Scene 6-05
May 31, 2009‘That’s done – now we can sleep.’ I glanced at our buckets and sighed. ‘Not after we clean this mess I guess.’
‘And have a decent bath. I feel so icky.’ Kalia added.
‘You smell icky too,’ I joked.
‘If my sister Coralie saw me now she’d be rubbing this in for the rest of my life.’
‘Well lucky for you I’m here to do that in her place.’
Kalia poked her tongue at me. I smiled.
‘Seriously Neven, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. You’re stupid – but I’m grateful.’
‘So will you violate the suppers of the sisters again?’
‘Not in a million summers.’
I helped Kalia to her feet. We gathered our buckets and cleaning gear and headed toward the cleaning well.
Kalia stopped. I saw the two girls she was growling at. Jen and Dyc were headed our way.
‘I have a score to settle.’ Kalia stepped toward them.
‘No Kalia – leave it.’ It was too late to convince her as she was already set to battle with the nit-wits.
‘Yah look like a couple of filthy pigs dat need putting down,’ Jen taunted.
I rolled my eyes and tugged at Kalia’s arm to ignore her stupid retort and move on.
‘At least I can get clean. You’re filthy through and through. No matter how much you try, you’ll never be as good as me but always a try-hard.’
‘Ha – yah so stuck-up. I don’t need to try for dah likes of yah?’
‘Oh please – I’m far better than you and we both know it. Why else would you hate me.’ Kalia replied coolly.
‘I’ll make yah face so messed up, you’d wanna someone to put yah down,’ Dyc came back and curled her hands into fists.
‘Oh come on guys – we’ve all had to suffer in some way. Lets leave it for now and annoy each other another day,’ I said as I stepped in between them all.
‘Yah pathetic,’ Dyc hissed at me. ‘Alls know you’d kiss ass than fight – wuzbag.’
‘Neven,’ Kalia whispered at my back. Her hand gripped my shoulder but it didn’t deter my arm’s reaction; the way my hands gripped my bucket, raised it in the air and tipped the gunky – smelly water all over Jen and Dyc.
Their heads were covered with muddy – slimy goo. Kalia and I stepped back to avoid the splatters. We screwed up our noses at the fowl stink coming off them.
‘Ugh!’ Dyc screamed. ‘Yah pay for that wuzbag.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Kalia came back and threw the foulness of her bucket all over them. They were double-dunked.
We both roared with a laughter as they cursed and cried about the stink and blowflies that had swooped in for an opportunity not to miss.
‘Ugh – get ‘em off me!’ Jen waved her arms about, trying to rid herself of the flies swarming her head. She lost her footing; her arm knocked Dyc toward the ground. In an attempt to break her fall, Dyc gripped Jen’s shoulder. Both girls fell to the path with their bottoms in the air and faces near each others cheeks. Laughter came from the kitchen pathway. We turned and saw slave girls pointing fingers at Dyc and Jen’s comic display.
‘Off meh yah git,’ Jen cursed as she poked at Dyc and tried to shove her off with her foot. Dyc pinched and shoved her back.
‘We better go,’ I said and picked up my bucket.
‘I feel so much better,’ Kalia said as we made our way to the cleaning well.
The rest of the morning went without trouble as we cleaned up and made our way to our alcove for some well needed rest.
‘Neven I’m worried something bad is about to happen to you,’ Kalia blurted as I snuggled underneath my blanket. I sat up and faced her.
‘Despite what people think of me, I can look after myself.’
‘I know you can. If the master thinks you’re some key, I’m concerned he might use you in horrible ways.’
I swung my legs over the edge of my cot and sat up. ‘And here I thought you didn’t care.’
‘Oh don’t be like that,’ Kalia yawned. ‘Not after last night. Besides – you’d make a good handmaiden for me if I was still noble.’
‘Prissy.’ I threw my pillow at her.
‘Wuzbag,’ she joked and threw it back. I noticed the wince she tried to hide.
‘Kalia – you alright?’
‘Neven don’t be such a fuss-pot. Of course I’m fine.’
‘Okay – just take it easy then.’
‘you take it easy,’ she said and changed the subject. ‘Seriously Neven, you must remember something of your life.’
I frowned and tried to think back. ‘In my dreams I see weird skies, grand faces and bloody battles, and there’s always these winged snakes.’
‘Okay, that really narrows things down,’ Kalia said sarcastically.
‘Kalia don’t joke. I don’t know why my mind is filled with this stuff. It’s all a mess and nothing related to who I am.’
‘Well the snakes are simple. We have them on our arms so naturally you’d dream of them in some way.’
‘Do you dream of them?’
‘Of course not,’ Kalia snorted. ‘I’m not a nut-case like you.’
‘Thanks for the confidence boost. I feel so special now.’
‘You’re welcome.’ Kalia snuggled into her blankets. ‘We have to find out who you are before the master does. if you do have magic in you, find out how to keep it locked away.’
I frowned. If magic was who I was, why was it so bad to use it. ‘I don’t understand – why can’t I use magic?’
‘Because it’s against the law for anyone but a master. You have to be licensed and have studied at Caldera University for a mastership before you can freely cast spells and stuff. Even then, only the most high-ranked sorcerer is allowed to use destructive magic and other high-level skills. If a slave uses magic – it’s a death sentence.’
‘Jeeze – okay. I promise not to use magic then. Honestly, have you ever seen me do anything magical.’
‘Nope and that’s what worries me. You’re as normal has anyone and the master has this fixation you’re something else.’
‘Well I’m glad to be considered a normal nut-case.’
I sighed and snuggled back underneath my blankets. Thoughts of a river entered my mind and the master’s idea that I was the “dead come back to life” when the old man found me.
‘Stupid nonsense,’ I whispered and though about mentioning this to Kalia. I heard her snores and thought better of it. Besides, she didn’t need to know everything and there were somethings best kept to myself.
Neven, a voiced hissed at the back of my mind. I shook it off and closed my eyes.
‘Go away. Not now,’ I whispered into my sleep.
