by Jessica Snow
I hate Tauren, not for who he is, but for who and what he represents. In a bit of spite, I reach forward and snatch the Neyla crystal from his forehead, prying it out with my fingernail. The sharp diamond point at the base cuts into his flesh as I do, causing a trickle of blood to drip down his forehead, but I feel no pity. Neyilla's made me bleed worse.
“Down payment on twenty plus years of unpaid labor,” I hiss, slipping the crystal in my pocket. “Let's hope the Resistance doesn't demand more from you.”
I see movement in the trees, and Mathias emerges with three men. He points, and the three men hurry towards the craft, opening the door and stepping inside. “Here,” one of them says, handing me a heavy coat. “Your legs will be cold, but you'll be able to make it to the caves.”
“The caves?” I ask, realization dawning on me. Of course the Resistance would use caves, there are not too many other ways to avoid detection by the satellites that ring the planet. A few forests, sure... but the mountains that make up huge chunks of this continent are the best way. “How far?”
“Just a kilometer,” one of the men says. “We'll take Tauren between us, the Commander wants to make sure he's okay.”
“Commander?” I ask, and one of the men nods. “I didn't know the Resistance has a Commander.”
“He'll be back soon to explain it all, don't worry. Come on, we've got fresh food and some warm clothes and beds for you. You can start to free yourself, it's part of our creed. Come on.”
I step out, shivering as I close up the coat and hurry after the leader of the group. “What about the other two?”
“They'll be right behind us, after they free Tauren. But I need to get you and Mathias to safety, there's no reason for you guys to be dealing with frostbite.”
We rush through the cold, thankfully there is no snow on the ground but still I can't feel my toes as we move through the trees and head towards wherever these caves are. “Here I was thinking I was actually tough,” I gripe. “You guys have shoes?”
“Try Lancer boots,” our escort says, looking back over his shoulder. “You'll see why soon enough. Don't worry, it's just through this bunch of trees.”
We head further on, and I see an opening in the rock face up ahead. “Not much of a cave entrance.”
Our escort laughs and nods. “Just like we like it. Don't worry, it's not the only entrance we've got.”
We make our way through the zig-zag entrance, and I get the feeling that this isn't quite as natural as it looks. The two turns are classic architecture for controlling the defense of an entrance, and it keeps the wind out of the interior of the cave. Inside, I find the space almost immediately noticeably warmer, and over thirty people working in the lit cavern, with offshoots going in various directions. “Welcome to Camp Twenty-Seven,” our escort says. “First things first, you guys get beds and warm meals. You can start to figure things out in the morning.”
“But....” I start, and our escort speaks up again.
“Relax. Everyone gets a taste of freedom. It lets them understand what it means to work your ass off for something besides what some slave owner demands of you. The Commander will explain in the morning; he should be here. Here, here's the reception wing of the cave.”
Inside the cavern he leads me into is a row of bunk beds, and I can already see that some of the spots are filled. “Did this many people escape from the arena already?”
“No... that might take days for some of them to get all the way up here. But that's the Commander's responsibility. Our job was to take Tauren into custody, and to receive whoever Mathias could bring with him. By the way, I'm Taven.”
“Audra,” I reply, and Taven nods. I notice that Mathias isn't with us anymore, and I look around, confused. “Where's Mathias staying?”
“The men's quarters, of course. Relax, here's your bunk. You're safe here, Audra.”
Taven leaves, and I look at my little cubicle area. Each bunk at least has a little bit of privacy, and I quickly strip out of the dress that Neyilla had me in, finding some oversized military pants and a huge thermal shirt that I pull on before I lay down on the bunk. It's harder than what I had in my quarters at the Neyton house, but it's a free bed, and I'm asleep quickly.
* * *
I wake up the next morning, and the first thought on my mind is that I must have overslept. My body is too well rested, and Neyilla never lets me sleep much past seven or eight in the morning. I roll out of my bed, springing to my feet in panic before the chill in the air reminds me of where I am, and everything that happened yesterday hits me.
