The Necromancer’s Daughter – Chapter Six

The Amethyst that split the sky I

Meloreana I
“So that’s her?” Meleorana dropped the magic that kept her hidden and took shape in the corner of the small hut. The old man was still staring at the glass orb sitting on the table. The two young women had left a while ago and were probably well on their way away from here.
He let out a deep sigh and then nodded. “That’s her. What do you think?” He looked up at Mel and smiled.
“She’s the spitting image of her, it’s almost infuriating.”
The old man laughed. “That’s hardly her fault now is it?” His smile lingered for a second before his face turned serious again. “You know, there’s a certain level of respect I feel for Fesquera. Him and I do not see eye to eye at all, but we’re similar in some ways.”
“Please, dear father, how are you similar to that failure of a mage?”
The old man’s eyes turned stern. “If you think that’s what failure looks like then I’m afraid there’s a few lessons life has yet to teach you.”
Mel shrugged. “I’m a quick learner, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Putting lectures aside, what did you think of her skills?”
“I wouldn’t call it skills yet, it’s more aptitude that has yet to grow into anything significant.” She shifted her legs and stepped towards the table, grabbing the glass orb. “But I can’t say I’m not intrigued by what she showed us.”
“What do you think it means?”
She grinned. “I know she saw a woman walk alongside another woman with red hair, but that didn’t look like our little princess to me. I have a suspicion I know what it does mean though and I think my next course of action is to see if I can’t confirm my suspicions.” She made a waving motion with her hand and the glass orb collapsed into dozens of tiny glass orbs that rolled everywhere. “I’ll talk to you when I know more.” She smiled and turned around, exiting the small hut.
The old man sighed. “Now who’s going to clean up all these glass marbles.”

The sound of thunder echoed in the distance as the wagons hobbled along the dirt road. The rain had turned the road into a muddy mess and any rocks laying around caused the wagon to shake violently. Danae had gotten numb to the feeling faster than she expected. Four days ago she woke up in this wagon. Her arms and legs had been bound and she was thrown in a small cage with two other women her age. Attempting to remember what happened before she woke up caused her head to feel like it would split apart. The only memories that would come up were those of smells. The smell of smoke and iron filling the air around her. So after a few attempts of remembering, she gave up. She remembered her name but not much more than that. She also acknowledged pretty quickly that she wasn’t in a position to ask anyone else for their insight so she’d just stayed quiet and made as little noise as possible. The caravan had been going for a full four days and only today had she overheard the guards talk about their upcoming arrival. They were headed to a town called Viras and their caravan would stop to the South of the town and set up camp there. That’s where the event would take place. Danae didn’t know what event they were talking about but she couldn’t assume it to be anything fun. The other two women in her wagon also didn’t speak a single word during their journey out of fear for retaliation. On day two, one of the men tied up on another wagon had started yelling obscenities at the guards and they’d made it a point to make an example out of him, brutally beating him with sticks until no one dared complain. Whether that man lived or died, Danae did not know.
Thunder struck once more as the wagon hit a rock and Danae was shaken violently again. She could barely keep her eyes open anymore. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. Sleep wouldn’t come and she sat there with her eyes closed until she heard the sounds of a city in the distance. The hammering of a blacksmith hitting his forge, the clattering of wagons and horses on cobblestone, the talk of guards about inspecting the wagons. No guard came to actually inspect the wagons though, as they would quickly find a bunch of people tied up below the large sheets of fabric that were covering the wagons.
The sounds intensified as the caravan rolled through the town itself, with the sound of people talking about the poor weather accompanied by raindrops hitting windows and rooftops. Danae listened and heard a dog bark in the distance followed by a door slamming shut. A group of men were chasing a thief, yelling after the kid all the beatings he would get if they could only catch him.
Danae let it all wash over her. She felt like there might be importance in observing everything. Perhaps she could get back her memory if she just heard enough sounds and smelled enough smells. Then again, she wasn’t sure if getting her memory back would be a good thing. There wasn’t anything else she could do now, so she figured it would at least keep her mind occupied. The sounds of the city slowly disappeared as they exited again on the other side of town. The rain drowned out a lot of the sounds but Danae could vaguely hear other wagons pass them from the opposite direction. There was even the muffled sound of some livestock coming from one of them. A few more minutes of driving on mud again before the caravan finally reached its destination.

