CHAPTER 10
Tehvay had no idea what planet she was on. She only knew that it was cold.
She stepped out of the vehicle onto a gravel driveway, frost covered lawns and bushes surrounded the grand house that the Taliss family called home. A heavy, cold mist hung in the morning air. Even though the two Taliss family agents, who had transported her from Timar, were flanking her, Tehvay felt quite alone as she waited whatever came next.
A lanky man in his early fifties, impeccably dressed in a luxurious winter coat, walked out of the house towards her. His dark hair was greying at the temples, and his close-cropped beard showed signs of grey too. A male slave, walking a step behind, accompanied him. The slave wore a short thin jacket over his uniform that supplied him with some protection from the elements.
Tehvay shivered as she waited, her breath shrouding her face, wishing that she had the clothes that Kikola had given her to keep her warm. They were taken from her on Timar, and she was wearing the thin, light-blue, standard issue slave uniform.
The man stopped and regarded her. She lowered her head to show due respect.
"My name is Darith ap Taliss. My father is…was Supreme-Aloyd Durell ap Taliss. I am now head of this family and this house. You'll address all male members of the Taliss Family as 'sir' and all the female members as 'ma'am'. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," replied Tehvay.
In the cold, it felt to Tehvay an awfully long time before he spoke again. "Remove your shirt."
Tehvay was about to protest, but remembered Kikola's words and her training. She obeyed the command. She hoped that the steam coming off her bare skin masked the burning shame she was feeling.
"Turn around," he commanded curtly.
Tehvay turned to face away from Taliss.
He approached and examined her more closely. "I thought you were shot in the back. There's no scar."
"No, sir," said Tehvay. "The doctor removed the scar."
"Why?"
"I don't know, sir. I didn't ask."
Taliss harrumphed. "Put your shirt back on and turn around."
Tehvay hurriedly donned her shirt again. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
"This is Kentop," Taliss gestured to the slave. "It's in charge of allocating the slaves their tasks. It'll see to you now."
"Yes, sir," said Tehvay automatically.
The others departed, leaving Tehvay alone with Kentop. He was about the same height as Tehvay, with short-cropped black hair, dark skin, and brown eyes. The same deep brown as Kikola's eyes, thought Tehvay. I wonder where she is now, and is she missing me as much as I am missing her. Damn it! She admonished herself.
"This way," he said and led Tehvay around to the back of the house.
They passed two slaves working on a garden plot. It surprised Tehvay to see that they were wearing sturdy boots, gloves, and the same thin light-blue jacket that Kentop wore.
Well, at least slaves seem well treated here, Tehvay silently observed. That's something, at least.
Kentop led her into a small courtyard attached to the back of the main building. "When the weather is nicer, and if you've no tasks to attend to, you are permitted to spend time in this courtyard."
They descended a flight of steps from the courtyard to a basement door and entered an antechamber. The room contained several sets of outdoor clothes for the slaves. Another door led into a corridor lined with doors. Kentop stopped outside of one door.
"This will be your cell. Number three." He pointed to the numeral on the door. "Can you read that?"
"Yes."
"Good." He opened the door. Double bunks lined either side of the cell. "The bottom two bunks are occupied. You may have either of the top bunks."
He directed Tehvay to a door on the opposite side of the corridor. "Washing and toilet facilities are on either end of the hall. The cells are not locked, so you may use them at any time."
The washroom was not much larger than the cell. It contained two toilets, a washbasin, and two showerheads. There were no dividers for privacy.
The next room Tehvay was shown was a small dining area.
"Food dispenser, drinking water," Kentop intoned. Straight ahead at the end of the corridor was a flight of stairs, another corridor led to the right. "The stairs go up to the main house. You'll not be permitted up there without express permission from a sir or ma'am." He walked off down the adjoining corridor. "Do you have any experience with cooking?"
"No," replied Tehvay.
"Humph," Kentop muttered. "I've assigned you to the laundry, anyway. But if you ever work in the kitchen," he pointed at the first door, "do not consider stealing any food."
"I won't."
"You should be made aware that for any offence our owners think deserves punishment, all slaves are punished for it."
"Does it happen often?"
"Occasionally. Usually the punishment is a temporary rationing of food or water, or a spell on the troidion."
"The troidion?" Tehvay didn't like the sound of that.
"It's a treadmill with an angled platform, you have to walk at a certain pace for a length of time. If you fail to maintain the pace, then you start again. It's like a continuous walk uphill."
