Cold metal shackles. Those were the first things I felt when I opened my eyes. I was hanging by the shackles from the roof. I was in a tiny space down beneath the ground somewhere. I senced rather then saw the five people hanging by shackles from the room. The semidarkness of the room was almost eerie. The place was dark as it was damp.
" you." A coarse voice whispered in the distance. It would have been easy, too easy to ignore it hadn't it called out again.
" Yes, you." It spoke again. Awareness hit me like a brick thrown at my face in the dark. I recognized the owner of the voice as the man closest to the heavy metal door on the other side of the room. " pass me that piece of metal over there. " he was beconing to a piece of metal at my left foot.
"Who are you people?" I asked, pushing the rusty piece of metal to him.
A female voice scoffed sharply. "just people, same as you.all of us were taken from the forest, all strangers to this land." My eyes adjusted to the darkness better and I could see the woman who had just spoken. She two men hang between us where we were. Something was off about her stature though, her right shoulder was bent at an awkward angle, probably from hanging in thee same position for too long.
" how long have you been here?" I prompted.
" my brother and I have been here for close to two months, give or take a few weeks, we haven't really been counting lately. The man over there, doesn't do anything else except eating.we don't really know if he is dumb or it is something the hunters did to him. The other one over there has been here so long we fear he may be dead or close. The man closest to the door is Mariquel. I am Dehvi and my brother beside me is Vedan. What is your name?"
" I am Mi... Mija from the c... city. Why do the hunters lock people here. " I said, almost slipping up.
" all of us were found in the forest. My guess is that they have been conducting some suspicious besiness in the forest which they wouldn't want the world hearing about. It probably has a connection to the castle of Rames, you see the man who comes to feed us, sometimes he is dressed in the castles uniform. I know that because I had been to the castle when I was young and the same uniform he wairs is the same one the guards wore. The man gets to act all important when he wears the damned things; crazy one, that one. From how you speak, I know you are no merchant nor do you know one. What were you doing in the forest?" Dehvi's words came in a fast paced conversational pitch.
" I was with my companions on my way to the vale." I said, sparing the words of the Vertes a thought.
At that moment, the monstrosity of a steel door on the other side of the room was pushed open from the outer side. Two of the men who had taken me walked in, followed by a man in castle uniform. Propably Dehvi's crazy hunter. I thought to myself.
" the last one is finally awake." The man in uniform said while the others continued scrutinizing the ocupants of the room with their eyes. The leader of the hunters, taking a deep drag out of his cigarette stood in front of Mariquel. He was about to speak the moment I sneazed and both men turned towards me in unison.
" you," The leader pointed at me, " we take only merchants and gatherers foreign to our village. You are neither. What do you seek in the forest?"
" i... I got separated from my companions on our way to the vale of the undying." I tried coaxing their accent into my words which went amazingly well even though they felt a little bit coaxed. Everyone paused. All nine eyes snapped towards me at once.
" what?" the leader asked, disbelief etched into his voice.
"I got separated from my companions on my way to the vale?" I repeated.everyone burst into laughter.
" she wants to go to the vale!" the man in uniform could brely talk because he was laughing so hard, clutching his stomach with his hand.
" where did you say you were from?" the leader asked with all traces of humour wiped off his voice. He was holding a piece of my dress and examining it closer. " how are you dressed in swift baulm... they are only sold to the castle of Rames in all of Rameluka. I know that because my nephew Nestir supplies them to the castle. It is no material for servants. Who are you, lady?" everyone was now silent, the tension in the room enough to be cut with a knife... or even a spoon.
" I happen to know the tailor who sews the queens dresses. She is a generous soul." which was not completely a lie. " the queen does not mind giving away old clothes and seeing as Menda the seamstress couldn't really fit into the cloth, I took it for myself. A little persuasion goes a long way."
" hostile?"
" decidedly not."
They looked at each other in turns, then the man in uniform whispered something into the leaders ear. He looked almost faint.they left the room in great urgency.
YOU ARE READING
MINIQA OF RAMES
Fantasy"your voice tells your story It's the only thing they can't take Listen to the song of your heart It's a song you can trust There is no friend in the game, miniqa Beware, be warned You're either the strongest or you're nothing Stay alive, my little...