“We finally made it. I’m sick and tired of trudging through this awful mud.” A voice spoke outside of the cart. Danae could just barely see some shapes moving through cracks in the cloth.
“Let’s hope the weather clears up and we get this job done quickly, I want to head into town and sleep in a warm bed.”
“Just be patient, we’re making big money on this job, so once we’re done we’ll be set for a while.”
Even through the numbness it irritated Danae that the people who were holding her in this awful situation were complaining about their own comfort.
“Do you think we’ll get through this without any big problems?” The first voice asked.
“I hope so. Viras is a nasty place that is frequented by pirates and smugglers. Apparently they take pride in ruining the local economy by flooding the market with smuggled products.”
“That’s messed up, what about the local businesses?”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
The sound of hooves passed by their carts and the conversation on the outside seemed to die down a little bit. Danae looked at the two people who were on her cart. One of the women seemed to either be asleep or unconscious. The other was just staring at the floor, shivering in place.
“Well, the local lord supports this market, so I doubt pirates would be so stupid as to bother us here, even if we’re a little ways away from town. I hear that some of the town’s guards will even be present as extra protection against the possibility.”
“Well, that’s good to know, I don’t want to fight pirates.” Both men laughed and their conversation seemed to die down. What felt like an hour passed as they sat there, shivering in the cold. The rain soaked through the cloth and dripped into their cages and Danae had started to lose feeling in most of her extremities before there were finally new sounds. Horses coming to a halt and men dismounting followed by shouting of orders and boots running through mud. Danae heard the sound of hammers hitting something metal, fabric flapping in the wind and iron and wood being dragged around. From what she could gleam from her prison she inferred that the men were setting up some sort of encampment. It sounded like someone assembling a tent near where they were staying.
Not long after the work had started someone rapidly removed the cloth from the cart, exposing the cages to the wind and the rain. Only now did Danae realize how much she appreciated the cloth, as the cold got much more intense immediately. Danae watched as lightning filled the sky and lit up their small encampment before the sound of rolling thunder filled the area and things went dark again. Several men stood next to the cart with one standing up front and speaking. “We’re about to open up your cages. Once we do, you’ll step out of your cage and jump off of the cart. Then you will walk into the tent over there where you’ll receive your instructions. Is that clear?”
The question was met with silence. The man spoke again, with more volume to his voice. “I will not ask a third time, is that clear?”
Speaking hurt and although Danae barely had the energy to make any sound at all she barely managed to muster a soft “yes.”
She couldn’t hear anything from the other two, but when the cage next to her got opened she saw a young woman, probably slightly older than Danae herself, weakly step out of it and jump down, shaking as she landed. Next it was Danae’s turn. She got up and realized there was no force in her legs. She weakly moved to the edge of the cart and jumped off, only for her legs to buckle the moment she touched the ground and she fell flat into the mud. She fought back tears as the sound of muffled laughter arose around her. The laughter was quickly stifled by the angry frontman of the group who instructed one of his men to drag her into the tent. Danae didn’t fight back. She was grateful for the help because she was confident she could not have made the short walk on her own. She didn’t see what happened to the third woman, the one who seemed to be either sleeping or unconscious. Danae didn’t have time to worry about others.
Inside the big tent were several larger cages. Some of the cages already had people in them. The tent was very large and Danae didn’t quite know how they assembled one so quickly. Perhaps part of it was already set up before their caravan arrived. There were cells built inside the tent with cloth covering the floor. In the back of the tent was what looked to be a bath of sorts. In groups of three the young men and women – mostly men – were undressed and put in the bath. There, one of the attendants made sure to wash them before handing them a towel and some new clothes. The bath was far from warm, but it was less cold than the rain and wind so Danae managed to get a little bit of energy back in her arms and legs and once she was dressed again she could walk to the cell she was sent to. There she sat down next to two other women, not the same people that were on her cart. From there she watched as group after group was brought into the tent until finally everyone was washed and put in their cells. It was all a very surreal experience and Danae let it all wash over her. She tried to see if she recognized anyone or saw anything that could jog her memory but it was to no avail. When everything was done, most of the men left and only a few were left here as guards.