"I guess it's a good incentive for all slaves to behave. What about beatings?" asked Tehvay.
Kentop gave her a quizzical look. "The Taliss do not beat their slaves. Did Aloyd Karthen beat you?"
"No. Other owners have though," she replied.
"I hope your behaviour has improved."
Tehvay didn't like the tone of his voice. It wasn't my behaviour that needed improving, she wanted to say, but she held her tongue. Head down, she reminded herself.
Kentop moved further down the corridor. "The laundry. Your shift will be from 08:00 to 21:30. By the way, we keep to the standard twenty-five-hour Kalenth day in the house. Though I guess you're used to that from the military. The Alopan day, however, is only twenty-two hours seventeen minutes, so it will not always be daylight when the clock says it should be. It is 17:05 now, but morning local time."
"Alopan? Is that the name of this planet?"
"Yes. Didn’t you know?"
Tehvay shook her head.
"Humph," Kentop repeated disapprovingly. "Your duties in the laundry will be to load and unload the machines and prepare the laundry for delivery to the upper floors. It'll be delivered down to you from that chute," he pointed to the corner of the steamy laundry. "It'll go back up on the lift – over there. The others," he nodded at the two slaves currently working away, "will show you the finer details of the job. Any questions?"
Yes, thought Tehvay. Where's Kikola? "No."
Being assigned a job that had her working downstairs, away from the owners, was a great relief to Tehvay. Remembering Kikola's last instructions to 'be good', the less contact she had with the Taliss Family members the better, in her book.
"Good," Kentop acknowledged, "then I will leave you to your task."
By the end of the day, Tehvay was exhausted. She hadn't done such physical work for a long time. Though she was fairly fit, Tehvay's muscles were aching when the shift finished. She hoped that she wouldn't have time to get used to a full thirteen-and-a-half-hour shift – that Kikola would find a way to rescue her.
Tehvay had something to eat and a shower before going to her cell. When she entered the small room, there were two other slaves, both male, lying in the lower bunks. They looked up as she entered.
They were the two she had seen working outside in the garden when she had arrived. They both had light brown hair and green eyes. They could have been related, but Tehvay didn't bother asking. Slaves tended not to have conversations among themselves. They had very few topics of which they felt the need to talk about. Rarely were slaves, outside of the slave hostels, sexually intimate with each other, so Tehvay had no concerns about stripping off and climbing into one of the top bunks. As expected, they paid her no attention.
As she settled down, Tehvay's thoughts turned to Kikola. She quickly pushed them away. A slave that cried itself to sleep would be seen as defective and put down.
~~~~
A week had gone by, and Tehvay was trying to make the most of a bad situation. Her job in the laundry, however, was mind-numbingly tedious. It gave her little distraction from brooding about the circumstances that took her away from Kikola and the promise of a life of being loved and respected, if not completely free. Still, she lived in hope that one more load, one more hour, one more day brought her one step closer to being reunited.
There were only a couple of hours of her shift left when there was a lull in the work. Tehvay took the opportunity for a toilet break. As she sat there, Kentop came in. He made no apology for walking in on her, and Tehvay didn't expect one. Slaves had no expectation of privacy.
"One of the ma'ams, Jenissa, needs a slave to accompany her to afternoon tea," he said. "Her personal slave is ill. You can do it."
"Tomorrow?"
"No. Now. Hurry up."
"It's late for afternoon tea."
"Not on local time. Have a shower and change your clothes first. I will take you to her."
Tehvay hurriedly showered and changed, and then met Kentop at the bottom of the stairs. He headed up without a word. Tehvay followed. The Taliss house appeared more opulent than the Karthen estate. Kikola's house was quite uncluttered and modern compared to this one. Tables laden with vases and figurines lined the lushly carpeted corridors. Every two metres, was a portrait of a long dead family member or landscape of the house and gardens. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, bathing everything in a golden light.
Standing in the large hallway at the foot of a large staircase was a young woman of about eighteen. She was tall, which seemed to be a family trait, and her hair was a mass of long golden curls that tumbled perfectly over her shoulders. Her face dropped on seeing Tehvay.
"Is that the new one?" she asked Kentop.
"Yes, ma'am. It's the only one available," he replied.
"Oh well, never mind. It's certainly not the best one with whom to be seen out in public, but it is better than no slave at all. Your name is Tevit, is that right?" The girl's smile returned.
"Tehvay, ma'am," she replied as calmly as she could.
