you acted as she wanted you to, and if you didn't, you might end up in prison missing an appendage, or dead.
"So, Rafiq, would you like some juice?" The Duani stood and moved to pour a cup for each of them.
"Thank you," Rafiq told her as he took the plain cup and sat in the chair she motioned to.
"How have you been, Rafiq?" The Duani leaned forward to place her elbows on her desk as one of her hands rested near her forearm.
Rafiq watched her hands, but he wasn't as worried as he had been before. When she had sleeves on, he knew that under them, there would be blades. He had seen her use them before.
"I've been doing good, Duani." He looked up at her eyes and got the nervous feeing he usually got. There was something about those plain looking eyes that made him feel like she knew much more than he was aware of.
"And is there anything new from the markets?"
Rafiq worked the slave markets for the Duani. He worked in the slave pens. He was a clerk for some of the auctioning pens and was often in the middle of arguments between two people who would say anything to get things their way. Men would scream in what they thought was the privacy of the office, and Rafiq was there to listen, and turn any information he had back into The Duani; she was always looking for wealthy luarin men who were trying to buy more raka and selling luarins.
Rafiq was never really told more than what he needed to know, and what was common sense on the streets. He had found out what she was worried about though, by asking her other informants what they turned in to her.
He suspected, after working almost a year for her, that she was worried about the rebellion buying more raka out of the slave markets to try and anger the remaining luarin nobles. Making the luarin believe that the rolls were reversed and now luarin were slaves, not raka.
"There was a fellow looking for two luarin men. The men were both pretty wealthy looking, but all that gold and embroideries were taken from them when they got there. Other than that, the usual."
"The men, what did they look like? Were they both bought?" The Duani watched him closely, like at any moment he would blurt out the secrets of this hidden war they were in.
"The fellow trying to buy them was luarin, brown hair, crooked nose, left ear pierced. 'Bout my height, good teeth. Dressed like any merchant, said his name was Wilks, Marlin Wilks. He was looking for the men that he said were both lanky men. One had dark red hair, gray eyes, missing a tooth. He found and bought him, called him Jav. The other he didn't have, he described him with dark curly hair, pale skin. mole on his left hand. Scar across his nose." He took a long drink of his juice.
The Duani sat back, thinking about what Rafiq had just told her. "Anything else, perhaps Marlin's signature somewhere, and how did he pay?"
"I wrote out the descriptions for you and I made a copy of his paperwork." Rafiq pulled a sheaf of papers from the inside of his shirt and handed it over to the woman.
"Thank you, Rafiq." She took the papers and began to look through them. "Is that all?"
"For now, Duani." He nodded.
"Here is something for your trouble Rafiq." The Duani handed him a small pouch of coins with a wink and a crooked grin. "You may go."
Rafiq set his half empty cup on the desk, near the pitcher, and stood up while taking the pouch of coins. He bowed his out of respect and stepped outside the room. Out of the two escorts, only the man still stood there. He looked over at Rafiq, but said nothing. Rafiq stayed silent as well before walking away quickly and down a crowded street.
^_^
"Where have you been?" The man that spoke to Rafiq scratched his black beard as he looked over his feet at his clerk. He had his boots propped up on the desk in front of him
"Yesterday was my day off, sir." Rafiq clasped his hands behind his back as he looked down at his employer.
Farzun Ponik ran three different auction blocks for slaves. He known for making fast buys and even faster sells. The man was short and stocky, but each muscle he had was fast enough to put an unruly slave in place. To top off it all off, he was a mage, and he spelled all his slave collars personally; he thought it was cheaper.
"I know," Farzun said with a wave at his words. "How did you enjoy it is what I meant you pert boy."
Rafiq grinned and looked down hoping he could pass this off as an embarrassed look. "Just out and about in the market and the one of the inns, The Palm, sir."
Farzun laughed. "Any special girl at either of those places?"
"None in particular, one like to keep her eye on me, but I'm not too interested in her." That was where he kept everything he said a half truth. He had indeed passed through the market, and had eaten at The Palm, but other than that he spent most the day making perfect a perfect copy of the paper work with Marlin Wilks' signature on it. A girl had kept her eye on him, The Duani, and Rafiq didn't like the idea around someone who made him feel like all his secrets were being exposed.
Farzun shook his head at the poor young man. "All of eighteen years and still running about. You make an honest living, for the most part, and you still can't settle down."
"I'm kept on my toes by plenty, sir." Rafiq told him. "I doubt I could settle down even if I wanted to."
^_^
Before Rafiq knew it, the two weeks had passed quickly and once again he found himself meeting up with another escort to bring him to The Duani. This time it was two luarin men that brought him to a new office.
The Duani went through the normal pleasant greeting, giving him drinks and even offering him some fruit before seating herself behind the desk.
"I have nothing of use to give to you, Duani." Rafiq looked up into The Duani's eyes. This was the whole truth. Little did he know tha she knew it was the truth.
"Good, Rafiq, because I have something new I would like to bring up with you." The Duani sat back in her chair and sipped out of her glass.
"Yes?"
"You are aware of the rebellion, yes?" Rafiq nodded to her question. "Well, you see one of my friends within their ranks has been told to find more friends. He brought this up with me and asked who I would find trustworthy enough to be placed under them. I thought of you."
Rafiq looked at the woman behind the desk and for once saw her for what she was. She was evil. She could ask someone to risk their life just to get gossip for her. She could bribe you with money or blackmail you into anything she wanted, if you just gave her a moment or two. He feared and envied her abilities and resources. She could make a man respect her through his worst nightmares, or by gaining his trust, and Rafiq found that he was somewhere between the two extremes.
"Would you be willing to befriend these men for me, and continue our correspondence?" The Duani's green hazel eyes watched him intently. Looking through the answer he was about to give and seeing what he would truly do.
Rafiq swallowed hard. Could he do this? Could he leave behind everything he has put together so far and go into the unknown hostility that she was constantly trying to decipher?
He looked up at her with his chocolate brown eyes and answered honestly. "Yes."
A/N: Please review and let us know what you thought about the second part of the prologue. --LotO
