Crescent (Book 1)

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Today, I remember each and every agonizing time I shift. By the fifth time, I fall to my knees and cough so hard that Saren finally relents, sitting against the bough of a tree and watching me. My breath comes out ragged, and my head is heavy. I lean back, staring at the graying sky. Night is coming soon.

We're far enough from the castle that she'll make me shift again in order to get back. The thought makes bile rise in my throat, but she speaks just as I lean over and heave up the last of my water:

"You're still a long way off. Weeks. Months, maybe."

"I won't... make it that long," I wipe my mouth with my sleeve. My arms wobble as I prop myself upright. It's the truth. I'm moments away from fainting, and with the serum she gave me still in control, I don't know whether I'll shift first or my heart will give out. I don't care about dying. I don't even care about the pain. But the mere thought of this all being for waste...

Saren flicks her plaited hair over her shoulder and casually props her arm on her knee. "You will," she says. "If you've lasted this long, you will."

I don't trust her enough to believe her, but I know I'll probably die trying. If I know one thing about myself, it's that I'm stubborn. "Are you going to tell me more stories or are we just going to sit here staring at each other until I shift again?"

She gives the barest of smiles, taking a deep breath. "Do you smell that?" I've been too out-of-it to pay much attention, but as soon as she says it, I inhale. The scent of pine fills my nose, but beneath it, I smell something hot, sweet, heavy. "It's spiced mud weed. Commonly used to disguise the scent of sulfur in mining."

I think back to the tracks and the abandoned machinery in the cavern we cross to get here. "That's what the cavern is? A mine?"

Saren shakes her head. "It was once. Most of the active mines are within secluded territories of the realm. Remember that. The mines are the reason for our wealth. We trade with other realms."

It makes sense, I guess. Ceth has already plied me with hoards of jewels within the span of a few weeks. Ceth, himself, has worn a different treasure every time I've seen him. "What do we trade for?"

"That's a question for... more qualified men." Her eyes settle somewhere over my shoulder. "My job is to teach you the basics. Ladies aren't meant to know the details."

I, at least, have the energy to roll my eyes. "What do the other realms trade?"

"Well... There's Osthen below us. They trade mainly in mineral fuels and other precious metals. The land to the south is very flat, so it's best suited to oiling. To the west, Ireodran trades spices, some mineral fuels... They mainly focus on the arts. They make rare paints, instruments, and are well-known for their food."

Rhiannon's voice comes back to me: I imagine our food pales in comparison.

"Nexus to the south trades in timber. What they lack in size, they make-up for in numbers. They have the largest fleet in the six realms. Then there's Glalas and Lushwind. Glalas specializes in alternative fuel sources. Production power, technological advances. Every major contribution to academia, war strategy, agriculture... It all came from them. Before the war, they were known for their academies. But..." Saren trails off. "The war changed lots of things. Lushwind, however, has always traded in skilled laborers and-"

I interrupt. "You mean people- slaves?"

Saren seems impervious to the term. "Soldiers. Manpower. They have long-standing ties with Glalas. They've trained some of the greatest soldiers the realms have ever known."

"You don't think, even for a moment, that trading people as a source of revenue is wrong?" I nearly bellow, but she gives me one look that reminds me she can- and will- take me out if I'm not careful. I quickly shut up.

"You have to learn about the way we do things, Brenna. Things may be different in the mortal realms, but that doesn't make them right." I choose to say nothing. The sun has all but disappeared behind the trees now, and frost coats the edges of my breath. Saren stands, brushes the snow from her suit.

"Better get going. Even we don't want to be alone out here in the dark."

"You mean there are things more fearsome than the likes of you and I?" I call after her. Rhiannon's voice is like an itch that can't be scratched, ringing in the back of my head: "There are far worse things to fear than this realms keeper."

Saren casts a dark look over her shoulder as she walks up the hill. "You're welcome to stay and find out."