"Tehvay, right. Ugly name." She shuddered. "Perhaps I should call you Tevit." She laughed as if it were the funniest thing ever. "Come along, 'Tevit'. I have an appointment in town, and I don't want to be late."
Tehvay had to hurry to keep up with the long strides of Jenissa, but thankfully the distance to the waiting vehicle was not too great. Jenissa insisted that Tehvay ride with her in the main passenger compartment and not the slave compartment.
"They are awfully cramped and who knows what you get up to in there!" she gleefully informed Tehvay.
The journey from the Taliss estate to the centre of Alopan's capital city took about twenty minutes. The vehicle came to a stop outside a lavish looking hotel. Jenissa issued a "Come along" to Tehvay and walked briskly inside. There were two other young women about Jenissa's age waiting in the lobby. They rushed forward and took it in turns to embrace the Taliss woman in greeting. Eventually one of them looked at Tehvay.
"Oh, no Menari?" she queried.
"No, Bree. It decided to be ill today."
"How inconsiderate," declared Bree.
"Very," agreed Jenissa.
"So, what is this one called?" asked the other, whose name was Purdit.
"Tevit!" Jenissa laughed. "No. I joke. It is called Tehvay."
"Oh. I think I prefer Tevit," pouted Purdit.
This is going to be a long, painful afternoon, thought Tehvay.
Her thought turned out to be true. Tehvay stood there for nearly three hours as the three young women chattered inanely, giggled, and picked at tiny portions of expensive food. Boredom and tiredness made it a struggle for Tehvay to stay awake. More than once, she found her eyes closing, and felt herself falling. The sound of her name brought her to alertness.
"Tehvay was shot!" Jenissa announced in an inappropriately cheerful manner.
"Is that so?" asked Purdit.
"Oh, tell us!" Bree was almost bouncing in her seat. "Tell us, slave, what was it like to be shot?"
"Go on," prompted Jenissa. "We would all like to hear what it was like."
"Painful, ma'am," said Tehvay as evenly as she could. She prayed that they wouldn't want to look at the invisible scar.
"There must be more," said Purdit. "More than just painful."
"It was sudden, ma'am. I was walking, and then I was on the ground. Then there was the pain."
"Were you scared?"
"I would be scared!" proclaimed Bree. "How scared were you?"
"It happened too quickly for me to be scared. After the pain, I passed out."
"Oh." Bree looked deflated.
"Did you scream from the pain?" asked Jenissa.
"No, ma'am. As I said, it happened so quickly."
Tehvay didn't want to relive every excruciating detail about being shot. It wasn't so much the physical pain, as it was a reminder of all she had gained and lost in the aftermath of that day. Thankfully for Tehvay, the three young women moved on to another topic of conversation.
When Jenissa and her friends finished their tea, they left the restaurant. It was dark outside and a brilliant clear, star-filled sky sprawled above them. Tehvay looked up. Which one of those lights is you, Kikola? she thought. Please hurry.
The vehicle set off and the gentle rocking lulled Tehvay to sleep.
"Are you asleep?"
Jenissa's voice startled Tehvay.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. I worked a long shift in the laundry before accompanying you."
"Oh. I didn't know. You must be awfully tired, it is nearly 01:00."
Tehvay thought she heard genuine concern in Jenissa's voice.
"I am, ma'am." She sat up straight. "Sorry, ma'am."
"Don't apologise. I shall have words with Kentop. It should have selected another. In fact, I shall inform Kentop that you be excused from your duties tomorrow, so you may rest."
"That's very kind of you, ma'am."
"Yes, it is," said Jenissa. "I am pleased you recognise tha– Ashee!" Her words were cut off by a stifled, lady-like sneeze. She sneezed a couple more times before she managed to wrestle a handkerchief from her bag. She blew her nose with as much grace as it is possible to do so. "I believe Menari must have infected me. It was sneezing and looking decidedly wretched earlier on. The physician confined it to bed."
She dabbed her nose a few times, tucked the handkerchief in her sleeve, and continued chattering away as though Tehvay was one of her adolescent girlfriends and not a slave. "What did you think of Bree and Purdit?"
"It's not my place to say, ma'am."
"You're well trained." Jenissa fell silent for a few moments before continuing the conversation. "My parents wish I wouldn't see Bree and Purdit. They're not Elit, only Fethusal, but I like them. Oh, I know they are not the best for stimulating conversation, but they are amiable and I enjoy their company. They also like me for who I am and not my position. Mother and father insist that if I am to see them, then I should have a slave with me to demonstrate my social standing."
