Sorry about the spacing guys, and for the wonderful reviews! I will definitely keep writing this. Please review, it really does mean a lot. Tell me if there are any problems!

Kel took a deep breath, and stepped out through the curtains. She nearly fell. The floor was

hard and, unlike the blazing desert sun outside, cold. There was a large silk canopy hanging

over the crowd, but only a very cheap one over her. But what really unnerved her were the

eyes. About fifty people were scrutinizing her face and all too exposed body. She suddenly

realized what cows must feel like at auction. Like them, she was viewed as a piece of meat.

As she tried to gather herself, she looked around. While there were several clumps of what were

obviously buyers from other markets, some of the faces in the crowd jumped out. There was an

entire retinue of veiled women, several distinguished Tortallon gentlemen, a large clump of

Easterners, and even one immaculately dressed Scanran, only distinguishable by the medallion

around his neck. Nearly all races and nationalities were present in the crowd, and all of them

displayed the trappings of wealth, from heavy gold bangles on women to large emeralds on the

fingers of men. Kel's heart sunk. All of her elaborate plans of escape, conceived while waiting

for her term, would not work. Anyone with this much money would be able to afford magical

bindings, which the Giftless Kel could not possibly escape. The hopelessness that the Keladry,

always an optimist, had suppressed was choking her.

Eng clapped to gain the attention of the muttering crowd. "Has everyone seen enough?" he

asked respectfully and only slightly higher than his normal tone. The clientele turned to each

other, conferred, and finally everyone displayed assent, from spoken 'yes' in Common and

Scanran to nods and arcane gestures Kel could only guess at. "Good" he said brusquely, and

led her to a high wooden stool perched in the center of the stage. At his gesture, the confused

Kel clumsily sat, her feet dangling two feet from the floor. Endal turned to her and grinned

maliciously, out of the view of the crowd. He slowly raised his arm, than sharply snapped his

fingers.

Suddenly, the auction and its sounds disappeared. Kel could not see, hear, speak, and as she

swiftly discovered, move. She was enveloped in a heavy cloak of darkness, with no one to hear

or care about her silent screams. It seemed to go on for eternity. She was lost in nothing, was

nothing, heard nothing . . . a snap rang out. The black void was immediately replaced by

Eng's smugly grinning face.

"Didn't like that, did you now?" he muttered to her as Kel unsteadily descended from the

enchanted stool. "Wouldn't want you to know your own worth, could make you unruly; well,

but thats prob'ly what they wants with you. Always know a fighter when they sees one." He

chuckled to himself, firmly gripped her arm and almost dragged her down the stairs.

A man was waiting there, actually two men, but only one that caught Kel's attention

immediately. He lounged against the edge of the stage with cat-like grace, revealing well defined

abdominals and muscular arms. His face was hidden from view by unruly dark hair, which

contrasted the rest of his wealthy, but very foreign dress. He was speaking animatedly to his

companion, a pompous looking older man who looked to be his father, with the exuberance of

youth. Kel, realizing that she and Eng were fast approaching them, slid her Yamani mask into place.

The young man faced her. Kel nearly gasped despite her mask.