What felt like an eternity passed until the people came back. They dragged in a large table that would seat about a dozen people. They quickly put some plates and glasses on it before someone else walked in with a wagon full of food and some barrels of water. As if a signal was sent out, the stomachs of many of the people started to growl. Four cells were opened, one of which was the one Danae was in, and the people were ushered to the table. “Eat fast or you won’t get enough to eat.”
Danae didn’t have to be told twice and spent her remaining energy on attacking the bread that was in front of her. None of it looked fresh and some of it bordered on moldy, but after several days with extremely little to eat and drink, any meal seemed like a meal for kings and queens. Lightning struck again in the distance and Danae stared out of the tent opening als the sound of thunder rolled through once more.
“Ominous, isn’t it?” A voice said next to her. She looked and saw a middle aged man sit next to her, casually chewing on a piece of bread. “This thunder feels like it’s foreboding, as if the gods are trying to tell us something.” He stopped eating and put down the bread before smiling at Danae. “What do you suppose they’re trying to tell us?”
Danae thought for a moment. Who was this man and why was he talking to her? Not to mention that the things he was saying made no sense to her. “It seems to me more so that the gods have abandoned us all together.”
The man thought about this for a moment. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it, but that kind of simplifies the way we look at gods. What do you think gods are, in the first place?”
Danae was starting to get annoyed. “Who are you and why are you asking me this?”
Ignoring Danae’s questions the man continued. “I suppose you’re right, this might not be on the forefront of your mind right now. But it’s important to think about these things.” He smiled. “Don’t worry Danae, things will be alright soon. He put his hand on the back of her neck and she felt a tingling sensation as if something went into her skin and floated down to her chest. A warmth filled her entire chest and for a moment she forgot where she was.
“That’s a gift from me, remember it when the time comes.”
“Who are you?” Danae asked.
The man paused for a moment and Danae observed a conflict happening behind his eyes before he spoke again. “My name is Athanatos. I’m a wanderer and a mage. We will meet again.” He smiled and snapped his fingers. Danae blinked from the sudden movement and when she opened her eyes again the man had vanished. She looked around but no one seemed to acknowledge the strange encounter that just happened. If not for the warmth that Danae still felt in her chest she would swear it was all a hallucination.
“What are you looking at?” A stern voice behind her woke her up out of her dazed state. “Nothing,” she sheepishly replied, focusing on the food in front of her. She heard an annoyed exhale behind her. “Hurry up and eat before we need to send in the next group.”
Danae didn’t have to hear that twice. She quickly ate more of the food. Whatever just happened gave her a boost in energy and she realized how hungry she was. She was still hungry when they were told to go back to their cells, but she felt a lot better. Lightning and thunder lit up the sky outside of the tent as the metal cell closed behind her. What a strange day this was. Her fear had mellowed out a little bit due to the strangeness of it all, but as time passed it picked up in intensity again.

That night sleep did not find Danae easily. Thunder and lightning filled the sky outside of the tent they were imprisoned in and the sound of others crying and moaning in pain wasn’t exactly helping either. Any time Danae felt like she was about to lose consciousness there’d be a flash of something on fire, followed by the smell of blood, before a thunderstrike in the distance would draw her back out of it and she’d be staring at the bars of her cell again. She couldn’t actually recall any events before she’d woken up on the wagon, but there was something there that she couldn’t access. She worried that the memories were there, but something blocked her from seeing them. Part of her was curious about what she wasn’t reaching. Another – much bigger – part of her was terrified of why the memories were not accessible and didn’t want to see them any time soon. Fire and blood weren’t exactly imagery that brought joy. The sound of rain hitting the tent above helped calm her down a little bit and her breathing slowed as she lay there. Just as she was getting too tired to stay awake, lightning would strike again and her heartbeat would quicken. The guards were mostly gone during the night. There were probably more of them outside though. Either way, Danae was sure most people here were too exhausted and famished to even consider escaping. Getting out of the cells already seemed like an impossible task and moving beyond that was even more unlikely. Danae tried to steel herself for whatever came next, but after several hours of laying there, unable to sleep, the tears started streaming down her face. She was scared. She had tried to use her lack of emotional attachment as a way to drive out the fear. But she knew that she was scared in her heart and as thunder once again struck in the distance, she cried until she finally fell asleep, not long before dawn.