"Yes, ma'am," Tehvay replied, not knowing what else to say.
"You have not met Menari, my personal slave, have you?"
"I don't think so, ma'am."
"No. It sleeps in a cell adjoining my rooms, so that it is near if I need it."
Tehvay noticed the young Elit's increasing discomfort with the word 'it' when speaking about her personal slave, Menari.
"It is very attentive," Jenissa continued, "and rather more pleasant to look at than you." The young woman hastened to add, "No insult intended."
What do I say to that? Tehvay wondered. She had never been insulted in such a bizarre manner. A 'Yes, ma'am' or a 'No, ma'am' seemed an utterly pointless reply so she remained silent.
After a succession of demure sneezes, Jenissa continued to fill the time with ruminations about her personal slave. "When I am seen out with Menari, people look and that makes me proud. Proud that Menari is mine. The respect and… envy that such a fine slave elicits from others makes me feel… uh, I mean, it underlines my standing."
The conversation about Menari seemed to have run its course, because for a couple of minutes Jenissa said nothing. Instead, she pensively stared out her frosted window at the dark landscape passing by.
"I shall be leaving this planet, shortly" said Jenissa. "I shall be going to live with my Aunt Ultessi. She is governor of Yun'thul. I shall learn from her, and one day I will have governorship of a planet myself. Menari will come with me of course." She looked over at Tehvay. "A governor will need more than one slave. Perhaps I might take you."
Tehvay's stomach clenched at the thought of being taken away from the Taliss estate. How will Kikola know where to find me? She thought. Still, Tehvay pulled a stock reply from her brain. "Yes, ma'am."
Jenissa sneezed again. "Curse Menari for this," she muttered. "I fear I shall be confined to bed tomorrow, just like her."
It did not escape Tehvay's notice that Jenissa had used the word 'her' and not 'it'; however, she pretended not to hear it. The rest of the trip back to the Taliss home was mercifully spent in silence.
On arrival at the Taliss home, the vehicle pulled up to the main doors, and a slave hurried over to open the passenger door. Jenissa sniffled as she climbed out. Tehvay followed her young mistress up the walkway to the grand front entrance of the house. Jenissa's strides were not as long as when she left. Tehvay noticed she looked flushed, and beads of perspiration stood out on her forehead. Jenissa recognised that she was not well and directed the slave who opened the door to have the physician sent to her room.
"I will need your assistance, Tehvay," said Jenissa and set off up the stairs.
Tehvay felt exhausted herself, but had little choice. So much for being excused from my duties tomorrow, thought Tehvay. "Yes, ma'am."
They entered an excessively decorated bedroom: patterned wallpaper, lace window hangings, pictures, dolls, vases, and flowers; it overwhelmed her senses. To Tehvay, it stood in stark contrast to the minimalist furnishings in Kikola's bedroom at the Karthen estate. As soon as they were inside, Jenissa removed her coat and thrust it at Tehvay, who had to grab it quickly before it fell to the floor.
A side door opened, and a slave appeared. Tehvay guessed it must be Menari. She understood why Jenissa had said she was more pleasant to look at than Tehvay. She was taller than Tehvay, closer in height to Jenissa, and only a couple of years older than her mistress. Now, Tehvay could see for herself that Jenissa had not exaggerated her personal slave's physical beauty. Despite being ill, Menari was indeed stunning: finely chiselled nose, long slender neck, high cheek bones, skin the colour of chocolate, and hair a mass of black curls to rival Jenissa's blonde ones.
"Menari! What are you doing out of bed?" Jenissa scolded.
Tehvay detected a tone in the scold that was more worry than anger.
"I heard you come in. I thought you might need help… ma'am."
"I will be all right. Tehvay will attend me. You must return to your bed and get some re–es–Ashee!" Jenissa punctuated the command with a sneeze.
"Oh no, don't tell me you caught it too?"
"It appears so. I will be fine. The physician is coming. Now return to your cell."
Tehvay watched this exchange with more than a passing interest, though she didn't let on. They hide it well, she thought, but it was apparent that there was more between the two young women than mistress and slave.
"Yes, ma'am," Menari said after a while. She bowed her head and shuffled back to her room.
"When you have seen to me, you may sleep in Menari's cell," Jenissa told Tehvay. "There are blankets and pillows in the cupboard in there. I am afraid you'll have to use the floor, but I suspect you have slept in worse places."