I'm free. I guess it'd be more accurate to call me a runaway slave, but the reality is I'm free. My pants are too big, my thermal shirt hangs like a bag on my body, and my feet are still cold from wearing the thin shoes that Neyilla had required me to wear for going to the Arena.... but I'm free.
I wander out of the sleeping area, where there are still five other women snoring, and into the main corridor. Last night, I was too tired to take notice, but the cave has certainly been worked with tools, the walls are too straight, the floor is too perfectly level and smooth. It's still chilly, or at least a lot chillier than the capital, but my clothes help some. I head down the corridor to the main cavern, which arcs high up into the space above me, so high that the lights that ring the place don't begin to light it all the way up. “Where am I?”
“One of those types, are ya?” a voice with the heavy, musical accent of the Eastern Regions says behind me. It's not unkind, more amused, and I turn around, seeing a middle-aged woman sitting at a desk. She's got brown hair that's started to streak gray, and while she's fit, there are lines of age and wear around her face. Either she's very old and has been on life extenders, or she's faced a very hard life without them. Maybe both at times. “When did you come in, Red?”
“The name's Audra, and I came in last night with... uh, I forget the name of the guy who showed me the bunks, but I was on the transport that brought Prince Tauren in,” I reply, looking around. “I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I'm kinda hungry. The guy last night said you've got warm food? And boots?”
“The food I can get you right away,” the woman says, standing up. “As for boots Audra, I'll have to get your sizes. Looks like the boys last night didn't do a good job of getting you clothes either, I'll help you out with that. But first thing's first. I'll get you some food, while you start your duties.”
“Duties?” I ask, surprised. “Uh, am I in the army?”
The woman laughs, coming around. “Yes and no. The Commander is just about the only person who holds an official rank, although he's divvied out jobs to a bunch of us, and there's a sort of unofficial hierarchy because of it. In reality though, you're one hundred percent free. You can tell me to bugger off, turn around and walk out the front door of this cave, and nobody's going to stop ya. On the other hand, with the threat that the Resistance faces from the government, and the little ruckus that was kicked up yesterday, we're certainly not a hippie commune.”
“A hippie commune?” I ask, confused. “What's that?”
The woman shakes her head and pats me on the shoulder. “Never mind, I forget that you capital people grew up different from me. The name's Rebbie, I'm what you might call your transition helper to the Resistance. Normally, I'd let you hang out in the dorm, take a few days to get your feet underneath you like the other girls are doing, but the Commander was in contact with us just this morning. When he heard about the Prince, he ordered that someone watch him who won't kill him. Problem is, all the boys who we put in with him can't go an hour without ringing out and saying they're gonna kill the man. Seein' as you actually flew him up here and stopped the other boy from doing something, the Commander said you were the person to tab for it. So come on, you get to eat on duty today.”
I think about it, then nod. What the hell, if I go outside I'll probably freeze to death anyway, and they did spring me free, I might as well do my part to help others. And so far, all they want me to do is
watch Tauren, I've done that already. I follow Rebbie through the cavern to the other side, where she leads me down another corridor, talking the whole time. “Don't worry about navigating yourself around, you'll get the hang of it. Actually, we tend to move around a lot, although this camp we've been back to a few times. You need help, just ask. Anyway, here we are. I'll bring you some food in a little bit.”
Rebbie opens a door for me, and I see Tauren, still out, lying on a thin mattress on the ground. He's been bound to the wall, and I think they're using diamond carbon cable. Good stuff, it'd be easier to bring down the wall than break the cable. I see a chair in the corner and go over, sitting down. “Okay, let me get you some food, and I'll bring a scanner by, get your sizes. I'm sure we've got something better than what you're wearing for you.”
