Anathema - The Song of Eloh Saga, Book 2 (2 page)

I already had enough to worry about today,
just thinking about my birthday celebration sent shudders through
my body. What if he did something worse to me than what he already
had planned?

Whatever was going to happen, there was
little I could do to avoid it now. Ivy was gone and I was left
behind. Grasping the coin between my finger and thumb, I pulled my
itchy wool shift over my head, replacing it quickly with a clean
one.

I knew I couldn’t sit around and stew. My
chores waited for me in the dark bowels of the kitchen. Bowls to
clean, plates to dry, and cups to put away. It wasn’t a stimulating
job, but it kept me away from windows, just like Kandek wanted. I
didn’t know why he wouldn’t allow me outside, or even to peek out a
window without his permission, but rules were rules. I had to
follow them or face punishment. I’d seen enough slaves punished to
know I never wanted to be in their place.

No matter what I did, eventually Ivy would
be missed and not found. Everyone would assume she’d already left
to pick up food in the market. I, on the other hand, was on duty to
wash the breakfast dishes and would be missed. If I didn’t show up,
they would suspect me of having a hand in Ivy’s disappearance. If
they even discovered it any time soon. Maybe no one would notice
she was gone until the midday meal when their fruit from the
Southern Kingdoms didn’t appear on their plates.

I slid the coin into the secret pocket I
sewed under my shift. Not much of a secret since nearly every slave
had sewn at least one of these pockets to the inside of her dress,
but better than leaving it out for someone else to find while I was
about my chores. Just one more way to delay the inevitable.

I nudged Ella’s arm with my elbow as she
straightened her dress. She too had to hurry, but she was part of
the cleaning crew wandering the castle all day to clean up after
the nobles. I wouldn’t see her again until night and I had to be
sure our stories concerning Ivy’s disappearance matched.

“Ella, did you know that Ivy already got up
to do her chores?” I asked.

“What are you talking about?” Her eyes
narrowed as she glanced at the few slaves left in the room and then
she whispered, “She didn’t get up. She was kidnapped like the
others!”

“Ella, did you see Ivy get up to do her
chores?” I repeated, stressing each word, hoping the lie would sink
in quickly as the other slaves began to leave to attend to their
chores.

“Did you?” Ella grabbed my hand, her eyes
widening, convincing me she finally understood what I was
doing.

“Yes, I did.”

“Then I did too,” she whispered, squeezing
my hand. I could still feel the spot on my palm where the token had
been. Even though it was now well-hidden, it had left an invisible
mark on me.

But I knew we couldn’t stall any longer, our
chores were waiting for us. I let go of her hand, reached under the
bed, and grabbed my shaving kit. Then I handed Ella my razor. “Can
you shave my head this morning since Ivy got up so early to get
started on her chores?” If I repeated it enough, maybe it would be
real.

We weren’t allowed mirrors and relied on
each other to keep our heads cleanly shaved each morning. Ella’s
tiny hand shook as she reached for the razor. I wasn’t sure how
much skill she had in shaving. I’d frequently spied her shaving
herself in the corner when she thought no one was looking. It must
have been hard for her to be the new girl with no one to rely on
for help and friendship.

“Sure, Reychel. Anything to help a
friend.”

Ella dunked the soap in a bucket of water
and then rubbed it on my head. I shivered as the cold water
trickled down the back of my neck. I felt the coarse towel scratch
against my neck as Ella sopped up the drips.

If Ivy knew this was coming, and her silent
escape told me she knew, why wouldn’t she have shared it with me?
We’d been best friends for as long as I could remember. We had
always sworn to stick together, especially after Ivy’s fifteenth
birthday last month. She’d faced her horror with my help. Who would
be there for me today?

I reached for Ella’s shaving kit as she
wiped the last bit of soap off of my freshly smooth scalp. Years
ago the tingle I had felt after shaving disappeared. I was used to
the barren sensation. It definitely felt better than the itchy
black stubble that grew overnight.

“What do we do now?” Ella switched positions
with me. She sat on my bed while I stood up behind her, ready to
return the favor.