"Yes, ma'am."
"I know you're tired, but you may have to get up to attend me during the night. I would also like you to attend Menari. The physician gave her some tablets to take and she—" Jenissa had caught her slip and a panicked look came over her face. She tried to cover the pause with a sneeze. "Oh, dear me. I am quite out of sorts. My head is buzzing like a wasps' nest. I was saying something, probably nothing important."
"Let me help you to bed, ma'am."
"Yes. The physician should be here soon."
Jenissa changed into a long nightdress and climbed into bed. "Water!" she pointed to a decanter and glass on a nearby table.
Tehvay poured a glass of water and handed it to Jenissa, who took a small sip.
There was a knock on the door, and Tehvay answered it. The physician was a short woman with neatly trimmed grey hair, though she didn't seem that old, and her face was unlined by age. She took one look at Jenissa and reached her diagnosis.
"Rantili Fever."
"You gave everyone inoculations a few days ago. First Menari, and now I have come down with it. How is that possible?"
"The virus incubates for some time before symptoms appear. The inoculations prevent infection, but cannot kill the virus if you are already infected. I am sorry."
Jenissa looked at Tehvay. "You'll probably come down with it now. You weren't here when we were given the jab."
"I was given an injection for it a couple months ago, ma'am," Tehvay replied.
"It should be fine to look after you," the physician said to Jenissa without so much as a glance at Tehvay.
She opened her bag, pulled out a bottle of tablets, and held it up. "Two of these three times a day: when you get up, middle of the day and bedtime. Make sure she takes them." She handed the bottle to Tehvay, again without looking at her. "And drink plenty of fluids. Three days, and it should all be over."
"Three days of feeling miserable, headaches and fever. I cannot wait," Jenissa said.
Neither can I, thought Tehvay.
Tevhay nursed both Jenissa and Menari around the clock while the Rantili Fever ran its course.
By the third day, Menari insisted she was well enough to cope looking after Jenissa. Tehvay could see relief on both of their faces as she finally left to return downstairs. She was more than convinced from subtle signs that mistress and slave were in love. It made her smile and think of Kikola, but her smile was replaced by longing and doubt.
It was so long since they were parted. Tehvay tried counting the days: Two or three days on Timar. Seven or eight days to travel from Timar to Alopan. Nine, ten, eleven days on Alopan? The days had blurred and she could not recall. Surely Kikola would have come for me by now, she thought. Did I misunderstand? Has Kikola forgotten me and abandoned me to my fate?
She fought down the panic that threatened to surface. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself.
No! I must be patient. I must believe.
~~~~
Jenissa sat propped up in bed drinking a glass of fruit juice, while Menari sat on the bed waiting to take the glass away when her mistress was finished. Jenissa hurried to drink the last of the juice, before handing the empty glass back. In doing so, Menari's hand brushed against her skin. To Jenissa, Menari's touch felt like a brisk morning walk in the bright sunshine. She smiled as she recalled the day she first laid eyes on Menari.
Menari had been fifteen at the time and the Taliss family were her first owners. Before then, Menari had spent her life at a slave hostel where she had been selected for the slave-breeding programme. From the age of twelve, she was bred several times a year, but she never got pregnant. When tests revealed that Menari was infertile, she was put up for sale and bought by the Taliss family to be a personal slave for Jenissa. It was a tradition in the family that at thirteen a Taliss was given a personal slave – one that would serve them and go with them when they left home or started their own family.
It was love at first sight, Jenissa remembered, though she didn't have the words or experience to describe it as such then.
One time, when all the slaves were to be punished on the troidion, it took Menari ten hours to complete the punishment at the given pace. When she returned to her cell she could barely stand. Jenissa took Menari to her own bed and held her as they both wept.
Jenissa was fifteen by the time she fully understood her feelings for Menari and acted upon them. Also, by that time she knew how wrong those feelings were among Elit society. It had increasingly become a struggle to maintain the charade in front of others. However, the last few days, under the effects of Rantili Fever, she was worried that she had let it slip. She knew for a fact that on at least one occasion, in front of Tehvay, she had referred to Menari as a person. However, the new slave either did not hear her, or kept the oversight to itself.
"What do you think of Tehvay?" Jenissa asked Menari.
"Do you like her more than me?" Menari sounded unnerved by the prospect.