Rebbie leaves, closing the door behind her, and I take a seat, watching Tauren. He's still out, but at least he looks comfortable, at least as comfortable as you can be with a di-car cable and shackle around your ankle. I can understand why some of the guys who were watching him yesterday might be angry with him, I hate Tauren too, but to kill a sleeping man? Maybe my fellow humans aren't as humane as I thought. Then again, after hundreds of years of slavery, it's perhaps understandable. Someday though, maybe within my lifetime, all humans will be free, I'm sure of it.
I hear heavy boot steps coming down the hallway, and the door opens, shocking me as Jensen comes in. The legendary gladiator, but... why is he dressed in military-like fatigues? He tilts his head, and gives me a polite smile. “Hello.”
Nice voice, almost as deep as Tauren's. He's taller than I thought, and even more imposing up close than he was in the arena. His hair's got a hint of red to it, although his is a dark, almost auburn blood red, like his hair is a reflection of his past. “Hello. You're Jensen.”
“And you're Audra,” Jensen says, his voice quavering, nervous. He shifts his weight from side to side, and while he still looks calm, but I get the sense that he's not the type to squirm around a lot unless he's extremely agitated. “Uh, how'd you sleep?”
“Fine, thanks,” I reply, curious. Why's he nervous? We've never met before, but he's sounding like a cat in a room full of mountain-trackers. “What can I do for you?”
“First, I brought you breakfast,” Jensen says, taking a ration pack from his thigh pocket. “It's not much but..... oh heaven and stars, it's so good to see you again, Audra!”
Jensen's shoulders shake, and he kneels down, reaching for my hand and I pull back, shocked. “Um, excuse me? I've never met you before.”
Jensen stops, and I can tell that what I said hurt him, but he swallows, nodding. “They told me that might be the case, but I was praying.... Audra, do you remember your parents?”
“No,” I answer immediately. “I don't remember them at all. I was raised in Neyilla's service, in Neyton's house. I have no memory of my parents.”
“I remember them,” Jensen says, sitting down on the ground. “Father was tall, with a scar that ran down his left arm to his elbow, the result of when the slavers captured us. We lived in a free human settlement, in the northwest region, near the ocean. It's hazy now, but I remember running not for training, not for my life, but just for fun. And Mother, she'd sing to us ever night, a little lullaby that I can't remember the words to anymore, but the tune was like this....”
Jensen starts humming, and it's like a dagger in my heart. I've never heard the music before, but it strikes a chord deep inside me, and I'm nearly crying in shock. “What... what is that?”
Jensen stops, and swallows again. “Audra, our mother sang that to us. I... I'm your brother.”
Chapter Four
Tauren
My senses come back to me slowly, bit by bit. I can tell that I'm cold, wherever I am, and that I'm lying down on some sort of thin mattress, maybe on the ground from the way sounds are coming to me. I'm clamped around the ankle by something, tight enough that I'm guessing it's not a love bondage. I sniff slowly and catch the scent of humans, that sort of gentle full richness that is different from Tamarian scents.
So, that's what happened, I've been captured by humans. I'm guessing the Resistance. It makes some sort of sense. Free humans wouldn't have a reason to try to kidnap me, and a rebellious Tamarian faction wouldn't leave me in the care of this many humans. Still, I do nothing, and just listen, letting my captors reveal themselves to me while they think that I'm still unconscious.
The door opens, and two women come in, one of them older than the other. “Okay, let me get you some food, and I'll bring a scanner by, get your sizes. I'm sure we've got something better than what you're wearing for you.”
The younger woman thanks her, and the voice sounds somehow familiar. Where have I heard that voice before? It's none of the humans who are in the royal palace, but they've been there before perhaps, or maybe I've been in their presence before.....
Before I can figure it out, the door opens, heavy boot steps coming into the room. A deep, powerful human male voice speaks up. “Hello.”
The woman, who I can tell has sat down, replies. “Hello. You're Jensen.”
Jensen? Mogar's gladiator? But... how? Was he involved somehow in what happened to me?
“And you're Audra,” Jensen says, solving the riddle for me, and I can hear something in his voice. He's hiding something from Audra, but I don't think he's nervous in a harmful way. He sounds... wistful, maybe? “Did you sleep well?”
