31

31

"Ask me questions,” he demanded.

I had to grin at him. He had the stance of a fighter waiting for a

physical blow. Knowing how much Master Damien hated questions, I

could only imagine how this man felt. Here was a mighty Warrior stuck

with the most annoying babysitting job on the planet.

"Could you tell me about you and your brothers, Keeper?" I asked shyly.

The man grinned and relaxed. He didn't mind talking about his family.

My curiosity was strange, but it was a topic he adored.

He and his brothers had originally lived across the sea, a long way

away. They were sent here by the Administrators when he had just

reached Warrior status. He told me about the other village when I asked

about it.

Fuji's owners had not been happy in the other compound. There was

another family there they fought with constantly. When they were just

boys they could be kept apart, but as adults they had the freedom to

seek each other out. It had been a constant battle between the two

groups.

This village was better, he told me. The men were more agreeable and

less temperamental. He liked the other Warriors. While he enjoyed

fighting with the bandits, discord in the compound was unpleasant. The

Administrators had been good to them and sent them a nice place.

I pondered this strange piece of information. The Administrators

worked for the women. The women must have not been happy this

man and his brothers were upset. They moved them so they would fit in

better.

The whole story was very paternalistic or in this case maternalistic.

As we got up to leave he looked at me quizzically, "I do not understand,

slave. Have you been made happy?”

I looked around the little forest and remembered my friend. Being here

made me feel closer to him. "Yes, thank you Keeper, I enjoyed my mid

day meal."

We went back to the compound and I thought about Christof. I hoped

he was doing well. Worries started to crawl around my brain, I stumbled

over a root because I was perseverating on him. The Warrior I was with

steadied me as he looked in my face.

"I have a sense for things, slave. I know you are worried about Christof.

He will be fine. I do not understand what has happened to him. You

must stay well while your Warriors are gone. I know humans become ill

when they worry," he said leading me back to the compound.

"Yes, Keeper," I answered dutifully.

I went into the ocean as usual in the afternoon. I slipped through the

grate and explored the deep water. The pull of the current was

phenomenal deep down. I got caught in it and it pulled me a good way

out. I made it back through the grate just as the Keepers were starting

to pull everyone together. I chastised myself for almost getting caught.

As I pulled myself out of the water Fuji screamed. I jumped back and

stared at her. All the girls were staring below my waist. I looked down

and saw a bloody gash down the front of my right thigh. When I had

gotten caught in the current I had slipped against a rock ledge, I didn't

realize I was cut that badly. The wound was pouring blood.

The Keepers lost their minds, to put it simply. I was carried, despite my

objections, back to the compound. They cleaned the jagged cut and

started to apply a thick paste over it. Usually the men that cared for us

were calm and distant; now they were nearly hysterical.

When the Warriors arrived I saw why. I jumped in between the two

groups because Fuji's owners had drawn their blades in anger. They

were approaching the Keepers with deadly intent.

"Please, it was my fault," I begged with hands extended, "I'm really

clumsy," I begged.

They looked like Master Damien looked the last time I saw him. I was

trembling in fear. It kept escaping my attention I was someone's

property and they didn't want me damaged.

"Slave Keepers," the leader of Fuji's owner addressed the other men,

"show us how to care for this until we get it to a healer.”

The wound had started to drip blood the minute I stood up. The

daytime Keepers showed Fuji's owners how to clean a human's wound

and packed it with the thick cream again. My whole thigh was wrapped

tightly in a piece of cloth. I wasn't permitted to walk to the transport

pad and was carried like a child.

Healers came to see me and didn't mention we were already

acquainted. Much like on earth they used something to numb the area

and then used a needle to close the wound. Thick cream was applied

over the top again and my leg was wrapped

I was laid on the bed and fed my dinner there. By now, my leg was

really starting to throb.

"Keepers, I'm very sorry, but is there anything for the pain,” I whispered

looking down. I doubted there was and they still looked furious.

The man from lunch returned into the room with a small tub of foul

smelling goop he spread over my chest. At first I thought the smell

would nauseate me and then I didn't care. My leg didn't hurt and I was

so tired.

They let me lay down and one of Fuji's men lay next to me. I watched

his face and it seemed to distort like in a carnival glass mirror. Reaching

out, I wanted to touch his eyebrows, which appeared to be walking

across his face.