"No!" Jenissa reached out and laid a comforting hand on the slave's arm. "How could I? She's old and ugly." While Jenissa found it frustrating to have to refer to Menari as 'it' to others, she also found it odd to refer to other slaves as 'he' or 'she' to Menari. She did it because every time she referred to a slave as 'it', Jenissa could see it hurt Menari.
"She attended you well," Menari admitted.
"She did, but not anywhere near as well as you do." Jenissa moved her hand up to stroke Menari's cheek. "Did she attend you well?"
"Yes."
"I think you deserve that more often. I have decided that when it's time for me to leave for my aunt's house, Tehvay will come with us. She can take over the more menial tasks that you do." Jenissa smiled shyly. "I will still require you to attend me."
Menari slowly leaned forward, pausing within centimetres of Jenissa's lips. "I will insist on that."
~~~~
Another ten days had passed. Ten days of mindless drudgery in the laundry. Ten days of sleeping and working. Ten days of hope slipping away. To Tehvay it might as well have been ten years.
Freedom was becoming a distant memory for her. Tehvay no longer had to play at being a slave – she was one. She did not feel anything when she bowed her head whenever she saw a member of the Taliss family. She did not feel anything when she said 'Yes, sir' or 'Yes, ma'am'. She did not feel anything when her muscles ached from loading and unloading the laundry machines all day long. She did not feel anything.
It was 05:30 Kalenth Standard Time – time for the slaves to start their day. Her cell mates were doing their best to catch a little more sleep. Tehvay longed for the oblivion that sleep provided, but she answered the alarm and climbed down from her bed. As she exited her cell, Kentop was waiting for her.
"Ma'am Jenissa has need of you. Report to her bedroom at 06:30."
Tehvay nodded her acceptance and went about her morning routine.
After completing it, she went upstairs. She knocked on the door to Jenissa's bedroom. After a few moments, Menari opened it and stepped aside to allow Tehvay admittance. Tehvay stepped inside and took a couple of paces to her right to stand against the wall and await her orders.
Jenissa was standing by the window, watching snow drift down from a grey-white sky.
"I hate snow," she declared. "I will make sure that the planet I govern has no snow. I shall forbid it!" She giggled and turned around to look at Tehvay. "Tehvay, I have spoken to my uncle Darith, and he has agreed that I may have you. We will leave for Yun'thul within the hour."
"Yes, ma'am."
"I wish to clarify your position. Menari will continue to be my personal slave. You'll be responsible for other duties. If Menari gives you an order, you're to assume it comes directly from me, and you'll obey it. Is that clear?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Now, return to your cell, collect your spare uniform, and wait in the main hall."
"Yes, ma'am."
Tehvay left her mistress' room and made her way down the back staircase that led to the slaves' quarters. With each step, she sank deeper into despair. If I leave the Taliss estate, how will Kikola ever find me?
In a daze, Tehvay packed her spare uniform and returned upstairs to the main hall.
The whole household turned up in the main hall to say goodbye to Jenissa – parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings. Menari and Tehvay waited by the front door with Jenissa's luggage, ignored by everyone for the duration of the send-offs.
"Come along," Jenissa said brightly as she swept by her two slaves. Menari and Tehvay picked up Jenissa's bags, fell into step behind her, and followed her to the vehicle waiting to take Jenissa to Alopan's main spaceport.
It had been snowing for three days straight and although it had been ploughed, the pavement was icing over. Kentop was standing by the vehicle. He opened the door and helped Jenissa into the vehicle so she didn't slip and fall.
"Goodbye, Kentop," Jenissa said.
"Good luck, ma'am," he replied.
Menari and Tehvay walked around to other side of the vehicle, and climbed in. Menari sat next to her mistress in the middle of the bench seat. Tehvay sat in a fold down seat next to the window opposite the empty space. Once the occupants were settled, Kentop closed the door and signalled the driver to drive on.
When they passed through the Taliss estate's main gate, Jenissa turned to have one last look at her family home. "I shall miss it," she said wistfully, wiping a tear off her cheek. The young woman turned back around and put on a brave face, "However, I will not miss this weather. The governor's palace on Yun'thul has a much more agreeable clime."
"I remember the winter we spent there two years ago," said Menari. "Ma'am," she quickly added.
Tehvay regarded the two young women with something akin to empathy. She knew what they were going through, and how hard it was to hide their feelings. It reminded Tehvay of how much she was missing Kikola.
As the vehicle slowly made its way along the slick white roads, Jenissa and Menari were chatting away about the new adventure Jenissa was embarking upon. Tehvay just stared out the window. This was no great new adventure for her. A deep sadness filled her as the Taliss estate disappeared from view. How is Kikola going to find me now? She lamented inwardly.