They continue talking, Jensen's words reawakening memories inside me, an object lesson Mogar had me take in over twenty years ago. Still, I stay totally still, until Jensen's bombshell. “.... I'm your brother.”
“What?” Audra exclaims, and even I open my eyes. Yes, I can see it, they are certainly related. While Jensen's a little bit taller, and a little bit older, the way their faces are shaped, the fact they both share red in their hair, so extremely rare in the human population, the general build... they're related for sure.
“I'm your brother,” Jensen says. “We were... wait.”
Jensen turns to me, and sees that my eyes are open. “Good morning, Prince Tauren.”
I sit up and see that they've attached my leg to the wall with a di-car cable. Smart move. “Since I doubt anyone's going to listen to my orders or do what I say, how about just calling me Tauren.”
“Tauren,” Jensen says, nodding. “Fine. Maybe you can learn something from this little story too. Like I said, Audra and I lived in a free human village, on the edge of the ocean. Our parents were craftspeople, I'm not sure if my father was a carpenter, or maybe just a handyman. We weren't rich, but we made do, and had our own land. We lived a simple, happy life. My baby sister and I would play together with the animals, and while we were probably dirty, filthy little urchins by capital standards, I loved her. All that changed the day I was seven years old. It was someone's birthday; I don't quite remember if it was Audra's or our mother's.”
Audra's entranced, and I understand. The honesty and pain in Jensen's tale is undeniable, and he's hurting as he tells the story. “The slavers hit the village hard, I remember that. I don't know how many there were, all I remember is that suddenly there seemed to be Tamarians everywhere. I'd never seen a Tamarian before that day. And the first Tamarian I ever saw.... shot our mother in the head with a very old powerlance.”
Jensen takes a lance from his thigh, where it's been in a holster, holding it out. It's collapsed, in the compact configuration, a little bit longer than hand size that allows it to be carried in a holster nearly anywhere on the body. “It was a lance a lot like this one, in fact, although an older model, maybe a Mark I or II. Oh, it was deployed then, and I heard one of the senior slavers cursing out the slaver who shot Mother that he's screwed up, the charges weren't fatal unless they hit a human in the head but... she dropped like a sack of laundry. I was next and Audra after that. When I woke up, I was in the slave pens outside the capital.”
I shudder, remembering. “When I was fourteen, my tutor Lord Mogar took m
e to the slave pens, showing me up close what the conditioning programs were like for slaves. It was... brutal.”
“Try being a seven-year-old boy who went through the program, and is immune to the hypnotics that Neyton developed,” Jensen growls, his anger not exactly at me, but what I represent. “I was too young to understand why they were doing what they were doing, or what was happening to the other male slaves around me. I just knew that every time I disobeyed, I was beaten, whipped and cursed. I was starved when that didn't work, my right arm was broken when a slaver's club was swung a bit too hard. I was trying to protect my father when that happened, we ended up in the same slave pen. Finally, when they didn't think they could teach me anything, that I was one of the ones they called retarded, they just ignored me totally. I was left to try and steal food from the other slaves, or beg, or die. I nearly died.”
“Until Mogar purchased you,” I interject, and Jensen nods. “He did the same when I went with him. We went without my parents' knowledge, they thought that Mogar was taking me to the forests west of the capital. We landed at six in the morning, and I got to watch as the slavers bathed the humans in the pens via high-pressure hoses. Morning feeding was next, and then the auction. Mogar pointed out the various injuries to some of the humans, telling me how and most likely when each of them was injured. He didn't bid on any of them though, and instead took me back to the training pens. We walked along, my stomach churning at the smell and at what I saw. They may have hosed off the humans, but the slavers.... I've smelled farms that were nicer than those slave pens. Mogar took me deeper into the shadows and then pointed out one of the slaves. She was lying on her side, her eyes closed, bleeding from the many cuts and abrasions along her naked body.
