The Empty Ones (Fantasy Romance)

6. Truths, legends and nightly bloodshed

"I'll be damned. The daughter of the great sorcerer himself. It seems The Grand God of Everything does hate us all."

Not even beaten and bruised as she was, she seemed to be able to help herself. Later on, I would think of her often and of this rude honesty of hers, because at court people are mostly reverent and polite on the surface disguising their disdain in hollow compliments.

"No. The gods have a path laid out for all of us. They are neither good nor bad, but impartial. Sometimes, people don't understand or accept what is laid out for them but it doesn't mean there isn't a plan."

That was the theory at least. In practice, even if I was raised religious, I also struggled to accept sometimes the path laid out for me.

"I bet your dad didn't see it that way. It was rumored in the realm he wasn't able to have children, but apparently, he was, just that empty ones."

My expression darkened. Though she was right, this wasn't something pleasant to hear, even for the hundredth time.

"Thought so," she said smirking with a bit of malice. "Your father was not particularly smart though, in my opinion, if he hid you from the world because of that."

"Well, he was disappointed. He was the most powerful mage known and I am empty. A rather disappointing offspring."

"But you ain't that ugly and not even that stupid. I bet a lot of the uptight courtiers would want to marry you only for your looks and fortune. Not right now, right now you look like a scarecrow but if you learn to walk tall, swing your hips, and do your curls like Salma, I am sure they would. My two sisters were empty too but father didn't abandon them, nor did he sell me off. He treated us all equally and made sure we had the best life we could."

At that point, I felt like smiling.

"Hara, the servant that took care of me since I was a baby, told me that too. About the hair I mean, and often. And your father... I am sorry that he died."

"Yeah, me too. You said we ought to be friends now and friends are honest with each other, Weed."

"No, you just enjoy being rude, and stop calling me Weed."

"Ya' think?" she asked again smirking but this time more genuinely. "How should I call you? Zaaa-ree-taaah is awfully long and doesn't fit you."

"Then call me only Zara."

"All right, I can live with that, Zara. Zara means chain in the language of the quizm."

"Chain..." I repeated to myself. I didn't know that word, but it sounded at least powerful if not anything else. "Tell me honestly. Where would you have gone if you would have succeeded to escape? It didn't look like you thought it through very much," I continued, burning to know the answer.

"In the land of the mountain clans."

"Why? Fera said they hate and kill foreigners."

"And Fera is right for a change, but they kill you if they catch you, and I would have been with Chioma."

"So? Chioma is not one of them..."

"No, but her parents had important ties to them."

That sounded interesting, or as interesting as the story of one's life tragedy can be.

"Not sure if relying on that is safe... I mean Chioma's parents weren't that famous, or were they? And what if they wouldn't believe it was her? But anyway, why there? Why at all? The world is dangerous and here at least you have a roof and food."

Mairi frowned again, this time her mimic was more somber.

"I don't want to be anybody's slave. I liked the freedom I had before coming here even if life was dangerous. My destiny is to be a warrior or a famous thief. And well... we went there because we wanted to search for a dragon."