Suddenly the driver's voice burst over the intercom. "I'm afraid there's blockage on the road we need to take to the spaceport. I'll have to take a diversion."
"Very well," said Jenissa.
A few minutes later, they joined a queue of slow-moving traffic that was being diverted off the main road onto a secondary road. After several kilometres, the driver took another road and headed across country. The snow outside had stopped, and the sun was starting to shine beneath the clouds as it neared the horizon.
The vehicle came to a halt on a deserted road.
"Driver!" Jenissa keyed the intercom. "Why are you stopping?"
There was no response.
"Randolin! Answer me!"
"Ma'am?" Menari was suddenly scared and held onto Jenissa's arm.
"It will be fine, Menari," the Elit said, trying to calm her slave.
Tehvay felt a sudden surge of hope that this was Kikola affecting a rescue.
Randolin got out and came to the passenger compartment. He pulled the door open. A cold blast of air made all three women shiver.
"What are you doing? Take me to the spaceport this instant."
The driver pulled something out of his pocket, and Jenissa found herself staring down the barrel of a weapon.
"You, out," he barked at Jenissa.
"Not until you tell me what is going on," she replied.
He didn't ask her again. The well-muscled man reached in, dragged Jenissa out of the car by her arm, and threw her to the ground.
Menari made a move towards Jenissa, but the driver waved the weapon in her direction.
"Stay," he warned her.
She sat back down and looked to Tehvay for what they should do. Tehvay shrugged.
Randolin pulled a cylinder from his pocket and pressed it to Jenissa's neck. She stopped all her struggling. He picked her up and dumped her back in the vehicle, then grabbed her bag containing her personal communicator and tossed it to the side of the road.
"Now, you're going to sit there, nice and quiet," he said to the slaves. "Understand?"
Menari nodded nervously. Tears were running down her cheeks.
"Hey, blondie, do you understand?" he directed his question at Tehvay.
"Yes," Tehvay replied calmly, though both her pulse and her mind were racing.
He got back in and drove off. Menari slipped off the seat to lie on the floor and hold Jenissa, who was still unconscious.
Tehvay was trying to make sense of what was going on. If this is an attempt to rescue me, she thought, then why did he treat Jenissa so roughly? Drugging her might've been necessary so she didn't try to stop him from freeing me, Tehvay reasoned, but why not dump the two of them on the side of the road and take off? And where's Kikola?
Darkness was falling when the vehicle pulled into a narrow lane and stopped outside an old abandoned farm building. The driver flung the door open and pulled on Jenissa's leg.
"Out you get!"
The bracing night air was chilly enough to have revived Jenissa somewhat. She kicked feebly against the manhandling and the driver let go. With Menari's help, she got out of the compartment.
"You too," he called to Tehvay. "Out!"
Tehvay silently obeyed. Glancing around, Tehvay expected Kikola to come out of the shadows, but she didn't.
Their kidnapper drew his IPB again and ushered all three women into the abandoned building, locking them in a dark room. They huddled together for warmth, in the unspoken belief that somehow it made them safer.
They were not left in the dark for too long, because a few moments later. the lights and heating came on.
Tehvay took in her surroundings as she moved a few paces away from the other two. The room appeared to be some sort of kitchen. An old food dispenser was embedded in one wall, with wires hanging from a broken panel. A small hob and sink were on the opposite wall next to a barred and locked door. A grimy metal table had been upended and pushed haphazardly into a corner, and a solitary chair lay on its side near the door they had been brought in by.
"I'm scared," The twenty-year-old slave whispered, as she clung to her mistress.
"Don't worry, he wouldn't dare harm us," Jenissa said, trying to sound brave.
Suddenly, the door was flung open, startling the two younger women and adding to their already heightened state of anxiety. Tehvay, on the other hand, had been conditioned to expect the unexpected from cruel and capricious owners, so she was prepared for anything that might happen. She remained, at least outwardly, composed.
It was their driver, Randolin, who returned carrying a case. He picked up the chair, set it upright and sat down, opened the case, and pulled out a bottle of some kind of beverage. He took a swig and pulled out another bottle.
"Anyone thirsty?" he asked.
"I demand to know why you have brought us here, and what you want with me," Jenissa said.
"Aren't we all high and mighty then?" he scoffed.
"You must want something," Jenissa said in a less haughty tone.
