Voices of Humanity

Chapter Fifty-Three

Only three chapters remain! The second to last chapter will be posted on Wednesday and the final chapter on Friday. Hope you enjoy! :-)

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With Magnus's business plans laid out I was busy through the fall. My body was fully recovered by now, well-fed and clothed to a degree I'd never dreamed of. I knew it was temporary. There was no question his trade anymore. I had pushed him towards it in hopes of affecting change before it was too late, but once he officially took on the role of "Master" to a human flock, it was only a matter of time before he realized my true place. Before I saw the truth of what Magnus really was.

I no longer took meals with my Master more than once a week, and only when he insisted. I needed the space and was grateful he seemed to accept this. Indeed his affect towards me had changed since I had vowed to willingly assist in his trade. I wondered if even he found discomfort in the presence of one who so easily betrayed her own. Or perhaps he was simply looking to distance himself from one he owned as property and was indeed already coming to see the reality I'd known all along.

To help him with the separation I made clear that, once the slave hall was completed, I understood that to be my home. Before the first frost, I had set up a bed there for myself and even convinced him that it was important for me to experience the space through the winter to ensure it was adequately insulated and comfortable for the flock that would arrive in the spring.

Magnus protested at first, of course, insisting that could I remain in his guest bedroom but I knew well enough that this was not appropriate. I worried greatly already for what his sibla employees might think of his strange devotion to me. And though Magnus had never given any indication whatsoever that he might take advantage, I could not help but fear that living in the same space as a lone sibla male could be dangerous. Already I had dwelled in his home for too long. It was improper and could only be more problematic through the winter months when the weather might keep him inside more.

When he eventually he acquiesced, Magnus insisted that I inform him of any concerns regarding my new home, reasserting that I could return to the guest room in the main house at any point if I changed my mind. I knew I would never do so. I did my work in the kitchen and then returned to my bed in the empty dorm, using the quiet of the barren space to plan for the humans that would soon join me there.

Though I had originally moved into the slave dorms to gain more separation from my new "partner" and Master, I soon realized the benefit of experiencing the space first hand for the purposes of my planning. Magnus offered me a variety of catalogs from which to select bedding, clothing, and other supplies for the humans he would take on and it was not long before I managed to make the dorms into a space that was quite comfortable, if not somewhat empty given that I was the only resident.

I chose for myself a bed in the back of the dormitory, slightly removed from the twenty-nine other beds that filled the space, awaiting their future occupants. I would reside by their side yes, but I knew I also had to make clear my position to the girls who would come. Magnus had agreed to hire no true overseer for his new slaves, but that generosity would only remain if I could play the part myself. In order to spare them the danger of a sibla master, I would have to take on the role fully.

Magnus was not quite as enthused as myself when I expressed my contentment in the slave hall, offering gratitude that he had hired a competent builder to create a cozy space and allowed me the funds to outfit it properly. He agreed with my suggestion that it made sense for me to dwell with the other humans for a period once they arrived, assuring they adjusted properly, but remained insistent that this arraignment remain temporary.

"Only until your true residence is completed," he told me. "I have already had plans drawn up for a home that will be more suitable."

I nodded, accepting his fantasy and assuring him that I had no need to see the drawings, trusting his judgment. Let him build the overseer's house, I thought to myself. When he finally realized that I was a human no different from the ones he slaughtered, his vision of me would right itself. With any luck, the sibla who would take my place in caring for my new Master's humans would be kinder if properly accommodated.