“The same as always.” I carefully pulled the
razor over the curve on the back of her head. Making my way over to
the ears, the most difficult part to shave without nicking, I
leaned over and whispered in Ella’s ear. “We go about our chores.
We stick to our story that we saw Ivy get up early. I’ll keep the
token hidden.”

“I’m scared, Reychel.”

“Me too,” I said, trying to keep a steady
hand as I finished shaving her head.

***

Walking through the servant’s hallways,
roughly chiseled parallel to the grand halls to keep us separate
from those who ruled us, I ran my fingers along the cool, damp
stone walls. I wondered what it was like outside today. I’d heard
it was beautiful. Sunny skies with puffy clouds. Not that I would
get to see. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d been
allowed outside this year.

My master, Kandek, only allowed me glimpses
of the outside world in his presence. No open windows, no glances
between the curtains, nothing. It was forbidden and anyone who saw
me try was ordered to turn me in to him or face punishment with me
if caught. To avoid getting anyone else in trouble, I had learned
to ignore windows. I couldn’t bear for anyone else to get in
trouble for my mistakes.

Most of my days were spent in the dark back
room of the kitchen. I washed and dried dishes, put them away and
repeated that for every meal. Not exciting, but better than
cleaning out urine pots.

It wasn’t my place to ask why the outside
world was forbidden to me, but the other slaves had their theory.
Due to Kandek’s interest in having private meetings with me in his
chambers, everyone thought he wanted to make me his concubine after
I came of age. After today.

Yet he always seemed interested in what I
had to say and I’d never noticed anything inappropriate about his
behavior.

While it was strange he would request an
audience with me and not any other slaves, I couldn’t believe he
had bad intentions. Behind closed doors he was kind, almost
friendly to me. Although I had witnessed his cruelty, I couldn’t
believe he would ever treat me that way.

No matter how much I protested their
beliefs, the other slaves still treated me like an outsider. Only
Ivy had gone out of her way to befriend me and over the years, she
had defended me many times.

“
Morning, Luci,” I said as
I walked into the kitchen. The heat of the room overwhelmed me as
the breakfast bread baked in the ovens. The smell of rising yeast
never failed to make my stomach growl.

“Finally.” Luci said, wiping her
flour-covered hands on her gray dress. “I’ve been waiting for you.
I was about to send someone to fetch you. You spent too much time
chatting with Ella this morning. You two need to move faster in the
morning.”

“Sorry.” I balled my hands up into my dress,
feeling the token lying within the secret pocket. “Since Ivy left
so early this morning, I had a little extra work to do.”

Luci rolled her eyes and grunted. “Ivy has
never been anything but nice to you and here you are blaming her
for making you late. You’re so ungrateful. Now get out so I can
open the windows.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I took one quick glance at the
heavily curtained windows. Not only did they provide light for Luci
and her staff on sunny days, but they also gave the heat from the
ovens a place to escape. And they couldn’t be opened until I had
taken my place in the back room.

Holding back a sigh, I shuffled into the
dark dish chamber. The walls were filled with shelves and with
dishes of every kind waiting to be filled with every kind of
delicacy from roasted pheasant to exotic fruits from the Southern
Kingdoms beyond the mountains. There were small bowls for finger
cleaning between courses. Soup bowls, salad plates, and mixing
utensils. Hand-painted plates saved for visits from dignitaries
ranked higher than Kandek and the chipped ceramic plates we slaves
used for everyday meals. I was amazed how many dishes one man and
his household could use in one day.

As I pulled dishes off the shelf for today’s
breakfast and placed them on the cart, I let my mind wander away
from Ivy and to my other troubles.

I wanted to forget today was my fifteenth
birthday. I wanted to lose myself worrying about Ivy, but no matter
how hard I tried to keep my mind off of it, I couldn’t forget that
today I faced my greatest fear.

Handmaids sewed dresses of the finest silk
with gold thread and embellished with pearls. Every man’s finest
garb would be aired out for the occasion. Food from all over the
island arrived daily to be added to the feast. The oranges from the
south shined like gold. My mouth watered just looking at them. I
could smell the cakes, already in the oven for today’s
celebration.