"What do you think?" Randolin asked.
"Money, most probably."
"Well done. You've earned yourself a drink." He tossed the bottle at her.
Jenissa fumbled it, but managed to stop it from hitting the floor. She handed the bottle to Menari and addressed her kidnapper. "I need not remind you that kidnapping an Elit is punishable by death."
Randolin laughed. "Got to catch me first."
"I am late for my flight." Jenissa changed tactics and tried to reason with him. "Someone will be searching for me right now."
The corners of his lips curled into a self-satisfied smirk. "Not yet. I informed your flight that we're stuck in traffic because of the road blockage. It'll be another couple of hours before anyone starts to miss you."
The muscular man got up from the chair and approached Jenissa with a licentious look that Tehvay had seen all too often. He used his weapon to wave the two slaves away, circled the young Elit woman, and ogled her. "How much do you think I'll get for you?"
"My family will pay whatever you ask. Just take me home."
The man invaded her personal space, and grabbed her. "Do you think I'll get less if you're a little damaged?"
She pushed against his chest. "If you touch me, you'll only be buying yourself a prolonged and more painful end."
He replied with a taunting laugh. "Heh… by the time they find you, I will be long gone."
Jenissa struggled against him, but he was too strong.
"Leave her alone!" Menari demanded.
Randolin looked over Jenissa's shoulder at the slave with a leer. There was no such severe penalty for assaulting a slave, so he pushed Jenissa away and pointed a finger at Menari.
"You! Come here."
"Stay where you are, Menari!"
Menari was a well-trained slave. Tehvay suspected that even if Menari didn't have feelings for her mistress, she would have obeyed the command.
Jenissa stood a few centimetres taller than their kidnapper, but he was armed and there was no contest as to who would win if things became physical. Yet, she had stood her ground.
Is it Elit arrogance or is she truly being brave and standing up for herself and Menari against the odds – something that Kikola didn't do for me? Tehvay thought.
Randolin laughed and turned away, he paced the room slowly. Something caught his attention, and he stopped his pacing and reached into the sink. "Good job you didn't find this when I was gone," he said as he produced a knife from the basin. "You!" He pointed at Tehvay with the knife. "You come here."
"Stay where you are, Tehvay!"
Until that moment, Tehvay had detached herself from the fear of what was going on, because she was convinced she was being rescued, and she accepted that if Jenissa and Menari were injured in the process, she could live with that. However, it became increasingly clear that Randolin was only there for one thing – to kidnap Jenissa for ransom. The lives of two slaves were of no consequence, so if she was going to die, then she was going to make her own choices.
Tehvay ignored Jenissa's command and approached their abductor. Her heart started pounding and her throat constricted in fear. Is he going to kill me first, then the others?
"Not so well trained this one," Randolin jeered at the Elit girl. He turned and spoke to Tehvay. "Your life of slavery is over. Time to take revenge on those who have ground you under their heel all these years." He turned the blade in his hand and held it out to Tehvay. "Take the knife," he said. "Kill her."
Tehvay stared at the handle being offered to her, confused and scared. Is he playing some kind of twisted game – having me do his dirty work?
He held the knife out to Tehvay. "If you want your freedom, here is your chance. You owe her nothing."
That is when Tehvay's mind detached from all rational thought. As though it were someone else, she watched her left hand reach out and grasp the handle of the knife. As she felt the handle settle into her palm, Tehvay felt the last shred of hope, that she and Kikola would ever be reunited, slipping away. Her destiny was in her own hands now. She turned to face Jenissa.
To her credit, the young woman didn't beg, didn't plead. She didn't try to order Tehvay to put the knife down. Jenissa merely stated a fact. "If you do what he says, you'll die."
"I know." Tehvay slowly raised her eyes to look at her owner. She held the knife up.
"I cannot prevent that, but I want you to know that I forgive you," said Jenissa.
Something snapped inside Tehvay. All her pent-up resentment exploded to the surface, and she held nothing back. "No. No!" she shouted. "You don't get to forgive me! You do not!"
She got right up in Jenissa's face and pointed the knife at the young Elit woman. "I was free once," she continued to rant. "Did you know that? Free to come and go as I please; free to look another person in the eye; free from people like you denying me my basic human rights."
Tehvay moved forward each time she said the word 'free', backing Jenissa up into a corner of the room. "No more! I don't give you the right to forgive me! I don't give you any rights over me! I! Am! Free!"
The knife sliced and blood flowed.