Not long after Danae fell asleep she was woken up again by the sound of thunder. A more perceptive mind would pick up on the fact that the storm seemed to be intensifying but to Danae it was just noise in the back of her mind. She got up and looked around. Not much had changed about her situation except for the fact that it sounded a little bit more lively outside of the tent. It seemed that their captors were building some sort of podium, from the little bits of conversation she could gleam. As the morning progressed they were all given a bit of food in their cells and someone came to check up on them twice, looking them up and down before leaving again without saying a word. The day continued to crawl along until dusk was about an hour away. The buzz outside made it seem like there were more people coming in and just as Danae was hoping they would leave them alone but just as that thought was crossing their mind someone who looked important entered the large prison tent, flanked by what looked to be guards.
“Ladies, gentlemen and others, welcome to tonight’s auction.” The sound of wind and rain wasn’t enough to drown out the nasally voice of the announcer. Danae was standing with a group of four other women, all of them had their hands tied with guards flanking each group. Ahead of Danae’s group was a group of men and there were several other groups behind them. They were still in the tent but she could see that ahead of them was a makeshift stage.
“Not only do we have some fantastic wares for you all to bid on, but we also have a big announcement to make at the end of tonight’s auction so make sure to stick around until the end. We humbly thank Lord Zeredin for sponsoring tonight’s event.” Danae could hear a bunch of people clapping. The sound of thunder shook every person waiting and when it faded the clapping had stopped as well. At this point pretty much everyone of them had figured out what was going on. This was a slave auction. They were going to be sold to the people outside. The thought of this put fear in Danae’s heart. But like most emotions, the fear seemed to feel a bit muted, detached. She couldn’t quite process it all that well, probably due to her memory loss.
“Now without further ado, let us begin with the first bunch. Each number represents a lot you can bid on, so pay close attention to the numbers.”
Danae looked down at the wooden plaque hanging from her neck. It had the number seventeen on it. The first group of five people were brought outside and Danae tried her best to block out the sound of what was happening outside. She heard some yelling of numbers and excitement in the voice of the announcer. The wind was howling through it all and right as the third group was being led outside thunder struck again.
A stinging pain hit Danae’s neck as the thunder faded away and for a moment she wanted to fall to the ground, but a moment later it was gone again. That was strange, it felt like a strong headache condensed in what was only a fraction of a second.
The group in front of her shuffled out of sight and Danae was now close enough to the exit of the tent that she could peek outside. It looked busier than she expected. Large open tents were set up and people were hiding from the rain under it, sitting on wooden stools and in many cases standing. There looked to be a little over a hundred people gathered, many of them looked to be nobility and their entourage. The most interesting thing Danae spotted was that most of them were human. There were only a few elves, even though Fyrston was mainly inhabited by elves. She heard the sound of people bidding and numbers going up and up until the announcer yelled sold accentuated by another lightning strike. The thundering sound followed very quickly, which meant it was coming closer to where they were. Again, Danae felt a weird stinging pain in the back of her neck for but a moment. What was going on? She tried to locate where the pain was coming from but before she could think about it too much there was a yank on the rope that held her and she was being ushered onto the stage.
Suddenly the panic and fear that she had felt in a muted sense before became much worse. The reality of her situation seemed to hit her just as hard as the cold rain that hit her face once she left the cover of the tent. All the people sitting in the clearing looked at her and the other four women next to her. Danae was center stage, in the middle of the group. Thunder struck again, and she saw that people in the crowd were getting nervous, whispering into each other’s ears and some people near the back were even making their way out of the area. The announcer continued speaking but was quickly interrupted by the sound of thunder again.
“Well it looks like the weather might be getting worse, we’ll probably have to get through these last few rounds a bit quicker so we can all go home and take a nice bath.” He laughed nervously.
The stinging pain in the back of Danae’s head got worse and worse. Every lightning strike seemed to make it more intense. In her panic she looked around the crowd for something to focus on and she found it in the eyes of a woman. She locked eyes for but a moment with this stranger and just as she saw the eyes of the woman widen as she reached her arm out towards Danae, starting to say something, lightning struck the podium itself. Danae felt a searing pain accompanied by a deafening ringing sound that seemed to explode into her mind before everything went dark and quiet.