Unfortunately none of it would pass my lips.
I wouldn’t wear a beautiful dress either. Those were only for
noblemen and their wives who would be here to watch me receive a
permanent gift from my master, the brand of a fox on the back of my
neck, forever marking me as his property.

Every morning we slaves shaved our heads as
a sign of our restricted status. Only free people were allowed to
grow their hair. Long ago, there was the theory that if a slave
ever escaped and hid long enough to grow an adequate amount of
hair, she could join society as a free person. To avoid losing
their slaves forever among the masses, masters branded the slaves
they intended to keep on their fifteenth birthday.

Ivy received hers last month and we had
gripped hands until the moment the guards came to take her away to
her party. Forced to stay behind because the great room had many
windows, I called out to Ivy as the guards grabbed her elbows and
led her away.

“Be strong Ivy, but don’t be ashamed to
cry.” I cupped my hands around my mouth, yelling to Ivy as the
guards dragged her out of the room.

“I’ll never give him or any of his stupid
guests the satisfaction!” Ivy shook her arms free from the guards.
Shoulders thrown back, arms straight, and fists at her side, Ivy
marched out ahead of them.

I imagined the scene taking place and the
murmurs of the lords and ladies as they would watch Ivy get
strapped into the chair. Forced to bend at the waist with her arms
still tied behind her back, Ivy’s face would rest in a hole on the
table. One guard would hold her head down as the other would sear
the brand into the back of her neck. It was always the same story,
but only from those who were brave enough to tell the tale.

Kandek did allow each slave one person to
wait for them after the branding. Ivy naturally chose me, so I
waited alone in our sleeping chambers for her return. Not long
after taking Ivy away, the guards returned with her propped up on
their arms.

Her head hung down; the branded fox red and
swollen on the back of her neck. In the background I had heard the
raucous laughter of the partygoers. My stomach flipped as I
realized this would be me in a short time. I had never seen the
immediate after-effects of branding before and I would never
forget.

Throwing her into my waiting arms, the
guards left as quickly as they had come.

“Are you okay?” I whispered into her ear.
Her head lay on my shoulder, my arms around her back.

“When it’s your birthday I promise to hold
your hand until the moment they force me away from you.” Ivy held
her head up to gaze into my eyes. A lone tear escape from a blue
eye. After that, she didn’t speak to me, or anyone else, for three
days.

I helped Ivy hobble to our bunk. Once she
settled into bed with a medicinal poultice made for her by the
herbalist, my duties as her aide were over and I was forced back to
work. The day’s party would dirty many more dishes than normal and
I was needed in the kitchen. But that night we held hands as we
fell asleep.

As I pulled the last of the dishes off the
shelf, tears fell as it hit me how alone I was.

I wondered what anathema meant as I slipped
the coin out of my pocket. I flipped it over and looked at the baby
again. Its head turned and looked straight at me. But it didn’t
wink. Oh no, this time it smacked its hand to its mouth and blew me
a kiss.

Chapter Two

“Reychel,” a low voice whispered from the
doorway. I spun around, not at all surprised to see Grey leaning
against the door. His voice, so low and smooth, occupied many of my
daydreams. I’d recognize it anywhere. “I’ve got a message for
you.”

I wiped my hands on the towel hanging from
my waist and attempted a smile. But as always happened in his
presence, I couldn’t decide whether to smile or talk. Instead a
half smile appeared followed by a tiny noise.

I balled up my fists and pushed my toes into
the tips of my shoes. Would I ever be able to control myself around
him like Ivy did? It was so easy for her, but me, oh no, I thought
I was doomed to a lifetime of stilted words and weird expressions
around boys.

“Happy birthday,” Grey said, rubbing the
brand he received last year. “You’ll do okay. It’s not that
bad.”

“Really?” I asked, stunned. Having seen
Ivy’s return, I wondered if her experience was unusual. A small bit
of hope rose in my chest. Maybe it wouldn’t be as awful as I
feared.

His eyebrows, so pale in color they were
almost invisible, rose up. “Well, yeah, it hurts. I was just trying
to be nice.”