After my third thwarted attempt to touch him, my wrists were tied to

the beam in the center of the bed. I didn't really care and drifted to a

weird dream filled sleep.

Fuji woke me up cautiously the next morning; her cool fingers were

drifting over my face. Once I was up her owners carried me to the

bathroom. The men sponged me off and let me relieve myself. They

placed me carefully back in the bed afterward. I was glad to get out of

my full morning “cleaning’

"We get our own Keepers this day," Fuji whispered to me. "My owners

don't want us to go back until you are well. They say your Masters may

kill the old Keepers, anyway."

I groaned and tried to reason with Fuji; she didn't really see a problem

with their logic. Her Masters didn't want to listen to me and found my

reasoning obtuse. Master Damien and his brothers would punish the

Keepers as they saw fit.

Fuji and I spent the day on the bed playing card games. She brought in

the little drums and we played with those too. The Keepers we were left

with regularly put the smelly stuff on my chest, so I also slept a lot.

When the Healers showed up to look at my leg I was really surprised. It

was completely healed. They removed the stitches and placed a thin

sheen of cream over the scar.

By my standards the line was almost invisible, but when the Warriors

saw it they all clucked their tongues. They commented how large a scar

it was and how it marred my skin. Panic overtook me as I realized my

owners may not want me if I had a new flaw.

"Are they going to get rid of me now?" I asked Fuji's owners while

fussing over the thin white line.

It didn't make me feel any better when her Warriors told me there

would be another buyer if that was the case.

I was judged well enough to walk and followed them down the

bathhouse. They didn't want me in the water and left me in their alcove.

I found a deck of cards and played what I considered a game of

solitaire.

I kept my head down, but there were a steady stream of men that

walked by appraising me. Several commented amongst themselves

what they would bid if Master Damien was agreeable. The scar was

present, but it would not overly detract from my use they believed.

Perhaps my owners wouldn't want me with this new scar, I feared.

Fat tears were running down my face when I felt a finger lift my chin. I

resisted the finger and closed my eyes.

"Ciara, why are you making tears?" I heard Christof ask, sounding

concerned.

I bounded up and threw my arms around his neck. He tensed and I felt

his brother's hands pull me away. I sobbed my apologies and dropped

to my knees in front of them. I heard Master Damien sigh as he stood

me up.

"There was no kneeling place beneath you, Ciara. Come and wash me,"

he said.

I looked at my owners and was shocked at their appearance. They were

definitely worse for the wear. Jagged marks ran across their chests and

there were several obvious teeth marks. Master Kein walked with a

slight limp favoring his right side. None of them ran into the pool, they

all entered slowly.

I took up the rag and the bar and gently cleaned Master Damien. He

didn't want me anywhere near his privates, so I just skipped that area. I

cleaned each of the men the same way. They seemed to just get

relaxed with me touching them and then I would hit a sore spot. I was

as gentle as I could be with them. Even Christof flinched when I cleaned

his neck.

"Show me where you were injured, Ciara," Master Damien said

sounding tired.

I stood in front of him while he sat in shallow water and let him

examine the leg.

"I'm sorry Master Damien, please don't get rid of me," I begged.

"We have already told you we will not sell you, Ciara. You must learn to

listen to us," he sighed brushing his fingers over the scar.

"Will you kill the Keepers? It wasn't their fault. I was playing around and

was clumsy. Please don't kill the Keepers, Master Damien,” I continued

quietly.

"They allowed you to be injured, Ciara. I have every right to exact the

price from their hides. They are well compensated to keep you safe

while we are away,” he said examining the mark.

Master Damien didn't sound like he wanted to listen to anymore from

me, so I stayed silent. He motioned for me to sit beside him and I did

quietly. The water stopped just over my thighs and I played with my

new scar under the surface. I was distracted from this when Master Evan

lay down across the seat and placed his head in my lap.

Tentatively, I stroked his hair, which he had thrown between Master

Damien and I. He seemed to relax in the water and I brushed his face

with my fingertips. I felt something nudging my shoulder and I turned

my head. A man's hairy leg was right behind me, his toes were touching

me just barely. Master Damien grabbed my head and forced it back

down when I started to look up.

"Damien," Master Evan said quietly, "it appears Andre has yet to learn

not to touch what is not his."

I recognized Fuji's Warriors by their voices approaching us. They

weren't happy either. I rolled my eyes and shook my head wondering if

Andre and his brothers would ever learn.